o muhammad! give me something of what you have

 

the prophet, sallallahu ' alaihi wa sallam, returning home accompanied by anas ibn malik - may allah be pleased with him. we can only imagine how he was feeling approaching the door of his house after a particularly stressful day, after a long day dedicated to spread the message of islam and managing the affairs of their community. what he wanted more, first of all, was to be able to rest in the informal comfort of his home.

he dressed a simple wide cloak with a hem not finished, which was barely more than a rectangle of cloth with which he covered his shoulders and a sling around his neck. the tail of his turban was hanging on his back.

finally arrived at the door of his house and was about to enter when an inhabitant of the desert came quickly towards him. when he reached the prophet sallallahu ' alaihi wa sallam, he pulled his cloak from behind. the prophet sallallahu ' alaihi wa sallam, was surprised by the force of the pull and astonished looked back. the pull force was such that almost toppled him down, tore the cloak, and as it was around his neck, he girded his neck. that pull, left its traces in the body of the allah messenger, sallallahu ' alaihi wa sallam.

 

to analyze this situation, one can think that the bedouin (inhabitant of the desert), to see what he did, would release the cloak and ask forgiveness. as we would also expect that the prophet muhammad- sallallahu ' alaihi wa sallam, to see that the man was dismayed by the incident, would accept the apologies and leave things as they were, without going further. but this was not what happened.

the bedouin instead of apologizing and releasing the cloak; roughly addressed the prophet, sallallahu ' alaihi wa sallam, telling him: "muhammad! give me something of what you have, share with me the richness that allah has granted you". he did not show the slightest consideration or respect that the prophet, sallallahu ' alaihi wa sallam, deserved.

now, please, take a few moments and imagine how an ordinary person would react upon being treated in this way, i.e., being addressed by a rascal who pulled our clothes from behind, making us stagger and almost hang. and not to mention he ripped our clothes and that he did not try the least apology and also, has the audacity to ask for money in the rudest manner. surely we do not tolerate and give him a blow at least.

 

how did the prophet, sallallahu ' alaihi wa sallam, reacted?


anas, may allah be pleased with him, narrated: "the messenger of allah, sallallahu ' alaihi wa sallam, turned around facing the bedouin and smiled; and then ordered us to give him money". [bukhari]

 

subhanallah! (glorified be allah), this reaction not only teaches us the self-control that distinguished the messenger of allah, sallallahu ' alaihi wa sallam, but beyond that, it proves us that it was indeed a person who was characterized for having an unique behavior and conduct. in such a situation there is no time to think or to fix things so that one gets away gracefully. if the prophet, sallallahu ' alaihi wa sallam, would have beaten him, nobody had been able to accuse him for this reaction, because he was an ordinary man like everyone else; but his prophetic side was always highlighted, in surprising cases like these.

he made clear that in islam, in similar situations, there is no room for the newton's theory that says that every action is equal to a reaction.

that’s why, allah almighty, said (which is interpreted): {you're certainly of a great nature and moral} [koran 68: 4]

 

the prophet muhammad, sallallahu ' alaihi wa sallam, was a person who applied what he said and taught, by his example carved the most wonderful lessons of life in the hearts of his sahabah (companions). as well as advised not to get angry to whom asked him for advice, he did not get angry, and the clear and reliable proof is shown in this surprising reaction; he stood , turned around and smiled...

this is the summit that no other man has managed to reach: the perfect harmony between what is said and what is done.

on the other hand, we see that while the prophet -saaws- was the head of state and leader of the community, everyone had access to him without any problem, even without any kind of protocol as we see. it was not surrounded by a special court of persons or bodyguards that prevented other members of society to have access to him.