| One of the companions of the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.) once found himself in severe poverty. His wife
advised him to go to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and request his help.
The man approached the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), but as soon as the
Prophet (s.a.w.) eyes fell upon the man, he said:
If a person seeks something from me, I shall certainly grant it
to him, but if he were to exhibit himself as being self-sufficient
and free from want, Allah shall make him affluent.
Hearing this, the man said to himself, The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)
has intended me by this speech of his.
Without uttering a word, he returned home and narrated the
incident to his wife.
His wife said, The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) is also human; explain
your dilemma to him and see what he has to say.
The man returned to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) for the second time
but heard the same sentence from him and again came back home
without saying a word.
When
this was repeated for the third time, the man borrowed a pickaxe
from one of his friends and set off towards the mountains.
Throughout the day he worked hard to gather firewood, which he sold
for some flour and that night, he and his wife had bread for dinner.
The next day, he worked harder and collected more firewood and
this continued for several days till he was able to purchase a
pickaxe for himself.
After some period, as a result of his hard work, he managed to
purchase two camels and a slave, and slowly became one of the
affluent ones.
One day, arriving before the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), he narrated
to him the events of his life and the effect of his words, whereupon
the Prophet (s.a.w.) responded:
I had said (before): "One who seeks to be independent (of
others), Allah shall make him independent." |