The Final Prophet by Mohammad Elshinawy

Everyone who interacted with Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم recognized him as the most generous of people, and it was well known that he never consumed any of the charity he collected. He صلى الله عليه وسلم would even share the wealth he acquired with his enemies to help them overcome their prejudices.

Zayd b. Su‘nah  was one of the leading rabbis of Madinah.

Shortly before deciding to become Muslim, Zayd thought of testing the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم by lending him eighty mithqāl (350

grams of gold) for a fixed period. A few days before repayment was due, Zayd grabbed the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم angrily by his cloak, in front of all the senior Companions, and said, “O Muhammad, why are you not paying what is due? By Allah, I know your family well! You are all known for deferring your debts!” The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said to the infuriated ‘Umar  who threatened to kill Zayd for his insolence, “O ‘Umar, we do not need this… Go with him, pay off his loan, and give him twenty additional ṣā‘ (32 kilograms) of dates because you frightened him.” It was that response that convinced Zayd b. Su‘nah to embrace Islam. He explained to ‘Umar, “There was not a single sign of prophethood except that I recognized it upon looking at Muhammad’s face—except for two that I had not yet seen from him: that his tolerance overcomes his anger, and that intense abuse only increases him in forbearance. I have now verified these, so know, O ‘Umar, that I accept Allah as my Lord, Islam as my religion, Muhammad as my Prophet, and that half my wealth—for I have much wealth—is a donation for the nation of Muhammad 107 ”.صلى الله عليه وسلم On another occasion, Anas  reports, “I was walking with the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, and he was wearing a Najrāni cloak with a rough collar. A Bedouin man caught up with him, then violently pulled him by his cloak, causing the cloak to tear, and leaving its collar hanging on the neck of Allah’s Messenger .صلى الله عليه وسلم I looked at the Messenger of Allah’s صلى الله عليه وسلم neck, and the cloak’s collar had left marks from how roughly he had snatched it.

Then, he said, ‘O Muhammad, instruct them to give me from Allah’s wealth that you hold!’ The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم turned to him, smiled, and then ordered that he be given something.”108

‘Uqbah ibn al-Ḥārith  reports that he once offered the afternoon prayer with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, after which he صلى الله عليه وسلم quickly stood and entered his apartment. Then, he reemerged and noticed some wonderment on people’s faces due to his haste.

To clarify, he صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “I remembered while I was praying that we had some gold remaining, and I disliked that our evening pass while we still have it, so I instructed that it be distributed.”109

In a similar incident, ‘Āishah  narrates that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم had entrusted her with seven or nine gold coins around the time of his final illness. She says that despite the severe agony he was experiencing, he kept asking her to confirm that it had been given away in charity, and each time she would explain that she could not due to being preoccupied with caring for him. Finally, he insisted, “Give it to me,” and upon receiving the gold in his hands, he صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “What should Muhammad expect if he were to dare meet Allah while still holding onto these?”110