BISMILLAH IR RAHMAN IR RAHEEM The Generosity of the Prophet praise and peace be upon him WITH A QUIZ Adapted for children from an authentic Hadith by (Anne Stephens) Khadeijah A. Darwish Copyright © 1984-2013 Allah.com Muhammad.com Mosque.com. All rights reserved. Free give away not for sale or resale www.Allah.com encourages its readers to read this Hadith in Imam Nawawi's Reference The Gardens of Righteousness THE GENEROSITY OF THE PROPHET As the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and a companion by the name of Abu Dharr walked across the stoney plain that lay outside Medina he glanced upwards at the huge mountain of Uhud. Then he turned to Abu Dharr and said, "If I had gold equal to the weight of the Mount of Uhud, I would distribute all of it amongst the worshipers of Allah and if a single dinar remained I would be unhappy, unless it was set aside to repay a debt." He continued saying, "With the exception of the few who spend their wealth as I described, those who have plenty of wealth in this life will be the least wealthy on the Day of Judgement." They walked on together and the heat of the desert sun eventually started to weaken as the darkness of night approached. Soon after the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, told Abu Dharr to stay where he was and to wait for him whereupon he left him and went alone into the solitude of the desert. It was now dark, there was no one around and all was quiet. Suddenly, Abu Dharr was startled by a very loud noise and immediately feared for the Prophet's safety. Abu Dharr was very worried indeed but he remained obedient to the Prophet's instruction and waited patiently for him to return. After a while the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, returned. Abu Dharr was thankful to Allah to see him safe and unharmed. He told him he had heard a very loud noise and become deeply concerned for his safety but did not wish to disobey his instruction by going to look for him. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, was surprised that Abu Dharr had heard the noise. He told him that the noise he heard was made by the Angel Gabriel who had come to give him some good news. Gabriel told him that, "Whosoever dies and does not associate anyone or anything with Allah will enter Paradise." Abu Dharr was delighted but somewhat puzzled and asked the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, "What, even if he has committed adultery or theft?" "Yes," replied the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, "Even if he has committed adultery or theft." We all know that the early companions of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, were very poor people indeed. Many a time meal times would come and go and they had not eaten because there was no food. Most of the companions possessed just one piece of clothing which was a piece of material wrapped around their waist to keep themselves decent. The next part of this story is about a piece of cloth a kind lady gave to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him. One day as the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, sat with his companions a lady presented him with a piece of cloth she had woven. Like the companions, our Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, had little to wear. He accepted the gift and thanked the lady for her kindness. Soon after he went into his apartment and wrapped the new cloth around his waist then returned to his companions. When one of the companions saw his new garment he asked him to give it to him. Without hesitation the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, replied, "Very well." A few minutes later he returned to his apartment, took of his new garment, folded it and sent it out to the companion. As it was handed to him it was obvious that his fellow companions were upset by his action and told him that he had not behaved well towards the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him. They reminded him that he knew the Prophet needed a new piece of cloth and that he was aware that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, never, ever refused anyone who asked him for something. The man replied that the only reason he wanted the piece of cloth was for his shroud, and true to his word when it was time for the angels to take away his soul he was wrapped in that same piece of cloth. QUIZ TIME What was the name of the Prophet's companion? Name the mountain mentioned in the story. What would the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, do if he had as much gold as the weight of the mountain? Would he keep a dinar of it for himself? Did he give a reason why he might keep some of it? What was the reason? Why didn't the companion go to see if the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, was in trouble? Who made the noise? What message was the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, given? What did his companion ask? In the next part of the story what was the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, given? Why did he give it away? Were the other companions upset by the man's request? Why did the man want the cloth? Did the man keep his word? QUIZ TIME ANSWERS Abu Dharr The Mountain of Uhud He would give it all away to the worshipers of Allah. No. Yes. The only reason he might keep some would be to repay a debt. Because he obeyed the Prophet's instruction to stay where he was. The Angel Gabriel That if someone died and did not associate anyone or anything with Allah they would go to Paradise. 10.He asked if even those who committed adultery and theft would Paradise. He was given a piece of cloth He gave it away because a man asked him to give it to him. Yes. He wanted it for his shroud, in other words to be buried in it. Yes. Important Note: When the Angel Gabriel told the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, that everyone who did not associate any one or anything with Allah would go to Paradise this does not mean to say you can go out and do bad things and expect not to get punished. On the Day of Judgement all our good deeds will be put in one dish of the scale and all our bad deeds will the put in the other. If our good deeds are heavier than our bad deeds we will go, InshaAllah, straight to Paradise. If our bad deeds are heavier than our good deeds then we will be punished, however, those who do not associate anyone or anything with Allah will eventually go to Paradise after their stay in Hell. May Allah have mercy and forgive us all. SCORE Don't forget, if you remembered to say the prayer on the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, when you mentioned his name in Arabic you can add 3 points to your score. If you said it in English add 1 point to your score. 1 - 3 Why not read the story again and try and get a higher score? 4 - 6 Well done, you tried hard. 7 - 9 Good work 10 - 14 Very good indeed. 15 - 15+ EXCELLENT, you are a Star Student of Allah.com