An Islamic Treasury of Virtues
2. What is Faith?
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there, and he was afraid that his people might
forsake Islam out of greed, for it was greed, which
had made them become Muslims in the first place.
“If you think fit,” he suggested to the Prophet, “You
could send them some assistance.” The Prophet
looked enquiringly at Ali who, realizing what the
Prophet’s glance meant, pointed out that such funds
were all exhausted. Zayd ibn Sa’ana then
approached the Prophet and offered to give him
some money in return for dates. The Prophet
agreed, and Zayd ibn Sa’ana handed over eighty
mithqals
2
of gold, all of which the Prophet gave to
the bedouin, saying, “Help them and distribute this
justly amongst them.”
A day had been fixed for Zayd ibn Sa’ana to be
given the dates owed to him, but two or three days
beforehand, he went to the Prophet who happened
to be sitting in the shade of a wall along with
several of his Companions, and, catching hold of
him by the clothes, he said to him in a most
peremptory fashion, “Why don’t you pay me what
you owe me? By God, from what I know of the
Banu Muttalib, they are always putting off repaying
their debts!” Umar, who was sitting with the
