'Give me some of what you have...'

PROPHET Muhammad, peace be upon him, accompanied by Anas ibn Malik returned home after a particularly exhausting day spreading the message of Islam.

He was wearing a simple, coarse cloak with an unfinished hem, which was barely more than a large rectangle of cloth which he draped over his shoulders and slung around his neck. Its trailing edge hung down his back.

He was just about to enter his house when a desert dweller came rushing up to him. He then yanked the trailing edge of the Prophet's cloak from behind. The Prophet was startled by the force of the pull and staggered backwards, barely staying on his feet. The cloth actually tore from the strength of the pull, and what was worse, since it was slung about the Prophet's neck, it tightened around his throat. The strength of the pull had a visible effect upon the Prophet's neck.

The desert dweller spoke up, "Ya Muhammad!" — a crass manner of address indeed! Where is the basic respect that the Prophet deserves?

"Give me some of what you have of Allah's wealth."

Now, please take a moment to imagine how any normal person would react to being handled in this way — to being all of the sudden accosted by a ruffian who pulls your clothing from behind, causing you to stagger and choke (not to mention ruining your clothes) and who then, without any apology, has the audacity to ask you for money in a most unmannerly fashion. Any one of the desert-dwellers' actions is enough to make one of us livid with anger.

How did the Prophet react?

Anas tells us: "Allah's Messenger turned his face to the desert-dweller and smiled. Then he gave instructions for the desert-dweller to be given some charity." (Sahih al-Bukhari)

The Prophet once advised someone repeatedly by saying: "Do not get angry." He also said: "The strong person is the one who can control himself when he is angry."

Here we see perfect harmony between words and actions. It is one thing to speak about controlling one's anger. It is another thing to exhibit such self-control when caught off guard.

The person's bold approach to the head of state shows us what living in the Prophet's community was like. It was a society where people did not live in fear. They could be themselves. The Prophet's kindness, generosity, and good-natured ways were taken for granted. The desert-dweller, in his coarseness, never expected anything from the Prophet but what was best.

Islam Today