The Poor Person

The Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu alayhi wa sallam asked,

 

"Do you know who is the poor person?"


The listeners replied: "O Messenger of Allah, the poor amongst us is the one who does not have any money or property."

The Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu alayhi wa sallam replied: "The poor in my ummah (nation) is the person who will come on the Day of Resurrection backed with prayers, fasting, zakat (obligatory charity), and hajj, but also with a number of injustices to others, such as: abusing this one, taking the property of that one, slandering one, hitting another, or shedding the blood of someone else.

Thereafter, his good deeds will be taken one after one and given to this person or that person who were wronged by him. If his good deeds have been exhausted before his wrong deeds are all settled, some of the evil deeds of the wronged persons will be allocated to him, and he (left with no more reward but sins) will be thrown into the Fire." (Muslim and Tirmidhi)

 

The following is an article entitled "My Journey - It's all about faith ..." by Sister Imaan,  who is - quote (from her website): "a 30-something freelance writer based in Singapore. A former youth worker in a Muslim self-help group, she is now a stay at home wife and a mother to little Maryam. A bookworm and compulsive researcher, she habitually stretches herself too thin":  - unquote.

 

Quote: "I was told a story once which truly humbled me and taught me many lessons. It is about a Muslim brother's true experience. The names, place and time do not matter for what happened to this brother could happen to anyone at any place and at any time.

For the sake of ease, I shall call the brother `Imran and I am sharing this story in the hopes that you too may gain some benefit from it.

`Imran grew up in a practising Muslim household. His parents had been through their share of hard times. Having tasted the rich life and lost it, they were careful never to be arrogant nor to be ungrateful for life's many blessings. Their society however, was a different story altogether. There was a huge divide between the "haves" and "have-nots". It was not unusual to see the some of the rich desensitized to the plight of the poor. It was also not unusual to see the poor accustomed to the callous and indifferent treatment from the rich.

On one occasion, two of `Imran's schoolmates asked him out. Thinking that it was going to be a relaxing drive in the car, he accepted the invitation. What he did not know was that the boys had a completely different idea of fun.

The boys proceeded to the slums where the poor and downtrodden lived and took out a box of eggs. `Imran began to feel uneasy but tried to dismiss the negative thoughts. As they sped through the streets, his acquaintances began to throw the eggs at unsuspecting victims, hooting with glee.

Realising their true agenda, `Imran was desperate to stop them. He shouted at them to stop, but they were having way too much fun to listen and drove on even faster. He remembers feeling anger and shame... he remembers saying, "Astaghfirullah!" over and over again, wanting no part in their cruel game.

Some of you may think that this was over-reaction on `Imran's part – surely there is no harm in a little practical joke, you might say. Well, what was a night of laughs and giggles for the boys was a night of hurt for others. `Imran recalled looking back to see a child by the road, struck hard in the face. The little one's stunned expression – he was almost too shocked to cry – pained him terribly. Another victim was an old man who was on his bicycle. Upon being hit, he lost control and tumbled to the ground. Others were to follow much to the twisted delight of these boys. It was more than mischief - it was plain meanness and a disregard for the dignity of others.

`Imran later left and resolved never to keep company with them again. Guilt and sadness tormented him every time he thought about the folks who became victims for the sole reason that they were poor and powerless. The boys knew that none of them would ever dare take them to task. They feared no repercussions - they had fast cars to make a quick getaway and friends in high places who could buy them out of trouble even if they were caught.

Within the same week, the boys came calling at his house again. `Imran stepped out the back door and instructed his siblings to tell them that he was "not in the house". He did not want to lie, but he had had enough of them.

The very next day, `Imran turned the pages of the morning newspaper and read a piece of news that shocked him - those acquaintances had been involved in an accident the night before. One sustained serious injuries and the other died - the one who had thrown the eggs.

To this day, `Imran gets the chills when he thinks about the prank, the fate of the two boys and what could have happened to him.

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