The Prophet And A Jew
From Children´s Own Page
(The Light, April 24, 1935)
Dear Children,
You have read many stories about the Holy Prophet´sﷺ wonderful personality. He was gifted with very high morals. You will be surprised to hear what I am going to tell you about him today.The Prophetﷺ was not a rich man. He had his needs just as we have and also his difficulties. Many a time, to meet these needs he would borrow money from others. The money-lending business was mainly in the hands of the Jews in those days, as it is in the hands of the Hindus in India. From one such Jew the Prophet ﷺ once borrowed money. After some time, the man came to the Prophet ﷺ and demanded payment of the debt. The Prophet ﷺ had no money in hand and could not pay just then. The Jew, however, insisted on immediate payment and put his turban around the Prophet´s ﷺ neck, holding him fast and refusing to let him go unless he had paid the cash down. Just then appeared on the scene, one of the Prophet´s ﷺ most devoted followers who was noted for his daring and stern temper. This was great Hazrat Umar who subsequently became a mighty Caliph and the conqueror of the Empires of Persia and Rome. He was enraged at this affront to the Prophet ﷺ of Allah on the part of a Jew and took his sword out, “You accursed fellow!” he shouted. “How dare you show such impudence to the messenger of God?”.
“No, No! Umar!” came the Prophet´s ﷺ rebuke, stern and sharp. “This is not fair”. The proper thing for you to do is to advise me to pay back the money and advise the Jew to make the demand in a politer manner.”
Such, dear children, was the high sense of fairness the Prophet ﷺ wanted to inculcate among his followers. The money-lender was a Jew. Besides he was so rude to the Prophet ﷺ . Yet it made no difference. Islamic sense of justice and fair-play must be blind and deal with Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Even the Prophet ﷺ of God who was the best and noblest of men treated himself on a par with a Jew when it was a question of justice.
It was high morals like these that made early Muslims so great and so respectable in the world. Our present degradation is due to the fact that while by the lip we profess to be the followers of Islam, as a matter of fact, we are not. For it is these morals that constitute Islam. If the morals are not there, mere profession is not good. One day the Prophet ﷺ asked his companions, “What do you think of the man who has a stream of pure crystal water flowing by his door and takes a dip five times therein?”.
“He must have a perfectly clean body,” they replied.
“And even so,” re-joined the Prophet ﷺ , “the man who says his prayer five times a day comes out with a cleaner and purer mind.”
This is true prayer – purity of mind. If this purity is not there, it is just acting, as on a cinema screen. A gramophone may as well recite the Fatiha. But it remains a gramophone just the same. Purity of mind is the soul of prayers. And likewise, all observations in Islam seek to inculcate high morals in us. If we are devoid of those morals, it is self-delusion to suppose that we are the followers of the Prophet ﷺ . By lip we are. But in fact, we are not. To be his true followers we must cultivate the morals of which the Prophet ﷺ has left us a rich legacy.
Fair-paly! This was one of the Prophet´s ﷺ morals and you have seen what a high sense of fair-play he had. Even when his own person was concerned and his own respect, he did not deviate from it. That is exactly what the Quran enjoins:
“Let not the hatred of a people incite you not to act fairly. Act fairly! That is nearer to piety.”
So, dear children, here is an example for you from the life of the Prophet Himself and this is true Islam. Try to cultivate this and be just and fair in all your dealings with fellowmen, even with your enemies and you will become good and great just as did the Muslamans of yore!
