Category: Q n A

The Prophet (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr employed a (pagan) man from the tribe of Bani Ad-Dail and the tribe of
Bani ‘Abu bin `Adi as a guide. He was an expert guide and he broke the oath contract which he had to
abide by with the tribe of Al-`Asi bin Wail and he was on the religion of Quraish pagans. The Prophet (ﷺ)
and Abu Bakr had confidence in him and gave him their riding camels and told him to bring them to
the Cave of Thaur after three days. So, he brought them their two riding camels after three days and
both of them (The Prophet (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr) set out accompanied by ‘Amir bin Fuhaira and the Dili
guide who guided them below Mecca along the road leading to the sea-shore.

(the wife of the Prophet) Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr hired a man from the tribe of Bani-Ad-Dil as
an expert guide who was a pagan (follower of the religion of the pagans of Quraish). The Prophet (ﷺ) and
Abu Bakr gave him their two riding camels and took a promise from him to bring their riding camels
in the morning of the third day to the Cave of Thaur.

I fought in Jaish-al-Usra (Ghazwa of Tabuk) along with the Prophet (ﷺ) and in my opinion that was the
best of my deeds. Then I had an employee, who quarrel led with someone and one of the them bit and
cut the other’s finger and caused his own tooth to fall out. He then went to the Prophet (with a
complaint) but the Prophet (ﷺ) canceled the suit and said to the complainant, “Did you expect him to let
his finger in your mouth so that you might snap and cut it (as does a stallion camel)?”
Narrated Ibn Juraij from `Abdullah bin Abu Mulaika from his grandfather a similar story: A man bit
the hand of another man and caused his own tooth to fall out, but Abu Bakr judged that he had no
right for compensation (for the broken tooth).

I fought in Jaish-al-Usra (Ghazwa of Tabuk) along with the Prophet (ﷺ) and in my opinion that was the
best of my deeds. Then I had an employee, who quarrel led with someone and one of the them bit and
cut the other’s finger and caused his own tooth to fall out. He then went to the Prophet (with a
complaint) but the Prophet (ﷺ) canceled the suit and said to the complainant, “Did you expect him to let
his finger in your mouth so that you might snap and cut it (as does a stallion camel)?”
Narrated Ibn Juraij from `Abdullah bin Abu Mulaika from his grandfather a similar story: A man bit
the hand of another man and caused his own tooth to fall out, but Abu Bakr judged that he had no
right for compensation (for the broken tooth).

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Both of them (Moses and Al-Khadir) proceeded on till they reached a wall
which was about to fall.” Sa`d said [?? or Sa`id], “(Al-Khadir pointed) with his hands (towards the
wall) and then raised his hands and the wall became straightened up.” Ya`la said, “I think Sa`id [?? or
Sa`d] said, ‘He (Khadir) passed his hand over it and it was straightened up.” (Moses said to him), “if
you had wanted, you could have taken wages for it.” Sa`id [?? or Sa`d] said, “Wages with which to
buy food . ”

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Your example and the example of the people of the two Scriptures (i.e. Jews and
Christians) is like the example of a man who employed some laborers and asked them, ‘Who will
work for me from morning till midday for one Qirat?’ The Jews accepted and carried out the work. He
then asked, Who will work for me from midday up to the `Asr prayer for one Qirat?’ The Christians
accepted and fulfilled the work. He then said, ‘Who will work for me from the `Asr till sunset for two
Qirats?’ You, Muslims have accepted the offer. The Jews and the Christians got angry and said, ‘Why
should we work more and get lesser wages?’ (Allah) said, ‘Have I withheld part of your right?’ They
replied in the negative. He said, ‘It is My Blessing, I bestow upon whomever I wish .’

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Your example and the example of Jews and Christians is like the example of a
man who employed some laborers to whom he said, ‘Who will work for me up to midday for one
Qirat each?’ The Jews carried out the work for one Qirat each; and then the Christians carried out the
work up to the `Asr prayer for one Qirat each; and now you Muslims are working from the `Asr
prayer up to sunset for two Qirats each. The Jews and Christians got angry and said, ‘We work more
and are paid less.’ The employer (Allah) asked them, ‘Have I usurped some of your right?’ They
replied in the negative. He said, ‘That is My Blessing, I bestow upon whomever I wish.’ ”

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah said, ‘I will be an opponent to three types of people on the Day of
Resurrection:
-1. One who makes a covenant in My Name, but proves treacherous;
-2. One who sells a free person and eats his price; and
-3. One who employs a laborer and takes full work from him but does not pay him for his lab our.’ ”

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “The example of Muslims, Jews and Christians is like the example of a man who
employed laborers to work for him from morning till night for specific wages. They worked till
midday and then said, ‘We do not need your money which you have fixed for us and let whatever we
have done be annulled.’ The man said to them, ‘Don’t quit the work, but complete the rest of it and
take your full wages.’ But they refused and went away. The man employed another batch after them
and said to them, ‘Complete the rest of the day and yours will be the wages I had fixed for the first
batch.’ So, they worked till the time of `Asr prayer. Then they said, “Let what we have done be
annulled and keep the wages you have promised us for yourself.’ The man said to them, ‘Complete the
rest of the work, as only a little of the day remains,’ but they refused. Thereafter he employed another
batch to work for the rest of the day and they worked for the rest of the day till the sunset, and they
received the wages of the two former batches. So, that was the example of those people (Muslims) and
the example of this light (guidance) which they have accepted willingly.

I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying, “Three men from among those who were before you, set out together
till they reached a cave at night and entered it. A big rock rolled down the mountain and closed the
mouth of the cave. They said (to each other), Nothing could save you from this rock but to invoke
Allah by giving reference to the righteous deed which you have done (for Allah’s sake only).’ So, one
of them said, ‘O Allah! I had old parents and I never provided my family (wife, children etc.) with
milk before them. One day, by chance I was delayed, and I came late (at night) while they had slept. I
milked the sheep for them and took the milk to them, but I found them sleeping. I disliked to provide
my family with the milk before them. I waited for them and the bowl of milk was in my hand and I
kept on waiting for them to get up till the day dawned. Then they got up and drank the milk. O Allah!
If I did that for Your Sake only, please relieve us from our critical situation caused by this rock.’ So,
the rock shifted a little but they could not get out.”
The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “The second man said, ‘O Allah! I had a cousin who was the dearest of all people
to me and I wanted to have sexual relations with her but she refused. Later she had a hard time in a
famine year and she came to me and I gave her one-hundred-and-twenty Dinars on the condition that
she would not resist my desire, and she agreed. When I was about to fulfill my desire, she said: It is
illegal for you to outrage my chastity except by legitimate marriage. So, I thought it a sin to have
sexual intercourse with her and left her though she was the dearest of all the people to me, and also I
left the gold I had given her. O Allah! If I did that for Your Sake only, please relieve us from the
present calamity.’ So, the rock shifted a little more but still they could not get out from there.”
The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “Then the third man said, ‘O Allah! I employed few laborers and I paid them their
wages with the exception of one man who did not take his wages and went away. I invested his wages
and I got much property thereby. (Then after some time) he came and said to me: O Allah’s slave! Pay
me my wages. I said to him: All the camels, cows, sheep and slaves you see, are yours. He said: O
Allah’s slave! Don’t mock at me. I said: I am not mocking at you. So, he took all the herd and drove
them away and left nothing. O Allah! If I did that for Your Sake only, please relieve us from the
present suffering.’ So, that rock shifted completely and they got out walking.