beyond the bounds of humanity. As the women said of Joseph:

“This is no human being; this is none other than a noble angel.”

Likewise, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“The needy person is not the one who goes around begging and is sent away with a morsel or two, or a date or two. Rather, the needy person is one who lacks sufficient means, whose need goes unnoticed so that he might be given charity, and who does not beg people insistently.”

He also said:

“Whom do you consider bankrupt among you?”

They replied, “Someone who has neither a dirham nor a dinar.”

He said, “That is not the truly bankrupt person. Rather, the bankrupt person is the one who comes on the Day of Resurrection…”—and the hadith continues.

He also said:

“Whom do you consider bereft of children?”—and the hadith continues.

Here, what is denied is the true applicability of the name in light of the meaning that ought to be considered. The terms “bereft of children” and “bankrupt” are applied because of the absence of children and wealth, which causes people distress. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, therefore explained that someone who lacks these things where their absence harms him is more deserving of the name than someone who lacks them where their absence may cause him no significant harm.

An example is saying to someone experiencing slight pain, “This is no pain; real pain is such-and-such,” or to someone who thinks himself wealthy, “You are not truly wealthy; so-and-so is truly wealthy.” Similar expressions are used concerning scholars and ascetics, as when people say, “The true scholar is only the one who fears Allah Most High.”