—may Allah be pleased with them all.

When I forbade one of their leading figures from practising alchemy and explained its unsoundness and prohibition to him, the evidence became conclusive against him. He began asking to be excused from further debate, acknowledging that he had been defeated in argument. Among other things, he said to me: “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, knew alchemy.” I replied that this was a lie—indeed, that it entailed disbelief—for Allah says in His Book:

“Nor is there blame on those who, when they came to you for mounts and you said, ‘I can find no mounts for you,’ turned away with their eyes overflowing with tears, grieving that they had nothing to spend.”

There is unanimous agreement that this verse was revealed concerning the expedition to Tabūk. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had urged people to give charity for that expedition, until “a man brought a she-camel fitted with a bridle and reins, and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘For it you shall have seven hundred she-camels fitted with bridles and reins.’”

Abū ‘Aqīl brought a sā‘ (a dry measure), but some of the hypocrites criticized his offering, saying: “Allah had no need of this man’s sā‘.” Another man brought a pouch so heavy that his hand could scarcely carry it, and they said: “He is showing off.” Then Allah Most High revealed:

“Those who criticize the believers who give charity voluntarily, as well as those who can give only what little they have, and ridicule them—Allah ridicules them, and theirs is a painful punishment.”

“‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān undertook to provide a thousand she-camels. He fell fifty short, so he completed the number with fifty horses. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘Nothing ‘Uthmān does after today will harm him.’”

This became one of his celebrated merits, and he is therefore called ‘the outfitter of the Army of Hardship.’