blessings, disbelieved in them, and used them as an aid to sin against Allah—may He grant us well-being.

Second: The report also illustrates the altruism (īthār) practiced by the Companions. ʿĀʾishah had nothing but a single date, yet she preferred the poor woman to herself. By contrast, we now possess abundant wealth, yet when a beggar approaches us we send him away.

Our real predicament in turning a petitioner back is that many of those who ask are dishonest: a man begs while he is richer than the one he is begging from. How many people have gone from door to door, pleading insistently, only for it to be discovered after their death that they had stashed away piles of silver coinage, red gold, and large bundles of bank-notes! It is such lying and deception—appearing helpless, feeble, and destitute while they are not—that discourages one from giving to every supplicant.

Third: The hadith also shows that within the community of Companions there were poor individuals just as there were wealthy ones. Allah the Exalted says, “Is it they who apportion your Lord’s mercy? It is We who have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of this world, and We have raised some of them above others in ranks so that some of them may employ others in service” (Surah al-Zukhruf, 43:32). Were it not for this variance, none of us would need another. If we were all equal in wealth and, for instance, someone required building work and approached another saying, “I need you to build me a house,” the reply would be, “I will not build; I am as wealthy as you.” If we wanted someone to craft a door, he would likewise refuse, saying, “I am rich just like you.” Thus, this disparity has caused people to serve one another: