Overall meaning of the ḥadīth: The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—relates the story of three men, each of whom was afflicted with a bodily defect and stricken with poverty. Allah, Exalted is He, willed to test them: He removed their afflictions, lavished wealth upon them, and then sent an angel to each one in the very form the man himself had once borne—diseased, bald, blind, and destitute—asking for a modest charity. In that moment their inner realities were exposed and their true characters became manifest. The blind man acknowledged Allah’s favor, attributed the blessing to its Bestower, and discharged Allah’s right over it, thereby earning His pleasure. The other two rejected Allah’s blessing, denied His bounty, and thus incurred His wrath.

Relevance of the ḥadīth to the chapter: It illustrates the state of those who are ungrateful for blessings and those who show gratitude.

Lessons derived from the ḥadīth:
1- The obligation to thank Allah for the blessing of wealth and to discharge His due therein.
2- The prohibition of ingratitude and of withholding Allah’s right from one’s wealth.
3- The permissibility of recounting the conditions of past peoples so that listeners may take admonition.
4- Allah tests His servants through the very blessings He grants them.
5- The legitimacy of the expression, “By Allah, then by you,” employing thumma (then) rather than the conjunction wa (and) in such contexts.