(195) It is related
by Ayesha that “the Apostle of God died in such a state that his
coat of mail was mortgaged with a Jew for 30 Sa’as of barley.”
-Bukhari
Commentary.-According to the commentators, a Sa’a is equal to
about 3½ seers. Thus 30 Sa’as would make nearly 2½
maunds.
The object here is to show at what level of want and neediness the Prophet’s
household subsisted, even during the last days of his life when almost
the whole of Arabia had come under his way.
The wisdom of borrowing from a Jew when there lived a number of Muslims
in Medina from whom such small loans could be taken at the time of need,
perhaps, was that:
(i) The Prophet did not want his friends and followers to know his need
for, then, instead of lending the money [or any other commodity], they
would have liked to give it as a gift and it would have imposed a burden
upon them. Besides, to ask them for a loan in this way could have amounted
to a request or solicitation.
(ii) The Prophet wanted to avoid the smallest trace of suspicion that
he desired a return, in any form, from those who had acquired the wealth
of Faith through him.
(iii) Such transactions with non-Muslims would have led to the growth
of friendly relations with them and paved the way for those people to
know the Prophet intimately and to observe his character and moral disposition
from close quarters. They would, thus, have been enabled to reap the
fruits of Faith and earn the countenance of the Lord. Results like that
did ensue. It is, for instance, reported in Miskhat, on the authority
of Imam Baihaqi’s Dalael-un-Nabuwat, about a wealthy Jew of Medina
that the Prophet had borrowed some money from him. When he came to demand
the payment of debt, the Prophet expressed his inability as he had no
money with him at that time but the Jew was adamant. He refused to go
away without the payment, and sat down and did not move from there till
a whole day and a whole night passed, and the Prophet, during that time,
offered the prayers of Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib and ‘Isha in
his presence. Some of the Companions were greatly annoyed at it and
they also secretly used threats to persuade the Jew to leave the place
but when the Prophet came to know about it, he remarked, “I have
been commanded by God that there should be no injustice and unfairness
as regards a contract.” On hearing it, the Companions became silent.
After some time the Jew said that, actually, he had not come to demand
the payment but wanted to see whether the Prophet possessed the signs
and qualities stated in the Torah about the Apostle of God who was going
to be raised up during the Last Phase and he had realised and become
convinced that the sacred Prophet was th Promised Apostle. Upon it,
the Jew recited the Kalima and placing his entire wealth before the
Prophet said, “All my goods are here. Now, decide about them according
to your guidance and spend them in whatever way you like.”