Prayer (Salat

started crying, and the family was faced with the kind of delicate situation which arises on such occasions. Saeed tried to make her understand with great difficulty. Finally the wife agreed with him. Abu Dhar Ghefari had sage observations to make on the importance of almsgiving. There are three partakers of wealth. First there is fate, which will not consult you before taking all your possessions away from you, whether this be good or bad, or whether this ruins or kills you. Second, there is the heir who while waiting for your burial, so that he may take possession of your wealth, regards you as expendable. The third is you yourself, and if you do not wish to prove the weakest of the three, you must give to charity, because God has said that, “you shall never be truly righteous until you give away what is dearest to you.” (3:92). (Hilyatul Auliya, Vol. I, p. 163) According to Anas, once, when Aisha was at home in Madinah, she heard a commotion and was told, on enquiry, that it was the caravan of Abdur Rahman ibn Auf which was returning from Syria with seven hundred camels laden with merchandise. Aisha said that on this occasion she heard the Prophet remark: “I see Abdur Rahman entering heaven on his knees.” When Abdur Rahman bin Auf heard this, he said, “If I can, I shall walk into heaven.” Having said this, he gave away all the animals and all the goods for the sake of his Lord. Abdur Rahman bin Sabit Jumahi reported the Prophet as saying: “When God gathers the people together to be held to account on the Day of Judgement, the poor believers will come hopping like pigeons. They will be asked to stay to give an account of themselves. They will say, ‘We have no accounts to give, neither did you give us any. Then God will say, ‘My servants have spoken the truth.’ Then the gates of paradise will be opened for them, and they will enter heaven seventy years ahead of the others.”