On one occasion, Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) took four hundred dinaars (gold coins), placed them in a bag and gave them to his servant. He instructed him, “Take this to Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Jarraah and remain in the house for a while to see what he does with it.”
The servant thus went to Sayyiduna Abu ‘Ubaidah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and said, “Ameerul Mu-mineen says that you should use this for some of your needs.”
Sayyiduna Abu ‘Ubaidah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) accepted the money and made du‘aa for Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) saying, “May Allah bless him and shower His mercy upon him.” He then called his slave girl and instructed her, “Take these seven to so-and-so, these five to so-and-so and these five to so-and-so,” continuing in this manner until the entire amount had been distributed.
The servant returned to Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and informed him of what he had witnessed. He found that Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) had prepared a similar bag of money for Sayyiduna Mu‘aaz bin Jabal (radhiyallahu ‘anhu).
Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) instructed him, “Take this to Mu‘aaz bin Jabal and remain in the house for a while to see what he does.”
The servant went to Sayyiduna Mu‘aaz (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and conveyed the same message: “Ameerul Mu-mineen says that you should use this for some of your needs.”
Sayyiduna Mu‘aaz (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) accepted the money and said, “May Allah shower His mercy on him and bless him.” He then called his slave girl and began distributing the money, saying, “Take such-and-such amount to the house of so-and-so, and take such-and-such amount to the house of so-and-so.”
He had almost distributed the entire amount when his wife appeared and said, “By Allah! We are in need so give us (some as well).” By then only two dinaars remained in the bag, which he handed over to her.
The servant returned to Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and informed him of what he had seen. Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was overjoyed and said, “They are brothers, each one being a part of the other.”
(Tabraani – Majma‘uz Zawaa-id #4746)
Lesson:
The true value of worldly possessions lies in using them for the sake of Allah Ta‘ala rather than allowing them to become a means of personal attachment. Sayyiduna Abu ‘Ubaidah and Sayyiduna Mu‘aaz (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) demonstrated this when they were each given four hundred dinaars for their own needs, yet their first thought was to distribute the wealth among others, retaining almost nothing for themselves. Their hearts were not attached to the wealth that came into their hands, and they were prepared to part with it for the sake of others. This is the disinterest in the world that a believer should strive for — to regard worldly possessions as a means of benefiting others and earning the pleasure of Allah Ta‘ala, rather than something to be accumulated and enjoyed for oneself.
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