Zayd Ibn Sana, a Jewish scholar of Medina who later accepted Islam, says that when he saw the Prophet, he found on his face all the signs of prophethood but one, and that was the unshakable forbearance which a prophet should evince. An excess of ignorance on another’s part should only result in an excess of forbearance on his part. Then one day he saw the Prophet coming, and with him Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Caliph. At this point a man, riding on a camel, came up to them. He looked like a Bedouin. “Prophet of God,” he said, “a group of people in our village has accepted Islam. I had told them that if they accepted Islam, they would be provided for in abundance. Now a drought has struck there. I fear that greed will make them forsake Islam, as greed made them adopt it. If you think it a good idea, then send them something to help them out.” The Prophet looked towards Ali “There is nothing left to send them,” Ali told him. Zayd went up close and said to the Prophet: “If you want, I will give you money in exchange for dates.” He agreed, and the scholar gave him 80 mithqals of gold, all of which the Prophet handed over to the Bedouin, saying: “Help your people, and divide it amongst them justly.”
Zayd Ibn Sana says that a couple of days before the fixed date for the payment of debt, he found the Prophet sitting with a number of his companions next to a wall. He went up to the Prophet, caught hold of his clothes, and said to him harshly: “Mohammad, why don’t you pay me my due? From what I know of the Banu Muttalib they all put off paying their debts.” Umer, who was with the Prophet, became very angry on hearing this. “Enemy of God,” he said, “is that the way you address the Prophet of God? If it wasn’t for the prophet, I swear by God that I would have cut off your head with my sword.” But the Prophet kept on looking calmly at Zayd Ibn Sana. Then he addressed Umer: “Umer,” he said, “Zayd and I deserved better treatment from you. You should have told me to be better at paying my debts, and him to be better at demanding them. Take him with you, Umer, and pay him his due; in fact, give him 20 sa‘as of dates extra, because you have alarmed him with your threats.” (Sahih Ibn Hibban, Hadith No. 288)
Source: Al-Risala, April 1984
