she had the longest hand

[Ms DD]

Salaam aleykum

 

According to `Aa'isha radhiallahu `anha, the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, "The first of you to join me (after death) will be the one who has the longest hand."

 

`Aa'isha radhiallahu `anha said, "They began to measure their hands against one another to see who had the longest hand and the one who had the longest hand of all of us was Zaynab because she used to work with her hands and give charity from her earnings." (Sahih Muslim)

 

`Umar ibn al-Khattab radhiallahu `anhu sent Zaynab her annual salary and when it was brought to her, she said, "May ALlah forgive `Umar! Others of my sisters are more capable of sharing this out than I am."

 

They told her, "This is all for you."

 

She said, "SubhanAllah! Pour it out and cover it with a cloth." Then she told Barzah bint Rafi`, the narrator of this report, "Put your hand in and take a handful of it, and take it to Banu So-and-So and Banu So-and-So" - who were orphans and related to her. This was repeated until there was only a little left under the cloth.

 

Barzah bint Rafi` said to Zaynab radhiallahu `anha, "May Allah forgive you, O Mother of the Believers! By Allah subhanahu wa ta `ala it is our right to have some."

 

Zaynab said, "What is left under the cloth is for you." (Barzah bint Rafi`) said they found eighty-five dirhams under the cloth.

 

Zaynab said, "O Allah, do not let me live to receive another payment like this from `Umar," and she died before the time for the next payment came. (Ibn Sa`d, al-Tabaqat 8/109; Sifat al-Safwah 2/48,49; Siyar Siyar A`lam al-Nubala' 2/212)

 

Ibn Sa`d reported that when the money was brought to Zaynab, she started saying, "O Allah do not let me see this money again next year for it is a fitnah (temptation)." Then she shared it out among her relatives and those who were in need until it was all gone.

 

`Umar heard about this and said, "This woman is destined for good." He stood at her door and conveyed his salaam to her, then said, "I have heard about what you gave out to others. Send her a thousand dirhams to keep for herself."

 

But she did the same thing with that money and did not keep a single dirham or dinar for herself.

 

Extracted from 'The Ideal Muslimah'

 

by Dr Muhammad `Ali Al-Hashmi

 

(International Islamic Publishing House)

[chubacka]

Marshallah these were the ppl that were really working for their hereafter.

 

(thanks DD)