Image culled from online source for demonstration
In the corner of the market place of Madinah, was a blind Jewish beggar, who would cry out daily to all those who came near him, “O my
brothers, don’t go near Muhammad he’s a lunatic, he’s a liar, a sorcerer!
If you are to be close to him, you will be influenced by him!”
The news about the blind Jewish beggar’s daily cursing and badmouthing came to the knowledge of the Prophet. Even then, the Prophet didn’t get angry, he just carried on ignoring the blind Jewish beggar’s insults against him.
The Prophet started visiting the blind beggar and would feed him with his own hands; without saying a single word, every morning. The blind beggar would chew the food being fed to him and eat contentedly. Once he was full, he would express his gratitude without knowing that the one who had fed him was the Prophet.
He continued to feed the blind beggar without fail each day until the day the Prophet passed unto glory.
Throughout his service to the blind beggar, he never identified himself to the blind Jewish beggar. After the Prophet had passed
away, no one brought food to the blind beggar anymore!
One day, the closest Companion of the Prophet, Abu Bakr, visited the home of his daughter, Aisha.
Abu Bakr asked Aisha “O my child, is there any habit of my beloved Prophet that I am yet to carry on?”
Aisha replied, “Dear Father, you are verily a follower of the Sunah of the Prophet and there is none that you are yet to do except for one deed only!”
“What is that?” asked Abu Bakr. “Every
morning, the Prophet would go to the end of the market place, taking food to a blind old Jewish beggar who lives there and feed him by his hand,” said Aishah.
The next day, Abu Bakr went to the market place with food for the blind beggar. Abu Bakr approached the beggar and started to feed him. At the
first handful of food being fed to him, the blind Jewish beggar became angry and shouted out, “Who are you?”
Abu Bakr answered “I am the one who usually feeds you every morning”.
“No!… Don’t you lie to me!” objected the blind beggar.
Abu Bakr was shocked, thus he asked “Why do you say so?” The blind
Jewish beggar answered, “Because when he comes to me, I always feel it easy to hold his hand and find it easy to chew the food he feeds me.
The man who used to feed me, would make the food fine before feeding it to me!”
Abu Bakr could not hold back his tears anymore and burst out crying. He had to disclose who he actually was to the beggar. “Verily, I am not the one who used to come and feed you.
I am one of his Companions, for the noble one is alive no more! He was none other than the Prophet
Muhammad. The blind old Jewish beggar, totally shocked with what he had just heard.
” You mean to tell me that the one who came each morning without fail and fed me by his hand was Muhammad, asked the beggar? “Yes!
It was Muhammad answered Abu Bakr.
Immediately, the blind old Jewish beggar wailed out in despair and cried so pitifully, coming to realise that it was none other than the Prophet who had been feeding him all the while. ” All this
time! I had been cursing him, I had been slandering him! Not once did he ever scold me! He kept coming every morning to feed me!
He was so noble!..” cried the old blind Jewish beggar, wiping away his flowing tears. The blind
beggar reached out to Abu Bakr the first Caliph of the Muslims and testified before him the Kalimah Shahadah.
‘Ash ha doo Allah ila ha ill lallLah! Wa ash ha doo anna Muhammad dan abdu wa Rasulullah!’ declaring that There is No God but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
Salallahu Alayhi Wasalam
Ganiyu Oyebanjo
Senior Special Assistant On Religious Matters to Kosofe Local Government Chairman.
Chairmanship Aspirant Kosofe Local Government