The scholar who gave his Hajj money to a young girl
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In his renowned history book Bidayah wan Nihayah, Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) related the following events. : Abdullah bin Mubarak, a scholar and successful businessman (may Allah have mercy on him), left for Hajj.
When ‘Abdullah passed by a specific area, he saw a bird that had fallen from the sky and perished, so he gave the order to toss it on a pile of trash. Later, while he was driving past that particular mound of trash, he noticed a young girl emerge from her house, walk over to the garbage, pick up a dead bird, and quickly rush back to her house.
‘Abdullah went to her and inquired about her activities. As she responded, “I live here with my brother, and other than our clothes, we have nothing. Other than what is dumped in that pile of trash, we have nothing to eat; during the past few days, even the dead carcass has become acceptable to us. Formerly very wealthy, our father was wronged, had his riches taken from him, and was then assassinated.”
How much do we have in terms of spending money, ‘Abdullah asked his agent as he ordered the return of the trip’s goods to his residence. 1000 dinars, he murmured. Take 20 dinars from that, which ought to cover our return trip, and give the remainder to her, because it’s better than our (voluntary) Hajj this year, Abdullah remarked. Then he went back home.
Moral of the story: This tale enlightens us with the personality of the ancient scholar known as Abdullah ibn al-Mubaarak, as well as his charitable disposition toward other people.
