Lu'lu' wal-Marjan

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: I was with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a military expedition (Dhat al-Riqa‘ or Tabuk). My camel became tired and sluggish. At that moment, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me and said, “Jabir!” I replied, “O Messenger of Allah! At your service.” He asked, “What is the matter?” I said, “My camel has become tired and sluggish and is not moving, so I have been left behind.” Then he dismounted from his mount and began to prod my camel with a crooked stick (i.e., to urge it on), and said, “Now mount it.” So I mounted it, and now it was such that I had to restrain it from overtaking the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He asked, “Jabir, have you married?” I replied, “Yes.” He asked, “To a virgin or a widow?” I replied, “I have married a widow.” He said, “Why not a virgin, so that you could play with her and she could play with you?” (Sayyiduna Jabir was also a bachelor.) I replied, “I have several sisters (and my mother has passed away), so I preferred to marry a woman who would gather them together, comb their hair, and look after them.” Then he said, “Well, when you reach home, enjoy yourself in goodness and safety.” After that, he said, “Will you sell your camel?” I said, “Yes.” So he bought it from me for one uqiyah of silver. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reached (Medina) before me, and I arrived the next morning. Then we went to the mosque, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) met me at the door of the mosque. He asked, “Have you just arrived?” I replied, “Yes.” He said, “Then leave your camel and go into the mosque and pray two rak‘ahs.” I went inside and prayed. After that, he ordered Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) to weigh out one uqiyah of silver for me. He weighed out one uqiyah, slightly more (i.e., a little extra). As I turned to leave, he said, “Call Jabir back.” I thought perhaps now he would return my camel to me, though nothing would have been more unpleasant to me than that. So he said, “Take your camel, and its price is also yours.”