Mukhtasar Muslim

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who used to say: Among the people of Bani Israel, there were three men—one was a leper, the second was bald, and the third was blind. So Allah Almighty wished to test them, and He sent an angel to them. The angel came to the leper and said, "Which thing is most beloved to you?" He replied, "A good color, good skin, and that this disease be removed from me because of which people dislike me." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The angel passed his hand over him, so his ugliness was removed and he was given a good color and good skin. The angel said, "Which wealth do you like most?" He said, "Camels or cows." (The narrator of the hadith, Ishaq bin Abdullah, is in doubt whether he asked for camels or cows, but either the leper or the bald one said camels and the other said cows.) So he was given a pregnant she-camel of ten months, and it was said, "May Allah bless this for you." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Then the angel came to the bald man and said, "Which thing is most beloved to you?" He replied, "Good hair, and that this disease be removed from me because of which people dislike me." Then the angel passed his hand over him, so his disease was removed and he was given good hair. The angel said, "Which wealth do you like most?" He said, "Cows." So he was given a pregnant cow. The angel said, "May Allah bless your wealth." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Then the angel came to the blind man and said, "Which thing is most beloved to you?" He replied, "That Allah restores my eyesight so that I may see people." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Then the angel passed his hand over him, so Allah restored his eyesight. The angel said, "Which wealth do you like most?" He said, "Sheep and goats." So he was given a pregnant goat. Then both (the she-camel and the cow) and this (goat) gave birth. Eventually, the leper had a valley full of camels, the bald man had a valley full of cows and oxen, and the blind man had a valley full of sheep and goats.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: After some time, the same angel came to the leper in his original form and appearance and said, "I am a poor man; all my means have been exhausted during my journey (that is, I have no resources left, nor wealth or belongings), so today, except for Allah's help and then your help, it is not possible for me to reach my destination. I ask you, by Him who gave you a good color and good skin and wealth—camels—for one camel that may help me in my journey." He replied, "I have many obligations to people (that is, I am in debt or do not have more wealth than is needed for my household expenses to give you)." Then the angel said, "I recognize you. Were you not a poor leper, whom people disliked? Then Allah, by His grace, gave you this wealth." He replied, "I inherited this wealth from my forefathers, passed down through generations." The angel said, "If you are lying, may Allah return you to what you were before." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Then the angel came to the bald man in his original form and appearance and said to him the same as he had said to the leper, and he also gave the same answer as the leper had given. The angel said, "If you are lying, may Allah return you to what you were before." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Then the angel came to the blind man in his original form and appearance and said, "I am a poor man and a traveler; all my means and resources have been exhausted during my journey, so today, except for Allah's help and then your help, it is difficult for me to reach my destination. So I ask you, by Allah who gave you eyesight, for one goat so that it may help me in my journey." He replied, "Indeed, I was blind, so Allah gave me (eyes with) sight. So take from these goats as many as you wish and leave as many as you wish. By Allah! Today, whatever you take in the way of Allah, I will not make things difficult for you (that is, I will not stop your hand)." So the angel said, "Keep your wealth with you. You three men were only tested. Allah is pleased with you, and displeased with your two companions."