Surah Ad-Dhuhaa (93) — Ayah 8

(Ayah 8) {وَ وَجَدَكَ عَآىِٕلًا فَاَغْنٰى: ’’عَالَ يَعِيْلُ عَيْلاً وَعَيْلَةً‘‘} (ض) To be poor. {’’ عَآىِٕلًا ‘‘} Poor. In Surah At-Tawbah, it is said: « وَ اِنْ خِفْتُمْ عَيْلَةً فَسَوْفَ يُغْنِيْكُمُ اللّٰهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهٖ » [التوبۃ : ۲۸ ] “And if you fear any kind of poverty, then Allah will soon enrich you from His bounty.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) lost his father before his birth, and he did not leave behind much wealth in inheritance except for a slave woman, Umm Ayman. In his childhood, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) himself described his state of poverty. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ مَا بَعَثَ اللّٰهُ نَبِيًّا إِلَّا رَعَی الْغَنَمَ، فَقَالَ أَصْحَابُهُ وَأَنْتَ؟ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ، كُنْتُ أَرْعَاهَا عَلٰی قَرَارِيْطَ لِأَهْلِ مَكَّةَ ] [ بخاري، الإجارۃ، باب رعی الغنم علی قراریط : ۲۲۶۲] “Allah did not send any prophet except that he herded sheep.” His companions said, “And you as well?” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “I used to herd them for the people of Makkah for a few qirats.” Obviously, if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had his own sheep or those of Abu Talib, then what need would he have to herd the sheep of the people of Makkah for wages? After such poverty, Allah Almighty enriched you in such a way that the wealthiest woman of Makkah, Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her), first made you a partner in trade, then married you, and handed over all her wealth to you. Then the time came when you had heaps of spoils and tribute from Banu Nadir, Banu Qurayza, Khaybar, Bahrain, Yemen, and others. This was financial richness, and along with it, Allah Almighty granted you such richness of heart that you spent so generously as if you had no fear of poverty at all.