Suhayb RA was persecuted and harassed for becoming a Muslim; hence he resolved to migrate to Madinah in the company of the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr, but the Qurayshi oppressors foiled his plans.
The enemies said to him,
"We shall not let you escape from us with your life and your money. You came to Makkah weak and poor and you have acquired so much."
Suhaib RA replied,
"What would you say if I leave you my wealth? Would you then leave me alone?"
They agreed and Suhaib RA described the place in his house in Makkah where he had left his money, so they let him go.
When they left, Suhaib RA set off in great haste for Madinah with a feeling of gladness in his heart. All he could think about was the idea of meeting the Prophet and the companions again whenever he felt tired or hungry or thirsty he just remembered this and he would feel a surge of energy and happiness that kept him going until he reached Madinah.
When the Prophet saw Suhaib he was very happy and told him,
"Your transaction has been fruitful."
He repeated this three times and Suhaib knew the Prophet was referring to the fact that he gave all his wealth so he would be free to live with the Muslims.
Suhaib was filled with happiness and said to the Prophet Muhammad saws,
"By Allah, no one has come before me to you. Only Jibril could have told you about this!"
The Prophet Muhammad saws received a revelation about this very thing.
➡[And there is a type of man who gives his life to earn the pleasure of Allah. And Allah is full of kindness to His servants.] (Al-Baqarah 2:207)
In Suhaib's mind, gold and wealth were of no importance in this life as long as he had faith.
God emphasizes this point in the Quran with the teaching that:
➡"Wealth and children are the adornments of the life of this world. But the permanent righteous deeds are better in your Lord's Sight (to attain) rewards, and better in respect of hope." (Quran 18:46)
So whoever sets as a primary goal the pleasure of God and the rewards of the Hereafter will be loved by God, and whoever avoids competing with fellow Muslims concerning worldly matters will be loved by the people.
And this wealth - the love of God and that of mankind is far greater than any richness that money can buy.
So next time you are in severe financial circumstances, instead of looking at the material and temporary pleasures that you are not able to acquire, ponder instead over the "treasure of Iman (Faith)" that God has blessed you with, and appreciate the great fortune of being a Muslim!
YOU ARE READING
Did you know? (Inspirational Islamic Stories)
Spiritual(((A Wattpad Featured Book))) Best ranked #1 Hadith, prophetmuhammad, Ramzan, Did you know, motivating, etc #2 Quran, #3 Google Alhumdullilah! Since days, I was thinking to share a topic which could really help us, strengthen our Iman. Alhumdullila...
