‘Abd al-Rahman bin ‘Auf g
‘Abd al-Rahman bin ‘Auf g was from amongst the richest
companions during the lifetime of the Messenger a.
The most intriguing element of his path to affluence was
that he did not inherit this wealth or necessarily descend
from a wealthy family. Rather, when he first immigrated to
Madina, he had almost no money at all. Some narrations
mentioned his entire savings at that time was two or four
dinars (approximately 400-800 dollars). His friend, Sa’d ibn
Rabi’ g, even offered to give up half of his wealth for him.
‘Abd al-Rahman bin ‘Auf g politely declined and instead
asked the directions to the marketplace. Fast-forward many
years to the time of his death, the estate left was estimated
to be at least 2.5 million dirhams (approximately six million
dollars).
However, despite being a multi-millionaire, ‘Abd al-Rahman
bin ‘Auf g was a true ascetic. He was not attached to
his wealth in any manner. His detachment from wealth can
be gauged through the following examples of his generosity:
When the Messenger of Allah a asked the Muslims to fund
the expedition of Tabuk, ‘Abd al-Rahman bin ‘Auf immediately
donated half of his wealth, which was four thousand
dinars (approximately 800,000 dollars).
• After the Messenger of Allah a passed away, ‘Abd al-Rahman
bin ‘Auf g sold land worth 40,000 dinars (approximately
eight million dollars) and distributed all of the
money to charity.
• ‘Abd al-Rahman bin ‘Auf g allocated 400,000
dirhams (approximately one million dollars)
to the wives of the Messenger of Allah a
in his will after he passed away.
‘Uthman bin ‘Affan g
‘Uthman g was also from amongst the
richest companions. He was famous for
his wealth to such an extent that he is
commonly referred to as ‘Uthman al-
Ghani (‘Uthman, the rich). The estate
left behind by ‘Uthman has been estimated
to be close to 3.5 million dinars
(approximately 600 million dollars).
However, his heart was also completely
detached from wealth despite owning it in
abundance. One can gauge this from the
following examples:
• ‘Abd al-Malik bin Shaddad mentions
that he saw ‘Uthman g delivering the
khutba (sermon) on Jumu‘a, observing that
the value of the garment he wore at the time did not
exceed four or five dirhams.
• Hasan al-Basri narrates that ‘Uthman g would nap on
the pebble-strewn floor of the masjid.
• When the Messenger of Allah a asked the Muslims to
fund the expedition of Tabuk, ‘Uthman g donated thousands
of dirham worth of camels, horses, and cash. The
Messenger of Allah a made du‘a for him and declared
that ‘Uthman g can no longer be harmed by any of his
deeds in the future (Tirmidhi).
‘Abd al-Rahman bin ‘Auf and ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan k were
the epitome of affluent asceticism. However, they were not
exclusive in this regard. Other examples include: ‘Abdullah
bin ‘Umar k, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Nisa’i, Ayyub
al-Sakhtiyani, and many others. The important lesson
from their lives is that Islam does not put any restraints on
how much a person may earn. What is important, however,
is ensuring one does not become attached to his wealth in
such a manner that it distracts him/her from one’s life’s
true purpose.
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continued on page 30
8 May – June 2021 | AL-MADINAH