THE STORY OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD (May Peace Be Upon Him) and THE BLIND OLD JEWISH BEGGAR.

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In the corner of the marketplace of Madinah, was a blind Jewish beggar, who would cry out daily to all those who came near him, “O my brothers, don’t go near Muhammad! He’s a lunatic, he’s a liar, a sorcerer! If you are to be close to him, you will be influenced by him!”

The news about the blind Jewish beggar’s daily cursing and badmouthing came to the knowledge of the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wassallam @ Peace Be Upon Him).

Even then, the Prophet Muhammad didn’t get angry, he just carried on ignoring the blind Jewish beggar’s daily insults against himself.

Suddenly, the Prophet Muhammad started visiting the blind beggar to feed him with his own hand – without saying a single word. He did this without fail each morning.

The blind beggar would chew the food being fed to him and eat contentedly.

Once he was full, he’d express his gratitude without knowing that the one who had fed him was the Prophet Muhammad.

The Prophet Muhammad continued to feed the blind beggar without fail each day until the day he died.

Throughout his service to the blind beggar, he never identified himself to the blind Jewish beggar.

After the Prophet Muhammad had passed away, no one brought food to the blind beggar anymore!

One day, the closest Companion of the Prophet Muhammad, Saiyidina Abu Bakar As Siddiq Radhiallahu Anhu (May Allah be content with him) visited the home of his daughter, Sayyidatina Aishah Radhiallahu Anha (May Allah be content with her), the widow of the Blessed Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him).

Abu Bakar asked Aishah, “O my child, is there any habit of my beloved (Prophet) that I have yet to carry on?”

Aisyah replied, “Dear Father, you are verily a follower of the Sunnah (Habits) of the Prophet and there is none that you have yet to do except for one deed only!”

“What is that?” asked Abu Bakar.

“Every morning, the Prophet of Allah would go to the end of the marketplace, bringing food to a blind old Jewish beggar who lives there and feed him by his own hand,” said Aishah.

The next day, Abu Bakar As Siddiq went to the marketplace with food for the blind beggar.

Abu Bakar As Siddiq approached the beggar and started to feed him.

At the first handful of food being fed to him, the blind Jewish beggar became angry and shouted out, “Who are you?”

Abu Bakar answered, “I am the one who usually feeds you every morning”.

“No!… Don’t you lie to me!” objected the blind beggar.

Abu Bakar was shocked, thus he asked, “Why do you say so?”

The blind Jewish beggar answered, “Because when he comes to me, I always feel it’s easy to hold his hand and find it easy to chew the food he feeds me… The man who used to feed me would makes the food fine before feeding it to me!”

Abu Bakar As Siddiq could not hold back his tears anymore and burst out crying. He had to disclose who he actually was to the beggar.

“Verily, I am not the one who used to come and feed you. I am one of his Companions for the noble one is alive no more! He was none other than the Prophet Muhammad!”

“Muhammad?” asked the blind old Jewish beggar, totally shocked with what he had just heard.

“You mean to tell me that the one who came each morning without fail and fed me by his hand was Muhammad?” asked the beggar.

“Yes! It was Muhammad!” answered Abu Bakar.

Immediately, the blind old Jewish beggar wailed out in despair and cried so pitifully coming to realise that it was none other than the Holy Prophet who had been feeding him all this while.

“All this time! ..all this time, I had been cursing him, I had been slandering him! Not once did he ever scold me! He kept coming every morning to feed me! He was so noble!” cried the old blind Jewish beggar as he wiped away his flowing tears on his cheeks.

The blind beggar reached out to Saiyidina Abu Bakar As Siddiq, the first Caliph of the Muslims and testified before him the Kalimah Syahadah :
‘Ash ha duu Allah ila ha ill lall Lah! Wa ash ha duu anna Muhammad darr Rasulullah!’ declaring ‘ There is No God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah!’

From that moment onwards, the blind old Jewish beggar became a Muslim.

Would any of us today be as patient and as caring like our Prophet towards those who speak ill of us?

Chances are that we would bash any critic of us without a second thought!

So, if there are those ignorants and slanderers badmouthing Allah’s Messenger today with their lies and falsehood, do know that in the Hereafter, they will be burning eternally in Hellfire whilst Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wassallam will be with the Dwellers of Jannahtul Firdaus and in the Mercy of Allahu Rabbul Alamin, our Lord Almighty.

Do not blindly follow anyone’s call to do this or that which will not benefit anyone or clear the air about the real persona of Muhammad ibni Abdullah.

Use your God given common sense and act in a manner that the Prophet will approve. Insya Allah.