‘Alee Ibn Abee Taalib (ra) said:
“I got very hungry in Madeenah, and I went out looking for work in the outskirts of the city. There was a woman who had gathered some dirt, and I thought she wanted to wet it, So I went to her and made an agreement with her (that she would give me) one date for each bucket.
I brought sixteen buckets, until my hands swelled up, the I brought the water and drank some of it. I put my hands like this in front of her hands, and she counted out sixteen dates for me. Then I came to the Prophet (saw) and told him, and he ate some of them with me.” [Sifat As-Safwah, 1/320]
Lessons learned from this story:
1) This incident shows us the hardships that the companions went through and their their conduct in dealing with hardship.
2) ‘Alee went out and worked with his own hands to earn in the proper way, and he did not sit and wait for whatever people gave him.
3) His strength of patience with which he undertook that hard work when he was suffering severe hunger which had sapped his strength.
4) We also learn about giving precedence to loved ones and showing loyalty to them, because despite his extreme hunger and the hard work he had done himself, he kept his wages of dates until he met with the Prophet (saw) and ate with him.
['Alee Ibn Abee Taalib, His Life And Times, by 'Alee Muhammad As-Sallaabee, 1/148]
