When Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) left with Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) on the journey of hijrah, he (had hope that Allah Ta‘ala would accept his wealth for the cause of Islam and so) took all the wealth that he owned, which was five or six thousand dirhams, with him.
After he left, his father, Abu Quhaafah, who (was not yet a Muslim and) had by then lost his sight, came to his home and said to his granddaughter, “I am sure that your father has inflicted suffering upon you by taking all of his wealth with him (and leaving nothing for you).”
Asmaa (radhiyallahu ‘anha) replied, “Never, O my father! He has left a lot for us!” Saying this, she placed some stones in a niche of the home in which Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) would keep his wealth. She then covered the stones with a cloth and passed the hand of her grandfather over the stones saying, “My father! Place your hand on this wealth.” As the hand of Abu Quhaafah passed over the cloth, he thought that the stones underneath were coins and said, “Very good! If he has left this for you then he has done well, as this will suffice you for some time.”
Asmaa (radhiyallahu ‘anha) mentioned, “By Allah! Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) did not leave any wealth for us. However, I did this to spare my grandfather anxiety and keep him at ease.”
(Musnad Ahmad #26957)
Lessons:
1. When a person has true akhlaaq(good character), even if he is undergoing difficulty and turmoil, he will try to save others – especially his parents and elders – from all forms of inconvenience and anxiety. In this regard, it is often unsuitable to relate incidents to aged people which are such that they will cause them to become stressed and anxious (e.g. incidents of theft, robbery, etc.).
2. Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) made the decision to take all his wealth and spend it in the path of Allah Ta‘ala as he knew that the level of his family’s imaan was such that they would manage without the wealth and be happy with his decision.