Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) mentioned the following incident to the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum):
A man (from one of the previous Ummahs) once bought a plot of land from another person. (After the deal was concluded,) he discovered a jar filled with gold buried in the land. He thus came to the seller and said, “Take your gold from me, for I only purchased the land from you, not the gold.” However, the seller responded, “(I did not bury any gold in the land, nor was I aware of any gold being there.) I sold you the land with all that it contains. (Hence, you should take the gold)”
As neither of them wished to take the gold, they approached a third party and requested him to arbitrate and assist them to resolve the situation. The arbitrator asked them, “Do the two of you have any children?” One of them replied, “Yes, I have a son,” while the other said, “Yes, I have a daughter.”
The arbitrator then suggested, “Get the boy and the girl married; give them some of the gold, and spend some of it in sadaqah.” (The seller and purchaser were pleased with this suggestion and accepted it.)
(Saheeh Bukhaari #3472)
Lesson:
If a person’s heart is filled with love for gold and wealth, he will do anything to acquire more riches. He will not hesitate to trample on people’s rights, usurp their wealth, or even kill for the right price, in order to enrich himself. However, the hearts of the pious friends of Allah Ta‘ala are not filled with love for gold – rather they have golden hearts. They fear Allah Ta‘ala at all times, abstain from that which is unlawful or even doubtful and they give preference to others. They do not mind losing money – as long as their Deen and imaan is safe and secure. Hence, while disputes are normally fought to ‘acquire’ wealth, this was a unique incident in the annals of history, where a dispute occurred because neither party wished to take the wealth.