Qaadhi Abu Bakr Muhammad bin ‘Abdil Baaqi bin Muhammad Al-Bazzaaz Al-Ansaari (rahimahullah) (d. 535 A.H.), gives the following account of his life:

One day, while I was in Makkah Mukarramah, I was hungry and could not find anything to stave off my hunger. On my way home, I found a small silken pouch neatly tied with a tassel of silk. I picked it up and returned home with it. On opening it, I found a beautiful pearl necklace inside, the like of which I had never seen before.

I later went out and saw an old man with five hundred dinaars (gold coins) in a cloth, calling out loudly, “This is the reward for the one who returns to me a pouch containing a pearl necklace!” I thought to myself, “I am in need and extremely hungry. I can benefit from this reward by returning the purse to the old man.”

I thus approached him and said, “Come with me,” after which I led him to my home. After ascertaining that the pouch belonged to him through his complete and accurate description of the pouch and tassel, the pearls, the number of beads in the necklace and the cord with which they were strung, I handed the pouch to him. He promptly presented me with the reward of five hundred dinaars which I refused saying, “It was a necessary duty for me to return the pouch to you without any reward.” The man continued to insist that I take the reward but as much as he insisted, I continued to refuse.

After some time, I left Makkah Mukarramah and travelled by sea. Our vessel was shipwrecked and all the passengers drowned. I managed to hold onto a piece of floating wreckage and thus continued to float in the ocean, not knowing where I was destined to reach.

Eventually, I drifted to an island which was inhabited by Muslims. I went to one of their masjids and began to recite the Quraan Majeed. When the people of the island heard me recite, every single one of them came to me and requested that I teach them how to recite the Quraan Majeed correctly. I thus commenced teaching them and was well remunerated for my services.

One day, I noticed a few pages of a Quraan Majeed in the masjid and picked them up in order to recite. When the people saw this, they asked if I could write. I replied in the affirmative to which they requested that I teach them. Soon many of them brought their children along so that I could teach them as well. This occupation made me completely independent.

After some time had passed, they requested that I marry a wealthy orphan from among them. I initially refused but eventually, on their insistence, agreed to the marriage. After the nikaah was performed, the girl was brought to me. On seeing her, I began to stare at her necklace as it was the very same necklace that I had found many years ago! The people said to me, “O Shaikh! You have broken the heart of this girl by staring at her necklace instead of looking at her!”

I therefore narrated the incident of the necklace to them and they all began to shout spontaneously, “Allahu Akbar! Laa ilaaha illallah!” I asked them what the matter was to which they replied, “The man who had taken the necklace from you was the father of this girl and used to say regarding you, ‘The only (true) Muslim that I met in the world was the person who had returned the necklace to me. May Allah Ta‘ala bring him to us so that I may marry him to my daughter.’ This du‘aa of his has now been fulfilled.”

I lived with my wife and was blessed with two sons from her. She finally passed away and I, together with my two sons, inherited her necklace. Later, my two sons also passed away and I became the sole owner of the necklace. I eventually sold it for one hundred thousand dinaars.

(Az-Zail ‘alaa Tabaqaatil Hanaabilah vol. 1, pg. 443)

Lessons:

1. Although Qaadhi Abu Bakr (rahimahullah) was starving and in dire straits, he refused to take the reward offered by the man as he wished his action to be solely for the pleasure of Allah Ta‘ala and not for the sake of acquiring a monetary reward. Similarly, before carrying out any good deed, we should examine our intention and ensure that our objective is solely that of pleasing Allah Ta‘ala.

2. A person can only acquire that which Allah Ta‘ala has decreed for him – not more and not less. Furthermore, when Allah Ta‘ala decrees that a person receive something, he will most definitely obtain it at some point or the other. Hence, Qaadhi Abu Bakr (rahimahullah) was destined to become the owner of the necklace. Thus, although he had returned it to the old man in Makkah Mukarramah, Allah Ta‘ala had destined it for him many years later with honour and respect. We should therefore completely abstain from resorting to impermissible ways when earning a livelihood as we will still earn exactly the same amount that Allah Ta‘ala has decreed. However, in the case of haraam, we will also earn the anger and punishment of Allah Ta‘ala, whereas if we are patient and adhere to halaal, we will earn the same amount together with barakah and the pleasure of Allah Ta‘ala.

3. The du‘aa of a parent for the child gains acceptance very swiftly. However, although accepted, the du‘aa may not always materialize immediately. Nonetheless, we should continue to make du‘aa for our children and should never feel as if our du‘aas are rejected.