(195) It is related by Ayesha that “the Apostle of God died in such a state that his coat of mail was mortgaged with a Jew for 30 Sa'as of barley.”
-Bukhari
Commentary.-According to the commentators, a Sa'a is equal to about 3½ seers. Thus 30 Sa'as would make nearly 2½ maunds.
The object here is to show at what level of want and neediness the Prophet's household subsisted, even during the last days of his life when almost the whole of Arabia had come under his way.
The wisdom of borrowing from a Jew when there lived a number of Muslims in Medina from whom such small loans could be taken at the time of need, perhaps, was that:
(i) The Prophet did not want his friends and followers to know his need for, then, instead of lending the money [or any other commodity], they would have liked to give it as a gift and it would have imposed a burden upon them. Besides, to ask them for a loan in this way could have amounted to a request or solicitation.
(ii) The Prophet wanted to avoid the smallest trace of suspicion that he desired a return, in any form, from those who had acquired the wealth of Faith through him.
(iii) Such transactions with non-Muslims would have led to the growth of friendly relations with them and paved the way for those people to know the Prophet intimately and to observe his character and moral disposition from close quarters. They would, thus, have been enabled to reap the fruits of Faith and earn the countenance of the Lord. Results like that did ensue. It is, for instance, reported in Miskhat, on the authority of Imam Baihaqi's Dalael-un-Nabuwat, about a wealthy Jew of Medina that the Prophet had borrowed some money from him. When he came to demand the payment of debt, the Prophet expressed his inability as he had no money with him at that time but the Jew was adamant. He refused to go away without the payment, and sat down and did not move from there till a whole day and a whole night passed, and the Prophet, during that time, offered the prayers of Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib and ‘Isha in his presence. Some of the Companions were greatly annoyed at it and they also secretly used threats to persuade the Jew to leave the place but when the Prophet came to know about it, he remarked, “I have been commanded by God that there should be no injustice and unfairness as regards a contract.” On hearing it, the Companions became silent. After some time the Jew said that, actually, he had not come to demand the payment but wanted to see whether the Prophet possessed the signs and qualities stated in the Torah about the Apostle of God who was going to be raised up during the Last Phase and he had realised and become convinced that the sacred Prophet was th Promised Apostle. Upon it, the Jew recited the Kalima and placing his entire wealth before the Prophet said, “All my goods are here. Now, decide about them according to your guidance and spend them in whatever way you like.”