THE ANGRY WOMAN

A MUSLIM STORY FROM HADITH

Key Ideas: Islam, fasting, kindness, priorities

It was the month of Ramadan, when all good Muslims were trying very hard to keep the fast. This meant that they did not eat anything during the hours of daylight. From sunrise to sunset no food must pass their lips. Fasting is difficult, especially when it is a hot day. It was on such a hot day that Muhammad sat down to rest. He had not eaten since it was dark, and the sun was now high in the sky. He wanted a few moments of peace.

Muhammad had only been sitting down for a few moments when the peace was broken. Someone was shouting loudly, just a little way down the street. A woman was obviously very angry. Her voice was loud, and the angrier she became the louder and shriller her shouting became. Muhammad decided to investigate.

As he came closer, he saw one of the richest women in the town, berating a servant for something he should have done, but had not. She was furious. Her face was red, she was shaking her fist, and it seemed as if she was fit to burst. The servant was standing uncomfortably, his head bowed low, not daring to move or reply. The woman was so busy with her anger that at first she did not notice Muhammad standing beside her.

Slowly she became aware that someone was standing beside her. She turned, saw that it was the Prophet Muhammad, and calmed down a little. “Why don’t you go indoors, and have something to eat?”

The woman was shocked. She did not know what to say. She always kept the fast. She wondered if Muhammad realised what he was saying. “But I always keep the fast,” she said. “I have not eaten anything today.”

The prophet spoke quietly. “If you were keeping the fast properly,” he said, “you would be kind to others. You would be trying hard to do Allah’s will. Getting angry with your servant is as bad as eating during the fast. You might as well go and eat.”