Public Treasury
Rasulullahﷺ had established a Baitul mal (public treasury) in which income from the state resources and charities from those who could afford were collected. Whenever a demand was made for monetary sacrifice Ansar and migrants, who were in a sound position to give, contributed generously regardless of their own needs. Rasulullahﷺ's order was that the needy should be generously helped. But all the collections of Baitul mal were insufficient to meet the actual needs and to eliminate starvation. Saiyidina Bilal رضي الله عنه was in charge of Baitul Mal and in compliance with Rasulullahﷺ's orders he did not allow any cash or the provisions to remain locked up.
Once a massive amount of dirham came and was piled up on a mat and distributed on the sport without leaving a single coin. After everything had been distributed a needy person came and Rasulullahﷺ ordered that he should be helped by taking a loan. Once Rasulullahﷺ say a heap of dates lying with Saiyidina Bilal رضي الله عنه who on the inquiry said that he had retained it for an emergency. Rasulullahﷺ snubbed him and said, "Are you not afraid that for retaining this, you will taste the smoke of the hell on the Day of Judgement? Spend it and do not fear shortage from All-Powerful."
While the Muslims were suffering financial difficulties, the Jews had planned to exploit the situation. Once a non-Muslim came to Saiyidina Bilal رضي الله عنه and offered to advance him money whenever he needed and so Saiyidina Bilal رضي الله عنه began to take loans from him to replenish the meager resources of Baitul Mal. One day the same man came to Saiyidina Bilal رضي الله عنه, who after making ablutions was going to give the call for prayer, and shouted at him abusing and threatened him that if he did not clear the loan by the end of the month, he would be again taken a slave.
Saiyidina Bilal رضي الله عنه was very much upset with this threat and came to Rasulullahﷺ to narrate the story and proposed that he should hide somewhere till arrangements could be made for repayment. But before he could go into hiding he was called by Rasulullahﷺ next morning, where he saw that four camels loads of wealth had come from the chief of Fadak. So the loan was cleared and the remainder was distributed among the needy.
Abu Hadrat Aslami رضي الله عنه was indebted to Jews and had no means to pay. But the Jews did not give him any respite, took him to Rasulullahﷺ and insisted that the debt must be cleared then and there. Since he was unable to pay, the Jews snatched away his lower garment and the poor man had to cover his nakedness with his turban.
Saiyidina Jabir bin Abdullah رضي الله عنه though well-to-do had to take loans from a Jewish money-lender whenever in need. Once the production of the dates was poor and the loan could not be paid in time Saiyidina Jabir bin Abdullah رضي الله عنه secured time until the following crop. But the crop was again poor and the Jew refused to give him further time. Jabir came to Rasulullahﷺ who went to the Jew and appealed to him, but when he was adamant in spite of repeated appeals, Rasulullahﷺ went to the grove of Saiyidina Jabir bin Abdullah رضي الله عنه and ordered that the trees should be shaken. There was so much fruit-enough and to spare-with which not only Jew's debt was cleared but more dates were left over.
A mail cloak of Rasulullahﷺ was pawned with a Jewish money-lender and he never had enough money to redeem it.
Once a man who had lent some money to Rasulullahﷺ came to him and demanded his dues with very harsh words. When Rasulullahﷺ's companions intervened, the creditor said he was demanding only his dues, whereupon Rasulullahﷺ told his companions that they should support the man in his demand, and ordered that his account be cleared and something more than his dues was given to him.
Zaid ibn Sa'na was a rabbi who was sincerely observing Rasulullahﷺ's claim to prophethood and closely witnessed the wants. One day in the presence of Zaid ibn Sa'na, a Beduin came to Rasulullahﷺ and told him that his clan had accepted Islam and he had promised to them that if they accepted Islam God would make them rich. Instead of that, they were faced with severe famine and if they were not helped they might go back to their old religion. Zaid ibn Sa'na offered to pay 80 measures (about 360 gms.) of gold to be repaid with the production of dates in the next season. On the expiry of the time, Zaid came to Rasulullahﷺ and demanded repayment in a rude manner and harsh words saying, "O Muhammad, you are not paying my dues.
By God, I knew well that all children of Abdul Muttalib are defaulters." Saiyidina Umar Al Khattab رضي الله عنه snubbed Zaid and said, "To whom are you talking? If I did not have regard for Rasulullahﷺ I would have cut off your head with a stroke of my sword." Rasulullahﷺ pacified Saiyidina Umar Al Khattab رضي الله عنه and said that on such an occasion he should have advised him (Rasulullahﷺ) to make payment gracefully and told the money-lender to make his demand more politely. "Now go and repay his dues and for your snubbing him, pay him 20 measures of dates more than his dues."
This was the last test of Zaid ibn Sa'na and the conduct of Rasulullahﷺ won him over. He then introduced himself to Saiyidina Umar Al Khattab رضي الله عنه and making him a witness accepted Islam and gave away half of his wealth and property for the welfare of the Muslims. Zaid was different from other Jewish money-lenders, but the episode shows the difficult times the Muslims had to face. They were forced to borrow and endure the harsh treatment of the cruel creditors.
Not satisfied with their Shylock-like treatment of the indebted Muslims, the Jews, and other wealthy non-Muslims decided to strangle the movement of Islam by closing the door of loans or charities on the poor Muslims in the hope that on becoming bankrupt the movement would wither away. The elders of the Jewish community even went to the Ansar and advised them not to waste their wealth on Muslims as it would reduce them to poverty, warning them of what might happen in the future. The fifth column of the Jews and their agents were holding secret consultations to stop all financial aid to the Muslims. The Qur'an says this is what they said:
"Spend nothing on those who are with God's Apostle that they may disperse (and quit Madinah)" -(LXIII:7) The poor Muslims were in the most desperate situation-either no economic aid was made available to them or when available, they were subjected to severe Shylock tactics. But what is to be noted in this connection is the outstanding character of Rasulullahﷺ and his followers in the face of such meanness of their opponents.
