It is related that once in the days of the Apostle of God
[Muhammad] He signified His desire that an army should advance in a certain
direction, and leave was granted unto the faithful to raise contributions for
the holy war. Among many was one man who gave a thousand
camels, each laden with corn, another who gave half his substance, and still
another who offered all that he had. But a woman stricken in years, whose sole
possession was a handful of dates, came to the Apostle and laid at His feet her
humble contribution. Thereupon the Prophet of God—may my life be offered up as
a sacrifice unto Him—bade that this handful of dates be placed over and above
all the contributions that had been gathered, thus asserting the merit and
superiority thereof over all the rest. This was done because that elderly woman
had no other earthly possessions but these.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)
