THE PROPHET AS A LANDLORD

Several ahAdIs (3758-3763) show that Muhammad�s own business practices could be sharp.  �Abdullah, the son of �Umar, reports that �when Khaibar had been conquered, it came under the sway of Allah, that of his Messenger and that of the Muslims� (3763).  Muhammad made an agreement with the Jews of Khaibar that they could retain the date-palms and the land on the condition that they worked them with their own wealth (seeds, implements) and gave �half of the yield to Allah�s Messenger� (3762).  Out of this half, �Allah�s Apostle got the fifth part,� and the rest was �distributed� (3761).  This lends credence to the common observation that those who control the funds, whether in the name of Allah or the state or the poor, are apt to spend them first on themselves.

These acquisitions enabled Muhammad to give each of his wives 100 wasqs (1 wasq = about 425 English pounds), 80 wasqs of dates, and 20 wasqs of barley per year.  When �Umar became the KhalIfa he distributed the land and gave the wives of Allah�s Apostle the option of taking the land or the yearly wasqs.  Their reactions to this offer differed.  �Aisha and Hafza, two wives of the Prophet, �opted for land and water� (3759).

author : ram swarup