Lecture delivered by the Naibul Amir of the area council during the seperate Usrah
Stinginess
Stingy literally means “not generous, unwilling to spend; miser” In Islamic sources, Quran and hadith, it is generally expressed with the Arabic words “shuhh” and “bukhl”.
Allah, SWT, said:
الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ وَيَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبُخْلِ وَيَكْتُمُونَ مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّـهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ ۗ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُّهِينًا ﴿٣٧﴾Those who are miserly and enjoin miserliness on other men and hide what Allah has bestowed upon them of His Bounties. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a disgraceful torment… Al-Nisaa (4), vs. 37
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said:
جَاهِلٌ سَخِيٌّ اَحَبُّ اِلىَ اللهِ مِنْ عاِبِدٍ بَخِيلٍ
(An ignorant but generous person is more beloved to Allah than one, who is devout but parsimonious.) Jaame’ al-Sa’adaat, vol. 2, pg. 110
Short Explanation
Stinginess, or refraining from giving things to others and collecting wealth and riches for oneself, is one of the signs of love for the world. It impedes one from adorning oneself with several praiseworthy virtues like charity, munificence, self-sacrifice and helping others. It is for this reason that the holy Prophet (s.a.w.) has said: No miser shall enter Paradise.
Stinginess is such a repugnant vice that if a person gets afflicted with it, he keeps his family in poverty, detests guests coming to his house, abstains from visiting others in order that none visit him, withholds himself from associating with generous persons and feels uneasy about other people’s generosity. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) always sought refuge in Allah from this deadly vice. Ihyaa al-Quloob, pg. 96
Stinginess has levels. The last level is man’s depriving himself from what he needs and not spending anything even for his own need.
A stingy person is reluctant to spend money, sometimes to such an extent that he forgoes even basic comforts and necessities. A stingy refrains from giving others because of his excessive love for money and property.
What is Shuhh and Bukhl?
“Shuhh” is an Arabic word referring to the ambitious and envious manner of nafs for wealth which means stingy, tight, scrooge.
“Bukhl” also means stinginess in Arabic but it is the manifestation of being stingy in actions. In other words, in Arabic, the manners of nafs which are being ambitious and stingy are called “shuhh”, taking action towards these manners is called “bukhl”.
Besides, some scholars define “bukhl” as man’s being jealous of what he has and they define “shuhh” as man’s being jealous of what others have.
1) The Miser’s Sin
Once, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) was engaged in circling the Ka’bah seven times when he witnessed a man holding the curtain of the Ka’bah and imploring: O’ Allah! By the sanctity of this House, forgive me!
Approaching him, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) asked him about his sin.
The man replied, “My sin is too enormous for me to describe to you.”
“Woe be unto you! Is your sin greater or the earth?” asked the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.).
“My sin.”
“Is your sin greater or the mountains?”
“My sin.”
“Is your sin greater or the Throne of Allah?”
“My sin.”
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) then asked, “Is your sin greater or Allah?”
To this the man replied, “Allah is the Greatest, Loftiest and the Most Glorious.”
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) exclaimed, “Woe be unto you! Inform me of you sin”.
The man explained, “O’ Prophet of Allah! I am a wealthy person, but whenever a poor man approaches me for help, I feel as if a bolt of fire has approached me.”
On hearing this, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) warned:
“Stay away from me and do not burn me in your fire! By He, Who has sent me with Guidance and Honour, if you were to offer prayers between al-Rukn and al-Maqaam (around the Ka’bah) for two thousand years and weep in such a measure that your tears flow as rivers and quench the trees, and after all this, if you were to die while still possessing the vice of stinginess, Allah would hurl you into Hell. Woe be unto you! But do you not know that Allah has said: And whoever is niggardly is niggardly against his own soul… Muhammad (47), vs. 38 وَ مَنْ يَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّما يَبْخَلُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ and He has also said: And whoever is preserved from the niggardliness of his soul, is among the successful ones.” Al-Hashr (59), vs. 9((وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٩﴾
(Reference… Jaame’ al-Sa’adaat, vol. 2, pg. 110; I’lm-e-Akhlaaq-e-Islami, vol. 2, pg. 154.)
The main reason of stinginess is weakness in faith
Imam-I Gazali states that:
“Stinginess is a result of being attached to the world; however generosity is the result of not attaching importance to the world. Generosity is a consequence of reaching the real “tawheed” (faith in oneness of Allah (swt)) and true “tawakkul” (trust in Allah (swt)). In other words, generosity arises from believing earnestly in the promise of Allah (swt) that He (swt) made about rizq (livelihood) which is a fruit of the “tawheed” tree. On the other hand, stinginess arises from “polytheism” which stems from attaching the reasons and doubting the promise of Allah (swt).” (Kutub-I Sitta).
Since Allah has promised in the ayah: “We shall provide for them and for you.” (Surah al-Isra, 31) that He provides for man, being afraid and reluctant to spend money is distrusting His Lord about livelihood although He has promised. This situation quite contradicts with the essence of faith.
Stinginess is one of the most evil traits
“The most evil (traits) in a man are: severe stinginess and uninhibited cowardice.” [Sunan Abu Dawud]
Stinginess cannot be a trait of a believer
“There are two traits which cannot exist in a believer. They are stinginess and low ethics.” (Tirmidhi, Zuhd 8)
Stinginess is the worst disease
“What disease is worse than stinginess?” (Sahih Bukhari) (Tabarani/ Cam-ul Fawaid)
Stinginess is the trait which Allah dislikes
Narrated Abu Dharr (ra):
“Allah (swt) likes and dislikes three groups of people… Allah dislikes the adulterer old, the stingy and the arrogant.” (İbn Hıbban / Tergıb ve Terhib)
Narrated Ali (ra):
“Allah (swt) dislikes the one who is stingy in his lifetime but generous at the moment of death.” (Hatib)
Miserliness is one of the traits that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) seeks refuge in Allah (swt)
Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet used to say, “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from worry and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from being heavily in debt and from being overpowered by (other) men.” (Bukhari)
STINGINESS
Stinginess stands for the abstention from giving in situations of generosity. It is the opposite of generosity and among the mean features that cause humility, hatred, and disgrace. Islam has censured and warned the Muslims strongly against stinginess:
Behold! You are those who are called to spend in the Cause of Allah, yet among you are some who are niggardly. And whoever is niggardly, it is only at the expense of his ownself. But Allah is Rich (Free of all wants), and you (mankind) are poor. And if you turn away (from Islam and the obedience of Allah), He will exchange you for some other people, and they will not be your likes. (47:38)…هَا أَنتُمْ هَـٰؤُلَاءِ تُدْعَوْنَ لِتُنفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ فَمِنكُم مَّن يَبْخَلُ ۖ وَمَن يَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّمَا يَبْخَلُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ ۚ وَاللَّـهُ الْغَنِيُّ وَأَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ ۚ وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوْا يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوا أَمْثَالَكُم ﴿٣٨﴾
Those who are miserly and enjoin miserliness on other men and hide what Allah has bestowed upon them of His Bounties. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a disgraceful torment.(4:37)… الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ وَيَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبُخْلِ وَيَكْتُمُونَ مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّـهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ ۗ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُّهِينًا ﴿٣٧﴾
And let not those who covetously withhold of that which Allah has bestowed on them of His Bounty (Wealth) think that it is good for them (and so they do not pay the obligatory Zakat). Nay, it will be worse for them; the things which they covetously withheld shall be tied to their necks like a collar on the Day of Resurrection. And to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth; and Allah is Well-Acquainted with all that you do. (3:180)… وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ بِمَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّـهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ هُوَ خَيْرًا لَّهُم ۖ بَلْ هُوَ شَرٌّ لَّهُمْ ۖسَيُطَوَّقُونَ مَا بَخِلُوا بِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۗ وَلِلَّـهِ مِيرَاثُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ ﴿١٨٠﴾
Imam as-Sadiq narrated on the authority of his fathers that Amir ul-Mu’minin (a) once heard a man saying that stinginess is less forgivable than wronging. The Imam commented: No, this is a lie. A wrong man may repent, seek Allah’s forgiveness, and correct his mistakes. But when one behaves in a stingy mood, he will not defray the zakat and almsgiving, will not regard his relatives, will not receive the guests hospitably, and will not spend his fortune in the cause of Allah and in the fields of charity. Paradise is forbidden for the stingy.
I wonder at the stingy who speeds towards the very destitution from which he wants to run away and misses the very ease of life which he covets. Consequently, he passes his life like the destitute, but will have to render an account in the next world like the rich.
Disadvantages of Stinginess
Stinginess causes malice and hatred of the close as well as the foreigners. The closest individuals of the stingy may hope were he dead, because he deprives them of his fortune and they expect greedily to inherit him. Besides, the stingy is the most tiring: he exerts all efforts for collecting fortunes, but he does not enjoy them, because he very soon leaves all the fortunes to the heirs. Hence, he passes his life in this world like the destitute, but will have to render an account in the next world like the rich.
Forms of Stinginess
All forms of stinginess are abominable; yet, there is a variance among them. The most sinful form of stinginess is the refusal to defray the financial obligations that Allah has imposed upon Muslims for organizing their economical lives. Thus, the defects of stinginess vary among persons and states. For example, the stinginess of the wealthy is worse than that of the poor, and to behave stingily with the dependants, relatives, friends, and guests is uglier than it is with the foreigners.
Treatment of Stinginess:
There are definite motives of stinginess. The treatment, then, is related to such motives. To stop these motives is to remove the effects.
The strongest motive of stinginess is fear of poverty, which is one of the evil inspirations of the Devil so as to prevent generosity. By its wise and unparalleled style, the holy Quran decides that stinginess is useless, but it brings about bankruptcy and deprivation:
It is you who are asked to spend for the cause of Allah, but some of you behave in a niggardly way. Whoever behaves miserly does so against his own soul. Allah is Self-sufficient and you are poor (47:38).
In Islam everything that is given or spent out of generosity will not go in vain; yet, Allah the All-generous will compensate for it:
Say: “Truly, my Lord enlarges the provision for whom He wills of His slaves, and (also) restricts (it) for him, and whatsoever you spend of anything (in Allah’s Cause), He will replace it. And He is the Best of providers.” (34:39)… قُلْ إِنَّ رَبِّي يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَقْدِرُ لَهُ ۚ وَمَا أَنفَقْتُم مِّن شَيْءٍ فَهُوَ يُخْلِفُهُ ۖ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ﴿٣٩﴾
Islam continue to enjoin openhandedness, confirming that he who spends for Allah’s sake is lending Allah Who will repay him many folds out of His extensive kindness:
The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the Way of Allah, is as the likeness of a grain (of corn); it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleases. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower. (2:261)… مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِي كُلِّ سُنبُلَةٍ مِّائَةُ حَبَّةٍ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ يُضَاعِفُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٢٦١﴾
Islam addresses a horrible threat against those whom are enslaved by stinginess:
[9:34] And those who hoard up gold and silver [Al-Kanz: the money, the Zakat of which has not been paid], and spend it not in the Way of Allah, -announce unto them a painful torment. [9:35] On the Day when that (Al-Kanz: money, gold and silver, etc., the Zakat of which has not been paid) will be heated in the Fire of Hell and with it will be branded their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, (and it will be said unto them):-“This is the treasure which you hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what you used to hoard.”… وَالَّذِينَ يَكْنِزُونَ الذَّهَبَ وَالْفِضَّةَ وَلَا يُنفِقُونَهَا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ ﴿٣٤﴾
يَوْمَ يُحْمَىٰ عَلَيْهَا فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ فَتُكْوَىٰ بِهَا جِبَاهُهُمْ وَجُنُوبُهُمْ وَظُهُورُهُمْ ۖ هَـٰذَا مَا كَنَزْتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ فَذُوقُوا مَا كُنتُمْ تَكْنِزُونَ﴿٣٥﴾
Among the other incentives of stinginess is fathers’ excessive care for the future of their sons. Such fathers will not spend their fortunes so as to save them for their sons, believing that such fortunes will protect their sons from poverty. Such an emotion, which is deep-rooted in man’s mentality, cannot be harmful or excessive if it is moderate, reasonable, and away from negligence and exaggeration. The holy Quran warns fathers against the prevalence of this emotion over them so that they will not be seduced by the love for their sons:
Know that your possessions and children are a temptation for you and that Allah has the greatest reward for the righteous ones. (8:28) وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَأَنَّ اللَّـهَ عِندَهُ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ﴿٢٨﴾
The best word in this regard is the following missive of Amir ul-Mu’minin (a):
So then, the worldly collection, which is between your hands, was possessed before you and will be possessed by others after you. You are only hording for one of two men: a man who will use that fortune in the acts of obedience to Allah, and this fortune that you suffered unhappiness until you collected it will be the source of happiness for such an individual. The other man is that who will use the fortune that you collected in the fields of disobedience to Allah, and your hording will cause him unhappiness. None of these two men is worthy of being preferred to yourself or being burdened on your back; therefore, you should hope Allah’s mercy for the past and hope Allah’s sustenance for the remaining.
There are groups of people who love money maniacally for its being money, without considering it as the means to a pleasure in this world or the world to come. Such groups find their pleasures only in hording money and, then, they behave towards it extremely stingily.
Practical Examples of People who are Stingy
1) Mansur Dawaaniqi and his Stinginess
Mansur Dawaaniqi, the second Abbasid Caliph, was well known for his stinginess and parsimony. For instance, as a result of his reluctance to part with his money, he would give the poets who came before him the following warning:
If someone, other than you, also happens to know the poetry that you are about to recite or if it is established that it belongs to someone else, you should not expect any prize or reward. And if the poet happened to recite one which was his own, Mansur would give him money according to the weight of the scroll upon which the poetry was written! Furthermore, he possessed a sharp memory and also had a servant and a slave-girl, who were extraordinarily quick at memorizing things.
When a poet recited his poetry, Mansur would say to him: “This, which you have recited for me, is not something new. Not only I, but even this slave of mine and the slave-girl, behind the curtains, know it.”
Then, upon his orders, the slave would recite the poem after which, the slave-girl, having heard its recitation three times – once by the poet, once by Mansur and once by the slave – would also recite it. The astounded poet would then be sent off empty handed and without any reward!
Asmae’e, the renowned poet, became annoyed with the miserliness of Mansur and decided to compose a poem using difficult words and write it on a broken stone pillar. When this was done, he dressed himself up as a tribesman and covered his entire face except his eyes. He then presented himself before Mansur and with a disguised accent, informed him that he had composed some verses and sought his permission to recite them before him.
As usual, Mansur informed Asmae’e of the conditions, which he accepted. Then Asmae’e began reciting the poetry, which comprised of difficult and uncommon words and intricate and complex sentences… و العود قدد نددنلي، و الطبل طبطبطبلي و الرقص قد طبطبلي، و السقف قد سقسقسقلي Mansur with all his acumen, and the slave and the slave-girl with all their sharpness of mind, were unable to memorize it and for the first time appeared bewildered and taken aback.
With no alternative left, Mansur said to him, “O’ Brother! It appears that the poetry is your own work. Bring me your scroll so that I can reward you according to its weight.”
Asmae’e said, “I could not find any paper and so I have written my poem on a stone pillar, which presently lies on my camel.” He brought the stone pillar and placed it before Mansur, who was totally baffled. He realized that even if he were to place his entire treasury on one side of the scale, it would not match up to the weight of the stone pillar.
Turning to the poet and he inquired, “O’ Arab! Are you not Asmae’e?”
Asmae’e took off the covering from his face and everyone observed that the poet was indeed Asmae’e (reference… Daastaan-ha-e-Maa, vol. 2, pg. 102; I’laam al-Naas, pg. 54).
2) Zakaat from Tha’labah Ansaari not Accepted
Once, Tha’labah Ibn Haatib Ansaari approached the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and beseeched:
“O’ Prophet of God! Pray to God that He grants me wealth and riches.”
“Little wealth for which you are able to offer thanksgiving, is better than immense riches for which you are unable to offer thanksgiving,” the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) advised him.
Tha’labah went away but approached the Holy Prophet for the second time, repeating his request.
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “You shall not obey me. By God! If I wished that the mountains would turn into gold for me, they would do so.”
For the second time, Tha’labah went away, but returned a third time and again placed his request before the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and implored, “Do pray for me. I vow that if God grants me wealth, whoever possesses a right in it, I shall give it to him.”
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) prayed for him and God answered his prayers. Tha’labah initially purchased some sheep, which slowly grew in number till they became plentiful.
Earlier, he used to offer all his prayers behind the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) but after his wealth and riches began to increase, he would only be present for the Dhuhr and the A’sr prayers, and spent the rest of his time looking after his sheep.
As time passed, his work increased to such an extent that he could only manage to come to Madinah for the Friday prayers and eventually even this became a thing of the past. He would only come up to the road leading towards Madinah and seek news of the city from the passers-by.
One day, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) inquired about him, whereupon he was informed that Tha’labah’s sheep had increased manifold and he had settled outside Madinah. Hearing this, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) cried out three times: “Woe be unto Tha’labah!”
After a period of time, the verse pertaining to zakaat was revealed. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) selected two people, one from Bani Sulaim and the other from Juhniyah, and gave them written authority, empowering them to collect the zakaat.
Approaching Tha’labah, they read out the order for the collection of zakaat. After some thought, Tha’labah said:
“This is Jizyah(poll-tax)or something akin to it. Go and collect it from others and come back to me later.”
They proceeded to a person from the tribe of Bani Sulaim and read out the Holy Prophet’s (s.a.w.) orders at which he handed over the best of his camels to them as his zakaat. The collectors explained to him that they had not asked him to give the best of his camels, but he insisted by saying that he was giving the camel through his own choice.
The collectors collected the zakaat from the others and on the way back, again approached Tha’labah and sought his zakaat.
He said, “Let me have a look at that decree.”
After reading it, he once again repeated, “This appears to be Jizyah or something similar to it. Go away and let me ponder over it.”
The collectors returned to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), but before they could speak he exclaimed: “Woe unto Tha’labah!” and then prayed for the generous person from Bani Sulaim. The collectors explicitly narrated to him their encounter with Tha’labah whereupon the following verses were revealed:
وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّـهَ لَئِنْ آتَانَا مِن فَضْلِهِ لَنَصَّدَّقَنَّ وَلَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ﴿٧٥﴾ فَلَمَّا آتَاهُم مِّن فَضْلِهِ بَخِلُوا بِهِ وَتَوَلَّوا وَّهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ﴿٧٦﴾ فَأَعْقَبَهُمْ نِفَاقًا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يَلْقَوْنَهُ بِمَا أَخْلَفُوا اللَّـهَ مَا وَعَدُوهُ وَبِمَا كَانُوا يَكْذِبُونَ ﴿٧٧﴾
And of them are some who made a covenant with Allah (saying): “If He bestowed on us of His Bounty, we will verily, give Sadaqah (Zakat and voluntary charity in Allah’s Cause) and will be certainly among those who are righteous.” [9:76] Then when He gave them of His Bounty, they became niggardly [refused to pay the Sadaqah (Zakat or voluntary charity)], and turned away, averse. [9:77]So He punished them by putting hypocrisy into their hearts till the Day whereon they shall meet Him, because they broke that (covenant with Allah) which they had promised Him and because they used to tell lies… Al-Taubah (9), vs. 75-77.
One of Tha’labah’s relatives, who had been present during the revelation of the above verses, informed him of the incident. On hearing about it, he hastened to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and entreated him to accept his zakaat, but he refused saying:
“God has ordered me not to accept your zakaat.”
Tha’labah was devastated to hear this.
“This is a consequence of your own deeds. I had ordered you but you refused to comply with my orders,” the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said.
After the demise of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), Tha’labah approached Abu Bakr, who refused to accept his zakaat. During U’mar’s caliphate, Thalabah approached him, but he too refused and U’thman too followed suit, till death finally overtook Tha’labah… Pand-e-Taareekh, vol. 1, pg. 73; Asad al-Ghaabbah, vol. 1, pg. 237.
3) Sa’eed Ibn Haroon, the Miser
Sa’eed Ibn Haroon, the scribe from Baghdad and a contemporary of Mamun, the Abbasid Caliph, was notorious for his miserliness.
Abu Ali Di’bil Khazaai, the renowned poet (d. 245 A.H.) says:
Accompanied by some other poets, I had gone to Sa’eed’s house and we were with him from morning till afternoon. When the afternoon was approaching, we began to feel hungry and became restless and disturbed as a result.
Sa’eed had an old slave, to whom he said, “If there is something to eat, bring it before us.” The slave departed and returned a short while later bringing with him a dirty dinner-cloth. He spread this out before us and laid just one piece of dry bread on it. He then brought an old bowl, broken at the rim and filled with hot water, and which contained an old, raw and headless cock!
As the slave placed the bowl on the dinner-cloth, Sa’eed’s eyes fell upon it and noticing the headless cock, he reflected for a moment and then said, “O’ Slave! Where is the head of this cock?”
The slave replied, “I have thrown it away.”
Hearing this, Sa’eed screamed, “I do not approve of one who throws away the legs of a cock, never mind one who throws away its head. This act (of yours) augurs ill (for me) for the head of a cock possesses many benefits:
Firstly, from its head emanates a sound, which informs God’s servants of the time for prayers; by means of it, the sleeping ones awaken and those, who worship in the nights, ready themselves for the night prayers.
Secondly, the crown that lies on its head resembles the crown of the kings and so, it possesses a distinction in comparison to the other birds.
Thirdly, it witnesses the angels by means of the two eyes, which are located in its skull. In addition, poets liken coloured wine to its eyes because when they desire to describe red wine, they say: ‘This wine is like the two eyes of the cock.’
Fourthly, the brain in its head is a cure for kidney problems. Besides, no bone is tastier than the bone of its head. If you have thrown it away under the impression that I would not eat it, you have erred greatly. And supposing that I do not eat it, my family would eat it and if they do not eat it, these guests of mine, who have not eaten anything since morning, would eat it.”
He continued angrily, “Go and locate it and should you fail to do so, I shall punish you.”
The slave pleaded “By God! I do not know where I have thrown it.”
Sa’eed retorted, “By God! I know where you have dropped it; you have dropped it in that ominous looking stomach of yours!”
“By God! I have not eaten it,” bemoaned the slave. You are the one who is lying.”
Infuriated, Sa’eed stood up and seized the slave by the collar in an attempt to hurl him onto the floor, but in the process his foot struck the bowl tipping it over and spilling its contents. A cat, which sat nearby, made the most of the opportunity and picking up the headless cock, darted away with it. We too came out of the house, leaving Sa’eed and his slave to themselves, as they grappled with each other… Lataaif al-Tawaaif, pg. 3
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