Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
On one occasion during the khilaafah of Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), two women came to him seeking financial assistance. One of the women was an Arab, and the other was her freed slave who was not an Arab.
Seeing their plight, Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) instructed for a portion of grain and forty dirhams to be given to each of them. Thereafter, when the grain and money was brought, the freed slave gratefully took her share and left. However, the Arab woman was displeased.
She addressed Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and said, “O Ameer-ul-Mu’mineen! How can you give me the same amount that you gave her, whereas I am an Arab woman and she is merely a freed slave!”
Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) replied, “I looked into the Kitaab of Allah Ta‘ala, and I did not find that the children of Nabi Ismaa’eel (‘alaihis salaam) (i.e. the Arabs) have any superiority over the children of Nabi Ishaaq (‘alaihis salaam) (i.e. the non-Arabs). It is for this reason that I have given you equal shares.”
(Sunan Kubra lil-Bayhaqi 12990)
