Setting
Do you not fear Allah regarding this animal which Allah has placed in your possession? It is complaining to me that you starve it and put it to toil
Do you not fear Allah regarding this animal which Allah has placed in your possession? It is complaining to me that you starve it and put it to toil
Abu Ja‘far ‘Abdullāh ibn Ja‘far (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) made me ride behind him one day and confided something to me which I shall never disclose to anyone. What the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) liked most to screen himself from others while answering the call of nature was an elevation or a date-palm orchard. Once he entered an orchard belonging to an Ansāri man and found a camel therein. When it saw him, it began to groan and its eyes shed tears. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) approached it and patted it on the hump and behind its ears until it calmed down. Then, he asked: "Who is the owner of this camel? To whom does it belong?" An Ansāri youth stepped forward and said: "It is mine, O Messenger of Allah," He said: "Do you not fear Allah regarding this animal which Allah has placed in your possession? It is complaining to me that you starve it and put it to toil."
Explanation
‘Abdullāh ibn Ja‘far (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that one day the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) made him ride behind him on a camel. He confided in him something that he,(may Allah be pleased with him) desired not to disclose, because it was a secret of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Then, he mentioned that whenever the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to answer the call of nature, he would either hide behind something high, or in a date-palm orchard where nobody could see him. The orchard usually has tall trees, however, it is not fit for sitting in it. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) entered an orchard that belonged to a man from the Ansār. He found a camel there. Once the camel saw the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) it started crying. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) patted on its hump and behind its ears. Then, he asked about its owner. An Ansāri young man came and told him the camel belonged to him. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: Do you not fear Allah who made you the owner of this camel? It is complaining to me that you keep it hungry and tired.