Once, a man came to the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam), and he needed a camel in order to go on an expedition. So he said, "O Messenger of Allah! I need a mount in order to take me."
To which the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) replied, "Well, I only have a calf [Ar. walad al-naqa - child of a camel] to give you."
The man, astonished since a calf cannot be ridden, said, "And what can I do with a calf?!"
To which the reply was given, "And is not every camel a 'child of another camel'?!"
And he gifted him a camel to ride on. [Reported by Abu Dawud].
In this hadith, we benefit:
- that the Prophet (SAW) had a sense of humor
- that he teased his Companions in a manner that brought friendship and companionship to them
- that it is encouraged and Sunnah to be joyful and of good cheer if done appropriately
- that even in jokes, the Prophet (SAW) never spoke a lie, for the
Arabic used for 'calf' is walad al-naqah, and while the first meaning that comes to mind when one hears this expression in Arabic is a baby camel, technically every camel is a 'walad al-naqah', since it is born of another camel. Hence this was a play on words that had a humorous effect without being untrue.
- the generosity of the Prophet (SAW) and that people knew to come to him for their needs.
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