Had someone ring the doorbell yesterday. Dad goes to answer it and comes back with a really small packet of biscuits in his hand. They were really cheap foreign biscuits. I asked him who it was... He replied by telling me it was a man who claimed he is poor and was trying to make some money for his family. I asked how much my dad had given for this small packet - dad replied with an amount that was significantly greater than the cost of the biscuits - I asked my dad did he ask for this much? My dad replied no and that he gave him it out of his own generosity. I told dad it was strange and asked him why he gave him the money because my dad normally does not give to those who beg for money due to his skeptical mind. He replied, if he had begged for it I'd have not given him, but he worked hard for his money and earned it by using his mind to sell the biscuits and therefore you can't call it begging. Me being me, with great weaknesses in my nafs living in an individualistic society which nurtures us all to become selfish and look down upon others who have less material, I had subconscious thoughts such as, "poor man" and other things came to my mind - feelings of pity in other words. However, as soon as my dad pointed out that it cannot be called begging, my respect for this unknown man had increased to great heights. Nobody wants to sell biscuits door to door. Everyone would wish to wake up without having to go to work and have millions piling up in the bank account. Everyone would rather be comfortable in a spacious office with little work to earn their daily bread. Only Allah knows this man's situation entirely and why he has resorted to sell cheap foreign biscuits for some money - but the truth is he could have chosen to beg, an easy thought in his situation, but he defeated this mentality. I firmly believe that this man was in a difficult situation and that selling biscuits was the only means for his income at this point due to his circumstances. I ask Allah to grant him great riches and to keep him humble. Most of all to guide him if he is not Muslim. If you ever come across someone who is selling something like this in the future for a few coins, buy what they sell. They may not be selling something of use to you, but buy it anyway. It will keep them motivated, it may provide some bread for them for the day and keep them satisfied with Allah...and never look down on them. Finally; it reminded me of this hadith: Narrated Az-Zubair bin Al-Awwam (RA): The Prophet (PBUH) said, “It is better for anyone of you to take a rope and bring a bundle of wood over his back and sell it, and Allah will save his face because of that, rather than to ask the people who may or may not give.” (Hadith No. 1471, Book of Zakat, Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 2). Shared