The companion of the Prophet, Hazrat Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates:
The Prophet ﷺ never stored or hoarded any material wealth. That responsibility had been entrusted to me. Whenever someone came to the Prophet ﷺ complaining of hunger, he would direct them to me. I would then borrow money or provisions from someone and feed that person. Likewise, whenever someone in need of clothing came seeking help, the Prophet ﷺ would send them to me, and I would take a loan to purchase clothing for them. This was how matters were handled.
On one occasion, a polytheist (mushrik) approached me and said: “I have ample wealth and means. Whenever you are in need, you may borrow from me directly; there is no need to ask anyone else.”
Thinking there could be nothing more convenient than this, I began borrowing from him whenever needs arose. Whenever the Prophet ﷺ gave an instruction, I would obtain a loan from that man and fulfill the need.
One day, while I had performed ablution (wudu) and was standing ready to deliver the call to prayer (adhan), the polytheist arrived with a group of people and shouted: “O Habashi (Abyssinian)!”
When I turned around, he began hurling abuses at me, uttering every foul word that came to his tongue. Then he demanded: “How many days remain until the repayment deadline expires?”
“It will expire soon,” I replied.
He said: “Four days remain! If you do not settle my entire debt within that time, I will enslave you for the unpaid debt. Then you will have to return to herding goats just as you used to do before!” He then turned and left.
Grief and deep sorrow weighed upon me throughout the day. After the night prayer (Isha), when the Prophet ﷺ was alone, I approached his presence and narrated the entire incident:
“O Messenger of Allah! You do not currently have the means to settle this debt immediately. If I am unable to pay it off at once, that man will humiliate and enslave me,” I said, and then returned home.
A little before dawn, a friend rushed to me and said: “Make haste to the presence of the Prophet ﷺ!”
When I arrived before the Prophet ﷺ, I saw four camels laden with goods kneeling there. Upon seeing me, the Prophet ﷺ said: “O Bilal, glad tidings to you! Allah Almighty has made a way out to settle your debts. The leader of Fadak has sent these camels along with their provisions as a gift to me.”
Praised be Allah, I took those provisions in immense joy, settled all outstanding debts, and returned.
The Prophet ﷺ was waiting for me in the mosque (masjid). I returned and said: “O Messenger of Allah! All praise is due to Allah. Allah Almighty has relieved you of every debt. Not a single debt remains outstanding.”
The Prophet ﷺ then asked: “Is there anything left over from those provisions?”
“Yes, a small portion remains,” I answered.
He said: “Distribute that as well! Only then will my heart find peace. Until it is fully distributed, I cannot return home.”
The Prophet ﷺ spent the entire day in the mosque. After the Isha prayer, he inquired again whether the remaining provisions had been distributed.
“Since no needy person arrived today, a little is still left,” I replied.
Hearing this, the Prophet ﷺ spent that night in the mosque instead of returning home.
The following day after Isha, he asked again: “Does anything still remain?”
I replied: “No, Allah Almighty has granted you peace of mind; everything has been distributed.”
The Prophet ﷺ praised Allah and offered thanks.
The Prophet ﷺ feared that death might overtake him while material wealth remained in his possession. It was for this reason that he returned home to visit his wives only after all of those goods had been completely given away.