Once, Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) beloved grandsons, Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn, along with the Prophet’s companion Abdullah ibn Jafar (may Allah be pleased with them), were traveling from Medina to Mecca to perform Hajj.
Along the way, the camel carrying their food supplies got lost. As a result, they had to continue their journey without any food, feeling very hungry and thirsty.
On their path, they came across a small tent where an old woman lived. The three men approached her and asked, “Do you have anything for us to drink?”
The woman replied that she did.
They got down from their camels. The woman had only one goat. She pointed to it and told them they could milk the goat and drink it. They milked the goat and drank the milk. Then they asked, “Do you have any food we can eat?”
The woman said, “If one of you can slaughter this goat, I will cook it for you.” They slaughtered the goat, and the woman cooked it and served them with great hospitality.
Imam Hasan, Imam Husayn, and Jafar (may Allah be pleased with them) rested for a while. Before continuing their journey in the evening, they said to the woman, “We belong to the Hashim family (the family of the Prophet). We are now going for Hajj. Once Allah brings us back safely to Medina, please visit us. If you come, we will surely reward you well for your kindness, Insha Allah (if Allah wills).”
That night, the old woman’s husband came home. She told him about the Hashim guests and how she slaughtered their only goat to feed them. Hearing this, the husband got angry and scolded her, saying, “You slaughtered our goat for total strangers! Just because they claimed to be from the Hashim family, did you have to believe them?”
Many days passed. The old couple faced terrible poverty and eventually moved to Medina to look for work. They survived by collecting and selling animal dung all day long. One day, as the woman was walking by doing her usual work, Imam Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) was sitting outside his house.
He recognized her immediately. He sent his servant to call her to him. Imam Hasan asked the woman, “O servant of Allah, do you know who I am?” She replied, “No, I do not.”
Imam Hasan said, “I am that same Hashim guest who drank milk and ate goat meat at your tent! Don’t you remember?”
He then told his servant to go and buy 100 goats for her. The 100 goats were bought right away. Along with the goats, he gave her 1,000 gold coins (dinars) as a gift. Then, he sent her with his servant to his younger brother, Imam Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him).
Imam Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the woman, “What did my brother give you as a reward?”
The woman replied, “He gave me 100 goats and 1,000 gold coins.”
Hearing this, Imam Husayn also gave her another 100 goats and 1,000 gold coins. Then, he sent her to the Prophet’s companion, Abdullah ibn Jafar (may Allah be pleased with him).
Abdullah ibn Jafar recognized the woman and asked, “What did those two give you?”
When she told him, he gave her 200 goats and 2,000 gold coins. He then said, “If you had come to me before visiting them, I would have given you even more. I am keeping my gift at this amount out of respect for their generosity.”
The woman took all these gifts back to her husband and joyfully said, “Look! All of this is the reward for that one weak, thin goat we gave away. Allah has taken away our poverty forever!”
Allah says in Quran,
وَتَرْزُقُ مَنْ تَشَآءُ بِغَیْرِ حِسَابٍ
You provide for whoever you will without limit
– Surah Al ‘Imran:27