When Abubakr (radiallahu anhu) became the Caliph of the Muslims, after the death of The Prophet, (peace be upon him) he set off to the market with his wares. He was a clothes merchant before becoming Caliph.
The Sahaba stopped him from proceeding. “Where are you going? If you get busy with your trade, who will take care of the business of ruling?”
“Who will take care of my family?” Abubakr asked innocently.
The Sahaba would not let him go to the market. After a long tussle, they agreed on fixing a stipend for him, from the state coffers. Abubakr would not take more than what a common soldier would earn. So his salary was fixed at a meager amount that hardly sufficed.
Abubakr’s wife managed from that, but it was even less than what her husband used to bring home when he was selling at the market. She desired to taste a sweet dish, at least once. So she reduced a small portion from her daily allowance. It took a long time before that amounted to anything. When she saved enough, a delicious dish was cooked in the house of the Caliph of the Muslims, for once in a very long time.
Abubakr enquired as to how she managed to acquire the money for the food. She responded that she had been saving such amount for such a period, in order that they can have a sweet dish.
Abubakr immediately ordered, that his stipend should be deducted by what his wife was reducing from it. “I never knew we had enough. If you can save from the stipend, whatever you save is excess money that belong to the Muslims.”
Let us look at the life of the leader of the Muslims at that time, and compare it with our leaders today. The lifestyles they live, the fat salaries they pay themselves, is totally contrary to our pious predecessors. Thus we cry, that Islam is in books, and Muslims are in the grave.
