A Day in The Life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) by Abd a-Wahhab b. Nasir al-Turayri

Back in the Mosque
only Abu Bakr said that he did. The Prophet put another question:
"Who of you took part in a funeral?" All remained silent except
Abu Bakr who confirmed that he did. The Prophet asked: "Who
today fed a needy person?" All present remained silent except Abu
Bakr who said that he did. The Prophet then said: "If a person
combines all four in one day, he would surely be in heaven."
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) might sometimes
use aids to illustrate his meaning, as he did once when he talked
about the disappearance of trust. 8 He said: "A man may go to sleep
and the trust is removed from his heart, leaving only a trace like that
of burnt skin. He may again go to sleep and the trust is removed
from his heart, leaving a trace like that of manual work. 9 Yet it is
like a brand of fire that is rolled over your leg and burns it.10 You
see its effect, but there is no substance to it." He then took a pebble
and rolled it over his foot.
At times he might use a drawing to illustrate his meaning. He
once drew a square, with a horizontal line in the middle of it, going
through one line to extend beyond the square. He added short lines
perpendicular to the line in the middle. He then asked his
companions: "Do you know what this is?" They said: "God and His
messenger know better." He said: "This horizontal line in the
middle represents man, and these short lines around it are the
adversities that occur to him. They come at him from all sides. If
this one misses him, the other will attack him. This square is the
end of his life which will eventually catch up with him. This line
that goes beyond the square is his hope. He hopes for things that
go beyond his life while death will come sooner."
B In the following hadith 'trust' refers to faith itself, as it is what God has entrusted to man.
This is referred to in the Qur'an; "We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and
the mountains, but they refused to bear it and were afraid to receive it. Yet man took it
up." (33: 72) The hadith speaks about the weakening of faith in someone's heart as a result
of his actions as he goes about his bu siness. The Prophet expresses this metaphorically as
going to sleep.
9 The Prophet refers here to the effect of hard manual work, like using an axe to break
something hard. It takes a long time to disappear.
1o This is a reference to the result of skin burning which leaves bubbles full of fluid.
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