The Prophet was asked about donkeys. He said: “Nothing was revealed to me concerning them other than this unique and all-embracing Qur’anic verse: ‘Whoever does an atom’s weight of good shall see it then, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil shall see it then.’” (Related by Al-Bukhari).
The Prophet explains in this Hadith that the same means can either bring God’s reward or incur punishment, or else they bring neither. In this Hadith he is talking of horses. At the time, horses were highly important when facing an enemy. A horseman could fight better than three foot soldiers. Hence, they were especially valuable for the Muslim community, as it faced subsequent attacks. A person who breeds horses in order to use them when the Muslims have to face their enemies in battle will earn reward for doing so. The Prophet explains that they bring him reward even when there is no war to fight, as long as they are being kept ready for that purpose. It is his intention in breeding them that counts. Thus, when he lets them graze on his land, his reward increases, and when they get loose he receives more reward. Even when they drink at a river when he has no intention to water them, they bring him reward.
The second person breeds horses in order to earn a living. The Prophet here highlights that he must fulfil his duty by treating his horses well, feeding them properly, never overtaxing them, and paying zakat on the income he receives from them. The horses are to this man a means of living and a shelter from want. They do not bring him a reward like the first case, but he will be rewarded for earning his family’s living and for paying zakat.
The third person seeks to show off, or to spite Muslims. They are thus the means by which he incurs a sin.
The Prophet was asked whether the same applied to donkeys. Yet donkeys are not as versatile or useful as horses. He has nothing special about them, but he quotes an all-embracing Qur’anic verse, indicating that it applies to them as to everything else. An atom’s weight of good or evil action is taken into account on the Day of Judgment. Therefore, one must never lose sight of doing good or avoiding evil.
Nowadays, horses are not as important in our lives, particularly in urban areas. They still have an important role to play in certain communities, but with our new means of transport, they no longer have that central role. Yet what the Prophet highlights here applies in different areas. The same action can bring reward or incur a sin, depending on the intention behind it. A good action must be pure of selfish interest in order to bring God’s reward.
