Once, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) was engaged in circling the Ka’bah seven times when he witnessed a man holding the curtain of the Ka’bah and imploring: O’ God! By the sanctity of this House, forgive me!
Approaching him, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)asked him about his sin.
The man replied, “My sin is too enormous for me to describe to you.”
“Woe be unto you! Is your sin greater or the earth?” asked the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.).
“My sin.”
“Is your sin greater or the mountains?”
“My sin.”
“Is your sin greater or the Throne of God?”
“My sin.”
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) then asked, “Is your sin greater or God?”
To this the man replied, “God is the Greatest, Loftiest and the Most Glorious.”
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) exclaimed, “Woe be unto you! Inform me of you sin”.
The man explained, “O’ Prophet of God! I am a wealthy person, but whenever a poor man approaches me for help, I feel as if a bolt of fire has approached me.”
On hearing this, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) warned:
“Stay away from me and do not burn me in your fire! By He, Who has sent me with Guidance and Honour, if you were to offer prayers between al-Rukn and al-Maqaam (around the Ka’bah) for two thousand years and weep in such a measure that your tears flow as rivers and quench the trees, and after all this, if you were to die while still possessing the vice of stinginess, God would hurl you into Hell. Woe be unto you! But do you not know that Allah has said:
“And whoever is niggardly is niggardly against his own soul ” (ch. Muhammad (47), vs. 38). and He has also said: “And whoever is preserved from the niggardliness of his soul, is among the successful ones.” (ch. Al-Hashr (59), vs. 9) ( Jaame’ al-Sa’adaat, vol. 2, pg. 110; I’lm-e-Akhlaaq-e-Islami, vol. 2, pg. 154.)