Where the story is told

Abu Hurayrah heard the Prophet ﷺ say that there were three men among Banu Israel: a leper, a bald man and a blind man. Allah wished to test them, so He sent an angel to them.

The story is in Sahih al-Bukhari 3464 and Sahih Muslim 2964. The two narrations are very close, with small differences in wording. Quran 14:7 states the principle behind the story: if you are grateful, Allah will increase you, and if you deny, His punishment is severe.

The angel and the three wishes

The angel came first to the leper and asked what he loved most. The leper said a good colour, a good skin, and that the disgust people felt for him would go away. The angel wiped him, the sickness went, and he was given a good colour and skin. Asked which wealth he loved most, he chose camels (or cows; the narrator was unsure which of the first two men chose camels and which cows). He was given a pregnant she-camel and the angel said: may Allah bless it for you.

Then he came to the bald man, who asked for good hair and for people's disgust to go away. The angel wiped him, and he was given good hair. He asked for cows and was given a pregnant cow.

Then he came to the blind man, who asked that Allah give him back his sight so that he could see people. The angel wiped him and Allah restored his sight. He asked for sheep and was given a ewe about to give birth.

In time their animals multiplied, until one had a valley of camels, one a valley of cattle and one a valley of sheep.

The angel returns as a poor traveller

Later the angel came to the leper in the form and appearance he used to have, and said: a poor man whose means have been cut off on his journey, with no way today except Allah and then you. He asked, in the name of the One who gave him good colour, good skin and wealth, for a camel to complete his journey. The man answered: the rights upon me are many.

The angel said: I think I know you. Were you not a leper whom people found repulsive, and poor, and Allah gave you? The man replied: I only inherited this wealth from forefather to forefather. The angel said: if you are lying, may Allah return you to what you were.

The angel came to the bald man in the same way, with the same request and the same exchange, and the bald man gave the same answer.

The blind man's answer

Then the angel came to the blind man in his old form and said that he was a poor traveller, with no way today except Allah and then him, and asked for a sheep for his journey in the name of the One who restored his sight.

The blind man said: I was blind and Allah gave me back my sight. Take what you wish and leave what you wish. By Allah, I will not make anything hard for you today that you take for the sake of Allah.

The angel told him: keep your wealth, for you were only tested. Allah is pleased with you and displeased with your two companions.

What the hadith does not tell us

The Prophet ﷺ did not give the names of the three men, their time or their place. The hadith also does not say how many animals each one had, only that each had a valley full.

It does not tell what happened to the leper and the bald man after the angel's words. It tells us what the angel prayed for if they were lying, and that Allah was displeased with them. We should not add details that are not in the narrations.

Lessons from this story

  • Gratitude is shown in actions. The blind man spent from his wealth for Allah, while the other two held it back.
  • Remember where you started. The blind man remembered his blindness, and the other two pretended that their wealth came from their forefathers.
  • Wealth is a trial as well as a favour. The angel told the blind man: you were only tested. A blessing tests how we use it.
  • Be generous to the traveller and the needy. The blind man told the angel to take whatever he wished, knowing that what he gave was for Allah.
  • Denying a blessing, or giving credit for it to anyone but Allah, is a form of ingratitude, and the angel's dua against the two who denied it shows how serious it is.

General information for learning, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.

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