The Honest Shepherd

`Abdullah Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with both father and son) was traveling one day with one of his fellows. When they felt tired, they sat to rest near a mountain. 

A shepherd passed them. `Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) called to him and asked, “Are you the shepherd of these sheep?”

The shepherd replied, “Yes.”

`Abdullah said to him, “Sell me one of these sheep.” 

The shepherd said, “They’re not mine. I look after them for my master.”

To test the shepherd’s honesty, `Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him, “You can tell your master that it was attacked by a fox.” 

The shepherd replied, “If I said this to my master who does not see me, what will I say to Allah (Exalted and Glorified be He) Who does see me, when He asks me about it on the Day of Judgment?”

`Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) admired the attitude of the shepherd and even cried in awe of Allah. He later learned that the shepherd was a slave. He bought him and set him free. Moreover, he bought the sheep from its owner and gave them to the shepherd as a reward for his honesty.