Everything is temporary

Allah Almighty said:

وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ

“We change [prosperous and unfortunate] days for people in succession” (3:140).

Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) relates the following story:

“A descendant of the Yemeni kings, Wail ibn Hujr al-Khadrami, having converted to Islam, migrated for the sake of Allah and came to the Messenger ﷺ.

Even before he moved to Medina, the Prophet ﷺ informed his Companions: “One of the descendants of the kings will soon join us.”

When Wail arrived, the Prophet ﷺ greeted him and gave him a piece of land as a sign that for the sake of Islam he left power and property. The Prophet ﷺ instructed Muawiyah ibn Abu Sufyan to show the location of the site.

Mu’awiya was very poor and did not even have a pair of sandals. He asked Wail to let him sit behind him astride a camel. Vail refused, saying: “I refuse you not from greed, but because you are not worthy to sit in the same saddle with the royal person.”

Then Muawiya asked him to at least borrow sandals so that it would be easier to walk on hot sand. To which Vail also refused: “You are not worthy to walk in the shoes of a king. Just walk in the shadow of my camel.”

[Wail had just converted to Islam, had not yet gone through the stages of Islamic self-education and retained pre-Islamic habits of ignorance].

But Allah Almighty changes people’s circumstances…

The time has come when the ruler of the faithful, Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, appointed Muawiya as the governor of the Levant. Also, the ruler of the faithful Uthman, may Allah be pleased with them, left him in the same post. After the assassination of the fourth caliph Ali and the refusal of al-Hasan from the post of caliph, power passed to Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with them all.

At the age of eighty, Wail visited the Levant. Receiving Wail, Muawiyah sat him next to him and reminded him of the story that had happened between them many years ago.

Then he ordered that Vail be given money. However, Wail gratefully refused, asked Muawiya to distribute them to those in need and added: “Having witnessed your meekness and generosity, I would very much like to turn back time and seat you in front of me astride that camel.”

Ibn Kathir “al-Bidaya van Nihaya” (5/80). This story is given in many historical sources. For example, at-Tirmizi in the collection “as-Sunan” (1381) called the story reliable;

Nothing lasts forever in this mortal life, whether it be wealth or poverty, power or weakness. Allah often changes the times and conditions of people, testing us.