Everything is temporary

Allah Almighty said:

وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ

“We alternate [prosperous and ill-fated] days for people in succession” (3:140).

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

“The descendant of the Yemeni kings, Wa’il ibn Hujr al-Hadrami, having accepted Islam, migrated for the sake of Allah and came to the Messenger ﷺ.

Even before his relocation to Medina, the Prophet ﷺ informed his companions: “Soon one of the descendants of the kings will join us.”

When Wa’il arrived, the Prophet ﷺ greeted him and gave him a piece of land as a sign that he had given up power and property for the sake of Islam. Show location of site The Prophet ﷺ instructed Muawiyah ibn Abu Sufyan.

Muawiyah was very poor and did not even have a pair of sandals. He asked Vail to allow him to sit behind him on a camel. Vail refused, saying: “I refuse you not out of greed, but because you are not worthy to sit in the same saddle with a royal person.”

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

[Va’il 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 came when the Commander of the Faithful, Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, appointed Muawiyah as governor of the Levant. Also, the Commander 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 al-Hasan’s refusal from the post of caliph, power passed to Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with them all.

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

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

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

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