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Good morning.

There's a Prophetic tradition I love about a man who comes to the Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan distressed that he has ruined himself. When asked why, he confesses to being intimate with his wife during fasting hours. The Prophet reassures him and asks, ‘Ok, can you set a slave free?’ the man says no. ‘Ok can you fast two months in a row?’ No. ‘Can you feed 60 poor people?’ Again, no.

Thankfully the awkwardness is broken by the arrival of a person bringing the Prophet a gift of a basket of dates. Ah ha! The Prophet turns once more to the man and says, ‘ok, give these in charity’. To which the man still has a reply; ‘Is there anyone poorer than us? There is no family between the two plains of Medina that is poorer than mine.’ Instead of frustration the Prophet guffaws, laughing so hard that those who saw this whole episode play out describe being able to see his molars. When he gathers himself, he says to the man ‘go ahead and feed your family’.

I’m not sure Prophetic traditions are meant to make you swoon, but this one really does. A Holy Prophet of God continuously tested by the unwavering incapacity of this sinful-by-his-own-estimation follower and meeting it with good humour and a committed ethic of care. To know that sometimes a person just needs to be able to have their cake and eat it because that is what justice sometimes looks like.

I pray to have such grace that even with the most demanding and uncooperative of people, I can find humour instead of frustration. Ameen.