Mohammad would give away everything he received in the evening. People offered gifts throughout the day, and by evening, he shared them all. Then he became a beggar again. At night, he slept as a beggar. And in the morning, someone would give again.
When Mohammad fell ill, his wife hid five dinars, thinking he might need medicine at night.
In the middle of the night, Mohammad turned in bed and said to his wife:
“I feel that at this moment, I am no longer a beggar.”
His wife panicked. “How do you know?” she asked.
Mohammad said, “I have lived as a beggar all my life, sleeping at night with nothing. Habits have grown, but tonight… something remains in the house. Take it and share it. Otherwise, how will I answer before God at the last moment? The one who preserved it all these years cannot refuse at the hour of need. Do not put me in trouble now. When I meet the Divine, what face will I carry? That I trusted five coins instead of you? Will I appear weak and the coins strong? When there was no need, I felt you were my support; and now, when need arises, the coins are my aid. Take it.”
Her hands trembling, she brought out the coins. Mohammad said, “Go, see outside.”
She was astonished. A beggar stood there. “I thought no one would give at this hour,” he said. “But the door opened by itself, and you are giving these five coins.”
Mohammad told his wife, “See the ways of need—they are mysterious. Those who truly need receive; and what is preserved departs from those who have saved it.”
As soon as the coins were given, Mohammad covered himself with a sheet and said to his wife:
“Now I can die in peace.”
Immediately, his breath left him. Those who understand say that the breath stayed only because the five coins were so heavy—they were immensely weighty
~ Translated from Nirvan Upanishad by Osho (Hindi Discourse), Discourse 5
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