Religious Affairs Minister: Not All Gifts Constitute Gratuity

Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar stated that not all gifts constitute gratuity or bribes, especially those given sincerely without any expectation of return. To illustrate his point, he recounted a story from the life of Prophet Muhammad, who was given a deer by an Arab citizen. This anecdote was shared during his attendance at the 219th anniversary commemoration of the Jakarta Archdiocese at Jakarta Cathedral Church on Saturday (9/5). In his speech, Nasaruddin described how Prophet Muhammad once helped a deer. While passing in front of an Arab’s house, he encountered a deer that had just given birth. Nasaruddin narrated that the deer asked Prophet Muhammad to release its tether so it could forage for food. “The deer called out: ‘O Prophet, O Prophet, O Prophet, please untie this neck rope of mine.’ It was a large mother deer. The Prophet’s guards and companions asked, ‘Why did you stop?’ ‘You don’t understand the deer’s language, but I do. It was calling me.’ What did it mean? ‘Please help me, untie this neck rope,’” said Nasaruddin, imitating the Prophet’s conversation as quoted from detik.com. After Prophet Muhammad untied the deer, the mother deer ran off to find food. Shortly afterwards, it returned satiated and able to nurse its young. Prophet Muhammad then retied the rope around the deer’s neck. “As soon as the Prophet tied its neck, the owner arrived, ‘O Prophet, what brings you to our place? It’s an honour. Why are you holding that deer? If you want it, take it. Take the deer; insha’Allah, we can catch another one here,’” he said. The deer owner then gave the deer to Prophet Muhammad. Nasaruddin said this story teaches that not all sincere gifts and rewards are gratifications. “This is a lesson, ladies and gentlemen: if someone gives you a gift with full sincerity, not all gifts are gratifications. This is sincere, given to you,” said Nasaruddin. He continued that Prophet Muhammad accepted the gift with full appreciation. Indeed, the Prophet is said to have carried the deer himself without asking for help from his companions. “That’s how a good leader appreciates someone’s gift. He didn’t ask his aides or assistants to ‘please take that.’ He carried the deer himself,” he stated. However, Nasaruddin added, Prophet Muhammad eventually released the deer again so it could return to care for its young in the wild. “Let it go back to raise its young. This is a rare animal,” said Nasaruddin, imitating the Prophet’s words. On that occasion, Nasaruddin also invited the public to love animals more and protect the environment. According to him, compassion for living beings is part of religious teachings and humanitarian values. “Let us love animals, let us love birds, and if we love all, the sky will love us too,” he said. The 219th anniversary event of the Jakarta Archdiocese was also attended by Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung, Archbishop of Jakarta Ignatius Suharyo, and other interfaith figures.