Some glimpses from the life of Hadhrat 'Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him)

It is mentioned in Kanz Ul ‘Ummal on the authority of Hadhrat Aslam (May Allah shower His mercy on him), he says:  I heard Hadhrat ‘Amr bin Al A’as (May Allah be well pleased with him) say:  After the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (May Allah be well pleased with him), I haven’t seen anybody more conscious of Allah than ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him).  He was such that in matters of rights, he wouldn’t give any consideration to sons nor to fathers. 

 

It is mentioned in Nasikh Ut Tawareekh, Vol. 2, Pg. No. 305 that when Hadhrat Sa’ad Bin Abi Waqas (May Allah be well pleased with him) conquered Iran and Iraq, he wrote to Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) that most Arabs remain ill in these lands.  Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) ordered him to establish the city of Kufa.  Thus, Kufa was settled with extreme meticulousness and general permission was given to build houses.  Hadhrat Sa’ad (May Allah be well pleased with him) also built a huge house for himself.  He brought the door of the palace of Chosroe, which was in Ctesiphon, and used that as his door.  When Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) learned of this, he was highly displeased.  He wrote a letter and handed it over to Muhammad bin Salama (May Allah be well pleased with him) with the orders that he should reach Kufa as soon as possible.  The first thing he should do there is to burn down the house of Hadhrat Sa’ad (May Allah be well pleased with him) along with everything that is there in it and that he should simply hand over the letter to Sa’ad (May Allah be well pleased with him) and shouldn’t speak with him.

 

Muhammad bin Salama (May Allah be well pleased with him) reached Kufa as fast as he could.  Even though there were a lot of people who wanted to meet him, he didn’t speak with anyone and straightaway went to the house of Hadhrat Sa’ad (May Allah be well pleased with him).  He got some wood gathered and burned down the house of Hadhrat Sa’ad.  After that he gave Hadhrat Sa’ad (May Allah be well pleased with him) the epistle of Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him).  The letter said:  I have come to know that you have constructed a palace like the palace of the Chosroe, in which the door of the palace of Chosroe has also been installed, so that guards and wardens can be stood there and the needy and the oppressed can’t reach you.  Alas that you have left the Shariah of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and are following the Chosroe.  Did you not see that the Chosroe was taken out of is great palace and his high door and put in a narrow and dark grave?  I have sent such a person who doesn’t fear you and who will burn down your house.  You don’t need more than 2 rooms, one for the public treasury and the second for yourself.

 

Thus, Hadhrat Sa’ad (May Allah be well pleased with him) did so.  He lived in a small house and made one the public treasury.

 

With what earnestness Hadhrat Sa’ad (May Allah be well pleased with him) must have constructed the house!  We can understand this by the fact he had the door of the palace of the Chosroe brought for it.  Such a house was burnt down so much so that even removing the belongings wasn’t permitted.  A single person comes from the Caliph.  The populace, instead of inquiring about the crime, willingly supplies wood to him.  When the fire was raging, a huge crowd must have gathered and they must have been looking from the burning house to the master of the house.  How must have he felt?  Hadhrat Sa’ad wasn’t an ordinary person.  He was the one who had conq

 

In Izaalatul Khafa, Hadhrat Shah Waliullah Dehlvi (May Allah shower His mercy on him) has mentioned a Tradition that someone told Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him):  Do you think that simply making your officials take an oath that they will not wear fine clothes and will not have guards standing at their doors is enough for your deliverance?  You don’t know Ayaz bin Ghanam who is in Egypt, by your leave, wears fine clothes and there are guards standing at his doors as well.

 

Immediately, Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) summoned Muhammad bin Muslima and said to him:  You go to Egypt.  No matter what condition he is in, bring him to me.

 

When Muhammad bin Muslima reached Egypt, he found that there were guards at his door.  He entered his house and found that he is wearing fine clothes as well.  Immediately on meeting him, he told Ayaz:  Come with me.  Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) has summoned you.  He said:  Let me change my clothes at least.  He replied:  It isn’t possible.  You have to come in this state only.

 

They immediately started from Egypt.  When the came to Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) and he saw him in those clothes, he sent for a woolen tunic, a wooden staff and a flock of sheep.  He ordered him:  Remove your clothes and wear this tunic and take this staff and graze these sheep.  Ayaz didn’t reply.  Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) asked:  Why the hesitation?  Your father also used to graze sheep because of which he is called “Ghanam.”  Ayaz said:  Death is better than this.  Then he apologized profusely and got his crime pardoned.

 

This was because in the time of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), fine clothes were not worn and even the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) Himself wore coarse woolen clothes.  Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) also used to wear the same coarse clothes so much so that his tunics would have 12 patches.

 

It is given in Kanz Ul ‘Ummal on the authority of ‘Akrama bin Khalid (May Allah be well pleased with him) that once a son of Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) nicely combed his hair and wore fine clothes and came before him.  Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) beat him so much that he started crying.  When Hadhrat Hafsa (May Allah be well pleased with her) asked the reason, Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  Pride had developed in his self (Nafs), that’s why I debased him by beating him so that the pride is dissipated.

 

In Kanz Ul ‘Ummal, there is a Tradition that once the messenger from the emperor of Rome came to Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him).  His wife took a loan of 1 Dinar and sent some decanters of perfume as a gift to the wife of the emperor of Rome.  She got a chance to fawn on her.  She filled the decanters with precious stones and sent them back.  By coincidence, Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) also came at the same time as the messenger who had come to deliver them.  On his inquiry, his wife told him all.  Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) took all the precious stones, sold them and deposited the resulting money into the public treasury.  He returned to his wife the 1 Dinar she had spent on buying the perfume.

 

It is mentioned in Nasikh Ut Tawareekh, Vol. 2 that when Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) went for Hajj, one person pleaded before him that the son of Hadhrat ‘Amr bin Al A’as (May Allah be well pleased with him) who is the conqueror of Egypt and the governor there, competed with me in a horse race.  My horse defeated his horse.  Before reliable people, in a gathering, he whipped me.  I appealed to his father.  He imprisoned me.  Now I have come out after 4 months.

 

Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) summoned ‘Amr bin Al A’as (May Allah be well pleased with him) and his son.  After evidence was provided, he told the supplicant:  You may have your retribution.  He whipped Muhammad bin ‘Amr bin Al A’as.  Then Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) asked ‘Amr bin Al A’as to come closer.  The supplicant said:  O Commander of the faithful!  He is a respectable person.  Don’t whip him.  Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  The way he had imprisoned you, I will also imprison him.  The supplicant forwent his right.

 

Hadhrat ‘Amr bin Al A’as (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  You have humiliated me.  I will not work now in your rules.  Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  You are free to go wherever you want to.

 

Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) summoned a woman for some reason.  She was pregnant and out of fear of Hadhrat ‘Umar miscarried and her baby died.  Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) asked the Companions for an edict.  All of them said:  You are the ruler.  To mind this world is your task.  You have done nothing wrong here.  Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) alone was silent.  Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) asked him:  What do you say about this?  He said:  If they have given their opinion, they have erred.  If they said so for your sake, then they don’t wish you good.  My opinion is that you should pay the blood money for this because the lady miscarried because of you.  Thus, Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) paid the blood money.

 

It is mentioned in Kanz Ul ‘Ummal on the authority of Hadhrat Jabir (May Allah be well pleased with him) that a person was with Hadhrat Abu Moosa Asha’ri (May Allah be well pleased with him) in a battle.  He gave him his share of booty but a bit less.  He demanded his full share.  On this, Hadhrat Abu Moosa Asha’ri (May Allah be well pleased with him) gave him 20 lashes and got his head shaved.  He picked up those hair and went to Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him).  He threw the hair at him.  Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) asked him what the matter was and he told him all that had happened.  Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) immediately sent a letter to Hadhrat Abu Moosa Asha’ri (May Allah be well pleased with him) saying:  I tell you in the name of Allah that if you had done this in a gathering, retribute yourself in a gathering and if you had done this in solitude, retribute yourself in solitude.  The moment he read the letter, Hadhrat Abu Moosa Asha’ri (May Allah be well pleased with him) sat down (to get his head shaved).  When that person saw this, he said:  I forgive you.

 

If we look at these and scores of similar incidents, it becomes clear to us that the reason Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) was so strict was to ensure good for all.  Thus, the whole Islamic kingdom became a garden of peace.  Nobody could oppress the others, which in turn ensured that the weak were protected from tribulations of this world and the strong from the punishment of the hereafter.

 

[Excerpted from Maqasid Ul Islam of Shaykh Ul Islam Imam Muhammad Anwarullah Farooqui (May Allah sanctify his secret), Vol. 10]