Part 30

"Therefore, fear Allah, slaves of Allah, and help me against yourselves by leaving me in peace; and help me against myself by ordering beneficence and forbidding abomination, and by giving me good counsel in all yours affairs that Allah has charged me with."

Abu Firas _ narrates: Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab once delivered a sermon in which he said: 'O people, we used to be

able to distinguish between good and bad people while the Prophet lived among us, and while the Quran was revealed as Allah used to inform us of your affairs. Now that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has passed away and the revelation has stopped, we will distinguish among you on account of what we tell you: we will think well of whoever does well and will hold him dear thereupon. Conversely, we will think ill of whoever does ill and will loathe him thereupon. None but your Lord and yourselves are in on your intentions. At a certain point, I used to think that whoever reads the Quran seeks Allah's satisfaction and reward. However, I am under the impression that certain people read the Quran in pursuit of worldly goals. So read the Quran and do good deeds seeking Allah's reward. I swear by Allah, I do not send my deputies to abuse you or usurp your money. I actually send them to you to inform you of the teachings of Islam and the Prophetic Tradition. Whoever is subject to anything besides that may file a complaint to me. I swear by Him in whose Hands my soul is, I will avenge him.' “Amr Ibn Al-* Aas leaped asking: 'O Commander of the Faithful, what if a Muslim is put in charge and he wished to punish his subjects, will you take revenge on him, too?’ “Umar answered: 'Yes, I swear by Him in Whose Hands my life is, for I saw Allah's Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, take revenge on himself. Do not beat Muslims till you demean them, do not stone them till you torture them, do not deny them their rights till you drive them to disbelief and do not station Muslim troops in jungles causing them to be defeated.’ " (Reported by Ahmad.)

“Umar, a Matchless Caliph:

It is noteworthy that ~Umar's becoming the Caliph ushers a whole new era in the history of Muslims, that abounds in remarkably significant historical events and in which Isiam boasted of an ideal ruler and a strong steadfast Muslim, the like

of whom was never born anew. More than fourteen decades after his demise, the name of * Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab is still remembered as synonymous with justice.

“Umar capably and powerfully struck the balance of justice since day one of his caliphate. Drawing mainly on the tolerance and justice of Islam, yet leaning also on his own laudable character, the praiseworthy traits he inherited from his ancestors as well as his own past experience, “Umar was a memorable example of unblemished justice. In the eyes of *Umar, all people were equal, be they rich or poor, powerful or weak, related or distant. His justice even extended to include non-Muslims, whom he treated with exceptional nobleness. One is not to be surprised at ~Umar's remarkable justice, for it was on account of it that Abu Bakr appointed him as Muslims’ first judge.

“Umar saw the caliphate as an enormous responsibility he had no choice but to shoulder with all honesty and sincerity. No other ruler could ever have been keener on the good of his subjects. He constantly feared lest they should be entrapped by sin. He was always worried there might be sick or poor Muslims among the masses who were simply incapable of asking for help. May Allah rest his soul in peace for he was truly Muslims' lifesaver, who feared Allah day and night and ordered his subjects to solely obey their Lord, glory be to Him.

*Umar's Famous Night Patrols:

It is indeed unheard of in world history that a ruler went out every night, patrolling the streets, checking the conditions of his subjects himself and sparing no effort in relieving their pains or fulfilling their needs. Though he could have easily appointed an employee of his, or even a number of them, to take care of the job, “Umar knew the caliphate was his own

responsibility and was well-aware that he would be held accountable for each and every one of his subjects and for all that goes on in his state, be it trivial or significant. Aslam reports: "While [ accompanied *Umar on his night patrols, he leaned against a wall to rest for a while in the hush of the night. He heard a woman say to her daughter: ‘Get up, daughter, and mix that milk with water.' The daughter replied: 'Have you not heard of the order of the Commander of the Faithful?’ The mother asked, 'What order, daughter?’ The girl replied: 'He had his herald announce that milk is not to be mixed with water.’ 'Get up and mix the milk, daughter,’ insisted the mother, ‘there is no way ‘Umar or his herald could sce us now.’ The younger girl rejoined: 'O mother, I cannot obey him publicly and disobey him in private.’ *Umar listened to the whole conversation and told Aslam: 'Mark their door, Aslam and remember their place.' ~ Umar then resumed his patrolling. The next morning, he said: ‘Head for their house, Aslam, and find out who the addresser and the addressee were, and whether

they are married. ' "I headed for their house and found out that the young

girl was not married and neither was her mother. I went back to *Umar and informed him of what I found out. * Umar gathered his sons and told them: 'Is anyone of you in need of a wife so I would marry him? Had your father had a desire for women, he would have raced to win this young girl.' ~ Abdullaah answered, 'I do have a wife.’ ~ Abdur-Rahmaan similarly replied, ‘I have a wife, too.’ Yet, *Aasim said, 'I have not got a wife, father, so marry me.' ‘Umar sent for the young girl to come and married her to his son. She gave birth to a daughter, who, in turn, gave birth to ‘Umar Ibn * Abdul-* Azeez , may Allah rest his soul in peace." (Reported by Ibn Hibbaan.) What ruler would pay no attention to matters of pride and prestige and would not hesitate to marry his own son to a poor young lady, who had nothing to pride herself on except her steadfast faith and fear of Allah?

There is none other than ~ Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab.

“Umar's keenness on maintaining justice was indeed exemplary and unequalled. He never appointed as governors those who eagerly sought the post. He chose instead people of piety, scruples and asceticism. He kept an eye on his rulers and always asked them to have people's best interest at heart.

It is mentioned that every time “Umar appointed a governor, he had him write a pledge and asked a host of Muhajireen and Ansaar bear witness to it. He would also set the conditions that the governor is not to ride a workhorse, eat fine food, wear soft clothes, nor install a door to keep him from people in need.

While “Umar Ibn Al-Khattab was walking among the people asking them about their governor, he stopped by people of the Hims and asked them: "How are you doing? And how is your governor?" They answered: "He is the best of governors, Commander of the Faithful. Yet, he has built himself a secondfloor room to stay in." “Umar immediately wrote a letter and sent it with a messenger whom he ordered to head for the door of the governor's room, amass logs of wood and burn the door down. When the messenger arrived at the door, he did collect some logs of wood and burned it down. People walked in on the governor and broke to him the news that some man burned down the door to his room. The governor returned: "Let him do it, for he is the messenger of the Commander of the Faithful." The messenger then stepped in and handed him the message. No sooner had the governor put down the message than he mounted his riding camel and set out for Madinah. When ~Umar saw him, he declared, “Lock him up in the sun for three days." The man was locked up in the sun and when the three days were

over, he was brought to “Umar who asked him to take him to Al-Harah (where charity sheep and camels were kept). Upon arriving at Al-Harah, ~ Umar threw a jubbah on the man, asking him to take off his clothes and put it on instead. *Umar then handed him a bucket and told him to water the camels. The governor was exhausted by the time he finished. * Umar asked, "How long have you held the office, Ibn Qart?” The man answered, "I have for some time, Commander of the Faithful." “Umar returned: "Is that why he have built yourself a secondfloor room, out of which to look down on Muslims, widows, orphans... etc.? Go back to your work and do not give me a cause to send for you again." (Quoted from Ar-Riyaad AnNadirah.)

It is mentioned that ~Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, went out one day with his fingers in his ears crying, "Here I come! Here I come!" People wondered, "What is that matter with him?" They were told: "He received a message from some of his governors that a river stood as an obstacle, in their way preventing them from proceeding, and that they could not find ships. Their governor therefore proposed: 'Find us a man who is well-versed in the depths of water." An old man was brought, yet he pleaded, 'I am afraid of the cold (the job was to take place in the cold).' But the old man was made to do it and was sent to the sea. He was immediately stricken by the cold and started crying, ‘Rescue, “Umar! Rescue, ~Umar!' He thereupon drowned. “Umar wrote to the governor summoning him. For days, “Umar refused to talk to him, for that was his habit whenever he was angry with any of his governors. He then asked him, "What was the crime of the man you killed?’ The governor answered: 'O Commander of the Faithful, 1 have not deliberately killed him. We found no boats to carry us across the river and we needed to be informed of the depths of the water. We thereupon managed to conquer so and so and collect so and so (i.e. of the booty). “Umar returned: 'A single Muslim