91. Be brave and start from now! (cont.)

He knew that they were about to fight a battle and were in no position to allow anyone to disobey the orders of the leader or argue in front of the other fighters.Thus,‘Umar chose a stern solution. He said,“O Messenger of Allah! Allow me to strike his neck off with a sword!” But the Prophet  stopped him and saw that the threat alone was enough to quell the situation. Abu Hudhayfa – may Allah be pleased with him – was a righteous man who would afterwards say, “I do not feel at ease due to the words I uttered that day and will continue to be terrified unless martyrdom expiates for them.” He was martyred on the day of Yamamah. The Prophet  knew what kind of tasks he could expect ‘Umar to perform. He wasn’t asked to collect charity, or make peace, or educate the unlearned. They were in the midst of a conflict and the need had arisen for a determined and resolute person, and hence, the Prophet  chose ‘Umar, for this task, urging him on further by saying, “Is the face of the uncle of Allah’s Messenger to be struck with a sword?” On another occasion, the Prophet  fought the Jews of Khaybar briefly and then made a peace agreement with them where he stipulated that they were not to hide any of their wealth, or conceal any gold and silver, and that they must present everything to him so he may decide what to do with it. He also Use the right flavour warned them that if they were to hide anything, then they would have no agreement or pact. Huyay bin Akhtab was one of their leaders who had returned from Madinah with a leather bag full of gold and jewellery and then passed away, leaving behind all his wealth, which the Jews concealed from the Messenger of Allah . The Prophet  said to the uncle of Huyay bin Akhtab, “What happened to what Huyay brought from Banu Nadheer (i.e., the leather bag )?” He said, “It was all spent on expenses and wars.” The Prophet  thought about what he said, and it occurred to him that Huyay had only died recently and that the wealth he had brought over was of a huge amount. Moreover, there had not occurred any war recently that it could have been spent on. The Prophet  said, “The wealth was only brought here recently, and it was too much to have been spent so quickly.” The Jewish man said, “The wealth and jewellery have all been spent.” The Prophet  realised that the man was lying, so he looked at his companions, who were many in number, and each of them understood his message. The Prophet  then turned to az-Zubayr bin al-‘Awwam and said, “O Zubayr, give him a taste of punishment.” As az-Zubayr began his approach the man was terrified. Knowing that his situation was grave, he said, “Well, I did see Huyay once going into this deserted place!” and pointed to an old abandoned house. The Muslims went into the house and found the wealth hidden therein. This is how the Prophet  was with az-Zubayr. Use the right flavour The Companions of the Prophet  would deal with each other in a similar fashion. When the Prophet  was on his death bed and severely ill, unable to lead the people in prayer, he said, “Order Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.” Abu Bakr  was a very soft-hearted person. He was the Prophet’s companion in this life and will be in the next. He was the Prophet’s friend in the pre-Islamic days of ignorance as well as in Islam. He was also the father of his wife, ‘A’ishah −may Allah be pleased with her. Hence, he was utterly distressed over the Prophet’s illness. When the Prophet  asked the people to order Abu Bakr  to lead the prayer, some of those present said, “Abu Bakr is a very soft-hearted person. If he took up this position, he would not be able to lead the people in prayer due to his excessive weeping.” The Prophet  knew this about Abu Bakr, that he was a very soft-hearted person who easily broke down in tears, especially when requested something of this nature. However, the Prophet  was alluding to the fact that Abu Bakr was the most deserving of being a Caliph after him. It is as if he he was saying, “I am not present, so let Abu Bakr take up the responsibility.” Hence, the Prophet  requested once again, “Order Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer” until Abu Bakr finally led the prayer. Even though Abu Bakr was a very soft-hearted person, he was at the same time held in very high regard, and would also become angry at occasions. His companion, ‘Umar , knew this fact.