5. Would you like to meet him outside the institution? (cont.)

During 'Umar's era, Islamic lands had expanded, so he appointed Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas as an Amir over Kufa. The people of Kufa at the time were wreaking havoc against their leaders. A group of them sent a letter to 'Umar – may Allah be pleased with him – complaining about Sa'd. In the letter they mentioned many faults, even claiming that he did not pray well! When 'Umar read the letter, he did not hastily make a deci39 Verify the fault before criticising sion or write a letter of advice. Instead, he sent Muhammad bin Maslamah to Kufa with a letter for Sa'd. He also ordered him to accompany Sa'd and to ask the people about his dealings. Muhammad bin Maslamah arrived in Kufa and informed Sa'd of the news. He then began to pray in the various mosques with Sa'd and started to ask the people about his dealings. He did not leave a mosque except that he asked about Sa'd, and the people never mentioned him with anything but good. This was the case until they entered one of the mosques of Banu 'Abs, where Muhammad bin Maslamah stood up and asked the people about their leader, Sa'd. They all spoke in praise of him. Muhammad then said, "I ask you in the name of Allah, do you know anything else about him?" They said, "No, we do not know anything but good." When Muhammad repeated the question, there rose a man at the end of the mosque. His name was Usamah bin Qatadah. He said, "If you have asked us in the name of Allah, then listen to what I have to say. Sa'd neither treats us fairly, nor is he just in disputations." Sa'd became surprised and said, "Am I like this?!" The man said, "Yes." Sa'd then said, "By Allah, I pray to Allah for three things. O Allah, if this servant of Yours is a liar, and he has only stood up to show off, then prolong his life, extend his poverty, and give him tribulations in life!" Then Sa'd left the mosque and headed towards the city, and after several years he passed away. But as for the man, the prayer Verify the fault before criticising of Sa'd never left him. He became aged, his bones became weak and his back became crooked. His life became so long that he tired of it. His poverty became so severe that he would sit on the streets, begging people for money. His eyebrows hung over his eyes due to old age. Whenever women passed by him, he would stretch out his hands to harass them. As a result, people used to scream at him and insult him, to which he would respond by saying, "What else can I do? I am a trial-stricken old man, who has been afflicted with the prayer of a righteous man, Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas." Hadith… It is a bad premise for a man to make assertions. It is enough of a sin for a person to speak whatever he hears. Verify the fault before criticising (40) Whip me gently! What has preceded does not mean that we should not criticise at all. Often it is required to criticise others, including your son, wife or friend. It is, however, possible to delay your criticisms slightly or to use subtle tactics. Let him retain some of his honour. After the Prophet conquered Makkah, he became well-respected amongst the Arabs, and people began to enter into Islam in multitudes. The Prophet then decided to lead an expedition to Hunayn. The pagan army arrived in its best form and began to line up. The horses lined up first, then the foot soldiers, then the women, then the cattle followed by grazing livestock. The Muslims were great in number that day; twelve thousand altogether. The pagans had reached the valley of Hunayn before the Muslims and managed to conceal some of their units in both sides of the valley behind rocks. When the battle started, the Muslim troops began to enter the valley and as they did, the disbelievers started to attack them from all angles with stones and arrows. The people became confused and the Muslim horsemen began to retreat. The first people to flee from the battle were the Bedouins.The disbelievers gained an upper hand and prevailed. The Prophet turned around and saw the troops fleeing, blood flowing, and horses colliding into each other. He ordered 'Abbas to call out, "O Muhajirun! O Ansaar!" Upon hearing the call, they returned and the Prophet managed to stand his ground with eighty or a hundred men, until Allah gave them victory and the battle came to an end. When the war booty was collected and brought to the Prophet , those who fled from the battle in fear of spears and arrows were the first ones to come to the Messenger of Allah wanting a share of the booty.