Part 17

On another day, a friend presented him with a container filled with something. Ibn “Umar asked him, “What's that?" He said, "Excellent medicine, which I brought you from Iraq!" Ibn ‘Umar said, “What does it cure?" He said, "It digests food." Ibn “Umar smiled and said to his friend, "Digests food? I haven't satisfied my appetite for 40 years."

He who has not satisfied his appetite for 40 years has not curbed his appetite due to need or poverty, but rather due to selfdenial and piety, and a trial to imitate the Prophet and his father.

He was afraid to hear on the Day of Judgment:<You have wasted all your good deeds for the enjoyment in the life of this world > (46:20). He realized that he was in this life just as a visitor or a passer-by. He described himself saying, "I haven't put a stone upon another (i.e. I haven't built anything) nor planted a palm tree since the Prophet's death."

Maimuun Ibn Muhraan once said, "I entered Ibn ‘Umar's house and tried to evaluate all that was inside such as the bed, the blanket, the mat and so on. Indeed, everything. I didn't find it worth even 100 dirhams."

That was not due to selfishness; he was very generous. But it was due to his asceticism, his disdain of luxury, and his adherence

to his attitude of sincerity and piety.

Ibn ‘Umar lived long enough to witness the Umayyid period, when money became abundant, and Jand and estates spread, and a luxurious life was to be found in most dwellings, let alone most castles.

Despite all that, he stayed like a firm-rooted mountain, persistent and great, not slipping away from his paths and not abandoning his piety and asceticism. If life with its pleasure and prosperity — which he always escaped from — was mentioned, he said, "I've agreed with my companions upon a matter. I'm afraid if I change my stance I won't meet them again." Then he let the others know that he did not turn his back to the worldly life owing to inability, so he lifted his hands to the sky saying, "O Allah, You know that if it weren't for fear of You, we would have emulated our clan in the Quraish in this life."

Indeed, if it were not for his God-fearing self, he would have rivaled people in this life, and he would have been triumphant. He did not have to rival people. Life was striving towards him and chasing him with its tempting pleasure.

Is there any position more tempting than the caliph's? It was offered to Ibn ‘Umar several times, but he refused. He was threatened with death if he refused, but he continued his refusal and his shunning.

. Al Hassan (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: When ‘Uthmaan Ibn “Affaan was killed, it was said to “Abd Allah Ibn ‘Umar, “You are the people's master and the son of the people's master. Go out so that people swear to you the oath of allegiance." He said, "By Allah, if I could, I would never allow a drop of blood to be shed because of me." They said, You will either go out or

we will kill you in your bed." He repeated his first statement. They tried to tempt him by frightening him, but all in vain!

After that, when time passed and civil strife became rampant, Ibn “Umar was always the hope of the people who urged him to accept the caliph's position. They were ready to swear to him the oath of allegiance, but he always and constantly refused.

His refusal may be seen as a reprehensible act. However, he had his logic and argument. After the murder of “Uthmaan (May Allah be pleased with him) the situation got worse and aggravated in a dangerous and alarming way.

Although he was very humble towards the position of the caliph, he was ready to accept its responsibilities and face its dangers, but only on the condition that he be voluntarily and willingly chosen by all Muslims. However, to force one single Muslim to swear the oath of allegiance by sword was what he opposed, and so he refused the post of caliph.

At that time, however, this was impossible. Despite his merits and the public consensus of love and respect for him, the expansion into the different regions, the long distances between them, and the disputes which furiously set fire between the Muslims and divided them into sects fighting each other made it impossible to reach such a consensus set by Ibn “Umar as a condition for his acceptance of the caliphate.

A man once met him and said, "No one is more evil in the whole Muslim community than you!" Ibn ‘Umar said, "Why? By Allah, I've never shed their blood, or divided their community, or sowed dissension." The man replied, "If you had wished it, every single one would have agreed upon you.” Ibn ‘Umar said, "I don’t like to see it (the caliphate) being offered to me while one man says no and another one says yes.”

The people still loved him even after events changed and the caliphate went to Mu'aawiyah, then to his son Yaziid, then to

Mu‘ aawiyah II, son of Yaziid, who stepped down renouncing its pleasure after a couple of days in office.

Even on that day, when Ibn ‘Umar was an old man, he was still the people's hope and the hope of the caliphate. Thus Marwaan went to him saying, "Give me your hand to swear to you the oath of allegiance. You're the master of the Arabs, and the son of their master.” Ibn ‘Umar asked, "What are we going to do with the people of the east?" Marwaan said, “Beat them until they swear the oath." Ibn “Umar replied, "I don't like to be 70 years old and a man gets killed because of me."

Marwawan went away singing: I can see civil strife boiling in its pots and the kingdom after Abi Laila (i.e. Mu‘aawiyah Ibn Yaziid) will end in the hands of the victorious.

This refusal to use force and the sword is what made Ibn “Umar hold a position of neutrality and isolation during the armed civil strife between the parties of ~Aliy and Mu'aawiyah, reciting these solemn words:

To the one who says, “Come to prayer," I will respond.

And to the one who says, "Come to success,” I will respond. But to the one who says, "Come to kill your Muslim brother to take his money," I will say, "No."

But while remaining neutral and isolated he never turned to hypocrisy. How often did he confront Mu'aawiyah — while the latter was at the summit of his authority — with challenges which confused and hurt him till he threatened to kill him, and he was the one who said, “If there is only a tiny hair between me and the people it won't be torn."

One day Al-Hajaaj stood preaching and said, “Ibn Az-Zubair has distorted the Book of Allah!" Hereupon Ibn ‘Umar shouted in his

face, "You are lying! You are lying! You are lying!" Al-Hajaaj was at a loss, struck by surprise.

Everything and everyone was terrified even by the mention of his name. He promised Ibn ‘Umar the worst punishment, but Ibn “Umar waved his hand in Al-Hajaaj's face and replied, while people were dazzled, “If you do what you just promised, there is no wonder about it, for you are a foolish imposed ruler."

However, despite his strength and bravery, he remained cautious until his last days, never playing a role in the armed civil strife and refusing to lean towards either of the parties.

Abu Al-Aaliyah Al Barraa’ related: I was once walking behind Ibn “Umar without his realizing it. I heard him saying to himself, "They are holding their swords, raising them high, killing each other, and saying, 'O Ibn ‘Umar, give us a hand!'?"

He was filled with sorrow and pain seeing Muslims blood shed by their own hands. As mentioned at the very beginning, he never awoke a sleeping Muslim. If he could have stopped the fight and saved the blood he would have done that, but the events were too powerful; therefore he kept to his house.

His heart was with ~Aliy (May Allah be pleased with him), and not only his heart but it seems his firm belief, based on a narration of what he said in his last days: “I never felt sorry about something that I missed except that I didn't fight on the side of ‘Aliy against the unjust party.”

However, when he refused to fight with Imam “Aliy, on whose side truth was, it was not because he sought a safe position, but rather because he refused the whole matter of the dispute and civil strife and refrained from a fight not one in which Muslims fight disbelievers, but one between Muslims who cut each other into pieces.

He clarified this when Naafi* asked him, "O Abu ~Abd Rahman, you are the son of ‘Umar and the Companion of the Prophet (PBUH)

and you are who you are. What hinders you from that matter?” He meant fighting on *Aliy's side. He replied, “What hinders me is that Allah has forbidden us to shed the blood of a Muslim. Allah the Mighty and Powerful said: < and continue fighting them until there is no more persecutions and GOD'’s Religion prevails > (2:193) and we did that. We fought the disbelievers until Allah's religion prevailed, but now, what is it we are fighting for? I fought when the idols were all over the Sacred House, from the corner to the door, until Allah cleared the land of the Arabs from it (idolatry). Should I now fight those who say, There is no god but Allah?" That was his logic, argument, and conviction.

Thus he did not refrain from fighting, nor abstain from taking part in battle to escape fighting, nor did he passively refuse to determine the outcome of the civil war within the Ummah of the faithful. Rather he refused to hold a sword in the face of a Muslim brother.

‘Abd Allah Ibn *Umar lived long and witnessed the days in which life "opened its gates to the Muslims." Money became more abundant, high positions more available, while ambition and desires spread. But his magnificent psychological capacities changed the rules of his time. He changed the era of ambition, money, and civil strife into an era of asceticism, humility, piety, and peace. He turned persistently to Allah and lived according to his worship, firm belief, and humbleness. Nothing whatsoever could affect his virtuous nature shaped and modeled by Islam during his early years.