Pinnacle of Justice

‘Umar b. ‘Abdul ‘Aziz was once dividing among the Muslims the apples harvested from the general land of the Muslims, when one of his small sons picked one for himself.  When ‘Umar saw that, he took back the apple from the mouth of his son.  The young boy felt hurt and went away quite angry to his mother. His mother immediately sent away to the market and bought some apples for her boy. When ‘Umar came back home he smelled the smell of apples and then said: “Oh Fatimah, have you taken any apples from that crop of apples commonly owned by the Muslims?”  She answered: “No.”  But she told him the story of how she got the apples home. Then he said: “By Allah I have taken it away from my own son as if I had taken it away from my own heart. But I did that for I feared that I would lose myself in front of Allah, the Exalted and the Elevated, for the sake of an apple which is taken from the common ownership of the Muslims.”

(Al-Faraj, Al-Jawzi, Al-Qurashi, Al-Baghdadi, Salami 217)

Returning the Favor

“Oh maid, come and fan my face.”  Then the maid came and began to fan him.  While she was doing that she became drowsy and fell asleep.  Then ‘Umar took the fan from her and he began fanning her face.  Then she woke up and cried, but ‘Umar said to her: “You are only human like me; and you were caught by heat the same way I was, and I wanted tio fan your face in the same way you fanned mine.”

(Al-Faraj, Al-Jawzi, Al-Qurashi, Al-Baghdadi, Salami 231)

An Active & Lively Man

Raja’a b. Haywah said to ‘Abdul ‘Aziz b. ‘Umar b. ‘Abdul ‘Aziz:

Your father is such an active and lively man, for I was once spending the evening with him when the oil lamp that he has suddenly died out and he did not allow me to fix it. He said to me: “What is the matter with that lamp that it died out?” I said to him: “Yes.”  I noticed that his servant was lying asleep beside him, and I said to him: “Shall I wake him up?” ‘Umar answered: “No, let him sleep.”  I said: “Shall I go myself and fix it?” He said: “No, it is not good for a man to let his guest do something for him.”  Indeed, ‘Umar put on his gown and went to a bottle of oil which was hung up and took it and filled the lamp and lit it again.  He put back the bottle where it was and went back to his seat, and said: “I stood up and went and I am ‘Umar b. ‘Abdul ‘Aziz, and I came back and I am still ‘Umar b. ‘Abdul ‘Aziz.”

(Al-Faraj, Al-Jawzi, Al-Qurashi, Al-Baghdadi, Salami 232)

Be Mindful of the Hereafter

“Dear brother, I would like to remind you of the long lasting staying awake of the people of Hell until eternity.  Be careful not to forget that and be driven away from the surroundings of Allah.  If this happened then that would be the end of time and there would be no hope left.”

- ‘Umar b. ‘Abdul ‘Aziz in a letter to one his governors

(Al-Faraj, Al-Jawzi, Al-Qurashi, Al-Baghdadi, Salami 143)

A Guided Man

“Al-Hasan had said that if there was a guided man, then he was ‘Umar b. ‘Abdul ‘Aziz.”

- Ibn Shuzab

“My father related to me that Wahb b. Munabbih had already said that if this nation contains one guided man, then this man is ‘Umar b. ‘Abdul ‘Aziz.”

- ‘Abd al-Razzaq b. Humam

(Al-Faraj, Al-Jawzi, Al-Qurashi, Al-Baghdadi, Salami 89)

Compassionate & Generous

“I have never seen a better compassionate and more generous man than ‘Umar b. ‘Abdul ‘Aziz.”

- Khaseef

(Al-Faraj, Al-Jawzi, Al-Qurashi, Al-Baghdadi, Salami 41)

The Winner is…

Umar ibn Abdul Aziz saw some people hastening away from Arafat on their horses and camels at sunset.  He said to them,”The one who wins is not he who goes fastest on his horse or camel; rather, then winner is he whose sins are forgiven.”

(Read on pg 144, Aa’id Abdullah al Qarni, Thirty Lessons For Those Who Fast. Message of Islam. UK:1999.)