In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Mawaddah Association is pleased
to present to you snapshots from the lives of the Companions,
by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
may Allah have mercy on him.
'Umayr ibn Sa'd, may Allah be pleased with him.
We previously witnessed a unique and radiant episode
from the youth of the noble Companion 'Umayr ibn Sa'd.
Now, let us consider a magnificent and luminous portrait
from his later life.
You will find that this second picture
is no less magnificent or splendid than the first.
The people of Homs were known for constantly grumbling about their governors,
relentlessly lodging complaints against them.
No sooner did a governor arrive among them
than they found fault with him,
tallied up his shortcomings,
took their grievances to the Caliph of the Muslims,
and urged him to replace him with someone better.
Therefore, al-Faruq, may Allah be pleased with him, resolved
to dispatch a governor to them whom they could not criticize,
nor find any flaw in his conduct.
He examined his finest men before him,
testing their mettle, branch by branch,
and found none better than 'Umayr ibn Sa'd.
At that time, 'Umayr
was actively campaigning throughout the Jazira region of the Levant,
at the head of his army, fighting in the cause of Allah—
liberating cities, demolishing strongholds,
subjugating tribes,
and establishing mosques in every land his feet trod upon.
Despite this,
the Commander of the Believers summoned him,
entrusted him with the governorship of Homs,
and ordered him to proceed there.
He complied reluctantly,
for he preferred nothing over jihad in the cause of Allah.
When 'Umayr reached Homs,
he called the people to a congregational prayer.
Once the prayer was concluded, he addressed the congregation;
he praised and glorified Allah,
invoked blessings upon His Prophet Muhammad, and then said:
"O people!
Indeed, Islam is a fortified stronghold with a sturdy gate.
The fortress of Islam is justice, and its gate is truth.
If the fortress is demolished and the gate is shattered,
the sanctuary of this religion will be breached.
Indeed, Islam remains impregnable
so long as the governing authority remains firm.
The firmness of authority does not lie in lashing with whips,
nor in slaying with the sword,
but rather in judging with justice and upholding the truth."
He then set about his duties,
to implement for them the charter he had outlined
in his brief sermon.
'Umayr ibn Sa'd spent a full year in Homs
without writing a single letter to the Commander of the Believers,
and without sending to the public treasury of the Muslims
a single dirham or dinar of revenue.
Doubts began to trouble 'Umar,
for he was intensely anxious about his governors
falling prey to the temptations of power;
in his eyes, none was infallible except the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
So he instructed his scribe:
"Write to 'Umayr ibn Sa'd
and tell him:
'When the letter of the Commander of the Believers reaches you,
leave Homs and report to him,
bringing with you whatever revenue of the Muslims you have collected.'"
'Umayr ibn Sa'd received the letter of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them.
He gathered his pouch of provisions,
slung his bowl and his ablution vessel over his shoulder,
grasped his spear in his hand,
left Homs and its governance behind,
and set out on foot, hastening his pace toward Medina.
By the time 'Umayr approached Medina,
his complexion had paled,
his body had grown emaciated, his hair had grown long,
and the strain of travel was evident upon him.
'Umayr entered upon the Commander of the Believers, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab.
Al-Faruq was startled by his condition and asked,
"What has happened to you, 'Umayr?"
He replied,
"Nothing is wrong with me, Commander of the Believers.
By Allah's praise, I am healthy and sound;
I possess all of the worldly life with me,
dragging it by its horns."
'Umar asked,
"And what worldly goods do you have with you?"
—thinking he was carrying funds for the Muslims' public treasury.
He replied:
"I have my sack,
in which I carry my provisions;
I have my wooden bowl,
from which I eat and over which I wash my head and clothes;
and I have a waterskin for my ablutions and drinking water.
Moreover, O Commander of the Believers, the entire world
is merely subordinate to this gear of mine,
a superfluous excess that neither I nor anyone else has any need for."
'Umar asked,
"And did you come on foot?"
He said,
"Yes, Commander of the Believers."
'Umar asked,
"Did the administration not grant you a mount to ride?"
He replied,
"They did not give me one,
and I did not ask them for it."
'Umar asked,
"And where is that which you have brought for the treasury?"
He replied,
"I have brought nothing."
'Umar asked, "And why not?"
He answered,
"When I arrived in Homs,
I assembled the righteous among its people
and entrusted them with collecting their revenue.
Whenever they gathered anything from it,
I consulted them concerning it,
allocated it to its rightful purposes,
and distributed it among the deserving recipients among them."
'Umar then said to his scribe,
"Renew the appointment for 'Umayr over the governorship of Homs."
But 'Umayr said,
"Far from it!
For that is something I do not desire;
and I shall not govern for you or for anyone after you, Commander of the Believers."
He then asked his permission to depart for a village on the outskirts of Medina,
where his family resided,
and 'Umar granted him permission.
Not long after 'Umayr had gone to his village,
'Umar wished to test his companion
and ascertain his true condition.
He said to one of his trustworthy aides, named al-Harith:
"Go, Harith, to 'Umayr ibn Sa'd
and stay with him as a guest.
If you see upon him signs of affluence,
return as you went;
but if you find him in dire hardship,
give him these dinars."
He handed him a pouch containing one hundred dinars.
Al-Harith set out until he arrived at the village of 'Umayr ibn Sa'd.
He inquired about him, was directed to him,
and when he met him, he said,
"Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah."
'Umayr replied,
"And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
Where have you come from?"
He replied,
"From Medina."
'Umayr asked,
"How did you leave the Muslims?"
He answered, "Well."
'Umayr asked,
"How is the Commander of the Believers?"
He replied,
"Healthy and upright."
'Umayr asked,
"Does he still enforce the prescribed legal penalties?"
He replied, "Indeed,
he even had a son of his lashed for an immoral act he committed,
and the son died from the flogging."
'Umayr said,
"O Allah, aid 'Umar,
for I know him only
to possess intense love for You."
Al-Harith stayed as a guest of 'Umayr ibn Sa'd
for three nights.
Each night, 'Umayr would bring out for him
a loaf of barley bread.
When the third day arrived,
a local man said to al-Harith,
"You have placed a severe strain on 'Umayr and his household;
they have nothing except this loaf, with which they favor you over themselves,
and hunger and exhaustion have taken a heavy toll on them.
If you would consider moving from them to stay with me,
please do so."
At that point,
al-Harith took out the dinars
and handed them to 'Umayr.
'Umayr asked,
"What is this?"
Al-Harith replied,
"The Commander of the Believers sent this to you."
'Umayr said,
"Return them to him,
convey my greetings of peace to him,
and tell him
that 'Umayr has no need of them."
But his wife called out—
having overheard what was transpiring between her husband and his guest—
and said,
"Take them, 'Umayr!
If you need them, you can spend them,
and if not, you can put them in their rightful places,
for the needy here are many."
When al-Harith heard her words,
he cast the dinars before 'Umayr and departed.
'Umayr took the money
and divided it into small pouches,
and did not go to sleep that night
until he had distributed it among the needy,
giving special priority to the children of martyrs.
Al-Harith then returned to Medina,
and 'Umar asked him,
"What did you see, O Harith?"
He replied,
"Dire hardship, O Commander of the Faithful."
'Umar asked,
"Did you hand over the dinars to him?"
He answered, "Yes, O Commander of the Faithful."
'Umar asked,
"And what did he do with them?"
He replied,
"I do not know,
but I do not believe he kept a single dirham for himself."
Thereupon, al-Faruq wrote to 'Umayr:
"When this letter of mine reaches you,
do not set it down from your hand until you have come to me."
'Umayr ibn Sa'd set out for Medina
and entered upon the Commander of the Faithful,
who greeted him warmly, welcomed him, and drew his seat close.
Then he said to him,
"What did you do with the dinars, O 'Umayr?"
He replied,
"What concern is it of yours, O 'Umar,
once you have relinquished them to me?"
'Umar said,
"I adjure you to tell me what you did with them."
He said,
"I stored them up for myself,
so that they might benefit me on a Day when neither wealth nor children will avail."
Tears welled up in 'Umar's eyes,
and he said,
"I bear witness that you are truly among those who give preference over themselves,
even though poverty be their own lot."
He then ordered a camel-load of food and two garments to be given to him,
but 'Umayr said,
"As for the food,
we have no need of it, O Commander of the Faithful,
for I left two sa's of barley with my family;
by the time they finish eating them,
Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will surely have provided sustenance for us.
But as for the two garments,
I will take them for the mother of so-and-so" —
meaning his wife —
"for her dress has worn thin and she is nearly without cover."
Not long after that meeting between al-Faruq and his companion,
Allah decreed for 'Umayr ibn Sa'd
to rejoin his Prophet and the delight of his eyes,
Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
after long yearning to meet him.
Thus, 'Umayr departed on the path to the Hereafter with a tranquil soul,
confident in his stride,
unburdened by any worldly baggage,
with nothing weighing down his back.
He passed on,
bearing nothing except his light and guidance,
his piety and scrupulousness.
When the news of his death reached al-Faruq,
sorrow swept over his face,
grief gripped his heart,
and he said,
"How I wish I had men like 'Umayr ibn Sa'd
to employ in the affairs of the Muslims!"
May Allah be pleased with 'Umayr ibn Sa'd and grant him His pleasure,
for he was truly a singular paragon among men,
and an exceptional disciple in the school of Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah.
'Umayr ibn Sa'd was unmatched,
as was 'Umar ibn al-Khattab;
can words ever suffice
to give them the praise they truly deserve?