WEBVTT

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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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The Mawaddah Association is pleased

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to present to you snapshots from the lives of the Companions,

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by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,

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may Allah have mercy on him.

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'Umayr ibn Sa'd, may Allah be pleased with him.

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We previously witnessed a unique and radiant episode

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from the youth of the noble Companion 'Umayr ibn Sa'd.

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Now, let us consider a magnificent and luminous portrait

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from his later life.

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You will find that this second picture

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is no less magnificent or splendid than the first.

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The people of Homs were known for constantly grumbling about their governors,

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relentlessly lodging complaints against them.

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No sooner did a governor arrive among them

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than they found fault with him,

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tallied up his shortcomings,

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took their grievances to the Caliph of the Muslims,

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and urged him to replace him with someone better.

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Therefore, al-Faruq, may Allah be pleased with him, resolved

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to dispatch a governor to them whom they could not criticize,

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nor find any flaw in his conduct.

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He examined his finest men before him,

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testing their mettle, branch by branch,

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and found none better than 'Umayr ibn Sa'd.

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At that time, 'Umayr

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was actively campaigning throughout the Jazira region of the Levant,

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at the head of his army, fighting in the cause of Allah—

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liberating cities, demolishing strongholds,

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subjugating tribes,

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and establishing mosques in every land his feet trod upon.

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Despite this,

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the Commander of the Believers summoned him,

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entrusted him with the governorship of Homs,

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and ordered him to proceed there.

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He complied reluctantly,

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for he preferred nothing over jihad in the cause of Allah.

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When 'Umayr reached Homs,

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he called the people to a congregational prayer.

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Once the prayer was concluded, he addressed the congregation;

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he praised and glorified Allah,

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invoked blessings upon His Prophet Muhammad, and then said:

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"O people!

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Indeed, Islam is a fortified stronghold with a sturdy gate.

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The fortress of Islam is justice, and its gate is truth.

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If the fortress is demolished and the gate is shattered,

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the sanctuary of this religion will be breached.

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Indeed, Islam remains impregnable

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so long as the governing authority remains firm.

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The firmness of authority does not lie in lashing with whips,

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nor in slaying with the sword,

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but rather in judging with justice and upholding the truth."

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He then set about his duties,

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to implement for them the charter he had outlined

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in his brief sermon.

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'Umayr ibn Sa'd spent a full year in Homs

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without writing a single letter to the Commander of the Believers,

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and without sending to the public treasury of the Muslims

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a single dirham or dinar of revenue.

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Doubts began to trouble 'Umar,

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for he was intensely anxious about his governors

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falling prey to the temptations of power;

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in his eyes, none was infallible except the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

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So he instructed his scribe:

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"Write to 'Umayr ibn Sa'd

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and tell him:

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'When the letter of the Commander of the Believers reaches you,

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leave Homs and report to him,

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bringing with you whatever revenue of the Muslims you have collected.'"

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'Umayr ibn Sa'd received the letter of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them.

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He gathered his pouch of provisions,

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slung his bowl and his ablution vessel over his shoulder,

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grasped his spear in his hand,

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left Homs and its governance behind,

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and set out on foot, hastening his pace toward Medina.

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By the time 'Umayr approached Medina,

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his complexion had paled,

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his body had grown emaciated, his hair had grown long,

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and the strain of travel was evident upon him.

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'Umayr entered upon the Commander of the Believers, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab.

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Al-Faruq was startled by his condition and asked,

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"What has happened to you, 'Umayr?"

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He replied,

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"Nothing is wrong with me, Commander of the Believers.

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By Allah's praise, I am healthy and sound;

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I possess all of the worldly life with me,

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dragging it by its horns."

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'Umar asked,

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"And what worldly goods do you have with you?"

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—thinking he was carrying funds for the Muslims' public treasury.

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He replied:

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"I have my sack,

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in which I carry my provisions;

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I have my wooden bowl,

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from which I eat and over which I wash my head and clothes;

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and I have a waterskin for my ablutions and drinking water.

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Moreover, O Commander of the Believers, the entire world

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is merely subordinate to this gear of mine,

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a superfluous excess that neither I nor anyone else has any need for."

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'Umar asked,

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"And did you come on foot?"

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He said,

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"Yes, Commander of the Believers."

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'Umar asked,

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"Did the administration not grant you a mount to ride?"

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He replied,

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"They did not give me one,

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and I did not ask them for it."

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'Umar asked,

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"And where is that which you have brought for the treasury?"

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He replied,

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"I have brought nothing."

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'Umar asked, "And why not?"

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He answered,

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"When I arrived in Homs,

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I assembled the righteous among its people

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and entrusted them with collecting their revenue.

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Whenever they gathered anything from it,

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I consulted them concerning it,

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allocated it to its rightful purposes,

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and distributed it among the deserving recipients among them."

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'Umar then said to his scribe,

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"Renew the appointment for 'Umayr over the governorship of Homs."

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But 'Umayr said,

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"Far from it!

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For that is something I do not desire;

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and I shall not govern for you or for anyone after you, Commander of the Believers."

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He then asked his permission to depart for a village on the outskirts of Medina,

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where his family resided,

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and 'Umar granted him permission.

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Not long after 'Umayr had gone to his village,

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'Umar wished to test his companion

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and ascertain his true condition.

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He said to one of his trustworthy aides, named al-Harith:

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"Go, Harith, to 'Umayr ibn Sa'd

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and stay with him as a guest.

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If you see upon him signs of affluence,

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return as you went;

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but if you find him in dire hardship,

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give him these dinars."

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He handed him a pouch containing one hundred dinars.

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Al-Harith set out until he arrived at the village of 'Umayr ibn Sa'd.

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He inquired about him, was directed to him,

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and when he met him, he said,

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"Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah."

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'Umayr replied,

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"And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.

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Where have you come from?"

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He replied,

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"From Medina."

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'Umayr asked,

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"How did you leave the Muslims?"

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He answered, "Well."

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'Umayr asked,

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"How is the Commander of the Believers?"

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He replied,

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"Healthy and upright."

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'Umayr asked,

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"Does he still enforce the prescribed legal penalties?"

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He replied, "Indeed,

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he even had a son of his lashed for an immoral act he committed,

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and the son died from the flogging."

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'Umayr said,

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"O Allah, aid 'Umar,

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for I know him only

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to possess intense love for You."

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Al-Harith stayed as a guest of 'Umayr ibn Sa'd

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for three nights.

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Each night, 'Umayr would bring out for him

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a loaf of barley bread.

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When the third day arrived,

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a local man said to al-Harith,

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"You have placed a severe strain on 'Umayr and his household;

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they have nothing except this loaf, with which they favor you over themselves,

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and hunger and exhaustion have taken a heavy toll on them.

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If you would consider moving from them to stay with me,

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please do so."

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At that point,

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al-Harith took out the dinars

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and handed them to 'Umayr.

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'Umayr asked,

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"What is this?"

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Al-Harith replied,

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"The Commander of the Believers sent this to you."

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'Umayr said,

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"Return them to him,

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convey my greetings of peace to him,

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and tell him

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that 'Umayr has no need of them."

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But his wife called out—

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having overheard what was transpiring between her husband and his guest—

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and said,

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"Take them, 'Umayr!

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If you need them, you can spend them,

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and if not, you can put them in their rightful places,

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for the needy here are many."

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When al-Harith heard her words,

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he cast the dinars before 'Umayr and departed.

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'Umayr took the money

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and divided it into small pouches,

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and did not go to sleep that night

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until he had distributed it among the needy,

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giving special priority to the children of martyrs.

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Al-Harith then returned to Medina,

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and 'Umar asked him,

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"What did you see, O Harith?"

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He replied,

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"Dire hardship, O Commander of the Faithful."

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'Umar asked,

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"Did you hand over the dinars to him?"

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He answered, "Yes, O Commander of the Faithful."

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'Umar asked,

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"And what did he do with them?"

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He replied,

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"I do not know,

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but I do not believe he kept a single dirham for himself."

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Thereupon, al-Faruq wrote to 'Umayr:

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"When this letter of mine reaches you,

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do not set it down from your hand until you have come to me."

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'Umayr ibn Sa'd set out for Medina

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and entered upon the Commander of the Faithful,

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who greeted him warmly, welcomed him, and drew his seat close.

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Then he said to him,

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"What did you do with the dinars, O 'Umayr?"

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He replied,

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"What concern is it of yours, O 'Umar,

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once you have relinquished them to me?"

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'Umar said,

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"I adjure you to tell me what you did with them."

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He said,

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"I stored them up for myself,

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so that they might benefit me on a Day when neither wealth nor children will avail."

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Tears welled up in 'Umar's eyes,

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and he said,

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"I bear witness that you are truly among those who give preference over themselves,

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even though poverty be their own lot."

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He then ordered a camel-load of food and two garments to be given to him,

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but 'Umayr said,

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"As for the food,

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we have no need of it, O Commander of the Faithful,

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for I left two sa's of barley with my family;

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by the time they finish eating them,

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Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will surely have provided sustenance for us.

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But as for the two garments,

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I will take them for the mother of so-and-so" —

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meaning his wife —

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"for her dress has worn thin and she is nearly without cover."

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Not long after that meeting between al-Faruq and his companion,

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Allah decreed for 'Umayr ibn Sa'd

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to rejoin his Prophet and the delight of his eyes,

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Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),

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after long yearning to meet him.

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Thus, 'Umayr departed on the path to the Hereafter with a tranquil soul,

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confident in his stride,

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unburdened by any worldly baggage,

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with nothing weighing down his back.

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He passed on,

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bearing nothing except his light and guidance,

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his piety and scrupulousness.

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When the news of his death reached al-Faruq,

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sorrow swept over his face,

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grief gripped his heart,

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and he said,

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"How I wish I had men like 'Umayr ibn Sa'd

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to employ in the affairs of the Muslims!"

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May Allah be pleased with 'Umayr ibn Sa'd and grant him His pleasure,

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for he was truly a singular paragon among men,

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and an exceptional disciple in the school of Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah.

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'Umayr ibn Sa'd was unmatched,

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as was 'Umar ibn al-Khattab;

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can words ever suffice

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to give them the praise they truly deserve?