Part of Glimpses from the Lives of the Tabi‘un (the Successors) (series completed)
· Lesson 25 of 37
Pictures from the lives of the followers | D. Abdul Rahman Raafat Al-Basha | Episode (25) | Omar bin Abdulaziz, may God have mercy on him
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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The best of generations in their conduct and example,
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Following the Messenger when he strove or spoke.
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Mawaddah Association
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Presents:
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Vignettes from the Lives of the Tabi'un
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By Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
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May Allah have mercy upon him.
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Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz,
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May Allah have mercy upon him.
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He filled life with glorious deeds,
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And the world of humanity flourished because of them.
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Speaking of the Tabi'i Caliph, Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz,
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Is a poignant matter.
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For you can barely grasp one image of his unique life,
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Before it leads you to another, more radiant,
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More abundant in splendor, and more profound in influence.
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We have already seen in the previous book
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Three images from the life of the fifth Rightly Guided Caliph.
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So come, let us now enjoy three others,
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No less brilliant and luminous than the former.
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As for the first image,
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It is narrated to you by Dukayn ibn Sa'id al-Darimi,
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One of the Bedouin rajaz poets, who says:
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"I praised Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz when he was the governor of Medina,
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And he ordered that I be given fifteen camels from the finest of the herd.
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When they were in my possession, I examined them,
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And their sight filled me with awe.
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I disliked the idea of traveling with them alone through the vast lands for fear of losing them,
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Yet my soul could not bear to sell them.
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While I was in this state,
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A caravan arrived, intending to travel toward our homes in Najd.
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I asked to accompany them,
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And they said, 'You are welcome.'
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'We are departing tonight,
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So prepare yourself to leave with us.'
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I went to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz to bid him farewell,
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And I found two elderly men in his assembly whom I did not recognize.
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When I intended to leave,
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Umar turned to me and said,
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'O Dukayn,
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I have a soul that is ever-aspiring.
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If you learn that I have attained more than what I am in now,
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Come to me, and you shall have my kindness and generosity.'
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I said, 'Bear witness to that for me, O Prince.'
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He replied, 'I call Allah the Exalted to witness that.'
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I said, 'And from His creation?'
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He said, 'These two elders.'
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I turned to one of them and said,
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'May my father and mother be sacrificed for you,
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Tell me your name so that I may know you.'
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He said, 'Salim ibn Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab.'
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I turned to the Prince and said,
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'I have secured a weighty witness,'
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Meaning I had obtained a witness whose word is heard.
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Then I looked at the other elder and said,
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'And who are you, if you would be so kind?'
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He said, 'Abu Yahya, the freedman of the Prince.'
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I said, 'And this is a witness from among his own household.'
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Then I greeted him and departed with the camels to the homes of my people in Najd.
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Allah placed blessing in them,
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Until I acquired camels and slaves from their offspring.
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Then time took its course,
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And while I was in the desert of Falaj in the land of Yamama in Najd,
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A herald announced the death of the Commander of the Faithful, Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik.
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I said to the herald, 'And who is the Caliph who has risen after him?'
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He said, 'Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz.'
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No sooner had I heard his words,
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Than I packed my belongings and headed toward the Levant.
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When I reached Damascus,
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I met Jarir, who was leaving the presence of the Caliph.
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I greeted him and said,
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'Where from, O Abu Hazra?'
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He replied, 'From a Caliph who gives to the poor and denies the poets.
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Return from whence you came,
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For that is better for you.'
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I said, 'I have a matter different from yours.'
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He said, 'That is your business.'
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I set off until I reached the Caliph's residence,
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And he was in the courtyard of the house,
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Surrounded by orphans, widows, and those seeking justice for grievances.
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I could not find a way to him due to the crowd pressing upon him.
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So I raised my voice, saying:
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'O Umar of goodness and nobility,
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And Umar of great endeavors,
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A man from the tribe of Darim,
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Seeks his due from the brother of nobility.'
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His freedman, Abu Yahya, looked at me for a long time,
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Then turned to him and said,
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'O Commander of the Faithful,
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I have a testimony for this Bedouin against you.'
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Umar said, 'I recognize it.'
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Then he turned to me and said,
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'Come near to me, O Dukayn.'
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When I stood before him,
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He leaned toward me and said,
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'Do you remember what I said to you in Medina?
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That my soul never attained anything,
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But that it yearned for what is higher than it?'
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I said, 'Yes, O Commander of the Faithful.'
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He said, 'And here I have attained the ultimate of what is in this world,
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Which is the Caliphate.
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So my soul yearns for the ultimate of what is in the Hereafter,
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Which is Paradise.
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And it strives to attain the pleasure of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.
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And if kings make the kingdom,
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A means to attain the glory of this world,
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Then I shall make it a means to attain the glory of the Hereafter.'
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Then he said, 'O Dukayn,
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By Allah, I have not taken from the Muslims,
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A single dirham or dinar of their wealth,
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Since I took charge of this affair.
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And I possess nothing but a thousand dirhams,
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So take half of them and leave me half.'
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I took the money he gave me,
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And by Allah, I have never seen a greater blessing than it.
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As for the second image,
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It is narrated by the judge of Mosul,
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Yahya ibn Yahya al-Ghassani,
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Who says:
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'While Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz was walking one day,
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In the markets of Homs,
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To inspect the merchants and learn the prices,
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A man approached him wearing two garments,
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Red and striped.
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He said, 'O Commander of the Faithful,
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I have heard that you have ordered,
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That whoever is oppressed should come to you.'
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He said, 'Yes.'
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The man said, 'And here he has come to you.'
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He said, 'An oppressed man from a distant land.'
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Umar said,
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'And where is your home?'
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The man said,
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'In Aden.'
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Umar said,
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'By Allah, your place is indeed far from the place of Umar.'
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Then he dismounted from his beast,
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Stood before him, and said,
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'What is your grievance?'
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He said, 'A piece of land of mine,
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Which a man among those who seek your favor has seized,
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And taken from me.'
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Umar wrote a letter to Urwa ibn Muhammad,
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His governor in Aden,
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In which he said:
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'To proceed:
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When this letter of mine reaches you,
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Hear the evidence of its bearer.
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If his right is proven,
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Then restore his right to him.'
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Then he sealed the letter,
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And handed it to the man.
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When the man intended to leave,
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Umar said to him,
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'Wait a moment.
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You have come to us from a distant land,
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And there is no doubt that you have exhausted much provision on this journey,
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And worn out new clothes,
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And perhaps you lost a beast.'
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Then he calculated all of that,
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And it amounted to eleven dinars.
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He gave them to him and said,
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'Publicize this among the people,
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So that no oppressed person may feel burdened,
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From seeking justice for their grievance after today,
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No matter how distant their home may be.'
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And as for the third image,
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It is narrated to us by the devout ascetic,
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Ziyad ibn Maysara al-Makhzumi (by clientage),
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Who says:
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'My master, Abd Allah ibn Ayyash, sent me,
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From Medina to Damascus,
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To meet the Commander of the Faithful, Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz,
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Regarding some of his needs.
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There was an old connection between me and Umar,
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Dating back to the time of his governorship in Medina.
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I entered upon him,
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And he had a scribe writing for him.
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When I reached the threshold of the room,
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I said, 'Peace be upon you.'
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He said,
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'And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah, O Ziyad.'
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Then I walked toward him, feeling shy,
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Because I had not greeted him with the title 'Commander of the Faithful.'
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When I reached him, I said,
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'Peace be upon you, O Commander of the Faithful, and the mercy of Allah,
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And His blessings.'
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He said,
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'O Ziyad,
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We did not reject your first greeting,
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So what is the need for the second?'
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His scribe was at that time,
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Reading to him grievances that had come from Basra with the post.
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He said to me,
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'Sit, O Ziyad, until we are finished with you.'
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So I sat on the wooden frame of the door,
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While the scribe read to him,
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Umar sighed deeply, burdened by his heavy concerns.
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When his scribe finished reading the documents he had with him,
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and went about his business,
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Umar rose from his seat,
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and walked toward me until he sat before me by the door.
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He placed his hands upon my knees,
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and then said,
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"Congratulations to you, Ziyad.
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You have found warmth in your wool cloak,
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and have found rest from the state we are in."
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I was wearing a wool cloak at the time.
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Then he began to ask me about the righteous people of Medina,
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their men and their women, one by one.
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He did not leave anyone out without asking me about them.
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Then he asked me about various matters he had ordered in Medina when he was its governor,
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and I informed him about everything he asked.
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Then he sighed and said,
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"O Ziyad,
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do you not see the situation into which Umar has fallen?"
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I replied,
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"I truly hope for goodness and reward for you in this."
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He said,
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"Far from it."
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Then he wept until I felt pity for him and said,
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"Be gentle with yourself, O Commander of the Faithful,
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for I truly hope for goodness for you."
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He said,
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"How far is that from what you hope, O Ziyad!
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It has reached the point where I am able to insult others, yet I am not insulted,
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and I am able to strike others, yet I am not struck,
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and I am able to harm people, yet no one harms me."
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Then he wept once more until I felt even more pity for him.
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I stayed with him for three days,
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until I had fulfilled the mission for which my master had sent me.
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When I intended to depart,
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he provided me with a letter to my master, asking him to sell me to him.
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Then he took twenty dinars from under his bedding and said,
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"Use this money to help you in your worldly affairs;
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for if you had a rightful share in the fay' (spoils of war),
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we would have given you your due."
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I refused to take the money from him,
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but he said,
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"Take it,
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for it is not from the wealth of the Muslims;
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it is merely from my own personal expenses."
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I refrained from taking it,
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but he persisted until I took it from him and left.
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When I reached Medina,
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I handed the letter of the Commander of the Faithful to my master.
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He opened it and said,
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"He is only asking me to sell you to him so that he may set you free;
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why should I not be the one to set you free myself?"
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Then he set me free.
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Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz was
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of excellent character and appearance,
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possessed of abundant knowledge,
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a man of deep fiqh, pure of heart, and turning constantly to Allah.
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A model and an example,
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he followed the Messenger whenever he acted or spoke.
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They were here, watering our lives like rain clouds,
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and their memory remains exalted among us.
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They departed, leaving a question in the conscience:
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Is there any star like them that has risen and shone?
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They filled life with glorious deeds,
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and the world of the righteous flourished because of them.