Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 14 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (29) - Umair bin Saad, may God be pleased with him - in his old age
0:000:00
Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
0:00
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
0:15
The Mawaddah Association is pleased
0:18
to present to you snapshots from the lives of the Companions,
0:22
by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
0:25
may Allah have mercy on him.
0:27
'Umayr ibn Sa'd, may Allah be pleased with him.
0:47
We previously witnessed a unique and radiant episode
0:50
from the youth of the noble Companion 'Umayr ibn Sa'd.
0:54
Now, let us consider a magnificent and luminous portrait
0:59
from his later life.
1:01
You will find that this second picture
1:04
is no less magnificent or splendid than the first.
1:08
The people of Homs were known for constantly grumbling about their governors,
1:13
relentlessly lodging complaints against them.
1:15
No sooner did a governor arrive among them
1:17
than they found fault with him,
1:19
tallied up his shortcomings,
1:21
took their grievances to the Caliph of the Muslims,
1:24
and urged him to replace him with someone better.
1:28
Therefore, al-Faruq, may Allah be pleased with him, resolved
1:31
to dispatch a governor to them whom they could not criticize,
1:35
nor find any flaw in his conduct.
1:38
He examined his finest men before him,
1:41
testing their mettle, branch by branch,
1:44
and found none better than 'Umayr ibn Sa'd.
1:47
At that time, 'Umayr
1:51
was actively campaigning throughout the Jazira region of the Levant,
1:54
at the head of his army, fighting in the cause of Allah—
1:57
liberating cities, demolishing strongholds,
2:00
subjugating tribes,
2:03
and establishing mosques in every land his feet trod upon.
2:07
Despite this,
2:09
the Commander of the Believers summoned him,
2:11
entrusted him with the governorship of Homs,
2:14
and ordered him to proceed there.
2:16
He complied reluctantly,
2:19
for he preferred nothing over jihad in the cause of Allah.
2:24
When 'Umayr reached Homs,
2:26
he called the people to a congregational prayer.
2:29
Once the prayer was concluded, he addressed the congregation;
2:32
he praised and glorified Allah,
2:34
invoked blessings upon His Prophet Muhammad, and then said:
2:38
"O people!
2:40
Indeed, Islam is a fortified stronghold with a sturdy gate.
2:44
The fortress of Islam is justice, and its gate is truth.
2:49
If the fortress is demolished and the gate is shattered,
2:52
the sanctuary of this religion will be breached.
2:55
Indeed, Islam remains impregnable
2:58
so long as the governing authority remains firm.
3:00
The firmness of authority does not lie in lashing with whips,
3:03
nor in slaying with the sword,
3:05
but rather in judging with justice and upholding the truth."
3:09
He then set about his duties,
3:11
to implement for them the charter he had outlined
3:14
in his brief sermon.
3:16
'Umayr ibn Sa'd spent a full year in Homs
3:20
without writing a single letter to the Commander of the Believers,
3:23
and without sending to the public treasury of the Muslims
3:26
a single dirham or dinar of revenue.
3:28
Doubts began to trouble 'Umar,
3:31
for he was intensely anxious about his governors
3:34
falling prey to the temptations of power;
3:36
in his eyes, none was infallible except the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
3:41
So he instructed his scribe:
3:43
"Write to 'Umayr ibn Sa'd
3:45
and tell him:
3:46
'When the letter of the Commander of the Believers reaches you,
3:49
leave Homs and report to him,
3:52
bringing with you whatever revenue of the Muslims you have collected.'"
3:56
'Umayr ibn Sa'd received the letter of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them.
4:01
He gathered his pouch of provisions,
4:03
slung his bowl and his ablution vessel over his shoulder,
4:07
grasped his spear in his hand,
4:09
left Homs and its governance behind,
4:13
and set out on foot, hastening his pace toward Medina.
4:17
By the time 'Umayr approached Medina,
4:20
his complexion had paled,
4:23
his body had grown emaciated, his hair had grown long,
4:26
and the strain of travel was evident upon him.
4:29
'Umayr entered upon the Commander of the Believers, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab.
4:33
Al-Faruq was startled by his condition and asked,
4:36
"What has happened to you, 'Umayr?"
4:38
He replied,
4:39
"Nothing is wrong with me, Commander of the Believers.
4:42
By Allah's praise, I am healthy and sound;
4:45
I possess all of the worldly life with me,
4:48
dragging it by its horns."
4:50
'Umar asked,
4:51
"And what worldly goods do you have with you?"
4:54
—thinking he was carrying funds for the Muslims' public treasury.
4:58
He replied:
4:59
"I have my sack,
5:01
in which I carry my provisions;
5:03
I have my wooden bowl,
5:05
from which I eat and over which I wash my head and clothes;
5:09
and I have a waterskin for my ablutions and drinking water.
5:12
Moreover, O Commander of the Believers, the entire world
5:16
is merely subordinate to this gear of mine,
5:18
a superfluous excess that neither I nor anyone else has any need for."
5:22
'Umar asked,
5:24
"And did you come on foot?"
5:26
He said,
5:27
"Yes, Commander of the Believers."
5:29
'Umar asked,
5:30
"Did the administration not grant you a mount to ride?"
5:34
He replied,
5:35
"They did not give me one,
5:37
and I did not ask them for it."
5:39
'Umar asked,
5:40
"And where is that which you have brought for the treasury?"
5:43
He replied,
5:44
"I have brought nothing."
5:46
'Umar asked, "And why not?"
5:48
He answered,
5:49
"When I arrived in Homs,
5:51
I assembled the righteous among its people
5:53
and entrusted them with collecting their revenue.
5:56
Whenever they gathered anything from it,
5:59
I consulted them concerning it,
6:01
allocated it to its rightful purposes,
6:03
and distributed it among the deserving recipients among them."
6:06
'Umar then said to his scribe,
6:08
"Renew the appointment for 'Umayr over the governorship of Homs."
6:12
But 'Umayr said,
6:14
"Far from it!
6:15
For that is something I do not desire;
6:18
and I shall not govern for you or for anyone after you, Commander of the Believers."
6:22
He then asked his permission to depart for a village on the outskirts of Medina,
6:27
where his family resided,
6:29
and 'Umar granted him permission.
6:30
Not long after 'Umayr had gone to his village,
6:34
'Umar wished to test his companion
6:38
and ascertain his true condition.
6:40
He said to one of his trustworthy aides, named al-Harith:
6:44
"Go, Harith, to 'Umayr ibn Sa'd
6:47
and stay with him as a guest.
6:49
If you see upon him signs of affluence,
6:52
return as you went;
6:54
but if you find him in dire hardship,
6:56
give him these dinars."
6:58
He handed him a pouch containing one hundred dinars.
7:02
Al-Harith set out until he arrived at the village of 'Umayr ibn Sa'd.
7:06
He inquired about him, was directed to him,
7:09
and when he met him, he said,
7:11
"Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah."
7:13
'Umayr replied,
7:15
"And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
7:18
Where have you come from?"
7:20
He replied,
7:21
"From Medina."
7:23
'Umayr asked,
7:24
"How did you leave the Muslims?"
7:26
He answered, "Well."
7:28
'Umayr asked,
7:29
"How is the Commander of the Believers?"
7:31
He replied,
7:33
"Healthy and upright."
7:35
'Umayr asked,
7:36
"Does he still enforce the prescribed legal penalties?"
7:38
He replied, "Indeed,
7:39
he even had a son of his lashed for an immoral act he committed,
7:42
and the son died from the flogging."
7:44
'Umayr said,
7:45
"O Allah, aid 'Umar,
7:47
for I know him only
7:49
to possess intense love for You."
7:51
Al-Harith stayed as a guest of 'Umayr ibn Sa'd
7:54
for three nights.
7:56
Each night, 'Umayr would bring out for him
7:58
a loaf of barley bread.
8:00
When the third day arrived,
8:02
a local man said to al-Harith,
8:05
"You have placed a severe strain on 'Umayr and his household;
8:08
they have nothing except this loaf, with which they favor you over themselves,
8:13
and hunger and exhaustion have taken a heavy toll on them.
8:16
If you would consider moving from them to stay with me,
8:19
please do so."
8:20
At that point,
8:21
al-Harith took out the dinars
8:23
and handed them to 'Umayr.
8:26
'Umayr asked,
8:27
"What is this?"
8:29
Al-Harith replied,
8:30
"The Commander of the Believers sent this to you."
8:33
'Umayr said,
8:34
"Return them to him,
8:36
convey my greetings of peace to him,
8:38
and tell him
8:39
that 'Umayr has no need of them."
8:42
But his wife called out—
8:43
having overheard what was transpiring between her husband and his guest—
8:47
and said,
8:48
"Take them, 'Umayr!
8:50
If you need them, you can spend them,
8:53
and if not, you can put them in their rightful places,
8:56
for the needy here are many."
8:59
When al-Harith heard her words,
9:02
he cast the dinars before 'Umayr and departed.
9:05
'Umayr took the money
9:08
and divided it into small pouches,
9:11
and did not go to sleep that night
9:13
until he had distributed it among the needy,
9:16
giving special priority to the children of martyrs.
9:19
Al-Harith then returned to Medina,
9:21
and 'Umar asked him,
9:23
"What did you see, O Harith?"
9:25
He replied,
9:26
"Dire hardship, O Commander of the Faithful."
9:30
'Umar asked,
9:31
"Did you hand over the dinars to him?"
9:33
He answered, "Yes, O Commander of the Faithful."
9:36
'Umar asked,
9:37
"And what did he do with them?"
9:39
He replied,
9:40
"I do not know,
9:42
but I do not believe he kept a single dirham for himself."
9:46
Thereupon, al-Faruq wrote to 'Umayr:
9:49
"When this letter of mine reaches you,
9:52
do not set it down from your hand until you have come to me."
9:56
'Umayr ibn Sa'd set out for Medina
9:59
and entered upon the Commander of the Faithful,
10:01
who greeted him warmly, welcomed him, and drew his seat close.
10:05
Then he said to him,
10:07
"What did you do with the dinars, O 'Umayr?"
10:09
He replied,
10:10
"What concern is it of yours, O 'Umar,
10:13
once you have relinquished them to me?"
10:15
'Umar said,
10:16
"I adjure you to tell me what you did with them."
10:20
He said,
10:21
"I stored them up for myself,
10:23
so that they might benefit me on a Day when neither wealth nor children will avail."
10:28
Tears welled up in 'Umar's eyes,
10:30
and he said,
10:31
"I bear witness that you are truly among those who give preference over themselves,
10:35
even though poverty be their own lot."
10:38
He then ordered a camel-load of food and two garments to be given to him,
10:42
but 'Umayr said,
10:43
"As for the food,
10:45
we have no need of it, O Commander of the Faithful,
10:48
for I left two sa's of barley with my family;
10:52
by the time they finish eating them,
10:54
Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will surely have provided sustenance for us.
10:57
But as for the two garments,
10:59
I will take them for the mother of so-and-so" —
11:01
meaning his wife —
11:03
"for her dress has worn thin and she is nearly without cover."
11:06
Not long after that meeting between al-Faruq and his companion,
11:11
Allah decreed for 'Umayr ibn Sa'd
11:14
to rejoin his Prophet and the delight of his eyes,
11:17
Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
11:19
after long yearning to meet him.
11:23
Thus, 'Umayr departed on the path to the Hereafter with a tranquil soul,
11:27
confident in his stride,
11:29
unburdened by any worldly baggage,
11:32
with nothing weighing down his back.
11:36
He passed on,
11:37
bearing nothing except his light and guidance,
11:40
his piety and scrupulousness.
11:42
When the news of his death reached al-Faruq,
11:45
sorrow swept over his face,
11:47
grief gripped his heart,
11:49
and he said,
11:51
"How I wish I had men like 'Umayr ibn Sa'd
11:55
to employ in the affairs of the Muslims!"
11:58
May Allah be pleased with 'Umayr ibn Sa'd and grant him His pleasure,
12:02
for he was truly a singular paragon among men,
12:05
and an exceptional disciple in the school of Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah.
12:10
'Umayr ibn Sa'd was unmatched,
12:16
as was 'Umar ibn al-Khattab;
12:24
can words ever suffice
12:26
to give them the praise they truly deserve?