First
Evidence
Abu Zarr of the Ghifar tribe somehow got angry with the freed slave of
Abu Bakr, Bilal of Abyssinia. Both of them were the companions of the
Prophet. The altercation became prolonged and Abu Zarr in his fury
called Bilal the son of a black skinned mother. Bilal complained to the
Prophet, who addressed Abu Zarr saying, "Did you
call him a name reviling his mother? It appears you still retain
vestiges of Jahiliyah (ignorance period before Islam)" Abu Zarr
failed to understand the word Jahiliyah and took it to signify some sort
of sexual immorality, and meekly questioned in surprise, "At this ripe
age, O Prophet of God?" The Prophet said in reply, "Yes,
you are his brother (and should be considerate and kind to him)".
Abu Zarr who had by now understood the significance of the Prophet's
remark, was ashamed and repentant and out of extreme repentance and
humility requested Bilal to trample his face with his feet.
Second Evidence
It happened once during the period of the Prophet that a woman of the
Bani Makhzoom tribe, Fatimah, was found guilty of theft. She was brought
to the Prophet so that she might receive her due according to the
Shari'ah (Islamic Law). The Quraish tribe very much resented it since it
involved their tribal prestige and dignity. So they thought of
intercession by somebody for the remission of her punishment. It was
therefore decided after deliberation to send Usamah bin Zaid for such
intercession since he was very much in favour with the Prophet. So he
was approached, prompted to intercede and he talked to the Prophet on
this issue. The Prophet was very angry and said to Usamah, "You
intercede in the matter of the limits prescribed by God?" Then he
had the people called and harangued to a big gathering of the believers
in a touching manner, saying, "The people before
you who met their doom, discriminated between the patricians and the
plebians in the dispensation of justice for crimes like theft. The
high-placed were spared while the weaker elements of society were
readily punished. By God if Fatimah bint-Muhammad had committed theft,
I would have amputated her hand also".
Third Evidence
Qais bin-e-Mutatiah, a hypocrite, once came to a gathering where Salman
Farsi, Suhaib Rumi, and Bilal Habashi were also present. He remarked
tauntingly, "Aus and Khazraj have rendered some service to this person
(the Prophet, Muhammad), but I fail to understand what have these
people (Bilal, Suhaib and Salman) done (to deserve this honour). Mo'az
bin-e-Jabal was there in that gathering, and catching hold of him by the
scruff of his neck, he dragged him to where the Prophet was seated and
told him what he (Qais) had uttered. The face of the Prophet became
ruddy with anger, and dragging his sheet after him, he proceeded towards
the mosque. The usual summons for the gathering of the believers in the
mosque were given and the Prophet harangued to them saying, "O ye
people! Always remember that your Lord and Cherisher is one and your
supreme ancestor is one, and your faith is also one and the same".
Fourth Evidence
Adi bin-e-Hatim came to Madinah before embracing Islam and found the
companions sitting around the Prophet. They had just returned from some
battles and some of them still had the armours and helmets on. 'Adi
witnessing the awe of the Prophet and their reverence for him was
himself inspired with awe. Meanwhile a humble woman of Madinah came to
the Prophet and requested to see him in private. The Prophet readily
agreed to talk to her in any street of Madinah named by her. Then he got
up and at some distance from the gathering talked to her for a
sufficiently long time, and having finished with her came back to the
gathering. When 'Adi witnessed this state of affairs, he was very much
touched by this inconceivable concept of philanthropy and embraced
Islam.
Fifth Evidence
When after twenty-one years of hard struggle, the Prophet conquered
Makkah and those who had falsified him, had driven him out of his home
and had been waging a war with him, were brought before him vanquished,
even then he called them to the same thing and kept in view those
principles which he had preached bare footed in the vales of Makkah or
had enforced in Madinah as a ruler when he was laying the foundations
of a new civilization in the Islamic history. That day he proclaimed
those principles which he had been preaching while he had not yet gained
his final victory. Standing at the gate of the Ka'bah he said,
"O ye people of Quraish! Allah has, this day, put
an end to your pride of the Jahiliyah (ignorance) and also the pride of
your ancestory. Keep in mind! All men are the offspring of Adam, and
Adam was fashioned out of clay". The Quraish who held an exalted
position in the Arabian Society, and had a high opinion of themselves,
listened to him in silence with bowed heads. On this occasion he recited
the following Quranic verse which he had been reciting off and on:
{O Mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of
a male and a female, and made you into na-tions and tribes, that ye may
know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most
honoured of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of
you}
Sixth Evidence
When it came to the period of the caliphate of Abu Bakr, he came forward
as a ruler whose heart was full of sympathy for mankind. Notwithstanding
his position as the head of the Muslim state he came to the girls of the
locality whose fathers had become martyrs in Jihad. He milked their
goats for them and assured them that his new responsibilities would not
stand between him and his routine of benevolent acts such as
that.
Seventh Evidence
'Umar comes as a glorious caliph. He is sympathetic to the weak, is firm
in his stand by the truth, and all are equal in his sight. He goes
without food to feed others, and keeps himself deprived to give to
others. He goes from door to door asking people about their conditions
of living, and is well known for his activities in this behalf. For
example, once he saw an old man begging in the market-place. He
questioned to ask him about his identity. He said that he was infirm and
old (unable to work for his sustenance) and was therefore begging to pay Jizyah and keep something for his daily bread. He was from the Jews
living in Madinah. 'Umar said to him, "Old man! We have not done justice
to you. In your youth we realized Jizyah from you and have left you to
fend for yourself in your old age". Holding him by the hand, he led him
to his own house, and preparing food with his own hands fed him and
issued orders to the treasurer of the Bait-al-mal that that old man and
all others like him, should be regularly doled out a daily allowance
which should suffice for them and their dependents.
Eighth Evidence
'Umar was going through a lane in Madinah, when he saw a very lean and
thin young girl moving along shakily. He said, "In what a sad plight
this child is? Does anyone of you (his companions) know who she is?"
Abdullah bin-e-'Umar being closest to him said, "O Amir of the
believers! you do not recognize her." 'Umar said, "No, I do not." He
told him that she was his own daughter. 'Umar again asked him, "Which of
my daughters is she ?" Abdullah biri-e-'Uniar said in reply, "She is
such and such of my daughters (meaning that she was his Umar's own
grand-daughter)". 'Umar asked him, "Why then is she in this pitiable
condition !" Abdullah said in reply to his father, "Whatever is in your
charge, you give us nothing from it. This indigence of mine has brought
her this sorry state". 'Umar said in reply to his complaint, "By God! I
have nothing for you more than I can give out to the believers in
general, whether it meets your needs or not. The Book of God stands to
decide just between us."
Ninth Evidence
Once a caravan came to Madinah. It had women and children too with it. 'Umar
said to Abdul Rahman bin-e-Auf, "Can you stand guard on them to-night?"
So 'Umar, the second caliph, and he, kept awake that night together and
kept vigil over the caravan. During that nightly vigil they both
offered Tahajjud (late night and early dawn) prayer also. 'Umar on
hearing a baby's cry and approaching, said to the mother, "Fear God and
do look after your child carefully." Saying this he came back to his
own position. Once again he heard it crying, and going over to her
mother once again gave her the same advice. When during the last part of
the night the child cried once again, 'Umar came to its mother and said,
"Woe to thee! Thou appears not to be a good mother. How is it that thy
child could not sleep peacefully during the night." The woman little
suspecting that she was speaking to the Amir of the believers, said in
reply, "God bless you man, you have pestered me several times during the
night. I want to wean it forcefully (before time), but the child is
intractable." 'Umar asked her, "And pray, why wean it forcefully?" She
said in reply, "Because 'Umar grants allowance only for such children
that have been weaned." Umar asked her, "How old is your child?" And she
told him it was only a few months old. And 'Umar asked the woman not to
be hasty in weaning her child. And then he led the morning prayer in
such a state that his weeping made the recital of the Quran inaudible
and unintelligible. At the end of the prayer he said, "Umar is ruined.
He killed the children of the believers!" And at this, he ordered the
crier to proclaim in the town of Madinah that the mothers should not
wean their children only for the sake of the allowance for the children.
From now on, every child, suckling or weaned, shall receive a stipend.
And it was also proclaimed throughout the length and breadth of the
Islamic state.
Unparalleled in the entire History of Mankind, By God! the entire
history of mankind is unable to produce such a brilliant and glorious
incident. None among the civilizations of the world can present any
personage like 'Umar. He kept awake the whole night, keeping guard over
the caravan and the caravan slept in peace. And we should keep in mind
that he was the head of the Islamic state, and wielded great authority
and power that had overrun the then super powers of Rome and Iran. And
in spite of all that he did what a petty guard detailed to patrol the
vicinity of a caravan in its sojourn would not do. He drew the attention
of the crying child's mother to her babe and asked her to quieten her.
Is there any one who can mete out that treatment to the children in a
passing Caravan, like 'Umar? Who is there among the greatest personages
of the history of mankind who can even touch the great human
Consciousness of 'Umar?
Tenth Evidence
And this is not all. Our civilization has still more glorious incidents
to present. 'Umar's servant Aslam relates that he came out with 'Umar
one night, and went far out into the open area outside Madinah. We were
out on a fact finding mission to distant hamlets on the outskirt of
Madinah. From a distance we observed fire aglow far off. 'Umar said, "I
believe the darkness of the night and the cold have compelled some
horsemen to sojourn here. Let us go and see." We proceeded at a brisk
pace and reached that spot. We saw a woman Sitting there with some
children around her, a pot boiling on fire, and the children crying. 'Umar
greeted her and asked the woman about her condition and also what was
going on there. The woman told him that the darkness and cold had forced
her to stay there for the night. 'Umar asked her, "Why are these
children crying?" And the woman said in reply, "They are hungry". Then 'Umar
asked her, "What is there in that pot on fire?" The woman said, "Only
water to console the children so that they may remain quiet and go to
sleep. And God alone shall judge between us and 'Umar". What the woman
wanted to convey was that 'Umar was not fair and just to them. 'Umar
said to her, "My good woman, What does 'Umar know about your state of
affairs?" To which she retaliated, "Why then should he hold the high
office of the Caliph when he is unaware of our condition?" Aslam relates
that 'Umar said to him, "Let us go now". And we started from there with
all haste, Aslam goes on to say, "and reached the godown of provisions
(of the Bait-al-mal) and 'Umar took a bag of flour and container of fat
and asked me to load the bag on his back. I offered my services but he
angrily brushed aside my offer saying 'Can you relieve me of my burden
on the Day of reckoning also?' So I loaded the bag on his back, and then
we hastened to-wards our destination at a fast enough pace and soon he
placed the bag and taking out some flour from the bag gave it to the
woman and asked her to knead it while he himself offered to fan the fire
to a flame. So he started blowing the fire below the pot. His beard was
thick and I saw smoke percolating through his beard. He went on blowing
at it until the food was ready, and he asked the woman to bring some
vessel. And when she brought a platter, he poured out the contents of
the pot into it and asked the woman to feed the children while he
himself fanned to cool it. We sat there until all of them had eaten to
their fill. What was left of the flour and fat was handed over to her
and then 'Umar got up and I followed suit. The woman said, 'God bless
you. You are more deserving of that high office than the Amir of the
believers.' 'Umar said to her, 'Say only a good word. When tomorrow you
come to see Amir of the believers, you will find me there, God-willing.'
After that 'Umar went to some distance and retraced his steps and hid
himself close to their place of stay. I said to him that that was not
proper on his part to observe them from the place of his concealment.
But he kept quiet. We saw that the children were playing merrily and
then they went to sleep. 'Umar thanked God and got up and turning to me
said, 'Aslam I Hunger was growing at their stomachs and they were
miserable and could not go to sleep. I would not have been at ease until
I had seen them happy and comfortable. So I looked at them from my
position of vantage. You have also seen that they have gone to sleep perfectly at ease."
Eleventh Evidence
One of the unique incidents relating to sympathy and equality in the
history of mankind is that 'Umar came by one night. It was usual with
him to go out during the nights to see with his own eyes the conditions
under which people were living. One night he found himself in one of the
many valleys of Madinah. All of a sudden he heard somebody crying in a
nearby tent, at whose door was standing a man. 'Umar greeted him in the
proper manner and asked him who he was. He said in reply that he was a
beduin who had come to Madinah to ask the Amir of the believers for
help. Then 'Umar asked him about the crying and wailing inside the tent,
which question the beduin tried to evade, saying that since it did not
concern him, he should not interest himself in it and go his way. Little
he knew that he was talking to the Amir of the believers. However, on
the insistence of 'Umar he told him that his wife was in labour pain and
has no one to help her with the delivery. 'Umar came back home and asked
his wife, Umme-Kulsum bint-e-Ali, whether she was interested in the
reward from God which He might have brought her way. And on her asking
what was that, he told her in some detail, and asked her to take with
her the requisites of a new born and the delivered mother and also some
provisions for food. He took all those things from her and started,
Umme-Kulsum following him. Soon they came to the Bedouin's tent and 'Umar
sending his wife inside, himself sat with the husband, and lighting a
fire started cooking food with the provisions he had brought with him.
The Bedouin was even now unaware that he was sitting beside a great man
of the world. Meanwhile the woman in the tent was delivered of a babe
and Umme-Kulsum called him from inside the tent, addressing him as Amir-al
Muminin, and asked him to congratulate his friend on the birth of his
child. The Bedouin on hearing her words became conscious of the fact
that he had been with the head of the Islamic state all this time and
had been rude to him, and was awe-struck and began receding from 'Umar.
But 'Umar reassured him and asked him to keep sitting where he was,
unceremoniously. And when he asked Umme-Kulsum to offer the mother the
food that he had cooked. And when she had eaten, he offered food to her
husband, saying "Partake of it, you have kept up the whole night and
have been inconvenienced. Come to me tomorrow and I shall see to it that
your needs are provided." When he came to him ('Umar) the next morning
he granted an allowance for his new born babe and he too was liberally
helped.
Let the World present one Parallel
So far as my information is concerned, I can say with certainty that
there is not a single incident as glorious, outstanding and based on the
sentiments of fraternity as the one cited above, anywhere in the lives
of the greatest men in the history of mankind. There is an incident
connected with George Washington the savior of America that he was
once going along the road when he saw that some soldiers were trying to
lift a stone but were unable to do so. Their supervisor was standing
close by but not lending a helping hand. George asked him to come to
their help, but he refused saying that it was below his dignity.
Washington kept his sheet on one side of the road and helped them lift
the boulder, and said to them when departing that whenever they needed
help in a difficulty of that type they could enlist his help at such and
such address.
Certainly this is a unique incident and is an example of a high
standard of morality. But it stands no comparison with the incident of
'Umar cited above. 'Umar sacrificing his sleep and comfort of the night
came out to find out the condition of the people, when he found a woman
passing through the pangs of labour, having no one to help her, he came
home, took his wife with him and loaded with provisions himself and the
wife with the needs of the mother and the new born infant, to go to the
tent of a Bedouin far from the town in the darkness Ii of the night. The
wife, who, in our present day terminology, was the queen, plays the
role of a maid-servant, a mid-wife, and he himself takes upon the role
of the cook. Is there a single example of this height of man's psyche?
The height which was never attained by any ruler of a state on this
globe. This is one of those brilliant incidents that go to make 'Umar so
great, and also one of the dazzling aspects of our civilization that it
moulded a simple beduin Arab like 'Umar into a personage that even today
occupies the highest stand among the great men in the history of
mankind, just as our civilization stands out among the civilization of
the world, topping the list.
Not One but a Multitude Rank after
Rank
Here we must also mention that 'Umar is not an isolated example
presented as a perfect and affectionate person by our civilization. The
lives of Abu Bakr, Uthman and 'Ali (God be pleased with them all) were
also moulded in the mould of perfect humanity, brimming over with mercy
and affection. Also the lives of 'Umar bin-e-Abd-al-Aziz, Salahuddin
Ayyubi and many other big personages, the 'ulama' the legists,
philosophers and leaders also present countless immortal examples, which
is a brilliant evidence in favor of our glorious civilization from
every aspect. |