Sayeed bin Saweed says that once
when Umar bin Abdul Aziz came to lead the congregational prayer on Friday, he
saw his shirt had patches both in front and in the back. A man said to him,
"Amir Al-Muminin, Allâh has given you everything. Why don't you get new
cloths tailored?" He continued to ponder for some time with his head bent
and then said, "Moderation in prosperity and forgiveness in power are
great things."
One day he said, "Even if I
live among you for fifty years, I cannot take the status of justice to its
perfection. I want to do justice and root out the worldly temptation from your
hearts. But I see that your hearts will not be able to stand it" Ibrahim
bin Maisara said to Taoos "Umar bin Abdul Aziz is Mahdi." He replied,
"He is not only Mahdi. He is a perfect judge too". At the time of his
death, people visited him with plenty of wealth. He said to them. "Take it
away and use it." Then he added his own wealth to it. Juwairia says,
"We went to Fatima bint Ali bin Abi Talib. She praised Umar bin Abdul Aziz
very much and said, 'Had he been alive, we would not have run short of
anything'."
According to Auzai (رحمه الله) it was his habit that whenever he wanted to
punish anybody, he used to keep him in custody for three days as a
precautionary measure so that he might not punish him in a state of anger or in
haste. He said "Whenever I gave to my self anything of its choice, it
willed something better." Umar bin Muhajir says that his daily wages was
fixed at 2 dirhams and his lamp stand was made of three sticks with clay on
them. Once he asked his slave to heat water for him. The slave went and brought
it by heating it in the royal kitchen. When he came to know where it came from,
he sent firewood worth a dirham to replace it. It was his custom that so long
as people kept sitting by him and talking about affairs of state, he kept the
lamp of the treasury burning and when they left, he put it out and lit his own
lamp.
The caliphs had a hundred sentinels
and city magistrates in regular attendance of them. When he became caliph, he
said to them, "For my safety destiny and death are sufficient, I don't
need you. But even if any one of you wants to live with me, he would be given
ten dinars a month and if he does not like it, he is at liberty to go and live
with his family"
Umar bin Muhajir says that once he
wanted to eat pomegranate. A relative of his sent some to him. He praised him
very much and said to his slave, "Convey my greetings to the man who has
sent it to me and then give them back to him and tell him that his gift reached
the man concerned." The slave said to him, Amir Al-Muminin your close
relative has sent it to you. What is the harm in accepting it? The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) used to accept
gifts". He said, "those were gifts for him (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم) but for me it is a bribe." He did
not have anyone whipped except a man who had abused Amir Muawiya (رضي الله عنه).
When he reduced the expenditure of
his family, the members complained. He said, "My wealth is not sufficient
to continue your previous expenditures. As for baitul mal (the treasury), you
have as much right to it as any other Muslims has." Yahya Ghassani states
that when Umar bin Abdul Aziz (رحمه الله)
appointed him Governor of Mosul, he saw that thefts were very common there. He
informed him and wanted to know whether he should pass judgment on the basis of
evidence or on that of his personal opinion or intuition. He ordered that in
every case taking evidence was essential. If truth did not reform them, Allâh
would never reform them. He complied with the orders and consequently Mosul
turned into the cleanest and safest place.
Raja bin Haiwa says that one day
when he was sitting with Umar bin Abdul Aziz (رحمه
الله), the lamp went out. His slave was sleeping there. He wanted to
wake him up but Umar bin Abdul Aziz (رحمه الله)
prevented him from doing so. Then the narrator wanted to light the lamp himself
but he said "It is a discourtesy to give trouble to a guest." Then he
himself got up, put oil into the lamp, lighted it and resumed his seat, and
said "I am the same Umar bin Abdul Aziz as before, lighting the lamp did
not affect my status" Ata relates that Umar bin Abdul Aziz (رحمه الله) used to gather legal scholars at night
and discussed death and doomsday with them causing him to weep so much as if
there was a dead body in front of him. Abdullah bin Ghabra says that one day
Umar bin Abdul Aziz (رحمه الله) urged the people in his khutba (sermon),
"O people! Reform your internal affairs and your external affairs will
automatically be reformed and corrected. Act for the world hereafter and attend
to this world in proportion to its need and remember that death has eaten up
your ancestors".
He used to say, "Follow the
pious ancestors for they were superior to you both in character and
knowledge." When his son Abdul Malik died, he began to eulogize him.
Maslama said, "Why do you praise him?" He said, "It should be
seen whether the deceased was praise worthy in my eyes alone or in the eyes of
others too, for in the eyes of a father the son is always commendable and so
his act is unreliable." Osama bin Zaid's daughter visited him. He welcomed
her and sat down respectfully before her. He gave her whatever she asked for.
Once his relatives said that, they
would draw Amir Al-Muminin's attention to them through wit and humor. So
several persons assembled and went to him. One of them said something good and
the others supported him. Umar bin Abdul Aziz (رحمه
الله) said, "You have assembled over a very unworthy thing
which will result in animosity. It is better to learn the Qur'an and the
traditions of the Prophet (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم)
and ponder over the meaning of them".
Yahya Ghassani states that he
forbade the caliph Sulaiman bin Abdul Malik from killing a certain Kharij and
advised him to keep him in captivity until he became penitent. Sulaiman called
the Kharij and asked him to speak what he wanted. He said, "O corrupted
one and the son of corruption ask what you want to ask." Sulaiman said,
"I am helpless due to Umar bin Abdul Aziz's opinion," Then he called
Umar bin Abdul Aziz (رحمه الله) and asked him to
hear what this person had said. The Kharij repeated his words. Sulaiman said,
"Now tell me what do you say about this man?" Umar bin Abdul Aziz (رحمه الله)
was silent for some time and then said "O Amir Al-Muminin, abuse him too
as he has abused you." Caliph Sulaiman said, "No it is not
proper." So, he ordered his execution and he was executed. When he left,
he came across Khalid the city magistrate on the way. He said, "You gave
sage counsel to Amir Al-Muminin that he should abuse the Kharij as he had
abused him however, I was afraid that the Amir Al-Muminin would order your
execution."
Umar bin Abdul Aziz (رحمه الله) asked whether he would have cut off his
head, had he been ordered to do so. Khalid replied in the affirmative. When
Umar bin Abdul Aziz (رحمه الله) became caliph, Khalid came and stood near
him as usual. He ordered him to put his sword down and consider himself
dismissed. Then he called Amr bin Mahajir Ansari, appointed him the city
magistrate and said that he had often seen him reciting the Qur'an and
performing his Salat at such a place as none could have seen him. He used to
say, "He who kept away from disputes, anger and temptations, received
salvation." Somebody advised him to be alert and cautious in the matter of
taking food so that he would not be poisoned. He said "O Allâh! If I fear
anything except the Day of Reckoning that You have promised, don't keep me safe
from it." Once he said "O people! Fear Allâh and don't wander in
search of livelihood. The allotted livelihood whether buried in a mountain or
in the land must reach you." Azhar states that he saw him reading the Friday
sermon wearing a shirt with patches.
Once he made Amr bin Qais Sakuni the
commander of the army of Saifa and at the time of departure said, "Listen
to the pious there and forgive the wicked. Don't start slaying them as soon as
you arrive there and become notorious later on but be moderate so that they
might not forget your status and keep wanting to listen to you."
Jarrah bin Abdullah, the Governor of
Khorasan, wrote to him that the people there were very rough and they would not
be disciplined without the sword. He wrote back in reply that it was a lie that
they could not be straightened out without the sword. Justice and giving the
people their dues are things that automatically reform the people. So these two
things should be propagated amongst them.
Saleh bin Jubair relates that some
times he told him something and he got angry. Once it was mentioned with
reference to a book that people should fear a king's displeasure and when his
anger cools down, then they should go before him. After hearing that he said, "Saleh,
I allow you not to apply this restraint in my respect."
Dhahbi says that during Umar bin
Abdul Aziz's regime a man named Ghailan denied the destiny. He called him and
urged him to be penitent. He told him that had he gone astray he would guide
him then. He (رحمه الله) prayed "O Allâh! If this man is
truthful, it is good and chop off his hands and feet if he is a liar."
Saying this he released him. Ghailan stuck to his faith and continued to
propagate it and caliph Hisham bin Abdul Malik caught him and cut off his limbs
and sent him to the executioner for his crime.
Once Banu Marwan gathered at Umar
bin Abdul Aziz's door and said to his son, "Go and tell your father that
until now all the caliph's had been endowing us with land and other rewards but
you have deprived us of all these things after becoming caliph." His son
conveyed the message to him. He (رحمه الله)
asked his son to tell them that his father said.
"إن اخاف إن عصيت ربي عذاب يوم عظيم"
(I fear, if
I disobey my Lord, have the Penalty of a Mighty Day)
[Q.6:15.]
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