Hazrat Umar’s (ra) Sacrifice at the Battle of Tabuk

With regard to what is mentioned in relation to Hazrat Umar’s (ra) role in the Battle of Tabuk; Hazrat Umar (ra) narrates an incident of his from the time of this battle, when the Holy Prophet (sa) made a special appeal for financial contributions,

“One day, the Holy Prophet (sa) instructed us to offer Sadqah [alms]. I had some wealth at the time and I thought that if ever there was an opportunity to surpass Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) it was today. Hence, I presented half of my wealth. The Holy Prophet (sa) asked what I had left behind for my family. I said that I had left an equal amount to what I had presented. Then, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) presented all [the wealth] that he had. I had only presented half while Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) brought all that he had. The Holy Prophet (sa) also asked him what he had left behind for his family to which he replied that he had left them Allah and His Messenger (sa).” Hazrat Umar (ra) says, “I realised I would never be able to surpass Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) in anything.”

(Sunan Abu Daud, Kitab-ul-Zakat, Hadith no. 1678)

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) has also mentioned this incident in the following manner:

“With regard to the occasion of one battle, Hazrat Umar (ra) says, ‘I thought to myself that Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) always exceeded me; however, today, I would surpass him. With this in mind, I went home, took half of my wealth and presented it to the Holy Prophet (sa). That era of Islam was one of great difficulties, yet Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) brought all of his wealth and presented it to the Holy Prophet (sa). The Holy Prophet (sa) asked Abu Bakr (ra) what he had left at home, to which he replied, “Allah and His Messenger (sa)”’ Hazrat Umar (ra) states, ‘Upon hearing this, I became extremely embarrassed and understood that even after trying my utmost to surpass Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), he still exceeded me.’”

(Fazail Al-Quran 3, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 11, p. 577)

The Promised Messiah (as) states:

“There was a time when people were ready to sacrifice their lives like sheep and goats, let alone their wealth, for the sake of the faith. On more than one occasion, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) sacrificed his entire wealth.”

The Promised Messiah (as) says that this did not only happen once; rather, it happened more than once, “to the extent that he did not let so much as a needle remain in his home, and the same was done by Hazrat Umar (ra) according to his capacity and means and Hazrat Uthman (ra) according to his ability and means. And in the same manner and according to their spiritual ranks, all the Companions (ra) were prepared to sacrifice their lives and wealth for the sake of this divine faith.”

The Promised Messiah (as) then mentions certain people of the Jamaat at that time and states, “Then there are those who pledge allegiance and also declare that they give precedence to the faith over the world but when the need for help arises, they seal their pockets. With such love for the world, is it possible for one to attain any spiritual objective? And can such people prove useful to the prophet? Absolutely not. Allah the Almighty states:

لَنْ‭ ‬تَنَالُوا‭ ‬الْبِرَّ‭ ‬حَتّٰى‭ ‬تُنْفِقُوْا‭ ‬مِمَّا‭ ‬تُحِبُّوْنَ‬‬‬‬‬‬

“‘Never shall you attain to righteousness until you spend out of that which you love. (3:93)].’”

(Malfuzat, Vol. 6, p. 40, footnote)