Taking Care of People with His Own Hands
Zaid bin Aslam (ra) relates that his father once stated, “I accompanied Hazrat Umar (ra) bin Al-Khattab to Harrah Waqim.” This was located between two “Harrahs”. A Harrah is an area which has a dark rocky terrain. Harrah Waqim is situated towards the east of Medina and is also known as Harrah Banu Qurayza. The other area is called Harrat-ul-Waburah, which is located towards the west of Medina, at a distance of three miles.
Nevertheless, he narrates, “I went there [i.e. Harrah Waqim]. When we reached a place called Sarar, we saw that a campfire had been lit there.” Sarar is also situated at a distance of three miles from Medina. “Hazrat Umar (ra) stated, ‘O Aslam! I believe that these are travellers, who have been held back due to the night and the cold weather. Come let us go to them!’ Hence, we quickly went towards them and saw a woman with her children. There was a pot placed on the fire and her children were profusely crying due to hunger. Hazrat Umar (ra) said, ‘O people of the light, may peace be upon you!’” He did not wish to say people of the fire and said people of the light instead. “The woman replied, ‘May peace be upon you as well.’ Hazrat Umar (ra) asked permission to come closer and the woman replied, ‘You may do so with a good purpose, otherwise, you may turn back.’” In other words, if he wished to say something good, he could do so and if not, he should turn back.
“Upon this, Hazrat Umar (ra) came closer and asked what the matter was. The woman stated, ‘The night and the cold have kept us here.’ Hazrat Umar (ra) then asked, ‘What is the matter with the children and why are they crying like this?’ The lady replied that they were doing so out of hunger. Hazrat Umar (ra) enquired what was in this pot and she replied, ‘It only contains water. I am comforting my children with it until they fall asleep. Allah will judge between us and Umar (ra).’ Hazrat Umar (ra) said, ‘O lady! May Allah have mercy on you! How could Umar have known about your circumstances?’ She replied, ‘He is the guardian of our affairs and yet he is unaware of our conditions.’”
Aslam, who was accompanying Hazrat Umar (ra), says, “Hazrat Umar (ra) then came to me and said, ‘Come with me!’ We once again walked very quickly and reached Dar-ul-Daqiq.” Hazrat Umar (ra) had constructed a building, by the name of Dar-ul-Daqiq, during his Khilafat, in which flour, parched and ground barley, dates, raisins and other necessary items were stored, which a traveller could need on a journey. Hazrat Umar (ra) had also constructed several rest areas for people travelling between Mecca and Medina. Nevertheless, [it further narrates] “He took hold of a sack of grains and a can of clarified butter from there. He then asked me to help him lift it so that he could carry it.”
Aslam further narrates, “I submitted, ‘Let me carry it for you’, but Hazrat Umar (ra) repeatedly stated that he should help him so that he could carry it himself and each time I requested that I would carry it for him, Hazrat Umar (ra) stated, ‘Will you carry my burden on the Day of Judgement?’ Upon this, I helped place the sack on him and Hazrat Umar (ra) carried this sack on his back and walked very swiftly and I also quickly walked alongside him until we reached that woman. Hazrat Umar (ra) placed the sack near her, took out some flour and said, ‘Slowly pour this into the pot while I stir it for you.’”
In another narration, it is written that Hazrat Umar (ra) said, “Slowly pour the flower and I will prepare for your Harira [native Arab dish made of milk and flour].” Hazrat Umar (ra) then started blowing under the pot in order to kindle the fire.
Aslam, i.e. the narrator, further states, “Hazrat Umar (ra) had a long and thick beard and I saw that the smoke was appearing from his beard.” In other words, the smoke would rise and go on his face and also go into his beard. “When the food was ready, he removed the pot from the fire and asked for a utensil to be brought, upon which the lady brought a large plate. Hazrat Umar (ra) poured the food into it and said, ‘Feed this to your children while I spread it out for you so that it may cool down.’ In other words, he would spread it and cool it in another utensil. Hazrat Umar (ra) continued to do so until the children had eaten their fill and whatever remained of the food he left it with her.”
Aslam then states, “Hazrat Umar (ra) then stood up and I also stood up with him. Upon this, the lady said, ‘May Allah the Almighty reward you in the best manner. You are more deserving of this”, i.e. a reward, “than Amir-ul-Momineen [leader of the faithful].’ Upon this, Hazrat Umar (ra) said, ‘You should speak that which is good. When you go to Amir-ul-Momineen, you will find me there, insha-Allah.’”
Aslam further states, “Following this, Hazrat Umar (ra) went to one side and sat down facing the woman. I said to Hazrat Umar (ra), ‘Is there anything else left to do?’ Hazrat Umar (ra) did not say a word to me until we saw the children playing with each other and laughing and then all of them peacefully went to sleep. Upon this, Hazrat Umar (ra) thanked God and then stood up and turned towards me and said, ‘O Aslam! These children were awake and crying due to hunger. I desired not to leave this place until I got to witness this peaceful state of theirs, which I have just witnessed.’”
(Tarikh Al-Tabari, Vol. 2, pp. 567-568, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut [1987]) (Farhang-e-Sirat, p. 101, 102 & 172, Zawar Academy Publications Urdu Bazaar, Karachi [2003]) (Syedna Umar bin Khattab Shakhsiyat Aur Karnaame, p. 442, Al-Furqan Trust, Khan Garh, Muzaffar Garh, Pakistan [Lisan-ul-Arab, under the word “Harr”])
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) has also narrated this incident. He states:
“If one cannot have access to the essential provisions, it is then the duty of the Muslim government to provide them.” Here, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) is outlining the responsibilities of a Muslim government. “There is an incident of Hazrat Umar (ra) in relation to this which is extremely moving and reveals the true reality. On one occasion, the Second Caliph (ra) was observing whether any of the Muslims were facing any hardship. There was a village called Marar situated three miles from the capital of Medina.”
Our researchers say that it was not Marar but Sarar and it is possible that this was an error by the scribe, who mistakenly wrote Marar. In any case, it further states:
“He heard someone crying. He followed the sound and presently came upon an old woman who was tending a pot on the fire and three children near her who were weeping. The caliph enquired of the old woman what their trouble was. She replied that they had had nothing to eat for two days, and as she could procure no food, she had put an empty pot on the fire to make them think that food would soon be ready; and thus to cajole them into sleep.
“The caliph thereupon returned to Medina. He procured flour, butter, meat and dates and put them in a bag. He then called a slave and asked him to lift the bundle onto his [the Caliph’s] back. The assistant with him protested that he would carry the bundle himself. ‘No doubt,’ replied Hazrat Umar (ra), ‘you can carry this bundle for me now, but who will carry my burden on the Day of Judgment?’, meaning that as he had neglected his duty to provide for the woman and her children, the only atonement he could make was to carry the bundle of provisions himself to her.”
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) writes that an allowance was assigned for every one of those in need, but from this incident, one should not think that this instilled indolence within people. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) further writes:
“But while Islam enjoins helping the poor, it disapproves of idleness and sloth. The object of state allowances was not, therefore, the encouragement of idleness. They were made only in really deserving cases. People were encouraged to work for their living and were restrained from begging. Hazrat Umar (ra) once noticed a person asking for alms who had a bagful of flour with him. The caliph took away the bag of flour from him, emptied it out before some camels, and turning to him said, ‘Now you may beg.’ It is on record that beggars were compelled by the state to earn their livelihood by labour.”
(Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam, pp. 272-274, Islam International Publications, Ltd. [2007])
If they were able and healthy, then they had no reason to beg; rather, they ought to work hard and earn money and eat thereof. Through this, Hazrat Umar (ra) taught that man a lesson that if he begged again then he would again take his food provisions away from him and place them before the animals. Many of those who beg from others present this example of Hazrat Umar (ra) in order to support their stance in that how he would look after the people, but they fail to recognise the fact that Islam has very strictly prohibited begging from others. Moreover, the example of the Holy Prophet (sa) in relation to this is also there which Hazrat Umar (ra) implemented.
Then whilst narrating this incident on another occasion, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) stated:
“Look at the example of Hazrat Umar (ra)! On the one hand, the great leaders of the world would tremble in fear owing to his awe and reputation. Even the governments of the Byzantines and Persians would fear him, but on the other hand, a person of such a lofty rank like Umar (ra) became greatly anxious upon seeing a Bedouin woman and her children hungry in the night and he took a sack of flour and container of butter in his hand and went to them. And he did not return from there until he had cooked the food with his own hands and gave it to the children and then waited for them to sleep.”
(Sair-e-Ruhani [Part 6], Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 22, p. 596)
Hazrat Umar’s (ra) freed slave, Aslam, who was mentioned previously as well, states:
“A group of traders once arrived in Medina and they stayed in the area designated to perform the Eid prayer. Hazrat Umar (ra) stated to Hazrat Abdur (ra) Rahman bin Auf, ‘Would you like it that we stand guard in the night for them?’ Hazrat Abdur (ra) Rahman bin Auf replied in the affirmative. Following this, both of them stood guard for them all night and spent the time in worship. During this time, Hazrat Umar (ra) heard the cry of a child and he went towards the sound of the cry and said to the mother, ‘Fear Allah the Almighty and take proper care of your child.’ After saying this, he returned” – in other words, he returned to the place where they were guarding the provisions [of the traders] – “but again, Hazrat Umar (ra) heard the cry of the child and went to the mother and said the same thing to her as he had stated earlier and then returned.
“When night entered its latter part, he heard the child’s cry again, he went to his mother and said, ‘You are extremely negligent! I have noticed that your child has been crying all night.’ Upon this, she replied, ‘O servant of Allah! I am trying to convince him to eat something else other than drink my milk, but he continues to refuse and only wants the milk.’ Hazrat Umar (ra) enquired as to why she did this and she stated, ‘Because Hazrat Umar (ra) only assigns an allowance for those children who have been weaned.’ Hazrat Umar (ra) then asked the child’s age and she told him his age. Hazrat Umar (ra) then stated, ‘Do not wean the child prematurely.’ Thereafter, Hazrat Umar (ra) led the Fajr prayer and owing to his emotions, his recitation could not even be heard properly by the congregants. Hazrat Umar (ra) then said to himself, ‘Woe be unto you O Umar! For you have taken the lives of so many Muslim children.’ Then, he issued an instruction to the person who made the announcements to declare that they should stop weaning the children prematurely. As of this point, in Islam, an allowance would be fixed for every child from the moment they were born. Hazrat Umar (ra) sent this instruction to all the Muslim lands.”
(Al-Bidaya Wa Al-Nihaya, Ibn Kathir, Vol. 10, pp. 185-186, Dar-e-Hijr, 1998)
This incident has also been narrated by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) in his own unique manner. He states:
“Initially, Hazrat Umar (ra) did not fix any allowance for those children who were suckling, but later he established the right [for an allowance] of children who were still being suckled and issued an instruction that this allowance should be given to their mothers. Hazrat Umar (ra) thought that since a child who was still being nursed did not actively contribute to society, thus the responsibility for [providing the provisions to] the child was with the mother and not the public treasury.
“However, Hazrat Umar (ra) once went for a walk and a group of Bedouin traders had arrived just outside of the city. Hazrat Umar (ra) heard the cries of a child coming from a tent and the mother was trying to console the child by patting him so that he would fall asleep. When the child continuously cried despite her consoling him, she slapped the child and said, ‘Cry for Umar!’ Hazrat Umar (ra) was shocked because he had nothing to do with this. Hazrat Umar (ra) sought permission from the lady to enter the tent and then enquired the matter from her. Since she did not recognise Hazrat Umar (ra), she said, ‘Umar (ra) has fixed an allowance for everyone but he does not realise that this child is also in need of nourishment. I have weaned him as I wanted him to be assigned with an allowance but I do not have enough milk.’
“Hazrat Umar (ra) immediately returned and took out a bag of flour from the treasury and carried it with him. The attendant of the treasury came forward to help carry it but Hazrat Umar (ra) stated, ‘Leave it! I shall carry it myself. When I will be whipped on the Day of Judgment, will you stand in my place? I wonder how many children have died as a result of me.’ Thereafter, Hazrat Umar (ra) issued an instruction that even those children that were being suckled would be assigned an allowance.”
(Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 27, p. 353)
The Promised Messiah (as) states:
“In the hadith, it has been narrated by Ammar bin Khuzaima, ‘Hazrat Umar (ra) said to my father, “What has stopped you from planting trees on your land?” His father’”, who was no longer planting any new trees and nor increasing his orchard or perhaps was not replacing the withered plants with new ones, “‘replied, “I am old and will soon pass away. Therefore, what benefit will this be to me?” Hazrat Umar (ra) replied, “This is no reason for you to not to do this. It is incumbent for you to plant trees.” I then saw that Hazrat Umar (ra) would help my father plant the trees.’”
(Malfuzat, Vol. 2, p. 92)
The Promised Messiah (as) also narrated this account in relation to safeguarding oneself from indolence and laziness and stated that this person was eating the fruits of the previous generation i.e. the plants which had already been planted, but he ought to also leave something behind for the future generation.
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) states:
“Hazrat Umar (ra) would walk in the nights in order to observe the state of affairs. Once, he was walking in the city at night and he heard a woman reciting very romantic poetry [longing for her husband to return]. Hazrat Umar (ra) investigated the matter and learnt that her husband was in the army and would be away from her for a long period of time. Hazrat Umar (ra) then issued an instruction that a soldier must not be sent away for more than four months. And if he desired to stay for longer, then he must take his wife with him otherwise the commander of the army must send him back after four months.”
(Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 4, p. 63 [1914])
In relation to this incident, it is also mentioned that Hazrat Umar (ra) stated to the woman who was reciting these couplets, “Have you committed any ill deed?” To which she replied, “I seek refuge with Allah!” Upon this, Hazrat Umar (ra) stated, “Remain steadfast. I am sending a letter to your husband.” And so, Hazrat Umar (ra) sent a messenger so that he may return. Hazrat Umar (ra) then further investigated the matter and then, as mentioned earlier, he issued an instruction that a husband should not be sent away for more than a duration of four months, or his family should be sent with him.
(Tarikh-ul-Khulafa, Al-Suyuti, p.111, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1999)
Aslam, the freed slave of Hazrat Umar (ra) relates:
“One night, I went to the outskirts of Medina along with Hazrat Umar (ra). We saw a tent and decided to go towards it. As we got closer, we heard a woman experiencing labour pains and was crying. Hazrat Umar (ra) enquired about her condition and she stated that she was not from the area and was travelling and therefore did not have the necessary provisions. Upon this, Hazrat Umar (ra) became emotional and quickly returned home. He said to his wife, Hazrat Umm Kulthum bint Ali (ra), ‘Would you like to attain a reward which Allah the Almighty has brought to you?’ Hazrat Umar (ra) then related the entire incident, to which Hazrat Umm Kulthum (ra) said, ‘Yes, of course.’
“Hazrat Umar (ra) then carried some flour and butter on his back while Hazrat Umm Kulthum (ra) took the necessary provisions required for a delivery and they both arrived there. Hazrat Umm Kulthum (ra) then went to that woman and Hazrat Umar (ra) sat with her husband who was also there at the time but he did not recognise Hazrat Umar (ra). Hazrat Umar (ra) began talking to him.
“When his wife had given birth to a son, Hazrat Umm Kulthum (ra) came out and said to Hazrat Umar (ra), “O Leader of the Faithful! Give glad tidings to your friend, for he has been blessed with a son.” It was only when he heard Hazrat Umm Kulthum (ra) say this that he realised that he was sitting next to such an esteemed person and thus began to apologise. Hazrat Umar (ra) stated that there was no need to apologise and then gave them some money and other provisions and then returned.
(Al-Bidaya Wa Al-Nihaya, Ibn Kathir, Vol. 10, p. 186, Dar-e-Hijr [1998])