Humility and Righteousness (II)

With regard to Hazrat Umar’s (ra) humility and humbleness, there is a narration from Jubair bin Nufair who states that a group of people said to Hazrat Umar (ra), “O Leader of the Faithful! By Allah, we have not seen anyone more just and truthful, and firm against the hypocrites than yourself. Indeed, after the Holy Prophet (sa), you are the best among us.” Auf bin Malik said to the person who said this, “By Allah, you have lied. Verily we have seen the best person among us after the Holy Prophet (sa)”, i.e. the one better than Hazrat Umar (ra).

Hazrat Umar (ra) asked, “O Auf! Who is that person?” to which he replied, “Abu Bakr (ra)”. Hazrat Umar (ra) then said that Auf has spoken the truth and about the person who said the earlier statement that he had lied. He then said, “By Allah! Abu Bakr (ra)was even purer than the scent of musk and I am even more lost than the camels belonging to my people.”

(Kanz al-Ummal, Vol. 6, Kitab Fada‘il al-Sahabah, Riwayah No. 5624, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut)