Umar ibn Al-Khattab (RA)
Character of Umar (RA)
Muhammad (SAW) said: if there was a prophet after me it would have been Umar (RA). The prophet (SAW) also said: when the shaytwan sees Umar (RA) walking down the road, he takes a different road or he runs in the opposite direction. When everyone was migrating to medina they did so secretly but Umar (RA) went to the middle of Mecca and told everyone he had accepted Islam and he will be migrating to Medina. Not only that, he told them: if you want to make your mother cry, leave your wife a widow, and make your children orphans, then come after me.
Story 1: Allowance for Children
Allowance for every child born in a Muslim land was first created by Umar (RA) 1400 years ago. One day Umar (RA) and Abdur Rahman Ibn Awf (RA) were looking after a group of people and there was a child crying in this group. So Umar (RA) goes to the child’s mother and tells her to comfort her child. Later on that night he finds that the child is still crying. So he tells the mother: what an evil mother you are letting your child cry all this time. She does not know that he was Umar(RA) so she says: it is the fault of the Ameer Al-Mu’mineen (leader of the Believers), who was Umar (RA) at that time, who has given allowance to every child that has been weaned off, which means that the child is no longer drinking the mother’s breast milk. She told him: she needs that allowance so that is why she cannot give milk to her child to wean off the child and that is why the child is crying.This touched Umar (RA) so much, and Abdur Rahman Ibn Awf (RA) narrates: when Umar (RA) led the Fajr prayer the next morning , I swear by Allah (SWT) that he cried so much that we could not understand what he was reciting. He turned around after salah and said: woe on to you Umar (RA), how many children have you killed because of this law of yours? From this day, Umar (RA) made it obligatory that every child when it is born, will get an allowance.
Story 2: Blind Deed
One night Umar (RA) was walking in Medina which is something he frequently did as the Ameer Al-Mu’mineen.. He was followed one day by Talha (RA) and he saw Umar (RA) walking into a house quietly when no one was watching and came out after a little while to leave. Talha (RA) decided to go to this house the following day to see what was going on. He found a very old blind woman there. He asked her who came to her house last night. She said: I do not know but it is a man who told me he will come every so often. He brings me food and stuff and he also cleans my entire house and leaves. Talha (RA) tells her that this man is Umar (RA), the Ameer Al-Mumineen. |Heart to Heart: This is the most reputed, respected, and powerful person in the city and he is helping a stranger without being asked to, asking for anything in return, nor getting credit for it by others. He knows Allah (SWT) sees his deeds and that is all he needs. This is something we all should strive for and need more of in this dunya.|