As-salaamu'alaykum,
On another occasion Hafsah (radiyAllahu anha), the Mother of the Believers, entered upon Umar and was saddened by the obvious signs of austerity, harshness and plainness that could be seen in Umar’s face, clothing and general living conditions. She said,
“Verily, Allah has given us an abundant supply (of wealth and things of value), and He has provided you with a more than adequate amount of sustenance. Would, therefore, that you ate food that was softer (and of better quality) than this (food you now eat); and would that you wore an outfit that was softer (and more comfortable) than the one you now wear.”
Umar replied,
“I will make you a judge against yourself,”
- after which he proceeded to remind her about the Messenger of Allah’s life, and about the many hardships the Messenger of Allah endured while she was with him. And he continued to remind her about days she remembered very well herself, until finally she broke down into tears.
Umar then said,
“Verily, I had two Companions who followed the same path. And I hope that if I follow the path of difficulty (and hardship), perhaps I will join them in the easy and comfortable life that they now enjoy.”
(Az-Zuhd, by Imam Ahmad, pg. 125 and at-Tabaqaat, 3/277).
When we speak about Umar’s zuhd (ascetic) we are likely to get confused into thinking that he ruled over Muslims during hard and difficult times. That, however certainly was not the case. The world and its riches were opened up to Muslims, and the major empires of the world were conquered by Muslims during the period of Umar’s rule. But the more the world came to Umar, the less he cared about its riches and pleasures. Umar’s happiness lied not in the world and its pleasures and riches, but instead in honouring Allah’s religion and subduing the strength of polytheists. Consequently, zuhd was a salient feature of Umar’s character.
(Al-Farooq Ameer al-Mu’mineen, by Dr. Lamaadah, pg. 11)
Sa’ad ibn Abi Waqqaas (radiyAllahu anh) once said,
“By Allah, Umar ibn al-Khattaab was not the first among us to perform hijrah (so it was not his early hijrah that made him the best among us). I came to know what made him better than us: He renounced the world (and its trifling pleasures) to a greater degree than any other person among us).”
(The chain of this narration is good. It is related by Ibn Abi Shaibah, in his Musannaf, 8/149 and by ibn Asaaakir, 52/244)
On another occasion Hafsah (radiyAllahu anha), the Mother of the Believers, entered upon Umar and was saddened by the obvious signs of austerity, harshness and plainness that could be seen in Umar’s face, clothing and general living conditions. She said,
“Verily, Allah has given us an abundant supply (of wealth and things of value), and He has provided you with a more than adequate amount of sustenance. Would, therefore, that you ate food that was softer (and of better quality) than this (food you now eat); and would that you wore an outfit that was softer (and more comfortable) than the one you now wear.”
Umar replied,
“I will make you a judge against yourself,”
- after which he proceeded to remind her about the Messenger of Allah’s life, and about the many hardships the Messenger of Allah endured while she was with him. And he continued to remind her about days she remembered very well herself, until finally she broke down into tears.
Umar then said,
“Verily, I had two Companions who followed the same path. And I hope that if I follow the path of difficulty (and hardship), perhaps I will join them in the easy and comfortable life that they now enjoy.”
(Az-Zuhd, by Imam Ahmad, pg. 125 and at-Tabaqaat, 3/277).
When we speak about Umar’s zuhd (ascetic) we are likely to get confused into thinking that he ruled over Muslims during hard and difficult times. That, however certainly was not the case. The world and its riches were opened up to Muslims, and the major empires of the world were conquered by Muslims during the period of Umar’s rule. But the more the world came to Umar, the less he cared about its riches and pleasures. Umar’s happiness lied not in the world and its pleasures and riches, but instead in honouring Allah’s religion and subduing the strength of polytheists. Consequently, zuhd was a salient feature of Umar’s character.
(Al-Farooq Ameer al-Mu’mineen, by Dr. Lamaadah, pg. 11)
Sa’ad ibn Abi Waqqaas (radiyAllahu anh) once said,
“By Allah, Umar ibn al-Khattaab was not the first among us to perform hijrah (so it was not his early hijrah that made him the best among us). I came to know what made him better than us: He renounced the world (and its trifling pleasures) to a greater degree than any other person among us).”
(The chain of this narration is good. It is related by Ibn Abi Shaibah, in his Musannaf, 8/149 and by ibn Asaaakir, 52/244)