As-salaamu'alaykum,
Zaid ibn Aslam related from his father the following account. One day, Aslam (radiyAllahu anh) accompanied Umar (radiyAllahu anh) to the marketplace. As they were out together, a young woman met Umar and told him her sad situation: Her husband had died; she had young children; and she had very little money to take care of them. She said to Umar,
“My husband has died and has left behind small children. By Allah, there is no Kiraa’ (Kiraa’ means the meat that is between an animal’s knee and its ankle, but she obviously meant meat in general) to cook for them. They have no animals to milk, and they own no property to farm. And I fear that they will die as a result of the drought (that has afflicted our lands).”
Having told Umar her situation, she said,
“I am the daughter of Khifaaf ibn Eemaa Al-Ghifaaree (he was the Imam and Khateeb of the Banu Ghifaar tribe. He was with the Prophet
at al-Hudaibiyyah, and he died during the caliphate of Umar). My father was present alongside the Messenger of Allah at al-Hudaibiyyah.”
Even though Umar probably had pressing business, he stayed to listen to the young woman’s story. When she finished talking, he said to her,
“Welcome to a close relation.”
Indicating to her that she should wait, Umar went to a strong camel that was tied to a nearby house. He loaded the camel with two bags that were filled with food, and he placed between the bags spending money and clothes. He then handed her the reins of the camel and said,
“Steer this camel (to wherever you have to go (for and it and everything upon it are yours)),”
Then, giving her hope for easier days to come, he said to her,
“These things will not run out before Allah brings good your way (i.e., until Allah improves your situation).”
A man who witnessed what happened said,
“O Leader of the Believers, did you not give her too much?”
Umar replied
“May your mother be bereaved of you! By Allah, I saw her father and her brother lay siege to a fortress for quite some time. And then, when the two of them defeated those who were inside of the fortress we began to ask from them our shares of the Fa’iy (war booty).”
(Bukhari, the Book of Battles, 3928)
This is a clear proof of Umar’s faithfulness and loyalty towards anyone who made sacrifices for or contributions to the cause of Islam. Certainly, we today need to look at ourselves and ask whether we are faithful to those who deserve our loyalty. It is certainly an important question that each one of us needs to ask himself, since faithfulness, important though it is as a sign of one’s Eemaan (Faith), is lacking, or even non-existent, in most people today.
(Ashaab Ar-Rasool, by Mahmood Al-Misree, 1/177)
Zaid ibn Aslam related from his father the following account. One day, Aslam (radiyAllahu anh) accompanied Umar (radiyAllahu anh) to the marketplace. As they were out together, a young woman met Umar and told him her sad situation: Her husband had died; she had young children; and she had very little money to take care of them. She said to Umar,
“My husband has died and has left behind small children. By Allah, there is no Kiraa’ (Kiraa’ means the meat that is between an animal’s knee and its ankle, but she obviously meant meat in general) to cook for them. They have no animals to milk, and they own no property to farm. And I fear that they will die as a result of the drought (that has afflicted our lands).”
Having told Umar her situation, she said,
“I am the daughter of Khifaaf ibn Eemaa Al-Ghifaaree (he was the Imam and Khateeb of the Banu Ghifaar tribe. He was with the Prophet
at al-Hudaibiyyah, and he died during the caliphate of Umar). My father was present alongside the Messenger of Allah at al-Hudaibiyyah.”Even though Umar probably had pressing business, he stayed to listen to the young woman’s story. When she finished talking, he said to her,
“Welcome to a close relation.”
Indicating to her that she should wait, Umar went to a strong camel that was tied to a nearby house. He loaded the camel with two bags that were filled with food, and he placed between the bags spending money and clothes. He then handed her the reins of the camel and said,
“Steer this camel (to wherever you have to go (for and it and everything upon it are yours)),”
Then, giving her hope for easier days to come, he said to her,
“These things will not run out before Allah brings good your way (i.e., until Allah improves your situation).”
A man who witnessed what happened said,
“O Leader of the Believers, did you not give her too much?”
Umar replied
“May your mother be bereaved of you! By Allah, I saw her father and her brother lay siege to a fortress for quite some time. And then, when the two of them defeated those who were inside of the fortress we began to ask from them our shares of the Fa’iy (war booty).”
(Bukhari, the Book of Battles, 3928)
This is a clear proof of Umar’s faithfulness and loyalty towards anyone who made sacrifices for or contributions to the cause of Islam. Certainly, we today need to look at ourselves and ask whether we are faithful to those who deserve our loyalty. It is certainly an important question that each one of us needs to ask himself, since faithfulness, important though it is as a sign of one’s Eemaan (Faith), is lacking, or even non-existent, in most people today.
(Ashaab Ar-Rasool
, by Mahmood Al-Misree, 1/177)