‘Umar bin ‘Abdil ‘Azeez (rahimahullah) was a ruler renowned for his profound sense of justice. His fairness, humility and firm adherence to the sunnah were so remarkable that he was referred to as “‘Umar the Second,” after the eminent model of justice, Sayyiduna ‘Umar bin Khattaab (radhiyallahu ‘anhu).
‘Umar bin ‘Abdil ‘Azeez (rahimahullah) established a public charity house dedicated to distributing food to the poor, the needy and travellers. After setting it up, he cautioned his wife, saying, “Refrain from taking any food from this house, for it is solely for the poor, the needy and travellers.”
One day, ‘Umar bin ‘Abdil ‘Azeez (rahimahullah) arrived and saw his slave girl carrying a bowl containing some milk. He asked her, “What is this?” She replied, “As you know, your wife is pregnant, and she craved some milk. When a pregnant woman craves something and it is not given to her, she fears that she may experience a miscarriage. Therefore, I took a small amount of milk from this (charity) house.”
‘Umar bin ‘Abdil ‘Azeez (rahimahullah) led her to his wife, raising his voice as he said, “If nothing will preserve what is in her womb except the food of the poor and the destitute, then may Allah not preserve it.” When he entered, she asked, “What is the matter?” He replied, “She claims that nothing will preserve what is in your womb except the food of the poor and the destitute. If it can only be preserved by that, then may Allah not preserve it.” Upon hearing this, his wife said to the slave girl, “Return it, woe be to you! By Allah, I will not taste it.” The slave girl then returned the milk (to the place from which she had taken it). (Tabaqaat Ibni Sa’d vol. 5, pg. 378)
Lessons:
1. Bringing comfort to people who are in distress and difficulty is a means of earning immense reward from Allah Ta‘ala and one of the greatest ways of securing His help and assistance. This may be achieved through various means, such as financial support, feeding others or offering physical assistance. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “Whoever relieves a believer of a worldly hardship, Allah will relieve him of a hardship from the hardships of the Day of Qiyaamah.” He further said, “Allah continues to help His slave as long as the slave is engaged in helping his brother.” (Saheeh Muslim #6853)
2. True integrity in handling public funds demands utmost caution, even when one holds authority and no one is watching. This principle is vividly demonstrated in the conduct of ‘Umar bin ‘Abdil ‘Azeez (rahimahullah). Despite being the ruler and having the ability to justify a small allowance for his household, he refused to permit even a drop of food designated for the poor to enter his home.
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