When Ameerul Mu-mineen Sayyiduna ‘Umar bin Khattaab (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) set out to conquer Baytul Muqaddas, he spent time with the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) in Syria. The commanders of the army would invite him to their homes, and he would accept their invitations out of respect for them. However, the only commander who had not invited him was Sayyiduna Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Jarraah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu).
Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) eventually said to him, “Every commander of the army has invited me to his home except you.” Sayyiduna Abu ‘Ubaidah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) replied, “O Ameerul Mu-mineen! If I invite you (to my home and you visit me), I fear that it will bring tears to your eyes.”
When Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) entered his home, he saw that Sayyiduna Abu ‘Ubaidah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) possessed nothing besides a few pieces of dry bread, a water bag, a sword, a shield, a saddle bag and a saddle blanket which he also used as his bedding and pillow.
Now that Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) arrived as his guest, Sayyiduna Abu ‘Ubaidah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) brought out the dry pieces of bread, salt and water and presented it before Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu).
Upon seeing how few items Sayyiduna Abu ‘Ubaidah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) possessed, Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) began to cry. He embraced Sayyiduna Abu ‘Ubaidah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and said, “You are my brother. There is no one among my companions who has not acquired something of the world and it has taken something from him, except you.” Sayyiduna Abu ‘Ubaidah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) replied, “Did I not tell you that you would cry in my home?”
According to one narration, Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) asked Sayyiduna Abu ‘Ubaidah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), “Why do you not (at least) keep some goods or belongings?” He replied, “O Ameerul Mu-mineen! This will (suffice to) see us through to our (final) resting place.”
(Al-Iktifaa vol. 3, pg. 295, Hilyatul Awliyaa vol. 1, pg. 146 and Az-Zuhd – Ibnul Mubaarak #586)
Lesson:
Sayyiduna Abu ‘Ubaidah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) understood that the purpose of this worldly life was not to accumulate possessions, but to prepare for the Aakhirah. While there is nothing inherently wrong with enjoying worldly comforts, the real concern arises when the heart becomes attached to them and a person begins to measure his success by what he owns. A person can live with very little yet be rich in contentment, while another can possess much yet remain unsatisfied. We should therefore learn to live simply, ensuring that our possessions remain in our hands and do not take over our hearts. After all, we will eventually leave everything behind, and only the deeds we send ahead will benefit us in the Aakhirah.
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