Hadhrat 'Umar's (Radhiyallaho anho) Daily Allowance

Hadhrat 'Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) also lived by

trade. When he was made Khalifah after Hadhrat Abu Bakr

(Radhivallaho anho), he assembled the people and said to

them:

"I earned my living through trade. As you people have

engaged me as Khalifah, I cannot attend to my business.

Now, what about my living?"

Different amounts of daily allowance from the Bait-ul-Mal

were suggested by different people. Hadhrat Ali (Radhiyallaho

anho) did not speak. 'Umar inquired of him:

"Oh Ali! what is vour suggestion?"

He replied:

"I suggest that you should take such amount as may be

on average be sufficient for vour family."

Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) accepted his suggestion

and a moderate amount was fixed as his daily allowance.

Later on. some people including Hadhrat Ali. Hadhrat

Usman, Hadhrat Zubair and Hadhrat Talhah (Radhivallaho

anhum) once proposed that Hadhrat Umar's (Radhiyallaho

anho) allowance might be increased, as it was hardlv sufficient

for him. but nobody dared to suggest that to Hadhrat

'Umar (Radhiyallaho anho). People approached Ummulmomineen

Hadhrat Hafsah (radhivallaho anha), his daughter,

and requested her to ascertain 'Umar's (Rdhivallaho

anho) reaction to the suggestion without mentioning their

names to him. When Hadhrat Hafsah (Radhiyallaho anha)

talked about it to Hadhrat IJmar (Radhivallaho anho), he

became angry and said:

"Who are the persons making this suggestion?"

Hadhrat Hafsah (Radhiyallaho anha):

"Let me first know your opinion."

Hadhrat 'Umar (Radhiyallaho anho):

"If I knew them, I would smite them on their faces

Hafsah! just tell me what was the Prophet's best dress

in your house?"

Hadhrat Hafsah (Radhiyallaho anha):

"It was a pair of reddish brown clothes, which the

Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) wore on Friday or

while receiving some envoy."

Hadhrat 'Umar (Radhiyallaho anho):

"What was the best of food that the Prophet (Sallallaho

alaihe wasallam) ever took at your house?"

Hadhrat Hafsah (Radhiyallaho anha):

"Simple barley bread was the only food we used to

take. One day I anointed a piece of bread with the sediments

from an empty butter tin, and he ate it with

relish and offered it to others as well."

Hadhrat 'Umar (Radhiyallaho anho):

What was the best bedding that the Prophet ever used

in your house?"

Hadhrat Hafsah (Radhiyallaho anha):

"It was a piece of thick cloth. In the summer it was

spread in four layers, and in the winter in two, half he

spread underneath and with the other half he covered

himself ."

Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho):

"Hafsah! Go and tell these people that the Prophet

(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has set a standard by his

personal example. I must follow him. My example and

that of my other two companions viz., the Prophet

(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and Abu Bakr (Radhivallaho

anho) is like that of three men travelling on the

same road. The first man started with a provision and

reached the goal. The second followed the first and

joined him. Now the third is on his way. If he follows

their way, he will also join them, otherwise he can

never reach them;'

Such is the life of the person who was a dread for the

monarchs of the world. What a simple life he lived! Once

he was reciting the Khutbah when it was noticed that his

lower cloth had as many as twelve patches, including one

of leather. Once he came late for his Jumu'ah prayer and

told the congregation:

"Excuse me, people! I got late because I was washing

my clothes and had no other clothes to put on."

Once he was having his meal when 'Utbah bin Abi

Farqad (Radhiyallaho anho) asked permission to see him.

He allowed him in and invited him to share the food with

him. 'Utbah (Radhiyallaho anho) started eating, but the

bread was so coarse that he could not swallow it. He said:

"Why don't you use fine flour for your bread,

'Umar?"

Mesaid: "Can every Muslim afford fine flour for his

bread?"

'Utbah replied, "No. Everybody cannot afford it."

He remarked, "Alas! You wish to fulfill all my pleasures

while I am in this world."

There are thousands of such stories about the illustrious

Sahabah. Everybody should not try to imitate them,

for we lack the physical strength of those people; and that

is why the Sufi Sheikhs of our time do not'recommend

such exercise, which tax the body too much, as the people

are already low in physical strength. We should however

keep the life of the Sahabah as an ideal before us, so that

we may at least give up some of our luxuries and lead a

simpler life (judged by modern standards). With the Sahabah's

lives as an ideal, we can at least feel ashamed when

vieing with one another in running after the luxuries of this

world.