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.
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