The words of Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him)

It is narrated from Aslam, the slave of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: When we went to al-Sham with Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), he made his camel kneel and went off to relieve himself. I laid my leather garment between the two parts of the saddle. When Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came back, he (may Allah be pleased with him) rode upon that leather. We then met the people of al-Sham, who received Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). They began to look about, so I began to point Sayyiduna Umar out to them. The narrator said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Their eyes yearn for the mounts of those who have no share. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) meant the mounts of the non-Arabs.

It is narrated from Qays, who said: When Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived in al-Sham, the people came out to receive him. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was on his camel. The people said: O Commander of the Believers, what if you were to ride a non-Arab horse, since the chiefs and leaders of the people will be meeting you? The narrator said: At this Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Do I not see you here? The matter comes only from there, and he (may Allah be pleased with him) pointed with his hand towards the sky. Clear the way for my camel.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Tariq bin Shihab (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: When Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived in al-Sham, the troops came to him, and he (may Allah be pleased with him) was wearing (at that time) a lower garment, two leather socks and a turban, and he (may Allah be pleased with him) was holding the head of his camel and wading through the water. The people said: O Commander of the Believers, the armies are meeting you, and the patricians (Byzantine commanders) of al-Sham are meeting you, and you are in this state! The narrator said: At this Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We are a people whom Allah Almighty has honoured through Islam, so we will never seek honour through anything else.

It is narrated from Shaqiq, who said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote in a letter: Indeed the world is sweet and green. Whoever takes it with its right deserves to be blessed in it, and whoever takes it otherwise is like one who eats and is never full.

It is narrated from Ibrahim bin Abd al-Rahman bin Awf, who said: When the treasures of the family of Kisra were brought to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), they contained so much gold and silver that the eyes were dazzled by it. The narrator said: At this Sayyiduna Umar wept. The narrator said: Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman said: O Commander of the Believers, what has made you weep? Surely today is a day of gratitude, happiness and joy. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: These things never become abundant among any people except that Allah Almighty casts enmity and hatred between them.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I saw four patches on the shirt of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), between his shoulders.

It is narrated from Sa'id bin Abi Burdah, who said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote to Sayyiduna Abu Musa: To proceed: The most fortunate shepherd (one in charge) is the one through whom his flock prospers, and surely the most wretched shepherd (one in charge) before Allah is the one through whom his flock is brought to misery. Beware of beginning to graze (in the wrong place), so that your officials begin to graze as well. For then your likeness before Allah will be that of an animal which looks at the greenery of the earth and begins to graze in it, its aim being to grow fat, while its death lies in its very fatness. Peace be upon you.

It is narrated from al-Hasan, who said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The subjects will render to the ruler only what the ruler renders to Allah. So when the ruler begins to graze, the subjects graze as well.

It is narrated from Muhammad bin Shihab, who said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Do not interfere in matters that do not concern you. Keep away from your enemy. Be on your guard even with your friend, except the trustworthy one, for nothing can match a trustworthy man among the people. Do not keep the company of a wicked person, for he will teach you his wickedness too. Do not tell him your secret. And consult about your affairs those who fear Allah Almighty.

It is narrated from Muhammad bin Suqah, who said: I came to Nu'aym bin Abi Hind and he brought out a document to show me. In it was written: This letter is from Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) to Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). Peace be upon you. To proceed: We knew you when the matter of your own self was of great importance to you. You are now in such a state that you have been given authority over the red and the black of this Ummah. The noble and the lowly sit before you, and friend and enemy sit before you, and each receives his share of justice. O Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)! So look to how you will be at that point. For we warn you of a day on which faces will be humbled, hearts will have dried up, and arguments will be cut off on that day. There will be a King who will prevail over the people by His might, and creation will be abased before Him, hoping for the mercy of their Lord and fearing His punishment. And it used to be related to us that the matter of this Ummah would, in its last days, return to this: that they would be brothers in public and enemies in private. And we seek refuge with Allah from this letter of ours to you settling anywhere other than the place from which it has come down from our hearts. For we have written to you only out of sincere goodwill. Peace be upon you. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote to the two of them: From Umar bin al-Khattab to Sayyiduna Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him). Peace be upon you both. To proceed: You have written to me, reminding me that you knew me when the matter of my own self was of great importance to me, and that I am now in such a state that I have been given authority over the red and the black of this Ummah. The noble and the lowly sit before me, and friend and enemy sit before me, and each has his share of that. And you also wrote to me: O Umar, take care how you will be at that point. At such a time Umar has no support except the might and power of Allah. And you wrote to me warning me of what the nations before us were warned of. It has been the way since ancient times that the alternation of night and day, along with the terms of people, brings every distant thing near, wears out every new thing and brings forth everything promised, until people return to their abodes in Paradise or Hell. And you also wrote to remind me that it used to be related to you that the matter of this Ummah would, in the last days, return to this: that they would be brothers outwardly and enemies in private. But you are not such people, and this is not that time. That will be a time in which fear and longing appear openly. The longing of some people towards others will be for the improvement of their worldly life, and some people will fear others. You wrote this letter to me, exhorting me in the name of Allah that this letter should settle in the same place from which it has come down from your hearts. You have written this letter as sincere advice, exhorting me by Allah, and you have spoken the truth. So do not stop writing to me, for I cannot do without you. Peace be upon you both.

It is narrated about Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he used to say: O Allah, I seek refuge in You from Your seizing me unawares, or Your leaving me in heedlessness, or Your placing me among the heedless.

It is narrated from Yasar bin Numayr, who said: I never sifted flour for Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) except that I was disobeying him (in this matter).

It is narrated from Abu al-Layth al-Ansari, who said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Knead the dough thoroughly, for this too is a kind of grinding.

It is narrated from Yunus, who said: Whenever al-Hasan mentioned Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), he would say: By Allah! He was not the first of the Companions in embracing Islam, nor was he better than the rest of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) in spending in the path of Allah. Yet he prevailed over all the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) through his detachment from the world and his firm resolve in the command of Allah. And he did not fear the blame of any blamer in the cause of Allah.

It is narrated from al-Hasan, who said: Until he was martyred, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) did not anoint himself with any oil except ghee, grease and mixed olive oil.

It is narrated from al-Hasan, who said: Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) would pass over a verse during his regular recitation and be choked with sobs. He would weep so much that he would fall down, until he would remain confined to his house and people would visit him as one visits the sick, thinking him ill.

It is narrated from al-Hasan, who said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was walking along a road, and with him was Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) saw a frail little girl who would now rise and now fall. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Oh, her wretchedness! Oh, who knows this girl? Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah! She is one of your own girls. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: One of my girls? Sayyiduna Abdullah said: Yes! Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: Who is she? Sayyiduna Abdullah said: She is the daughter of Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Woe to you, O Abdullah bin Umar! You have ruined her through emaciation. Abdullah said: What are we to do? You have withheld from us what you have. At this Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) looked at Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: What do I have? Do you find it hard to earn for your daughters as other people earn for their daughters? No, by Allah! I have for you nothing but your (equal) share alongside the other Muslims.

It is narrated about Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said in one of his sermons: Take account of your own selves before account is taken of them, and weigh your own selves before they are weighed. And adorn yourselves for the Greatest Presentation, the day you will be presented and nothing of yours will remain hidden.

Abu Salamah reports that Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah! He was not the earliest of us in Islam, nor the earliest of us in emigration. But I know by what he surpassed us: he was the most detached of us all from the world. By this Sayyiduna Sa'd meant Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Ubaydullah bin Adi, who said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When a servant humbles himself for Allah, Allah Almighty raises his standing and says: Rise up, may Allah elevate you! So this man is small in his own eyes and great in the eyes of the people. And when a servant behaves with arrogance and oversteps his limit, Allah Almighty dashes him down to the earth and says: Be humiliated! Allah has humiliated you. So this man is great in his own eyes and small in the eyes of the people, until he becomes more contemptible to the people than a pig.

It is narrated from Sa'id bin al-Musayyib, who said: When Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) set out, he gathered a heap of earth, then spread his garment over it and lay down on it.

A man of the tribe of Ghifar narrates from his father, who said: I was bringing food from the place al-Jar, loaded on camels of the charity. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) looked closely at these camels and a young camel among them pleased Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). I said: O Commander of the Believers, take it. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) struck his hand on my shoulder and said: By Allah! I have no greater right to it than a man of Banu Ghifar.

It is narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya, who said: In front of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was a bowl of bread crumbled in ghee, when a man resembling a Bedouin came along. The narrator said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Eat. The narrator said: So he began to run his morsel through the grease at the edge of the bowl. At this Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: It seems you have no condiment to eat with your bread? He said: By Allah! I have neither tasted ghee nor seen anyone eating it. At this Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah! I will not taste ghee until the people come back to life as they first lived.

It is narrated from Awn bin Abdullah bin Utbah, who said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Sit in the company of those who repent, for they are the softest of hearts.

It is narrated from Yahya bin Ja'dah, who said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Were it not that I travel in the path of Allah, or place my forehead in the dust for Allah, or sit among people who pick out fine speech as dates are picked out, then I would prefer to meet Allah.

It is narrated from an old man, who said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Whoever intends the truth should keep his matter in the open.

It is narrated from Abu Uthman, who said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Winter is a prize for the worshipper.

Ata al-Khurasani reports that Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was delayed in coming out to those who sat with him. Then he (may Allah be pleased with him) came out to them in the evening. The people asked: What kept you? He said: I washed my clothes, and when they had dried I came out to you.

It is narrated from Sufyan, who said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote to Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him): You cannot attain the Hereafter through anything better than detachment from the world.

It is narrated from Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Layla, who said: Some people from Iraq came to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) saw that they seemed to be eating only a little. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O people of Iraq, what is this? If I wished to have food finely prepared for me as it is prepared for you, I could have it done. But we save from our world what we shall find in our Hereafter. Have you not heard the statement of Allah Almighty: "You exhausted your good things in your worldly life and enjoyed them."

Hisham bin Urwah narrates from his father, who said: When Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived in al-Sham, his (may Allah be pleased with him) shirt was torn at the seat. It was a coarse Sunbulani shirt. So he (may Allah be pleased with him) sent that shirt to the governor of Adhri'at or Aylah. The narrator said: He washed that shirt and patched it, and a Qibtari shirt was sewn for Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Then a man brought both shirts to him (may Allah be pleased with him) and gave him (may Allah be pleased with him) the Qibtari shirt. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) took that shirt, felt it and said: This is soft. Then he threw that shirt back to the man and said: Give me my shirt, for of the two shirts it absorbs sweat better.

It is narrated from Asim bin Umar, who said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say: Allah Almighty protects the believer. Sayyiduna Asim bin Thabit bin al-Aflah (may Allah be pleased with him) had vowed that he would touch no polytheist and that no polytheist would touch him. So just as he guarded against this during his life, Allah Almighty guarded him after his death as well.

It is narrated from Rabi' bin Quzay' that he said: I heard Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) say: Bread, meat, milk, olive oil, vegetables and vinegar used to be brought to Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). He would eat, then lick his fingers. Then he would gesture like this, then rub one hand with the other and say: "These are the handkerchiefs of the family of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)."

It is narrated from Abu Malih that he said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Compared to the Hereafter, the status of this world is like a single leap of a hare."

Wadi'ah al-Ansari narrates that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Do not concern yourself with what is of no purpose to you. Keep away from your enemy. Among people, beware of your friends, except the trustworthy one, and the trustworthy person is the one who fears Allah. Do not keep company with a wicked man, for you will then learn his wickedness. Do not let him know your secret, and consult about your affairs those who fear Allah Almighty."

It is narrated from Isma'il bin Umayyah that he said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: "In seclusion there is relief from bad companions."

It is narrated from Habib that he said: Some people from Iraq came to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and among them was Sayyiduna Jarir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him). The narrator said: Then someone brought them a large dish in which bread and olive oil had been prepared. The narrator said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to those people: "Take." The narrator said: They took gently and lightly. The narrator said: At this Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to them: "I can see your intense craving for meat. What do you want? Sour and sweet, cold and hot, and to cast it into your bellies?"

It is narrated about Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was invited to a meal. Whenever they brought a different dish, he would mix it with the other.

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Amir that he said: I saw Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) pick up a straw from the ground and say: "Alas! Would that I were this straw! Would that I were nothing! Would that my mother had not given birth to me! Would that I had been utterly forgotten!"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: The head of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was in my lap, and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "May you have no mother! Put it down (on the ground)." Then he said: "Woe to me! If my Lord does not forgive me, then woe to my mother!"