The words of Umar bin Abd al-Aziz

It is narrated from Ali bin Zayd that he said: I heard Umar bin Abd al-Aziz delivering a sermon at Khanasirah, and I heard him say: The best worship is fulfilling the obligations and avoiding what is forbidden.

It is narrated from Azhar that he said: I saw Umar bin Abd al-Aziz at Khanasirah delivering a sermon to the people, and he was wearing a patched shirt.

Umar bin Abi al-Walid narrates: Umar bin Abd al-Aziz came out one Friday, his body very frail, and he delivered a sermon as he used to. Then he said: O people, whoever among you does good should praise Allah, and whoever among you does evil should seek forgiveness from Allah, for it is inevitable for people to do deeds, and Allah places those deeds on their necks and writes them against them.

It is narrated from Mu'arrif that he said: I saw Umar bin Abd al-Aziz at Arafah delivering a sermon to the people, and he was wearing two green garments. He (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned death and said: It is a severe pain, but not like ordinary severe pains. It is a severe grief, but not like ordinary severe griefs.

It is narrated from Umar bin Dharr that he said: I have not seen anyone with greater fear of Allah than Umar bin Abd al-Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him).

It is narrated from Yahya bin Sa'id that he said: It reached me that Umar bin Abd al-Aziz delivered a sermon to the people at Arafah and said: O people, you have come from far and near. You have worn your animals thin and worn your clothes old. But the fortunate one is not the man whose mount got ahead; rather, the fortunate one is he from whom it has been accepted.

It is narrated from Umar bin Abd al-Aziz that he said: Mentioning blessings is also a way of thanking for them.

It is narrated from Amr bin Muhajir that he said: The shirt and garments of Umar bin Abd al-Aziz reached between the ankles and the place where the sandal strap is tied.

It is narrated from al-Muhallab bin Uqbah that he said: When Umar bin Abd al-Aziz delivered a sermon he would say: Among the deeds most beloved to Allah Almighty are moderation in a state of wealth, pardon when one has power, and gentleness when one has authority. Any servant who is gentle with another servant in this world, Allah Almighty will be gentle with him on the Day of Resurrection.

It is narrated from Ubayd bin Abd al-Malik that he said: Umar bin Abd al-Aziz used to say: O Allah, set right the man in whose being set right lies the good of the Ummah of Muhammad. And O Allah, destroy the man in whose destruction lies the good of the Ummah of Muhammad.

It is narrated from Ubayd bin Abd al-Malik that he said: A man who had seen Umar bin Abd al-Aziz standing at Arafah told me that he (may Allah have mercy on him) was making supplication and pointing with his finger like this: O Allah, increase in goodness the doer of good in the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and turn the wrongdoer of the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) back to repentance. Then he (may Allah have mercy on him) turned his finger around: O Allah, and encompass them from behind with Your mercy.

Nafi' narrates: Abd al-Malik bin Umar said to Umar bin Abd al-Aziz: O Commander of the Believers, what prevents you from carrying out what you intend? By the One in whose hand my soul is, I do not care if the pots boil with me and you. Umar bin Abd al-Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: My son, is this truly from you? Abd al-Malik said: Yes, by Allah. He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: All praise is for the One who has brought forth among my offspring such people as help me in the command of Allah. My son, if I had come to the people suddenly with this thing you have said, I would not have been safe from their rejecting it. And when they rejected it, I would have had no recourse but the sword, and there is no good in a good that comes by means of the sword. My son, I am dealing with the people the way one tames a hard-to-control she-camel. If my life is prolonged, I hope that Allah Almighty will carry out something for me; and if death assails me, Allah Almighty still knows what I intended.

It is narrated from Isma'il bin Abi Hakim that he said: One day Umar bin Abd al-Aziz became angry, and his anger grew intense, and there was some sharpness in it. His son Abd al-Malik was present. When he saw that his anger had cooled, he said: O Commander of the Believers, given the greatness of Allah's blessing upon you, the position in which Allah Almighty has placed you, and the affairs of His servants that Allah Almighty has entrusted to you, does anger bring you to the extent that I see? Umar bin Abd al-Aziz said: How did you say that? So Abd al-Malik repeated his words. Umar asked: O Abd al-Malik, do you not become angry? He said: What use to me is this breadth of heart if I do not turn my anger back, so that nothing disliked appears because of it?

It is narrated from Ja'far bin Burqan that he said: Umar bin Abd al-Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote a letter: To proceed: Indeed, some people seek the world through the deeds of the Hereafter, and some storytellers have innovated invoking blessings on their caliphs and governors as is done for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So when this letter of mine reaches you, order the people to invoke blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the other prophets, and that their supplication be for the Muslims in general, and that they leave everything other than that.

Umar bin Abd al-Aziz says: Allah Almighty bestows a blessing on a servant, then takes it back from that person and gives patience to the one from whom He took it back; the patience Allah Almighty has given that person is better than the blessing taken back.

It is narrated from Salih bin Sa'id, the muezzin, that he said: I was with Umar bin Abd al-Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) at al-Suwayda. I gave the call to prayer for Isha, and he prayed, then went into the palace. He had stayed only a short time when he came out, prayed two light rak'ahs, and then sat with his knees drawn up (in the posture of ihtiba). He began reciting Surah al-Anfal, and he (may Allah have mercy on him) kept repeating and reciting Surah al-Anfal. Whenever he passed a verse of warning he humbly implored, and whenever he passed a verse of mercy he made supplication, until I gave the call to prayer for Fajr.

It is narrated from Talhah bin Yahya that he said: I was sitting with Umar bin Abd al-Aziz when Abd al-A'la bin Hilal came to him and said: O Commander of the Believers, as long as remaining is better for you, may Allah keep you. Umar bin Abd al-Aziz said: O Abu al-Nadr, that has already been settled. But make this supplication: May Allah grant you a good life and cause you to die with the righteous.

It is narrated from Umar bin Abd al-Aziz that he said: Indeed, Allah Almighty does not take the common people to account for the deeds of the particular people. But when sins are done openly and are not rejected, then all the people become deserving of punishment.

It is narrated from Umar bin Abd al-Aziz that he said: The man who does not count his speech as part of his deeds, his mistakes are many; and the man who acts without knowledge, his bad deeds become more than his sound deeds.

Ali bin Badhimah narrates: I saw Umar bin Abd al-Aziz in Madinah. He was the best dressed of people, the most pleasantly scented, and the most vain in his gait. Then after that I saw him walking with the gait of monks. So whoever tells you that gait is a natural habit of man, do not believe him after Umar bin Abd al-Aziz.

It is narrated from Ghaylan bin Maysarah that a man came to Umar bin Abd al-Aziz and said: I cultivated a crop, but an army of the people of Syria passed by it and ruined the crop. The narrator says: Umar bin Abd al-Aziz paid that man ten thousand in compensation.

It is narrated from al-Awza'i that Umar bin Abd al-Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) instructed his governor on a military expedition to ride only a mount whose pace even the weakest mount in the army could keep up with.

It is narrated from Talhah bin Yahya that Umar bin Abd al-Aziz used to send out couriers. The narrator says: A freed slave of Umar's mounted a man on a post horse without his permission. The narrator says: So he (may Allah have mercy on him) summoned him and said: Remain as you are until you assess its value, then deposit it in the public treasury.

It is narrated from Jumay' bin Abdullah that Umar bin Abd al-Aziz forbade the courier from fixing iron on one end of the whip with which to prod the animal. The narrator says: He also forbade heavy bridles.