Mustadrak al-Hakim — Hadith 4531

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Tariq bin Shihab (may Allah be pleased with him) that when Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reached Syria, a ford of water came before him. Sayyiduna Umar got down from his camel, took off his leather socks, took hold of his camel's nose-rein and began to cross through the water with it. Sayyiduna Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: O Amir al-Mu'minin, today you have done a very great (strange) thing in front of the people of the land (the people of Syria): you took off your socks, held the camel's nose-rein yourself and crossed through the water on foot? The narrator said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) struck Sayyiduna Abu Ubaydah on the chest with his hand and said: "If only someone other than you had said this, O Abu Ubaydah! You were the fewest and the most abased of people, then Allah honoured you through Islam; so whenever you seek honour in anything other than Islam, Allah Almighty will abase and disgrace you."