Sunday, June 19, 2011

The leader who cooked for his people.

Translated from: Ustaz Haji Zahazan, M. (2010). Pemimpin yang memasak untuk rakyatnya. Solusi (21), p. 108.


Source of quranic translation: http://www.alim.org/library/quran/ayah/compare/33/72/o-believers!-fear-allah-and-always-say-the-right-thing-and-heavens,-earth-and-mountains-refuse-to-take-allah's-trust-but-the-man-took-it#ayanote-1





Aslam said: "One day we traveled with Caliph Umar r.a towards Hurrah City. When we arrived at Shihar, we saw a bonfire. Then, Caliph Umar said: 'O Aslam! I see there're travelers staying in the cold night. Let's go there."

We came down and hurriedly walking towards them. It turned out that they were a woman and her children. The woman is placing a pot above the bonfire. We heard the hungry children whining.

Then Umar r.a. said: "Peace be upon you the person who lights up the light." Umar purposely not saying "lights up the fire". The woman answered: "Peace be upon you too." And he continued: "Can I come in?" The woman replied: "If your intention is good, please do, and after that please leave immediately."

After gaining her permission, Umar r.a. came towards her and asked: "What had happened to all of you?" The woman replied: "We don't have a place to stay the night and we feel cold."

Caliph Umar asked again: "What had happened to your children? Why did they cry?" She replied: "They are hungry." Caliph Umar r.a. asked again: "What's in the pot?" They woman answered: "That is just water which I boiled to calm them so that they would thought that there's food being cooked, until they fall asleep. At that moment, Caliph Umar said: "May Allah gives love to all of you. Didn't Caliph Umar knew about this?"

The woman answered: "Yes Umar lead us, but he dosn't know about the condition of people like us."

Umar quickly turned his head towards me (Aslam) and said: "Let's go together!" We went out and hurried towards the foods warehouse. Caliph Umar retrieved a basket containing wheat and a bowlful of samin oil (commonly used by Arabs to give the aroma in cooking). Then he said: "Bring this on my order!"

Aslam said: "If that's so, I will get the pahala (rewards from God) from this food. He said again: "You think you will get the rewards from my good deeds on the Judgement Day? Verily you won't shoulder anyone's sins or rewards."

After that I brought it, and we went straight to the woman's place. Then he gave it to the woman and retrieved something from the container. Then he said: "Take this samin oil!"

Then, Caliph Umar lighted up the fire under the pot until smokes billowed through his thick beard. He cooked the wheat and oil for them. After that, he lifted and put it on a plate and said: "Go feed your children!" Caliph Umar didn't move until he made sure they were full. Then the woman said: "May Allah rewards you with goodness."

These kind of events and true story are found extensively in the history of life of Caliph Umar, due a heart that keeps moving to fulfill Allah's decree that it is a trust/responsibility that will be questioned (on the Judgement Day).

It is in line with Allah words in surah al-Ahzab verse 72 which means: "Verily, We did offer the trust [of reason and volition] to the heavens, and the earth, and the mountains:  but they refused to bear it because they were afraid of it. Yet man took it up  - for, verily, he has always been prone to be most wicked, most foolish."

In Tafsir Ibn Kathir, an opinion from Ibn Abbas, when Adam was bestowed with the trust and after he was willing to accept it, Allah explained the meaning of trust is something when it is realized then the person will be rewarded and if it is ignored, the person will be punished.

Umar did all that because he felt responsible for the condition of the poor and the oppressed. At the same time, he didn’t hesitate to punish those who are not willing to follow their religious obligation. He doesn’t discriminate in anything related to Allah’s rights.

Once there was a report arrived to him that the son of Egypt governor who was appointed by him, Amru bin al-‘As r.a. had beaten his opponent who’d beaten him in horse racing. His reason is he is ibn al-akramin (son of an honourable people) while the Qibti is just a commoner. Saiyidina Umar r.a. invited the both of them who are involved, and after confirming the truth regarding the tragedy, then he order the Qibti to punish the governor son for what he did.

In addition, Amru was also whipped by Umar r.a. while he said a very magnificent piece of words : “Since when you can turn people into your slaves when their mothers had given birth to them in a free state?”



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