Abdullah ibn Umar - Biographies of the Companions (Sahabah)

At Shaykhan, halfway between Madinah and Uhud, the thousand strong
Muslim army led by the Prophet stopped. The sun had begun to sink
beneath the horizon. The Prophet dismounted from his horse Sakb. He
was fully dressed for battle. A turban was wound about his helmet. He
wore a breastplate beneath which was a coat of mail which was fastened
with a leather sword belt. A shield was slung across his back and his
sword hung from his side.
As the sun set, Bilal called the adhan and they prayed. The Prophet
then reviewed his troops once more and it was then that he noticed in
their midst the presence of eight boyswho despite their age were
hoping to take part in the battle.Among them were Zayd's son Usamah
and Umar's son Abdullah, both only thirteen years old. The Prophet
ordered them all to return home immediately. Two of the boys however
demonstrated that they were able fighters and were allowed to
accompany the army to the Battle of Uhud whilethe others were sent
back to their families.
From an early age, Abdullah ibn Umar thus demonstrated his keenness to
be associated with the Prophet in all his undertakings. He had
accepted Islam before he was ten years old and had made the Hijrah
with his father and his sister, Hafsah, who was later to become a wife
of the Prophet. Before Uhud he was also turned away from the Battle of
Badr and it was not until the Battle ofthe Ditch the he and Usamah,
both now fifteen years old and others of their age were allowedto join
the ranks of the men not only for the digging of the trench but for
the battle when itcame.
From the time of his hijrah till the time of his death more than
seventy years later, Abdullah ibn Umar distinguished himself in the
service of Islam and was regarded among Muslims as"the Good One, son
of the Good One", according to Abu Musa al-Ashari. He was known for
his knowledge, his humility, his generosity, his piety, his
truthfulness, his incorruptibility and his constancy in acts of
ibadah.
From his great and illustrious father, Umar, he learnt a great deal
and both he and his father had the benefit of learning from the
greatest teacher of all, Muhammad the Messenger of God. Abdullah would
observe and scrutinize closely every saying and action of the
Prophetin various situations and he would practise what he observed
closely and with devotion. For example, if Abdullah saw the Prophet
performing Salat in a particular place, he would later pray in the
same place. If he saw the Prophet making a supplication while
standing, he would also make a dua while standing. If hesaw him making
a dua while sitting, he would do the same. On a journey if he saw the
Prophet descend from his camel at a particular place and pray two
rakats, and he had occasion to pass on the same route, he would stop
at the same place and pray two rakats. In a particular place in
Makkah, he once observed the Prophet's camel making two complete turns
before he dismounted andprayed two rakats. It might be that the camel
did that involuntarily but Abdullah ibn Umar when he happened to be in
the same place at another time, made his camel complete two turns
before making it kneel and dismounting. He then prayed two rakats in
precisely the same manner as he had seenthe Prophet do.
Aishah, may God be pleased withher, noticed this devotion of Abdullah
to the Prophet and remarked: "There was no one who followed the
footsteps of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, in
the places where he alighted as did Ibn Umar."
In spite of his close observance of the Prophet's actions, Abdullah
was extremely cautious, even afraid, of reporting the sayings of the
Prophet. He would only relate a hadith if he was completely surethat
he remembered every wordof it. One of his contemporaries said:
"Among the companions of the Prophet, no one was more cautious about
adding to or subtracting from the hadith of the Prophet than Abdullah
ibn Umar."
Similarly he was extremely cautious and reluctant to make legal
judgments (fatwas).' Once someone came to him asking fora judgment on
a particular matter and Abdullah ibn Umar replied: "I have no
knowledge ofwhat you ask." The man went on his way and Abdullah
clappedhis hands in glee and said to himself: "The son of Umar was
asked about what he does not know and he said: I do not know."
Because of this attitude he was reluctant to be a qadi even though he
was well qualified to be one. The position of qadi wasone of the most
important and esteemed offices in the Muslim society and state
bringing with it honor, glory and even riches but he declined this
position when it was offered him by the Khalifah Uthman. His reason
for so doing was not that he underestimated the importance of the
position of qadi but because of his fear of committing errors of
judgment in matters pertaining to Islam. Uthman made him agree not to
disclose his decision lest it might influence the many other
companions of the Prophet who actually performed the duties of judges
and juris consults.
Abdullah ibn Umar was once described as the "brother of the night." He
would stay up at night performing Salat, weepingand seeking God's
forgiveness and reading Quran. To his sister, Hafsah, the Prophet once
said:"What a blessed man is Abdullah. Should he perform Salat at night
he would be blessed even more."
From that day, Abdullah did not abandon qiyam alLayl whether at home
or on journeys. In the stillness of the nights, he would remember God
much, perform Salat and read the Quran and weep. Like his father,
tears camereadily to his eyes especially when he heard the warning
verses of the Quran. Ubayd ibn Umayr has related that one day he read
these verses to Abdullahibn Umar:
"How then (will the sinners fare on Judgment Day) when We shall bring
forward witnesses from within every community and bring you (O
Prophet) as witness against them? Those who were bent on denying the
truth and paid no heed to the Apostle will on that Day wish that the
earth would swallow them but they shall not (be able to) conceal from
God anything that has happened." (Surah an-Nisa, 4:41-42).
Abdullah cried on listening to these verses until his beard was moist
with tears. One day, he was sitting among some close friends and he
read: "Woe unto those who give short measure, those who, when they are
to receive their due from people, demand that it be given in full but
when they have to measure or weigh whatever they owe to others, give
less than what is due. Do they not know that they are bound to be
raised from the dead (and called to account) on an awesome Day, the
Day when all men shall stand before the Sustainer of all the worlds?"
(The Quran, Surah al Mutaffifin, 83: 1-6). At this point he kept on
repeating "the Day when all menshall stand before the Sustainer of all
the worlds" over and over again and weeping until he was faint.
Piety, simplicity and generosity combined in Abdullah to make him a
person who was highly esteemed by the companions and those who came
after them.He gave generously and did not mind parting with wealth
even ifhe himself would fall in want as a result. He was a successful
andtrustworthy trader throughout his life. In addition to this he had
a generous stipend from theBayt al-Mal which he would often spend on
the poor and those in need. Ayyub ibn Wail ar-Rasi recounted one
incident of his generosity:
One day Umar received four thousand dirhams and a velvet blanket. The
following day Ayyubsaw him in the suq buying fodder for his camel on
credit. Ayyub then went to Abdullah's family and asked:
"Didn't Abu Abdur-Rahman (meaning Abdullah ibn Umar) get four thousand
dirhams and a blanket yesterday?" "Yes, indeed," they replied.
"But I saw him today in the suq buying fodder for his camel and he had
no money to pay for it.""Before nightfall yesterday he had parted with
it all. Then he took the blanket and threw it over his shoulder and
went out. When he returned it was not with him. We asked him about
itand he said that he had given it to a poor person," they explained.
Abdullah ibn Umar encouraged the feeding and the helping of the poor
and the needy. Often when he ate, there were orphans and poor people
eating with him. He rebuked his children for treating the rich
andignoring the poor. He once said to them: "You invite the rich
andforsake the poor."
For Abdullah, wealth was a servant not a master. It was a means
towards attaining the necessities of life, not for acquiring luxuries.
He was helped in this attitude by his asceticism and simple
life-style. One of his friends who came from Khurasan once brought him
a fine elegant piece of clothing:
"I have brought this thawb for you from Khurasan," he said. "It would
certainly bring coolness to your eyes. I suggest that you take off
these coarse clothes youhave and put on this beautiful thawb."
"Show it to me then," said Abdullah and on touching it he asked: "Is
it silk?" "No, it is cotton," replied his friend.
For a little while, Abdullah was pleased. Then with his right hand he
pushed away the thawband said: "No! I am afraid for myself. I fear
that it shall make arrogant and boastful. And God does not love the
arrogant boaster."
Maymun ibn Mahran relates the following: "I entered the house of Ibn
Umar. I estimated everything in his house includinghis bed, his
blanket, his carpet and everything else in it. What I found was not a
hundred dirhams' worth."
That was not because Abdullah ibn Umar was poor. Indeed he was rich.
Neither was it because he was a miser for indeed he was generous and
liberal.

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