The Companion Abdullah ibn Umar

Occasion: A transcription of an evening lecture delivered before its recording was uploaded on November 22, 2018Source: A transcription of a video lecture by Dr. Ahmed Abouseif — Watch the original video on YouTube

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon the servant of Allah, His Prophet and His Messenger, our master and our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and upon his family and Companions, with abundant peace. O Allah, we ask You for the good of this night and the good of what is in it and the good of what comes after it, and we seek refuge in You from the evil of this night and the evil of what is in it and the evil of what comes after it. O Allah, set right for us our religion, which is the safeguard of our affairs, and set right for us our worldly life, in which is our livelihood, and set right for us our Hereafter, to which is our return, and make life an increase for us in every good, and make death a rest for us from every evil, and make us pleased and be pleased with us, and overlook our misdeeds and our errors, and have mercy on our weakness through Your mercy, O Lord of the worlds.

To proceed: I want us to speak about one of the prominent figures of Islam. And the truth is that whenever a person's condition grows harder in dealing with people, he finds no refuge for himself except to return to the biographies of the Companions and the people of knowledge, and he finds in them companionship, and in keeping their company a valuing of the soul and a steadying of it. I was reading in the biography of Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah the Exalted be pleased with them both, and I wanted to present some of the scenes that passed through his life.

His Birth and Age

Abdullah ibn Umar was born about a year before the Prophet's ﷺ mission began. In one narration he was born two years before it, but putting the scenes together afterwards makes the one year more acceptable. Why? Let us look: the Prophet ﷺ lived in Mecca thirteen years, or twelve years and some. So if we say he was born one year before the mission, and then the narrators tell us afterwards that the Prophet ﷺ did not accept him at the Battle of Badr because he was thirteen, and Badr was in the second year, this does not work out in calculation unless he was at the end of this year and the beginning of that one, so the numbers are rounded to the right and to the left.^[1] But this logic in itself brings us closer to his having been born one year before the mission, not two years as some narrations mention.

He Used to Wish to See a Dream

Let us look at a hadith in which Ibn ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with them both, tells us, saying: In the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ, when a man saw a dream, he would relate it to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. That is, one of them would see something in his sleep and tell it to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. He said: So I wished to see a dream and relate it to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

If we stop here for a moment: did Ibn ʿUmar love to stand out among people, so that he too would relate a dream? Or was the idea that he wanted to hear the Prophet's ﷺ answer, through which he sends hope, reassurance and stability into the soul of the one who saw the dream? Let us say: the one who sees a dream usually has particular psychological reactions and emotions; some people are happy, and some are sad. And what he saw in his sleep may be an expression of matters turning in his mind. So one of you comes to me and says: Uncle Shaykh Ahmed, please, I saw this dream, what do you think? I may speak to you with what brings matters together and stirs hope in you, and I may give you an answer that makes you pessimistic about the rest of your whole life. So what do you think of the Prophet ﷺ when he is asked about such dreams, while he is speaking to his Companions and spreading hope in people's souls and taking matters in the best way? Perhaps Ibn ʿUmar longed to hear a specification of his destiny, or part of it, if he related a dream to the Prophet ﷺ.

The Young Man Who Grew Up in Obedience to Allah

He says: And I was a young lad. And let us remember here: Abdullah ibn Umar is a young man who grew up in obedience to Allah. Imagine that he entered Islam at the time his father entered, and the journey is complete. The Prophet ﷺ, at the beginning of the era of the call, had raised his hand to the sky: O Allah, strengthen Islam with one of the two ʿUmars,^[2] so our master ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb entered Islam while his son was still small, around seven or eight years old according to estimates.^[3] And there begins the stage of growth and mental and psychological maturity and the heart's comprehension, so he grew up in the hands of the Prophet ﷺ and in the hands of his father. And we know very well the difference between ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb who was in the Jāhiliyyah and ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb who entered Islam and whose heart Allah the Exalted purified with this monotheism.

He says: And I used to sleep in the mosque. And some say that Ibn ʿUmar used to sleep in the mosque out of his great love for obedience, so he did not even like to leave the house of Allah, blessed and exalted, as far as he could. He says: And I used to sleep in the mosque in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and I saw in sleep as if two angels took me and went with me to the Fire, and it was folded like the folding of a well, and it had two horns, and in it were people whom I knew. So I began to say: I seek refuge in Allah from the Fire, I seek refuge in Allah from the Fire. He said: Then another angel met us and said to me: You shall not be frightened, that is, there is no fear for you, no harm for you. He says: So I related it to Ḥafṣah, and Ḥafṣah related it to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and the Prophet ﷺ said: «نعم الرجل عبد الله لو كان يصلّي من الليل. نعم الرجل عبد الله لو كان يصلّي من الليل» ("What an excellent man Abdullah is, if only he would pray at night. What an excellent man Abdullah is, if only he would pray at night.").^[4]

Between the Dream and Its Interpretation

And if we try to complete our words on the topic of dreams and interpretation, then bring me any connection between what Abdullah ibn Umar related and what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said. He says: I saw in my dream two angels who took me to the Fire, and he described the Fire and its two horns, then an angel came and said to him such-and-such. So what is the relation between this that the Companion relates and the Prophet's ﷺ interpretation?

The Prophet ﷺ would only seize the opportunity of one of his Companions seeing a dream in order to give him glad tidings, and at the same time so that none of us would rely on what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ told, so alongside this good news he sends an urging to more work in some area; for he is the most knowing of his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, may Allah send blessings upon Muhammad and upon his family and Companions and grant them peace.

And I bring it closer for you myself: I now, after years in some place as imam of the mosque, can know what so-and-so does, and his character, nature, home, family and temperament. So if he tells me a matter, or inquires about an issue in his life, I can, through psychological understanding and comprehension, say to him: the solution to this problem for you is such-and-such. And at the same time, if another man came in relating the same story, or complaining of the same complaint, or asking the same jurisprudential question, he would be given a different answer.

And for that reason we always said on the television channels: Brothers, we beg you by Allah, leave general fatwas aside. And we say to people: If you would be so kind, if you see dreams, then the ones most entitled to interpret them are the imams of the mosques you frequent. Why? Because he knows you, you pray Fajr with him and you pray ʿIshāʾ with him, and he knows your home, for he has come in to you and drunk tea and eaten a morsel, and you have entered each other's homes and dealt with one another, so you know each other well. So if something befalls you, the one most entitled to know the interpretation is the one who lives with you, and if he is a person of understanding and of good companionship with you, then he is the most entitled to get to know your circumstances and give you an answer that suits the condition you are in.

Ḥafṣah's Testimony

Then Ḥafṣah narrates from the Prophet ﷺ that he used to testify for Abdullah ibn Umar that he is a righteous man, so he says: Abdullah is a righteous man.^[5]

His Generosity and Munificence

And let us say a word about his generosity and munificence. For people with us are of two kinds: one kind rejoices in wealth when it multiplies in their hands, and another kind rejoices in wealth when it leaves their hand. The first rejoices greatly when money piles up with him like a heap, and each time it grows by a thousand or two thousand he reaches the utmost happiness, while the other is completely happy when he takes out from his pocket to give to others. And let us look at our master Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah the Exalted be pleased with them both: which of the two kinds was he?

They say: Ibn ʿUmar was among those of comfortable incomes, meaning he was wealthy, a good income came to him, since he was an honest, successful merchant. He worked in trade; an honest, successful merchant, of the type of businessmen, a man of trade, sales and marketing. And his stipend from the treasury of the Muslims was also ample, but he never saved this giving for himself, rather he used to send it to the poor, the needy and those in want.

And to begin, I mention a narration saying: Ibn ʿUmar never sat down to a dinner of his alone, but there had to be with him either an orphan or a person in need. He would never enter his house empty-handed. So with what would he enter upon his wife? With a needy person with him, or an orphan, or someone in want: Prepare us dinner! Does not this biography remind us of the old days, the days of the village when we were among good people? You would find the door knocked: Open the door, we have guests! And as soon as the household hears this sentence they declare a state of emergency at once: they look for a morsel hidden under the sofa, or a piece of cheese tucked away behind the clay jar that is there, and gather everything in the house and bring it out to the guest. Why? Because we have a guest. Even if there is no food in the house until tomorrow for the family's breakfast, honoring the guest who has arrived is an obligation.

The Story of the Dirhams and the Fodder

On the authority of Ayyūb, or Ayyūb ibn Wāʾil al-Rāsibī, who said: I came to Medina and a man, a neighbor of Ibn ʿUmar, informed me that there came to Ibn ʿUmar four thousand from Muʿāwiyah, and four thousand from another person, and two thousand from someone else, and a qaṭīfah, which is a beautiful garment.^[6] He said: So he came to the market, and the neighbor was following him, and it seems he was sitting watching him, seeing who enters and who leaves and how much he carries in his pocket, and may our Lord not make us among those with watching eyes.

So he says to his companion that Ibn ʿUmar had four come to him from such-and-such a side, and four from such-and-such a place, and two from such-and-such a place; so if we count that: four and four and two, it is at least ten thousand. He said: So he came to the market wanting fodder for his mount for a dirham on credit, meaning he would pay it after a while. Consider: one of you does not go to buy something on credit when ten thousand has just come to him, while he wants fodder for a dirham! So it seems, and Allah knows best, that whoever hears this tale will say: He does not want to break the thousands. And we know that: the ten-pound note in the old days, if it was broken it never came back, so it is said: The pound comes and is put beside its brothers, and we remain preserving the wealth.

He said: I knew what had come to him. So I came to his concubine, meaning whoever was in the house, and said: I want to ask you about something and I would like you to be truthful with me: has there not come to Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān four thousand and four and two thousand and a qaṭīfah? She replied: O Allah, yes. I said: But I saw him asking for fodder for a dirham, so what is the matter? She said: By Allah, he did not spend the night until he had distributed it all. That is, he distributed all the money before night came and before he slept, so he had distributed the ten thousand at the very least.

And you hear this talk and say: Perhaps the man did not love the world at all, so it is not a matter of asceticism, he simply does not love it, so everything that comes to him he distributes. Or you say: He is one of those people who have no concern with these matters, and this is what we call a good-natured man, or a man who takes things as they come. So the narrator said to me: No, rather, whenever something of his wealth pleased him, he gave it in charity.

"Whoever Deceives Us in the Name of Allah, We Are Deceived for Him"

Even his slaves came to know this trait in him, so what did they do? One of them would go to the mosque and worship, what piety! He appears in the appearance of the scrupulous. Then Abdullah ibn Umar enters and sees what he is doing, and says: What do you think? He is praying, how beautiful this piety is! Then he says to him: What is your reward? Imagine when Abdullah ibn Umar enters and finds his slave sitting in the mosque, fearing Allah in the fullest way, so he says to him: You are free for the sake of Allah. A release, and the matter is finished, he became free.

So the companions of Ibn ʿUmar come and say to him: Be careful, they are only deceiving you, these people are laughing at you. So he says: Whoever deceives us in the name of Allah, we are deceived for him. Then he recites the words of the Lord of Might, glory be to Him, the Exalted:

﴿لَن تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّىٰ تُنفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ﴾ (You will never attain righteousness until you spend from that which you love)^[7]

as an indication that this was beloved to him, and yet he gave it in charity. Why? Because he knows that what is with Allah is better than what is with people.

Once he bought a camel and it pleased him, as if it were something strong, like that luxurious car that you wish to own. Once he bought a camel and it pleased him, and when he rode it and felt Allah's favor upon him in it, he said: O Nāfiʿ, put it among the charity camels. So the matter is one of distinguishing between what is here and what is there: whoever feels that what is there is of greater benefit to him than what is here hastens to send ahead what will benefit him in the Hereafter rather than what he saves for himself in the world. And the examples, truly, are very many as evidences of that, but it is enough for you to hear that he did not die until he had freed a thousand or more, who were freed for the sake of Allah, blessed and exalted.

Charity Like Water

And charity with him was not a single time, but it is charity because it is repeated. And just as a person thirsts for drinking water and does not tire of it or grow weary, so there are people in whose souls Allah the Exalted placed a love of giving charity to creation dearer to their souls than a drink of water. Whenever he went to a place, he put in it. And these people, if Allah knows in their souls a purity and sincerity, what they have does not run out, but Allah increases the good that He drives to them.

And you have one of the simple folk who gives and gives and gives charity, and people say to him: Uncle, be gentle with yourself, where will you get the money from? So he says to them: I accustomed Allah's servants to a habit, and Allah accustomed me to a habit, and I fear that if I cut off my habit from Allah's servants, Allah will cut off His habit from me. So the reckoning is perfectly preserved for him. And the concept of the story with him: How will provision come to him, and from where, and when? That is not my business, I follow the means, I give what is upon me, and Allah the Exalted replaces, and Allah, mighty and majestic, sends the provision. That is what is in our hands, and what is with Allah is better and more lasting.

And I ask Allah the Exalted for me and for you soundness of religion and worldly life, and that He keep our hearts full of faith in what He, glory be to Him, the Exalted, promised, and in what He prepared for His righteous servants of reward. May Allah be pleased with you and make you pleased, and reward you with good, and peace be upon you.

--- ^[1]: Editor's documentation: The calculation of ages in the transcript is disordered, and the numbers here are as the lecturer said them; and in the hadith books, the Prophet ﷺ did not permit Ibn ʿUmar on the day of Uḥud when he was fourteen years old, then permitted him on the day of the Trench, so it should be reviewed. ^[2]: Editor's documentation: The wording from the lecturer's tongue is «اللهم أعزّ الإسلام بأحد العمرين» ("O Allah, strengthen Islam with one of the two ʿUmars"), and the well-known one in the hadith narrated by al-Tirmidhī and Aḥmad from the hadith of Ibn ʿUmar is: «اللهم أعزّ الإسلام بأحبّ هذين الرجلين إليك: بأبي جهل بن هشام، أو بعمر بن الخطاب» ("O Allah, strengthen Islam with whichever of these two men is dearer to You: Abū Jahl ibn Hishām, or ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb"). ^[3]: Editor's documentation: The first number is garbled in the transcript («في حدود الش سنين ولا ثمانية ولا سبعة»), so it was not recorded. ^[4]: Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim from Ibn ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with them both. Editor's documentation: In the transcript there is some disorder in the wording of the dream, which has been set according to what is known of the hadith. ^[5]: Editor's documentation: The lecturer did not cite the source of this testimony. ^[6]: Editor's documentation: In the transcript, "4000 from Muʿāwiyah" and a garbled phrase after it, then "and two thousand… and a qaṭīfah"; the second "four thousand" has been recorded on the strength of the lecturer's later counting "four and four and two = ten thousand," and it needs listening to the audio. The lecturer did not mention the unit of the amount at the beginning of the story nor its source, and in the transcript it is "from Abū Ayyūb or from Ayyūb ibn Wāʾil al-Rāsibī" and "his concubine" in the form recorded. ^[7]: Editor's documentation: [Āl ʿImrān: 92]. The lecturer did not mention the location of the verse, and he uttered of it only as much as has been recorded.