Gems of Wisdom by Caliph Umar

The person who calls himself learned, indeed he is ignorant

To eat less is healthy, to speak less is wisdom, and to sleep less is worship and to mingle less with the people is safe and serene

The one who steps back will not progress. Nothing is worse that avarice that destroys the mind, not even alcohol. It is unbecoming of that person who sits with his hands folded and prays to ALLAH for sustenance.

ALLAH does not rain down gold and silver from the heavens. To earn a suspicious living is worse than begging. The biggest gift after Faith is your wives. Attain knowledge before old age settles in. Extravagance is also when a person eats whatever he wishes. Whosoever hides his secret keeps his safety, safeguarded with himself.

The person who calls himself learned, indeed he is ignorant, and the one who calls himself from the dwellers of paradise surely he is from the dwellers of Hell.

Accepted forgiveness is the name of that forgiveness that is asked for a bad deed committed, in such a manner that he never returns to or commits that bad deed again.

The strength in action is, never to put off what you can do today for tomorrow.

It is not becoming of a Muslim to sit down and start praying for sustenance without attempting to earn it, he is well aware that gold and silver does not rain from the skies.

Importance of neighbours

Once a sheep was slaughtered and Caliph Umar persistently asked his servant if he had first sent meat to his neighbour who was a Jew. The slave asked why you are asking the same question persistently. He answered that ALLAH and his Prophet had constantly stressed the importance of neighbours therefore I too am persistent in stressing the same.

Building Love

Three things build love:to make Salam (greeting),to make space for a person in a gathering and to address a person in a respectable and good manner.

Four types of regrets

There are four types of egrets: that spans over a day. For example when a person leaves his home without eating, spans over a year, just like the negligence shown when cultivating, spans over a lifetime, when a man and his wife are unsuited to each other and that is eternal, which is when your Creator is unhappy with you.

Three types of people

There are three types of people: Successful: he who listens to the advice of people and ponders over it. Lazy or Lethargic: he who does what he wants without consultation or advice of people. Corpse: who neither gives nor listens to advice and consolation. Caliph Umar on many an occasion asked this supplication to ALLAH so that certain situations should always remain with him and some things should be removed, the supplication is: “O! ALLAH, Make me such that I may speak with intellect or reap tolerance with silent. O! ALLAH do not bestow upon me too many favours, so that I may not be confused by it, not too little that I may forget You. Hence, little yet sufficient in comparison to having plenty thereby becoming indulgent and committing sin.”

If ever you see a learned person leaning towards this World, then know this he is blameworthy for his Religion, because the universal harm is that if a person desires something then he is constantly engrossed in its quest.

Faith is to regard the Oneness of ALLAH in ones heart proclaim it with your tongue and to obey the fundamental Islamic Instructions.

The relationship of true humility and genuine fear of ALLAH is with the heart and not by a show of outward actions.

Judgments or Settlements in any case should be done quickly, so that the accused, due to a prolonged period of time are not compelled to withdraw their accusation.

Blessings of mercy

It is absolutely necessary not to associate with a beast for though he wishes or means well, yet he would still be accused of committing a crime. ALLAH shower your Blessings of Mercy on that person who informs me of my faults. When a learned man takes a false step then he ensnares himself in a World of wrongdoings.

One day a man was praising Caliph Umar who replied by saying why are you destroying me even more with my desires.

I am not a fool, but I pretend to be a fool, in order to fool the fool. And just when the fool thinks I am a fool, I will expose the fool and show to him that he is the fool. I do not look at anything, except, that I see everything with ALLAH. If I die in this condition that I have strived to earn an honest living then it is more beloved to me than even dying as a Martyr.

Good behaviour towards people is equivalent to wisdom, to request politely is half of knowledge, and to ascribe to sound policies is half of one's livelihood. To educate a material person is like placing a sword in the hands of a robber.

Do not have Faith in a person's compassion and politeness when he cannot keep his anger under control. Do not have Faith in a religious person who is not tested during temptation. He is a friend who brings to your attention your faults and to sing praises of a person in his presence is similar to slaughtering him. Laughing decreases ones age, while politeness, glamour, pomp and show which ease living standards are indications of people who are unaware of death. To show greed and avarice is impoverishing, to be unselfish is enriching and to wish compensation in patience.

Good deeds are the fulfillment of one's rights and to do good deeds is a substitute for bad deeds. To speak less is wisdom, to eat less is healthy, to sleep less is a prayer and there is peace in solitude. Youth before old age and old age before death is a blessing of life. A generous person is the beloved of Almighty ALLAH even though he is a transgressor. A miser is the enemy of Almighty ALLAH although he may pray and remember Almighty ALLAH excessively.

To forgive an oppressor is oppression upon the oppressed. When you combine lawful with unlawful gains then the unlawful contaminates the lawful gains though it may be little. A believer does not keep as his friend one who is opposed to Almighty ALLAH and his Prophet even though that person may be his mother or father. The sound of music and that of a mourner are two of the worst sounds.

Tranquility and peace

There is tranquility and peace in anonymity and confidentiality.

We should leave the other nine portions out for the fear of unlawful. (i.e. if in ten portions one is unlawful a Muslim would leave the other nine portions out meaning anything unlawful would be completely left out). Desire is never achieved without fear, nor manners and etiquette without formality, or happiness without peace or wealth without gifts or poverty without contentment, or dignity without politeness or Jihad (holy war) without diving guidance and assistance.

Respite before preoccupation and old age before death is a blessing of life. Honour and dignity in this World is measured by wealth while honour and dignity in the Hereafter is measured by good deeds. Save yourself from the Fires of Hell even if it means by doing a favour with half a date (fruit). If this too is not possible then with sweet words. After faith Faith, there is no greater gift than a pious wife. Not to postpone is strength in action.

When Caliph Umar camped on the outskirts of Jerusalem to conquer Bait al-Maqdas, the Christian Crusaders were terrified of his presence and requested a meeting with him before handing over the keys of the city. The Crusaders met him whilst he wore a patched garb. They asked him the reason as to why his name generated such immense awe and fear that captured the hearts of his enemies. He replied; “Your kings taught you to love the World and its wealth and our Prophet (PBUH) taught us to fear ALLAH and love death.

He is an intelligent person who can translate his actions into good.

There is never a chance of pain in the neck if one does not raise his head too high in the air. Do not forget about yourself whilst being concerned for others. To stop sinning is easier than to bear the burden of seeking repentance. Remove your gaze from the splendour of the World. Do not let the love of this World enter your heart. Beware! The love of this World does not perhaps destroy you, just as it had destroyed previous nations. Victory is gained through strategy and trust in ALLAH , not by wishful thinking.

The most intelligent amongst you is he who fears ALLAH the most. Be sympathetic towards the poor so that they may be able to speak and build courage. Do not taunt and curse anyone for this gives rise to collective evils in a person. One should not judge a person by the number of prayers or fasting but by his wisdom and honesty.

To die for the right is better than to live for falsehood. Courage is recommended, cowardice is detestable, and falsehood is vulnerable to vanish! Prayer is connected to the heart not by mere apparent actions.

Prayer accelerates the treatment of sick

According to the Qur'an, prayer, meaning “calling, giving expression, requesting, seeking help,” is a person's turning sincerely to Allah, and seeking help from Him, the Almighty, the Compassionate and Merciful, in the knowledge that he is a dependent being. Illness is one of those instances when a person feels this dependence most and draws closer to Allah. Furthermore, sickness is a test, devised in His Wisdom, that takes place by His Will, and is a warning to remind people of the transience and imperfection of this life, and is also a source of recompense in the Hereafter for the patient and submissive.

Those without faith, on the other hand, imagine that the way to recovery is through doctors, medicines or the advanced technological capabilities of modern science. They never pause to think that it is Allah who causes their physical system to function when they are in good health, or who creates the healing medicines and doctors when they are ill. Many turn only to Allah when they arrive at the opinion that doctors and medicines are inadequate. People in such situations seek help only from Allah, realizing that only He can free them from their difficulty.

Allah has revealed this mindset in a verse:

When harm touches man, he calls on Us, lying on his side or sitting down or standing up. Then when We remove the harm from him he carries on as if he had never called on Us when the harm first touched him. In that way We make what they have done appear good to the profligate. (Qur'an, 10:12)

The fact is, however, that even in good health, or without tribulations or other difficulties, a person must pray and give thanks to Allah for the comforts, good health and all the other blessings He has imparted.

One very important aspect of prayer is this: In addition to praying, it is also important for a person to make every effort to pray through his or her deeds. Prayer by action means doing everything possible to attain a certain wish. For example, in addition to praying, a sick person may also have to visit an expert doctor, use medicines that will be of benefit, and receive hospital treatment if necessary, or some other form of special care. Because, Allah has linked everything that happens in this world to specific causes.

Everything in the world and in the universe happens in accordance with these causes. Therefore, the individual must take the requisite measures in accordance with these causes, and yet await the outcome from Allah, with humility, submission and patience, in the knowledge that it is He Who brings about their results.

The positive effect of faith and prayer on the sick and the way these accelerate treatment is a matter that has attracted the attention of and is recommended by doctors. Under the heading “God and Health: Is Religion Good Medicine? Why Science Is Starting to Believe,” the November 10, 2003, edition of the famous magazine Newsweek took the curative effect of religion as its cover story. It reported that faith in God raised people's morale and helped them recover more easily, and that science had also begun to believe that people with religious faith recover more easily and quickly. According to a Newsweek survey, 72 percent of Americans say they believe that praying can cure someone and that prayer facilitates recovery. Research in Great Britain and the USA has also concluded that prayer reduces patients’ symptoms and accelerates the recovery process.

According to research conducted at Michigan University, depression and stress are observed to lesser extent in the devout. And, according to findings at Rush University in Chicago, the early death rate among people who worship and pray regularly is some 25 percent lower than in those with no religious convictions. Another study conducted on 750 people, who underwent angiocardiography, proved scientifically the “curative power of prayer.” It was established that the death rate among heart patients who prayed decreased by 30 percent within a year after their operations.

Examples of the prayers mentioned in the Qur'an are:

And Ayyub when he called out to his Lord, “Great harm has afflicted me and you are the most merciful of the merciful,” We responded to him and removed from him the harm which was afflicting him and restored his family to him, and the same again with them, as a mercy direct from us and a reminder to all worshippers. (Qur'an, 21:83)

And Dhu'n-Nun [Yunus] when he left in anger and thought we would not punish him. He called out in the pitch darkness: “There is no god but you! Glory be to you! Truly I have been one of the wrongdoers.” We responded to him and rescued him from his grief. That is how We rescue the believers. (Qur'an, 21:87-88)

And Zakariyya when he called out to his Lord, “My Lord, do not leave me on my own, though you are the Best of Inheritors.” We responded to him and gave him Yahya, restoring for him his wife's fertility.They outdid one another in good actions, calling out to Us in yearning and in awe, and humbling themselves to us. (Qur'an, 21:89-90) Nuh called out to us and what an excellent responder we are! (Qur'an, 37:75)

As has already been stated, prayer must not only be for alleviation of sickness, or other mundane problems. A sincere believer must always pray to Allah and accept whatever comes from Him. The fact that the benefits of prayer revealed in many verses of the Qur'an are now being recognised scientifically, once again reveals the miraculous nature of the Qur'an.

If my servants ask you about me, I am near. I answer the call of the caller when he calls on me. They should therefore respond to me and believe in me so that hopefully they will be rightly guided. (Qur'an, 2:186)

Beautiful piece of advice

Sufyaan once wrote to one of his brothers :

I advise both you and myself to fear Allah. And I warn you not to turn to ignorance after you have learned, not to turn to destruction after you have seen and recognized the truth, and not to leave the (Straight) Path after it has been made clear to you.

Do not become deceived by worldly people, and do not become unduly impressed by the way they strive for and greedily gather worldly things, for the terror (that will envelop them on the Day of Resurrection) is indeed SEVERE.

The danger (of the Day of Resurrection) is grave indeed, but what is more, is that it is near at hand. So occupy yourself exclusively with the Hereafter, and empty your heart of all other thoughts; once you have done that, work hard! Do not waste time! And flee from the world and its temptations! Travel to the Hereafter (with your worship) before you are taken there... I have indeed given you the same advice that I gave myself

And understand that success comes from Allah. The key to gaining His help is supplication, prayer, feeling remorse for past negligence, and complete submission to Him.

Your days and nights are numbered, so use the time you have left wisely, and do not be negligent in fulfilling the rights of your Lord.

I ask Allah, Who has blessed us to know Him, not to entrust us and you to our own selves; and I ask Allah to be our Guardian and Helper, just as He is the Guardian and Helper of His beloved, righteous slaves.

Beware of doing that which will spoil your deeds, and know that it is showing off that spoils a person's deeds; and if it is not showing off, then it is conceitedness - for you to imagine that you are better than one of your Muslim brothers, when in reality he performs more good deeds than you do; or perhaps he performs his deeds with a purer intention than you do.

And even if you are not conceited, beware of developing a love for praise.

Be ever so careful not to come to love other people's praise of your good deeds, or the respect they feel for you and bestow upon you because of your good deeds.

And beware of desiring that others should help you in your personal affairs just because they have become impressed with your good deeds.

You surely claim (as does everyone else), after all, that you are doing good deeds only for the sake of Allah well, then turn that claim into a reality.

If you want to be less desirous of this world - it's things, wealth, and pleasures - and more desirous of the Hereafter - Paradise and its bliss - then remember death frequently.

And know that you have long term hopes for this world - which one should not have - if you fear Allah only a little or if you recklessly perpetrate sins. And one will be sufficiently regretful and wretched on the Day of Resurrection if he has knowledge but does not apply it.

Transcribed from: The Biography of Sufyaan Ath-Thauree, rahimahullaah, page 181-183

Dialogue between a traveler and the Prophet

A traveler once came to the mosque to see the prophet Muhammed (PBUH). After greeting the prophet , he was asked where he was from. The traveler replied that he came from very far just to get a few questions answered. Following is the dialogue between the traveler and the prophet (PBUH)

Traveler: I do not want Azaab to be written in my account
Prophet: Behave well with your parents
Traveler: I want to be known amongst people as an intelligent person
Prophet: Fear Allah always
Traveler: I want to be counted amongst Allah's favourites
Prophet: Recite Quran every morning and evening
Traveler: I want my heart to always be enlightened.
Prophet: Never forget Death.
Traveler: I never want to be away from Allah's blessing
Prophet: Always treat fellow creatures well
Traveler: I never want to be harmed by my enemies
Prophet: Always have faith in only Allah
Traveler: I never want to be humiliated
Prophet : Be careful of your actions
Traveler: I wish to live long
Prophet : Always do Good towards blood relations
Traveler: I want my sustenance to increase
Prophet: Always be in ablution
Traveler: I wish to stay free of Adhaab in the grave
Prophet: Always wear pure clothes
Traveler: I never want to burn in hell
Prophet: Control your eyes and tongue
Traveler: How do I get my sins forgiven?
Prophet: Always ask forgiveness from Allah with a lot of humility
Traveler: I want people to respect me always
Prophet: Never extend your hands of need at people
Traveler: I want to always be honoured
Prophet: Never humiliate or put down anyone
Traveler: I don't want to be squeezed in the grave
Prophet: Recite Sura-e-Mulk often
Traveler: I want my wealth to increase
Prophet: Recite Sura-e-Waqia every night
Traveler: I want to be safe and at peace on Day of Judgment
Prophet: Do Zikr of Allah from dusk to night
Traveler: I want to be in full attention and concentration during prayer.
Prophet: Always do ablution with concentration and attention