In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

• He once wept when he was a child, so when that reached his mother, she sent for him and asked, “What made you weep?” He said, “I remembered death”, so his mother also wept.

• Az-Zubayr Bin Bakkaar said, “The first affair that manifested from Umar’s uprightness was his fervent desire for knowledge and good manners. He was very young when his father was appointed as the governor of Egypt, so his father wanted to travel with him from Syria to Egypt, but he said to his father, ‘O father! Perhaps something else might be more beneficial for me and you!’ His father said, ‘What’s that?’ He said, ‘Take me to Madeenah to sit with the Fuqahaa and learn from their manners’. So, his father sent him to Madeenah together with a servant. He sat with the Mashaayikh of Quraish and avoided their youth, and he did not cease doing so until he became well known”.

• Anas Ibn Maalik [may Allaah be pleased with him] said, “I have not prayed behind an Imaam whose prayer resembles that of Allaah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] more than this young man [Umar Bin Abdil Azeez]”.

• Ismaa’eel Bin Ayyaash said that Amr Bin Muhaajir said, “When Umar Bin Abdil Azeez  became the Khaleefah, he stood in front of the people, praised Allaah and then said, ‘O people! Verily, there is no Book after the Qur’aan and no Prophet after Muhammad [peace be upon him]. Indeed, I am not a judge, rather I am one upon whom it is obligated to comply with commands and prohibitions. Indeed, I am not an innovator in religious affairs, but rather I am one who adheres to the Sunnah. Verily a man who flees from an oppressive leader cannot be a wrong doer, but that oppressive leader is the disobedient one. Indeed, there is no obedience to the creation in disobedience to the Creator [The Mighty and Majestic]’”.

• Az-Zubayr Bin Bakkaar said, “Muhammad Bin Sallaam informed me that Sallaam Bin Saleem said, ‘When Umar Bin Abdil Azeez became the Khaleefah, he climbed the Minbar – and that was the first Khutbah he delivered, then he praised and exalted Allaah, and said, ‘O people! Whoever accompanies us, then let him accompany us with five affairs otherwise let him disassociate from us: Let him inform us of the needs of those who are not able to inform us, help us to do good by his guidance, direct us to good by way of that which he guides himself, refrain from backbiting anyone in our presence and not engage in that which does not concern him’. After this speech of his, the poets and sermonisers disassociated from him, but those who abstained from the unnecessary worldly pleasures and the jurists kept close company with him and said, ‘We cannot disassociate from this man until he opposes what he has stated’”.

• Sufyaan  Ibn Uyaynah said, “When Umar Bin Abdil Azeez became the Khaleefah, he contacted Muhammad Bin Kab, Rajaa Bin Haywah and Saalim Bin Abdillaah and said to them, ‘You have seen that which I have been put to trial and indeed it has fallen upon me, so what advice do you have?’ Muhammad Bin kab said, ‘Consider the old man a father, the young person a brother and the little one as your child, so be good to your father, keep ties with your brother and be kind to your child’. Rajaa said to him, ‘Wish for the people what you wish for yourself, hate for them what you hate for yourself and do not approach them except in manner you would like them to approach you’. Saalim said, ‘Concentrate on one affair by degrading the lusts of the worldly life and let your innate disposition be directed towards reflecting upon death’. Umar said, ‘Laa Hawla Walaa Quwwata illaa Billaah’”.

• Whenever he faced a difficult matter, he would gather the jurists of Madeenah, particularly ten of them and would not firmly decide on an affair without them or some of them, and they were Urwah, Ubaydullaah Bin Abdillaah Ibn Utbah, AbuBakr Bin Abdir Rahmaan Ibn Al-Haarith Ibn Hishaam, AbuBakr Bin Sulaymaan Ibn Khaythama, Salaymaan Bin Yasaar, Al-Qaasim Bin Muhammad Ibn Hazm, Saalim Bin Abdillaah, Abdullaah Bin Aamir Ibn Rabee’ah and Khaarijah Bin Zayd Ibn Thaabit. He never used to hold a view that was different from that of Sa’eed Ibnul Musayyib, and Sa’eed did not use to visit any of the caliphs besides Umar Ibn Abdil Azeez in Madeenah.

• Maymoon Bin Mehraan said, “The scholars were students in the presence of Umar Bin Abdil Azeez”.

• One day he was sitting in his place of prayer with his hand on his cheek and his tears flowing, so his wife – Faatimah- entered and said, “What is the matter with you?” He replied, “Woe to you O Faatimah! I have taken the responsibility of looking after the affairs of this Ummah, so I pondered upon the affair of the poor and hungry person, the sick and miserable person, the one without appropriate clothing and is making strenuous efforts, the helpless orphan, the lonely widow, the subjugated oppressed person, the stranger, the war captive, the old man, the one who has numerous dependants and little wealth and those similar to them in the various regions of the earth and the different countries, so I knew that my Lord [The Mighty and Majestic] will question me about them on the day of judgement, the one who will argue on their behalf against me will be Muhammad [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] and I feared that I will not have strong proof in the presence of his arguments, so I felt sorry for myself and wept”.

• Every day, he used to announce, “Where are those in debt? Where are the married people and where are the orphans so that I can  give them sufficient provision”.

• He said, “It is obligated on you to fear Allaah, because indeed fear of Allaah does not accept anything else to interfere with it. None shows mercy except the people who fear Allaah and no reward is given except for it. Those who admonish people about it are many, but those who act upon it are few”.

• He said, “The one who knows that his speech is part of his deeds, his speech will not be related to anything except that which concerns and benefits him”.

• He said, “The one who does not consider his speech to be part of his deeds, then his mistakes will be many and whoever worships Allaah without Knowledge will corrupt more than he rectifies”.

• Maalik Bin Deenaar said, “The people say that Maalik is a one who abstains from unnecessary worldly pleasures”, but what type of abstentious person am I; rather Umar Bin Abdil Azeez is the one who truly abstains from the unnecessary worldly pleasure, because the worldly wealth came to him and he abandoned all of it”.

An Excerpt from Al-Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah. Vol 9. Pages 193-202. Publisher: Maktabah Al-Ma’aarif and Daar ibn Hazm. 9th Edition. 1414 AH (1994)