A Motivational Eid Story-The Caliph & the New Clothes The little boy came running to his mother crying with a request. “Jarir and Mughiz have both got new clothes for Eid. Can I have some new clothes as well?” The mother picked him up & wiped his tears.Their mother, Fatima bint Abdul Malik(RA), was no ordinary woman. Her father, grandfather & each of her 4 brothers were at one time or another Caliph & leader of the Muslim Ummah. In fact, her own husband was the present Caliph, Umar ibn Abdul Aziz(RA) – who ruled the world’s largest empire that stretched from the Atlantic to the Indian oceans. She promised him that she would check with his father to see if he could have new clothes for Eid. When Umar ibn Abdul Aziz returned home, his wife related her sons request to him. The Caliph had a pained look in his eyes. “Fatima, Ʊ know how much I value my children, but all the money I have is in front of Ʊ ”, he said motioning towards the sparsely furnished hut. Though a Caliph, Umar took care to live honestly & did much to ensure justice. Fatima agreed with her husband, but she said that maybe it would be possible to buy very cheap clothes for him & he would just be happy with something new to wear. The tears have left stains on his cheeks. Finally, the Caliph, saddened by the plight, agreed & wrote a letter to his treasurer requesting that his pay be advanced a month early so that he could buy his child something to wear on Eid. But the honest and pious Caliph had an equally honest treasurer who wrote a letter in reply to the Caliph. The Caliph read the letter with tears flowing from his eyes: “Amir Ul-Mumineen, I have great respect for Ʊ & I trust & obey Ʊ completely. However, if Ʊ could guarantee to me that Ʊ will live through the next month & do Ʊr service to the people (which will entitle Ʊ to Ʊr pay) then the money can be advanced to Ʊ. If Ʊ cannot give the assurance of Ʊr life, then how can the treasury pay Ʊ & why are Ʊ taking the rights of the poor,orphans & widows onto Ʊr shoulders?” Caliph Umar ibn Abdul Aziz realised his mistake. Fatima bint Abdul Malik washed the old clothes. The day of Eid arrived & the whole area of Damascus was buzzing with joy & celebration with people clad in their new attires. Caliph Umar ibn Abdul Aziz also set out for the Eid Prayer holding the hand of his son, both father & son wearing their clean old clothing. The young boy’s face shone brightly, as he walked alongside his father, convinced that the eternal pleasure & comforts of Jannah(Paradise) are by far superior to the comforts of this temporary world. One has to wonder if they were made from the same dust as us. Once we (Muslims) were kings on this Earth, but it wasn’t because we were large in number that we were respected. It wasn’t because we were powerful that we were victorious. It wasn’t because we were successful that we were admired. It wasn’t because our women were beautiful that they were treated with honour and dignity. It wasn’t because we were intelligent that our example was emulated. It was all due to the faith of Islam. Sometimes, it’s worthwhile reflecting on how far we’ve fallen so we know how high we need to climb.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 19:40:11 +0000