THE STORY OF CALIPHATE UMAR BUN AL-KHATTAB (r.t.a) (Episode 48)

 Muslims Till Death:

ASSALAAMU ALAYKUM WARAHMATULLAH WABARAKAATUHU . LET'S START TONIGHT'S EDUCATION. OUR TOPIC IS 👇.                                                                            *THE STORY OF CALIPHATE UMAR BUN AL-KHATTAB (r.t.a) (Episode 48)*

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"Towards Ibn Muhariq I led my dromedary
When the world was asleep."
"I saw that the trust had not been betrayed,
Likewise Nuh did not betray his trust."

Zuhair bin Abi Salma was a poet of the pre-Islamic period. His most well known work is Mu'allaqa. In his poems he preached the principles of noble conduct for individuals and society. He belonged to a family which produced great poets. These included; his father-in-law Aus bin Hajr; his sister Salma; his daughter al-Khansa; and his son Ka'b.
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In his Mu'allaqa he praised the magnanimity of the chiefs of Dhubyan who brought about peace among the tribes after so many years of bloodshed.
He warned the tribesmen against vengeance and hatred. He said: “Then cannot hide their guilt from God,
It will be recorded and punished on the day of retribution
Or avenged in this life,
They know war and its bitterness,
They should not revive that monster
Which brings only woe and destruction."
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Talking about his patrons and his poetry he said:
"Your gifts have vanished, but my poems are still alive;
They are robes of honour which do not become worn out by time."

Umar had great admiration for the poetry of Zuhair. He used to call him the most poetical of all poets. Once Abdullah bin Abbas asked Umar the reason for his admiration of the poetry of Zuhair. Umar said that he admired Zuhair because he did not use rare words. His poems were free from complexity. He dealt with only such subjects in which he was at home.
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When he praised any one, he spoke only of those virtues which the person praised really possessed. Umar quoted the following verses of Zuheir to establish his point: “Qais bin Ghailan has attained the height of nobility;
Now if anybody tries to exceed him, he will only come to shame.
If praise could have given immortality to a man,
Thou wouldst never have died,
But people's adulations never make one immortal."

Umar admired Zuhair because his poetry was chaste, and though he belonged to the pagan period, his language was so refined that he gave the impression of being a poet of the Islamic period.
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He used simple language and did not indulge in exaggeration.

Zuhair's patron was an Arab chief Harm b. Sinan. Once a son of Zuhair and a son of Harm met Umar. Umar asked the son of Harm to recite some poems of Zuhair composed in the praise of Harm. Thereupon Harm's son recited some poems. Umar said that Zuheir wrote well in the praise of Harm and his family. Harm's son said 'He was paid well for that'. Thereupon Umar said, "What your father gave has perished, but what Zuhair gave lives."
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Then turning to Zuhair's son, Umar asked where were the robes of honour that Harm had bestowed on his father. He said that those had perished. Thereupon Umar said, "Time will never destroy the robes that Zuhair bestowed on Harm".

Aghlab and Labid were two well known poets of the time of Umar. They resided at Kufa. They were allowed by Umar a stipend of 2,000 dirhams each. When Mugheera bin Shaaba was the Governor of Kufa, Umar asked him to call these poets and hear from them the poetry they had written after conversion to Islam.
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Mugheera called Aghlab and asked him to recite some verses which he had written since his conversion to Islam. He recited:

"Do you want a battle song or a panegyric,
Verily you have made a simple demand."

Then Mugheera called Labid, and asked him to recite some verses. He said: “If you like I could recite for you the verses that I wrote during the period of ignorance."

Mugheera said: “No, let us hear something which you have written during the Islamic period."
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Thereupon Labid recited some verses from the Holy Quran and said: “Since I have become a Muslim, the Holy Quran is my poetry."

Mugheera reported to Umar what Aghlab and Labid had said. Thereupon Umar wrote to Mugheera reducing the stipend of Aghlab from 2,000 dirhams to 1,500 dirhams, and raising the stipend of Labid from 2,0OO dirhams to 2,500 dirhams.

Aghlab felt grieved and he wrote the following verses to Umar: “Umar asked me to recite my verses but I complied with his order.
There was nothing wrong with my verses.
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But Umar reduced my stipend
That was a strange reward
For compliance with the orders of the Caliph."

Umar regretted the reduction in the stipend of Aghlab and passed orders for the restoration of the stipend of 2,000 dirhams to Aghlab. The stipend of Labid was not touched and he continued to enjoy the stipend of 2,500 dirhams. It was noon of a Friday. The faithful at Madina had gathered in the Prophet's mosque to offer the Friday prayers. Umar, the Caliph arrived to lead the prayers.
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He said his preliminary prayer and then proceeded to deliver his address to the congregation. He began by reciting some verses from the Holy Quran. Then addressing the congregation he said "Now listen".

A young man from the congregation stood up to say, "We will not listen to you, until you give us the explanation that you owe to us”. The people were startled at this audacious interference. Umar paused for a moment, and then turning to the young man said, "Explanation for what?"
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End of Today's Education. Subhanakallahuma wabihamdik ash-hadu an laaila Anta astagfiruka wa atuuubu ilayhi. Questions, Suggestions and problems are welcome privately. *We shall continue tomorrow on this same topic in sha Allah*. May HE strengthen and make us steadfast in faith. May HE accept our ibaadat and grant us the Good in this World and the Hereafter. May Allah Azza wa jalla forgive and grant us Jannah...AMIN