Simple Truth
23-09-08, 06:59 AM
The Four Complaints of Little Koofa
Khaalid bin Ma’daan narrated that the Ameer-ul-Mu’mineen, ‘Umar bin al-Khattaab (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) appointed Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir ibn Juthaym al-Jamhi (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) to the post of governor of Homs, Syria. One day ‘Umar himself came to visit Homs, and he privately asked its citizens, “How do you find your employee (Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir)?”
The people complained to ‘Umar about their governor Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir – incidentally, the people of Homs were labeled “the citizens of little Koofa,” because, like the citizens of the city of Koofa, ‘Iraaq, the people of Homs invariably complained about their administrators – and here again, they were critical about their governor as they said, “We basically have four complaints about him!”
‘Umar (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) was surprised, and he asked, “What are they?” The people replied, “He only comes out of his house in the mid-morning to attend to our needs.” ‘Umar became upset, and he said, “This is a serious allegation, what else?” They said, “He never answers any calls at night.” ‘Umar commented, “This is another serious allegation as well. What else?” They continued, “He has reserved one day in each month for himself, where he does not come out at all.” ‘Umar said, “Surely this is another serious one, and what else?” They said, “From time to time, he gets extremely sick, and he remains at home.”
‘Umar (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) immediately called for Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir to meet the people face to face and answer their allegations, and he prayed, “My Lord, do not disappoint me with my opinion of Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir today.”
When Sa’eed sat in their midst, ‘Umar (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) turned to the people and said, “Tell me again what charges do you have against your walee (governor)?” The people said, “He only comes out of his house in the mid-morning to attend to our needs.” Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) answered, “Allah is my witness, I was hoping that I did not have to answer to this one. After all, my wife has no helpers, and for this reason, I kneed my dough every morning, and I wait for it to rise before I take my ablution and come out to attend to their needs.”
‘Umar further asked the people, “Voice your next complaint?” The people replied, “He never answers any calls at night.” ‘Umar turned to Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) and inquired, “What do you have to say about that?” Sa’eed replied, “I also hoped that I did not have to speak regarding this matter, however, since this subject has come up thus, then I feel that I must explain that in fact, I have allotted the day to serve the needs of the people, and as to the night, I have kept it to my personal devotion and worship of Almighty Allah, blessed be His Name.”
‘Umar then turned to the people and he asked, “What other complaints do you hold against him?” The people replied, “He has reserved one day a month when he does not come out until late in the day.” ‘Umar turned to Sa’eed and inquired, “What do you have to say about that?” Sa’eed replied, “O Ameer-ul-Mu’mineen, I have no one to wash my clothes, nor do I have a second set of clothing. Once a month, I wash my clothes, I wait until they dry out, and then, I smooth them by hand before I come out of my house to attend to the needs of the people.”
‘Umar further asked the people, “What other complaints do you have about him?” The people replied, “From time to time, he gets extremely sick, and he stays in his bed for awhile, as though if he was sick!” ‘Umar again turned to Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) and asked him, “What do you say about that?” Sa’eed pondered and stared for a moment, and then he replied, “O Ameer-ul-Mu’mineen, before embracing Islam I lived in Makkah, and I watched when Khubayb al-Ansaari was murdered and he body mutilated at the hands of the polytheist Qurayshis who had tortured him for a long time, and then, they pierced him with their spears repeatedly, and furthermore, they carried him on a stick – and there I stood during his last agonizing moments. The disbelievers asked Khubayb, ‘At this junction, wouldn’t it be better for you to renounce your faith and to spare your life, and wouldn’t you rather see Muhammad in your place instead?’ Khubayb (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) replied, ‘Let Allah be my witness that I would rather not be resting in comfort in the midst of my family and children tonight, knowing that even a small thorn has hurt Allah’s Messenger, Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wassallam).’ Khubayb then called out with a piercing voice, ‘O Muhammad!’ Immediately, the Qurayshis became extremely furious, and in their rage, they executed him at once, and then, they mutlilated his body with great fury.”
Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir continued, “Whenever I remember the scene of that soul terrorizing sinister dark day, being a polytheist and an atheist then, and having no faith in Almighty Allah, whenever I recall how I failed to support him under such circumstances, I become extremely tormented and agitated thinking that Allah, the Lord of Majesty and Glory, blessed be His Name, will never forgive me for such a sin, and hence I became sickened and seized by depression and distraught, as if I am entrapped by the throes of death.”
‘Umar then commented, “All praises be to Allah, blessed be His Name, Who did not let my keenness fail me when I appointed him to serve.”
Later on, when he returned to Madeenah, ‘Umar (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) sent one thousand dinars to Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) with the message, “Use them for your personal needs.”
When the wife of Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) saw the gift, she said, “All praises be to Allah, blessed be His Name, Who provided us with these means to make your duty lighter.” Sa’eed then turned to his wife and said, “Would you like to know about a better way to use this money? Let us invest in a business that will insure a satisfactory return when we need it most!” She replied favorably, “Indeed.”
Immediately, Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) called someone he trusted in his family, and he divided the money in several pouches, and said to him, “Go and give this bag to the widow of so and so, and this bag to the orphan of such and such family, and this back to that neighbor who is confined to his bed…” Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir did thus until only a single coin of money remained, which he passed to his wife, and said, “Spend this for your immediate needs.” Sa’eed then went back to his work.
As Sa’eed was leaving the house, the wife asked him: “Why don’t you hire a servant to help us? What can this little money do?” Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) replied, “Do not worry. Your true return will come at a time when you need it most!”
Khaalid bin Ma’daan narrated that the Ameer-ul-Mu’mineen, ‘Umar bin al-Khattaab (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) appointed Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir ibn Juthaym al-Jamhi (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) to the post of governor of Homs, Syria. One day ‘Umar himself came to visit Homs, and he privately asked its citizens, “How do you find your employee (Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir)?”
The people complained to ‘Umar about their governor Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir – incidentally, the people of Homs were labeled “the citizens of little Koofa,” because, like the citizens of the city of Koofa, ‘Iraaq, the people of Homs invariably complained about their administrators – and here again, they were critical about their governor as they said, “We basically have four complaints about him!”
‘Umar (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) was surprised, and he asked, “What are they?” The people replied, “He only comes out of his house in the mid-morning to attend to our needs.” ‘Umar became upset, and he said, “This is a serious allegation, what else?” They said, “He never answers any calls at night.” ‘Umar commented, “This is another serious allegation as well. What else?” They continued, “He has reserved one day in each month for himself, where he does not come out at all.” ‘Umar said, “Surely this is another serious one, and what else?” They said, “From time to time, he gets extremely sick, and he remains at home.”
‘Umar (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) immediately called for Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir to meet the people face to face and answer their allegations, and he prayed, “My Lord, do not disappoint me with my opinion of Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir today.”
When Sa’eed sat in their midst, ‘Umar (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) turned to the people and said, “Tell me again what charges do you have against your walee (governor)?” The people said, “He only comes out of his house in the mid-morning to attend to our needs.” Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) answered, “Allah is my witness, I was hoping that I did not have to answer to this one. After all, my wife has no helpers, and for this reason, I kneed my dough every morning, and I wait for it to rise before I take my ablution and come out to attend to their needs.”
‘Umar further asked the people, “Voice your next complaint?” The people replied, “He never answers any calls at night.” ‘Umar turned to Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) and inquired, “What do you have to say about that?” Sa’eed replied, “I also hoped that I did not have to speak regarding this matter, however, since this subject has come up thus, then I feel that I must explain that in fact, I have allotted the day to serve the needs of the people, and as to the night, I have kept it to my personal devotion and worship of Almighty Allah, blessed be His Name.”
‘Umar then turned to the people and he asked, “What other complaints do you hold against him?” The people replied, “He has reserved one day a month when he does not come out until late in the day.” ‘Umar turned to Sa’eed and inquired, “What do you have to say about that?” Sa’eed replied, “O Ameer-ul-Mu’mineen, I have no one to wash my clothes, nor do I have a second set of clothing. Once a month, I wash my clothes, I wait until they dry out, and then, I smooth them by hand before I come out of my house to attend to the needs of the people.”
‘Umar further asked the people, “What other complaints do you have about him?” The people replied, “From time to time, he gets extremely sick, and he stays in his bed for awhile, as though if he was sick!” ‘Umar again turned to Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) and asked him, “What do you say about that?” Sa’eed pondered and stared for a moment, and then he replied, “O Ameer-ul-Mu’mineen, before embracing Islam I lived in Makkah, and I watched when Khubayb al-Ansaari was murdered and he body mutilated at the hands of the polytheist Qurayshis who had tortured him for a long time, and then, they pierced him with their spears repeatedly, and furthermore, they carried him on a stick – and there I stood during his last agonizing moments. The disbelievers asked Khubayb, ‘At this junction, wouldn’t it be better for you to renounce your faith and to spare your life, and wouldn’t you rather see Muhammad in your place instead?’ Khubayb (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) replied, ‘Let Allah be my witness that I would rather not be resting in comfort in the midst of my family and children tonight, knowing that even a small thorn has hurt Allah’s Messenger, Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wassallam).’ Khubayb then called out with a piercing voice, ‘O Muhammad!’ Immediately, the Qurayshis became extremely furious, and in their rage, they executed him at once, and then, they mutlilated his body with great fury.”
Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir continued, “Whenever I remember the scene of that soul terrorizing sinister dark day, being a polytheist and an atheist then, and having no faith in Almighty Allah, whenever I recall how I failed to support him under such circumstances, I become extremely tormented and agitated thinking that Allah, the Lord of Majesty and Glory, blessed be His Name, will never forgive me for such a sin, and hence I became sickened and seized by depression and distraught, as if I am entrapped by the throes of death.”
‘Umar then commented, “All praises be to Allah, blessed be His Name, Who did not let my keenness fail me when I appointed him to serve.”
Later on, when he returned to Madeenah, ‘Umar (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) sent one thousand dinars to Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) with the message, “Use them for your personal needs.”
When the wife of Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) saw the gift, she said, “All praises be to Allah, blessed be His Name, Who provided us with these means to make your duty lighter.” Sa’eed then turned to his wife and said, “Would you like to know about a better way to use this money? Let us invest in a business that will insure a satisfactory return when we need it most!” She replied favorably, “Indeed.”
Immediately, Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) called someone he trusted in his family, and he divided the money in several pouches, and said to him, “Go and give this bag to the widow of so and so, and this bag to the orphan of such and such family, and this back to that neighbor who is confined to his bed…” Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir did thus until only a single coin of money remained, which he passed to his wife, and said, “Spend this for your immediate needs.” Sa’eed then went back to his work.
As Sa’eed was leaving the house, the wife asked him: “Why don’t you hire a servant to help us? What can this little money do?” Sa’eed bin ‘Aamir (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) replied, “Do not worry. Your true return will come at a time when you need it most!”