The story of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab regarding the plague of 'Amwas in the Levant.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : It is not hidden from any of us what happened with 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) when he traveled to the Levant. While on the road, he was told that there was a plague in the Levant, and the plague is a known, deadly epidemic, refuge sought in Allah. So he (may Allah be pleased with him) stopped and consulted the Companions: should he return to Madinah out of fear of this epidemic, or should he proceed to this epidemic, rely on Allah, and not worry?
He consulted the Companions, the Ansar and the Muhajireen, and the elders among them. The opinion of the majority settled on returning to Madinah. So he ordered the return to Madinah. Then Abu 'Ubaydah 'Amir ibn al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) came to him and said: "O Commander of the Faithful, how will you return? Are you fleeing from the decree of Allah?" He said to him, "If anyone other than you had said that, O Abu 'Ubaydah", because Abu 'Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) was among the best of the Companions, to the extent that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described him as. And even 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said, when he was stabbed: "If Abu 'Ubaydah were alive, I would have made him the caliph after me", because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: .
The important point is that Abu 'Ubaydah objected to 'Umar and said, "Are you fleeing from the decree of Allah?" He said, "O Abu 'Ubaydah, if anyone other than you had said that—listen—he said, 'We flee from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah'". Glory be to Allah! What a strange word this is. If the later scholars had spoken about it, they would have written volumes about it and would not have reached this meaning that 'Umar said: "We flee from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah", meaning that if we go to the Levant, it is by the decree of Allah, and if we return to Madinah, it is by the decree of Allah. So if we return, we have not fled, but it is by the decree of Allah, and if we proceed, it is by the decree of Allah. We flee from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah. Then he gave him an example. He said: "Suppose you had camels, and there was a valley with two branches: one branch is fertile, full of grass, trees, and pasture, and the other branch is barren, with nothing in it. Would you graze your camels in the fertile branch or in the barren branch?" Abu 'Ubaydah said, "In the fertile branch." He said, "If you graze them in the fertile branch, you have grazed them by the decree of Allah". So he gave him this example, and at that time he was reassured. During this, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf came, having gone ahead on some business of his, and he informed them that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:. This is from the guidance of Allah. Look at the consultation and the agreement of opinion; it must be upon the truth.
So the result, O brothers, is that we say: If you hear about a ruler, whether great or small, something that you disapprove of, do not take this as a means to spread his faults among the people, for the danger of that is great. But you must contact him, either directly or indirectly, so that the matter becomes clear. And whoever becomes aware of the truth must turn to it, whatever it is, for the truth is above everyone.
We ask Allah for success for us and for you in this world and the Hereafter, and that He make us and you guides and guided, and that He rectify the affairs of the Muslims and their rulers. Indeed, He is capable of all things. And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
O brothers, prepare now with your papers and pens, for the questions of the competition will be dictated to you.
Shall we begin? Okay, let's go, let's go. Yes.
The student: Who is eligible to participate?
The Shaykh : Who is eligible to participate? Everyone is eligible to participate, absolutely. Every person who knows how to answer has the right to participate. Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : how
The student: ...
The Shaykh : And you participate too, there is no obstacle. Even the one who brought questions and answers has the right to participate, because he knows nothing about the other questions. Yes.
The student: The prizes.
The Shaykh : Yes, the prizes are for you. There are great prizes in them. A prize that could serve as a bridal gift, which is a ring of iron.
He consulted the Companions, the Ansar and the Muhajireen, and the elders among them. The opinion of the majority settled on returning to Madinah. So he ordered the return to Madinah. Then Abu 'Ubaydah 'Amir ibn al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) came to him and said: "O Commander of the Faithful, how will you return? Are you fleeing from the decree of Allah?" He said to him, "If anyone other than you had said that, O Abu 'Ubaydah", because Abu 'Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) was among the best of the Companions, to the extent that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described him as
The trustworthy one of this Ummah
أمين هذه الأمةHe is the trustworthy one of this Ummah
إنه أمين هذه الأمةThe important point is that Abu 'Ubaydah objected to 'Umar and said, "Are you fleeing from the decree of Allah?" He said, "O Abu 'Ubaydah, if anyone other than you had said that—listen—he said, 'We flee from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah'". Glory be to Allah! What a strange word this is. If the later scholars had spoken about it, they would have written volumes about it and would not have reached this meaning that 'Umar said: "We flee from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah", meaning that if we go to the Levant, it is by the decree of Allah, and if we return to Madinah, it is by the decree of Allah. So if we return, we have not fled, but it is by the decree of Allah, and if we proceed, it is by the decree of Allah. We flee from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah. Then he gave him an example. He said: "Suppose you had camels, and there was a valley with two branches: one branch is fertile, full of grass, trees, and pasture, and the other branch is barren, with nothing in it. Would you graze your camels in the fertile branch or in the barren branch?" Abu 'Ubaydah said, "In the fertile branch." He said, "If you graze them in the fertile branch, you have grazed them by the decree of Allah". So he gave him this example, and at that time he was reassured. During this, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf came, having gone ahead on some business of his, and he informed them that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
If you hear of it—meaning the plague—in a land, do not enter it, and if it breaks out while you are in it, do not leave it in flight from it
إذا سمعتم به - يعني بالطاعون - في أرض فلا تقدموا عليها وإذا وقع وأنتم فيها فلا تخرجوا منها فراراً منهSo the result, O brothers, is that we say: If you hear about a ruler, whether great or small, something that you disapprove of, do not take this as a means to spread his faults among the people, for the danger of that is great. But you must contact him, either directly or indirectly, so that the matter becomes clear. And whoever becomes aware of the truth must turn to it, whatever it is, for the truth is above everyone.
We ask Allah for success for us and for you in this world and the Hereafter, and that He make us and you guides and guided, and that He rectify the affairs of the Muslims and their rulers. Indeed, He is capable of all things. And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
O brothers, prepare now with your papers and pens, for the questions of the competition will be dictated to you.
Shall we begin? Okay, let's go, let's go. Yes.
The student: Who is eligible to participate?
The Shaykh : Who is eligible to participate? Everyone is eligible to participate, absolutely. Every person who knows how to answer has the right to participate. Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : how
The student: ...
The Shaykh : And you participate too, there is no obstacle. Even the one who brought questions and answers has the right to participate, because he knows nothing about the other questions. Yes.
The student: The prizes.
The Shaykh : Yes, the prizes are for you. There are great prizes in them. A prize that could serve as a bridal gift, which is a ring of iron.