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'Umar weeps at the marks of the mat

Date
Madinan period · date unknown
Location
Madinah
People
'Umar (RA), Ibn 'Abbas (RA)

Ibn 'Abbas (RA) narrates in Sahih al-Bukhari that 'Umar (RA) found the Prophet ﷺ lying on a palm-fibre mat that had left marks on his side, and wept comparing it to the kings of Persia and Rome; the Prophet ﷺ asked whether he was not content that they have this world and we the Hereafter.

As it was narrated

The story, in the words of those who were there

Read slowly. These are the Companions' own words, from the verified hadith collections.

Hadith
Hadith collection

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ بِلاَلٍ، عَنْ يَحْيَى، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ حُنَيْنٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ يُحَدِّثُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مَكَثْتُ سَنَةً أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَسْأَلَ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ عَنْ آيَةٍ، فَمَا أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ أَسْأَلَهُ هَيْبَةً لَهُ، حَتَّى خَرَجَ حَاجًّا فَخَرَجْتُ مَعَهُ فَلَمَّا رَجَعْتُ وَكُنَّا بِبَعْضِ الطَّرِيقِ عَدَلَ …

Narrated Ibn `Abbas:For the whole year I had the desire to ask `Umar bin Al-Khattab regarding the explanation of a Verse (in Surat Al-Tahrim) but I could not ask him because I respected him very much. When he went to perform the Hajj, I too went along with him. On our return, while we were still on the way home. `Umar went aside to answer the call of nature by the Arak trees. I waited till he finished and then I proceeded with him and asked him. "O chief of the Believers! Who were the two wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) who aided one another against him?" He said, "They were Hafsa and `Aisha." Then I said to him, "By Allah, I wanted to ask you about this a year ago, but I could not do so owing to m…

Sahih al-Bukhari · Hadith 4913 · Prophetic Commentary on the Qur'an (Tafseer of the Prophet (pbuh))
Translation: Sahih al-Bukhari — English. Hadith data: fawazahmed0/hadith-api (numbering and gradings as published there).

Grading information unavailable in source data · from a collection regarded as sahih

Open source

Lessons

  • Comparing our life with the wealthy misses what matters.
  • Simplicity can be a choice, not only a lack.

Lessons are editorial reflections drawn from the event and its sources.

Pause for a moment

Which moment of your own life does this remind you of? Sit with it for a minute, then send salawat on the one who lived it ﷺ.

Send salawat ﷺ

Bibliography

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 4913 (Ibn 'Abbas) · primary source
  • Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtum (further reading)

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