Episode 29: Life of Umar ibn al-Khattab
The Poem that Reached Umar ibn al-Khattab:
One night, Umar ibn al-Khattab heard a woman singing some lines of poetry.
The woman sang: Is there any way that I can get some wine to drink or is there any way I can get some time with Nasr ibn Hajjaj?
Umar ibn al-Khattab was shocked to hear this and as the woman sung the lines of poetry, another woman asked her: Who is this Nasr ibn Hajjaj you are singing about?
The woman replied: He is a man who I wish would be with me all night with no one else around.
Umar Investigates Nasr ibn al-Hajjaj:
Umar ibn al-Khattab then asked around about Nasr ibn-Hajjaj and he found out that Nasr was known as the most handsome young man in Madinah.
Umar feared that this could be a cause of fitnah for the women, so he said: As long as Umar is alive, you will have no pathway to the wine and no pathway to Nasr ibn Hajjaj!
Exiling Nasr ibn al-Hajjaj:
Umar ibn al-Khattab ordered for Nasr ibn Hajjaj to be brought to him and when Nasr came in front of the Khalifah, the first thing he did was to order for his head to be shaved to change his appearance.
They shaved his head, but after they did this, Nasr ibn Hajjaj became even more attractive to the women.
Umar ibn al-Khattab ordered that Nasr ibn Hajjaj had to always wear a turban and when he started wearing it, he became even more handsome.
Umar then said to Nasr ibn Hajjaj: You cannot stay in the same city as me whilst these women have a desire for you. I am going to have to exile you. You have to leave Madinah.
Umar instructed Nasr ibn Hajjaj to go and settle in Basra and ordered for him to be taken care of by the government.
When the news of Nasr ibn Hajjaj being exiled spread, the original woman who was singing the lines of poetry, got scared as she felt that Umar would come after her next and exile her as well.
Umar asked around about the woman and he was told that she was a modest and honourable woman.
Umar ibn al-Khattab told her: Don’t worry, I am not going to punish you. And I am not exiling Nasr ibn Hajjaj because of you. Don’t think that it is because of you alone. I have heard that many of the women of Madinah are attracted to him. So I want to close that door of fitnah, and you are an honourable and pious woman. Everything that I have heard about you is good, but not all women are like that. Some women may be weak in their faith and may be tempted. So, I want to close the door to any type of Fitnah.
Nasr ibn Hajjaj’s Response to Being Exiled:
Nasr ibn Hajjaj was saddened to leave Madinah and he begged Umar ibn al-Khattab to let him stay and sent other people to intercede on his behalf.
However, Umar ibn al-Khattab stood firm with his decision and Nasr ibn Hajjaj told Umar: O Amir al-Mu’minin, forcing me to leave the city is like killing me.
Umar replied: How can you say that? How can you say that making you leave and live in another city is the same thing as killing you?
Nasr ibn Hajjaj responded: Don’t you know that Allah said in the Quran: If it were prescribed upon them to kill themselves or to leave their homes, only a few of them would do it.
Umar ibn al-Khattab was impressed by Nasr’s thinking and replied: I say as the Prophet Shuayb said to his people: All I want is for the situation to be rectified as much as I am able to do it. My success only comes from Allah. I am only looking for good for the society. I know that this is difficult for you, but I, as the leader of the Muslims, have to look at the bigger picture. My main responsibility is towards the society as a whole. This is why I have taken the decision. You cannot stay in Madinah, you must leave.
Umar continued: the allowance that you get from the Bayt-al-mal (Muslim treasury) will be doubled in Basra.
Umar ibn al-Khattab felt sorry for him and knew it was a difficult thing for him to do but Nasr ibn Hajjaj had no choice but to leave Madinah and he moved to Basra.
A Mother’s Plea:
After some time, Umar was heading to the Masjid after the Adhan for the Fajr prayer, a woman was waiting for him in the pathway.
This woman was the mother of Nasr ibn Hajjaj, who told Umar ibn al-Khattab: Wallahi, you and I will stand in front of Allah, and Allah will bring you to account for what you have done for separating me and my son. Your sons Abdullah and Asim sleep by your side at night, but as for me and my son, between us are the mountains, the deserts and the valleys. You get to stay with your family but you separated me from my son.
Umar understood her pain and this decision also affected him as well.
Umar ibn al-Khattab said to Nasr ibn Hajjaj’s mother: I understand your pain, but as for my sons, yes they are with me but the women of Madinah are not attracted to my sons. They are not singing poetry about them. It is not the same situation. As for your son, he is a fitnah and a trial for the woman, and I have to protect the society and the modesty of the woman.
Nasr’s Letters from Basra:
After some time, Umar ibn al-Khattab received a letter from Basra from Nasr ibn al-Hajjaj.
In this letter, Nasr was appealing to the Khalifah to let him come back to Madinah as he was having a hard time settling in Basra.
Nasr ibn al-Hajajj said in the letter: Please let me come back, I didn’t commit any crime or do any act that caused me to be exiled, but you still exiled me and separated me from my family. What did I do to deserve this? I am so lonely in this strange land. It is hard for me to be in this new land with these new people. I am used to Madinah, please let me come back.
When Umar ibn al-Khattab received this letter, he felt really bad for him. However, as the leader of the Muslims, he had to put the interests of the society over the needs of an individual.
Umar wrote back to Nasr ibn al-Hajjaj: I am very sorry, you cannot come back to Madinah.
Abu Dhi’b – The Cousin of Nasr ibn al-Hajjaj:
Later on, Umar ibn al-Khattab again heard a group of women talking and one of the women asked the group: Now that Nasr is gone, who is the most handsome man in Madinah? Another woman answered: Abu Dhi’b
Umar heard this and he said to himself: I have just got rid of one problem and another problem has come. Who is this Abu Dhi’b?
The next morning, Umar ibn al-Khattab was very upset and started asking around about Abu Dhi’b. The people asked around and found out that he was the cousin of Nasr ibn Hajjaj.
Umar, when he saw Abu Dhi’b, told him three times: Wallahi, you are the wolf for the women.
Exiling Abu Dhi’b:
Umar ibn al-Khattab then said: I swear by the One in Whose hand my life is in, that you and I cannot stay in the same land, where you are a fitnah for the women. The women have started talking about you just as they were talking about your cousin before.
Abu Dhi’b asked Umar: What did I do? What crime did I commit in order to deserve this?
Umar ibn al-Khattab replied: You didn’t do anything, but I cannot have a fitnah in Madinah. I fear that if you stay here, you will become a fitnah for women.
Abu Dhi’b said: Alright, if I must be exiled, exile me to the same place where you sent my cousin.
Umar ibn al-Khattab agreed to this and sent him to Basra.
The Principle of Umar:
Nasr ibn Hajjaj and Abu Dhi’b stayed in Basra until Umar passed away.
Umar ibn al-Khattab showed during his Caliph that the benefit of the public was more important than the benefit of an individual.