Miracles

Umar: Do you know how is Umar? Old lady: I have heard that he has set out from Syria. Neither I know more about him, nor do I care to know.

Umar: Why is that? Old lady: Why would I want to learn about someone who does not care to learn about my condition? Umar: Did you inform Umar about your condition? Old lady: This is not my job, this is Umar‟s job. Umar: How could Umar be aware of your condition from so far away?

The old lady‟s response to this is worth pondering. She said, “If Umar cannot be cognizant of the condition of his citizens then he should not be their leader.” Umar‟s eyes filled with tears whenever he recalled this incident. He used to say, “That old lady from Syria taught me how to be a true leader.” This is why once Umar said, “If I stay alive then I will travel throughout the year to find out the condition of my citizens, as people from far off places cannot reach me and I cannot validate whether my subordinates are keeping me well informed of the needs of every citizen or not. I will visit Syria, Egypt, Bahrain, Basra and stay at each place for two months so I can find out the condition of their inhabitants myself.”

There are many miracles of Umar ibn Khattab that are found in the traditions:

 Umar appointed Sariyah to lead an army. While the army laid siege to the gate of Nahavand, he faced great difficulty. Muslims were outnumbered and were about to face defeat.

At that time Umar was delivering a sermon in Madina during which he loudly said thrice:

لبجلا ہیراس ای

Meaning: O Sariyah! Head towards the mountain. When a messenger from the army came to Madina, Umar asked about the detail of the war. He told, “During the fight, we were about to face defeat when we heard a voice, „O Sariyah! Head towards the mountain!‟ Hence we headed towards the mountain and eventually the enemy lost the war.” The messenger added, “No doubt! That voice was yours.”

(Bayhaqi 2655, Suyuti 28657, Mishkat 5954)

 Umar appointed Amr ibn al-As as the governor of Egypt. In those times there was a custom in Egypt that a young virgin was thrown in the river Nile every year. When Amr objected on this custom, people said, “O governor! The Nile will not flow otherwise.” However, Amr did not allow saying that

Islam does not permit such superstitious acts. For some days, the Nile did not flow at all and people thought of migrating.

Then Amr ibn al-As wrote to Umar who wrote back, “You have done right. I have sent you a piece of paper in this letter, throw it into the Nile.” When Amr received the letter, he took the piece of paper on which was written:

“From the slave of Allah and Leader of the Believers to the

Nile of people! If the decision of flowing is up to you, then do not flow, for we do not need you. But if you flow by the command of Allah, the One, Who makes you flow, then we ask Allah to make you flow.”

Amr threw the piece of paper into the Nile and the very next day the people of Egypt found that Nile was flowing to a

depth of sixteen cubits. (Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah)

 Once, an earthquake hit Madina. Umar took his whip and lashed the earth two or three times with full force and said,