ISLAMIC VIRTUES
Model Character
FOR centuries the lives of the Prophet and his Companions have served as models of a truly God-fearing existence for all humankind, and will continue to do so. Hence God’s preservation of this page of history with such exactitude that anyone, who is sincere about learning from their example can know, even today, every detail of how they lived and died. The following are a few examples worth emulating.
Being Methodical
During the caliphate of Umar, Abu Hurayrah, a Companion brought
800,000 dirhams from Abu Musa Ashari to Madinah. After the morning
prayer, Umar informed the Muslims about this new intake of revenue.
“In all of Islamic history, we have not, till now, received such a sum of
money. In my opinion, it should be divided into equal portions and
distributed among the people.” When he asked the gathering what
they thought, Usman offered his opinion: “In order to give to everyone,
a considerable amount of money will be needed. If people are not
counted, it will be impossible to tell who have received their share
and who have not. This will result in confusion.” Hearing this, Walid
ibn Hisham said, “Commander of the Faithful, when I was in Syria, I
saw that the rulers there had compiled registers for this purpose, and
had appointed people to maintain them. You
might do likewise.” Umar accepted this advice
and delegated the task of compiling registers
to three of his Companions.
For centuries the lives of the Prophet and his Companions have served as models of a truly god-fearing existence for all humankind, and will continue to do so.
Reforming Others
A person asked Umar regarding the better
of the two courses of action: to be mindful
of reproach in doing his duty to God, or to
concentrate on improving himself rather than
others.
To the above Umar replied: “Whoever is appointed to manage the affairs of a community, should not neglect his duty towards others, that is to say he must carry out his duty even in the face of criticism. But those who are not in authority should concentrate upon themselves. They may nevertheless offer good counsel to those in a position of authority.