A Caliph’s Last Wish
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Some answered prayers in this book are not about escape, but about a good ending.
It is reported, with a sound chain, that Umar ibn al-Khattab, on his last Hajj, stopped in the valley outside Mina. He gathered a small heap of pebbles, laid the edge of his cloak over it, and lay down. Then he raised his hands to the sky and said:
O Allah, my age has grown great, my strength has grown weak, and the people under my care have spread far. Take me to You before I neglect them or fall short.
The month of Dhul Hijjah had not ended before he was struck down, and died a martyr. May Allah have mercy on him.
Then there are the reports about al-Ala’ ibn al-Hadrami, a companion sent to lead the Muslims in Bahrain. A man who travelled with him said: I saw three things from him I never saw from anyone else.
It is reported that they were travelling on a burning hot day, and were desperate with thirst. He prayed, and rain fell. Then they came to water too deep to cross. He prayed, and they crossed safely. And when he died in the desert, and they buried him, they later opened the grave to retie his shroud, and found nothing there.
These reports have weak chains, and we hold them lightly. But the story of Umar is a gentle teaching. Not every answered prayer is for more of this world. Some of the most beautiful are for a good return to Allah.
