His restraint and refusal of high office did not paralyze the judicial function, nor did it open the door for the unqualified. Rather, Ibn Umar chose to devote his time to purifying his soul through increased worship and obedience. In that phase of Islamic history, life had become more comfortable and luxurious, wealth more abundant, and positions of authority more accessible. The temptation of money and status began to creep into the hearts of even the pious and devout. Some of the Prophet’s Companions, with Ibn Umar among them, raised the banner of resistance to these temptations by making themselves living examples of worship, piety, and renunciation, deliberately turning away from high positions to defeat their allure.
Ibn Umar became a true “friend of the night,” standing in prayer, weeping, and seeking forgiveness in the last hours before dawn. In his youth, he had seen a dream that the Prophet (PBUH) interpreted in a way that made night prayer his greatest hope and deepest source of joy. He later recounted: “During the time of the Prophet, I saw in my sleep that I was riding on a piece of brocade that carried me wherever I wished in Paradise. Then I saw two figures coming toward me, wanting to take me to the Fire, but an angel met them and said, ‘Do not be afraid,’ so they left me.” His sister Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) related the dream to the Prophet (PBUH), who said, “What an excellent man Abd Allah is, if only he prays at night.” From that day until he met Allah, Ibn `Umar never abandoned the night prayer, whether at home or on a journey.
He spent much of his time in prayer, reciting the Qur’an, and glorifying Allah, and like his father, his tears flowed abundantly whenever he heard a verse of warning. Ubayd ibn Umar said: “I was once reciting to Abd Allah ibn Umar the verse, ‘How then will it be when We bring from every nation a witness and bring you, [O Muhammad], as a witness over these? On that Day, those who disbelieved and disobeyed the Messenger will wish that the earth were leveled over them, and they will not conceal from Allah a single statement’ (4:41–42). Ibn `Umar began to weep until his beard was soaked with tears.” On another occasion, he was sitting with his brothers while the verses were recited: “Woe to those who give less [in measure and weight], who, when they take a measure from people, take in full; but when they give by measure or by weight to them, they cause loss. Do they not think that they will be resurrected for a tremendous Day, the Day when mankind will stand before the Lord of the worlds?” (83:1–6). He repeated again and again, “The Day when mankind will stand before the Lord of the worlds,” until his tears fell like heavy rain and he collapsed from the intensity of his fear and grief.
His generosity, asceticism, and piety worked together in perfect harmony to shape the most beautiful traits of this great man. He gave freely because he was generous, chose only what was lawful and wholesome because he was pious, and did not care if his giving left him poor because he was detached from worldly gain. Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was among those with substantial means: he was a successful, honest merchant for much of his life, and he received a generous stipend from the public treasury (Bayt al-Mal). Yet he never hoarded his wealth; instead, he spent it lavishly on the poor, the needy, and those who asked.
Ayub ibn Waa’il al-Rassibi relates one example of this generosity: “One day Ibn Umar was given four thousand dirhams and a piece of fine velvet. The next day, I saw him in the market buying fodder for his camel on credit.” Surprised, Ayub went to Ibn Umar’s family and asked, “Was Abu Abd al-Rahman (Abd Allah ibn Umar) not given four thousand dirhams and a piece of velvet yesterday?” They replied, “Yes.” He told them what he had seen in the market, and they said, “He did not sleep before distributing all of it. Then he took the velvet on his back and went out, and when he returned, it was no longer with him. We asked him about it, and he said, ‘I gave it to a poor person.’” Ayub left, shaking his head, then went to the marketplace, climbed to a high spot, and called out to the merchants, “O merchants, what are you doing with your lives? Here is Ibn Umar—he was given four thousand dirhams, and he distributed them all; then the next morning, he buys fodder for his camel on credit!”
The one for whom Muhammad (PBUH) was the teacher, and `Umar his father, could only be a man of such greatness, worthy of every word of praise and every remembrance of his noble legacy.
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