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During the time of Umar Ibn Al Khattab (radiaalahu anhu) there were two men who brought in a young boy, dragging him in to the court. Umar, asked, ‘What is this, what is going on?
Why are you dragging him into the court?They replied, “This boy has killed our father.” Umar then asked the boy, “Did you really kill their father?” The boy said, “Yes, I did but it was by accident.
My camel, it used to tread on their property so one day their father took a rock and hit the camel in the eye and I saw the camel suffering and it made me furious and aggravated. So I took a rock and I threw it at their father. It hit him in the head and he died.
Umar asked the two brothers, “Will you forgive this young boy for this accident?”
They said no, they wanted Qisaas (retribution). Umar asked the young boy, “Do you have any last wishes, any last requests?” The young boy said yes, “My father passed away and I have a younger brother and my father left some money behind for my younger brother.
I would like three days to go and retrieve this wealth from a hidden place so that I can make sure my brother gets it when I die.”
Umar thinks the boy is making this story up and asks him what wealth he is talking about. “What wealth? What father? What younger brother?”
The young boy said, “Trust me.” Umar, agrees to trust him. “But find a guarantor for yourself, someone who will guarantee that you will come.” The young boy looks around, there is a packed courthouse, he asked “Will someone not help me today?”
As the boy looked around the people of the court turn their faces away. No one wants to help this boy.
Then from the back of the courthouse a hand raises up. Whose hand is it? Abu Dharr al Ghifari (radiallahu anhu), the noble and illustrious companion of our beloved Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), who gave da’wah to many tribes. He says, “I will be the guarantor of this boy.”
One has to understand what it means to be the guarantor. It means, if this boy does not come back, it is the head of Abu Dharr that will be chopped off. He will be killed. And so the boy goes away.
The first day goes by and the boy is nowhere to be seen, the second day goes by, the boy is still nowhere to be seen. The time for Asr Salaah approaches on the third day and the two brother got to Abu Dharr, they told him to come with them to the court, “It is time.”
Abu Dharr said, “I will come to the court, but the day does not end until Maghrib.” Abu Dharr walks through Madinah with these two brothers to the court and the people of Madinah are following them, proceeding to the court to see what is going to happen.
It is the talk of the town.
Minutes are going by, the court is filling up, and the anxiety is building up. Will Abu Dharr have his life sacrificed for the mistake of a boy? Literally, minutes before the adhaan of Salatul Maghrib the boy rushes in. People started shouting, they are happy and wondering what is going to happen.
The boy comes in. The Maghrib adhaan hasn’t yet gone.
Umar Ibn Al Khattab asked the boy, “Oh boy, why did you come back? I did not send a spy behind you. I did not send anyone to follow you. What made you come back?”
The boy replied, “I did not want anyone to say that a Muslim gave his word and did not fulfil it, so I came back.” Umar, turned to Abu Dharr al Ghifari and asked, “Oh Abu Dharr, what made you want to be the guarantor of this boy?” He said, “I saw a Muslim in need and I did not want anyone ever to say that a Muslim was in need and no one was there to help him so I raised my hand to be his guarantor.” The two brothers heard this and said, “When we have people like this how can a Muslim ask for forgiveness and no one is there to forgive him” So they forgave the boy.
Ganiyu Oyebanjo
Senior Special Assistant On
Religious Matters to Kosofe Local Government Chairman.
Chairmanship Aspirant Kosofe Local Government
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