Sa’iid ibn Aamir (RA) is a name that is not frequently mentioned or even known by many – yet he was a man of such faith that his story should be told in every household.
He was appointed by Umar ibn Al-Khattab (RA), the second Caliph, as the Governor of Homs in Syria. When he was nominated for that position, he (RA) refused, saying,
“Do not expose me to fitnah (trials and tribulations).”
But Umar (RA) urged him to accept saying,
"By Allah, I will not let you turn me down. Do you lay burdens of your trusteeship and the caliphate upon my shoulders, then refuse to help me out?”
Sa’iid ibn Aamir was thus forced to accept the position.
What a contrast to the leaders of our world today! They fight with and scramble over each other in their desire for positions of authority and power. But look at the companions of the Prophet (SAW) and their lack of love for power, position and authority in this world!
Homs was called the second Kufa (Kufa is in Iraq) because its people were notorious for endless mutiny and uprising. Yet, these people loved and obeyed Sa’iid ibn Aamir. He must have been a great man indeed!
When Umar (RA) said to him that he found it strange that the people of Homs loved and obeyed him, Sa’iid (RA) said,
“Perhaps they love me because I help and sympathize with them.”
But soon the rebellious nature of these people got the better of them and their complaints about the governor reached the Caliph Umar (RA) when he was visiting Homs. Umar (RA) asked the people to state their complaints one by one. The representative of that group stood up and said,
“We have four complaints against Sa’iid:
First, he does not come out of his house until the sun rises high and the day becomes hot;
second, he does not see anyone at night (that is, he is not available for us at night);
third, there are two days in every month in which he doesn’t leave his house at all;
fourth, he faints every now and then and this annoys us even though we know he cannot help it.”
Hearing these complaints, Umar (RA) was silent for a while … he silently prayed to Allah (SWT) that,
“O Allah! I know that Sa’iid is one of Your best slaves. O Allah, I beseech You to not make me disappointed in him.”
Then he (RA) called for Sa’iid ibn Aamir to defend himself. When Sa’iid heard the complaints he said,
“By Allah, I did not wish to make known my reasons but I have to explain now that these complaints have been brought against me!
First, the reason I do not leave my house before noon is because my wife does not have a servant, so I knead the dough for her, wait for it to rise, bake my bread, perform ablution and pray Duha and then go out of my house.”
Umar’s (RA) face brightened at that and he said, “All praises and thanks to Allah!”
Sa’iid ibn Aamir continued,
“As for their complaint that I do not meet them at night, by Allah, I did not wish to make my reasons known, but you force me to. I have devoted the day to the people and their needs and reserved the night for the worship of Allah (SWT).
“As for their third complaint that they do not see me two days in a month, it is because I do not have a servant to wash my garment and I have only one garment. So I wash it, wait for it to dry and shortly before sunset I go out of my house to meet them.
“As for their fourth complaint, that I have fainting fits, it is because I was a witness of the martyr of Khubaib Al-Ansaari in Makkah. As the people of Quraysh cut his body into small pieces, they said,
“Do you want to save yourself and see Muhammad (SAW) in your place instead?”
And he answered,
“By Allah, I will not accept your offer of setting me free to return to my family safe and sound, even if you gave me all the splendor and ornaments of this life in return for exposing the Prophet (SAW) to the slightest harm, even if that harm was as small as the prick of a thorn!”
This happened as I watched as a disbeliever (he had not embraced Islam then) and now every time that scene comes to my mind and I remember how I stood there and watched Khubaib being tortured to death, and did nothing to save him, I find myself shaking with fear of Allah’s punishment and I faint!”
There was nothing more to be said except what Umar (RA) said in response to this explanation:
“Alhamdulillah! All praises and thanks to Allah!”
The governors of today live like kings, they fill their stomachs with good food while their people go hungry, they fill their coffers with money and precious stones while their people struggle to make ends meet and they lie, cheat and struggle to retain their positions of power so that they can continue to loot and plunder! SubhanAllah!
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