Examples from the magnanimity of the Companions of the Prophet

Here are some examples from the Companions of the Prophet:

* `Umar ibn Al Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was in the Levant and Salah was announced while he was in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The patriarch asked `Umar to offer Salah therein, and when `Umar was about to offer Salah, he refused to do so for fear that Muslims would claim one day that `Umar offered Salah here and we would like to build a masjid here and seize it from the Christians. He wrote a letter to Muslims commending them not to offer Salah on the step on which he offered part of his Salah except one by one without announcing Salah or offering Salah in congregation.[1]

"This is not only magnanimity but it is a kind of magnanimity that bypassed the present to the future, a magnanimity that is emerged from a pure soul and depends on a far insight. It is a double magnanimity because its owner does not depend only on his own magnanimity but also on the magnanimity of his followers. He wants those who will come after him to be lenient and generous like him and wants to become free of responsibility if something happens in the future.[2]

* When he was walking in the streets of the Levant, he met a group of people from the Christians of Adhru`at who were playing with swords and spares as they used to do, thereupon he said: Stop them; because he hated the appearance of luxury. Abu `Ubaydah ibn Al Jarrah said: O Emir of the Believers, this is their custom. If you stop them, they will consider it a breach to the covenant. Thereupon, `Umar said: "Leave them, `Umar and the family of `Umar are under the obedient of Abu `Ubaydah."[3]

Have you known why `Umar responded to the opinion of Abu `Ubaydah? He feared that they would think badly of him or he intended to break the covenant. This supposition made him change his habit and satisfied that they would play with swords and spares before him.[4]

* He was known for his justice with the Christians and the Jews. It was reported that Al Walid ibn `Uqbah, his guardian over the Christians of Banu Taghlib, had threatened them, he feared that he would punish them, therefore he dismissed him from service and appointed another one. One day he passed by a blind beggar, `Umar asked him: Are you one of the People of the Scriptures? The man said: Yes, I am a Jew. `Umar said: Why do you beg? He said: The tribute, the need, and old age. `Umar took him by hand and went to his home and gave him what he found then sent to the keeper of the Public Treasury House and said to him: Consider the condition of this person and suchlike. By Allah, we will not be just if we exhaust him in young age and do not consider his old age; and commanded him to exempt him from the tribute.[5]

* His son `Abdullah was the same of his father. Mujahid reported: I was with `Abdullah ibn `Umar while a young servant was slaughtering an ewe. He said to him: O boy, when you finish, start distributing the meat on our Jewish neighbor. He said that repeatedly, thereupon the servant said to him: You have said that many times, why is that? He said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) kept on commending us with the neighbor until we thought that he would give him a share of inheritance.[6]

`Abdullah ibn `Umar wants his servant to give his Jewish neighbor before anyone else in order to protect the right of neighborhood regardless his religion.

* `Uthman ibn `Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) used to give charity to Abu Zabid, a Christian poet.[7]