The Sherif Husain bin Rayyan says that one day, the Caliph Umar bin al-Khataab was sitting judging his folks and doing justice, when there came a youth of comely appearance and clean attire, upon whom there were two other youths holding his collar, till they set him free in the Caliph's presence. Umar looked at him and asked the two youths what was their case. They said - "We are two brothers from the same mother. We had a father, a very old man, honored by the tribes and renowned for his goodliness, who reared us tenderly. He had gone to his garden amongst its trees to pluck some ripe fruits, when this man slew him wrongly. Therefore we demand you the punishment of his crime according to the commandment of Allaah."

Umar looked at the youth and said to him - "You heard he complained of these two youths, what you have to say in this regard?" He was brave, he smiled and spoke in the most elegant and eloquent words - "By Allaah, I have heard their complaint and they have told the truth, so far as they have set out what befell. But I keep my case in your able hands and only you will judge me.

I am an Arab, the noblest of many people. When I came to the outskirts of this town with my family, and as I was going on a noble horse on one of the paths leading to its gardens with my she-camels, one of the she-camels broke away and running to the garden of their father, put her lips where the trees showed up above the wall, and began to feed on the tree leaves. I ran to her to drive her away, but I saw a hole in the wall. An old man was throwing stones to hit. He threw one stone at my camel and it killed him. When I saw my camel drop dead beside me, I got angry, I took up the very same stone and threw at that old man. It was the cause of his death. When the stone struck him he cried out with great pain, and I ran from the spot, but these two young men hurried after me, held me and brought me here before you."

Umar said - "You have confessed what you did. You have no escape." The youth said - "I obey your orders, and I consent to what Imaam says, but I have a young brother whose old father, before his death, gave him a great wealth and commanded his affair to me saying, "I give this in your hand, keep it for him with all your might." So I took the money, and buried it and nobody knows it except me. Now if you give me the punishment just now, all that money will be lost and you will be the cause of that loss; and the child will sue you for its loss; but if you give me three days I will appoint some guardian to administer his affair and return to you. I have a man who will be my surety for the fulfillment of my promise."

Umar asked - "Who stands for your surety?" And the youth looked at the people present there and he pointed at Aboo Zaar and said - "This man will answer for me and be my bail." Umar accepted him and asked him - "Did you hear this and do you take the responsibility of his return?" He answered - "Yes I take the surety for him for three days." So the Caliph granted the permission and the youth went away.

Now when the three days had passed, and the youth did not come back, the youths asked the Caliph - "Where is that youth? We are not going to move from this place until you punish him." Aboo Zaar said - "By Allaah, If the three days had passed and that youth did not come back, I will fulfill my warranty and surrender myself to the Imaam." And the Caliph added - "If the youth did not come back, I will punish Aboo in his place as prescribed by Islaamic law."

The people started weeping and crying at this. As those people were weeping and crying at Aboo Zaar, the young man Badaavee came there, saluted the Imaam and said - "I have kept my word, I have finished my work and I have come to you now." Seeing this, all people who were crying, stopped crying and admired his courage and faithfulness. One of them said - "How noble are you to keep your word." The youth said - "By Allaah, Are you not convinced that when death comes, none else can escape it, and I have kept my word so that nobody can say that good faith has gone from the mankind."

Aboo Zaar aid - "By Allaah, I became warrant for this man without knowing that what tribe he belonged to, nor I saw him before this day, but when he chose me for his bail, I could not help to refuse him." Then the two young men said - "Huzoor, We pardon this young man from our father's blood seeing that he has changed the sad environment into cheerfulness so that nobody can say that good faith has gone from the mankind." 

Then the Caliph rejoiced in the release of the youth and his Truth and Faith changed the decision of the two young men; moreover he magnified the generosity of Aboo Zaar also. The Caliph wanted to pay something to those two young men for their father's loss, but they refused to take saying - "When we have pardoned him, we don't need need anything."

End of Story No 69