Al-Risala (English), January-February 2000

the Prophet (Blessings of God be upon him) said: “The Day of Judgement will not come until the Christians outnumber all other people.” When Mustaurid related this hadith to Amr ibn al-A’as, a senior companion of the Prophet, the latter endorsed this narration with these words: You are indeed right. The Christians have four characteristics. They are the most forbearing in times of adversity; they do not allow their spirits to be broken but promptly recover from every setback; they are the first to charge again after retreat; and they are the best of all in caring for the deprived, the downtrodden and the weak. Amr then added that there is a fifth feature, which is the best of all. It is that they restrain the kings from perpetrating injustice and oppression. By Farida Khanam The Habit to Learn T he second Caliph Umar Farooq used to learn something or the other from the people he met. It has been recorded that he once asked a companion of the Prophet as to what was meant by taqwa (fear of God). The companion replied: “O, Leader of the Believers (title of the Caliph), have you ever crossed a path lined on both sides by thorny shrubs?” Caliph Umar replied in the affirmative. He then asked the Caliph as to what he did on such occasions. The Caliph replied, “I gathered my clothes to myself, and walked along my path taking all precautions.” The companion replied, “This is the stuff of taqwa.” Caliph Umar did the same in other matters as well. To a camel man, he would put questions concerning camels; to a herdsman, he would put questions about sheeps and goats. Similarly, he would ask his visitors questions concerning their