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my faith
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ISLAM
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carry them today. I will be the one
questioned by Allah about this
woman .”
The
Khalif
carried the bag of food to
the lady’s house. When he got
there, he put some dates, butter
and flour in a pot and began to stir it
into a porridge. As he blew into the
fire to kindle it the smoke passed
through his thick beard.
‘Umar [r] himself cooked the food
for the children, and it was he who
fed them with his own hands. After
they had eaten to their full, ‘Umar [r]
sat watching them playing about
merrily. He wanted to see them
happy, and this brought him great joy.
As he was leaving the house, the
lady said to him, “
Dear sir, please do
tell me your name and where I may
find you. In fact, I think you should
be Khalif, not ‘Umar [r]. You are
