Islam Creator of the Modern Age
4. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
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at that period by the Muslims, and ‘Amr Ibn al-’As
had been appointed as its governor. One day a
young Egyptian, a Copt, came before the Caliph
with the complaint that the son of the Muslim
governor had given him a whipping, all the while
saying, “Take that! I am the son of a nobleman!”
The only reason for this shameless conduct on his
part was that the young Copt’s horse had beaten his
own horse in a face. Now, the boy, knowing of the
egalitarianism brought about by the Islamic
revolution, had come to the Caliph to seek justice.
The Caliph immediately sent a special emissary to
Egypt to bring Amr ibn al-’As and his son without
delay to Medina, the capital. When they arrived,
they were both brought before the Caliph. Then the
latter sent for the young Copt and asked him if this
was the man who had beaten him. When the Copt
replied in the affirmative, the Caliph handed him a
whip and asked him to flog this ‘son of a
nobleman.’ The Copt did so, and went on flogging
him till he felt that justice had been done. Then the
Caliph asked him also to flog ‘Amr ibn al-’As, the
father of the young wrongdoer, as it had been his
high status—as ‘Umar explained—which had
