An Islamic Treasury of Virtues
5. Piety
~ 129 ~
THE TRUE INTELLECTUAL IS A MAN OF
GREAT PIETY
When Hasan ibn Ali relinquished the Caliphate in
favour of Muawiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, he spoke in
the mosque of Kufa explaining his reasons for
abdicating. On this occasion, he said, amongst other
things, “The wisest of the wise is he who is most
pious, the most vulnerable of all is the sinner.”
(IBN ABDIL BARR)
SHOWING NO FAVOURITISM
According to Aslam, Abdullah ibn Arqam came
before Umar ibn Khattab one day and said to him:
“Commander of the Faithful, there are some
ornaments and silver dishes among the articles that
have come into the treasure from Jalula. Please look
at them and tell us what to do with them.” “Remind
me of this when you see that I am free,” replied
Umar. A few days later, Abdullah ibn Arqam did so
when the Commander of the Faithful appeared to
have nothing to occupy his attention. Umar ibn
Khattab then went to the Treasury and had the
ornaments and dishes brought before him. The
