An Islamic Treasury of Virtues
9. Manners In Society
~ 212 ~
Neither milk nor honey can be compared to it.
(AHMAD,
MUSNAD)
THRIVING ON CRITICISM
Addressing Abu Ubaidah and Muadh, the second
Caliph, Umar ibn Khattab said: “Keep a watch on
me: I am ever in need of your vigilance.”
REMAINING CALM IN THE FACE OF
CRITICISM
During the caliphate of Umar, Muslims began, with
their increasing affluence, to settle huge dowries
(mahr)
5
on their daughters. In his capacity as
Caliph, Umar ordered, one day, in the course of a
sermon, that these should not exceed four hundred
dirhams, and that anything in excess of this would
be confiscated and deposited in the Treasury. When
he had come down from the pulpit, on the
completion of his address, a tall, flat-nosed old
woman stood up and declared: “The Qur’an has set
no restrictions on this matter: Umar has no right to
set an upper limit to the dowers.” She also recited a
verse of the Qur’an to back up her contention: “If
