An Islamic Treasury of Virtues
12. Islamic Character
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inviting any man of status who happened to be
passing to join him in eating the food he had
prepared but his son and nephew did exactly that.
Abdullah ibn Umar, on the contrary, would invite
any poor man who passed by while his son and
nephew would not. “They invite those who are in
no need of the food,” commented Abdullah ibn
Umar, “but not those who are.”
(IBN SA‘D,
TABAQAT
)
DOING ONE’S FAMILY BIDDING IS NO MARK
OF FAITH
Jabir ibn Abdullah had just bought one dirham’s
worth of meat and was taking it home, when he
met Umar ibn Khattab. The latter asked him
what he was carrying and Jabir told him,
“Something that my family want very badly; I
have bought them a dirham’s worth of meat.”
Umar went on repeating the words. “Something
that my family want very badly,” so often that
Jabir wished he had lost the dirham before
buying the meat, or else that he had not met
Umar. According to another tradition, Umar
said: “What, whenever they want something, do
