An Islamic Treasury of Virtues
15. Divine Succour
~ 299 ~
INSIGHT COMES WITH TRUE FAITH
When Umar emigrated from Makkah to Madinah,
one Ayash ibn abi-Rabiyah accompanied him, and
on reaching Madinah, they went to stay with the
family of Amr ibn Auf. In the meantime, Abu Jahal
and Harith, who were close relatives of Ayash, set
out from Makkah in search of their kinsman.
(During this period, the Prophet was still in
Makkah.) On reaching Madinah, Abu Jahal and
Harith met Ayash and had a talk with him. “Your
mother has sworn that, until she sets an eye on you,
she will not comb her hair or take shelter from the
sun,” they said, in an attempt to persuade Ayash to
return with them to Makkah. Seeing that pity for his
mother was beginning to soften him, Umar warned
him: “These two men want to turn you away from
your faith. Beware of them! You can rest assured
that when lice start biting your mother, she will
surely comb her hair, and when the heat becomes
too intense, she will betake herself into the shade.”
But Ayash insisted on freeing his mother from her
oath; he had also to collect some possessions he had
left in Makkah. He assured Umar that he would
return, but, on reaching Makkah, Ayash was tied up
