Life and Teachings of the Prophet Muhammad
9. Human Rights in Islam
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straighten swords by placing them in a vice.” At these aggressively
critical words, Umar, the second Muslim Caliph, exclaimed:
“Praise be to God, who has put me among a people
who will straighten me when I become crooked.”
(
Kanz al-Ummal
)
When Muslims at Madinah, with their increasing affluence,
began to settle huge dowers (
mahr
) on their daughters, Umar, in
his capacity as caliph, ordered that no one should demand or pay a
dower that exceeded four hundred dirhams, and that anything in
excess of this amount would be confiscated and deposited in the
public treasury (
Baitul-Mal
).
After the proclamation of this ordinance, when he came down
from the pulpit, a tall, flat-nosed old woman stood up and
confidently said:
‘The Quran has set no restrictions on this matter:
Umar has no right to set an upper limit to the dowers.”
To back up her contention, she loudly recited this verse of the
Quran:
“If you decide to take one wife in place of another, do
not take back from her the dower you have given her,
even if it be a talent of gold.’ (4:20).
Umar’s immediate reaction on hearing this was to say:
“A woman has quarrelled with Umar and has bested
him.”
