I respond to You, my Lord.
I respond to You as You have no partner.
All praise is due to You;
all grace comes from You; all dominion is Yours.
You have no partner.
I respond to You, my Lord.
I respond to You as You have no partner.
All praise is due to You;
all grace comes from You; all dominion is Yours.
You have no partner.
I respond to You, my Lord.
I respond to You as You have no partner.
All praise is due to You;
all grace comes from You; all dominion is Yours.
You have no partner.
I respond to You, my Lord.
I respond to You as You have no partner.
All praise is due to You;
all grace comes from You; all dominion is Yours.
You have no partner.
I respond to You, my Lord.
I respond to You as You have no partner.
All praise is due to You;
all grace comes from You; all dominion is Yours.
You have no partner.
I respond to You, my Lord.
I respond to You as You have no partner.
All praise is due to You;
all grace comes from You; all dominion is Yours.
You have no partner.
I respond to You, my Lord.
I respond to You as You have no partner.
All praise is due to You;
all grace comes from You; all dominion is Yours.
You have no partner.
My Lord, give me neither too much nor too little of the riches of this world,
so that I may neither overstep my limits nor forget my responsibilities.
A small but sufficient amount is better than what is plentiful but causes distraction.
My Lord, I have advanced in age, and lost much of my strength,
while my subjects have increased.
Gather me to You while I am able to fulfill my responsibilities, abandoning none.
A ruler's most important duty towards his people
is to give priority to their duties towards God,
as outlined in their religion representing His guidance.
It is our task to bid you to fulfill what God has commanded you
as His obedient servants,
and to refrain from sinful disobedience to Him.
We also have to implement God's commandments
as they apply equally to all people, in complete fulfillment of justice.
In so doing, we provide a chance for the ignorant to learn,
the careless to take heed and the one seeking lead to follow suit...
To be a true believer is not achieved by wishful thinking,
but by clear action.
The more diligent people are, the greater is their reward from God.
Jihad is the topmost duty of all.
The people who are truly engaged in jihad are those who abandon sinful practices
and whoever indulges in them.
Some people claim to have participated in jihad,
but true jihad for God's cause is to steer away from sin,
Nothing is dearer to God Almighty and of greater benefit to mankind
than a ruler's kindness based on true knowledge and insight.
Nothing is more hateful to God than a ruler's ignorance and stupidity.
By God, I do not appoint governors and officials in your provinces
so that they will beat you up or take away your money.
I send them to you to instruct you in your faith
and teach you the way the Prophet has shown us.
Whoever is treated differently should put their complaints to me.
By God who holds my soul in His hand, I will ensure that justice is done to them.
If I fail to do so, I become a partner in such injustice.
It is much better for me to remove a governor every day
than to leave a despot in his position for an hour longer.
To replace governors is much easier than to change the people.
If setting things right for a community requires
replacing their governor, then it is certainly easy.
Therefore, whoever is in a position of authority in any area of people's affairs
must fear God in the way he treats his people.
To all these I say, do not beat people up to humiliate them.
Do not deny them their rights, showing them little care,
and do not place them in hardship making them feel lost.
My people, when you have completed your pilgrimage rituals,
let the people of different regions meet me together with their governors and officials
so that I can look into their situations.
I will consider their disputes and give my judgment,
making sure that the weak are given their rights and justice is done to all.
Would you like to stop here for rest, Sir?
What makes you tearful, Sir?
My feeling of gratitude to God for His boundless grace,
and my fear of being tested with it.
There is no deity other than God Almighty,
who grants whatever He pleases to whomever He wills.
I can look at myself tending Al-Khattab's camels in this valley,
He was a rough, hard man, working me to exhaustion
and beating me up if I slackened.
Now...
I am in my position with no one to stand between me and God.
"6 years before the mission of the Prophet"
May we water our animals at your well, young man?
Who are you, people?
We belong to the tribe of Khuzaah
What if I refuse?
Then we will go back in peace,
hoping to find what we want with some noble person.
A noble man gives for a gentle approach what he denies for a rough one.
When we have finished and begun to move our camels away,
you may bring in your camels. You are most welcome.
May I know the name of the generous young man?
Umar... Umar Ibn Al-Khattab
Of which clan of Quraysh?
And you know that I belong to the Quraysh?
The Qurayshi looks cannot be mistaken.
- I belong to the clan of Adiyy. - Kind and noble people.
Umar!
Here is the firewood you need, aunt. Shall I bring it in?
Leave it here for now.
Won't you come in and have something to eat?
No, I won't eat until I have delivered the rest of the firewood to my other aunts.
I must not be late returning to Al-Khattab's camels.
Otherwise, he will be angry.
If you like, we would speak to him to reduce your work.
I do not wish for lighter work, but for a strong body.
This you have been given.
May God give you increased strength, you son of Hantamah.
Wait a moment, Umar.
This is for you: dates from Yathrib and raisins from Taif.
What brings you home at this time?
What about the camels...
I gathered some firewood for my maternal aunts...
What about the camels?
Your camels are all right
Should you not first ask about the person attending the camels? Your own son?
My son is all right when the camels are all right.
Then, rest assured that the camels are well, in Manjanan Valley.
- I did not leave until... - What keeps you here, then?
I fear lest someone should attempt to drive them away.
Who dares do that when they are well marked with your own mark?
Al-Khattab is not in the same position as Utbah Ibn Rabeeah,
the Chief of Abd Shams,
or Al-Waleed Ibn Al-Mugheerah, the Chief of Makhzoom, or...
Do we not all belong to the Quraysh, the master tribe in Arabia and...
This is true when the rest of the Arabs try to rival us.
When we are back with our own people,
we are not in the same position.
These belong to Hashim, the others to Abd Shams,
those to Makhzoom and those to Jumah...
Moreover, people rise in status through wealth and commerce,
If you stay away from your father's camels
and someone leads them away, then...
You mention wealth and trade... May I do some trading?
You want to do some business
but from where will you get your capital?
From my father, Al-Khattab.
What? Al-Khattab's money belongs to Al-Khattab until he dies,
which event does not seem to be imminent.
Besides, do you think that your father sleeps over a treasure of gold and silver?
You certainly speak to me as a servant, not as your own son.
You will not be my son if I lose some camels
while you stand here arguing with me.
May I not have some food first,
then pack some for the night I will spend in Manjanan Valley?
May I lose you.
When will you reach that valley, far as it is, if you rest here now?
Do you not realize that I have covered all this distance to Makkah today?
If you show me no kindness,
then at least be kind to your donkey as he deserves some rest.
Why did you come anyway?
Did I order you to bring firewood for your aunts of the Makhzoom clan?
Shouldn't I be dutiful to my aunts?
Your dutifulness is to your father first.
They are not mutually exclusive.
I am not undutiful to my father when I show dutifulness to my aunts.
Then move on speedily...
I will sort it out for both of you, father.
Let Umar have his rest tonight in Makkah,
and I will go out to tend the camels
until he comes to meet me there on the morrow.
You will tend the camels?
Do you say this in praise or contempt?
Neither, but you do not manage what your brother manages well.
Nor does he manage what you do well.
Whoever fulfills promises will not be denounced;
Whoever stands on firm grounds will not stutter;
Whoever fears the coming of death will be overwhelmed by it,
even though he seeks to climb into heaven on a ladder.
Whoever has plenty but refuses to help his people
will be disowned and denounced;
What brings you here at this time? Are you bringing bad news?
I have brought you some food.
Have you covered all this distance to bring me some food?
I have silenced my hunger, eating my aunts' dates.
The truth is that I am bored with those meetings,
where there is nothing except talk about either our forefathers or business and trade.
Your position here is better;
Except for the fact that Al-Khattab works you too hard.
I am not complaining.
In the open here, life gives you clarity of thought,
sharper eyesight, purer feelings and unhindered nature.
As for the camels; well, when you deal with them like I did,
you will realize that they need proper management.
You will soon be able to identify them as individuals;
each having its own temper, manners, needs and abilities.
Each joins its herd, but no two camels are identical.
When you are fully aware of this,
you manage them as a herd, but you look after them as individuals.
You will be as kind to them as a mother to her offspring.
While this applies to camels, it is more clearly applicable to people.
Their life cannot flourish unless they have leaders to manage their affairs.
Whoever rebels will perish.
A wolf only attacks a lone sheep.
If people stick together, each will have his own personality and intellect.
They will pursue their individual ways, interests and what is determined for them.
None can totally replace another.
Had it not been so, people would not need one another;
none would need what someone else has.
Thus, being together is the means of maintaining their individuality,
and their differences bring them together.
You are certainly a man of wisdom, Umar, even though you are young.
Yet the elders suppress the like of you.
What is this?
Didn't you say that you would love to do some trading?
Go to Syria with Quraysh's trade caravan and fulfill your dream.
When you return, you can tell me about its palaces, farms,
and beautiful women.
"Damascus, 2 years before the mission of the Prophet"
- Umar, my friend! - Welcome to the master of Ghassan.
Be careful. Should the Chief of Ghassan hear you,
he would complain against me to the Byzantine Emperor,
and I am no match to him. I am only a businessman.
- How are you, Umar? - I am well; and you?
I am well, thank God.
- How did you leave Makkah? - Fine
These, you see, are my Byzantine friends
and my business partners.
I have mentioned you to them, saying: we have tried you,
finding you a man of honor who does not push prices up...
You have already started bargaining, as you always do,
even before you see our merchandise.
You start with your praises so that you can make me recoil into submission.
Do you think that Umar will submit to such idle talk?
I will not ask a high price as long as you do the same.
I am only selling you so that I can buy your goods.
Your praise of me will be returned by similar praise.
Or is it that you are bargaining for these Byzantines against your brothers?
We are after all of the same race, speaking the same language.
Who of us deserves your kindness more?
We are certainly of the same race and language,
but I share with them religion and land.
Unless you wish to convert to my religion and become my brother on both counts.
Who knows, I may be able to introduce you to the Byzantine Emperor
and you gain favor with him.
Should this happen, you may prefer to stay with us,
and you will be most welcome.
Life here in Syria, a land of abundant gardens and orchards,
is so different from the hard life of Arabia.
Hold it. You have gone too far.
If you have come for business, let us do business.
Fair enough. What have you got for us?
Whatever you wish of the goods you know:
perfumes, incense, gums, dates, Yemeni material
What about the ivory from Abyssinia?
I do not have that, but my fellow traders do. I can get it for you.
- And ebony? - Likewise.
How about you collecting what I tell you I need,
from you and your fellows, and keep it all for me.
I will give you a commission, which remains between us only.
What is wrong? I am only serving your interest.
Bad indeed is the way you have chosen to benefit me.
You wish me to be dishonest with my friends, making a profit behind their backs.
In the process, I will be helping you against your own people.
If you monopolize the goods, you will be able to push prices up.
You will fix prices as you wish.
I speak for what is right.
I will not countenance that some of my friends should deal with you unfairly.
Injustice bears evil fruit.
If you hate to be treated unfairly, you hate it for others.
Is it your religion that teaches this?
I mean the idols you worship.
If religion does not teach me this,
morality, integrity and honesty require it.
To me, these are a religion to be followed.
Yet, what does your religion have to say about your action?
Or is money your religion,
even though you may claim to follow something else?
If your religion does not deter you,
then what about your integrity, when you are an Arab?
Or is it that your morality has been corrupted
by your long association with the Byzantines?
I thought that the people of Arabia and its deserts
envy us our residence in Syria, alongside Byzantium,
the world's superpower.
We are kings over the Arabs here.
You are kings ruling over your own people,
while the Byzantines are your kings.
Thus, you are subservient to them.
They use you to accomplish their goals, and in their wars,
but you are not allowed a part in their government.
How can we envy you your position?
When we finish our business,
I will take you to some Damascus districts, then to Guerguis's tavern,
so that you see why you should look at us with envy.
Go to hell with him and do not bring him here.
May God cut his tongue.
Why did you not give him a similar response?
What? He is a Byzantine soldier.
Indeed. I see now why we should envy you.
"1 year before the mission of the Prophet"
What? Ten Dirhams! That is too much.
By Al-Lat, I am only making half a dirham of profit.
- Take it or leave it. - We leave it, then.
- A bad seller you certainly are. - Safwan, Sir!
For only a dirham or two you turn this young lady away!
Sir, it is your property and your father's I am looking after.
I am only a servant of yours selling your goods.
This is the price your father fixed for me.
Then give this pretty young lady the length she needs
for the price she is happy to pay.
As you wish, Sir.
Should there be many pretty young ladies around,
you and your father will live in poverty.
Should there be many, our need to spend on any one would be less.
Gold is so precious because of its rarity,
while cheap metals are plentiful.
O Chiefs of the Quraysh;
since when people are treated unfairly in your place
and their rights are taken away?
What is the matter, brother?
Chief of the Amir tribe.
Will you be happy when this man makes away with my right
when I am in your land?
No. By Al-Lat and Al-Uzza, I did nothing of the sort.
By the Lord of Moses, he did.
He bought dates and barley from me in last year's season,
but he had no money.
He asked me to lend him the price until this year
and he would pay me in this season the price of the goods
and the increase due to the delayed payment.
Now he denies my rightful claim.
When I took the dates and barley away, and he returned to Yathrib,
I checked the goods and discovered that he cheated me.
He placed the best dates and barley on top.
What was beneath it was bad and rotting, good only for animal feed.
I made a huge loss.
By the Lord of Moses, he lies.
When we agreed the deal, the goods were sound.
If what he says be true, they rotted in his keeping.
Why should I be blamed for his mismanagement?
- Abdullah! - Yes, father!
Pay this man from the Qurayzah what his debtor cannot pay.
We must not let the Jews of Yathrib say
that living next to the Aws and the Khazraj guarantees their rights better.
May God curse the one of you two who is lying.
Yes, by the Lord of the Kaabah.
May God curse the one who is lying.
By Al-Lat, were it not for Abu Zaid's honor, I would have beaten you up,
and I would have called on my people to turn you and the like of you out
You think we are easy game! Ha ha! He would beat me up!
When the promised one will appear,
we will then kill you all, just like the Aad people were destroyed.
What did the Jew mean when he said "the promised one"?
It is a Prophet who will appear among them.
They always say that his time is due.
Whenever they have a quarrel with Arabs, they speak of his appearance,
believing that with him they would be able to beat all people.
May this be a bad omen for them.
Any other challenger? Anyone dares challenge?
Go and bring Umar
Umar, you are the most knowledgeable of poetry among us.
Who of the poets we listened to was best?
Al-Khansa' has wept and made others weep.
She is always grieving.
She stops weeping only to start again.
Umar!
Here you are at last.
Show him what Quraysh's pride can do.
He is no match to you. Come on, Umar. Come one, Umar; he is yours
Good work; good, Umar
Hit him, Umar, hit him!
This is Quraysh's man, hero, ambassador
and spokesman when it has a dispute.
Whoever thinks that he has a lead over us,
let him come forward, or stay away.
This man has stressed what God has granted to the Quraysh.
My Lord, the Lord of Abraham.
This is Your house which You have consecrated.
Purge it of all filth
and all that those people have perpetrated in it.
In the Name of God, most Gracious, most Merciful:
"Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created (all that exists)"
"He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood)"
"Read! And your Lord is the most Generous"
"Who has taught (the writing) by the pen"
"He has taught man that which he knew not"
Good evening, uncle, Waraqah Ibn Nawfal
- Aren't you Abu Talib's son? - Ali.
By God, there must be something serious that brings you here at this time.
Has Khadijah mentioned why she is calling me at this time?
No
God be glorified. If you are telling me the truth, my nephew,
then this is the same angel sent to Moses.
I wish I will be alive when your people drive you out...
Everyone who came up with a similar message
was met with hostility...
If I am alive on that day, I will give unwavering support.
My nephew! Make sure to stick to your cousin.
His message is the truth coming from the Lord of the heavens and earth.
What may be in store for this city of ours?
In the Name of God, most Gracious, most Merciful:
"O you, enveloped in garments!"
"Arise and warn!"
"And Magnify your Lord (Allah)!"
"And purify your garments!"
"And keep away from Al-Rujz (the idols)!"
"And give not a thing in order to have more"