would graze together during the caliphate of ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz in a single pasture. One day a wolf pounced on one of the sheep, and I exclaimed, “We belong to Allah! I fear the righteous man has died.” We reckoned it (1) and discovered that he had, in fact, died that very night.

Another narrator reports the story from Ḥammād, saying, “We were pasturing sheep in Kirmān,” and he related something similar; the account is also supported by another chain of transmission.

Among his supplications were these:
“O Allah, there are men who obeyed You in what You commanded and refrained from what You forbade. O Allah, Your enabling grace reached them before their obedience reached You, so grant me the same success.” (2)

“O Allah, ʿUmar is not worthy that Your mercy should reach him, but Your mercy is worthy to reach ʿUmar.” (3)

A man once said to him, “May Allah keep you alive so long as life is good for you.” He replied, “That matter has already been decided; rather say, ‘May Allah grant you a wholesome life and take you in death among the righteous.’” (3)

Another man asked, “How did you awake, O Commander of the Believers?” He answered, “I awoke sluggish and heavy, spattered with sins, hoping in Allah—exalted is He—.” (3)

A visitor told him, “O Commander of the Believers, for those before you the caliphate was an adornment, whereas you are the adornment of the caliphate. Your likeness, O Commander of the Believers, is as the poet said:
‘When the pearl enhances the beauty of faces,
it is your face that lends beauty to the pearl.’”
So ʿUmar turned away from him. (3)

Rajāʾ ibn Ḥaywah said, “I spent an evening with ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz. The lamp grew dim, so I said, ‘O Commander of the Believers, shall I wake the servant to fix it?’ He replied, ‘No—let him sleep; I do not wish to burden him with two tasks.’ I said, ‘Then shall I get up and fix it myself?’ He answered, ‘No; it is not courteous to make a guest serve.’ He then rose, tended the lamp, poured oil into it, and returned, saying, ‘I rose while I was ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz and I sat down while I was ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz.’” (4)

He used to say, “Make frequent mention of blessings, for mentioning them is itself gratitude.” (5)

He also said, “What restrains me from excessive speech is fear of self-aggrandizement.” (6)

News reached him that one of his companions had died, so he went to the man’s family to offer condolences, whereupon they wailed in his face for their loss