When death arrives suddenly, one can neither flee nor resist it by strength. Women weep for him in veils, yet the caller is unheard even if he raises his voice. He is brought to a grave, which becomes his final resting place, and he parts with everything he had gathered just yesterday. Death spares neither the rich for their wealth nor the needy for their lack. Rajaʾ ibn Haywa reported: When the Commander of the Faithful ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz died and Yazīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik succeeded him, ʿUmar ibn al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik approached Yazīd and said, “O Commander of the Faithful! This pretender—i.e., ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz—has hoarded from the Muslims all the precious jewels and pearls he could acquire, locked away in two houses.” Yazīd sent for his sister Fāṭima bint ʿAbd al-Malik, ʿUmar’s wife, saying, “I hear that ʿUmar left jewels and pearls in two locked houses.” She replied, “Brother, ʿUmar left no fine cloth or garment except what is in this handkerchief,” and sent it. When Yazīd opened it, he found only a coarse patched shirt, a rough cloak, and a thin-lined overgarment. He told his messenger, “This is neither what I asked for nor what I want; I ask only about what is in the two houses.” She answered, “By God, I have not entered those houses since he became caliph, knowing his dislike of them. Here are the keys—come and transfer their contents to the public treasury.” So Yazīd and ʿUmar ibn al-Walīd went to the house and opened one of the rooms. Inside they found an ivory chair, four plain floor mats beside it, and a water pitcher. ʿUmar ibn al-Walīd exclaimed, “I seek God’s forgiveness.” Then they opened the second room and discovered a small mosque floored with pebbles and a chain hanging from the ceiling shaped like a collar sized to fit around the neck; whenever he grew lax in worship or recalled a sin, he would hang it on himself, and sometimes used it to ward off sleep. They also found a locked chest; inside were two thick, coarse mats. Yazīd and those with him wept, and Yazīd said, “May God have mercy on you, my brother! You cleansed your inner self and thus purified your outward acts.” ʿUmar ibn al-Walīd departed dejectedly, saying, “I seek God’s forgiveness; I only reported what I was told.” Rajaʾ added: When ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz was near death, he repeatedly prayed, “O God, make me content with Your decree and bless me in Your measure, so that I neither desire what You have delayed nor resent what You have hastened.” He continued this until he died. He also said, “I have awakened with no desire in worldly matters except where they fall under God’s decree.” Shuʿayb ibn Safwān reported that Sālim ibn ʿAbdallāh ibn ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb wrote to ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz when he assumed the caliphate: “O ʿUmar, others before you have held the caliphate and kingship, then died as you have seen, standing before God alone after crowds, families, and retainers, confronting the death they once fled. Their eyes—long fixed on their own glory—grew dim; their necks—once propped on soft cushions—lay unsupported; the ornate furnishings, attendants, and couches vanished; their stomachs—never sated by all manner of wealth and food—split open; they became lifeless remains despite their fragrant robes. If they lay beside a pauper they once despised, that pauper would recoil and flee—after they had squandered funds on perfumes, fine garments, and lavish cushions, indulging their desires yet stingy in matters of God and His cause. If you can meet them on the Day of Resurrection bound and shackled by their deeds while you stand free, then do so. Seek help in God—there is no power except by God alone.” He concluded with three couplets: 1. “No king remains safe for long, however many guards or processions he commands. 2. He who has a strong gate and a stern doorkeeper—soon his doorkeeper will desert his post. 3. Nothing but Death itself endures; only then do his aides and companions abandon him.”