1700 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; al-Layth ibn Khalid, Abu Bakr al-Balkhi, narrated to us—I heard him relating this to my father—he said: ʿUmar ibn ʿAli ibn Muqaddam narrated to us, from ʿAbd Rabbih ibn Hilal, who said:

Abd al-Malik ibn ʿAbd al-Aziz said to his father when the latter had retired for the qaylulah (mid-day rest), “My father, how can you lie down when so many grievances still await your attention? Death may overtake you in your sleep while you have not yet fulfilled the duty that rests upon you concerning the injustices presented to you!”

He spoke to him with some force, and the next day he did the same. ʿUmar thereupon said, “My son, my soul is my mount; if I do not deal gently with it, it will not carry me where I need to go. My son, had Allah—exalted is He—willed to send down the Qur’an all at once, He could have done so; rather, He revealed it verse by verse so that hearts might become steadfast through its gradual descent. My son, I have never seen relentless severity lead to any good.”