Is it correct with relation to a man who was so lusty what Zamakhshari has
attributed to him in Rabiul Abrar1 that Umar said:
“Indeed, I compel myself to have intercourse with the hope that God would
bring out a person, who glorifies and remembers Him?!”
And it is from the reports of Ibne Umar that: It is narrated from Haitham
from Ibne Umar that a man came to him and said: “I have made a vow that I will
remain naked in the cave of Hira a whole day.”
He said: “Fulfill your vow.”
Then that man came to Ibne Abbas and the latter asked: “Will you omit Prayer?”
He replied: “Yes.”
He asked: “Will you not pray in the nude?”
“No,” he said.
He asked: “Will you not have broken your pledge? Indeed Shaitan and his
armies want to make fun of you and laugh upon you. Go out and stay there for a
day and give penalty for breaking a vow.”
That man then came to Ibne Umar and mentioned to him the statement of
Ibne Abbas. Ibne Umar said: “Who has the power of deriving conclusions as Ibne
Abbas?”2
The research conducted so far shows the level of awareness and knowledge
of Ibne Umar. What a jurist is that he does not know the rules of vow. Or was it
such a difficult issue that other than Ibne Abbas, no one knew of its solution?
And only this is sufficient for the ignorance of this man that he did not know
the method of divorcing; and is mentioned in Sahih Muslim,3 that he was
incapable of that and he had not understood its rules and he did not know that
divorce can be given only when the woman is free from menses.4 And it is
mentioned in the words of Muslim in his Sahih that:5
“He divorced his wife three times while she was in her menses.”
It was because of this that his father did not consider him worthy of
Caliphate even though he had come of age. And when people said:
“Appoint Abdullah bin Umar as the Caliph,” he said: “May God kill you, by
Allah, I don’t have my son in view for this Caliphate; should I appoint one as a Caliph, who does not know the method of divorce?”6
I don’t know how ignorant Ibne Umar was in the religious society that his
father mentioned a rare statement in the book of Nawadirul Athar declaring his
ignorance? Then whoever regards Umar as ignorant,7 he does not have estimation
of his ignorance.
Also, the instances which show the awareness of his man or the extent to
which he followed the lusts or keeping alive heresies or ignoring the practices of
God and His Prophet. It is that prayer during journey is full if one is accompanied
by the Imam and at home he prayed in short, as is mentioned in Muwattah of
Malik.8
This was following the heresy, which Uthman had innovated in the Shariah
of Muhammad and persons, who followed carnal desires and committed sinful
acts, who were fans of Bani Umayyah clan, like Ibne Umar and sons of the
Umayyad clan followed him in this heresy as was mentioned in detail before.9
Ahmad in Musnad, has narrated from Ibne Umar that:10 “I prayed in short
with Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman in the early part of his
Caliphate; then Uthman prayed it in full.”
Among his extraordinary facts is what Abu Dawood has narrated from Salim
that:11 Abdullah bin Umar used to make Muhrim women take off their shoes; then
Safiya, daughter of Abu Ubaid narrated to him that: Ayesha had narrated to her
that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) allowed the ladies to wear their sandals; so
Ibne Umar stopped that practice.
And the chief of the Shafeis has mentioned in his Kitabul Umm:12 Ibne Umar
ordered ladies that when they become Muhrim, they should take off their shoes,
till Safiya narrated to him from Ayesha that she did not ask women to take them
off; so Ibne Umar stopped that practice.
And as Zarkashi has narrated in Al-Ijabah:13 The Islamic Ummah has
consensus that the implication of the address that exists regarding garments is for
men and not for women. And the ladies are allowed to wear sewn garments and
sandals during Ihram.
Among the reports of Ibne Umar is: Bukhari and Muhammad have narrated
that Ibne Umar used to rent out his farmland during the time of Messenger of
Allah (s.a.w.a.) and during the period of Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman and beginning of the rule till at the end of Muawiyah’s rule he came to know that
Rafe bin Khadij has narrated a tradition from Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) prohibiting
this. And after that Ibne Umar stopped doing that. And after that whenever he
was asked about this, he said: “Rafe bin Khadij said that Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
prohibited it.”14