Simplicity of a caliph(Historical stories of Islam)

  Simplicity of caliph

Once upon a time there was a Khalifa whose rule was known for his kind and pious generous administration. He worked for the prosperity and well being of the people. But there were some distinguished people belonging to the house of Ummyads, who were cause of constant worry to him. They had shunned the ways of God. They enjoyed life at the expense of the common man and indulged in merrymaking. The Khalifah thought of teaching them a lesson.
He invited some prominent people to dinner. Since the dinner was to be given by none other than the ruling Khalifah, they reacfily accepted the invitation. The Khalifah ordered his cook to serve the meal late.
On the appointed day, the guests dressed well, and proudly came to the house of the Khalifah in time. He greetedd them well and made them sit in a comfortable environment .The guests felt exalted and honoured. They started chatting merrily whilewaiting for the dinner.
But nothing happened . The guests looked towards one another but could not say anything. They became restless and hungry. Looking at their condition the Khalifah shouted to his cook to hurry up. At the same time he ordered some parched grams to be served which he and his guests ate to their fill.
A few minutes later the cook brought steaming hot food. Had it been served earlier, the guests would have finished the last remains of the food but it came at an hour when they had already eaten grams and did not feel hungry anymore. The guests refused to eat, saying that they were full. Thereupon the pious Khalifah spoke out, "Brothers!
When you can satisfy your appetite with so simple a diet, then why do you play with fire and snatch the properties and rights of others." These words deeply moved the guests of the house of Ummyads who burst into tears. They never tried to be extravagant in future.
This is how the pious Khalifah taught a lesson to those who had forgotten the teachings of the Holy Prophet (SAW).
The Khalifah was none other than Hazrat Umer bin Abdul Aziz (R.A), whose life was full of such incidents. He himself led a life of simplicity and honesty. His truthfulness and integrity have few parallels in the history of Islam. That is why he is considered to be the fifth pious Khalifah of Islam.