How Simple Was Sayyiduna Umar رضي الله عنه?

■ How Simple Was Sayyiduna Umar رضي الله عنه?

Sayyiduna Umar رضي الله عنه, one of the greatest rulers this Ummah has ever seen, the mighty second Caliph of Islam… and His clothes were patched. Not once or twice—but again and again!

Ubai bin Umair (ر) says,

“I saw Umar bin Khattab رضي الله عنه throwing pebbles at the Jamarat, and there were 12 patches on his shirt—some made of leather!”

(Akhbar Makkah)

Just picture that! The ruler of the Muslims, wearing a patched-up shirt with leather pieces here and there.

And Abu Uthman Nahdi (ر) adds,

“I saw him doing Tawaf around the Ka’bah in a loincloth with 12 patches—one of them was red leather!”

(Tabqat Ibn Sa’d)

Then there’s Zaid bin Wahb, saying,

“I saw Umar رضي الله عنه heading to the market with a stick in his hand. He was wearing a lower garment with fourteen patches—some of them leather too.”

Even his son, Abdullah bin Umar رضي الله عنهما, said:

“I saw him doing Rami (stoning) in Mina, wearing a garment with 13 patches, some leather. Some were stitched over others—and when he sat down and stood up, dust would fall off.”

Sayyiduna Anas رضي الله عنه once noticed:

“There were 4 patches between Umar’s shoulders on his shirt.”

(Zuhd Ibn al-Mubarak)

Imam Hasan Basri (ر) shared:

“Umar رضي الله عنه gave a Khutbah while he was the Caliph, wearing a garment with 12 patches!”

(Zuhd Ahmad)

And Sā’ib bin Yazīd (ر) said,

“In the year of famine, I saw Umar رضي الله عنه wearing a lower garment with 16 patches!”

(Tabqat Ibn Sa’d)

SubhanAllah! Just imagine all this… Umar رضي الله عنه, the leader of millions, and he dressed like this. No pride, no luxury, no show-off—just raw, beautiful simplicity. His clothes didn’t hide his greatness—they revealed it.

In a world where people fight to wear brands and designer labels, this is a powerful reminder:

True honour isn’t stitched in fabric—it’s stitched in character.

الراجی رحمۃَ ربّہِ العلٰی
و الفقیر الٰی حضرۃ النّبی المصطفیٰ ﷺ
محمد فرحان جمیل