'You rule with justice, so you feel secure'

The great King Caesar sent an ambassador to Caliph Umar b. al-Khattab with the task of observing and reporting what he saw.

When the ambassador arrived in Madinah he asked the people, "Where is your king?” To which they replied, “What king? We don’t have one. We only have a leader who has gone to the suburbs.” The man went out to look for Umar in the direction they had pointed him in.

To his surprise, he saw Umar sleeping under the hot sun on a bed of sand. Lying like this, with his head resting on his whip which served as his pillow, he was perspiring profusely. The sight before him softened the observer's heart and brought tears to his eyes. To himself he could not but remark:

Here is a man who causes much fear and agitation in the minds of kings and yet can be found in a state such as this!” O Umar! The truth, as I now see it, is that you rule with justice, so it is no wonder you feel secure and are able to sleep so soundly. Our king is unjust and is consequently deprived of sleep and lives in constant fear.

I bear witness that yours is the religion of truth. And if not for the fact that I am an emissary, I would accept Islam right now. But as I am entrusted with a mission, I must go back and return to become a Muslim!