At Shaykhan, halfway between Madinah and Uhud, the thousand strong Muslim army led by the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam  stopped. The sun had begun to sink beneath the horizon. The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam dismounted from his horse Sakb. He was fully dressed for battle. A turban was wound about his helmet. He wore a breastplate beneath which was a coat of mail which was fastened with a leather sword belt. A shield was slung across his back and his sword hung from his side.

As the sun set, Bilal RA called the Adhan and they prayed. The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam then reviewed his troops once more and it was then that he noticed in their midst the presence of eight boys who despite their age were hoping to take part in the battle. Among them were Zayd’s son Usamah and Umar’s son Abdullah, both only thirteen years old. The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam ordered them all to return home immediately. Two of the boys however demonstrated that they were able fighters and were allowed to accompany the army to the Battle of Uhud while the others were sent back to their families. 

From an early age, Abdullah ibn Umar thus demonstrated his keenness to be associated with the Prophet in all his undertakings. He had accepted Islam before he was ten years old and had made the Hijrah with his father and his sister, Hafsah, who was later to become a wife of the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam. Before Uhud he was also turned away from the Battle of Badr and it was not until the Battle of the Ditch the he and Usamah, both now fifteen years old and others of their age were allowed to join the ranks of the men not only for the digging of the trench but for the battle when it came. 

From the time of his Hijrah till the time of his death more than seventy years later, Abdullah ibn Umar RA distinguished himself in the service of Islam and was regarded among Muslims as “the Good One, son of the Good One”, according to Abu Musa al-Ashari. He was known for his knowledge, his humility, his generosity, his piety, his truthfulness, his incorruptibility and his constancy in acts of ibadah. 

From his great and illustrious father, Umar RA, he learnt a great deal and both he and his father had the benefit of learning from the greatest teacher of all, Muhammad the Messenger of Allah. Abdullah would observe and scrutinize closely every saying and action the Prophet in various situations and he would practise what he observed closely and with devotion. For example, if Abdullah saw the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam performing Salat in a particular place, he would later pray in the same place. If he saw the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam making a supplication while standing, he would also make a dua while standing. If he saw him making a Dua while sitting, he would do the same. 

Piety, simplicity and generosity combined in Abdullah to make him a person who was highly esteemed by the companions and those who came after them. He gave generously and did not mind parting with wealth even if he himself would fall in want as a result. He was a successful and trustworthy trader throughout his life. In addition to this he had a generous stipend from the Bayt al-Mal which he would often spend on the poor and those in need. 

For Abdullah, wealth was a servant not a master. It was a means towards attaining the necessities of life, not for acquiring luxuries. He was helped in this attitude by his asceticism and simple life-style. Maymun ibn Mahran relates the following: “I entered the house of Ibn Umar RA. I estimated everything in his house including his bed, his blanket, his carpet and everything else in it. What I found was not a hundred Dirhams’ worth.” 

That was not because Abdullah ibn Umar was poor. Indeed he was rich. Neither was it because he was a miser for indeed he was generous and liberal.