Saying · during the caliphate of Abu Bakr
Who am I to prefer one over another? Only Allah knows who has more taqwa.
Said on instituting equal stipends for all the sahaba from the Bayt al-Mal.
~During the caliphate of Abu Bakr, continuing under Umar (c. 633 CE) · 12 AH
When Abu Bakr became caliph, he gave every Companion the same stipend from the Bayt al-Mal, the public treasury. He said it was not his place to prefer one believer over another, since only Allah knows who has the most taqwa (God-consciousness). Umar became caliph two years later and changed this. He graded the stipends by how early each person had accepted Islam, which placed Umar himself only in the third grade. Khabbab ibn al-Aratt was one of the earliest converts, so he received one of the highest stipends. He used it to build a modest house in Kufa. There he kept an open treasury, and anyone in need could take from it without being questioned.
Other events recorded in 12 AH. Their order within the year is not established; use the storyline above for the sequence.
Who am I to prefer one over another? Only Allah knows who has more taqwa.
Said on instituting equal stipends for all the sahaba from the Bayt al-Mal.
Received one of the highest stipends as one of the earliest converts, and built a modest house in Kufa, keeping an open treasury from which anyone in need could take without question.
Those who accepted Islam earliest will receive the highest pay; the next in seniority the next grade; and so on.
This graded system placed Umar himself only in the third grade, reflecting that he was not doing this to prefer himself.