The Slave Of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul-Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him)

‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul-Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) had a servant named Dirham, who would gather wood for him and take care of his sheep.

‘Umar (may Allah have mercy on him) one day asked him, "What do the people say, O Dirham?" He said, "And what should they say - all of them are in a good state of affairs, while you and I are in a bad state of affairs."

‘Umar (may Allah have mercy on him) asked, "And how is that?" He said, "I was with you before you became caliph, when your clothes were good, your mount was strong, and your food was wonderful. When you were appointed as ruler, I was hoping to relax and work less, but instead my work has become more difficult and you are always in a state of tribulation."

‘Umar (may Allah have mercy on him) said, "You are free. Go away from me and leave me in the state that I find myself to be in until Allah makes a way out from it for me."