‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab(may Allah be pleased with him) was one of the people who had utmost love for Allah’s Messenger ﷺ and his Companion, Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and was so keen to follow their guidance [in all his affairs]. His love for them was so strong that he wished to be buried next to their graves. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab(may Allah be pleased with them) was so concerned about the best interest of the Muslims and keen that justice is established even after his passing. In this hadeeth, the Taab’iee ‘Amr ibn Maymoon reports an incident that occurred afterFayrooz, a.k.aAbooLu’lu’ah al-Majoosee – may Allah punish him with what he deserves – stabbed ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab – who was the Caliph at that time - with his knife, which was the cause of his death. He related that he saw ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab(may Allah be pleased with him) asking his son ‘Abdullah, to visit ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with them) and send his greetings to her, then ask for her permission for him to be buried next to his two Companions (i.e., the Prophet ﷺ and Aboo Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him), who were buried in her room. She replied that she had wanted to save the spot for herself, but [as ‘Umar requested it], she will give precedence to himand relinquish this privilege to him. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) returned to his father, who asked him about her answer right away. ‘Abdullah delivered the good news that ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) had given her permission. Thereupon, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said [with relief] that there was nothing more important to him that ensuring that he would be buried there, next to his two Companions. Yet, he said to the people – although ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) had already given her permission – after I die, carry me there and pay my respects to her, and let ‘Ibn ‘Umar say to her:” ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab asks for your permission [to enter the room and be buried therein]; if she allowed it, bury me there.Otherwise, bury me in the cemetery of the Muslims.” If this was to demonstrate anything, it would manifestthe good character and noble manners of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab,as he did not want to embarrass ‘Aishah, the Wife of Believers, and to ensure that her first approval was not out of shyness since she did not wish to embarrass him as he was alive,thus, he wanted to give her a second chance to make her mind, without any pressure. Thereafter, men entered upon ‘Umar(may Allah be pleased with him) to [ask him to] appoint for them his successor, to save the Muslims the dispute over the next caliph. He said to them, “I do not know anyone who has more right to assume this position except those that Allah’s Messenger ﷺwas pleased with when he died. For this reason, the person that they agree on to be my successor, will be the one entitled to this position; so, obey him.” Then, he (may Allah be pleased with him)named only six people from all the people that the Prophet ﷺ died while he was pleased with. Those Companions were: `Uthman ibn ‘Affaan, `Alee ibn AbeeTaalib, Talhah ibn ‘Ubayd Allah, Az-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwaam, `Abd al-Rahmaan ibn `Awf and Sa`d ibn AbeeWaqqaas(may Allah be pleased with them). Afterwards, a young man from the Ansaar entered upon ‘Umar and said: "O Chief of the Believers! Be happy with Allah's glad tidings. The high status which you have in Islam is known to you, then you were appointed as the successor [of Aboo Bakr], and you ruled with justice, and then you have been awarded martyrdom after all this.”i.e., he was awarded martyrdom when AbooLu’lu’ah assassinated him. However, ‘Umar said to the young man: “I wish, despite all that you have mentioned, I depart this life with an account that does not make me subject to Allah’s punishment or reward.” He made that statement due his piety and fearing the meeting of Allah. He then(may Allah be pleased with him) asked whoever would be selected as his successor to be good to the early immigrants; and they are either those who immigrated before the pledge of the Ridwaan, alias, the Pledge of the Tree, those who prayed to the two Qiblahs, or those who participated in the battle of Badr. He (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him to honour their status and rights. Then, he (may Allah be pleased with him) urged him to be goodto the Ansaar, who had settled in the Madinah and embraced the faith before the arrival of˺ the emigrants, and Imaan became deep-rooted in their hearts just as they are well established in their homes. ‘Umar asked whoever will rule the Muslims after him to accept the good of the righteous among them, and excuse their wrongdoers, so long as their mistakes and wrongdoings do not fall into the sins and crimes that have fixed punishments (i.e., Hudood) and do not involve the rights of people. Next, he (may Allah be pleased with him) urged his new successor to honour the guarantee of protection that Allah and His Messenger granted to the People of the Book, fight their enemies alongside them, refrain from obliging them with anything that goes beyond their capabilities, and refrain from increasing their binding tax. In this hadeeth, we learn that one should hasten and be eager to acquire glad-tidings and goodness such like ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab(may Allah be pleased with him), who hastened to secure his grave in the place he wished to have it. We can also conclude, from this hadeeth, that deciding the next Caliph after ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab(may Allah be pleased with him) was based on consultations andIt highlights how fair ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab(may Allah be pleased with him) was,and showshisacknowledgment of the merit and virtue of his companions. It teaches us that praising someone in his presence is not condemned if the praise is truthful and there is no fear that the one being praised may be tempted or feel proud. Moreover, it shows that honourable people should be concerned about their end, never rely on their good deeds, belittle themselves [before Allah] and often be in a state of fear of Allah. One of the points that is noted from this hadeeth is that people, be they common or not, should advise the Caliph, to enable him to establish justice and be good to his subjects, urge him to look after the best interest of the Muslims and treat people according to their due status. It also shows that the mistakes and shortcomings of virtuous people should be excused and forgiven. Lastly, it teaches us that it is permissible to console the person on his deathbed, by mentioning what one can remember from his good deeds. .