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Hence, Sa'iid traveled with his wife to Syria. They were newly wed. Ever since his bride was a little
girl, she had been an exquisitely blooming beauty. `Umar gave him a considerable sum of money at the
time of his departure.
When they settled down in Syria, his wife wanted to use this money, so she asked him to buy
appropriate garments, upholstery, and furniture, and to save the rest of it. Sa'iid said to her, "I have a
better idea. We are in a country with profitable trade and brisk markets, so it would be better to give this
money to a merchant so as to invest it." She said, "But if he loses it?" Sa'iid said, "I will make him a
guarantee that the amount will be paid notwithstanding." She answered, "All right then."
Of course, Sa'iid went out and bought the necessities for an ascetic life, then gave all his money in
voluntary charity in Allah's cause to the poor and those in need. Time went by, and every now and then
his wife would ask him about their money and their profits and he would answer, "It is a highly
profitable trade."
One day, she asked him the same question before one of his relatives who knew what he had done
with the money. His relative smiled, then he could not help laughing in a way that made Sa'iid's wife
suspicious. Therefore, she prevailed on him to tell her the truth. He told her, "Sa'iid on that day gave all
his money in voluntary charity in Allah's cause." Sa'iid's wife was broken-hearted, for not only had she
lost her last chance to buy what she wanted but also lost all their money. Sa'iid gazed at her sad, meek
eyes glistening with tears that only added more charm and grace to her eyes; yet before he yielded to this
fascinating figure, he perceived Paradise inhabited by his late friends and said, "I had companions who
preceded me in ascending to Allah and you will not deviate from the path they have taken, not for the
world." He was afraid lest her excelling beauty should make her disobey him; therefore he said as if he
were talking to himself, "You know that Paradise is filled with Houris, fair females with wide and lovely
eyes as wives for the pious, who are extremely lovely. If one of them had a peep at the earth, she would
illuminate it with her light that combines the light of both the earth and the moon. So you should not
blame me if I chose to sacrifice your love for their love and not vice versa." Throughout his talk, he was
calm, pleased, and satisfied. His wife was peaceful, for she realized that she had no choice but to follow
Sa`iid's example and adopt herself to his rigid, ascetic, and pious way of life.
Homs at that time was called the second Kufa. The reason behind this was that its people were easily
stirred and swayed to revolt against their governors. Homs was named after Al-Kufa in Iraq, which was
notorious for endless mutiny and uprisings. Although, the people of Homs were given to mutiny, as we
have already mentioned, Allah guided their hearts to His righteous slave Sa'iid. Thus, they loved and
obeyed him.
One day, `Umar said to him, "I find it rather strange that the people of Syria love and obey you."
Sa'iid answered, "Maybe they love me because I help and sympathize with them."
Despite the love of the people of Homs for Sa'iid, their innate rebellious disposition got the better of
them. Hence, sounds of discontent and complaint began to be heard, thus proving that Homs was not
called the second Kufa in vain. One day, as the Commander of the Faithful was visiting Homs, he asked
its people who gathered around him for their opinion of Sa'iid. Some made complaints against him which
were blessings in disguise, for they unveiled an impressively great man.
`Umar asked the criticizing group to state their complaints one by one. The representative of the
group stood up and said, "We have four complaints against Sa'iid : First, he doesn't come out of his house
until the sun rises high and the day becomes hot. Second, he does not see anyone at night. Third, there
are two days in every month in which he doesn't leave his house at all. Fourth, he faints every now and
then, and this annoys us although he can't help it." The man sat down and `Umar was silent for while for
he was secretly supplicating Allah saying, "Allah, I know that he is one of Your best slaves. Allah, I
beseech You not to make me disappointed in him." He summoned Sa'iid to defend himself. Sa'iid replied,
"As for their complaint that I do not get out of my house before noon, by Allah I hate to explain the
reason that made me do that, but I have to do so. The reason is that my wife does not have a servant, so I
knead my dough, wait for it to rise, bake my bread, perform ablution and pray Duha, then I go out of my