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It was a time of great tension in Jerusalem. The city, revered by Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike, was on the brink of a monumental change.

The Christian Patriarch Sophronius had heard of the Muslim army’s approach, and he knew the city’s fate was sealed.

But what he saw when the Muslim forces arrived was unexpected.

As he looked out from the city gates, Sophronius saw a man leading a camel at the front of the army.

This was unusual—Arab warriors, known for their skill in battle, typically rode swift Arabian horses.

But this man was leading a camel, with another man riding it.

As the Patriarch approached, well-dressed in his red robes and gold jewelry, he was struck by the stark contrast.

The man leading the camel was dressed in tattered clothes, his garments mended many times over.

Sophronius, assuming the man on the camel was the Caliph, asked, “Where is the Caliph?”

The man on the camel nodded toward the man leading it.

Surprised, Sophronius turned to the man in rags and asked again, “Where is the Caliph?”

The response was simple and direct: “I am the Caliph.”

This was Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA), who had led the Muslim community to victory over Iraq, Syria, and Palestine.

Sophronius, astonished, asked, “How is it that you are so poor, dressed in rags, after such conquests?”

Umar’s (RA) reply was profound: “Why would I collect wealth? We are not fighting for spoils; I am a simple man with few needs.”

Even more astonishing was Umar’s (RA) explanation for why he was leading the camel: “That is my servant on the camel. We take turns so that neither one of us gets exhausted.”

The exchange between Sophronius and Umar (RA) continued as they walked toward the city.

As they discussed the terms of surrender, Umar (RA) proposed something unheard of: “All Roman politicians must leave Jerusalem, but they may take with them whatever they can carry.”

This was not the usual practice of conquerors, who typically looted, enslaved, and destroyed.

Sophronius, confused, asked, “What about the rest? Will you not take property or enslave the people?”

Umar (RA) replied, “No, we will leave the city as it is. We do not do such things.”

Sophronius agreed to surrender the city immediately.

Even as they walked into Jerusalem, Umar (RA) and his companions were on foot, leading their horses by the reins out of respect for the city's sanctity.

As they entered the city, Sophronius, impressed by the surrender terms and the Caliph's humility, invited Umar (RA) to pray with him in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Umar (RA), with incredible foresight, declined.

He explained that if he prayed there, Muslims might later take the church and convert it into a mosque.

To protect the church for the Christians, Umar (RA) suggested they find an empty lot where they could both pray—Umar (RA) in the Islamic and Sophronius in Christian ways.

That empty lot, where they prayed side by side, became the site of the first mosque established in Jerusalem under Muslim rule.

But perhaps the most significant moment came when Umar (RA) asked to see the Temple Mount or, as we know it, Al-Aqsa, the site that was sacred to Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike.

Sophronius hesitated but finally admitted, “We have not treated it as holy.

After we destroyed the Second Temple of Solomon, we turned the site into a garbage dump to penalize the Jews.”

When Umar (RA) saw the state of Al-Aqsa, his heart filled with sorrow.

Without saying a word, he dropped to his knees and began clearing the trash with his own hands, exclaiming, “How could you do this?”

Although the army had no idea why Umar was cleaning garbage, they didn’t hesitate.

Seeing their leader act, they immediately rushed to join him.

Together, they cleared away centuries of neglect, restoring the site's sanctity.

Umar’s (RA) sense of justice did not end there.

When he asked to meet the Jewish inhabitants of Jerusalem, Sophronius informed him that there were none left.

He mentioned that during their recent conflict with the Persians, some of the Jewish community in Jerusalem sided with the Persian forces, so they killed and exiled all 20,000 of them.

Shocked by this injustice, Umar (RA) told them they couldn’t do this and immediately ordered that 80 Jewish families be brought back to Jerusalem, re-establishing their presence in the city that was also sacred to them.

Umar’s (RA) conquest of Al-Aqsa wasn’t marked by bloodshed or destruction but by justice, compassion, and a deep sense of responsibility toward the land and its people.

As we reflect on this story, may we be inspired to embody these values in our own lives, striving to serve with the same dedication and humility that Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) displayed