Sayyidunā Umar rađiyAllāhu ánhu Daf’ Ul-Bala [remover of

calamities]
Amir Ul-Mu’minīn, Sayyidunā Umar rađiyAllāhu ánhu saw his wife Umm Kulthūm
rađiyAllāhu ánha, the daughter of Sayyidunā Ali rađiyAllāhu ánhu crying. He asked the
reason of her crying. She replied, “This Jew (she meant Hadrat Ka’ab al-Ahbār rađiyAllāhu
ánhu, one of the greatest of the Tāba’īn and accepted Islam during the era of Sayyidunā Umar
rađiyAllāhu ánhu) is saying that you are one of the doors of the hell.” Sayyidunā Umar
rađiyAllāhu ánhu said, “What Allah wills! I have a great hope that Allah will make me Sa`īd
(Happy)” and called for Hadrat Ka’ab. When he arrived he asked him about the statement.
Hadrat Ka’ab replied, “Don’t hasten! I swear by He in whose hands my life lies, the month of
Dhul Hajj will not yet be completed that you will enter the paradise.” Hadrat Umar asked,
“What is all this? Paradise and Hellfire?” He replied, “I swear by He who has the control of
my life, I see you as one of the doors of Hell in the Book of Allah; stopping people from
falling into the hellfire. When you will pass away the people will begin falling into it till the
Day of Judgement.”1

If stopping one from Hellfire is not Daf’ Ul-Bala (removing calamities) then what is it?

1
Ibn Sa’ad in his Tabaqāt, Abu al-Qasim Ibn Bashran narrated from al-Jarī the slave of Sayyidunā Umar rađiyAllāhu ánhu