Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 273
273 dina. He procured flour, butter, meat and dates, and put them in a bag. He then called a slave and asked him to lift the bundle on to his (the caliph’s) back. The slave protested that he would carry the bundle himself. 'No doubt,' replied Umar ra , 'You can carry this bundle for me now, but who will carry my burden on the Day of Judgment?,' meaning that as he had neglected his duty to provide for the woman and her children, the only atonement he could make was to carry the bundle of provisions himself to her. As, however, it is impossible for the sovereign personally to look after the needs of every individual, a census used to be taken in Islamic countries, and the system of registration of births and deaths was insti- tuted. The object of these measures was not, as in the case of modern governments, to help fill the public coffers, but to help empty them. The data thus obtained furnished information as to the true condition of the people, and the State was thus enabled to provide for people who deserved State aid. But while Islam enjoins helping the poor, it dis- approves of idleness and sloth. The object of State allowances was not, therefore, the encouragement of idleness. They were made only in really deserving cases. People were encouraged to work for their living and were restrained from begging. Hadrat Umar ra once noticed a person asking for alms who had a bagful of flour with him. The caliph took away the bag of flour from him, emptied it out before some camels, and turning to him said, 'Now you may beg. ' It is on record