In 18 Hijriyah or 639 CE, the Arabian Peninsula faced a plague and severe famine. Caliph Umar bin Khattab directly felt his people's suffering, simplifying his own meals. One night, he discovered a woman boiling stones to comfort her starving children.
During Caliph Umar bin Khattab's leadership, the Arabian Peninsula faced two major crises: the plague known as tha’un and a severe famine called ‘Âmur Ramâdah. According to Ibnu Katsir, this famine struck Hijaz for nine months, causing many deaths from starvation. Rain was scarce, turning the soil black like pebbles and winds carrying dust like flying small stones.
Umar remained sensitive to his people's suffering. He simplified his meals to just bread spread with vinegar and oil, making his body thin and skin darkened, which worried many about his health (Ibnu Katsir, Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah, vol. X, pages 68-69).
Every night after leading Isha prayer, Umar continued praying until late and patrolled Medina. Ibnu Sa’ad in Ath-Thabaqat al-Kubra recorded Umar's prayer: “O Allah, do not make my rule the destruction of Muhammad's ummah” (vol. III, page 312). He saw the people's faces gloomy and houses empty without usual activities (Ibnu Katsir, Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah, vol. X, page 69).
One night, Umar heard children's cries from a lit hut. He approached a woman 'cooking.' She explained: “We came from afar. My children and I are starving. I have nothing and can do nothing.” Asked about the pot's contents, she replied: “It's just boiling water. So the children think I'm cooking food. That way, they will be comforted.” Some accounts say she boiled stones so the children would wait and fall asleep. The woman even cursed Umar, feeling he neglected the people.