In his later years, Saad Ibn Abi Waqqas used to take goats to graze. One day he was grazing his goats in a pasture far from Madinah when his son, Umer Ibn Saad, rode up. “What, have you turned into a shepherd with his flock while everyone in Madinah is caught up in affairs of government and politics?” he protested. “Quiet son,” Saad replied, striking his son’s chest. “I heard the Prophet say that God loves his God-fearing, self-sufficient and retiring servant.”