h a l i d h m m d Khalid SUCCESSORS OF MESSENGER Allah's ! Translated MLlhammadMahdiAI-Sharif AL-KOTOB AL-ILMIYAH Beirut-Lebanon Read Past Issues THE ISLAMIC BULLETIN REFLECT ON THE WONDERS OF ISLAM! Islamic videos and TVWatch Discover Islam in English andIqra in Arabic Interested in Islam? Read converts stories in HOW I EMBRACED ISLAM Need to find direction to pray?Type your address in our QIBLA LOCATOR Want to learn Tajweed? Hear the worlds most RENOWNED RECITERS!Learning how to pray? Step-by-step guide! The Islamic Bulletin is the Official Newsletter of the Islamic Community of N.California Since 1991! Mountains of Information for Muslims &non-Muslims! Available now in: Arabic French German Italian Spanish GO TO: www.islamicbulletin.org Click: ENTER HERE Our sit e is userf r i endl yWit h EASY- FI NDI NG icons Plus QUI CK- LOADI NG for all syst ems Email us at: info@islamicbulletin.org FreeE-Books! Last Will and Testament Masjid Finder Live Quranic Radio From all over the world One-Page Hajj Guide In 8 different languages! IB hopes that this website can bring both Muslims and non-Muslims together in a place of mutual respect and enlightenment. Friends or Family interested in Islam? Read an introductory book on the beauty of Islam. In the of Allah,the MostGracious,the Most Merciful SUCCESSORS OF MESSENGER "It isthose,whomAllahhasguided,and it isthosewho ofsound minds." neverofferedIslamto butthathewasreluctant(to acceptitatfirst)"said MessengerofAllah"Allah' sblessingand him","exceptfor Bakr,WllOdidnothesitate(to embrace it)." "Nodoubt,Allahhasmadet11etruthmanifest1yshownand expressed t11roughtheheartandtongueofUmar",said MessengerofAllah "Allah's blessingand him", never seen such strong (in drawingwater for the as him(Umar)." Allah! pleasewithUthman"said Messenger,"for pleasedwith him." "If thereis of whom friend"said TheMessenger,"then, Ali is also hisfriend." UmarIbnAbdAI-Azizwasgiventhepledgeofallegiance", saidthehistorians,"andhesat theground(to receivethe and sett1etheir injustices)." www.islamicbulletin.com4 Introduction INTRODUCTION missionof theMessenger of "Allah's blessingand him", likethatoftheearlier messengersof wasto people toworshippingandsubmitting tothe god.In submission to meansto HisinstructionsasgivenintheHolyQur'anandas exemplified (ot' tlle AssuccessortotlleProphet,theCaliphwastheheadoftheMuslim communityandhisprimary responsibilitywastocontinueinthe of theProphet.SincereligionwasperfectedandtheDivinerevelationwas atthedeathofthe theCaliphwastomake lawsin Witllthe andthe Sunnah. was ruler Muslims but nottheir sovereignsincesovereignty belongsto alone. wasto obeyedaslong aslle obeyed wasresponsibleforcreatingandmaintainingconditionsunderWllich itwould easyforMuslimstoliveaccording toIslamic principles,and to see tllat justice applied to attlletimehe tlle stated1lisposition weakamong shall strongwith until1lisrighthas brought back to andthestrongamong shall weak with until, willing,1 havetakentherightfrom ... as longas1 andHisMessenger.When1 disobeyHimandHis Messenger, thendonot Rightly-Guided Caliphs CaliphswhotrulyfollowedtheProphet'sfootsteps called Rightly-GuidedCaliphs.They thefirstfourCaliphs: Umar,UthmanandAli.(But,UmarIbnAbdAI-Azizwastraditionally added to four wereamong theearliest and closest Companions oftheProphet"Allah'sblessingand lived simpleandrighteous andstrovehardinthecauseoftllereligionof Al1all. usedtodojusticeto people,andtreatotherskindlyand compassionately.Afterthesefoursuccessors,thelater Caliphsassumed tllemannersof kingsand emperors,andthetruespirit of equality ofruler andruled diminislled so mucllin thepoliticallife of Muslims. www.islamicbulletin.com5 Introduction Itshould clearlyunderstoodthatthe ofProphet Muhammad "Allah's blessing and him",and hencethatof the Right1y-Guided Caliphs,was not political,socialor economic reform, althougl1such reformswere 10gical consequenceofthesuccess this mission, tlleunityof nationandtlleestablishmentof althoughthenationunitedandvastareas under administration, thespreadof civi1izationor although civilizations and culturesdeveloped,but to deliverthe messageof Allahto the peoplesof the worldand to invitethemto submitto Him,whi1ebeingthe foremostamong thosewhosubmitted. First Bakr (632.634 A.D.) "If 1 weretotake friend than Lord,1 wouldtake Bakr as (said the Prophet) Prophet'sclosestCompanion, Bakr,wasnotpresentwhen the Prophet s blessing and him"breathed1lislast in theapartmentof hisdearwife,A'ishah,daughterof Bakr.Whenhe toknowoftheProphet'sdeath, Bakrhurriedtothehouseof A'isha11,liftedtl1ecoveringoftheMessengerofAllah,andaddressed sayillg witll "Howblessed have during lifeandhow during death!" saidso whi1ekissingthe cheekof the When Bakr outof the Prophet'shouseand broke news, disbeliefanddismaybefellthecommunityofMuslimsinMedina. Muhammad"Allah' sblessingand him"had the leader,theguideandthecarrierof DivinerevelationthrOUgl1whom had takenout from idolatryand barbarism intothe way of Alla11. Howcouldhe die? Umar, of the bravestandstrongestof the Propllet'sCompaniolls,10sthisself-controlanddrewhisswordand tllfeatenedto kil1 WllOsaid that the Propl1et died. Bakrgent1ypushedhimaside,ascendedthe pulpitinthemosque andaddressedthepeople,saying: people,verilywllOeverwors1lipped Muhammad,bel101d!Muhammaddied.Butwhoeverwors1lipsAllah, bel101d!Alla11isaliveandwi1lneverdie."thenhequoted Versefrom theQur'al1:"AndMullammadisbut Messenger. Messengers llavegone before if then he diesor is kil1ed,wil1 tumback heels?" www.islamicbulletin.com6 Introduction hearingthesewords,thepeoplewereconsoled.Depressiongave way toconfidenceandtranquility. criticalmomenthad passed.But theMuslimcommunitywasnowfacedwithanextremelyserious problem:i.e.thenecessityofchoosing leader.Aftersomediscussion among the Companionsof the Prophet who had assembled in theshed of Sa'idah,inordertoselect leader,it apparentthat was better fitting this responsibility than Bakr. Bakr said inthe first speech delivered after hisappointmentas people! appointed as rulerover though not the best of If 1didwell (to then should support and if 1 didevil(to then, shouldguide towhatisright.Be1101d! weak personamongst would consideredas strong in sight until1bringbackto lllsright(usurped others).Behold1strong person among would considered as weak in sight until 1 take from the right of others, which usurped. should aslongas 1 complywith(theordersandinstructionsof)Allal1andHis Messenger.But, if 1deviated(from that), then would the right) not to Bakr(Owner ofCamels) was not his real acquired this later inlife becauseof llls great interestin raising camels.Hisreal wasAbd (Slaveof whichMuhammad "Al1al1'Sblessingand laterchangedtoAbdul1ah (SlaveofAllal1). Prophetalsogave thetitleof As-Siddiq Truly faithful believer. Bakrwas fairlywealt11Ymerchant,andbefore embraced Islam, was respectedcitizenof wasthree years younger thanMulblmmad"Allah'sblessingand Some natural affinity drew them together from earliest child hood. remained the closest Companion to the Prophet along his entire life. When Muhammadtirstcalled hisclosestfriends and kinshipto Islam, Bakr was among the earliest to accept it. also persuadedUthman toacceptIslam.IntheearlydaysoftheProphet'srnission,whenthe Muslimsweresubjectedto relentlesspersecutionandtorture, Bakr receivedhisportionofhardship.FinallywhenAl1ah'spermission toemigratefrom wasthe chosen theProphetto the dangerous journey to 'Medina. www.islamicbulletin.com7 Introduction Inthenumerousbattles,whichtook duringthe ofthe Prophet, Bakrwasalways hisside. hebrought his belongingstotheProphet,whowasraising forthedefenseof Medina. Prophetasked: Bakr,whatdid foryour dependents?" he replied:"Allahand HisProphet." beforeIslam, Bakrwasknownto ofupright characterandamiableandcompassionatedisposition.Alonghislifehe wassensitive tohuman suffering and kindto thepoor and helpless. thoughhewaswealthy, livedverysimplyandspenthis for forfreeingslavesandforthecauseofIslam. spent part oftl1enightinsupplicationand sharedwithhisfamilycheerful andaffectionate home life. Bakr thenwasthe whom theburdenofleadersl1ip fell at mostsensitive period in the l1istoryof the Muslims. Asthenewsoftl1eProphet'sdeathspread, number of tribesrebelled andrefusedto Zakat (poor-due),sayingthatthiswasdue tothe Prophet"Allah'sblessingand AtthesametimenumberofimpostorsclaimedthattheProphethoodhadpassedtothem Muhammadandtheyraisedthestandardofrebellion.sides,two powerful empires,the Eastern Roman and the Persian,alsothreatened the newbom Islamic stateat Medina. Underthesecircumstances, CompanionsoftheProphet, includingUmar,advised BakrtomakeconcessionstotheZakat withholders forsometime. newCalipl1 disagreed. insistedthattheDivineLawcouldn't divided,tl1atthereis distinctiollbetweentheobligationsofZakat al1dprayer,andtl1at il1dulgenceintheinstructionsof would eventuallyruinthefoundationsofIslam.Umarandotherswerefastto realize their judgment. rebellioustribesattacked Medina buttl1eMuslimswereprepared. Bakr l1imself ledtl1echarge,forcil1gthemtoretreat. thenmaderelentlesswar tl1efalseclaimantstoProphethood,mostofwhom submitted andagain professed Islam. ThethreatfromtheRoman Empire hadactuallyarisenearlier,during theProphet'slifetime.TheProphethadorganized armyunderthe command UsamahIbnZaidIbn arithah. armyl1adnotgonet'ar whentl1eProphet had ill so they stopped. www.islamicbulletin.com8 Introduction AfterthedeathoftheProphetthequestionwasraisedwhetherthe should sentagainorshouldremainforthedefenseofMedina. Again showed firmdetermination. said,"1shallsend Usamah's itswayasordered theProphet, if1 left alone." finalinstructions gavetoUsamaprescribed codeof conduct in war,which remainsunsurpassed to thisday. SomeofhisinstructionstotheMuslim were:"Donot deserters,nor guiltyof disobedience.Donot kill old woman child.Donot injure datepalmsand donot cutdownfruittrees. Do slaughter sheeporcows camelsexceptforfood. willencounter personswhospend theirlivesinmonasteries.Leave them aloneanddonot molest them." IbnAI-Walidhad chosen theProphet"Allah's blessingand severaloccasionstoleadMuslim annies. ofsupreme courage and leader, hismilitarygenius toflourishduringtheCaliphateof Bakr'sreign ledhistroops victorytoanother against the attacking Romans. Anothercontributionof tothecauseofIslamwasthe collection andcompilation of the versesof the died01121 Jumada the Last,13 (23 August 634 attheageofsixty-three,andwasburied thesideoftlleProphet "Allah' sblessingand UP011 Hiscaliphatelastedtwe11ty Duri11gthisshortperiod, had the GraceofAllah,tostrengthe11 his the state, tosecuretheMuslimsagai11sttheperils,which had tlleir Second UmarIbn (634-644 A.D.) hasmadethetrutllmanifest through Umar'stongueandheart." (saidtlle Prophet)" Duringhislastillness, had withhispeople, particularly tlle more emine11tamo11gthem.After thismeeting theychose Umar as hissuccessor. Umar was into respectedQuraish familythirteen yearsafter the birthof "Allah'sblessingand him".Umar's familywask110wnforitsexte11sivek110wledgeofgenealogy.Whe11 www.islamicbulletin.com9 Introduction grew Umat wasproficient inthisbranchof knowledgeaswe11asin swordsmanship,wresl1ing and the art of speaking. alsolearnedtoreadandwritewhilesti1l child, very thing in atthattime.Umareamedl1islivingas merchant.Histrade tookhimto foreignlandsandhemet kindsof This gave him insightintothe affairs and problemsof Umar'spersonalitywasdynamic,self-assertive,frankand straightforward. alwaysspokewhateverwasinhismind ifit displeased others. Umarwastwenty-sevenyearsold whenthe Prophet "A11a11'Sblessing and him"proclaimedhismission. ideasMuhammad waspreachingenragedhimasmuchastheydidwiththeothernotables of washosti1e to acceptingIs1amas otherswerefrom amongQuraisl1.Whenhisslave-girl Is1amhebeatheruntilhe himselt'wasexhaustedandtoldher,"1havestoppedbecause1 tired, not out of pity for storyofhisembracingIs1amisaninteresting day,fuH of angeragainst Prophet, drewhissword andset out to ki11him.friendmethim t11eway. WhenUmartoldhimwhatheplanned to do, hisfriendinformedhimthatUmar'sownsister,Fatimah,and husbandhadalsoacceptedIs1am.Umarwentstraightto hissister's house wherehe readingfrompagesofthe feH and beat her violenl1y. Bmised and bleeding,she told herbrother: dowhat like,but tum heartsawayfromIs1am."Thesewords l1ad greateffect Umar.Whatwasthisfaiththatmade weak womenso strong of heart? askedhissistertoshowhimwhatshe had reading;hewasat movedtothecore thewordsoftheQur'anandimmediately graspedtheirtruth. wentstraighttotl1ehousewheretheProphet was staying and swore fea1tyto him. Umarmade secretofhisacceptanceofIs1am. gatheredthe MuslimsandotIered prayersattheKa'bah.Thisboldnessanddevotion of influentialcitizenof raisedthemoraleofthesmall community ot' Muslims. www.islamicbulletin.com10 Introduction Nonetheless,Umarwasalsosubjectedtohardship,andwhen pennissionforemigrationtoMedina , alsoleft . , didnotemigratesecretly as hiddenasothers,implyingtheMessenger himself. emigrated in the sight and hearingof people of .When intendedtomigrate, drewhisswordandwent tothe ' , andthencriedloudlychaHengingthestrongest andmosttyrants ofQuraish:"Whoever wantedthat hismother would bereaved of him, orhiswifewould widowafter hisdeath,let himfollow toprevent fromgoing . "Of course, daredto do,whilethe young of whowere present there,wereso astonished thisstrongchallenging , to whom fromamongtheirfathersandpowerful , filledwith arrogance and haughtiness, daredto dollothing. 1 soundnessofUmar'sjudgment,hisdevotiontotheProphet "Allah'sblessing him",hisoutspokennessand uprightnesswonforhim trustandconfidence theProphetwhicll wassecondonly thatgivento Bakr. h e Prophetgavehimthe titleFaruqthatmeansthedistinguisherofwhatisTruefromwhatis False.During theCaliphateof Bakr,Umar washisclosest assistant andadviser.Wllen died, thepeople of Medina sworefealty to Umar,and 23 Jumada the Last,13 . . , was proclaimed Caliph. Aftertakingcllargeofhisoffice,UmarspoketotlleMuslimsof Medina:" people, somerights which always claim. of rightsisthatif of comesto withclaim, SllOUldleavesatisfied. of rightsisthat demand tl1at1 takenothingunjustlyfromtherevel1uesoftheState. alsodemandthat1 fortify frontiersanddonotput into dal1ger.It isalso rightthatif gotobattle1 shouldlookafter yourfamiliesas fatherwould dowhile areaway. people,remain consciousofAllall,forgive fau1tsandhelp in task.Assist inenforcingwhatisgoodandforbiddingwhatisevil.Advise regarding theobligations that imposed Allall." ThemostnotablefeatureofUmar'scaliphatewasthevastexpansioll ofIslam.ApartfromArabia,Egypt,Iraq,PalestineandIranalso undertheprotectionoftllCTslamicgovemment.Butthegre(\1 Umarl1imself liesinthequalityof hisrule. gave practicalmealling to tlle Qur'anicprinciple: www.islamicbulletin.comIntroduction 11 " whobelieve,stand outfirmlyfor justice aswitnessestoAllah, asagainstyourselves,oryourparents,oryourkin,andwhether it concems rich , for Allah best protect both." woman brought claim against theCaliph Umar.When Umar appeared trialbefore the judge, the judge stood as signof respect toward him. Umar reprimanded , saying,"Thisisthefirstactof injustice didtothiswoman!" insisted that hisappointedgovernorslivesimple li ves,keep guardattheirdoorsand accessibletothepeopleat times,andhe himself set the example forthem. timesforeignenvoys d messengerssenttohim his generalsfound restingunder palmtree prayinginthemosque among thepeople,anditwasdifficultforthemtodistinguish which wastheCaliph. spent watchfulnig1lt goingaboutthestreets of Medina tosee whether needed help assistance. h e general socialandmoraltoneofthe Muslim societyat thattimeis wellillustrated thewordsof Egyptianwhowassenttospy the MuslimsduringtheirEgyptiancampaign. reported:"1haveseenpeople,every ofwhomlovesdeath thanheloveslife.They cultivate humility rather thanpride. None is given tomaterial ambitions. h e i r modeofliving issimple. h e i r commander istheir equal.They make distinctionbetweensuperiorandinferior,betweenmasterand slave.Wllen thetimeof approaches, remainsbehind." Duringthetimeofhisruling,departmentsoftreasury, and publicrevenueswereestablished.Regularsalarieswereset for soldiers. populationcensuswasheld.Elaboratelandsurveyswere conducted toassessequitable taxes.Newcitieswerefounded. h e areas, which underhisrule,weredividedintoprovincesandgovemors wereappointed.Newroadswerelaid,canalsweredug d hospitality houseswerebuilt.Provision wasmade forthesupport of thepoor andthe needy from public funds. det1ned, preceptand example,therightsandprivilegesof non-Muslims, exampleofwhichisthefollowingcontractwiththe Clmstians of Jerusalem: " h i s istheprotectionwhichtheservantofAllah,Umar,the Commander of theBelievershasgranted tothepeople of Jerusalem. h ewww.islamicbulletin.com12 Introduction protectionisfortheirlivesandproperties,theirchurchesandcrosses, tlleir sick and healthyand foral1their coreligionists. churchesshal1 not usedforhabitation, s11allthey demolished, shall il1jUry donetothem totlleircompounds, totheircrosses, shall their properties injured in way. shal1 compulsion these inthematterof religion, shal1 of' themsuffer accountofreligion. Wl1ateveriswrittenhereinisunderthecovenantofAl1ahand responsibilityofHisMessenger,oftheCaliphsandofthe believers,and shalll10ldfirmas 10ngas they tribute(tax for protecting them)." non-Muslimswhotookpartindefensetogetherwith Muslimswereexempted frompayingtribute,andwhenthe Muslimshad toretreat citywllosenon-Muslimcitizenshadpaidtl1istaxfor tl1eirdefellse,tlle taxwas retumedtothe old,tlle andtl1edisabledofMuslimsand Muslimsalikewereprovided the public treasuryandthe Zakat funds. Umar'sDeathIn23 whenUmarretumedto MedinaHajj, heraisedhishandsandprayed, 1 advancedinyears, bones weary, powers declining,and forwhom 1 responsible spreadfarandwide.50,would please back to Yourself, later,whenUmarwenttotllemosquetolead Magiannamed Lu'lu'ah Fairuz,whohad grudgeagainstUmar personalmatter,attacked with daggerandstabbed several times.Umar fellto t11eground. Whenhe learnedtl1attl1eassassinwas Magian, said,"Praise to Allahthat he isnot Muslim."Umardied in the first\veek of Muharram, 24 andwasburied theside of theProphet blessingand The Third Caliph, Uthmal1 Ibl1Affan (644.656A.D.) Proplletllas assistant,and assistantwill Utl1man." (saidthe Prophet) WhenUmarfellundertl1eassassin'sdagger,before hediedthe askedhimtonominatehissuccessor.Umarappointed committee consistingofsixoft11etencompanionsoftheProphet "Al1ah' s blessing www.islamicbulletin.com13 Introduction and aboutwhomthe Prophethadsaid:"They of Paradise. " wereAli,Uthman,AbdAr-Rahman,Sa'd Ibn Waqqas,AzZubairand Talhah. askedthemtoselect nextCaliph among tllemselves. alsooutlinedt11e to followediftherewere differel1cesof opinion. Abd withdrew. was authorized thecommittee tonominatetlJeCaliph.Aftertwodaysofdiscussionamongthe candidatesandaftertheopinionsoftheMuslimsinMedinahad ascertained,tl1echoicewasfinallylimitedto andAli.AbdArRahman tothemosquetogetherwithotherMuslims,andafterbrief speechandaskingthetwo whattheywould doincase of them caliph, selectedUthman. those present didthesame, and Utl1man thethirdCaliphof Islamin the monthof Muharram, However,UthmanIbnAffanwas sevenyearsafter Prophet "Allah'sblessingand him". belonged totheUmayyad of the tribe. leamedto readand writeat earlyage, andas young successfulmerchant. beforeIslam had notedforhistruthfulnessand integrity. and Bakrwereclosefriends,anditwas Bakrwho brought toIslamwhen was yearsofage.Someyears later marriedtheProphet'sseconddaughter,Ruqayyah.Inspiteof his wealthand position,his relativessubjected to because l1ad embraced Islam,and was forcedto emigrateto Abyssinia. Sometimelaterheretumedto butsoonmigratedtoMedina withtheotherMuslims. Medina hisbusinessagainbeganto and regained hisformer prosperity. Uthman'sgenerositywaslimit1ess. variousoccasions spentgreat of hiswealthforthewelfareof the Muslims, for charityand forpreparingt11eequipmentof Muslimarmies.That iswhy to knownas Generous. wife,Ruqayyahwasseriouslyill justbeforet11eBattleof Badr wasexcused theProphet"Allah's from participating in battle. www.islamicbulletin.com14 Introduction h e illnessofRuqayyahprovedto fatal,leavingUthmandeeply grieved. The Prophetwas movedand offered Uthmanthe handof another ofhis daughters,Umrn Kulthum. Becausehehadthehighprivilegeofhavingtwodaughtersofthe Prophetaswives,Uthmanwasknownas h e oftheTwoLights.' UthmanparticipatedintheBattlesofUhudandtheTrench.Afterthe holybattleoftheTrench,theProphet"Al1ah'sblessingand hirn"determinedto performUmrah,andsent Uthmanas his to the Quraishin , who detained him. h e episode ended in treaty with the Meccansknownas the Treaty of AI-Hudaibiyah. Uthmanwas modest,honest,mild,generousandverykindly ,notedespeciallyfor 11ismodestyand his piety. oftenspent of the nightinprayer,observedfastsmostofthedays,performedhajjevery , and lookedafter the needy from among the community. Inspiteof hiswealth,helivedverysirnply andslept baresand in thecourtyardoftheProphet'smosque.UthmanknewtheQur'anfrom memory and had intimateknowledge of the contextand circumstances relatingto each verse. DuringUt11man'srule,thecharacteristicsof Bakr'sandUmar's caliphate,i.e.comprehensivejusticefor , mildandhumanepolicies, strivingintl1eCauseofAl1ah,andtheexpansionofIslamcontinued. Uthman'srulingextendedinthewestto , intheeastto Afghanistan,andinthenorthtoArmeniaandAzerbaijan.Duringhis caliphate was organized,administrativedivisionsof thestate were revised,and publicprojects were expanded and completed. Uthmansent prominent Cornpanionsof theProphet" 'sblessing and him"as hispersonaldeputiesto variousprovincesto scrutinizethe conductof officials and the conditionof the people. Uthman'smostnotablecontributiontothereligionof wasthe compilationof completeandauthoritativetextoftheQur'an. large numberofcopiesofthistextweremadeanddistributedal1overthe Muslim world. Uthmanruledfortwelveyears. h e firstsixyearsweremarked intemal andtranquility,butduringthesecondhalf of hiscaliphate rebellionarose. h e JewsandtheMagians,takingadvantageof dissatisfactionamongthepeople,beganconspiringagainstUthman,and www.islamicbulletin.comIntroduction 15 publiclyairingtheircomplaintsandgrievances,gainedsomuch that it difficultto distinguishfriend from foe. It seemsurprisingthat rulerofsuchvastterritories,whose arrnieswerematch1ess, was todealWitlltheserebels.IfUthman wished,therebellioncouldhave crushedat the very moment it began.But was reluctant to thefirsttoshedthebloodof Muslims, whatever rebellioustheymight preferredtoreasonwiththem,to persuadethem with kindnessand generosity. well remembered that he heardtheProphet s blessingand him"havingsaid: tlleswordisunsheathedamong foHowers,itwillnot until the Last Day." rebelsdemandedtllatheabdicateandsomeoftheCompanions advisedhimtodoso. wouldgladlyhavefoHowedthiscourseof action,butagainhewasbound solemnpledgehehadgiventotlle Prophet:"Perhaps will clothe with shirt, Uthmanand if tlle peoplewant to take it off, do not take it off for them." Uthmal1said to well wisher day when his housewas tlle rebels:"Allall's Messengermade covenantwith and1 shall showenduranceinadheringtoit."After longsiege,therebelsbroke intoUthman'shouse murdered Whentlle firstassassin'ssword struck hewasrecitingtheverse,"Verily, sufficeththee; istheAll-Hearing,theAll-Knowing."Uthmanbreathedhislast theaftemoonofFriday,17Dhul-Hijjah,35(June.(656 was over eighty years old. powerof the rebelswasso great thatUthman'sbody lay unburied untilSaturdaynightwhen hewasburiedin hisblood-stained clothes,the shroud w1lichbefits martyrs in the cause of The Fourth Caliph, Ibn (656-661 (Ali)are brotherinthisworldasweHasintllel1ereafter." (said the Propllet) After Uthman's martyrdom,theoffice of thecaliphate remained empty fortwoorthreedays. peopleinsistedthatAlishouldtake the office,buthewasembarrassed thefactthatthe whopressed hardestwere therebels,and hethereforedeclinedat first.Whenthe notableCompanionsof Prophet s blessingand him"urged 11Owever,he fina11yagreed. www.islamicbulletin.com16 Introduction Ali Ibn Talib was the first cousinof the Prophet "Allah's blessing and uponhirn".Morethanthat, hadgrown inthe Prophet'sown laterrnarriedhisyoungestdaughter,Fatirnah, and rernained in closestassociationwith himfor nearly thirty years. Aliwastenyears old whenthe Divinerevelation to Muharnrnad "Allah'sblessingand uponhirn".Onenight hesawthe Prophet and his wife bowingand prostrating. askedtheProphetaboutthe rneaning of 111eiractions. Prophet toldhimthat wereprayingto MostHighandthatAlitoo should saidthat wouldfirstliketoaskhisfatheraboutit. spentsleeplessnigl1t,andinthernominghewenttotheProphetandsaid, "Wl1enAllallcreated didnotconsult father,sowhyshould1 consult fatherinordertoscrve and thetruthof Muhammad's message. WhentlleDivinecommand "Andwamthynearestkinship", Muhammad"Allah'sblessingand uponhim"invitedhis relativesfor meal.Afteritwasfinished,headdressedthemandasked, "Whowill join inthecauseof wasuttersilenceforw]lile, andthenAlistood andsaid:"1 theyoungestof present here. eyestrouble becausethey soreand legsarethinand weak, but 1 shall join and help as possibleas it could assemblybroke inderisivelaughter.Butduringthedifficult warsin Ali heldfastto thesewordsand faced the hardshipsto whichtlleMuslimsweresubjected. sleptin bedoftheProphet whentheQuraishplanned to murderMuhammad.It was towhomthe Proplletentrusted,when left thevaluablcswhichl1adbeen given to safekeeping,to returned to their owners. Apartfromtl1eexpedition of Tabuk,Alifoughtin theearly battles of 1slam witllgreatdistinction,particularlyinthe expeditio11of 1tissaidthatintheBatt1eofUhud receivedmorethansixteen wounds. Prophet sblessinga11d him"lovedAli dearlyand calledhim manyfondnames.Oncethe ProphetEoundhim sleepinginthedust,hewipedoffAli'sclothesandsaid:"Wake (Father of"Dust)!" Prophetalsogave himthe titleof Lion www.islamicbulletin.comIntroduction 17 Ali'shumi1ity,austerity,piety,deepknowledgeoftheQur'anand his sagacitygavehimgreatdistinctionamongtheProphet'sCompanions. Bakr,UmarandUthmanconsultedhimfrequent1yduringtheir caliphate. timesUmarhadmadehimhisvice-regentatMedina when wasaway.Aliwasalso greatscholar ofArabicliteratureand pioneered inthe field ofgrammar and Hissermonsandletters served forgenerationsafterwardasmodelsofliteraryexpression. of 1liswiseandepigrammatic sayingshave preserved. Alithushadrichandmultitalented personality. In spiteofthesemerits, heremained modest and humble during1lis whenhewasgoingaboutthemarketplace, stood inrespectandfoHowedhim."Donotdoit,"saidAli."Such manners temptation for ruler and disgrace forthe ruled." Aliand1lishouseholdlivedextremelysimpleandausterelife. Sometimest11ey wenthungrythemselvesbecauseofAli'sgreat generosity,and whoasked forhelpwasever turnedawayfromhis door.Hisplain,austerestyleofliving did notchange wl1en was ruler over vast domain. Aswementionedearlier,Aliaccepted caliphateveryreluctant1y. Uthman'smurder and theeventssurrounding itwere symptom,and also cause,ofcivilstrife largescale.Alifeltthatthetragic situationwasmainlyduetoincompetentgovemors. therefore dismissed govemorswhohad appointed Uthmanand appointednewones. thegovemorsexceptforMu'awiyah,the govemorofSyria,submittedtohisorders.Mu'awiyahdeclinedto untilUt11man'sbloodwasavenged. Prophet'swidowA'ishahalso wasof theopinion that AliSllOUld firstbring themurderers totrial. Inview thechaoticconditionsduringthelastdaysofUthman,it wasverydifficulttoestablishtheidentityoft11emurderers,andAli refusedtopunish whoseguiltwasnotlawfullyproved.battlebetweenthearmyofAliandthesupportersofA'ishahimplying bothTalhahandAz-Zubairbroke A'ishahlaterknewhererrorof judgment for\\blch s11enever forgaveherself. situationinHijaz somuchdifficultthatAlimovedhis capitaltoIraq. awiyah rebelledagainst Aliand fiercebatt1e wasfoughtbetweentheirarmies.Thisbatt1e wasinconclusive,andAli had toaccept the defactogovemment of awiya11in Syria. www.islamicbulletin.com18 Introduction However, thoughthe ofAli'scaliphatewasstained civil strife,heneverthelessintroduced number of reforms,particularly inthe ratesandthe wayof collecting anddistributing taxes. It wasinthefortieth ofHegirawhen fanaticalgroupcalled consisting of people whohad broken awayfromAlidue to 11is compromisewithMu'awiyah,claimedthatneitherAli,theCaliph,nor Mu'awiyah,thegovernorofSyria,norAmrIbnAI-As,thegovernorof Egypt,wereworthy of rule.In fact,tl1eywentso faras tosaythatthetrue caliphate to endwithUmarandthatMuslimsshouidlive witllOut ruler over themexcept Allal1. vowedtokill threerulers,andassassinsweredispatchedin threedirections. assassinswhoweredeputedtokillMu'awiyah and Amrdidnotsucceedandwerecapturedandexecuted,butIbnMaljam, theassassin WllOwasdeputed to killAli,succeeded. morning,whenAliwasinvolvedinthe inthemosque 'of Kufah,IbnMaljamstabbed with poisonedsword. the20thof Ramadan,40 diedthelastoftheRightlyGuidedCaliphsof Islalll,"Allah pleased with andgrant eternal reward". With deathofAli,thefirstand notablephase intl1ehistory ofMuslims to end,duringwl1ich, adheredtotheBookof Al1ahandHisMessenger' sSunnahwhichguidedtheleaders,setthe standardsof theirmoralconductandinspiredtheiractions.It wastl1e timewhentheruler andtheruled,therichandthepoor,thepowerful and weak,wereuniformlysubject totheDivine Law.It was epoch of freedomandequality,ofAllah-consciousnessandhumility,ofsocial justice,w11ic11recognized privileges,andof impartiallaw,w11ich accepted pressure groupsor vested interests. AfterAli, awiyahassumedthecaliphateandthereafterthe caliphate hereditary, passing from kingtoanother. The flfthcaliph, UmarIbn AbdAI-Aziz (715-717A.D.) UmarIbnAbdAI-Azizwasgiventhepledgeofal1egiance", saidthehistorians,"and hesat theground(toreceivethe and settletheir injustices)." Mu'awiyah'scaliphatewasaslongastwentyyears,attheendof whic11,11etookthe pledge ofal1egiance to hisson Yazid force. www.islamicbulletin.com19 Introduction Yazidtookpowerin681A.D.,andcontinuedasruler forfour years,duringwhichAl-HusainIbnAli,thebelovedgrandsonofthe Messenger of Allah wasmartyred atthe handsof Ubaidullah IbnZiyad,leader of azid. WhenYaziddied,Mu'awiyahtheSecol1d, hisSOl1,refusedto the caliph, thepledgeofallegiancewasgiventoAbdullah AzZubair. IbnAl-Hakamwas hiswaytoMedinatogivethe pledgeofallegiancetoIbnAz-Zubair,when hewasmet someofthe Umayyads,whoinstigatedhimtoseizepower,and himself the caliph; andhe accepted immediately. monthslater,hedied,andlefttheofficeofcaliphatetohisson AbdAI-Malik.Beforel1isdeath,herecommendedthatthecaliphate shou1d afterAbd AI-Malik tohisbrother Abd Al-Aziz,thentothe mostsuited toitfromamong thesonsof Abd Al-Malik,thentothemost suited to it fromamong thesonsof Abd Al-Aziz. ButAbd AI-Malik,liketheothers among theUmayyads,triedto ousthisbrotherinfavourofhissonAI-Walid. senttohim,asking himtoconcede,butAbd AI-Azizrejected. made attemptsand used availablewaystodoso,but,AllahAlmightydoomedAbdAlAziz to die,nearlytwoyears before the death of AbdAI-Malik. order to expiate forhisfaultshecommitted against l1isbrother, Abd AI-MalikmadehisnephewUmar much closer tohim,andgavehim his daughter Fatimah in marriage. AlthoughUmarhadtherightto thecaliphafterAI-Walid,inthe meetingheldforproclaimingtheapparentheirsofAbdAI-Malik, followingthedeath of AbdAI-Aziz,heannounced loudlythathedidnot wantto caliph. resultthattheapparentheirsofAbdAI-Malik werehissonsAl-Walid and Sulaiman. Duringtheperiod oftherulingof Al-Walid,therelationbetween him andUmarwasnotgoodatmost, duringthetimeUmarwas appoil1ted himasgovemorofMedina,andthenofHijaz.AI-Walid wasnotgod-fearing,pious,nor didheact Allah' sBookand sunnahinso affairs. wasmorereadyto subject toAI-Hajjaj IbnYusuf. alsotried,prompted AI-Hajjajtooustl1isbrother Sulaiman, but hefailed,and diedbefore succeeding to doso. Umarwas closeadvisortoSulaimanduringthetimeofhisrule, whic11wasass110rtasthreeyears.Itwashe,whomadeUmarhis www.islamicbulletin.com20 Introduction successor,with helpoftheadviceofRaja Haiwah,who succeeded inpassingthemovement oftheruleto Umaragainstthewi1l of the Umayyads. Umar' s timeof rule wasvery short.Itlasted thantwenty-nine months,duringwhich wasabletobringback justice,piety, safety,luxury,comfort,andpleasureto ofhissubjects,Muslims non-Muslims they might people duringhistimewereableto get theirrights,withheld from themduringthelongperiodoftheUmayyadrulingbeginningfrom Mu'awiyah. distributedthepublicwealthequaHy amongthepeople, tookfromtheUmayyadchiefswl1attheyhadusurpedillegaHy,and exemptedthedisabledandincapableofpayingthetaxes offering the tribute. alsoissuedhiscommandsofstopping militaryactionsand wars,andmadetreatiesof with whose rulers, regarded tl1e justest thebest ruler of Muslims. result wasthattherewere such as existed duringtl1eprevioustimes. treasuryofMuslimswasso abundantof andwealth,thatthe wouldsetoutwithhis objectsof charity, but personsto give them. ordered thatthisabundanceof should fulfillingthedebtsofthosewhowereindebted.Whenthiswas accomplished,11eorderedthat should spent affordingthc ofthemarriageofthose,whowereincapableof orderedthat havingthedesireforperforrningHajj, andfinanciallyunabletodoso,wouldperformit theexpenseofthe Muslim treasury. It seemed tl1atthe Umayyadscouldnot keep patient his behaviours, whichcaused harmtothem,thoughbenefited ofthe people other them.So,theyinstigated ofhisservants,whopoisonedhisfood, which led to hisdeatl1 as martyr in 717 TRANSLATOR www.islamicbulletin.comIntrodllction 21 Introduction This containsfiveof compositions: 1- BakrHas , (first published1962) 2- BeforeUmar(first published 1961) 3- Farewell Uthman (first published 1967) 4- TheSidesOf Ali(first published1966) 5- TheMiracleOfIslam:UmarIbnAbdAI-Aziz(firstpublished 1969) In thisspecialpublication, l l of thosefivecompositions presented in , as subject,dealing withbiography andanalysisof the foursuccessorsofthemessenger: Bakr,Umar,Uthman,andAli,in additiontotheoutstanding , i.e.UmarIbnAbdAI-Aziz,whowas worthyofcarryingthe "ThefifthSuccessor(ofthe messenger)" or "Thefifth of the Rightly-Guided caliphs". When1startedcomposingthosebooksandpresentingthemtothe readersseparately,1 gave tothe historical orderof the of greatheroes.Forinstance,the ofthebook"Before Umar"wassometime earlierthantheappearanceofthebook" Bakr Has " . Thisalsoappliedtothebook"WithinTheAli' sWide Spaces(Of Greatness)",whichwasearlierthan"Farewell Uthman".But, sincethosefivebooks implied in l , it becomesmuchmore appropriateto l themaccordingtothehistoricalorder: Bakr, Umar,Uthman,Ali,andUmarIbnAbdAI-Aziz,Allah pleasedwith, andmight satisfy l l ofthem.Might acceptthosefollowingpages in their commemoration. KHALID DKHALID www.islamicbulletin.comBOOKONE ABU HAS www.islamicbulletin.com25 BakrHas DEDICATION , the(first)successorof Messengerof l l "Allah's blessingand him"!If allowed towriteabout thefollowingstatements,then, secondoftwopersons(inthe ) ,accept their dedicationto ! h a l i d Muhammad h a l i dwww.islamicbulletin.com26 Introduction INTRODUCTION Wl1ichroledidAllahchoosefor toplay?Ofwhichsortof rulerswere and Umar?However,this bookwassupposed to namedas"Before particularly,afterAllahhadgranted successinwritingthose previousstatements, whichappeared in book "BeforeUmar". 1 soonergotmyselfpreparedforwriting severalpagesthanthescenesinwhosebrightnessandlight1 wasliving challged.Only uniquely gloriousscenefilled the horizonbefore the resultofwhichwasthat1 letasidethepapers(inwhich1 waswriting), andstarted processof) consideration and meditation of the scene. scenestartedassuch:Allah,theMostGracious,theMost Merciful, at timeofintervalofMessengers,tosend inorderto restoret11ereligiontoitstruenatureandreality,and totakeoutthehumanlifefrom toligl1t,andfrom totl1e rightguidance. AllahAlmightychoseHisMessenger,MuhammadIbnAbdullah, "Allah'sblessingand whomtheDivine revelationwassent andwithwhomthejoumeyofQur'an began itsblessedcourse.isthenthegloriousprocession,wl1icl1was confided to undertake themissionof changingthe humanity(to thebest), andrenewingits i.e.Muhammad,andtheDivil1erevelation ofQur'an. But,itseemedto asif theprocession wasstanding,expecting(for somebody).1t waswaiting whose in processionwas empty. processionwasnottosetoutbeforet11e of tl1at Althoughthat wasnot Prophet,itishewhowouldcompletethe rolestarted Prophet.Suddenly,thebirdsstartedsinging,tl1eglad tidings(ofthe of appeared,t'or theexpected appeared,i.e. has Tl1erel1as tl1is WllOwouldkeepsayil1gtoT11eProphet, Witl1 falternorhesitation: toldthe truth. toldtl1e truth."Therehas tl1is whowould Prophetin l1isjOllmeyofmigration(from toMedina),thougl1 waswellawarethatt11e ofQuraishwouldmobilize,inpursuitoftl1e EmigrantProphet(and with tl1eirforce,macl1inationsof cunning,and hatred. www.islamicbulletin.com27 Book One: Bakr Has Therehas that whowouldbringbacktheMuslims, the Muslimsto their rightway, when they would informedof the deathof theirMessenger.Therehas the whosesituation the dayof theShed(of Sa'idah)wouldform newlife,whichwould recordedforIslamandtheunityof theMuslims.Therehas the butforwhomduringthedaysoftheapostasy,Islamwould definitelyface the distress of its annihilationand disappearance. In statement,therehas the whohadto to in tl1e ofTheMessengerofAHah "AHah' s blessingand him",the selected AHahtouseinchangingtheworld, purifyingandsettingrightthehumanlife; thisistheroleplayed Bakr,asshownto andthefoHowing pagesrepresent simple attempt to illustratethis unique and glorious role. However,themasterofhumansintheartoffaitl1,wouldshowus, throughl1islifeandsteadfastness, ofwhatisgreatlyastonishing,and extraordinarily wonderful in t11eart of faith. Comingtothepoint:Ofwhichsortofrulerswere Bakrand Umar?Inthisintroduction,1 wouldliketo persistent question raisedbefore after publishing book "Before Some readers sentto asking:Howdo adapt firmbeliefindemocracyto constant belief insuch ruleras Ibnwithwhom, inspiteofhisabsolutejustice,wecould, means, satisfiedasdemocratic ruler? Sincetl1isquestioncould raisedabout it couldalso raised about Bakr, forbothof them were rulersof thesamesort. However, answeringthisquestion,andrefutingthissuspicionaretoointuitively obviousto need kindof wordiness expatiation. In opinion,thosewhoseebothof Bakrand asjust dictators,surelydeviatefromtheright,firstlybecausebothof Bakr andUmarwere dictators for moment day at night,and secondly becauseacrossthe time,there has nothing knownas just dictator. if thecontrariesandoppositesoflifehappento broughtaboutinagreement,therewouldremainbothjusticeand dictatorshipas(theonly)contrarieswhichshould, means,agree with another, the (only) oppositeswhichshould, means, broug11t together(in www.islamicbulletin.com28 Furthennore, ofthetwowouldcertainlydisappear the tolife,becausethesimplestaspectofjustice,ifnot(its necessary)requirement,isthateveryonewhohas rightshould, means, take it .. Sincethe have prioritherighttotakepartinchoosing(the sort theirlives,asweH as in deciding their destinies,this catersfor,at thesamemoment,andforthesamereason,thedisappearanceof dictatorship, factofwhich,bothof BakrandUmarwere Althoughbothofthem,asweHas the(Muslim)nationwere absolutelysubmissivetothecommandsofIslamiclawasprescribed al1,theygavetheMuslims opportunitiesof discussionandoption, tot11eextent thatwe cou1d find ordinary l1avingcaught ho1d ofthegarmentofUmarwl10wasatthepeakofpowerandauthority, sayingto him: AHah Umar!" wastl1esamecaliph,who gatheredtheMuslimsand addressed saying: Whatwou1d sayif1 turned head(anddeviated)likethis?" ofthemreplied:"Then,wewou1d do Wit11theswordlikethis."TheCommanderoftheBelieversasked "Do your statement?"the said:"1 statement."Umarsaid:"AHah's Praise toAHal1, for made fromamongst whomightstraighten " Isthis ruler,who describedas just dictator?What istl1e sourceot'such as thereaderswho asked 110w1 cou1d bring agreement belief democracy belief in Umar? Nodoubt,1 do thatthiskindofsuspiciol1cou1d 10gicaHy justified.Butthis 10gical might formulated inthe of t11emost partsas weH as far fromthe lightof the fact.It mightseemto us(atfirstglance)thatbothof BakrandUmarwerenotdemocratic rulersinviewot' thet'act thatthere l1everexistedwiththemsuchmodern democratic asthe the organized oppositiol1 al1dthe free press. However" thecaseassuchcou1dleadto great mistake.But,our would trueifwewereabletoputcorrectanswertot11isquestiol1:Wasthe ofthosedemocratic www.islamicbulletin.com29 Book Bakr Has institutions(mentioned fromtheMuslimsocietybecauseofthe fact that thosegreat caliphs and Umar)did notbelieve (inthe importance of theexistence of)those institutions themselves? !ndeed,tlle answerasshownfromthenatureandconductof theirwaysofrulil1gshould inthel1egative.Theabsenceofthose (democratic)institutionsmeant nothing but toreflect tllespirit of theage, thewaysof living inthe peninsula than thousand hundred ycarsago. 1 see dift'erencebetweel1tlle whornigl1t ask,for why therewas freepressduringthetimeof andUmar,and the whomightaskwhybothof and Umar had embassy London.It istlle stageof thattimewmchrnigl1t unthinkil1g1y answer tl1ese questions. 1t istrueneither (tllelimitsof)time thenature ofspace during thetimeoftheirrulingpermittedthcmtoestablishthosesystematic ofdemocracy.But, achicvcd,to greatextent,tllevital essenceof democracytllfoughtheforms orgal1izationswmchwere available according to their developmellt thisancient time. AlthoughthedevelopmentoftheirsocietydUrillgt1listimedid tllewayforestablis1ling mgl1lyimpressiveentityof opposition, tl1eopposition itself existed andwaspracticed more effectively. Despitetllefact thatthenatureof thedevclopmellt of t11eirsociety timedidnotcaterforestablis1ling inordertoobserve the ofthegovernmel1tandstipulatethelaws,tlle consultation thattimewas of theceremoniesprescribed Allah, as sacred rigl1t forall Muslims. If the of theirsocietyduringthistimedidnotsparethe appropriateatmospl1ereofestablis1ling freepress,thegoodsincere bravewordwasuttered every(true)tongue,tow1lich thecaliphpaid hisattention,andforwmch hegave reward. Had b0t11of andUmar rulersatthistimcof doubt,theywould haveshowed respecttothosc rightly-guidedforms ofdemocraticorganizationofthehumanexperience,andwouldhave benefitedfromthemto greatestextent,andtheywouldalsohave takenfi"omthemodemformsof democracytl1emostacllievingofits reality, and themost expressive of itscharacteristics. www.islamicbulletin.com30 Introduction 1 donot unjust sayingthat of thiswouldhave done absolutely.Nay! ofthiswouldhave achievedwithin frameworkoftheirbeliefinthereligion,whichtheyembraced,and accordingtotheway whichthisbeliefwasformed.But with such restriction (as 1mentioned),this should not go againstthe factthat bothof them were democraticrulers. Thatisbecause democraticrulershouldworkwithinthelimitsof theconstitutionpredominantinhisowncountry(in specificpointof and BakrandUrnarworkedwithinthoselimitsoftlle constitution of their society. TheHolyQur' had,intheirsociety,thesamepowergivento constitutionof nationbelongingto country.Therefore,they(the Muslims)weremoreloyaltothe HolyQur'an nationwas(and is) to itsown constitution. Infact,theHolyQur'an impliedtwoofthegreatestcharacteristicsof democracy:Firstly,itmadetheconsu1tation (i.e.takingandconsidering theadvicesofothersintheworldlymatters)obligatory forThe whowasbeingDivinelyrevealed,when Almightysaid: whenthouhasttaken decision,putthy trustinAHah. ForAllah thosewhoputtheirtrust(inhim).". Almig1ltyjoined ittothe establishment oftheprayerswhen describedthefaithfulbelieversas whohearkentotheirLord,andestablishregular who (conduct)their affairs mutual Consultation." Secondly,accordingtoit(theHolyQur'an)itisnotobligatoryto abide itscommandsandcomplywithitsprinciples,butfor who embracesit, choosesit(as hisconstitution)and firmly believesin it" i.e.inourmodemlanguage,the whocasts ballotforacceptingit. ButasfortllOsewhodonotbelieveinit, havetherightto accordingtotheirconventions,theirtraditions,andtheirchosenwayof living. ltistruethatitwasnot constitutionset thepeoplethemselves, itwas,atthesarnetime,theconstitutionwhichtheyaccepted,with whichtheyweresatisfied,inwhichtheybelieved,andforthesakeof which they fell as martyrs(in their attempt to spread it). TheMuslimswhobelievedinTheMessenger Allah"Allah's blessing and him",and set out with him the journey of faith)believed alsointhefactthattl1isDivinerevelationwassentdown www.islamicbulletin.com31 Book One: Abu Bakr Has fromAllah,whomtheyhadto ; andafter(thedeathof)The Messenger of Allah"Allah's blessing and uponhim", Abu undertooktheresponsibilityofleadershipinthe(Muslim)society accordingto(theprinciplesof)such belief.Then,Umar to undertaketheburdenofthisresponsibilityafter(the deathof)Abu ,according to(the rulesof) that belief too. Inthisway,the standard whichtheirrulingshould evaluatedistheextenttowhichtheyabided the(principlesof)this Book,inwhic11thepeople believed,andwhichtheyacceptedas for their life. Inour modem ages,the lifewouldnot rightunlesstl1enationshave , inordertogovemtheir(waysof)life,i.e.constitutions formulated thosenationsaccordingtot11eirbeliefs,traditionsand needs, whichtheycouldkeepupwiththeprocessionofhuman ceaseless, never-ending progress. Everynationcould itsconstitutionimply goodnessand integrity AllahAlmighty intended forthefavourof people,as wellas righteousnessand kindnessforw11ic11the religionhascalled. In , hadbothofAbu andUmargovemed thepeople duril1gthistimeaccordingto certain set thepeople themselvesforthemselves,theirloyaltyto constitutionwouldnot lesser as(littleas) atom' sweightthan to(the principlesof)tl1eHoly ' , uponwhoserightguidance ing v i g thepeople.Thatisbecausebothofthembelongtosuchhighclassof l , which,thebelief inthe(humanityandvalueof the) ma1111imself occupies certain l besidesthe belief in AHah. www.islamicbulletin.com32 Chapter Divine Decree WouldInevitably Acomplished ONE DIVINE WOULD INEVITABLY ACCOMPLISHEDAND ITS DESTINATION is thesacredtown theearth,amidstwhichliesthe Ka'bah,thehomelandof holythingssinceAbrahamandIshmael raisedthefoundations(oftheHouse).Thelifeinitpassedashotasits atmosphere, as firm as its mountains, and as dreamy as its sky. Itsinhabitants(fromQuraish)fol1owed tenetsandtraditionsof theirown,whichsometimesroseashigh(asvirtuesandgoodfavours) untiltheyreachedt11epeak(ofglory),andatothertimestheywereas foolish(asvicesandbadpractices)tothe pointofbecoming targetof lamentation and mockery. Therewereplaced idols, theKa'bah.Theywere put, momentofforgetfulness,aroundthisHolySanctuary,which remained,acrossthecenturies,asAllah'sraised theearth, calling thepeopleoftruenatureandmonotheism revivetheirtrue religiol1). It remainedas suchfor long timeuntilthoseidolswerebrought toit day,andthenthey filledthe itacrossthedays, object liking thepeopleofQuraish,aswellasfor thoseof theneighbouringtowns. peopleusedtoworshipthem,fear them,andflatterthem,sothattheymight accessto)drawthem much to theirgod. therewereplaced(theidols Lati,Uzza,andManat, there existed Na'ilah, Isaf Hubal,in additionto tens of idolslikethem; and theprocessionsofworshippersusedtogo, dayandatnight,to (circumambulateround)thosebroughtsculptedidols,whichcould neitherhear, couldtheysee,whichcould sourceof) benefit (to couldthey source harm(to EveIytribehaditsowngodandidol,andwhenever childwas andthenattained(theage of)crawling,he would ledto hisgod,soas torecognize it,andthen hewould to gotoit himself,andtalk to it privately about his complaints and specialneeds. www.islamicbulletin.com33 Book Bakr Has However,themindsot' were10st t11ecrowdot'(the severa1 andconventionsre1ated to)this1egend. W11at thingitwas!Look, instance,atthose ot' rig1lt andsound W110establishedtheallianceot' Fudu1 (Virtues),in tostandin front thesideot' the oppressed against oppressor. Itwasthose,whostipu1ated unique and outstandingtradition,W11elltheyset consistingot' prohibited durillg\vhichtheswordswou1d intheir therewou1d grudges reta1iation insuch waythat it' the ot' his brother, andwasabletokill hewou1dnotthrowhimwitllthesmallest pebble, dot11eleastharm to ItwasthoseWllOstipulated high1y elaborated thesocial sovereignty,according towhich, wou1d ableto chiet' of hispeople unlessheexcelled theminthet'ol1owingsix characteristics: generosity,(readiness llelpillg(others),bravery, modesty, (the 00 expression. I11thiscontext, peopleusedtosay: deat11of thousand personsfrom eliteisbetter elevationot' single the lowly llighersocialc1ass)." 1lad market (kllownas themarket of)Ukaz,towhichtlley used to tlleir (and everywllere,inordertodisp1ay tlle sweetestfruitsot'tlle inspirations,SUCllasthepoetryof excellent poets,andthe sermonsof tlleiI distinguislled orators. whobe10ngedtothehighestsocialc1assllada1sotheir mindsreignedinthisamazingignorance,whichcausedthemto ill prostratiolltot1lisidols,whichtlleysculpted stones, made clay.ItistIuethatthosepracticeswere, means,cOllt'using paradoxes,but,t11ey(theancientArabs)werenot (illthis of \VorSllipof idols). LookatAthensduringitsmost age,theageot' philosop11Y andphilosop]lers,theageot' Socrates. peopleot' Athensworsllipped tllegodsofthe01ympus,w1lichwereido1s asthoseot' Butthe MeccanssllOwed respectalldadmirationtotheiridolstllandid tllOseot' Atllens,whoattlibutedtlleworstcllaIacteristicstosomeoftheir gods,whic11tlley worsllipped. www.islamicbulletin.com34 Chapter One: Divine Decree WouldInevitably Acomplished thereweresomeothersortsofworshipalongwiththatofidols, whichwassomuchprevalentin existedthosewho worshippedthesun,totl1eextentthatledTheMessengerofAllah "Allah'sblessingand toforbid(theMuslims)to offerthe atthetimeofsunrise,andatthetimeofsunset,lestthat would imitation,thoughunintentional,tothoseWllO worshippedthesun,towhichtheyusedtofallinprostrationatthetime of its risingand at the timeof itssetting. existedalsosomewhoworshippedtheangels,whomAllah Almig11tymeantwhen said: Day willgatherthemtoget11er,andsaytotl1eangels,Wasit thatthese usedto worship?" werealsosome (fromamongsttheMeccans),WllO worsl1ipped tl1Cjinns,whomAllahAlmightydescribedinHisstatement: willsay, Gloryto Thee (tie) iswithas Protector not with them.Nay, but worshipped Jinns:mostof believed inthem." werealsosomestarwors11ippers,wllOmAllahAlmigl1ty reproachedwhen said:"That istheLordofSirius(theMighty Star)." werealsothoseoftl1etime,whoseopinioninthisregardwas shown AIJahAlmigl1ty when said theirtongue):"And say:Whatistherebut lifeinthisworld?Weshalldieandwelive, andnothingbutTime destroyus.Butofthatthey knowledge:they merely conjecture." (Inthisway,therewerefourthingswhichactedasobjectsof worsl1ip): angels,t11ejinns,tl1estars,andtheidols.W11eredidtl1en t11etruenatureset Prophet)Abrahamgoinsuch crowd(of worsJ1ipped elements)? tl1ecarlycenturies, piousrighteousperson(i.e. Prophet Abraham)leftfor thissafe prohibited quiettown,departing from l1isKildanipeopleinBabylonia,carryingthewordofAllah(i.e. monotheism). he raisedhisbanner,andcalledfor monotl1eism,utteringl1isfamousever-lastingstatement:"1tumed (and toHim,Whocreatedtheheavcnsandthccarth, followingthctruc rcligion (of Is1am),and notto fromamongst the polytheists." www.islamicbulletin.com35 Book One: Abu Bakr Has putitsomuchpowerfuHyinsuch wayasto ceaselessly uttered hisofIspringafterhim,as andringingintl1ehorizonof Wl1atthenhadafflictedthe (whodeviated fromthistruereligionofAbraham)?Hadthistruereligionof 10st in crowdoffuisextrinsicpaganismand proceedingpolytheism?Hadthissafetown voidofhim,WllO wouldreviveforits theearlytruereligion,andraisehisvoice,in ordertoremind of thefactwhichhad obliterated virtueof such paganism)? Nay!Across centuries, appeared guidesfromtimeto time, vvith of Prophet)Abraham him",raisingfueirvoices ordertoabrogatepolyfueismand (fromthetrutl1andstraight Theyweremore someof whomwe someotherswhomwedonot Some of hundredyearsearlier andothers appeared timebeforehim,as of tl1edawnof his (Prophethood). Fromamongst earlierones, mentionmigl1t made of Suwaid AmirAI-Mustaliqi,who proclaimed l1isfaitl1in and Dayofpunishmentandreward(ofthe forwl1at l1adcommitted intl1eworld,i.e. Dayof Judgement),andof AmirIbn Az-Zar whowasreportedto saidtoms neither created itself(formusthave created Creator), have1 seen objectbeingmade itself (formusthave made Maker). never WllOl1as (tolife)buttl1athemustpassaway.Hadthe ailment the wmchcauses todie, tl1e would also wmch to life." appearedalsoAI-Mutalammis Umayyah w110 usedtosit themiddleofms beside Ka'bah, sothatyoushould guided(to right). different gods(to worsmp),though is Lord,as weH as tl1eLord of wl1ateveryou worship." ZuhairIbn Sulma greatpoet,w110composed oftl1e famouspoemswmchl1ad tl1eKa'bah for 10ng time) usedtotakeholdoftl1eleavesofthedry busl1es,wmc11 l1ad tremblingas andfresl1,saying:"Were itnotforthefact tl1attl1eArabswouldabuse 1 wouldhavesaidthat Whobrought www.islamicbulletin.com36 Chapter TheDivine DecreeW Inevitably Acomplished tolifeisthesameWhowouldbringtolifethosebones(ofthe afterbeing decomposed death)." It is hewhosaidalso(in poetic verse l1isgreat to "Do110t whatever islurking inyourselves AHah in ordertol1ideit, definitelyknows to) (whomwementioned)and otherslike (whomwedidnot But,wllat lladwas tllantl1is totl1e accompanied intuitive100kil1g forwardtowards fil1ality, theywere110t to NOlle of wasel1dowed with method(of religiol1 andway ofliving)toWl1iCl1 could tlle appeared after another across1011gyears. As thosewhoappeared timebeforet11emissionof Messenger of "AHah' sblessil1g altllougl1 liketheearlier ones,had entirely detailed obvious their visiol1oftl1espiritualfactwitllWl1iCl1tlleywereconcerned,was evident and From might made hereof Qais WllOkeptl1imself Quraish, took ofworsl1ip in l1is which neither fi1t11Y impure person approached. said:"1 worshiptlleLordofAbraham." liveduntil wassent down(as then embraced Islam. Furthermore,thereexistedthree whorepresented most powerful oftllel1ewcomingreligiol1:QassIbnSa'idal1 AI-Iyadi,Zaid IbnAmr Nufail,al1dWaraqal1 Ibl1Nawfal. of them adoptedthetruereligionofAbraham,andthereflowed their imploringl1earts,tllestatementsofm0l1ot11eismas(sweetandcoldas) tllespril1g'sbreezesillt11emidstoftlleflamingheatofpaganism.chanted,announcil1g tllegladnews01'thecoming 01' Prophet,givil1g thehappytidingsoftl1edawn(ofthel1ewreligion)Wl1iCl1wasaboutto andproclaimingt11eapproacllofthellCWreligion,wl1ichwas abouttorestorethc ofAHahtoitsoriginal anddestroythe idols tlle surf'ace of the eartll. However, sat 1011gtimesintlle compal1Yofthose(tlNee andgavel1isearstot11eirsweet freshstatements. wassatisfied tol1is[ill witlltlleirsweet al1dkeptstepwith their singing(01www.islamicbulletin.com37 Book One: Bakr Has thecoming Prophet). thelightoftheir reliablewisdomandtheir firm guidance,his spiritsaw111ecorningprocessionofProphethood, which satexpectingandgetting himself readytoreceivethedaysof rigllt certainty.Let' sthenstarttlleNographyofthisgreat t1listime.' whooccupied preeminent position in 1lispeople,ofwhich waswortllyinviewofhisgoodqualities ancestry,had enligl1teningdoubt,W1liCllgrewwithin1lismindday dayuntilit prompted to keep1limself farfrom paganism of 1lis peopleof passed 111epeople,w1lile in circlesaround idols, which werekl1eelingdown,tlle 1lis would covered cloudofbitter andsadness, ,,'ol1deril1g: "Miglltt1lis(wors1lip) trueasleadingtotherightguidance?How could those people WllO i'acu1tiesoi' seeing,hearil1g andt1linking i'all prostrationbefore(idolsmadeot)placed w1lichcould wouldrepeattlle(poetic) ofZaid IbnNufail:"(Isitbetter f01" to in god in thousandgods regardtot1ledifferentaffairs(ofthe )?" kept asSUCll longtime,duril1g which, suffering befellthis WllOllad great towards111e of111e tlaring witll desirefor(thislife better great tlleWordof W1liCllwould tomake decisive tllat about which tlle people were different (among Hislonginganddesire(forknowledge)led togoto1110seWllO hadbetter ofthe WllOlived underthe shadowsoftllealmost faitll,withwhiclltllebosomfriendof Pmphet)Abral1aill (in day,inthe ancient past,whowereoccupied thedestinyot" Wllicllprompted tllemtoraisetlleirvoicesso loudly,tllefaithintlle ot) (afterdeatll),wlleretherewould ei111er pUl1ishment reward,andWllOentirelypurifiedtheirhearts loyalty totheidols, in of thcirbelief tlle Lordof ItwastllOse,WllOusedto theirfacesil1tllesky, wllOse mouthsthe (of would outas(goodand www.islamicbulletin.com38 Chapter One: Divine DecreeWouldInevitably Acomplished hopefulas) happydreams.Which talkcouldastonish Bakrand draw hisattentionbetterthantheirs?Thatis forWlleneVer hishearingreceived theirstatements, wouldringoutastruthful,whichhewouldfollow intllesamewayas thirstybirdwouldfollowthespotsofrainfalland Thus,Wllel1eVerhehad sparetime,heusedtocomforthimself sittinginthe of thosegood i.e. Qass Sa'idah, ZaidIbn Amr Waraqall Nawfal,whomthepeopleofQuraish notyet regardedastheirenemiestostartpersecutingthem.Thatis, thefirst place,becausetheyweresecludedtothemselves,carrying systematic l1ewreligion, whichtheycouldthreatenthe practicesandconventionsofQuraish. tlleotherhand,theywerein theirold ages, i.e. approachedthe endof tlleir lives. to sure,theadmirationof such as Bakr,merelyhis admiration those aswellasfortheirthoughts,couldmakehim vulllerabletoQuraish'sdisapproval. wasattlle middleof hisage,chief amonghispeople,whoentrusted to him ofthe mostimportant jobs,i.e.the responsibility for settling disputesof blood-wets. N doubt, Bakrconsidered this matterso thoughtwllat would tohimif deviatedfromthetraditionallines(of Quraish),andtlle peoplelearntmsappreciationofthoseideasofQass, Waraqah and Zaid.Qass, Waraqah and Zaidset themselvesfree from relationsmpwitlltlle (ofQuraish,whicllmigllt some negativeeffect theirthougllts).Intl1isway,theyfeared llarm (whicll migl1t caused to them fromthe of Quraish). But,attllesametimeQuraishdidnotregardtllemasitsenemies,its didtheirbesttokeeptheirmovementundercontrol.Themore ZaidIbn Amr raisedhisvoice(witll sucll ideas),and he llad tlle strongest (desiretoraisehis)voicefromamongtllethree,tl1ey(tlle of QuraiSl1)wouldseducemsrelative IbnNufail,wllowould detain in l1isllouse, preventing from communicating SUCl1beingthecase,howcould Bakrdo,sincehehad increasinglystrongrelationsl1ip withfue group(ofQuraisll),andwasso famousandwell-knownamongms Wouldthe of Quraisll permit to l1isnewdreamsandsilentvision(of the newreligion)keptwithinhimself?But,before longllesitation,the brainsof Bakrsllone,showinghimthebestpattemandthemost www.islamicbulletin.com39 Book AbuBakr Has wonderfu1 MuhammadIbnAbdullah"Allah' sblessingand wasatthemidd1eof hisage,of greatancestry. wasamong his as(e1egantas)themostg1ittering in crown. wasof quietdisposition. is01atedhimse1ffarfrom(worshipping)theid01s. usedtospend hisdayfarfrom s entertainmentsandhabits. a1most met 1et him 1est hemight)waste the1east portion of histime,soasnot todivert him from hisdreams andtranqui1ity. usedtoworship(hisLord) thewayof meditation t11eday,unti1 evidence of thetruth wou1d tohim. Inthisway, gotreassuredthat cou1dfollowthesame way astlJat of Muhammad, avoiding Quraish' sopposition andanger with him.It istruethathestilldidnotabusetheirid01s,but hea1so didnot comp1iment them. worshipped them astheir worshippersused todo, didhefallinprostrationbeforethemastl1eothersusedtodo. a1so neither approached them, did hefee1 theyexisted at madeofhimse1f wh01enation,andwentinsearchfortl1etruth; thiswasthegreatestobjective,withwhich s1ifewou1d crowned. hail of certainty then intheveinsof hisspirit.A1though bothof andMuhammadwere notofexactlythesameage,he sawinhim goodpatternand re1iable which shou1d followed. However,he waskeen his(Muhammad's) companionship,eagerto hisintimatefriendto extent that was, asdescribed UmmSa1amah"Allah p1easedwithher",themost c10se andsincere confidant of Muhammad. tl1Ougl1tofthecaseofhisbestfriendandconfidant Muhammad,W11ichcausedhisfearsof Quraishtopassaway. he decidedtorespondto11is andfollowhisdesiresinsearchfor trutl1 andknow1edge.But,of course,hismethod wou1d different from tl1at of hisbest andc10se friend,Muhammad "Allah's him",aswellastheresultwhicl1bothreachedwou1d different.Atthetime wassearchingforthefact,Mu1blmmad would find it(asbeillg Divine1yrevea1edtohim). methodof Mu1blmmadwas forrnof meditation,thrOUg11whic11 usedto his tothewhisperscoming from theFact itse1f, tl1emetl10dof was wayof t]1il1king, 11earing to www.islamicbulletin.com40 Chapter Divine Decree WouldInevitably Acomplished tl1ewisdomof t11Cwise the10gic ufthesagaciousworshippers (of the Lord of hislifetime, was ofkeepingthebest productsof the culture prose; fromthose compositions,whic11 kept his took incxhaustible source of AtthetimeMuhammad blessing wasdevotedtohis fort11efactwiththe of his (sp1ritua1)experienceandv1sions, gave his heartandmindtothiswisdomembodied the of (three)good whohad (intheirattempt to tl1etrue of i.e.Qass,Waraqah andZaid. 1eft opportunity,whic11might himto fromt11eir and1istentotl1eirstatements,hut gotit. constantly keptinhis theiruttcranccs, 1ived their histruenature,whichwaseagertoknowand the truth, costlythismight It washistrue wllichsaw good inv1ewoftheiroldage,cxperienceandpure 1ives, straig11tguideto tlle expected Fact. day,afterMuhammad s blessingand 11im" received Messageof11isLord tlle oftheDivil1e reve1ation),and pcrsonsinc1ud1ng hadembracedIs1am, (TheProphet)\vassittingwith11is recallil1gthe 01'somedaysof 1lis youth,saying:"1 forgctQassIbn Sa'idal1,(whom1saw)riding scabby inthemarket01'Ukaz, speakillg some W1liC111 t11ink1 cou1d notmemorize." said:"1 keep111Sspeech of t11atday,1 was tllemarketofUkaz,whi1e Qasswas 1lis scabby camel, to (what 1'11sayto if understood(wl1at 1 sa1d to tryto fromit:Whoever 1ived thiswor1d)s!lOu1d die,andwhoeverdiedshou1dpass away; everything (w1lich is to shou1d (necessari1y) Nodoubt,111tl1e thereisthe (of what wou1d the earth,there lessons(for the to wamed). (The ascreatecl consists p1aced raised stars,bottomlessoceans, dark night, bright www.islamicbulletin.com41 Book One: Bakr Has skyof Qassis Allall Wl1iCllismuchdearer to Him yours. WhatisthematterWitllthepeoplewhom1 see deatll) they satisfied witll tlleirabodes the life) wllere stayed,or they leftandthentlley slept Bakrrecitedsomepoeticversescomposed QassSa'idall: thoseancient peopleWllO11adpassedaway,weSllOUld lessons(to takenasexamples whicllwcmight wllen1 saw(thepeople)goingtodeatllWitll retum(tolife again), wl1icll1 saw peopleseeking,theyoungeraswellas elder 1 surethatinevitably1 wouldgototllesame of death)to wl1ich tlle people gOl1e." thisway, Bakr usedto andreceive(aspossibleas could thespeech poetry01)thosegoodpious Inthis waytoo,hisspiritwasdevotedtotheirwisdom. usedto so pleasedand 11esawZaid Nu1'ail,in hisoldage, hisbackagainst(thcwaH of)Ka'bah,callingtlle people: of Him,inWhoseHandis life! fromamong has the 01' except for Nodoubt,1 foHowedthetruereligionofAbrahamand Ishmael Now, for fromtlle of Ishmael,tllOugh 11 wouldnotcatchhistime." cauglltglimpseofAmir IbnRabie'ah,to said: Amir Rabie'al1! i1' survived untilhis(Tlle Prophet' s) time,greet behalf."" tlleother BakrgotffiUCll reassured certain (of t11etrutll)whenever11esawZaidIbn througlltlle 01' people,WllOweIe incircles the raisil1g hisvoice with "Here response reaHy to andto 1seekrefugewithHim,witll Propllet) SOUglltearlier.1 toHim,to Whom oftlle eartll Witll its 11eavyrocks.It is whohas 11attened it(the andwhen sawitasstraight the(surface tlle)water, madethe firm i1.1 to Him,to Whom tlle cloudshave withtllCirsweetwater." Bakrtalkedtohimself:"Thisis, theLordof t11e trutll.But,whenandhowwouldwe certain01'it7"day day,h www.islamicbulletin.com42 Chapter One: Divine DecreeWouldInevitably Acomplished piousandrighteous,prompted hisincreasingly 10nging thetruereligion of wherewuuld thewaytoit Furthermore,thosewhomadethisfeelinggrowwithinhisspiritand mindwere unawareof such way.It istruethattl1eywere sure initsreligionhadnot therigl1t,sinceit deviatedfromthetruereligionof But,whatwasthenew method,throughwhichthereligionof in1ts realitycould brougl1tto Infact,theyknewnotl1ingaboutit. ofthe(thrcc) companions knew nothing about that. As Waraqah, devotedhimsel[torecitingandstudyingtl1e Scriptures,sotllattheyrnightguide tothetruereligionof AsforZaid, wasroamingwithhisgreat10nging knowledgeand truth) ,(goinghereandtlJere) inthevalleysof and taking refuge tothc permanentlyspeaking hisLord privately: Allah!If 1 knowwhichway(of worsl1ip)isthedearestto 1 would worship according toit." kl1ewnothing(about it).It 1Strue that publicly tl1at l1ad abandonedtl1ereligionof Quraish, kepthimself from (worshipping)idols,and(tllehabit of) thegirlsalive. wllel1 wasaskedabouthisLord(Whom worshipped), said:"1 worship theLord of' However, Bakr's10nginganddesire(fortheknowledgeof tlle truereligiun) sweeping and stronger. s because, accordingtohisnature,thecompromiseswerenottoquenchhisthirst. featuresof thecrisis, fromwhich the conscience of bls su[[ered evidentto andnow, wal1tedcumprehensive solution. llad desiref'or completesalvatiol1 such crisis). es. SUC11 crisiswastlledeviationfrom truereligionof tomisleadil1gal1dfalsepagal1ism. right waytoexit(thisproblem)was (tobringto tlletruereligiol1of Bakrsaid)."Who then would guide usto it?" wereof lleapsof mythsandremnants(of stories),whicll tl1erealityofthistruereligion. clearest proof ofthiswasthat tllose,wlloworshippedtheidolsin pretendedthatthcyweresonsof www.islamicbulletin.com43 Book One: Has theother hand,hoththeJewsandtheChristiansofSham,whom he Bakr)sawduringhistradejourneys,allegedtoothatthey,in spiteoftlleirreligiousdifferencesanddisputes,wereAbraham' ssons and "Whothenwouldbringthecleartruthtous?"(said "Who thenwouldreturn(thetruereligion Abrahamtous,aswellas retum ustoit?Whowouldguideustotherightlawandmethod, whichwe mig1ltworship true Lord,and life would straight?" suchgoodthoughts themindof after another,andhewent repeatingthestatementofUmayyahIbn As-Salt (in form of poetic verses): "Isn't there Prophetfromamongstustotel1uswhatwould tousafter deatll?1 seekrefugewithHim,forWhomthepilgrims performedtheirHajj,aswellasthepeopleraisedthe and principles of Al1ah' s religion." However,thedift'erencesamongthepeopleabouttheirreligion distracted s mind. feltverysorry fortheabscnccofthe fact atthesametimethcpeoplewereverylackingofit,andhadmuch longingforknowingit. lookedaround,scrutinizinghispeopleand saying:"Isn'tthere fromamongstus,whocouldgatherus causeus to unanimous) the truth,afterus to bri11ial1t whichhesaw fiveyears earlier,t1ashed in hismind.It waswhenthepeopleof Quraish thereconstruction ofthe andintendedtoreturnthe Stonetoitsoriginal place.111en, great disputcbroke amongthem,and wasabouttolead themto(fightingand)sinkingintheirblood.It wasso muchfiercethatwar like thatof Fijarwasabout to break wholesceneoccupied Bakr's thoughts,when he remembered thetribesandclansofQuraishtumingintoparties,lyinginwaitfor (fighting),everyoneofWllichtook thatitwould tothe exclusionoft11eothers,thellOnour ofretumingtheSacredStonetoits original place. Whiletlledisputewast1aring initspeak,UmayyahIbnAlMughirah,theeldest fromamongthe peopleof Quraish thistime, suggested thattheyshouldmake judge the first personto to them, witllwllOsecommand, would satisfied.waitedfor long www.islamicbulletin.com44 Chapter DivineDecree WouldInevitably Acomplished time.Theywereingreatsilencc,whicl1 washeard except thevoice of"theblood their veins. Bakrwent witl1hismemories. of i.e.thechiefsof Quraishand ofthetribesweresitting the witht11eir eyesf'ixed direction,fromwhicllthisnew i.e. first would to whosecomingwouldput totheir disputes,andsavct11eirblood (from shedding). Suddenly,they footstcps,wblch scemed asif thcywerethe ofrclicf. breathsflaredwhilethenew wasapproacblng thcm,wbllctherescuerwascomingmuchclosertot11cm.Behold! wasMuhammad,theHonest s as as l1ad him,theyshouted:"ThisisMuhammad, Honest1 Tblsis tl1eHonest! What good judge Bakr whilebeingtaken sucl1memorics:"Yes, was best judgeand bestrecourse."Assoonas "A1lal1' sblessing lladlearntthereasonofthcir dispute, saidtothem: garment." brought garment,atthemiddle of' wblch put stonc,and said:"Let (the chief' tribecatch hold of ofthegarment's let of it." ofthemrespondedto (andliftedthe intl1e thestone toitsoriginal Muhammad "A1lah's and took110ldofit placedit. Tl1iswastl1el1appicst endofsuch affliction,wl1iCl1wasabout 10 result eyil. Bakr askcd blmself agai11: is whobrougl1t backtlle 01'Quraisl1totlleright,wl1en put endtothe dispute,andmade thetruthaboutwblcllthe were such whomadethc ofQuraish returntotheir minds,with tlle resulttl1atthey healtbler well-guided withthe of l1im;SUCl1 whogayct11emfrom certainty(of wl1at "Allah's blessing and him" had given them thedaywhel1their dispute about the Stone wasabout todestroy tl1em in mad battle. Howcver,t11is motivatedwithinblmself tl1ecal1s andpredictionsWblcl111e l1eard from QassIbnSa'idah, Zaid IbnandWaraqal1IbnNawfal,al1dtllOsehehadkeptinmi11dfromsuch www.islamicbulletin.com45 Book One: Bakr Has earlier asUmayyahIbnAbuAs-Salt, IbnZarandAlMutalammis IbnUmayyah. But,atleast uniqueseenestarted expandingandgrowing and insizeuntilitfilled thewhole sereen (of hismind), i.e.theseene 01' Qass Sa'idah,asstandil1g the with his wl1ieh wasstretel1il1g the as t1ag, sayil1g:"Qass swears hisLordthattheDivil1eDeereewouldil1evitably aeeomplished its AbuBakrbadefarewelltothe ofhismemories,while Sa'idahhastoldthe Divil1eDeeree would il1evitably aeeomplished andthen its www.islamicbulletin.com46 Chapter Two: Really 8aid 80, Then HasTold Truth CHAPTERTWO IF REALLY 5AID 50, thenHAS TOLD TRUTH dayspassed,folding 10ngings anddesiresofthosewho hoped, at1east fe1ttheyhad appointmentwiththeunseen.Asfor heshowed unti1Allahwou1dfulfillHisDecree. went hisaffairsof life, and practicing histrade. Whenthetimeof llewtrade journeytoSham hesetoutwith someof his fromamongst the traders. caravantook its directiontowardsthisfarregion,seekingforthe1awfu1 and profits. InSllam, found spiritua1 atmosphere,simi1ar to that of 1lis (in weredifferentrc1igion, and 10t ofwandering But,therewere fewbelievingones,whoweretumingt11eir facesinthesky,hopingforcertainty(ofreligiousknowledge),moving andthereintheditIerentpartsofthe Witlltheintentionto fromw1lichside(of the earth)the expectedwamer would did in Sham the same usedto do in As soon as he hadfinished 1lisworkof trade with hiscompanionsof thesamevocation, hewel1tfasttosomerabbisand whomhe duril1g1lis joumeysto observedtlleirseparationfromsuch falsehood asthe followed religion). he wassatisfiedwiththeirscarchforthetruthandthe(fulfillment the cominggladtidingsannounced Allah(intheirScripturesofthis Prophet whosetime so near). those(rabbisandmonks)inSham,heheardthesamesweet song thegladtidingsoft11e of Messengerof "Allah' sand as hadheard earlier in fromWaraqah Ibl1Nawfaland his(two) companions. Butinthisjoumey,hewellttotllemonksof so times, thanheusedtododuringthepreviousjoumeys.Perhaps,thatis becausehemigl1t had increasil1g1yfortlle llewdawn (of SUCl1 Propl1et). www.islamicbulletin.com47 Book One: Bakr Has waswaitingfortl1enewProphetsomucheagerly, becausethroughhimhe would guidedtothetruth,butbecause tl1roughhim, oftl1e would guided(totherightpath)from perversity,aswellastheywould from inadvertence andcarelessness. isbecause tllerepentant,tl1elovely person,l1ad wisll every humanbeingsllould live good life. l1ad overwllelmingdesireforpresentingto tl1e people goodnesstlleywerelackingfor,nottl1egoodnesstheywere having.Since had tlle wealfuandpower,hecouldspend as as hecould.But wereneverlackingof wealtlland power so as theywere inadditionto, if not before of botlltl1e rigl1tguidance(tob0t11goodnessandtrut11)andtl1eligl1t(whicllwould take out of darkness). llad guidanceandlight,whichhecouldgivetothe people.It istruetllat l1adtlle bestmorals,i11whicll, which sllouldsettheidealandgood But, like wasstill sl10rtoftllegreatestguidance,i.e.tlleknowledgeofthefact,of greatestsecret,whicll tllewl10leuniverseanddrovetl1e wl101elife,or,in word, knowledgeof) Wllerethenwas the wayto Histhoughts elegant1y affluent.Therewere, the 10t ofpeople,wllohadthesamelongingfortheknowledgeofAllal1,the existed inSllamand aswellas inothercountriesof tl1isgreatworldofAllal1.Tllerewere 10t ofpeople,whose10nging f'or SUCl1 k110wledgetroubledthem.Thereweremoreandmore whollad greatdesirefor appearanceofthelight(oftllefact) , waitingforthetimewl1entl1eWordof wouldu11expectedlyrise tl1em. isfor would(never)abandonthoseslavesofHis.Would tl1emasconfusedand10st, despite factthattheyoffered tlleirhopestoHim(to takenoutof darknesstothelightoffact)? Never woulddoso),becauseAllal1issoffiUCl1mercifulthatwould 110t absentfromthosewhosupplicate toHiminorder to betterknowledgeofHiffi.intllisway,tllerightguidancewould inevitably www.islamicbulletin.com48 Chaptcr Two: If Rcally 8aid 80, HasTold Truth Soon, would to the sayingto them,and would trueofcourse: Allah'sMessengerto But, would w110hadsomeknowledge theScripturesin aswellasin were unanimous [actthat11e would i.e. w11ere Prophet) raised the oftheHouse. otherwords, would homeland of great But, wascrowdedoft11eidolaters idols,ofthosewho and arrows, every act. Would t'il1d thepeople w1101e other (of toselect Messenger from them?But, would this?Dot11ephysiciansvisitbutthehousesofthei11 persons?wherever paganism could obliterate 110pc for is itnot thattherewould greatwisdom case thesameplace(of paganism)somebodyw110would raisethe t1agof were, people,who, spiteoftheir paganism,had moralheritage.Whichpeopleother usedtoprotectthe deal withthcgl1ests, theoppressedones,andhelpt11e calamity-afflicted pcople?Which elsehad Sacred whic11 swordsw0111d (sheathcd,as ifthey were) Wllic11peopleelseusedtolitfireas11ighasitcould sotl1atit would asgl.lideposts for guests,themto togettheir 11Ospitality?Whichpeopleelsehadthishabit,accordil1gtowhic11the masterwOl.lldsaytohisslave:"lf gl.lest, would free"? Wllic11peopleelsewere thesamewisdomasthose(of weregiven?Itwasthose,w11011ad1mru AI-Qais,Z1111airIbn S111ma, Adh-Dhibiani,Tarafa11IbnAI-Abd,UmayyahIbn AsSalt,LabidIbnRabie'ah, IbnZullair,QassIbl1Sa'idah, inaddition to Sahban Wa'il. Bakr with11isthoughts,wherethebest of hispeople,andthe1110stexcellentcharacteristicsofhisnation visible before l1issight. www.islamicbulletin.com49 Book Bakr Has talentedWitl1tl1etruenaturewithwhichthe Arabs talented?They Arabs) ofand lifeisvoidofbot}}fa1sellOodand1ie. in meritorious aswellas in vices. 1ife isas as desertinwhic}}theylive,aspureas sky over As resu1t oftl1isandc1arity of they giftofwisdomandDivination. a1so 1earnt 1anguage of the objectsin 1ife. rig11tly-guidedthougl1ts tl1emind of Bakr)the mostknowledgeableoftlJeArab's tl1ekeeperofits went asif' were tohimself:ThisisQassIbn Sa'idal1.ThisisWaraqal1 IbnNawfal.111isisZaidIbn IbnNufail. Besidcs, were tens across centuriesand ofwhom theidols,anddeviated religion of their fromtheyusedto worship. of ca11ed religionof and 100ked forwardto the fortheWordofA11ah.Therewas from thembuttI1at hopedto theexpectedProphet.But,attl1e sametime, of a11egedto such Had of pretendedto saying was sentdown A11ah,hisf'aith,purity,andtrustworthiness caused tobelievein Moreover, who kepttl1emselvesfarfromworshippingidolswould to t"ol1owhim.But,why oftl10senotclaimed to Propl1et? reason f'or thisissimplytl1eywereYes. mostmeritoriousclJaracteristicofour istl1eir trutblulness clarity.TheArabpersonwouldrefrainfromtellingl1is s11e-camel 1ie if it wasverythirsty, sayingto it:"1 would liketo raisctlJe hopesof f'or drinking sothat might quiet,but1 tindit shamefulto te11 lie." Howcou1d ordinaryArab feelsl1yoftellinghisshe-camel andtl10sepiouspure tellliesabout T11at'sbecausewe (Arabs) of andwouldtlJe (from amongsttl1emselves) but trutl1fu1 tl1en those predictionsnot true?thosepredictions,whichf'oretoldthatthe comingPropl1etwould totl1e from the sideof t11e Allal1's Great House. www.islamicbulletin.com50 Chapter T\vo: If Really 8aid 80, HasTold Truth Those thoughtsweregoingandretuming inthemindof Bakras After hadfultilled his jobin Sham, preparedhimself to retum tol1istown. fewdaysbeforel1isretum, saw vision(in dream). sawasifthe hadleftitspositioninthel1ighest horizon,and thendescendedto whereitwasdividedintopiecesandparts, scattered housesof of thoseparts together again, the retumed toitsfirst entity,wl1ich remained i11the of Bakr. Thisvisionleft great got tomeet thosepiousmonks,withwhom wasfamiliar, keptgood with to the that made p1eased (to ta1k to narrated hisvisionto him.themonkgrew so and said:"Hisdays Bakrasked "Whom do Do theexpectedProphet?"themonkansweredintl1e affirmativeandadded: willbelieve(inIs1am)withhim,and will the happiest with him." Thisvisionof wasneither mere1yta1ktohimselfinhis dream,norwas it expression of hisdesires(for the know1edge of thefact)1urkinginhisunconscious. tllecontrary,itwascommencementof firmfact,whic11gavehim certain of people'slackingof Messenger,w110secoming tumedto obligatory and necessary. the hisvisionwas (form00gladtidingsforl1is and greetingsent tlleunseentohisspiritandfaitll, desirous(forseeingsuch Propllet).In otherwords,w11enAllal1se1ected Muhammadfor(carrying)HisMessage,andwl1en Bakrl1Urried1y welltto inorderto hisbe1ief in 11imandwithhim,hedid notdobecause saw vision(in dream),butbecause sawvisiollofmindand deepinsight,which reccivcdas resultof his 10ng t11inking,andpayingattentiontothewisdom(ofthosethreepious as well as result of his beingse1ectedfor guidance Allal1Almigl1ty. In t11emorning, made his journey withtl1e returning to came1sandtheshe-came1s ranfast,ashappy(Witl1the joumey ofretum)as ifthcywerein festiva1.Somesweetbreezesblew the riders,carrying withthemtlle odorof the of Sl1am,as if tl1eywerebiddingfarewell behalfof(the of)thisgood territory,wl1ic11they left(for www.islamicbulletin.com51 Book One: Abu Bakr Has Thelivingyeamingmovedthestringsofhearts,andeveryorganin thehumanbodies(ofthoseriders)startedsinging.Inthisverystate,the riderssetout,with their desiresandlongings. Then,thevoiceofthedriverofthecamelsroseasreciting(the followingpoetic verses):"1 wouldassign of (thefoodwhichis in) vesselto neighbour,forunless letyourcompanionshare whatever have, little itmight would not thendeserve to join him insuperiority." Anotherreciterrepliedtohim,asiftheywerein (poetic) competition: daughterof Abdullahandof Malik, daughterof' the of thetwoBurdahsandthestronghorse!If preparedthefood, shouldseekforsomebodytoshareeating itwith for notto eatit shouldseekfor) visitor(whose might have ledhim to to us)at (whomight have to the with us. Indeed, afraidof thetalksoftheblamers,whichrnightcriticize (if 1 gueststo join eating but servantof guest,as asheis (with (thereis for tosaythat)1have characteristicwhichmakes similar to other thanthis which causes toactas servant onlyof guest)." Thisgood took Bakroutof hissilence, good meritsofhispeople e]egantbeforehim i.e. people,w110wouldregardasblameworthythe incaseheatealone, without being doomed tohave guest toshare foodwith him.thepoems recited t]1eridersgrewlouder,andt11ey poetic Then, armof Bakr rose theskyas if itwere f1ag. shouted:"Whoamongst couldrecitetousthe of Umayya}} As-Salt?" voice fromt]1e of "Whic11 ofhisdo most ofArab's Indeed,Umayyahsaidso good Bakrsaid:"1 his Prophet forus,from amongst us ... "." recited loudly:"Isn't there Prophet forus, from amongst us totellus would tousafter death?Indeed,wehave leamt,if SUC]1 knowledge could sourceof benefit forus,that thelatter ones us arestillliving)would theearlierones www.islamicbulletin.com52 Chapter Two: ReallySaid So, Then Has TheTruth us(whodied).However, struckwithwonder,though there wonder at death,why living ones usweepfor those whodiedamong us." turnedto wandering, intoxicatedwiththe ofsil1ging, faster andcoveringthedistance (towards witl1theresulttllatthetravellersgrew and (to their verysoon). Had of faceof attl1at whichwasshining thelight of wou1d seenthetears of 10nging dropping hiseyes) hischeeks, as if werepearls. Attl1esame reciter(01'poetry)continued thesame of Lord!Donotcause to andfil1 heart tl10ughtsandintentions)withfaith 1take refuge for thewent toperform tl1eir Hajj,and the raised cornersand of religionof theirfacesto duringtheirHajj,whoneverintendedto (se11) reward of wit11 price (whatever it caravan went towardsitsdestination, atnigl1t,and whenitwasmorning. 10ng time11adpassedsince left What had happenedduringthislongperiod? land wasbeing fo1d (theregion 01) Sham (wl1ich theyhad left)going farandfar(from them),andthatof which theywerereturning) near(to gradual1y,untilatlast,theoutskirtsoftheir 11Omelal1dandtheodor of their werevisible to nearthoseoutskirts,ll1erewas groupof waitingfor the 11adseenthecaraval1 towards wl1ile tl1eywerestandingover thesummitof tl1e and,consequently, tl1eycalledeac11otl1er andgatheredinorder to andreceiveit. tl1ecaravan neartoitsreceivers,the (itsriders)feltgreat noise andtrouble from Wllathad happened? Bothofthe andthereceiversmetin stateofkindly embracing another,duringwhichthevoicesrose,announcingthe neweventsandthestrangenews."Do notknowthatthe of Quraish (so worriedthatt11ey'veneverwentasleep) since leftthem?"(Saidsomeofthereceivers).(Some of thecomers asked):"WoetoQuraisll!Whatistl1ereason?" seemedto putthepiecesoffire tl1enoses(of itspeople)." www.islamicbulletin.com53 Book Abu Bakr Has piecesoffire?Howisthat?" asked)"What hadhappened?" said): saysthat(thereis God,Whomweshould worship and let theothers(whichweusedto worship)." ofthose whowereinclined to joking said: lethimdestroy them.Indeed,for 10ng they(thoseallegedgods)throngedto join us in eating porridge and drinking milk." variousvoicesintermingledso noisily.Somedeliberate Bakr,andstarted narrating thestory tohim quietly, while Bakrwastrying to overcome histearsof pleasure. Attl1e of theymet littlegroupof led (Father ofIgnorance):ArnrIbnHisham,andstarted embracing another. Jahlbegantotalk(to Bakr):"Did the tell about companion(Muhammad) Atiq?"however, Bakr' s hisembracingIslamwasAtiq. Bakrsaidtohim:"Do Muhammad,theHonest?" replied: es,1 theorphan person of tl1esonsof AbdAI-Muttalib." was dialoguebetweenthem."Did hearwhat (Muhammad)says, AmrIbnHisham?" Bakr asked)."Yes, 1 did, andso did the (Replied Jahl)."What does say?" Bakr asked). says thereis(0111y Godinthe Whom wemustworship,andlet theaHegedgods)which forefathers usedto worship." Jahlanswered). "Did sayAllahhadrevealedtohim?" Bakrasked). "Yes."(Answered Jahl)."Didnot sayhowhisLordhad withhim?" Bakrasked)."Yes, saidthat(the angel)Gabriel tohimwhile wasinthe ofHira." al1swered). Atthismoment,thefaceof Bakr elegant,asif thesunl1adbestowed it itslight andbrightness. saidqu