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The mission
of the Holy Prophet was still in the early stage. Islam was still weak and
helpless. The chiefs of Mecca were up against it. One night the Holy Prophet
stood in the Kaaba, lost in thoughts. Presently he raised his hands and turned
his eyes heavenward. "Lord!" he prayed, "make Islam strong with either of the
two men, Amr bin Hisham or Omar bin Khattab."
The prayer was instantly granted.
Allah chose Omar to serve Islam. Amr bin Hisham was to die as Abu Jahl( Father
of Ignorance ). But Omar was to become a great pillar of strength for Islam.
Omar was twelve years younger than the
Holy Prophet. He was the son of Khattab. His mother's name was Khatmah. He came
of the Adi branch of the Quraish. Banu Adi were held in great respect. They
acted as the agents of the Quraish in talks with other tribes. They als acted as
judges in their disputes.
In early youth, Omar got training in methods
of warfare. He also learnt the art of public speaking. From the outset, he
showed unusual courage and frankness of manner. Eager to learn, he was earnest
and thorough in whatever he undertook. These qualities won him a name in the
country rather at an early age. As a trader, he had to travel to other lands.
These travels brought him a wide knowledge and a deep understanding of men and
things.
Acceptance of
Islam
Omar
was twenty seven when the Holy Prophet began his mission. Young Omar was one of
those who did not care to listen to the message of Islam. He was for the old way
of life. As years went by, Islam made a slow headway. This made Omar angry. Do
what the Meccan chiefs might, people who once went over to Islam never went back
to their old faith. One of Omar's own maid-servants became a Muslim. He beat her
as much as he could, but she would not give up the new faith.
At last in the sixth year of the
Mission, a number of Muslims left for Abyssinia. This made Omar boil with rage.
"Here is a man," he thought to himself "who has split the people. People lived
smoothly enough. He appeared on the scene He has torn son from father and
brother from brother. Now his followers are running away to another land. Surely
Muhammad is the cause of all trouble. I must slay him and put an end to the
trouble."
With this resolve Omar drew his sword
and set out to kill the Holy Prophet. On the way he met a friend who asked him
why he looked so upset. Omar told him what he was going to do. "You better take
care of your own kin first," said the friend, "Your sister and her husband have
gone over to Islam."
These words changed the direction of
Omar's anger. He went straight to the house of his sister, Fatima. He knocked at
the door. Someone was reciting the Quran inside. Fatima was terrified when she
heard Omar's voice. She hid the portion of the Quran she was reading and opened
the door.
"What was it that you were reciting
just now?" Omar demanded.
"Oh nothing," said the sister.
"Why nothing?" he shouted in rage.
"I have heard it alright. I know you
both have accepted Muhammad's faith."
Saying this, he began to beat his
brother-in-law, Saeed. Fatima ran to his help and got a blow to the head. The
head began to bleed. This made the couple bold. "Yes, we have become Muslims,"
they shouted at Omar. "Do what you will."
The sight of the bleeding sister
deeply moved Omar. Fatima was such a loving sister! Surely there must be some
great truth in the Quran which had won her innocent heart. "Would you let me
have a look at the Quran?" said Omar.
Fatima handed him the few pages of the
book she had.
Omar sat down to study the pages. Soon
his face changed. His anger cooled down. The fear of Allah gripped his heart. He
wept and declared, "Surely this is the word of Allah. I bear witness that
Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah."
Omar was again on his way to the place
of the Holy Prophet. But he was not a changed man. He was not going to slay him
but to embrace his faith.
The Holy Prophet was sitting in the
company of some men. He saw Omar coming and asked, "Omar, what brings you here?"
"O Prophet of Allah!" replied Omar, "I
have come to embrace Islam."
Great was the joy of the Holy Prophet
and his followers. Loud shouts of "Allah is Great" rented the air of Mecca. Soon
everyone knew that Omar was no longer an enemy of Islam. It was a great day for
Islam because one of its bitterest enemies had become its staunch follower.
The coming over of Omar made a
difference for Islam. Hitherto, the Muslims had lived in constant fear of the
non-believers. Some of them had not even made their faith known to the people.
They could not say their prayers publicly. All this changed when Omar became a
Muslim.
The first thing Omar did was to call
together the chiefs of Mecca. Before this gathering he declared himself a
follower of Islam. They started at him in silence. No one had the courage to
utter a word of reproach.
Omar next requested the Holy Prophet
to say prayers in the Kaaba. He himself led a party of Muslims to that place. A
second party was led by Hamza. When all had gathered, they said their prayers in
congregation. The Holy Prophet led the prayer. This was the first prayer of its
kind said in the Kaaba.
When migration to Medina started, the
same thing happend again. Most of the Muslims left Mecca silently and secretly.
But Omar would not do so. He put on his arms. Then he went to the Kaaba and said
his prayer. The chiefs of Mecca looked at him in silence. After the prayer, he
shouted out to them, "I am leaving for Medina. If anyone wants to stop me let
him meet me across the valley. His mother shall certainly have to weep for him
in sorrow."
Despite this challenge, no Meccan
would dare to stop Omar. These things earned for Omar the title of Farooq.
Farooq is the one who makes a difference. Omar's acceptance of Islam had made a
big difference for Islam and Muslims.
Omar stood by the side of the Prophet
in all battles and expeditions. Great was his love for Allah and His Apostle. He
never allowed any blood ties or friendship to stand in the way of this
love.
The death of the Prophet was a stunning
shock to Omar. He could not believe it, so much so that he drew his sword and
swore that he would cut off the head of the man who said the Messenger of Allah
was dead. He was overwhelmed with grief. Life without the Prophet was
unthinkable, he thought. And if the Prophet was really no more, as people said,
what was going to happen to Islam and the Muslims? These dark thoughts blotted
out all reason from Omar's head. Not till Abu Bakr had reminded him of the clear
verdict of the Quran on the point did he come to himself. Abu Bakr, during his
calpihate, depended on Omar for advice. That was because the Master, in his
life-time, gave great weight to what Omar said.
After Khalid, Muthanna was the
Commander of Muslim forces at Hira in Iraq. He was attacked by the enemy once,
but he beat back the attack. However, reports were pouring in that the Iranians
were preparing for another heavy blow. So Muthanna came to Medina to explaing
things to the Caliph.
A day after Muthanna bin Harith
reached Medina, Abu Bakr died. But before death he had urged Omar to give first
thought to Iraq.
People from far off parts of the
country soon started pouring into Medina. They came to pledge loyalty to the new
Calpih. Omar took advantage of their presence. He spoke to them and urged them
to take part in the Iraq campaign. But most people had come to look upon Khalid
bin Walid as the only man who could deal with the enemy. They were doubtful
about the outcome of a campaign not neaded by Khalid. However, Omar went on
urging people. He wanted to uproot the wrong idea that Islam could not do
without a particular man, however great a man might be. At last the well-known
chief of Banu Thaqif, Abu Obaid Thaqfi, came out to fight for the cause of
Allah. His example was followed by many more. Abu Obaid Thaqfi was given the
command of Iraq operations.
Defeats in Iraq had made the rulers of
Iran desperate. The nobles set aside their differences and met in counsel. After
much thought, they crowned Princess Puran Dukht as the empress. The well-known
noble, Rustam, was appointed her Chief Minister and Commander-in-Chief.
The first thing Rustam did was to take
back the frontier districts that had fallen to the Muslims. He then sent two big
armies under his experienced commanders, Jahan and Narsi. Narsi was a prince and
Jahan a famous noble.
Abu Obaid's first battle was with
Jahan. It was fought at Namariq. Jahan was utterly defeated and was taken
prisoner by a Muslim soldier, who did not know who the prisoner was. "I am an
old man," Jahan said, "let me go. I will give you good money for it." The
soldier agreed. Soon after, some other soldiers identified Jahan. They dragged
him to Abu Obaid. Jahan told the commander of the deal he had made with one of
his men. Most of the men objected to the deal in strong words. But Abu Obaid
said, "We must honor the word given by one of us. Islam does not allow us to go
back on our word." Thus Jahan got his freedom.
The Iranians, who fled from Namariq,
joined the army of Narsi. But Narsi was also defeated. The two victories had a
healthy effect on the frontier districts. The chiefs and nobles of these
districts presented themselves before Abu Obaid to pledge loyalty.
Some of the chiefs from frontier
districts brought with them choice dishes for Abu Obaid.
"Is this food for me alone or for the
whole army?" he asked.
"It was difficult," they pleaded, "to
prepare food for the whole army in such a short time."
"Well," replied the Muslim commander,
"these men and I are partners in spilling our blood. I cannot part company with
them at the dinner table. I must eat what they eat."
This was something unheard of for
these proud chiefs, who were used to the Iranian way of life. The Muslim way of
life amazed them beyond description.
The defeat of Jahan and Narsi startled
Rustam. He was bent upon doing something about the Arabs. Immediatley he
collected a very huge army. He put it under the command of his bravest general,
Bahman Juduya. He gave Bahman the famous Durfash-i-Kawayani. This was the sacred
flag of Iran. It was taken out only on very special occasions.
In the month of Shaaban, 13 A.H., Abu
Obaid advanced to meet Bahman. The Euphrates lay between the two armies. Bahman
asked Obaid whether he would cross over or he should do it. Leaders of the
Muslim army liked to stay on this side of the river. But Abu Obaid was carried
off his feet by over-confidence. He chose to fight across the river.
A bridge of boats was built and the
Muslims crossed the river. Here they found themselves at disadvantage. The
ground was uneven. The army could not move freely. On top of this, the Iranians
stood shielded by a thick wall of elephants. The Arab horses had never seen the
giant beasts before. They got frightened and became difficult to manage.
Seeing this, Abu Obaid ordered his men
to get down from their horses. With their swords, Muslim soldiers cut down the
ropes of the howdahs, brought down the riders and killed them. But the
elephants still remained a problem. They trampled men to death. A white elephant
was the leader of the herd. Soon the white giant became a terror. Wherever it
went, panic overtook the Arabs and their lines broke. Abu Obaid decided to do
something about it. So with one stroke of his sword, he cutt of the trunk of the
white elephant. The next moment, the angry beast trampled the Muslim Commander
to death.
His brother stepped forward to hold
the standard. He also met the same fat. In this way seven relatives of Abu Obaid
fell one after another.
This made the Muslim army lose heart.
There was a rush for the bridge. But there was no bridge! It had been cut by a
young man of Banu Thaqif, lest the Muslim army should take to flight.
The outlook was hopeless. Muthanna had
now the command. He ordered the rebuilding of the bridge. In the meantime, he
held back the enemy. But even so, the Muslim army suffered a heavy loss. Almost
four thousand men, out of an army of nine thousand, could be save.
The defeat made Omar very sad. How
strongly he felt for the precious lives lost! He sent words to different tribes
to fight under the command of Muthanna. It was not long before Muthanna had
enough men to re-start the fight.
This time Rustam chose Mehran to fight
the Muslims. This general had had long experience of Arab warfare. Rustam felt
sure that Mehran would be more than a march for Muthanna. To be doubly sure, he
put twelve thousand men of the Royal Guard under Mehran's command.
The two armies met were Kufa now
stands. The Euphrates lay between them. Mehran asked if Muthanna would cross
over. He refused. So the Iranian host crossed the river.
The battle began. It was a grim fight.
The Iranians were several times in number. But the Muslims sought desperatley.
With amazing daring, they plunged into the heart of the Iranian host. A young
man of Banu Taghlab identified Mehran. He flew at him and cut off his head. The
he cried out, "I am a youth of Taghlab and the killer of the Iranian commander."
Panic overtook the Iranian host. There was a
wild rush for the bridge. Muthanna had his plans ready for removing the bridge
before the enemy could get to it. With the bridge gone, thousands of the fleeing
Iranians got drowned. No less than a hundred thousand of them lost their lives
in this battle. Muslim victory was complete. The whole of Iraq, west of the
Euphrates, was now in Muslim hands.
The challenge of Iran had to be met.
Omar started preparations on a big scale. Orders were sent to governors to send
to the capitol brave warriors, tried generals and good speakers. These orders
were carried out. Medina was soon flooded with the best sons of Islam.
Omar himself wanted to lead the army.
Talha, Zubair, Abdur Rahman and other noted companions were appointed commanders
of different regiments. Omar marched at the head of the army for about three
miles. Then he encamped to decide finally whether or not he himself should
command. The general opinion was for it. But the veterans said it was a risky
affair. No one could foretell the outcome of the battle. If the Muslims lost,
fighting under the command of the Caliph, nothing could give them back their
confidence and prestige. Omar saw the point. He handed over the command to Saad
bin Abi Waqqas, the maternal uncle of the Holy Prophet, and himself returned to
Medina.
Saad continued the march until he
reached where Kufa stands now. Here he received news of Muthanna's death.
Muthanna's brother joined Saad with his army of eight thousand. He also brought
far the new commander some very useful hints which his late brother had given.
Sitting in Medina, Omar gave careful
thought to the smallest details of the campaign. Saad was constantly receiving
instructions from the Caliph. If was Omar who said how the army should be
organized. Again it was he who chose Qadisiya as the place where the Muslims
were to halt. He then asked for a detailed map of the surrounding country. In
the light of this map he sent further instructions about the tactics to be used.
Saad received orders that an offer of
peace be made to the enemy before fighting was begun. So he chose fourteen
chiefs of different tribes to be the envoys of Islam.
Yezdgird held his court to receive the
envoys. The court was a mirror of the pomp and glory of Iran. The Iranians
wanted to dazzle the eyes of the desert dwellers by the display of their
splendour. But the Muslims turned out to be made of a different stuff. With
shawls of Yemen flung across their shoulders, leather boots on their feet and
whips in their hands, they walked fearlessly into the court. The courtiers and
the Emperor alike were amaed at the dauntless bearing of the Arabs.
The peace talks began. Yezdgird asked
the envoys what had brought them into his territory. Naaman bin Maqran, the
leader of the deputation, came forward and said:
"O king, not long ago we were an
ignorant and wild people. Allah had mercy on us. He sent to us His chosen
Prophet. The Prophet showed us the path of truth. He called us towards good life
and rid us of all evils. He had said that if we accepted his message, we would
be successful in this world as well as in the next.
We accepted his message. He then
ordered us to carry his message to the people living in the neighborhood. This
message is Islam. It is the fountain-head of all good. It clearly tells what is
good and what is bad."
"O nobles of Iran, we call you to the
path of the holy faith. If you accept it nothing can be like it. We will leave
you alone. We will hand you the book of Allah. That will be your guide. You will
have to follow its commandments. But if you reject the message of Islam, you
will have to pay the jizya and live under us. You will have to give an
undertaking that there will be no more injustice of evil doing in your country.
If you refuse to accept this offer too, the sword must decide."
Yezdgird calmy heard this speech, then
said:
"O Arabs, not very long ago no people
on earth were so wretched or rotten as you. The smallest favor from us was
enough to win you. Whenever you did a mischief, we wrote to a frontier chief and
he set you right. I advise you to give up your whims of conquest. If you do not
have enough food or other necessities, let us know. We will send you supplies.
We will also appoint a good ruler over you, that he may treat you kindly."
When the king had finished, Mughira
bin Zarara rose and spoke back:
"O king, we were certainly as wretched
as you have said; perhaps worse. We ate dead animals, wore skins and slept on
the bare ground. But ever since Allah's chosen Prophet appeared among us, we
have totally changed. His wonderful teachings and his lofty example have made us
leaders of the world. Even proud kings like you fear us now."
"O king, any further talk is useless.
Either accept the chosen Prophet of Allah and bow before his blessed teachings
or agree to pay the jizya. If you accept neither of the two things, then
wait for the sword to decide."
Mughira's words made the king lose his
temper. "By Yazdan," he roared in anger, "if it were not against the law to shed
the blood of envoys, I must have got you beheaded. But I am sending Rustam to
deal with you. He will bury you and all your commanders in the trenches of
Qadisiya. You are going to get nothing from us except dust."
Then the king asked, "Who is the most
respectable among you?"
"I" replied Asim bin Omar.
The king got a basket full or earth
and had it placed on Asim's head. Asim galloped away, carrying the basket. He
took the basket to the Commander, Saad, and placing it before him said,
"Congratulations for the victory! The enemy himself has handed over his soil to
us." Then he recounted all that had taken place at the Iranian court.
Saad felt much pleased. He took it as
a good omen for Muslim victory. Later events proved that he was right.
With an army of hundred and twenty
thousand, Rustam advanced to Qadisiya. Here he dug up for the battle. But he
feared the Muslims at heart. So he went on putting off the battle for weeks.
Envoys kept coming and going from one side to the other.
The last envoy to visit Rustam was
Mughira bin Shaaba. Rustam did all he could to dazzle the eyes of the Arab
envoy. He sat on a throne of gold with a crown of diamonds on his head. The
whole court was decked with brocades, gold and diamonds.
Mughira got down from his hourse and
walked straight to Rustam's throne. He climbed onto it and sat by Rustam's side.
All present were taken back. The guards ran forward and made Mughira get down
from the throne.
Mughira remained cool. Addressing the courtiers, he said:
"O nobles of Iran, I thought you were wise.
But you have proven quite silly. We Muslims do not raise men to the position of
gods. The weak among us do not beleive in the overlordship of the strong. I
thought you also followed the same practice. I never knew that the strong among
you were raised high and were worshipped by the weak. I never knew that you did
not believe in the equaitly of men. If I had known that, I would never have come
to your court. But let me tell you that you cannot save your empire by these
methods. Unrest among the weak will turn the tables against
you."
Mughira's speech ended the peace
talks. But his words continued to ring in the ears of the Iranian nobles.
In the month of Muharram, 14A.H., the
battle of Qadisiya began at last. Saad bin Abi Waqqas, the Muslim Commander, was
sick with sever pain. So he sat on the roof of a near-by house and directed the
operations from there. After the early afternoon prayers, Saad ordered the
attack. As was the Muslim practice, the commander raised three shouts of "Allah
is Great!" At the fourth shout, the army went into action.
The fight went on until late in the
evening. Iranian elephants were again a bug-bear fo the Arab horses. Muslim
archers did their best to him them and their riders. But the elephant problem
still remained unsolved. The first day ended with an advantge for the Iranians.
On the morning of the second day, the
battle began again. The dead were buried. The wounded were left to the care of
the women. Before fighting started, reinforcements from Syria arrived. These
troops were six thousand in number. But they came galloping in small parties.
Thus they kept pouring in until evening. The strategy made the Iranians think
that the Muslim army was swelling at a fearful rate. The thought sowed dread in
the hearts of the Iranians.
The Syrian troops thought of a very
clever way of fighting the elephant danger. They covered their camels with big
black, flowing cloaks. The sight made the Iranian elephants unmanageable. The
two armies remained locked in a life and death struggle until midnight. Bahman,
Prince Shahr Baraz and many other Iranian leaders were killed. The Muslims had a
clear advantage on the whole.
A strange incident took place on the
second day of the battle. Abu Mahjan Thaqfi was a great warrior and a good poet.
Saad put him in prison because he had been found drunk. From the prison window,
the brave warrior looked at the stirring scenes of the battle. He longed very
much to be in the thick of the fighting. Presently Saad's wife, Salma, passed
by. He entreated her to set him free so that he might also fight. "If I live
until evening," he assured her, "I will walk back into this cell and put on the
fetters."
Salma was moved by the appeal. She set
him free. Abu Mahjan at once darted into the thick of the battle. Saad noticed
from the house top the outstanding feats of a particular warrior. Whichever way
he turned, he broke the lines of the enemy. Saad was full of praise for his
courage and wanted to know who he was.
At night, Abu Mahjan came back to his
prison and put on the fetters. In the morning Saad's wife told her husband all
about the brave prisoner. Saad then knew who the wonderful warrior of the
previous day was.
"By Allah!" declared Saad, "I cannot
keep behind bars a man who loves Muslims so much."
"By Allah!" declared Abu Mahjan as he
got his freedom, "I will never touch wine again."
The battle entered the third day. The
Iranian elephants were still a problem. Saad asked to Iranian Muslims how best
to solve the problem.
"Put out their eyes," they
said.
There were two big elephants the led
the rest of the herd. Two Muslim warriors took it upon themselves to deal with
one of the giant bests. At one and the same time, they put out both its eyes
with their spears. Then one of them cut off its trunk. The same thing was done
to the second giant beast. Mad with pain both the elephants reeled back into the
river. The rest of the herd followed the blinded leaders. From then on, the
elephants were seen no more.
The battle raged with full fury the
whole day and throughout the night. When morning came, the chiefs of different
Arab tribes shouted out to their men to make one final rush. At this call, men
jumped down from horses. With drawn swords they thrust themselve into enemy
lines. Before noon they were in the heart of the Iranian host. Some of them
reached as far deep as Rustam, the Iranian Commander. Sitting on his throne of
gold, Rustam was directing the fight. Take by surprise, he jumped down and gave
a good fight. But he was slain at last by a Muslim soldier, Halal bin Alqama.
Halal jumped onto Rustam's throne of gold and shouted out, "By the Lord of the
Kaaba, I have slain Rustam.!"
The death of Rustam completed the
Iranian rout. Darufsh-i-Kawiyani fell in Muslim hands. Thirty thousand Iranians
were killed. The Muslim loss was eight thousand killed.
Omar was very anxious about the
outcome of the battle. Each morning, he walked a few miles out of Medina and
waited for the messenger of Qadisiya. One day, as he sat waiting, a camel-rider
appeared in the distance.
"Wherefrom?" asked Omar, as the man
came near.
"From Qadisiya," came the reply, and
the man kept galloping on.
Omar ran by his side to keep pace and
asked, "But what news have you brought?"
"Allah has granted victory to the
Muslims," was the answer.
Thus Omar went on running by the side
of the messenger, getting more details from him. When the two reached the town,
people greeted Omar as the "Commander of the Faithful". The messenger was taken
aback. He had never seen Omar before.
"O Commander, of the Faithful," he
said in a low voice, "why did you not tell me who you were?"
"No harm has been done," said Omar.
"Please go on with the details of your message."
A party of Muslims will take the White
Palace of the Iranian Emperor," the Holy Prophet had foretold several years ago.
Madain was the proud capital of Iran.
Here lived the mighty Emperor, in his well-known White Palace. The imperial city
was not more than forty miles for Qadisiya.
Saad's army rested after the Qadisiya
victory for two months. When the men were fresh again, Saad ordered them to
march towards Madain. Cities and forts that stood on the way were easily taken.
Soon the Muslims reached the banks of the Tigris. The White Palace shimmered in
the sun, on the oppostie bank.
The Iranians had destroyed the bridge
on the river. So Saad ordered some of his men to get across and make the
opposite bank safe for a landing. At once sixty horse-men threw themselves into
the river. The sight so frightened the Iranian guards that they ran off,
shouting, "The gians have come! The giants have come!"
Saad crossed over with his army. There
was no opposition. Yezdgird and his courtiers had already fled.
At last the Muslims were inside the
White Palace. Here they met with heaps of precious stones and untold treasures.
One-fifth of this rich booty was sent to Medina. The rest was divided among the
men. Every soldier got twelve-thousand pieces of gold, in hard cash, in addition
to other valuable objects.
Saad and Omar were both grateful to
Allah. Their men had shown perfect honesty and uprightness throughout the
campaign.
The rich booty from the White Palace
at last reached Medina. It lay heeped in the Prophet's Mosque. The sight of it
brought tears to Omar's eyes.
"There is nothing to weep at,"
remarked one of the men standing near him.
"I weep," said Omar, "because riches
beget enmity and mutual bitterness. A nation which has these evils loses its
respect."
The botty also included the Emperor's
sword. Its handle was inlaid with jewels or rare beauty. The Caliph admired the
beauty of the sword and also praised the honesty of the troops, who has kept
back nothing from what had fallen into their hands.
"Commander of the Faithful," remarked
Ali, "When you yourself set a lofty example of honest, why should your people
not be honest?"
Omar had no wish to conquer Iran. All
he wanted was to take back Arab lands from the Iranians. This done, he watned to
be left alone. He often said, "I wish there was amountain of fire between us and
the Iranians, so that we could live in peace."
But Yezdgird would not let the Muslims
live in peace. All the time he was trying to get back what was once his. This
led to constand fighting, the one at Jalul being a most terrible battl.e
Everywhere the Iranians were beaten. Yezdgird fled form place to place but he
would not make peace. At last he went to Khorasan and settled down in Merv. Here
he began preparations for an all-out war on the Muslims.
Saad wrote to the Caliph about what
was going on in Iran. Some people suggested that Omar himself should lead an
army against Yezdgird. But Ali differed with this view. He wanted the Caliph to
remain in the capital. Omar liked Ali's advice. He appointed Naaman bin Maqran
the Commander of the Army sent against Yezdgird. Naaman was ready to give battle
in the month of Muharram, 19 A.H.
The Iranian Emperor led an army of one
hundred and fifty thousand men. The two armies met at Nahawand. For two days
they fought without a clear gain to either side. On the third day, the Iranians
went behind fortifications. The Muslims did not want to prolong the fighting;
so, by a clever stratagem, they lured the enemy out into the open.
Grim hand-to-hand fighting now began.
It went on until late in the evening. So much blood flowed that the battlefiled
became slippery. Commander Naaman's horse slipped. He fell down and got wounded.
But his brother at once sent him to a safe place. Then he put on Naaman's turban
and cloack, and rose his horse. Thus the army knew nothing about the Commander's
absence and kept on fighting as desperatlye as ever.
Under cover of night, the Iranians
took to flight. But they were pursued and killed by the thousands. Huge booty
fell into the hands of the victors.
Naaman's wounds proved fatal. However,
he liked to hear the happy news of victory. "A thousand thanks to Allah," he
gasped, "send news to Omar." The next moment he was no more.
Omar was glad to hear the news of
victory. But when the messenger told of Naaman's death, the Caliph started
weeping and wept for a long time.
After the victory of Nahawand, Omar
made up his mind to put an end to the problem of Iran once and for all. The
cities of Basrah and Kufa had already been founded in Iraq. They served as
military bases for the Muslims. From these bases, several armies were ordered to
march under different commanders to the various provinces of Iran. They
completed their task of conquest in about five years. By the year 23A.H., almost
the whole of Iran was part of the Muslim empire.
Hakam bin Omair Taghlabi marched as
far east as [East Pakistan]. A big Baluch army came to oppose him. The Raja of
Sind also sent his army to reinforce this host. Hakam won the day. Makran became
a prt of the Muslim empire. Hakam wanted to march still farther east. He wanted
to carry the standard of Islam to India. But Omar was not in favor of extending
his empire. He did not want to spill Muslim blood for the sake of extending his
frontiers. So he forbade Harkam to march beyond Makran.
Yezdgird continued to cause trouble
for some time. He made several bids to win back power by raising armies. He even
got military aid from the neighboring Turkish kingdoms. However, all his
attempts failed. At last he gave up hope and fled to Transoxnia, where he was
killed during the reign of Othman.
War with Byzantium was on when Omar
became Caliph. In a few more days the enemy suffered a big defeat at Yarmuk. But
the enemy was not oging to take this defeat as a final settlement of relations
with the Arabs. Byzantium was bent upon wiping out the blot of the defeat. Soon
big armies were gathered at Damascus and at Fahl. The emperor of Byzantium
wanted to take back what he had lost. He also wanted to teach the Arabs a
lesson, which they might never forget.
The Muslim Commander, Abu Obaida wrote
to the Caliph asking for instructions. Omar wrote b ack that he must offer a
fight on both fronts. So Obaida laid a seige to both the cities.
Damascus was the capital of Syria. Its
defences were very strong. Abu Obaida, assisted by able generals like Khalid bin
Walid, Amr bin As and Yazid bin Abu Sufyan, was directing the attack. But the
Byzantine forces had shut themselves up in the city, and would not come out to
fight.
Khalid was constantly on the look-out
for an oppurtunity. He hardly slept at night. One night he noticed unusual
excitement inside the city. Spies brought the news that a son had been born to
the Governor and people had given themselves up to drinking and merry-making.
Khalid saw his chance. He crossed the
moat, in the company of a few picked men. They had strong ropes with them. With
these they succeeded in climbing onto the city wall. Then they jumped down,
killed the guards and threw open the gate. Up went the shout of, "Allah is
Great," Khalid's troops had rushed into the city!
The Byzantine commanders were taken by
complete surprise. Hastily they opened the opposite gate of the city, went to
Abu Obaida and begged for peace. Abu Obaida knew nothing of Khalid's daring
exploit. He readily granted them peace on easy terms.
Marching from the opposite gates,
Khalid and Abu Obaida now knew of the cleverness of the enemy. However, he stuck
to the terms that had been granted. Damascus fell in the month of Rajab 14A.H.
Yazid bin Abu Sufyan was appointed
governor of Damascus. He and his younger brother, Muavia, conquered the
surrounding country and its towns.
The emperor of Byzantium was at
Antioch when Damascus fell. Close on the heels of his defeat came the rapid fall
of other important cities. Byzantine forces were being simply swept away by the
advancing of Arab conquest. Constant defeats at last made the Emperor despair of
Syria. He left this country for good and set off to the safety of Byzantium.
"Good-bye, O fair land of Syria," he said, with a sigh, as he stood on top of a
hill. "Never again shall I set my eyes on you."
On reaching Byzantium, Heracleus sent
for a former prisoner of war. He had fallen in the hands of Muslims and had
recently escaped.
"What kind of people are they?" asked
the Emperor.
"O Emperor," replied the man, "they
are a wonderful people. They are fearless warriors in the daytime but spend
their nights in prayers. They do not get anything from the conquered people
without paying for it. Wherever they go, they carry peace and justice with them.
But if a people oppose them, they do not leave them alone until they give in."
"If they possess such magical powers,"
said the Emperor, "they are sure to conquer some day the ground under my feet."
The Muslims now took Alleppo. Next
they marched on Antioch. This key-city was the Asiatic capital of the Emperor.
It was taken without much resistance.
When Abu Obaida and Khalid were busy
in Northern Syria, Yazid son of Abu Sufyan was mopping up enemy pockets in the
Lebanese coasstal strip. Taking Beruit, he marched up and down the entire length
of the coast and occupied it.
The stronghold of Ajnadain fell next.
Now it was the turn of Jerusalem. A Muslim army was already laying seige to it.
Amr bin As was laying seige to
Jerusalem. After the fall of Antioch, Abu Obaida, Khalid and other Muslim
generals also joined Amr. The Christians had little hope of help from Byzantium.
So they decided to give in.
However, the Christians had some
fears. They knew that other cities had given in before. In each case the victors
had respected the life and property of the defeated. They had left alone their
places of worship. They had allowed them to follow their own religion. But about
Jerusalem the Christians were not very sure. It was as sacred to the Muslims as
it was to them. Before giving in they wanted to make very sure that they would
be treated well.
So the Christians put their proposal
before Abu Obaida. "We are ready to give in," they said, "but your Caliph must
come here in person and sign the treaty of peace."
The Muslim generals met in counsel and
thought over the proposal. At last they decided to accept it. "Why spill human
blood" they said, "if things can be straightened out without it?"
So the Christian proposal was conveyed
to the Caliph. Jerusalem could be taken without shedding a drop of blood. But
for that Omar had to come all the way from Medina to Jerusalem. To this Omar
readily agreed.
Omar in
Jerusalem
The Caliph left Ali in Medina as his
deputy and himself left for Jerusalem. He had only one attendant with him and
only one camel to ride. Omar and the attendant rode the camel by turns. It
happened to be the servant's turn to ride on the day when they were to reach
Jerusalem. "Commander of the Faithful," said the attendant, "I give up my turn.
It will look awkward, in the eyes of the people, if I ride and you lead the
camel."
"Oh no," replied Omar, "I am not going
to be unjust. The honor of Islam is enough for us all."
Abu Obaid, Khalid, Yazid and other
officers of the army went some distance to receive the Caliph. All of them were
wearing silk cloaks. This made Omar angry. He took some pebbles and threw them
at his generals, saying, "Have you changed so much in just two years? What dress
is this? Even if you had done this two hundred years from now, I would have
dismissed you."
The officers replied, "Commander of
the Faithful, we are in a land where the quality of clothes worn tells the rank
of a man. If we wear ordinary clothes, we will command little respect among the
people. However, we are wearing our arms underneath the silken robes."
This answer cooled down the anger of
the Caliph.
Next the Caliph signed the treaty of peace.
It ran as follows:
"From the servant of Allah and the Commander
of the Faithful, Omar: The inhabitants of Jerusalem are granted security of life
and property. Their churches and crosses shall be secure. This treaty applies to
all people of the city. Their places of worship shall remain intact. These shall
neither be taken over nor pulled down. People shall be quite free to follow
their religion. They shall not be put to any trouble..."
The gates of the city were now opened.
Omar went straight to the Temple of David (Masjid-i-Aqsa). Here he said his
prayer under David's Arch.
Next he visited the biggest Christian
church of the city. He was in the church when the time for the afternoon prayer
came.
"You may say your prayers in the
church," said the Bishop.
"No," replied Omar, "if I do so, the
Muslims may one day make this an excuse for taking over the church from you."
So he said his prayers on the steps of
the church. Even then, he gave the Bishop a writing. It said that the steps were
never to be used for congregational prayers nor was the Adhan [ call to prayer ]
to be said there.
Omar's
Mosque
Omar wanted to build a
mosque in Jerusalem. He asked the Bishop which place would be suitable for the
purpose. The Bishop suggested the "Sakhra," or the rock on which Allah had
talked to Prophet Jacob. Here the Christians had heaped garbage to tease the
Jews.
Immediatley the Sakhra was cleared of the garbage. Omar himself
worked like a laborer with the rest of his men. Jeruslaem, the city of David and
of Christ, wittnessed the equality of Islam. When the Sakhra had been cleared of
every trace of dirt, a mosque was built on the site. The mosque stand to this
day and is known as Omar's Mosque.
Northern Iraq
OccupiedNorthern Iraq had thus far been left
alone. This part of Iraq was called 'Jazira.' The people of Jazira made a plot
to oust the Muslims from Syria. They asked the Emperor of Byzantium to send out
an army to help them carry out the plot. He did so. The people of Jazira joined
hands with this army. Abu Obaida and other Muslim generals were forced to shut
themselves up in the city of Hims. The enemy laid seige to the city. The Caliph
got the alarming news. He himself set out at the head of a forces to help his
men. But before he reached the city, the enemy had been beaten off.
The Caliph now ordered the Jazira be
occupied. Ayaz bin Ghanam carried out the order and overran Jazira.
The Great
Plague
In the year 17-18 A.H., Iraq,
Syria and Egypt found themselves in the grip of a widespread plague. The
epidemic took away a great part of the population.
The Muslim
army in Syria was also hit by the epidemic. So heavy was the toll taken by it
that Omar himself had to go to Syria to study things. At Saraa, he was received
by army leaders. They implored him to keep out of the affected area. The Calpih
sought the advice of leading Companions. They differed. At last Omar chose to go
back. Seeing this, Abu Obaida said "Omar, are you running away from teh decree
of Allah?"
"Yes," replied Omar, "I am running
away from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah."
In the meantime Abdur Rahman bin Auf
also came up. "I have heard the Messenger of Allah say," he said, "'Do not go to
a place where an epidemic is raging.'"
Some days after Omar had left, Abu
Obaida died of plague. His successor, Maaz bin Jabal met the same fat. The
command now passed into the hands of Amr bin As. He at once ordered his troops
to spread out on hill tops. This wise step brought the epidemic under control.
But no less than tweny thousand warriors had already died. Among them were some
of the topmost generals of Islam. These men, if they had lived on, could have
conquered the whole world of Islam.
When the epidemic was over Omar paid
his last visit to Syria. The purpose of the visit was to settle on the spot many
problems created by the terrible epidemic. Some miles from the city of Ela, he
gave his horse to his servant and himself rode the servant's camel.
"Where is the Commander of the
Faithful" people asked the servant.
"There he goes before you!" the
servant replied, pointing to the camel-rider. This amazed the people. They could
hardly beleive their eyes. At last they knew that Islam makes no distinction
between master and servant.
During his stay in Syria, the Caliph
distributed relief to families that had lost their bread-winners. New officers
were appointed in place of the ones who had died.
One evening, people insisted that the
Calpih should request Bilal to say the Adhan. Bilal who had never said the Adhan
after the Prophet's death, accepted Omar's request. As he began, his melodious
voice recalled to people's minds the good old memories of the Prophet's Mosque
and all began to weep.
The
Famine
In the following year
there was a great famine in Hijaz. The Calpih took steps to get food supplies
from Syria and Egypt. All the same, the general suffering was widespread.
Omar felt very much for his people. So
much so that he swore not to touch butter and honey as long as the famine
lasted.
This had a bad effect on his health.
Seeing this, his servant managed to get some butter and honey with the meals on
day. But Omar refused to touch them, saying, "If I do not taste suffering, how
can I know the suffering of others?"
The Egyptian
Campaign
Amr bin As was very keen to conquer Egypt. He
had been to that country and knew how green and fertile it was. In 18 A.H., when
Omar visited Syria, Amr asked permission to invade Egypt. The Calpih was not
very willing, but Amr pressed his point. At last Amr was allowed to march at the
head of four thousand men.
Amr had not yet crossed into Egypt
when he received a letter from the Caliph. It called him back. The thought that
human blood would be unnecessarily spilled had made Omar change his mind. But
Amr was so bent on conquering Egypt that he did not open the letter until he had
crossed into that country.
The Viceroy's Daughter
Treated with Honor
Egypt was under the rule
of a Viceroy of the Emperor of Byzantium. The Emperor kept a large number of
troops in Egypt. The troops were under an imperial commander.
Amr bin As had his first battle with
the imperial troops. The battle went on for a month. At last Amr won a victory
in the end. This made further advance easy.
Continuing his march, Amr took the
city of Balkis. Here lived the Viceroy's daughter. She had been married to the
Emperor's son but had yet to leave for Byzantium. She was preparing to leave for
her husband's city. With her rich dowry she fell into Muslim hands. But Amr sent
her to her father, with all her belongings. The Viceroy felt very grateful to
Amr for this act of kindness.
The Viceroy Gives
In
Amr now marched on to
the biggest stronghold of the imperial forces. It stood on the easter bank of
the Nile. Facing it, stood the Viceroy's palace on the western
bank.
The commander of the imperial forces shut himself up in the
fortress. Amr laid seige to it. The seige went on but there seemed little hope
of victory. So Amr wrote to Medina and the Caliph sent a reinforcement of twelve
thousand men. With it came some of the most noted veterans. One of them, Zubair,
was a very strong man. He managed to climb on the wall of the fortress. After
him went many more. Together they raised the shout of "Allah is Great." The
imperial commander lost his nerve. Boats stood ready at the back of his
fortress. He and his men sat in the boats and sailed off.
The sheild that protected the Viceroy
was now gone. So he sent men to Amr to sue for peace. Amr kept the envoys with
him for two days so that they might study the Muslim way of life. Then he sent
them back with a hopeful reply.
When the envoys went back, the Viceroy
asked them what kind of men the victors were.
"Our lord," they replied, "the Muslims are a
people who love death more than we love life. They love humility better than
pride. Greed is unknown to them. They do not think it degrading to sit on the
ground. They eat without sitting at a table. Their Commander is just one of
them. There is no special mark about him. The Muslims know no distinction
between the high and the low of the master and the servant. When the time for
prayer comes, they all wash up and stand shoulder to shoulder, in all humility,
before the Lord."
The Viceroy was much impressed.
"Such a people," he declared, "will overcome
any power. We better make peace with them."
So the Viceroy signed a treat of
peace. By this treaty, the Muslims granted the Coptics security of life and
property and freedom of faith. The Coptics, on their part, undertook to help the
Muslims in their fight against imperial troops.
The treaty made the Emperor of
Byzantium very angry. But the Viceroy of Egypt did not care for it. He firmly
stood by the terms of the treaty and so did the Muslims. The result was that in
a short time the greater part of Egypt was cleared of imperial troops.
Fall of Alexandria
Alexandria was the last stronghold of the
imperial forces in Egypt. Byzantium could easily sent men and supplies to
Alexandria by sea. Its fall, therefore, seemed difficult.
At last Amr laid seige to the city.
For six months the seige dragged on and victory seemed no nearer. This worried
Omar and he wrote the following letter to Amr:
"I am afraid the Muslims have not lived up
to the teachings of the Quran and the example of the Holy Prophet. Tell all
Muslims to beware of this shortcoming. Urge them to be sincere, jardy and
warlike. Give the enemy a final blow with the help of other army
leaders."
Amr read out the Caliph's letter to
the army. These orders were at once carried out. At last Alexandria fell after a
seige of a full six months.
It was midday when the messenger
reached Medina with the news of victory. He did not like to disturb the Caliph
at that hour of the day and sat down in the Prophet's Mosque. But a servant told
Omar of the messenger's arrival. The Calpih ran out and said to the messenger,
"Why did you not come striaght to me?"
"I thought," replied the man, "you
might be having a nap."
"What a pity you thought so!"
exclaimed Omar. "If I start sleeping during the day, who will look after the
affairs of the State?"
The conquest of Egypt was now
complete. Amr founded a city on the Nile bank and named it Fustat. In the middle
of it, he built a big mosque. In the course of years, the city of Cairo grew up
in the neighborhood of this city. By the year 23 A.H., Amr had pushed Muslim
arms as far as west Tripoli.
Omar's Letter to the
Nile
The Coptics were Christians. But they
followed a savage practice. They used to hold a big festival in the early summer
each year. This was a day of general merrymaking. However, the day was also
marred with human sacrifice. A beatiful maiden, dressed as a bride, was thrown
into the Nile. People that that the sacrifice was necessary to please the Nile,
and get a big flood of water for their parched fields. If the Nile got
displeased, they thought, there would be no flood and hence no crops.
The Coptics asked Amr's permission to
sacrifice a maiden as usual. He disallowed the savage act. It so happened that
the Nile had very little water that year. Crops failed. Many of the peasants
decided to leave the country. Amr wrote to the Caliph for advice.
The Caliph approved Amr's action. He
also sent a letter, addressed to the Nile. It said:
"From the servant of Allah and Commander of
the Muslims to the River of the Nile of Egypt. O Nile, if you flow of your own
will, then do not flow. But if your flow is controlled by Allah, the Almighty,
we pray to Him to keep you flowing."
This letter was thrown into the river,
as directed by the Caliph. The river overflowed its banks that year. Such a big
flood had not been seen for years. The country was once again green with crops.
The peasants were happy. The savage practice of human sacrifice came to an end
for ever.
Omar's
Death
There lived in Medina a Persian slave,
Abu Lolo Firoz by name. One day, he came to the Calpih and said, "My master
squeezes too heavy a tax out of me. Please get it reduced."
"How much is the tax?" asked Omar.
"Two dirhams a day," replied the
slave.
"And what skills do you posses?" was
the next question of the Caliph.
"I am a carpentar, a painter, and a
black-smith," Firoz said.
"Then the tax is by no means too
heavy," the Calpih remarked. "A person with your skills can easy pay this tax
and shall live comfortably."
"All right, I will settle with you," grunted
the slave as he went away.
Omar took no notice of the words.
"I have been rebuked by a slave." he
remarked with a smile.
Early next morning Omar went to the
mosque as usual to lead the prayer. Abu Lolo was already hiding in the corner,
with a dagger in hand. As soon as Omar began the prayer, the slave jumped on
him. He gave six cuts with the dagger on the Caliph's body. The horrified
worshippers overpowered the assasin. Thereupon the wretch slew himself with the
same dagger.
Omar kept lying in a pool of blood
until the prayer was over. Then he was carried home.
"Who is my assasin?" he asked.
"Abu Lolo," said the people.
"Allah be thanked!" said Omar. "It is not a
Muslim who has shed my blood."
A physician was called in to dress and
treat the wounds of the Caliph. He said they were too deep to be healed. At this
many people who stood around began to weep.
"Please do not weep," implored Omar.
"Have you not heard the Messenger of Allah say that the weeping of relatives
adds to the torture of the dead person?"
Finding his end in sight, Omar called
his son, Abdullah.
"My son," he said, "go to Aisha. Give her
Omar's greetings. Do not refer to me as the Commander of the Faithful; for I am
no longer one. Place before her my wish to be buried in her room, by the side of
the Prophet and my illustrious predecessor."
Abdullah found Aisha weeping. He
delivered his father's message to her.
"I wanted to reserve this spot for my
own grave, but I prefer Omar to myself," said Aisha.
Abdullah conveyed Aisha's consent to
his dying father.
"Allah be thanked!" said Omar. "This
was the greatest wish of my life. But look, son, when you take my dead body to
Aisha's room, again give her my greetings and ask her permission. If she allows,
bury me there, otherwise bury me in the graveyard of Medina."
Fall of Jerusalem
After the battle of Yermuk, when the main
Muslim army under Abu Ubaida and Khalid left for the north of Syria, some Muslim
contingents under Amr bin al-As and Shurahbil remain stationed in the southern
sector comprising Jordan and Palestine.
Finding that the bulk of the Muslim army had
left, Artabun the Byzantine Governor assembled a large force at Ajnadin in
another bid to drive away the Muslims from Syria. The battle at Ajnadin fought
towards the close 636 C.E. was very bloody and gruesome. Both sides fought
bravely but ultimately the Byzantines were defeated, Artabun defeated with heavy
loss fled to Jerusalem with the remnant of his army.
After the victory of Ajnadin the Muslim
forces spread in all directions in Jordan and Palestine. The towns of Sabtah,
Gaza, Nablus, Bait-Jibrin and many other towns were captured one after the
other. That cleared the way to Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem sacred to the
Jews and the Christians was strongly fortified. It was protected on every side
naturally by deep valleys and steep ascents. Further, military engines were
mounted on the walls which were intended for playing havoc with the advancing
invader. It was the winter season, and the severity of the winter added to the
difficulties of the besieging Muslim force. The siege dragged on and the
Byzantines offered very stiff resistance.
Amr bin al-As the Muslim Commander in the
southern sector wrote to Abu Ubaida for reinforcement. By this time, northern
Syria had fallen to the Muslims and Aba Ubaida was able to spare many
contingents which rushed to the aid of the Muslims fighting in the southern
sector. When the citizens of Jerusalem came to know that the besieging Muslim
forces has been considerably strengthened they lost heart. Finding further
resistance futile, the Patriarch of Jerusalem sued for peace. He said that it
was written in their holy books that the city would surrender to the man who was
the best among the Muslims. He accordingly desired that the Caliph Umar (ra)
should come to Jerusalem personally to receive the surrender of the
city.
Abu Ubaida referred the matter to Caliph
Umar at Madina. Caliph Umar called a meeting of his Consultative Council, and
asked for their advice. Othman (who later served as the third Caliph) expressed
the view that it was not necessary for the Caliph to go and that the defeated
Byzantines would themselves surrender. Ali (who later served as fourth Caliph)
said that Jerusalem was as much sacred to the Muslims as the Jews or the
Christians, and that in view of the sanctity of the place it was desirable that
its surrender should be received by the Caliph personally. Caliph Umar decided
to accept the advice of Ali.
Leaving Ali (ra) as his deputy in Madina,
Caliph Umar proceeded to Jerusalem. No retinue accompanied the Caliph. Caliph
Umar was accompanied by one servant, and between these two persons they had only
one camel which they rode turn by turn. As they neared Jabia where the Muslim
commanders were to meet Caliph Umar, it was the turn of the servant to ride. The
servant wanted Caliph Umar to ride the animal but Caliph Umar refused. As they
came to Jabia the people saw the strange spectacle of the servant riding the
camel and the Caliph walking on foot.
At Jabia the Muslim Commanders met Caliph
Umar. Abu Ubaida was dressed in coarse garments, and Caliph Umar was much
pleased to meet him. Yazid bin Abu Sufyan, Khalid bin Walid and some other
commanders were dressed in fine clothes and Caliph Umar expressed his
displeasure at their gaudy dress. Abu Ubaida explained in detail the situation
in Syria. He elaborated how with the grace of God the Muslims had been able to
overthrow the mighty Byzantine power in Syria. As Caliph Umar saw the green
fields, orchards and lofty buildings of Syria he was greatly moved and he
recited from the Holy Quran:
They have left many a garden, fountain,
park, arbor, and riches which they used to enjoy. Thus it is that We put another
community in possession thereof.
A deputation from Jerusalem waited on Caliph
Umar at Jabia and a treaty was drawn up. According to the treaty security of
life and property were guaranteed to all citizens of Jerusalem. The safety of
churches and other religious buildings and places was provided for. The citizens
were required to pay Jizya. Any one not agreeable to owe allegiance to the
Muslims was given the option to leave the city.
After the treaty had been drawn up, Caliph
Umar decided to travel to Jerusalem. Again he traveled in a simple way as an
ordinary traveler. No guard was suffered to accompany him. He rode on a poor
horse, and refused to change it for a better charger.
At the gate of Jerusalem, Caliph Umar was
greeted by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, the elite of the city, and the Muslim
commanders. While those who had come to receive him wore costly dress, Caliph
Umar was dressed in a garment of coarse cloth ordinarily worn by an average
Arab. When some one advised him to wear a better dress befitting the State
occasion, Caliph Umar turned down the suggestion saying that he derived his
strength and status from his faith in Islam, and not from any dress. When the
Patriaich of Jerusalem saw the simplicity of the Caliph of Islam, and then
looked to own costly dress, he said, "Verily Islam has excelled all other
religions."
The Patriarch of Jerusalem handed over the
keys of the Jerusalem to Caliph Umar. The Muslims were now the masters of
Jerusalem. That was a special divine favor of God to the Muslims. As Caliph Umar
entered the city he was greeted by the citizens with great enthusiasm. Caliph
Umar said that he wanted to be led to some place where he could offer
thanksgiving prayer to God. He was led to a church but he refused to pray there,
on the ground that it would set a precedent for the Muslims of the following
generations to forcibly convert churches into mosques. He was thereafter led to
a place where the prophet David (Dawood, pbuh) used to pray. Caliph Umar offered
special prayers of thanksgiving and Muslims joined him. As the Byzantines
watched the Muslims at pray, they felt that such people so obedient to God were
bound to command. The Patriarch said that he was not sorry for surrendering the
city for he had surrendered it to a better people.
Caliph Umar stayed in Jerusalem for a few
days. He reorganized the administration, and made the necessary arrangements to
look after the needs of the citizens. He founded a Mosque at an elevated place
in the city. This mosque came to be known as Umar's Mosque. On the inaugural
occasion Bilal (ra) was requested to give the call to prayer as he used to do in
the time of the Holy Prophet. After the death of the Prophet (pbuh), Bilal had
ceased to give the Adhan. At the request of Caliph Umar he agreed to give Adhan
to mark the foundation of Umar's mosque. As Bilal (ra) gave the call to pray in
his stentorian voice, Caliph Umar and the Muslims wept recalling the days when
the Prophet used to be in their midst. As the inspiring words of the Adban
resounded in the hills and dales, the people stood in awe realizing that a new
era had dawned in Syria.
Umar's Address after Jerusalm
After receiving the surrender of Jerusalem
and completing the tour of Syria when Caliph Umar was returning to Madina he led
the prayer at Jabiah. On this occasion he delivered an address which is
preserved in history. The major part of his address was:
"O ye people I counsel you to read the
Qur’an. Try to understand it and ponder over it. Imbibe the teachings of the
Qur’an. Then practise what the Quran teaches. The Qur’an is not theoretical; it
is a practical code of life. The Qur’an does not bring you the message of the
Hereafter only; it is primarily intended to guide you in this life. Mold your
life in accordance with the teachings of Islam for that is the way of your well
being. By following any other way you will be inviting destruction.
"Fear Allah (The One True God), and whatever
you want seek from Him. All men are equal. Do not flatter those in authority. Do
not seek favors from others. By such acts you demean yourself. And remember that
you will get only that is ordained for you, and no one can give you anything
against the will of God. Then why seek things from others over which they have
no control? Only supplicate God for He alone is the sovereign.
"And speak the truth. Do not hesitate to say
what you consider to be the truth. Say what you feel. Let your conscience be
your guide. Let your intentions be good, for verily God is aware of your
intentions. In your deeds your intentions count. Fear God, and fear no one else.
Why fear others when you know that whatever sustenance ordained for you by God
you will get under all circumstances? And again why fear when you know that
death is ordained by God alone and will come only when He wills?
"Allah has for the time being made me your
ruler. But I am one of you. No special privileges belong to ruler. I have some
responsibilities to discharge, and in this I seek your cooperation. Government
is a sacred trust, and it is my endeavor not to betray the trust in any way. For
the fulfillment of the trust I have to be a watch-man. I have to be strict. I
have to enforce discipline. I have to run the administration not on the basis of
personal idiosyncracies; I have to run it in public interest and for promoting
the public good. For this we have the guidance in the Book of God. Whatever
orders I issue in the course of day to day administration have to conform to the
Qur’an. God has favored us with Islam. He sent to us His Messenger (Muhammad,
pbuh). He has chosen us for a mission. Let us fulfil that mission. That mission
is the promotion of Islam. In Islam lies our safety; if we err we are
doomed."
Umar's Wife acts as a midwife
It was the usual practice of Caliph Umar
that he would patrol the streets and suburbs of Madina to watch the interests of
the people, and attend to their needs. One day Caliph Umar noticed a tent
pitched in an open space outside Medina. A person was sitting outside the tent,
and some one inside the tent was groaning.
Caliph Umar went to the man, greeted him,
and wanted to know who he was. The man said that he was a man of the desert, and
had come to Medina to wait on the Commander of the Faithful (Amirul Mominin) to
seek his assistance. Umar next asked who was groaning inside the tent. The man
said that his wife was groaning with labor pains; he was a stranger in Madina
and did not know what to do. Caliph Umar enquired whether he had any woman to
look after the confinement of his wife. He said there was none. Caliph Umar
said: "Do not worry, I will make the necessary arrangements." Caliph Umar came
home, and asked his wife Umm Kulsum to accompany him on a mission of service.
Umm Kulsum got ready and took with her such things as might be needed for
purposes of confinement. Caliph Umar took with him some provisions for the
purposes of cooking a meal.
Caliph Umar returned to the camp with his
wife. Umm Kulsum went inside the tent to attend to the women in pain, while
Caliph Umar sat outside the tent with the Bedouin and began cooking some meals
for him.
After an hour or so when the meals had been
cooked, Umm Kulsum addressed Caliph Umar: "Amirul Mominin! Congratulate your
guest on the birth of a son." Hearing this the Bedouin felt much embarrassed.
Turning to Caliph Umar he said, "Amirul Mominin, why did you not reveal your
identity? You have overwhelmed me with your benevolence." Caliph Umar put all
his fears to rest saying: "That's all right. There is nothing to worry about.
Thank God, I have been of some service to you at the time of your need. You may
come to me tomorrow and I will see what can be done further to help you." It was
late at night when Caliph Umar and Umm Kulsum left. The Bedouin thanked God and
said: "God be praised I came to seek the Commander of the Faithful, and God send
the Commander of the Faithful to seek me."
Umar's sond marries a milkmaid
One night, Caliph Umar as usual went in
disguise with his companion Ibn Abbas to see the condition of the people. They
strolled from one quarter to another. At last they came to a colony where poor
people lived.
While passing by a small house, the Caliph
heard a whispering talk within. The mother was telling her daughter that the
amount of milk fetched by her for sale that day was very little. She told her
that when she was young, and used to sell milk, she always mixed water with
milk, and that led to considerable profit. She advised her daughter to do the
same.
The girl said, "You adulterated milk, when
you were not a Muslim. Now that we are Muslims, we cannot adulterate milk." The
mother said that Islam did not stand in the way of adulteration of milk. The
daughter said, "Have you forgotten the Caliph's order? He wants that the milk
should not be adulterated." The mother said, "But the Caliph has forgotten us.
We are so poor, what else should we do but adulterate milk in order win bread?"
The daughter said "Such a bread would not be lawful, and as a Muslim I would not
do anything which is against the orders of the Caliph, and whereby other Muslims
are deceived."
The mother said, "But there is neither the
Caliph nor any of his officers here to see what we do. Daughter you are still a
child. Go to bed now and tomorrow I will myself mix the milk with water for
you." The girl refused to fall in with the plan of her mother. She said, "Caliph
may or may not be here, but his order must be obeyed. My conscience is my
Caliph. You may escape the notice of the Caliph and his officers, but how can we
escape the notice of Allah and our own conscience." Thereupon the mother
remained quiet. The lamp was extinguished and the mother and the daughter went
to sleep.
The next day, Caliph Umar sent a man to
purchase milk from the girl. The milk was unadulterated. The girl kept her
resolve. CaliphUmar turned to his companion and said, "The girl has kept her
resolve in spite of the exhortation of her mother. She deserves a reward. What
reward should I give her?” “She should be paid some money," said Ibn Abbas.
Caliph Umar said, "Such a girl would become a great mother. Her integrity is not
to be weighed with few coins; it is to be measured in the scale of national
values. I shall offer her the highest award in my gift, and which shall also be
in the highest interest of the nation."
The Caliph summoned the daughter and the
mother to his court. The mother trembled as she stood before the mighty ruler.
But the girl faced the Caliph boldly and with great equanimity. She was
beautiful, and there was an impressive dignity about her. Then before the
gathering, Caliph Umar related how he had overheard the mother and the daughter,
and how in spite of the exhortations of the mother the daughter had kept her
resolve.
Someone suggested that the mother should be
taken to task. The Caliph said that ordinarily he would have punished the
mother, but he had forgiven her for the sake of her daughter. Turning to the
girl the great Caliph said, "Islam needs daughters like you and as a Caliph of
Islam it devolves on me to reward you by owning you as a daughter." The Caliph
called his sons, and addressing them said, "Here is a gem of a girl who would
make a great mother. I desire that one of you should take this girl as wife. I
know of no better bride than this girl of sterling character. In matters of
wedlock, it should be the character and not the stature in life that should
count."
Abdullah and Abdur Rahman the elder sons of
the Caliph were already married. Asim the third son was yet unmarried, and he
offered to marry the girl. Thereupon with the consent of the milkmaid and her
mother Asim was married to the girl, and milkmaid became the daughter-in-law of
the Caliph.
From this union was born a daughter Umm
Asim, who became in due course the mother of Umar bin Abdul Aziz. Umar bin
AbdulAziz was elected as Caliph and served for a short period during 717 -
720.
While other Caliphs of the Ummayad dynasty
reveled in luxury, Umar bin Abdul Aziz as a Caliph set up standards for
austerity and simplicity following in the footsteps of Caliph Umar, the second
Caliph of Islam. It is said that if ever there was a noble Caliph after the
first four “Rightly guided Caliphs,”such a man was Umar bin Abdul Aziz. And he
inherited the noble qualities of the milkmaid who married the Caliph's son, and
those of Caliph Umar Farooq who had the eye to discern the nobler qualities of
sterling character in a poor girl.
Caliph Umar's inaugural address
After the assumption of office as the second
Caliph, Umar soon realized that he was more feared than loved. Abu Bakr, his
predecessor, was tender and soft hearted. Whenever he appeared in the streets of
Madina, the children ran to him saying "Father, Father."
On the occasion of the first Friday prayer
after his assumption of office as Caliph, Umar addressed the faithful assembled
in the mosque of the Prophet in the following terms:
"Brethren, it has come to my notice that the
people are afraid of me. They say when the Holy Prophet was alive, Umar was
harsh to us. During the caliphate of Abu Bakr, Umar was hard and stern. Now that
he has become the Caliph himself, God knows how hard he will be. Whoever has
said this is not wrong in his assessment.
"The truth of the matter is that I was the
slave and servant of the Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet was most kind hearted,
liberal and generous. In contrast I was hard and harsh. Sometimes he ignored my
point of view. There were occasions when he agreed with me. Till the death of
the Holy Prophet that remained the situation between him and me. Thank God, the
Holy Prophet was pleased with me. Though the Holy Prophet sometimes accepted my
advice, and sometimes turned it down, yet he approved of my conduct.
"During the caliphate of Abu Bakr my role
remained the same. Abu Bakr was most soft hearted and tender. It was my business
to bring the other side of the picture to his notice. He always took my point of
view into consideration, but the ultimate decision lay with him. Sometimes he
agreed with me, and I acted as his agent to enforce a decision which appeared to
be harsh. Sometimes he did not agree with me, and I had to remain quiet. I am
happy that throughout the period of his office, Abu Bakr approved of my conduct,
and ultimately nominated me as his successor, although I did not covet the
office.
"Now that the entire responsibility has come
to vest in me, know ye brethren that you will feel a change in me. I will no
longer be hard and stern in all matters. For those who practice tyranny and
deprive others of their rights, I will be harsh and stern, but for those who
follow the law, and are devoted to religion, I will be most soft and tender. I
will not tolerate any person make any excess. He who commits any tyranny, him I
will sternly call to account. I will be harsh and stern against the aggressor,
but I will be a pillar of strength for the weak and the meek. They will find in
me their best friend.
"Friends you have some rights on me, and I
tell you of these rights, so that you may be in a position to call me to
account. These rights are:
Firstly, that I should not exact any tax or
other levy from you not authorized by law;
Secondly, that whatever taxes are
lawfully realized from you are spent in your best interests;
Thirdly, it is
incumbent on me that I should protect the frontiers of your land;
Fourthly,
it is my duty to promote your prosperity and look after your interests;
and
Fifthly, it is my obligation to do justice.
"O servants of God, continue to fear God.
Suppress your selfish motives and work for the solidarity of the Muslims as a
whole. In running the State, you are my partners. Help me with your sound
advice. If I follow the right path laid down by God and His Prophet follow me.
If I deviate, correct me. Strengthen me with your advice and suggestions. Let us
pray for the glory of Islam." |
