History and the Holy Prophet - Assignment Example

History and the Holy Prophet Introduction The present paper aims to discuss the administration, character and life-style of the five right caliphs of Islam, who took the reign of the government after the departure of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Almighty Allah be upon him) from this mortal world to the high heavens. The paper will throw light upon the simplicity, dedication, kindheartedness and devotion of these five personalities on the one hand, and the services rendered by them for the cause of this newly introduced religion and the expansion they made during their caliphate for the uplift of Islam. In addition, the present study critically estimates the method of the selection of the caliph, and their concern regarding their responsibilities as caliph, way of taking decisions, implementation of policies, recruitment and organizing of military personnel, taking care of the masses at large and maintaining of law and order. The study describes the mode of leading a simple and chaste life adopted by these five caliphs of Islam, which distinguishes them from the worldly rulers, kings and dictators. The paper reveals how effective and powerful had been the accountability system of these God-fearing caliphs of Islam, who were always ready to present themselves for accountability before the people, and considered caliphate as a responsibility of deep concern rather than a blessing or source of seeking protocol and enjoying the powers delegated upon them as caliphs. Meanings of Khalifa: The word khalifa is an Arabic word, has been derived from khelf, which means one who comes after (another) and resumes the powers of some authority as his deputy. In other words, the khalifa simply means a successor. In Islamic history, khalifa refers to the successor of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Almighty Allah be upon him and his noble family), who was elected as the ruler of newly established Islamic state in Medina. And the term “khulfa-e-rashideen” refers to the reign of five personalities containing similar method of election, ruling, administration and simplicity for the thirty years after the death of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). “Khalifa (Arabic, succeed) is normally considered to be a successor or representative; often pronounced Caliph. Kalifa, as frequently used in the Qur'an, refers to those who enter into the blessings enjoyed by their ancestors, specifically Adam as khalifat Allah on earth. The more general meaning of khalifa refers to the successors of the Prophet Muhammad.” (Retrieved from themystica.org) Hazrat Abu Bakar, Hazrat Umer, Hazrat Uthman, Hazrat Ali Murtaza Ben Abu Talib and Hazrat Imam Hassan Al Mujtaba are the five personalities, whose reign is considered as the era of righteous rule on the basis of the true spirit and noble teachings of Islam. The Holy Prophet’s Life in Brief: The Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (peace be upon him) is the last prophet sent by God in the world for the guidance of humanity in the Arabian peninsula. The Holy prophet was born in Makkah by 571 A.D. in the noble Hashemite tribe of Makkah as a posthumous child, as his kind father Abdullah Ben Abdul Matallib had died few months prior to his sacred birth. His paternal uncle Abu Talib Ben Abdul Matallib brought him up with great care and showered his unabated love upon his innocent orphan nephew. The Holy prophet led an exemplary pious life and was unanimously called as the “truthful” and “honest” at young age by the people of hios society. At the age of forty years, the angel Gabriel came to him with revelations from Almighty Allah, while he was meditating in the Cave Hera near Makkah. The Holy Prophet transferred the same message to his beloved wife Hazrat Bibi Khadija and his heart-favorite cousin Hazrat Ali Ben Abu Talib. Both the personalities expressed their unflinching devotion to the Holy Prophet and determined to stand by him through thick and thin. When the Holy Prophet announced his prophet-hood to the people of Makkah, an overwhelming majority stood against him. The Holy prophet preached the words of God for thirteen long years under the most unfavorable circumstances, where an overwhelming majority turned against him. The Holy prophet, his family and companions were pelted with stones, thorns and garbage, and were brutally tortured, but they remained firm and dauntless in the face of brutality and hardships. Subsequently, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) migrated to Medina, where he established the first Islamic state in the history of the religion. The Holy Prophet and his companions fought wars inflicted upon them by the infidels and Jews time and again. The Prophet was successful in establishing and expanding the boundaries of Islamic state, where Islamic teachings were implemented and people were taught to lead a life according the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah. End of the Prophet’s Life: After spending last ten years of his sacred life in Medina, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) performed Hajj (the holy pilgrim to Makkah) at 10 A.H. (632 A.D), and on his return to Medina, stayed for some time at the pond of Khum, where he declared his spiritual successor Hazrat Ali Ben Abu Talib as the leader of those, who considered the Holy prophet as their leader and lord. At the pond of Khum, the Holy prophet declared: “Do I not have more right over the believers than what they have over themselves?" People cried and answered: "Yes, O' Messenger of God." Then Prophet (PBUH) held up the hand of Ali and said: "Whoever I am his leader (Mawla), Ali is his leader (Mawla). O' God, love those who love him, and be hostile to those who are hostile to him."” (Retrieved from islamicresearch.org) The Holy Prophet died by June 8, 632 A.D. in Medina, and while his family of Hashemite tribe was busy in burial of his sacred body, a large number of the companions gathered at Saqifa bani Sa’d, where Umer Ben Khattab nominated Abu Bakar as the caliph, and asked the Muslims to give allegiance to Abu Bakar as their caliph. Consequently, Abu Bakar was elected as the first righteous caliph in the history of Islam. First Caliph: Abu Bakar is considered as the first righteous caliph in the history of Islam, who was elected as the leader and ruler of the Muslims after the death of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) in Rabi-ul-Awwal 11 A.H. (June 632 A.D) Abu Bakar belonged to Bani Taym branch of Qureish, and was born in Makkah in 573 A.D. When the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) announced his prophet-hood, Abu Bakar was about thirty eight years old. He was one of the earliest Makkans, who embraced Islam at its earliest era. He stood by the Holy Prophet at the hour of need, and accompanied him during his migration to Medina. Abu Bakar participated in the holy wars under the leadership of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). By profession, he was cloth merchant. At the eve of the death of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), Umer nominated him as the first caliph at Saqifah Bani Sa’d. Later, a large number of Muslims gave allegiance to him, and accepted him as their political leader. Problems faced by the First Caliph: Abu Bakar had to undergo many trials after resuming the powers of caliph, which he handled very successfully. It was the time when an imperative number of the true companions of the Holy Prophet was present at Medina, so he got great political support from all corners, and did not face any big hurdle from the Muslim community. However, he had to combat with few revolts including the claimers of false prophet-hood. “The first problem was that some of the tribes renounced Islam, simply because their tribal chiefs did not feel necessary to remain loyal to the successor of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), not only that but they started preparing to attack Medina to end the newly established institution of Khilafat. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) after knowing their intentions, sent troops and succeeded in suppressing their rebellion.” (geocities.com) Masailma, Aswad Ansi and others raised religious revolts and claimed to be the true prophets. Abu Bakar dealt with them with an iron hand, and successfully destroyed their nefarious designs. Some of the Arab tribes refused to pay Zakat (religious tax) to the new caliph, which served as a great challenge for the government. Abu Bakar sent military force in order to bring the rebel tribes to terms, and consequently brought them in the fold of his political rule. Conquests and Expansion of Muslim Empire: During the era of Abu Bakar, the boundaries of Islamic state witnessed significant expansions. The most notable military campaigns include his conquest of the Persian province of Iraq and the triumphs over the Romans. Iraq was a very important province of the Persian Empire and was ruled by the Persian Emperors through governors appointed by the emperor. Abu Bakar appointed Khalid Ben Walid as the commander of Muslim forces, who was very clever and tactful. Khalid was the same person, whose clever strategy caused the Muslims a heavy loss in the Battle of Ohad, but later he embraced Islam and played important role in the wake of the differences between the Persian Emperor and his family, and thus conquered of the province of Iraq from Iran in 633 A.D. Consequently, the province came under Muslim sway during the reign of Abu Bakar. Another significant military triumph of the Muslims was the invasion and capturing of Roman Empire during first caliphate. Abu Bakar again appointed Khalid as the commander of his forces against the Byzantine Empire of Rome, during which the Muslims turned out victorious and captured as well as annexed a significant part of the Empire to the Muslim territories, which consisted of present day Syria, Jordan, Palestine and southern Turkey. “The military triumph of the Muslims over the Romans”, Nicole (1994: p 31) submits, “caused the great expansion of Muslim territories and the world acknowledged the courageous deeds of this newly established state with unabated wonder and surprise.” Abu Bakar led a very simple and pious life. Due to the load of responsibilities of caliph-hood, he quit his activities as cloth merchant after resuming his job as caliph, and concentrated upon the administration of the Muslim state. He worked day in and day out for the welfare of the masses. He wore simple dresses and ate light diet. He received the monthly salary from the Bait-ul-maal (the treasury) equivalent to an ordinary Muslim. He died due to illness in 634 A.D. and was buried in the Masjid-e- Nabvi. Second Righteous Caliph of Islam: Before his death, Abu Bakar appointed Hazrat Umer Ben Khattab as his successor and urged the Muslims to give allegiance to him after his death. “It is perhaps co-incidence”, Khalid (2003: p 89) states, that both of the first two caliphs were nominated by one another, and were persuaded for the allegiance by one another.” Early Life and Conversion to Islam: The second Muslim caliph Umer belonged to the Adi branch of Qureish, which was one of the smallest branches of Qureish. He was born in a middle class by 587 A.D., and received his early education at home. His father was extremely harsh to him, and often used to beat him brutally in his childhood. (Naumani, 1991: p 11) Umer was an arch enemy of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and Islam, and used to inflict severe trials on the poor Muslims. But later he converted to Islam before the Muslims’ migration to Medina, and became the supporter of Islam. He took part in battles too fought by the Muslims against the infidels. Though he did not display individual gallantry in the battlefield, yet he stood firm against the infidel invaders. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) had appointed him as the commander to conqer the fort of Qamus near Khybar in 628 A.H., but he could not conquer the fort. Subsequently, Hazrat Ali Ben Abu Talib conquered it by killing the Jewish commanders. (Ali, 1998: p 130) Umer as Caliph: Historians are of the opinion that Umer was not a popular man at the eve of his nomination as caliph. On the contrary, he was thought to be a rigid, strict, harsh and obstinate person. Even Abu Bakar knew this very fact, but he thought that Umer would become lenient as the caliph. Umer contained gifted administrative capabilities, which he applied throughout the long spell of his rule. Military Expeditions: The reign of Umer Farooq is particularly famous for the military triumphs. It was the era when the Muslims remained in different military expeditions and expanded the empire in west from Hijaz to the east up to Afghanistan and Makran (present day Baluchistan), and in Arabia from north to Egypt in south. The Muslims reached up to the borders of present day Spain under the leadership of Umer. Umer took very bold decisions in order to maintain discipline in the army and civil services. He dismissed his favorite commander Khalid Ben Walid for some negligence and appointed other generals in his place. He selected generals as governors for different provinces, which helped in the sustenance of military power and hold over the newly captured provinces and territories. Civil Administration: Umer introduced several civil posts and administrative positions for the welfare of the masses. It was he who first introduced the police and investigation departments in the history of Muslims. Not only this but also he separated the court procedure from executive and appointed a judge (qazi) to hear the complaints of the parties and issue judgment subsequently. In addition, he appointed governors and officers at all provinces under Muslim sway, which were responsible to both the public and the caliph for their activities and performances. Death: Umer was assassinated during the twelfth year of his reign by a Persian call ed Abu Feroz Lulu while he was entering the mosque to lead the prayer. He was stabbed in the lower abdomen, which proved fatal one. Subsequently, he died of wounds three days later in 24 A.H. Character: Though Umer was a strict administrator, yet his strictness helped him safeguard the life, honor and property of the Muslims at large. He was humble, meek and modest in manners and management. He entered Jerusalem as victorious in such a position that his slave was riding on camel, and he was walking on foot along with the camel. He used to replace the governors with a view lest a governor could establish his roots in such a way that could challenge the caliph’s powers. Comparison of both the Caliphs: By critically reviewing the life and services of both Abu Bakar and Umer Farooq, it becomes evident that both the personalities led a very humble and modest life. Both these personalities rendered great services for the noble mission of Islam. Both these persons negated their personal life for the uplift of their religion, and worked hard for the welfare of society. Both the caliphs never behaved like king or emperor; rather, their life-style resembled with the life of ordinary citizens. Though Abu Bakar was lenient and compassionate, and Umer was harsh and strict, yet they did not apply their dispositions to hurt anyone. Both Abu Bakar and Umer left examples of mercifulness, virtue and kindness in personal and political careers for the Muslims. Both these personalities nominated one another, and pledged allegiance, and both these personalities were buried in the Ayesha’ hujra (room) in the Mosque of the Prophet (PBUH) in Medina. BIBLIOGRAPHY Ali, Syed Ameer. (1998) The Spirit of Islam Islamic Book Centre Lahore pp 11-49 Hasnen. Mazahir. (1997) History and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) Mohibb-e-Hassan Publishers Ferozpur road Lahore Pakistan The Holy prophet’s Address at Ghadir e Khum (retrieved from http://www.islamicresearch.org/ghadir_khum.htm) Naumani, Shiblee. (1991) Al Farooq The Life of Omer p 11 Khalid, Pervez. (2001) The Rashedeen Caliphs. Moosa Publications Urdu Bazaar Lahore pp 41-47 Read More