Governors
of the Siddiqi Caliphate
The Trustee of the believers, Abu
Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
was in charge as public exchequer, Umar (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) looked after the Department of Justice and Uthman and Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) were entrusted with
the administrative work and correspondences. In the absence of one, the next
would take over the responsibility. Attab bin Usaid (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was the governor of Makkah who passed away the day Abu Bakr (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) breathed his last.
The governor of Ta'if was Uthman bin Abul-As (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). Sana'a was governed by Muhajir bin Umayyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) and Hadramout by Ziyad bin Labid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). Khaulan province
was governed by Ya'la bin Umayyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ), Yemen by Abu Musa Ash’ari (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), Janad by Mu'adh bin Jabal (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), Bahrain by Ala' bin Hadrami (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), Dumat-ul-Jandal by Iyad bin Ghanam (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) and Iraq by Muthanna bin Harithah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was later sent to Syria as the commander of the Muslim forces,
while Yazid bin Abu Sufyan, Amr bin Al-As, Shurahbil bin Hasanah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) were already engaged
in Syria as commanders of various Muslim detachments. Khalid bin Walid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was the
commander-in-chief of the Muslim army during the Siddiqi Caliphate.
Wives
and Children
Abu Bakr's first wife was Qutailah
bint Abdul-Uzza who gave birth to Abdullah bin Abu Bakr (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) followed by Asma' bint Abu Bakr (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), the mother of
Abdullah bin Zubair (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ).
From Umm Ruman (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ),
the second wife, were born Abdur-Rahman bin Abu Bakr and Aishah Siddiqah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). When Abu Bakr (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was converted to
Islam his first wife refused to follow suit and was immediately divorced. The
second wife, Umm Ruman (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
accepted Islam. After being converted to Islam, Abu Bakr married Asma'a bint
Umais (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), the widow of Ja'far
bin Abu Talib (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ),
who gave birth to Muhammad bin Abu Bakr (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) and then he married Habibah bint Kharijah Ansariyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) who belonged to the
Khazraj. From her was born to him a daughter named Umm Kulthum after his death.
Umar
bin Al-Khattâb | Birth and Pedigree:
He was among the nobles of the
Quraish. During the Days of Ignorance, diplomatic missions were attached to his
family. In the event of the Quraish being at war with any tribe, his family’s
leaders would be sent on peacekeeping missions. They also took the lead when
there was occasion to highlight greatness and superiority of the Quraish over
others. His family lineage is as follows: Umar bin Khattâb bin Nufail bin
Abdul-Uzza bin Riyâh bin Abdullah bin Qurat bin Razâh bin Adi bin Ka‘b bin
Luai. Ka‘b had two sons, Adi and Murrah. Murrah was among the ancestors of the
Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). Some eight
generations back the ancestry of the Prophet (صلى الله
عليه وآله وسلم) and Umar becomes common. Umar’s filial appellation was Abu
Hafs while the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
gave him the title of ‘Fâruq’. He was born 40 years before the migration of the
Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). He passed his
childhood days in grazing camels. After attaining youth, according to Arabian
tradition, he was instructed in genealogy, swordsmanship, horsemanship and
wrestling. He adopted trade as his profession before and after converting to
Islam.
Some
Specific Excellences:
Before being converted to Islam Umar
Faruq (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) used to enter into
wrestling matches in the arena of Ukaz where a grand annual fair was held so
that the followers of different arts might gather from all parts of Arabia and
display their respective abilities. This justifies the inference that Umar had
attained perfection in the art of wrestling. His claim to equestrian skill is
also well established. Umar used to literally jump on to his horse’s back and
his seat was so firm that he appeared to be a part of the horse he rode. At the
time of the advent of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله
وسلم), as per Futuh-ul-Buldân, there were only seventeen persons in
the whole clan of Quraish who could read and write, and Umar, the son of
Khattâb, was one of them. He joined the ranks of Islam after forty men and
eleven women who were remaining in Makkah after the migration to Abyssinia.
According to other narratives, he came to the fold of Islam after thirty-nine
men and twenty-three women or forty-five men and eleven women. He was one of
the earliest believers and among the blessed ten. He was also the father-in-law
of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).
He is counted among the scholars and pious Companions. He has narrated 539
Ahadith in all which have been reproduced by Uthmân, Ali, Talhah, Saad (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), Ibn Mas‘ud, Abu
Dhar, Abdullah bin Umar, Abdullah bin Abbâs, Abdullah bin Zubair, Anas, Abu
Hurairah, Amr bin Âs, Abu Musa Ash’ari (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), Barâ’ bin Âzib, Abu Saeed Khudri and others.
Ibn Abbâs relates that the day Umar
Faruq (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) accepted Islam, the
polytheists said, “Today the Muslims have settled their score with us.” The
same day the following Verse was revealed:
“O Prophet! Allâh is sufficient for
you and for the believers who follow you.” (8:64)
Ibn Mas‘ud is reported to have said:
“The day Umar accepted Islam, it continued to grow in honor. It was, in fact, a
conquest for Islam, and his Hijrah (migration) was a real victory, and his
leadership was a blessing. We did not have courage enough to perform our Salât
(prayers) at the Holy Ka‘bah until after Umar accepted Islam. He made the
disbelievers the target of so much pressure, encounters and fightings that
they, at last, yielded in allowing us to offer our prayers at the Ka‘bah.” Hudhaifah
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) is reported to have
said: “When Umar accepted the Faith, Islam rose like a fortunate person making
progress at every step, and it continued retreating with his martyrdom and its
fortune was on the decline.”
Ibn Saad (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) and Suhaib bin Sinân Rumi reported: “Islam came to the fore
when Umar accepted Faith and we became able to sit around the Ka‘bah, and pay
them in the same coin.” Ibn Asâkir reports Ali (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) to have said: “Everyone migrated secretly, but, when Umar
decided to migrate, he took an unsheathed sword in one hand and arrows in
another and put his bow across his shoulders, and went to the Ka‘bah. He went
around it seven times followed by two Rakât of Salât (units of prayer) at the
Station of Ibrahim. He then came to the circle of the chiefs of the Quraish and
said throwing a challenge at them, ‘May you be disgraced! Whoever likes to see
his mother without a son and wife without a husband, should face me.’ But none
of them moved from their place.”
Imam Nawawi reported: Umar
accompanied the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
in every battle and kept firm on the day of Uhud. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) once said, “I had a
dream that a woman was performing Wudu’ (ablution) in Paradise sitting beside a
palace. I inquired whose palace this was. I was told that it belonged to Umar.”
Then turning towards Umar he said, “The same moment your sense of honor came to
my mind and I went away from there.” Hearing this, Umar burst into tears and
submitted, “Shall I show my sense of honor to you?” The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) once said, “I dreamt
that I took milk and its freshness reached up to my nails. I then gave the rest
to Umar.” “What is the interpretation of this dream, O Prophet of Allâh?” they
asked. “Milk here means Knowledge,” the Prophet (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم) explained. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said, “Once I had a dream that people
were brought before me in their shirts, some wearing them up to their chests,
and some of them longer than this but Umar’s shirt was dragging.” “What’s meant
by the shirt?” they asked. “Religion,” he explained.
On one occasion the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said to Umar: “By
Allâh, Satan will never tread the way you pass through.” The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) once said: “Had
there been a Prophet after me, he would have been Umar.” He once said: “Umar is
the lamp of the heavenly people.” On one occasion the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) remarked: “The door
to things useless and futile will remain closed while Umar lives among you.” He
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) once said: “Every
angel of the heaven pays respects to Umar and every devil on earth fears him.”
Ahadith from Abu Saeed Khudri let us know that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said: “Each one of the Prophets had a
Muhaddith, if there could be a Muhaddith in my Ummah, he is Umar.” On being
asked about the Muhaddith, he said: “One from whose tongue angels speak.”
On one occasion Abu Bakr said: “None
is dearer to me than Umar.” Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) is reported to have once remarked: “While mentioning pious
people, never forget Umar.” Ibn Umar is reported to have said: “After the
Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), we found Umar to be
the most intelligent.” Ibn Mas‘ud said: “If knowledge of the entire world is
put on one scale, and that of Umar on the other to be weighed, Umar’s will have
the heavier weight.” Hudhaifah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
says: “Knowledge of the whole world lies in the lap of Umar.” He further said:
“None has dared to receive as much censure in the way of Allâh as Umar did.”
Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) once saw Umar
wrapped in a piece of cloth and remarked: “None is dearer to me than the one
who is now wrapped in a cloth.” On being asked, Ali (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) remarked: “Umar is full of firm resolve, consciousness and
courage.” Ibn Mas‘ud is reported to have said: “Umar’s excellence is
established by four things: firstly, he counseled the killing of the captives
of the battle of Badr which was followed by the Verse: ‘Were it not a previous
ordainment from Allâh, a severe torment would have touched you for what you
took.’ (8:68) Secondly, he asked the Mothers of the believers to observe Hijâb
and then the Verse concerning Hijâb was revealed and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said to Umar:
‘Revelation is caused in my house and you were already inspired.’ Thirdly, the
Prophet’s praying to Allâh for strengthening Islam by causing Umar to accept
Islam; fourthly, he pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr before anyone did.” Mujâhid
said: “We would so often mention that the devils remained in confinement during
the caliphate of Umar and got freedom after his death.” Abu Usâmah said: “Do
you know who were Abu Bakr and Umar? They were like mother and father for Islam.”
Ja‘far Sâdiq said: “I am rather disgusted with him who remembers not Abu Bakr
and Umar gracefully.”
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