Return
of Iyyâd Tribe
When Jazirah fell to the Muslims the
Iyyâd tribe, which confessed Christianity, shifted to Heraclius' territory in
self-exile and settled there. Informed of the event, Umar Fâruq (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) wrote to Heraclius:
"I have been informed that a
tribe from among the Arabian tribes has left our country to settle in your
cities. If you refuse to turn them out from your country, we shall send to you
all the Christians inhabiting our territory."
Immediately after the receipt of
this warning from the Caliph of Islam, Heraclius issued orders to banish the
people of the Iyyâd tribe numbering four thousand in all. They went back to
Syria and Jazirah and settled there. Umar Fâruq (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) appointed Habib bin Maslamah and Walid bin Uqbah
administrators of Iraq-Ajam and Iraq-Arab respectively. On the return of the
Arabs, he wrote Walid bin Uqbah not to force Islam on them and accept the
Jizyah from them if they so desired. Granting no choice but Islam is a
practice, which should be adopted only in case of the Arab Peninsula and Yemen.
However the principle applies to the progeny of Muslim parents and they cannot
be converted to Christianity by force. Moreover, none should be held back from
coming to the fold of Islam.
Walid bin Uqbah made no delay in
implementing the orders of Umar Fâruq (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ). A few days after, the Iyyâd sent a deputation to Al-Madinah
with the request that no amount should be collected from them in the name of
Jizyah. Umar Fâruq (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
issued orders to collect from them double the amount in the name of Sadqah
(charity) in place of Jizyah (tax), which the Iyyâd accepted happily. After
some days, the tribe lodged a complaint against Walid bin Uqbah. The Caliph
took prompt action and appointed Furât bin Haiyân and Hind bin Amr Al-Jamali to
do the job and deposed Walid bin Uqbah without delay.
Deposition
of Khâlid bin Walid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
People are generally mistaken about
the event of the deposition of Khâlid bin Walid (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). They subscribe to the misconception that Umar Fâruq (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) had deposed Khâlid
bin Walid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) soon with his
installation as the Caliph of Islam. The fact is that Umar (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) did not depose him during the earlier
period of his Caliphate, he had only curtailed his position by reducing him to
a deputy commander from commander-in-chief of the Muslim army. Now he had to
first consult and receive permission from Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrâh (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) before any action,
so his leading of Muslim forces through dangerous adventures came to an end.
The incident of Khâlid's deposition
occurred in the last months of 17 AH. Umar Fâruq (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) used to keep himself informed of the activities of every
commander, general, officer and governor. Even though every governor or
commander had to inform the Caliph with the account of matters and affairs of
all kinds, he also had correspondents in every city and military wing who wrote
to him about events and incidents that would take place in their areas of
activity.
Thus a correspondent of the Caliph
once informed him that on his return to Syria after the fall of Jazirah, Khâlid
bin Walid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) had brought with him
immense riches and property and granted ten thousand dirhams to Ash'ath bin
Qais, a poet, in return for writing an ode for him. Umar (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) addressed a letter to Abu Ubaidah bin
Al-Jarrâh (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) instructing him:
"Ask Khâlid in the presence of an audience whether he has made the present
in question out of his own purse or from the public treasury. In case he has
given it from his own purse, it is a sheer extravagance; and if he has given it
from the public treasury, he has committed an offence of criminal breach of
trust; and in either case he deserves to be deposed. Let his neck be tied with
his own turban. But, if he admits his fault then he is to be forgiven."
Accordingly, he was called before a
public gathering. The Caliph's messenger inquired of him, "Wherefrom did
you make this present?" Khâlid bin Walid (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) kept silent and held back from confessing his fault. Thus the
messenger found himself under compulsion to remove his turban and tie his neck
with it. On asking again, Khâlid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) revealed that he had given the reward to Ash'ath from his own
possessions, not from the public treasury. Hearing this the messenger untied
his neck and reported the matter to the Caliph who called Khâlid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) to Al-Madinah for an
explanation.
Khâlid bin Walid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) said to the Caliph: "Umar! By Allâh,
you are not doing justice to me." Umar (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) said to him, "Wherefrom have you collected so much wealth
and how did you give away such a substantial amount to a poet for a
reward?" Khâlid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
said, "I had given it from my share of booty." Khâlid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) further said,
"Well, I will deposit with the public treasury any amount I have exceeding
sixty thousand." Thus, after checking the whole account, twenty thousand
dirhams exceeded the stipulated amount, which was immediately deposited with
the public treasury and the matter was cleared up in good faith from both
sides. It was a weakness with Khâlid bin Walid (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) that he spent lavishly without submitting the accounts to the
financial authorities. Hence, it was purely and totally in the interest of fair
and exemplary administration that some curb was put on Khâlid bin Walid's way
of dealing with public finance. And the step taken by the Caliph was just a
warning and nothing else.
Basrah
and Kufah
From the reports of the military
commanders and the soldiers returning from Iraq, Umar Fâruq (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) gathered that the climate of Iraq did not
suit them. He issued orders that cantonments for the Arabian forces should be
set up at places where they could enjoy climate similar to that of Arabia so
that the Arabian soldiers could, after finishing their job, take rest therein.
One cantonment was set up near the
Tigris with thatched roofs. While going on a campaign, they would set the
thatch on fire and repaired it again on their return. Umar Fâruq (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) constructed some
houses in Basrah in 17 AH, and approved a new cantonment for Kufah. With the
construction of houses, both these places began to be rapidly populated because
of the healthy climate of these regions. And within a short period, both the
cities came to be known as the centers of Muslim power.
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