Events
of 34 AH
Uthmân bin Affân, the Caliph of
Islam issued orders to all the governors to meet him in Al-Madinah after Hajj
for important consultations. They assembled in Al-Madinah, Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) from Syria, Abdullah
bin Saad bin Abu Sarh from Egypt, Saeed bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) from Kufah, Abdullah bin Âmir from Basrah and others from the
smaller provinces. In addition to these governors, the Caliph invited some men
of sound judgement from Al-Madinah. The Caliph put before them the issue of the
prevailing anger and dissatisfaction against him and sought their advice.
Abdullah bin Âmir put forward his suggestion that the unruly elements should be
engaged in activities of Jihâd to fill their idle hours and charged them with
disruptive activities and uprisings. Saeed bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) submitted the suggestion that the leaders of the troublemakers
be dealt with a heavy hand for their punishments would scare away their
followers. Even though the Caliph showed his agreement with this suggestion he
thought it a difficult task. Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) came with the suggestion that governors of each province
should uphold their responsibilities and clear the province off their
existence. Abdullah bin Saad suggested the point that they were all greedy and
could, therefore, be subdued by the power of the purse.
When the real causes leading to the
riots and disruptions were inquired into, it came to light that they were all
whimsical and unfounded. Some of them raised the point that each one of the
mischief-mongers and rioters should be put to death without showing any
politeness. Uthmân bin Affân disagreed. He said that he could only punish the
people according to the limits set by the Qur'ân. He was, therefore, not within
his rights to kill anybody unless he became an apostate. In short, he could
give capital punishment only for those acts for which penal ordinances of Islam
had already been issued. As for himself, he could put up with all these
tortures and hostilities with patience and fortitude. Thus the session was
brought to an end without anything concrete decided.
However, the end product of the
deliberations came in the shape of dispatching a detachment against the people
engaged in disruptive activities and the governors were authorized to act
accordingly. The governors left for their respective provinces. When Saeed bin Al-Âs
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) reached Jara'ah in
route to his province, he came across Yazid bin Qais lying there with a big
armed force. He asked Saeed bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) very rudely to go back for they would not allow him to step
foot in Kufah. Having heard this, the slave of Saeed bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) spoke firmly that it
was impossible for Saeed to return. Mâlik Ashtar full of wrath, pulled down the
slave by his legs and killed him instantly. He then turned towards Saeed and
told him to go back, and ask Uthmân to send Abu Musa Ash’ari (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). Then Saeed bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) went back to Al-Madinah and gave the
whole account to the Caliph. He called Abu Musa Ash’ari (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), and appointed him governor of Kufah. He
departed from Al-Madinah with a letter from the Caliph containing: "The
man of your choice is being sent to you, and I will fulfill your desires to the
extent that the Shari'ah permits me, and keep bearing with your excesses so as
to bring about reform in you."
Abu Musa Ash’ari (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) in his address from the pulpit on Jumu'ah
day, asked the people to do away with the rift among the Muslims and obey the
Caliph. This speech brought peace to Kufah, and those unattached to the party
of Ibn Saba felt satisfied. But the people attached to Abdullah bin Saba and
those harboring hostile feelings against Uthmân bin Affân set about complaining
against the governors and officers appointed by the Caliph. They began to write
letters to the influential people of Al-Madinah to create suspicion in their
minds about Uthmân bin Affân. In response to the complaints the people of
Al-Madinah would grow angry with the governors and officials and press the
Caliph for their dismissal. But, when they would come out faultless after
inquiries, the Caliph refrained from taking any action against them. They grew
suspicious of the fair dealings of the Caliph. Although men like Abu Usaid
Sâ'idi, Ka'b bin Mâlik and Hassân bin Thâbit rose to stop the disgruntled
section from speaking against the Caliph but to no avail.
During this period the agents of
Abdullah bin Saba flooded the provinces under Islamic rule with these poisonous
letters with the sole mission of arousing people against the Caliph. The world
of Islam was then represented by five seats of power. Al-Madinah was the center
of power and grandeur from the beginning. Both Kufah and Basrah were the
settlements of belligerent Arab tribes and also served as the magnificent
cantonments of Islamic forces causing terror into the hearts of the Persians,
Armenians, Georgians and the people of the vast land that belonged to the
Persians in the past. Fustât or Cairo was also a military cantonment wielding
its influence up to Tripoli and Palestine besides Egypt. Damascus was the main
center of power in Syria and the Muslim forces there were enough to cause
Caesar to pass sleepless nights. In addition, whenever the Roman forces came
face to face with the Muslim army they tasted defeat. Abdullah bin Saba was
shrewd enough to gauge the significance of these five centers of power and
influence. So he came to Al-Madinah first of all and then left for Basrah
followed by Kufah and Damascus. He could not make much headway in Damascus
owing to the presence of Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ).
However, he formed parties of the
disgruntled elements in all the other places. He also supported the viewpoint
of Abu Dhar Ghifâri accusing Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) of using the public treasury to serve his own interests
declaring it to be the property of Allâh, although it was, in fact, the
property of the Muslims and so it was to be distributed among them. He also
made Uthmân bin Affân the target of his attack. During his campaign, he met
Abud-Darda' and placed his evil thoughts before him. Having heard Abdullah bin
Saba, he accused him of being a Jew working against the cause of Islam. He then
met Ubâdah bin Sâmit who heard him patiently and then brought him to Mu’âwiyah
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) by force and said
producing him before the governor of Damascus, "I presume that it is the
same person who had created bad blood between you and Abu Dhar Ghifâri."
Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) drove him out to
Damascus. He then stopped in Egypt to propagate his evil ideas.
When complaint letters from almost
every corner of the provinces and cities under the Muslim rule came pouring
into Al-Madinah, some distinguished persons of Al-Madinah called on the Caliph
and drew his attention to the prevailing anger and dissatisfaction against the
governors appointed by him. Uthmân bin Affân then selected some reliable
persons and sent them to each province to look into the situation and come back
with a complete report. Thus Muhammad bin Maslamah was sent to Kufah and Usâmah
bin Zaid and Abdullah bin Umar were sent to Basrah and Syria respectively. In
this way each big or small province and territory found one official to report
the state affairs to the Caliph.
All the investigators returned with
reports that none of the governors were found guilty of any evil act or
excesses and all of them were carrying out their duties within the bounds of
Shari'ah. Besides, no man of understanding and wisdom was found against any
governor or the Caliph. The people of Al-Madinah received the reports with
satisfaction. But very soon the situation took a disturbing turn. The Hajj
season was at hand. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Caliph proclaimed
among the citizens of every city and town: "Reports are pouring into
Al-Madinah highlighting the excesses of the governors of various provinces. So,
I have sent orders to all the governors to be present at the Hajj. Anybody
bearing complaints against anyone's governance should come and lodge it in my presence
and get his rights either from me or from the governor after the verification
of the facts."
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