We would like to mention that to avoid repetition, we have only briefly brought up the issues we mentioned earlier in the discussion of Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) in this discussion. On the other hand, we have presented in detail all the events that are related to the writings of Amr Ibn al-Khattab. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed away, we know that Abu Bakr Siddiq was with his wife in a place called Subhana outside Medina. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and on his last day, his physical condition improved for some time. Seeing that condition, he went to his wife. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) died. He left this world. So at that time, Abu Bakr Siddiq could not be with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The news of his death spread everywhere and that was the biggest danger and disaster for the Companions. The Companions were completely distraught. They did not know what to do and we cannot even imagine how big a shock or how big an impact it had on their hearts. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was their everything. Suddenly a huge void was created within them. They could not take this matter forward or recover from it. We can try to understand a reality about this from a small incident. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was in front of them, they would feel fulfilled. On the other hand, when they would return to the Prophet’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) home with their wives and children, a great change would take place in their hearts within a short time. We know from an incident of Hanzala and Abu Bakr Siddiq that they met each other and they were saying that they felt that I had become a hypocrite. Abu Bakr Siddiq said that the reason for this is that when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is in front of us or we are in his assembly, when he speaks about Paradise and Hell, it seems to us that Paradise and Hell are before our eyes. But when we go to our families, we forget these things because of our wives, children and farms. Abu Bakr Siddiq said that I also have such a situation. Both of them came to the service of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) at sunset in a state of anxiety and presented their worries to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that if you were in the same condition as you were in my assembly, the angels would come to you in your houses, in your beds and even on the road and shake hands with you.
Some of the companions became completely silent. Some started crying. Some could not stand and sat on the ground. They did not leave their houses or meet anyone. In such a state, Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) could not accept that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had really left this world. Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was walking on the road with his drawn sword in his hand and threatening everyone he met and standing there he delivered a sermon. He said that all those who say that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has died have become hypocrites. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not die but went to meet Allah as Moses (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went for 40 days and the Children of Israel then started saying that he had died. Umar ibn al-Khattab said that he was in such a state that he would return again. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) returns, he will punish those who said that he had died. Umar also said, “So if anyone says that Muhammad (peace be upon him) has died, I will cut off his neck with a sword.” Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) We have discussed his personality. He was a man of very strong personality.
The moment of the election of the Caliph: The issue of the election was discussed. The discussion on the issue began before the burial of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was completed. He died on Monday and was buried on Wednesday, Tuesday night. It is Sunnah to bury the body as soon as possible. It is Sunnah to bury it properly. In the case of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), we see that his funeral was completed two days after his death. He died on Monday and was buried on Tuesday night. But why was there this delay? Where were the companions busy? The companions were busy discussing the issue of the election of the Caliph and it was taking them time to resolve it. In this context, we would like to mention again that we discussed these issues in detail in the last series of discussions on the biography of Abu Bakr Siddiq. Without going into detail, we only asked Saeed Ibn al-Musayyib about how the Companions were busy discussing the issue of the Caliphate at that time, ignoring the funeral of Salam. In general, a person suddenly hearing this incident might wonder who would take charge of their worldly affairs, leaving aside an important task like the funeral. Who would be the Ameer of the Muslims? Who would be the Caliph? The Companions of the Messenger of Allah did not want to be out for a day or even a small part of the day, so the importance of being in a congregation was so great for the Muslims that they did not want to spend a single day without the congregation or the Ameer. So they were busy discussing who would be the Caliph. There is no congregation without the Ameer, so at that time the election of the Caliph became the most important issue. For this reason, even if it was delayed, we will now discuss the role of Amr Ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) at that important moment.
Abu Bakr Siddique was with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). At that time, Umar ibn al-Khattab was calling Abu Bakr Siddique from outside the house. Siddique came out a little annoyed and asked if there was such an important matter that he had to call me now. Umar ibn al-Khattab told Abu Bakr Siddique that the Ansar martyrs were discussing who would be the leader of the Muslims? So that is an important matter and you should come with us. These three people, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Abu Bakr Siddique and Abu Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with them) set out in that direction. Saqiba, Umar ibn al-Khattab was busy with an important discussion there, and he was preparing to deliver a sermon there. Regarding this incident, he said that I was preparing to go in front of them and say something there and I was preparing some important things in my mind that I would say. But Abu Bakr Siddiq stopped me there and started talking. Later he said that Abu Bakr Siddiq had said everything that I wanted to say and added some things that were better than that. So what Abu Bakr Siddiq had presented was better than what Umar ibn al-Khattab had arranged in his mind. I started talking thinking that maybe Abu Bakr Siddiq would feel shy about saying some things or some things but he presented his speech very well and in Abu Bakr Siddiq’s speech we see that he mentioned an important point due to which the discussion came to a solution. Abu Bakr Siddiq mentioned the Ansar and said that the Caliph must be from among the Quraysh and the number of Muhajirs was certainly much less than the Ansar and the Ansar companions they argued about their important role in the beginning. There is no way to deny their extraordinary sacrifice in establishing Islam.
They died in large numbers in various battles. Considering the concept of Islam as “helpers of the Ansar, helpers of the Messenger of Allah”, they thought that an Amir should be appointed from among them. Saad ibn Badha (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to appoint him as Amir. Abu Bakr Siddiq mentioned that situation and said, “O Saad, do you remember the day when we were together with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and he said, “The Caliphate will be Saad ibn Badha.” Remember that and said, “I remember that the discussion came to a solution because of the introduction of Harith. Because the Hadith says that the Caliphate will be from the Quraysh.” Even then, some people from among them presented some alternative proposals. The discussion went on for a long time. For example, Huba Bal Manzur (may Allah be pleased with him) proposed that an Amir should be appointed from among the Ansar and an Amir should be appointed from among the Muhajirun. Umar said that there can never be two leaders. There can never be two swords in the same hand. When Abu Bakr Siddiq was among the Quraysh regarding the caliphate. After presenting this, the two men in front of him presented Omar Al-Khattab to resolve the situation. He said that he should give it to any one of these two men. At that time, Omar and he himself returned the offer to Abu Bakr Siddiq and said that you are worthy of it, I will give you the oath of allegiance and when Omar Ibn Al-Khattab was there, he gave it. Then each of the companions who were present rushed to give the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr Siddiq. They took the oath of allegiance and were running to Abu Bakr Siddiq so quickly for the oath of allegiance. Another important aspect of this incident is the high character qualities of the companions, why they were discussing why they were mentioning different opinions and finally when the truth became clear before them, they all quickly identified the truth and agreed on it. Presenting before us the Sahaba-e-Karam Ansar Saad ibn Wada, the companions of the Ansar, who were discussing or debating the issues they were discussing or debating regarding the issue of the oath of allegiance to the Caliph, was not due to any personal interest, greed or jealousy. There was no such conflict between the Ansar and the Muhajirs.
Abu Bakr Siddiq was a soft-hearted person. Umar ibn al-Khattab used to forbid anyone from taking advantage of Abu Bakr Siddiq’s softness. When necessary, he would be a little harsh, but some people wanted to take advantage of his softness. We see that Allah Almighty has discussed Abu Bakr Siddiq in various places in the Quran. The Arabs often used to mock the title. They used to mock and say that the word Bakr means a young camel or a young camel, and they used to say that Abu Bakr Siddiq was a weak person, like a camel. Abu Bakr Siddiq’s original name was Abdullah. He warned all those people and said that you will soon realize that Abu Bakr is not a weak person, but Abu Bakr is like an alpha horse. Be careful.
Some people accepted Ibn Hatim’s advice and returned to Islam and continued to pay zakat. But many others persisted in their mistakes. Finally, Abu Bakr Siddiq suppressed them with a harsh hand. When he controlled them, they realized their danger and came to Abu Bakr Siddiq with a proposal of surrender and peace. When one such tribe came to Abu Bakr Siddiq with a proposal of peace. Abu Bakr Siddiq then said that you have two options, two paths open before you, prepare for a final devastating war or a humiliating agreement. Tell us what the agreement will contain. Abu Bakr Siddiq said that the conditions of the agreement are as follows: first, you will not be able to keep any weapons with you. You will surrender all weapons to us and you will stay with our herds of cattle, camels and sheep. This was a great humiliation for them. Because in the society of that time in the Arabian Peninsula, they considered it a matter of great disrespect for a man who did not have a weapon. And they understood this in this way that there was no difference between a herd of cattle and a person who did not have a weapon and an unarmed man and a herd of cattle. Secondly, Abu Bakr Siddiq said that the wealth that we have taken from you is war wealth, none of it will be returned to you, but you will have to give back what you have taken from us. You will publicly declare that those of us who were killed by you are in Paradise, they are martyrs, and those of you who were killed by us are in Hell. This is the number one point. Siddiq said, you will have to pay compensation for those of us who were killed, you will have to pay blood money. There is no blood money for those who were killed by us. Abu Bakr Siddiq was telling them the conditions of humiliating them as they deserved. Amar Khattab was agreeing with him with all of them. Amr bin Khattab said that he had a different opinion on this matter. He said that those among us who were killed in the way of Allah had accepted help. They are honored by Allah and their reward is with Allah and it is no harm. We will not take any blood money for them. Amr bin Khattab accepted this advice. This last point was omitted from the agreement. The next incident was the incident of two men from the Bedouin community, Akhra bin Harith and Wain Abul Hasan. And these two men were known to be opportunists who would cause trouble since the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). They would try to take advantage of various incidents.
When the Muslims were victorious, the honor of the world came to the Muslims, then they were Muslims, and on the other hand, when they defeated the polytheists, they changed their camp and took the side of the infidels and polytheists. In such a middle position, they tried to keep both of them happy. Their hearts were attached to the world, they were very attached to the world. Who were such people at the beginning of Islam, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to give them money and property to attract them to Islam, to win their hearts, and these two people were the leaders of their tribe. So if they had accepted Islam, the rest of the tribe would also have the opportunity. If they came to Islam and accepted it today, he would have determined a portion of the Zakat and the property of the spoils and given it to them. And we know that there is a part of the Sharia for victory, the Islamic Sharia supports this issue to attract them to Islam. Those two people came to Abu Bakr Siddiq to help them financially. Abu Bakr Siddiq was then the Caliph and they came and said, “There are some uncultivated lands that have no owner. Will you give us ownership of those lands? So that we can use them for grazing our cattle.” Siddiq had no problem with this proposal. They were uncultivated lands, wastelands without owner and all the companions who were present with him. He consulted with them, took a decision and prepared a document and gave them ownership of those lands. Now he wrote that the owner of this land is such and such a person. As a witness, the name of Umar ibn al-Khattab was also put there. Although he was not directly present there, he wrote the document and said, “Go and get a signature from Umar.”
Abu Bakr Siddiq wrote the document and gave it to Akhra and Maina and said, “Go and get a signature from Umar here.” Akhra and Maina, a witness to the document, came to Khattab and saw that Umar ibn al-Khattab was busy with a task. He was applying tar-like paint to the camels he had. A type of paint was applied to the camels to prevent flies from settling on them or to prevent different diseases or infections. He was busy with that task. He was doing simple work with his own hands, although many people think that doing such simple work is against self-respect. We will get this work done by our servants. But my Ibl Khattab himself used to do such simple work. Akhra and Maina came there and called Umar ibn al-Khattab who was present and said, “You have sent us with Abu Bakr’s document and this document is your witness here. I need your signature. Shall we read to you what is written in the document or will you read it yourself?” Umar ibn al-Khattab said, “You can see that I am busy with work now, so if you want, you can have me read it. And if you want me to read it myself, then wait a while until I finish my work.”
Akhra and Maina stood there and started reading on their own. And Khattab read what was written. When Amar heard the writings on that subject, he stopped what he was doing and stood up and took the document in his hand. He took the document in his hand and spat on the ink that was written there. And in this way he erased the writings on the document. The document was erased, they would no longer get that ownership. It was canceled. They could not believe it when they saw this incident before their own eyes. And they burst into anger. They shouted, “What have you done? You gave us the land, you destroyed that document?” Amar said, “When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to give it to you, Islam was weak. That is not the case now. Do we need to please you? You go and work and eat and work hard. You will not get anything for free. In a very angry state, the two men returned to Abu Bakr Siddique and they came and said with great anger that we do not understand who is the Caliph? Who is the Caliph? You or Omar Ibn Al-Khattab? Who has the power to make decisions? If we think about it a little, a person subordinate to Abu Bakr Siddique has canceled the decision of his superior and by doing such an incident, he spits on the document and erases the ink. A humiliating situation and those two men come out in public and they question Abu Bakr Siddique like this who is the Caliph, you or Omar Ibn Al-Khattab? Who has the power, Abu Bakr Siddique? What did he do in that situation? Abu Bakr Siddique said that he wants to be the Caliph. Did Abu Kar Siddique show an extraordinary reaction?
Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was comforting Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) on his deathbed, and he said that during the Caliphate there was no matter about which anyone disagreed. So Umar ibn al-Khattab’s Caliphate was based on the consensus of the Companions. We know that the Quran is the word of Allah. Similarly, the Hadith is evidence. Similarly, the consensus of this Ummah is evidence. So the appointment of Umar and the actions of his time as Caliph were based on the consensus of the Companions.
