What did Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) say in his first speech as Caliph? There are several historical statements in this regard. We are mentioning one of them. Umar ibn al-Khattab said, “O people, know that I have been chosen as your Caliph. Also know that my harshness has decreased. But I will be strict against the oppressors and transgressors. I will not tolerate anyone who oppresses another and I will put one cheek on the ground and trample on the other cheek until the right of the oppressed is taken from him. On the other hand, I will tie my cheek to the ground for those who are righteous and pious, for whom I have such respect. Umar ibn al-Khattab also said, “And I pledge to you that I will fulfill what I promise you. I promise that I will not ask for a share of the produce of your land, nor will I seek to gain anything from the spoils of war, except what is rightfully mine according to the Book of Allah, and I will spend that money in the way that Allah has directed me. Your salaries and allowances will be increased, and the responsibility of guarding the borders of your land will be upon me. I also promise that I will never push you to the brink of destruction.” Amr ibn al-Khattab also said in that speech that they will not be kept away from their families for long, and that their children will be considered my children until you are sent out for jihad. So, O servants of Allah, fear Allah and be pious.” This was the first speech he gave as a caliph. We can learn several important lessons from this speech. Firstly, in point number one, we see Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, he mentioned that I have been appointed as your caliph. And at the beginning, he said that you know that my harshness has decreased. Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, by taking the responsibility of the caliph, was changing his personality a lot due to the changing circumstances and responsibilities in this changing time. The companions asked Abu Bakr Siddiq why a harsh and harsh person like Omar Ibn Al-Khattab was being appointed as a harsh person?
As Abu Bakr Siddiq said at that time, Umar ibn al-Khattab used to be strict because of my flexibility. And when he took responsibility, this responsibility would change his nature. He himself later said about himself that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was a very generous person. In the situation, I had to be strict. Abu Bakr Siddiq was also soft-hearted. So even in that situation, he would maintain strictness so that no one could come and take unfair advantage of them because of their soft nature. Umar ibn al-Khattab says that when the responsibility was given to me, I changed my strictness to softness. So Umar ibn al-Khattab had control over his own personality that he was able to change his personality according to the need, according to the time and according to the demands of the Ummah. So, when people saw Omar, who was known during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) or during the time of Abu Bakr Siddiq, after taking the responsibility of the Caliph, Omar Ibn Al-Khattab came before them as a new sophisticated personality. Such a strong control over Omar Ibn Al-Khattab’s personality is an example of refraining from following the desires. This is a wonderful lesson for us. The second point is what Omar Ibn Al-Khattab mentioned in his speech. There he announced the establishment of economic equality, saying that no one’s rights, money and property will be snatched unjustly, and in terms of spending, he said that these properties will not be spent unjustly. So the two issues are the first issue is that the property that the state will take will be taken justly and it will be spent justly towards spending. It is never permissible for a Muslim ruler to take money from people unjustly or spend it unjustly.
Omar Ibn Al-Khattab addressed the families of the Mujahideen, saying, “In your absence, I will be your wives and children and their caretakers, so I am the Caliph of the Muslims, the Commander of the Faithful.” He is taking on this responsibility and responsibility, he will see to the needs of his family in his absence, he will look after their children as if they were his own children. So how much confidence can this give the Mujahideen fighting in the way of Allah on the battlefield?
In the explanation of the Hadith, Ulama Ekram has discussed this topic and brought some wonderful and remarkable lessons to us. He mentioned that the Prophets were shepherds of some animals that were very weak and simple animals, such as sheep, goats, etc. They did not serve as shepherds of camels or other large animals. Large animals, which are disobedient and relatively strong, sometimes become mischievous and it is very difficult to tame them unless they are strongly influenced. Sheep, goats, or goats are very simple and weak animals, and if a shepherd becomes careless, any ferocious animal, such as a wolf, can attack them. They can harm them. The person responsible for managing the animals must be very patient. When it comes to raising sheep, a shepherd or shepherd first has to undergo an extreme test of patience. His personality develops and matures. The second thing is to nurture these weak animals with love and compassion. By beating these small animals severely, they may even die. The practice of keeping these animals together, keeping them confined has been given by Allah Almighty to the Prophets and Messengers. By specifying that responsibility, the Anbia Alaihimus Salam have to fulfill the responsibility that they are the people who will accept the invitation later. His followers must be kept together. They must be kept in a congregation. Be careful and responsible for them and ensure their protection in case of any danger. Weak animals who are herbivores have very poor eyesight and when they eat grass or are in such a state, their eyes are on the ground. So they do not have a chance to see if there is any danger in the distance. When the danger comes, the shepherd is the first to notice it. The shepherd is alert and protects all these animals that are loyal to him from that danger. This is a responsibility imposed on him for which the shepherd is also obliged to be accountable to his master. How do the prophets of Allah (SWT) perceive all the dangers and disasters that come today and warn the Ummah from those dangers and protect them? In this regard, the Islamic Hadith tells us that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “The example or example between me and you is that of a person who lights a fire at night and thinks it is light, and then flies into the fire, saying, ‘I am trying to save you from that fire by pulling you by the waist, but even then, many people are jumping into that fire.’ So the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) told us in the Hadith that he is playing a role in the burning fire, the extreme danger, the extreme disaster, from which he is protecting us. We are moving towards that danger without our knowledge. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) is trying to save us from that danger by pulling us by the waist. Umar ibn al-Khattab took on a similar responsibility to me, protecting the Ummah, ensuring their good and bad, and keeping them on the right path. Such a huge responsibility is now on his shoulders.
Now we are going to look at a few things about. First, the oath was given only by the people of Medina, who gave it by shaking hands. That is, people from other regions, those who were in distant regions of the Muslim Caliphate, did not come and shake hands with the Caliph and swear allegiance. So as long as the people of Medina swore allegiance to the Caliph, it was considered as the oath of allegiance for everyone. It was actually impossible for every Muslim living under the Caliphate to come and shake hands directly and swear allegiance. If each person living under the Caliphate wanted to take the oath individually, it would take a lot of time. It could take months and even years. The people of Medina were the decision makers and the ones who gave the oath on behalf of everyone. Point number two, we do not see any such description anywhere about women ever swearing allegiance to the Caliph. We see that some women swore allegiance, but that oath was a pledge of allegiance to Islam. There is no description of women’s participation in the matter of the Bay’ah of the Caliphate. There is no instance of women giving the Bay’ah to Abu Bakr Siddique, Omar Ibn Khattab, Osman or Ali or the subsequent Caliphs. Only men gave the Bay’ah to the Caliph, it is not any kind of discrimination but a natural thing. No discussion or proposal or context has been presented in the fiqh on this matter. It was natural that men would give the Bay’ah and not women. At the same time, one can also say that there is no such statement in the Quran or Sunnah. Women cannot give the Bay’ah, because although women never gave the Bay’ah, the matter has been left open for them. Nowhere has the Bay’ah been given to women.
So this issue is also related to Islamic politics like some other issues where general guidelines have been given. There is flexibility in the Quran and Sunnah and in the details or relevant matters. Here there is an opportunity for people to use them and make decisions according to the needs of the era and time. For example, we see that there is also quite a bit of a system regarding the appointment of the Caliph. First of all, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not directly appoint anyone as the Caliph. The Companions appointed the Caliphs, but the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) gave several hints and indications in various incidents and on which the Ulama (scholars) have given two types of opinions. Some say that those hints were very clear while others say that they were not clear but we have accepted them. From those subtle hints, we see that Abu Bakr Siddiq will be the first Caliph. Siddiq was appointed as the Imam during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) appointed him for this task. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) appointed Abu Bakr Siddiq as the Ameer of Hajj. A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and wanted to know. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told her to come later. The woman said, “If I come later and I don’t find you, then who should I go to?” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Then you should go to Abu Bakr Siddiq.” So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) explained to the woman that if you don’t find me, then the person you will find next to me is Abu Bakr Siddiq. In the case of giving the responsibility of caliph to Khattab after Abu Bakr Siddiq, we see that Abu Bakr Siddiq himself had nominated Umar ibn al-Khattab. Umar ibn al-Khattab had formed a committee and a 6-member Surah Council to appoint him এবং তার Uthman was appointed as the Caliph through discussion. So, each person was appointed as the Caliph in a different way.
We will mention what religious freedom or rights those who were non-Muslims had at that time and in the second point the right of the poor to live and move. In the second point, the right to security in two areas, namely security in life and security of property. Security of property means the right or freedom to express the opinion of the government people and in the last point, what measures did Umar take in establishing family relations with non-Muslims and non-Muslim women?
In the first point, we are going to my and the government system. It was a Surah-based government system. In this context, it is mentioned in the Quran that you should consult them in your work. In the complete verse, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala says that by the grace of Allah, by the mercy of Allah, you have become a number of nature to your followers. If you were a harsh-tongued or a hard-hearted person, people would turn away from you. Omar, so forgive them for their actions and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in various matters. Allah and when you have made a decision on a matter, then rely on Allah for that decision. Indeed, Allah loves those who rely on Allah. There is no blessing in that matter in which no advice is taken. Omar says if we want good in our affairs. Then we should consult. He also said on the day of the day, consult this person. The one who transgresses and in whom there is fear of Allah. Omar bin Khattab has an important lesson for us from this advice. First, in order to gain good in any matter, we must take advice and the second thing is that we must take advice from those who are pious. Among those who fear Allah, that is, those who are established on it, any ordinary person, if that person is dishonest, then consulting him is more likely to cause harm than benefit. Again, another thing we need to see is whether the person being consulted has knowledge of the relevant subject or whether he has the knowledge of the day. If he does not have this knowledge, then in that case, he should not seek advice from him. A combination of two things is needed. First, the subject on which advice is sought should be his expertise and experience, and at the same time, he should be a God-fearing person. It was not that he would only accept advice. Rather, he would pay attention to this matter so that those under him, whether they are governors or commanders, should also take advice.
The fourth event included in the title of Justice and Equality is the famine period. In this context, we are going to discuss the year of famine or my Ramadan, which is marked under the title of a year. Ramadan means ash, that time of the year was so hot, hot and dry that when the wind blew, it felt like hot ash was falling on the face. It was such a difficult situation, it was a time of drought. At that time, a difficult test came upon the Muslims, the stocks were running out, there was a shortage of food, and famine occurred. Especially meat, butter, milk, foods that could not be stored for such a long time became very rare. Seeing this difficult situation, Omar Ibn Al-Khattab took an oath on himself and said, “By Allah, as long as meat, milk, butter, etc. are not easily available or affordable in the market, I will not even eat these foods.” He swore on himself and kept it to the end. Eventually, things gradually improved and when these products first appeared in the market, the prices skyrocketed. The servant bought some milk and butter for him for 40 dirhams. A good amount of money. Omar said to the servant, “O Commander of the Faithful, Allah has fulfilled your oath and has rewarded you for what you did. Now milk and butter are available in the market. So I bought them for you for 40 dirhams.” Omar ibn al-Khattab said, “It is still quite expensive, so I consider it an extra expense.” I will not eat them and he also said that my Muslims are going through such a situation and if I do not suffer, then how can I understand their suffering and feel sorry for them even though I am facing the same situation if I do not go through the same thing as a leader if I do not feel their suffering then it would be unfair to them. It would be unjust. Amr Ibnul Khattab refused to eat food until the price of food came down to normal levels. Let us limit the discussion of famine here and move on to the rest of the discussion.
In this part, we will try to talk about five topics. In the first part, the religious rights or freedoms that non-Muslim citizens had. In that regard, we know from the Quran that Allah Subhanahu Taala says that there is no compulsion in religion, no one can be forced to convert to Islam. In this regard, we mention some incidents. Once, a very old Christian woman came to the Caliph for some help. She told him that she could have done it if she had become a Muslim. She could have accepted the truth that Allah Subhanahu Taala has sent to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). You could have benefited from it. The old woman said, “I am a very old woman and my death is very close.” This means that she has spent her whole life relying on a belief and does not want to change it before her death. Without talking to anyone, he fulfilled her needs. And sent her away with food. Omar Khattab had a change of heart and he wondered if he had forced the woman through his words. She had come to him in a helpless state for food and I had told her to convert to Islam and get more security. We, Khattab, became very worried about this and prayed to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala for forgiveness for the act. And he was saying, O Allah, I was only trying to guide her. I did not want to force her to convert to Islam or force her. The second incident is the incident of Omar Khattab’s slave Ashiq. Omar Khattab had a non-Muslim or Christian slave named Ashiq. He told him that I want you to become a Muslim, in which case I can give you leadership or responsibility in some administrative work. We know that administrative responsibility is on Muslims and no non-Muslim can take on administrative positions. So Omar is saying if you become a Muslim then I can appoint you in administrative work. There is no opportunity to appoint anyone else here. Ashiq said that I will not abandon my religion. Now he told him that I have nothing to force in this matter. I cannot force anyone to accept Islam. Ashiq later released Omar when he was sick, at the time of his death. He said that you are free to go wherever you want and live there. Omar ibn al-Khattab later told him the third incident. The incident of Amr ibn al-Nasr when he was appointed as the governor of Egypt. At that time, he made a treaty with the Egyptians who were Christians or People of the Book. The treaty began with Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. It started with the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This treaty was given by Amr ibn al-As out of concern for the people of Egypt. The security of their lives, the security of their property, the security of their religion, the security of their places of worship, and the security of their land and sea. The treaty was concluded. Thus, Allah will ensure that he will be accountable to His Messenger and the Caliphs and to the Muslims. Umar ibn al-Khattab, who was a non-Muslim, forgave the Jizya. Umar once saw a very old man begging. He was reaching out to people. Umar ibn al-Khattab then went to him and asked him which section of the People of the Book are you from? The man said, I am one of the People of the Book. Are you the one begging? The man said that I have to pay the Jizya. I have to pay taxes but I am a needy person and I am an old man. Seeing that growth, he brought him along and gave him money and property and money from the Baitul Mal. He went to the one who was in charge of the treasury and said that it would be wrong for us to take Jizya from such people. When he was young, we used to take it from them and when they were old, they became incapacitated, then we would abandon them. He said that no kind of jizya should be collected from these people who are in a situation like his, who are unable to earn any income. Rather, we will give them an allowance from the Baitul Mal, the treasury of the Muslims. This was not for the sake of showing off due to any election or political campaign, but was motivated by the sense of justice and responsibility that he had.
