The First Fitnah (part 3)

Please read this if you havent.

Part 1

Part 2

The next morning, at the time of Fajar prayers, Hazrat Abu Bakar (RA) went to lead the prayers where people took the general oath of loyalty. When this was over, he officially became the first Caliph…the successor of the Prophet (SAW). Then he spoke to the gathering as follows:

O People! I have been appointed the amir of your caravan though I am not better than you are. If I work properly, help me and if I do not work well, correct me. Truthfulness is a deposit and falsehood is defalcation. The weak amongst you is strong in my sight. I will surely try to remove his pain and suffering. And the strong amongst you is weak to me I will – Allah willing – realise the right from him fully….When obscene things spread among any nation, calamities generally continued to descend upon them. As long as I obey Allah and His messenger, you should obey me, and if I do not obey Allah and His messenger, then obedience to me is not incumbent upon you.

According to a western writer, Barnby Rogerson, this speech is so precise and complete in its context that ‘it should be engraved in stone on the gates of every presidential palace and in the public reception hall of every muslim monarch. It should be stamped on the front of every identity card and passport so that police and security officers of the muslim world are reminded daily of this great and noble contract between the governed and the governor.’

X———X———X———X———X———X———X———X———X———X———X———X———X

According to Tabari, Hazrat Ali (RA) also took the oath of loyalty along with others on the same day but I have another book [Tareekh al Islam by Akber Shah Khan Najeeb Abadi (Deoband)] which says that it did not happen till Hazrat Fatima’s (RA) death 3 or 6 months later. But, both the books do mention the following incident.

Abu Sufian said to Hazrat Ali (RA): The Caliphate has gone to the smallest tribe of Quresh. By God, If you want, we can arrange a powerful army against Abu Bakar (RA) and take away the caliphate from him.Hazrat Ali (RA) replied: Abu Sufian, you have always been enemy of Islam and Muslims but have never succeeded in your conspiracies. We have found Abu Bakar (RA) capable of the post.

Part 4