Hazrat Ali (RA)

Please read this if you havent.

Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddiq (RA)

Hazrat Omar (RA)

Hazrat Usman (RA)

The First Fitnah: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

What can be written about a man who was confident enough at age 10 to revert to Islam and become the first ever male muslim?* Hazrat Ali (RA) was born** to Abu Talib (who was also the custodian of Ka’aba at that time), at a time when the Prophet (SAW) was 29 years old and had been married to Bibi Khadija (RA) for four years. He was named Ali by the the Prophet (SAW) himself. When Hazrat Ali (RA) was 4 or 5 years old, due to certain financial issues, Hazrat Ali (RA) was brought into the Prophet’s (SAW) household and was raised up there.

We have grown up reading the way he risked his life to ensure safety for the Prophet (SAW) at the time of Hijra when he was barely 22 or 23 years old. When Hazrat Ali (RA) finally arrived in Medina, the pairing system by which the Prophet (SAW) had placed the Muhajireen amfong the Ansars, who acted both as hosts and tutors in the very different agricultural environment of Medina, had been completed. The Prophet (SAW) did not choose an Ansar to be paired with him, instead he chose his young cousin, Hazrat Ali (RA). In doing so, he also consciuosly put both himself and Hazrat Ali (RA) at an economic disadvantage and chose poverty as a necessary part of their struggle. To earn his daily bread Hazrat Ali (RA) worked at well-heads, hauling up leather buckets of water in exchange for dates. He was also the foremost labourer for Masjid-e-Nabwi.

Soon after he was chosen by the Prophet (SAW) to be his son-in-law by marrying his youngest daughter, Bibi Fatima (RA), with him. It was a simple wedding as Hazrat Ali (RA) did not have money, not even for a dowry. Hazrat Usman (RA) stepped in and bought Hazrat Ali’s (RA) body armour which was later returned as a wedding gift. He fathered the only two male descendents of the Prophet (SAW): Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Hussain (AS); the leaders of the youth of Jannah.

He was the young war-hero of Islam, katib-e-Qur’an, he wrote the treaty of Hudaybiyah on the Prophet’s (SAW) instructions and the only one who entered Ka’aba with the Prophet (SAW) at the time of Conquesnt of Mecca to throw away idols.

* Several historians say that Hazrat Abu Bakar (RA) or Hazrat Zayed (RA) should be considered the first male muslims because Hazrat Ali (RA) was merely a child.

** There is a very famous story associated with Hazrat Ali’s (RA) birth. All Sunni sources that I have read agree to the fact that he was born while his mother was at the wall of the Ka’aba (thus, was born beside the Ka’aba). Few Sunni sources go on and say that the wall parted and she went in. When she returned, she had Hazrat Ali (RA) in her arms.

The First Fitnah (part 6)

Please read this if you havent.

Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddiq (RA)

Hazrat Omar (RA)

Hazrat Usman (RA)

The First Fitnah: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

As the body of the Caliph laid vulnerable on the ground, one of the assassins sat on his chest and attacked him further. On seeing this, Hazrat Usman’s (RA) wife threw herself on her husband’s body trying to save him from further indignity, losing two of her fingers in the process but there were further blows tohis body. The rebels wanted to mutilate his body and deny burial but they were deterred by the crying and wailing of Hazrat Usman’s (RA) wife. As she sat there embracing her husband’s body tightly, crying, the rebels looted the house and left.

It is known that the rebels did not let the Caliph to be buried at Jannat ul Baqi. Instead, he was buried in a Jewish graveyard adjacent to Jannat ul Baqi.

Note: This should been part of the previous post but I was shivering and my fingers felt numb. I had no option but to leave this for later.

The First Fitnah (part 5)

Please read this if you havent.

Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddiq (RA)

Hazrat Omar (RA)

Hazrat Usman (RA)

The First Fitnah: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

The Umayyads were proving themselves to be very talented and even the biggest critics could not complain about their generals hip as the empire continued to expand on all frontiers but this clearly did not extend to allowing one clan to monopolise the command of all the armies of Islam. Hazrat Usman (RA) ws privately warned by various Sahabas and Umm-ul-Momineen that he must not allow his immediate kinsmen to be seen to be dominating the Islamic Empire.

A revlutionary ferment of dissatisaction was brewing up especially in Kufa and Fustat. It is believed that many people with personal grudges against Hazrat Usman (RA) exploited this sentiment and they were soon joined by some young people who supported the right of Hazrat Ali (RA) to be a Caliph. It is known that Hazrat Ali (RA) himself stayed away from this whole affair as much as he could.

When Hazrat Usman (RA) found out about it, the 82 year old Caliph, decided to investigate the matter. During the Hajj o that year, led by Hazrat Usman (RA) himself, he called for an informal meeting with all his key governors and advisors to discuss the troubled times. Many recommended to go on a war against those who had gone against the Caliph but Hazrat Usman (RA) was a pacifist and could not agree to spill blood of Muslims. Some even recommended brutally that he should leave the office to which he replied, “I cannot take off a dress in which Allah (SWT) has dressed me.” So he decided to find another and more peaceful solution to the problem.

The rebels had already formed three different armed bases in and around Medina and sent deputations to three different Sahabas including Hazrat Ali (RA). At first all of them rebuked the rebels from entering the holy city and refused to have anything to do with them. Finally, Hazrat Ali (RA) decided to act as a counsellor and advised Hazrat Usman (RA) to sack the governor of Egypt, something that was supported by Hazrat Aisha (RA) too. The people of Egypt wanted Mohammed ibn Abu Bakar (who was brought up in Hazrat Ali’s (RA) home) to be the new governor. Hazrat Usman (RA) agreed and the rebels decided to go back to their city.

Just three days later on their march back to Fustat, they saw an African slave who had a letter for them which had the new seal of the Caliph. The letter was for the sacked governor and ordered him to kill the rebels on their return to the city. At this, they felt betrayed and decided to march back into Medina.

Once again Hazrat Ali (RA) acted as the arbitrator. Hazrat Usman (RA) informed Hazrat Ali (RA) that he had no knowledge of the letter. Although the mystery surrounding the letter has never been solved but it is a common belief that it was written by Marwan ibn al-Hakam (a cousin of Hazrat Usman (RA), who also later became a Caliph) or perhaps was a maination of Amr ibn al-As (also an Umayyad sacked from governorship of Egypt much earlier).

Hazrat Usman (RA) decided to address the people at Friday prayers but the sermon was never to be completed as the rebels started pelting stones at the old Caliph who had to be taken to the safety of his house through the angry mob, never to be able to step outside the house before his death.

Hazrat Ali (RA), Hazrat Talha (RA) and Hazrat Zubair (RA) each appointed one of their sons to guard the Caliph. As the days passed, the rebels intensified their pressure against Hazrat Usman and also forbade the entry of any food or provisions, and later water as well, into his house, even turning down the Umm-ul-Momineen.

A few days later, the rebels entered the house. It is believed that Hazrat Iman Hasan (AS) got injured while trying to stop the rebels from entering but was unable to stop the inevitable from happening. Hazrat Usman (RA) had already ordered his guards not to relataliate anymore. He was alone in his room, reading from a copy of the Qur’an when the rebels found him right after the Friday prayers. One of the rebels, commonly blelieved to be Mohammed ibn Abu Bakar, grabbed the old Caliph with his beard who cried out, “Son of my brother, your father would not have touched what you have grabbed in your hand.” On hearing this, Mohammed ibn Abu Bakar pierced Hazrat Usman’s (RA) forehead while another rebel thrust behind his ear so that its point emerged hrough his throat spilling blood on the opened copy of the Qur’an.

Hazat Usman (RA) III

Please read this if you havent.

The First Fitnah

Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddiq (RA)

Hazrat Omar (RA)

Hazrat Usman (RA) Part 1

Hazrat Usman (RA) Part 2

Right after Hazrat Usman’s (RA) appointment as the Caliph, his first assignment was to decide upon the fate of Ubaidullah ibn Omar who had killed a few people in an attempt to take revenge for his father’s death. Ubaidullah ibn Omar had been imprisoned for the act and Hazrat Usman (RA) decided that execution of Hazrat Omar’s (RA) son would only infuriate people. Thus, the incident was settled after long negotiations and by giving blood money to the victims. This was perhaps the first incident which instilled negativity against Hazrat Usman (RA) amongst the Persians settled in Medina.

Right after the death of Hazrat Omar (RA), there was a rebellion in many of the conquered territories to such an extent that those regions had to be reconquered. Although this was a taxing time, it helped the Muslim army develop in a lot of different ways, the most important being the formation of the first naval force (headed by Amir Muawiah) which aided in a grand victory against Byzantine forces.

It is known that Hazrat Usman (RA) preferred people from the Umayyad Clan (his cousins) for authrotative ranks, most of them being very well educated, efficient and skillful but this went against him in the worst possible manner. People started to blame him for nepotism. And although this sentiment had been there all along, specifically among the Ansars, it only turned into a rebellion activism after first 6 years* of his reign in tranquility. A lot of the people started complaining about the ostentatious display of wealth by the ruling class and the leniency shown by Hazrat Usman (RA) towards this. Many anonymous letters were written to the leading Sahabas complaining about the alleged tyranny of Hazrat Usman’s (RA) appointed governors leading to unrest in the Empire. It is still unknown who wrote those letters but they were being used to exploit the sentiments and played a major role in creating further rifts and misunderstandings.

While Sunnis believe this to be a tactic used by miscreants to overthrow the realm of Hazrat Usman (RA), by making him lose control over some provinces where he had appointed some of his closest relatives for loyalty’s sake, Shias suggest that although they had achieved success as governors, they had failed to lead the people according to the principles of Islam.

* An incident in the seventh year of his Caliphate changed everything and the young Islamic Empire ended up in a civil war which shapes up the world that we live in now. Hazrat Usman (RA), as always, was concerned about the water supplies for the people and was directing a team of workers over deepening of a well in Medina. As he leant over the wall and pointed towards a stone that needed further reinforcement. At just that mment, an old ring slipped from his finger and fell down into the well. It was no ordinay ring, it was the seal of the Prophet (SAW). Over the next few weeks, the well was searched, with the well being emptied, the mud cleaned out again and again. The seal of the Prophet (SAW) had been lost and, although, it still sounds superstitious, it marked the start of the worst that had to come.

Hazrat Usman (RA) Part 4

Hazrat Usman (RA) II

Please read this if you havent.

The First Fitnah

Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddiq (RA)

Hazrat Omar (RA)

Hazrat Usman (RA) Part 1

Right after the death of Hazrat Omar (RA), the most important issue was to elect a new Caliph who would be worthy enough to fill the space that had been left void. According to Tabari, Caliph Omar (RA) had prescribed a maximum of 3 day period to choose the next Caliph after his death from amongst the 6 people (the shura) that he had nominated. He wanted to ensure complete consensus on the selection of the next Caliph and, according to some narrations, ordered his son to kill anyone who would disagree with the rest 5 people in the group.

According to the Sunnis, there was a tie three candidates: Hazrat Usman (RA), Imam Ali (AS) and Hazrat Abdul Rehman bin Awf (RA). Hazrat Usman (RA) voted in favor of Hazrat Ali (RA) and Hazrat Ali (RA) voted in favor of Hazrat Usman (RA) and it was then that Hazrat Abdul Rehman (RA) withdrew his candidature. The tie remained and the next Caliph had to be decided by Hazrat Abdul Rehman’s (RA) vote. He favored Hazrat Usman (RA) and gave his oath of allegiance to Hazrat Usman (RA). Everyone else followed making Hazrat Usman (RA) the new caliph.

According to Shias, the election should not have taken place at all and also refute that Hazrat Ali (RA) gave his allegiance to Hazrat Usman (RA).

It was a surprise victory for Hazrat Usman (RA). He was already quite old and his soft, modest nature was did not seem to be a match for Hazrat Omar’s rigour and zeal. He knew he a had tough task ahead to win the hearts of war-hardened Muslims. But he had plans for certain reforms:

One of the first things that he did was to increase the stipend of war widows and also devised mechanisms for collection and distribution of zakaat. He used the skills that he had learned as a successful trader and lifted the ban placed by Hazrat Omar (RA) on the sale of agricultural lands in occupied territories. He developed a ‘filing system’ whereby each every correspondance was efficiently documented, even from the time of Hazrat Omar (RA) and it was during his Caliphate that the first Muslim coins were introduced. As the business flourished and money started to flow in for the Muslims, the strict austere measures ensured by Hazrat Omar (RA) started to relax. He allowed Muslims to construct large, lavish buildings and  also own more property than they needed for their own personal use. Although it was a move to make the muslims more affluent, it shattered Hazrat Omar’s (RA)  desire to keep the muslims sternly austere. It is a well known fact that a small group of Sahabas stayed away from all the luxuries and stayed in their simple houses in Medina.

Hazrat Usman’s (RA) reign as a Caliph saw the construction of 5 new mosques and an extension of both Masjid-ul-Haram and Masjid-al-Nabawi. One of his greatest contributions ever would be the copy of Quran that we have today. Although it had been carefully compiled during the reign of Hazrat Abu Bakar (RA), its only copy was with Hazrat Hafsa (RA). During his reign, several Muslim centers started to develop their own versions of the Qur’an and Hazrat Usman (RA) feared that the changes would lead to much greater problems in the future. Thus, he got several different copies of the Qur’an developed from Hazrat Hafsa’s (RA) copy and sent each one of them to different cities. All different versions of the Qur’an were burnt.

Hazrat Usman (RA) part III

Schism Revisited

When I started this series, I just didnt know how difficult its gonna be. Its a huge responsibility which means I have to cross check each and everything that I write in at least 4-5 books, all from different fiqhs to make sure that it is something acceptable to all. At times I have even tried to write about 2-3 different variations that I have read about the same incident. Secondly, I am talking about people we greatly love and revere. Obviously, watever I am writing might be offensive as well but it was not only about being offensive….it was emotionaly exhausting and I discontinued writing it just 10 days after I started writing the series. In the last 6 months or so I have done only 5 posts on the topic and have left the most controversial topics for later.
I have now decided to continue with the series and if you have read it till now, you know that the narration is now reaching a point from where onwards all I would be talking about would be misunderstandings, tragedies, wars, bloodshed and the actual advent of schism.
This will be a difficult ride for me and if I disappear all of a sudden, you can assume that I just had no option but to get away from it.
There shall be a post on the topic for every 2-3 days from now for a while. The first post is already here

Tomato List

Absar’s blog already has the second part of his hate list and I just thought it finally gives me a good reason to update my blog too Not that I hadnt been blogging at all….but doing this one felt really good

• People who judge me on the basis of my ethnic background and social status.
• Those who can label anyone a kafir who doesnt agree with their idea of Islam.
• The self-proclaimed aalims who go around giving fatwas.
• The everything-is-halal and the exact opposite everything-is-haram sorts.
• The I-know-it-all, you-have-no-right-to-speak sorts.
• People who will disagree with simply anything and everything….just for the sake of it.
• The ones who simply dont understand that I am ignoring them cuz I dont like them….and simply dont want to understand that I dont want them around!
• All the “Mashwara Khanums” who give “muft ka gayan” all the time: If I’l need ur suggestion, I’l ask for it!
• People who look away wen someone needs help
• Those who break laws and are so proud of it that they even brag about it.
• Chain smokers
• Ungrateful/thankless people
• People who pretend nothing bothers them
• Gutless drivers
• People who fake their accents
• Pakistanis who try to be whiter than the whites: you are brown and you are gonna stay that way!
• Hard core feminists who would chant slogans of equal rights every where and yet expect men to let them go ahead of themselves in the queue: If you want equal rights, expect equal responsibilities as well.
• People who think its OK to put up posters, paint “Chalo Chalo Nishter Park Chalo” and spit paan on a newly painted wall
• And even more who think its OK to throw away their garbage right in front of their neighbor’s gate

Hazrat Omar (RA) III

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Note: Although these two things are very important, I did not want to incorporate these into the main post as they are on two controversial topics

1. Towards the end of his life, Hazrat Omar (RA) married a woman named Umm-e-Kulsoom from the household of Hazrat Ali (RA). There are two different versions of her origin:

• Most Sunnis believe that she was the daughter of Hazrat Ali (RA) and Hazrat Fatima (RA).
• Shias deny this and believe that Umm-e-Kulsoom was the daughter of Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddique (RA) who came to Hazrat Ali’s (RA) household after he wedded Asma binte Ummays once she was widowed making Umm-e-Kulsoom Hazrat Ali’s (RA) step daughter.

2. Right after the death of Hazrat Omar (RA), a lot of evidences made it seem clear that the assassination was planned by the Persians residing in Medina. Although it was never really proven, Hazrat Omar’s (RA) younger son got infuriated. He killed Abu Lulu’s son who was a Muslim and sought to kill all the Persians in Medina but was intercepted by the people of Medina, withholding him from the massacre. After Hazrat Omar’s (RA) death, the case was handed over to the next Caliph, Hazrat Usman (RA).

Abudulrehman ibn Abu Bakr, son of late caliph Abu Bakr also confirmed that few days before Umar’s assassination, he once saw this dagger with Hurmazan. After the mystery of assassination uncover by the two of the most notable governmental figures, it seemed clear that the assassination was planed by the Persians residing in Madinah. Infuriate by this Umar’s younger son Ubaidullah ibn Umar sought to kill all the Persians in Madinah. He killed Hormuzan, Jafinah, and daughter of Umar’s assassin Abu Lulu, who is believed to be a Muslim. Ubaidullah was intercepted by the people of Madinah and withholding him from the massacre. Amr ibn al-Aas is said to have intercepted him, convince him to handover his sword. The murder of Jafinah, enraged Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, his foster brother, and he assaulted Ubaidullah ibn Umar and again the companions intervened. It is also believed that Umar daughter Hafsa bint Umar provoked Ubaidullah to take the punitive action. When Umar was informed about the incident, he ordered that Ubaidullah should be imprisoned and the next Caliph should decide his fate.^[75] Umar died on 7 November 644, and on 11 November, Uthman succeeded him as the Caliph. After a prolong negotiations the tribunal decided to give blood money to the victims and released Umar’s son Ubaidullah, on the ground that after the tragic incident of Umar’s assassination people will be further infuriated by execution of his son the very next day.