The Islamic Community + Caliphs

THE FIRST ISALMIC COMMUNITY INCLUDING THE CALIPHS

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:TABLE OF CONTENTS:TABLE OF CONTENTS:TABLE OF CONTENTS:

The First Muslim Community

Sr. No Topic Page No.

1) Hazrat Abu Talib (3)

2) Hazrat Bilal (3)

3) Hazrat Abu Sufiyan (4)

4) Hazrat Hamza (7)

5) Hazrat Zaid bin Sabit (7)

6) Hazrat Abu Huraira (18)

7) Hazrat Sulaiman Farsi (19)

8) The Ansar (4)

9) The Muhajireen (6)

10) Wives of the Holy Prophet (14)

11) Scribes of the Holy Prophet (12)

12) The Ten Blessed Companions (9)

13) Descendants of the Holy Prophet (20)

The Four Rightly Guided Caliphs

14) Hazrat Abu Bakar Saddique (23)

15) Hazrat Umar Bin Khattab (26)

16) Hazrat Usman Ghani (31)

17) Hazrat Ali Al-Murtaza (33)



Explain the importance of the following personalities during the lifetime of the Prophet:

i. Abu Talib [4]

ii. Bilal [4]

iii. Abu Sufiyan [4]

iv. The Ansar [4]

(May 2005)

i) Abu Talib was the Prophet's paternal uncle. He brought up the Prophet after the death

of his grandfather Abdul Muttalib. Abu Talib showed him immense love and affection like a

real father, while bringing him up and at times even preferred Muhammad over his own sons.

The Prophet never felt an orphan when he was in Abu Talib's home. Abu Talib not only

looked after him but also canned him as a merchant. He took him with him to his trade

journeys where the Prophet learnt the art of trading during these journeys. One such journey

was to Syria, when the Prophet was twelve years old and they met a Christian monk Mahaira

at Musra, who told Abu Talib to take care of Muhammad and to keep him away from Jews.

Abu Talib also made arrangements for the Prophet's marriage with Khatijah. When the

Prophet started preaching openly at Makkah, the people of Makkah turned against him and

his followers, the Prophet was saved from physical torture due to the political support he had

from Abu Talib. The people of Makkah asked Abu Talib to let go of his support of his

nephew or refrain him from preaching Islam. But on seeing the devotion of Muhammad

towards preaching Islam he said to Muhammad, 'Go and preach what you please, by Allah I

will not forsake you." He continued to support the Prophet during the persecutions and did

not let go of his support even during the boycott of Banu Hashim which lasted for three years

during which they were forced to live in a narrow gorge by the name of Shib Abi Talib and

no one was allowed to talk, send food or drink, intermarry or trade with any person of Banu

Hashim. When Abu Talib died in the 10th year of Prophethood, the Prophet declared it a

Year of Sorrow he no longer received the support of his loving uncle. Although Abu Talib

never openly accepted Islam but Shias believe that he had converted to Islam secretly.

ii) Bilal was amongst the first seven converts to Islam. When his master Umaiyah bin

Khalaf came to know of his conversion he persecuted him mercilessly by making him lay

down on the hot desert under the scorching sun and placing huge rocks on his chest but Bilal

never renounced his faith but instead he would shout, "Allah is One, Allah is One." And his

master would lash him at night. He migrated with the Prophet to Madinah. He had a fine

Biological Account

Real name: Abd Munaf

Date of Birth: 536 AD

Relationship with the Prophet: Paternal Uncle

Sons: 4 sons; Talib, Jafir, Aqueel, Ali

Daughters: 2 daughters; Umm Hani, Jamana

Died in: 621 AD



voice and was the first Muezzin to call Muslims for congregational prayer at Masjid-e-Nabvi.

He took part in all the battles fought during the lifetime of the Prophet including the battle of

Badr during which he killed his master Umaiyah bin Khalaf and his son Ali. He was a

witness of the Treaty of Hudabiya. He was amongst the three with whom the Prophet entered

Makkah after its conquest in 10 AH. The Prophet then ordered Bilal to climb up the Ka'aba

and call the Muslims for congregational prayer. He was appointed by the Prophet as the first

in charge of Bait-ul-Maal and his household. He was a body guard of the Prophet and one of

his fourteen escorts. He was one of those who performed the funeral rites of the Prophet.

.

iii) Abu Sufiyan was a leader of Banu Umayyah. He was a rich and respected merchant

who often led caravans for trade to other countries particularly Syria. He was one of the

bitterest enemies of the Prophet and very hostile towards Islam in its early stages. He

indirectly brought about the battle of Badr in 2 AH. He asked the Quraish for protection

against a possible interception by the Prophet to his trade caravan from Syria which belonged

to the Quraish. Although the caravan was safe, the Quraish insisted on fighting. He led the

Quraish armies at the battles of Uhad in 3 AH and Trench in 5 AH. On his request the

Prophet granted the Quraish 500 gold coins and asked the chief of Najad, Thamana bin Uthal

to provided them with wheat and other eatables when Arab was struck with a terrible famine.

He went to Madinah and tried to convince first Umm Habiba, then Abu Bakar, Umar, Usman

and Ali and finally to the Prophet to renew the Treaty of Hudabiya in 8 AH. At the conquest

of Makkah those assembled in the House of Abu Sufiyan were granted security. He finally

accepted Islam after much opposition, after the conquest of Makkah in 8 AH. He took part in

the expeditions to Hunain, Ta’if and Tabuk. He was given one hundred camels and forty

ounces of gold from the booty of the Battle of Hunain by the Prophet. His daughter Umm

Habiba was married to the Prophet.

iv) Ansar were the people of Madinah, mainly form the tribe of Khazraj, who received

and helped the Prophet after his migration to Madinah. They accepted Islam and the Prophet

as their leader and invited him and his followers to live in Madinah. They were given the title

of Ansar to distinguish them from the emigrants (Muhajireen), who were mainly dependant

upon their help and support after their migration to Madinah. The Ansar accepted the

Muhajireen as their brothers in the bond of brotherhood established by the Prophet which

came to be known as Maukhat. Abu Ayub bin Ansari accepted Musab bin Umair from the

Biological Account

Real name: Sakhr bin Harb


Died in: 33 AH

After the Prophet’s death

He heard and reported 100 traditions. During the reign of Abu Bakar, he was made the

governor of Najran and Hijaz. He took part in the battles of Yarmuk and Ajnadin during

the Caliphate of Umar.


After the Prophet’s death, he distanced himself from the affairs of the time except for

when Bait-ul-Maqadas was conquered during the reign of Umar, he called the Azan there.



Muhajireen as his brother, Utban bin Malik accepted Umar from the Muhajireen as his

brother and Aus bin Thabit accepted Usman from the Muhajireen as his brother as his

brother. Each Ansar helped his Muhajireen brother and shared his wealth and property with

him. The Muhajireen who were in a dire economic state were financially uplifted. At

Madinah they helped the Prophet in the battles fought against the unbelievers i.e. the Battle of

Badr in 2 AH, Uhad in 3 AH, Trench in 5 AH, Expedition to Khyber in 7 AH, Conquest of

Makkah, Battle of Hunain and the Siege of Ta’if in 8 AH and the Tabuk Expedition in 9 AH.


They gave up their claims that the first Caliph should be an Ansar and pledged their

loyalty to Abu Bakar who was from the Muhajireen.



Muhajireen (The Emigrants)

Muhajireen is the term applied to those followers of the Holy Prophet who migrated from

Makkah to Madinah with him. The term Muhajireen does not apply to the Prophet himself.

They accepted Islam during its initial stages. They included the people of Makkah as well as

people form other places e.g. Sohaib Rumi form the Roman Empire and Sulaiman Farsi from

the Persian Empire. They were tortured and persecuted by the unbelievers specially those

who were socially or financially week. Bilal was made to lie under the scorching sun on the

hot desert sands and lashed at night by this master Umaiyah bin Khalaf and he used to lash

him at night. Khubab bin Arat was made to lie on burning coals. But the Muhajireen

remained steadfast and did not abandon their faith. They migrated to Abyssinia twice when

the persecutions of the Quraish became unbearable. In the 5th

Year of Prophethood, 11 men

and 4 women migrated followed by 18 women and 83 men in the next year. They secretly

migrated to Madinah in small batches leaving behind their properties, riches and houses. At

Madinah they helped the Prophet in the battles fought against the unbelievers i.e. the Battle of

Badr in 2 AH, Uhad in 3 AH, Trench in 5 AH, Expedition to Khyber in 7 AH, Conquest of

Makkah, Battle of Hunain and the Siege of Ta’if in 8 AH and the Tabuk Expedition in 9 AH.

The Quran says, “Those who believed and those who suffered exile and fought in the path of

Allah, they have the hope of mercy of Allah.” The Four Rightly Guided Caliphs i.e. Abu

Bakar, Umar, Usman and Ali were also from the Muhajireen.



Hazrat Hamza

When Hamza on come to know that Abu Jahl insulted the Prophet, he became enraged, went

to Abu Jahl, hit him on the head and accepted Islam during the 6th year of Prophethood. He

was known for his bravery throughout Arabia and his conversion encouraged the Muslims.

Hamza used to pray openly at Ka'aba along with Umar. He shared the persecution and

hardships with the Prophet at Makkah. He migrated with the Prophet to Madinah. His bond of

brotherhood was with Zaid bin Haritha. He was the first person to be entrusted with the

Banner of Islam when the Prophet sent an expedition of 30 men to check a caravan of the

non-believers in 2 A.H. He was appointed the leader of the army by the Prophet which laid

siege to the Jewish tribe Banu Qaynuka for fifteen days. During the battle of Badr in 2.A.H

he participated in the individual combat and killed Utbah, Sh’aybah, Aswad bun Abu-ul-Asad

and Tuaiyna (uncle of Jabar bin Multin) during the course of the battle. Hamza also fought

courageously in the battle of Uhad in 3.A.H during which he killed Arat bin Shurahbil, Siba

bin Abul Huza before he was killed by Washi, a slave of Jabar bin Multin. He was given the

title of Syed-us-Shuhada by the Prophet when he gave the funeral prayer of the martyrs of

Uhad.

Zaid bin Sabit

He accepted Islam at the tender age of 11. He was forbidden by the Prophet from taking part

in the battles of Badr in 2 AH and Uhad in 3 AH due to his young age and therefore did not

take part in them. He participated in the digging of the Trench at the battle of Khandak. He

was a witness of the signing of the Treaty of Hudabiya in 6 AH. He was the standard bearer

of his tribe Banu Najam, when Makkah was conquered. He also took part in the battle of

Tabuk. He learnt foreign languages such as Persian, Hebrew and Syriac corresponded with

the Jew on the Prophet's behalf. He was the chief scribe of the Prophet and learnt the Holy

Quran by heart. He was the first Ansar to take pledge of alliance to Abu Bakar as the

Prophet's Caliph. He took part in the Battle of Yamamah fought against false prophet

Musailamah after which he was appointed head of commission by Abu Bakar to compile the

Holy Quran in the form of a single book to preserve the Holy Quran for generations to come;

and later by Usman to make a revised and accurate collection of the Holy Quran during his

regime to remove the conflicts and misunderstandings which may have risen in the Muslim

Community with regards to the difference in dialect of the Holy Quran in the newly

conquered areas. His knowledge of the Quran is confirmed by this statement of Umar. "O

people! Whosoever wants to ask about Quran, let him go to Zaid bin Sabit." He was made

judge of Madinah during Umar's Caliphate. During the time of the draught he was appointed

by Umar to prepare a survey if the famine struck families and to distribute provisions to

Biological Account

Titles: Asadullah (Lion of Allah); Syed-us-Shuhada (Prince of the Martyrs)


Relationship with the Prophet: Paternal uncle; maternal cousin; foster brother

Father’s Name: Abu Muttalib

Mother’s Name: Hala bint Wahab

Died in: 3 AH



them. He was made the in charge of Bait-ul-Maal by Usman during his regime as Caliph.

When he died in 665 AD Abu Hurayrah said "Today a scholar of this Ummah has died."

Biological Account


Tribe: Khazraj

Died in: 665 AD



a) Identify the ten blessed companions. [8]

b) Explain why they were known by this name. [2]

c) Write brief notes on the lives of any three of these companions who did not

become Caliphs. [2×3]

(Nov 2005) a) 1)- Abu Bakar, the First Caliph

2)- Umar, the Second Caliph

3)- Usman, the Third Caliph

4)- Ali, the Fourth Caliph

5)- Abdur Rehman bin Auf

6)- Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah

7)- Tulha bin Ubaidullah

8)- Zaid bin Al-Awwam

9)- Saad bin Abi Waqas

10)- Saeed bin Zaid

b) They were all from the Quraish who were amongst the early converts to Islam and

had therefore experienced persecution at the hands of the Makkans. When these persecutions

became unbearable all of them migrated either to Abyssinia or Madinah. They took part in

most battles fought during the lifetime of the Prophet, particularly during the Battles of Uhad

and Hunain where they formed a protective guard around the Prophet. Once while all of them

were with the Prophet at the Mount of Uhad he promised them they would be spared the final

judgment and gave them the glad tidings of Paradise after this life. They were therefore called

the Ten Blessed Ones, Ashara mubashshara.

c) Tulha bin Ubaidullah:

He was amongst the early converts who accepted Islam at the hands of Abu Bakar. He

endured the persecutions of the Quraish at Makkah in particular when he and Abu Bakar

were left tied together on the ground. He migrated to Madinah shortly after the Prophet’s own

migration and accompanied Prophet’s wife and his two unmarried daughter Umm Kulthum

and Fatima. He took part in battles fought during at lifetime of the Prophet except for the

battle of Badr in 2 AH as he and Syed bin Zaid were sent to inquire the whereabouts of the

caravan of Abu Sufiyan. At the battle of Uhad in 3 AH, helped the Prophet get out of a tunnel

he had fallen into and protected the Prophet from sword piercing his head during which he

permanently wounded two fingers of his hand. He was therefore given the unique title of the

“living martyr” by the Prophet. He was a successful merchant and spent his wealth in the way

of Allah which earned him the title of Fayyaz, the generous. He also protected the Prophet at

the battle of Hunain in 8 AH. During the Caliphate of Abu Bakar he was commander of one

of the 11 armies assembled to crush the apostasy movement. He was on the panel of six

appointed by Umar to appoint the next Caliph on his death bed. He initially swore his alliance

to Ali as the fourth Caliph but then turned against him for delaying the punishment for the

assassins of Usman and together with Zubair bin Awwam raised an army. He was martyred

by one of the rebels in 35 AH in the Battle of Camel in the clash between the two sides.



Zubair bin Al-Awwam: He was amongst the early converts who accepted Islam at the hands of Abu Bakar. He

endured the persecutions of the Quraish at Makkah and was forced to migrate to Abyssinia

and then to Madinah. He took part in the battles fought during the lifetime of the Prophet

including the Battles of Uhad in 3 AH and Hunain in 8 AH where he protected the Prophet.

He also took part in the individual combats at the Battle of Uhad. He was given the title of

Hawari-e-Rusool or helper of the Prophet on account of his services as a spy at the Battle of

Trench. At the Khyber Expedition in 7 AH, he killed the well-known warrior Yasir. He was

amongst the leaders of the Muslim army at the Conquest of Makkah in 8 AH. During the

regime of Abu Bakar, he was appointed as the commander of one of the 11 armies assembled

to crush the apostasy movement. He was made Amir-ul-Hajj by Umar during his Caliphate.

Although he had supported Ali’s appointment as the first Caliph of Islam, but he turned

against him for delaying the punishment for the assassins of Usman and together with Tulha

bin Ubaidullah raised an army. He was martyred by one of the rebels in 35 AH in the Battle

of Camel in the clash between the two sides.

Saeed bin Zaid: He was amongst the early converts to Islam. He endured the persecutions of the Quraish at

Makkah and migrated north to Madinah. He took part in battles fought during at lifetime of

the Prophet except for the battle of Badr in 2 AH as he and Tulha bin Ubaidullah were sent to

inquire the whereabouts of the caravan of Abu Sufiyan. He participated in the Battles of Uhad

in 3 AH and Hunain in 8 AH where he protected the Prophet. He took part in the conquest of

Palestine and Syria during the reign of Umar as Caliph. He was also appointed as the

governor of Syria but he resigned from his post due to his love for Jihad. He suggested to

Umar to nominate his successor as Caliph on his death bed. He died in 50 AH.

Abdur Rehman bin Auf

His real name was Abu Amr. He was amongst the early converts who accepted Islam at the

hands of Abu Bakar. He endured the persecutions of the Quraish at Makkah and was forced

to migrate to Abyssinia twice and then to Madinah. At Madinah he did not take anything

from his brother Saad Ibn al-Rabi after the bond of brotherhood but choose to sell cheese and

butter in the market and eventually became wealthy enough to send out trading caravans. He

is reported to have donated 40,000 dirhams to charity. He took part in all the battles fought

against the Quraish at Madinah. At the Battle of Badr in 2 AH, he shared a joint camel with

Abu Bakar and Umar and also killed Umair bin Usman. He received 21 wounds while

protecting the Prophet in the battle of Uhad in 3 AH and also protected him at the Battle of

Hunain in 8 AH. He led the expedition of 700 men against Damut al-Jandal in 6 AH. He

consoled the Prophet after the passing away of his son Ibrahim. He donated 8000 dinar at the

expedition to Tabuk in 9 AH. He led the Fajr prayer at the expedition of Tabuk in the

Prophet’s absence. When the Prophet arrived late, he was content to take his place behind

Abdur Rehman. After the Prophet’s death, he played a prominent part in electing Abu Bakar

as the first Caliph of Islam. He was appointed Amir-ul-Hajj during the Caliphates of Abu

Bakar, Umar and Usman. He led prayer during Umar regime when Umar became seriously

injured. He has amongst the six members appointed by Umar to succeed him as Caliph. He

later pulled out of the commission and instead became election commissioner and honestly

and fairly appointed Usman as the next Caliph. He died in 31 AH.



Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah

His real name was Amir. He was amongst the early converts who accepted Islam at the hand

of Abu Bakar. He endured the persecutions of the Quraish at Makkah and was forced to

migrate to Abyssinia and then to Madinah. He took part in the battles fought during the

lifetime of the Prophet including the Battle of Badr in 2 AH during which he first took part in

the individual combats and then killed his own father. He protected the Prophet at the Battle

of Uhud in 3 AH and lost two of his teeth while extracting metal links form the body of the

Prophet with his teeth. He also protected the Prophet at the Battle of Hunain in 8 AH. He was

the commander of one of the four squadrons at the Conquest of Makkah. In the last year of

the Prophet’s life, he led expeditions to Dhu- al Qassa and al-Khabat. He took part in the

expedition to Syria just before the Prophet’s death. The Prophet gave him the title of Amin-

ul-Ummat and sent him to act as a judge in disputes for the Christian delegation of Najran

after their visit to Madinah. He was one of the scribes of the Holy Prophet. After the

Prophet’s death he played a major role in ensuring the election of Abu Bakar as Caliph

although Abu Bakar nominated his name along with Umar as the Caliph. He led successful

expeditions to Syria and Iran during Abu Bakar’s reign as Caliph. During the Caliphate of

Umar, he was the commander of the Muslim armies at the Conquest of Palestine and Syria.

He died in Syria in 18 AH because of plague.

Saad bin Abi Waqas

He was one of those who accepted Islam at the hands of Hazrat Abu Bakr at early stage.

He accepted Islam at the age of 17. He was the maternal uncle of Prophet. The Prophet said:

“Saad is my uncle. Let a man show his maternal uncle to me”. His mother, Hamna, had

threatened that she would die of starvation if he had not abandon his new faith i.e. Islam, but

he remained steadfast. In early years of Islam, he was among those Muslims who went to

pray outside the Makkah in order to avoid Quraish’s persecution. They were interrupted by

some people of town and when the two groups came to blows, Saad wounded an opponent

and drew the first blood in the Islamic history. He supported the Prophet and all the members

of Banu Hasim during the days of social boycott. And he was also one of those who migrated

to Medina. After the migration, he took part in all early battles and fought bravely in all those

battles. In Battle of Badr, he killed Saeed bin Aas. In Uhad he was one of those who

protected the Prophet when the other fled from ground. Abdullah bin Qama struck Prophet

with stones and he fell in cave. The Prophet said Saad to throw arrows on enemies. Saad

threw a thousand arrows on enemies. Then the Prophet said: “O’ Saad shoot arrows, my

father and mother will be sacrificed on you”. He was present at the occasion of Bait-e-

Ridwan, and took pledge of it, and Treaty of Hudaibiya and Conquest of Makkah and took

part in it. He was a wealthy and generous man. During Farewell Hajj, he felt ill and when the

Prophet visited him, he said to Prophet that he wanted to give two-third of his wealth in the

way of Allah but the Prophet advised him to give one-third.

After the death of Prophet, he was a member of Majlis-Shura - (advising council) set

by Abu Bakr. He took part in battles fought against Apostasy Movement. He was a Scribe of

Prophet. During the reign of Umar, he was commander in chief of the forces sent for Battle of

Qadsia and Madain and conquered. He was one of the six members appointed by Umar to

choose new caliph. He founded Kufa and was appointed its governor by Usman. After the

death of Usman, he was requested to become Caliph but he refused. During Ali’s caliphate,

he remained impartial during civil war. He died in 54 AH at the age of about 80.



a) Briefly explain the importance of the scribes of the Holy Prophet. [4]

b) Outline the work they carried out in writing down the revelations. [4]

c) Describe the part played by Zaid bin Sabit in preserving the revelations after the

Prophet’s death. [8]

(May 2006)

a) The scribes of the Holy Prophet played a very important role in preserving the Islam

for generations to come. They were approximately 41 in number. They included the Four

Rightly Guided Caliphs i.e. Abu Bakar, Usman, Ali and Umar as well as Zaid bin Sabit,

Khalid bin Saeed, Ma’az bin Jabl, Ubaiy bin Kaab, Muawyia bin Abi Sufiyan, Shuarheel bin

Hasama and Abdullah bin Masud. Amongst these Umar, Ai, Zaid bin Sabit, Ma’az bin Jabl

and Ubaiy bin Kaab learnt the Holy Quran by heart on the Prophet’s persuasion. Female

scribes of the Holy Prophet included Ayesha, Hafsa, Umm Salama and Umm Warqa. They

remained close to the Prophet and became one of his dearest companions. It was due to this

close companionship that they became authorities on religious knowledge and were later able

to check the truthfulness on the copies of the Quran. Abdullah bin Masud was regarded as an

expert on reciting and interpreting the revelation. Zaid bin Sabit was appointed by Abu Bakar

as the head of the committee to make the first compilation of the Quran and then again by

Usman to make a revised collection of the Quran. The scribes were skilled in art of accurate

reading, science of phonetics and in shapes and forms of letters. Apart form the revelation,

they also wrote down the judgments made by the Prophet and the letters he sent out to the

emperors and the kings e.g. to Khusrau Pervez of Persia and Negus of Abyssinia, the treaties

such as the treaty of Hudabiya and the treaty of Najraur and other administrative measures

taken by the Prophet. The Quran says, “(It is) books held (greatly) in honor, exalted (in

dignity), kept pure and holy, written by the hands of scribes, honorable, pious and just.”

b) The Quran was revealed on the Prophet in a span of 23 years. During this period 114

Surahs were revealed on the Prophet and all of these were written by the scribes of the Holy

Prophet. The Prophet himself couldn’t write down the revelations because he was illiterate so

whenever a verse was revealed the Prophet learnt it by heart and then conveyed it to scribes

who were always near the Prophet to write down the revelations as soon as they heard it. The

Prophet also told them to write the verses after such and such Surah. This is called Tarteeb-e-

Tauqeefi. The scribes wrote down the revelations on different writing materials including

pieces of papyrus and leather, flat stones, palm leaves, shoulder blades and ribs of animals

and were memorized by men. The scribes tried their level best to preserve these revelations as

they were revealed as accurately as possible. They sacrificed their family, personal life and

worldly pursuits to achieve this.

c) Zaid bin Sabit was made head of the committee which included Umar, Ma’az bin

Jabl, Ubaiy bin Kaab and Abu Zaid by Abu Bakar during his Caliphate after the battle of

Yamamah against the false prophet Musailmah where 360 Huffaiz were martyred. Zaid

retrieved the revelations from pieces of papyrus and leather, flat stones, palm leaves, shoulder

blades and ribs of animals as well as from hearts of men and wrote them down on sheets

known as Suhuf. He also asked anyone who had any fragment of the Holy Quran to bring it

to Masjid-e-Nabvi. The person had to swear and bring two eye witnesses to that fact that the

verse was written down during the Prophet’s lifetime and at least two persons needed to have

that verse. The work was completed in one year. On Abu Bakar’s death, Umar took



possession of them. After Umar’s death in 644 AD, they were passed on to his daughter

Hafsa and the sheets came to be known as Mushuf-e-Hafsa.

During the reign of Usman, the Muslim Empire expanded. In 27 AH following the Battle of

Armenia, Huzaifa bin Yaman observed the difference in the dialect of Quran in newly

conquered areas and reported this to Usman. Usman entrusted Zaid bin Sabit to make an

accurate collection of the Quran. He was assisted by Abdullah bin Zubair, Abdur Rehman bin

Harith and Syed bin al-Aas. They carefully collected full text using methods that ensured the

authenticity of their work like preferring passages in Makkan dialect in case of conflict, as the

Quran ha been revealed in that dialect. They also consulted leading Muslims and finally

compared their work to the Suhuf of Hafsa to further ensure the correctness of what they

collected. They compiled their work in the form of a book and kept the original order of the

verses which were instructed to the Prophet by the angel Gabriel. The work was completed in

five years. One was kept at the capital, Madinah, and the remaining six were distributed to all

the provinces of the Muslim empire.



Identify the Wives of the Prophet [6]

b) Explain the importance of:

i. Khadijah during the lifetime of the Prophet [4]

ii. Ayesha in the years following the Prophet’s death [4]

(October 2004)

1) Hazrat Khatijah bin Khawalid

2) Hazrat Sawdah bint Zama’a

3) Hazrat Ayesha bint Abu Bakar

4) Hazrat Hafsa bint Umar

5) Hazrat Zainab bint Khuzayma

6) Hazrat Umm Salama

7) Hazrat Zaynab bint Jahsh

8) Hazrat Juwayriyya bint Harith

9) Hazrat Umm Habiba

10) Hazrat Safiyya bint Huyayy

11) Hazrat Maymuna bint al-Harith

12) Hazrat Rayhana bint Zaid

13) Hazrat Maria bint Qibtiya

i) Hazrat Khadijah inherited the wealth left for her by her father Khawalid bin Asad.

She had married twice before her marriage with the Prophet and had been widowed. Her first

interaction with Muhammad was when he took her merchandise to Syria and brought back

huge prophets. Maisra, the slave who accompanied him on his trip spoke highly of

Muhammad. She was so impressed that she proposed to him through her friend Nafeesa

which he accepted. At the time of marriage Muhammad was 25 years old while she was 40

years old. The Prophet and Khatijah were blessed with 6 children, two sons Qasim by whom

the Prophet had his kuniyat (Abul Qasim) and Abdullah and four daughters Zaynab,

Ruqayah, Umm Kulthum and Fatimmah and therefore had the honor of being the mother of

his only surviving children. Following her marriage to the Prophet, she provided him with the

financial support by placing his wealth at his disposal which enabled the Prophet to spend

more time meditating in the cave of Hira. She was a loving and devoted wife. She stood by

him in times of trouble. When the first revelation came she supported and comforted him and

took him to her cousin Waraqa bin Naufal who assured the Prophet that he had been ordained

by Allah to be His messenger. She supported the Prophet’s mission and was the first person

to accept Islam. She was the only wife of the Prophet who endured the persecutions of the

Makkans particularly during the Boycott of Banu Hashim from the seventh to the tenth year

of Prophet Hood. She died in 10th

year of Prophet Hood and that year is marked in the Islamic

calendar as the “Year of Sorrow”. The Prophet said about Hazrat Khatijah, “She was the only

wife who believed in me when others rejected me. When people refused to believe me she

affirmed my truthfulness. When people refused to believe me, she affirmed my truthfulness.

When I stood forsaken, she spent my wealth to lighten the burden of my sorrow.



ii) Hazrat Ayesha is one of the most prominent wives of the Holy Prophet. The

Prophet spent a lot of time with her and even died in her lap and was buried in her apartment.

This enabled Hazrat Ayesha to become an authority on religious matters. She heard and

reported 2,210 Hadith. She had an excellent memory. When Saad in Abi Waqas died, Hazrat

Ayesha suggested that his funeral prayers should be offered in the Prophet’s mosque. People

objected but Hazrat Ayesha said, “How week is peoples’ memory. The Prophet offered the

funeral prayer of Suhail bin Baidha in his mosque. Companions of the Prophet would ask her

if they had any difficulty in religious matters. Abu Mus Al Ashar said, “It never happened

that the companions of the Prophet had asked Ayesha about difficult religious and she had

not given us knowledge about it.” Speaking of her knowledge Imam Zuhri said, “If the

knowledge of all wives was put together, the knowledge of Khatijah would exceed them.”

She was an important advisor to Abu Bakar and Umar, the first two Caliphs of Islam. She

disagreed with some polices of Usman that he appointed inefficient relatives as governors in

four provinces and was too lenient towards them. She also alleged Usman that he had spent

on his relatives from the Bait-ul-Maal. But when Akhter Nakhai, the rebel leader suggested

that Usman should be killed, she strongly opposed it. She disagreed with Ali over the

punishment of the assassinators of Usman when he delayed taking action against them. She

supported Tulha and Zubair when they raised an army in the cry of vengeance for Usman’s

killers and met Ali’s armies at Basra. She participated in the battle while riding on a camel.

The battle is therefore known as the Battle of Camel in which 10,000 Muslims were killed

from either side. Many Muslims, particularly the Shias believe that this caused the first major

conflict amongst the Muslim Community.

Biological Account

Titles: Tahira (the pure)


Father’s Name: Khawalid bin Asad

Mother’s Name: Fatima bint Za’dah

Kuniyat name: Umm Hind

First Marriage: Abu Hala bin Zurarah

Second Marriage: Ateeq bin Aidh Makzumi

Died in: 621 AD

Buried in: Makkah



Hazrat Ayesha (during the Prophet’s lifetime)

(May 2004)

Hazrat Ayesha was the daughter of Abu Baker, the fist Caliph of Islam. The Prophet knew

her due to his frequent visits to her father’s home and she was only 9 years old at the time of

her marriage to Muhammad, though the couple did not become man and women until later.

Khawala bin Ateeq suggested the marriage. The marriage further strengthened the ties of the

Prophet with his close friend Abu Bakar The marriage took place in the month of Shawal

which swept away a superstition that prevailed in ht Arab society of not marrying their

daughters in the month of Shawal because a plague had broken out during this month in

previous time. She was always a strong personality and her beauty and lively character

attracted the Prophet towards her. One occasion, however, she caused him embarrassment

when she got lost while accompanying the Prophet in the expedition of Banu Mustaliq while

looking for her locket, she had lost. She was eventually brought home by a young, handsome

man by the name of Safwan bin Muattal who came across her while she was waiting in the

desert which caused scandal in the Muslim society, mainly propagated by Abdullah bin

Ubaiy. But Allah in Surah-al-Nur proved her innocence. She participated in the Battle of

Uhad where she fed water to the wounded Muslims. She was one of the scribes of the

Prophet. She nursed him during his final days and he even died in her lap. Many chapters of

the Holy Quran were revealed in her apartment and the Prophet was also buried there. She

was an authority on religious knowledge and narrated 2,210 traditions. Speaking of her

knowledge Imam Zuhri said, “If the knowledge of all the wives was put together the

knowledge of Ayesha would exceed them all.

Hazrat Hafsa

(October 2007)

Hazrat Hafsa was the daughter of Umar, the second Caliph of Islam. She first migrated to

Abyssinia and then to Madinah for the sake of Islam with her husband, Khunais. The Prophet

marred her in 3 AH in order to cement his ties with Umar. She was one of the scribes of the

Prophet and amongst the four women who had committed the Holy Quran to memory. She

was a custodian of the Quran which was compiled during the caliphate of Abu Bakar. Hafsa

was entrusted with this duty because she was illiterate (could read and write), a hafiz,

daughter of Umar who was the custodian of the Quran before her and a wife of the Prophet.

The collection came to be known as the Mushuf-e-Hafsa. Much of her time was spent in

reading and writing. Among the wives of the Prophet her knowledge was next to Ayesha

only. She used to impart education to those who came to her for this purpose. She heard and

narrated 60 traditions before her death in 45 AH.

Biological Account

Titles: Humaira (complexion was bright red); Sadiqa (daughter of Abu Bakar who was

known as Sadique)


Father’s Name: Abu Bakar

Mother’s Name: Zainab

Kuniyat name: Umm Abdullah

Mehr: 500 dirhams

Died in: 58 AH

Buried in: Jannat-al-Baqi in Madinah



Biological Account


Father’s Name: Umar bin Khattab

Mother’s Name: Zainab bin Muzuan

First Marriage: Khunais

Died in: 45 AH

Buried in: Jannat-al-Baqi in Madinah



He belonged to a poor Yamanite family. He used to tend the herds of a wealthy lady, Busra.

One day, he found a cat in the forest and enjoyed its company. The companionship of the two

became known to the people and people called him Abu Huraira, Father of cat. His real name

was Abd Shams before his conversion to Islam. He was given the name of Abdur Rehman by

the Prophet after his conversion to Islam. He accepted Islam at the preaching of Tufal bin

Amr Dousi in 7 AH at the time of Battle of Khyber. He was one of the people of Suffaa and

spent most of his time in learning. He learnt Persian and Coptic languages. The Prophet said,

‘Abu Huraira is a reservoir of knowledge of my Ummah’. He used to write the sayings of

the Prophet and narrated 5374 Ahadiths that is the highest record. Abu Huraira also

responded to the criticism made by people on him that how he learnt so much Ahadiths in

just 4 years by saying, ‘The people are critical of my reports. They say I narrate reports

which Muhajreen and Ansar have no knowledge but they ignore an important point.

Muhajreen were busy in their business and Ansar in farming. I being a poor person spent

whole of my time in the company of Prophet as I have no family’. Moreover his memory

was excellent. He had a habit of questioning. One of his students, Humam bin Munnabih,

collected and compiled Ahadiths reported by Abu Huraira. This is known as Sahjfa-Sahiha

Humam bin Munabih (contains 138 Ahadiths). He taught Hadith in Prophet’s mosque after

Prophet’s death. He was appointed governor of Baharain during Umar’s caliphate and

governor of Medina during Mawia’s regime. He was pious, generous and a contended person.

He died in 678 AD in the age of 75 years.

HAZARAT ABU HURAIRA

Real name before accepting Islam: Abd Shams

Real name after accepting Islam: Abdur Rehman

Kuniat: Abu Huraira

Tribe: Dous

Death: 678 AD



Sulaiman was born in Jayy near Isphan in the house of Yuzakhsan. Therefore he was known

as Farsi. His parents were fire worshipper. He was true seeker of true religion. He travelled

many cities and countries for this purpose. He first of all adopted Christianity and read all the

books of Christianity. He went to Syria and met bishop of Damascus, then Musal and its

bishop, then Nasiben and its bishop and then Amuria and the bishop of Amuria told Sulaiman

that the last prophet will come in Arab and you should go there. He travelled with a great

caravan and he was sold as a slave to a Jew of Banu Quraiza. Then he arrived Medina and

met the Prophet and accepted Islam. The Prophet denoted 40 ounces gold and asked his

companions to plant 300 date palm trees and he was set free by his slave as he wanted 40

ounces gold and 300 date palm trees to free him. He was one of the people of Suffaa. He did

not participate in the battle of Badr and Uhad on account of his slavery because his master

did not allow him to participate in those battles. Sulaiman suggested to dig a trench around

Medina to protect it from the Quraish attack. The Prophet accepted his advice and dug trench.

Sulaiman took part in all the remaining important battles. He was present at the Bait-e-

Ridwan, Treaty of Hudabiya, Farewell Hajj and Conquest of Makkah. The Prophet said about

him, ‘Sulaiman is a member of my family’. Sulaiman was a very learned person and

knowledgeable companion and narrated 60 Ahadiths. He was one of the Prophet’s

bodyguards. The Prophet said, ‘Every Prophet had 7 guardians but I have been given 14

and Sulaiman was one of them’.

After the Prophet’s death, he was a member of advisory council of Abu Bakr and Umar. He

participated in the battles fought against Iranians during the caliphate of Umar ( Qadsiya,

Madain ). After the conquest of Madain, he was appointed the governor of Madain. He died

in 35 AH in Madain.

Hazrat Sulaiman Farsi

Real name: Maabah

Kuniat: Abu Abdullah

Tittle: Sulaiman Al Khair (virtuous)

Bond of Brotherhood: Abu Darda

Death: 35 AH



Fatimah

Fatima was born in 605 AD and was the fourth and youngest daughter of the Prophet. She

was brought up by the Prophet and she stood beside him during stressful time at Makkah and

Madinah. She would to wash the Prophet’s head when the unbelievers threw dirt on him, and

after Uqba bin Abu Muyeet placed the fetus of a she camel on the Prophet’s back while he

was prostrating at the Ka’aba. She tended to the Prophet’s wounds when he was wounded in

the battle of Uhad in 3 AH. The Prophet once said to her, “You are the highest of the women

in the people in Paradise, except for Maryam, daughter of Imran.” When Jami bin Omair

asked her aunt Ayesha who amongst the people was dearest to the Prophet she replied Fatima

and when he asked about men she replied Her husband. Ayesha said, “The Prophet loved

Fatimah dearly: whenever he went on a journey he came to her first and whenever he

returned, he returned to her first, he rose whenever Fatimah came and would make her sit by

his side.” She migrated to Madinah with her stepmother Sawdah bint Zama’a and two sisters

Ruqqiya and Umm Kulthum. She was married to Hazrat Ali, a cousin of the Prophet in 2 AH.

Like other Muhajireen they too faced extreme poverty. She gave birth to the Prophet’s only

surviving descendants, Hasan in 3 AH and Husain in 4 AH, from where the line of Shia

Imams began. She was also the mother of Mushin, who died in childhood and three daughters

Ruqqiya who died in infancy, Umm-e-Kulthum and Zainab. She was given the title of al-

Zuhra, the Shinning One. When the Prophet heard of Ali re-marrying she said, “Fatimah is

part of my flesh, whosoever causes her anger, causes my anger.” After the Prophet’s death

she argued at the election of Abu Bakar over her husband Ali. She had, however, been

foretold by the Prophet, in his last illness that she would be the first one form his family to

follow him and accordingly she died on 3rd

Ramadan 11 AH, just six months after her father.

Shias have given her the title Sayyadun Nissa, the model of womanhood and believe that

after the final judgment she will secure entry into Paradise for her supporters. She has been

attributed with the Tasbeeh-e-Fatimah i.e. Subhan Allah 33 times, Al-hamad-ul-illah 33 times

and Allah-hu-Akbar 34 times.

Hasan

Hasan was born to Ali and Fatimah on 15th

Ramadan, 3 AH and was named by the Prophet

himself, meaning the beautiful one. He is also known as “Shabbar” which in Herbew

language means handsome. His early childhood was spent in the company of the Prophet and

would listen to him reciting the Quran and would immediately learn it by heart. The Prophet

loved him dearly and would allow him to climb on his back while prostrating and would

interrupt his sermon to some down from the minar to pick him up when he tripped over. He

would also pick him up on his shoulder and say “O Allah I love him so love him.” He was

just eight years old when the Prophet and his mother passed. He was therefore brought up by

Ali. He took part in the expeditions to Central Asia and North Africa during Usman’s reign as

Caliph. He and his brother Husain were sent by their father to provide Usman with food when

he was besieged in his house in 35 AH. During his father’s Caliphate he was sent to Kufa to



seek reinforcements during his struggle against Tulha, Zubair and Ayesha. He also supported

his father in the Battle of Siffin and Naharwan and was also in charge of the Bait-ul-Maal

during Ali’s regime. After the assassination of Ali in 40 AH he was proclaimed Caliph and

nearly 40,000 people took oath of loyalty to him but Muawiya, the governor of Syria and

Egypt rejected and went in battle against him on the border of Syria. Due to his reluctance to

fight against fellow Muslims, and desertions of his army which continued even after his

20,000 men reached the borders of Syria who were bribed by spies of Muawiya, he was

forced to abdicate the office of Caliphate after negotiations with Muawiya, spending less then

a year in office thereby fulfilling the following prophecy of the Prophet who said, “Verily this

progeny of mine is Sayyad and perchance Allah will bring out compromise between two big

parties of the Muslims through him.” He settled in Madinah and died in 50 AH. It is said that

he was poisoned by one his wives Judah who was been bribed with promises to money and

marriage to his son, Yazid by Muawiya. Shias regard him as the second Imam and accept that

he is sinless and perfect in all his actions. They also credit him with miracles.

Husain

Husain was born to Ali and Fatimah on 4th

Shawal, 4 AH and was named by the Prophet

himself, meaning the little beautiful one. His earl childhood was spent in the company of the

Prophet. The Prophet loved him dearly and would allow him to climb on his back while

prostrating and would interrupt his sermon to some down from the minar to pick him up

when he tripped over. The Prophet said, “Husain belongs to me and I to Husain. May Allah

love him who loves Husain.” He further said, “Hasan and Husain are my flowers in the

world.” He was just seven years old when the Prophet and his mother passed. He was

therefore brought up by Ali. He took part in the expeditions to Central Asia and North Africa

during Usman’s reign as Caliph. He and his brother Hasan were sent by their father to

provide Usman with food when he was besieged in his house in 35 AH. He supported his

father in the Battles of Camel, Siffin and Naharwan. He was against the Hassan’s abdication

of the office of Caliphate to Muawiya. In 60 AH Yazid, succeeded his father Muawiya on his

death as Caliph. But Husain refused to take oath of allegiance to him and left Madinah for

Makkah since he did not want his grandfather’s city to become a battlefield. He reached

Makkaho0n 3rd

Shaban 60 A.H. Here se sent his cousin Muslims bin Aqil to Kufa to check on

the support from Kufa, who invited him into their city. He replied positively and said that the

people of Kufa wanted him to come and offered him all their support, but immediately after

sending the reply he was killed by the Umayyad Governor loyal to Yazid. Yazid bribed the

leaders of the town and they withdrew their support form Husain. Although leading Muslims

advised against this, Husain, when he knew of this, went to Kufa with his 72 supporters and

on 2nd

Muharram 61 AH, camped at a desert called Kabala. He was heavily outnumbered by

Yazid’s 4,000 men. On 7th

, Yazid’s forces cut off all supplies of water to them and did not

allow even a single drop of water to reach them. After three days all of Hussains’s supporters

were martyred and he was left alone in the battlefield. He went to his sick son Zain-ul-

Abideen to hand over the charge of Imamat to him and went back into the battlefield and was

brutally martyred.



Write an account of the major contributions made to Islam by Abu Bakar

i. during the lifetime of the Prophet [6]

ii. during his caliphate [6]

b) Explain why he was known as the Honest One (al-Siddiq), and the Savior of

Islam. [4]

(May 2005)

i) He had been the prophet’s friend since childhood and accompanied the Prophet during

his trade journeys. He became the first free adult male to accept Islam. After his conversion

he convinced his friends including Usman, Zubair, Tulha, Abdur Rehman, Saad bin Abi

Waqas and Abu Ubaidullah bin Jarrah to embrace Islam. He used his wealth to free slaves

including Bilal, Amir bin Fuhaira, Nahdra and Lubaina who were persecuted by their masters

for accepting Islam. He was the first person to confirm the Prophet’s statement about Miraj.

He also accompanied the Prophet during his migration from Makkah to Madinah and carried

all his wealth 5 to 6 thousand dirhams along. The Quran confirms this statement by saying,

“He being the two of them when they were in a cave.” He gave his daughter Ayesha to be the

Prophet’s wife. He remained loyal to the Prophet in all situations both in Makkah and in

Madinah. He paid the price for the land of the Prophet’s mosque in Madinah. He supported

the Prophet after the signing of the Treaty of Hudabiya even others including Hazrat Umar

were critical of some of the terms of the treaty. He took part in all the battles fought during

the lifetime of the Prophet including the Battle of Badr in 2 AH where he shared a joint camel

with Umar and Abdur Rehman bin Auf. He protected the Prophet at the Battle of Uhad in 3

AH and Hunain in 8 AH. At the Battle of Khandak in 5 AH where he was one of those

appointed at different spots by the Prophet to ensure that the pagans could not cross. At the

battle of Tabuk in 9 AH, he placed all his wealth at the disposal of the Prophet. He was

appointed Amir-ul-Hajj in when it first became obligatory and was appointed by the Prophet

as the leader of the Congregational prayer when the Prophet became ill. He was one of the

scribes of the Prophet and amongst the ten blessed companions.

ii) He exercised remarkable self-control while announcing the Prophet’s death and

consoled the Muslim community after his passing away. His first major decision as Caliph

was to continue the Prophet’s intention of sending an expedition north to Syria under Usama

despite opposition from the Muslims that Usama was inexperienced. But Abu Bakar chose

not to defy the Prophet’s commands and sent the expedition which proved to be very

successful. He forced the tribes who refused to pay Zakat e.g. Banu Asad, Banu Ghaftan and

Banu Abbas to pay Zakat. Abu Bakar had to face the appearance of false prophets. Four

persons namely Musailamah in central Arabia, Aswad Anasi in Yemen, Tulaiha in northern

Arabia who belonged to the tribe Banu Asad and Sijjaha, who belonged to the tribe Banu

Tamim, all declared their Prophethood but Abu Bakar fought them off and crushed their

rebellions. Some tribes of the Muslim community had apostatized. Abu Bakar collected his

troops divided them into 11 battalions each under the command of an experienced

commander and sent them to fight off the movement. The wars fought proved to be very

successful for the Muslims and the Apostasy Movement was crushed within a year. Abu

Bakar’s greatest contribution to Islam was the compilation of Quran after the death of many

Huffaiz in the various battles that took place to suppress the rebellions in the Muslim Empire

particularly during the Battle of Yamamah during which 360 Huffaiz were martyred. He took

Umar’s advice of compiling the Quran in the form of a book and entrusted Zaid bin Sabit,



one of the chief scribes of the Prophet, with this task. The compilation of the Quran was

completed in one year.

b) The Prophet claimed that he had been taken to the Ka’aba, Jerusalem and the heavens

all in one night and then back to his house at Makkah. When Abu Bakar came to know of this

he believed the Prophet without any hesitation. So on the account of confirming the Prophet’s

Night Journey and showing loyalty to him in all circumstances like accepting Islam without

any kinds of reluctance, showing trust in the Prophet at the Treaty of Hudabiya when many

were critical of the terms established and donating all his wealth at the time of Tabuk

expedition, the Prophet gave him the title of al-Siddiq i.e. the Testifier to the Truth.

Abu Bakar took the office of Khilafat at a critical time of Islamic history. He encouraged the

Muslims after the death of the Holy Prophet. Disunity amongst the Muslims, rise of false

prophets and rebellions in the Peninsula, threatened the existence of the newly established

Islamic State. But Abu Bakar fought of all these problems. He united the Muslims, eliminated

the false prophets, crushed the apostasy movement, put an end to the rebellions and forced

the tribes who had refused to pay Zakat, to pay Zakat. On the accounts of these services, Abu

Bakar was known as the Savior of Islam.

Mark Scheme:

(a) (i)

• He was the Prophet’s friend from childhood.

• He was one of the first to accept Islam.

• He brought others to accept Islam.

• He remained loyal to the Prophet at all times, good and bad.

• He expressed belief in the Prophet’s Night Journey.

• He bought slaves who were Muslim and freed them.

• He accompanied the Prophet on the hijra.

• He gave his daughter `A’isha to be the Prophet’s wife.

• He made a financial contribution to the expedition to Tabuk.

(ii)

• He steadied the mourning community after the Prophet’s death.

• He continued the Prophet’s intention to send expeditions to the north. [1 mark for the

basic point, and 1 extra mark for details]

• He fought against the tribes who withheld Zakat.

• He fought against the false prophets.

• These were Musaylima, Tulayha, Aswad al-Ansi and Sajjah. [1 mark, but 2 marks if

all four names are given]

• He arranged to have the first collection of the Qur’an made. [1 mark, but 2 marks for

details of how this happened]

(b)

• He was given the title of al-Siddiq after he declared without hesitation that he

believed the Prophet had been taken to Jerusalem on the Night Journey.

• It also suits his conduct of showing complete loyalty towards Muhammad.

• He was acknowledged as the Savior of Islam because of his efforts to keep the

community united, to resist the threat from tribes withdrawing from Islam, and to

destroy the false prophets. [1 mark, but 2 marks for all of these points]



Examiner’s Report:

This was a popular question, and it brought some very good answers, though there were also

some common errors.

(a) Most candidates were able to describe the two parts of Abu Bakr’s career very fully.

The best answers included the following points: he brought others to Islam, he accompanied

the Prophet on the hijra (this is referred to in the Qur’an), he remained loyal to the Prophet at

all times, during his caliphate he fought against the apostate tribes and against the false

prophets (three marks were allowed for details of this point, and some candidates gained

them by naming the four best-known false prophets and saying a little about them), and he

arranged a collection of the Qur’an. Some candidates seemed to mix him up with ‘Umar, and

so wrote about his financial arrangements for the empire, and about conquests that were made

not under him but under his successor.

(b) Few candidates answered this part well. While many explained how he earned the title

Savior of Islam by his quick actions to put down dissent and opposition to the young state,

very few linked the title al-Siddiq with his unhesitating expression of belief in the Prophet’s

Night Journey, though some linked it with his general character of trustworthiness.



Explain the importance of Umar

i. during the lifetime of the Prophet [6]

ii. during his caliphate [6]

b) What does the manner of Umar's death tell us about his character? [4]

(Nov 2006)

i) Following the declaration of Prophethood, Umar became the Prophet's bitterest

enemies. During the 6th Year of Prophethood, the Prophet prayed to Allah to strengthen

Islam by giving him Umar or Abu Jahl. Allah answered the Prophet's prayer during that same

year when Umar set out to kill the Prophet. On the way he heard the news of her sister Fatima

and her husband's conversion to Islam. He became furious and went to her sister's home and

attacked her and her husband while they were reciting the Holy Quran. On his insistence her

sister recited a few verses form Surah Taha. Immediately after listening to them, tears began

to flow from his eyes. He went to the Prophet and accepted Islam. Due to his reputation as a

strong and fearless fighter, his conversion encouraged the Muslims to pray openly in

Makkah. The Prophet therefore gave him the title of al-Farooq, i.e. the distinguisher between

right and wrong. He also protected the Prophet from attacks in Makkah and in doing so

became his close companion. Their ties were further strengthened when he gave his daughter

Fatima in marriage to the Prophet. Umar migrated to Madinah shortly before the Prophet's

own migration and openly declared that he was going to migrate. Even after migration he

stood beside the Prophet as a close companion. His bond of brotherhood was formed with

Utban bin Malik. He dreamt the word and method of Azan. He took part in all the battles

fought during the lifetime of the Prophet including the Battle of Badr in 2 AH where shared a

joint camel with Abu Bakar and Abdur Rehman bin Auf and killed his maternal uncle Aas-

bin-Asham. At the Battles of Uhad in 3 AH and Hunain in 8 AH he defended the Prophet. He

initially objected to terms and conditions of the Treaty of Hudabiya because they

disadvantaged the Prophet but eventually submitted to the Prophet's will. At the Tabuk

Expedition in 9 AH, he donated half of his entire wealth as war funds. He was one of those

scribes of the Prophet who learnt the Holy Quran by heart and amongst the ten blessed

companions.

ii) Umar was able to extend the Muslim empire to Persia following a series of battles. In

634 AD, Muslims under the command of Muthanna bin Harith and Khalid bin Waleed

defeated the Persians at the battle of Nammaraq. Muslims under Abu Ubaid-ath-Thaqafi lost

to the Persians that same year at the Battle of Bridge, they were again defeated by Saad bin

Abi Waqas at the Battle of Qadisiya in 637 AD following which Muslims captured Babal,

Kutha, Bahrahsher and Madain, the capital of Persia. The Persians were again defeated in the

same year by Nauman bin Maqqarin. The Persian threat was finally eliminated by Saad bin

Abi Waqas at the Battle of Nahawand in 642 AD. Syria was also added to the Muslim empire

during the reign of Umar when an army led by Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah, who replaced Khalid

bin Waleed during the battle, crushed the Romans in 636 AD at the Battle of Yarmuk. In 638

AD Amar bin al-Aas further extended the Muslim empire after the conquest of Egypt. Khalid

bin Waleed, Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah and Amr bin al-Aas also captured Jerusalem during the

reign of Umar. A peace treaty was signed between them and Muslims under which they were

given full religious and complete security of their life and property as long as they paid

Jiziya. Umar personally accepted the treaty and the agreements made formed the basis of the

later legislation about Dhimmies (non-Muslims living in Islamic state). Umar also brought

many other effective administrative changes to the Muslim empire such as the establishment



of a regular Majlis-e-Shura'a. Prominent companions attended the meetings of the council

where important issues were discussed. They included, Usman, Ali, Abdur Rehman bin Auf,

Zaid bin Sabit, Ma'az bin Zubair and Tulha. Other administrative changes brought up by

Umar included the division of the Muslim empire into provinces, separation of the judiciary

from the executives, organization of the army and Bait-ul-Maal, introduction of a vast and

effective Educational System, land reforms to promote agriculture, the departments of police,

jail post office, pension and allowance and the Islamic Calendar.

b) Umar was killed by a Persian slave named Abu Lu'lu'a who was known as Feroz. He

was the slave of Mugheera bin Shuba. The reason for killing Umar was that did not accept his

appeal to excuse him from paying a tax. Umar rejected this because he thought that the tax

could be paid by him since it was not that much. This incident completely describes Umar's

character. While he was extremely kind and generous towards the poor and needy he was also

very strict and refused to give anyone any concession if he felt that they were unnecessary

and not within the folds of Islam. He was stern about the observance of all religious duties.

Whatever he did was based on the teachings of Islam and did not hesitate for even a single

second to punish anyone who did not follow the teachings of Islam without thinking about

the consequences of his actions. Umar once imposed a punishment of 80 lashes on his own

son, Abu Salma for drinking wine. The punishment resulted in his son's death. On another

occasion when Umar met the Muslim commanders at Palestine who were dressed in silk, he

started throwing stones at them. It was these fearless tactics of Umar which caused his death

but because of these fearless tactics he also became one of the greatest rulers of the history of

mankind. The fact that Hazrat Ayesha sacrificed her own place of burial alongside the

Prophet for Umar further signifies that Umar was acknowledged by the whole Muslim

community as a great leader.

Mark Scheme:

(a) (i)

• He converted to Islam when he heard a passage of the Qur’an being recited [here

allow 1 mark for the basic point, and allow a further 1 mark for details, e.g. that he

was on his way to kill the Prophet; that he surprised his sister and her husband hearing

the Qur’an recited; that he was going to destroy this passage, but relented when he

read it].

• In Makka he had a reputation as a fierce and strong fighter.

• His conversion gave courage to the Muslims in Makka.

• In Makka he proved a great help because he was able to protect the Prophet from

attacks.

• He made the Hijra to Madina with the other Muslims.

• There he was always close to the Prophet in battles [allow a further 1 mark for details,

such as his defending the Prophet at Uhud, and his digging the trench before

Khandaq].

• His ties with the Prophet were strengthened when the Prophet married his daughter

Hafsa.

• He objected to the terms of the Treaty of al-Hudaybiya because they disadvantaged

the Prophet.

• He took part in the expeditions to the north that were organized towards the end of the

Prophet’s life.

(ii)



• He oversaw the expansion of the empire into Syria, Persia, Iraq and Egypt [allow 1

mark for the basic point, a further 1 mark for details, and an additional 1 mark for

names of battles and dates].

• He personally accepted the surrender of Jerusalem [1 mark for the basic point, and a

further 1 mark for details].

• The agreements he made with conquered non-Muslims formed the basis of later

legislation about Dhimmis.

• He oversaw many important administrative measures [1 mark for the basic point, a

further 1 mark for details such as the diwan which listed those entitled to pensions

from the state, the institution of the position of judge, and a further 1 mark for full

details of more than one of his measures].

(b)

• `Umar was killed by his slave (Abu Lu’lu’a).

• The reason was that he refused to excuse him from paying a tax.

• This is characteristic of `Umar’s total impartiality and refusal to allow concessions

even to those close to him.

• He was stern about the correct observance of all regulations [allow 1 mark for any

examples that illustrate this characteristic].

• He was buried near the Prophet, which shows he was held in high honor.

Examiner’s Report:

This was about the Caliph ‘Umar. In part (a) candidates were asked to describe his life (i)

during the Prophet’s lifetime, and (ii) during his caliphate. While there were some very

thorough answers, a surprising number of candidates did not appear to have a clear idea of

what distinguished ‘Umar. Some thought he was one of the earliest converts, or had married

two of the Prophet’s daughters (that was ‘Uthman). Others thought he had fought the false

prophets (that was Abu Bakr), or compiled the Qur’an. Through such mistakes they missed

easy marks.

Part (b) was more demanding, requiring candidates to know how ‘Umar died, and also to

suggest what this indicates about his character. A few did explain that his assassination by his

slave was the result of his refusal to give his slave special concessions, which shows his

unflinching fairness in treating everyone in exactly the same way (a trait that is exemplified

in a great number of his actions in his earlier life). But most either did not know how he had

died or failed to show how his assassination bore any significance as an indication to his

character.



Administration of Umar

Establishment of Majlis-e-Shura'a

Umar established a regular Majlis-e-Shura'a. Prominent companions attended the meetings of

the council where important issues were discussed. They included, Usman, Ali, Abdur

Rehman bin Auf, Zaid bin Sabit, Ma'az bin Zubair and Tulha.

Provinces and Governors For the smooth functioning of the administrative system, Umar divided the Islamic state into

several provinces; provinces into districts, districts into towns, Names of provinces were

Makkah, Basra, Kufa, Palestine and Egypt. He appointed experienced personnel as

administrators of the provinces and magistrate to run the affairs if the districts and towns.

Umar imposed certain restrictions on them and they were called during Hajj season.

Separation of Judiciary form Executives Umar was the first ruler who separated judiciary from executives. He was known as Al-

Farooq i.e. distinguisher between right and wrong. Judges were paid extra salaries. Names of

judges included Zaid bin Sabit, Abdullah bin Masud, Shuraih, Salman bin Rabiah.

Organization of Bait-ul-Maal Umar reorganized the entire system of Bait-ul-Maal on sound principals. Major resources of

Revenue were Zakat, Jiziya, Kharaj (land tax), Spoils of War, Ushar, Ashoor (custom duty).

Organization of the Army Umar encouraged the Muslims to enlist in the regular army of the

state. He also divided the army into regular and irregular personnel. They ere paid good

salaries and their families were given funds Umar did not allow military personnel to possess

land in conquered areas. Cantonments and Barracks were built in Madinah, Makkah, Kufa,

Damascus, Jordan, Palestine and Mosul. They were given holiday every four months to visit

their homes.

Education System Umar founded many schools in all provinces and towns for the promotion of knowledge in

Muslims. These schools were located in mosques where Quran, Hadith and Islamic law were

taught. Umar appointed Ubada bin Sabit, Ma'az bin Jabl, Adu Darda as teachers. They were

paid excellent salaries.

Administration of Land Umar introduced various land reforms for the promotion of agriculture. He ordered a

thorough survey of the lands and divided hem into plots and fixed taxes according to the

fertility of the soil and location of the land. Many canals were constructed for irrigational

purposes e.g. the Canal of Saad, Amir-ul-Momineen and Abu Musa Canal. Police, jail, post

office Umar introduced department of police, jail and post office for the smooth running of

the government.

Rights of Dhimmies Non-Muslims who were living in Islamic state were called Dhimmies and were given equal

rights, full security and freedom of religion as long as they paid Jiziya. Umar showed

kindness and charity to the non-Muslims. Once Umar saw as aged Christian begging to pay

Jiziya, Umar exempted him from paying Jiziya and granted him an allowance form Bait-ul-

Maal.



Pension and Allowance Umar introduced for the first time in the history of mankind, the allotment of pension to the

retired officials and disabled soldiers. He fixed allowances for the needy and physically

handicapped. This Department was called the "Department of Diwan."

Introduction of Islamic Calendar Umar introduced Islamic calendar concerning prayer, fasting, Zakat, Hajj and other religious

practices.



Importance during the lifetime of the Prophet

Usman was amongst the early converts, first amongst the Umayyads to Islam at the hands of

Abu Bakar and experienced persecutions from the Quraish, particularly from his uncle

Hakam who use to tie him up with a rope and beat him. The Prophet gave his daughter

Ruqayya in marriage to Usman. When the persecutions became unbearable, he decided to

migrate to Abyssinia and then to Madinah along with his wife, and at both places he worked

as a merchant and became quite rich. He purchased a well named Bir-i-Rumah from a Jew

for 20,000 dirhams and devoted it as free for use for the Muslims, following which the

Prophet gave him the glad tidings of Paradise. When Prophet’s mosque became too crowded

for the growing Muslim population, Usman answered the Prophet’s call and bought land for

its extension. He was given the title of al-Ghani, the Generous one, by the Prophet for

spending his wealth in the way of Islam. He took part in all the major battles fought during

the lifetime of the Prophet except for the Battle of Badr in 2 AH when he stayed behind to

take care of his sick wife, on the Prophet’s request. He also told him that he would get the

reward of participating in the battle. Following the death of Ruqayya, during the time of the

battle at Badr, the Prophet decided to marry his daughter Umm Kulthum in 2 AH to Usman

and he is therefore known as Zun Naorrain, the carrier of two lights. The Prophet said, “For

every apostle of Allah there was a constant companion and my companion in Paradise will be

Usman.” He protected the Prophet at the battle of Uhad in 3 AH and Hunain in 8 AH. When

Muslims went to perform Umra at the Ka’aba in 6 AH, he was appointed to negotiate with

the Quraish on the behalf of the Prophet. The unbelievers wrongly informed Muslims of

Usman’s murder following which the Prophet took the Bait-e-Ridwan form his companions

to avenge the murder of Usman. At the conquest of Makkah in 8 AH he rode beside the

Prophet on his entry in Makkah. At the Tabuk Expedition in 9 AH, he bore the expenses for

one third of the Muslim army and also gave away 1000 camels, 1000 Dinars and 50 horses,

following which the Prophet said, “Nothing will do any harm to Usman from this day,

whatever he does.” During the farewell pilgrimage in 10 AH, he was given the task of

escorting the Prophet’s wives. He could both read and write and was amongst the scribes of

the Holt Quran and the first one who learnt it by heart. He is also amongst the ten blessed

companions.

Biological Account


Real Name: Abu Amr

Father’s Name: Affan bin Abul-As

Mother’s Name: Fatima

Kuniyat name: Abu Abdullah

Bond of Brotherhood: Aus bin Sabit

Died in: 35 AH

Importance during the first two Caliphs

He was the second person after Umar to take an oath of allegiance at Abu Bakar’s hand at his

election as first Caliph of Islam. He served in the army sent by Abu Bakar under Usamah’s

command to Syria. During the apostasy movement, he remained by Abu Bakar’s side as his

advisor. He was a member of the Majlis-e-Shura’a during the time of both Abu Bakar and

Umar’s Caliphates. During the Caliphate of Umar, when his caravan carrying large supplies

of food arrived in Madinah at the time of famine, he distributed them for free amongst the

Muslims.



Importance during his Caliphate Usman took over the office of Caliphate and not only consolidated the areas conquered

during Umar’s regime by crushing the Roman rebellions in Alexandria (Egypt) and Syria

within a year but also extended the Muslim Empire by capturing and consolidating

Azerbaijan and Armenia by crushing the revolts in these areas. The Empire also extended

into North Africa in 27 AH when the Muslims conquered Tripoli, Tunisia, Morocco and a

part of Algeria under the rule of Abdullah bin Sarah. New areas like Hisraf, Gazni, Herat,

Kabul, Balkh, Samarkand, Tashkent, Sajestan, Arghiyan, Tukemanistan, Khurasan, Tabrastan

and Jarjan were conquered by 31 AH. The Island of Cyprus and a part of Spain was also

conquered during his reign. He built the first Muslim Naval fleet consisting of 500 ships to

fight the Greeks and appointed Abi Sara as its first Admiral. He built a dam to protect

Madinah from floods and extended the mosque of the Prophet. But the expansion of the

Muslim Empire resulted in the Quran being recited in many different dialects. So therefore,

on the suggestion of Huzaifa bin Yaman, he appointed Zaid bin Sabit as head of a committee

which also included Abdullah bin Zudair, Saeed bin al’Aas and Abdur Rehamn bin Harith to

compile the Holy Quran in the form of a single, accurate and authoritative book. The task was

completed in five years and the Quran was distributed to all the seven provinces of the

Muslim empire. He was therefore known as Jame-al-Quran. He destroyed all the previous

versions of the Quran by fire, which resulted in much criticism form the Muslim Community.

He also appointed his relatives as governors of the provinces such as Waleed bin Uqbah at

Kufa, Abdullah bin Amir at Busra and Abdullah bin Saad at Egypt and trusted them and gave

them a free hand in running their provinces and they proved to be quite competent but

opposition came form the public on the basis that Usman was too lenient on them and they

were inefficient. Usman’s lenient hand however, caused the provincial governors particularly

those at Kufa, Basra and Egypt to become too bold and unrest in the provincial capitals grew

which spread to the whole Muslim State and led to rebellions up and down the Empire. There

were rivalries between Arabs and non-Arabs in newly conquered areas because newly

conquered areas had not been hired in respectable positions in the army or the government

and between Ban Hashim and Ban Ummayiah which further weakened the power of the

Caliph.

Why were there allegations against Usman during the later years of his Caliphate

He had appointed relatives as governors such as Waleed bin Uqbah at Kufa, Abdullah bin

Amir at Busra and Abdullah bin Saad at Egypt which was seen as favoritism by the Muslims

Community and there were allegations of them being inefficient and Usman being too lenient

towards them and even spent on them from Bait-ul-Maal, even though he had spent on the

welfare of Muslims form his own pocket in the early stages of Islam. Although he destroyed

older versions of the Quran to ensure the authenticity of the book but many regarded this as a

huge sign of disrespect to Allah and his book. He was also alleged of ill-treating major

companions such as Abuzar Ghaffari, Amar bin Yair and Abdullah bin Masud. He has been

accused of making changes in the rites of Hajj by offering complete prayer instead of the

Qada prayer offered by the Prophet and the first two Caliphs. Abdullah bin Saba, a Yeminte

Jew who claimed that he had accepted Islam but on the orders of the Persians and Romans

created discretion amongst the Muslims by propagating against Usman and his officials.

Usman failed to take a timely action against him. He pacified a force of rebels from Egypt by

making concessions like agreeing replace Abdullah bin Saad with Muhammad bin Abi Bakar

as governor of Egypt but he secretly sent word to have them killed on their return back to

Egypt. The same rebels, on intercepting the messenger carrying the message to the governor

of Egypt, returned to Madinah, besieged Usman’s home for fifty days and even though he

denied sending the letter and claimed that it had been forged, they martyred him in 35 AH

while he was reciting the Holy Quran.



Importance during the lifetime of the Prophet Ali was the son of Abu Talib who was the Prophet’s grandfather. His name was selected by

the Prophet who took him under his own care and protection from early life. Ali used to

accompany the Prophet on his trade journeys to Syria. He was the second person who

accepted Islam after Hazrat Khatijah and did that at the tender age of eleven. Ali was

amongst those who could read and write and performed the duty of a scribe of the Prophet by

memorizing and recording the revelations as they were revealed as well as the Prophet’s

Hadith and was the scribe of the Treaty of Hudabiya. In the process he became a highly

knowledgeable scholar. The Prophet said, “If I am the city of knowledge Ali is its gate.” He

was also amongst the ten blessed companions. When the Prophet migrated to Madinah in 622

AD, he left Hazrat Ali as decoy in his bed to allow the Prophet a safe and unnoticed escape

from the Quraish who had surrounded his house with the intentions to kill him and to return

the valuables entrusted to him by the people. The Prophet declared Ali to be his brother at the

time of Maukhat and when he the inquired the reason for this the Prophet replied, “You are

my brother in this world and the Hereafter.” The Prophet also married his youngest daughter

Fatimah to him who gave birth to Hasan and Husain from where the Prophet’s line of

descendants continued and the line of Shia Imams continued. He took part in almost all the

battles fought during the lifetime of the Prophet including the battle of Bard 2 AH where he

shared a joint camel with Marthad Ibn Abi Marthad, was chosen as one of the scouts to

discover enemies’ movements, carried the Muslim standard and also took a successful part in

the indivual combats by killing Waleed bin Shaibah. At Uhad in 3 AH, he once again took

part in the individual combats, by killing Abu Saad, carried the Muslim standard when Musab

bin Umair was martyred and protected the Prophet when he was attacked. He also protected

the Prophet in Hunain in 8 AH. At Khandak he again successfully took part in the individual

combats by killinh his foe and was amongst the leaders of the siege of the Jewish tribe Banu

Qaynuka. He was also sent by the Prophet to conquer Khyber in 7 AH, when the Muslims

were unable to conquer the Fort of Kamoos, which he successfully completed during which

he courageously used a door as a shield and killed the famous warrior Marhab. He was also

sent as commander of the Muslims forces in the expeditions to Fadak and to Yemen. He also

carried the Muslim standard at the Conquest of Makkah in 8 AH. He, however, did not take

part in the battle of Tabuk in 9 AH, where he was left to be the incharge of Madinah. Upon

this rumors of the Prophet’s displeasure with Ali spread, but on knowing this the Prophet

replied, “You are to me as Haroon was to Moses, except that there will be no Prophet after

me.” The Prophet gave him the title of Asadullah, the Lion of Allah, because of his bravery in

the battles fought against the non-believers and Abu Turab, the father of dust. When Abu

Bakar led the Hajj in 9 AH when the Prophet fell sick, he was sent by the Prophet to read out

the new teachings revealed which can be found in Surah al-Tawba. He was also a great jurist

and the Prophet sent him to Yemen in 10 Ahh as the Qadi (Judge). He tended the Prophet day

and night during his last illness and some claim that the Prophet even died in his house. He

was amongst those who performed the funeral rites of the Prophet and lowered him into the

grave. He is held highly in honor amongst the entire Muslim Community and particularly the

shies who consider him to be sinless and their first Imam. They also agree and that when the

Prophet said, “Of whomsoever I am lord, Ali is also his lord. O Allah be supporter of

whoever supports Ali and the enemy of whoever opposes him,” at Ghadir Khumm, he should

have been declared the first Caliph of the Muslims. Numerous other traditions can be quoted

which show the Prophet’s love, affection and respect for Ali. The Prophet said, “When I am



patron of anyone, Ali is his patron too.” The Prophet further said, “You pertain to me and I

pertain to you.” He also said, “I am from Ali and Ali is from me.”

Importance during the First Three Caliphs

He took pledge of loyalty to the first three Caliphs, however he late in taking pledge at the

hand of Abu Bakar. He was an important member of the Majlis-e-Shura’a during the reign of

the first three caliphs and remained the judge (mufti) of madina during this time. He was also

amongst the panel of 6 appointed by Umar on his deathbed to succeed him as caliph. He also

narrated 540 tradtions.

Importance during his Caliphate

Ali took the office of Khilafat on 21st Dhul-Hajj and his first action as Caliph was to remove

the reltives of Usman from duty. He appointed Suhail bin Hanif as governor of Syria, Sa’ad

bin Ubaidullah as the Governor of Egypt, Ummara bin Shahab as the Governor of Kufa,

Usman bin Hanif as Gvernor of Kufa and Abdullah bin abbas as Governor of Yemen.

Muawiya, the governor of Syria, however, refused and demanded that the assassins of Usman

be punished first. He also distributed the wealth that Umar and Usman had kept aside. Before

being able to take action against him Tulha, Zubair and Ayesha also raised cry for vengeance

of Usman murder and went against him in war at Busra. Although agreement between the

two parties was reached before the battle, but since Ali’s forces contained people responsible

for the murder of Usman, they felt that the solution would be against their interests and killed

Tulha and Zubair as they left the battlefield. So the two parties took to battle in Rabi al

Awwal 36 AH. Ali’s 20,000 fared off against Ayesha’s 30,000. Ayesha personally took part

in the battle and the camel she rode became the centre of attention. The battle is accordingly

called the battle of Camel. This was the first civil war amongst the Muslims in which 10,000

Muslims were killed. Ali won the battle and Ayesha was treated with the due respect and sent

back to madina and was escorted by her brother Muhammad bin Abi Bakar. After the battle

Ali shifted his capital from madina to Kufa where his support was strongest.

Muawiya continued to investigate the Muslims against Ali by blaming him to be responsible

for Usman’s death and showing the blood stained shirt of Usman and chopped fingers of his

wife at a mosque in Damascus. Ali was forced to declare war against him and marched his 80

thousand followers against Muawiya’s 90 thousand to Siffin in 37 AH. The battle started on

8th

Safar and lasted for 7 days and as many as 90 thousand Muslims were killed. Ali gained

the upper hand in battle and as a last resort, on the advice of Amr bin al-Aas, Muawiya

ordered his men to raise the Quran on their lances to show that the decision should be

referred to Quran. Ali however was to clever to fall for this and ordered his army to continue

fighting.10 thousand from Ali’s army however refused to fight and Ali was therefore forced

to accept the truce offered by Muawiya.

On his way back Ali’s army insisted on fighting the Syrians Ali refused saying that he had

signed a peace treaty with the Syrians and would not break it.3,000 to 4000 of Ali’s men

turned against him who were enraged at Ali for accepting Muawiya’s truce. They came to be

known as the kharijits or Seceders (derived form the verb Kharaja meaning to depart or

separate) and their leader was Abdullah bin Wahab.

According to the terms of the truce with Muawiya their dispute was referred to two

arbitrators, Abu Musa Al Ashari who represented Ali and Amr Bin Al As who represented

Muawiya. The arbitration took place at Damut al Jandal. Both the arbitrators agreed to depose

Ali from duty but Amr Bin Al As did not agree with Abu Musa in his decision to depose



Muawiya as well. The arbitration therefore failed. After this Ali prepared to wage war against

Muawiya but the Kharijits who had encamped at Naharwan plotted against Ali but Ali

inflicted a crushing defeat on them in 37 AH following which Ali ordered his troops to march

to Syria but they refused and deserted him. Muawiya quickly seized on the opportunity and

sent Amr bin al-Aas to successfully invade Egypt. This came as a big shock to Ali following,

which many rebellions broke out in his empire. Finally negotiations took place between the

two parties and it was agreed that Muawiya would rule Egypt and Syria whereas Ali will

remain the caliph of the rest of the Muslim empire.

Detailed Description of:

Battle of Camel

Tulha, Zubair who were amongst the first who took pledge of loyalty to Ali became enraged

with Ali not taking positive steps to punish the assassins of Usman after almost a year in

office. They prevailed upon Ayesha who was herself deeply aggrieved of Usman’s death and

raised cry for vengeance of Usman’s murder and marched against him to Basra. Ali sent his

son Hasan to Kufa and successfully prepared an army 20,000 to fight against Ayesha’s

30,000. Before the battle negotiations took place between the two parties. Abdullah Ibn

Abbas who was from Ali’s side successfully convinced Ayesha’s representative Abdullah bin

Sabaa that due action against Usman’s murderers would be taken as soon as possible and was

only being delayed due to lack of evidence, the large number of people involved and the

political unrest in the Muslims empire. Although agreement between the two parties was

reached before the battle, but since Ali’s forces contained people responsible for the murder

of Usman, they felt that the solution would be against their interests and killed Tulha and

Zubair as they left the battlefield according to the terms of the treaty. So the two parties took

to battle in Rabi al Awwal 36 AH. Ayesha personally took part in the battle and the camel she

rode became the centre of attention. The battle is accordingly called the battle of Camel. This

was the first civil war amongst the Muslims in which 10,000 Muslims were killed. Ayesha

fought off the rebels valiantly until her camel was wounded and brought down. Ali, therefore,

won the battle and Ayesha was treated with the due respect and sent back to madina, escorted

by her brother Muhammad bin Abi Bakar. After the battle Ali’s Khilafat was recognized by

the whole Muslim community, except Syria but he shifted his capital from madina to Kufa

where his support was strongest.

Battle of Siffin

When Ali dismissed the Governors who came under scrutiny during Usman’s reign, Ameer

Muawiya the Governor of Syria refused to step down from his post and under his pressure no

one from Syria took oath of loyalty to Ali. Usman began instigating the Muslims against Ali

by blaming him to be responsible for Usman’s death and showing the blood stained shirt of

Usman and chopped fingers of his wife at a mosque in Damascus. He won over Iraq and by

portraying Tulha and Zubair as martyrs for the cause of revenge of Usman’s murder and

blaming Ali of mistreating Ayesha. Ali sent messengers asking Muawiya to accept him as

Caliph or be prepared to face him in battle. Muawiya stated outright that any further

negotiations would only take place if Ali punished the assassins of Usman first. Ali was

forced to declare war against him and marched his 80 thousand followers against Muawiya’s

90 thousand to Siffin in 37 AH which were the largest armies so far assembled in the history

of Islam. For several months rival soldiers stood facing each other, and during this time no

fighting took place except for the occasional skirmishes, no battle took place as Ali tried to

send messengers to Muawiya to accept his Caliphate but he remained firm in his earlier

claim. The battle started on 8th

Safar and lasted for 7 days and as many as 90 thousand



Muslims were killed. Ali gained the upper hand in battle and as a last resort, on the advice of

Amr bin al-Aas, Muawiya ordered his men to raise the Quran on their lances to show that the

decision should be referred to Quran. Ali however was to clever to fall for this and ordered

his army to continue fighting.10 thousand from Ali’s army however refused to fight and Ali

was therefore forced to accept the truce offered by Muawiya according to which the dispute

was to be referred to two arbitrators and their decision would have to be acknowledged by

both parties.

Why did Muawiya refuse to accept Ali as Caliph

Usman was killed by rebels from Egypt who thought that he had tried to trick them to death.

After his assassination unrest spread throughout the Muslims Empire and Ali was appointed

as the next Caliph. Many Muslims took oaths of loyalty to him. Amongst these the

unanimous decision was that Ali should punish these assassins. But Ali delayed taking action

against them due to lack of evidence, the large number of people involved and the political

unrest in the Muslims empire. Muawiya was a loyal supporter of Usman and his nephew. He

had also sent troops to rescue him when his was surrounded by the rebels but aid could not

arrive in time. So therefore Muawiya led the opposition against Ali to seek justice for Usman.

But there was also a hidden motive of Muawiya. He did not want to leave his governorship of

Syria and even wanted the Caliphate of the whole of the Muslim empire. So he also led the

opposition against Ali in his quest for power, which became evident again when he was also

ready to march to the battlefield to force Ali’s son Hasan to abdicate the office of Caliphate

after Ali’s death.

Why did some supporters of Ali turn against him after the Battle of Siffin?

During the battle of Siffin in 37 AH fought between Ali and Muawiya, Ali gained the upper

hand in battle and as a last resort, on the advice of Amr bin al-Aas, Muawiya ordered his men

to raise the Quran on their lances to show that the decision should be referred to Quran. After

desertion of 10 thousand from his army, Ali was therefore forced to accept the truce offered

by Muawiya according to which the dispute was to be referred to two arbitrators and their

decision would have to be acknowledged by both parties. Some people on Ali’s side violently

disagreed with his decisions to accept the arbitration. They claimed that since he was the

leader of the community he does not have to submit to the decision of others. They claimed

that the Quran in Surah al-Hujarat clearly gave instructions on how to treat rebels and so it

was wrong even to acknowledge that Muawiya had any right against the ruler of the

community. Their cry was “No decision except Allah’s” and only Quran could be taken as

the arbitrator. They insisted that Ali would fight against the Syrians on his way back but

when Ali refused saying that he had signed a peace treaty with the Syrians and felt that he

had to acknowledge. Angry at Ali’s move 3,000 to 4,000 of these men marched to Naharwan

claiming that only the first two Caliphs were rightly guided. They came to be known as the

kharijits or Seceders (derived form the verb Kharaja meaning to depart or separate) and their

leader was Abdullah bin Wahab.

MUHAMMAD SHUMAIL MOHY

THE FIRST ISLAMIC COMMUNITYTHE FIRST ISLAMIC COMMUNITYTHE FIRST ISLAMIC COMMUNITYTHE FIRST ISLAMIC COMMUNITY

IT IS RECOMMENDED TO ALL THAT MARKS SCHEMES AND EXAMINER

REPORTS SHOULD BE CONSULTED FOR EVERY QUESTION

FOR THE

COMPLETION

OF THESE

NOTES

MUHAMMAD SHUMAIL MOHY-UD-DIN

THE FIRST ISLAMIC COMMUNITYTHE FIRST ISLAMIC COMMUNITYTHE FIRST ISLAMIC COMMUNITYTHE FIRST ISLAMIC COMMUNITY PAPER-2 Q NO.4/5


REPORTS SHOULD BE CONSULTED FOR EVERY QUESTION FOR ACCURACY.

THANKSTHANKSTHANKSTHANKS

ALSO TO

• SIR NAZIR

• NAUMAN

• AND

CLASSFELLOWS

IslamiyatIslamiyatIslamiyatIslamiyat Notesotesotesotes

Page | 37


FOR ACCURACY.

ALSO TO

SIR NAZIR

NAUMAN

AND ALSO TO MY

CLASSFELLOWS

The Islamic Community + Caliphs

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