Part 35

At that point, “Umar got up praising Allah. He then approached me and said: ‘Hunger kept them up and in tears, Aslam. I therefore decided not to leave until 1 saw what I have just done.'" (Reported in Tareekh At-Tabari)

Ibn ~Umar states: "A host of merchants arrived and headed for the mosque. ‘Umar suggested to * Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn * Awf: ‘How about if we guard them all night?’ The two of them thus stayed up all night to guard them and offer as many salah as they managed to. * Umar heard the crying of a young boy so he approached him and admonished his mother saying, ' Fear Allah and take good care of your child.' He then went back to his place. “Umar again heard the child's crying and again went back to his mother and repeated to her his very same words. He then headed back to his place. Towards the end of the night, “Umar heard the child burst in tears again. So he headed for his mother and reprimanded her saying: 'Woe unto you! What kind of a mother are you? Why is it that your son cannot be pacified all night long?' The woman replied: 'O Allah's servant, I have grown bored of you tonight! I am trying to wean him but he refuses to be weaned.' ‘Umar asked: 'Why would you do that?’ The woman explained, ‘Because * Umar grants subsistence only to weaned children.' He then asked, "How old is your child?’ She answered, 'So and so months." ‘Woe unto you,’ rejoined ~Umar, ‘do not rush him.’ ~Umar next led Muslims in salah, though people were hardly able to listen to his voice as he read the Quran because of the child's wailing. When he ended the salah, he thought to himself: 'May I be cursed! How many Muslims children have IJ killed?’ He then had his herald announce: 'Do not wean your children prematurely, for we shall grant subsistence to every newborn Muslim child.' Likewise, he sent messages to the distant provinces informing them that every newborn Muslim child shall be granted subsistence." (Reported by Ibn Sa*d.)

Abu * Uthmaan narrates: "‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, charged a man from the Banu Assad tribe with a certain responsibility. When ~ Umar walked in to greet him, one of the man's children approached him so * Umar kissed him. The man thereupon wondered: ‘How can you kiss him, Commander of the Faithful?! I swear by Allah, I have never kissed any of my children!’ “Umar thus returned: 'I swear you must be even less merciful to other people's children. You are not to perform any job for me.’ ‘Umar thereupon fired him. Alternatively, "‘Umar is reported to have said: 'It is not my fault that you were born merciless. Allah has mercy only on those who are merciful to others.’ He then ordered that the man be deposed because if he never had mercy on his own children, how could he possibly be merciful to his subjects?" (Reported by Al-Bukhari and * Abdur-Raziq.)

“Umar: The Founder of the Muslim State:

By and large, “Umar's caliphate is generally regarded as a landmark era in Muslim history. Readers of Muslims’ early history marvel at ~Umar's unique genius which was illustrated in his engineering of a Muslim state in the modern sense. In spite of the fact that it was Abu Bakr who initiated the Muslim state, he died only two years after he assumed his post as the Caliph. He therefore never got to see the extent that the Muslim State was to attain in the succeeding years. It was ~Umar that proceeded along the lines Abu Bakr had set and the results he reaped were indeed laudable.

It is hence expedient to attempt to bring into the spotlight some of the most prominent of ~ Umar's achievements along his ten-year long caliphate. His first achievement was his devising a proper title for himself as well as for those who assumed the post thereafter. As noted earlier, ‘Umar realized that though Abu Bakr was referred to as the Prophet's successor, it was

hardly viable to continue to use such system of appellation. He therefore consulted The Muslims who suggested: "We are the faithful and you are our Commander. So let your title be ‘the Commander of the Faithful'." The title thereafter was used to refer to all succeeding caliphs.

Secondly, Arabs were accustomed to dating happenings by reference to grand events like the Year of the Elephant and similar landmark incidents. However, it is reported that a debt bond was referred to “Umar, according to which the debt was to be recovered in Sha‘ baan. “Umar asked: “Which Sha* baan? Sha*baan of this present year or the previous or the coming one?" ~Umar therefore realized that there was a definite need to establish some significant event as a fixed reference point in relation to which events and incidents could be dated. He gathered the Prophet's Companions and sought their opinions. Views varied as to whether the Prophet's birth, the revelation of the Quran unto him, his migration or death should be set as the beginning of the Islamic calendar. After much consultation and deliberation, they came to agree that the Prophet's migration to Madinah is to be established as the starting point of the Islamic calendar, being the one most significant event that granted the call of Islam, still in the craddle then, much-needed strength and which caused it to flourish and spread, They also set the month of Muharram as the first month of the year. This took place in Rabei> Al-Awal, 16 AH.

Thirdly, “Umar collected the Kharaj (i.e. land tax) from land-owners. Likewise, he levied the Jiziyah (i.e. a tax paid by non-Muslims in return for their living under Muslims’ protection) on non-Muslim residents of the countries conquered by The Muslims. He levied forty eight Dirhams on the rich, twenty four Dirhams on medium-income people and twelve Dirhams on the poor, The Kharaj amounted to a hundred and twenty million Dirhams, excluding the Kharaj levied on other

states. Hence, huge amounts of money were sent to the Treasury, on account of the booty, the Kharaj, the Jiziyah and the obligatory charity (zakah). This, in turn, gave rise to the need to register account books and decide how that money was to be expended.

~“Umar consulted The Muslims as regards that. AlWaleed Ibn Hishaam Ibnul Mugheerah pointed: "I have been to The Levant, Commander of the Faithful, and have seen how kings there keep a Diwan (official records) and recruit soldiers." “Umar followed his advice. He had names of soldiers registered in books along with the share each was entitled to. He also kept books of all the money sent to the Treasury as well as the money granted to each Muslim. * Umar gave preference to Muslims who embraced Islam before others and took part in more battles than others. This is contrary to what Abu Bakr did, giving equal grants to everyone. When Umar was asked about that, he argued: "1 cannot hold those who fought against the Prophet and those who fought on his side on an equal footing." He therefore placed at the top of the list the Prophet's wives. They were followed by The Muslims who took part in the Badr battle... etc. It is significant to note at this point that ~ Umar allocated three thousand Dirhams to his own son, whereas he gave four thousand to Usamah, explaining that saying: "I did so because Zayd Ibn Al-Harith was dearer to Allah's Messenger than ~Umar and Usamah Ibn Zayd was dearer to Allah's Messenger than ~ Abdullaah Ibn ~ Umar. That is why I did what I did." (Reported by Ibn Sa*d.)

*Umar gave instructions that Banu Hashim, the Prophet's clan, were to be the first on the list. The Prophet's nearest kinship were given priority to the rest of Banu Hashim. Next, people were arranged as regards when they embraced Islam, how hard they struggled for the cause of Islam and how well they have memorized the Quran. He then earmarked an equal

share to the rest of The Muslims and promised: "Should we receive more money, | will grant every Muslim four thousand Dirhams: a thousand for his journeys, another for his weapon, a third for his household and a fourth for his riding animal." This took place in Muharrum, 20 AH.

Likewise, when ~Umar realized that some mothers hastened the weaning of their children, he declared that he would grant subsistence to every newborn Muslim child even before it was weaned. It is also narrated that towards the end of his life, * Umar was inclined to the idea of granting all Muslims equal shares of money. He was therefore reported to have said: "Il swear by Allah, if I make it to the next year, I will allocate equals shares to all people and treat them all equally."

Thirdly, *Umar's main aim was maintaining justice throughout the Muslim state. That is why * Umar appointed judges to handle people's cases away from the governors. “Umar appointed Abu Ad-Dardaa’, one of the Prophet's Companions, as the judge of Madinah and Shurayh [bn AlHarith Al-Kindi as the Judge of Kufah and Qays Ibn Abil * Aas As-Sahmeyy as the judge of Egypt. Among the most famous judges ~ Umar appointed was Abu Musa Al-Ashv areyy.

“Umar set a particular constitution for judges to abide by when settling disputes. He sent this constitution to all judges in various provinces of the Muslim state, as it reflects the fundamentals of the judicial system in his era. “Umar's message to his judges read: "In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, from Allah's servant, from ‘Umar, the Commander of the Faithful, to Allah's servant, Ibn Qais, peace be with you. The administration of justice is a definite obligation and a followed tradition. If a dispute is referred to you, there is no point in passing the right ruling if it cannot be put into effect. Treat people equally in your presence, and in your decisions, so

that the weak despair not of justice, and the high-placed harbor no hope of favoritism. The onus of the proof rests with the plaintiff, while the party who denies must do so on oath. Reconciliation among The Muslims is legitimate provided that it does not render lawful what is unlawful or vice versa. Should you pass a certain judgment then realise that you were at fault, and after that you were guided to the right ruling, let nothing dissuade you from declaring the truth, for the truth is the basic rule, and reverting to is better then wading further in injustice. Always consult your mind on whatever issue you are hesitant about and of which there is no mention in the Glorious Quran or the Prophetic Tradition. Besides, compare cases you handle to analogous ones and seek the judgment you believe to be the most correct. Let whoever accuses another of a crime present evidence of his allegations before a fixed deadline as this is the best way to avoid suspicion and clarify facts. The Muslims can act as witnesses except those who were lashed by way of punishment, those who have borne false witness or those of doubtful integrity, for Allah knows what your hearts conceal and refuted allegations based on evidence and oaths. Beware of worry, boredom, harming parties in a dispute and refusing to admit the truth in conflicts. Allah praises and rewards those who abide by the truth at times when they should. Whoever takes his conscience into consideration, backed by good intentions, Allah shall keep him safe from harm. Whoever pretends to be what Allah knows he is not, Allah shall disgrace