Chapter 3

The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Caliph and Caliphate Caliph means successor and caliphate means the succession of rule, and in historian's terminology, caliph approximates the words king, monarch or ruler. It is not at all necessary that before dealing with the events of Abu Bakr's caliphate after the Prophet ~ , a historian should devote his time and space in discussing the word caliph or caliphate. But since the succession of Prophet ~ has taken the form of an ethical issue between two sections, the task of a historian has become rather difficult. Moreover, it has also become incumbent on the historians to put forward their own point of view and belief concerning the caliphate before embarking upon the topic of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate. Wherever the word Khalifah (caliph) appears in the Quran, it is immediately followed by the word Al-Ard (earth). Moreover it is proved beyond doubt from the Verse: "I am going to place generation after generation on earth." (2:30) Allah the Almighty has appointed Adam and the children of Adam, as His caliph on earth.

It is also abundantly clear that the children of Adam are the most eminent of all created beings and their being History of Islam rulers on earth is beyond doubt. The caliphate of men on earth is certainly a Divine caliphate and man is the caliph of Allah. Allah the Exalted is far above any creature including the most eminent of the created beings that becomes His vice-regent on earth. So, man can be nothing more than the apparent ruler of the earth and makes all other creatures obey His rule. It is clear now that in Verse 2:30. The word caliph stands for 'generation after generation' or 'ruler' and for nothing else.

The Quran says at another place: "He it is Who has made you successors on the earth, and He has raised you in ranks, some above others." (6:165) Here caliphate stands for something specific, your people have been made ruler, and all other people are to be ruled by you. Here also the word 'caliph' makes its appearance, which gives the meaning of nothing but a 'ruler'. Again, it has been mentioned in another Verse: "O Dawud! Verily, we have placed you as a successor on earth." (38:26) Here also, the rule or empire of a person, Dawud ~ I, finds mention and the word caliph signifies a king, monarch or ruler. About the same rule of Dawud ~\, it has been said at another place: "We made his kingdom strong." (38:20) Regarding the Muslims and particularly about the Companions it has been said: "Allah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous good deeds that He will certainly grant them succession in the earth as He granted it to those before them." (24:55) It means: As We have installed others as rulers in the past, so also those among the followers of the Prophet ~, who believed and performed good deeds, will be conferred upon the rule on earth. Claim to Caliphate From the Quran it becomes clear beyond doubt that rule or caliphate on earth is from Allah and He Alone can take it back.

It is said: The Rightly-Guided Caliphate "O Allah! Possessor of the kingdom, You give the kingdom to whom You will, and You take the kingdom from whom You will." (3:26) Now it is to be seen as to who really deserves the caliphate or rule, and what are the distinctive signs of those who are given caliphate. According to the Quran, it is knowledge on which the rule over mankind is based. "And He taught Adam all the names (of everything)." (2:31) While the angels considered the traits of corruption and disruption against a righteous caliphate, and the mention and glorification of Allah the Almighty to be the consideration for making one deserve the caliphate. We have seen clearly that human beings established their rule over other creatures due to their power of knowledge only. Had man not been adorned and strengthened with deep and wide knowledge, even a gust of wind, a wave of water, a leaf of some tree or a particle of dust could have rendered him helpless.

It is by virtue of his knowledge that even a lion, an elephant, river, mountain, wind, fire, and lightening are at his service and are ready to obey him and comfort him like his servants. The Quran informs us when there were objections to the kingship of Talut (Saul), Allah the Almighty answered the detractors through His Prophet: "Verily Allah has chosen him above you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And Allah grants His kingdom to whom He wills." (2:247) Having conferred rule and caliphate on Dawud ~I, Allah the Almighty commanded "So judge you between men in truth and follow not your desire." (38:26) In another Verse, He said: "And indeed We destroyed generations before you when they did wrong, while their Messengers came to them with clear proofs, but they were not such as to believe! That do We requite the people who are sinners. Then We made you successors after History of Islam them, generations after generations in the land that We might see how you would work." (10:13,14) Hundreds of Verses from the Quran may be produced to establish that caliph stands for 'ruler' and caliphate for 'rule'. And in order to rule establishing knowledge, justice, reform, power and welfare of mankind are some of the prerequisite conditions, which have always been required from a king or ruler without which he cannot keep his rule intact.

All these good qualities can only be obtained through the teachings of the Prophets and the Messengers of Allah. However, it is also necessary that a Prophet has to be a ruler in order to set the example. Had mere prayers and glorification of Allah the Almighty been enough, only Prophets or angels would have ruled the world. In short, the caliphate is another name for the rule which Allah the Almighty confers on those He wants. However, when a ruling nation indulges in corruption and wrongdoing, Allah the Almighty takes it away from them. Islamic Caliphate All the progress made by mankind so far along with all his academic and moral virtues are the outcome of the teachings of the Prophets.

Prophets have sometimes came as teachers, for instance, like Isa ~ \ (Jesus Christ), and at times as monarchs like Dawud (David)~\. The religious codes brought by monarch-Prophets are more perfect and magnificent than those of the teacher-Prophets. The teacher-Prophets set examples for every member of their Ummah (community) while the monarch-Prophets not only set examples but have the power to enforce codes and make the people follow them. When the teacherProphet departs from the world after finishing his task, none can succeed him in matters of Prophethood, for the Prophet receives Revelation from Allah the Almighty to convey to his people. Now as a matter of general principle, the successor of a Prophet must be a Prophet. But since a Prophet departs from the world only after completing the task assigned to him, he needs no successor after him.

This is why no teacher-Prophet has ever had a successor. However, as far as a monarch-Prophet is concerned, nobody can succeed him as a Prophet but his rule may be succeed by anybody as a successor. Since jThe Rightly-Guided Caliphate i ~he successor would have been brought up under the shadow of the rrophet' s teachings, he is supposed to be the most suitable person to f o the job. Since Muhammad~ was the perfect and the last Prophet nd had been sent with the complete guidelines, he was, therefore, a uling-Prophet and his rule is the best and most perfect example for ulers and leaders to the Day of Judgment. i Be was essentially supposed to have a successor or caliph after him, ~nd there actually have been many who have succeeded him in ~emporal affairs. In addition, there were those among them who were ~rought up in the mould of the Prophet ~ and had the stamp of !Prophetic character and adopted the pattern of his Prophetic rule. ITheir rule came to be called the Rightly-Guided Caliphate.

But the farther they happened to be from the days of Prophetic rule, their aliphate showed a difference from that of the primary example. Objection to the Procedure of electing a Caliph /After the time of the Prophet ~' some people among the Muslims I Jraised doubts of a ridiculous nature regarding the procedure adopted jfor electing a caliph. But, in truth, all such charges are false and ) ifabricated for the choice of a ruler or caliph rests wholly and solely with Allah the Almighty. He Alone gives it to someone and takes it 1away from others. He never left this job to any human. jThe Quran delineates the task of a caliph and its dos and don'ts. It Jgives detailed guidance about the prayer, fasting, Hajj, zakah, the jrights of Allah and His servants but doesn't mention the succession of !the Prophet.

This is because He gives it to the one He chooses for the I / job and makes arrangements for this. Allah the Almighty Alone knows who deserves the job. The one who succeeded the first caliph i was the one whom Allah chose for the job. If any other person is 1 brought forward as the most deserving for the post, in fact, it is to say , that Allah the Almighty failed to bring a man of His choice for the post. It means He (Allah forbid) was defeated in His Plan. I Thus to raise a dispute in this matter is tantamount to objecting to the choice of the Almighty.

Thus, the detractors of Abu Bakr's caliphate are like those who object to the decision of a judge in a court of law, History of Islam the judge cannot alter his judgment because of their deprecation. Now if anybody disapproves of the caliphate of a person, in fact, he stands against the Judgment of Allah the Exalted and Most High. Difference between Caliphate and Temporal Rule The above discussion may create misunderstanding that if the caliphate is simply like temporal rule then any king may be called a caliph and caliphate has nothing to do with religion. But, let it be known that in Islam the caliph is strictly one who patterns his rule according to the rule established by the Prophet of Allah ~ and only such a ruler may be included among the successors of the Messengers. The first and foremost duty of the successor of the Prophet ~ as a ruler is to establish a rule according to the Divine code and enforce it. Such a ruler alone can serve humanity in the best possible way observing the laws and tenets of Islam.

Thus to say that the caliphate has nothing to do with Islam is something nonsensical. A despotic ruler can never bring peace and welfare to mankind. The rule established by the righteous caliphs was based on the example set by the Prophet ~ himself. And before or after that no rule was similar to that which was set up by the Prophet ~- This rule was called the Rightly-Guided Caliphate. Ever since that system of governance, Islamic rule has been continuing but the set up has kept changing with the passage of time. Relation of Caliphate with a Nation, Tribe or Family The Quran clearly and unequivocally says: "O people: We created you of a single man and woman and made of you separate families and tribes to know each distinctively from others.

To Allah the most honorable is the one who is most God-fearing; Allah is All-Knowing and Aware." (49:13) Islam has tried to carve out one nation by doing away with family pride, national superiority and vanity. "The believers are nothing else than brothers." (49:10) The Rightly-Guided Caliphate He has made one brotherhood of all brotherhoods and one nation of all nations and gave its name as Muslim or Momin (believers). Families and nations of the entire world may be divided in two categories following the teachings of Islam; believers or Muslims and disbelievers or polytheists. After making entry into the realm of 1 Tnuhid (Oneness of Allah), all such differences of nations and tribes are a mere source of recognizing clearly one from another. Thus the pious and righteous alone deserve honor and power whichever nation or tribe they belong to. I In each case, piety and faith lie at the base.

For wielding power, Allah the Almighty has put knowledge, health, physical strength, piety, justice and reform as prerequisite conditions but no particular nation I or tribe finds a place in such a list. Islam made a high-ranking man of the Quraish to become the victim of the youngsters of Al-Madinah, I and made Bilal ~, the Abyssinian slave, superior to the nobles of 1 Arabia. Usamah bin Zaid ~ -?,ecame the ~ommander of an army with both Abu Bakr and Umar ~ under his command. Islam made the : king and the slave stand side by side with the same rank. I Islam made the Prophet ~ to declare that if Fatimah ~ , his own j daughter committed theft, her hand would be amputated like any other person committing the same crime. Islam made the Prophet of Allah ~ to announce: "O people!

If an ordinary Abyssinian slave is made your ruler or caliph, you must obey him." It was Islam, which made Umar ~ to say in the last moments of his life, "Had Salim, the I slave of Abu Hudhaifah been alive, I would have appointed him my I successor." In short, Islam broke to pieces the idols of family and hereditary arrogance. It was a unique, exclusive and spectacular i service that Islam rendered to the world of humanity. Islam has a right to take pride in that no other religion or set of laws was ever able to cause the idol of hereditary arrogance to shake even a little, while Islam pulled it down. How strange that even the Muslims following the tenets of Islam are found saying that the Prophet :I had made caliphate the special privilege of the Quraish tribes or Banu Hashim or Ali ~ or his progeny and deprived all others of this right. Had it been so, the Quran would have expounded it in unequivocal terms and the History of Islam Prophet of Allah :I would have defined it in clear words. If a particular section claims that Allah the Almighty had sent down any orders regarding the rule or caliphate which were cleverly concealed by the usurpers of the caliphate, then, Allah's Claim of preserving the Quran would be rendered 'false' as He has said: "Verily, We it is Who have sent down the Quran and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)." (15:9) Moreover, His Messenger ~ would have failed in his duty of conveying the Message of Allah fully and adequately, although he declared before a huge congregation of one hundred thousand people that he had completed the task of his preaching and asked the people to testify to it.

Furthermore, he counseled his people concerning very small details from his deathbed but told them nothing about his successor. It is because he knew very well that the act of choosing a ruler or caliph rested exclusively with Allah and He did not entrust this duty to the Prophet~- However, inspiration from Allah the Almighty had already let him know who was going to succeed him as caliph. Therefore, he asked Abu Bakr ~ to lead the Muslims in prayers during his illness. He had also counseled the Muhajiri11 to take care of the Ansar for he, perhaps, knew that the caliphate was to be entrusted to the Muhajirin. From the knowledge gained from Allah, he had already disclosed that Imam will come from the Quraish. But all these were among his prophecies, not his orders.

The Quraish were chosen for shouldering the heavy but very delicate burden of the caliphate because they had a very profound knowledge of the workings of Islam and they were ahead of all in observing piety. However, the caliphate or rule is not particular to any certain race, tribe or family. It is the reward of Allah for the deserving. When a ruling class or family loses its integrity and capability, Allah the Almighty brings someone else to replace it. And this is the demand of justice. The Caliphate and Spiritual Guidance as a Profession Some people are of the opinion that the caliphate referred to in Surat An-Nur deals with the system of spiritual guidance as a profession.

To The Rightly-Guided Caliphate me it is an utterly wrong belief. Although a spiritual guide rules over his disciples, he has no power to enforce the Islamic code and Divine order. The Quran has left nothing to guesswork by referring in clear terms to the caliphates of Adam and Dawud. We are ordained to follow the Quran in all walks of life. Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ His Name and Genealogy: His family lineage is Abdullah bin Abu Quhafah bin Amir bin Amr bin Ka'b bin Sa'd bin Tamim bin Murrah bin Ka'b bin Luai bin Ghalib bin Fihr bin Malik bin Nadr bin Kinanah. Murrah serves as the meeting ground for the lineage of the Prophet :i and Abu Bakr ~' and both of them have a distance of 6 generations.

His mother was Salma bint Sakhr bin Ka'b bin Sa'd. She was the cousin of Abu Quhafah and was widely known as Umm-ul-Khair. The name of his father, Abu Quhafah was Uthman. Abu Bakr~ was called Abd Ka'bah in the Days of Ignorance. The Prophet :i named him Abdullah, and his name was Atiq also. However, Jalaluddin Suyuti writes in his book Tarikh AI-Khulafa: "The majority of Ulama' (religious scholars) is of the opinion that Atiq was his surname, not his name." To some, he was called Atiq because of his being handsome and graceful while others argue that since his genealogy was spotless, he was known as Atiq.

There is a complete consensus among the true followers of Islam that his surname was Siddiq, for he testified to the Prophethood without any hesitation and fear and took it upon himself to follow the truth. When the event of Mi'raj (Ascension) occurred, he showed his unshakable firmness and conviction to lend his support to it and did it in the face of all opposition. He was younger than the Prophet :i by two years and two months. He was born and brought up in Makkah. He would go on journeys with trade caravans. He migrated to AlMadinah along with the Prophet ~ and embraced death in the same city.

Relationship of Muhammad ~ with the Four Caliphs Fihr (Quraish) l Ghalib l Luai l l Kab Adi Murrah l l Razah Taim Kilab l l l Kart Sad Qusai l l l Abdullah l Kab l 1~------ Abd ranaf Riyah Amr Abd Shams Hashim l l l l Abdul-Uzza Amir Umayyah Abdul-Muttalib l Nufail l Khattab l l j l Usman Abul As j l Affan Abu Talib l l Abdullah l Umar Abu Bakr Usman Ali Muhammad The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Age of Ignorance: During the Age of Ignorance, the power and nobility of the Quraish were shared by ten clans: (1) Hashim, (2) Umayyah, (3) Naufal, (4) Abdud-Dar, (5) Asad (6) Taim, (7) Makhzum, (8) Adi, (9) Jumh and (10) Sahm. These clans were entrusted with different jobs to do. Banu Hashim had it as their right to provide water to the pilgrims. Banu Naufal had the right to give provisions to those who happened to be in need of it. Banu Abdud-Dar had the key of the Ka'bah along with guarding it. Banu Asad had to give counsel and maintain Dar AnNadwah (the House of Assembly).

Banu Taim decided about blood money and penalties. Banu Adi had intertribal ambassadorship responsibilities, Banu Jumh had the arrows of omen and Banu Sahm managed offerings to idols. Abu Bakr ~ would give his judgment about blood money and penalties on behalf of Banu Taim and the entire Quraish had to abide by his decision. Besides, Abu Bakr ~ was the chief of his clan and wielded deep influence as a man of substance. Among the Quraish, he commanded distinction for his wide responsibilities and for entertaining guests on a large scale. They took his counsel in their important affairs and he was regarded highly for his prudence, patience and firmness.

He was well-versed in the art of genealogy. He naturally kept away from evil and depravity. When asked if he had ever drunk wine, he curtly replied, "Allah forbid, never!" "Why not?" the person asked. "I hated that my body would emit foul smells and happen the loss of good manners." When the matter was stated in the presence of the Prophet~, he said twice, "Abu Bakr is true." Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ was the embodiment of good and was spotless, just and righteous. It is because of this that when the Prophet ~ invited him to accept Islam, he embraced it without delay and promised to lend all help and total support, which he fulfilled in the face of all opposition and extreme hardship and misery. The Prophet :i; once said, "The sun never rose over anyone better than Abu Bakr except the Prophets." Since he attributed such great respect, many including Uthman bin Affan, Talhah bin Ubaidullah and Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ::.~ accepted Islam under his direct influence.

History of Islam Islamic Era: Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ was the first to believe in the Prophet ~ and was the first to perform prayers led by the Prophet~- Somebody asked Maimun bin Mehran, "Who is better in your opinion, Abu Bakr or Ali?" He became angry and very indignantly uttered, "I never knew that I would remain alive until the day these two would be compared with each other. They were, in fact, like the head of Islam. Abu Bakr was the first to accept Islam among the adults, Ali among the boys and Khadijah among the women." The religious scholars are unanimous that Abu Bakr~ never left the company of the Prophet ~ without his permission. He migrated for the sake of his love for Allah and His Messenger ~ leaving his wife and children alone and stayed with the Prophet ~ in the cave and accompanied him in every battle. In the battle of Badr, the Prophet :is said about Abu Bakr and Ali ~, "One has Jibril (Gabriel) and another Mika'il (Michael) with them." In the battle of Badr, his son AbdurRahman bin Abu Bakr had joined the polytheist army. Once after accepting Islam, he said to his father, "Several times on the day of Badr you came within the range of my arrows but I held my hand back." Thereupon Abu Bakr~ replied, "If I had to face you, I would have made you the target of my arrow." Valor: Once Ali ~ put the question, "Who is the most valiant person to you?" "You are the most valiant," they replied with one voice.

"I always take on my equals; this is not bravery," Ali~ replied and said again, "Tell me the name of the most valiant person." "We don't know," all of them replied. "Abu Bakr is the most valiant," Ali~ replied and added, "On the day of Badr we had erected a hut for the Messenger of Allah ~- We then asked each other as to who will accompany the Prophet ~ to save him from the onslaught of the polytheists. By Allah none of us had the courage to offer his services. But Abu Bakr stood alone drawing his sword and allowed no one to draw near the Prophet ~, and whoever attempted an attack on the Prophet ~' came under the charge of Abu Bakr. The polytheists of The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Makkah once surrounded the Prophet ~ saying, 'It is you alone who says God is One. No one else has ever said so.' They were dragging him when Abu Bakr stepped forward and set about beating and moving them and saying, 'Woe to you, you want to kill a person who simply says: my God is One'." Saying this, Ali~ burst into tears and further said, "Tell me whether the believing men of Al-Firaun (family of Pharaoh) are better or Abu Bakr?" When the people made no answer, he himself said, "Why don't you reply?

By Allah, a moment of Abu Bakr is far better than a thousand moments of those people, for they kept their Faith concealed and Abu Bakr brought his Faith to the fore." Generosity: He was the most generous among the Companions of the Prophet ~ - It was about him that the following Verses were sent down: "The pious will be far removed from it (Hell). He who spends his wealth for increase in self-purification." (92:17, 18) The Prophet of Allah ~ said, "The wealth of Abu Bakr proved more useful to me than the wealth of anybody else." Having heard this, Abu Bakr ~ burst into tears and said, "What is the worth of my wealth, it is all because of you." As per one Hadith, the Prophet~ spent from the wealth of Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ as he did from his own. The day Abu Bakr ~ accepted Islam, he possessed forty thousand dirhams, and he spent this all on the Prophet ~- One day Umar ~ said referring to the expedition ofTabuk, "When the Prophet ~ urged upon his Companions to donate to the war fund, I resolved to surpass Abu Bakr in the matter of contribution and I gave away half of my wealth and property in the way of Allah. The Prophet ~ inquired of me, 'What have you left for the children?' I submitted 'The remaining half.' In the meantime, Abu Bakr came in with his entire wealth and property and the Prophet~ put to him the same question. He replied, 'Allah and His Messenger are enough for the children.' Having seen and heard this, I said to myself that I would never be able to surpass Abu Bakr in anything." History of Islam Abu Hurairah ~ relates that the Prophet~ once said, "I have done a good turn in return for everyone's favor but the obligation of Abu Bakr still rests on my shoulders and Allah the Almighty will, on the Day of Judgment, compensate for it. The wealth and property of none benefited me so much as did that of Abu Bakr." Knowledge and Excellences: Among the Companions, he was the most learned and wise.

Whenever some difference of opinion arose among the Companions, the issue was put before Abu Bakr Siddiq ~- His ruling was considered as final. He had knowledge of the Quran more than all others, and so the Prophet ~ asked him to lead the Muslims in prayers. He also had perfect knowledge of the Sunnah and the Companions turned to him for his opinion. His memory was also very strong and he happened to be very sagacious. He enjoyed the sacred company of the Prophet ~ right from the beginning of his Prophethood until his final departure. During his caliphate whenever an issue came up, he turned to the Quran for the solution.

If he failed to find it in the Quran, he gave his verdict according to the sayings and doings of the Prophet ~- If any such saying or doing was not known, he would ask the Companions if anyone of them knew any Haditlz concerning the issue. If nothing was known about the issue in question, he called a meeting of the illustrious Companions and took a decision according to the opinion of the majority. Abu Bakr ~ was the greatest genealogist of the Quraish and one of the greatest in the whole of Arabia. Even Jubair bin Mut'im ~' one of the most noted genealogists of Arabia, learned it from Abu Bakr~- He was also an eminent interpreter of dreams and he interpreted dreams even during the lifetime of the Prophet ~ - He was also the most eloquent speaker among the Companions of the Prophet ~- Scholars are agreed that Abu Bakr and Ali ~ were the most eloquent. Ali ~ has said more than once that Abu Bakr ~ was the most excellent among the Companions of the Prophet ~- Ali ~ once said, "I shall beat the person who holds me superior to Abu Bakr and The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Umar." Ali ~ relates that the Prophet ~ said, "May Allah show mercy to Abu Bakr, he gave his daughter to me in marriage, escorted me to Al-Madinah and gave Bilal freedom from slavery. May Allah show mercy to Umar for he speaks the truth no matter how bitter it might be; may Allah show mercy to Uthman for even angels observe modesty before him; may Allah show mercy to Ali and keep truth along with him wherever he may be." Imam Shafi'i says, "Siddiq was unanimously chosen as caliph for a better man was not available on earth." Mu'awiyah bin Qurrah ~ opines: "The Companions never expressed any doubt regarding the caliphate of Abu Bakr and they always addressed him as the caliph of the Messenger of Allah ~, and the Companions can never reach a consensus on a misdeed." Beautiful Living: Ata' bin Sa'ib ~ states: "The day after the oath of allegiance (Bai'ah), Abu Bakr ~ was seen going to the market with two sheets.

'Where are you going?' Umar ~ inquired of him. To the market,' he replied. 'You should leave this business for you have now become the Leader of the believers,' Umar ~ argued. 'From where will my wife and children and myself eat?' Abu Bakr ~ asked. 'Leave it to Abu Ubaidah ~ ,' Umar ~ said. Following this, both of them called on Abu Ubaidah ~- Abu Bakr ~ said to him, 'Collect from the Muhajirin a maintenance allowance for me and my wife and children.

Everything should be very ordinary. Garments for summer and winter will be needed and they are to be returned when worn out before the demand for new ones are made'." Abu Bakr bin Hafs ~ states that Abu Bakr ~ said to A.ishah ~ before his death, "I was only benefited from the service done to the Muslims by eating and wearing whatever rough and coarse clothes were available. I have nothing of the public funds with me except a slave, a dromedary and an old sheet. Send all of these to Umar when I am no more." Hasan bin Ali ~ relates that on the eve of his death, Abu Bakr ~ said to Aishah Siddiqah ~ , "After my death you will send to Umar History of Islam this she-camel whose milk we drank, this big bowl I ate from and these sheets. I had taken these articles from the Bait-ul-Mal (public funds) in my capacity as the caliph." When these things reached Umar ~ he remarked, "May Allah show mercy on Abu Bakr, how terribly he suffered for us." Abu Bakr ~ never kept wealth and goods deposited with the Bait-ul-Mal. He spent on the Muslims whatever came to the public treasury.

At times he purchased horses and weapons to be given in the way of Allah and sometimes he bought clothes for the poor and the bedouins. When Umar ~, along with some Companions, examined th'e Bait-ul-Mal after Abu Bakr's death, it was empty. The little girls of the" locality would come to him with their goat to be milked and he would do it for them. Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ used to sit among people in a manner that nobody could recognize who was the caliph. Important Events of the Siddiqi Caliphate Hall of Banu Sa 1idah and the Pledge of Caliphate When Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ came to know ?f the congregation of the Ansar in the Hall of Banu Sa'idah to choose an Amir (Chief) from the Ansar, he hurried to the spot accompanied by Umar ~ - It was a crucial moment in Islamic history. A little delay or neglect might have disrupted the unity between the Muhajirin and the Ansar causing the Muslims immense harm.

But since Allah the Almighty had decided otherwise, He infused in Abu Bakr~ the courage and determination necessary to face the troubled situation and by his wisdom the situation was resolved. The Prophet of Allah ~ had unified the Muslims in a manner that the idols of tribal and national arrogance and discrimination had been broken to pieces. Abu Bakr~ saved the situation and stopped the trouble in its beginning. Although the number of the Muhajirin in Al-Madinah was less than the Ansar, the Ansar were divided in two large sections, the Aus and the Khazraj, who had been rivals from the pre-Islamic days. Thus the Muslims of Al-Madinah could possibly be. divided along their old tribal lines into three large sections, the third being the Muhajirin or the people of Quraish. I I The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Bdi'dh (Pledge) Shortly after the demise of the Prophet ~' all the Muhajirin assembled in the Prophet's Mosque because the majority of the Muhajirin lived in the vicinity of the Mosque while the Ansar were much less in number.

Another Muslim gathering in Saqifah Banu Sa'idah consisted of the Ansar and a Muhajir or two. With Islam still in its beginning, its growth, the hostile endeavors of its opponents, turbulence and turmoil created by battles and expeditions, the extermination of polytheism and the Muslims bowing their will before the Islamic codes made it tremendously important for the Muslims as a whole to choose for themselves an Amir without any delay. The loving sentiments of Umar ~ gave the people no opportunity to think over the issue of the caliphate. Had Abu Bakr ~ not hurried to the spot ori hearing the terrible news of the Prophet's demise, nobody can say how long the people i11 the Prophet's Mosque would have been in the grip of that distressing situation. The congregation held at the sitting place of Sa'd bin Ubadah ~ was· different. They were comparatively peaceful and were seriously deliberating the issue of choosing a successor of the Prophet ;i in temporal affairs.

This congregation belonged to the Ansar and was held at the place of Sa'd bin Ubadah ~ who was the chief of the Khazraj. This section of the Ansar were superior to the Aus in number and wealth, it was only natural that the majority of them would be in favor of the Khazraj chief. Although the Muhajirin numbered less in Al-Madinah, they were so influential and in command of the affairs that an Ansari got up to say how could the Muhajirin be forced to accept a caliph from the Ansar. Another Ansari rose to suggest that a caliph from Muhajirin and another from the Ansar was the best and the most reasonable solution. "But it will be a show of weakness on our part," Sa'd bin Ubadah ~ said objecting to the dual system. In response to this plea, an Ansar rose to say, "In case they reject our caliph, we shall drive them out from Al-Madinah at the point of our swords." However, the few Muhajirin in the assembly protested against this attitude and this led to a dispute and disorder of a serious nature and a fight between the Mulzajirin and the Ansar seemed possible.

History of Islam When the situation took this ugly turn, Mughirah bin Shu'bah ~ left the trouble spot and came to the Prophet's Mosque to relate what was going on in Saqifah Banu Sa'idah. The situation on this side was that Abu Bakr ~ had just finished his speech and was now engaged in making arrangements for the burial. But on hearing this awful news he left everything to go to the Ansar and bring the situation under control. He took with him Umar and Abu Ubaidah ~ and left Ali~ and others to make arrangements for the burial of the Prophet ~ . In a situation packed with confusion, disorder, anger and emotion only a man like Abu Bakr ~ could do what was necessary. When Umar ~ made an attempt to say something, Abu Bakr ~ put a check on him for he knew that an emotionally charged Umar ~ could mishandle the already deteriorating situation.

Abu Bakr ~ himself rose to speak and said in a tone fiJled with confidence and firmness, "The first among the chiefs will be from the Muhajirin, and the Ansar will be their advisors." Thereupon Hubab bin Al-Mundhir ~ said, "It seems reasonable that there should be one Amir (chief) from us and another from you." Umar ~ replied, "You remember very well that the Prophet ~ had exhorted the Muhajirin to take care of the Ansar and did not ask the Ansar to make concessions to the Muhajirin. This will of the Prophet ~ goes in favor of the Muhajirin to be at the helm of affairs." Hubab bin Al-Mundhir ~ tried to answer back but Abu Ubaidah ~ pacified both of them. Meanwhile Bashir bin An-Numan bin Ka'b Ansari ~ got up and expressed his feeling, "The Prophet ~ most certainly belonged to the Quraish tribe so the people of the Quraish alone deserve the caliphate. We, no doubt, lent our help and support to Islam, but our efforts were meant solely for seeking the Pleasure of Allah, and we don't want its compensation in this world nor do we want to pick a quarrel with he Muhajirin." Following this, Hubab bin Al-Mundhir • said, "You have showed utmost timidity and undid our position as a whole." Bashir ~ replied, "I have not showed any timidity and I have preferred not to bicker over the caliphate with the people who really deserve it. Have The Rightly-Guided Caliphate you not heard O Hubab that the Prophet of Allah ~ had said, 'Imams will come from the Quraish.'?" These utterances of Bashir ~ received support from some other Ansfir too. Hubab bin Al-Mundhir ~ also kept silent and changed his opinion.

In this way the religious and spiritual considerations prevailed over the material and temporal ones. Now the entire congregation plunged in deep silence and the growing conflict between the Muhlijirin and the Ansiir over the issue of the caliphate disappeared. In this state of perfect peace, Abu Bakr Siddiq =Ji-· said, "Umar and Abu Ubaydah are here, choose anyone of them." Umar ..;~ said, "No, Abu Bakr is the most excellent among the Mulziijiri11. He has been the Companion of the Prophet * in the cave; the Prophet :it asked him to officiate in leading the Muslims in prayers, and prayer is the most superior of all other Articles of Faith. Therefore, none is entitled to assume the duties bf the caliphate in the presence of Abu Bakr." Saying this Umar ~ stretched his hand first of all to take Bai'ah (oath of allegiance) at the hand of Abu Bakr Siddiq Jj~ followed by Abu Ubaidah and Bashir bin Sa'd Ansari ~ -After that the people on all sides of Abu Bakr ,t.~ came to take Bai'ah. As the news spread, all the believers rushed to pledge their allegiance to the caliph.

Sa'd bin Ubadah ~ from the Anslir and those from the M11hlijirin who were engaged in making arrangements for the burial, did not take the Bai'ah in Saqifoh Banu Sa'idah. However, Sa'd ~ took the Bai'ah with Abu Bakr later the same day. Ali, Zubair and Talhah ::..~ didn't take Bai'alz for 40 days or according to some narratives for six months with the complaint that they were not included in the consultations that were held at Saqifah Banu Sa'idah concerning the Bai'alz. One day Ali .;~ came to Abu Bakr .;~ and said, "I don't refuse to admit that your virtues entitle you to the caliphate. My sole complaint is that we are the close relatives of the Prophet * ' why did you then take Bai'ah at Saqifah Banu Sa'idah without consulting us. Had you called us there, we would have taken Bai'ah at your hand ahead of everyone." Abu Bakr ~ said in reply, "To treat the relatives of the Prophet ~ well is dearer and more desirable to me than to do so for my own relatives.

I went to Saqifah Banu Sa'idah not for the taking of History of Islam Bai' ah but for· putting an end to the dispute arising between the Muhajirin and the Ansar, which had caused a difficult situation. I did not seek their support, they rather took their oath of allegiance to me on their own and demonstrated their complete unanimity in this matter. Had I delayed the matter, it would have posed a greater danger to the unity, integrity and solidarity of Islam. How could J send for you when there was no time." Ali~ listened to what Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ said with rapt attention and withdrew his complaint gracefully. The next day he pronounced his allegiance to Abu Bakr ~ before a large congregation in the Prophet's Mosque. Address of Abu Bakr ~ After the meeting at Saqifah Banu Sa'idah and being absolved from his duty of the burial of the Prophet ~, Abu Bakr~ took the oath of allegiance from the general population and then rose to deliver his address.

After praising and glorifying Allah, he said to the people: "I have been chosen as your chief although I am better than none of you. Thus, if I do good work it is incumbent on you to extend your help and support to me; if I go wrong it is your duty to put me on the right path. Truth and righteousness are a trust and untruth is a breach of trust. The weak among you are strong to me unless I give them full justice, and the strong among you are weak to me unless I receive what is due from them. Abandon not Jihad, when the people hold back from Jihad, they are put to disgrace. Obey me while I keep obeying Allah and His Messenger ~; renounce me when I disobey Allah and His Messenger ~ ' for obedience to me is not incumbent on you then." That was the day when thirty-three thousand Companions pledged their allegiance to Abu Bakr ~- The dispute between the Muhajirin and the Ansar was solved leaving no hard feelings behind.

It was because the Companions of the Prophet ~ had thoroughly learned to prefer Faith to temporal affairs and due to this quality no other segment of humanity ever attained the level of development that the Companions of the Prophet ~ had gracefully reached. The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Usamah's Army marches on The people of Yemen and Najd had come into the fold of Islam just a few months before the death of the Prophet~ and Islam had not yet entered their hearts perfectly bringing about the complete transformation of their thoughts and actions. This resulted in men like Aswad and 1\1.usailamah raising their heads to claim prophethood and leading a section of new Muslims astray in each territory. The final departure of the Messenger of Allah ~ came as a golden opportunity for them to cash in on the prevailing shock and feeling of disappointment among the Muslims at large. Every age produces some mischiefmongers of an evil nature and they try to take advantage of these type of situations. Thus some people and tribes having an extreme lust for power and fame, raised their heads and set about devising ways and means to capture power and bring the Muslims under their direct influence.

As a result of the winds of apostasy and hypocrisy blowing here and there, the pure and sincere Muslims felt shocked and deeply disturbed. Had they not been brought up by the Prophet~ and his sacred company to instill courage, determination and firmness, the binding force of Islam would have been miserably disintegrated. Almost every where in the Arabian continent except Al-Madinah, Makkah and Ta'if, the flames of apostasy were fiercely raging threatening to burn down the citadel of Islam. Still more disturbing were the reports that forces inimical to Islam had once again mustered courage to invade Al-Madinah, and preparations were on to implement their long standing and wicked plans. The Prophet ~ had already dispatched an expedition headed by Usamah bin Zaid ~ to take on the Romans in Syria, which had halted its movement due to the serious illness of the Prophet ~ - Now when Abu Bakr~ wanted to send the same expedition after the death of the Prophet ~ ' the Companions put forward their suggestion to the Caliph that in the wake of the clouds of apostasy gathering on all sides, the expedition should be held back for sometime. It shows the fathomless depth of courage, grit, determination and power of History of Islam Faith wielded by Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ when he answered them, "If I was convinced that a beast would tear me apart after the dispatch of the army, I would not hold back at any cost what the Prophet~ had ordered to go ahead." In response to the call of the Caliph, the Companions already enlisted collected in the military camp outside Al-Madinah.

Although they joined the army of Usamah ~ a section still had some reservations about it for two reasons. One, Usamah ~ was the son of a slave and he was only 17 years old, and therefore, too young and inexperienced to lead an army of distinguished Companions. Before moving ahead Usamah sent Umar ~ as a soldier of his army to Al-Madinah with the message that the eminent Companions should be called back as the headquarters of Islam was under the threat of an enemy attack. The Ansar also sent a message to the Caliph through Umar ~ that an elderly person of noble stock be appointed as the commander of the Muslim troops. Responding to the message of Usamah ~, the Caliph said, "Had the departure of Muslim troops rendered the city of AlMadinah vacant and I would be left alone to be taken away by beasts of prey, the march of the army would not be put off." As to the message of the Ansar, Abu Bakr ~ said "They still carry the impression of arrogance and snobbery in their hearts." Following this he got up and left on foot for the military camp outside Al-Madinah to personally see off Usamah ~ and his army. Usamah ~ moved ahead and Abu Bakr ~ walked along with the mount of the commander talking and discussing matters of importance.

Usamah ~ said to the Caliph, "Either you mount the animal or allow me to get down to accompany you on foot." The Caliph replied, "I shall not ride nor do you need to get down. What harm shall I be inflicted with if I accompany you over some distance in the way of Allah." This act of Abu Bakr ~ was the practical answer to the Ansar who had some misgivings regarding the command of Usamah ~- Exhortations to Usamah ~: Walking along with the mount of Usamah ~ , the Chief of the believers instructed Usamah ~ about a ten-point doctrine, which he should follow strictly during the battle and they are as follows: The Rightly-Guided Caliphate 1) Do not approach embezzlement. (2) Do not tell a lie. (3) Do not commit a breach of trust. (4) Do not kill children, women or the aged. (5) Do not cut down trees with fruit.

(6) Slaughter not camels, cows or goats for any purpose other than eating. (7) Call to Islam the people you find. (8) Pay due respect to anyone you meet. (9) Start eating in the Name of Allah when the meal is served to you. (10) Fight not with those among the Jews and the Christians who have taken refuge in their places of worship. And finally, neither add to what the Messenger of Allah ~ has ordered you to do nor subtract from it.

Fight the disbelievers with the Name of Allah and in His way. Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ went along with Usamah ~ up to Jurf and then came back. Before taking leave, he said to Usamah ~, "If you grant permission I want Umar to be in Al-Madinah to assist and give me advice." Usamah ~ promptly permitted Umar ~ to return back to Al-Madinah. It is significant and exemplary that the Caliph took permission from the military commander to keep Umar ~ with him although he was totally within his rights to order this on his own. Success achieved by Usamah •= Usamah ~ reached the valleys of Jardon and Balqa' and defeated the Roman army. He returned after forty days with an immense amount of spoils of war and prisoners.

Even as the departure of the Muslim army was in an atmosphere charged with disorder, disruption and misdirected emotion, and to invade and punish the formidable Romans looked unreasonable and risky to the extreme, the fruits of this adventure were justly wholesome and sweet. It sent terror into the hearts of the apostates and the opponents of Islam and convinced them to the core that the absence of the Prophet ;i did not diminish the Muslim's invincible determination and courage and love for Islam. As a result, the claimants of prophethood like Tulaihah Asadi and Musailamah the liar could not muster enough courage to step forth from their own territories. Those who had refused to pay zakah meekly surrendered to the will of Islam. Moreover, the substantial quantity of spoils of war played a significant role in strengthening the Islamic army and improving the economic condition of the believers. History of Islam Trial of Apostasy To assume that the death of the Prophet ~ sent Arabia except AlMadinah, Makkah and Ta'if into the fold of apostasy is not the truth.

They had not shifted from Tauhid to Shirk (polytheism) all of a sudden and took to idol worship. The fact is that even the false claimants to prophethood were not against Sa/cit (prayer). They were, however, particularly against the payment of Zakdt for it went against their sense of freedom and dignity, and these new Muslims were ahead of others in rejecting what they claimed as an 'undignified' demand of Islam. Since they could be easily aroused against this most important pillar of Islam, men like Musailamah and Tulaihah used it as a tool to fulfil their evil plans. In short, the issue before the Muslims was not polytheism and idol worship; what was threatening and injurious was the question of unity and solidarity of the system Islam had established at the cost of many sacrifices. The rejection of the demand of zakah was even more dangerous to the cause of Islam than the battles fought by the Muslims against the external forces inimical to fslam.

The Chief of the believers, Abu Bakr ~ held an emergency meeting of the Companions on this explosive issue. But they put forward their opinion against fighting with the tejecters of zakah, just as they were not in favor of Usamah ~ leading an army against the Romans. But on this occasion too, the inimitable courage and determination of Abu Bakr ~ prevailed over all kinds of anxieties and misgivings. He announced with indomitable spirit and firmness that he would go and fight against any tribe who refused to pay even one animal or one rope that was due. In the meantime the deputations of the apostates came to Al-Madinah and said, "We perform prayer but we want an exemption from zakah." But this hard-hitting reply made them silently go back to their respective places. In the wake of the hard line adopted by Abu Bakr Siddiq ~, they rose as one man against the Islamic State.

The prevailing confusion and threat to the unity and integrity of Islam needed a leader of outstanding courage and determination. Abu Bakr ~ was fit to face this disorderly situation and the unruly people who The Rightly-Guided Caliphate were making preparations to invade Al-Madinah, in the absence of Muslim troops, who were fighting the Romans far away from their center. However, even in the face of such a trying situation, the Caliph of Islam was not ready to give any concession concerning his decision and would not compromise with the forces seeking to break the basic tenets of Islam. He was in full control of the situation both internally and externally. He kept himself in close contact with the Muslim forces fighting in the far off lands and issued the necessary orders to the collectors of Zakdt. He encouraged the people of Al-Madinah to keep firm and unified and he made the preparations necessary to deal with the opportunistic alliances of those who had vested interests.

He asked the fighters among the people of Al-Madinah to keep alert and be on guard in front of the Prophet's Mosque, while Ali, Zubair, Talhah and Abdullah bin Mas'ud ~~ were sent on patrol duty around AI-Madinah. Information reached the headquarters that the people of Abs, Dhubyan, Banu Kinanah and Banu Asad tribes had collected to attack the Muslims. Their march towards Al-Madinah was checked by the patrols, which also sent news to Al-Madinah about the enemy movement. Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ himself went to repulse the enemy attack up to Dhu Khushub. However, when Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ went again for an encounter, they used drums and other instruments that caused the camels of the Muslims to get scared and they fled back to AI-Madinah. Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ organized them and made a fierce charge on the enemy and routed them completely killing many of them after a fight of five or six hours.

Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ sent the spoils of war to Al-Madinah under the charge of Nu'man bin Muqrin ~ and a small party, and himself went to Dhul-Qassah in hot pursuit of the enemy. Meanwhile the enemy invaded some tribes in the back area and martyred many Muslims there. When Abu Bakr ~ came to know of the incident on his return, he vowed to kill as many apostates equal to the number of Muslims who were martyred at their hands. He was on the verge of leaving AlMadinah when Usamah ~ entered Al-Madinah with booty in large quantity. Because the detachment was terribly exhausted, he left it in I Al-Madinah to take rest and guard it against any fresh attack. And he History of Islam himself left Al-Madinah at the head of a small detachment and went up to Dhu Khushub and Dhul-Qassah raiding their centers and routing who ever faced them.

After finishing his task, he stayed at Abraq for a couple of days before his departure to AI-Madinah. Edict of Abu Bakr Siddiq ~: Immediately after his return to Al-Madinah, Abu Bakr ~ penned an edict and sent copies to the apostate tribes through his messengers to be read out in public gatherings. The contents of the edict were as follows: From Abu Bakr, the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah~' to each and every person whether he has accepted Islam or not. Let it be known to one and all that Allah the Almighty sent Muhammad ~ as a true Prophet who sought to give glad tidings and to warn and to call to Allah by His Order, he is the illuminated lamp of guidance. Allah the Almighty guides one to the right path who accepts the invitation of Islam, but anyone who rejects it is made to show obedience through struggle and fighting. The Prophet of Allah ~ made his final departure after accomplishing his task of calling people towards Islam and the straight path of Allah.

And Allah the Almighty has already acquainted all with this in the Quran: "Verily, you will die and they will also die." (39:30) "And We granted not to any human being immortality before you, the. you die, would they live forever?" (21:34) "Muhammad is no more than a Messenger and indeed Messengers have passed away before him. Thus, if he is dead or killed, will you turn back? If anyone turns back, he will do no harm to Allah the Almighty. Allah the Almighty will give good reward to those who give thanks." (3:144) Thus, one who worshipped Muhammad~ then Muhammad ~ is now dead and gone, but one who worshipped Allah Alone then Allah is living and He has not died; He is neither overpowered by sleep nor touched by drowsiness. He looks I j The Rightly-Guided Caliphate after His Own Orders and will at anytime take revenge on His enemies. I exhort you all to fear Allah, to share what the Prophet ~ brought in the form of light and guidance from Allah, to follow the guidance of Allah and to hold firmly to the rope of the religion of Allah.

Anyone who is not guided by Allah the Almighty, goes astray; he is helpless and alone who is deprived of the support of Allah. No deed of a man is acceptable in this world and the Hereafter while he rejects Islam. I have come to know that some of you have turned to follow Satan and acts of ignorance forsaking Allah the Almighty. Allah the Almighty says that Satan is your sworn enemy, so be hostile to Satan, for he seeks to make his followers dwellers of Hell-fire. I have decided to send the detachment made up of the Muhajirin and the Ansar to you, they follow virtue. I have instructed them not to fight anybody without calling them to Islam and to lend support to those who accept Islam, to keep from evil and reject not the good, and to fight those who reject Islam.

It is good for the one who accepts Islam. I have ordered my emissary to read out this message at a large gathering. When a Muslim detachment draws near and its caller calls. the Adhan, you too respond to it by calling the Adhtin, this symbolizes your acceptance of Islam and thus spares your life. If you fail to call the Adhan, you will invite the Muslims to attack Uprooting the Apostates: As a follow-up action, after the dispatch of emissaries with the circulars, Abu Bakr ~ made eleven banners. Each to be given to eleven heads who were chosen to lead separate detachments with the instructions that they should take some men from Makkah, Ta'if and other places, and leave the rest to look after the home front. The first of the flags was handed over to Khalid bin Walid ~ with the order to launch his first attack at Tulaihah bin Khuwailid Asadi and to make Malik bin Nuwairah his next target at Butah.

Another standard was given to Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl to make an attack on Musailamah the liar at Yamamah. Shurahbil bin Hasanah ~ was given the third banner to first assist lkrimah ~ and then go to Hadramout to invade History of Islam Banu Kindah and Banu Quda'ah. The fourth one was entrusted to Khalid bin Saeed bin Al-As~ to go to Syria and put down uprisings with a firm hand. Fifth standard was given to Amr bin Al-As ~ for Banu Quda'ah. Hudhaifah bin Mihsan ~ was sent to the people of Oman, and Arfajah bin Harthamah ~ to Mahrah with the seventh one. The eighth one was given to Tarqah bin Ha.jib~ to go to Banu Sulaim and Banu Hawazin.

Suwaid bin Muqarrin ~ was ordered to go to Yemen (Tihamah) with the ninth one. Ala' bin Hadrami ~ with the tenth standard was sent to Bahrain. Muhajir bin Abu Umayyah was sent to San'a' with the eleventh. All these heads were given a circular with the same content, which is given here: The Manifesto of Abu Bakr Siddiq ~: This is a covenant from Abu Bakr, the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah ~' which is handed over to so-and-so, the head of the detachment on the eve of his departure to fight the apostates. From the commander of the detachment I have obtained his undertaking to fear Allah the Almighty in all affairs of life inwardly and outwardly. I have ordered him to make them see reason before falling on the apostates and to stop fighting if and when they accept Islam and then make them learn their rights and duties and their rights be given and the duties due on them be taken without showing concessions whatsoever.

Whoever keeps any other kind of belief after the confessing of Islam is left to Allah to be accountable to Him. But those who will carry the matter to the point of fighting by rejecting Islam outright, if overpowered or defeated by the believers, their spoils are to be distributed among the Muslims after taking out the fifth part therefrom. I have also issued orders to the commanders to stop their troops from creating disturbances and taking hasty actions resulting in chaos and havoc and from admitting strangers to their detachment without their knowing perfectly their identity. I have also written them to treat the Muslims politely and show mercy to the people while camping at and decamping a place. All these detachments left AI-Madinah in the month of Jumada AlUkhra 11 AH, for the territories assigned to them. The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Tulaihali Asadi Tulaihah was a soothsayer who entered Islam but claimed for himself prophethood during the last days of the Messenger of Allah~- Some tribes of Children of Israel joined his party.

Dirar bin Al-Azwar ~ was sent to punish him but the task was not completed because he hurried back to Al-Madinah on hearing the sad news of the demise of the Prophet ~- During that period, Tulaihah Asadi had an opportunity to rebuild his position. The people of Ghatfan and Hawazin tribes who had already been routed by Abu Bakr ~ collected themselves once again to join the bandwagon of Tulaihah's party. He pitched his camp at Buzakhah, the well-known stream of Najd, and the people of Ghatfan, Hawazin, Banu Asad, Banu Amir and Banu Tai gathered around him to make it a massive force. Khalid bin Walid ~ launched an attack on Tulaihah's troops at Buzakhah, which was fighting under the command of Tulaihah's brother Khayyal. Tulaihah himself was sitting farther from his troops in a mantle pretending to be waiting for a 'revelation'. The battle became intense.

When the apostates' troops began to suffer reverses, Uyainah bin Hisn came to Tulaihah and asked him if any revelation was sent down to him. "Not yet," Tulaihah replied. After a while he came again, repeated the same question, and received the same reply. Now the Muslim detachment was clearly dominating the battle scene and the apostates were getting routed. When Uyainah came to Tulaihah and put the same question to him for the third time, he replied rather cunningly, "Jibril has come to me to say that things will happen according to what is in store for us." Uyainah got enraged at this artful reply and exclaimed, "O people! Tulaihah is a liar, so I am leaving now." Having heard this, the apostates took to their heels leaving behind a great number of dead and many were captured.

A large number of people returned to Islam on the spot. Tulaihah, along with his wife fled on horseback and took refuge with the Quda'ah tribe. When all the other tribes, including his own, came back to the fold of Islam, Tulaihah also confessed Islam and came to History of Islam Al-Madinah during the caliphate of Umar ~- Uyainah was brought before Khalid bin Walid ~ as a captive and was sent to Al-Madinah. Here he accepted Islam in state of humiliation but afterward he made himself sincere to it. The fugitives from the army of Tulaihah, made up of the Ghatfan, Sulaim and Hawazin tribes, collected at Haw ab and chose Salrna bint Malik bin Hudhaifah bin Badr bin Zafar as their chief. Following this they made large-scale preparations against the Muslims.

Informed of this, Khalid bin Walid ~ moved to meet the lurking threat. Salma was herself heading the army. Khalid bin Walid ~ attacked the enemy which resulted in fierce fighting between the two forces. About one hundred apostates were killed safeguarding her dromedary. At last she fell down from the injured she-camel and was instantly killed. Her followers immediately disappeared from the battleground.

About the same time a chieftain of Banu Sulaim, Al-Fajah bin Abd Yalil called on Abu Bakr Siddiq~ and said to him, "I am a Muslim. Please help me with weapons so that I can go and fight against the apostates." Abu Bakr ~ granted his request. When he left AlMadinah, he pronounced his apostasy and sniped at the sections of Banu Hawazin and Banu Sulairn who had confessed Islam. After being informed of this treachery, Abu Bakr ~ sent Abdullah bin Qais ~ with a small party who caught the culprit, who was trying to escape, and brought him to Al-Madinah where he was killed. Sajah and Malik bin Nuwairah Banu Tamim inhabited a few settlements where, during the lifetime of the Prophet ~ ' Malik bin Nuwairah, Waki' bin Malik, Safwan bin Safwan, Qais bin Asim were working as collectors of zakah and other charities. Now as the news of the Prophet's demise spread, Qais bin Asim turned apostate while Malik bin Nuwairah expressed his joy.

However, Safwan bin Safwan ~ remained firm as a Muslim. In the meantime Sajah bint Al-Harith bin Suwaid of the Taghlib tribe declared her prophethood. Hudhail bin lmran-the chief of Banu Taghlib, Uqbah bin Hilal-the chief of Banu Namir and Salil bin Qaisthc chief of Banu Shaiban accepted her claim. She was able to collect The Rightly-Guided Caliphate about four thousand soldiers around her and she moved ahead to invade Al-Madinah. She came to know that Khalid bin Walid ~ was also on the move from the opposite direction. This news was quite disturbing for her.

Moreover Sajah and Musailamah were afraid of each other, as both of them had claimed prophethood. Their anxiety multiplied when they came to know that both Ikrimah and Shurahbil I~ had reached Yamamah with Muslim detachments. Thus both of I them were practicing caution. I At last, Musailamah wrote a letter to Sajah to find out her intentions. She wrote back, "I wanted to invade Al-Madinah. Since both of us are I prophets, let us launch a joint attack." Musailamah very haughtily replied, "While the Prophet Muhammad was alive, I had surrendered I half of my country in his favor; after him I am the sole ruler of the j country.

However, since you too claim prophethood, I shall confer j half of my prophethood on you. It is better that you come to me alone ' leaving your troops behind so that we can sit together in consultations concerning the division of the prophethood and the invasion of AlMadinah." I Marriage of the Liar-prophetess: Immediately after receiving the message of Musailamah she left to meet him. He welcomed her in a camp specially erected in front of his fortress. They held secret talks, which resulted in Sajah accepting his prophethood and giving herself to him in marriage. She stayed with Musailamah for three days and then came back to her camp. The army asked about the bride price.

She sent this request back to Musailamah and he exempted them from the dawn and night prayers as her bride price. As she moved ahead she came across the Muslim army led by Khalid bin Walid ~ - The soldiers of Sajah became so terrified that they fled to far off places leaving Sajah alone and she could barely save herself. She joined her tribe and passed the rest of her life in obscurity. Assassination of Malik bin Nuwairah: It has already been mentioned that Malik bin Nuwairah expressed joy over the death of the Prophet :i. He had also made peace with Sajah History of Islam but had later on severed his relation with her. When he was captured and brought before Khalid bin Walid ,tk,, the Muslims argued that the people of the settlement of Malik bin Nuwairah had responded with Adhan and so he should not be killed.

Others discounted this point since the Adhan was not called as a response and he should be killed as per the order of the caliph of the Prophet of Allah :'i;. The investigation of Khalid bin Walid ,tk, could not bring the matter to light. But during his talk with Khalid ,tk, he referred to the Prophet~ more than once as: "Your chief has said such and such." Being enraged at such a The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Musailamah the Liar Banu Hanifah was one of the tribes, which appeared in the form of a deputation before the Prophet ~ after the conquest of Makkah. Musailamah bin Hubaib belonged to this same tribe. On his return to Yamamah from Al-Madinah, he heard about the illness of the Prophet ~ and declared his prophethood. He also sent a letter to the Prophet ~ saying, "Since prophethood is being shared by both of us, each one is entitled to possess half of the country." The Prophet~ wrote back: "In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah to Musailamah the liar. Peace be upon whom who follows the guidance. After that, the earth is Allah's. He gives it as a heritage to whom He wills of His slaves and the end is for the pious." Following this letter, the Prophet ~ sent Rajjal bin Anfuh, a respectable man of Banu Hanifah to bring Musailamah back to the path of guidance. Rajjal reached Yamamah and then lent support to Musailamah instead, and became his follower. His notorious mission gained wide popularity.

At last, Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl. was sent to punish him and then Shurhabil bin Hasanah • was dispatched with reinforcements. Ikrimah • invaded Musailamah' s army before the arrival of the reinforcements and was defeated. Having heard this news, Abu Bakr • sent word to Ikrimah • not to return to AlMadinah but to join Hudhaifah and Arfajah ~ and fight with the people of Mahrah and Oman under their command. Having finished that campaign he had to leave for Yemen and Hadramout along with his detachment to join Muhajir bin Abu Umayyah •. He wrote to Shurhabil bin Hasanah • to go towards the territories of Khalid bin Walid ~; and leave for Quda'ah and fight along with the people under the command of Amr bin Al-As~ and punish the apostates there. In the meantime, Khalid bin Walid • came back to AlMadinah.

Abu Bakr • instead of calling him to account, sent him to punish Musailamah the liar at the head of a detachment including both the Muhiijirin and the Ansiir, which actually was a sign of respect to him. History of Islam Deviation to Nationality: Musailamah had with him forty thousand warriors of the Rabi'ah tribe. Some of them knew him as a liar but their misdirected sense of national pride led them to wish him success. They would openly say, "Musailamah is a liar while Muhammad is truthful. However, to all of us, the liar-prophet of Rabi'ah is dearer than the truthful Prophet of Banu Mudar." After sending Khalid bin Walid ~, the Caliph Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ dispatched a few more columns to strengthen the army of Khalid ~ who joined him on the way. Now the strength of the Muslim army under the command of Khalid ~ rose to thirteen thousand.

When he was at a distance of one day from the city of Yamamah, he sent a small column as an advance guard. The same day Musailamah had dispatched Mujja'ah bin Mura.rah at the head of sixty men to snipe at Banu Tamim. Thus this party came across the advance guard of the Muslim army. In the encounter, all the apostates were killed and their head Mujja'ah was brought before Khalid~- When Khalid~ reached Yamamah, Musailamah came out of the city and encamped in a fortified garden at the gate of the city. Furious Fight: The forty thousand strong army of Musailamah the liar attacked the Muslim troops not exceeding thirteen thousand in number. A very furious and dreadful fight broke out.

The Muslim fighters sustained the fierce attack of the enemy with exemplary patience and firmness. Soon after they collected themselves at the center and fell on the enemy like hungry tigers and routed them thoroughly. The apostates fled the field but collected at the gate of the garden and showed some courage and firmness. At this stage Thabit bin Qais ~, the standard bearer of the Muslim army was honored with martyrdom. Zaid bin Khattab ~ lifted the standard and the Muslims showed such valor and virility that the enemy had to retreat behind the walls of the garden but the Muslims broke into it. Now the people asked Musailamah, "When will the promise of victory be fulfilled that your god has given to you?" He replied, "This is not The Rightly-Guided Caliphate the time to talk all this; everyone is now required to fight for the safety of his wife and children." When his garden too turned into the battleground, Musailamah got on his horse and began to call his people to give battle.

However, when he witnessed that the situation was under the full control of the Muslims, he got down and moved secretly towards the exit. Wahshi (the one who assassinated Hamzah ~) happened to be at the gate of the garden aiming at Musailamah, he threw his lance so forcefully that it cut through his double coat of mail and cut across his belly. Panic and terror overtook the enemy and in a short while there was none left to be seen on the battlefield other than the Muslims. This battle took a heavy toll on the enemy force leaving seventeen thousand dead while one thousand from the Muslim side were honored with martyrdom. Among them were a large number of H11ffdz (those who had committed the entire Quran to memory). The rest of Banu Hanifah fled the battlefield fleeing for their lives leaving their women and children behind.

Since a great number of Muslims had sustained injuries, Khalid bin Walid ~ decided to conquer the city of Yamamah the next day. Mujja'ah bin Murarah, the captive took advantage of this decision. He misled Khalid ~ by saying that the greater number of men of his tribe were still alive and they were well-equipped and formidable enough to win by the power of the sword. He then asked Khalid ~ that if he was freed, he could go to persuade them not to give battle. Thus both the city and its citizens would come under their control without blood and toil. Khalid ~ accepted his proposal and freed him.

Mujja'ah went into the city and asked the women to get on the ramparts with their weapons. He then came back and said to Khalid ~' "My people are not ready to make peace merely in return for their safety." When Khalid ~ looked towards the city, he found that the ramparts showed nothing but swords and spears, which verified the statement of Mujja'ah. Keeping an eye on his injured soldiers and the expectation of a long drawn out battle, Khalid ~ thought it reasonable to make peace with the enemy. Thus he offered to leave for them half of their wealth and possessions, half of the planted gardens and half of the captives of Banu Hanifah. Mujja'ah went to the city once again and came back with the report: "They are not ready to History of Islam accept this offer, you can win peace by taking from them one-fourth of their possessions." Khalid ~ agreed to the proposal and the peace treaty was written down. Following this, Khalid ~ went inside the city.

He, to his utmost amazement, found there none but women and children. "Why did you play a trick on me?" Khalid ~ asked Mujja'ah. "My people were virtually on the brink of death and destruction, so it was my duty to pull them out of this situation, please excuse me," Mujja'ah replied. Khalid ~ kept silent not thinking in the least about breaking the agreement. A short while after Musailamah bin Waqsh, an emissary of Abu Bakr ~ gave Khalid~ a letter from the Caliph directing him to kill their men and make their women and children captives in case the battle was won. But the peace treaty was signed before the arrival of the emissary, so the order from Al-Madinah could not be implemented.

This event is a memorable example of how particular the Muslims were about keeping their promises and upholding their treaties. Khalid bin Walid ~ sent a deputation of Banu Hanifah to Abu Bakr ~ with a letter. He had mentioned in it the details about the recent victory and Banu Hanifah's re-entry to Islam. Abu Bakr~ held them in high esteem and bade farewell to them in the same spirit. The battle of Yamamah took place in Dhul-Hijjah 11 AH. Hatm bin Dubai 1 ah It has already been mentioned that Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ had sent Ala' bin Al-Hadrami ~ to Bahrain at the head of a detachment.

Banu Abdul-Qais and Banu Bakr bin Wa'il along with their branches inhabited Bahrain. It has also been stated that Jarud bin Al-Mualla ~ had once represented Abdul-Qais tribe to the Prophet :I. The people of Abdul-Qais tribe renounced Islam when they heard of the ·death of the Prophet :I with the idea that had he been a Prophet, he would not have died. Jarud bin Al-Mualla ~ assembled his people and put the question to them, "Had there been other Prophets before Muhammad :I?" "Yes, there had been many," they admitted with one voice. "Had they not passed away after passing their lives like common people?" he put another question. "They all passed away after passing their days of life," they admitted.

"The Prophet :I also completed his span The Rightly-Guided Caliphate of life and then passed away exactly in the same manner," he said and called in a loud voice: "I testify that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad in His slave and Messenger." The hearts of the people of Abdul-Qais tribe were moved so deeply that they all expressed deep sorrow for their wrongdoing and returned to the fold of Islam. Though Abdul-Qais tribe was saved through the timely efforts of Jarud bin Al-Mualla ,tb, but Banu Bakr bin Wa'il tribe took to apostasy and made Hatm their chief. He marched ahead with a large number of men from Banu Bakr and camped between Qatif and Hijr. He then sent a small party to Abdul-Qais tribe to make them apostates and to come back. However, Abdul-Qais flatly refused to turn apostate. Hatm then sent Ma'rur bin Suwaid with a group to either make them apostate or fight with them.

In the meantime Ala' bin Al-Hadrami ,tb arrived in Bahrain with his detachment. He sent word to Jarud bin Al-Mualla ,tb to launch an attack on Hatm in the company of Banu Abdul-Qais. With the spread of this news, Muslims from the surrounding areas collected around Ala' bin Al-Hadrami ,tb while the apostates gathered round Hatm. Ala' bin Al-Hadrami ,tb moved ahead with his army and camped near the military camp of Hatm. Hatm had dug trenches around his camp. The fight between the two started but none of them was crowned with victory even after a long period of one month.

However, Ala' bin al-Hadrami ,tb lost his patience and launched such a furious attack across the enemy trenches that the enemy force was filled with wild terror, and with the killing of Hatm at the hands of Qais bin Asim, the entire enemy front was completely routed. Gradually all the apostates turned back to Islam. Laqit bin Malik It has been mentioned above that Abu Bakr Siddiq ,tb had sent Hudhaifah bin Mihsan ,tb to Oman and Arfajah bin Harthamah ,tb to the people of Mahrah with the order that they should keep together. On hearing the news of the death of the Prophet~, Laqit declared his prophethood in Oman. The people of Oman and Mahrah turned apostate and forced out of their territory the collectors of charity appointed by the Prophet ~- Abu Bakr ,tb had sent a message to History of Islam Hudhaifah bin Mihsan Himyari ~ to first go to Oman and then leave for Mahrah after finishing his task. He had also directed lkrimah ~ to join Hudhaifah and Arfajah ~ in Oman.

Thus all the three commanders of the Muslim detachments stayed together in Oman. On being informed, Laqit collected his fighters and moved ahead to face the Muslim army. Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl was the head of the advance guard while Hudhaifah had the command of the right wing and Arfajah the left one and in the middle of the army were the rich and influential persons of Oman who had been firm on Islam. Fighting broke out at the time of the dawn prayer. The Islamic army was fighting from the low-lying areas while the enemy force was giving battle from the high ground. At the outset the Muslim troops suffered reverses but the proverbial patience and firmness of the believers turned the tables and forced the enemy to retreat.

They turned and ran away leaving behind a thousand dead, four thousand as captive and a large quantity of booty. The Muslim army returned to Al-Madinah victoriously. Jkrimah ~ left for Mahrah and after a short period of time, the entire Oman returned firmly to Islam. Apostasy in Mahrah Mahrah had some people from Oman and some others from AbdulQais, Azd and Banu Sa'd tribes that inhabited this territory. But they were divided in two factions after turning apostate, each faction fighting with the other. In this situation Ikrimah ~ arrived in Mahrah and one of the factions accepted Islam.

The next one, whose head was Musabbih, rejected the offer and remained adamant in his attitude. Thereupon Ikrimah ~ attacked the apostates giving them a crushing defeat and killing their chief. This victory led a large number of people from all the tribes to join the forces of Islam. Apostasy in Yemen Aswad Ansi, referred to before, had claimed prophethood for himself and created disturbances all over Yemen. But he met his doom during the lifetime of the Prophet ~. Although Islam had been gaining ground after the cloud of apostasy cleared, the death of the Prophet ~ The Rightly-Guided Caliphate let it stage a comeback.

They were now getting strong under the leadership of two chiefs, Qais bin Makshuh and Amr bin Ma'dikarib. The Muslims were small in numbers and were brutally tortured by the Yemenite apostates, with the result they had left the area. Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ had sent Muhajir bin Abu Umayyah ~ with a detachment to pass through Makkah and Ta'if and then to go to Najran taking Muslim fighters from these cities. Qais and Amr had already received the news of Muhajir's arrival. Amr bin Ma'dikarib was a well known wrestler whose swordsmanship had won him admiration throughout the country. Muhajir ~ saw himself and his army surrounded by a swarm of enemy forces and this infused in them a sense of courage, fervor and determination, and they attacked the enemy with full force and vigor.

The chieftains, Qais and Amr were caught after a thorough defeat of the enemy troops. Qais and Amr were sent to Al-Madinah and both of them admitted their wrongs and returned to Islam. Muhajir bin Umayyah ~ reached San'a' and cleared the entire territory of apostates. It was there that Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl met him. From there both the commanders made a joint march to punish Banu Kindah who were busy making large-scale preparations against the Muslims under the command of Ash'ath bin Qais and their strength was increasing day by day. Informed of this, Muhajir bin Abu Umayyah ~ took a fast squad of horsemen from his army and hurried towards Ash'ath leaving his army under the command of Ikrimah ~- He attacked the enemy force so suddenly and violently that they fled in terror.

Ash'ath made a quick escape and took refuge in a fort where he was joined by other apostates. Muhajir bin Abu Umayyah ~ besieged the fort. In the meantime he was joined by Ikrimah ~ . The severity of the siege and the blockade of reinforcements forced him to lay down his arms. He then appealed to the Muslim commander to spare the lives of only nine persons including his wife and children. But Ash'ath forgot to include his own name.

Thus all, exclusive of those nine persons were held captive. Ash'ath was also among the captives. They were presented before Abu Bakr ~, Ash'ath expressed regret for his past deeds and accepted Islam on the History of Islam spot. Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ set free all the captives including Ash'ath issuing them strong warnings not to repeat their past actions. Complete Eradication of Apostasy Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ was able to put down all the uprisings of apostasy in less than one year. Now the entire Arab Peninsula was free from the filth of polytheism and apostasy.

Not a tinge of malaise of this nature was to be traced anywhere within the bounds of Arabian continent. Only a few months before, the sky of Islam looked cloudy everywhere except Al-Madinah, Makkah and Ta'if, and swords and spears, lances and arrows seemed to be flying everywhere. However, in this very short period the situation turned around completely. It was unflinching courage and unyielding determination that faced the hostile storm and stress on all fronts and came out victorious in all events. Even the legendary grit and valor of Rustam and Isphandiyar could not come face to face with the hundredth part of what was shown by Abu Bakr Siddiq ~. And the reason is that the qualities of head and heart displayed by the Caliph of the Prophet ~ were the direct result of his upbringing under the blessed shadow of the Messenger of Allah ~.

The army of Siddiq ~ had no doubt, matchless men of lasting courage like Khalid, Ikrimah, Shurhabil, and Hudhaifah ,$,, but it was the dauntless courage of Abu Bakr ~, which kept control over the state of affairs, organized the campaigns and dispatched the detachments to far off lands. He never allowed fear, anxiety or timidity to enter the hearts of the true believers. His strategies of war had no parallel and Muslim commanders were leading their detachments and Muslim troops were fighting only according to the plans chalked out by the Caliph of the Prophet ~ - At first consideration it appears that the eleven detachments sent to various places were instrumental in wiping out apostasy from the face of Arabia, but in fact, it was simply the clever devices and the expert opinion of Abu Bakr ~ alone that swept away all the rubbish lying in the path of Islam. And this gigantic task was accomplished within a I The Rightly-Guided Caliphate I very short span of a few months. In the discouraging and frustrating I situation that he was facing, none else was there to show such a magnificent farsightedness as he demonstrated. He neither agreed to hold back the expedition of Usamah bin Zaid ~ planned by the Prophet ~ himself during his last days nor did he pay heed to Umar's outbursts nor did he delay the collection of zakah from the apostates.

Who could then be the true successor of the Prophet ::i in his temporal affairs? Rome and Persia There were two fabulously magnificent and large empires existing at the time of the advent of the Prophet ~' the Roman and the Persian. The world was then ruled by these two civilizations. Arabia was steeped in dismal darkness where the last Prophet~ was raised. It was through Islam that a new power and a new civilization emerged and engulfed the glittering civilizations of both Rome and Persia and left its mark as the only important power. There was a time when the Persian Empire had in its fold the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Indus River, Kashmir, Tibet, Mount Altai and the Caspian Sea.

Alexander the Great of Greece tore this large and grand empire to pieces. But Persian culture and civilization were still going strong. About four hundred years before the advent of the Prophet ::i, Ardsher Babkan laid the foundation of the Sassanid dynasty and brought under its control the Persian Gulf, the Euphrates, the Caspian Sea, the Indus, Oxus and the whole continent of Asia. The center of Roman power was Rome, the city of Italy, which was ruled over by Julius Caesar and his heir Augustus. Egypt, Asia Minor and the whole of Europe formed part of the Roman Empire. It was later divided into two parts.

While Rome remained the capital of the western part, the eastern part made Constantinople its capital. The king of Constantinople was also called Caesar and he ruled over Egypt, Abyssinia, Palestine, Syria, Asia Minor and the Balkans. The Eastern Roman Rule was far ahead of Western Rome in grandeur and power. The two parts had no natural border between them and so they were occasionally at war with one another. History of Islam At the time of the birth of the Prophet :i, Nushirwan Sassani was the emperor of Persia and his grandson Chosroes (Khosrau) was the ruler when Muhammad ~ was honored with Prophethood. Rebellion broke out against Caesar Publius, his nobles and the subjects dethroned and killed him.

Heraclius, the son of the governor of African territories was enthroned in Constantinople as the Caesar. In the meantime the Persians and the Romans rose up against each other and the war between the two dragged on for six or seven years. During the eighth year of Prophethood, the Persians conquered Syria and took away the Cross when they captured Bait-ul-Maqdis (Jerusalem). The polytheists of Makkah expressed wild jubilation at the victory of the Persians, for the Persians were polytheists while the Romans were people of the Book. The Muslims naturally had sympathy for the Romans, so it was sad news for them. Allah the Almighty revealed the Verses of Surat Ar-Rum and let them know that although Rome had been defeated at that time, but in a few years they would gain victory to the rejoicing of the Muslims and so it happened.

Heraclius rose from the position of defeat and frustration and after preparing for six or seven years with indomitable courage and determination, took his revenge on the Persians on the battlefield of Syria. The Romans defeated the Persians on one hand, and about the same time, the Makkan disbelievers tasted a crushing defeat at the hands of the Muslims on the other. Thus the prophecy of the Quran came true word for word. And with this, started a new spate of battles between the two rivals, which came to an end only in 7 AH, when they at last made peace after large-scale bloodshed and destruction. After winning peace, both of them set out on the way to progress and prosperity. It was the same year that the Prophet ~ sent invitation letters to a number of monarchs.

Chosroes of Persia received the letter from the Prophet ~ at Mada'in and he tore it up with disdain, while Heraclius of the Roman Empire showed due respect to it. Not only did Chosroes show disrespect to the letter of the Prophet ~ but he sent word to his governor Badhan in Yemen to round up the Arabian Prophet and send him to Mada'in. Badhan sent two persons to Al-Madinah who appeared before the The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Prophet ~ and informed him of the royal order. The Prophet~ said, "Chosroes, whom you treat as your god, has been killed by his son last night." When both of them went back to Badhan they came to know that Chosroes was killed by his son, Sherweh. The assassination of Chosroes took place the same night the Prophet ~ referred to as the night when Badhan, the governor of Yemen embraced Islam. With his acceptance of Islam, the religion of Allah spread rapidly in the whole country.

The Prophet ii approved Badhan as the governor of Yemen. Sherweh was too deeply preoccupied with his internal problems to turn towards the Muslims and Arabia. After many turns of events, Puran, the daughter of Chosroes Pervez and the sister of Sherweh took the throne but could rule the country only for one year. The Prophet ~ passed away during her time. After many successors, Yazdgurd was on the throne of Persia when it fell to the Muslims. In short, the lofty palace of the Persian Empire kept decaying day by day from the time the letter of the Prophet ~ was torn up with disrespect.

The Persians, being polytheists, were most arrogant and haughty. They looked down upon the Arabs and particularly the Muslims, since the news of their strength and patience was a source of constant mental trouble for them, they wanted to uproot them completely. But Allah the Almighty had entangled them so deeply in family feuds that they had no chance to look towards Arabia. The Jews and hypocrites who were turned out of Al-Madinah, constantly sent messages to the Persians and the Romans to attack Muslims in AlMadinah. Since the Heraclius' court was free from such plotting and counter-plotting, he was in a position to implement the conspiratorial suggestions of the hypocrites and the Jews of Al-Madinah. The time when the Prophet ~ had sent his letter to Heraclius, he had also dispatched letters to Busra and Damascus.

But both the rulers illtreated the emissaries of the Prophet ~- Shurahbil, the sub ruler of Busra had gone to the extent that he put the emissary to death. In the battle of Mu'tah, Heraclius was on the side of Shurahbil Ghassani. Following this, the Romans invaded Arabia and the Prophet~ went to Tabuk along with his army. But the Romans evaded the battle. History of Islam The news of the Prophet's death stirred the atmosphere throughout Arabia and this sad news brought both the Romans and Persians to heave a sigh of relief. Since Arabia had risen on the map of the world for the first time as a country wielding, unity, courage, power and influence, the Romans and the Persians could not but watch it with a shade of care and anxiety.

The tempest of apostasy added fuel to the flames, with the result the Romans and the Persians began to collect their forces in Syria and Iraq respectively. It was the height of wisdom, prudence, military acumen and the courage of conviction of Abu Bakr ~, which guided him to first eradicate apostasy and then galvanize the whole country into fighting back the forces hostile to Islam. It was due to the sterling qualities of the illustrious personality of Abu Bakr Siddiq~, the first Caliph of the Prophet of Allah :i, that he guided the destiny of Islam with unparalleled determination, firmness, conviction and trust in such crucial moments, which had brought soul-stirring challenges to the very existence of Islam, immediately after the final departure of the Prophet of Allah :i. Policy of the Muslims Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ was well aware of the designs of the Persians when he approved the departure of Usamah's detachment. At a time when Al-Madinah itself was under great pressure, he adopted a policy of buying time before opening a war front against the major powers until the threat of apostasy was put down. He, therefore, sent a small column to Iraq under Muthanna bin Harithah ~ not to start a pitched battle but to function as a raiding party meant just to terrorize the men in power so that the Persians dared not attack Arabia.

He had in mind the same purpose when he had dispatched Usamah ~ against the Romans. When the situation in Najd and Yamamah came under control, Siddiq ~ addressed a letter to Iyad bin Ghanam ~ in Najd to take with him those Muslims who were still beyond the reach of apostasy, and launch an attack on the upper parts of Iraq. Following this, he wrote another letter to Khalid bin Walid .te, in Yamamah to tum towards the lower parts of Iraq. Both the Muslim commanders met at Uballah according to the instructions of the Caliph. The Rightly-Guided Caliphate The Battle of DhJt-us-Salasil When Khalid bin Walid ~ took stock of his entire army at Aballah, he found that he had not more than eighteen thousand fighters. His fresh target was Hafir, the Persian province of Iraq, and Hurmuz was its governor who was well known throughout Arabia for his valor and military skill.

He was a terror for India also for he so often led assaults on the Indian coast with his war fleet. Khalid bin Walid ~ first addressed a letter inviting him to Islam. But Hurmuz responded with leading a large and strong army against the Muslim commander. With his instinctive military acumen, Khalid~ divided his army into three parts. He then handed over the command of one part to Adi bin Hatim ~' another part he entrusted to Qa'qa' bin Amr ~ and the third one he kept with himself. All the three wings marched ahead to meet at Hafir with the difference of a oneday-journey and pitched their camps facing the Persian army.

First of all, Khalid bin Walid ~ himself came out and threw a challenge to Hurmuz for a duel. He responded to the call and stepped forward. Both the commanders got down from their horses. Khalid ~ was the first to strike. Hurmuz made a hasty retreat and parried the stroke, then he struck Khalid with agility. Khalid~ got up quickly, rushed forward and snatched away his sword by twisting his wrist.

Now Hurmuz clasped his body which led to wrestling between the two. Khalid ~ lifted him high by his waist with lightening speed and then threw him on the ground so forcefully that he failed to move. Khalid ~ then got on his chest, cut his head off and threw it away. When a squad of the Persian army witnessed its commander being overpowered, it moved ahead to help him but Qa'qa' bin Amr~ stood like a rock. Following this, troops from both sides fell on one another and a fierce battle broke out in no time. But the Persians could not withstand the heavy Muslim onslaught and fled in panic and terror.

Hurmuz was such an exalted governor and commander among his people that he wore a crown on his head. This costly crown came to Khalid ~ and it was valued at one hundred thousand dinars. A History of Islam section of the Persian army had chained themselves with the determination of winning or dying. But they had to break their chains and flee leaving thousands of men dead and injured. This battle is known as Dhat-us-Salasil because of these chains. Khalid ~ asked Muthanna bin Harithah ~ to give chase to the fleeing Persian fighters.

The Muslim forces laid siege round the citadel of Hisn-ul-Marah and conquered it putting the ruler to death. His wife accepted Islam and desired to be married to Muthanna ~- The Battle of Qarin In response to Hurmuz's call for help, a large troop of reinforcements was immediately sent by the Persian ruler. The frustrating news of Hurmuz's death and his fleeing soldiers greeted it on the way. The fresh fighters of the reinforcements encouraged them to have a fresh encounter with the Muslim troops. They encamped at a canal and the Muslim fighters marched on to meet them. During the ferocious fight, all the three generals, Qarin, Qibad and Anushjan, were killed leaving behind thirty thousand fighters dead and a large number of the runa way soldiers drowned in the canal.

As a follow-up action after the conquest of the province, Khalid ~ made the inhabitants pay the Jizyah (tax) and appointed a Muslim governor to run the administration according to Islamic law. The Battle of Walajah After Qarin and the other generals were killed, the Persian ruler sent a well-known horseman Andarzagar to lead the Persian army which set out from Mada'in and arrived at Walajah. At the back of Walajah was dispatched another general, Bahman Jadwaih from Mada'in, at the head of another very strong army. However, Khalid bin Walid ~ marched with his troops and launched an attack on the Persian army which was routed after a fierce battle. Their general also died of thirst right on the battlefield. However, Bahman Jadwaih reached Ullais and the Persian fugitives joined his army.

Many Christian Arabs also extended their unconditional support to them. The Rightly-Guided Caliphate The Battle of Ullais Informed of the presence of a large army at Ullais, Khalid bin Walid ~ himself marched ahead and launched his attack. Khalid~ first called a man for a duel. Malik bin Qais was sent from the Persian camp and Khalid ~ killed him. Now an all-out battle started, which resulted in seventy thousand enemy fighters being killed at the hands of the Muslims. Conquest of Hirah From Ullais, Khalid bin Walid ~ marched to Hirah and besieged it.

When the siege drew long and the citizens were tired of it, the chief of Hirah, Amr bin Abdul-Masih along with others appeared before the Muslim commander. The Persian general and army had already fled in panic with the news of the demise of Chosroes Ardsher. AbdulMasih won peace in return for two hundred thousand dirhams as tribute. After the conquest, Khalid bin Walid ~ sent Dirar bin AlAzwar, Dirar bin Al-Khattab, Qa'qa' bin Amr, Muthanna bin Harithah and Uyainah bin Ash-Shamas ,$, at the head of small columns to make the surrounding tribes and settlers accept either the Jizynh (tax) or Islam. Thus the entire territory up to the Tigris fell to Khalid bin W a lid ~- Message of Khalid~ From Hirah, Khalid sent letters to the important personalities and circulars to the feudal lords who were wise enough to obey the truth and follow the good. In the letter addressed to the influential persons of Persia he wrote: "All praise is due to Allah Who created chaos in your system and slackened your hypocrisy and broke your unity.

Had we not invaded this country, it would have been disastrous for you. Now it is better for you to obey us and we shall leave your territory and go somewhere else. If you refuse to obey us, you will come across such people who love death as you love your life." History of Islam Another general circular carried the following: "Glorified is Allah the Almighty Who humbled your pride, broke your alliance to pieces and razed your grandeur to the ground. Hence do accept Islam and you will be safe or seek our protection to become Dhimmi and pay the Jizyah, otherwise, I have brought to you a people who keep death as dear as you love drinking." These letters and circulars brought unity among them and they achieved success in choosing their king unanimously to face the Arabian invasions. Conquest of Anbar The Persians collected a big force in Anbar and appointed Sherzad, the ruler of Sabat as its commander. Khalid ~ marched from Hirah to Anbar.

Sherzad had erected a high mound of clay outside the ramparts of their fort to consolidate his position. When Khalid~ surrounded Anbar, the besieged soldiers showered arrows on the Muslim army with the result that the eyes of about one thousand Muslim fighters were injured. But the lion-hearted commander of the Muslim forces was not to be intimidated through such tactics and devices. He outsmarted his enemy by slaughtering the weak and exhausted camels and piling them up to reach the ramparts and then beat the enemy thoroughly. Although the Persians showed courage and gallantry, they had to surrender before the Muslims who outwitted them in every department of warfare. When Sherzad witnessed that Muslim victory was around the corner, he sent his men to Khalid~ on peace mission.

He replied that he could allow Sherzad to leave the city peacefully along with a few comrades with provisions for not more than three days. Sherzad left the city and Khalid ~ entered it victoriously. He then put Zabrqan bin Badr in charge of Anbar and marched to Ain-ut-Tamr. Conquest of Ain-ut-Tamr Uqbah bin Uqbah heard of the advancement of Muslim troops and contacted the Persian Commander Mehran bin Bahram to say that The Rightly-Guided Caliphate only Arabs knew the war tactics of the Arabs, so they (Uqbah's men) should be allowed to confront the Muslim forces. Mehran was happy enough to give his consent to this proposal. Uqbah was too excited to come out first and challenge for a duel.

Khalid ~ stepped forward and captured him alive, with the result his men fled in terror and were also taken captive. Mehran bin Bahram grew so awe-stricken that he fled his fort, which later fell to the Muslim army. Upper Iraq Khalid bin Walid ~ finished his task in a comparatively short period but Iyad bin Ghanam ~ dispatched about the same time, was still engaged on his mission. His target of attack was a large territory forming part of Iraq, Iran and Syria and so his combats affected Persia and Heraclius equally. The time when Khalid ~ conquered Ain-ut-Tamr, Iyad engaged the rulers of Dumat-ul-Jandal after winning victories over the polytheists and Christian tribes. Dumat-ul-Jandal had two rulers, Ukaidir bin Malik and Judi bin Rabi'ah, who had collected all the Christians of the surrounding areas against the Muslims.

In this distressing situation, Iyad ~ addressed a letter to Khalid~' who was then at Ain-ut-Tamr, to come to his help against the huge army of the enemy. Conquest of Dumat-ul· ]andal Khalid bin Walid ~ appointed Qa'qa' bin Amr ~ his deputy in Hirah and proceeded to Dumat-ul-Jandal without loss of a moment. The burning news of Khalid's arrival was so terrifying that Ukaidir counseled Judi to make peace with the Muslims but he and other Christian chiefs rejected the proposal outright. At last Ukaidir broke his relations with them and left alone for some unknown place. A small column of the Muslims intercepted him on the way and he died fighting. Khalid ~ launched his attack from another side and challenged the enemy commander for a duel.

Judi stepped forward and was captured by Khalid bin Walid ~ in no time, with the result his men fled the battleground. Simultaneously, Iyad bin Ghanam ~ also prevailed over his Christian opponents and made them flee for their lives. History of Islam The Battle of Husaid When the Persians noticed that Khalid bin Walid ~ was away from Hirah, they made an all-out effort to take back the province and turn out the Muslim administrators from the territory. The Arabian tribes also lent their support to avenge the killing of their chief, Uqbah bin Uqbah. Two well-known Persian generals Zarmahr and Rozbah marched at the head of a huge army. Qa'qa' bin Amr~' the deputy of Khalid ~ in Hirah, also divided his force in two parts, under Abu Laila ~ and himself and challenged the enemy at Husaid.

After a heavy fight, both the generals and more than half of their army fell to the Muslim assault. The rest of their men fled to Khanafis where their commander Bahbudhan was lying with a large army. When Abu Laila ~ reached Khanafis in pursuit of the fugitives, Bahbudhan fled to Mudaiyah where Hudhail bin Imran along with other Arabian chiefs were awaiting the opportunity to engage the Muslims in a battle. In the meantime, Khalid bin Walid ~ finished his task in Dumat-ul-Jandal and hurried back to Hirah. The Battle of Mudaiyah Khalid ~ took over the command of the entire Muslim army and divided it in three parts to attack from three different sides. Qa'qa', Abu Laila and Khalid :$, himself attacked from three sides as already decided upon.

Hudhail fled for his life but the other generals along with a large number of men were put to death. Among the persons killed were Abdul-Uzza bin Abu Ruhm and Labid bin Jarir who sided with the opponents of Islam under compulsion in spite of being Muslims. When Abu Bakr ~ came to know of this, he paid blood money to their relatives and ordered to treat their children well. Umar ~ was already angry with Khalid ~ on account of Malik bin Nuwairah's assassination, and this incident added fuel to the flames. However, Abu Bakr ~ did not seek any explanation from Khalid bin Walid ~ and exonerated him with the remark: "Anyone who accompanies the polytheists will meet with the same calamity." The Rightly-Guided Caliphate The Battle of Firad Firad was the meeting-ground of Persia, Syria and Arabia, and was adjacent to Dumat-ul-Jandal. It was the place where Banu Taghlib, Banu Namir and Banu Jyyad had already collected and the Roman army was camping nearby to back them.

Now the series of battles fought with the Persian forces in the lower areas of Iraq had reached the Roman camp. Khalid bin Walid ~ arrived at Firad to give battle. The Roman army was across the river Euphrates and sent a message to the Muslim commander to either cross the river or let them cross it. Khalid 4, asked them to cross the river and they did. Now both the forces were facing each other on the same side of the river. The Muslim army was extremely exhausted on account of the continuous travelling and fighting while the Romans were fresh and about eight or ten-fold more in number.

However, the battle broke out and went on the whole day. At last the Romans fled the field tasting their worst defeat and leaving behind one hundred thousand dead. After finishing this job, Khalid ~ sent his army back to Hirah and he himself left secretly for Makkah to perform Hajj in the company of only a few persons. After the Hajj, Khalid ~ hurried back to Hirah. But the news of his journey to Makkah could not be kept secret and it gradually reached the ears of Abu Bakr Siddiq ~- He, however, asked Khalid ~ not to repeat it in future and expressed his displeasure over this act of carelessness. Khalid bin Walid ~ stayed in Hirah up to Rabi' Al-Awwal 13 AH, which he had entered in Muharram 12 AH.

During this period he faced his enemies at every step and fought scores of fierce battles against formidable armies outnumbering Islamic forces in every battle but beating them thoroughly in each one and never tasting defeat in any battle. The Roman and Persian powers used to be shuddered from within at the mention of Khalid bin Walid's name. Human history can not perhaps, give any other example of so many successive victories in so short a period with so little resources. But Khalid ~ did it. He deserves all of the blessings of Allah that we can History of Islam seek for him and for his matchless military acumen, dauntless courage, unflinching determination and daring operations. However, we can not ignore the spirit behind all his deeds of wonder and the spirit is that of his selection, training and guidance in Siddiqi style and manner.

Muslim columns and troops wherever they fought and whatever lines of operation they adopted were as per the instructions given from Al-Madinah, the headquarters of Islam. In all situations and circumstances, the Caliph of the Prophet ~ kept himself acquainted with the details of the movements of the Muslim forces and never made any delay in sending the instructions bestsuited to the situation. Khalid bin Walid • in Syria The military operations of Khalid not only uprooted the apostasy from Arabia but also took away from the Persians the courage to invade Al-Madinah as part of their strategy. Now the first and the most important issue that demanded their immediate attention was the Syrian front under the Romans and the Ghassanids. Shurahbil bin Amr, the Ghassani king had martyred the emissary of the Prophet ~ , which led to the battle of Mu'tah. Besides, the joint forces of the Romans and the Gassanids were ready to invade Al-Madinah and the Prophet ~ himself went up to Tabuk to ward off their evil intentions.

Again, the news of huge military preparations at the Syrian borders led the Prophet ~ to send an army under the command of Usamah bin Zaid ~- Even in the thick of military actions against the apostates the Caliph could not afford to ignore the Syrian threat and sent Khalid ~ to deal with the Syrians. Khalid bin Walid ~ left the headquarters with a small column but he took within him, according to the Caliph's instructions, Muslim fighters from the regions and territories that were on his way. Despite this, Khalid ~ was instructed to avoid direct encounter with the Christian army. Internal problems of Arabia and the issue of apostasy topped his list. When Heraclius came to know of the presence of the Muslim army within the bounds of Syria, he incited the surrounding tribes and the The Rightly-Guided Caliphate notables of the area against the Muslims. At last Heraclius made Mahan, a well-known Roman general, go ahead with a huge army.

As a result of the encounter, the troops under Mahan tasted ignominious defeat besides leaving a large quantity of booty. Informed of this defeat, Heraclius himself proceeded from Constantinople, came to Syria and collected a huge army to avenge the defeat. Khalid sent a detailed account of the state of affairs to the Caliph. The day the letter was received in Al-Madinah, was the day when Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl returned to Al-Madinah after his arduous campaigns. At this time, tribes and clans from all over Arabia were pouring into the headquarters with the sole purpose of laying down their lives in the way of Allah. Siddiq ~ sent Ikrimah ~ to assist Khalid~ in his campaign.

Close on his heels was dispatched Amr bin Al-As ~ with a detachment to help Khalid bin Walid ~ by targeting the Romans in route to Palestine. As a follow-up action, the Caliph sent a detachment of tribes from various parts of Arabia under the command of Yazid bin Abu Sufyan with instructions to invade Damascus. One more detachment headed by Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah ~ was dispatched to attack Hims. He sent yet another detachment headed by Shurahbil bin Hasanah ~ , after he returned to Al-Madinah from his campaign in Iraq, to launch an attack from the side of Jordan. These four strong detachments went to attack Syria from four sides. This campaign took place in Muharram 13 AH.

When all the four detachments crossed into Syria, and Heraclius came to know that the Muslim force has divided itself in four groups to attack four positions, he also made four groups of his army to be commanded by four generals. He sent his full brother, Tadharaq at the head of 90 thousand armed men to face Amr bin Al-As ~ in Palestine. Jurjah bin Budhiyah was given 40 thousand soldiers to combat Yazid bin Abu Sufyan in Damascus. General Raqis was dispatched with an army of 50 thousand men to fight with Shurahbil bin Hasanah ~ in Jordan and Rafiqa bin Nasturas was asked to take on Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah ~ in Hims with 60 thousand men under his command. History of Islam Thus, he collected two hundred and 40 thousand troops strong to go to war against the Muslims, who were altogether 30 thousand in number. It makes it clear what kind of major preparations, Heraclius had undertaken to rout the Muslim forces.

Although Heraclius was wise enough to avoid the battle, his courtiers, nobles and chiefs were adamant in their ambition to invade Arabia. Although the Muslim generals were making separate movements, each of them was bound by the Caliph's order to keep close contact and be aware of one another's state of affairs. When the Muslim commanders entered Syrian territory, they found to their amazement that for each Muslim detachment the enemy had eight times more forces. They took stock of the situation and informed Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ of what they were facing at the time and took a decision to jointly face the enemy. As the four Muslim generals assembled at Yarmuk, they received orders from the Caliph to face the enemy jointly. Moreover, the Caliph sent orders to Khalid ~ to rush to the spot of danger with half of the troops and put Muthanna bin Harithah d'$J in Hirah with the other half.

He was also commanded to take charge of the joint command as the supreme commander. With the receipt of these orders from headquarters, Khalid bin W alid ~' the Sword of Allah, hurried to Syria with a contingent of ten thousand soldiers leaving an equal number in Hirah. Following the Muslim strategy, Heraclius also ordered his commanders to form a united front. His full brother Tadharaq headed the huge army of Heraclius. Besides, he dispatched a well-known general, Mahan with a large detachment to strengthen the army arranged against the Muslim forces. The Battle of Yarmuk Khalid ~ examined the situation like a seasoned commander.

One night he sensed the enemy would attack the next morning, and that night he divided his army of about 40 to 46 thousand into small squads headed by separate commanders of high caliber, keeping a small but selected squad for his own company. He then instructed the head of every squad about the strategy to be followed. i I The Rightly-Guided Caliphate I l The Romans proceeded with the attack with a contingent of 40 thousand soldiers, which was immediately repulsed. Next came the noted Roman general Jurjah bin Budhiyah with his column and expressed his desire to talk to Khalid bin W a lid ~- When Khalid ~ moved near to him, he wished to know about Islam, which the Muslim commander did adequately. He embraced Islam on the spot and moved along with Khalid ~ to become a part of the Muslim army. He then fought against the Romans gallantly and then fell martyred. Both the armies were locked together in a fierce fight.

Although the Muslim army was deficient in number, it was more than a match for the Romans in courage and vitality. Their fervor was so high that even women plunged into the battlefield to prove their mettle as fighters for Islam. Abu Sufyan ~ was encouraging the Muslim soldiers with his martial songs. Mean while Ikrimah ~ cried out: "Who are they to promise me about death?" Dirar bin Azwar ~ and other four hundred men pledged their allegiance at the time on either being martyred or victorious on the battlefield. Following this, the entire party fell on the Roman army like hungry tigers. Miqdad ~ was reciting aloud Verses of St'imt Al-Anfal to produce in them the spirit of martyrdom.

The brave sons of Islam Khalid bin Walid, Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah, Shurahbil bin Hasanah, Yazid bin Abu Sufyan, Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl, Qa'qa' bin Amr, Abu Sufyan, Abud-Darda, Amr bin As, Harith bin Dirar and Jurjah bin Budhiyah c$, performed such deeds of valor that have never been witnessed before. From morning to evening swords and daggers, arrows and spears remained in action. Zuhr (noon) and Asr (afternoon) prayers were performed only symbolically while the fighting was going on. The day drew to an end but not the battle. Exhausted with the day-long operations and frustrated with failure after failure, the Romans lost heart and began to retreat till they had the mountain at their back, while the Muslims kept advancing and pushing them back till they started to flee. The pursuing Muslim troops forced them into the river, many were drowned, and others fell to their death.

In this way, one hundred and thirty thousand soldiers were killed. The rest fled for their lives. History of Islam The morning sun rose with the message of Muslim victory and the Roman soldiers were nowhere to be seen. Tadharaq, the Roman commander and full brother of Heraclius was killed along with a few other generals. Three thousand Muslims were honored with martyrdom. Among the martyrs the names of Jurjah bin Budhiyah, Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl, Amr bin Ikrimah, Salamah bin Hisham, Amr bin Saeed, Aban bin Saeed, Hisham bin AI-As, Habbar bin Sufyan and Tufail bin Amr ,;,t, were of those well known.

The battle of Yarmuk is stated to have been fought in Rabi' Al-Awwal or Rabi' Al-Akhir 13 AH. However, this does not appear to be correct. The battle of Yarmuk must have taken place by the end of Jumada AlUkhra. The Muslim troops had conquered Busra before the Roman army reached Yarmuk. Moreover, the news of the conquest of Yarmuk had not reached Al-Madinah until after the death of Abu Bakr Siddiq~- It is impossible that the news of the Muslim victory in Yarmuk would have taken two or two-and-a-half months to reach AlMadinah. Death of Abu Bakr Siddiq • The battle of Yarmuk in Syria had left Heraclius bewildered for he could not reason the crushing defeat of several hundred thousand armored Roman troops at the hands of a handful of Muslims.

Dejected and embarrassed, he left Hims and proceeded to some unknown place. However, before his departure, he laid stress on strengthening the forts of Damascus and Hims. Damascus had come under the siege of the Muslim army and the entire land of Syria was about to be captured by them. Now, instead of looking towards Arabia, they were anticipating their own death and destruction. The green and fertile land of Iraq had already come to the Muslim fold. Islamic rule was now engaged in expanding Arabian territory by pushing the Persians and Romans back.

At the beginning of Jumada Al-Ukhra 13 AH, Abu Bakr~ caught a fever and its intensity continued unabated for a fortnight. When he grew sure of his last hours drawing near, he sent for Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ and held consultation with him regarding the caliphate and said, "What's your opinion about Umar?" He replied, "He is very I The Rightly-Guided Caliphate strict and severe in his treatment and behavior." Thereupon Abu Bakr ~ said, "His strictness was simply due to my softness. I have myself examined that Umar was inclined to adopt a hard-line in matters I happened to be polite about, but he always turned soft when he found me strict. I think the caliphate will make him soft and moderate in his opinion and approach." Following this, he called Uthman bin Affan ~ and put the same question to him. He said in reply, "Umar's internal self is better than his external one; he is superior to us all." I When Ali ~ was consulted, he made almost the same answer. Then I - came Talhah ~ and when Abu Bakr~ said to him, "I would like to appoint Umar as the caliph of the Muslims." He said, "What answer will you give to Allah the Almighty about what you have done to the people you ruled over?" In response to this he said, "I shall answer Allah the Almighty that I have appointed the best of Your creatures as caliph for Your creatures." Having heard this, Talhah ~ kept silent.

Abu Bakr ~ asked Uthman ~ to put down his will, which is given below. "This is the pledge which I, the caliph of the Messenger of Allah ~ have made at a time when his last hour in this world is at hand and the first hour of the Hereafter is approaching fast. In such a state, even a disbeliever comes to believe and a transgressor too attains conviction. I have appointed Umar bin Al-Khattab to be your caliph, and I have never fallen short of your expectation in doing good for you all. Thus, if Umar takes to justice and endurance, it is quite within my knowledge; if he commits anything wrong, I am unaware of the unseen. What I have decided upon is nothing but good.

Everybody has to face the consequences of his deeds." 'Those who have wronged will come to know by what overturning they will be overturned." (26:227) Last Address of Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ When the piece of writing was completed, Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ asked it to be read out to the people. Following this he came out in spite of his precarious health condition and said addressing this audience: History of Islam "I have not appointed any relative of mine as caliph, and I have not installed Umar as caliph on my own. I have rather done it only after holding consultations with men of sound judgment. Are you then agreed to his being your caliph?" Hearing this they said, "We all agree with your choice and opinion." Following this he said, "You should then carry out Umar's orders and obey him." All the people declared their allegiance. Abu Bakr ~ then said addressing Umar ~ in the presence of the audience: "O Umar! I have made you my deputy for the Companions of the Messenger of Allah :I;; keep fearing Allah from within and without. 0 Umar!

There are some rights of Allah the Almighty related to night, which he does not accede to in the day; similarly, some are the rights related to day, which He does not accede to in the night. Allah the Almighty does not accept Nawafil (supererogatory prayers) unless Fard (obligatory prayers) are performed. 0 Umar! Those alone get salvation on the Day of Judgment, whose record of deeds will be weighty, while the deficient in virtuous deeds will suffer. 0 Umar! The ways to success and salvation are found by following the Noble Quran and what is right. 0 Umar! Don't you know that the Verses relating to inducement and awe, warning and glad tidings are revealed in the Noble Quran simultaneously so that a believer keeps fearing Allah the Almighty and seeking His forgiveness. 0 Umar! Whenever you find in the Noble Quran mention of men of Hell, pray to Allah not to make you one of them; whenever you find mention of men of Paradise, pray to Allah to make you one of them. 0 Umar!

When you will follow these counsels of mine you will find me sitting beside you." This piece of writing and will making were all done by Monday, 22 Jumada Al-Ukhra, 13 AH, and between the night of Jumada Al-Ukhra 22nd and 23rd, after sunset he breathed his last and was buried before the Isha (night prayer) or at any time of the night. His caliphate spanned over two-and-a-half years. Attab bin Usaid ~, the governor of Makkah died the same day in Makkah. The Rightly-Guided Caliphate The day Abu Bakr ~ wrote his will and informed the Muslims that the end of his life was near, Muthanna bin Harithah ~ returned to Al-Madinah from Hirah (Iraq). When Khalid ~ proceeded from Hirah to Syria along with half of the army leaving Muthanna ~ there with the other half, the Persian general, Bihman Jadhwaih thought that it would be easy for them to drive out the Muslims from Hirah. Thus, he set out with a strong army.

Muthanna bin Harithah ~ marched from Hirah to Babylon and repulsed his attack, chased them up to Mada'in and then came back to Hirah. In the wake of this ignominious and devastating defeat, the Persian generals, ministers, nobles and chiefs buried their old differences and rose together to avenge their defeat. A wave of fervor and courage rose across the entire country. All the Persian tribes and chiefs of the nation rose up to uproot the Muslims. Such a large-scale military preparation worried Muthanna ~ who hurried to Al-Madinah to acquaint the Caliph with the impending threat leaving Hirah in the charge of Bashir bin Khasasiah ~ - M uthanna ~ reached Al-Madinah only a few hours before the final departure of the Caliph. However, the Caliph heard him with rapt attention and instructed Umar ~ to do the needful.

When Umar ~ went out, Abu Bakr~ said: "O Allah'! I have chosen Umar as caliph after me for the welfare of the Muslims as a whole and to remove all sorts of dangers from their path. You know very well the feelings of all hearts. After holding consultations with the Muslims, I have selected the best · among the Muslims to take care of them and look after their peace and welfare. Make the guardians of Your slaves trustworthy and firm for their lives, their safety is in Your Hand. Make Umar a good caliph and his people be a benefit for him." Impressions of Ali ~ As the soul-shattering news of Abu Bakr's death spread in AlMadinah, the whole city plunged into deep grief and untold woes and turmoil.

The dismal day of the Prophet's final departure cast its tragic History of Islam reflection once again. When Ali ~ heard this sad news he burst into . tears, came to his house weeping and uttered at his door the following words immersed in deep sorrow and profound pain: "O Abu Bakr! May Allah show mercy to you. By Allah you believed first of all in the entire Ummah and made your belief the base of your behavior and manners. You were the man excellent in trust and conviction, the most generous and the greatest caretaker of the Prophet ~- You were the greatest supporter of Islam and well-wisher of all creatures. In manners, virtues and guidance you were close to the Prophet ~ most of all.

May Allah confer on you the best reward on behalf of Islam and the Muslims. You affirmed the Prophet :i when others denied him; you showed sympathy when others were ungenerous to him; you rose to help the Messenger of Allah ~ when others held themselves back from help and support. Allah entitled you as Siddiq (the Truthful) in His Book: 'And he who brought the truth and believed there in.' (39:33) You stood like a rock in support of Islam and drove away the disbelievers. Neither your argument was ever misdirected nor your insight weakened; your soul never showed timidity. You were firm like a mountain; strong winds failed to uproot or stir you. About you the Prophet :i had said: 'Weak in body, strong in Faith, humble, exalted by Allah, venerable on earth and worthy among the believers.' Nobody could show greed in your presence nor could give free expression to his desires; the weak happened to be strong to you and the strong weak till the right of the weak was given to him and the strong was forced to give what was due." When Umar ~ heard this news he expressed his deep feelings in the following words: "O Caliph of the Messenger of Allah :i, you put your people to great hardship with your departure.

It is hard enough to be on a par with even your dust. How can I vie with you? " The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Governors of the Siddiqi Caliphate The Trustee of the believers, Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah ~ was in charge as public exchequer, Umar ~ looked after the Department of Justice and Uthman and Ali ~ were entrusted with the administrative work and correspondences. In the absence of one, the next would take over the responsibility. Attab bin Usaid ~ was the governor of Makkah who passed away the day Abu Bakr~ breathed his last. The governor of Ta'if was Uthman bin Abul-As ~ -San'a' was governed by Muhajir bin Umayyah ~ and Hadramout by Ziyad bin Labid ~ -Khaulan province was governed by Ya'la bin Umayyah ~, Yemen by Abu Musa Ash'ari ~ , Janad by Mu'adh bin Jabal ~, Bahrain by Ala' bin Hadrami ~, Dumat-ul-Jandal by Iyad bin Ghanam ~ and Iraq by Muthanna bin Harithah ~- Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah ~ was later sent to Syria as the commander of the Muslim forces, while Yazid bin Abu Sufyan, Amr bin Al-As, Shurahbil bin Hasanah ~ were already engaged in Syria as commanders of various Muslim detachments.

Khalid bin Walid ~ was the commander-inchief of the Muslim army during the Siddiqi Caliphate. Wives and Children Abu Bakr's first wife was Qutailah bint Abdul-Uzza who gave birth to Abdullah bin Abu Bakr~ followed by Asma' bint Abu Bakr ~, the mother of Abdullah bin Zubair ~- From Umm Ruman ~ , the second wife, were born Abdur-Rahman bin Abu Bakr and Aishah Siddiqah $,. When Abu Bakr~ was converted to, Islam his first wife refused to follow suit and was immediately divorced. The second wife, Umm Ruman ~ accepted Islam. After being converted to Islam, Abu Bakr married Asma'a bint Umais ~, the widow of Ja'far bin Abu Talib~' who gave birth to Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ and then he married Habibah bint Kharijah Ansariyah ~ who belonged to the Khazraj. From her was born to him a daughter named Umm Kulthum after his death.

Umar bin AI-Khattab ~ Birth and Pedigree: History of Islam He was among the nobles of the Quraish. During the Days of Ignorance, diplomatic missions were attached to his family. In the event of the Quraish being at war with any tribe, his family's leaders would be sent on peacekeeping missions. They also took the lead when there was occasion to highlight greatness and superiority of the Quraish over others. His family lineage is as follows: Umar bin Khattab bin Nufail bin Abdul-Uzza bin Riyah bin Abdullah bin Qurat bin Razah bin Adi bin Ka'b bin Luai. Ka'b had two sons, Adi and Murrah.

Murrah was among the ancestors of the Prophet ~ -Some eight generations back the ancestry of the Prophet~ and Umar ~ becomes common. Umar's filial appellation was Abu Hafs while the Prophet ~ gave him the title of 'Fdruq'. He was born 40 years before the migration of the Prophet ~- He passed his childhood days in grazing camels. After attaining youth, according to Arabian tradition, he was instructed in genealogy, swordsmanship, horsemanship and wrestling. He adopted trade as his profession before and after converting to Islam. Some Specific Excellences: Before being converted to Islam Umar Faruq ~ used to enter into wrestling matches in the arena of Ukaz where a grand annual fair was held so that the followers of different arts might gather from all parts of Arabia and display their respective abilities.

This justifies the inference that Umar had attained perfection in the art of wrestling. His claim to equestrian skill is also well established. Umar .l'.fo used to literally jump on to his horse's back and his seat was so firm that he appeared to be a part of the horse he rode. At the time of the advent of the Prophet ti, as per Futuh-ul-Bulddn, there were only seventeen persons in the whole clan of Quraish who could read and write, and Umar ~' the son of Khattab, was one of them. He joined the ranks of Islam after forty men and eleven women who were remaining in Makkah after the migration to Abyssinia. According to other The Rightly-Guided Caliphate narratives, he came to the fold of Islam after thirty-nine men and twenty-three women or forty-five men and eleven women.

He was one of the earliest believers and among the blessed ten. He was also the father-in-law of the Prophet :i. He is counted among the scholars and pious Companions. He has narrated 539 Ahadith in all which have been reproduced by Uthman, Ali, Talhah, Sa'd, Ibn Mas'ud, Abu Dhar, Abdullah bin Umar, Abdullah bin Abbas, Abdullah bin Zubair, Anas, Abu Hurairah, Amr bin As, Abu Musa Ash'ari, Bara' bin A.zib, Abu Saeed Khudri i:.t and others. Ibn Abbas ~ relates that the day Umar Faruq ~ accepted Islam, the polytheists said, "Today the Muslims have settled their score with us." The same day the following Verse was revealed: "O Prophet! Allah is sufficient for you and for the believers who follow you." (8:64) Ibn Mas'ud ~ is reported to have said: 'The day Umar accepted Islam, it continued to grow in honor.

It was, in fact, a conquest for Islam, and his Hijrah (migration) was a real victory, and his leadership was a blessing. We did not have courage enough to perform our Safrit (prayers) at the Holy Ka'bah until after Umar accepted Islam. He made the disbelievers the target of so much pressure, encounters and fightings that they, at last, yielded in allowing us to offer our prayers at the Ka'bah." Hudhaifah ~ is reported to have said: "When Umar accepted the Faith, Islam rose like a fortunate person making progress at every step, and it continued retreating with his martyrdom and its fortune was on the decline." [bn Sa'd and Suhaib bin Sinan Rumi ~ reported: "Islam came to the fore when Umar accepted Faith and we became able to sit around the Ka'bah, and pay them in the same coin." Ibn Asakir reports Ali ~ to have said: "Everyone migrated secretly, but, when Umar decided to migrate, he took an unsheathed sword in one hand and arrows in another and put his bow across his shoulders, and went to the Ka'bah. He went around it seven times followed by two Rakat of salah (units of prayer) at the Station of Ibrahim. He then came to the circle of the chiefs of the Quraish and said throwing a challenge at them, 'May you be disgraced! Whoever likes to see his mother without a son and wife History of Islam without a husband, should face me.' But none of them moved from their place." Imam Nawawi reported: Umar ~ accompanied the Prophet ~ in every battle and kept firm on the day of Uhud.

The Prophet ~ once said, "I had a dream that a woman was performing Wudu' (ablution) in Paradise sitting beside a palace. I inquired whose palace this was. I was told that it belonged to Umar." Then turning towards Umar ~ he said, "The same moment your sense of honor came to my mind and I went away from there." Hearing this, Umar ~ burst into tears and submitted, "Shall I show my sense of honor to you?"The Prophet ~ once said, "I dreamt that I took milk and its freshness reached up to my nails. I then gave the rest to Umar." "What is the interpretation of this dream, 0 Prophet of Allah?" they asked. "Milk here means Knowledge," the Prophet ~explained. The Prophet~ said, "Once I had a dream that people were brought before me in their shirts, some wearing them up to their chests, and some of them longer than this but Umar's shirt was dragging." "What's meant by the shirt?" they asked.

"Religion," he explained. On one occasion the Prophet~ said to Umar ~: "By Allah, Satan will never tread the way you pass through." The Prophet~ once said: "Had there been a Prophet after me, he would have been Umar." He once said: "Umar is the lamp of the heavenly people." On one occasion the Prophet ~ remarked: "The door to things useless and futile will remain closed while Umar lives among you." He~ once said: "Every angel of the heaven pays respects to Umar and every devil on earth fears him." Ahadith from Abu Saeed Khudri ~ let us know that the Prophet ~ said: "Each one of the Prophets had a Muhaddith, if there could be a Muhaddith in my Um mah, he is Umar." On being asked about the Muhaddith, he said: "One from whose tongue angels speak." On one occasion Abu Bakr ~ said: "None is dearer to me than Umar." Ali~ is reported to have once remarked: "While mentioning pious people, never forget Umar." Ibn Umar ~ is reported to have said: "After the Prophet ~ ' we found Umar to be the most intelligent." lbn Mas'ud ~ said: "If knowledge of the entire world is put on one scale, and that of Umar on the other to be weighed, Umar's The Rightly-Guided Caliphate will have the heavier weight." Hudhaifah ~ says: "Knowledge of the whole world lies in the lap of Umar." He further said: "None has dared to receive as much censure in the way of Allah as Umar did." Ali~ once saw Umar ~ wrapped in a piece of cloth and remarked: "None is dearer to me than the one who is now wrapped in a cloth." On being asked, Ali~ remarked: "Umar is full of firm resolve, consciousness and courage." Ibn Mas'ud ~ is reported to have said: "Umar's excellence is established by four things: firstly, he counseled the killing of the captives of the battle of Badr which was followed by the Verse: 'Were it not a previous ordainment from Allah, a severe torment would have touched you for what you took.' (8:68) Secondly, he asked the Mothers of the believers to observe Hijab and then the Verse concerning Hijab was revealed and the Prophet ~ said to Umar: 'Revelation is caused in my house and you were already inspired.' Thirdly, the Prophet's praying to Allah for strengthening Islam by causing Umar to accept Islam; fourthly, he pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr before anyone did." Mujahid said: "We would so often mention that the devils remained in confinement during the caliphate of Umar and got freedom after his death." Abu Usamah ~ said: "Do you know who were Abu Bakr and Umar? They were like mother and father for [slam." Ja'far Sadiq ~ said: "I am rather disgusted with him who remembers not Abu Bakr and Umar gracefully." Physical Features of Umar •= He was fair-complexioned inclined to redness. He was so tall that he appeared to be riding while walking on foot. His cheeks were deficient in flesh; beard was thick, moustache noticeable and baldness in the frontal part of the head. Ibn Asakir relates: "Umar was tall and solid with color inclined to redness, cheeks pressed, moustache noticeable with a red halo.

His mother was the sister of Abu Jahl and hence Umar ~ called him maternal uncle." Important Events of the Faruqi Caliphate The Muslims at large took Bai'ah (oath of allegiance) at the hand of Umar ~ in Al-Madinah on Tuesday, 23rd of Jumada Al-Ukhra, 13 AH. Abu Bakr ~ had issued the following instructions to Umar ~ History of Islam after the arrival of Muthanna ~ on 22nd of Jumada Al-Ukhra, 13 AH, and hearing from him the account of affairs: "I am sure to pass away today. Thus, you will dispatch Muthanna for fighting tomorrow before the end of the day. No suffering whatsoever should hold you back from carrying out the religious tasks and the Commands of Allah the Almighty. You have seen what I did after the death of the Prophet ~ even though it was the greatest calamity for us. When the Syrians are conquered, make it a point to send back the Iraqis to Iraq for they know their own business very well and they are at ease only in Iraq." The above words make it amply clear that from the day the Prophet ~ made his final departure to the day of his own last journey, every moment of his life was devoted to Divine duties.

He made no will concerning his wives and children. After accepting the oath of allegiance for his caliphate, Umar ~ aroused in the people the fervor for taking part in Jihad, but they made no response and this state of indecision continued for three days. Abu Ubaid bin Mas'ud Thaqafi ~ offered his name for Iraq on the fourth day. He was then followed by Sa'd bin Ubaid Ansari ~ ' then by Sulait bin Qais . and many others. Thus was formed a large detachment for Iraq. Umar ~ appointed Abu Ubaid bin Mas'ud ~ as commander for he was the first to show his readiness.

He accompanied Muthanna • to Iraq. The three-day silence of the people over joining the Iraqi detachment led the historians to think that the people were unmoved because they were unhappy over the dismissal of Khalid bin Walid. by Umar. when he took charge of the caliphate. However, this is a wrong and baseless notion. Nobody opposed the step taken by Umar ~- Moreover, no historian has ever mentioned the unhappiness of the people and how this unhappiness was resolved. This is rather derogatory to the high ,status and pious position that the Companions of the Prophet ~ enjoyed. It is a fact that almost every one of them was always inclined to fight in the way of Allah.

However, each of them was waiting for the other to take The Rightly-Guided Caliphate upon himself the responsibility of the campaign. The reason given by these historians does not hold true and is illogical because the people were encouraged to join the campaign and their initial lack of response occurred before Khalid bin Walid ~ was deposed as commander. Khalid bin Walid ~ deposed Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ had sent Khalid bin Walid ~ to Syria as the supreme commander of the Muslim army. He was a warrior of the very highest caliber and matchless as a commander. Khalid ~ was also the commander-in-chief in Iraq at the same time. His amazing valor and military acumen had left the Persian Court and Sassanid Empire shocked and bewildered.

The Roman Empire also needed the same treatment, therefore, Abu Bakr ~ had sent him to the Syrian front as the commander-in-chief of the Muslim army, and his decision proved to be right. He gave them such a crushing defeat on the battlefield of Yarmuk that the Roman Empire's back was broken. Now the time had come for a decisive battle between the two forces and so the Muslim army was urgently in need of a commander not only wellversed in the art of warfare but also a statesman of wide experience and broad vision. Umar Farug ~ did not disapprove of Khalid's martial abilities. However, he considered him a little careless and was, therefore, apprehensive that his lack of caution could possibly cause the Muslims a set back. Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ also shared the anxiety of Umar Farug ~- However, he, considered Khalid ~ as the most suitable for the initial campaigns in Syria and Iraq.

To him as a whole, his strong points were more than the weak ones. But, since, this purpose had already been achieved, his continuation as the supreme commander was no longer necessary. Umar Farug ~ used to say: "May Allah the Almighty show mercy to Abu Bakr, he sheltered the command of Khalid bin Walid, for he instructed me during his last hours about the commanders fighting along with Khalid in Iraq but uttered not a word about Khalid." It is then clear that the steps taken by Umar ~ were not against the will of Abu Bakr~- Besides, the very first act of Umar ~ could not History of Islam have negated the policy of the Caliph whom he held in the highest esteem after the Prophet ~- Historians generally miss the point that Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ had taken permission from Usamah ~ to keep Umar Faruq ~ with him solely to seek his advice in state affairs, and this enviable position Umar ~ enjoined till the last breath of the departed Caliph. But those who happen to have a superficial look over the matter, attach wrong meaning to it. Umar ~ objected to some of Khalid's careless acts and decisions no doubt, but his disapproval never made him cross the limits of Shariah (Divine codes). The man who gave free expression to his will that everyone among the captives of the battle of Badr be killed by his own relative could not be accused of nourishing a personal grudge against anybody.

This is a calumny of the worst nature against the tower of righteousness that Umar ~ was. By deposing Khalid bin Walid ~, Umar Faruq ~ has set a shining example of preferring Faith to this material world of ours. Khalid~ accepted the orders of his deposition without question and continued to serve the new commander. Whenever the question of devaluing one's own self-importance for the sake of Divine service will be raised, we have the name of Khalid bin Walid ~ to present. This exemplary supreme sacrifice of Khalid bin Walid ~ ' the Sword of Allah, far exceeds his amazing and soul-stirring deeds of valor and military genius in the battlefield where he was always victorious and never tasted defeat in his entire career as a warrior. Both his martial deeds and sense of Divinity and loyalty to the Chief of the believers are deeds of Khalid bin Walid ~ that we can all be proud of.

Some historians have argued a very delicate point that Khalid bin Walid ~ was deposed because Umar ~ wanted to infuse in the mind of the believers that victories were achieved because of Allah's help, and not through any commander however valiant and seasoned he might be. This viewpoint also lends support to the replacement of Muthanna bin Harithah ~ by Abu Ubaid bin Mas'ud ~- The Muslim Ummah is sure to achieve its past glory in the world even today if such examples of unity, integrity, loyalty and sacrifice are followed. The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Among the foremost military services of Umar Faruq * after assuming the caliphate was the deposition of Khalid bin Walid ~ as the supreme commander of the Muslim army in Syria and his replacement by Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah ~ - The order was immediately obeyed. However, after handing over the charge of commander-in-chief of the Syrian army to Abu Ubaidah * ' under him Khalid bin Walid ~ displayed gallantry and military skill of such a high degree that historians are still wanting in words to describe them. He not only fought more efficiently and relentlessly under the command of Abu Ubaidah *' he also gave him valuable and expert advice whenever needed. History has no other example to offer in the annals of military service to compare with what Khalid bin Walid ~ did as the deposed commander of the same army.

It only happened simply because of a high sense of duty to Allah, a deep love for His religion and a profound attachment to His slaves. The next job the Caliph did was the installation of Abu Ubaid bin Mas'ud ~ as the commander-in-chief of the entire Muslim army in Iraq. The third order of the Chief of the believers came in the form of dispatching Ya'la bin Umayyah ~ to Yemen to fulfil the last will of the Prophet ~ to drive out every Jew and Christian from the soil of Arabia. It was not accomplished during the caliphate of Abu Bakr* owing to the uprisings and attacks that needed immediate attention. Banishment of the Najran Christians Umar Faruq ~ asked Ya'la bin Umayyah * to go to Yemen and tell the Christians of Najran to leave the country and that they would be provided with land that was more fertile plus other facilities in Syria. Some narrow-minded persons hold this banishment of the Christians as an unjust step.

However, these people ignore the evil designs and conspiratorial activities of the Jews of Al-Madinah injurious to the ,. Muslim cause. They overlook how they incited the Romans to invade Al-Madinah. !he Christians of Najran were playing the same role against the Muslims in that area. Since the Prophet~ was well-aware of the usurious and anti-Islamic activities of the Jews and the Christians of Al-Madinah and Najran, he wanted them to be driven off Arabian soil lest their evil habits made inroads into the Muslim History of Islam society. The agreement signed by the Prophet ~ and the Najran Christians included as one of the conditions that they would give up the practice of usury but they failed to implement it. Thus, they deserved such an extreme step by involving themselves in collaboration with the Romans on one hand and hatching conspiracies against the Muslims on the other.

We so often come across in history books, newspapers and magazines how people have been or are now being exiled by the civilized nations forcing them to leave hearth and home, wealth and property, they are even indulged in the mass killings also on a very large scale. In comparison to these exiles and brutal killings, the exile of the Christians of Najran was very humane. Conquest of Damascus After a major defeat at the hands of the Muslim troops in the battle of Yarmuk, the Roman soldiers took to their heels and stopped only at Pihl. Heraclius shocked and disappointed issued fresh orders for the Roman soldiers to assemble again. Damascus was refortified and large reinforcements from Palestine and Hims were arranged. Nastas bin Nasturas was appointed the commander-in-chief of the Syrian forces.

Mahan, the governor of Damascus was already there. The Muslim army was still in Yarmuk. Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah ~ dispatched the Iraqi detachment accompanied by Khalid bin Walid ~ to Iraq under the command of Hashim bin Utbah ~asper the orders of the Caliph. He sent a contingent towards Pihl and the rest of the army was divided into a number of divisions. A column was sent under the command of Dhul-Kala'~ to obstruct the movement of the Roman reinforcements from Hims to Damascus, and another column was sent to stop them marching from Palestine to Damascus. Abu Ubaidah ~ himself proceeded to Damascus at the head of the remaining troops.

He conquered Ghutah before reaching Damascus and then laid a siege around the city in the last of Rajab 13 AH. Although the city contained a large garrison, the Romans could not muster enough courage to face the Muslims in the open. They had to take refuge in their strong fortifications and use defensive means of war. Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah ~ camped at Al-Jabiah gate while Khalid bin Walid ~ and Amr bin Al-As~ moved towards Tuma The Rightly-Guided Caliphate gate, and Shurahbil bin Hasanah ~ and Yazid bin Abu Sufyan ~ appeared respectively at Farawis, and Saghir and Kisan gates. Thus, Damascus was besieged on all sides. At times the besieged Romans hurled stones through catapults and shot arrows at the Muslim soldiers, which were countered effectively and without delay.

The siege dragged on for about six months. The reinforcements dispatched by Heraclius to Damascus were effectively intercepted by DhulKala '~ . At last, the people of Damascus lost hope of Heraclius' help and their zeal for battle began to dissolve. Abu Ubaidah ~ on being informed of their distress and despair, issued orders to all the commanders to launch a full-scale attack the next morning. When the besieged Romans came to know of the next step of the Muslim army, a deputation appeared before Khalid bin Walid ~ at Tuma gate and sought peace, which the Muslim commander immediately granted and entered the city without any fight. The peace document written by Khalid bin Walid ~ is given below: "Khalid bin Walid has made concessions for the people of Damascus that they will be granted peace on the entry of the Islamic army into Damascus and their lives, properties and churches would remain safe and intact.

Moreover, neither fortifications of the city nor the houses will be demolished nor any member of the Islamic force will be allowed to reside in any house. The Muslims and their Caliph will practice nothing but good to the people of Damascus while they keep paying the Jiziyah (tax)." About the same time that Khalid bin Walid ~ entered the city with the peace agreement, other commanders and their men forced into the city through ladders and by breaking the gates open. Khalid~ and Ubaidah ~ came across each other in the middle of the city. Abu Ubaidah ~ claimed that he had conquered the city with his sword while Khalid ~ argued that he had seized it through the process of peace. Some narratives lend support to the view that even if the peace agreement was signed at the request of Mahan, the governor of Damascus, he also wanted to see the might of the Muslim forces. If the History of Islam Muslim assault met with failure, their defensive efforts would continue not caring the least for the peace document with Khalid bin Walid ~, but if the Muslim campaign was crowned with success and they made their entry by force, these documents would come to their rescue.

When the two commanders met in the middle of the city, the question that came up was whether the city was peacefully seized or conquered by force. Some people argued the point that since Khalid ~ was simply a commander, he had no right to write a peace document when the commander-in-chief was there to take a final decision. However, Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah ~ rejected this point by saying that if peace or shelter was provided even by an ordinary member of the army, it applied to everyone. He declared peace to prevail in the entire city according to the peace document of Khalid ~ and every point therein was handled with due care. The citizens of Damascus enjoyed perfect peace. Yazid bin Abu Sufyan ~ was appointed as the governor of Damascus who not only brought peace to the city but let the Roman soldiers go at will.

The Battle of Fihl Providing Yazid bin Abu Sufyan ~ with a strong contingent, Abu Ubaidah proceeded from Damascus to Fihl where Saqlar bin Mikhraq, the noted general of Heraclius was lying with a few hundred thousand soldiers. Before leaving Damascus, Abu Ubaidah ~ had given the advance-guard to Khalid bin Walid ~ , the middle to Shurahbil bin Hasanah ~, the right wing to Amr bin As~ and lead the left wing himself, while Dirar bin Azwar ~ was given charge of the cavalry and Iyad bin Ghanam ~ that of the infantry. Every commander camped at the place of his own choice. The Romans attacked the middle portion of the Muslim army in night. Shurahbil bin Hasanah ~ came out in full force and fervor. The din and bustle of military movements made the Muslim commanders rush to the scene of fighting with their troops.

The fierce and hot battle continued day and night for a couple of days. At last, the Romans fled the field leaving eighty thousand men including the Roman general Saqlar dead, and a large quantity of booty. After Fihl, the Muslim army marched to Baisan. The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Conquest of B~isan Here also they anticipated a fierce fight. The Muslim army laid siege to the city and the fort. In the meantime Abu Ubaidah ~ was informed that a Roman general had marched at the head of a huge arm~, to restore Damascus.

Abu Ubaidah ~ dispatched a squad of horsemen headed by Khalid bin Walid ~- Yazid bin Abu Sufyan ~' the governor of Damascus had moved forward to take on the Romans when the detachment led by Khalid bin Walid ~ attacked from the rear, with the result that not a single Roman soldier was able to save his life. At last, the people of Baisan made an offer of peace, which was immediately granted by the Muslim general and a governor was installed there. Abu Ubaidah ~ then sent Abul-A'war As-Sulami at the head of a division to Tabariyah where the Muslim forces won victory without fight. Conquest of Saida, lrqah and Beirut Soon after exercising full control over Damascus, Yazid bin Abu Sufyan sent his brother, Mu'awiyah bin Abu Sufyan to Irqah at the head of a squadron who conquered Irqah without facing any resistance. Yazid then turned to Saida, Habil and Beirut, and these territories easily yielded to the Muslim attack. Thus, Damascus and the entire territory of Jordan came under the control of the Muslims.

Campaigns in Iraq The smashing victory in Yarmuk led the Muslim army to conquer all of Syria. Now, they were looking forward to conquer Hims, the seat of Heraclius. First Deed of Abu Ubaid bin Mas 1ud ~ As mentioned above, in the very first week after assuming the caliphate, Umar ~ dispatched Muthanna bin Harithah, Sa'd bin Ubaid, Sulait bin Qais and Abu Ubaid bin Mas'ud to Iraq. Even though Abu Ubaid bin Mas'ud ~, the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, left AlMadinah along with Muthanna bin Harithah ~, he stopped to take History of Islam with him men from the Arab tribes along the way and made brief halts at different places, he reached Iraq one month after Muthanna ~- On reaching Hirah, Muthanna bin Harithah ~ saw with anxiety that the Persians had roused all the Iraqi chiefs against the Muslims and Rustam, the governor of Khurasan, had taken his position in Mada'in after making massive military preparations. With the arrival of Muthanna ~, Rustam sent a large army to combat him. Rustam sent another huge army to Kaskar headed by Narsi, a very brave and experienced general of the royal family.

The third strong army he entrusted to Jaban and sent it towards the Euphrates, they pitched their camp at Namariq. Muthanna bin Harithah ~ on the other hand came out from Hirah and camped at Khaffan. Meanwhile Abu Ubaid bin Mas'ud ~ arrived and took charge of the entire Muslim army. He left Muthanna ~ at Khaffan entrusting him with the command of the Muslim cavalry and he launched a massive attack on Jaban at Namariq and tore apart their ranks, with the result, the Persians fled the battlefield. Jaban was captured by a Muslim soldier, Matar bin Fiddah, who did not recognize him as Jaban, the Persian general. Taking advantage of this, Jaban offered him two valuable slaves in return for his freedom.

He was freed but another Muslim soldier caught him for he knew he was Jaban, the Persian general. He was produced before Abu Ubaid bin Mas'ud ~ with the report that he, the Persian general, had obtained safety by fraudulent means. Abu Ubaid ~ probed the matter and found to his satisfaction that the Persian general was given peace and safety by a Muslim soldier. Thus, Abu Ubaid ~ released Jaban who joined his people at Kaskar. Conquest of Kaskar Narsi was already encamped at Kaskar with thirty thousand soldiers. Now Jaban and his defeated army also joined him.

Informed of the crushing defeat of Jaban, Rustam dispatched from Mada'in a huge army headed by a noted general, Jalinus. Abu Ubaid bin Mas'ud Thaqafi ~ engaged Narsi in battle before the arrival of reinforcements from Mada'in. Two subordinate generals of the royal family had been entrusted with the right and left flanks and The Rightly-Guided Caliphate the main body of the army. In the Muslim army, the center was under the command of Abu Ubaid ~ while the right wing was headed by Sa'd bin Ubaid ~ ' the left wing by Sulait bin Qais ~ and the advance guard by Muthanna ~- The battle soon became fierce. When Muthanna ~ found the battle dragging on, he severed his column from the army and launched a sudden attack from the rear on the Persian army after making a circle of about eight miles. Narsi was caught unaware.

However, he turned a contingent towards the back. But a massive attack from Sa'd bin Ubaid ~ created chaos in the enemy ranks. Both Sa'd bin Ubaid and Abu Ubaid ~ went deep into the heart of the Persian troops and had Narsi within their range. In view of the situation the other Muslim fighters also plunged deep into the enemy ranks with the cry of Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Most Great). The Persians could not withstand the assault and gave up fighting particularly when they found Narsi retreating. Muthanna ~ chased the fugitives and the rest of the Muslim army took a large number of the enemy as captives and captured their camps and bazaars.

After finishing this arduous task, Abu Ubaid ~ sent Muthanna, Asim and Sulait ,.;t to clear the surrounding areas of the Persian troops, and they did their job adequately and appreciably. The Battle of Baqshia Narsi was defeated before Jalinus could join the Persian army. The news of the smashing defeat led him to stop his movement at Baqshia. Abu Ubaid ~ marched en route to Saqatiyah and Kaskar and attacked Jalinus at Baqshia who fled the area and stopped only in Mada'in. The Last Deed of Abu Ubaid bin Mas'ud ~ When Jalinus reached Mada'in as a retreating leader, the seat of power stirred from within. Rustam, the prime minister of the Persian Empire, gave a call in the court packed with renowned generals and valiant soldiers, "Who can stop the marching steps of the Arabian army and avenge the successive defeats of the Persians?" "None other History of Islam than Bihman Jadhwaih can perform this feat," they all cried with one voice.

Rustam agreed and entrusted Bihman Jadhwaih with a wellequipped huge army along with three hundred combat elephants and a large quantity of provisions. He was also handed the Kavyani Banner, which the Persians believed made any army carrying it invincible. Also, Jalinus was chosen to lead the reinforcements with the warning that if he fled again, his head would be struck off. Bihman Jadhwaih marched on with added confidence and determination and he increased his already strong army with men and materials from the tribes they came across on the way to their destination. He pitched his camp at Quss-un-Natif near the bank of the Euphrates. Informed of this massive Persian military movement, Abu Ubaid bin Mas'ud ~ also proceeded from Kaskar and camped at Marwahah on the other bank of the Euphrates.

The deep running water of the river kept the two armies apart and silent for a couple of days. At last, a bridge was constructed over the Euphrates with the common consent of the rivals. On completion of the bridge, Bihman Jadhwaih sent words to his counterpart to choose between fighting from this side of the river or that. Although some Muslim officers were against the Muslim army crossing the bridge, Abu Ubaid ~ led his army across the bridge to the Persian side and drew the battle line. Bihman Jadhwaih put the elephants ahead of his army with archers sitting on them. Horses on the Muslim side had never seen elephants before and they began to flee in terror at the sight of the huge animals.

With this scenario of the battle, Abu Ubaid ~ asked his men to fight on foot. When the elephants began to trample the Islamic ranks under their feet, Abu Ubaid ~ called out to strike their swords at the trunks and he was himself the first to do this. He cut off the trunks of several elephants and inflicted deep injuries on their feet with the result the riders fell down and were killed. Enthused with the matchless bravery of their commanders and commanding officers, the Muslim soldiers made heroic assaults on the elephants. During these fateful moments, Abu Ubaid bin Mas'ud ~ came under the attack of a combat elephant. He fell upon the elephant and struck its trunk off with one stroke of his sword.

Despite this the The Rightly-Guided Caliphate belligerent animal knocked him down and put his foot on him crushing his chest. Following his martyrdom, his brother Hakam stepped forward and held the standard of Islam. An elephant too, killed him. Thus, six more men from Banu Thagif who held the flag one by one fell down martyred. The eighth one to hold the standard was Muthanna bin Harithah ~- He took the standard in his hand and encouraged his men with firmness but they appeared disheartened at the loss of seven precious lives to the elephant attacks. Abdullah bin Marthad Thaqafi rushed ahead and broke some planks of the bridge to stop the Muslim soldiers from running away.

He then called out his men to fight and be honored with martyrdom like their brethren. Muthanna ~ collected his scattered men and stood firmly against the enemy. Abu Mihjan Thagafi and some other officers stood by him. The bridge was repaired and the Muslim soldiers were asked to cross the bridge to safety while Muthanna 4*, and the others stopped the enemy from moving ahead. This battle took a toll of six thousand Muslim combatants including valiant fighters like Sulait bin Qais, Ugbah and Abdullah-sons of Qibti bin Qais, Abbad bin Qais, Qais bin As-Sakan, and Abu Umayyah Fazari c$,. The Persians also lost about the same number of men.

The runaway Muslim soldiers remained ashamed and repentant for a long time. This battle took place in Sha 'ban 13 AH. The Battle of Buwaib When Umar Farug ~ came to know of the martyrdom of Abu Ubaid ~ and the heavy losses incurred by the Muslims, he grew exasperated and with all his energy and resources he commenced preparations for a fresh campaign against the Persians. He dispatched heralds and emissaries to all the tribes and roused them to fight for Islam. Several tribes poured in Al-Madinah and were dispatched to Iraq to lend their help to Muthanna ~ who had already launched a recruiting drive, which resulted in a large army. When the Persians were informed of these preparations, Rustam sent a huge army under the command of Mehran Hamadani.

The reason for Mehran's nomination to the command was that he was brought up in Arabia and could, therefore, realize the power and strength of the History of Islam Arabs and appreciate the magnitude of the task before him. Informed of the Persian movements, Muthanna bin Harithah ~ marched with his army and encamped at Buwaib, along the Euphrates. Mehran, marching from the capital, advanced straight upon Buwaib and pitched his camp on the other side of the Euphrates. He then sent word to Muthanna ~ to either come to his side or let him come to his (Muthanna's) own side. In the light of the bitter experience of the past, Muthanna ~ invited him to his side. Mehran crossed the river with his entire army and combat elephants.

He then arranged his forces in the manner that he put his infantry in the front followed by the elephants with archers sitting on them and both right and left flanks were occupied by cavalry divisions. The Islamic army was also ready to fight. The Persians initiated the attack, which was answered by the Muslims. The battle grew intense and both sides displayed bravery. However, the Muslims were crowned with victory. When Muthanna bin Harithah ~ noticed the Persians running away, he rushed forward and broke the bridge, with the result that a large number of the enemy soldiers were either killed or drowned.

Mehran Hamadani was also killed on the battlefield. As per Ibn Khaldun's account, about one hundred thousand Persian fighters succumbed to death, while only one hundred from the Muslim side were honored with martyrdom. The Persian fugitives were given chase up to Sabat. Now the entire territory from Sawad to Tigris came under the Muslim forces. The battle took place in Ramadan 13 AH. After the Defeat of Buwaib Because of the killing of Mehran and the large-scale destruction, there arose a tremendous clamor in the imperial court as well as throughout the entire Persian territory.

The ratio of one hundred thousand Persians lost to one hundred Muslims was really unbelievable and shocking to the extreme. The result was a terrible terror and fear of the Muslims came into the Persians' hearts. Although the real power and administration lay in the hands of Rustam, the Persian throne had a woman of the royal family to rule the destiny of its subjects. Now in the wake of the smashing and ignominious defeat, all lips were The Rightly-Guided Caliphate moving to say that they had tasted this defeat because a woman was on the Persian throne. Thus the woman was immediately dethroned and Yezdgird, a youth was installed on the throne. Rustam and Firoz were the pillars of the state, but a violent friction raged between them.

Now both of them were persuaded to shake hands in the interest of the Persian Empire. Other chiefs and nobles also buried their differences and girded up their lions to serve their country even in the face of death. The coronation of Yezdgird also infused a new life into those who were disheartened because of the adverse state of affairs in every field. The provinces and cities under the possession of Muslim officers began to show signs of unrest and rebellion. The Persian camps were packed with soldiers and the Persian forts and military outpost~ were fortified and strengthened. Many other regions under the Muslim control broke into revolt and rose in support of the Persians.

Umar Faruq's Readiness to face the Persians Umar Faruq ~ came to know of these fresh developments in the month of Dhul-Qa'dah in Al-Madinah. He issued prompt orders for Muthanna ~ together with all the troops to fall back towards the frontiers of Arabia. He summoned the tribes of Rabi'ah and Mudar that were scattered throughout Iraq, and strengthened his forces and vacated the threatened areas to gather close to the frontiers of Arabia. He also issued orders to the governors to collect and send warriors to fight in the way of Allah. As the season for the pilgrimage had arrived, Umar ~ set off to Makkah. On returning from the Hajj, he found Arab tribes pouring in AlMadinah from all sides.

The suburbs of Al-Madinah were now teeming with groups of warriors. He entrusted the divisional command of the vanguard to Talhah ~ and that of the right wing to Zubair ~ , while Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ was appointed to the command of the left wing of the army. When the army was drawn up, he put Ali ~ in charge of the caliphate, left Al-Madinah, and advanced towards Persia. At Sirar, the first halt was ordered. The fact that the Amir-ul-Mu'minin (Chief of the believers) himself was leading the army, filled them with unbounded confidence and enthusiasm. However, Uthman bin Affan ~ called on the Caliph and History of Islam said that it was not expedient that the Chief of the believers should go personally into the battlefield.

Following this advice, Umar ~ convened a general council of war at Sirar and invited the opinion of everyone present. All unanimously exclaimed that the expedition could not terminate successfully unless the Chief of the believers led it himself. Thereupon Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ said, "I disapprove of such a suggestion. The Caliph's presence on the battlefield is too risky. In the case, a commander is killed in action, the Caliph can do the needful and keep the situation under complete control; but if Allah forbid, the Caliph himself is eliminated, it would be extremely difficult to manage the affairs. Ali ~ was also called from Al-Madinah to take part in this crucial deliberation.

He and the elite of the Companions lent support to the opinion of Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~- Umar Faruq ~ got up and made a stirring speech and it ended up by addressing the people thus: "I had a mind to follow your counsel, but the elite of the Companions do not agree to this view. Now who else will do the job?" Following this decision, another problem raised its head. Who will then play the crucial role of commander of the Muslim army at this juncture? When Ali~ was proposed to shoulder the responsibility, but he refused to it, Abu Ubaidah ~ and Khalid bin Walid ~ were busy with the expedition in Syria. The people were still in an uncertain frame of mind arguing about this question when Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ stood up and said: "I have found the man and there could not be a better one." Saying this he named Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~- The entire council agreed including Umar 4".,k. He was exalted among the Companions of the Prophet ~ and was his maternal uncle.

Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~ was then working among the Hawazins as a collector of zakah. A letter calling him back was immediately dispatched. He came to the Caliph of Islam after a few days. Until then the Muslim army stayed at Sirar. After issuing the necessary instructions and asking him to keep the headquarters aware of all the events and movements big or small, Umar ~ dispatched the army under his able command. He set forth from Al-Madinah at the head of a detachment made up of four thousand troops and halted at Tha'labah after making eighteen The Rightly-Guided Caliphate marches.

Directly after the departure of Sa'd's men, Umar Faruq ~ sent a detachment of two thousand Yemeni soldiers and two thousand Najdi soldiers to reinforce the main force. Muthanna ~ was awaiting the arrival of Sa'd ~ at the village of Dhiqar, where he was encamped with eight thousand men. It was Muthanna's intention to join Sa'd ~ and to advance towards the Euphrates, but the wounds which he had received in the battle of Jasr grew from bad to worse and he finally succumbed to them. Sa 1d bin Waqqas ~ in Iraq Marching from Tha'labah, Sa'd ~ pitched his camp at Siraf. On route from Tha'labah to Siraf, three thousand warriors of Banu Asad joined Sa'd's army under the order of the Caliph of Islam. At Siraf, he was strengthened by two thousand fighters under Ash'ath bin Qais.

At the same place, Mu'anna bin Harithah Shaibani ~' the brother of Muthanna ~ met Sa'd ~ and communicated to him the advice bequeathed by his departed brother regarding the enemy forces and their art of warfare. The eight thousand troops of Muthanna ~ joined Sa'd ~ there. The troops were counted in round figures to be between twenty and thirty thousand rank and file. The army included three hundred Companions, who were present during the pledge of Rid wan, while seventy of them had taken part in the battle of Badr. Sa'd ~ was still at Siraf when he received a fresh order from the Caliph directing him to proceed towards Qadisiyah. The order further enjoined upon him to arrange himself in such a manner as to have the plains of Persia in front and the hills of Arabia in the rear.

In this way, he might advance as far as he chose in case of victory and take refuge by retreating to the hills in case of defeat. Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~ decamped as ordered by the Caliph and nominated Zubair bin Abdullah bin Qatadah as the officer of the vanguard. Abdullah bin Al-Mu'tasim was given the right flank, Shurahbil bin As-Samt Kindi the left, Asim bin Umar At-Tamimi the rearguard; Salman Farisi was the supply officer, Abdur-Rahman bin Rabi'ah Al-Bahili the judge and treasurer, Hilal Hijri the translator, Ziyad bin Abu Sufyan the scribe or secretary. History of Islam From Siraf, Sa'd ~ headed towards Qadisiyah and arrived at Udhaib. Here the Persians kept their arsenal and military stores which the advancing army confiscated. On reaching Qadisiyah, they had to wait for the Persian army for about two months.

During this long stay, they would raid the surrounding Persian areas whenever they ran short of provisions and other necessities. Rustam's Departure from Mada'in News began to pour into the Persian capital that the Arabian army was encamped in Qadisiyah and they had ravaged the surrounding areas of the Euphrates. The people of Qadisiyah and its suburbs stormed the court with complaints against the raids of the Muslim troops. They also threatened that if the needful were not done, they would be forced to obey them. Rustam was wise enough to advise evasion instead of an open encounter. But the mounting pressure on Yezdgird, the Emperor of Persia, forced him to call Rustam, his war minister, to take action and go to Qadisiyah personally to bring an end to the longstanding problem created by the Arabian force.

Rustam was in favor of dispatching a number of detachments one after another to keep the Arabian forces too engaged to do anything anywhere else. However, ' Yezdgird disapproved of the plan outright with the result Rustam came under pressure to leave Mada'in. He marched up to Sabat where he was joined by forces from almost every part of the country in such great numbers that, in a short time, the total number of the Persian army rose to one hundred and fifty thousand. It was not only a wellequipped army but was showing a maddening rage and fervor against the Islamic forces. Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~ informed the Caliph of the new developments and enemy movements. Umar Faruq ~ wrote back not to fear the least from the magnitude of the enemy forces and keep faith in Allah the Almighty alone and seek His help and succor in the present position.

The Caliph also asked the Commander of the Muslim army to dispatch a diplomatic mission to Yezdgird before engaging the Persians in battle with the object of inviting them to the Islamic faith. If the Emperor rejected the call, he would bear the brunt The Rightly-Guided Caliphate of his refusal. In pursuance of the instructions from the Caliph, Sa 'd bin Abu Waqqas ~ selected celebrated personages from the army who were renowned in Arabia for their sagacity, eloquence, imposing appearance, valor and ambition, and sent them from Qadisiyah to Mada'in. Islamic Diplomatic Mission The diplomatic mission included men of towering stature like Nu'man bin Muqarrin, Qais bin Zurarah, Asha'th bin Qais, Furat bin Haiyan, Asim bin Amr, Amr bin Ma'dikarib, Mughirah bin Shu'bah, Mu'anna bin Harithah, Utarid bin Hajib, Busr bin Abu Ruhm, Hanzalah bin Ar-Rabi' and Adi bin Suhail ~. The ambassadors rode straight to Mada'in at full gallop leaving behind the troops of Rustam. Informed of the arrival of the ambassadors of Islam, Yezdgird arranged his court in great pomp and splendor.

When these Islamic ambassadors, the sons of the desert, entered the court in simple soldier-like style, the entire court was filled with wonder at the sight. After a preliminary question and answer session, Yezdgird asked with an air of self-conceit, "How did you dare face us? And how did you forget that your people are considered as foolish and disgraceful? Have you also forgotten that when you showed a sign of rising up, our governors and junior commissioned officers were ordered to put you right, and they did it." Having heard these words dipped in arrogance, Nu'man bin Muqarrin ~ rose to answer with all the confidence at his command. He said in plain words, "We are determined to eradicate idol-worship and polytheism from the face of the earth and present Islam before one and all, for it is through Islam alone that man can attain peace and success. If anyone refuses to accept Islam, it is better for him to entrust himself to the Muslims for peace and safety and pay the Jizyah.

In case he refuses to accept both, Islam or paying of the/ izyah, the matter is decided by the sword." Speech of Qais bin Zurarah This speech enraged Yezdgird but he spoke with self-control: "You people are simply brutes and much less in number. So you will never be able to cover any part of our land. However, I can do you this History of Islam much as a favor that I will give you food to eat and clothes to wear and appoint for you an officer to treat you politely." Hearing this Qais bin Zurarah stepped forward and said: "These personages before you are the very essence of Arabian society in virtue of the various gifts of head and heart with which they are endowed. Our noble chieftains and notables of Arabia are overtaken by shame when making a reply to such rubbish. However, I seek to reply to what you said right now and these companions of mine will verify it. Listen!

The wretched condition of the Arabs and Arabia you have just described is far better than what we were existing in. But Allah the Almighty bestowed His utmost favor on us when He sent His Prophet to guide us and to lead us to the right path and put the enemies of the truth and righteousness to disgrace and defeat and promised us victories on earth. Now it is better for you to either accept Islam or agree to pay us the Jizyah or you will have to cross swords with us." Having heard this speech, Yezdgird lost his temper and said, "Had it been legitimate to kill ambassadors, I would have put to death all of you." He then ordered his servants to bring a basketful of earth and place it on the leader's head and he should be turned out from Mada'in in the same state. He then added, "Rustam will shortly go to bury you all in the trenches of Qadisiyah." Meanwhile the basket of earth was brought in. Asim moved forward, put the basket on his shoulder saying, "I am chief of the ambassadors." He then immediately galloped off to Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~ and said to him: "Accept my congratulations, for the enemy has voluntarily surrendered the earth of his territory to us." Sa'd 4*, expressed his happiness over such an interpretation. Followed by the return of the ambassadors, fresh orders came to Rustam from the imperial court of Persia at Sabat along with reinforcing parties.

A greater part of a sixty-thousand-man army was under the command of Rustam. The vanguard was headed by Jalinus which consisted of forty thousand men; rearguard had twenty thousand soldiers; the right wing commanded by Hurmuzan had thirty thousand men while the left one under the command of Mehran bin Bahram Razi also had thirty thousand troops. Thus, the total The Rightly-Guided Caliphate number of Persian soldiers went up to one hundred and eighty thousand. Rustam had in his direct charge one hundred combat elephants while there were seventy-five elephants on the right flank, seventy-five on the left, twenty in the vanguard and thirty in the rearguard. Armed with war equipment and weapons on such a massive scale, Rustam marched from Sabat and camped at Kutha. Now the distance between the Persian and the Muslim armies was much closer.

Small raiding squads would come out from both sides to pounce on the other's provisions and other things of necessity. Rustam preferred procrastination. He, therefore, spent about six months in covering the distance between Mada'in and Qadisiyah. At last, he was compelled to advance and face the Muslims. Pressing injunctions urging him to attack the Muslim forthwith rocked his command center. Contrary to the demand of the Persian Empire, Rustam wanted to achieve success without an encounter.

Now in order to put off action still further, Rustam sent words to the Muslim Commander, Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~ to depute one of his trusted men with whom the matter might be discussed. Sa'd ~ sent Rib'i bin Amir ~- Rustam adorned his court with unwanted splendor ,md pomp to prepare for the audience with the Muslim ambassador. The entire court was carpeted with cloth of gold, the pillows were of rich silk, while a gem bedecked throne was placed in the center. Rib'i ~ came right up to the richly carpeted floor and dismounting from his horse, attached the reins to a pillow. He them moved on supported by a spear piercing into the carpet and cutting it and making holes in it with its point and sat beside Rustam. The courtiers made an attempt to pull him down from the throne and disarm him.

Thereupon Rib'i .t"_,k, thundered, "I have come on invitation and not of my own. Our religion strictly forbids anybody sitting like God and the rest standing before him with their hands folded." Now Rustam intervened and asked them not to do anything against the will of the envoy. However, on second thought Rib'i ~ dismounted from the throne, slit a portion of the carpet with his dagger and sat on the earth and said addressing Rustam, "We are not at all in need of your carpet. The earth spread by Allah the Almighty is enough for us." Rustam then History of Islam asked Rib'i ~ through the interpreter, "What is your object in waging war against us?" Rib'i ~ replied, "We intend to bring the slaves of Allah the Almighty to the expanse of the next world from the narrowness of this world and promote justice and Islam in place of atrocities and false religions. Anyone who adopts justice and Islam will find us non-interfering in regard to his wealth, property and country. But we shall fight with whoever stands in our way until we go either to Paradise or attain victory.

If you seek to pay the Jizyah, we shall accept it and will cease to go against you and you will find us standing by you if and when you need us for the safety of your life and property." Having heard this Rustam inquired, "Are you the chief of the Muslims?" Rib'i ~ replied, "No, I am an ordinary soldier. But each one of us, even the most ordinary can speak on behalf of the most powerful person, and every person has full power in every matter." The utterances of Rib'i ~ left Rustam and his courtiers dumbfounded. Rustam then said, "The scabbard of your sword is quite rotten." Rib'i ~ drew his sword out of the sheathe and said, "But it has been tempered very recently." Rustam again said, the blade of your spear is very small. How can it be of any use in battles?" Rib'i ~ - replied, "This blade pierces deep into the chest of the enemy and goes across it. Have you not seen that a spark is enough to burn down an entire city?" After this brief war of words, Rustam said, "Well, I shall ponder over your utterances and hold consultation with my men of sound judgment." Rib'i d-'.,k, got up and rode to Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~ - Next day, Rustam sent a fresh message to Sa'd ~ requesting him to send an emissary to him. Sa'd ~ sent Hudhaifah bin Mihsan ~,s,.

He also entered the court riding his horse giving an air of the same stubbornness, which Rib'i ~ had displayed previously. He drew dose to the throne on horseback. Rustam said, "What's the reason that you have been sent today instead of the one who had come to me last time?" Hudhaifah ~ replied, 'Our Commander does justice to one and all and gives everyone an opportunity to do everything. It was his turn yesterday and it is my turn today." Rustam then asked him, "How much respite could you give me?" Hudhaifah ~ said, "For three days The Rightly-Guided Caliphate only from this day." Rustam kept silent, and Hudhaifah ~ rode back straight to Muslim camp. The stubbornness and presence of mind of Hudhaifah ~ left Rustam and his courtiers astonished. Next day again Rustam requested an envoy from the Muslim camp and Mughirah bin Shu'bah ~ was sent to play his role.

Rustam tried both temptation and terror but Mughirah ~ remained unmoved and paid him in the same coin. Helpless and embarrassed, Rustam said in a fit of anger, "I shall never enter into any peace agreement with you and I will kill all of you." Mughirah ~ got up and left peacefully for his camp. The Battle of Qadisiyah Close on the departure of Mughirah ~, Rustam ordered preparations for a decisive battle. A canal separated the armies. Rustam ordered a bridge to be constructed over the canal, and it was completed within a short period. Rustam then sent word to his counterpart as to who should cross the bridge.

Sa'd ~ invited him to cross. Thus, the large and strong Persian army moved across the bridge and battle lines were drawn up. Amr bin Ma'dikarib, Asim bin Amr, and Rib'i bin Amir~ moved through the Muslim army rousing the soldiers for Jihad, poets went singing martial songs and the reciters of the Quran recited Surat Al-Anja/. Sa'd ~ could not lead his army into the battlefield for he was then suffering from boils and also sciatica, so he was unable to move or ride a horse. Khalid bin Urfutah was, therefore, asked to command the Muslim soldiers. Hurmuz, a well-known Persian prince and wrestler came out first.

Ghalib bin Abdullah Asadi accepted the challenge for a duel and advanced to meet him. Hurmuz was held in no time and brought to Sa'd ~- Another eminent horseman from the Persian ranks threw a challenge which was duly accepted by Asim ~ - However, a stroke or two scared him off. But Asim ~ gave him chase and caught his horse by its tail and dragged Hurmuz back from under the nose of the Persian vanguard. The valor of Asim ~ maddened with anger another noted Persian wrestler who moved forward with a silver mace in his hand. Amr bin Ma'dikarib ~ advanced to meet his challenge, apprehended him at once and put him on his side. History of Islam Now protests from the Persian warriors compelled Rustam to launch an all-out assault on the Muslim troops, and by way of a war strategy, combat elephants were set off to attack the Muslim ranks.

Bujailah tribe obstructed them at the cost of heavy casualties. Sa'd ~ who was watching the battle scene very minutely, reinforced the Bujailah with Banu Asad who showed utmost manliness in the assigned duty. But when they also showed signs of reverses, the warriors of Banu Kindah took the field and made such a heavy charge that the Persians were forced to show their back. In view of constant retreat and repulses, Rustam ordered a joint attack. Sa'd ~ cried Takbir (Alliihu Akbar - Allah is the Most Great) at the top of his voice and the entire Muslim army joining the Takbir of Sa'd ~ , charged the Persian troops. It looked as if two oceans or mountains collided against each other.

When the rival forces were mixed up, the Persian elephants began to cause heavy casualties on the Muslim side. Sa'd ~ immediately ordered the archers to shoot arrows at the elephants and their riders. Asim ~ charged at the elephants with his lance followed by others who commenced inflicting deep wounds on the elephants' trunks with their spears and swords. With the result that the elephants retreated leaving the Muslim swordsmen to display their mettle. After an all day long battle, night intervened to stop it until the next day. Early the next morning after the Fajr (dawn) prayer, Sa'd ~ buried the martyred in the eastern part of Qadisiyah.

The engagement had left a toll of five hundred men martyred on Muslim side. After sunrise, the armies arrayed themselves against each other once again. Fighting had not yet started when Muslim reinforcements from Syria headed by Hashim bin Utbah were reported to be approaching. With one thousand fighters, the officer of the vanguard Qa'qa' bin Amr~ gave the news to Sa'd ~ and took the field with his permission. He first challenged for a duel and Bihman Jadhwaih came forward but was killed by Qa'qa' ~- After a number of Persian strongmen were killed, Rustam ordered an all-out attack. Heavy fighting took place.

Informed of the prevailing situation, Hashim bin Utbah, the reinforcements' commander, divided his six thousand strong detachment into small segments and each of them entered into the battlefield with the cry of Alliihu Akbar (Allah is the The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Most Great) at short intervals. This new development sent terror into the hearts of the Persian troops. However, their combat elephants were a menace to the Muslims even on this day. At last the Muslim oldiers devised a new plan. They put on their camels long coverings o that they looked like elephants, with the result that the Persians' orses were scared off by the fearful sight inflicting on Persian army ven heavier losses. Qa'qa' ~ killed many renowned Persian officers nd well-known horsemen.

The daylong battle left one thousand artyred on the Muslim side and ten thousand dead on the enemy's ide. day, Sa'd ~ buried the martyrs just after performing Fajr dawn) prayer and delivered the wounded to the accompanying omen to be bandaged and nursed. Then the battle line was drawn etween the two forces. The Persians put their elephants at the head. owever, Qa'qa' ~ and Asim ~ launched together such a fierce ssault on the leading white elephant that it fell dead. When another lephant was targeted, it fled for its life and all the other elephants ollowed suit creating havoc and causing tremendous loses to the ersian side. he two forces separated in the evening only for a short while after ighting all day long. And the battle, which began again after sunset, ontinued until the next morning. Neither Sa'd ~ nor Rustam could erceive the battle conditions due to the darkness and loud battle ries.

Sa'd ~ , the commander of the Muslim army, kept praying hrough the whole night. Sometime after midnight in the din of battle, e heard Qa'qa' ~ yell: "Gather together to attack the main body and atch Rustam." This auspicious voice not only brought satisfaction to a'd ~ but infused new courage and determination in the Muslim roops. xtremely exhausted after a day long battle, all the tribes rose as one an to charge forcefully at the enemy. When the horsemen of Qa'qa' J,:, reached near Rustam, he got down from his throne and began to ight. However, on being wounded he took to his heels. But Hilal bin llafah chased him and hit him so powerfully with his spear that his 1p was broken and he fell down in a nearby canal. Hilal dismounted rom his horse at once, pulled him out by his legs and put him to History of Islam death.

Following this Hilal called out at the top of his voice standing on Rustam's throne: "By Allah, I have killed Rustam." Having heard this announcement, the Muslim troops cried Alliihu Akbar (Allah is the Most Great) and the Persian soldiers were left shocked and astonished. They fled the battlefield. Out of thirty thousand Persian cavaliers only thirty saved their lives. About six thousand Muslims were honored with martyrdom. Sa'd ~ gave all the belonging of Rustam to Hila! bin Ullafah. Qa'qa' ~ and Shurahbil ~ were asked by Sa'd ~ to chase the Persian fugitives but Zuhrah bin Hawiyah had already done this job and killed Jalinus who was collecting the runaway Persian soldiers, and seized his belongings.

Sa'd ~ had some reservations about handing over the belongings of Jalinus to Zuhrah but Umar Farug ~ ordered to give them all to Zuhrah and appreciated his services. Immediately after the peace of victory prevailed, Sa'd ~ collected the spoils of war and wrote a letter to Umar Farug ~' the Caliph of Islam, giving him glad tidings of the Muslim victory. A speeding courier was sent to Al-Madinah with the letter. Ever since the commencement of. the campaign of Qadisiyah, Umar ~ used to go out of Al-Madinah at daybreak and await the messenger from the war zone. One day, according to his habit, he went out of the city and saw a camel rider speeding from the opposite direction. Umar ~ eagerly advanced and asked him where he wa coming from?

He said that he was coming from Qadisiyah with goo news. Allah the Almighty has crowned the Muslims with a clea victory. The Caliph began to make inquires from him. He wa running by the side of the camel and plied its rider with questions The camel rider on entering the precincts of the city found that ever man whom they passed addressed his companion on foot as 'Amir-zil Mu'minin'. He trembled with fear and said, "My leader, why did yo not tell me your name so that I may not have been unwittingly guilt of this misunderstanding?" Umar ~ reassured him observing: "D not be uneasy. There is no harm done.

Go on with your news." So h walked by the side of the camel rider on the way to his house. The convening a large conference of the people of Al-Madinah he to! them the joyful tidings and made an eloquent and stirring speecl which ended thus: The Rightly-Guided Caliphate "O Muslims, I am not a king that it should be my desire to make you my slaves. I am myself a slave of Allah, though the responsibilities of the caliphate have been made to be heavy upon my head. I should deem myself fortunate if I served you in a manner that secured your sound and tranquil sleep in your homes, but I would be a miserable wretch if it were my desire to make you wait constantly upon me and mount a guard at my doors. It is my object to instruct you not only by words, but by my deeds also." Conquest of Babylon and Kutha After their flight from Qadisiyah, the Persians quartered themselves at Babylon. A number of renowned generals set themselves to making preparations for giving battle again.

Fugitives of the battle of Qadisiyah were also collected and encouraged to avenge their defeat. Sa'd ~ stayed in Qadisiyah for about two months after the Muslim victory. On receiving fresh orders from the Caliph, he marched to Mada'in leaving his family in Qadisiyah. Before his departure he dispatched Zuhrah bin Hawiyah at the head of the vanguard who marched on killing, removing and enslaving his enemies until he reached Babylon. Sa'd ~ also joined him there with his troops. With the news of the arrival of Sa'd ~, the Persian generals left Babylon and moved to Mada'in, Ahwaz and Nihawand destroying the bridges on the way and making the Tigris and its canals impossible to cross.

When Sa'd ~ heard of the flight of the Persians, he sent Zuhrah at their back and moved behind him at the head of a big army. When Zuhrah arrived at Kutha, Shahryar opposed him and came personally onto the battlefield, he challenged the bravest of the Arabs to meet him in single combat. Zuhrah said, "I had intended to fight with you, but in view of your bragging and vaunting, a slave will confront you and he will put down your arrogance." Thus saying he motioned Na'il bin Ju'shum A'raj, a slave of the Tamim clan, who pressed his charger forward. Shahryar had the proportions and strength of a giant. Seeing in Na'il a weak and puny adversary, he flung away his lance and grasping him by the throat, pulled him off his horse, hurled him to the ground and then sat upon his chest. Now, History of Islam as chance would have it, Shahryar's thumb went into Na'il's mouth who bit it so severely that Shahryar was beside himself with pain.

Na'il taking advantage of the opportunity sprang up lightly and sitting on the breast of his adversary, plunged his dagger deep into the body of Shahryar ripping his stomach open. With the sight of the killing of Shahryar, the Persian troops took to their heels. Shahryar was clad in brilliant robes and armed with excellent weapons. Na'il stripped him off all and placed them before Sa'd ~- In order to teach his followers a lesson, Sa'd ~ ordered Na'il to put on the dress and armor of the slain warrior. In pursuance of this command, Na'il arrayed in the gaudy effects and splendid accouterment of Shahryar, came before the public assembly and as the people saw him, the vivid spectacle of the ironies of the world and the fickleness of fortunes passed before their eyes. The Fall of Bahurasir Kutha was the historical place where Nimrod is said to have imprisoned Abraham (Ibrahim~\).

The dungeon was still preserved as a relic. Sa'd ~ paid a visit to this sanctuary. At some distance from Kutha was Bahurasir, a city in close proximity to the capital. A very strong squad of the imperial guard and a huge garrison were kept in Bahurasir to guard the seat of power. The Tigris alone intervened between Bahurasir and Mada'in. Sa'd ~ advanced and laid siege to Bahurasir.

At last, the people of the city came out to face the Muslims but it resulted in their death and destruction. Yezdgird took to flight along with his treasure upon the fall of Bahurasir, his flight marked that the Muslims were still not totally out of danger. Horses across the River Sa'd ~ was now in a rush to capture Mada'in. However, the Tigris lay in the way. The fleeing Persians had demolished and broken all the bridges. When Sa'd ~ arrived at the bank of the Tigris, he found neither bridge nor boats.

The next day Sa'd ~ mounted on his horse and said after getting his troops ready, "Who among you is brave enough to promise to save me from an enemy onslaught while I cross the river?" Asim bin Amr~ came forward and offered his services. The Rightly-Guided Caliphate He sat on raised ground at the bank of Tigris with a squadron of six hundred archers. Sa'd ~ recited: "We seek the Help of Allah, entrust on Him, Allah is enough for us and what an Excellent Supporter He is. There is no might and strength but with Allah Who is High and Great." He then charged right into the surging water of the Tigris. Others also followed suit and rushed their horses into the river. The river was deep and fast moving but the turbulent conditions could not affect the resolute and undaunted spirits of the Muslim army.

The waves slammed furiously against the sides of the horses, but the horsemen steered their course coolly and in perfect order. When the cavalry was half way cross the river, the Persian archers began to shoot arrows at the Muslim troops but in vain. The Muslim fighters crossed the river by force and put the opposing force to death. The Conquest of Mada'in With the news of the crossing of the river by the Muslims, Yezdgird took flight from Mada'in. The Muslim troops began to enter the city from different directions. Sa'd ~ stepped in the White Palace (royal palace) reciting the Verses: "How many of gardens and springs do they left.

And green crops and goodly places. And comforts of life wherein they used to take delight! Thus! And we made other people inherit them." (44:25-28) He offered eight Rakat (units) of salah-ul-Fath (victory prayer). In the palace of Kisra (Chosroes), a pulpit was set up in place of the royal throne and the Friday prayer was performed there. This was the first Friday prayer that was performed in the Persian capital.

Nothing of the paintings, portraits and images were destroyed. The commander of the Muslim army ordered that the treasures and curiosities of the royal palaces should be brought and accumulated in one place. There were vast riches including thousands of rare and priceless heirlooms handed down and preserved from the Kayani dynasty until the time of Nushirwan. They included the coats of mail and swords of the monarchs of the Empires of China, the Emperor of Rome, Dahir Shah of India, Bahram Gour, Nu'man bin Mundhir, Siyawash. The History of Islam poniards, swords, coats of mail and the helmets of Kisra, Hurmuz and Firoz were also preserved in the royal museum. The Persians were proud of their antique possessions.

Sa'd ~ permitted Qa'qa' ~ to choose for himself one of the swords. He was pleased to pick the sword of Heraclius, the Roman monarch. Sa'd ~ gave him also the coat of mail of Bahram Gour. Sa'd ~ dispatched to the seat of the caliphate all the priceless possessions and curiosities of the conquered palaces of Persia. The most wonderful and exquisitely magnificent of all was a carpet which the Persians called Bahar (Spring). After the season of ethereal mildness was over, this carpet was used for the feast of wine.

The carpet was provided with all the effects of spring, which art and wealth could allow to be imitated. In the center was a bucolic landscape bordered on all sides with ornamental avenues around which trees and plants of various descriptions were laden with buds and flowers and fruits. Everything was worked in gold, silver and precious stones. The ground work was of gold, the greenery of emerald, the borders of topaz, the trees of gold and silver, the leaves of silk and the fruits were gems. Umar Farug ~ distributed the booty among the troops. With regard to the celebrated carpet, the public opinion was that it should not be distributed but preserved.

Ali ~ persistently held aloof from this opinion and at his instance this carpet also was distributed among the people in cut up pieces. The piece Ali ~ shared was not so fine, however, he sold it for thirty thousand dinars. The Conquest of ]alula When Mada'in fell to the Muslims, Yezdgird fled to Hulwan. Kharzad bin Farkhzad, brother of Rustam Farkhzad, who was the commanderin-chief, displayed great skill in gathering a large army. He had a moat built around the city and the fort. Gokhru (the many-pointed thorns of murex) were scattered along the roadsides and pathways.

These military preparations were so massive that the Muslim camp easily became aware of it. Sa'd ~ on receiving the news, wrote to Umar ~ who replied that Hashim bin Utbah should be sent on this expedition at the head of twelve thousand troops. The command of the vanguard, the right wing, the left wing, and the rearguard should The Rightly-Guided Caliphate be entrusted to Qa'qa', Ma'shar bin Malik, Amr bin Malik and Amr bin Murrah respectively. Hashim, marching from Mada'in, reached Jalula on the fourth day and laid siege of the city. The siege continued for several months. Occasionally the Persians would make a sudden attack on the besiegers.

In this manner many engagements were contested in which the Persians invariably met with reverses. However, the city was stocked with supplies and provisions of all sorts and their forces numbered hundreds of thousands, they did not lose heart. One day they rushed out recklessly but their forces were smashed leaving about one hundred thousand troops dead and spoils worth thirty million. When Yezdgird learned the news of the disaster of Jalula, he left Hulwan for Rey, placing Khusru Shanum, an officer of renown, in charge of Hulwan with a few squadrons of cavalry. Qa'qa'~ was dispatched to Hulwan at the head of some troops. A short but fierce struggle ensued in which Khusru Shanum was routed.

While communicating the joyful tidings of the victory, Sa'd ~ dispatched a fifth portion of the booty to Al-Madinah. Ziyad~' the messenger, described the battle with an eloquence which did him immense credit. Umar ~ asked him to recount the events in the same eloquent style before a public assembly. A public assembly was accordingly convened and Ziyad ~ narrated the incidents of the battle with a command of language and an eloquence that portrayed the fray in its minutest detail. Afterwards Ziyad ~ brought forth the spoils, which were stored in the courtyard of the mosque. In the morning the mantle, which covered the goods was drawn aside, heaps of precious stones were revealed.

Tears ran down the face of Umar ~ as the sight met his gaze. Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ said to him, "Why do you weep instead of giving thanks?" Umar Farug ~ replied, "Where riches appear, envy and jealousy are bound to follow in their wake." In response to Sa'd's seeking the Caliph's permission to march towards Persia, he ordered him to take a rest for some days as the Muslim soldiers were exhausted and needed it. History of lslam Syrian Engagements The Fall of Hims Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah ~ marched to Hims and halted at DhulKala'. Hims is one of the important districts of Syria. In ancient times it was greatly noted because of a temple dedicated to the sun. People would come from distant places on pilgrimage to this temple, and its devotees prided themselves on this fact.

After the fall of Damascus and Jordan, three important cities remained to be conquered, which would mean the subjugation of the whole of Syria. They were Hims, Antakiyah (Antioch) and Jerusalem. When the Muslim army camped at Dhul-Kala', Heraclius sent General Taudhar to engage them in the battle. Another General Shams was also ordered to join the attack. However, both of them were completely routed and Abu Ubaidah ~ . killed Shams. When the fleeing soldiers reached Hims, Heraclius left for Ar-Ruha.

Abu Ubaidah ~ marched on and besieged Hims. And, in spite of the best efforts of Heraclius, the people of Hims remained without any outside help. At last they yielded followed by Hamah, Al-Ladhiqiyah and Salamyah. Fall of Qinnasrin Following the conquest of Salamyah, Khalid bin Walid ~, with the permission of Abu Ubaidah ~ , marched to Qinnasrin where Minas, only second to Heraclius in position, faced Khalid ~ but tasted defeat after a fierce encounter. He took refuge in a citadel but Khalid ~ captured it after laying siege to it. Umar Faruq ~ grew happy and added to his power and authority.

Conquest of Halab and Antakiyah After finishing his task in Qinnasrin, Abu Ubaidah ~ marched to Halab (Aleppo) where he came to know that the people of Qinnasrin had risen in revolt. He at once dispatched a squadron to the spot of the disturbance. When they were brought under siege, they expressed The Rightly-Guided Caliphate their loyalty once again and saved themselves by paying a heavy penalty. Abu Ubaidah Jj0 halted near Halab and sent in advance Iyad bin Ghanam, the commanding officer of the vanguard. He marched to Halab and laid a siege around the city, which surrendered to the Muslims. After Halab, Abu Ubaidah's next target was Antakiyah (Antioch), which was the Asian capital of Heraclius.

It was a fortified city with a number of royal palaces. Thus the fleeing and fugitive Christians took refuge in this city. When the Muslim troops arrived at Antakiyah, the Christians came out to face the Muslims and were completely routed and fled back to the city. When they came under siege, they earned peace in return for paying the Jizyah. News then came to the Muslim camp that Christian troops were gathering in Mu'arrah Masrin, a place near Halab. Abu Ubaidah ~ marched to punish the antagonists and the result was a bloody fight between the two forces which resulted in their earning peace like the people of Halab.

Antakiyah was reported to have again risen in revolt but Iyad bin Ghanam and Habib bin Maslamah were already there to crush it by force. The repeated uprisings of the Christians in different regions were putting the Muslim troops to great hardships. Abu Ubaidah ~ brought the situation to the knowledge of Umar Faruq .t",,k,. He ordered Muslim squadrons to be deputed to all the trouble spots at the cost of Bait-11/-Miil (public exchequer). After the fall of Antakiyah, dozens of surrounding villages and towns came on their own to the fold of the Muslim forces. Fall of Baghras, Mar 1ash and Hadath After winning decisive victories throughout Syria and deputing Muslim commanding officers and administrators to all the cities under Muslims possession, Abu Ubaidah ~ turned towards Palestine.

A Muslim detachment under the command of Maisarah bin Masruq was dispatched to Baghras, a town in the neighborhood of Antakiyah bordering on the frontier of Asia Minor. Many of the Arab Christians such as the Ghassans, the Tanukh and the Iyyads were preparing at History of Islam this place to accompany the Romans to the Emperor Heraclius. Maisarah bin Masruq attacked them and a fierce conflict took place. Abu Ubaidah ~ dispatched reinforcements under Malik bin Ashtar Nakh'i. With the arrival of fresh troops, the Christians fled in terror. Khalid bin Walid ~ led a column against Mar'ash which capitulated on the condition that the Christians should evacuate the city.

In the same way Habib bin Maslamah marched to Hadath (old name of Ararat Mountain) and conquered it. Conquest of Qaisariyah and Ajnadain In course of time when Muslim troops were winning victories in Antakiyah and its suburbs, Yazid bin Abu Sufyan, the governor of Damascus sent his brother, Mu'awiyah bin Abu Sufyan towards Qaisariyah (Caesarea or Kayseri) as per the Caliph's order. After a heavy toll of eighty thousand Christians, the city fell to the Muslims. Heraclius now ordered Artabun, a noted general, to gather troops in Ajnadain. Artabun kept a huge army under his direct command and two other detachments in Ramlah and Jerusalem. Well-equipped and huge in number, the opponents of Islam were awaiting the arrival of the Muslim force.

Amr bin Al-As .;;. marched to Ajnadain to face Artabun while he dispatched Alqamah bin Hakim Firasi and Masrur bin Al-Akki to Jerusalem and Abu Ayub Al-Maliki to Ramlah with the permission of Abu Ubaidah ~'"· A fierce battle was fought in Ajnadain. It was a conflict similar to Yarmuk. Artabun could not muster courage to face Amr bin Al-As .;;. and fled to Jerusalem and the city fell to the Muslim forces. Conquest of Jerusalem After the flight of Artabw1 to Jerusalem, Amr bin Al-As ~ conquered Ghazzah (Gaza), Sabastiyah, Nabulus (Nablus), Ludd, Amawas, Bait Jibrin, and Yafa (Yafo). He then proceeded to Jerusalem and tightened the siege. About the same time, Abu Ubaidah .f~ had proceeded to Palestine.

The news of his arrival disheartened the besieged Christians who were defending themselves until then. They were left with no alternative but to make peace negotiations. All of them knew about the readiness of the The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Muslims to accept a peace proposal and their easy terms. However, the Christians of Jerusalem put a novel condition on finalizing the peace agreement. They wanted the Caliph of Islam to reach Jerusalem to write down the peace document. Even though the fall of the city was only a matter of time, Abu Ubaidah ~ was in favor of avoiding further death and destruction, so he preferred peace to war.

He wrote a letter to the Caliph delineating the whole account of events with the request that his arrival in Jerusalem could win for them the city without shedding a drop of blood. Umar Farug ~ convened a meeting of all the distinguished Companions and consulted them. Uthman ~ declared that the Christians had been struck with terror and lost heart and that if the Caliph were to reject their request, they would be still more humiliated, and consider that the Muslims regarded them with utter contempt, they would lay down their arms unconditionally. Ali ~, however, dissented from this view and gave the contrary opinion. Umar ~ shared the same opinion. Umar Faruq's Journey to Palestine On this historic mission to Jerusalem, a bag full of parched barley meal, a camel, a slave, and a wooden cup were all the belongings of Umar Farug ~' the Chief of the Muslims, when he left Al-Madinah, the headquarters of Islam.

Leaving Uthman ~ in charge of AI-Madinah, he set out on the journey noted for its strain and stress. It was a novel scenario of Islamic equality and human dignity that the journey undertaken had at times the Caliph on the camel and the slave walking along holding the halter of the camel and vice versa. It was the journey of a magnificent and powerful Islamic ruler whose cavalry had already trampled down palaces and crowns and thrones under the hooves of its horses. It was Rajab 16 AH, when Mada'in and Antakiyah (Antioch) had been conquered. The commanders of the Muslim forces at Damascus and Jerusalem were already informed about the movement of the Caliph of Islam. Thus Yazid bin Abu Sufyan, Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah and Khalid bin Walid i:,t, received the Caliph of Islam with exemplary honor.

But when History of Islam Umar ~ saw them arrayed in brilliant dresses and imposing appearance, he flew into a fit of rage at the sight of them that he remarked: "Within the short span of two years have you fallen into Persian habits?" But when the officers explained that they had their weapons beneath the silken tunics and they had not lost their Arabian character, the Caliph gained peace of heart. A Peace Document for the Christians The Chief of believers sojourned for a long while at Jabiah where some of the nobles of the city proceeded to see him and the treaty was drawn up there which is as follows: "This is the peace document, which the Chief of the Muslims has written for the people of Iylia'. Peace is given to one and all in Iylia', peace of life and property, and peace to their church, cross, sick, healthy and to the followers of all religions. Nobody is allowed to reside in their churches nor will they be demolished nor are their boundaries to be damaged nor their cross to be desecrated nor their religion to be defiled. Moreover, Jews will not be allowed to live with them in Iylia'. The people of Iylia' are duty-bound to pay the Jizynh and turn out the Greeks and Romans.

And those among the Greeks and Romans who will leave the city, their life and property will be provided perfect safety until they reach a place of safety. If a Roman prefers to live in Iylia', he is bound to give the Jizyah like the rest of the citizens; if an Iylian intends to go with the Romans, he will enjoy complete peace until he reaches a protected place. Whatever this treaty contains is to be fulfilled by Allah, the Caliphs of Islam and the entire Muslim community provided the Iylians pay the ]izynh." The elite of the Companions like Khalid bin Walid, Amr bin AI-As, Abdur-Rahman bin Auf and Mu'awiyah ,$, subscribed to it. The people of Jerusalem paid the jizyah on the spot and opened the doors of the city. The people of Ramlah also followed suit. Umar Faruq ~ entered Bait-ul-Maqdis (the Dome of the Rock) barefooted.

First of all he went to the Mosque of Al-Aqsa and approaching the Arch of David he recited the Verse from the Quran which speaks of the The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Prophet David (Dawud ~I) as bowing down to Allah the Almighty and then he prostrated himself in humble obeisance. He then visited the church of the Christians and walked around the building for sometime. Fall of Takrit and ]azirah Takrit was under a junior Persian commissioned officer. When he heard of the fall of Mada'in, he drew the attention of the Romans to the incident. The Romans also joined the cause easily because they were also against the Muslim forces. Other Christian Arab tribes such as Iyyad, Taghlib and Namir also followed suit.

On the instruction of Umar Faruq ~' Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~ deputed Abdullah bin Al Mu'tam to head the expedition. Abdullah marched on Takrit at the head of five thousand troops and invaded the city. After a bloody battle, the joint Roman and Persian forces were beaten. Most of the Arabian clans embraced Islam. The province of Jazirah fell between the frontiers of Syria and Iraq and was at times annexed by both the Empires. Successive campaigns and victories of the Muslim forces sent terror into the hearts of the people of Jazirah.

They wrote to Heraclius to send a force to guard the eastern cities against the ensuing Muslim attack and they promised to jointly rise to lend their help and support to Heraclius' troops. Heraclius, thinking it to be a sign from the God, dispatched his troops to the eastern cities of Syria. Assessing the crucial situation, Umar Faruq ~ instructed Sa'd ~ to keep a check on the forward movement of the people of Jazirah and wrote Abu Ubaidah • to obstruct the march of Heraclius' detachment towards Hims and Qinnasrin. Both the commanders did their job appreciably well and Iyad bin Ghanam ~ captured the province of Jazirah after small skirmishes. This event took place in 17 AH. Return of lyyad Tribe When Jazirah fell to the Muslims the Iyyad tribe, which confessed Christianity, shifted to Heraclius' territory in self-exile and settled there.

Informed of the event, Umar Faruq ~ wrote to Heraclius: History of Islam "I have been informed that a tribe from among the Arabian tribes has left our country to settle in your cities. If you refuse to turn them out from your country, we shall send to you all the Christians inhabiting our territory." Immediately after the receipt of this warning from the Caliph of Islam, Heraclius issued orders to banish the people of the Iyyad tribe numbering four thousand in all. They went back to Syria and Jazirah and settled there. Umar Farug ~ appointed Habib bin Maslamah and Walid bin Uqbah administrators of Iraq-Ajam and Iraq-Arab respectively. On the return of the Arabs, he wrote Walid bin Uqbah not to force Islam on them and accept the f izyah from them if they so desired. Granting no choice but Islam is a practice, which should be adopted only in case of the Arab Peninsula and Yemen.

However the principle applies to the progeny of Muslim parents and they cannot be converted to Christianity by force. Moreover, none should be held back from coming to the fold of Islam. Walid bin Uqbah made no delay in implementing the orders of Umar Farug ~- A few days after, the Iyyad sent a deputation to AlMadinah with the request that no amount should be collected from them in the name of Jizyah. Umar Farug~ issued orders to collect from them double the amount in the name of Sadqah (charity) in place of Jizyah (tax), which the Iyyad accepted happily. After some days, the tribe lodged a complaint against Walid bin Uqbah. The Caliph took prompt action and appointed Furat bin Haiyan and Hind bin Amr AlJamali to do the job and deposed Walid bin Uqbah without delay.

Deposition of Khalid bin Walid • People are generally mistaken about the event of the deposition of Khalid bin Walid ~ - They subscribe to the misconception that Umar Farug ~ had deposed Khalid bin Walid ~ soon with his installation as the Caliph of Islam. The fact is that Umar ~ did not deposed him during the earlier period of his Caliphate, he had only curtailed his position by reducing him to a deputy commander from commander-in-chief of the Muslim army. Now he had to first consult and receive permission from Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah ~ before any action, so his leading of Muslim forces through dangerous adventures came to an end. The Rightly-Guided Caliphate The incident of Khalid's deposition occurred in the last months of 17 AH. Umar Faruq ~ used to keep himself informed of the activities of every commander, general, officer and governor. Even though every governor or commander had to inform the Caliph with the account of matters and affairs of all kinds, he also had correspondents in every city and military wing who wrote to him about events and incidents that would take place in their areas of activity.

Thus a correspondent of the Caliph once informed him that on his return to Syria after the fall of Jazirah, Khalid bin Walid • had brought with him immense riches and property and granted ten thousand dirhams to Ash'ath bin Qais, a poet, in return for writing an ode for him. Umar • addressed a letter to Abu Ubaidah bin AlJarrah • instructing him: "Ask Khalid in the presence of an audience whether he has made the present in question out of his own purse or from the public treasury. In case he has given it from his own purse, it is a sheer extravagance; and if he has given it from the public treasury, he has committed an offence of criminal breach of trust; and in either case he deserves to be deposed. Let his neck be tied with his own turban. But, if he admits his fault then he is to be forgiven." Accordingly, he was called before a public gathering. The Caliph's messenger inquired of him, "Wherefrom did you make this present?" Khalid bin Walid • kept silent and held back from confessing his fault.

Thus the messenger found himself under compulsion to remove his turban and tie his neck with it. On asking again, Khalid • revealed that he had given the reward to Ash'ath from his own possessions, not from the public treasury. Hearing this the messenger untied his neck and reported the matter to the Caliph who called Khalid • to Al-Madinah for an explanation. Khalid bin Walid • said to the Caliph: "Umar! By Allah, you are not doing justice to me." Umar • said to him, "Wherefrom have you collected so much wealth and how did you give away such a substantial amount to a poet for a reward?" Khalid• said, "I had given it from my share of booty." Khalid• further said, "Well, I will deposit with the public treasury any amount I have exceeding sixty thousand." Thus, after checking the whole account, twenty thousand dirhams exceeded the stipulated amount, which was immediately History of Islam deposired with the public treasury and the matter was cleared up in good faith from both sides. It was a weakness with Khalid bin Walid ~ that he spent lavishly without submitting the accounts to the financial authorities.

Hence, it was purely and totally in the interest of fair and exemplary administration that some curb was put on Khalid bin Walid's way of dealing with public finance. And the step taken by the Caliph was just a warning and nothing else. Basrah and Kufah From the reports of the military commanders and the soldiers returning from Iraq, Umar Farug ~ gathered that the climate of lraq did not suit them. He issued orders that cantonments for the Arabian forces should be set up at places where they could enjoy climate similar to that of Arabia so that the Arabian soldiers could, after finishing their job, take rest therein. One cantonment was set up near the Tigris with thatched roofs. While going on a campaign, they would set the thatch on fire and repaired it again on their return.

Umar Farug ~ constructed some houses in Basrah in 17 AH, and approved a new cantonment for Kufah. With the construction of houses, both these places began to be rapidly populated because of the healthy climate of these regions. And within a short period, both the cities came to be known as the centers of Muslim power. Conquest of Ahwiz, and Hurmuzan accepts Islam Running away from the battle of Qadisiyah, the well-known Persian commander, Hurmuzan took refuge in Khuzestan, the capital of Ahwaz province and devoted himself wholeheartedly to collecting soldiers by capturing the surrounding cities. Muslim forces emerged from the cantonments of Kufah and Basrah and charged at Ahwaz which fell to them. Hurmuzan earned peace from the Muslims in return for paying the Jizyah.

After a few days, Hurmuzan rose in revolt against the Muslims but was again beaten thoroughly. He again sought peace for Jizyah and it was granted. Meanwhile news came that Yezdgird, the Persian monarch, was collecting a huge army to attack the Muslims. The Rightly-Guided Caliphate On receiving this disturbing news, Umar Farug ~ immediately wrote Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~ to deploy Islamic squadrons at all the avenues of access. As a precautionary measure, a squadron was also sent to take care of the activities of Hurmuzan. Since he was counting on Yezdgird, he rose against the Muslim force with a big army and the result was a complete rout.

Hurmuzan fled to Tustar and devoted himself again to making preparations for battling with the Muslims. When Umar Farug ~ heard of this, he sent Abu Musa Ash'ari ~ as the Commander of the army stationed at Basrah. Abu Musa ~ advanced towards Tustar and after a number of encounters, Hurmuzan took shelter in his fort for a defensive battle. However, he was greeted by an ignominious defeat and the city fell to the Muslims. The fort was about to fall when Hurmuzan sent a petition to Abu Musa ~ mentioning that he was ready to surrender on the sole condition that he be dispatched to Umar Farug~ and let him decide about him (Hurmuzan). His petition was granted and he was sent to Al-Madinah in the company of Anas bin Malik and Ahnaf bin Qais ~ - Reaching the area bordering Al-Madinah, he put on costly and glamorous garments and his glittering crown.

Umar Farug ~ thanked Allah when he noticed such a general as a captive. The Caliph then said to him, "You have backed out of your promise more than once, what punishment do you deserve then? And what do you want to say in self-defense?" Hurmuzan said, "I am afraid you will slay me before hearing my excuse." The Caliph said, "Fear not, your excuse will be definitely heard." Hurmuzan then asked for some drinking water. He then took the cup of water in his hand and said, "I am afraid you will kill me while I am drinking this water." Umar Farug ~ said, "Fear not in the least, you will be put to no harm unless you have drunk this cup of water." Hearing this Hurmuzan kept the cup back and said, "I won't drink, and you cannot kill me as per your promise." Graceful Treatment of Umar ~: Hearing this, Umar Farug ~ angrily said, "You tell a lie, I have not given you peace." Thereupon Anas bin Malik ~ intervened and said, "O Chief of the believers, he tells the truth. You have just promised History of Islam him that he will not be harmed until he has drunk the cup of water and given his account." Hearing this Umar Faruq ~ was left wonderstruck and said addressing Hurmuzan, "You have deceived me but I will not do the same. It is better for you to convert to Islam." Hurmuzan accepted Islam at once.

Umar Faruq ~ grew very happy. He gave Hurmuzan a place in Al-Madinah to live in and sanctioned for him an annual grant of two thousand dinars. He was also consulted during the campaigns of Persia. Umar Faruq ~ then said to Anas bin Malik and Ahnaf bin Qais ~, "You people perhaps fail to treat your Dhimmi (non-Muslim citizens of an Islamic state) well. And the result is their uprisings time and again." They submitted, "O Chief of the believers, we make it a point to treat them extremely well and hold them in high regard. However, they rise against us again and again because you have held us back from going ahead.

Yezdgird, the Persian Emperor is there in his cities and while he is safe and sound, the Persians will never sit back and abandon their fighting." The Caliph agreed and issued immediate orders for the Muslim forces to march ahead. The Conquest of Egypt During Umar Faruq's stay in Jerusalem, Amr bin Al-As ~ had obtained his consent for launching an attack on Egypt. Amr ~ marched to Egypt at the head of four thousand troops. The Caliph of Islam put before Muqauqis, the king of Egypt, three conditions: Islam or Jizyah or battle, in his dispatch from Al-Madinah. The Roman general Artabun along with his entire army was in Egypt at that time. First Artabun moved forward and then fled the battlefield after experiencing a decisive defeat.

Afterwards the Muslim army advanced further and laid siege around Ainu Shams and from there dispatched two squadrons to besiege Farama and Alexandria (Iskandariyah). Both the cities fell to the Muslim troops. Amr bin As~ then sent Zubair bin Al-Awwam ~ to Fustat as a commander, he conquered the fortified citadel after a heavy encounter. Amr bin Al-As~ attacked Alexandria, which fell after a siege of three months. The Rightly-Guided Cnliphate The Battle of Nahawand After the conquest of Mada'in and Jalula, Yezdgird shifted to Rey and then to Isfahan. When Ahwaz fell to the Muslims, he fled to Marwin Khurasan located in eastern Persia.

He built a fire temple there and was satisfied that the Arabs would not make any advancement. He became full of rage after Ahwaz was destroyed, and Hurmuzan was captured and taken to Al-Madinah. He again started huge military preparations for beating the Muslims and wrote letters to the notables from the surrounding areas putting them to shame over the successive Muslim victories. These efforts of Yezdgird bore fruit and Tabaristan, Jurjan, Khurasan, Isfahan, Hamadan, and Sindh rose against the Muslims in great fervor. Fighters from various regions rushed to join Yezdgird. He put Firoz or Mardan Shah as a commander of a one-hundred-and-fiftythousand-man army and dispatched it to Nahawand.

On receiving this news, Umar Faruq ~ decided to lead the army himself. However, Ali, Uthman and Talhah ~~ differed with his decision and the Caliph honored their opinion. He then nominated Nu'man bin Muqarrin ~ as commander and instructed him to go and halt at a stream near Kufah. At that time Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~ was in Al-Madinah at the invitation of the Caliph. The Caliph wrote to Abdullah bin Abdullah bin Utban, the deputy of Sa'd ~ to dispatch forces from Kufah under the command of Nu'man bin Muqarrin ~- The order was immediately implemented. The Caliph also instructed the Muslim troops stationed in Ahwaz to blockade Persia and Isfahan so that the people of Nahawand could not get any help from Persia.

When troops from other corners gathered together Nu'man bin Muqarrin ~ put his brother Nu'aim bin Muqarrin at the vanguard, gave the right flank to Hudhaifah bin Yaman ~' left flank to Suwaid bin Muqarrin, the infantry to Qa'qa' and rearguard to Mujashi' bin Mas'ud. The total number of Muslim troops reached thirty thousand. The army marched from Kufah and halted at a place nine miles from its destination. The Persian army also came out on the field. History of Islam The battle started on Wednesday and continued until Thursday but without any decision. On Friday, the Persians moved back to the city and fortified areas.

Since they had strewn Gokhru (iron-thorns) around the entire city obstructing the movement of the Muslim army towards the ramparts of the city, while the Persians could charge at the Muslim troops at anytime. In the wake of the new developments, Nu'man summoned the commanders to his camp and sought their opinion about dealing with the situation. Tulaihah bin Khuwailid gave his opinion that the Muslim army, alert and ready, should make a retreat about six to seven miles from the city. And as a next step, Qa'qa' be asked to charge at them with a column. The suggestion was unanimously agreed upon. When the Persians noticed a small force before them, they became overjoyed and came out to attack it in full force.

The Muslim column, according to plan, kept gradually moving back, while the Persians continued their pressure on the Muslims and moved ahead. They were now at a long distance from their trenches and defensive devices and were caught unaware by the large and fresh Muslim army lying in wait for their arrival. Nu'man bin Muqarrin ~ along with others launched a fierce attack on the Persians with the loud cry of Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Most Great). The enemy force was thoroughly outwitted, they fled the field leaving a large number of soldiers dead and injured. During the rage and fury of the killing of the Persians, Nu'man bin Muqarrin ~ fell down from his horse badly exhausted and injured and was martyred. His brother Nu'man bin Muqarrin appeared on the scene and put on his dress and took the standard of Nu'man and the Muslim army remained unaware until the end of the battle about the martyrdom of their commander.

The fleeing Persian soldiers were entrapped by the Gokhru spread by themselves, which took a toll in thousands. The Persian commander and other commanding officers escaped to Hamadan, but Nu'man and Qa'qa' conquered Hamadan too. Hudhaifah bin Yaman ~ was then appointed commander of the Muslim army, and in that capacity he distributed the spoils of war in Nahawand and put out the fire temple. Its high priest waited upon Hudhaifah ~ and offered to put him in possession of priceless The Rightly-Guided Caliphate treasures if his own life and property were spared. Hudhaifah • was very willing to accede to this proposal, the priest accordingly brought and placed before him precious stones of the rarest value from the royal teasure kept with himfor emergencies. Hudhaifah • distributed the spoils of war among the troops and dispatched onefifth, together with the precious stones to the Caliph.

For a couple of days the Caliph had received no news from the seat of war and was worried. However, he grew overjoyed at the arrival of the messenger, Sa'ib bin Al-Agra' with the tidings of the victory and one-fifth of the booty together with the precious stones. Umar Farug • deposited the precious stones with the public treasury and sent Sa'ib back. Sa'ib had hardly stepped in Kufah when a messenger of the Caliph came chasing him and brought him back to Al-Madinah. Umar Farug • revealed, "I had a dream that the angels were threatening me with torment of Fire for depositing the gems and jewels in the public treasury. So I will never preserve them in the public treasury.

Take these with you and distribute among the troops their price after selling them all." When Sa'ib sold those jewels to Amr bin Huraith Makhzumi in Kufah, they fetched two hundred thousand dirhams which were distributed among the Muslim troops. Umar Fa.rug's murderer, Abu Lulu was a citizen of Nahawand and was captured in the same battle. General Conquest of Persia The fall of Nahawand was followed by that of Hamadan but the latter rose in revolt after only a few days. Being fed up with the continual revolts of the Persian regions, Umar Farug. later ordered a general attack. Isfahan forms the first link in a chain of conquests. Nu'aim bin Muqarrin conquered Rey and Azerbaijan after a bloody battle.

Suwaid bin Muqarrin, the brother of Nu'aim bin Muqarrin won Qumis. Isphandiyar, the brother of Rustam, was held by Utbah and released on the promise of paying the Jizyah. He then conquered Jurjan and then the entire province of Tabaristan fell to the Muslims. Bukair then conquered Armenia. Baida and Khazar were conquered by Abdur-Rahman bin Rabi'ah. History of Islam Asim bin Umar ~ conquered the province of Seistan and Suhail bin Adi took Kirman.

Hakam bin Amr Taghlabi ~ won victory in Makran, (Baluchistan) and after a severely contested conflict Rasal, the king of Makran was defeated. Hakam bin Amr's dispatch to the Caliph communicating the news of the victory also was accompanied by a few elephants, which were captured in the spoils. Umar Farug~ inquired from Sahar Abdi ~, the messenger, about the particulars of Makran and then issued an order instructing Hakam bin Amr~ to stop his forward advances. It has already been mentioned that Yezdgird was stationed in Khurasan and a full-scale battle was anticipated, Umar Farug ~ enforced Ahnaf bin Qais ~ by several squadrons headed by seasoned and brave commanders. When these fresh reinforcements joined Ahnaf ~' he made Balkh the target of a severe attack. Yezdgird tasted ruinous defeat and fled to Turkistan.

Ahnaf ~ captured all of Khurasan and made Marwarod the seat of power. Umar Farug~ praised Ahnaf ~ for his high spirits and deeds of valor but as to his seeking permission for further advancemeirt, the Caliph wrote back, "Would that a river of fire intervened between us and Khurasan." He meant that expansionist policy was not a good thing. So, he instructed Ahnaf ~ to stop where he was and advance no further. When Yezdgird reached Farghana, Khaqan, the Emperor of China held him in high esteem and accompanied Yezdgird towards Khurasan at the head of a huge army. Khaqan invaded Marwarod, while Yezdgird charged at Marw-Shahjahan. Khaqan was defeated in his conflict with Ahnaf bin Qais ~ and he fled back to Farghana after losing some of his renowned men in the fray.

With the flight of Khaqan, Yezdgird raised the siege of Marw-Shahjahan and despairing of victory, he gathered all his treasure and resolved to proceed to Turkistan. Noticing that luck was not in favor of Yezdgird, his courtiers turned against him and despoiled him of all his vast riches. Shorn of his entire splendor, Yezdgird fled to Khaqan and lived at Farghana, the Khaqan's capital. When Umar Farug~ heard of the victory, he assembled all the citizens of Al-Madinah to the Prophet's Mosque and gave them the glad tidings in a powerful oration, the gist of which is given below: The Rightly-Guided Caliphate "The empire of the Magians has become extinct this day and from now on they will not possess a span of land to injure the Muslims in any way. Allah the Almighty has made you master of the Magians, their country, their riches and their properties in order to test your deeds and actions. Muslims do keep in mind not to admit any change in your way of life otherwise, Allah the Almighty will take the sovereign power from you and give it to others." A few days after this, the sad event of the martyrdom of Umar Faruq ~ took place in Al-Madinah.

Famine and Plague During the last days of 17 AH, plague broke out in Iraq, Syria and Egypt and became intense in the early days of 18 AH. Along with this, famine also overtook the Arabian territory. Scarcity of food made life miserable. Umar Faruq ~ rose to the occasion with might and main and showed amazing and exemplary readiness, courage and skill in handling the situation. He immediately issued a volley of letters to the governors to rush food grains to the people of Al-Madinah. In response to this order, Amr bin Al-As~ dispatched from Egypt twenty ships laden with food grains, and Umar Faruq ~ himself proceeded to the port to take the delivery and preserve the goods in a protected warehouse.

He then prepared a list of the needy and distributed among them food grain according to their need. He vowed not to use butter and milk while the people were under the stress of famine. Hearing the news of plague spreading in Syria, Umar Faruq ~ himself came out and proceeded towards the Islamic army there. He had been at Sargh when Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah ~ and other commanders and military officers received him with honor. Some of the Companions requested him not to move any further. AbdurRahman bin Auf ~' said that he had heard the Prophet~ to have said, "Go not to the place where an epidemic has broken out, and retreat not from the place already in the grip of an epidemic." Hearing this Hadith, Umar Faruq ~ came back to Al-Madinah, instructing the authorities to handle the situation with utmost care and caution.

Thus they sprang into action and took all the precautionary measures at History of Islam their command. Abu Ubaidah ~ was then stationed in a low-lying area but as per the order of Umar ~, carried his army to Jabiah, which had a healthier climate. However, Abu Ubaidah ~ fell victim to the plague at Jabiah and appointed Mu'adh bin Jabal ~ commander in his place, and succumbed to the disease. Mu'adh bin Jabal ~ also did not live long and the fatal disease took a toll of Mu'adh ~' and his son was cut down in the prime of his life. Mu'adh appointed Amr bin Al-As ~ his successor before his final departure. Amr bin Al-As~ climbed a high mountain along with his soldiers and encamped in small groups.

After sometime the rage of the epidemic receded. However, this epidemic took a heavy toll of life and some of the distinguished personages of Islam were removed from the scene. As a result of this, the flood of victories came to a sudden halt. The same year, 18 AH, the Caliph appointed Shuraih bin Harith Kindi and Ka'b bin Suwr Azdi judges (Qadi) of Kufah and Basrah respectively. Umar Faruq ~ built houses and dug wells between Makkah and Al-Madinah for the welfare of the public, he extended the courtyard of the Ka'bah by purchasing adjoining houses. The Conquests of Umar Faruq ~ The conquests cited above include Persia, Iraq, Jazirah, Khurasan, Baluchistan, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and Armenia.

And the conquests, which were made during the decade long Faruqi Caliphate were not ordinary. The provinces carved by Umar Faruq ~ himself in 22 AH, were Makkah, AI-Madinah, Syria, Jazirah, Basrah, Kufah, Egypt, Palestine, Khurasan, Azerbaijan and Persia. Some of them were equal to two provinces in area with two centers of power and separate governors and their administrations. Martyrdom of Umar Faruq ~ There was a Persian origin Christian slave named Firoz in AlMadinah whose patronymic (literally 'father of' and then usually 'the name of the first born son') was Abu Lulu. One day he came across Umar ~ in the marketplace and complained that his master The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Mughirah bin Shu'bah had imposed upon him a very heavy tax and begged the Caliph to prevail upon his master to reduce the same. Umar ~ asked him the amount of the tax.

He replied that it was two dirhams per day. The Caliph then asked him his trade. "I work as a carpenter, a painter and an ironsmith," he replied. The Caliph said, "The amount is not that much considering these lucrative vocations." This decision did not suit Firoz and he grew displeased. Umar Faruq ~ then said to him that he had heard that he (Firoz) could make windmills, and would he make one for him. "Very well, I shall make for you such a mill whose sound will be heard by the west and the east." The next day when the people assembled in the mosque to perform the morning prayer, Firoz came into the mosque armed with a poisonous dagger.

As the ranks of the congregation were put straight and in order, and Umar ~ came up and took his position at the head of the ranks to lead the prayer, Firoz suddenly rushed from the first rank and struck Umar ~ six consecutive blows, one of which fell below his navel. Umar ~ instantly caught hold of Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~' and ordered him to take his place and he, unable to stand the wounds, fell down unconscious on the floor. Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ led the prayer while Umar ~ lay stabbed and mangled. Abu Lulu wounded other persons also besides putting Kulaib bin AlBukair ~ to martyrdom. At last he was arrested but committed suicide simultaneously. After performing the Fajr prayer, they carried Umar ~ home.

"Who is my assassin?" were the first words, which escaped Umar's lips after regaining consciousness. "Abu Lulu," replied the people. "Praised be to Allah that I am not killed by a man who called himself a Muslim or performed even a single prostration before Allah," Umar ~ said with a sense of satisfaction. A physician was sent for, who administered to him a date cordial and milk. Both these, however, gushed forth from the wounds whereupon the people realized that he would not survive. They accordingly asked him to nominate his successor as Abu Bakr~ had done.

He sent for Abdur-Rahman bin Auf, Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas, Zubair bin Awwam, Talhah, Ali, and Othman bin Affan ,$,. Talhah ~ was somewhere outside Al-Madinah. Umar Faruq ~ said addressing those five persons: "Keep waiting for Talhah for three days: If he History of Islam returns within this period, he is included in the panel otherwise you should choose your caliph from among yourselves." Thereafter he called his son, Abdullah bin Umar ~ and said, "If they are divided in their choice for the caliph, you should side with the majority and if the two groups show equal number, you join the group which has Abdur-Rahman bin Auf on its side." He then called Abu Talhah Ansari and Miqdad bin Aswad ~ and ordered them to be at the door while the panel was in session and let nobody in until the deliberations were over. Following this he said addressing the panel members, "I leave my will for the person who is chosen to the post of the caliph that he should take particular care of the rights of the Ansar, for they are those who lent their support to the Prophet ~' let the Muhajirin stay in their houses. The Ansar happen to be your benefactors and so they deserve your obligation. You should mostly overlook their faults and ignore their mistakes.

Anybody being elected as caliph, should pay attention to the Muhajirin too, for they are the root of Islam. Fulfill the responsibilities regarding the Dhimmi and any promise made to the Dhimmi must be honored, their enemies should be kept away and they should never be asked to do anything beyond their power." Having done with public affairs, Umar ~ turned attention towards his private concerns. He asked his son Abdullah~ to go to Aishah ~ and tell her that he begged permission from her to be buried by the side of the Prophet~-Abdullah~ accordingly waited upon Aishah ~ whom he found weeping. He conveyed to her the greetings and the message of Umar ~- She said, "I had a mind to reserve this place for myself but today I will accord Umar precedence over myself." Abdullah ~ now hastened back to his father who eagerly inquired: "What news bring you to me, 0 my son?" "That which will give you satisfaction," rejoined Abdullah ~ - "It was the greatest wish of my life," said Umar ~, the Caliph of Islam and Chief of the believers. He was wounded on Wednesday, Dhul-Hijjah 27, 23 AH, and died and was buried on Muharram 1, 24 AH. His tenure as caliph was ten and a half years.

Suhaib ~ led his funeral prayer. Ali, Zubair, Uthman Abdur-Rahman bin Auf and Abdullah bin Umar $, lowered his body into the grave and performed the burial service. The Rightly-Guided Caliphate Wives and Children The first wife he married in his state of Ignorance was Zainab, daughter of Maz'un bin Habib bin Wahb bin Hudafah bin Jumh who gave birth to Abdullah, Abdur-Rahman (elder) and Hafsah. Zainab ~ embraced Islam in Makkah and died in the same city. She was the sister of Uthman bin Maz'un ~ who was one of the earliest Muslims and was the fourteenth to embrace Islam. His second wife, Mulaikah, daughter of Jarwal Khuza 'i, was also married in the state of Ignorance, who gave birth to Ubaidullah.

Since she refused to accept Islam, she was divorced in 6 AH. His third wife was Qaribah, daughter of Abu Umayyah Makhzumi who was also married in the state of Ignorance and was divorced in 6 AH, after the conclusion of the Truce of Hudaibiah because of her rejection of Islam. His fourth marriage was solemnized with Umm Hakim, the daughter of Al-Harith bin Hisham Makhzumi who gave him Fatimah and his fifth wife was Jamilah, the daughter of A.sim bin Thabit bin Abu Aflah Ausi Ansari to whom A.sim was born, but she too was divorced for certain reasons. His sixth marriage was performed with Umm Kulthum ~, the daughter of Ali ~ who gave birth to Ruqayyah and Zaid. Among the children of Umar Faruq ~' Hafsah and Abdullah were much renowned. Hafsah ~ was married to the Prophet ~ and Abdullah bin Umar ~ accompanied the Prophet ~ in all the battles.

Umar ,$ also had other wives, namely A.tikah, the daughter of Zaid bin Amr bin Nufail. A.tikah was the cousin of Umar ,$. Fukaihah Yamenia is also reckoned among the wives of Umar ~- Some people have written that she was his slave-girl who gave birth to Abdur-Rahman (the middle one). Accomplished Firsts by Umar Faruq ~ Umar Faruq ~ invented and enforced many things in the sphere of financial, political, administrative and social spheres, which are known as accomplishments first instituted by him. Some of them are mentioned below: History of Islam He set up a formal Bait-ul-Mnl or public treasury and introduced the Hijri calendar, he adopted the appellation of Amir-ul-Mo'minin (Chief of the believers), he established a regular department for the military and a separate department for financial affairs and fixed the salaries for men in voluntary services. He also introduced the practice of measuring the land and keeping its record, adopted a census system, he had canals dug and populated cities like Kufah, Basrah, Jizah, Fustat (Cairo) and delineated provinces out of the occupied territories.

He was first to allow rival country's traders to come to Muslim territories for the purpose of business. He was also the first to make use of the whip for corporal punishment and set up a prison and police department. He introduced a system of collecting direct information concerning states and conditions of the masses, he established a secret intelligence service, he had wells bored, built houses and fixed a daily allowance for the destitute among the Christians and the Jews. Moreover, it was from his original planning to make arrangements for congregational Tarawih prayers, he levied zakah on horses for trading purposes and started four Takbir for the funeral prayer. Various Conditions and Special Features Umar Farug ~ lived on simple and coarse food. Messengers from outside Al-Madinah stayed with the Caliph and dined with him as his guest.

They felt uneasy for they were not in the habit of living on such simple foods. His dress was also simple to the extreme. He would most often wear clothes with a number of patches. At times he had leather patches on his cotton shirts. On one occasion he remained in his home, while the people waited for him outside. On his coming out they understood that he had no clothes to wear.

He had washed the one outfit he possessed and until it dried, he could not come out. After Hijrah (migrationt he lived in a village two to three miles away from AI-Madinah. After becoming caliph, he shifted to Al-Madinah and settled in a house located near the Prophet's Mosque between Bab-us-Salam and Bab-ur-Rahmah. He was in debt at the time of his death. He ordered the debt to be paid by selling his residential house. Mu'awiyah ~ purchased the house and the debt was thus settled.

The Rightly-Guided Caliphate He once said in his address: "People! There was a time when I used to bring water for others and in return for that they gave me dates to live on." When the people said what was the need of narrating such things. He replied, "I felt a shade of pride over myself and it was the most suitable cure." He so often made journeys between Al-Madinah and Makkah but never took with him a tent or any type of shelter. When he needed rest, he would spread a mantle under an acacia tree and lay on it. When overcome by sleep, he used to collect pebbles and sand to make a pillow to put his head on. He fixed payments from the public treasury for the wives of the Prophet ~ , the Companions of Badr, those who took the pledge of Rid wan and all the elite and distinguished Companions.

When he fixed the payment for Usamah more than his son, Abdullah~ raised an objection. He then said to his son, "The Prophet ~ loved Usamah more than you and his father more than your father." Umar Fa.rug's fellows and advisors were all religious scholars and there was no consideration for age. He held them in high esteem. Knowledge of men and their mettle was among his traits. He was also fully aware of special traits in various Companions and earned their services accordingly. While choosing persons to shoulder the responsibilities of governing, commanding, administrating, and other important posts, he was never influenced by mere piety and divinity but he based his choice on skill and suitability.

During his decade long caliphate, hundreds of battles were fought in Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Khurasan. He did not take part in any of these battles, nevertheless the strategies were decided and the necessary arrangements were made by him. All the battles were fought under the instructions of Umar Farug ~ and no one can point out any flaw in any of his judgement or instruction. He had instructed all provincial governors that no soldier should be kept from going home for more than four months in succession. He was once advised to use honey to cure some disease, but he had no honey with him nor could any be had from anywhere else. However, it was stocked in the public treasury.

The people advised him to take it from there. He argued that it was the property of the people and so he could not take it without their permission. History of Islam One day he washed the wounds of the camels and said that he was afraid of being questioned about their condition on the Day of Judgment. He once asked Salman ~ . whether he was a king or a caliph. He replied that if he collected from someone a dirham, or more or less than that, and spent it unnecessc1rily, he was il king otherwise, he was a caliph. Even after being the Caliph for a long time, he had taken nothing from the public treasury, with the result he came under the stress of starvation.

Finding no way out he assembled the people in the Prophet's Mosque and said that since he remained preoccupied with the affairs of the caliphate, he found no time to look after his personal needs. So, he requested them to fix something from the public treasury. Ali ~ said that he should get only two meals per day from the public treasury, which he accepted without question. Abdullah bin Umar ~ said, "It never happened that Umar fell in anger and his fury was not subsided at the mention of Allah's Name or on making him afraid of Allah or on reciting any Verse of the Quran." Bilal ~ once asked Aslam ~ about Umar ~ and he replied, "He is, undoubtedly, the best of all but when he grows angry, it is nothing short of a calamity." Bilal ~ said, "Why don't you recite any Verse at that time and his anger will totally subside?" Umar Faruq ~ once sent Sariyah at the head of a military detachment. Some time after that during a public address he cried, "O Sariyah! Go to the mountain side." After sometime a messenger came to Al-Madinah from the place of battle and gave an account of the battle.

During his narration he said, "We were about to be defea ted when we heard someone calling out thrice, 'O Sariyah! Go to the mountain side.' Because of this, our enemy was defeated." When those words were uttered by Umar Faruq ~ in his Friday address, some people among the audience had said, "You are giving your call to Sariyah here while he is engaged in fighting with the disbelievers in Nahawand." Whereupon he had said, "It was such a scene at that time that the Muslims appeared engaged in fighting and it was essential for them to look towards the mountain. Thus came out from my tongue those words." When the messenger of Sariyah came The Rightly-Guided Caliphate to Al-Madinah with his letter, the event was mentioned therein referring to the day and time exactly, which corresponded to the date and time of Umar's address. Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ once said to him: "They fear you so much that they can't look towards you nor can they move their lips." Umar Faruq ~ replied, "By Allah, I fear them more than they fear me." Umar Faruq ~ had issued orders to the governors to perform the Hajj during the Hajj season and he himself used to be present there on those occasions. The wisdom behind such a practice was that he wanted to give an opportunity to everyone to meet him and place before him anything against their governors and they (the governors) should be ready to give an explanation for their behavior. As a result of this, the governors kept alert lest they were taken to task before the public for their actions.

Thus he laid the foundation of a true democracy and real equality. The Summary of Conquests The area of the conquests of Umar Faruq ~ is said to have spread over 22.5 hundred thousand square miles. This was the result of victories won by a wretched and small people against the mighty empires of Persia and Rome. The Roman Empire had in its fold the Balkan Peninsula, Asia Minor, Sy,ria, Palestine, Egypt, and Sudan. Some years back the Persian Empire had gained such a strength that it invaded victoriously in the Syrian region reaching the waters and up to Egypt after defeating the Roman Empire. The Persians had no less countries under their rule than the Romans.

Those two magnificent empires ruled over the Western and the Eastern world and there was no third force to make a challenge to their might. Christian and non-Muslim historians account for the rapid and vast Muslim conquests by the fact that both the Roman and Persian Empires were at that time in decay, with the result the Muslims had an opportunity to conquer both these powers. But, while giving reasons for the fall of both these mighty Empires, they forget to tell about the position of the Muslim State as compared to the giants of History of Islam the East and the West in decay. Moreover, when they came in conflict with the Muslim forces, their mutual enmity was not at its peak. Thus each of them was in a position to mobilize massive forces against the numerically weak Muslim power. Besides, the single Muslim force had to face the two giants simultaneously, both of them were not only mighty but also the most civilized and advanced in all respects.

Both of them were old powers having well-disciplined regular forces armed to the teeth and with the most developed weapons and advanced art of warfare of the age. In administrative skills and experience they were far ahead of the Arabs and the Muslims. Again, both the powers could easily mobilize twohundred-thousand-man armies at a time with about the same number of soldiers at their back, while the greatest number of Muslim troops never reached beyond thirty to forty thousand. The results were always the same, defeat for the anti-Islamic forces. The fact behind the reverses and repulses of the Roman and Persian forces can be examined by their lack of true faith. The Muslims were the followers of Tauhid (Oneness of Cod).

Lack of Faith leads to timidity while Faith makes one br.ave. Tauhid and Iman (Faith) instilled in the Arabs the courage of conviction, which is the logical consequence of Faith and which cannot be dominated by anything however mighty and powerful that it might be .. Moreover, the principles of governance that the Quran and the Prophetic examples taught to the Muslims could not be matched in the least by the developed powers of Persia and Rome. Whenever the Muslim army halted for a few days, the populace of that territory rose to welcome the Muslims as providers of peace ,md prosperity. When the defeated nations watched with their naked eyes, the blessings of peace, morality, di vine affection, justice, mercy, courage and the ambition of their victori~s, they put themselves at their service. It is an undeniable fact of history that humanity saved itself only through the marching steps of the Arab forces.

Again, the unbreakable unit and the sense of supreme sacrifice, which Islam created in the Companions, could not be achieved by powers antagonistic to Islam. The Rightly-Guided Caliphate First Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate After the Prophet ~ , the periods · of Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ and Umar Faruq ~ maybe called the first half of the religious and spiritual rule of Islam, the Rightly-Guided Caliphate. The prominent feature of this period is that the material world nowhere dominates the Faith. Vested interests, relationships and friendships were not allowed to influence the work that had to be done at anytime. The people brought up under the loving care and spiritual guidance of the Prophet ~ dominated the scene everywhere. They were held in high esteem by everyone and worked as torchbearers.

There was no trace of disunity and discord among the Muslims. Everywhere they were known for their piety, purity, simplicity and honesty. The marching steps of the Muslim troops trampled Iraq, Syria and Egypt but, up to the end of the Faruqi Caliphate, the Muslim conquerors were not influenced in the least by the extravagant habits and luxurious living of the Christians and the Magians. Muslim armies conquered Iraq and Persia but the conquerors used to stay under the thatched roofs and tents of Kufah and Basrah. Similarly, the conquerors of Syria hated to live in Syrian cities and preferred the deserts and hills to safeguard their simplicity and austerity, They never said goodbye to their martial prowess and life of strain, trials and tribulations, endurance and sacrifice. Abu Bakr Siddiq~ and Umar Faruq ~ not only took pains to make them habituated to a life of struggle and physical and spiritual exercise but they left before them the highest quality of personal examples to follow and be guided by.

They neither spent a single penny from the public treasury nor let others do it. The caliphs of Islam had no personal concern nor ever made any attempt for personal gain. But during the second half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate, these qualities of head and heart appeared to be gradually receding and with them ended the Righteous Caliphate.