‘Ali Ibn Abi Thalib

 

‘Ali Ibn Abi Thalib

He is the son of the Prophet’s uncle -peace and prayer of Allah be upon His prophet-, and the husband of the Prophet’s daughter, Fatima -may Allah be pleased with her. ‘Ali is among the relatives of the Prophet who embraced Islam at the dawn of it’s period. His nickname is Abu Hasan or Abu Turab.

He was born about 10 years before the prophetic time and he was taken care by the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him. He joined every battle, but the battle of Tabuk, and often assigned to bring the flag of troops. He has many excellences that do not belong to other people.

‘Ali was famous for his bravery, smartness, and vast knowledge. Hence, during the time of ‘Umar -may Allah be pleased with him – as caliph, he was appointed as the private advisor of the caliph. ‘Umar always needed his advices in every problems they faced, and even worried if he stumbled upon a problem while ‘Ali wasn’t there to counsel him. His role was so important, that some experts in nahwu (a branch of knowledge in Arabic language) dubbed a difficult problem to solve with “قَضِيَّةٌ وَ لَا أَبَا حَسَن لَهَا” (a problem without any explanation from Abu Hasan [Ali]).

It is narrated that ‘Ali once said, “Ask me, O people. By Allah, you do not ask me a thing but I’ll answer it. Ask me about the Book of Allah. By Allah, there is no single verse but I know whether it was descended during the night time or day time, on the lowland or the mountain.” Ibn Abbas -may Allah be pleased with him- said, “If there is an explanation from ‘Ali, we will not leave it.” In another narration, Ibn Abbas said, “Whatever tafseer of the Qur’an that I take, it came from ‘Ali Ibn Abi Thalib.”

He was sworn as the fourth caliph after the death of The Third caliph, Uthman Ibn Affan -may Allah be pleased with him. During his reign, two extreme, perverted groups emerged.

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Uthman Ibn Affan, The Oppressed Kaliph

Uthman Ibn Affan

He is Abu Abdillah, Uthman Ibn Affan Ibn al-Ash bin Umayyah Ibn Abdi Syams Ibn Abdi Manaf. His pedigree meets the pedigree of the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- on his fourth grandfather, Abdu Manaf. During the time of ignorance, he was dubbed Abu Amr, but when her wife, Ruqayya, the daughter of Allah’s messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- gave birth to a boy named Abdullah, he is Abu Abdillah, and he was known by the title ‘Dzu nurain.’ (The owner of two lights)

During the time of ignorance, Uthman Ibn Affan was known as a noble and honored man among his people. He was known as a very shy man, wealthy, and people listened to his advices. That is why his people loved and honored him. He never prostrated to any of the statues, never do any wickedness, and never drink intoxicants before and after embracing Islam. Uthman told, ” I never sing, also not a dreamer, I never touch my testicles with my right hand after I pledged my loyalty to Allah’s messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-, I never drink any of intoxicants, not in ignorance time, also not in Islam”.

The Virtue of Uthman Ibn Affan

He was one of the first men to embrace Islam. He, aged 34 years, declared his testimony of faith through the hand of Abu Bakr Ash Shiddiq. At the time when his people refused and denied the enjoin of the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- , he, on the contrary, opened his heart and hand to help him, without any doubt. When the emigration order announced, he was one of the first men to obey it, thus he had emigrated twice, to Habasya (Ethiopia) and Medina.

The excellence of Uthman got more prominent during several important conditions at the time of Allah’s messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-, and he was known by that time as one of the companions whose name didn’t pronounced but with kindness. At the long drought, poor and destitute afflicted every muslim. At that time too, the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- called his people to a holy battle and he was preparing a great number of troops to fight in the Battle of Tabuk, against the Romans. The troop was dubbed ‘Jaisyul ‘Usroh’, due to the hardship in logistic of the companions at that time. But the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- kept on encouraging his companions to give alms and charities in order to help the preparation of the troop, until he -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said,

“Whoever prepares the jaisyul usyroh (troop), will be rewarded with Paradise.”

Suddenly, a very rich merchant came, Uthman Ibn Affan, brought 1000 dinars with him which he gave to the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-. Still holding it, the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- uttered a famous saying:

“After this, Nothing he does will endanger Uthman.”

And when muslim populations got larger and larger, and Masjid Nabawi, Masjid of Medina, seemed not enough for them, the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said,

“Whoever buy the land of so and add it, for the sake of masjid’s expansion, will be in Paradise later.” Uthman bought that piece of land, and endowed it for the sake of masjid’s expansion.

Also, when the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- emigrated to Medina, he didn’t find plain water but from a well in a house. The Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said,

“Whoever buy this well and made his bailer together with other muslims’ bailer, will be in Paradise.” Hearing that, Uthman immediately bought that well.

Next, among the unforgettable thing that made him got more honored; he was a teacher who loved the Qur’an deeply. His love to Qur’an yielded a result that is still enjoyed and will always be enjoyed until the Last Day, that is the compilation of Qur’an and the unification of recitation. That is a real proof, for those who’d like to think about it. He is a companion who narrated the saying of the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- ,

“The best of you is the one who learn the Qur’an and teach it.”

And one day, Uthman called some people, and performed ablution in front of them, and said, “Whoever perform ablution the way I perform it, after that he prayed two rak’ahs of prayer, which he doesn’t talk during that prayer, Allah the Glorified and Exalted will forgive his past sins.”

He often remind other people from the danger of telling lie in the name of religion, and he narrated the saying of the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-, “Whoever telling lie on behalf of my name intentionally, shall prepare his seat in Hell.”

And there are still many other virtues of him, but none of it better than the testimony of the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- that Uthman will be one of the dweller of Paradise.

From Abu Musa al Asy’ari. he said: The Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- entered a garden and ordered me to guard its gate. A man came and asked permission to enter. The Prophet – peace and prayer of Allah be upon him -said, “Admit him and give him the glad tidings of entering Paradise.” Behold! It was Abu Bakr. Another man came and asked the permission to enter. The Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said, “Admit him and give him the glad tidings of entering Paradise.” Behold! It was Umar. Then another man came, asking the permission to enter. The Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- kept silent for a short while and then said, “Admit him and give him the glad tidings of entering Paradise with a calamity which will befall him.” Behold! It was Uthman bin Affan.

Ishaq Ibn Abi Rahawaih said, “after the death of Allah’s messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- there were no such of best man upon this earth, but Abu Bakr, and no one after him that was better but Umar, and no one after him that was better but Uthman, and no one after him that was better but Ali.”

The wave of trials

Whatever said by The Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- would be real, as a part of the miracles of his prophecy. Abu Huraira narrated from the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said,

“Indeed, you will find after me trials and feud or feud and trials.” One of them said, “Then, in who’s side shall we be?” The Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said, “Hold tight to this Al Amiin (The trusted man) and his companions.” And he gestured to Uthman.”

Hearing the news from the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- , Uthman knew that later he would be killed unjustly, and people who would disobey him and legalize his blood (legalize to kill him) will be from the hypocrites. And that saying of the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- indeed happened; when he was appointed to be caliph, he got a lot of protests and allegations from the rebellions. That trial, that fire, made them believe that it was legal to kill him. Among the wicked allegations are:

First: They accused Uthman of not being fair in appointing some of his authorities, because he prioritized his family and firing some of the senior companions. and replaced them with the younger men.

The Answer:

As for the replacement of the senior companions by the youth, he definitely had a better example set before him. Wasn’t the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- also appointed Usama Ibn Zaid to lead the army that would fight against thr Romans, while Usama at that time was still a teenager, and there were many senior companions such as Abu Bakr and Umar behind him??? And when the army was about to depart, the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- died, and people came to Umar to persuade Abu Bakr to replace Usama as the commander of that army, what did Abu Bakr said? He went furious and told Umar, “O Umar, he is a man, that was directly appointed by the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-, and you ask me to replace him?!!”

Al Imad Ibn Katsir said, “Uthman is a noble man, a very shy one, and generous. He often prioritize his family and kith and kin because of Allah the Glorified and the Exalted, to soften their hearts, to achieve an eternal goal, through worldly matters, as the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- used to give something to so and so and hold it from the other, so that they would get guidance and be faithful, and indeed, they understood it for that goal, unlike the Khawarij who had protested over the action of Allah’s messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-.”

Second: He was accused of making innovations, such as compiling the verses of Qur’an in a mushhaf (a book), he didn’t shorten his prayer when he was in Mina, and he added another adzan (the calling for prayer) at Friday prayer.

The Answer:

As for his action to burn all mushaf and make it into only one, agreed mushaf, the scholars viewed it as a noble act, that even add the virtue of Uthman. Because by that act, he has extinguished all seeds of split-ups in muslim society due to differences in their Qur’an recitation. Look what did Abu Huraira do after Uthman did those actions to Qur’an. Abu Huraira came to him and said, “Indeed, you are right and you’ve done right.”

As for his prayer in Mina, when he did four perfect rak’ahs, and didn’t shorten it, he answered the accusation, saying:” Know that I did that, because I came to a country where my relatives live in, thus I perfect it due to two reasons; I settled and visited my family.”

And Al Hafizh has cited from Al Imam Az Zuhri, who said, “Uthman performed four perfect prayer in Mina because at that year, there were so many bedouins came, and Uthman wanted to teach them that zuhr and ashr prayer are with four rak’ahs.”

As for hid addition to the first adzan in Friday prayer, that is because he saw a benefit that force him to do so, because the city of Medina got larger and population increased, thus the adzan he added would be the sign that the Friday prayer was about to start.

Al Imam Al Bukhari narrated from Saib Ibn Yazid that Uthman added the second adzan because the population of Medina at that time were numerous.

And supposed that he did wrong, the other senior companions who still alive at that time would surely deny it. But no one did. hence, we must believe that what he did was one of the guidance of the four guided caliphs, and to hold tight to their guidance is one of the order of the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- that we must hold on to.

Third: He was mocked because his actions, such as absent in the Battle of Badr, runaway at the battle of Uhud, and didn’t join the pledge of Ridwan.

Abdullah Ibn Umar has answered all of those accusations, as narrated by Imam Al Bukhari: An Egyptian who came and performed the Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House (Ka’bah at Makkah) saw some people sitting. He enquired, “Who are these people?” Somebody said, “They are the Quraish.” He said, “Who is the old man sitting amongst them?” The people replied, “He is Abdullah bin Umar.” He said, “O Ibn Umar! I want to ask you about something; please tell me about it. Do you know that Uthman fled away on the day (of the battle) of Uhud?” Ibn Umar said, “Yes.” The (Egyptian) man said, “Do you know that Uthman was absent on the day (of the battle) of Badr and did not join it?” Ibn Umar said, “Yes.” The man said, “Do you know that he failed to attend Ar-Ridwan Pledge and did not witness it (i.e., Hudaibiya Pledge)?” Ibn Umar said, “Yes.” The man said, “Allahu Akbar!” Ibn Umar said, “Let me explain to you (all these three things). As for his flight on the day of Uhud, I testify that Allah has excused him and forgiven him, for Allah decreed,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْا مِنكُمْ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ إِنَّمَا اسْتَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ بِبَعْضِ مَاكَسَبُوا وَلَقَدْ عَفَا اللهُ عَنْهُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌ

“Surely those of them who turned their backs on the day when the two armies met did so because Satan made them slip because of some of their lapses. But Allah has pardoned them; He is All-Forgiving, All-Forbearing.” (Q.S. Ali-Imran/The Family of Imran: 155)

and as for his absence from the (battle of) Badr, it was due to the fact that the daughter of Allah’s Messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- was his wife and she was sick then, Allah’s Messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him -said to him, “You will receive the same reward and share (of the booty) as anyone of those who participated in the battle of Badr (if you stay with her).” As for his absence from Ar-Ridwan Pledge, had there been any person in Makkah more respectable than Uthman (to be sent as a representative), Allah’s Messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him would have sent him instead of him. No doubt, Allah’s Messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- had sent him, and the incident of Ar-Ridwan Pledge happened after Uthman had gone to Makkah. Allah’s Messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- held out his right hand saying, “This is Uthman’s hand.” He stroke his (other) hand with it saying, “This (pledge) is on behalf of Uth man.” After that, Ibn Umar said to that man: “Now go.”

The death of Uthman Ibn Affan

When those accusations, that was actually, became uncontrollable, the flame of hatred started to burn the hearts of the rebels. Finally, they came to Medina and surrounded Uthman’s house, asking Uthman to leave his position as caliph, or they’d kill him.

But Ibn Umar came and met Uthman, suggested him not to leave his position, because that would set a bad example; every time men dislike their leader, they will replace that leadership by force. Uthman, in the other hand, has realized that this is the trial that have long been told by the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-. He chose patience and left his affairs to Allah the Glorified and Exalted.

The rebels finally climbed Uthman’s house, and stabbed him with their swords, pouring his pure blood while he as fasting and reciting the Holy Qur’an, thus his first drop of blood fell when he was reciting the verse:

فَسَيَكْفِيكَهُمُ اللهُ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

“Allah will suffice you for protection against them. He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” (Q.S. Al-Baqarah/The Cow: 137)

At the night before his death, Uthman dreamed of seeing the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- who said to him, “O Uthman, break your fast with us.” When the dawn came, he fasted and he died later at that day.

Pearls of Wisdom

There are precious lessons that we can infer from this story, such as:

The act of Demonstration and protests are the inheritance of Khawarij, who, by standing upon weak accusations, legalizing the illegal. They are, in essence, people who love to make destruction on this earth.

It is an obligation of a believer to be cautious in receiving a news, to clarify it first, and do not trust it at once. Moreover if it comes from wicked men who do not maintain their dignity. The Qur’an has taught us to be cautious in receiving unclear news, especially news regarding the honor of muslims.

Uthman is a role model for us, in spending the riches Allah the Glorified and Exalted has given to him. Thus, the rich merchants and businessmen should realize that their wealth will be useful for them, if it is used to obtain the eternal life in the Hereafter.

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Biography of Umar Ibn Khattab

Umar Ibn Khattab

His name is Abu Hafsh, Umar al Faruq Ibn Khattab Ibn Nufail Ibn Abdil Uzza Ibn Adi Ibn Ka’ab Ibn Luay Ibn Ghalib al Qurasy. His pedigree meets the pedigree of the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- on his fourth grandfather, Ka’ab Ibn Luaiy Ibn Ghalib. He was dubbed as “al Faruq” because he was the first man to show his Islamic state in Mecca, thus Allah the Glorified and Exalted revealed it among the infidelity and wickedness there. Ibn Abbas said, “The first man who bravely exposed Islam in Mecca is Umar Ibn Khattab.”
He was born 13 years after the Elephant Year. He was a tough and brave man, white skinned, tall and stout, sturdy, and strong; sounded his talk was, hurtful his smashing was. At the pre Islamic time of ignorance, he was educated by his father, al Khattab, in a hard way. He was obliged to herd his camels every day. He got used to endure difficult and exhausting days, and got smacked if his work was bad. Those experiences helped to shape him into a harsh man.
Before embracing Islam, Umar was among the harshest man in his hostility to Islam and the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-.
He was among the most notorious man who tortured and annoyed muslims, thus some muslims felt desperate for him embracing Islam due to his harshness and ferociousness , hence it was said that Umar would not embrace Islam until one of the donkey of Al Khattab embraced it.
However, the crown (forelocks) of all human beings under the power and will of Allah the Glorified and Exalted, and Allah the Glorified and Exalted is omnipotent of all things. The messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- ever said to Umm Salama, “O Umm Salama, the heart of Adam’s sons is between the fingers of Allah the Glorified and Exalted. Whoever Allah wish will be guided, and whoever He wish will be misled. ” (Narrated by At Tirmidhi), in hadith no. 3522).

Umar Ibn Khattab Embraced Islam

There are several things that caused Umar’s heart to melt thus he finally embraced Islam. Among those things is:

First: Allah’s power, Glorified and Exalted be He
Allah the Glorified and Exalted is The Most Powerful upon all things. Allah the Glorified and Exalted is Able to turn a barren earth becomes green and fertile and Allah the Glorified and Exalted is Able to turn a heart that is as hard as a rock becomes soft and sensitive. Allah the Glorified and Exalted decreed:

أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللهِ وَمَانَزَلَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَلاَيَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ اْلأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ {16} اعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللهَ يُحْىِ اْلأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ اْلأَيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ {17}

“Is the time not come that the hearts of the believers should be humbled to Allah’s remembrance and to the Truth that He has revealed, and that they should not be like those who were vouchsafed the Book and then a long time elapsed so that their hearts were hardened? A great many of them are now evil-doers. Know well that Allah revives the earth after it becomes lifeless. We have clearly shown Our Signs to you, perchance you will use your reason.” (QS. Al-Hadid/The Iron: 16-17)

The Second: The Prayer of The Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-
One day the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- invoked Allah the Glorified and Exalted, saying:
“O Allah, glorify Islam with one of the people that you love, Abu Jahl Ibn Hisham or Umar Ibn Khattab.” And the more lovable to Allah from them was Umar Ibn Khattab. (See: Sahih Sunan Ibn Hibban 12/305)

Third: Hearing the recitation of the Qur’an
The Qur’an is Allah’s words, which has a very strong influence to the hearts of His creations, Thus, the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- often recite the Qur’an to the infidels so that they would be guided and they would think about the signs of Allah’s power, Glorified and Exalted be He, and Umar was among the companions who was affected by the influence of the Qur’an.
Al Hafizh Ibn Hajar said, “Among the things that attracted Umar to embrace Islam was the recitation of verses of Qur’an in the house of his sister, Fatima.” (See: Fathul Bari 7/176)
After Umar embraced Islam, the glory and power of Islam increased. Ibn Mas’ud said, ” We have been powerful since `Umar embraced Islam.” He also said, “I see that none of us were able to establish prayer in Allah’s House but after Umar embraced Islam. After that, he fought against the infidels/disbelievers until they let us to pray.” (See: Al-Mu’jamul Kabir, 9:165)

The virtue of Umar Ibn Khattab

One day, Umar came to the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- and said, ” O messenger of Allah, indeed, I do not leave any gathering that I used to sit in during my infidelity, but I’ve announced my Islamic state in it. I came to the gatherings of the infidels and I announced that I testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger, thus they swarmed over me and we hit each other, until when their number increased, a man came and stopped us. ” He was asked, “Who saved you from their attack?”. Umar replied, “He is al Ash Ibn Wa’il As Sahmi.” (See: Shahih Sirah an-Nabawiyyah, page no. 193)
When muslims were commanded to emigrate, some of them left Mecca furtively, feared of the tricks of the infidels of Quraish. But Umar emigrated to Medina openly with 20 men from the companions of the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him. Among the virtues of Umar:

First: He is among the companion of the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- who is guaranteed to enter Paradise.
Abu Huraira narrated that the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said, “While I was sleeping, I saw myself in Paradise, and suddenly I saw a woman performing ablution beside a palace. I asked, ‘For whom is this palace?’ They replied, ‘It is for Umar.’ Then I remembered Umar’s Gh aira (self-respect) and went away quickly. Umar wept and said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger! How dare I think of my Gh aira being offended by you?’” (Narrated by Bukhari, no.3070)

Second: The Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- often praise him and pray for him.
The Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said, “Supposed that the prophet after me is Umar Ibn Khattab.” (Narrated by Tirmidhi, no. 3686, see: Ash Shahihah, no. 327)
He also said, “Among the nations (who lived) before you there were Muhaddathun (people who were inspired, though they were not Prophets). And if there is any of such a person amongst my followers, it is Umar.” (Narrated by Al Bukhari, no. 3486)
Third: He was a man that feared by satan
Sa’ad Ibn Abi Waqqash once said:
Umar bin Al- Kh attab asked permission of Allah’s Messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- to see him while some Quraishi women were sitting with him, talking to him and asking him for more expenses, raising their voices above the voice of Allah’s Messenger-peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- . When Umar asked for the permission to enter, the women quickly put on their veils. Allah’s Messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him -allowed him to enter and Umar came in while Allah’s Messenger – peace and prayer of Allah be upon him – was smiling, Umar said, “O Allah’s Messenger! May Allah always keep you smiling.” The Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said, “These women who have been here, roused my wonder, for as soon as they heard your voice, they quickly put on their veils.” Umar said, “O Allah’s Messenger! You have more right to be feared by them than I.” Then Umar addressed the women saying, “O enemies of yourselves! You fear me more than you fear Allah’s Messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- ?” They replied, “Yes, for you are harsher and sterner than Allah’s Messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- Then Allah’s Messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said, “O Ibn Al- Khattab! By Him in Whose Hands my soul is! Never does Satan find you going on a way, but he takes another way other than yours.” (Narrated by Bukhari, no.3480)

Fourth: He often suited Allah’s will, Glorified and Exalted be He, in several events.
Umar was a man who often see a thing in his dream, and Allah the Glorified and Exalted revealed His verse that justify what he saw in his dream. Umar رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ once said, “I agreed with Allah in three things,” or said, “My Lord agreed with me (accepted my invocation) in three things.” I said, “O Allah’s Messenger! Would that you took the Maqam (place) of Ibrahim (Abraham) as a place of Salat (prayer).” I also said, “O Allah’s Messenger! Good and bad persons visit you! Would that you ordered the Mothers of the believers to cover themselves with veils.” So the Divine Verses of Al-Hijab (i.e., veiling of the women) were revealed. I came to know that the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him – had blamed some of his wives, so, I entered upon them and said, “You should either stop (troubling the Prophet – peace and prayer of Allah be upon him – or else Allah will give His Messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him – better wives than you.” When I came to one of his wives, she said to me, “O `Umar! Does Allah’s Messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- haven’t what he could advise his wives with, that you try to advise them?” Thereupon Allah revealed: “It may be if he divorced you (all) that his Lord will give him instead of you, wives better than you, — Muslims (who submit to Allah)…” (V.66:5) (Narrated by Al Bukhari no.393)

Fifth: The other virtues of Umar Ibn Khattab
One of the form of piety of a muslim is to combine between fear of Allah and wishful to Him.
Umar Ibn Khattab ever said, “If a caller from heaven calls, ‘O people, indeed, all of you will enter the Paradise but one man.’ indeed I fear that it is me, and if that caller calls, ‘O people, indeed, all of you will enter the Hell but one man.’ indeed I wish that it is me.” (See: Ash-Shabah: 154)
Umar also said, “Every day it is said that so and so has dead, and one day it will be said that Umar has dead.”
Indeed, Umar has spoken the truth, since every living creature is going to die and Umar believed firmly that one day he will be killed and martyred in Allah’s cause, Glorified and Exalted be He, because the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- had given him that glad tiding long before that.
One day, The Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- ascended the mountain of Uhud and he was accompanied by Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman. The mountain shook beneath them. The Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- struck it with his foot and said “O Uhud! Be firm, for on you there is none but a Prophet, a Siddiq and two martyrs.” (Narrated by Bukhari: 3472)
What the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said had indeed came true. Umar was killed by a Zoroastrian slave, named Abu Lu’lu’ah.
Abu Lu’lu’ah was a slave of Mughira Ibn Shu’ba. He has expertise in making weapon, and every day Mughira charged him about 4 dirhams. One day, Abu Lu’lu’ah came to Umar and said, “O Chief of the believers, indeed, my master has burdened me heavy burden, so speak to him.” But Umar said, “Be kind to your master.” Whereas Umar had intended to meet Mughira and speak to him.
Hearing his answer, the slave went furious. He mumbled, “The justice of Umar has been even to all men, but me.” He planned to kill Umar, thus he made a spear and one day at the Fajr (dawn) prayer, Umar commanded his companions, “Tighten your rows,” but before he recited takbeer, suddenly Abu Lu’lu’ah came and thrust his spear until Umar fell. After that Abu Lu’lu’ah also thrusted the companions randomly, injuring 13 companions and six of them were dead. After that Umar was brought to his house and when the sun almost rise, Abdurrahman Ibn Auf led the congregational prayer, reciting two shortest chapters.
They gave him drink of date palm juice, but the juice leaked out from his wound and they gave him milk but the milk also leaked out from his wound, until he died.” (See: Siyar A’lam an-Nubala’, 2:527)
Umar has spoken the truth, because at that day it was said that “Umar has died.” And the same thing will happen to us one day, it will be said one day, “Our father, our mother, and ourselves, have died.” O Allah, we are Your slaves who often mistaken and always perform wickedness, so please forgive us. And Allah knows best.

Pearls of Wisdom

The virtues and merits of Umar are indeed resembling the sparkling pearls to us. Among those virtues is:
- Bravery and strength will be useful if it is used to defend Islam and muslims -as Umar did- , but it will be a disaster if being used to fulfill one’s lust and oppression.
- A sincere prayer, comes out from a sincere one, will not be prevented and will ascend to the sky and open it’s gates. Thus never give up in praying to Allah the Glorified and Exalted.
- Islam can turn a harsh and hard heart – such as the heart of a savage and hungry wolf- to a soft and tame heart, that will guide it’s owner and show him the way out of a vast jungle.
- The piety of a man will help him to be fond of the Hereafter and worry of his sins, but at the same time, he will also wish for the forgiven and mercy of Allah the Glorified and Exalted.

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Biography of Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه As-Sidhdhiq

Abu Bakr -may Allah be pleased with him-

 

He is Abdullah Ibn Uthman Ibn Amir Ibn Amr Ibn Ka’ab Ibn Sa’ad Ibn Taim Ibn Murrah Ibn Ka’ab Ibn Luay Ibn Ghalib Al Qurasyi At Taimy. His pedigree, meets the pedigree of the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- on his sixth grandfather, that is Murra Ibn Ka’ab.
His father is Uthman Ibn Amir, well known as Abu Quhafa. His mother is Ummul Khair, Salma bint Shorh Ibn Amir. Thus, his mother is the cousin of his father. He was born on two years and six months after the Elephant Year.

In the time of ignorance, Abu Bakr was known as an honest, noble-mannered man, who was also a skillful merchant. This fact was known to all men, thus the young men of Quraish used to visit him to ask him about knowledge, trading strategy, and his manner. Beside that he was also an expert among the experts of Quraish pedigree, hence the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- once said:

“Indeed, Abu Bakr is a man from Quraish who is the most known about their pedigree.” (Narrated by Muslim, in hadith no. 2490)

Even, he never drink any intoxicant during the time of ignorance. When he was asked about this, he replied, “I am a man who protect my honor, and maintain my nobility, and whoever drink intoxicant, means that he has neglected his honor and nobility.” (See: Tarikh Al Khulafa, page 49)
When the light of Islam firstly shone the earth of Mecca, brought by an Al Amin/The Trusted One (the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- ), Abu Bakr -may Allah be pleased with him- welcomed the guidance of Islam with delight, moreover, he was the first man to embrace Islam from the group of free men.

Ammar Ibn Yasir narrated, “I saw the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- in Mecca, and no one was with him but five slaves, two women, and Abu Bakr.” (Narrated Bukhari, 3857)

After declaring his Islamic state, Abu Bakr -may Allah be pleased with him- persuaded his friends to embrace Islam, and by his persuasion, some of youth in Mecca declared their Islamic state. He also spent lots of his wealth in Allah’s Cause, even he ever spent all of his wealth, thus Umar was unable to beat him in the matter of alms. Beside that, Abu Bakr -may Allah be pleased with him- also freed the slaves and he wished not anything from that, but the please of Allah the Glorified and Exalted.
‘Aisha -may Allah be pleased with her- narrated that, “Abu Bakr once freed seven slaves who were tortured in Allah’s way, Glorified and Exalted be He, among them was Bilal and Amir Ibn Fuhaira.” (Narrated by Al Hakim in his work “Al Mustadrak”, 3/321)

Ahlu Sunnah wal Jama’ah, the sunni, have agreed that the best men after the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- were the companions, and the best of the companions was Abu Bakr and Umar, above all of them.” (See: Kitabul I’tiqad, 192)

Imam Ash Shafi’ie said, “None of the companions and their students differed about the virtues of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar above all of the companions.” (See: Kitabul I’tiqad, 192)

Al Hafizh, Ibn Katsir said, “The noblest man among the companions, even the noblest among all creatures after the prophets is Abu Bakr, and then ‘Umar Ibn Khaththab, and then Uthman Ibn Affan, and then Ali Ibn Abi Thalib.” (See: Al-Ba’itsul Hatsis, 183)

Among the indications of the virtues of Abu Bakr- may Allah be pleased with him- was the historical event that was engraved in the Qur’an, an event that will always be remembered by all muslims until the Last Day; the emigration of the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- from Mecca to Medina. The infidels of Quraish would not let the Prophet Muhammad peace and prayer of
Allah be upon him- to escape freely and peacefully from Mecca. They had prepared a cavalry to catch him up and bring him back, dead or alive. That was the condition of the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-, among the difficulties of a long journey, under the heat of the sun, on the hot stones of the vast desert, plus the terror of the armed cavalry that was ready to catch him.

But the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- was not alone. He was accompanied by his best friend, who shared his ups and downs, that is Abu Bakr Ash Shiddiq -may Allah be pleased with him, the first man to believe him, and justify the prophecy of Muhammad -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him. Until they entered and sheltered in a cave to save themselves from their enemy and the enemy of Allah The Exalted and Glorified. Allah The Exalted and Glorified immortalized this great moment in His decree, which can be translated as,
“It will matter little if you do not help the Prophet, for Allah surely helped him when the unbelievers drove him out of his home and he was but one of the two when they were in the cave, and when he said to his companion: “Do not grieve. Allah is with us.” Then Allah caused His tranquillity to descend upon him, and supported him with hosts you did not see, and He humbled the word of the unbelievers. As for Allah’s Word, it is inherently uppermost. Allah is All-Powerful, All-Wise.” (Q.S. At-Taubah: 40)

Narrated Abu Bakr -may Allah be pleased with him-: I was in the company of the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- in the cave, and on seeing the traces of the infidels, I said, “O Allah’s Messenger! If one of them (infidels ) should lift up his foot, he will see us.” He said, “What do you think of two, the third of whom is Allâh (as their Protector and Helper)”
He is dubbed as “shiddiqul akbar”, a man who always justify the news brought by Prophet Muhammad -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- , no matter how impossible that news seemed in the eyes of human being. The real proof of it was the event of Isra’ and Mi’raj (The Night Journey). When men came altogether to ridicule the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- due to that story of him, what did Abu Bakr say? He said, “Even if the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- has said anything more (impossible) than that, indeed, he has said the truth.”

Thus, he deserves to be called as “Ash Shiddiq”. Even the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- himself who had dubbed him “Ash Shiddiq”.
The Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- once climbed the mountain of Uhud with Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthmân. The mountain shook with them. The Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said (to the mountain), “Be firm, O Uhud! For on you there are no more than a Prophet, a Siddiq and two martyrs.” (Narrated by Bukhari, in hadith no. 3472)

Allah the Exalted and Glorified decreed, which can be translated as,
“They shall have from their Lord all that they wish for. That is the reward of those that do good,” (Q.S. Az-Zumar, 33)

Al Imam Ibn Jarir said that what the verse meant were Muhammad and Abu Bakr. (See: Jami’ul Bayan, 24/3)

Abu Bakr -may Allah be pleased with him- is a companion of the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- who was very cautious with his food. ‘Aisha -may Allah be pleased with her- narrated that once, Abu Bakr had a slave, who gave him the income from his business every day. Abu Bakr would eat that results. One day the slave brought some food and Abu Bakr ate half of that food. The slave said to him, “O my master, so you know where did this food come from?”. Abu Bakr replied, “Where did you get it?” The slave answered, “Previously, I used to act like a clairvoyant to a man, whereas I know nothing of clairvoyance. I just tricked him and he gave me some wage, including the food you have eaten.” Hearing that, Abu Bakr -may Allah be pleased with him- directly pushed his fingers inside his mouth and threw up all foods that he had eaten.” (Narrated by Bukhari, no. 3629)

Zaid Ibn Arqam -may Allah be pleased with him told, “One of the slave of Abu Bakr -may Allah be pleased with him- did a ghulul and from the result of that practice, he brought some food to Abu Bakr. After Abu Bakr finished his meal, the slave said, “O Master, you usually ask me every night about the income of my business, but why don’t you ask me first about it tonight?” Abu Bakr replied, “The cause is hunger. Where was it come from?” That slave told about his work, and Abu Bakr immediately responded, “You almost killed me.” Then he pushed his hand inside his mouth, trying to throw up every scoop of his food, but he failed, and it was said, “Indeed, the food wont come out but by the help of some water.” He asked for a glass of water and drank it, and threw up all the food he ate. It was said to him, “You did this just to throw your food up?” He replied, “Supposed it wasn’t out but by my soul, I would’ve done that.” (See: Shafwatush Shafwah 1/252, Hilyatul Auliya 1/31)
Allahu Akbar, O the Shiddiq of this nation, indeed, this is an excellent cautious attitude, which one almost can’t find anymore today. This is piety. This is faith. I testify that you are the noblest man after Prophet Muhammad -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him.

By this, those who always eat the forbidden meals, night and day, thus his body and his children’s body grow from it, should fear Allah the Exalted.

May Allah have mercy on the women of the predecessors, who held the shoulders of their husbands when they were about to go to the market, saying,”O my husband, fear Allah the Glorified and Exalted on what you give to us. Don’t give us things from the forbidden ones. Indeed, we can be patient with the dread of hunger, but we can’t be patient with the heat of the Inferno.” !!!
Pearls of Wisdom From The Story of Abu Bakr Ash Shiddiq
That is the life journey of the best man after Prophet Muhammad -peace and prayernof Allah be upon him-. We might take plenty of wisdoms from his life, such as:

- A muslim should adorn his soul with noble manners and leave the matters that might reduce his nobility and honor.
- An advice to spend and give alms in Allah’s cause. What has been spent from the wealth is the one that will be useful in the Hereafter.
- It is a manner, and an obligation of a believer to justify all news brought by the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-, because he didn’t convey anything but divine decrees from Allah The Glorified and The Exalted.
- Muslims are brothers, and they should help each other in kindness and piety, lighten the burden of their brothers, according to their ability.
- Wara’ (being cautious) from consuming the forbidden things is a special attitude belong to a muslim, because a body that grows from forbidden things deserves to enter the Hell. And this attitude almost gone from the muslims today, but in those whom Allah the Glorified and Exalted have mercy upon.

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