Chapter Three: State Employment of Youth
“Wise young people make use of their transient youth, make good their deeds and work hard to acquire knowledge”
Imam ‘Ali
In developed countries, full attention is paid to respecting young people and acknowledging their worthwhile employing their tremendous energies. In various instances, sensitive state jobs have been entrusted to them and their youthful energies employed in the interest of country and nation.
Fourteen centuries ago, the leader of Islam paid special attention to this important social issue and, in his establishedstate,
he employed worthy young people in important, sensitive state jobs and supported them with his words as well as his actions.
Such conduct was hardly acceptable in the ignorant and prejudiced atmosphere of that time, for the elderly were not willing to follow the youth. When the Prophet appointed a young person to a high position, the old people became upset and openly complained to him. Such was the case in the incident of the first invitation to his family.
The Prophet always insisted on solidifying his practice and resisted ignorant prejudices and false ideas. He would finally convince the people with his wise words and infinite reminders or they would have nothing to say. In addition to this, from the pulpit he would praise and express support for deserving young people and would establish them in high state positions.
It should also be noted that the basic condition for selecting young people was their qualifications and merit. This can be well understood by examining the Prophet’s words. Young people chosen by the Prophet to basic state positions were wise, thoughtful, intelligent, faithful, moral, provident and deserving.
Provided are some examples of youth chosen by the Prophet for executive state jobs. In this way there will be no mistake in recognizing the true right of youth for the criterion in the selection of youth was their faith and spiritual values.
‘Ali ibn Abu Ṭalib
One of the young people who served by the side of the Prophet to the end of his life was ‘Ali. He actively participated in all events and was a favorite of the Prophet and from the beginning of Islam was a soldier for the cause.
‘Ali, the son of Abu Talib, was from the biggest and the noblest tribe, i.e. The Quraish.His mother, Fatimah, the daughter of Asad ibn ‘Abd Manaf, was a great woman of the Bani Hashim family.
Therefore, ‘Ali was a Hashimi from both his father’s and his mother’s side.
‘Ali was miraculously born in the Ka‘bah. This was an honor that was not bestowed on anyone else. He was in the Ka‘bah for three days and then left it in his mother’s arms.
Abu Talib, ‘Ali’s father, had been the Prophet’s guardian since he was eight years old. He defended the Prophet in the critical days of Islam, when all were mobilized against him. In the 10th year of appointment to prophecy, Abu Talib and Khadijah, the Prophet’s wife, both died. This year was known as the ‘Year of Sadness’.
When ‘Ali was a young boy, the Prophet took him to his own home. Therefore, ‘Ali grew up in the Prophet’s house and under his guardianship.
After Gabriel revealed himself to Muhammad in the cave of Hira and informed him of his appointment as a prophet, the Prophet went home and told ‘Ali of the revelation. In spite of his young age, ‘Ali accepted the Prophet’s invitation to Islam and became the first male Muslim.
After being appointed as prophet, Muhammad did not openly reveal his appointment for three years. In the third year, he was ordered by God to reveal his appointment and he made the first invitation to his relatives. He invited them to a feast, in which he told them, “O children of ‘Abd al-Muttallib, God has sent me to lead all people and especially you, my relatives and has told me, ‘First warn your nearest relatives of refusing to obey [God].’”
He repeated this twice more and no one responded to his call except ‘Ali who was only thirteen at that time. The Prophet said, “O ‘Ali, you will be my brother and substitute, inheritor and minister.”
‘Ali Risks His Life in the Prophet’s Bed
In the 13th year after the appointment to prophecy, the leaders of the Quraish plotted to kill the Prophet. One person was selected from each tribe and it was decided that as a group they would attack and kill the Prophet one night. The Prophet was made aware of their evil plan and he asked ‘Ali to sleep in his bed so that the enemies would not find out about his absence from the house.
‘Ali was 23 years old at that time. He responded positively to the Prophet’s request and slept in his bed. The Prophet left the city and hid in the Thur cave close to Mecca. At the end of the night, forty conspirators raided the Prophet’s house and found ‘Ali asleep in the bed.
The Battle of Badr
Badr was the first battle fought in the history of Islam. In this battle, the army of Truth faced the polytheists, the army of Falsehood. It occurred in the second year after the Hijrah between the leaders of the Meccan infidels and the army of Islam, in a place known as the Badr Wells, some 168 km. away from Madinah and 6 km. away from the Red Sea.
The army of the infidels consisted of more than 1,000 well-equipped fighting men. The Prophet, however, had only 313 soldiers. Three well-known heroes of the infidelity army, namely ‘Atabah, his brother Shaybah and his son Walid were killed by ‘Ali, Hamzah and ‘Ubaydah. ‘Ali was 25 years old in this battle.
The Battle of Uhud
One year after the Battle of Badr, the infidels replenished their armies and remobilized them under the command of Abu Sufyan. With three thousand fighting men from various tribes armed with adequate weaponry, they gathered to face the Muslims at the foot of Mount Uhud, 6 km. from Madinah. The Prophet’s army consisted of only 700 soldiers. He sent 50 archers under ‘Abdullah ibn Jubayr’s command to a mountain pass behind the Muslims and ordered them not to abandon their post under any circumstance.
Heroes such as Ṭalhah ibn Abu Ṭalhah, Abu Sa‘id ibn Ṭalhah, Harath ibn Abu Ṭalhah, Abu ‘Aziz ibn Ṭalhah, ‘Abdullah Abu Jamilah and Irtat ibn Sharhabil came to the battlefield one after the other and all of them were killed by a brave 26-year-old young man named ‘Ali. The army of Islam was winning in the beginning but, as the mountain pass was abandoned by the archers, Khalid ibn Walid and his horsemen attacked the Muslims from behind and defeated them. 70 Muslims, including Hamzah, were martyred. ‘Ali, the Prophet and a few others fought bravely. ‘Ali was wounded 90 times and in this battle a voice from the sky was heard saying, “There is no young man like ‘Ali and no sword like Dhu’l-Faqar.”
The Battle of Khandaq (Ahzab)
In the month of Shawwal, the 5th year A.H., the Meccan infidels in cooperation with the remaining Jews in Madinah and with the help of other tribes, prepared for war with over 10,000 fighting men, in order to destroy the Muslims. ‘Amru ibn ‘Abdawadd, an 80-year-old Arabian champion, was also present. He had been wounded in the battle of Badr and sought revenge on the Muslims. He had vowed not to rub oil on his body until he took revenge on the Prophet and the Muslims.
When the Meccan army reached Madinah, the Jewish tribe of Bani Qurayzah, which had previously made a contract with the Prophet, broke its promise and prepared to fight in the company of the infidels. Following the advice of Salman Farsi, a ditch was dug around Madinah so that the enemies would not be able to enter the city. The Muslims were under siege for 28 days until the infidel hero, ‘Amru ibn ‘Abdawadd crossed the ditch and challenged them to fight. No one but ‘Ali volunteered to fight him as ‘Amru was a renowned, brave and valiant man.As ‘Ali walked courageously to the battlefield the Prophet remarked, “All of faith is facing all of polytheism.”
After some moments of intense fighting, ‘Ali killed ‘Amru ibn ‘Abdawadd and threw his head in front of the Prophet. The Prophet said, “The blow of ‘Ali’s sword in the battle of Khandaq is superior to the worship of all humans and Jinn.”
‘Ali, who did such great service for Islam and the Muslims on that day, was a 27-year-old young man.After this battle, the Prophet along with an army under ‘Ali’s command, set out for the Jewish tribe of Bani Qurayzah.
When the Jewish elder, Huyy ibn Akhtab was killed, the people of Madinah were safe from the danger of the Jews and Jewish properties and women were possessed by the Muslims.
The Conquest of Khaybar by ‘Ali
In the year 7 A.H., the Jews of Khaybar plotted against the Muslims. In keeping with this, they filled some of the 7 castles of Khaybar 200 km. to the northwest of Madinah with arms. 14,000 Jews lived in these castles. The Prophet went to Khaybar with 1,400 foot soldiers and 200 horsemen. ‘Ali, who was a 30-year-old young man, was the flag bearer.
In this battle, ‘Umar and Abu Bakr were defeated. ‘Ali entered the battle upon the Prophet’s order. He struck Marhab, the Jewish hero, with a thunderous blow and threw him to the ground. Then the Muslims attacked and ‘Ali removed the iron gate of Khaybar and held it on his hand like a shield. In this battle, Murhab, Harith and Yasir were killed by ‘Ali and Khaybar was conquered. Afterwards, forty people were needed to help in returning the gate to its original place.
The Conquest of Mecca
In the year 8 A.H., Mecca was conquered by the Prophet without a fight. The Prophet entered Mecca with 12,000 troops and he himself broke and threw down many of the idols in the Ka‘bah. Then he ordered ‘Ali to put his feet upon his shoulders in order to climb the wall and break the remaining idols. ‘Ali obeyed the order but when he was finished, he jumped down.
The Prophet asked, “Why did you not put your feet on my shoulders?” ‘Ali responded, “To climb up, you ordered me to step on your shoulders and I complied, but while climbing down, you said nothing and therefore, I jumped down rather than rudely step on your shoulders. Thanks to God nothing happened to me!”
This great hero of Islam was present on all occasions against the enemies and infidels in their attempts to wipe out Islam and the Muslims. ‘Ali defended Islam with all his power and might and was honored with many great and singular achievements.
Ja‘far
ibn Abu Talib
Ja‘far
ibn Abu Talib was a companion of the Prophet and ‘Ali’s older brother by 10 years. He was a brave man and one of the pioneering Muslims. He is also known asJa‘far
Tayyar (‘the flying Ja‘far’) as he lost both his arms in battle and the Prophet said, “God gave him two wings in heaven.”
The Prophet liked him very much. In the year 5 A.H., he migrated to Abyssinia with the other Muslims and was chosen as the spokesman of the migrating delegation while he was only a 24-year-old young man. The Muslims were in Abyssinia until the year 7 A.H. and then they returned to Madinah. Their return to Madinah coincided with the Prophet’s victorious return from Khaybar.
Once the Prophet saw them, he went towards his strong cousin, put his arms around his neck, kissed him on the forehead and cried. Then he said, “I do not know for which event I should be more happy; the arrival ofJa‘far
or the conquest of Khaybar.”
In 8 A.H.—i.e. one year after the return from Abyssinia, he was selected by the Prophet to command an army of 3,000 soldiers on its way to fight the Romans. The army of Islam departed from Madinah and faced the Romans in Mu’tah in Syria.
Ja‘far
fought with unparalleled valor. He lost his two hands. In spite of this, he still managed to hold the flag of Islam to his chest rather than let it fall to the ground. He was martyred after having sustained over 70 wounds to his body.
When the Prophet heard ofJa‘far’s
martyrdom, he burst into tears and then he remarked, “One has to cry for a person like Ja‘far.”
Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr
Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr was a bright, well-built young man. He was very handsome, chaste, determined and noble. His parents loved him very much and he was respected by everyone in Mecca. He wore the most beautiful clothes and enjoyed a high standard of living.
He became fond of the Prophet’s words and, after spending some time in the Prophet’s company and hearing the verses of the Qur’an, he embraced Islam. In Mecca conversion to Islam was considered to be the biggest crime. Therefore, many people hid their belief in Islam. One such person was Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr, until his parents found out and he was imprisoned. He escaped however, and went to Abyssinia with the other migrants and after a while, he returned.
On the occasion of ‘Aqabah Awla’ one moonlit night, 12 important persons from Madinah met the Prophet and converted to Islam. When they wanted to return to Madinah, two people by the names of As‘ad ibn Zararah and Zakwan ibn ‘Abd Qays asked the Prophet to send a representative to Madinah in order to teach the Qur’an to the people and call them to Islam.
Madinah was then one of the most important cities in the Arabian Peninsula and two large tribes, Aws and Khazraj lived there. They were sworn enemies of each other and had been at war for several years.
From among all the Muslims and his companions, the Prophet chose none other than the young Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr. He sent him along with As‘ad ibn Zararah to Madinah for this important mission.
Mus‘ab,who
had learnt the recitation of the Qur’an very well, entered Madinah and passionately began the promotion of Islam, with pure intentions and hard work. He resided in the house of As‘ad, who was among the seniors of the Khazraj tribe. In the company of his host, he went to the house ofSa‘d
ibn Mu‘adh, the leader and chief of the Aws tribe, and called them to Islam, which they accepted. In addition, Asid ibn Hudayr also converted to Islam with Mus‘ab. Mus‘ab, the well-built young man, carried out his mission in Madinah in the best way possible. He was the first one who performed communal and the Friday prayer in Madinah and he made honorable achievements.
The effective promotional activities by Mus‘ab prepared the ground for the Prophet’s arrival in the city of Madinah and the people warmly welcomed the leader of Islam and his followers. This was but for the providence, piety, virtues, knowledge and insight of Mus‘ab as he was the one who attracted the attention of women, men, the elderly and the young people as well as the leaders of the tribes and the common people of Madinah to Islam. They learned the Qur’an, converted to Islam and drove away from their hearts all the old enmities and became brothers to each other and took part in Friday and communal prayers in a friendly atmosphere.
After the arrival of the Prophet in Madinah, Mus‘ab took part in the battles of Badr and Uhud. In the battle of Uhud, he held the Prophet’s flag and was finally martyred. He was buried next to Hamzah, the Prophet’s uncle, the renowned champion of the army of Islam.
‘Atab ibn Usayd, the Governor of Mecca
In the year 8 A.H., Mecca was conquered by the army of Islam without any bloodshed. After this conquest, the battle of Hunayn took place within a short period. The Prophet and his companions had to leave Mecca to go to the warfront.
On the other hand, a competent person had to be appointed as governor to administer the city of Mecca, which had just been taken away from the infidels and polytheists. The governor had to be able to manage the people’s affairs and to impede any action by the enemies.
From among all the Muslims, the Prophet chose a 21-year-old young man by the name of ‘Atab ibn Usayd, and issued him an order to pray with the people. He was the first amir to hold communal prayers in Mecca after the conquest.
The Prophet told ‘Atab, his selected governor, “Do you know what a position I have appointed you to and for which people I made you the governor? I chose you as the emir of the people of God’s shrine, the residents of holy Mecca. If I knew a more worthy person than you among the Muslims, I would surely appoint him to the position.When ‘Atab was appointed as the governor of Mecca by the Prophet, he was about 21 years old.”
The selection of this young man to such a great position strongly upset some Arab elders and the heads of Mecca. They objected and complained, saying, “The Prophet wants us always to be humiliated. This is why he made a young man governor over us, the elders of the Arabs and the seniors of Mecca.”
These words reached the Prophet’s ears. He therefore wrote a long letter to the people of Mecca, in which he reminded them of ‘Atab’s merits and emphasized that the people should obey his orders.
In the final part of the letter, he thus responded to the inappropriate objection of the people:
“None of you shall object to a young man like ‘Atab as superiority among people is not to be judged by age. Rather, it is virtue and spiritual perfection that must be considered.”
‘Atab remained governor of Mecca even after the death of the Prophet until he died in early 23 A.H.
Mu‘adh
ibn Jabal
Mu‘adh ibn Jabal ibn ‘Amru Ansari was from the Khazraj tribe and was known by the nickname of Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman. He was one of the well-known companions of the Prophet and was very wise, handsome, generous and well-mannered. He converted to Islam at the age of 18 and took part in all the battles during the Prophet’s lifetime.
Mu‘adh
learned the Islamic sciences with hard work and natural talent; he was able to learn a considerable amount of Islamic teachings within a few years and became one of the outstanding companions.
He was 26 during the conquest of Mecca. A merited person was needed to be appointed to that city at that time to teach the people the orders and regulations of Islam concerning worship and transactions.
Mu‘adh
was selected for the intellectual affairs of Mecca and for teaching religious precepts. In fact, he was chosen as the cultural head of the city.
After the Tabuk campaign, the Prophet sentMu‘adh
to Yemen to be a judge and governor there. In a letter to the people of Yemen, the Prophet wrote, “I have sent you one of my best men.”
The Prophet orderedMu‘adh
to teach the members of the army the Qur’an and the religious precepts and to collect the religious tax (zakat) which was to be sent to Mecca for the Muslims.
When the Prophet wanted to send this young man to Yemen, he asked him, “OMu‘adh
, if there is a quarrel, how will you judge?” He replied, “I will judge based on what is in God’s book.”
The Prophet then asked, “If there is no order in the Qur’an, what will you do?” He answered, “I will judge according to the Prophet’s practice.” The Prophet continued, “If you do not find any order according to my practice, what will you do?”Mu‘adh
said, “Then I will judge according to my own opinion.” Then the Prophet put his hand onMu‘adh’s
chest and said, “Thanks to God for you have satisfied the Prophet with that with which prophets are satisfied.”
When the Prophet died in the year 11 A.H.,Mu‘adh
was in Yemen. Abu Bakr reinstated him in his position. Then, during ‘Umar’s caliphate, he went to Sham and died in ‘Imwas
, in 18 A.H., at the age of 34 due to the plague.
One thing that provesMu‘adh’s
merits is that during the Prophet’s lifetime, he was authorized to issue fatwas and would infer religious precepts according to the Qur’an, Sunnah (the tradition) and reason. This shows the outstanding qualifications of this young man at the dawn of Islam.
Usamah ibn Zayd
Usamah ibn Zayd was a Christian child of Arab origins from Syria. His nickname was Abu Muhammad and he was one of the respected companions of the Prophet. He was born in Mecca 7 years before the Hijrah. The Prophet loved him very much. He was a clever, worthy and intelligent person.
His fatherZayd,
was killed in the war against the Romans in Mu’tah. He had been the second commander afterJa‘far
ibn Abu Talib. The Prophet therefore decided to appoint Usamah, who was only 18, as the commander of the army of Islam to fight the Romans, in spite of the fact that all the high-ranked commanders of Islam, all the senior Immigrants, Helpers and prominent Arabs were present in the army. The Prophet went out of the city of Madinah to visit the army. He saw that all the senior Muslims were prepared to fight.
The selection of the 18-year-old commander by the Prophet surprised many people and this practice made them look at each other with astonishment. As a result, some companions of the Prophet expressed their objection, saying, “Why was this young man selected as the commander of experienced Immigrants and pioneers of Islam?”
The Prophet was upset on hearing the sarcastic remarks of some officers. Therefore, he ascended the pulpit and after praising God, he said, “O people, what do you mean by the words that I have heard about the commandership of Usamah? Your sarcastic remarks today are not new. A few years ago, when I appointed Zayd, Usamah’s father, as the army commander in the Mu’tah war, you also made blaming remarks.
“I swear by Allah that yesterday Zayd ibn Harithah deserved to command the army and today his son Usamah deserves the same and all of you must obey him.”
Such insistence by the Prophet in support of worthy young people had a deep effect on the thoughts of the Muslims in general and those who had incorrect thoughts about young people gradually became aware of their wrong attitudes. The selection of an 18-year-old person is rare in the military history of the world.
Usamah’s Story -The
Outcome
The story of Usamah’s commandership and the Prophet’s insistence that everyone should follow orders under his flag is an interesting story in the history of Islam. When the Prophet was sick and on his deathbed, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar went to his bedside; once the Prophet saw them, he said to them, “Go to Usamah’s army. O God, damn the one who is prepared to fight but refuses to join Usamah’s army.”
After the Prophet passed away, Usamah awaited further orders in the camp that he had arranged outside Madinah. When Abu Bakr became the caliph, he sent Usamah to the same place that the Prophet had ordered. Usamah left for Syria but, when he arrived there, Abu Bakr deposed him and appointed Yazid ibn Abu Sufyan instead.
When the young commander was deposed, he went to Madinah and stood next to the Prophet’s mosque, shouting, “O Muslims, it is surprising that the man whom yesterday the Prophet had appointed me as his commander is today commanding me and deposing me as the commander of the army.”
Usamah lived in Madinah until the year 54 A.H. He died in a place known as “Jurf” during the rule of Mu‘awiah.
These historical examples indicate the true value of young people in Islam.
60%
Author: Muhammad Ali Chenarani
