Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Chapter Ten: The Nomination Of Umar and Uthman

The coup at the SAQIFA had to be justified to the Islamic Nation, and an attempt was made to do this by laying down certain dogmas known by their inventors from the very beginning to be mere contrivances, as later events show. The enactors of the coup prevailed upon themselves and others to believe that the Prophet (P) did not designate anyone as his successor, yet at the same time, that the appointment of a successor to the dying ruler was an absolute necessity; also, that this appointment could only be made through election by the people, and that therefore they had been perfectly justified in their unseemly haste in getting ABU BAKR "elected" at the SAQIFA.

For the time being, their object had been achieved. But the same dogmas now stood in the way of UMAR'S acquisition of the caliphate which, in accordance with a prior understanding between them, was to devolve upon him. These dogmas were therefore thrown overboard to make room for other expedients suited to the changed circumstances. UMAR could not face the uncertainties of an election, so the rule now stated was that nomination is better than election. ABU BAKR thus nominated UMAR as his successor.

Now, the means of appointing the ruler is the most fundamental aspect of the constitution of a state. But ABU BAKR changed the constitution by substituting nomination for election, without consulting the people. This he had no power to do-if indeed election really was the rule, as they had maintained. Let us see how he did it AT-TABARI says:

When ABU BAKR felt the hand of death approaching, he sent for UTHMAN in private when there was no one with him, and asked him to write to his dictation. ABU BAKR dictated, "In the name of merciful God, this is what ABU BAKR son of ABU QUHAFA wills to the Muslims: Now I…" At this ABU BAKR fell into a swoon and lost consciousness. Upon this, UTHMAN by himself added, "I have appointed UMAR as a ruler over you, and have done good to you". After this ABU BAKR regained consciousness, and asked UTHMAN to read out what he had written.

He complied. On hearing this, ABU BAKR was transported with joy, shouted "ALLAHU AKBAR", and said "Perhaps you feared that I might die in the swoon, and this might lead to differences among the Muslims, and therefore you added the name of UMAR". UTHMAN replied in the affirmative. ABU BAKR invoked blessings on him and carried on from that point.

When the document had been completed, ABU BAKR was carried by his wife to a window in his house, from where he said to the people, "Accept the man whom I have appointed ruler over you; by God, I have thoroughly considered the matter. I have appointed UMAR over you; yet he is not my relative. Heed him and obey him". The people said that they had understood, and would obey him. ABU BAKR gave this document to UMAR, and asked him to go to the people and tell them to obey it, as it was his order.

When UMAR came out with the document, a man asked him what it contained. UMAR replied, "I do not yet know, but in any case I accept it and will obey it". The man said, "Well, you should know it, for I know it. Last year you made him the ruler, so today he makes you the ruler". Eye-witnesses say that they saw UMAR sitting with people round him and a whip in his hand. UMAR was saying to them, "O People, heed the word of the caliph and obey him. The caliph says that he has given you the best advice".

The narrator adds that at the time there was a whip in UMAR'S hand, and ABU BKAR'S slave was by his side. After this, TALHA, AZ-ZUBAIR and other people came to ABU BAKR and admonished him for appointing a rude and rough man like UMAR as the ruler, and asked what answer ABU BAKR would give when questioned by God as to why he had appointed him. ABU BAKR was lying down at the time, and asked to be helped to sit. When he had sat up and was reclining against pillows, he replied, "Would you terrify me by referring to God? When He puts the question to me, I shall reply that I have appointed the best of His creatures as the ruler over the UMMA of Muhammad".

It would be a slur on the intelligence of these companions of the Prophet to suppose that they were not aware of the inconsistencies and contradictions in their conduct, and of the slippery nature of the ground on which they had taken their stand. As for the people who chose to follow them, it is hard to credit them with such intelligence in view of their apparent blindness to the game that was being played by their leaders, and the inconsistencies in their conduct. I point out some of these as follows:

1. If it was true that the Prophet (P) did not nominate anyone as his successor, then there should have been no reason for ABU BAKR not to follow suit.

2. ABU BAKR had absolutely no right to change the constitution on this very important point.

3. In the similar circumstances of the Prophet (P) wanting to write his will, UMAR, in preventing it, had said that the Book of God was enough for them; yet on this occasion he forgot about the Book of God.

4. On that occasion, he had said the conduct of the Prophet (P) was due to delirium, although he was quite in his senses and did not faint; yet on this occasion he did not attribute the conduct of ABU BAKR to delirium, even though he had fainted during the writing of the will.

5. The people did not like UMAR'S nomination, but it was forced on them.

6. UMAR had said that the writing of the Prophet (P) would have been the result of delirium, and would therefore have been useless, even dangerous, and the Book of God was enough. But this writing of ABU BAKR, though written on the same subject and under worse circumstances, was considered so sound and sacred as to require the immediate attention of UMAR and evoke from him the extraordinary remark that it should be obeyed without even being read. Adherence to principles is rare in politics, but this blatant disregard is deplorable even by modern standards.

7. It is also to be noted that everybody concerned conceded the right of the ruler to nominate his successor; but this right was denied to the Prophet (P).

8. The Book of God, which was considered to be an obstacle to the Prophet's writing his will in favor of IMAM ALI, was altogether forgotten about when ABU BAKR dictated his will in favor of UMAR.

9. To what extremes the enactors of the coup were prepared to go, is evident from the fact that when forgery was committed during the writing of the will, their leader applauded it. They would go to any lengths to secure their object, and that was one of the reasons why IMAM ALI did not take up the sword to wrest from them what was his by right.

The Shura

UMAR interpreted the feelings of his party correctly when he said that they were averse to the RISALA (Prophet-hood) and IMAMA (Caliphate) going to the same family. To this end he worked throughout his life, and by the close of his fairly long career had succeeded on setting the Caliphate on a course which was sure to lead -which in fact it did- to the intended goal, that is, BANU OMAYYA. The only family that could be a certain match for BANU HASHIM was that of ABU SUFYAN, who had fought tooth and nail against Muhammad and Islam and remained a heathen throughout his life, only reciting the KALIMA of Islam when he saw no way out of it. The ground had been prepared when YAZID, the son of ABU SUFYAN, was granted the province of Syria in the time of ABU BAKR. No governor was allowed to be succeeded by his relative, for the obvious reason that they might come to think of the province as theirs by heritage.

But this rule was not observed in the case of the sons of ABU SUFYAN, for YAZID was succeeded by his brother MU'AWIYA. Other governors were generally replaced at frequent intervals so that they would not become too strong for the central authority through too long a stay in one province; but not MU'AWIYA, who was intended to be a permanent thorn in IMAM ALI'S side should Imam Ali ever happen to gain the caliphate in spite of all the hindrances that had been placed in his way. Every governor was called upon to render accounts half-yearly, and was severely punished even on suspicion, if for instance he was proved to have become very rich. But not MU'AWIYA; not even once was he called upon to render accounts. It was necessary that he should make himself influential, powerful and rich, if he was to successfully oppose IMAM ALI.

This policy was carried to its logical conclusion when on his death-bed, UMAR appointed a committee of six candidates out of whom his successor was to be elected by those very members. The constitution and choice of members of the committee, as well as the directions laid down for it, clearly indicate that the sole object of this extraordinary elective body was to exclude IMAM ALI and to get UTHMAN elected. From UTHMAN to MU'AWIYA was then expected to be an easy step, and had not the egregious blunders of the former, coming in quick succession one after the other, spoiled this well-laid plan, the object of its designer would have been fulfilled without being interrupted as it was by IMAM ALI'S short rule. But even these events, eye-opening as they were, could not dispel that atmosphere thick with hatred against the children of the Prophet (P). The battles of JAMAL and SIFFIN clearly demonstrated how that policy was intended to work should Imam Ali become the caliph. I will now relate the events of this SHURA (consultative committee) in detail.

IBN KHALDUN says that when UMAR was fatally wounded, he sent for ABD AL-RAHMAN IBN AWF alone, and told him that he wanted to transfer the caliphate to him. ABD AL-RAHMAN positively declined to accept it. UMAR then took a promise from him not to disclose this talk which they had on the question of the caliphate until he had settled the whole matter. ABD AL-RAHMAN agreed. The people then came and requested him to nominate his successor. A'ISHA also sent word to him to designate his successor and not to leave the flock of Muhammad without a shepherd. She feared that serous consequences would follow and that great disturbances would take place if he failed to make the nomination. UMAR said, "Whom should I nominate? Had ABU UBAIDA IBN AL-JARRAH been living, I would have appointed him my successor, and when questioned by God I would have said that I had appointed him whom the Prophet had said was the "Trustee of this UMMA". Had ASLAM, the slave of ABU HUDHAIFA been living, I would have nominated him as my successor, and when questioned by God I would have replied that I had nominated a man who the Prophet said loved God deeply. If MA'ADH IBN JABAL had been alive, I would have nominated him, and on being questioned by God I would have said that I nominated him because I heard the Prophet (P) saying that MA'ADH would be among the learned men on the Day of Judgment. Had KHALID been alive, I would have appointed him, and on being questioned by God I would have said that I appointed him because I heard the Messenger saying that KHALID was one of the swords of God, whom He drew to kill KAFIRIN. Now I will appoint those men with whom the Prophet (P) was pleased at the time of his death". He then sent for IMAM ALI, UTHMAN, TALHA, AZ-ZUBAIR, SA'D IBN ABI WAQQAS, and ABD AL-RAHMAN IBN AWF. They duly came, except for TALHA who was out of Medina at the time. UMAR gave them the following directions: "Continue your consultations for three days. If TALHA comes during this period, let him join the consultations, but if he does not, then do not wait for him. By the third day you must come to a decision. SUHAIB will lead the prayers during this time; as he is a freedman, he will not dispute this caliphate with you. Some influential persons from the ANSAR would also be sent for, but they have no right or title to the caliphate. You should also send for AL-HASSAN IBN ALI and ABDALLAH IBN ABBAS and my son ABDALLAH, but none of them has any title to the caliphate". They said, "Appoint your son as Caliph, as being your son he has a right". UMAR replied, "No, one man from the children of AL-KHATTAB is sufficient". Then he continued, "If five of you are agreed on one man, and the sixth does not agree, then chop off the head of that sixth man. If four are on one side, and two disagree, then those two men should be killed. If three are on one side and three on the other, then my son ABDALLAH will be the arbitrator, and the man in whose favor he makes the award will be the caliph. If you do not like the decision made by my son ABDALLAH, then take the side which includes ABD AL-RAHMAN IBN AWF, and kill the rest". They asked him to give them some advice. He said, "O S'AD, I did not nominate you, though you are a man of war, because you are very rude and harsh. O ABD AL-RAHMAN, I did not appoint you, because you are a Pharaoh of this UMMA. O ZUBAIR, I did not designate you as my successor, because you are a Muslim in your calm moments, but a KAFIR when enraged.

I did not appoint TALHA because of his pride and pomp; and if I had appointed him, he would have left the government to his wife. O UTHMAN, I did not nominate you, because you are much too bigoted in favor of your clan. O Ali, I did not appoint you, because you have a desire for the caliphate. But you are the greatest Muslim, and if I had appointed you, I am sure you would have led the UMMA on the right path to truth". Sometimes he said that he did not appoint IMAM ALI because he had a frank and jovial temperament.

But even then he said that had the appointed IMAM ALI as the caliph; he would have led them onto the path of righteousness and truth. On an earlier occasion, when he was wounded and people were urging him to nominate his successor, UMAR said, "I will think the matter over. No doubt, the man best entitled to it is the most righteous of you, he who would lead you to truth", and he pointed towards IMAM ALI. MAWLAWI SHIBLI says that UMAR found some fault in each of the six men whom he had appointed to the SHURA, but that he knew IMAM ALI to be the best man and most suited to the caliphate. He then adds in a footnote: "There is no doubt that the faults mentioned by UMAR existed in the candidates, excepting IMAM ALI whom he said had joviality. This was only an idea and was not sounded on fact. IMAM ALI was jovial, but only to the extent that is necessary in a good-tempered man of dignity".

Now let us see what happened at the SHURA and how UTHMAN came to be elected to the caliphate. The conduct of the members of the SHURA, especially that of ABD AL-RAHMAN, can best be understood when the reader realizes that this assembly was constituted with the sole object of excluding IMAM ALI and transferring the caliphate to UTHMAN-a fact which will be proved presently.

The members of the SHURA assembled in the house of A'ISAH, and afterwards in that of her nephew, MISWAR IBN MAKHRAMA, AMR IBN AL-AS and AL-MOGHIRA IBN SHU'BA came and sat at the door of the house, but they were removed from that place by SA'D IBN ABI WAQQAS. They said that they had only come there to show the world that they should also be among those electing the caliph. Using the facts found in the sources listed under Note No. 325, I narrate the ensuing events as follows.

The SHURA deliberated for three days, but could not reach any decision. On the third day, ABD AL-RAHMAN told them that according to the instructions laid down by UMAR, they must finally decide the matter that day. Then ABD AL-RAHMAN said to them, "I have a proposal to make. I will give up my right to the caliphate, and you can make me your arbitrator to select the caliph from among you". All of them except IMAM ALI agreed to this. Imam Ali said that he must also make a promise that he would decide according to justice and equity, and would not be swayed by his desires or show partiality on account of relationships.

ABD AL-RAHMAN did not answer this suggestion directly, but left the room and went to see all the companions of the Prophet (P) who were in Medina, the officers of the army, and the noblemen, and consulted them as to who should be appointed as the caliph. On the morning of the fourth day he came back to the SHURA, and taking SA'D and AZ-ZUBAIR aside, told them that the people whom he had consulted had voted for either Imam Ali or UTHMAN, and asked them to elect one of these two. They both agreed on Imam Ali. But this was not to his liking. He sent for Imam Ali and UTHMAN, and had a separate talk with each of them in order to make them agree, but they would not.

He then collected in the mosque all the companions of the Prophet (P), the officers of the army, and the rich and influential men of Medina, and put it to them to select either Imam Ali or UTHMAN. AMMAR pointed towards Imam Ali, and IBN ABI SARH, an OMAYYAD, pointed towards UTHMAN, and people began to quarrel with each other. S'AD shouted to him to decide at once or serious consequences would ensue. Upon this, ABD AL-RAHMAN pacified the people by saying, "Be calm, I have decided upon the caliph in my mind".

Then turning towards Imam Ali he said, "Promise that if I appoint you as caliph you will govern according to the Book of God, the SUNNA (conduct) of the Prophet (P), and the conduct of the first two caliphs". The word "SUNNA", properly speaking, means "habit as translated into action". Imam Ali promised to govern according to the Book of God and the SUNNA of the Prophet (P), but he refused to follow the doings of the first two caliphs. ABD AL-RAHMAN turned to UTHMAN and said the same thing to him. Readily and without hesitation, he agreed to follow the doings of the first two caliphs as well. Upon this, ABD AL-RAHMAN acknowledged UTHMAN as the caliph, and the people also made the BAI'A to him. Imam Ali said to them, "You have donated the caliphate to UTHMAN without any right or title.

This is not the first time that you have acted in bad faith towards us in the matter of the caliphate. I will bear this patiently. AL-MIQDAD said to ABD AL-RAHMAN, "You have passed over the man who would have spread justice and truth in the country. I wonder at QURAISH for passing over the man than whom there is none more fit, able and learned, or more capable of doing justice between men". Imam Ali said, "The people have given the right to QURAISH, but QURAISH look to their own interest (and not to the good of the UMMA).

They say to each other that if once the caliphate goes to the family of the Prophet (P), it will be impossible to take it from, but if it remains with some other man, they will be ably to keep it going round among themselves". From the author of "SHAMS-AL-TAWARIKH" we learn what allegedly happened when ABD AL-RAHMAN left the SHURA. This book is more of a eulogy of UMAR than a history of the caliphate, and was claimed by the author to have been written under an express direction of UMAR conveyed to him in a dream, as he mentions with excusable pride in the preface. ABD AL-RAHMAN left the SHURA to consult, or rather canvass, the people of Medina. The author says that those he met were chiefly the followers of UTHMAN, who pressed him to make the award in his favor. He was at a loss to know how to do it, when AMR IBN AL AS came to his rescue with the suggestion that he should make following the SUNNA of the first two caliphs an indispensable condition for the caliphate, knowing full well that Imam Ali would be certain to reject it with disdain, while UTHMAN would agree to the condition with avidity.

These are the facts of the SHURA. We must give very thoughtful consideration to them and try to understand their implication, if we want to appreciate the policy, which was at work during that period, and which in fact remained in force throughout the time the caliphate lasted. To understand the policy underlining the SHURA, we have to bear in mind two important factors, namely (1) The constitution of the SHURA, and (2) The directions that were given to its members. Both were intended to load the dice against Imam Ali and thus help UTHMAN to gain the caliphate.

1. THE CONSTITUTION:

One of the many evil consequences of the speedy but unwieldy conquests of the early caliphate was the rapid flow of wealth into Median, bringing in its train all the ill effects of wealth and capitalism, such as luxury, loss of energy, aversion to exertion, dread of the battlefield, and overweening pride. It also gave rise to the unnatural and unhealthy division of society into rich and poor, with the most horrible spectacle of the two extremes existing side by side, with overflowing riches and grinding poverty each giving rise to its peculiar faults without any of the redeeming virtues that each has.

It was for this reason that the Prophet (P) had prohibited the hoarding of money and had said that he was not so much afraid of his UMMA reverting to heathenism after him, as of their hoarding wealth and becoming capitalists. The wealth had acquired so much power and influence with the Government that UMAR could not place the crown anywhere except within its orbit. That was also an effective way of excluding Imam Ali, for the rich form a class by themselves, and to capture the government is their first aim. UTHMAN was one of them, being one of the richest men in Medina. Imam Ali, however, was an alien to them. They knew full well that Imam Ali would not tolerate any special privileges for the rich, and that his favors would extend more to the poor than to them. All the members of the SHURA except Imam Ali were rich men. Another, and in fact the chief reason for their selection, was their obvious partiality towards UTHMAN. Let us see who is who.

TALHA IBN UBAID ALLAH:

He was related to ABU BAKR. His mother S'ABASH was the daughter of ABU SUFYAN, the sister of MU'AWIYA and the aunt of YAZID, the future assassin of Imam AL-HUSSAIN. He was one of the richest men of Medina; the daily income from his property in Iraq was one thousand gold pieces, and his property in SARAT yielded even more. He built a lofty palace in KUFA and another in Medina. At the time of his death, he left property worth three KARRAT of DARAHIM, including two hundred thousand gold pieces and over two million silver pieces.

AZ-ZUBAIR IBN AL-AWAM:

He was the son-in-law of ABU BAKR, and was under the influence of A'ISHA. His son was the greatest enemy of Imam Ali. He had palaces in BASRA, KUFA and ALEXANDRIA. On his death, he left fifty thousand pieces of gold in cash, one thousand horses, and several hundred male and female slaves. He had one thousand MAMLUKES whose earnings, according to the law then in force, were received by him.

ABD AL-RAHMAN IBN AWF:

He had accumulated much wealth and had engaged in trade on a gigantic scale. He built a splendid house in WADI AL-AQIA. In his stables he had one hundred horses, one thousand camels, and ten thousand goats. He had so much cash in hand that after his death, each of his four widows received one hundred thousand of DARAHIM as her share of the inheritance. He wept bitterly on his deathbed; when asked the reason, he said that MUS'AB IBN UMAIR and HAMZA, uncle of the Prophet (P), were both much better than him in every respect, and that neither of them had left sufficient even to purchase their coffin cloth with. He was a very close relative of UTHMAN, his wife UM KULTHUM, daughter of UQBA IBN ABI MU'IT, was the cousin of UTHMAN from her mother's side.

SA'AD IBN ABI WAQQAS:

He was a close relative of ABD AL-RAHMAN IBN AWF; at one stage of the discussions, he said that he was willing to relinquish his right as a candidate in favor of his relative ("IBN-AM") ABD AL-RAHMAN IBN AWF. His mother HAMNAT was the daughter of SUFYAN IBN OMAYYA, and thus a close relative of UTHMAN and MU'AWIYA. It was his son UMAR IBN SA'D who later so heartlessly butchered the whole family of the Prophet at KARBALA. He was also very rich; he had a magnificent palace at WADI AL-AQIQ close to that of ABD AL-RAHMAN IBN AWF, and in that palace occurred his death.

UTHMAN IBN AFFAN:

He was closely related to ABU SUFYAN with whom he always remained on good terms as a dutiful younger member of the family. He had a magnificent palace in Medina, and very many gardens and fountains. On the day of his death, he had in his private treasury one hundred and fifty thousand pieces of gold and one million of silver. He had landed estates in WADI AL-AQIQ, HUNAIN and other places, worth about one hundred thousand gold pieces. Besides this, he had countless horses and camels in his stables.

There are other indications pointing to the objective being the exclusion of Imam Ali. Before announcing the SHURA, UMAR had an aside with ABD AL-RAHMAN, whom he intended to make the arbitrator. Now the directions that were given by UMAR, and the subsequent conduct of ABD AL-RAHMAN, allow us to surmise fairly correctly what the subject of that private talk must have been. His own son ABDALLAH IBN UMAR was announced as the arbitrator, and was directed to give his award in favor of the party on whose side he found ABD AL-RAHMAN.

Thus the resulting decision was bound to be in favor of UTHMAN, as there was the assurance of the back -up of two means of making the award- the private arbitrator and the public arbitrator. ABD AL-RAHMAN was given a direction in private, which obviously related to this dispute, and obviously concerned which party ABD AL-RAHMAN was to favor.

There is a very significant fact here. As ABD AL-RAHMAN positively refused to accept the caliphate, there seems to have been no point in his inclusion by UMAR in a party of "candidates". There must therefore have been some other object to his seemingly irrelevant inclusion, and this object was to give him a status to interfere in the dispute. ABDALLAH'S case was different; he happened to be the son of the caliph. But ABD AL-RAHMAN had no locus stand, and so was given one by being made a candidate.

That the talk was made in private was not enough; ABD AL-RAHMAN was further asked not to disclose it to anybody. This order to observe silence and secrecy is too significant to be ignored in this discussion. Also, the conduct of ABD AL-RAHMAN in the meeting was too clearly partial towards UTHMAN to need comment. I shall refer to it presently, but would point out one fact here. When questioned by him, both SA'D and AZ-ZUBAIR gave their opinion in favor of Imam Ali. Here was a clear majority; SA'D, AZ-ZUBAIR and Imam Ali on one side form a decided majority, TALHA not having arrived by then. (See AT-TABARI in this connection). At least, it is not apparent that TALHA had arrived by then, though he appears to have come at a later stage. Anyhow, it can at best be dismissed as doubtful.

Now in fair deals we always find impartial arbitrators. Here, however, ABD AL-RAHMAN was obviously partial towards UTHMAN, as will become more apparent when we come to discuss his conduct in the meeting. As to ABDALLAH IBN UMAR, his partiality towards UTHMAN is also no less apparent. He very gladly made the BAI'A to UTHMAN, whereas Imam Ali, when his turn came, refused to acknowledge him as the caliph. When after the assassinations at KARBLA' feelings ran high against YAZID, and people got ready to revolt against him, ABDALLAH took it upon himself to give public lectures dissuading them from turning against YAZID, and collected all his children and relatives to exhort them to remain loyal to him, telling them that if any of them harbored bad intentions against YAZID, he would have nothing more to do with him. His brother, UBAIDALLAH IBN UMAR, joined the revolt against Imam Ali, and fell fighting him on field of SIFFIN. Such were the umpires of this board. This caricature of arbitration was to decide the fate of the Muslim world; Islam had indeed fallen on evil days. Simple folk go into raptures over UMAR'S selfless devotion to Islam when they recollect that he refused to designate his son ABDALLAH as his successor, tough expressly asked to do so. But UMAR was not so simple; he was an astute politician.

He was fully aware that ABDALLAH would have no backing, and that Imam Ali was still in the field. Even if Imam Ali could have been ignored, the BANU OMAYYA would not have submitted to ABDALLAH, who had inherited everything from his father except his intelligence. UMAR himself hinted at this once when he said that ABDALLAH was too dull to be able to divorce his wife, meaning that of divorce one's wife was the easiest thing in the world, but ABDALLAH was too much of a simpleton to be able to do even this. ABU SUFYAN, who had extorted the whole province of Syria by one threat of his, was still alive, and the appointment of ABDALLAH would have upset his whole plan, and would have defeated the object for which he had been working throughout his life.

Look at this seeming inconsistency. ABDALLAH was so unfit and ignorant as not even to be able to divorce his wife. But how then, all of a sudden, were volumes of knowledge, ability and efficiency infused into him, so that all at once he became fit to decide between the claims of different candidates to the caliphate? His only qualification was his aversion of Imam Ali, and if we look at the matter from this point of view, this seeming inconsistency is converted into a veritable consistency.

There was a stage in the consultations of the SHURA when the votes were evenly balanced and the people were becoming restive on account of the delay. SA'D IBN ABI WAQQAS suggested that ABD AL-RAHMAN should himself assume the caliphate, and on his refusal, SA'D said "Then act according to your opinion; you know full well what the wishes of UMAR were in this matter". This lets the cat out of the bag. UMAR had definite wishes of his own in the matter, and they were known specifically only to ABD AL-RAHMAN, and the fact of this was known to many people.

When UMAR announced the constitution of the SHURA and the names of its members became known, Imam Ali, as soon as he came out of the house of UMAR, said to his friends, "These people will never let the caliphate come to me, so long as I continue submitting to them". To ABBAS he said, "This time also the caliphate has been diverted from us". ABBAS asked, "How do you know that"? Imam Ali replied, "UMAR has bracketed me with UTHMAN, and has directed "If two persons are on one side and two on the other, be with those among whom you find ABD AL-RAHMAN IBN AWF". SA'D IBN ABI WAQQAS will not differ with his relative ABD AL-RAHMAN IBN AWF, and ABD AL-RAHMAN is related to UTHMAN by marriage. It is obvious that either ABD AL-RAHMAN will make UTHMAN the caliph, or else UTHMAN will make ABD AL-RAHMAN the caliph. Thus even if two are with me, it will not benefit me, though I think that only one may be with me". ABBAS replied that he had already told him not to join the SHURA, as it had been intended to exclude him.

It really is rather strange to find that no ANSAR was included in the SHURA, and stranger still is UMAR'S remark that the ANSAR had no share in the caliphate. This was their punishment for siding with Imam Ali; there seems to be no other reason for this unjust exclusion. How can it be said on the basis of such directions that Islam favors democracy? This was an intentional dividing of the Islamic nation, and a destroying of its unity. Could the ANSAR, after this remark, regard themselves as equal partners in the Islamic Theocracy?

2. THE DIRECTIONS:

The directions, which UMAR gave to the members of the SHURA, were in keeping with its constitution, and had the same object in view. One thing that strikes us is the absence of any mention of the Book of God. It was as much excluded from the deliberations of the SHURA as it had been in the verbal wrangling of the SAQIFA. The statesman who so clamorously appealed to the Book of God as being sufficient for any emergency that might arise when it was the Prophet (P) who wanted to give certain instructions in writing to his UMMA, became so forgetful of the Book of God when his own turn came for giving instructions that he did not even mention it in his directions.

The only instruction to be expected of him was "Consult the Book of God to find out what are the qualifications indispensable in a successor of the Prophet (P), and then examine the claims of each of the candidates with reference to those qualifications, and select the one who approaches the standard most closely". This would have proved his honest intentions, and prevented the grossest injustice being done in preferring UTHMAN over Imam Ali. UTHMAN, whose relationship with the Prophet (P) was not close, who had accepted Islam only after scores of people had already had that distinction, who had never fought against any combatant in the cause of Islam, always fleeing the field of battle when it became hot, who had no child whom the Prophet (P) could call his own, who always remained immersed in the luxury and ease provided by his immense riches, and who had worshipped false gods for the better portion of his life, was given preference over Imam Ali, who had never for one moment worshipped false gods, who was the first man to accept the message brought by Muhammad (P),whose wife FATIMA was the dearest child of the Prophet (P) (as A'ISHA very often said), whose sons the Prophet always called and treated as his own, who never shirked from war, who was always in the thickest of the battle, who in the many single combats always overpowered his rival -be he MARHAB or AMR IBN ABDWID- most often killing him, who joined every battle that the Prophet (P) fought against the enemies of Islam, whose prowess saved the honor of Islam in all the chief battles that were fought against heathenism and to whom was due the victory in those battles, whose knowledge of the QUR'AN and FIQH was superior to all except the Prophet (P), about whom the Prophet said, "I am the Citadel of Knowledge and Imam Ali is its Gate; he who seeks knowledge should come to the gate", and whose qualities and virtues are too many to be enumerated. This Imam Ali was set aside for the fault that he belonged to the Prophet's family and had helped him too much, while UTHMAN was preferred because he belonged to the bitterest foes of the Prophet (P). Other than this there was no comparison between the two, and no sane man would hesitate to decide between them for one single moment if the matter were left solely to personal qualifications and virtues.

One cannot help smiling when one hears of UMAR'S remorse for the passing away of MA'ADH IBN JABAL, KHALID, ABU UBAIDA IBN AL-JARRAH, and SALAM, a freedman of HUDHAIFA, when he remarks that if any one of them had been alive, he would unhesitatingly have appointed him as the caliph on the solitary grounds that he had heard the Prophet (P) saying this thing or that thing in their favor. It is a pity that UMAR'S ears did not catch a single one of the many sayings of the Prophet in favor of Imam Ali, some of which I have mentioned in this book.

A point to note in these instructions is that UMAR ordered SUHAIB, a freedman, to lead the daily prayers for so long as the members of the SHURA were in consultation, explaining that he had selected him because being a freedman he could not lay a claim to the caliphate. How then would UMAR have been able to appoint SALAM, a freedman of HUDHAIFA, as a caliph, had he been alive? But consistency, logic and justice are not the virtues we expect in politics.

The next important instruction was that they were to kill the dissenting minority, even if it consisted of one man. Clearly the hint was to Imam Ali, for he knew full well that he would never agree with a decision, which, he was certain, would come out in favor of UTHMAN. It must be realized that the simple reason why UMAR did not appoint Imam Ali to the caliphate, was that he wanted UTHMAN in that position. When urged to appoint a successor, he more than once said that if Imam Ali was appointed to the caliphate, he would lead the UMMA on the straight path to truth and righteousness.

The only faults that he could find to state as a bar to selecting him were that he was desirous of having the caliphate, and that he had a jovial temperament. Imam Ali was indeed desirous of gaining the caliphate, but only because he was anxious to see his Prophet's UMMA being led onto the straight path, which he alone was able to do. That this joviality of temperament was not a fault is admitted by MAWLAWI SHIBLI himself. It was an injustice of the highest order to ignore the best man.

THE CONSULTATIONS AND AWARD:

A number of anomalies arising in the actual course of the proceedings should be noted. UMAR had asked the members to come down on the side on which they found ABD AL-RAHMAN, but he did not announce that he should actively work as an arbitrator and that the caliphate should be as a gift in his hand to bestow on whom he pleased. Moreover, Imam Ali did not agree to ABD AL-RAHMAN'S acting as the arbitrator, but the latter assumed this role nonetheless.

Having assured himself that the constitution of the SHURA was sufficiently pro-UTHMAN, UMAR did not want its members to be affected by outside influences during their deliberations; he feared BANU HASHIM, who he thought might come to influence the members on the basis of the superior qualifications of Imam Ali. He therefore ordered that they be shut up in a room until they had decided on one man. Now it is generally one of the chief conditions of arbitration that the arbitrators should be kept aloof from outside influences. But ABD AL-RAHMAN went out, to go from door to door canvassing people to take the side of UTHMAN, so as to be able to say that opinion was divided.

But even after these efforts he found the people equally divided between Imam Ali and UTHMAN. Then he put the matter to SA'AD and AZ-ZUBAIR, who both voted in favor of Imam Ali. He ought to have given his decision there and then. But he went out to think up some other plan. It was on this occasion that AMR IBN AL-AS suggested to him the successful strategy, namely that of making the award of the caliphate conditional on following the SUNNA of the first two caliphs. This was a mere trick to ignore Imam Ali, for this condition had not been laid down by UMAR, and ABD AL-RAHMAN had no right to create any new conditions. Moreover, this condition clearly shows that the SUNNA or policy of the first two caliphs was different from the SUNNA of the Prophet (P). What could that difference have been? Obviously it was to pamper the rich at the expense of the poor.

This was against the spirit of Islam and this Imam Ali could not agree to. This class of rich and influential people, who had once helped the present rulers to power, had naturally succeeded in gaining all sorts of favors and privileges from them, and now quite as naturally desired that this SUNNA should continue. Their insistence on the continuance of this custom was particularly opportune as it served the purpose of excluding Imam Ali and of bringing a member of their own class power. And to crown it all, it was quite in keeping with the policy, whishes and aims of UMAR. But at the same time it is clear that to make this a precondition for attainment of the caliphate was neither just nor reasonable, and it was quite outside the powers of the SHURA, as it exceeded their terms of reference. For this reason alone, the election, or selection, or nomination, whatever it was, was quite invalid. It was also invalid because ABD AL-RAHMAN made himself under the influence of BANU OMAYYA. It was also invalid because no enquiry was made concerning the claims and qualifications of the contenders. An award without an enquiry is no award; it is an arbitrary order based on personal predilections.

Was this process election, selection, nomination or arbitration? UMAR nominated only six persons to the candidature. What was the basis for his selection? The only reason for their inclusion given by UMAR, was that at the time of his death the Prophet was quite pleased with these six persons. Was he then displeased with everyone else, and was there not a single ANSAR who had pleased him? So many praises for the ANSAR from the mouth of the Prophet (P) are recorded by -AL-BUKHARI; are they all false? The reason given by UMAR was obviously a lame excuse; these persons real suitability lay in their propensity to side with UTHMAN to the exclusion of Imam Ali.

UTHMAN WAS UMAR'S CHOICE LONG BEFORE THE SHURA:

HUDHAIFA says that once at Medina, when asked as to who would succeed him as caliph, UMAR replied that it would be UTHMAN. MUTRIF says that once he performed Hajj in the time of UMAR, and there was no doubt in anybody's mind; all of them were certain that UTHMAN would succeed UMAR to the caliphate. SADDAD says that in the time of UMAR, he heard AWF IBN MALIK wishing for his death. When asked the reason why, AWF replied that he dreaded the caliphate of BANU OMAYYA, which would come after UMAR/

UMAR'S ADVICE TO ABD AL-RAHMAN:

Now we can safely and surely deduce what the advice given by UMAR to ABD AL-RAHMAN had been when he appointed him the umpire in the SHURA. He called him in private, talked to him about the caliphate, suggested that he accept it, and upon his refusal advised him something which he asked him to keep secret. Obviously his advice was that he should see to it that UTHMAN got the caliphate. The whole conduct of ABD AL-RAHMAN in the deliberations of the SHURA points in this direction.

ALI'S PROTEST AGAINST THE UNJUST PREFERENCE:

When Imam Ali came out of the hall of the SHURA after the investiture of UTHMAN, his face showed sings of melancholy and gloom, and addressing ABD AL-RAHMAN he said, "This is not the first time that you have oppressed us and done injustice to us by depriving us of our right. We have become accustomed to bearing your injustices with patience, and you have become accustomed to treating us unjustly".

WHY THE PLAN OF THE SHURA WAS ADOPTED:

UMAR could have appointed UTHMAN directly, but that would not have been UMAR'S style, any more than it was when he was striving to prevent the fulfillment of the Prophet's nomination of Imam Ali before. The first principle of his policy was to conceal his real intentions and to have his own wishes satisfied through the agency of others.

The need for the establishment of the SHURA was to provide allies for UTHMAN from every powerful tribe. This was based on the same principle as the plan of QURAISH to assassinate the Prophet through the agency of a number of young men taken from every powerful tribe. In addition to this is the fact that SA'D and ABD AL-RAHMAN IBN AWF were the two richest and most influential persons in Medina. If they elected UTHMAN, they would certainly support him. When the wealthy class headed by these two persons joined up with BANU OMAYYA to support UTHMAN, BANU HASHIM would be helpless to dislodge him. Moreover, MU'AWIYA was already established in Syria to act as his guardian angel. Thus encircled and checkmated, the subjugation of BANU HASHIM was assured.