The Rightly Guided Khalifahs- Hazrat Usman ibn Affan (R.A.)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Asalamualaykum,

 I was planning to give you information on the first four Rightly Guided Khalifah’s, so now I shall continue  with the third  Khalifa Hazrat Usman (R.A.) . Hazrat Usman (R.A.) was born in Makkah, he was also related to our Prophet (S.A.W.) through their great grandfather Abd Manaf. He belonged to the Ummayad tribe of Quraysh, he was also the first to accept Islam from the Ummayads. He was one of the rich merchants of Makkah & even in the days of ignorance he lead a very clean & virtuous life. Hazrat Usman was a wealthy trader and helped poor Muslims and released many of the Muslim slaves from their pagan masters.

Hazrat Usman embraced Islam at the suggestion of Hazrat Abu Bakr but, when his family heard of his reversion his uncle tied him in ropes and beat him, thus he was one of those Muslims who had to suffer persecution, degradation and humiliation at the hands of the pagans of Makkah.

Hazrat Usman (R.A.) and his wife Ruqayya bint Mohammad ( daughter of Prophet Muhammad) along with a few other Muslims decided to migrate to Abyssinia following the advice of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). In 622 A.D. Hazrat Usman along with his with migrated to Madinah, thus he was one of those persons who performed Hijrat in the way of Allah, twice.

Hazrat Usman took part in all the important battles, Battle of Badr is an exception as the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) asked him to stay back for Ruqayya was in a critical condition. But when the war ended and our Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) went to meet her, he got to know that she had already died before the war ended.

After Ruqayya’s death, Usman (R.A.) married Umm-e- Kulsum, Prophet Muhammad’s (S.A.W.) other daughter. Hazrat Usman from then onwards was called ‘Dhun Nurain’  ie. Possessor of the two lights.

After the treaty of Hudaibiya Hazrat Usman earned the title of ‘Ghani’ for he spent his wealth freely in the service of Islam and the Muslims. In Madinah the Muslims faced the  scarcity of water, so Hazrat Usman bought a well from a Jew for 20,000 Dirhams and gifted it to the Muslims for their use. Pleased with this act Prophet  Muhammad (S.A.W.) gave him the tidings of paradise.

Hazrat Usman was regarded an authority on the Muslim Law of Inheritance. Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique, the first Khalifah, and Hazrat Umar Farooq (R.A.) had a high regard for him, and often took his advice for a number of matters and problems of several Muslims, particularly in matters of Fiqh. He was one of the 6 men included in the panel, nominated by Hazrat Umar before his death for succession as Khalifa.

He succeeded  Hazrat Umar as the 3rd Khalifa of the Islamic State in 24 A.H. and remained in the office till 35 A.H. when he was assassinated at the age of 82 and was buried in Jannat Ul Baqi in Madina.

Hazrat Usman (R.A.) was an upright, dutiful and generous man. I feel that a single page of words cannot fulfill the works done by such great personalities, and cannot explain a man of such great abilities.

JazakAllah Khair

– Hafsah Khan

 

Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (R.A.) : The Sword of Allah

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

 

Asalamualaykum,

Khalid bin Waleed (R.A.) was born in Makkah to Waleed Bin Mughira, chief of Banu Makhzum, a clan of the Arab tribe of Quraysh. Banu Makhzum was one of the three leading clans of the Quraysh and were responsible for matters of war. It is no wonder then that the upbringing of a child from Banu Makhzoom was done under special conditions. Soon after birth, the child is sent to live with the Bedouins in the desert, away from pollution and corruption. By the age of five or six, they return to their parents.

As Banu Makhzum were responsible for warfare, it goes without saying that these people were very skilled with use the spear, the lance, the bow, the sword and were amongst the best horsemen of Arabia. Khalid Bin Waleed (R.A.) Is known to have been especially good with the lance and a champion wrestler of his time. Hazrat Khalid Bin Waleed (R.A.) was also the cousin of Umar Bin Khattab (R.A.),  (one of the first few Rightly guided Khalifahs of Islam) and so they shared a lot of resemblance in the way they looked. They were both tall and had well-built bodies with broad shoulders.

Not much is known about Hazrat Khalid (R.A.) during the early days of the preaching of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). His father was known for his hostility against Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.). Khalid Bin Waleed did not take part in the battle of Badr, which was the first battle between the Muslims and the unbelievers, but he did fight against the Muslims in the battle of Uhud.

He later converted to Islam  and joined Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) in the conquest of Mecca in ;thereafter he commanded a number of conquests and missions in the Arabian Peninsula.

After the death of Muhammad, Khalid recaptured a number of provinces that were breaking away from Islam. He was sent northeastward by the caliph Abu Bakr to invade Iraq, where he conquered Al-Ḥirah. Crossing the desert, he aided in the conquest of Syria. Routing the Byzantine armies, he surrounded Damascus, which surrendered on Sept. 4, 635, and pushed northward. Early in 636 he withdrew south of the Yarmuk River before a powerful Byzantine force that advanced from the north and from the coast of Palestine. The Byzantine armies were composed mainly of Christian Arab, Armenian, and other auxiliaries, however; and when many of these deserted the Byzantines, Khalid, reinforced from Medina and possibly from the Syrian Arab tribes, attacked and destroyed the remaining Byzantine forces along the ravines of the Yarmuk valley (Aug. 20, 636). Almost 50,000 Byzantine troops were slaughtered, which opened the way for many other Islamic conquests. His bravery and great work in the way of Allah and in spreading Islam was got him the title of سيفالله  (Saif Allah) which translates to “The Sword of Allah” Khalid’s (R.A.) conversion to Islam  “A man like Khalid, can’t keep himself away from Islam for long”. Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.

Khalid bin Waleed was the son of the chieftain of the tribe of Banu Makhzoom, Waleed bin Mughaira. In his youth, the qualities of foresight and planning bloomed to perfection and he occupied an enviable position among the youths of Banu Makhzum. He was blessed with a graceful physique and had a dignified bearing.

Before he accepted Islam, in every battle, he used to enter the battlefield challenging the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.). On one occasion when the Prophet (S.A.W.) was leading the Zuhr prayer in the battlefield, with his army behind him, Khalid bin Waleed was tempted to take advantage of this opportunity and attack the Muslims who would thereby suffer great losses. But some invisible force seemed to hold him back and he was never able to gather enough courage to do it. The same episode happened during the Asr prayers and Khalid bin Waleed realized that some unseen power was protecting the Prophet(S.A.W.) and surely one day Prophet (S.A.W.) would conquer not only the whole of Arabia but the entire world.

When the Prophet(S.A.W.) signed the peace treaty of Hudaybiyah, Khalid bin Waleed began to wonder what would follow next and thought about his own future. He could not seem to decide whether he wanted to give up his warrior’s life or not. At this moment, he received a letter from his brother who had converted to Islam. He wrote in very affectionate terms that the Prophet (S.A.W.) had asked him where Khalid bin Waleed was. His brother had answered respectfully that Allah Almighty would surely one day bring Khalid bin Waleed to the Prophet(S.A.W.) to embrace Islam. He had told the Prophet  that his intelligent, perspective and able brother should not be deprived of the blessings of Allah Almighty and Islam. This persuaded the mind of Khalid bin Waleed more towards Islam and he felt very elated and proud that the Prophet (S.A.W.) had asked about him.

During this time, he dreamt that he was moving out of a tiny, dark and dirty place into a vast green fertile field. When he woke up he felt extremely pleasant and made up his mind to go to Madinah. When Khalid bin Waleed met the Prophet (S.A.W.), he respectfully greeted him and was greeted back with a smile. Khalid bin Waleed then took the pledge of allegiance, swearing on the palm of the Prophet(pbuh).The Prophet(pbuh) affectionately told Khalid bin Waleed “I was sure, taking into consideration your brilliance, your wisdom and foresight that surely one day you would accept Islam as your religion”.

In 633 A.D. Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) ordered Khalid Bin Waleed to proceed to the border of the Persian empire. There were four other columns, each under different commanders, these were also directed to proceed to reinforce the main Muslim army under the command of Hazrat Khalid (R.A.) Khalid bin Waleed sent a letter to Hurmuz, who was at that point of time the commander of the Persian Army… giving him 3 choices:

1. To accept Islam.

2. Pay Jizya ; (which is a poll tax that early Islamic rulers  demanded from their non-Muslim subjects. This tax applied especially to  followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism, who were tolerated in  the practice of their religion because they were “peoples of the book.” In return for this tax, the people of the area were sworn to protection by the Muslims.)

3. If they didn’t agree with the other two options, then they should be ready for war.

Hurmuz, having accepted the third alternative, gathered his forces and set out from Uballa – the main port of Iraq – to meet the Muslim forces at Kazima. The Muslim army stood there all set to fight, so the Persians were forced to go into action immediately. The Battle of Kazima was also known as the Battle of Chains as the Persians stood together linked in chains. Due to the heavy attack of Muslims, Persians were forced to fall back. As they retreated bound together in chains, they were killed in large numbers. Before sunset the Muslims had won the war and the Persians suffered a humiliating defeat. Many of the Persians were killed including Hurmuz but many were taken captives.

There are many more battles which were led by Hazrat Khalid like the Battle of Mazar, Battle of Walaja, Battle of Ulleis, Battle of En-at-Tamr, Battle of Basra, Battle of Ajnadein, I will In Shaa Allah give information on these topics as well.

Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (R.A.) was a great  personality and deserves to be known, before dying he said “I’ve fought in so many battles seeking martyrdom that there is no spot in my body left without a scar or a wound made by a spear or sword. And yet here I am, dying on my bed like an old camel. May the eyes of the cowards never rest”  The wife of Khalid, upon feeling such a pain of her husband told Khalid: “You were given the title of ‘Saif-ullah’ meaning, ‘The Sword of Allah’ and, the sword of Allah is not meant to be broken and hence, it is not your destiny to be a ‘martyr’ but to die like a conqueror.”

JazakAllah Khair

– Hafsah Khan

The Rightly Guided Khalifahs – Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A.)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

   I had given a short introduction on Hazrat Abu Bakr in my earlier post. Here’s a little more about one of the greatest Companions of the Prophet (P.B.U.H.):-

Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A.), son of Abu Qahafa, was born to a very  respectable family of Makkah. He was a very close friend of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), in fact they were friends from their childhood and remained friends throughout their lives.

He was the first, free male adult to believe in the Holy Prophet. He accepted Islam without any hesitation, argument or reluctance. After the Prophet, he was the greatest campaigner of Islam.

At the time when the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) started spearing the Message of the Oneness of Allah, a lot of slaves embraced Islam. Because of this, their non- believer masters used to torture them. Abu Bakr (R.A.) freed a lot of such people at the time.

Hazrat Abu Bakr’s life was completely devoted to the cause of Islam. He was always there for the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) whenever there was the need. Whenever the Quraysh tried to hurt or ill treated  our beloved Prophet, Abu Bakr (R.A.) always stepped forward to protect him.

After the death of Hazrat Khadijah (R.A.) The first wife of the Prophet (P.B.U.H.), Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) gave his daughter Aisha’s hand in marriage to him. This made their friendship even more stronger.

When Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) narrated the experience of his Ascension to heaven, Abu Bakr accepted it without any hesitation and keeping in mind this incident, our beloved Prophet gave him the title of ‘Al-Siddiq’ which means ‘Testifier to the Truth.’ He accompanied the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) during the migration from Makkah to Madinah.

Abu Bakr (R.A.) was very generous and open-handed when it came to contributing to any Islamic endeavours. In Madinah, when the Holy Prophet purchased a plot of land for the construction of a mosque, Hazrat Abu Bakr paid its cost.

When the Holy Prophet asked for contributtions for the Tabuk Expedition, Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) donated all he had, saying that for him and his family, Allah and His Prophet were enough. He was appointed by the Prophet (S.A.W.) as Ameer-e-Haj and also to lead the congregationnal prayers during the Prophets illness.

When the Prophet (S.A.W.) died, the entire Muslim society was thrown into confusion, at this point of time,  Abu Bakr Siddiq (R.A.) exercised remarkable self control.

When the Muslims heard of the Prophet’s death, they rushed towards the Mosque. The people were overwhelmed and did not realize what had actually happened… They became like scattered sheep on a rainy night without their shepherd. What were they to do? Abu Bakr

Proceeded towards the prophet’s house and uncovered his face to make sure that he was actually dead. He then went to the Mosque and found Umar still stating that the Prophet had not died. Abu Bakr ordered Umar to sit down; Umar refused until he ordered him three times; yet, Umar still refused. Thus, Abu Bakr stood in another corner of the Mosque and addressed the people:

“He who worships Muhammad should be informed that Muhammad has died. He who worships Allah should know that Allah is ever-living and does not die.”

Abu Bakr then recited the following verse:

“Muhammad is no more than a Prophet: many were the Apostles that passed away before him. If he died or was slain, will ye then turn back your heels?”

When the Muslims heard this, they submitted to the fact.

Abu Bakr was chosen as the first Khalifah of Islam. Being the head of the Islamic state, he brought unity amongst the Muslims, crushed the power of the false prophets and put an end to rebellions at home and abroad.

Abu Bakr Siddiq (R.A.) died in13 A.H. at the age of 63 in Madinah. He was buried by the side of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)

JazakAllah Khair

-Hafsah Khan

Scribes of The Great Revelations

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Asalamualaykum,

   The Holy Quran is a record of the Divine Revelations received by our beloved Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) through the angel, Jibreel (A.S), as a direct message from Allah (S.W.T).These Revalations began when our Prophet Muhammmad (S.A.W) was 40 years old…and went on for about 23 years till the death of our beloved in 632 A.D. These messages received from time to time were recited by Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), to his companions who were currently near him and were written on leather, palm leaves,tablets of stone, and bones of camels. The verses were also learnt by heart.It is believed that there were about 15 copies of the complete Quran written down.

  Last time we talked about the revelation of the Quran and the Night of Power, and this time I’ll tell you a little about the scribes of the Divine Revelation

   The scribes of the Quran from amongst the companions of the Prophet (S.A.W) are said to be 40 in number, but the most prominent people were:-

1. Hazrat Abu Bakr:-

   He was a very close friend of the Holy Prophet, in fact, they were friends from their childhood and remained friends throughout their lives.

   He was the first, free, male adult to believe in the Holy Prophet. He accepted Islam without any hesitation, argument or reluctance. After the Prophet, he was the greatest campaigner of Islam.

2. Hazrat Umar:-

   Hazrat Umar, the son of Khattab was born in Makkah. He was about twelve years after the birth of the Holy Prophet. His father who was an educated, respectable merchant of Makkah taught him reading and writing.After his acceptance of Islam, he received the title of Farooq which means, ‘who distinguishes between right and wrong.’

3. Hazrat Usman:-

   Hazrat Usman, was born in Makkah 5 years after the birth of the Prophet (S.A.W). He was related to our beloved Prophet through their great-grand father, Abd Manaf.

   He belonged to the Ummayad tribe and was the first Ummayad to accept Islam,he accepted Islam by the suggestion of Hazrat Abu Bakr.

4. Hazrat Ali:-

Hazrat Ali was the son of Abu Talib, an uncle of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W). The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) took Hazrat Ali under his own care and protection.He was ten years old when the Prophet (S.A.W.) was conferred to Islam. Ali was the second person to embrace Islam, the first being Hazrat Khadijah (R.A.A.). He learned reading and writing while he was still a boy, which was a great achievement as education was not a very big part of Arab culture back then. The first teaching of Islam, however was to gain knowledge. Hazrat Ali (R.A.A) learned the whole Qur’an by heart during the lifetime of the Prophet (S.A.W.)

5. Abdullah bin Masoodd:-

   Abdullah Bin Masud was one of the most favorite companions of Prophet Muhammed (S.A.W). He is known as Sahabi bin Sahabiyah because his brother and mother belonged to the earlier Companions of the Prophet (S.A.W.). After embracing Islam, he gave up all other business and would always remain present in the service of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). He started to learn the Quran with fondness and attention and is said to be the first one to recite the Quran openly in Makkah. Because of his closeness of the Prophet (S.A.W.), Hazrat Umar greatly appreciated his deep knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah and often consulted him on these matters. He is said to have authority on some eight hundred traditions.

6. Zaid bin Thabit:-

  Zaid Bin Sabit was the principal scribe of the Holy Quran. He accepted Islam when he was eleven years old. After his migration to Madinah, he was appointed by the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) to write down the revelations received by him.

7.Ameer Muawiyah

  Ameer Muawiyah was the son of Abu Sufyan who was the leader of the Quraysh and for a long time, one of the bitterest enemies of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). After the conquest of Makkah, he along with his father and other members of the Banu Umayya accepted Islam and devoted himself to its cause. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) appointed him as his secretary.

8. Ubbay bin Ka’ab

  Ubbay bin Ka’ab was one of the main scribes in Madinah who wrote down the Revelations of the Holy Quran. He was one of the distinguished companions of the Holy Prophet and a person of high esteem in the early Muslim community. He served as a scribe to the Holy Prophet and wrote letters for him. The last verse of the Holy Quran, revealed in 10 A.H. is said to be written down by him.At the time of the death of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.), he was one of those who knew the Holy Quran by heart and is said to have possessed his own copy of the sacred text. His recitation of the Quran was so beautiful and his understanding so profound that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) encouraged his companions to learn the Quran from him.

Jazakallah Khair

-Hafsah Khan