Bazigaar
Age: 124
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Omar's Letter to the Nile
The Coptics were Christians. But they followed a savage practice. They used to hold a big festival in the early summer each year. This was a day of general merrymaking. However, the day was also marred with human sacrifice. A beatiful maiden, dressed as a bride, was thrown into the Nile. People that that the sacrifice was necessary to please the Nile, and get a big flood of water for their parched fields. If the Nile got displeased, they thought, there would be no flood and hence no crops.
The Coptics asked Amr's permission to sacrifice a maiden as usual. He disallowed the savage act. It so happened that the Nile had very little water that year. Crops failed. Many of the peasants decided to leave the country. Amr wrote to the Caliph for advice.
The Caliph approved Amr's action. He also sent a letter, addressed to the Nile. It said:
"From the servant of Allah and Commander of the Muslims to the River of the Nile of Egypt. O Nile, if you flow of your own will, then do not flow. But if your flow is controlled by Allah, the Almighty, we pray to Him to keep you flowing."
This letter was thrown into the river, as directed by the Caliph. The river overflowed its banks that year. Such a big flood had not been seen for years. The country was once again green with crops. The peasants were happy. The savage practice of human sacrifice came to an end for ever.
Omar's Death
There lived in Medina a Persian slave, Abu Lolo Firoz by name. One day, he came to the Calpih and said, "My master squeezes too heavy a tax out of me. Please get it reduced."
"How much is the tax?" asked Omar.
"Two dirhams a day," replied the slave.
"And what skills do you posses?" was the next question of the Caliph.
"I am a carpentar, a painter, and a black-smith," Firoz said.
"Then the tax is by no means too heavy," the Calpih remarked. "A person with your skills can easy pay this tax and shall live comfortably."
"All right, I will settle with you," grunted the slave as he went away.
Omar took no notice of the words.
"I have been rebuked by a slave." he remarked with a smile.
Early next morning Omar went to the mosque as usual to lead the prayer. Abu Lolo was already hiding in the corner, with a dagger in hand. As soon as Omar began the prayer, the slave jumped on him. He gave six cuts with the dagger on the Caliph's body. The horrified worshippers overpowered the assasin. Thereupon the wretch slew himself with the same dagger.
Omar kept lying in a pool of blood until the prayer was over. Then he was carried home.
"Who is my assasin?" he asked.
"Abu Lolo," said the people.
"Allah be thanked!" said Omar. "It is not a Muslim who has shed my blood."
A physician was called in to dress and treat the wounds of the Caliph. He said they were too deep to be healed. At this many people who stood around began to weep.
"Please do not weep," implored Omar. "Have you not heard the Messenger of Allah say that the weeping of relatives adds to the torture of the dead person?"
Finding his end in sight, Omar called his son, Abdullah.
"My son," he said, "go to Aisha. Give her Omar's greetings. Do not refer to me as the Commander of the Faithful; for I am no longer one. Place before her my wish to be buried in her room, by the side of the Prophet and my illustrious predecessor."
Abdullah found Aisha weeping. He delivered his father's message to her.
"I wanted to reserve this spot for my own grave, but I prefer Omar to myself," said Aisha.
Abdullah conveyed Aisha's consent to his dying father.
"Allah be thanked!" said Omar. "This was the greatest wish of my life. But look, son, when you take my dead body to Aisha's room, again give her my greetings and ask her permission. If she allows, bury me there, otherwise bury me in the graveyard of Medina."
Question of Successor
People asked the dying Caliph to name the man who should fill his place.
"If I do so," said Omar, "I have the example of Abu Bakr before me. But if I do not do it, there is the example of the Messenger of Allah. If Abu Obaida Jarrah had been alive, I would have nominated him. That is because I heard the Prophet of Allah call him 'the trustee of the people.' Of if Hazifa's slave, Salim, had been alive, I would have nominated him. That is because I heard the Prophet of Allah call him 'an ardent lover of Allah.'"
"Nominate your own son Abdullah," suggested someone. "Because of his learning and piety he is a very fit person."
"One man is enough from Khattab's family," spoke back Omar, "to answer before Allah, for the management of the affairs of Islam. If Omar can render an even account, he will feel most happy. I have borne this burder during this life. I don't want to keep it on my shoulders after I am dead."
When aksed again about this question, he said, "There are six men. The Prophet of Allah has foretold about their entering the kingdom of heaven. They are Ali, Othman, Abdur Rahman bin Auf, Saad bin Abi Waqqas, Zubair bin Awam and Talha bin Obaidullah. I ask them to sit together and choose one of them as the Caliph. If all of them cannot agree on the name, let the vote of the majority decide on the matter."
Omar left a will for his successor which said:
"Fear Allah and protect the rights o the Muhajireen and the Ansar. Take from the rich and give to the poor. Treat the non-Muslims well and always keep your word."
The End
As the end drew in sight, Omar began to weep, because of the fear of Allah.
"My son," he called out to Abdullah, "help me put my forehead on the ground."
Abdullah obeyed.
"O Allah," murmured the dying Caliph, "cover me with Your forgiveness. If that does not happen, woe to me and woe to the mother who bore me."
The next moment Omar was in the lap of Allah's mercy and forgiveness. He died on Wednesaday the 27th of Dhul Hajjah, 23 A.H., after lying wounded for three days. He was sixty-three at the time of death.
The Years of Omar's Calphate
Omar was Caliph for ten and a half years. This period stands out as the golden age of Islam. The tender plant which the Holy Prophet left behind and Abu Bakr had protected against storms grew into a huge overspreading tree under Omar's untiring care. Islam became a world power. It could now stand the wear and tear ot time. The thing for which the Holy Prophet had prayed years before was now a fact. Omar had made Islam strong and great! Thereby he had also made his own name immortal.
Omar's amazing success was due to two things - his fear of Allah and his love for the Prophet. In all his dealings he never forgot for a second that he was answerable to Allah. He strictly followed the example set by the Prophet. These two things made him at once the most powerful ruler and the most selfless man of his time. He used all his power for the greater glory of Allah and His Prophet.
Omar's armies overthrew two mighty empires of the time. But he himself led an extremely simple and hard life. Hurmuzan, the ruler of Ahwaz, came up for an interview with the Caliph of Medina. He was dressed in shining silks and was wearing a crown set with jewels. But he was stunned to see the Caliph in coarse, patched clothes.
Besides the small monthly allowance that he was allowed, Omar would not spend a penny from the public funds on himself or his family.
He had diplomatic relations with other rulers. Once his wife asked the envoy to Byzantium to take for the Emperor's wife her gift of a phial of scent. In return the Empress went he a necklace of pearls. Omar came to know of this and gave the necklace to the Public treasury. "The envoy travelled at public expense," he told his wife.
At night the Caliph would burn oil from the Bait-ul-Mal (Public Treasury) only as long as he went through official papers. After that he put out the lamp, even though there was no other light in the house.
Omar personally looked into the smallest affairs of the people. He worked like a laboror all day. At night, he went around the city to find out for himself how people lived and felt. He was ever ready to help those who needed his help. He would carry supplies on his shoulders and deliver them at the homes of the poor. Nothing could stop Omar from doing his duty to the people.
All citizens, including the Caliph himself, were equal before the law. Once Omar appeared before the court of Medina. Somebody had made a complaint against him. The judge stood up to show respect to the Caliph as he entered the court. "This is the first injustice you have done to the plantiff," said Omar, addressing the judge. Modern democratic states have yet to reach this level of democracy. Their heads cannot be summoned before an ordinary court.
The greatest desire of Omar was to see the blessings of Islam flow in full measure to all people, in all countries under him. He himself could be approached by anybody. Even the humblest of men could stop him in the street. He could ask the Caliph why he had done a particular thing. A poor woman could speak back to him. She could point out to him any of his mistakes. With all his power and piet, he never considered himself above mistakes. He welcomed the opinions of those who differed with him. In fact he used to say, "Allah's mercy be on those who bring me the knowledge of my shortcomings."
Omar wanted his deputies to be as democratic as he himself was. He dreaded very much the anti-democratic traditions of Iran and Byzantium. He was afraid lest these traditions should encrust the free spirit of Islam. So his governors had strict orders not to cut themselves off from the people. They had orders to eat simple food and wear simple dress. They were forbidden to build porches in front of their houses. They were forbidden to have door-keepers. Omar insisted that the rulers should be one with the people. He insisted that they should mix freely with the people. He wanted them to be at the call of every man and woman who lived under their rule. To make sure of this, Omar kept himself in close touch with the day-to-day doings of his officers. Trusted observers went round in the vast empire of Islam and sent reports to the Caliph.
Once Omar came to know that one of his governors had cut himself off from the people. At once he was called to Medina. The Calpih made him take off his silk robes. The he sent the fellow into the desert to tend a herd of sheep. No rank was too high to sway Omar's hand of justice.
Omar had a huge empire to manage. He proved more then equal to the task. He was called upon to look after huge military campaigns, going on at one and the same time, in the east and the west. He met this challenge with amazing success. History was nothing to put beside this achievement. Next he was called upon to bring peace and order to his vast empire. Here again his success was unequalled. The freedom, justice and security which he gave to his people were unknown in any other part of the world. In short, Omar made himself the fountain-head from which flowed the undiluted blessings by the Holy Prophet for manking.
