FAQ in the category of Companions

1 What is the definition of sahaba? Who is called a sahabi?

Islamic scholars expressed different views regarding the definition of "sahabi (companion)". Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani dealt with the issue in his book called "al-Isaba"; he explained the sound views regarding the issue at length. We will give a summary of his study here. 

Ibn Hajar says, "The best definition of sahabi I found is as follows:  

"A sahabi is a person who believed in the Prophet (pbuh), who came together with the Prophet and who died as a Muslim."

According to the generalization "who came together with the Prophet " mentioned in the definition, a person who sat in the same place as him for a short or long time, who reported or did not report a hadith from him, who joined or did not join a war with him, who saw him only once even if he did not sit in the same place as him or a person who did not see him because he was blind or due to some other reasons is called a sahabi.  

According to the phrase "who believed in the Prophet" mentioned in the definition, a person who met the Prophet (pbuh) when he was an unbeliever and who became a Muslim afterwards but did not see the Prophet (pbuh) again is not regarded as a "sahabi".

According to the phrase "died as a Muslim" mentioned in the definition, a person who met the Prophet (pbuh), believed in him, then became an unbeliever again and died as an unbeliever is not regarded as a "sahabi". There were some people like that though they were very few.  On the other hand, a person who met the Prophet (pbuh), believed in him, then became an unbeliever again and became a believer again is regarded as a "sahabi" whether he met the Prophet again or not.

It is based on the soundest view preferred by hadith scholars like the teacher of Bukhari, Ahmad bin Hanbal and the scholars who followed them. On the other hand, there are some different views preferred by very few scholars. (al-Isaba, 1/7-8)

After these explanations, different definitions and evaluations regarding the issue are as follows:

First, we will list the definitions of sahabi in summary; then, we will mention the most preferred and accepted view.

1) Sahabi: A person who spent some time with the Prophet (pbuh), reported hadiths from him and knew about him.(1) Scholars of Usul (Principles of Religion) and some other scholars hold this view. (2)

2) Sahabi: A person who spent one or two years with the Prophet (pbuh) and joined one or two battles with him. This definition is usually reported from Said b. al-Musayyab.(3) However, according to this definition, many people who are known as sahabis will be excluded. Besides, it is stated that this narration is weak.(4)

3) Sahabi: A person who spent a long time with the Prophet (pbuh) and reported hadiths from him.(5)

4) Sahabi: A person who saw the Prophet (pbuh) as a Muslim and a sane person who has reached the age of puberty. (6)

5) Sahabi: A person who lived in the same period as the Prophet (pbuh) as a Muslim even if he did not see the Prophet (pbuh).(7)

6) Sahabi: A Muslim who had private (exclusive) talks with the Prophet (pbuh). This condition was put forward by Mawardi.(8)

7) Sahabi: "A person who believed in the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), met him and died as a Muslim." This is the definition about which Ibn Hajar said,"the truest knowledge that I was able to get".(9)

Bukhari did not put forward the condition of dying as a Muslim; he said, "A Muslim who talked to the Prophet (pbuh) and saw him is a Sahabi."(10) Ayni says the doubts that can come to the mind can be eliminated by adding the phrase "and died as a Muslim" to this definition.(11)

By using the phrase “who met him”, the definition of sahabi made by Ibn Hajar includes those who spent a long time or a short time with the Prophet (pbuh), those who reported or did not report hadiths from him, those who joined or did not join a battle with him and those who saw him or did not see him due to some reasons like blindness.(12)

It is understood from the phrase "who believed in the Prophet (pbuh)" in the definition that a person who saw the Prophet (pbuh) when he was an unbeliever and became a Muslim after that is not regarded as a sahabi if he did not see the Prophet after becoming a Muslim again (13) like the envoy of the kaiser.(14)

A person who saw the Prophet (pbuh) just after he died and before he was buried is not regarded as a sahabi like Abu Zuayb Khuwaylid b. Khalid al-Huzali.(15)

In the definition Ibn Hajar made, the condition of "believing in the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)" indicates that the People of the Book (Christians and Jews) are not regarded as sahabi if they saw the Prophet Muhammad since they believed in other prophets. As a matter of fact, the case of the People of the Book who saw him before his prophethood is the same. Ibn Hajar says it is a case of probability and gives the example of the priest Bahira.(16)

There are some scholars who say that the jinn and angels who saw the Prophet (pbuh) and believed in him are regarded as sahabi.(17)

A person who met the Prophet (pbuh) as a Muslim, then became an unbeliever - God forbid - again and died as an unbeliever is not regarded as a sahabi. However, if he becomes a Muslim again, he is regarded as a sahabi even if he died before seeing the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) like Qurra b. Maysara and Asas b. Qays.(18)

There are some scholars who put forward meeting the Prophet (pbuh) at the age of discretion (tamyiz) as a condition of being a sahabi but reaching the age of puberty is not a condition. There are some disagreements regarding the issue.  However, that Hasan and Husayn, the grandsons of the Prophet (pbuh), and many other children are regarded as sahabis serves as evidence that the age of discretion is enough to be regarded as a sahabi. It is disputable whether the children that the Prophet (pbuh) prayed for, put dates, etc in their mouths or gave names are regarded as sahabis or not.(19)

When a saint meets the spirit of the Prophet (pbuh) or when a person sees the Prophet (pbuh) in his dream, that person does not become a sahabi. It is necessary to see him while he was alive in this world.(20)

Footnotes:

1. Tadribu'r-Rawi, II/211; Umdatu'l-Qari, XVI/169; al-Isaba. I/8.
2. Those who hold this view base their view on the lexical meaning of the verb sahabi. In that case, many people are not regarded as sahabis. However, hadith scholars say, "A person who saw the Prophet (pbuh) even for a moment is regarded as a sahabi if he died as a Muslim." see (Umdatu'l-Qari, XVI/169; al-Isaba, I/8).
3. Tadribu'r-Rawi, II/211; al-Kifaya; 50-51; Umdatu'l-Qari; XVI/169; al- Baisu'l- Khasis, 152.
4. Umdatu'l-Qari, XVI/169.
5. Tadribu'r-Rawi, II/212; Umdatu'l-Qari,  XVI/169.
6. Umdatul-Qari,  XVI/169.; al-Isaba, I/8; Tadribu'r-Rawi, II/212.
7. Umdatul-Qari,  XVI/169; Tadribu'r-Rawi, II/212.
8. Tadribu'r-Rawi, II/213.
9. al-Isaba, I, 7; Umdatul-Qari, XVI, 169; al-Kifaya 151; Tadribu'r-Rawi II, 210.
10. Bukhari, Sahih, Fadail-i Ashabu'n-Nabi, 1, IV, 188.
11. Umdatul-Qari, XVI, 169.
12. al-Isaba, I, 7; Tadribu'r-Rawi, II, 210; Umdatul-Qari, XVI, 169.
13. al-Isaba ibid
14. Tadribu'r-Rawi, II, 209.
15. Tadribu'r-Rawi, ibid; al-Isaba, I, 8.
16. al-Isaba, I, 7.
17. al-Isaba, ibid.
18. Abu Hanifa and Imam Shafii hold the view that exiting Islam eradicates the honor of being a sahabi and that it is necessary to see the Prophet (pbuh) again in order to regain that honor. See Tadribu'r-Rawi, II, 209; al-Isaba, I, 8.
19. Tadribu'r-Rawi, II, 209; al-Isaba. I, 7-9.
20. Fathu'l-Bari, XIV, 136; Tadribu'r-Rawi, II, 210.

2 What are the verses and hadiths that praise the companions?

Companion is a term meaning a person who joined the talks of the Prophet (pbuh).

Many scholars made various definitions of the word Companion but some of them were criticized because the definition was so narrow as to exclude many Companions and others were criticized because the definition was so large as to include some people that were not Companions.

One of the definitions is as follows:

“A person who saw and met the Prophet (pbuh) as a believer and died as a Muslim.” (Ibn Hajar, al-Isaba, I, 6)

The generation of the Companions has an important place in the religion because they were loyal to the Messenger of Allah, they supported him and worked extraordinarily to spread Islam and to make it understood well when the Prophet was alive and after his death.

In fact, the generation of the Companions does not have a superiority to other people as individuals; they are not innocent and sinless either. However, most of them started a new life after polytheism thanks to the verses that were sent down and the education given to them by the Prophet (pbuh); they practiced Islam, which they learned from the Messenger of Allah personally, in the best way and became models for the ummah to come after them.  

Therefore, the Messenger of Allah advised his ummah to accept them as models and he indicated the line of the Companions as the continuation of the religion he brought and the system he established. (Tirmidhi, Iman, 18)

The sacrifices that the Companions made in order to spread Islam and protect the Messenger of Allah make the following generations envy them and astonish them. Islam settled, spread and reached the generations after them thanks to what they did.

It is known that the Companions played an important role in making the Prophet (pbuh) known by the generations that came after them.

What is known by the Messenger of Allah and his personality is the information given by the Companions. If it had not been for the Companions, we would not have reliable information about the Prophet and Islam today.

The reasons for the revelation of the chapters and verses, the reason for the utterances of the hadiths, the application of the decrees of the Quran in daily life and the activities done by the Prophet during his prophethood are known thanks to the reports of the Companions.

The Companions, whom the Quran describes as “the best of peoples, evolved for mankind” (Aal-i Imran, 3/110), are regarded as the most valuable and virtuous generation of the ummah. They obtained this value and virtue thanks to their strong belief and exemplary deeds. They fulfilled the necessities of the new religion they accepted with full surrendering from the moment they accepted it. They were not forced to accept and practice that new religion but they spent most of their lives with the Messenger of Allah, took part in wars with him and worked hard in order to spread Islam.    

During this process, some of them were threatened, tortured and even killed by the enemies of Islam; some of them had to migrate to other places by leaving their homeland, wealth, wives and children but they did not give up their belief and their loyalty to Allah and His Messenger.

In the Quran, Allah Almighty

- praised the Companions as an Ummah justly balanced (al-Baqara, 2/143),
- stated that they answered the call of Allah and the Messenger and had a great reward (Aal-i Imran, 3/172),
- stated that He was well-pleased with them, as were they with Him and that He prepared for them gardens where they would stay eternally (at -Tawba, 9/100),

- stated that they were loyal believers that helped Allah and His Messenger (al-Hashr, 59/8),
- stated that they preferred others to their own souls though they were in need (al-Hashr, 59/9),
- stated that they would be forgiven as real believers and that they would be given sustenance generously in the hereafter (al-Anfal, 8/74).

When the Prophet (pbuh) mentioned the Companions, whose sacrifices he personally witnessed, he described them as

- the best generation in the history of humanity (Bukhari, Fadailu Ashabin-Nabi, 1),
- the best ones among the ummah (Musnad, V, 350),
- the people whom hellfire would not burn (Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 57),
- people of Paradise, (Muttaqi al-Hindi, XI, 539) and he wanted his ummah
- to entertain them, (Tayalisi, p. 7),
- to treat them well (Musnad, I, 26)
- and not to criticize them maliciously (Bukhari, Fadailu Ashabin-Nabi, 4).

After this short information, we will mention the Fadail as-Sahaba (virtues of the Companions).

Fadail as-Sahaba is a term used for the virtues of the Companions and the works written about them.

It is a branch of “ma‘rifatus-sahaba”, which is one of the sciences of hadith and which shows the superiority of the Companions and defends them against the enemies of the Companions; it is also used for the works written in that field. This phrase, which is generally used as Fadail as-Sahaba in resources, is also used in the form of “fadail al-ashab, manaqib as-sahaba, fadailu ashabin-nabi, and marifatus-sahaba”.

The Companions were praised in the Quran as “the best of peoples, evolved for mankind” (Aal-i Imran, 3/110) because they adhered to the Prophet (pbuh) by sacrificing their wealth and lives, worked hard to learn and teach the Quran, and to practice Islam.

The following Companions underwent big troubles and tortures in order to stick to belief in Allah, adhere to His prophet and book and to attain His consent:
- Bilal al-Habashi, Miqdad b. Aswad, Ammar b. Yasir, Suhayb ar-Rumi and Sumayya bint Habbat, who became Muslims in Makkah, were made wear iron vests and lie in the hot sun (Ibn Majah, “Muqaddima”, 11);
- Habbab b. Arat was placed on hot cinder and tortured (Ibn Sa‘d, III, 165);
- Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, Abdullah b. Mas‘ud and Zinnira ar-Rumiyya were beaten (Ibn Hajar, al-Isaba, II, 368; IV, 62, 311);
- Many Companions like Hz. Abu Bakr, Umar and Hamza dared to protect the Prophet (pbuh) despite threats of death and they migrated to Abyssinia in groups when the oppression and torture became beyond endurance. (Ibn Hisham, I, 321 ff)

During the collective boycott and siege in Makkah, they survived by eating grass, leaves and pieces of dry leather. (Bukhari, Fadailus-Sahaba, 15; Musnad, I, 181, 186; Abu Nuaym, Hilya, I, 93) When migration to Madinah was allowed, they left their homeland, wealth, houses and relatives, and migrated there.

The Muslims of Madinah (Ansar), who promised to protect the Prophet and Makkan muhajirs at the cost of their lives, shared their land, wealth, houses, vineyards and orchards with their guests gladly. (Ibn Sa‘d, III, 396; Bukhari, “Manaqibul-Ansar”, 3); They defended Islam and the Prophet at Badr, Uhud and Khandaq, and other battles against the armies stronger than them; they did not leave the Prophet alone even when they faced great hardships.

Every individual of the generation of the Companions, including 1500 of them who paid allegiance to the Messenger of Allah in Hudaybiyya by risking their lives in 628 (6 H), about 10.000 soldiers who conquered Makkah and the Companions who are narrated to be more than 100.000 (Suyuti, II, 220) when the Prophet (pbuh) died.

In addition, this generation, who were the live witnesses of the revelation and who served as a bridge to convey the Quran and the Sunnah to the generations after them, is praised in the Quran and it is stated that they are justly balanced (al-Baqara, 2/143), that they answered the call of Allah and the Messenger and had a great reward (Aal-i Imran, 3/172), that Allah was well-pleased with them, as were they with Him and that He prepared for them gardens where they would stay eternally. (at-Tawba, 9/100)

It is stated that the Companions were strong against unbelievers but compassionate amongst each other that they bowed and prostrated themselves in prayer seeking grace from Allah and His consent, that they were promised forgiveness and a great reward (al-Fath, 48/29), that they were loyal believers that helped Allah and His Messenger (al-Hashr 59/8), that they were distinguished people (an-Naml 27/59; Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, V, 245), that they preferred others to their own souls though they were in need (al-Hashr, 59/9), that they were forgiven (at-Tawba, 9/111), that they would be forgiven as real believers and that they would be given sustenance generously in the hereafter (al-Anfal 8/74); thus, their virtues and privileges were indicated.

Hz. Prophet (pbuh) praised his Companions, who were so self-sacrificing as to share their wealth and houses with their Muslim brothers, who were so loyal to the Messenger of Allah as to risk their lives lest he should be harmed, who were so sincere as to fight their fathers, children and relatives for their religion, as “the best generation in the history of humanity” (Bukhari, Fadailus-Sahaba, 1), “the best ones among the ummah” (Musnad, V, 350), “the people whom hellfire would not burn” (Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 57) and “people of Paradise” (Muttaqi al-Hindi, XI, 539). In addition, he ordered his ummah to entertain them (Tayalisi, p. 7), to treat them well (Musnad, I, 26), and not to criticize them maliciously (Bukhari, Fadailus-Sahaba, 4). He stated that if anyone spent gold equal to Mount Uhud in Allah's cause, it would not be equal to a mudd (about eight hundred grams) that the Companions spent (Bukhari, Fadailus-Sahaba”, 4) and that other people would not be able to reach their level in terms of virtue.

Along with verses and hadiths about the Companions in general, there are also narrations stating that some groups like muhajirs, Ansar, people of Badr, people of Uhud, people of Hudaybiyya, ashara al-mubashshara, and some individuals are people of Paradise. 

Issues of Virtue.

The main issues that are regarded as being virtues among the Companions are being among ashara al-mubashshara, muhajirs, Ansar, Ahl al-Bayt, people of Badr, people of Uhud, people of Khandaq, people of Pledge of Ridwan, and mothers of believers. In addition, individuals who were given the glad tiding of being a person of Paradise by the Prophet, to be among the first Muslims, to be tortured due to one’s belief, to spend a lot of money for the religion, to fight heroically in one or more battles, to be killed in war or under severe torture and to protect the Prophet by making great sacrifices are among the issues of virtue.

Furthermore, to receive a good prayer from the Prophet (pbuh), to be given a nickname like “sayfullah”, “aminul-ummah”, “hawari” due to an achievement or characteristic by the Messenger of Allah, to be shown special interest by the Prophet, to be appointed for an important duty by him, to be seen in a good dream by him, to be merciful, modest, generous and brave, to read the Quran beautifully, to give correct decrees, to know haram and halal very well, to be a specialist in sciences like qira’ah and faraid, a verse that has been sent down in accordance with the view of a person are also among the issues of the virtues of the Companions.

Not all Companions are at the same level in terms of virtues. There are differences of virtues, degrees and levels among the Companions due to reasons like being among the first Muslims and making great sacrifices.

Acting upon the fact that a Companion who saw the Prophet (pbuh) only once and a Companion who served the Prophet (pbuh) throughout his life cannot be equal, hadith scholars divided the Companions into five, twelve or seventeen levels based on various issues, especially becoming a Muslim earlier. (Qubaysi, p. 104 ff)

According to the creed of Ahl as-Sunnah, the most virtuous Companions are the Rightly-Guided Caliphs based on the order of caliphate and then the remaining six people form ashara al-mubashshara. According to Shiite belief, the most virtuous Companion is Hz. Ali. Ahl as-Sunnah scholars do not regard the Companions as innocent no matter how virtuous they were and did not say that they were protected from sins and that they were sinless. (Muhammad Shafi‘, p. 93)

Although there were disagreements and even fighting among the Companions related to some issues based on ijtihads in political issues, they uttered statements that praised one another considering the verses and hadiths about them. (see TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi, Sahabe ve Fezailü’s-sahabe item)

3 It is said that no wali (saint) can reach the degree of sahabas (companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)). Can you explain it? Some saints had a conversation with Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) after his death. Can they reach the level of sahaba?
4 Who are the ten people who were given the glad tidings of Paradise by Allah?

An expression which is used for the ten notable people from the Companions who were given the glad tidings of Paradise by the Prophet (pbuh) while they were alive. There is no proof on this subject in the Holy Qur’an but this subject is definite by the sound hadiths of the Messenger of and is a natural event according to the general principles of Islam. The expressions “Ashara al-Mubashshara” and “al-Mubashshirun bi’l-Jannah” were used relating to the companions of the Prophet Muhammad. The famous ten companions are these: Hz. Abu Bakr (d.634), Hz. Umar (d.643), Hz. Uthman (d.655), Hz. Ali(d.660), Hz. Abdurrahman b. Awf (d.652); Hz. Abu Ubayda b. al-Jarrah(d.639), Hz. Talha b. Ubaydullah (d.656), Hz. Zubayr b. Awwam (d.656), Hz. Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas (d.674), Hz. Sa’d b. Zayd (d.671). These mighty companions have unique charactersitics. For example: These personalities who were the first people to become Muslims in Mecca contributed greatly to The Holy Prophet and the cause of Islam. All of these companions attended the Battle of Badr, which was the first great jihad. They pledged allegiance to the Holy Prophet under the tree and promised to protect him and Islam forever on the day of Hudaybiya. They did not avoid fighting for Allah in the name of Islam against their close relatives. Some of the hadith-scholars have started their works with the hadiths that these ten companions reported. Also, some books that are only about “Ashara al-Mubashshara” were written. The virtues of them and that they were given the glad tidings of Paradise by the Messenger of Allah  are written in sound hadith books. (Tirmidhi, Manaqib,25; Ahmad b. Hanbal, I, 193)

5 What is the importance of love for Prophets companions, as some groups are considered aberrant because of their enmity towards some companions?

It is essential to explain the place of Honorable Companions in our religion, the importance of affection towards them and how Muslims should evaluate the controversies between some companions. 


 


The Honorable Companions became thorough inheritors and representatives to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). They walked on the right path, without tending to the right or to the left at all. Each of them became a guide, a leader on the paths leading to Allah. Whomever of them one follows, s/he will arrive in right path, bliss and safety. As a matter of fact, Allah bestowed upon them a feature, an attractiveness which attracts people to righteousness. They are elite and diligent characters with high ethics, whom Allah the Glorious loved in the assembly of souls and made them a halo around the Prophet. 


 


All of the companions without any exception were honored with the Prophets conversation. Their souls, minds, hearts, consciousnesses and all of their emotions were educated by Prophet and they grew with his knowledge. In other words, they directly benefited from the Sun like flowers on the southern sides of mountains and met with him. And Muslim generation who came after them benefited from not the Sun itself but from its light, like flowers on the northern sides of mountains. 


 


The great secret behind the fact that no saints (walis) who came after them can reach their level must be sought in that great difference. They witnessed the arrival of revelation in person. They saw angel Gabriel many times in the form of Dihya (a companion). They witnessed a lot of miracles. They were the first people to listen to the Quran, sent to lead people to the light, righteousness and bliss. They received the honor of being the first students of the Quran. They learnt the glorious realities in it from the Prophet. They made the Quran sovereign over their hearts, minds, souls and lives. They reached such knowledge, abundance, righteousness, loyalty, self-renunciation and generosity which no other people could reach after them. Their glances were filled with warning lessons, their ideas with knowledge and wisdom, and their hearts with divine love. Neither the world could make them its captives, nor could the beauty and attractiveness of Heaven capture them. They desired not the boons of world and hereafter, but the Creator of those boons Himself and they found Him. They led their lives with the honor of being servants merely to Allah. 



All of them are in the group that reached salvation. All of them are honored with being companions. Allah and His Messenger were consent with all of them and elevated them by extolling.


 


Allah the Glorious states that He is consent with the Honorable Companions and He prepared infinite boons and bliss for them in the chapter at-Tawbah:


 


The vanguard (of Islam)- the first of those who forsook (their homes) and of those who gave them aid, and (also) those who follow them in (all) good deeds,- well-pleased is God with them, as are they with Him: for them hath He prepared gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever: that is the supreme felicity. (at-Tawbah, 100)


 


Again in the same chapter, Allah the Glorious extols the Honorable Companions stating that they fought for the sake of Islam, sacrificing their lives and properties and gives them the good news with blessings and generosity:


 


But the Apostle, and those who believe with him, strive and fight with their wealth and their persons: for them are (all) good things: and it is they who will prosper. God hath prepared for them gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein: that is the supreme felicity. (at-Tawbah, 88-89) There are a lot of verses sent about Companions. We find it sufficient to quote the two verses above as examples.


The Messenger of Allah extolled the Honorable Companions with a lot of hadiths, telling his people about the greatness of their honorability and the fact that they were accepted in the presence of Allah and he threatened the ones who slandered them. We present some of these hadiths below:


 


My Companions are just.


 


If one loves a Companion, s/he does so because s/he loves me. If one becomes an enemy to them, s/he does so because s/he is an enemy to me.


 


The following hadith reveals that it is impossible to feel enmity towards any of the Honorable Companions and that all of them, without any exception, are torches of righteousness:


 


My Companions resemble stars. Whomever of them you follow, you will find the right path.


 


Although all heavenly bodies which are characterized as stars are equal, there are some differences between them in terms of size. In this sense, of course there are differences between Companions in terms of virtues and levels. Some of them were honored with the choice of Islam earlier than others and excelled them in service. Some of them excelled others in terms of justice and management. Another one was superior in mildness and generosity, while another one advanced in knowledge and braveness.


 


Now you can conclude what a great evil it is to talk about those stars of righteousness offensively, to love some of them and blacken the others.


 


It must be kept in mind that lots of religious realities about worship and moral values were taught by those Companions who were subject to unfair attacks. Attacking them is considered attacking Islam.


 


Yes,it means  to attack Islam itself to try to blacken those elite Companions of the Last Prophets, those understanding collocutors of his, those elite people, even the lowest of whom the greatest saint cannot reach, to the thawabs of whom more is being added with the every thawab gained by every Muslim until the Day of Judgment because of the rule of One who causes something is like the one who performs it in Islam.


 


Those who overstepped their limits by daring to judge that elite group who shed their blood for the sake of Islam and by finding one of them right while criticizing the other cannot dishonor those stars of righteousness; they can only prepare their own disastrous end with it.


 


Besides, the people, whom they dare to judge, are the outstanding ones of the Companions. Some of them were already given the good news of deserving to enter Heaven while alive. The Quran and our Prophet extolled those people whom they backbite.


 


Another strong proof to our argument is this: Sahih Bukhari is accepted by both the followers of Ahlu Sunnah and Shias as the most significant book after the Quran. Both sides agree on it. There are many hadiths about belief, worship and high ethics narrated by both sides of those conflicting Companions in Sahih Bukhari. Islamic jurisprudents and all Muslim community accepted all of them without any discrimination. People who narrated those hadiths did not also take the conflicts about companions into consideration while narrating them. They did not say, This hadith is not true because it is narrated by that companion who opposed to Hazrat Ali or Hazrat Muawiyah., which would be wrong.


 


In this sense, we come to this conclusion; all scholars of the centuries, Islamic jurisprudents, hadith narrators respected and loved all of the companions, and accepted the hadiths they narrated from the Prophet as the basic of the religion; without taking those conflicts into consideration. So how could we dare to turn those conflicts, which those significant people did not mind, to problems and trouble? 


 


By the way, it is also necessary to pay attention to this important reality:


 


Allah tells believers to refrain from prejudice in the chapter al-Hujurat:


 


Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? (al-Hujurat, 12)


 


Allah the Glorious informs us with that verse that backbiting a believer is as disgusting as eating a dead persons flesh and it is a kind of behavior which is not appropriate for a Muslim. What if the one that a believer backbites is one the Companions, and an outstanding one of them? You could now think of its danger.

6 How did Zayd bin Thabit learn foreign languages? What methods did the Prophet (pbuh) teach him about learning a language?

The Prophet Muhammad is an Arab. Allah Almighty sent him from among Arabs. The Prophet was born in Makkah and he grew up there. All of his ancestors were Arabs like him.

Allah sent down the Quran, His last book, in Arabic. The Prophet (pbuh) himself mentions his lineage and language as follows:

"I am an Arab in terms of lineage. I am a member of Qurayshi tribe. My language is the language of Sons of Sa'd."

Halima, the wet nurse of the Prophet, was a member of Sons of Sa'd. He lived with them for four years and learned their language; he learnt fluent and real Arabic.

As it is mentioned in tafsir, hadith and siyar books, the only language that the Prophet (pbuh) knew and spoke was Arabic. There is no resource mentioning that the Prophet spoke any other languages. It is stated in some resources that he uttered a few words in Persian but it does not mean that he spoke Persian. 

After the Prophet (pbuh) came to Madinah, delegations and letters started to come from various nations, especially the Jews living around Madinah. The Prophet advised Zayd bin Thabit, one of the revelation scribes, to learn Hebrew and Syriac in order to understand what the delegations said and to respond to the letters. There are hadiths in hadith books like Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Musnad, and siyar resources regarding the issue. For instance, as it is mentioned in Musnad, Zayd bin Thabit expresses it as follows:

"When the Messenger of Allah arrived in Madinah, I was a child. They took me to the Messenger of Allah. He liked me very much. They said to the Messenger of Allah:

'O Messenger of Allah! This child is from Sons of Najjar. He memorized more than ten chapters.'

The Messenger of Allah liked it very much. Once, he said to me,

"O Zayd! Learn the writing of Jews. By Allah, I cannot trust in what Jews write to me."

"I learned to read and write Hebrew in fifteen nights. After that, I started to read the letters Jews sent to the Messenger of Allah and to write them answers in Hebrew." (Musnad, V/136)

Zayd bin Thabit also learned Syrac because it was necessary.

Once, the Prophet (pbuh) received a letter in Syriac. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to Zayd bin Thabit,

"I receive letters in Syriac. Can you write in Syriac well?" Zayd said,

"I do not know Syriac."The Prophet (pbuh) said,

"Then, try to learn this language."

Hz. Zayd learned Syriac in seventeen days. It is a miracle of the Prophet that he learned it so quickly. After that, Zayd wrote the letters that came to the Prophet in Syriac and wrote answers to them. (Tirmidhi, Istidhan: 22; Abu Dawud, Ilm: 2)

It is clearly understood from the narrations above that the Prophet gave the letters that came to him in foreign languages to Zayd; it became his duty. Those narrations show that the Prophet did not speak any language other than Arabic.

(Mehmed Paksu, Meseleler ve Çözümleri - 1)

7 How should we evaluate the wars among the Companions (Sahaba)?

If a man kills a Believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein (for ever): and the wrath and the curse of Allah are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him. (Nisa 93)

If a person, whether he is a believer or an unbeliever, kills a believer intentionally, due to his belief, his punishment is going to Hell. He will be punished there for a long time, maybe forever because Allah has got very furious with him, has damned him and has prepared a great torture for him, not regarding him worthy of mercy.

The reason of the wars among the Companions is to find the truth. Both parties fought for the truth. As a matter of fact, the following is stated in a hadith, "The state of these two men is amazing in the presence of Allah: One of them kills the other but both of them go to Paradise. (Sunan Nasai; p. 411)"

Due to a question of ijtihad, a believer kills another believer but both of them go to Paradise since both of them are people of the truth. For instance, there were civil wars during the periods of Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Muawiyah and a Muslim killed another Muslim. Both of them went to Paradise because they fought for the sake of religion and based on an ijtihad.

How should Muslims see the disagreements that took place among the Companions?

The attribute of "ismah" (innocence), that is, "protection from sins through divine assistance” belongs to the prophets only. Only prophets are infallible. Since the Companions do not have this attribute, it cannot be said that the Companions never made mistakes. However, a Muslim does not exit Islam when he makes a mistake; likewise, a Companion does not lose the honor of being a Companion when he makes a mistake.

All of the mujtahids of four madhhabs evaluated the disagreements and conflicts among the Honorable Companions as follows: All of the Companions are mujtahids. They have the right before everybody else to make ijtihad regarding the issues that are not stated clearly in the Quran and hadiths. It is a definite rule in the methodology of fiqh that if someone has the right to make ijtihad, he does not have to act in accordance with the ijtihad of another mujtahid. The conflicts, arguments and battles that took place among them arose from the difference of ijtihad. Their own desires and wishes had nothing with their disagreements because they had been freed from the bad attributes like hatred, enmity and animosity by the religious talks of the Prophet. Their souls were purified from such mean qualities; and they became pure and lofty.  

Yes, each one of the Companions was a mujtahid in establishing the religion of Islam. As it is known, if a mujtahid is right in his ijtihad, he gains two rewards; if he is wrong in his ijtihad, he gains one reward. The ijtihads of those distinguished companions, who sacrificed their property and lives for Islam and who had no other goal but to exalt and spread Islam, aimed to exalt Islam. Their love and determination for Islam was so great that they did not refrain from expressing the view that was contrary to that of the Prophet during the Battle of Uhud. They stated their view clearly by saying, "We think that the success of Islam depends on this view." When most of the Companions had the opposite view, the Prophet (pbuh) had to do what they wanted. The events that took place later justified the Prophet. Not even a single verse was sent down by God Almighty to warn the Companions although the Quran was still being sent down then. Allah did not warn them with any verses; on the contrary, He ordered His Prophet to continue asking their views as he did previously. The Messenger of Allah did not blame them; he still loved them and showed compassion to them; he continued asking their ideas as he was ordered by Allah. Even only this incident is enough to show clearly that the Companions were appreciated by Allah and His Messenger and that they had the right to make ijtihad.

Now let us think justly. How can we dare to judge them because of the disagreements among them although neither Allah nor the Messenger of Allah warned them because they made a different ijtihad from that of the Prophet? It is necessary for a person who has the slightest degree of conscience, foresight and understanding not to try to commit a sin like that.  

If we dare to transgress our limits and try to judge those distinguished people, who sacrificed their blood for the establishment of Islam, and justify some of them while criticizing others, we will not besmirch those stars of guidance but pave the way for ruining ourselves.

Besides, the people that we judge are the most distinguished ones of the Companions. Some of them were given the glad tidings that they would enter Paradise while they were alive. Those people, whom we talk about, were praised by the Quran and the Prophet.

We should never forget about it and we should be very cautious about the disagreements among the Companions; we should avoid transgressing our limits.

If the disagreement among the Companions had not been legitimate and reasonable, a command to prevent them would have been sent down. As a matter of fact, when the Companions spoke loudly in the presence of the Prophet (pbuh) the following verse was sent down to warn them:

"O ye who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk, as ye may speak aloud to one another lest your deeds become vain and ye perceive not." (al-Hujurat, 2)

The believers are asked to avoid having bad thoughts about others:

"Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?" (al-Hujurat, 12)

In the verse, God Almighty informs us that to backbite a believer is as ugly as to eat the flesh of a dead person and that it does not fit a believer. You can think about the degree of the risk of the issue when the believer that is backbitten is a Companion, and one of the most distinguished ones.

In a hadith, the Messenger of Allah said, "Backbiting eats up good deeds just as fire eats up wood”, warning us severely about the issue.

It behooves us to listen to those truths and act accordingly both for the safety of our life in the hereafter and for the sake of the future of Islam. A believer is prohibited from thinking bad things about another believer; the risk of thinking bad things about the Companions, who were the associates and army mates of the Prophet and who were the means of guidance for believers, and the most distinguished ones of the Companions, will be understood clearly. 

The safest way for the clever and reasonable people is to avoid sounding off regarding the issue. It will be easily understood when someone thinks about it a little that we were not sent to the world to analyze the problems among the Companions and to judge them as right and wrong. It cannot be the aim of our creation to have an idea about the issue. We were created to be a proper slave of Allah not to talk about that issue. That is, our religion calls us to fulfill our duties not to analyze the disagreements among the Companions. 

The Companions, from the Caliphs to the ordinary ones, received the same sustenance and shared the same excitement. They worked very hard, day and night, secretly and openly, for the development and spread of Islam. They made jihad and sacrificed their blood and lives. They opposed their tribes for the sake of the Quran and the Prophet; they sacrificed their wives, children and property. They preferred the Prophet to their own selves, wives, children and parents. They shed their blood for the foundation of Islam.

They contributed to the worldly and otherworldly bliss of the Muslims from their age to the Day of Judgment. It is a debt of justice and conscience for us to feel grateful to them, to pray and to praise them.

8 Is there a hadith about Hz. Ali saying, "I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate"?

There are some scholars who say the statement, "I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate"is weak or reliable; there are also some scholars who say this statement does not belong to the Prophet (pbuh) and hence it is fabricated. However, it is not possible to regard this narration, which exists also in Ahl as-Sunnah resources, as non-existent. As a matter of fact, it is reported as a hadith. (al-Jamius-Saghir 1/415, Sawaiqul-Muhriqa 73; Tahdhibut-Tahdhib 6/320; Hakim, Mustadrak 3/126)

The hadith exists only in Tirmidhi's Sunan among Kutub as-Sitta books. The narration in Tirmidhi is as follows: “I am the house of wisdom and Ali is its gate." The narration in Uqayli, Tabarani, Ibn Adi and Hakim is as follows: "I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate. He who wants knowledge should come to the gate.”

The narration that Hz. Ali is the gate of the door of knowledge of the city of knowledge owned by the Prophet is disputable among hadith scholars but it is understood that such a hadith exists and that it is hasan though it does not reach the degree of soundness.  

It can be nothing but a subjective claim to state that caliphate belongs to Hz. Ali and his descendants by using a hadith out of its context and using it as a reference not directly but based on some signs and interpretations related to one of the most important and vital issues of the Islamic ummah. As a matter of fact, just Shiite scholars agree with it.

However, when it is considered that such a hadith exists, it is necessary to accept the greatness of Hz. Ali in terms of knowledge (ilm). It is a historical fact that he has an important place among the Companions. It is necessary to understand the ilm that Hz. Ali has as an understanding comprehending the deep meanings of the Quran and the Sunnah rather than an esoteric understanding that he knows ghayb. As a matter of fact, he himself approved it and said that he had nothing but the Book of Allah and the understanding (fahm) given to a Muslim. 

Therefore, the love toward Hz. Ali must not reach an extreme level that blinds eyes and deafens ears as it is seen in many groups. Muslims have to be consistent and moderate related to love and in all other issues.  

That Hz. Ali is the gate of the city of knowledge increases his virtues but this should not bring about a tendency to regard the other Companions inferior. Every Companion has superior virtues that belong to them and that do not exist in others.

To sum up, it is never appropriate to regard Hz. Ali as the most superior one among the Companions acting upon the narration above and similar ones without taking the other narrations into consideration. As a matter of fact, many statements praising other Companions especially the four caliphs were narrated from the Prophet (pbuh). It can be wrong to decree based on one or two narrations without taking the other narrations into consideration.

From this point of view, it is not appropriate to abandon this narration with the anxiety that it shows Hz. Ali as superior to the other caliphs; similarly, it is not appropriate to regard Hz. Ali as the most superior one among the Companions acting upon this narration only. It is necessary to evaluate every statement in its context.

9 Who is the Companion known as "the Translator of the Quran"?

The Companion known as "the Translator of the Quran" is Abdullah b. Abbas.

Hz. Abdullah is the son of Abbas, who is the paternal uncle of Hz. Muhammad. It is not known when exactly he was born but it is known that he was born about three years before the Migration when the Muslims were under economic and social siege and pressure at Shi’b Abi Talib in Makkah. His mother is Ummul-Fadl Lubaba bint al-Harith. She is the sister of Maymuna, one of the wives of the Prophet. Ummul-Fadl is among the women who became Muslims after Hz. Khadijah.

His father, Hz. Abbas, took Abdullah to the Prophet (pbuh) as soon as he was born and the Messenger of Allah prayed for him as follows by holding him in his arms:  "O Allah! Made him a faqih in religion. Teach him the explanation of the book." Abdullah received full Islamic education and training in the community of Madinah, in which Islam spread and became dominant. He learned how to make wudu and perform prayers from the Prophet himself. When he was young, the Prophet caressed his head and prayed for him as follows a few times: "O Allah! Give this head all knowledge and wisdom; teach him interpretation and explanation. Collect all knowledge and wisdom that You gave to humanity in his heart." (Bukhari, Wudu, 10; Muslim, Fadailus-Sahaba, 138). Abdullah remained with the Messenger of Allah all the time and learned from him.

Hz. Abdullah stayed in Makkah with his family until the eighth year of the Migration. He was together with the Messenger of Allah on the day of the Conquest of Makkah, at the battles of Hunayn and Taif and in Farewell Hajj. After the conquest of Makkah, he migrated to Madinah with his family. He joined the religious talks given by Hz. Abu Bakr, the first caliph, and Hz. Umar after him. He was loyal to Hz. Uthman, the third caliph, and was educated by many Companions. He took part in the Expedition of Africa with Abdullah Ibn Abi Sarh and then in the conquest of Tabaristan in the east. He was the leader of Hajj in 35 H. Before the martyrdom of Hz. Uthman, he was together with the children of the great Companions who kept guard around his house and tried to protect the Caliph against the rebels. Afterwards, he held important positions in the state during the caliphate of Hz. Ali. Ibn Abbas, who supported Hz. Ali in the battles of Jamal and Siffin, represented Hz. Ali together with Abu Musa al-Ash'ari in the Incident of Hakam (Arbitration).  Hz. Ali appointed him as an envoy a few times; he was the governor of Basra during the Incident of Hakam. He suppressed the revolt of the Kharijite who rebelled in the region meanwhile and kept the peace. He could not put up with the aspersions cast on him during his governorship in Basra and resigned. He returned to Makkah and became engaged with religious sciences there until he died.

After the death of Hz. Muawiya, he was invited to Kufa by the followers of Hz. Ali and his son Hz. Husayn, he did not go there and he warned Hz. Husayn not to go there; he tried to stop Hz. Husayn but could not dissuade him. Abdullah b. Abbas became very sorry and lost his eyesight when Hz. Husayn set off for Kufa and was martyred in Karbala. He died in Taif in 68/687, when he was seventy years old.

Abdullah Ibn Abbas is known for his knowledge and strong personality rather than his political activities in the history of Islam. In the Era of Bliss, he could enter the house of the Messenger of Allah, especially the room of Hz. Maymuna, who was his maternal aunt, easily since he was very young; and he learned many issues that the other Companions did not know before them. Therefore, he is known with his deep knowledge in hadith, tafsir and fiqh. Along with the Quran, tafsir and fiqh, he had a good command in Arab literature. Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud states the following for him: "He is the translator of the Quran and sultan of tafsir scholars." Due to his vast knowledge, he was given nicknames like "the scholar of the ummah and sea of knowledge". It is stated in a hadith reported by Ahmad b. Hanbal that the Prophet (pbuh) praised the knowledge of Hz. Abbas.

When Abdullah Ibn Umar was asked something and he did not know the answer, he told the people to ask Ibn Abbas about it and to inform him about the answer after that. He always appreciated Ibn Abbas due to the answers he gave.

Due to his Islamic understanding and good manners, Abdullah Ibn Abbas did not speak in the meetings where older Companions were present before they expressed their views; he did not regard it appropriate to speak in their presence. Although some people did not regard his joining the meetings with older Companions as a nice attitude due to his age, Hz. Umar once summoned him and asked him about his view related to the interpretation of the chapter of an-Nasr. When those who did not regard his joining such meetings as a nice attitude due to his age did not have any idea about the interpretation of the chapter of an-Nasr, Abdullah Ibn Abbas stated that there were expressions indicating that the death of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was close and Hz. Umar approved him. Hz. Umar, who felt that Ibn Abbas hesitated to speak in the presence of the older Companions due to his young age, said to Ibn Abbas, "Your young age should not prevent you from speaking; speak and we will listen to you." Thus, Abdullah Ibn Abbas joined meetings with older Companions and the notables of them; he learned many things from them.

When Abdullah Ibn Abbas was asked questions, he would refer to the Quran first; if he could not find the answer in the Quran, he would search whether anything was reported from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) regarding the issue; then, he would view the ijtihads and explanations of Hz. Abu Bakr and Hz. Umar and act based on them; otherwise, he would settle the issue with his own ijtihad. Ibn Abbas did not bring tafsir knowledge that came from the Prophet and the Companions, and his own ijtihads together in the form of a book. The tafsir book called "Tanwirul-Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn Abbas", which reached us and which is attributed to Ibn Abbas needs to be searched. Firuzabadi compiled the narrations from Abdullah Ibn Abbas related to tafsir and published them with the name mentioned above.

Ibn Abbas had a very disciplined and regular working system. He arranged his tasks in a certain plan meticulously. He acted in accordance with this plan. He gave lessons related to religious sciences to a large group of people on certain days of the week; he also made speeches related to Arabic, Arab poetry and literature.

During the caliphate of Hz. Uthman, he took part in the Expedition of Africa as the envoy of the Islamic army along with his religious studies. He took part in religious and academic discussions with Georgios, the general governor of the Byzantium in Africa, and his men. Georgios and the people around him saw his intellect, intelligence and thoughts and said, "This man is the greatest scholar of Arabs."

Along with his upper level political duties in the state like being a commander, envoy and governor, he was complimented by the Companions, Hz. Umar and Hz. Uthman due to the superiority and profoundness of his knowledge. He always showed modesty in the face of those compliments. When he was praised a lot, he would act humbly and say, "It is Allah who granted me this boon. The Messenger of Allah prayed to Allah for me and asked knowledge and wisdom for me."

In the history of Islam, the soundest narrations related to Gharibul-Quran (non-Arabic words, the words that were not heard or known by Arabs and the words taken from other languages in the Quran, which was sent down in Arabic) are based on Ibn Abbas. The first person who dealt with the issue of Mushkilul-Quran (going deep in the Quran, finding, settling and eliminating difficulties) was Ibn Abbas. He narrated 1660 hadiths from the Prophet (pbuh). He is one of the people that formed the basis of the science of fiqh; his fatwas filling volumes of books are the soundest foundations of the science of fiqh.

Many fiqh scholars that were raised in Makkah were raised by him. Therefore, it is said that the founder of "Makkah Tafsir School Mektebi" is Ibn Abbas.

Abu Salih from Tabiun said, "The whole Quraysh can be proud of the knowledge circle of Ibn Abbas." It is accepted that satisfactory answers were given related to the issues like tafsir, hadith, fiqh, language, poetry, literature and teaching in his lessons. His fame reached outside his country even when he was alive.

Many scholars learned ilm from Ibn Abbas and narrated hadiths from him: His own sons, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, Ali Ibn Abdullah, his nephew, Abdullah Ibn Ubaydullah and Abdullah Ibn Ma'bad, Abdullah Ibn Umar, Sha'ba Ibn Hakam, Marwad Ibn Mahrama, Abut Tufayl, Abu Imama Ibn Sahl, Said Ibn al-Musayyab. He himself narrated hadiths from the Prophet, Hz. Abbas, his mother Lubaba, Hz. Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Abdurrahman Ibn Awf, Muadh Ibn Jabal and Abu Dharr al-Ghifari by hearing from them in person. His narrations are included in Kutub as-Sittah.

Some hadiths that Abdullah Ibn Abbas narrated:

"Respect shown to the Quran is realized through saying bismillah; the key to the Quran is bismillah."

"Teach; give good news; do not make things difficult."

"Love Allah for the countless boons He has given you. Love me because you love Allah."

"If two classes from my ummah are decent, all people will be decent. If they degenerate, people will degenerate. Those two classes are administrators and scholars."

"He who interprets the Quran based on his own desire should prepare for his place in Hell."

"If a person continues to repent and ask for forgiveness, Allah will give him salvation from troubles and ease from difficulties; He will give him sustenance from an unexpected place."

"Bad character will harm deeds just as vinegar harms honey."

"Keep silent when you are angry."

"Hearing is not like seeing."

"Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, your free time before your work, and your life before your death."

"Allah will not accept any worship of a bid’ah owner unless he gives up bid’ahs."

"If the son of Adam had a valley full of gold, he would want to have two valleys. Nothing fills his mouth but the dust of the grave. However, Allah will accept whoever repents to him."

"The state of a dead person in the grave is like that of a person who has fallen into the sea and shouts ‘Help’. He who is about to drown waits for someone to save him; similarly, a dead person waits for a prayer from his father, mother, brother and friend. When he receives a prayer, he becomes happy as if the whole world has been given to him. Allah sends mercy like mountains to the dead due to the prayers of the living people. The gift of the living people to the dead is to pray and to ask for forgiveness for them."

Abdullah Ibn Abbas states the following:

"If a person who reads the Quran mispronounces some words, the angel will record it in the way they were sent down."

"Let the first word of your children be "La ilaha illallah". Suggest saying "La ilaha illallah" when they are at deathbed. Thus, even if he lives for one hundred years, Allah will not ask him about his sins."

"Every building has a foundation. The foundation of the building of Islam is high ethics."

"Night and day are two mounts. Ride them as means of taking you to the hereafter. Never delay repenting."

"Giving sadaqah secretly extinguishes the wrath of Lord. Visiting relatives lengthens one’s lifespan. The word "La ilaha illallah" expels ninety-nine troubles, the smallest of which is sorrow.

"A nice word a person says to his brother is a sadaqah. The help of a person to his brother is a sadaqah. The water he gives him to drink is a sadaqah. Removing something that disturbs people on the way is a sadaqah."

"High ethics melts sins just like water melts ice."

"Alcohol causes all evils. It is the biggest sin."

"If the skin of a person shivers due to the fear of Allah and gets goose bumps, his sins fall off just like the dry leaves of a tree fall off."

"When you see gardens of Paradise, benefit from them. They said, "O Messenger of Allah! What are gardens of Paradise?" He said, "Meetings of ilm."

"When a person tells you what is right accept it whether it comes from a young or old person or even a person you do not like. Reject what is wrong whether it comes from a young or old person or even a person you like."

"When Allah likes a slave, He makes him work in the mosque. If He does not like a slave, He makes him work in the public bath."

"Allah rendered zakah fard to beautify and purify the remaining part of your wealth. He left inheritance to those coming after you."

"I will tell you something: the best treasure is a righteous woman. When her husband looks at her face, he becomes happy. When he orders her something, she fulfills it; she protects his honor and wealth in his absence."

"Expressions have words like magic. Poems have wisdom."

"Dua (supplication) is the key to mercy. Wudu is the key to prayer. Prayer is the key to Paradise."

"Allah created belief within tolerance and modesty. He created unbelief within stinginess and deeds."

"He who is full and whose neighbor is hungry is not a believer."

"Sitting with scholars is regarded like worship."

"If a person transmits a hadith for the fulfillment of a sunnah or the elimination of a bid’ah, his place is Paradise."

"If a person looks at the writing of his brother without his permission, it is as if he falls into fire."

"Do not tell all hadiths to everybody. Tell them to those who will understand them."

Yunus Emre Özulu, Şamil İslam Ansiklopedisi: 1/9-11.

10 Will you write the list of the names of the Companions who took part in the Battle of Badr and give information about the virtue of reading this list?

1. The Messenger of Allah himself gave the glad tiding that those who took part in the Battle of Badr were people of Paradise.  

2. It is stated in the Quran that the angels sent by Allah joined them during the course of the battle, which is an additional reason of virtue for them.

3. According to the statement of some saints, many friends of Allah attained the rank of sainthood by keeping reading the blessed names of the people of Badr.

4. It is narrated that many people who caught an illness was cured of their illnesses by asking cure from Allah mentioning the blessed names of the people of Badr.

5. A saint said, "Whenever I put my hand on the head of an ill person and read the names of the people of Badr with a sincere intention, that person recovered. If it was time for that person to die, at least his pains decreased."

6. Some people said, "If the names of the people of Badr are read before a prayer, this will cause that prayer to be accepted quickly."

Jafar b. Abdullah narrates:

"My father advised me to love all of the Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) and said,

O my little one! When the the names of the people of Badr are mentioned, a prayer is accepted; a person who mentions these blessed names is surrounded by divine mercy, forgiveness and consent. The wish of a person who asks something from Allah by reading those names is definitely fulfilled."

7. "Muslim mujahids are given the glad tiding by the sheikhs of Islam that it has been proved that having the names of the people of Badr on the body, reading them and memorizing them will help them to defeat the enemy, will protect them from the evil of the enemy, fire, theft, being drowned, illnesses like plague and mania, will eliminate poverty and bring richness, will enable them to pay their debts, their sins to be forgiven, will eliminate problems, enlighten their hearts, in short, will enable them to attain all of their worldly and otherworldly aims, subjective and objective interests, to eliminate the harms of people and jinn and to attain worldly degrees."

However, it is necessary to say "Radiyallahu anh (May Allah be pleased with him)" when the blessed name of each of them is said. Doubtlessly, it is necessary to say "Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam (May the blessings and the peace of Allah be upon him)" when the name of the Prophet is said. For, if this is observed, it will be a means of attaining the aim more quickly.

May Allah Almighty enable us to attain their intercession! Amin!

(Ridwanullahi alayhim ajmain! (May Allah be pleased with all of them!))

01. Sayyiduna wa nabiyyuna Muhammad al-Muhajiri (Sallallahu taala alayhi wa sallam)
02. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
03. Sayyiduna Umar ibnul-Khattab al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
04. Sayyiduna Uthman ibn-i Affan al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
05. Sayyiduna Aliyy ibn-i Abi Talib al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
06. Sayyiduna Talha bin Ubaydullah al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
07. Sayyiduna Zubayr ibn-i Awwam al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
08. Sayyiduna Abdurrahman bin Awf al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
09. Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
10. Sayyiduna Said ibn-i Zayd al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
11. Sayyiduna Abu Ubayda bin Jarrah al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
12. Sayyiduna Ubayy ibn-i Ka'b al-Khazraji (R.A.)
13. Sayyiduna al-Akhnas ibn-i Habib al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
14. Sayyiduna al-Arkam ibn-i Arkam al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
15. Sayyiduna As'ad ibn-i Yazid al-Khazraji (R.A.)
16. Sayyiduna Anas Mawla Rasulillah al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
17. Sayyiduna Anas ibn-i Muadh al-Khazraji (R.A.)
18. Sayyiduna Anas ibn-i Qatadat'al-Awsi (R.A.)
19. Sayyiduna Aws ibn-i Thabit al-Khazraji (R.A.)
20. Sayyiduna Aws ibn-i Hawli al-Khazraji (R.A.)
21. Sayyiduna Iyas ibn-i Aws al-Awsi (R.A.)
22. Sayyiduna Iyas ibn'il-Bukayr al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
23. Sayyiduna Bujayr ibn-i Abi Bujayr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
24. Sayyiduna Bahhath ibn-i Tha'laba al-Khazraji (R.A.)
25. Sayyiduna al-Bara bin Ma'rur al-Khazraji (R.A.)
26. Sayyiduna Basbasa bin Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
27. Sayyiduna Bishr ibn'il-Bara al-Khazraji (R.A,)
28. Sayyiduna Bashir ibn-i Said al-Khazraji (R.A.)
29. Sayyiduna Bilal ibn-i Rabah al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
30. Sayyiduna Tamim Mawla Hirash al-Khazraji (R.A.)
31. Sayyiduna Tamim Mawla Bani Ghanam bin as-Silm al-Awsi (R.A.)
32. Sayyiduna Tamim ibn-i Yuar al-Khazraji (R.A.)
33. Sayyiduna Thabit ibn-i Akram al-Awsi (R.A.)
34. Sayyiduna Thabit ibn-i Tha'laba al-Khazraji (R.A.)
35. Sayyiduna Thabit ibn-i Khalid al-Khazraji (R.A.)
36. Sayyiduna Thabit ibn-i Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
37. Sayyiduna Thabit ibn-i Hazzal al-Khazraji (R.A.)
38. Sayyiduna Tha’laba bin Hatib al-Awsi (R.A.)
39. Sayyiduna Tha’laba bin Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
40. Sayyiduna Tha’laba bin Ghanama al-Khazraji (R.A.)
41. Sayyiduna Siqf ibn-i Amr al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
42. Sayyiduna Jabir ibn-i Abdullah bin Riyab al-Khazraji (R.A.)
43. Sayyiduna Jabir ibn-i Abdullah bin Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
44. Sayyiduna Jabbar ibn-i Sakhr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
45. Sayyiduna Jubr ibn-i Atik al-Awsi (R.A.)
46. Sayyiduna Jubayr ibn-i Iyas al-Awsi (R.A.)
47. Sayyiduna Hamza bin Abdil-Muttalib al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
48. Sayyiduna al-Harith ibn-i Anas al-Awsi (R.A.)
49. Sayyiduna al-Harith ibn-i Aws bin Rafi' al-Awsi (R.A.)
50. Sayyiduna al-Harith ibn-i Aws bin Muadh al-Awsi (R.A.)
51. Sayyiduna al-Harith ibn-i Hatib al-Awsi (R.A.)
52. Sayyiduna al-Harith ibn-i Abi Khazma al-Awsi (R.A.)
53. Sayyiduna al-Harith ibn-i Khazma al-Khazraji (R.A.)
54. Sayyiduna al-Harith ibn-i Simma al-Khazraji (R.A.)
55. Sayyiduna al-Harith ibn-i Arfaja al-Awsi (R.A.)
56. Sayyiduna al-Harith ibn-i Qays al-Awsi (R.A.)
57. Sayyiduna al-Harith ibn-i Qays al-Khazraji (R.A.)
58. Sayyiduna al-Harith ibn'un-Nu'man ibn-i Umayya al-Awsi (R.A.)
59. Sayyiduna Haritha bin Suraqa al-Khazraji (R.A.) (SHAHID)
60. Sayyiduna Haritha bin Nu'man al-Khazraji (R.A.)
61. Sayyiduna Hatib ibn-i Abi Baltaa al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
62. Sayyiduna Hatib ibn-i Amr al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
63. Sayyiduna al-Hubab ibn-i Mundhir al-Khazraji (R.A.)
64. Sayyiduna Habib ibn-i Aswad al-Khazraji (R.A.)
65. Sayyiduna Haram ibn-i Milhan al-Khazraji (R.A.)
66. Sayyiduna Hurays ibn-i Zayd al-Khazraji (R.A.)
67. Sayyiduna al-Husayn ibn-i Harith al-Muhajiri (R.A)
68. Sayyiduna Hamza bin al-Mumayyir al-Khazraji (R.A.)
69. Sayyiduna Kharija bin Zayd al-Khazraji (R.A.)
70. Sayyiduna Khalid ibn-i al-Bukayr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
71. Sayyiduna Khalid ibn-i Qays al-Khazraji (R.A.)
72. Sayyiduna Khabbab ibn'ul-Arat al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
73. Sayyiduna Khabbab Mawla Utba al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
74. Sayyiduna Khubayb ibn-i Isaf al-Khazraji (R.A.)
75. Sayyiduna Khidash ibn-i Qatada al-Awsi (R.A.)
76. Sayyiduna Khirash ibn'is-Simma al-Khazraji (R.A.)
77. Sayyiduna Khuraym ibn-i Fatik al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
78. Sayyiduna Khallad ibn-i Rafi' al-Khazraji (R.A.)
79. Sayyiduna Khallad ibn-i Suwayd al-Khazraji (R.A.)
80. Sayyiduna Khallad ibn-i Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
81. Sayyiduna Khallad ibn-i Kays al-Khazraji (R.A.)
82. Sayyiduna Khulayd ibn-i Kays al-Khazraji (R.A.»
83. Sayyiduna Khalifa bin Adiyy al-Khazraji (R.A.)
84. Sayyiduna Khunays ibn-i Hazafa al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
85. Sayyiduna Khawwat ibn-i Jubayr al-Awsi (R.A.)
86. Sayyiduna Khawli bin Abi Khawli al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
87. Sayyiduna Dhakwan ibn-i Ubayd al-Khazraji (R.A.)
88. Sayyiduna Dhu'sh-Shimalayn ibn-i Abd Amr al-Muhajiri (R.A.) (SHAHID)
89. Sayyiduna Rashid ibn-i Mualla al-Khazraji (R.A.)
90. Sayyiduna Rafi bin Harith al-Khazraji (R.A.)
91. Sayyiduna Rafi' bin Ghunajda al-Awsi (R.A.)
92. Sayyiduna Rafi' bin Malik al-Khazraji (R.A.)
93. Sayyiduna Rafi'ibn'ul-Muall al-Khazraji (R.A.) (SHAHID)
94. Sayyiduna Rafi' bin Yazid al-Awsi (R.A.)
95. Sayyiduna Rib'iy bin Rafi' al-Awsi (R.A.)
96. Sayyiduna ar-Rabi'ibn-u Iyas al-Khazraji (R.A.)
97. Sayyiduna Rabia bin Aktham al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
98. Sayyiduna Ruhayla bin Tha’laba al-Khazraji (R.A.)
99. Sayyiduna Rifaa bin Harith al-Khazraji (R.A.)
100.Sayyiduna Rifaa bin Rafi' al-Khazraji (R.A.)
101.Sayyiduna Rifaa bin Abd'il Mundhir al-Awsi (R.A.)
102.Sayyiduna Rifaa bin Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
103.Sayyiduna Zubayr ibn-i Awwam (R.A.)
104.Sayyiduna Ziyad ibn'is-Sakan al-Awsi (R.A.)
105.Sayyiduna Ziyad ibn-i Labid al-Khazraji (R.A.)
106.Sayyiduna Ziyad ibn-i Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
107.Sayyiduna Zayd ibn-i Aslam al-Awsi (R.A.)
108.Sayyiduna Zayd ibn-i Haritha al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
109.Sayyiduna Zayd ibn'ul-Khattab al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
110.Sayyiduna Zayd ibn'ul-Muzayyan al-Khazraji (R.A.)
111.Sayyiduna Zayd ibn'ul-Mualla al-Khazraji (R.A.)
112.Sayyiduna Zayd ibn-i Wadia al-Khazraji (R.A.)
113.Sayyiduna Salim Mawla Abi Huzayfa al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
114.Sayyiduna Salim ibn-i Umayr al-Awsi (R.A.)
115.Sayyiduna as-Saib ibn-i Uthman al-Muhajiri (R.A)
116.Sayyiduna Sabra bin Fatik al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
117.Sayyiduna Suraqa bin Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
118.Sayyiduna Suraqa bin Ka'b al-Khazraji (R.A.)
119.Sayyiduna Sa'd Mawla Hatib al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
120.Sayyiduna Sa'd ibn'i Khawla al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
121.Sayyiduna Sa'd ibn'i Haysama al-Awsi (R.A.) (SHAHID)
122.Sayyiduna Sa'd ibn'ur-Rabi al-Khazraji (R.A.)
123.Sayyiduna Sa'd ibn-i Zayd al-Awsi (R.A.)
124.Sayyiduna Sa'd ibn-i Sa'd al-Khazraji (R.A.)
125.Sayyiduna Sa'd ibn-i Sahi al-Khazraji (R.A.)
126.Sayyiduna Sa'd ibn-i Ubada al-Khazraji (R.A.)
127.Sayyiduna Sa'd ibn-u Ubayd al-Awsi (R.A.)
128.Sayyiduna Sa'd ibn-i Uthman al-Khazraji (R.A.)
129.Sayyiduna Sa'd ibn-i Muadh al-Awsi (R.A.)
130.Sayyiduna Suflan ibn-i Bishr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
131.Sayyiduna Salama bin Aslam al-Awsi (R.A.)
132.Sayyiduna Sulaym ibn-ul-Harith al-Khazraji (R.A.)
133.Sayyiduna Salama bin Salama al-Awsi (R.A.)
134.Sayyiduna Salit ibn-i Qays al-Khazraji (R.A.)
135.Sayyiduna Sulaym ibn-ul Harith al-Khazraji (R.A.)
136.Sayyiduna Sulaym ibn-i Qays al-Khazraji (R.A.)
137.Sayyiduna Sulaym ibn-i Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
138.Sayyiduna Sulaym ibn-i Milhan al-Khazraji (R.A.)
139.Sayyiduna Simak ibn-i Sa'd al-Khazraji (R.A.)
140.Sayyiduna Sinan ibn-i Abi Sinan al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
141.Sayyiduna Sinan ibn-i Sayfi al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
142.Sayyiduna Sahl ibn-i Hunayf al-Awsi (R.A.)
143.Sayyiduna Sahl ibn-i Rafi' al-Khazraji (R.A.)
144.Sayyiduna Sahl ibn-i Atik al-Khazraji (R.A.)
145.Sayyiduna Sahl ibn-i Qays al-Khazraji (R.A.)
146.Sayyiduna Sahl ibn-i Wahb al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
147.Sayyiduna Sahl ibn-i Rafi' al-Khazraji (R.A.)
148.Sayyiduna Sawad ibn-i Zarin al-Khazraji (R.A.)
149.Sayyiduna Sawad ibn-i Ghaziyya al-Khazraji (R.A.)
150.Sayyiduna Suwaybit ibn-i Harmala al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
151.Sayyiduna Shuja' ibn-i Abi Wahb al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
152.Sayyiduna Sharik ibn-i Anas al-Awsi (R.A.)
153.Sayyiduna Shammas ibn-i Uthman al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
154.Sayyiduna Sabiyh Mawla Ab'l-As al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
155.Sayyiduna Safwan ibn-i Wahb al-Muhajiri (R.A.) (SHAHID)
156.Sayyiduna Shuhayb ibn-i Sinan al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
157.Sayyiduna Sayfi bin Sawad al-Khazraji (R.A.)
158.Sayyiduna ad-Dahhak ibn-i Haritha al-Khazraji (R.A.)
159.Sayyiduna ad-Dahhak ibn-i Abd-i Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
160.Sayyiduna Damra bin Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
161.Sayyiduna at-Tufayl ibn-i Harith al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
162.Sayyiduna at-Tufayl ibn-i Malik al-Khazraji (R.A.)
163.Sayyiduna at-Tufayl ibn-i Nu'man al-Khazraji (R.A.)
164.Sayyiduna Tulayb ibn-u Umayr al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
165.Sayyiduna Asim ibn-i Sabir al-Awsi (R.A.)
166.Sayyiduna Asim ibn-i Adiyy al-Awsi (R.A.)
167.Sayyiduna Asim ibn-i Ukayr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
168.Sayyiduna Asim ibn-i Qays al-Awsi (R.A.)
169.Sayyiduna Akil ibn'ul-Bukayr al-Muhajiri (R.A.) (SHAHID)
170.Sayyiduna Amir ibn-i Umayya al-Khazraji (R.A.)
171.Sayyiduna Amir ibn-i Bukayr al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
172.Sayyiduna Amir ibn-i Rabia al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
173.Sayyiduna Amir ibn-i Sa'd al-Khazraji (R.A.)
174.Sayyiduna Amir ibn-i Salama al-Khazraji (R.A.)
175.Sayyiduna Amir ibn-i Fuhayra al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
176.Sayyiduna Amir ibn-i Mukhallad al-Khazraji (R.A.)
177.Sayyiduna Amir ibn-i Yazid al-Awsi (R.A.)
178.Sayyiduna Ayiz ibn-i Mais al-Khazraji (R.A.)
179.Sayyiduna Abbad ibn-i Bishr al-Awsi (R.A.)
18O.Sayyiduna Abbad ibn-i Qays al-Khazraji (R.A.)
181.Sayyiduna Ubada bin Samit al-Khazraji (R.A.)
182.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Tha’laba al-Khazraji (R.A.)
183.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Jubayr al-Awsi (R.A.)
184.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Jahsh al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
185.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibnu'l-Jad al-Khazraji (R.A.)
186.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn'ul-Humayyir al-Khazraji (R.A.)
187.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn'ur-Rabi al-Khazraji (R.A.)
188.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Rawaha al-Khazraji (R.A.)
189.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Zayd al-Khazraji (R.A.)
190.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Suraqa al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
191.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Salama al-Awsi (R.A.)
192.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Sahi al-Awsi (R.A.)
193.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Suhayl al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
194.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Sharik al-Awsi (R.A.)
195.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Tariq al-Awsi (R.A.)
196.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Amir al-Khazraji (R.A.)
197.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Abd-i Manaf al-Khazraji (R.A.)
198.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Urfuta al-Khazraji (R.A.)
199.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
200.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Umayr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
201.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Qays bin Halid al-Khazraji (R.A.)
202.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Qays bin Sayfi al-Khazraji (R.A.)
203.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Ka'b al-Khazraji (R.A.)
204.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Makhrama al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
205.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Mas'ud al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
206.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Maz'un al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
207.Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn-i Numan al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
208.Sayyiduna Abd-i Rabb ibn-i Jabr al-Awsi (R.A.)
209.Sayyiduna Abdurrahman ibn-i Jabr al-Awsi (R.A.)
210.Sayyiduna Abdat'al-Hashhash al-Khazraji (R.A.)
211.Sayyiduna Abd ibn-i Amir al-Khazraji (R.A.)
212.Sayyiduna Ubayd ibn'ut-Tayyihan ay-Awsi (R.A.)
213.Sayyiduna Ubayd ibn-i Zayd al-Khazraji (R.A.)
214.Sayyiduna Ubayd ibn-i Abi Ubayd al-Awsi (R.A.)
215.Sayyiduna Ubayda bin Harith al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
216.Sayyiduna Utban ibn-i Malik al-Khazraji (R.A.)
217.Sayyiduna Utba bin Rabia al-Khazraji (R.A.)
218.Sayyiduna Utba bin Abdullah al-Khazraji (R.A.)
219.Sayyiduna Utba bin Ghazwan al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
220.Sayyiduna Uthman ibn-i Maz'un al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
221.Sayyiduna al-Ajlan ibn'un Nu'man al-Khazraji (R.A.)
222.Sayyiduna Adiyy ibn-i Abi Zaghba al-Khazraji (R.A.)
223.Sayyiduna Ismat'ubn'ul-Husayn al-Khazraji (R.A.)
224.Sayyiduna Usaymat'ul-Khazraji (R.A.)
225.Sayyiduna Atiyya bin Nuwayra al-Khazraji (R.A.)
226.Sayyiduna Uqba bin Amir al-Khazraji (R.A.)
227-Sayyiduna Uqba bin Uthman al Khazraji (R.A.)
228.Sayyiduna Uqba bin Wahb al-Khazraji (R.A.)
229.Sayyiduna Uqba bin Wahb al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
230.Sayyiduna Ukkasha bin Mihsan al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
231.Sayyiduna Amman ibn-i Yasir al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
232.Sayyiduna Umara bin Hazm al-Khazraji (R.A.)
233.Sayyiduna Umara bin Ziyad al-Awsi (R.A.)
234.Sayyiduna Amr ibn-i Iyas al-Khazraji (R.A.)
235.Sayyiduna Amr ibn-i Tha’laba al-Khazraji (R.A.)
236.Sayyiduna Amr ibn'ul-Jamuh al-Khazraji (R.A.)
237.Sayyiduna Amr ibn'ul-Harith al-Khazraji (R.A.)
238.Sayyiduna Amr ibn'ul Harith al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
239.Sayyiduna Amr ibn-i Suraqa al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
240.Sayyiduna Amr ibn-i Abi Sarh al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
241.Sayyiduna Amr ibn-i Talq al-Khazraji (R.A.)
242.Sayyiduna Amr ibn-i Qays al-Khazraji (R.A.)
243.Sayyiduna Amr ibn-i Muadh al-Awsi (R.A.)
244.Sayyiduna Umayr ibn-i Haram al-Awsi (R.A.)
245.Sayyiduna Umayr ibn'ul Humam al-Khazraji (R.A.) (SHAHID)
246.Sayyiduna Umayr ibn'ul-Amir al-Khazraji (R.A.)
247.Sayyiduna Umayr ibn-i Awf al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
248.Sayyiduna Umayr ibn-i Ma'bad al-Awsi (R.A.)
249.Sayyiduna Umayr ibn-i Abi Waqqas al-Muhajiri (R.A.) (SHAHID)
250.Sayyiduna Awf ibn'ul-Harith al-Khazraji (R.A.)
251.Sayyiduna Uwaym ibn-i Saida al-Awsi (R.A.)
252.Sayyiduna Iyad ibn-i Zuhayr al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
253.Sayyiduna Ghannam ibn-i Aws al-Khazraji (R.A.)
254.Sayyiduna al-Fakih ibn-i Bishr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
255.Sayyiduna Farwa bin Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
256.Sayyiduna Qatada bin Numan al-Khazraji (R.A.)
257.Sayyiduna Qudama bin Maz'un al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
258.Sayyiduna Qutba bin Amir al-Khazraji (R.A.)
259.Sayyiduna Qays ibn-i Mihsan al-Khazraji (R.A.)
260.Sayyiduna Qays ibn-i Mihsan al-Khazraji (R.A.)
261.Sayyiduna Qays ibn-i Mukhallad al-Khazraji (R.A.)
262.Sayyiduna Ka'b ibn-i Jammaz al-Khazraji (R.A.)
263.Sayyiduna Ka'b ibn-i Zayd al-Khazraji (R.A.)
264.Sayyiduna Malik ibn-i Abi Hawli al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
265.Sayyiduna Malik ibn-i Abi Hawli al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
266.Sayyiduna Malik ibn'ud Dukhshum al-Khazraji (R.A.)
267.Sayyiduna Malik ibn-i Rifaa al-Khazraji (R.A.)
268.Sayyiduna Malik ibn-i Rifaa al-Khazraji (R.A.)
269.Sayyiduna Malik ibn-i Amr al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
270.Sayyiduna Malik ibn-i Qudama al-Awsi (R.A.)
271.Sayyiduna Malik ibn-i Mas'ud al-Khazraji (R.A.)
272.Sayyiduna Malik ibn-i Numayla al-Awsi (R.A.)
273.Sayyiduna Malik Mubashshir bin Abd'il-Mundhir al-Awsi (R.A.) (SHAHID)
274-Sayyiduna Mujazzar ibn-i Ziyad al-Khazraji (R.A.)
275.Sayyiduna Muhriz ibn-i Amin al-Khazraji (R.A.)
276.Sayyiduna Muhriz ibn-i Nasla al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
277.Sayyiduna Muhammad ibn-i Maslama al-Awsi (R.A.)
278.Sayyiduna Midlaj ibn-i Amir al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
279.Sayyiduna Marsad ibn-i Marsad al-Khazraji (R.A.)
280.Sayyiduna Mistah ibn-i Uthatha al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
281.Sayyiduna Mas'ud ibn-i Aws al-Khazraji (R.A.)
282.Sayyiduna Mas'ud ibn-i Khalda al-Khazraji (R.A.)
283.Sayyiduna Mas'ud ibn-i Rabia al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
284.Sayyiduna Mas'ud ibn-i Zayd al-Khazraji (R.A.)
285.Sayyiduna Mas'ud ibn-i Sa'd al-Khazraji (R.A.)
286.Sayyiduna Mas'ud ibn-i Sa'd al-Awsi (R.A.)
287.Sayyiduna Mus'ab ibn-i Umayr al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
288.Sayyiduna Muadh ibn-i Jabal al-Khazraji (R.A.)
289.Sayyiduna Muadh ibn-i Harith al-Khazraji (R.A.)
290.Sayyiduna Muadh ibn-us Simma al-Khazraji (R.A.)
291.Sayyiduna Muadh ibn-i Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
292.Sayyiduna Muadh ibn-i Mais al-Khazraji (R.A.)
293.Sayyiduna Ma'bad ibn-i Abbad al-Khazraji (R.A.)
294.Sayyiduna Ma'bad ibn-i Qays al-Khazraji (R.A.)
295.Sayyiduna Muattib ibn-i Ubayd al-Awsi (R.A.)
296.Sayyiduna Muattib ibn-i Awf al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
297.Sayyiduna Muattib ibn-i Kushayr al-Awsi (R.A.)
298.Sayyiduna Ma'qil ibn-i Mundhir al-Khazraji (R.A.)
299.Sayyiduna Ma'mar ibn-i Harith al-Khazraji (R.A.)
300.Sayyiduna Ma'n ibn-i Adiyy al-Khazraji (R.A.)
301.Sayyiduna Ma'n ibn-i Yazid al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
302-Sayyiduna Muawwiz ibn-i Harith al-Khazraji (R.A.)
303.Sayyiduna Muawwiz ibn-i Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
304.Sayyiduna Mikdad ibn'ul-Aswad al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
305.Sayyiduna Mulayl ibn-i Wabra al -Khazraji (R.A.)
306.Sayyiduna Mundhir ibn-i Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
307.Sayyiduna Mundhir ibn-i Kudama al-Awsi (R.A.)
308.Sayyiduna Mundhir ibn-i Muhammad al-Awsi (R.A.)
309.Sayyiduna Mihja' ibn'us-Salih Mawla Umar'ibn'ul-Khattab al Muhajiri (R.A.) (SHAHID)
310.Sayyiduna Nadr ibn-i Harith al-Awsi (R.A.)
311.Sayyiduna Nu'man ibn-i al-A'raj al-Khazraji (R.A.)
312.Sayyiduna Nu'man ibn-i Abi Hazma al-Awsi (R.A.)
313.Sayyiduna Nu'man ibn-i Sinan al-Khazraji (R.A.)
314.Sayyiduna Nu'man ibn-i Abd-i Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
315.Sayyiduna Nu'man ibn-i Amr al-Khazraji (R.A)
316.Sayyiduna Nu'man ibn-i Malik al-Khazraji (R.A.)
317.Sayyiduna Nawfal ibn-i Abdullah al-Khazraji (R.A.)
318.Sayyiduna Waqid ibn-i Abdullah al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
319.Sayyiduna Waraqa bin Iyas al-Khazraji (R.A)
320.Sayyiduna Wadia bin Amr al-Khazraji (R.A.)
321.Sayyiduna Wahb ibn-i Abi Sharh al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
322.Sayyiduna Wahb ibn-i Sa'd al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
323.Sayyiduna Hani'bin'Niyar al-Khazraji (R.A.)
324.Sayyiduna Hubayl ibn-i Wabra al-Khazraji (R.A.)
325.Sayyiduna Hilal ibn-i Mualla al-Khazraji (R.A.)
326.Sayyiduna Yazid ibn-i al-Akhnas al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
327.Sayyiduna Yazid ibn-i Ruqaysh al-Muhajiri (R.A.)
328.Sayyiduna Yazidi ibn-i Haram al-Khazraji (R.A.)
329.Sayyiduna Yazid ibn'ul-Harith al-Khazraji (R.A.)
330.Sayyiduna Yazid ibn'us-Sakan al-Awsi (R.A.)
331.Sayyiduna Yazid ibn'ul-Mundhir al-Khazraji (R.A.)

(RADIYALLAHU ANHUM AJMAIN)

11 Who is the companion whose dead body was washed by angels?

The name of that companion is Hanzala Ibn Abi Amir b. Sayfi al-Ansari al-Awsi. He is known by the nickname Ghaseel al-Malaʾika (the person who was washed by angels).

It is estimated that Hanzala became a Muslim after the Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) migration to Madinah. One day before the Battle of Uhud, he married Abdullah ibn Ubayy's daughter Jamila, who was a Muslim. When he heard that the Messenger of God (pbuh) was going to Uhud to fight the Makkan polytheists, he joined the Islamic army before he had the opportunity to make ghusl (full ablution).

During the battle, he met Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, the commander of the polytheist army, and dropped him from his horse. After Abu Sufyan asked for help, Ibn Shaddad bin Aswad, who was known as Ibn Shaub, martyred Hanzale with his spear.

Abu Sufyan, who carried out the Battle of Uhud to avenge the Battle of Badr, regarded the killing of Hanzala in return for his son Hanzala, who was killed in the Battle of Badr.

When the polytheists started to cut the organs of the martyrs with a sense of revenge, Abu Amir ar-Raiib, who supported the army of the polytheists, prevented the corpse of Hanzala, who was the son of Abu Amir, from being tortured.

Having learned from the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) that the angels washed Hanzala's body, the Muslims gave him the nickname "ghaseel al-malaʾika" (the person who was washed by angels) because he was martyred before he could make ghusl.

It is written in some sources that Hanzala asked permission from our Prophet (pbuh) to kill his father, who was an enemy of Islam and a polytheist, but the Messenger of Allah did not allow it. (Ibn al-Jawzi, 1/608)

Note:

According to the majority of scholars, those who become martyrs during janabah or menstruation or puerperium are not washed. Acting upon the narration that Hanzala, one of the martyrs of Uhud, was washed by angels because he was junub at that time, Abu Hanifa, Hanbalis, some fiqh scholars from Shafiis and Malikis decreed that a person martyred when he/she was in one of those cases would be washed.

References:
Ibn Ishaq, as-Sira, p. 312;
Waqidi, al-Maghazi, I, 273-274;
Ibn Hisham, as-Sira, III, 75, 123;
Ibn Sa‘d, at-Tabaqat, II, 43; V, 66, 81;
Tabari, Tarikh (Abul-Fadl), II, 521-522;
Ibn Hibban, as-Siqat, I, 228;
Hakim, al-Mustadrak, III, 204;
Bayhaqi, Dalaʾilun-Nubuwwa (published by Abdulmu‘ti Qal‘aii), Beirut 1405/1985, III, 214, 246, 278, 282;
Ibnul-Jawzi, Sifatus-Safwa, I, 608-610;
Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, IV, 21; Ibn Hajar, al-Isaba, I, 360-361;
Suyuti, al-Khasaʾisul-Kubra (published by M. Khalil Harras), Cairo 1387/1967, I, 538-539;
Shami, Subulul-Huda, IV, 314-315;
Diyarbekri, Tarikhul-Khamis, I, 445;
Ahmad ash-Sharabasi, Yasʾalunaka fid-din wal-hayat, Beirut 1980, II, 462-464.
see TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi, Hanzale item.

12 Is the incident of Umar’s wife raising her voice while discussing him true?

The narration in question is as follows:

It is narrated that during the caliphate of Umar (ra), a man went to the caliph’s house to complain to him about his wife, whose behavior he did not like. He sat in front of Umar’s door and waited for Umar (ra) to come out. Then, he heard a noise coming from the house. Umar’s wife was shouting at him, but Umar did not say even one word to his wife. The man at the door felt upset and thought, “Despite all his strictness and harshness, and being the leader of the believers, Umar is like that at home. How can he find a solution to my problem?” While he was leaving, Umar came out and called out to the man:

“Hey, what is the matter?” The man said:

- O leader of the believers! I came here to complain about my wife’s bad habits and her disrespect for me. When I heard that your wife said bad words to you, I gave up the idea and returned. I said to myself: How can the leader of the believers find a solution my problem when he is like that with his wife?

Thereupon, Umar (ra) said to the man:

- Brother! I try to put up with my wife because of her rights over me. She is my cook, baker, laundress, and foster mother of my children. However, she does not have to do all this. Moreover, she is the one who prevents my heart from inclining toward haram. Therefore, I put up with what she does.

When the man heard what Umar (ra) said, he said,

- O leader of the believers! So does my wife.

Thereupon, Umar consoled the man by saying,

- Come on, brother! Try to put up with your wife!  Life goes by in the blink of an eye. (Dhahabi, Kabair, p. 179; Ibn Hajar Haytami, Zawajir, 2/80)

Both Dhahabi and Ibn Hajar Haytami reported this narration without a chain of narrators and they drew attention to its weakness with the phrases it is narrated that, it is said that. (see Dhahabi, Ibn Hajar, ibid)

13 Are all of the Companions (Sahaba) people of Paradise? If they are all people of Paradise, is there any information in the Quran about the issue?

It is stated in the Quran that all of the Companions are people of Paradise.

It is stated in the Quran and hadiths that all of the Companions are people of Paradise. One of those verses is as follows:

"But to all [those who spent (freely) and fought, before the Victory, (with those who did so later)] has Allah promised a goodly (reward)." (al-Hadid, 57/10)

Another verse indicating that they are all people of Paradise is as follows: 

"…Unto all (in faith) hath Allah promised good" (an-Nisa, 4/95)

God Almighty states the following in verse 18 of the chapter of al-Fath:

"Allah's Good Pleasure was on the Believers when they swore Fealty to thee under the Tree."

They were the Companions of the Prophet; and "Allah gave them tranquility (that is power to their hearts) and He knows their love, loyalty and sincerity toward you and gives them the glad tiding that He will reward them with a conquest and victory in near future." This verse indicates the allegiance paid under the tree of sidrah mentioned in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.

It is seen that Allah is pleased with each Companion and that their hearts are pure and sincere; that tranquility was sent down into their hearts and that they are informed that they will be rewarded with a conquest in near future is evidence that their ranks and glory are high.  

Since Allah's knowledge is pre-eternal and post-eternal, He knows what will happen and how. Therefore, since He is pleased with the Companions, it means He will be pleased with them in the future too.

Accordingly, it can be said that, all Companions are people of Paradise. However, in some hadiths, the names of certain Companions are mentioned and it is stated that they are people of Paradise.

14 Is it true that Khalid bin Walid committed adultery?

They are not true, but slandering.

It is possible to answer the question through a few aspects.

Malik b. Nuwayra became a Muslim in the period of Madinah when he came to Madinah with a group from Tamim. He was appointed as the zakah collector of his tribe. He was a poet and warrior who was influential in his tribe and who was brave.

When Malik heard that the Prophet died, he returned the zakah goods to their owners; he exited the religion of Islam because he denied zakah and joined the apostates.

On the other hand, Khalid b. Walid, who was appointed as the commander-in-chief by Hz. Abu Bakr to fight apostates,swore that he would kill Malik, who was a brave warrior and who strengthened apostates.

One day, a military team of Hz. Khalid caught Malik b. Nuwayra and his eleven men and took them to the commander, Hz. Khalid. There was an argument whether Malik was an apostate (murtad) or not. Hz. Khalid believed that Malik was an apostate and had him executed. Thus, Malik's wife Mutammim and his children became slaves. Then, Khalid married Malik's wife Mutammim.

The Companions who believed that Malik was not an apostate complained to Hz. Abu Bakr about him. He questioned Khalid b. Walid regarding the issue. Hz. Khalid said that he had killed Malik due to a promise he had made and apologized to Hz. Abu Bakr.

Hz Umar held the view that it was necessary to have Hz. Khalid executed due to Malik.

However, Hz. Abu Bakr said retaliation was not in question for killing a person by mistake. Then, Hz. Umar made the following offer: "At least, he should be removed of his duty."

However, Hz. Abu Bakr opposed this offer by saying, “I will not sheathe a sword that Allah sent against the polytheists."

There is another important issue here. Sayf b. Umar, who was a historian belonging to the tribe of Sons of Tamim, made up unreal narrations and stories about the death of Malik b. Nuwayra ofthe tribe of Sons of Tamim.

Shiites did not hesitate to use thoseunreal narrations and stories against Hz. Abu Bakr and Hz. Khalid in the course of history. For, they regarded Hz. Khalid as a man of Hz. Abu Bakr; acting upon this view, they thought Khalid did not like Hz. Ali.

For, according to Shiites, since Hz. Abu Bakr did not like Hz. Ali, Hz. Khalid, whom they regarded to be a man of Hz. Abu Bakr, should not like Hz. Ali.

This is the real story in summary. (see Sarıcık, Murat, Dört Halife, Nesil Yayınları, İstanbul 2010,  p. 59- 60; Fayda, Mustafa, "Mâlik b. Nüveyre", DİA, XXVII, İstanbul 2003, p. 514- 515)

for more information, please click on the link given below;

What is the real story behind the incident between Khalid b. Walid and Malik b. Nuwayra?

15 What is the real story behind the incident between Khalid b. Walid and Malik b. Nuwayra?

One of the people who claimed to be prophets after the death of the Prophet (pbuh) during the caliphate of Hz. Ebu Bakr was a woman called Sajah, who belonged to the tribe of Sons of Tamim. When this woman claimed to be a prophet, her tribe, Sons of Talib and many Bedouins believed in her and followed her. After a while, Sajah marched toward Yamama with her army. She married Musaylima al-Kadhdhab, another fake prophet, and approved his prophethood.

Malik b. Nuwayra, the leader of Butah, believed in Sajah, exited the religion of Islam and became an apostate. When he believed in Sajah, his tribe followed him. When Sajah went to al-Jazirah, the north of Arabia, the tribe of Sons of Tamim returned to Islam and Malik hesitated. Meanwhile, a group of soldiers fighting under the command of Khalid b. Walid, who was a commander fighting against the apostates at that time, caught Malik b. Nuwayra and some of his important men, and took them to the presence of Khalid. Abu Qatada, who was near Khalid b. Walid and who was one of his soldiers said that Malik and his men called adhan and performed prayers hence they should not be harmed. Another soldier in the army of Khalid said that they did not call adhan and that they did not perform prayers. Hz. Abu Bakr, the Caliph, accepted calling adhan and performing prayers as a sign of Islam in the war against the apostates and ordered that such tribes should not be harmed.

It was a cold night. Khalid b. Walid probably hesitated about Malik b. Nuwayra and his men and wanted them to be imprisoned by acting cautiously. He called his officer and told him “to mudafaa” the prisoners. In Arabic, the word mudafaa is derived from the word dafaat, which means to heat, to warm. It also means to protect. Therefore, Khalid b. Walid’s order meant to imprison the men and to protect them from cold. However, the same word meant to kill in the language of the tribe of Kinana. Upon the order of Khalid b. Walid, Malik and his men were killed at night. When Khalid heard the screams, he came out but it was too late. Meanwhile, Khalid said, “When Allah wishes something, it happens.”

After this incident, Abu Qatada, one of the Companions, went to Madinah and told Hz. Abu Bakr about the incident. Hz Umar wanted Hz. Khalid to be removed of the duty of commander-in-chief. However, Hz. Abu Bakr summoned Khalid to Madinah and listened to him. He accepted Khalid’s excuse but he did not like it when he heard that he married Malik’s wife. Hz. Abu Bakr paid diyah from the Treasury for Malik b. Nuwayra and the other people who returned to Islam (the witnessing of Abu Qatada is accepted here) but who were killed by mistake. However, Hz. Umar wanted retaliation. Hz. Abu Bakr said, “Retaliation is not in question for killing a person by mistake.” Hz. Umar made the following offer: "At least, he should be removed of his duty." Hz. Abu Bakr opposed this offer by saying, “I will not sheathe a sword that Allah sent against the polytheists."

During his caliphate, Hz. Umar followed his governors and commanders closely and applied a very strict policy. However, Hz. Abu Bakr did not want to put much pressure on the administrators. He did not agree to unseat a commander due to a mistake made during a war.

When Hz. Umar became the caliph, he unseated Khalid b. Walid from the post of commander-in-chief during the Battle of Yarmuk and appointed Abu Ubayda b. Jarrah instead of him. Some people thought the reason for this was Malik b. Nuwayra but Hz. Umar wrote to his governors/administrators that it was not the reason for it as follows: “I did not unseat Khalid due to being angry with him or due to his treason. However, I feared that people would fall into mischief because of him and that they would rely on him (not Allah) due to achievements; therefore, I wanted people to know that the one that really does things is Allah.” (1)

1- Ibnl-Athir Ali b. Abdul-Karim, al-Kamil fit-Tarikh, I-VXII, Beirut nd. II, 353- 357; Abu Zayd Shibli, Khalid Ibnul-Walid, Maktabatul- Khanji, Egypt, 1952, p. 102- 105, 189- 193; Mustafa Fayda, “Halid b. Velid”.

16 Will you give detailed information about the life and personality of Hz. Abu Bakr (ra)?

Hz. Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (571-634) is the first male, free person to believe after Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) started to proclaim the religion of Islam; he is also the first one of the four caliphs and the ten people who were given the glad tiding of Paradise. He is the great Companion who is known with the nicknames Jamiul Quran (Compiler of the Quran), as-Siddiq (the Honest/Veracious), al-Atiq (the Freed One).

He is mentioned in the Quran as "...they two were in the cave..." (at-Tawba, 9/40) since he was together with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) during the Migration. His real name was Abdulkaaba; it is reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) gave him the name Abdullah after Islam. He was called with the nickname "atiq" meaning freed from torture and "siddiq" because he was honest, loyal, reliable and chaste. He became famous for the name Abu Bakr meaning "the father of a young camel".

Abu Bakr is from the tribe called Sons of Taym; his lineage unites with the Messenger of Allah with his ancestor Murra b. Ka'b. His mother's name is Ummul-Khayr Salma, and his father's name is Abu Quhafa Uthman. His full family name is Abdullah b. Uthman b. Amir b. Amir... b. Murra ...at-Taymi. All of his family members became Muslims except his son Abdurrahman, who remained as a polytheist up to the Battle of Badr. His father Abu Quhafa saw Abu Bakr's caliphate and death. It is stated that Hz. Abu Bakr (ra) is one or three years younger than the Messenger of Allah (pbuh).

Hz. Abu Bakr, who was a respectable and honest person that did not worship idols, who did not have any idols in his house and whowas a "hanif" merchant, did not leave the Prophet (pbuh) until he died. He spent all of his wealth and earnings for Islam; he led a plain life.

Hz. Abu Bakr was born in Makkah two years and a few months after the Incident of the Elephant in 571; he was known for his nice characteristics and chastity. Although drinking alcohol was a very common custom in the Era of Jahiliyya, he did not drink any alcohol. He was one of the notables of Makkah at that time and he was famous for the sciences of genealogy and news. He bought and sold fabrics and clothes; his capital was forty thousand dirhams, most of which he spent for Islam. 

Abu Bakr (r.a.), who believed in the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), started to convey the message of Islam. Most of the first Muslims like Uthman b. Affan, Zubayr b. Awwam, Abdurrahman b. Awf, Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas and Talha b. Ubaydullah, who made great efforts to elevate Islam, became Muslims as a result of the call of Abu Bakr.  

Hz. Abu Bakr (ra) did not leave the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) throughout his life; they established a great friendship when they were children. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) preferred his view related to many issues. The Prophet (pbuh), who consulted his Companions about general and private important issues, consulted Abu Bakr related to some private issues. (Ibn Khaldun, Muqaddima, 206). Arabs called him "the vizier of the Prophet".

The Sons of Taym tribe had an important place in Makkah. They were engaged in commerce and were known for their social contacts and broad cultural qualities. Hz. Abu Bakr's father was from the notables of Makkah. Hz. Abu Bakr was a person who was known by his high ethics and who was loved even in Era of Jahiliyyah; he was in charge of conducting the payments of blood-money and bail called "ashnaq" in Makkah. He had a great friendship with Muhammad (pbuh). They often met and talked about the unity of Allah, the situation of Makkah's polytheists and trade. They were both against the Jahiliyyah culture; they did not write poetry and they did not like poetry, they would rather meditate.

His adopting Islam

When Hz. Abu Bakr met Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), who was returning from Mount Hira, the Messenger of Allah told him that he was "the Messenger of Allah" and told him about the verses that started with

"Read in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created" (al-Alaq, 96/1),

he immediately said to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), "I believe in the oneness of Allah and that you are His Messenger." He is the first person after Hz. Khadijah to believe in the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). During the first days of conveying the message of Islam, everybody whom the Prophet (pbuh) talked hesitated first but Hz. Abu Bakr accepted Islam without any doubt and hesitation. Hz. Prophet even said, "If the belief of all people were put on one scale of a balance and Abu Bakr's belief on the other, his belief would outweigh." Abu Bakr, the believer, devoted himself to Islam and was always among the first to do good deeds and charity.  

In the period of Makkah, Hz. Abu Bakr tried to bring the people of strong tribes to Islam; on the other hand, he protected the weak people and the slaves who were exposed to the tributes of the polytheists; he used his fortune to buy and free the slaves that were tortured. Bilal, Habbab, Lubayna, Abu Fuqayha, Amir, Dhinnira, Nahdiya, Umm Ubays were among them. He himself was attacked by the polytheists in Masjid al-Haram. After Abu Bakr believed, he continued to convey the message of Islam secretly. His mother, his wife, Umm Ruman and his daughter Asma believed but his sons, Abdullah, Abdurrahman and his father Abu Quhafa had not believed yet. He is the person who invited the first Muslims like Uthman b. Affan, Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas, Abdurrahman b. Awf, Zubayr b. Awwam, and Talha b. Ubaydullah to Islam.

After the persecution of the polytheists and the pressures on the Muslims increased, Hz. Prophet (pbuh) told Abu Bakr to migrate to Abyssinia and Abu Bakr set out. However, when he encountered Ibn Dughunna, one of members of a prominent tribe of Makkah in Bark al-Ghimad, Ibn Dughunna told him that he took him under his protection and the two returned to Makkah together. However, Ibn Dughunna, who conditionally patronized Abu Bakr, said that Abu Bakr did not act in accordance with his conditions because he worshipped openly and continued to spread his belief; he asked Abu Bakr to worship secretly. Abu Bakr said that he did not need his protection and that he had not promised him anything. He said, "I am returning you my protection. Allah's protection is enough for me."  Thus, Abu Bakr stayed in Makkah for thirteen years. According to the narration of Hz. Aisha, when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) received the order to migrate, went to Abu Bakr and told him that they would migrate together, Abu Bakr started to weep for joy. (Ibn Hisham, as-Sirah, II, 485)

When the polytheists heard the incidents of Isra and Miraj and when Hz. Prophet (pbuh) said he went from Makkah to Jerusalem and then to Sidratul-Muntaha in just one night, they told Hz. Abu Bakr about it. He said, "If Muhammad (pbuh) says so, it is true." After this statement of Hz. Abu Bakr's, he was given the nickname "Siddiq", meaning a person who never tells lies, who is honest and who has no doubt in his belief. As the Quran puts it, we can say "What a nice friend!" (an-Nisa, 4/69) Thus, those two friends, "Siddiq" and "Amin", migrated together moving toward the cave in Mount Thawr.  

His Migration

Hz. Abu Bakr entered the cave first and checked it; then, the Prophet (pbuh) entered it. Abu Bakr's daughter, Asma, had prepared some food for them to eat on the way. When they left Makkah, the polytheists began to look for them by sending their men around. The polytheists of the Quraysh tribe searched Asma's house under the leadership of Abu Jahl, insulting and beating her.

Hz. Abu Bakr took all his money with him when he set off for the Migration. However, his daughter Asma did not tell the unbelievers where he was and where he was going. The Makkan polytheists who followed their traces reached the Cave of Thawr. Meanwhile, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, as it is stated in the Qur'an:

"Have no Fear, for Allah is with us." (at-Tawba, 9/40)

As a matter of fact, Allah gave him confidence and supported him with the soldiers whom they could not see; Allah is powerful and wise. The unbelievers could not find them despite their search for three days. After staying in the cave for three days, the Messenger of Allah and Abu Bakr headed for Makkah and arrived in Quba.

Abu Bakr narrates the day they stayed in the cave as follows: "I was in the cave with the Messenger of Allah. I looked up and saw the feet of the Qurayshi spies. Thereupon, I said, 'O Messenger of Allah! If some of them bent down and looked, they would definitely see us.' He said, 'O Abu Bakr! Keep silent! Is it appropriate to worry when two friends are together with Allah?'

After staying in Quba for three days, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and Hz. Abu Bakr arrived in Madinah. Hz. Abu Bakr got fever in Madinah. When his fever got worse and he stayed in bed, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) prayed for him as follows:  

"O Allah! Make Madinah beloved for us just as You did Makkah beloved and keep fever away from us."

After the prayer, Hz. Abu Bakr and the other Companions who were ill got well. Meanwhile, Hz. Aisha and Hz. Muhammad got married. Masjid an-Nabawi was built. Some of the expenses were met by Hz. Abu Bakr. When brotherhood was established in Madinah, Haritha b. Zayd became Abu Bakr's brother.

Hz. Abu Bakr took part in the construction of Masjid an-Nabawi in Madinah. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sent teams called sariyya outside Madinah in order to spread Islam and collect information about the enemies. Hz. Abu Bakr sometimes took part in them. He took part in the battles that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) himself fought (Badr, Uhud and Khandaq). He also took part in the expeditions of Muraysi, Qurayza, Khaybar, Makkah, Hunayn and Taif.

The battles that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) himself commanded are called ghazwah. Hz. Abu Bakr took part in more than thirty ghazwahs apart from the battles mentioned above. The enemies surrendered without fighting in the ghazwahs of Waddan, Buwat, Badr al-Ula and Ushayra. In all of those ghazwahs, Hz. Abu Bakr was next to the Prophet (pbuh) like his "vizier".  

In the Battle of Badr, Abu Bakr fought against his son, Abdurrahman, when he was on the side of the polytheists. Not only him but also many companions fought against their sons, brothers, fathers and uncles at Badr. The Battle of Badr shows that Muslims kept Islam superior to everything and they killed the polytheists who were their closest relatives without distinguishing them from other people or without thinking of kinship or being the members of the same tribe.  While Hamza, one of the uncles of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was in the Islamic army, Abbas, another uncle of the Prophet (pbuh), was among the enemy ranks. While his nephew Ubayda was on his side, his other nephews, Abu Sufyan and Nawfal, were with the polytheists. Even Abu al-As, the wife of his daughter Zaynab, fought against the Prophet (pbuh) with the polytheists.

There was a great famine in Madinah in the 9th year of the Migration. The Byzantine Emperor, meanwhile, prepared a large army in Damascus to invade the Hejaz region. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) faced difficulties due to famine while preparing the Islamic army against this army. Abu Bakr (ra) used all of his wealth to prepare this army. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh), who took part in the Farewell Hajj in the tenth year of the Migration, became ill in the eleventh year.

His Caliphate

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh), who became ill in the eleventh year of the Migration, passed away on Monday, the 13th of the month of Rabiul-Awwal (June 8, 632). The Muslims who heard his death became very sorry and they did not know what to do a first. However, he was also an ephemeral human being. Hz. Umar said the Prophet (pbuh) went to meet his Lord like Hz. Musa (Moses) and added that he would cut off the hands of anyone who said, "he died". When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) felt well, Hz. Abu Bakr took permission from him and went to see his daughter. As soon as he heard that the Messenger of Allah had died, he returned and kissed the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) on his forehead. He said,

"O Messenger of Allah! May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! You are as beautiful as you were alive. The institution of prophethood ended with your death. Your fame and honor is so great that you are free from crying over it. O Muhammad! Do not forget us near your Lord! Remember us!"

Then, he went out and silenced Hz. Umar. He said,

"O people! Allah is one; there is no god but Him. Muhammad is His slave and messenger. Allah is the clear truth. Whoever worshipped Muhammad should know that Muhammad is dead, but whoever worshipped Allah, should know that Allah is alive and eternal. I want to remind you the following order of Allah: Muhammad is no more than an Messenger: many were the Messengers that passed away before Him. If he died or was slain, will ye then turn back on your heels? If any did turn back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah; but Allah (on the other hand) will swiftly reward those who (serve him) with gratitude.' (Aal-i Imran, 3/144). "He who holds fast the book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah finds the truth; he who separates them goes astray. Do not let Satan deceive you with the death of the Prophet and make you deviate from your religion! Do not allow Satan to approach you!" (Ibn Hisham, as-Sirah, IV/335; Tabari, Tarikh, III/197,198).

With this talk, Hz. Abu Bakr calmed down the people there and started to prepare the body of the Prophet for burial. Meanwhile, Ansar gathered in the shed of Banu Sa'idah; they wanted to choose Sa'd b Ubada, the leader of the tribe of Khazraj, the caliph. Hz. Abu Bakr, Hz. Umar, Abu Ubayda and a group of Muhajirs went to Banu Sa'idah at once. After talking to Ansar and negotiating about the caliphate, Hz. Abu Bakr stood between Umar and Abu Ubayda and asked people to pay allegiance to one of them. He did not put himself forward as the caliph. After Hz. Abu Bakr's speech, Hz. Umar rushed forward and paid allegiance to Hz. Abu Bakr. He said,

"O Abu Bakr! You led the prayer to the Muslims upon the order of the Messenger of Allah. You are his caliph and we pay allegiance to you. We pay allegiance to you, who are more beloved to the Messenger of Allah than all of us."

Upon this, sudden act of Hz. Umar, all of the people there paid allegiance to Hz. Abu Bakr. After this initial allegiance, Hz. Abu Bakr delivered a sermon to the people in Masjid an-Nabawi the next day and people paid allegiance to him formally. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was buried on Tuesday. When a disagreement occurred about where to bury him, Hz. Abu Bakr showed his prudence and reminded the people the following hadith: 

"Every prophet is buried in the place where he dies."

The janazah prayer of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was performed in groups without an imam. It is reported that Hz. Ali came together with Banu Hashim and his supporters in the house of Hz. Fatima and that he did not pay allegiance at first. According to some narrations, when Hz. Ali heard that the big allegiance took place, he put on his clothes hurriedly and rushed in order to pay allegiance to Hz. Abu Bakr. (Tabari, Tarikh, III/207) The news that he did not pay allegiance to Hz. Abu Bakr for months is probably contrary to the truth. For, the fact that he knew the superiority of Abu Bakr, the speeches he made and the course of history are contrary to the other narrations.

Disagreements and differences of opinions sometimes occurred among the closest Companions of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) - even between Abu Bakr and Umar - , but they acted together as it is seen during the time of the first two caliphs. Differences of traits and characteristics played an important role in most of the incidents that seemed to be disagreements. For instance, Abu Bakr acted mildly but Umar was a hardliner. However, they always acted together. Hz. Ali and Zubayr b. Awwam were among those who made decisions about the wars of Riddah under the leadership of Hz. Abu Bakr and they performed prayers behind Hz. Abu Bakr. (Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wan-Nihaya, V/249) Hz. Ali (ra) said he would fulfill ill if the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had a will. (Tabari, ibid, IV, 236) However, when Ibn Abbas wanted to ask the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) about caliphate when he got ill, Hz. Ali stopped him. That is, nobody opposed the caliphate of Hz. Abu Bakr. Besides, what wass natural, reasonable and practical was his caliphate. The Prophet did not have a written will but he spoke about the virtues of Hz. Abu Bakr in the mosque, summoned him when he was on his death-bed and appointed him as the imam on behalf of him.   

When Hz. Fatima went to Hz. Abu Bakr to receive her share from the inheritance of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), he said, "I will not hesitate to do anything that the Messenger of Allah did." Thus, he regarded the superiority of the religion more important than Fatima being the daughter of the Prophet (pbuh). He did whatever he heard and saw the Prophet (pbuh) do when he was with him. (Tabari, III, 220) Afterwards, when Hz. Ali was the caliph, Ali did not give Fatima anything from the inheritance of the Prophet (pbuh) though he had supported Fatima when she asked for inheritance from Abu Bakr; this is the evidence how the Companions obeyed and followed the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). (Ibn Taymiyya, Minhajus-Sunnah, III, 230). Hz. Abu Bakr stated the following in the speech in the mosque after he was chosen as "the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah":

"O people! I was elected as your governor and Caliph though I am not the best of you. If I do good deeds, help me; if I do bad deeds, show me the right way. Obey me as long as I obey Allah and His Messenger; if I do not obey Allah and His Messenger, do not obey me..." (Ibn Hisham, as-Sirah, IV, 340-341; Tabari, Tarikh, III, 203)

Struggling against Apostates and Conquests in Iraq and Syria

After being the caliph of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), Hz. Abu Bakr declared war against the movements of apostates, fake prophets, and those who said "We will perform prayers but we will not pay zakah" that occurred in various regions of Arabia except Makkah and Madinah after the death of the Messenger of Allah. As a result of these wars against the fake prophets like Aswadul-Ansi, Musaylamatul-Kadhdhab, Sajah, Tulayha, these harmful elements were eliminated, rebellions were suppressed, zakah started to be collected again, to be  put in the Treasury and to be distributed again. Hz. Abu Bakr sent the army of Usama, which had been prepared but waited because of the death of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), to Jordan; he also suppressed the mutinies of Bahrayn, Umman, Yemen and Muhra. The Muslims struggled against the interior rebels while confronting the armies of two big empires: Persia and Byzantium. Hira, Ajnadin and Anbar were included among Islamic land; Iraq was conquered and the important cities of Syria were conquered. Hz. Abu Bakr died while the Battle of Yarmuk was going on. He gave his army the following advice:  

"Do not touch women, children and old people; do not cut the trees that yield fruit; do not destroy a built-up place; do not transgress and do not fear."

Indeed, the Islamic army did not persecute anyone in the places that were conquered and received the appreciation of their enemies by their justice; the nations that entered under the protection of Islam by paying jizyah lived in peace and security.

The Compilation of the Quran; Formation of Mushaf

Hz. Abu Bakr did not find the proposal of Hz. Umar about compiling the Quran appropriate first but when many scribes of revelation and hafizes of the Quran were martyred in the battles of Riddah, he acknowledged that Umar was right and had the Quranic verses brought together. During the time of the Messenger of Allah, the revelation that was sent down step by step had been written on gazelle skins, white stones, broad branches of dates, etc; and most of the Companions were hafizes. However, the written verses were scattered and when the number of hafizes decreased, people started to be worried about the preservation of the Quran. Hz. Abu Bakr (ra) established a committee under the presidency of Zayd b. Thabit and ordered everyone to bring the verses of the Quran they had. Moreover, the verses were verified by witnesses and confirmed by hafizes. Thus, all the verses were gathered and "Mushaf" was formed. This Mushaf was transferred to Hz. Umar from Abu Bakr and then to Umar's daughter. It was reproduced during the caliphate of Uthman and distributed to all the provinces of the Islamic land.

His Death

Although Hz. Abu Bakr's caliphate lasted very short (two years and three months), the Islamic state developed greatly. When Hz. Abu Bakr had to remain in bed after the illness he got in Madinah at the beginning of the month of Jumadal-Akhir in the 13th year of the Migration, he asked Hz. Umar to lead the prayer. He talked to the Companions and said that he regarded Hz. Umar appropriate for the caliphate. He answered some criticism that Umar was harsh and made Hz. Uthman write the contract of the caliphate. Hz. Abu Bakr died at the age of sixty-three just like the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), whom he loved very much. He was buried next to the Messenger of Allah at shoulder-length as he had willed. Thus, the togetherness of these two great friends continued in the grave.

His Personality and Administration

Hz. Abu Bakr, who had a wide culture as merchant, was the first one among the Companions in terms of honesty and piety. His outstanding characteristics were tender-mindedness, thinking a lot and speaking a little, and humbleness. According to the narration of Hz. Aisha, he was a person who was "tearful, sorrowful, and had a soft sound". In the Era of Jahiliyyah, the polytheists trusted in him and recognized him as an arbitrator related to diyah and debtor-creditor relationships. The example of infinite devotion displayed by Hz. Abu Bakr (ra), who was the most loyal friend of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), in the incident of Miraj earned him the title "as-Siddiq". He said, "If he (Hz. Muhammad) (pbuh) says so, it is true." There is nobody superior to him in terms of generosity. He spent all his wealth for Islam; before he died, he wrote in his will that all of the salaries he received from the Treasury as the caliph should be returned to the Treasury; he wanted his land to be sold for it. After that, only one camel and one slave were left as his inheritance. Abu Bakr had six children from his four wives; he married his daughter Aisha off to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) after the Migration. (Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd, VI, 130 ff; Ibnul-Athir, II, 115 ff)

During the Migration, a snake bit his foot in the cave and he felt a severe pain but he did not cry or say anything so as not to awaken the Prophet (pbuh) who was sleeping on his knee; when the Prophet (pbuh) woke up and saw him weeping, he asked what had happened. Hz. Abu Bakr said, "O Messenger of Allah! May my mother and father be sacrificed for you!" This is only one example of his devotion to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh).

It is narrated that Hz. Abu Bakr had a white face; he was weak; he had a roundish nose; he was a calm man who dyed his beard with henna and woad. (Ibnu'l Athir, al-Kamil fit-Tarikh, II, 419-420)

The best person among the ummah after the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is Abu Bakr (ra). He was the vizier of the Prophet (pbuh) and the closest one to him in fatwas.

"If I had a close friend among people, it would be Abu Bakr." (Bukhari, Salat, 80: Muslim, Masajid, 38: Ibn Majah, Muqaddima, II)

"I have responded to the favors of everybody except Abu Bakr."

The hadiths of the Prophet above and his following statement in his last sermon praising Hz. Abu Bakr "Allah allowed one of His slaves free to choose between the world and the things near Him; and the slave chose what was near Him'' and that the Prophet had all the doors leading to the mosque closed except the door of Hz. Abu Bakr show the importance the Prophet gave to him.

No view of Hz. Abu Bakr's contrary to the verses of the Quran and hadiths reached us because there was nothing like that. Abu Bakr (ra) knew the abrogating sunnah very well and he knew the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) better than anybody else did. Therefore, no rebellion against his caliphate occurred in the Islamic land and no mischief was seen. (Bukhari, Fadailul-Ashabin-Nabiyy, 3) Disagreements or deadlocks and bid'ahs did not occur in his caliphate. The Prophet's statement, "Have no Fear, for Allah is with us" seems to be apparent on Hz. Abu Bakr in terms of both meaning and words. (Ibn Taymiyya, Kulliyat Translation, İstanbul 1988, IV, 329)

It is mentioned in the resources that he acted very meticulously while making decisions by saying, "I am subject to the Messenger of Allah. I cannot impose any rules." (Tabari, IV, 1845; Ibn Sa'd, III, 183) When he was to decide about an issue, he would first look at the Quran; if he could not find it there, he would search it in the Sunnah; if he could not find it there, he would consult the Companions and make ijtihad. In the issue of the division of war booty between Muhajirs and Ansar, Hz. Umar held the view that Muhajirs should be given more shares but he divided the booty equally. For that reason, there was no restlessness during his caliphate. The Messenger of Allah and Hz. Abu Bakr regarded three talaqs uttered in one place as one talaq but it was later regarded as three talaqs - like some changes that were made due to public good. That is, Abu Bakr (ra) wanted to apply all of the practices of the Messenger of Allah but he acted in accordance with the views of Companions who said the decrees could change with the change of time and sometimes due to public good - like giving land to muallafa al-qulub.

Hz. Abu Bakr, who proclaimed Islam in Masjid al-Haram when the number of the Muslims was only thirty-eight and was beaten by the polytheists, was called "the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah" during his caliphate but the caliphs after him were called "Amirul-Mu'minin".

During his caliphate, financial issues were conducted by Abu Ubayda, judicial issues by Hz. Umar, secretarial issues by Zayd b. Thabit and Hz. Ali; the commanders of the army were Usama and Khalid b. Walid. Madinah became the capital city of the Islamic State and the following cities became provinces: Makkah, Taif, San'a, Hadramawt, Hawlan, Zabid, Rima, Janad, Najran, Jurash, Bahrayn. It was a central government and one-fifth of the booty was collected and kept in the Treasury.

Hz. Abu Bakr was (one of the muqillin) a Companion that narrated a few hadiths. He narrated only one hundred and forty-two hadiths fearing that he could say something wrong, or only those hadiths reached us. Some of his sermons and advice are as follows:   

"The Messenger of Allah was protected by revelation. However, I have a satan that does not leave me alone.

Hurry to do good deeds because your death is behind you hurrying.

A word that is not said for Allah is not good.

A person who hesitates to tell the truth fearing that somebody will criticize him is not good.

The secret of a deed is patience. Nobody has been given a boon superior to health after belief.

Call yourself to account before you are called to account." (see Abu Nuaym, Hilya, l)

(Ahmet AĞIRAKÇA, Sait KIZILIRMAK)

17 Why was Abu Dharr al-Ghifari exiled to Rabadha Desert?

Abu Dharr al-Ghifari himself wanted to go to Rabadha and Hz. Uthman approved it.

Abu Dharr was a poor and ascetic person who liked living alone. He did not value the world. Therefore, the Prophet gave him the name "Masihul-Islam".

As a matter of fact, after the death of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), Abu Dharr broke off his ties with the world and started to live in seclusion. The vineyards and orchards of Madinah were nothing but ruins for him. When Hz. Abu Bakr died, Abu Dharr retired completely. He could not put up with the pains in his heart. He left Madinah and settled in Damascus.

During the period of Hz. Uthman, the conquests increased and the traditions of the people in the conquered areas started to affect Islam. Consequently, the administrators started to lead a worldly life, abandoning plainness. They started to build palaces and mansions and employed servants. The plainness of the periods of the Messenger of Allah, Hz. Abu Bakr and Hz. Umar started to be forgotten.

One of those who did not forget the plainness of those periods was Abu Dharr. He insisted on leading a plain life. He warned those who chose to led a luxurious life; he told them that this state would bring them nothing but evil and that they would be called to account for them one day. He often read the following verse as evidence:

"...And there are those who bury gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah: announce unto them a most grievous penalty." (at-Tawba, 9/34)

He always criticized the lifestyles of Hz. Muawiyah and his administrators. Therefore, people complained to Hz. Uthman about Abu Dharr saying that he caused mischief. Hz. Uthman called Abu Dharr to Madinah. After Abu Dharr came to Madinah, he sent a message to Hz. Uthman saying, "I do not need any worldly possessions." Abu Dharr’s arrival in Madinah affected and surprised people a lot. However, Abu Dharr did not stay in Madinah very long; he went to Rabadha near Makkah and settled there. Hz. Uthman approved this act of Abu Dharr’s. He gave him a few sheep and a camel and told him to use them as his sustenance.

18 Who is the killer of Hz. Ammar? How should Muslims view the disagreements that occurred among the Companions?

Hz. Ammar was not killed by Hz. Muawiya. Besides this narration was interpreted; there are some scholars who interpreted the people who killed Ammar as those who took him to the battlefield. On the other hand, there are some scholars who interpreted it as only the people who actually killed him. (Kısas-ı Enbiya, 1/561 ff.; al- Khulafaur-Rashidun, 224-225)

This incident is an evidence showing that Hz. Ali and his followers were right but this event, which took place among the Companions, is as a result of ijtihad; therefore, none of them is held responsible for it. The one who killed and the one who was killed are people of Paradise. For, mujtahids receive rewards even when they make mistakes; Hz. Muawiya, who made a mistake in his ijtihad on this occasion, cannot be accused of heresy and fisq (sinfulness) and cannot be criticized. He needs to be mentioned as a mujtahid and with his good deeds. For, a mujtahid that makes a mistake cannot be accused of heresy and fisq. (see Sharhul-Aqaid, p.325, Hashiyatul-Kastalli 'ala Sharhil-Aqaid, p.180-181)

After the Battle of Jamal, Hz. Ali arranged his soldiers again and walked against Hz. Muawiya, who was the governor of Damascus then. Both armies confronted in Siffin. One of those who made great efforts in this battle was again Hz. Ammar. During the battle, he met Hz. Amr b. As and talked to him. Hz. Ammar tried to warn Hz. Amr.

It was one of the most severe days of the war. He went to a quiet place to have a rest and to break his fast. When he drank the milk that was brought to him, his face shone with a smile. He expressed his joy by saying, "I will rejoin my friends today. I will rejoin the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and his friends." For, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had given him the glad tiding that the last thing he would drink in this world was milk. 

He returned to the battlefield. He started to fight with might and main. Meanwhile an unfortunate person called Ibn Jadiya wounded him and caused him to fall off his animal. He died after a while. When Hz. Ammar was martyred, the opposing party panicked. They knew about the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). They interpreted the hadith based on their own view.

He was buried in the cemetery of Kufa. It is narrated that he was ninety-one years old when he was martyred.

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How should we evaluate the wars among the Companions (Sahaba)?

19 Is there a narration meaning “Ali and the Prophet’s uncle Abbas regarded Abu Bakr as a liar, sinner, trickster and traitor”?

The statement above is a distortion made by picking certain words from a true text.

As it is known, when a statement is removed from its content and used independently, it may assume a different meaning and be misunderstood. The way of presentation in the question is a remarkable example of it. Let us have a look at the text of the hadith first in order to see the place of that statement in the context.

“Malik b. Aws narrates: Umar b. Khattab sent for me and I came to him when the day had advanced. He said to me:

— O Malik! Some people of your tribe have hastened to me. I have ordered a little money for them. Take it and distribute it among them. I said,

—  I wish you had ordered somebody else to do this job. He said,

—  O Malik! Take it. At this moment, Umar’s male servant, Yarfa came in and said,

—  O leader of the believers! Uthman, Abdurrahman b. Awf, Zubayr and Sad ask for permission to enter. Will you give permission? Umar said,

—  Yes. Yarfa gave them permission to enter. Then, he came again and said,

—  Will you give permission for Abbas and Ali too? Umar said,

—  Yes. He gave them permission too. Abbas said,

—  O leader of the believers! Decide the dispute between me and this sinful, treacherous, dishonest liar. The people who were present said,

—  O leader of the believers! Yes, decide the dispute between them and make them peaceful.  (Malik b. Aws said: I think, they sent those people before them for this reason.) Thereupon, Umar said to Abbas and Ali,

—  Wait and be patient. (Then, he turned to the people there). I adjure you by Allah, by whose order the heavens and the earth are sustained: Do you not know that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “We (prophets) do not have any heirs; what we leave behind is sadaqah (charity)”? The people there said,

—  Yes. Then, he turned to Abbas and Ali and said,

—  I adjure you both by Allah, by whose order the heavens and earth are sustained. Do you not know that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “We (prophets) do not have any heirs; what we leave behind is sadaqah (charity)”? They said,

—  Yes. Thereupon, Umar said,

—  Allah had done to His Messenger a special favor that He has not done to anyone else except him. (That favor is in the following verse:)

“What Allah has bestowed on His Messenger (and taken away) from the people of the townships,- belongs to Allah,- to His Messenger and to kindred and orphans, the needy and the wayfarer.” (al-Hashr, 59/7)

 (The narrator said: I do not know whether he also recited the previous verse or not.) The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) distributed among you the properties abandoned by Sons of Nadir. By Allah, he never preferred himself over you and never appropriated anything to your exclusion. This property was left over. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) met from its income his annual expenditure, and what remained was deposited in the Baytul-Mal.” Then, Umar said,

“I adjure you by Allah, by whose order the heavens and the earth are sustained. Do you know this?” The people there said,

—  Yes. Then, he turned to Abbas and Ali and asked them as he asked the other people: “Do you know this?” They said,

—  Yes. Umar continued as follows:

—  When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) passed away, Abu Bakr said: I am the successor of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Both of you came to demand your shares from the property left behind by the Messenger of Allah. You demanded your share from the property of your nephew; and he demanded a share on behalf of his wife from the property of her father. Abu Bakr said to you: “The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: We (prophets) do not have any heirs; what we leave behind is sadaqah.” You thought him to be a liar, sinful, treacherous and dishonest. However, Allah knows that he was true, virtuous, well-guided and a follower of truth.”

When Abu Bakr passed away, I became the successor of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and Abu Bakr. You thought me to be a liar, sinful, treacherous and dishonest. However, Allah knows that I am true, virtuous, well-guided and a follower of truth. I became the guardian of this property. Then you as well as he came to me. You were together and you wanted the same thing. You said: Entrust the property to us. I said to you: If you wish that I should entrust it to you, it will be on the condition that both of you will undertake to abide by a pledge made with Allah that you will use it in the same way as the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used it: Was it not like this?” They said,

—  Yes. Umar continued:

—  Now, you have come again to me with the request that I should judge between you. No, by Allah. I will not give any other judgment except this until the arrival of the Doomsday. If you are unable to hold the property on this condition, return it to me.” (Muslim, Jihad/Sayr, Fay decree, 48-1757-)

According to the apparent expression of the narration above, three people were accused of lying:

a) Hz. Abbas accused his nephew Hz. Ali of lying. The following statement shows it: “O leader of the believers! Decide the dispute between me and this sinful, treacherous, dishonest liar.”

According to what scholars state, those attributes are unthinkable to exist in Hz. Ali. Although nobody other than the prophets is sinless, we need to have good thoughts about the Companions. From this viewpoint, we can accept that the statement above belongs to some narrators who used an exaggerated language, not to Abbas. Or, we can say that Hz. Abbas used those exaggerated words - though he did not believe them - to express that his nephew was wrong because he regarded his nephew as his son.

Besides, it is possible to accept that Hz. Abbas used those words for Ali, as a joke. His aim was to dissuade his nephew from that attitude.

However, the distinguished Companions who were there did not object to those words of Abbas due to the situation there, which shows that they perceived it as an exaggerated expression uttered out of anger, not as an expression of the truth and that they understood that even Abbas could not believe what he said. (See Nawawi, the explanation of the hadith in question; İbrahim Canan, Kütüb-i Sitte Tercüme ve Şerhi, h. no: 1127)

b) According to Hz. Umar, Hz. Abbas and Hz. Ali regarded Hz. Abu Bakr as a liar: “...You thought him to be a liar, sinful, treacherous and dishonest.”

The statement of Hz. Umar meaning “However, Allah knows that he was true, virtuous, well-guided and a follower of truth” shows that it is accepted by all the Companions that it is not possible to accuse Hz. Abu Bakr of lying because no one objected when he said it though there were distinguished Companions there.

Besides, that statement of Umar does not necessarily indicate that they uttered those words orally. On the contrary, their disapproval of Abu Bakr's judgment about them might mean that they did not regard him as honest - even if they did not think so. Hz. Umar exaggerated this attitude of theirs, which he did not like, by saying so.

c) The third one is Hz. Umar’s being regarded as a liar: “You thought me to be a liar, sinful, treacherous and dishonest. However, Allah knows that I am true, virtuous, well-guided and a follower of truth.” With that statement, he wanted to say that their not fully adhering to the judgment he had given about them before meant that they accused him of lying.

Look at those words uttered in context, and look at the following statement in the question that was used out of context: "Caliph Umar bin Khattab said, “Ali and the Prophet’s uncle Abbas regarded Abu Bakr as a liar, sinner, trickster and traitor”. There is a great difference between them.

The summary of the narration is as follows: Hz. Abbas and Hz. Ali fell into a disagreement about the fay property, which was considered to be the inheritance of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), and applied to the Caliph Umar. Hz. Umar reminded them that they had previously applied to Hz. Abu Bakr regarding the same issue and that Abu Bakr had not given them any share from that property and told them that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “We (prophets) do not have any heirs; what we leave behind is sadaqah.” Then, he said that he was of the same opinion. He added that he could entrust them that property based on some conditions.

As it is understood from the narration above and other narrations, the Prophet (pbuh) spent his share of the aforementioned fay property for his needs and the needs of his family when he was alive; he spent the remaining revenue on general services such as the welfare of Muslims, the purchase of horses and weapons. When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) passed away, his daughter Hz. Fatima applied to the Caliph Hz. Abu Bakr and wanted that property to be divided according to the inheritance law and demanded her share. However, Hz. Abu Bakr reminded her of the hadith “We (prophets) do not have any heirs; what we leave behind is sadaqah” and said that the property left by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) could not be treated as inheritance.

Note: The word Kadhib in the hadith was translated as "liar" in the question and we translated it like that but it also means to err, to make a mistake in Arabic. Therefore, we think that it would be more appropriate to use the word "kadhib", which Hz. Abbas said to Hz. Ali in anger, in the sense of a person making a mistake, not in the sense of a liar.”

20 Who is Abu Mahdhura? How did he become a Muslim?

Abu Mahdhura Aws b. Mi'yar b. Lawzan al-Jumahi (d. 59/678-79) is a Companion and one of the muezzins of Masjid al-Haram.

He belongs to Jumah clan of Quraysh. Since he was known with the nickname Abu Mahdhura, it is debatable what his name and his father’s name were. It is claimed that his name was Salman, Samura, Sumayr or Salama and that his father’s name was Umayr.

Abu Mahdhura became a Muslim in the year when Makkah was conquered after he met the Prophet (pbuh) in Jirana.  

The incident that caused Abu Mahdhura to become a Muslim took place as follows:

The Messenger of Allah was returning from the Siege of Taif to Jirana. When it was time to pray, the muezzin started to call adhan. Abu Mahdhura and ten youths of Qurayshis, who nursed a grudge and enmity against the Messenger of Allah, hid somewhere when they heard the adhan and started to call adhan aloud by imitating the sound of the muezzin and mocking him. The Prophet (pbuh) noticed that one of them had a very nice voice and called them; he made them call adhan again.   

The Prophet liked the sound of Abu Mahdhura, who called adhan last, and taught him how to call adhan; then, when it was time for the next prayer, the Prophet patted his head and ordered him to call adhan.

Abu Mahdhura fulfilled this order unwillingly; the Prophet (pbuh) gave him some silver coins and prayed for him. Abu Mahdhura, whose heart warmed toward Islam, became a Muslim there. He asked to Prophet (pbuh) to appoint him as the muezzin of Masjid al-Haram. The Prophet accepted his request and told him to go to Attab b. Asid, the governor of Makkah, and tell him about his new duty. (Musnad, 3/408-409; Abdurrazzaq, Musannaf, 1/458)

Abu Mahdhura called adhan in the Kaaba with Bilal al-Habashi until the Messenger of Allah left Makkah.

He never cut the part of his hair, which the Messenger of Allah patted, over his forehead due to his respect. (Abdurrazzaq, Musannaf, 1/458-459; Ahmad b. Hanbal. Musnad, III/408)

Abu Mahdhura continued calling adhan in Makkah until he died in 59 H (678-79 AD). After his death, his sons and grandsons called adhan in Makkah for centuries. (Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, 5/450; Dhahabi, Siyaru A'lamin-Nubala, 3/78)

Abu Mahdhura knew the names of the ancestors of Qurayshis very well. His wife den Umm Abdulmalik, his son Abdulmalik, Aswad b. Yazid an-Nahai, Abdullah b. Muhayriz, Ibn Abu Mulayka and others reported hadiths from him. Eight narrations of his, all of which are related to the Prophet’s teaching him adhan, are included in Ahmad b. Hanbal's Musnad. (see Musnad, 3/408-409; 4/401)

One of those narrations is included in Sahihu Muslim and the others in the four Sunans of Kutub as-Sitta.

References:

- TDV. İslam Ansiklopedisi, Abu Mahdhura item.
- M. Asım Köksal, İslam Tarihi, Köksal Yayıncılık: 7/117-119.

21 Did Hz. Aisha take part in the battle of Uhud?

During the Era of the Prophet (pbuh), women also participated in the wars with men and worked in support services.

As a matter of fact, when the Muslims lost many people in the Battle of Uhud, The Prophet’s (pbuh) wife, Hz. Aisha and Umm Sulaym took action and carried water on their backs. (See Bukhari, Jihad 64; Muslim, Jihad 136)

Hz. Fatima, the Prophet’s (pbuh) daughter, was also among the participants in the Battle of Uhud.

Seeing that his father was injured, Hz. Fatima hugged the Prophet (pbuh) and washed his wound. However, the blood coming from the wound of the Prophet was increasing. Thereupon, Hz. Fatima took a piece of straw and burned it; then, she placed the ash on the wound and the blood stopped. (Fathul-Bari, 7/286)

In the wars during the Age of Bliss, the combatants were always men.

The male Companions considered reaching the rank of martyrdom or veteranhood   as the greatest goal of their lives. When the hadiths are examined, it is seen that fighting in the war was not among the primary duties of women.

As a matter of fact, once when Hz. Aisha asked permission to join the war, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Your jihad is hajj.” (Bukhari, Jihad, 62) and did not allow her.

In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) states that the best service of women will be in their homes, and that the service they will render to their husbands is considered equal to jihad. (Mundhiri, Targhib, 3/336)

Although the Prophet (pbuh) stated that women were not responsible for military service under normal conditions and he did not want them to participate in actual war, he allowed them to perform auxiliary services such as treating the wounded and sick, carrying water to the soldiers, and taking away the dead bodies.

A female Companion called Umm Kabsha narrates:

“A woman from the tribe of Uzra came to the Prophet and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Will you allow me to join the war in the army?’ When the Messenger of Allah said, “No!..”, the woman said, “I do not want to fight; I want to treat the wounded and sick, I want to carry water to the sick.” The Messenger of Allah said to the woman, ‘I would allow you if it would not turn out as a custom in the end and if people would not say, “Such and such a woman went to war.” You should stay at home.’” (Haythami, 5/323-324)

It is possible to understand the attitude of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) as women’s not having such a duty and there was no need for it at that time.

The hadiths above show that the Prophet (pbuh) did not approve of women participating in wars under normal conditions.

However, we see in some wars fought in the Age of Bliss that women both worked in support services and participated actually in the war when it was necessary.

When the rumor that the Prophet was martyred and that the Muslims were defeated reached Madinah during the Battle of Uhud, nine female Companions went to Uhud with food and drink to give water to the wounded and to treat their wounds. [Ibn Hanbal, 1/165; See also M. Asım Köksal, İslam Tarihi (Medine devri), 3/198]

As we have mentioned above, Hz. Aisha and Umm Sulaym bint Mihan were among those who came to Uhud.

Those two female Companions carried water to the wounded when the Muslims took a hammering and dispersed, leaving the Messenger of Allah in the Battle of Uhud. (Bukhari, Jihad 64)

It should be noted that those two distinguished female Companions served behind the front lines in Uhud.

According to what Anas b. Malik narrates, Umm Sulaym once went to the Prophet and told him that she wanted to join the war, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told her that jihad was not obligatory for women. Thereupon, Umm Sulaym said that she could treat the wounded, make medicine for eye pain, and carry water to mujahids, the Prophet said, “Then, it would be good for you to go to the war.” (Haythami, 4/324)

It is reported that Umm Salit carried water in leather bottles in the battle of Uhud and sewed the sheaths of the swords. (Bukhari, Jihad, 66)

Lady Nasiba was one of the women who participated in the Battle of Uhud with the same purpose. (Ibn Sad. 8/412-413)

The female Companion called Rubayyi bint Muawwidh describes how they served in wars as follows:

“We fought together with the Messenger of Allah. We would give water to the soldiers and serve them; we would also carry the wounded and the dead to Madinah.” (Bukhari, Jihad 67, 68)

So, it is understood that in the wars of the Age of Bliss, women performed general services that can be considered as services behind the front line, such as treating the wounded, looking after the sick, taking away the wounded and the dead, cooking, carrying water, sewing the ripped and torn clothes of the mujahids.

During the Era of the Prophet (pbuh), some women participated in the war and fought the enemy in some battles because it was necessary.

As a matter of fact, Safiyya bint Abdulmuttalib, the paternal aunt of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), was one of those women. Safiyya participated in the Battle of Khandaq actually and killed an enemy soldier. (see Ibn Hajar, Isaba, 4/349)

Umm Umara also participated in the Battle of Uhud and fought the enemy with her bow and arrows. After returning to Madinah after the war, the Prophet said, “As I turned left and right in the Battle of Uhud, I always saw Umm Umara fighting next to me.” he said. (Ibn Hajar, Isaba, 4/479)

It is also reported that this female Companion participated in the war against Musaylamatul-Kadhdhab after the death of the Messenger of Allah and received twelve wounds in this war. (Ibn Hajar, Isaba, 4/479)

We see that the famous Companion Anas b. Malik’s mother, Umm Sulaym, participated in the war actually in the battle of Hunayn and the conquest of Mecca. (Ibn Hajar, Isaba, 4/461)

Female Companions participated in some wars not only in the Age of Bliss, but also in later periods.

For example, it is reported that Asma bint Yazid, the cousin of Muadh b. Jabal, took part in the Battle of Yarmuk (13 H) during the caliphate of Hz. Umar and killed nine Byzantine soldiers with a tent pole he seized in this war. (Haythami, 9/260)

In the later periods (during the caliphate of Muawiya), we see that Umm Haram bint Milhan participated in the war in Cyprus. (Bukhari, Jihad 63)

Apart from these names we have given as examples, many female Companions participated in the wars as combatants or auxiliaries during the Age of Bliss and later periods. (see M. Tayyib Okiç, İslamiyet’te Kadın Öğretimi, 22; Doç. Dr. Ali Toksarı, Hz. Peygamber Devrinde Kadın, Diyanet İlmi Dergi, October - November - December 1993, Volume 29, Issue 4)

22 Did the Prophet say, "The most virtuous one in my ummah is Abu Bakr"?

The following is a hadith narration from the Prophet Muhammad:

“The most virtuous one among people after prophets is Abu Bakr." (Kanzul-Ummal, 10/543; as-Sawaiq, 249; Suyuti, Tarikhul-Khulafa, 42)

The following is stated in another hadith:

“Jibril came to me and I asked him who was going to migrate with me. He said,

"Abu Bakr. He is the one that will undertake the duty of leading your ummah after you. He is the best one of your ummah." (Kanzul-Ummal, 10/550-551)

While Abud-Darda was walking in front of Abu Bakr, the Prophet said to him,

“O Abud-Darda! Are you walking in front of a person who is better than you? The sun has not risen and set over a person better than Abu Bakr after prophets and messengers." (Majmauz-Zawaid, 9/44)

In addition, the following explanation of Abdullah b. Umar sheds light on the issue:

"We would rate people during the time of the Messenger of Allah and list them as follows:

The most virtuous one of the ummah is Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Uthman and then Ali. The Prophet would hear it but he would not oppose." (Bukhari, Fadailus-Sahaba 4; Abu Dawud, Sunnah, 8, 4627-4628)

One of those who say that Hz. Abu Bakr is the best of the ummah is Hz. Ali. Hz. Ali states the following in a narration that Dhahabi says to be famous:

"The best one of this ummah is Abu Bakr." (see Majmauz-Zawaid. 9/47-48; Tarikhul-Khulafa, 42)

Hz. Umar said: "The best one of the ummah after the Prophet is Abu Bakr. Anyone who says something different is a slanderer. Such a person needs to be given the penalty of slandering." Thus, he indicated the real place of Hz. Abu bakr. (Tarikhul-Khulafa, ibid)

Imam Shafii, Malik, Ahmad b. Hanbal, Sufyan ath-Thawri, all of the hadith and fiqh scholars, Ashari, Baqillani and similar scholars narrate that all Companions and Tabiun agree unanimously that Hz. Abu Bakr is the most virtuous one of the. (see Tadribur-Rawi, 2/222-3; as-Sawaiq, 55; Kitabul-Kabair, 263; Tarikhul-Khulafa, 41)

Abu Hanifa states the following in his short, concise book called Fiqh al-Akbar:

"The best one among people after the Prophet (pbuh) is Abu Bakr as-Siddiq." (Fiqh al-Akbar, 5)

Thus, he expressed the view of Ahl as-Sunnah regarding the issue.

Accordingly, it is the common view of the Companions, Tabiun and the others that Hz. Abu Bakr comes first in virtue and superiority, followed by Hz.Umar, Hz. Uthman and Hz Ali.

Note: We advise you to read the following article too.

Hz. Abu Bakr in the perspective of the Quran  

The first person that is worthy of being described after the Prophet is Hz. Abu Bakr as-Siddiq. Information full of volumes to describe this most virtuous man of the ummah of Muhammad Mustafa will not be enough. The statements of the Prophet about him are quite a lot. The only family that had the honor of having Companions from the grandfather to the grandchild is his family. Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır (D. 1942) states the following regarding the issue: "Allah accepted his prayer about his parents and descendants. Allah enabled him to see both his parents and all of his children embrace Islam. His father Abu Quhafa (Uthman b. Amr), his mother Ummul-Khayr bint Sahr b. Umar, his son Abdurrahman and his grandson Abu Atiq. All of them saw the Prophet and none of the other Companions reached this honor of Abu Bakr. (1)

In this article, we will briefly deal with verse 22 of the chapter of an-Nur, which is accepted by all tafsir scholars (2) to have been sent down about Hz. Abu Bakr.

As it is known, one of the most woeful incidents of the Islamic history is the Incident of Ifk. The Prophet, who underwent all kinds of material and spiritual troubles, encountered a slander related to his honor. This slander, which was put forward during the return form the Expedition of Sons of Mustaliq in the fourth year of the Migration (625 AD), distressed the Prophet, the family of Hz. Abu Bakr, his father –in-law, and all of the Companions; it gladdened the hypocrites. One of those who spread this slander was Mistah b. Uthatha, who was one of Muhajirs, the son of paternal aunt of Abu Bakr, and to whom Abu Bakr gave some money every month to help financially. (3) After the verses expressing the innocence of Hz. Aisha were sent down, Hz. Abu Bakr vowed that he would never help Mistah financially again. The great scholar Suyuti (D. 911) narrates the remaining part of the incident as follows: When the verse "Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you?" (4) was sent down, Hz. Abu Bakr said, "O Lord! We definitely wish that You should forgive us." Then, he continued to help Mistah financially. He said he would never give up helping him in order to compensate for his previous statement "I will never help him again." (5)

Alusi (D. 1270), who successfully combined tafsir dirayah and isharah, states that Mistah did not take part in the campaign of slandering, that he laughed only once when he heard it and that he apologized for it. (6) Besides, it does not seem possible to expect something like that from a Muhajir in terms of reason and narrations.

Let us see the verse we are dealing with:

"Let not those among you who are endued with grace and amplitude of means resolve by oath against helping their kinsmen, those in want, and those who have left their homes in Allah´s cause: let them forgive and overlook, do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (7)

We will quote from the great tafsir scholar ar-Razi (D. 606) here: "This verse indicates that the most virtuous person of the ummah after the Prophet is Hz. Abu Bakr.(...) Allah uses interesting attributes to indicate the superiority of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq as follows:

1. Allah used the plural form for him. Using the plural form for a single person indicates the loftiness of the degree of that person. As a matter of fact, God Almighty uses the plural form in the following verses and similar ones in that sense: "It is We Who have sent down the Quran", "To thee have We granted the Fount (of Abundance)."

2. Allah states that Abu Bakr has grace and that he helps others. This indicates that he will attain a great grace in the hereafter. (...)

3. Allah uses the preposition “min (from/among)” in the phrase "those among you who are endued with grace..." and He virtually distinguishes Abu Bakr from the other Companions with the attribute grace. This shows that the attribute grace/virtue belongs to him. That is, only He attained the degree of virtue in this sense. (As a matter of fact, he attained the peak of loyalty.)

4. It is possible to interpret the word "fadl (grace/virtue)" as worshipping Allah. In that case, amplitude of means is in the sense of helping the Muslims financially and show compassion to them. Thus, two lofty attributes come together. A person who has both of those attributes together ascends to the peak of the level of loyalty. Allah is together with such people. "For Allah is with those who restrain themselves, and those who do good." (8). Since Hz. Abu Bakr had both of those attributes together, the Prophet addressed him as follows: in the cave: "Have no fear, for Allah is with us." (9)

5. Having a wealth is meaningful when its owner spends it to help others. That is, a rich person is a generous person. Therefore, the Prophet said, "The best one among people is the one that benefits them the most." (10) Hz. Abu Bakr was the most generous person not only related to wealth but also all kinds of useful deeds. Due to this generosity of his, only a few days after becoming a Muslim, Hz. Uthman b. Affan, Hz. Talha, Hz. Zubayr. Hz. Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas and Hz. Uthman b. Mazun embraced Islam thanks to his efforts and entered the presence of the Messenger of Allah.

Along with giving his wealth away. Hz. Abu Bakr was also in the first place in terms of serving Islam with his hand and tongue. Therefore, he deserved to be described as having wealth in all senses. It is debatable whether Hz. Ali became a Muslim before him or not. However, the first person to call people to Islam after the Prophet is Hz. Abu Bakr, not Hz. Ali. This makes him the most virtuous person after the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). He also received the following glad tiding from the Prophet:

"He who introduced some good practice would be assured of reward like the ones who followed it up to the Day of Judgment."(11)

Therefore, the rewards of those who call people to Islam will also be given to Hz. Abu Bakr up to the Day of Judgment.

6. All kinds of oppression is bad. However, oppression to a relative is worse. When a relative returns a good deed with a bad deed it is worse than the bad deed of a stranger. Mistah committed both of those bad deeds. He took part in the campaign of defaming the honor of his relative who helped him. You can think of how much Hz. Abu Bakr was offended by it. However, when Allah ordered him to continue helping Mistah and to forgive him, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq accepted it without hesitation. It is definite that the struggle against one’s own soul is harder than the fight against the armies of the enemy. Therefore, the Prophet (pbuh) said, "We are returning from minor jihad to major jihad." (12) (Hz. Abu Bakr is at the peak regarding this issue too.)

7. When Allah ordered Hz. Abu Bakr to continue his charity, He described him as having grace and wealth in all aspects. He virtually meant this: "Your heart is not so narrow as to give any importance to the world. It does not fit you to stop helping him due to his mistake." Such an expression is enough to elevate a person to the highest rank.

8. The use of the article “al” (the) before a word shows that its meaning is general. The use of “al” before the world fadl (grace/virtue) and the word sa’ah (wealth) shows that he had all kinds of grace and wealth. This shows that it is impossible to outdo him.

9. Pardoning necessitates being pious. One cannot exist without the other. Therefore, He is described as pious in the chapter of al-Layl and as pardoner here.

10. God Almighty ordered his beloved Prophet as follows: "Forgive them, and overlook (their misdeeds)." (13) He ordered Hz. Abu Bakr as follows: "... forgive and overlook...", which shows that he is the second person in Islam.

11. The verb in the verse "Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you?" in Arabic shows the future. No discrimination is mentioned about forgiving. This expression shows that Hz. Abu Bakr will be forgiven in the remaining part of his life. The expression of the Prophet (pbuh) "Your previous and future sins have been forgiven"(14) for him, the expression above approves the glad tidings of the Prophet stating that he was the second of the two people and his being among ashara al-mubashshara." (15)

That is Hz. Abu Bakr studied under the light of only one verse. If we study the Quran, whose every letter is like the sun, related to Hz. Abu bakr, who was the closest friend of the Prophet, his confidant, father-in-law and right hand, there will be too many things to write about him. We hope to attain their intercession. (Amin)!

FOOTNOTES:

1. M. H. Yazır, Hak Dini Kur'ân Dili Vol. WI, p. 4347.
2. az-Zamahşari, al-Kashshaf, Vol. III, p. 67, Ibn Kathir. Tafsirul- Quranil -Azim. Vol. III. p. 275, al Alusi, Ruhul-Maani. Vol. XWIII, p. 124, as-Suyuti, Durrul-Mansur. Vol. V, p. 35. ar-Razi, Mafatihul-Ghayb: Vol. XXIII, p. 188 etc.
3. as-Suyuti ibid. Vol. V, p. 35.
4. an-Nur 24/22.
5. as-Suyuti ibid.
6. al-Alusi, ibid. Vol. XV. p. 124.
7. an-Nur: 24/22.
8. an-Nahl; 16/128.
9. at-Tawba:9/40.
10. Faydul-Qadir, III.480.
11. Muslim, Ilim: 15 Zakah: 69, Nasai, Zakah: 64 Musnad, IW. 357, Ibn Majah: Muqaddima, 14.
12. Kashful-Khafa:Vol. I, p. 424.
13. al-Maida:5/13.
14. al-Fath: 48/2.
15. ar-Razi. Mafatihul-Ghayb: Vol.  XXIII, p. 187-188.

23 Did Hz. Ali have any brothers and sisters? If yes, who were they?

Hz. Ali had three brothers and two sisters. His brothers were Talib, Aqil and Jafar. His sisters were Umm Hani ad Jumana. All of them became Muslims except his oldest brother Talib.

According to some scholars, he had another brother called Tulayq and another sister called Rayta.

24 Will you give information about Jabir bin Abdullah's life, his view on hadiths and his hadith narrations?

Jabir bin Abdullah's father accepted Islam by taking part in the Second Aqaba Pledge. Jabir was about 18-19 years old then. He wanted to join the battles of Badr and Uhud but his father prevented him. Jabir's father, Abdullah, was martyred at the Battle of Uhud. Jabir said the following about it:

"My father was martyred at the Battle of Uhud. My sister gave me a camel and said, 'Go and carry your father’s dead body with this camel; bury him in the cemetery of Sons of Salama.' I went to the battlefield with a few people. When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was informed about my arrival, he summoned me. The Messenger of Allah was at Uhud then. He said,

'I swear by Allah in whose hand is my soul that Abdullah will be buried with his brothers (martyrs of Uhud).'

Thereupon, my father was buried with his friends at Uhud."

Hz. Jabir reported 1540 hadiths from the Messenger of Allah. Some people from the Companions and Tabiun went to Jabir Ibn Abdullah in order to learn hadiths from him. Jabir b. Abdullah taught people hadiths in a circle in Masjid an-Nabawi.

Jabir ibn Abdullah made a journey to Damascus that lasted a month in order to learn a hadith that he did not hear from the Messenger of Allah in person from its source, Abdullah ibn Unays.  

He narrates this incident as follows:

"I heard a hadith whose narrator was a Companion. I took a camel and went to Damascus after a journey that lasted a month. I saw Abdullah ibn Unays there. I said to his servant, 'Tell him that Jabir is at the door.' Abdullah appeared. When we met at the door of his house, he said 'Jabir Ibn Abdullah!' and hugged me. I said, 'Yes. I came to you when I heard that you heard from the Messenger of Allah a hadith that I did not know.'  Thereupon, he narrated me the hadith that he heard from the Messenger of Allah:

'Allah will resurrect people naked and uncircumcised on the Day of Judgment.'"

Once, Jabir went to Egypt in order to learn one hadith from Uqba Ibn Amira and returned to Madinah after learning it.

Jabir ibn Abdullah talked to the Messenger of Allah a lot and he lived a long time after the death of the Messenger of Allah. Therefore, he narrated a lot of hadiths.

Jabir ibn Abdullah knew the Sunnah very well. He is regarded among the hafizes of the Sunnah. He learned hadiths not only from the Prophet (pbuh) but also from Hz. Abu Bakr, Hz. Umar, Hz. Ali, Abu Ubayda, Talha, Muadh Ibn Jabal, Ammar Ibn Yasir, Khalid Ibn Walid, Abu Said, Abdullah Ibn Unays, Umm Sharik and Umm Malik.

Hz. Jabir is one of the people who systematized hadith learning and teaching. He taught hadiths regularly in the hadith circle that he established in Masjid an-Nabawi in Madinah. This circle of his became an assembly that was advised and people came from different places in order to learn from him. Abu Zubayr said Ata sent him to Jabir and learned hadiths for them. Then, he said, "Jabir ibn Abdullah was a reliable person and knew a lot of hadiths." Thus, he pointed out that his narrations were sound and his knowledge was vast.

Jabir Ibn Abdullah, who narrated a lot of hadiths from the Prophet, learned several useful sciences from the Messenger of Allah. He had a booklet including his narrations about hajj worshipping. Rabi’ Ibn Sad said he saw Jabir writing hadiths on some flat materials next to Ibn Thabit. Abu Zubayr, Abu Sufyan and ash-Sha’bi listened to hadiths from Jabir and learned from him. The hadiths they heard from Jabir was from this booklet. Mujahid narrated hadiths from Jabir's booklet.

Jabir ibn Abdullah also dictated hadiths. The narration of Abdullah ibn Muhammed ibn Uqayl regarding the issue is as follows:

"I and Abu Jafar went to Jabir Ibn and wrote hadiths from him on the small tablets we had. According to the statement of Abu Hatim, Sulayman ibn Qays al Yashkuri sat in front of Jabir, learnt from him and wrote a booklet from him."

(Dr. Nevzat Aşık, Sahabe ve Hadis Rivayetleri)

25 Were there any handicapped companions during the time when the Prophet (PBUH) lived? How did the Prophet (pbuh) treat them?

There were disabled Companions when the Prophet (pbuh) lived. The Prophet (pbuh) is the first person who practiced positive discrimination for handicapped people. The Prophet joked around with them and showed special compassion and care to them. We will shed light on a part of the life of the Prophet (pbuh) and the Companions that is not known very much.

As it is known, the believers who lived in the era of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), who saw the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and who talked to him are called Companions. Many of us were brought up by listening to their stories and accepting their lifestyles as a model. There is a group among the Companions who became the closest people to Allah spiritually thanks to the spiritual blessing they received from the Prophet (pbuh); we do not know much about this group: the difference of those Companions from the others was that they were orthopedically and visually handicapped.

The Prophet (pbuh) complimented the handicapped people and treated them food; he joked around with them, made things easy for them to join social life and provided them with opportunities that would enable them to have professions and to work. For instance, he gave Abdullah bin Umm Maktum the duty of calling adhan and administration. He appointed Muadh bin Jabal, who limped, as the governor of Yemen.

The Prophet (pbuh) saved the handicapped people, who did not have any social status in the community and who were despised, with his compassion.

For instance, it is interesting that the Prophet (pbuh) offered a Companion called Zahir, who had some bodily defects and hence felt uneasy in the community and preferred to live in the desert, to pick some plants and to sell them together in the market of Madinah. The Prophet (pbuh) helped Zahir to sell what he picked and complimented him by saying to the people around, “Zahir is our desert; we are his city.”

Abdullah bin Masud, who was among the handicapped Companions, who was very short and had very thin legs, went to the Kaaba where the Qurayshi polytheists had gathered and recited the Quran there despite his weak body. He was tortured by the polytheists but he did the same thing again after he recovered despite warnings.

When Imran bin Husayn, who lived in bed for thirty years due to a chronical disease until he died, was asked by his friend, “How do you put up with those pains?”, he said, “Whichever Allah wants for me from health and illness is what I also want. I have been in peace like that for thirty years.” Thanks to this patience, Imran reached such a spiritual rank that he started to hear the glorifications of the angels. The angels conveyed him greetings every day to console him.

When the Companion called Zahir, who preferred to live in the desert due to his bodily defects was waiting for the Prophet (pbuh) in the market of Madinah, the Prophet (pbuh) approached him slowly and closed the eyes of Zahir with his hands. The Muslims who had never seen the Prophet (pbuh) to act so intimately toward anyone up to that time watched this interesting scene. The Prophet made use of this opportunity and shouted, “I have a slave. I am selling him. Who wants to buy him?” Zahir said, “O Messenger of Allah! Who will buy a worthless slave?” Then, the Prophet (pbuh) ended this joke and spoke loudly and seriously to make the people around hear:

“O Zahir! I swear by Allah that you are priceless in the eye of Allah and His Messenger. Therefore, we love you.”

Lady Nasiba was a Companion who served as a nurse during the Battle of Uhud. However, when she saw that the Prophet (pbuh) was in a difficult state, she tried to protect him though she was a woman and received several wounds when she fought against the polytheists. After she returned to Madinah, it took her wounds to heal for a year; the Prophet (pbuh) often visited her, complimented her and prayed for her.

Lady Nasiba took part in the Battle of Yamama actively despite her old age during the caliphate of Hz. Abu Bakr. She received twelve wounds and lost one of her arms in the battle. When the army returned to Madinah, Hz. Abu Bakr visited this heroic woman and allocated a salary to her from the Treasury.

Abdullah bin Umm Maktum was visually impaired. The Prophet (pbuh) sent this blind Companion, who was among the first believers in Makkah, to Madinah to teach people the Quran there. Bara bin Aiz of Madinah states the following regarding the issue:

"The first people who migrated to Madinah were Mus‘ab bin Umayr and Ibn Umm Maktum. They taught people the Quran in Madinah." (Bukhari, Manaqibul-Ansar, 46)

Ibn Umm Maktum, who was the muezzin of the Prophet (pbuh) together with Bilal al-Habashi (Ibn Sa‘d, IV, 207), asked permission from the Prophet (pbuh) to perform prayers at home since his house was far away from the mosque and there was nobody to take him to the mosque.

The Messenger of Allah said,

“Do you hear the call of adhan when it is called?” he said,

 "Yes."

The Prophet (pbuh) said,

“Then, answer the call and come to the congregation.” (Muslim, Masajid, 255; Abu Dawud, Salah, 46)

This hadith emphasizes how important prayer in congregation is but it is particularly remarkable that the Prophet (pbuh) does not isolate a blind person from the community and encourages him to join the congregation.

In addition, when the Prophet (pbuh) left Madinah due to various reasons, he appointed Ibn Umm Maktum as his proxy to lead the prayer in congregation. It is reported that this duty was given to him thirteen times. (Ibnul-Athir, Usdul-Ghaba, IV, 264)

To sum up, the Prophet (pbuh) did not regard the handicapped people as a poor group that was destined to be inert. He gave them advice to solve their problems, gave them duties in accordance with their states and consoled them with good news giving them happiness in both the world and the hereafter. (see Prof Dr Ali Seyyar, Yıldızlar Engel Tanımaz-Bedensel Özürlü Sahâbilerin Hayatı)

26 What was the personality of Hz. Uthman like? Will you give detailed information?

Hz. UTHMAN B. AFFAN (r.a)

Uthman b. Affan b. Abil-As b. Umayya b. Abdish-Shams b. Abdi Manaf al-Qurashi al-Amawi; the third one of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. He belongs to the family of Sons of Umayya; his fifth grandfather Abdi Manaf is also the grandfather of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). He was born in Makkah six years after the Incident of Elephant. His mother is Arwa bint Kurayz b. Rabia b. Habib b. Abdi Shams. His grandmother is Bayda, the daughter of Abdulmuttalib and the maternal aunt of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). His nickname was "Abu Abdullah. He was also called "Abu Amr" and "Abu Layla". (Ibnul-Hajar al-Asqalani, al-Isaba fi Tamyizis-Sahaba, Baghdad nd, II / 462; Ibnul Athir, Usdul-Ghaba, III / 584-585; Jalaluddin Suyuti, Tarikhul-Khulafa, Beirut 1986, 165)

When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was given the duty of prophethood, Hz. Uthman was thirty-four years old. He was one of the first believers. Hz. Abu Bakr worked very hard and invited the people whom he trusted to Islam. Thanks to his hard work, Abdurrahman b. Awf, Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas, Zubayr b. Awwam, Talha b. Ubaydullah and Uthman b. Affan became believers. Hz. Uthman was a close friend of Hz. Abu Bakr in the Era of Jahiliyya. (Siratu Ibn Ishaq, Istanbul 1981,121; Usdul-Ghaba, ibid; Asqalani, ibid). When Hz. Uthman became a believer, his paternal uncle heard about it; he tied Hz. Uthman tightly and imprisoned him; he said he would not release him until he returned to his previous religion. When Hz. Uthman said he would never return from his religion, his uncle saw his determination and released him. (Suyuti, 168) After that, he married Ruqayya, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Some historians write that this marriage took place before Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) was given the duty of prophethood. (Suyuti, ibid, 165)

When the pressure and tortures of Makkan polytheists on the believers increased and became unbearable, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) advised his Companions to migrate to Abyssinia. The resources agree unanimously that Hz. Uthman was among the first ones to migrate to Abyssinia. Ibn Hajar states that Hz. Uthman was the first Companion to migrate to Abyssinia with his wife Ruqayya based on the information given by many Companions. (Ibn Hajar, ibid) When a false piece of news that the people of Makkah believed reached Abyssinia, some of the muhajirs returned to Makkah. Hz. Uthman was among those who returned. However, when they found out that the news was false, they set off again to return to Abyssinia. Before setting off again, Hz. Uthman said to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh),

"O Messenger of Allah! We migrated once before. This is our second migration to the Negus. However, you are not with us." The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to him,

"You are the ones who migrate to Allah and to me. Both of these migrations belong to you." Thereupon, he said,

"O Messenger of Allah! That is enough for us." (Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqatul-Kubra, Beirut nd, I / 207).

After remaining in Abyssinia, where he migrated for the second time, for a while, Hz. Uthman returned to Makkah. When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was ordered to migrate to Madinah, Hz. Uthman migrated to Madinah with other Muslims. When he arrived in Madinah, he stayed in the house of Aws bin Thabit, Hassan b. Thabit's brother. Therefore, Hassan loved him very much. (Ibnul Athir, Usdul-Ghaba, 585; Ibn Sa'd, ibid, 55-56)

He bought the Well of Ruma, which belonged to a Jew, for twenty thousand dirhams and allocated it for the use of all Muslims. The following statement of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) shows how important that well was for the Muslims:

"He who opens the Well of Ruma will enter Paradise." (Bukhari, Fadailul-Ashab, 47)

Hz. Uthman did not take part in the Battle of Badr with the permission of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) because Ruqayya, his wife, was very ill. Ruqayya died when the army was in Badr. She was buried when the good news that Muslims had won a victory arrived in Madinah. Although he did not take part in the Battle of Badr, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) regarded him as one of the participants and gave his share from the booty. (Usdul-Ghaba, 3/586; Suyuti, Tarikhul-Khulafa, p. 165; H. I. Hasan, Tarikhul-Islam, 1/256)

Hz. Uthman took part in all of the wars against the polytheists and the enemies of Islam except the Battle of Badr.

After the death of Ruqayya, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) married his other daughter Umm Kulthum off to Hz. Uthman. When Umm Kulthum died in the ninth year of the Migration, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, 

"If I had forty daughters, I would marry them off to Uthman one by one until none of them left."

He also said to Hz. Uthman, “If I had another daughter, I would definitely marry her off to you.” (Usdul-Ghaba, ibid)

Hz. Uthman was given the nickname, “Dhun-Nurayn” meaning “the owner of two lights” because he married two daughters of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) appointed him as his deputy in Madinah during the Expeditions of Dhatur-Riqa and Ghatafan. (Suyuti, ibid, 165)

Hz. Uthman's son, Abdullah, who was born of Ruqayya, died after becoming ill when a rooster scratched his face in the fourth year of the Migration. Abdullah was six years old when he died. (Ibn Sa'd, ibid, III / 53, 54)

When the Muslims set off to go to Makkah for umrah in the sixth year of the Migration, Hz. Uthman was also among them. However, the idolatrous administration of Makkah decided not to allow the Muslims to enter Makkah. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), who encamped in Hudaybiyya, wanted to establish a dialogue with the polytheists and tell them that their aim was only to perform umrah. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) wanted to appoint Hz. Umar for this duty but Hz. Umar expressed his valid excuse and said Hz. Uthman would be more appropriate for the duty. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) appointed Hz. Uthman as his envoy. Makkan polytheists had wanted to kill Hirash b. Umayya al-Ka'bi, who was sent as an envoy before. (Ibn Sa'd, ibid, II, 96) The ferocious acts of the polytheists made the duty of the envoy dangerous. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to Uthman,

"Go to the Qurayshis. Tell them we have not come here to fight anyone; we have come here to visit the Kaaba and to show respect to it. We will sacrifice these camels and return."

Hz. Uthman went to Makkah and told the polytheists about those issues. However, the said, 'This is impossible. You cannot enter Makkah.' Their negative answer reached the encampment of Islam as Hz. Uthman was killed. The delay of his return supported this news. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) called all Muslims to pay allegiance to him to fight the polytheists at the cost of their lives. In this pledge, which is known as “the Pledge of Ridwan” in history, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) put his left hand on his right hand and said, 'Uthman went there for Allah and His Messenger.' Then, he paid allegiance on behalf of Hz. Uthman. The polytheists feared after this allegiance and preferred to make a deal. (Ibn Sa'd, II, 96, 97)

Meanwhile, Hz. Uthman talked to the weak Muslims in Makkah and consoled them giving them the glad tidings that Makkah would be conquered soon. (Asım Köksal, İslam Tarihi, VI, 177)

The polytheists told Hz. Uthman that he could circumambulate the Kaaba if he wished but he said that he would not circumambulate the Kaaba before the Messenger of Allah circumambulated it. The Companions who were in Hudaybiyya said to the Messenger of Allah,  

'Uthman rejoined the Kaaba and circumambulated it. How happy he is.' The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

'Uthman will not circumambulate the Kaaba unless we circumambulate it.' (reporting from Waqidi, A. Köksal, ibid, 178-179)

Hz. Uthman tried to be near the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) all the time in Madinah. That he was one of the richest people among the Companions enabled him to help Islam and the Muslims more than everybody else did. It is seen that he acted very generously in supplying war equipment for the armies that went on expeditions against the unbelievers. Historians mention him with praise because of his contribution to the army called Jaysh al-Usra when it was preparing to go on the Expedition of Tabuk. He equipped about one-third of the army on his own. When it is considered that the number of the soldiers was thirty thousand, the size of the amount he contributed can be understood easily. His contribution to this army was as follows:

-Nine hundred and fifty camels and one hundred horses with their necessary saddlery, the equipment of their riders and ten thousand dinars. (A. Köksal, IX,162) The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) became very pleased in the face of his act and prayed as follows:

"O Allah! I am pleased with Uthman; You be pleased with him too." (Ibn Hisham, Sirah, IV /161)

Then, he said,

"There is no responsibility for Uthman for what he will do from now on." (Suyuti, ibid,169)

Hz. Uthman was together with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) during Farewell Hajj. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked Uthman’s help related to several issues about the Muslims. (H. I. Hasan, ibid, I, 256)

When Hz. Abu Bakr was chosen as the Caliph, Hz. Uthman paid allegiance to him. Hz. Abu Bakr consulted him throughout his caliphate related to the affairs of the ummah. Hz. Uthman wrote the document that Hz. Abu Bakr dictated before his death about appointing Hz. Umar as the Caliph. Hz. Abu Bakr made Uthman read what he wrote and had it sealed. Hz. Uthman went out of the house with Umar and Usayd Ibn Said al-Kurazi and addressed the people waiting there as follows: 'Do you pay allegiance to the person whose name is written on this paper?' They said 'yes' and accepted it. (Ibn Sad ibid, III, 200)

His Caliphate

When Hz. Umar was wounded, a consultation committee of six people was formed in order to appoint the person to be the caliph. The committee consisted of Hz. Ali, Uthman, Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas, Abdurrahman b. Awf, Zubayr Ibn Awwam and Talha Ibn Ubaydullah (May Allah be pleased with them). As a result of the negotiations, four of the members of the committee waived their rights; the negotiations continued on the names of Hz. Uthman and Hz. Ali. After conducting an opinion research, Abdurrahman Ibn Awf, the leader of the committee, saw that the Muslims agreed on one of these two people as the caliph. He called Hz. Ali and asked him whether he would follow the book of Allah, the sunnah of the Prophet, and the practices of Abu Bakr and Umar and act accordingly. Hz. Ali said he would follow the book of Allah, the sunnah of the Prophet fully but that he would act based on his own ijtihad apart from them. When he asked Hz. Uthman the same question, he accepted it. Thereupon, Abdurrahman Ibn Awf declared that he appointed Hz. Uthman as the caliph and paid allegiance to him. (Suyuti, ibid, 171, 172; Ibn Hajar, ibid, 463; H. I. Hasan, ibid, I, 258, 261) After Hz. Abdurrahman, Hz. Ali became the second person to pay allegiance to Hz. Uthman. Then, the other Muslims paid allegiance to him. Thus, Hz. Uthman was chosen as the Caliph at the end of the month of Dhul-Hijjah in 23 H.  

When Hz. Uthman undertook the administration of the state, Islamic conquests were going on rapidly. During the time of Hz. Umar, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Iran were included in the Islamic land. The strong administration of Hz. Umar enabled the authority and system to settle firmly in the regions that were conquered.

Hz. Uthman tried to continue the process of conveying the message of Islam and spreading it at the same speed. He conquered Armenia, North Africa and Cyprus. He suppressed the revolts in Iran and established the authority of the central administration again.    

When Hz. Uthman undertook the caliphate, he started to do some changes in the administrators. However, acting upon the request of Hz. Umar, he did not change the governors appointed by him for a year. First, he unseated Mughira b. Shu’ba, the governor of Kufa, and appointed Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas. Sa'd was the first governor appointed by Hz. Uthman (Ibnul-Athir al-Kamil fit-Tarikh, Beirut 1979, III, 79)

When Amr b. al-As, who was loved by Egyptians, was removed from the duty of the governorship of Egypt and Abdullah b. Sa'd b. Abi Sarh was appointed to replace him, some unrest occurred there. The people of Alexandria wrote a letter to the Byzantine Emperor, Heraclius, and asked him to save them from the Muslims. They also informed him that the Muslims did not have enough soldiers to resist. Thereupon, the Byzantine Emperor sent a big army under the command of Manuel to Alexandria and invaded this city. When the Copts who were afraid of the Byzantines wanted Hz. Uthman to intervene, he sent Amr b. al-As to Egypt again. Amr killed Manuel in the war and defeated the enemy. He also demolished the wall surrounding the city of Alexandria. (25 H.) (Ibnul-Athir, ibid, III, 81; H. I. Hasan, ibid; I, 264). Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas organized an expedition on Ray when its inhabitants violated the agreement; he also organized an expedition on Daylam.

When Abi Waqqas had difficulty in repaying the money he borrowed from the Treasury, Hz. Uthman removed him from the governorship and appointed his maternal half-brother Walid b. Uqba as the governor Kufa. (Ibnul-Athir ibid, III, 82) Walid acted as the governor of Kufa for five years. Once, Walid led the morning prayer as four rak’ahs because he was drunk. When he was reminded about it, he said, 'I have increased it for you.' When Hz. Uthman heard about it, he decreed tazir penalty for him and asked Hz. Ali to fulfill it. Hz. Ali had Abdullah b. Jafar whip him. Upon this incident, Hz. Uthman unseated him and appointed Said b. al-As b. Umayya (Ibnul-Athir, ibid, III, 107) Suyuti states that Hz. Uthman was condemned for the first time when he appointed Walid to replace Sa'd as the governor. (Suyuti, 172)

When Walid became the governor of Kufa, he unseated Utba b. Farhad, who was the commander of Azerbaijan. Thereupon, the people of Azerbaijan rebelled. Walid arranged an expedition on Azerbaijan and made them obey him. Then, he proceeded to the region of Armenia (Tbilisi), made some deals there and returned with booty. (25 H)

In the meantime, the struggle against the Byzantine continued. Muawiya organized attacks on Antalya and Tarsus. On the other hand, Hz. Uthman sent orders to Amr b. al-As to conquer North Africa and ordered Abdullah b. Amr, the governor of Sijistan, to proceed to Kabul. (Ibnul-Athir, ibid, III, 87). Masjid al-Haram was expanded in 26 H. A large area was obtained when the plots of land around Masjid al-Haram were bought. 

Hz. Uthman unseated Amr b. al-As, the governor of Egypt, in 27 H and appointed Abdullah Ibn Sa'd b. Abi Sarh. He was thinking of completing the conquest of North Africa. After consulting the notables of the Companions, Hz. Uthman allowed him to go there and sent an army that included many Companions to strengthen him (H. I. Hasan, ibid, I, 265). The armies under the command of Abdullah b. Nafi b. Abdulqays and Abdullah b. Nafi b. Husayn united with Ibn Abi Sarh and moved from Egypt to the east. When the governor of the Byzantine, who was dominant over the region from Tripoli to Tanja, heard that the Islamic army was proceeding toward his land, he took measures by preparing an army of one hundred thousand people, which included twenty thousand cavalrymen. The two armies confronted in a place about twenty-four hours away from Subaytala, the center of the kingdom. When they refused Ibn Abi Sarh's offer asking them to be Muslims or to pay jizyah, fighting started. Meanwhile, the communication between the army and Madinah was cut off. Hz. Uthman sent Abdullah Ibn Zubayr with a military unit to Africa in order to establish communication. The war that lasted for days ended with victory for the Muslims thanks to a tactic proposed by Abdullah Ibn Zubayr. The booty obtained by the Muslims was very big. Each cavalryman received three thousand dinars as their shares and each infantryman received one thousand dinars. (Ibnul-Athir, ibid, III, 88-90; H. I. Hasan, ibid, I, 265-266)

After this obstacle in front of the Islamic armies was removed, Hz. Uthman ordered Abdullah b. Nafi b. Husayn and Abdullah b. Nafi b. Abdulqays to go to Andalusia by passing Gibraltar. The reason why Hz. Uthman wanted the army to go to Andalusia was to facilitate the conquest of Istanbul by squeezing it from the west. He addressed his commanders as follows: 

"Istanbul can be conquered only from the direction of Andalusia. If you conquer Andalusia, you will receive your share from the reward of those who will conquer Istanbul." [Ibnul-Athir, ibid, III, 93; see also Muhammad Hamidullah, Fathul-Andalus (Spain) fi Khilafeti Sayyidina Uthman sanah 27 lil-Hijra, İ.Ü. Ed. Fak. İslam Tetkikleri Enstitüsü Dergisi, Istanbul 1978, VII, 221-225)]

Thus, the conquests in North Africa were completed during the caliphate of Hz. Uthman; the plans to squeeze the Byzantine, which was the biggest power against Islam at that time, were put in practice.  

On the other hand, Muawiya b. Abi Sufyan got permission from Hz. Uthman and sailed to the Mediterranean with the armada he established on the coast of Syria. Thus, they started to resist the Byzantine in the sea. Muawiya had asked Hz. Umar to do it before but Hz. Umar did not give him the permission because the conditions at that time were not suitable for it. Hz. Uthman was convinced of the necessity of an armada. Muawiya landed on the island of Cyprus with his armada. Abdullah b. Sa'd came to help him from Egypt. Cyprus had to accept the domination of Islam by paying a jizyah of seven thousand dinars every year. (28 H) This amount was equal to the money they paid to the Byzantine Emperor.  (Ibnul-Athir, ibid, III, 96)

Hz. Uthman unseated Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, the governor of Kufa and appointed Abdullah b. Amir al-Kurayz to replace him (29 H). Abdullah was Uthman’s cousin. The reason why he unseated Abu Musa was that the people of Kufa complained to Hz. Uthman about him. (Ibnul-Athir, ibid, III, 99-100)

Hz. Uthman saw the need for the expansion of Masjid Nabawi and built it again with embellished stones. He erected stone columns and covered the ceiling with East Indian oak. He made its length one hundred and sixty zira’s and its width one hundred and fity zira’s. (Suyuti, 173)

It is seen that Sa'id b. al-As attacked Tabaristan in 30 H. Sa'id, who had many wars in this region, conquered many cities. Khorasan, Tus, Sarakhs, Marw and Bayhaq are some of them.  

In the same year, Hz. Uthman started some studies in order to eliminate the disagreements that occurred about reading (pronouncing) the verses of the Quran.  The Quran was first compiled as a book during the caliphate of Hz. Abu Bakr. The Quran was brought together in the form of a book in this study. This first book (mushaf) was transferred to Hz. Umar from Hz. Abu Bakr. After the martyrdom of Hz. Umar, it was given to Hz. Hafsa.

When a disagreement occurred in the army during an expedition to Azerbaijan, Hudhayfa b. Yaman, the commander of the army, became worried. He asked the Caliph to duplicate a mushaf that Muslims could read safely.  The mushaf that Hafsa had was duplicated and distributed to all big states. The other copies were collected and eliminated. When it was completed, the Companions that were alive were relieved. (Ibnul-Athir ibid, III, 111-112; H. I. Hasan, ibid, I, 510-513)

Hz. Uthman dropped the seal that belonged to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and that was transferred to him after Hz. Abu Bakr and Hz. Umar in the Well of Aris in Madinah by mistake. He promised to give a lot of money to the person to find it but it could not be found despite all searches. Thereupon, Hz. Uthman felt very sorry. When he lost his hope of finding it, he had a new seal made. This seal, which was on the ring around his finger until he was martyred, could not be found after his martyrdom. (Ibnul-Athir, III, 133). This incident took place in the sixth year of his caliphate.

The level of welfare increased a lot because of the continuous conquests and people’s getting rich with the booties that were obtained. This naturally caused some attitudes that were not in compliance with Islam to occur. The Companions who were educated by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and who observed those developments with anxiety expressed their concern from time to time. One of them was Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, who was known with his asceticism and piety; he thought needy people were not given enough money from the Treasury. He was called to Madinah because he opposed the practices of Muawiya in Damascus and expressed his thoughts insistently. When Abu Dharr came to Madinah, he told his views to Hz. Uthman too. Then, he asked permission from Hz. Uthman, the Caliph, and settled in Rabaza, which was a place near Madinah. (ibid, III, 115; see Abu Dharr al-Ghifari item)

One of the brightest and most decisive victories against the Byzantine was the sea war of Dhatus-Sawari. The Islamic armada under the command of Abdullah b. Sa'd confronted the big armada under the command of Konstantin, the Byzantine Empire off the shore of Alexandria. The number of the Byzantine ships was between five hundred and eight hundred. The number of the ships the Islamic armada had was two hundred. The Byzantines were defeated heavily in the war. Konstantin had to take refuge in Sicily. (Ibnul-Athir, ibid, III,117-118; H. I. Hasan, I, 266-267) After this victory, The Byzantine lost its superiority to Muslims in the sea; there was no power left to prevent the Islamic armada from reaching Istanbul.

The Emergence of Mischief and Hz. Uthman’s Martyrdom:

Hz. Uthman was the caliph for twelve years. The first six years passed in peace and safety and nobody complained about the practices of the administration. Qurayshis loved him more than Hz. Umar because Hz. Umar was intolerant and harsh in applying the shari’ah. The lenience and tolerance in the nature of Hz. Uthman allowed people to act freely. Some governors who benefitted from his nature started to act irresponsibly. When he could not act fast and decisively in the face of the complaints, an environment of mischief and chaos started to form gradually.

In the Islamic state, which covered a very wide area from Andalusia to the borders of India, there were communities in the status of dhimmi belonging to various religions and races. They revolted against the Islamic state, by which they had been defeated, on any occasion. As for the Jews, they targeted at the basic principles of Islam in order to break up and destroy the Islamic ummah. Some Jewish people who claimed to be Muslims were trying to add fuel to the fire by exacerbating the disorders and trying to spread the mischief everywhere. One of them was Abdullah Ibn Saba, who was a man of resistance and who caused the emergence of effective mischievous movements. Ibn Saba was a Yemeni Jew. He provoked people against Hz. Uthman by using the rightful complaints of the sincere people. On the one hand, he tried to spread the idea of "rij'atu Muhammad" (Muhammad's return); on the other hand, he said that the caliphate was the right of Hz. Ali after the Prophet and that this was determined by Allah, laying the foundations of the Shiite creed. According to his ideas, Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman seized the right of Hz. Ali. When he agitated people in Kufa, Basra and Damascus, he also tried to benefit from the just opposition of Abu Dharr. (Ibnul Athir, Tarikh, III,154; H. I. Hasan, ibid, I, 368-370)

After a while, Muhammad b. Abi Bakr and Muhammad b. Abi Hudhayfa also started to criticize Hz. Uthman due to his appointing some people. (Ibnul-Athir. ibid, III, 118)

The most important accusation against Hz. Uthman was that he appointed his relatives as governors, granted them a lot of things and that he could not inspect corruption charges. (Suyuti, 174). When Hz. Ali told him about his complaints, he said to Hz. Ali,

'Do you not know that Umar appointed Mughira b. Shu'ba as the governor?'

Hz. Ali said,

'Yes, I do.' He said,

'Then, why do you criticize me that I appointed him as the governor because of his kinship?'

Hz. Ali answered him as follows:

'Umar inspected the governors he appointed closely. When he saw a very small mistake, he would question them and punish them severely.' (Ibnul-Athir, ibid, III, 152)

Thereupon, Hz. Uthman appointed inspectors in order to inspect the gossips about the administrators on the spot and the reasons for those gossips. He sent Muhammad b. Maslama to Kufa, Usama b. Zayd to Basra, Abdullah b. Umar to Damascus and Ammar b. Yasir to Egypt. All of them except Ammar b. Yasir fulfilled their duties and returned. Hz. Uthman made great efforts in order to eliminate unjust practices and to soothe the mischief that had just started and that would cause great problems for the ummah.  

He inspected the complaints very carefully and consulted the notables of the Companions, especially Hz. Ali. However, when a group of people that came to Madinah from Egypt in order to complain about the illegitimate practices of Abdullah b. Sa'd b. Abi Sarh, they were followed by Ibn Abi Sarh's men while they were returning and some of them were killed. This caused the incidents to increase. Thereupon, a group of six hundred people came to Madinah from Egypt and complained to the Companions at the times of prayer about what Abi Sarh did. Talha Ibn Ubaydullah, Hz. Aisha and Hz. Ali went to Hz. Uthman and told him to fulfill the just requests of those people and to unseat Abdullah b. Sa'd b. Abi Sarh and then to judge him. Thereupon, Hz. Uthman asked the Egyptians whom they wanted to be their governor. They said they wanted Muhammad b. Abi Bakr. Hz. Uthman appointed Muhammad b. Abi Bakr as the governor. Muhammad b. Abi Bakr set off from Madinah with those coming from Egypt and a group of Companions. When they were away from Madinah for three days, they saw a man trying to ride his camel as if he was being followed. When they caught the man and questioned him, they found out that he was taking a message to Ibn Abi Sarh. When he was asked who he was, he sometimes said he was Hz. Uthman’s slave and sometimes said he was Marwvan b. Hakam's slave. When they opened the letter they found on him, they saw the statement, 'When Muhammad b. Abi Bakr and such and such people come to you, kill them.' They saw that it was sealed with Hz. Uthman's seal. They returned to Madinah at once and surrounded Hz. Uthman's house. Hz. Ali went to Hz. Uthman’s house with Muhammad Ibn Maslama. Hz. Ali asked him who wrote the letter that had his seal on it. Hz. Uthman said he did not write such a letter and that he did not know that it had been written. Muhammad confirmed Hz. Uthman and said that the person who arranged it was Marwan. When they examined the handwriting, they understood that it belonged to Marwan b. Hakam. They wanted Marwan, who was in Hz. Uthman’s house then, to be delivered to them. Hz. Uthman did not accept it because he feared that they would kill him.

The rebels that surrounded his house did not answer the calls for dialogue and cut off the water supply to his house. Hz. Uthman's advice to soothe the mischief and to eliminate the injustice did not have any effect on them. They said to Hz. Uthman,

"We will not give up until we unseat you from caliphate or kill you or be killed. If those who support you try to prevent us, we will fight them too."

Hz. Uthman told them that he would not give up the duty of caliphate, which Allah placed on him, that death would be more lovable for him than what they wanted and that he did not order anybody to defend him. (Ibnul-Athir, ibid, III, 169-170) He rejected the offers of the Companions to expel the rebels from the city and asked the Companions to promise him not to use weapons.

One day, he appeared before the rebels and asked them, 'Is Ali here? Is Sa'd here?' When they said they were not there, he kept silent for a while and said, 'Is there not anybody here to tell Ali to bring me some water?' When Hz. Ali was informed about it, he sent Hz. Uthman three water bags full of water. When Ali found out that the rebels wanted to kill Hz. Uthman, he told his sons, Hasan and Husayn, to take their swords and wait at Hz. Uthman's door to prevent it. Abdullah Ibn Zubayr also joined them. Some other Companions sent their children there too. The situation was very delicate. Hz. Uthman accepted neither the unjust demands of the rebels nor the offer to expel the rebels that came from Egypt and other regions out of Madinah by fighting them. He acted like that because he did not want to be the first person that shed blood and started mischief in Madinah, the city of the Prophet. It is reported from Hz. Aisha that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) addressed Hz. Uthman as follows:

"O Uthman! One day, Allah will put a shirt on you. The hypocrites will force you to take it off; do not take it off until you rejoin me."

Hz. Uthman tried to act in accordance with what the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had told him about those days. He said,

"I am showing patience to do what the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told me and what I agreed." (Usdul-Ghaba, II, 589; Suyuti, 170; Ibnul-Athir, III, 175)

When he understood that the rebels were determined to kill him, he did not want them to do something like that and be murderers; therefore, he reminded them all the time that a Muslim could be killed only when he committed fornication, killed somebody deliberately and exited the religion of Islam and that he could not be accused of any of them.

(Reference: Samil Islam Ansiklopedisi)

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* HADITHS ABOUT THE VIRTUES OF HZ. UTHMAN:

4399-1) Hz. Aisha narrates:

"Hz. Abu Bakr sought permission to enter into the presence of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Meanwhile, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was lying in bed. My cloak was on him. The Messenger of Allah allowed him to come in though he was in bed; they talked and settled an issue. Hz. Abu Bakr left. After a while, Hz. Umar sought permission to enter and he gave Umar permission without changing his position. He settled Umar’s issue and he left.

After a while, Hz. Uthman sought permission to enter. This time, the Messenger of Allah sat up and set right his clothes. He told me, "Straighten your dress." Then, he allowed Hz. Uthman to enter. He settled Uthman’s issue and he left.

When he left, I could not help saying, "O Messenger of Allah! When Abu Bakr and Umar came, you did not stir and did not observe much care. However, when Uthman entered and you got up and set your clothes right. What is the reason for it?" He said,

"Uthman is a very modest person. I feared that he would not tell me about why he came if I did not set my clothes right."

"In another narration, he said, "Should I not show modesty to one whom even the angels show modesty?" [Muslim, Fadailus-Sahaba 36, (4201).][128]

4400-2.) Uthman Ibn Abdillah Ibn Mawhib narrates:

"An Egyptian came to perform hajj. He saw some people sitting. He asked,

"Who are these people?" Somebody said,

"They are the tribe of Quraysh." He said,

"Who is the old man sitting amongst them?" They replied,

"Abdullah Ibn Umar." He approached and said,

"I want to ask you about something; please tell me about it. Do you know that `Uthman fled away on the day of the battle of Uhud?" He said,

"Yes, I do." The man said,

"Do you know that Uthman was absent on the day of the battle of Badr and did not join it?" He said,

"Yes, I do." Upon this reply, the man said,

"Allahu akbar!" and returned. Abdullah Ibn Umar said to him,

"Come here! I will explain." He spoke as follows:

"As for his flight on the day of Uhud, I testify that Allah excused him and forgave him. As a matter of fact, Allah sent the following verse about them:

"Those of you who turned back on the day the two hosts Met,-it was Satan who caused them to fail, because of some (evil) they had done. But Allah Has blotted out (their fault)..." (Aal-i Imran, 3/155).

As for his absence from the battle of Badr,

Ruqayya, the daughter of Allah's Messenger (pbuh) was his wife and she was sick then. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to him,

"Stay with Ruqayya. You will receive the same reward and share of the booty as anyone of those who participated in the battle of Badr.  (Thereupon, he stayed in Madinah.)

As for his absence from the Pledge of Ridwan,

Had there been any person in Makkah more respectable than Uthman, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would have sent him instead of him. The Prophet (pbuh) sent him to Makkah. The Pledge of Ridwan took place after Uthman had gone to Makkah. During the Pledge of Ridwan, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) put his left hand on his right hand and said 'This is for Uthman.' The left hand of the Messenger of Allah for Uthman was better than the right hand of the others.

Then Ibn `Umar said to the man,

'Take what I have told you with you.'" [Bukhari, Fadailul-Ashab 7, Khumus 14, Maghazi 19; Tirmidhi, Manaqib, (3709).] [129]

EXPLANATION:

This narration shows that Hz. Uthman is condemned due to three reasons. However, Abdullah Ibn Umar states that those who condemn him are wrong and explains the reasons as follows:

1. As for his absence in Uhud, his forgiveness about it is definite based on divine revelation; nobody has any right to say anything about. 

2. He did not take part in the Battle of Badr due to the order of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh); it was not his own choice. This order was due to the illness of his wife. The daughter of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was ill and she needed care. According to a narration of Hakim, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) left Hz. Uthman and Usama Ibn Zayd in Madinah so that they would look after her. When Zayd Ibn Haritha brought the good news about the victory, Ruqayya had died at the age of twenty.  

3. He did not take part in the Pledge of Ridwan due to a legitimate reason. The Messenger of Allah had sent him to Makkah. He went on an official duty. His duty was to tell Makkans that they had come for umrah, not for war. Hz. Uthman was detained and he could not return on time. Meanwhile, the false news that Hz. Uthman was killed and the polytheists would start a war was heard in the encampment of the Muslims. Upon this news, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) started preparations for war and received the famous allegiance from the Muslims that they would not return and escape until they died. It is natural that Hz. Uthman was not present in a pledge that was done due the news that he was killed.  

According to what we learn from a narration recorded by Bazzar, Abdurrahman Ibn Awf once wanted to reprimand Hz. Uthman by mentioning those three issues. Hz. Uthman answered him by making explanations like the ones above. He even said the following related to the Pledge of Ridwan: "The left hand of the Messenger of Allah is better than my right hand." [130]

4401-3.) Abdurrahman Ibn Samura narrates:

"Hz. Uthman brought the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) one thousand dinars while he was equipping Jaysh al-Usra (the army to go to Tabuk) and poured the money in his lap. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) turned them over in his lap, saying,

'Whatever Uthman does after today will not harm him.' He repeated this sentence twice." [Tirmidhi, Manaqib, (3702).][131]

EXPLANATION:

The phrase "whatever Uthman does will not harm him" mentioned at the end of the hadith means "whatever sins he commits will not harm him." The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sometimes uttered statements like that to indicate that some deeds done at certain times will be very valuable though little and that it would enable that person to attain Allah’s consent. He stated the following for Anas Ibn Abi Marsad al-Ghanawi, who kept guard at night during the Expedition of Hunayn: "After this service, Paradise has become wajib for you even if you do not do any good deeds from now on." (It was mentioned in hadith numbered 4289.) Similarly, he said to Hatib Ibn Abi Baltaa, "Maybe Allah saw the state of Badr warriors: ‘Do as you wish; I have forgiven you’" because he was a Badr warrior despite Hatib’s act that was regarded as treason by Hz. Umar."

Besides, Hz. Uthman is one of Ashara al-Mubashshara. That is, he was given the glad tiding of Paradise when he was alive. [132]

4402-4.) Abdurrahman Ibn Habbab narrates:

"I witnessed it when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was exhorting support for 'Jaysh al-Usra'. Hz. Uthman bin 'Affan stood up and said,

'O Messenger of Allah! I will take the responsibility of one hundred camels, including their saddles and water-skins in the way of Allah.'

Then, the Messenger of Allah urged support for the army again. Hz. Uthman stood up again and said,

'O Messenger of Allah! I will take the responsibility of two hundred camels, including their saddles and water-skins in the way of Allah.'

Then, the Messenger of Allah urged support for the army again. Hz. Uthman stood up again and said,

'O Messenger of Allah! I will take the responsibility of three hundred camels, including their saddles and water-skins in the way of Allah.'

I saw the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) descend from the pulpit saying,

‘It does not matter what 'Uthman does after this (any bad deed he does will not harm him).’" [Tirmidhi, Manaqib, (3701).][133]

EXPLANATION:

This narration shows how generous Hz. Uthman was in donating in the way of Allah; it also shows that donations like that are so acceptable and become a means of forgiveness. The donation sometimes enables the sins committed in the past to be forgiven; it can sometimes be enough for the forgiveness of the sins to be committed in the future. Some scholars interpreted the hadith as follows: "He does not have to do any supererogatory (nafilah) deeds apart from fards after this donation because this deed can replace all nafilah deeds." The glad tiding that Hz. Uthman will die as a believer is seen in the hadith. [134]

[128] İbrahim Canan, Kütüb-i Sitte Tercüme ve Şerhi, Akçağ Publications: 12/459-460.

[129] ibid 12/461.
[130] ibid 12/462.
[131] ibid 12/463.
[132] ibid 12/463.
[133] ibid 12/464.
[134] ibid 12/464.

27 Will you give information about Ashab as-Suffa? Why was Ashab as-Suffa abolished?

Suffa was the place where the Companions were educated during the time of the Prophet (pbuh). The Prophet himself took care of the Companions who studied there. The people met the needs of food and drinks of the Companions there.

Suffa means yard, canopy, etc. The poor and single Companions lived in the yard and canopy of Masjid an-Nabawi; that is why they were called “Ashab as-Suffa (People of the Yard). Before the suffa in the mosque, the single muhajirs without families stayed in different places. The fact that they stayed in different places caused difficulties in meeting their needs. Therefore, they were brought together in Masjid an-Nabawi when their number increased. The yard of the mosque was allocated to them for their accommodation. The yard was covered by palm leaves to provide shade. Thus, the aim was to protect them from rain, the sun and cold to a certain extent.    

Suffa was in the south of Masjid an-Nabawi until the qiblah was changed. When the qiblah was changed, it was moved to the north. The people of Suffa were also called "Adyafu'l- Islam= Guests of Islam” or "Adyafu'l- Muslimin = Guests of Muslims" since they were regarded as temporary guests.

Members of Ashab as-Suffa:

- They were primarily single muhajirs without any families. For, married muhajirs were settled in the houses of married Ansar.

- Some single people who had houses in Madinah also stayed in Suffa in order to see the Prophet (pbuh) more often and learn more things from him. Abdullah b. Umar was one of them.

- Some people from various Arab tribes became Muslims and migrated to Madinah; some of them stayed there and returned to their tribes after learning Islam.

- The delegates and envoys coming from distant places were entertained there.

- That is, Suffa was used as a kind of guesthouse.

- There was also a part of Suffa allocated for women. This part was called “Suffatu'n- Nisa = Suffa of Women”.

The Conditions of Leaving Suffa:

- Leaving due to death.

- End of temporary staying in Madinah (for instance, those who came to Madinah from different Arab tribes; and the delegates that came to Madinah).

- Those who got married left Suffa. Hz. Prophet helped the single Muslims staying there to get married.

The Abolition of Suffa:

It is not definitely known whether Suffa continued to exist there after the death of the Prophet (pbuh). It is probable that the need for Suffa ended when the Muslims got rich as a result of the conquests during the period of Hz. Umar and when the people of Suffa were put on salary. In addition, when Masjid an-Nabawi was expanded during the period of Hz. Umar and Hz. Uthman, the place where Suffa was located became part of the mosque.

References:

-Bukhari, Riqaq, 17; Musnad, III515; Kattani, Taratib, I/448, 474, 476; Abu Dawud, Sunan, Hudud, 12; Nasai Sunan, Qat’u’s- Sariq, 4.

- Hamidullah, İslam Peygamberi, II/80.

(For detailed information, see Editör Vecdi AKYÜZ, Bütün Yönleriyle Asr-ı Saadet’te İslam, I-VI, Beyan Yayınları, İstanbul 1994. IV, 385- 391)

28 Were the souls of the Companions (Ashab) cleaned? Did they commit sins?

The Companions did not have the attribute of ismah (innocence) like prophets. Islamic scholars agree on the justice of the Companions. That is, they do not attribute lies to the Prophet; they do not work against the religion. However, since they are human beings, they can commit sins in everyday life.  

It is completely wrong to understand the phrase "the justice of the Companions" as "innocence/infallibility". This expression does not indicate their innocence but their reliability about conveying the religion to the following generations orally and by actions in the ideal way.

The Companions are not free and away from sins. Nobody among Ahl as-Sunnah attribute infallibility to them.

29 What are the things that indicate the order of the caliphate of the four caliphs? Was it Hz. Ali's right to be the first caliph? Do the Companions not make any mistakes? Is it impossible for them to err?

- If a person does not accept the caliphate of the first three caliphs, he does not exit the religion of Islam but he becomes a person of bid'ah.  

- The consensus or the practice of the Companions regarding an issue can be used as evidence regarding that issue.

- All Companions are mujtahids. If they are wrong in their ijtihads, they gain one thawab; if they are right, they gain two thawabs.  

Besides, it is not possible to regard the consensus of the Companions regarding a very important issue like the caliphate as a mistake. 

1) The State of the Four Caliphs among Other Companions

After stating that the most virtuous people among the ummah are the Companions, at-Taftazani explains that Hz. Abu Bakr received the nickname of as-Siddiq (the veracious) because of approving the prophethood and Ascension of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) without any hesitation. (1) This explanation is short and not very clear but we see one of the reasons why Hz. Abu Bakr is the most virtuous one among the Companions. It is his high quality in belief and surrendering, his unshakable loyalty to Allah and His Messenger. In addition, there are other reasons that make him the most virtuous one among the Companions and ummah. Issues like his being one of the first believers, doing a lot of favors, his share in the belief of the people coming after him, supporting the Messenger of Allah with his wealth and life at the most dangerous times, his understanding of Islam and worshipping elevate him to the highest rank among the ummah and Companions.

After that,at-Taftazani states that Hz. Umar was given the nickname al-Faruq (the one who distinguishes between right and wrong)  because he distinguished between right and wrong in his decrees and cases.(2) It is indicated here that he surrenders himself to the truth, that is, to Islam, that he regards the truth as superior to anything and that this characteristic of his is outstanding. When he became a Muslim, he challenged Quraysh and hence the whole world without fearing and by risking death.(3) It is understood how he supports the truth and how strongly he believes with this characteristic of his. It becomes apparent that one of the reasons for his superiority is this.(4)

Then, he mentions that Hz. Uthman married Ruqayya, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah first, that he married Umm Kulthum, another daughter of the Messenger of Allah when Ruqayya died, that he was called Dhun-nurayn (the owner of two luminous lights) because of it and that the Prophet said to him, "If I had another daughter, I would marry her off to you."(5) We understand from it that the Prophet liked Hz. Uthman very much and that he was pleased with him. He does not like anyone acting on his own soul and pleasures. The friends of the Prophet (pbuh) are believers and pious people. Yes, if he likes Hz. Uthman, loves him and states that he is pleased with him with his statement, we also need to follow the Messenger of Allah and like and love Hz. Uthman; we need to have positive ideas about him and we must not criticize him. Since the Prophet liked him and married his daughters off to him, it means he proved that he was a believer and a pious person. For, believers do not marry their daughters off to an unbeliever. It means he was a believer. He was a pious person (muttaqi) with the definition of the Prophet. Even the angels felt modest in his presence.(6)

After that, at-Taftazani states that Hz. Ali al-Murtada is one of the slaves of Allah who worshipped Him and that he made this apparent through his sincerity.(7) The reason why Nasafi and other Ahl as-Sunnah kalam scholars mention Hz. Ali as al-Murtada is to show that Allah and His Messenger were pleased with him. (8) That is, Allah and His Messenger love Hz. Ali very much. He liked both of them, too. He gained their consent. This state of Hz. Ali's is mentioned in hadiths.(9) Taftazani points out that Hz. Ali's worshipping, sincerity and ascetism were outstanding. A person whom Allah and His Messenger love, and are pleased with and who is the son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah is definitely a believer and a pious person; he deserves to be praised and loved. Besides, Allah states in a verse that he is the friend of the Messenger of Allah.(10)

According to at-Taftazani, salaf (the Companions, most of them and tabiun) listed the order of the superiority of the four caliphs based on the order of their caliphate. Taftazani states the following decree: "It is apparent that they would not have done so if they had not had any evidence about it."(11)

2) Implications from Some Hadiths about the Order of Superiority of the Four Caliphs:

In fact, if hadiths are viewed with this issue in mind, it will be seen that there implications of the degrees and order of the caliphs in them:

Muhammad b. Hanafiyya's father asked Hz. Ali, "Who is the best man after the Messenger of Allah?" Hz. Ali answered it as Hz. Abu Bakr, Hz. Umar and Hz. Uthman.(12) If the hadith about the people who were given the glad tiding of Paradise is viewed, it will be seen that first Hz. Abu Bakr then Hz. Umar and then Hz. Uthman arrived at Aris Well.(13) This might be an implication of their order of virtue. Once, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), Hz. Abu Bakr, Hz. Umar and Hz. Uthman were on Mount Uhud and it started to shake; the Prophet (pbuh) said, "O Uhud! Stop! There is a prophet, a siddiq and two martyrs on you."(14)

Bukhari mentions the names of the Companions in this hadiths in the order of "Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman"; similarly, the Messenger of Allah mentioned Hz. Abu Bakr (Siddiq) first, and Hz. Umar and Hz. Uthman after him. Is it not an implication of his superiority that he mentioned Hz. Abu Bakr first? Besides, he stated through this hadith that Hz. Umar and Hz. Uthman would be martyred.

In another hadith reported by Hz. Ali, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"I, Abu Bakr and Umar were together. I, Abu Bakr and Umar worked together. I, Abu Bakr and Umar walked together."(15)

This shows that Hz. Abu Bakr comes first followed by Hz. Umar among the ummah and Companions in terms of superiority.

In a hadith included in Bukhari, the following narration from Abdullah b. Umar exists: He said,

"We did not regard anybody as equal to Abu Bakr, then Umar and then Uthman. After that, we did not compare any Companions of the Messenger of Allah in terms of superiority."(16)

When this hadith is taken into consideration, a few aspects come to mind:

Firstly, as a scholar among the Companions,Abdullah b. Abbas (death H. 68) mentions something that is accepted by almost everybody and known by everybody. It is the fact that no Companion is regarded equal to the four caliphs, primarily Hz. Abu Bakr.(17) The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) definitely knew that his Companions thought like that. If he had not known so, he would have corrected their views. 

Secondly, when Abdullah b. Abbas (ra) reports the hadith, he mentions Hz. Abu Bakr first and the other caliphs included in the ten Companions who were given the glad tiding of Paradise. It is understood from this that Hz. Abu Bakr is the first one in terms of virtue and that Abdullah b. Abbas also holds this view.

Thirdly, according to this hadith, the four caliphs are superior to all of the other Companions; the order of superiority among them is in accordance with this order.   

Fourthly, the Companions of the salaf regarded the caliphs mentioned here superior to all Companions but they did not discuss about the superiority of the other Companions among themselves. This issue occurred afterwards.(18)

The order of the caliphate of the four caliphs, their activities in their caliphate and the incidents happening in their caliphate can be regarded as implications of their virtues.

After discussing the issue, at-Taftazani states the following and accepts the order of their caliphate as it was:

"Salaf (the Companions and Tabiun) hesitated about regarding Hz. Uthman superior to Hz. Ali but they regarded the superiority of Hz. Abu Bakr and Hz. Umar over the others, love of the two sons-in-law of the Prophet (pbuh) (Hz Uthman and Hz. Ali) and acting justly as signs of Ahl as-Sunnah."(19)

Then, he explains how each of them became caliphs. According to him, there is consensus about the caliphate of the four caliphs."The wars (Jamal and Siffin) that occurred during the caliphate of Hz. Ali was not due to disagreement about his caliphate but mistakes of ijtihad."(20)

As it is seen, Taftazani views the wars during the period of Hz. Ali as wars that occurred due to mistakes of ijtihad just like the other Ahl as-Sunnah scholars. He does not criticize or condemn the Companions. On the contrary, he elevates them.  Taftazani does not accuse them of being sinners or aberration. He mentions the correctness of Hz. Ali's ijtihad and the mistake of Muawiya's ijtihad. Mujtahids gain thawabs even when they make mistakes; therefore, Muawiya is not accused of aberration and being a sinner here; he is mentioned as a mujtahid in a good way. For, a mujtahid who makes a mistake cannot be accused of aberration and being a sinner (fasiq).(21)

Badiuzzaman Said Nursi states that some verses imply the four caliphs to replace the position of the Messenger of Allah after his death in the order of caliphate and that they inform about them with their most famous characteristics:  

The beginning of the last verse of the chapter of al-Fath foretells explicitly the lofty qualities and virtues that made the Companions the most elevated of humankind after the prophets; and allusively it indicates the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, who would succeed to the Prophet’s (pbuh) position after his death through the institution of the Caliphate, and foretells the fine attributes which were what most distinguished each of them and marked them out. It is as follows:

“And those who are with him” alludes to Abu Bakr the Veracious, who was distinguished by being among the Prophet’s ((pbuh) special followers and party to his conversation, and again being included among his special followers by being the first to die.

While “are strong against the unbelievers” points to Hz. Umar, who in the future would cause the countries of the globe to tremble at his conquests, and with his justice would descend on tyrants like a thunderbolt.

And “compassionate among each other” gives news of Hz. Uthman, who in the future when the most serious dissension was being fomented, would sacrifice his own life and spirit out of his perfect compassion so that the blood of Muslims should not be spilt; he preferred to be martyred wrongfully while reading the Qur’an.

And “You will see them bow and prostrate themselves in prayer, seeking grace from Allah and His good pleasure” tells that with his complete worthiness to undertake the Caliphate and government, and his heroism, and his choosing perfect asceticism, worship, poverty, and frugality, and whose bowing and prostrating in prayer was corroborated by everyone, Hz. Ali was not responsible for his position in the future and the wars and strife in which he was involved, and that his intention and wish were for divine favor.

"This is their similitude in the Towrah.” It cites these qualities of the Companions that are mentioned in the Torah, which for an unlettered person like the Prophet (pbuh) belonged to the World of the Unseen.

"... And their similitude in the Gospel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick and it stands on its own stem (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the Unbelievers with rage at him...”(al-Fath, 48/29)

The Companions will seem weak and small number at first but within a short time they will grow like seeds and acquire such strength and loftiness that they will cause the unbelievers to swallow their hatred and choke.   

The verses predict the following: due to their weakness and small number, the Companions accepted the Treaty of Hudaybiya, but within a short time they will grow and acquire such strength and loftiness that, planted by the Hand of Power in the field of the face of the earth, they will multiply in most elevated, powerful, fruitful, and plentiful fashion. This is true in comparison with the shoots of mankind at that time, since these latter are short, weak, defective, and scant due to neglect and heedlessness. The Companions will grow strong causing illustrious governments to rage at them in envy, jealousy, and anger.

The prediction also makes the following further slight hint: it indicates through the word “forgiveness” that, although while praising the Companions’ excellent qualities they have been promised the greatest rewards, in the future they will commit serious errors due to strife. For, forgiveness indicates the existence of faults. At that time, it will be forgiveness, the greatest bounty, that the Companions will want. (22)

Implication for the Four Caliphs

The following verse also indicates the four caliphs to come after the Messenger of Allah just like the last verse of the chapter of al-Fath:

"All who obey Allah and the Messenger are in the company of those on whom is the Grace of Allah― of the Prophets (who teach) the sincere (lovers of Truth), the witnesses (who testify), and the Righteous (who do good): ah! How a beautiful fellowship!"(an-Nisa, 4/69)

It is as follows:

The verse above describes the people of the Straight Path and the groups of the Prophets, the caravan of the veracious, the community of the martyrs, the class of the Righteous, and those who follow them. These are the members of mankind who truly receive the divine bounties. Furthermore, having indicated explicitly the most perfect of those five groups in the world of Islam, it indicates their leaders and chiefs by mentioning their well-known attributes. In addition, with a flash of miraculousness giving news of the Unseen, it specifies one aspect those chiefs’ positions in the future.

Yes, “of the Prophets” looks explicitly to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), and the phrase “the veracious” looks to Abu Bakr, the veracious. It also indicates that he would be second after the Prophet (pbuh) and first to succeed him, and be known by the special title of veracious and be seen at the head of all honest and upright people.

 Then “the Martyrs” refers to Hz. Umar, Hz. Uthman, andHz. Ali (May Allah be pleased with all of them) together. It intimates that the three of them would succeed to the Caliphate after the veracious one, and that the three of them would be martyred and the merits of martyrdom added to their other virtues.

“The Righteous” alludes to distinguished persons like the Companions of Suffa, Badr and Ridwan.

While with its explicit meaning, “And how goodly a company are these!” encourages others to follow them, and with its implicit meaning, by showing the generation that succeeded them to be honoured and illustrious, it alludes to Hz. Hasan, who as the fifth Caliph affirmed the hadith

“After me the Caliphate will last thirty years”(23) – in order to show its great value despite its brief duration. (24)

The word "goodly" in the verse “And how goodly a company are these!” is expressed with the Arabic word "hasuna". In Arabic, both Hasan and Hasuna are written with the same letters.

As it is seen, there are a lot of signs about the unknown in the verses the Quran clearly or indirectly. They indicate the order of the caliphate of the four caliphs.

Footnotes:

(1) Hashiyatul-Kastali p. 177-178.
(2) ibid, p. 178.
(3) Tarikhul-Islam, p. 172 ff.
(4) The Messenger of Allah stating the religiousness of Hz. Umar due to a dream Sahihul-Bukhari, IV, 201.
(5) Hashiyatul-Kastali p. 178.
(6) For hadiths about him, see Sahihul-Bukhari IV, 196 (the chapter about those who were given the glad tiding of Paradise), IV, 202 ff.
(7) Hashiyatul-Kastali p. 178.
(8) Sharhu'l-Aqaid p. 322.
(9) Sahihul-Bukhari IV, 207 (This state is explained in the hadith about the Battle of Khaybar. Besides, while setting off for the Expedition of Tabuk, the Messenger of Allah states that his position near him is like the position of Hz. Harun (Aaron) near Hz. Musa (Moses).
(10) see al-Maida 5/55; at-Tabari, Muhibbuddin Ahmad b. Abdullah Zakhairul-Uqba,
Cairo, 1357, p. 102 ff.
(11) Hashiyatul-Kastali ala Sharhil-Aqaid p. 178.
(12) Sahihul-Bukhari IV, 195 (Fadail-Bab, 5).
(13) Sahihul-Bukhari IV, 196.
(14) Sahihul-Bukhari IV, 197; 204.
(15) Sahihul-Bukhari IV, 197.
(16) Sahihul-Bukhari IV, 203.
(17) For the word adala, see al-Mu'jamul-Wasit p. 588; al-Mufradat p. 325.
(18) For the issue of the four caliphs being more virtuous than the whole ummah, see al-Haytami, Ahmad b. Hajar, as-Sawaiqul-Muhriqa, p.
210, 213; Subulus-Salam IV, 127 (the chapter of witnessing); Hashiyatul-Kastali p.
(19) Hashiyatul-Kastali ala Sharhil-Aqaid p. 179.
(20) Hashiyatul-Kastali ala Sharhil-Aqaid p s. 180.
(21) see Sharhul-Aqaid p. 325, Hashiyatul-Kastali ala Sharhil-Aqaid p. 180-181.
(22) see Nursi, Lem'alar, p. 29-32.
(23) Tirmidhi, Fitan, 48.
(24) see Nursi, Lem’alar, p. 33-34.

30 What are the characteristics of Umar bin Khattab (ra)?

Umar (ra) is known for being strict in doing what he believed. Before he became a Muslim, he treated the first believers harshly. After he became a Muslim, he turned his harshness against the polytheists in favor of Islam.

After becoming the caliph too, Umar (ra) acted very carefully to be meticulous about the implementation of the truth and the obtainment of the right and to personally follow up even the smallest details. When he ordered or forbade something, he would first start from his own family. He would gather his family members together and say to them:

“I have forbidden this and that. People watch you like a bird of prey watches meat. I swear by Allah that if any of you disobey these prohibitions, I will punish him more severely.”

Although he had a harsh temperament, he was very humble toward people. The fact that he was the head of a state with large lands and strong armies did not prevent him from leading a modest and simple life like other people.

He avoided wearing expensive, luxurious clothes, and did not hesitate to do ordinary work when necessary, like other people. Anyone who did not know him would never understand that he was the caliph of the Muslims because the garment he generally wore was full of patches.

31 What are the causes of mischief and tribulations that were seen during the caliphate of Hz. Uthman? Some scholars say that he did not have the sufficient qualities for leadership.

When Hz. Umar was wounded, a consultation committee of six people was formed in order to appoint the person to be the caliph. The committee consisted of Hz. Ali, Uthman, Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas, Abdurrahman b. Awf, Zubayr Ibn Awwam and Talha Ibn Ubaydullah (May Allah be pleased with them). As a result of the negotiations, four of the members of the committee waived their rights; the negotiations continued on the names of Hz. Uthman and Hz. Ali.

After conducting an opinion research, Abdurrahman Ibn Awf, the leader of the committee, saw that the Muslims agreed on one of these two people as the caliph. He called Hz. Ali and asked him whether he would follow the book of Allah, the sunnah of the Prophet, and the practices of Abu Bakr and Umar and act accordingly. Hz. Ali said he would follow the book of Allah, the sunnah of the Prophet fully but that he would act based on his own ijtihad apart from them. When he asked Hz. Uthman the same question, he accepted it. Thereupon, Abdurrahman Ibn Awf declared that he appointed Hz. Uthman as the caliph. (Suyuti, ibid,171, 172; Ibn Hajar, ibid, 463; H. I. Hasan, ibid, I, 258, 261)

Hz. Abdurrahman called people to the mosque. He said he found Hz. Uthman more suitable for the caliphate and paid allegiance to him. After Hz. Abdurrahman, Hz. Ali became the second person to pay allegiance to Hz. Uthman. Then, the other Muslims paid allegiance to him. Thus, Hz. Uthman was chosen as the Caliph in 644.

The second person to pay allegiance to Hz. Uthman was Hz. Ali. After that, all of the Muslims paid allegiance to him. (Ibn Sa'd, ibid, III, 62) Hz. Uthman became the caliph in 23 H. at the end of the month of Dhul-hijjah.

When Hz. Uthman undertook the administration of the state, Islamic conquests were going on rapidly. During the time of Hz. Umar, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Iran were included in the Islamic land. The strong administration of Hz. Umar enabled the authority and system to settle firmly in the regions that were conquered.

The first six years of the caliphate of Hz. Uthman passed with conquests. In the last six years, some problems and disorders occurred. In these last six years, mischief started to arouse slowly. As Hudhayfa bin Yaman, the confidant of the Messenger of Allah put it, the door of mischief broke when Hz. Umar was martyred. Hz. Umar said when the door that did not let mischief broke, it would never be closed again.

The Important Factors of Mischief and Chaos

1. A great majority of the Companions died and the majority of the Companions who were living retreated to their homes. Their decrease meant decrease in good deeds.

2. The spread of the idea of ​​tribalism. In the Islamic state, which covered a very wide area from Andalusia to the borders of India, there were communities in the status of dhimmi belonging to various religions and races. They revolted against the Islamic state, by which they had been defeated, in any opportunity. As for the Jews, they targeted at the basic principles of Islam in order to break up and destroy the Islamic Ummah. Some Jewish people who claimed to be Muslims were trying to add fuel to the fire by exacerbating the disorders and trying to spread the mischief everywhere. One of them was Abdullah Ibn Saba, who was a man of resistance and who caused the emergence of effective mischievous movements. Ibn Saba was a Yemeni Jew. He provoked people against Hz. Uthman by using the rightful complaints of the sincere people. On the one hand, he tried to spread the idea of "rij'atu Muhammad" (Muhammad's return); on the other hand, he said that the caliphate was the right of Hz. Ali after the Prophet and that this was determined by Allah, laying the foundations of the Shiite creed. According to his ideas, Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman seized the right of Hz. Ali.

3. The expansion of the borders of the administration of the caliphate through conquests.

4. As a result of the expansion of the borders, people with various, ideas, views and beliefs started to live within the borders of the Islamic state. There were people belonging to many different nations even in Madinah.

5. Hz. Uthman was a caliph that preferred forgiving to punishing. 

6. Hz. Uthman appointed his relatives to important posts. The reason why he did so was the fact that he could not rely on anybody since the conditions were fragile and sensitive. He tried to establish the authority by doing so because his relatives were loyal to him and obeyed his orders. Hz. Uthman's appointing his relatives to various posts caused some of his opponents to propagandize against him. 

Hz. Prophet (pbuh) said that mischief and tribulations would occur during the caliphate of Hz. Uthman.

Murra b. Kab, a Companion, narrates:

I heard the Messenger of Allah mention tribulations and that they would occur soon. Meanwhile, somebody who wrapped himself in his clothes passed. When the Messenger of Allah saw him, he said,

"This person will be on the true path at that time."I went toward that man and saw that he was Uthman b. Affan. I turned his face toward the Prophet (pbuh) and asked, "Is he this man?" He said, "Yes!"2

There is another narration from Abdullah b. Umar. He said, 

"The Messenger of Allah mentioned a big tribulation and said,

'He (Uthman) will be killed as a victim in it.'"3

Hz. Uthman being informed that he will be the caliph and that some people will want to take it from him

Once Hz. Uthman wasinformed that he would be the caliph and that some people would want to take it from him.

According to a narration from Hz. Aisha, the Prophet (pbuh) said,

"O Uthman! One day, Allah will put a shirt on you. If they force you to take it off, do not take it off for them."4

The shirt Allah would put on him was interpreted as the "caliphate". As a matter of fact, the rebels came to Makkah to take off the shirt of the caliphate from him; they wanted to unseat him. However, he did not accept the demand of the rebels due to the advice of the Messenger of Allah.

Another narration from Hz. Aisha is clearer:

"Once the Prophet (pbuh) said to Hz. Uthman three times:

'O Uthman! Allah will definitely give this duty to you one day. However, munafiqs (hypocrites) will want you to take off the shirt that Allah will put on you. Do not take it off.'"5

Numan b. Bashir said to Hz. Aisha regarding the issue,

"Did anything prevent you from informing people about it on those days?"

Hz. Aisha said, "I had forgotten it."6

She probably remembered the word of the Messenger of Allah after the mischief that occurred during the caliphate of Hz. Uthman.

The Secret Advice of Hz. Uthman to the Messenger of Allah

Besides, during his last disease, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) gave some secret advice to Hz. Uthman. Hz. Aisha, who witnessed it, mentions it related to the mischief about Hz. Uthman:

"When the Messenger of Allah was in his deathbed, he said, 'I would like some of my Companions to be here now.' We said, 'O Messenger of Allah! Shall we call Abu Bakr?' He kept silent. Then we said, 'Shall we call Umar?' He kept silent. Then we said, 'Shall we call Uthman?' He said, 'Yes!' Uthman came and remained alone with him. When the Prophet started to talk to him, Uthman's face started to change."6

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh), who was lying in Hz. Aisha's room, wanted to see Hz. Uthman, not Hz. Abu Bakr and Hz. Umar, who were the closest to him among his Companions. For, he wanted to say something to Uthman. Finally, he was alone with Hz. Uthman. When the Glorious Messenger started to talk to Hz. Uthman, Uthman's face started to change. This state showed that what he said was not something nice. The Messenger of Allah probably mentioned some nasty things that would take place in the future about him and the ummah.

When Hz. Uthman's house was besieged afterwards, he showed that he acted patiently upon this secret advice and told some people about it. For instance, Qays b. Hazim states the following regarding the issue:

"Abu Sahla, the freed slave of Uthman, said to me,

'Uthman b. Affan stated the following when his house had been besieged:

The Messenger of Allah gave me some secret advice. I am following his advice."7

In addition, Hz. Ali stated the following in the hadith that mentions the same issue:  "I act patiently because of it."8

The news of the Prophet mentioned above and this hadith complement each other. When the house of Hz. Uthman was besieged, he showed patience and acted in accordance with the advice of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). He told some his relatives about it when his house was besieged. Allah's putting a shirt on him and his preferring death by not taking off this shirt confirms this news given by the Prophet. 

It is necessary to view the tribulations that took place during the caliphate of Hz. Uthman in terms of qadar and giving news about the future. That the Messenger of Allah informed this mischief is one of his miracles and shows his prophethood. For, miracles are shown as evidence for prophethood. Allah knows ghayb and sees what will happen before they happen. He informs His Messenger about it based on His wisdom and mercy. And the Prophet informs people as much as he is informed.  

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"Mischief is in sleep. May Allah damn those who awaken it!" (Suyuti, Fathu’l-Kabir, II/280)

Thus, he advises us not to cause chaos and disorder. 

Hz. Uthman allocated salaries to muezzins for the first time and built an additional surrounded open area next to Masjid an-Nabawi. He did it considering the assassination against Hz. Umar.9

Everybody became very distressed when Uthman was martyred by the oppression of the Umayyads. The majority did not think that the revolt and revolution would go so far.10

With his death, a great change took place in public opinion. However, the government was still under the control of the rebels. Hz. Uthman' dead body was buried only after three days following his death next to the Cemetery of Baqi in a surrounded place  after his janazah prayer was performed by a group of Companions including Zubayr b. Awwam, Hasan b. Ali, Abu Jahm b. Hudhayfa, and according to another view Hz. Ali, Talha b. Ubaydullah. There were a few people in his funeral.11

Conclusion: It is not appropriate to attribute the mischief and tribulations that occurred during the caliphate of Hz. Uthman to his personal practices

(for detailed information, see Ass. Prof. Murat Sarıcık, Dört Halife Dönemi, Vol. II)

Footnotes:

1. Tarikhul Khamis, II, 266
2. at-Taj, III, 328; Sunanu Ibn Majah, I, 41: no 111
3. at-Taj, III, 329
4. at-Taj, III, 329 (K. Fadail); Sharhul-Maqasid, V, 291; al-Khulafaur-Rashidun, p. 179.
5. Fa aradakal-munafiqun an takhla'a qamisaka alladhi qammasakallahu, fala takhlahu. Sunanu, Ibn Majah, I, 41, No: 112. 125
6. ibid, I, 41.
7. ibid, I, 42.
8. Sunanu, Ibn Majah, I, 42; at-Taj, III, 327
9. ibid, I, 42
10. Kısası Enbiya I, 489
11. Khulafau Rashidin, p. 183

32 How did the Companions ask Hz. Aisha questions?

Allah states the following for the wives of the Prophet (pbuh):

“And when ye ask (his ladies) for anything ye want, ask them from before a screen.” (al-Ahzab, 33/53)

When the male Companions asked Hz. Aisha or the other wives of the Prophet something, they would answer behind a screen.

According to Abu Hanifa and his friends, it is not permissible for women to greet men first. For, women were prohibited from activities such as adhan, iqama, and reading the Quran aloud in a public place. Only mahram relatives are excluded. There is no harm in greeting them. Accordingly, if a man greets first due to familiarity, the woman can greet him in return.

Malikis made a distinction between young and old women related to greeting. The evidence they base their view on is the principle of “blocking the means to evil (saddudh-dhari’a)”

There are examples of practices showing that the Prophet (pbuh) greeted some non-mahram women or responded to their greetings.

Asma bint Yazid reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stopped by a group of women and greeted them. (Abu Dawud, Adab, 127) On the other hand, once, the Prophet (pbuh) was making wudu at home in the year of conquest, and his daughter Fatima was screening him. Meanwhile, when Ummu Hani, the daughter of Abu Talib, entered and greeted her; the Prophet (pbuh) asked who she was and said “hello” to her. (Bukhari, Ghusl, 21, Salah, 4, Adab, 94; Muslim, Hayd, 70, Musafirin, 82; Tirmidhi, Isti'dhan, 34: Nasai, Taharah, 142)

Once, while the Prophet (pbuh) was with his wife Aisha, Gabriel (Jibril) came to them. The Prophet said to his wife; “This is Jibril; he is greeting you.” Hz. Aisha responded to his greeting by saying “Peace be upon him too”. (Bukhari, Bad'ul-Khalq, 6, Isti'dhan, 16, 19; Muslim, Fadailus-Sahaba, 90, 91; Tirmidhi Manaqib, 62, Isti'dhan, 5.)

Similar greeting practices were also seen among some male and female Companions. It is stated above that Hz. Umar greeted the women when he went to accept their allegiance on behalf of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), and that the women responded to his greeting by saying “hello”. (A. b. Hanbal, V/85, VI/409) In addition, it is reported that when Muadh b. Jabal (d. 18/639) went to Yemen as a governor, a woman with twelve children came to him and greeted him. (A. b. Hanbal, V/239)

Some of the Companions said that men could greet women but that women could not greet them. However, it is reported that Abdullah b. Umar greeted a woman and that Ata b. Abi Rabah (d. 115/733) said, “If the women are young, they are not greeted.” (see Yusuf al-Qardawi, Fatawa, II/274)

When the evidences above are examined carefully, it will be seen that greeting non-mahram women occurs either when women are in a group or when there is familiarity with them, or when they come together for a job or due to a necessity.

Some scholars forbade greeting with women because a woman’s voice is haram for men. However, there is no direct verse or hadith stating that a woman's voice is haram for a man in cases of necessity or need and at normal times. As a matter of fact, Allah Almighty states the following for the wives of the Prophet (pbuh):

“And when ye ask (his ladies) for anything ye want, ask them from before a screen.” (al-Ahzab, 33/53)

When male Companions asked or wanted something from Hz. Aisha or other wives of the Prophet (pbuh), they would answer behind a screen. Many female Companions dealt with men in their daily life, by receiving, giving and asking something, getting answers, greeting and speaking; nobody said to them, “Shut up, your voice is haram for men!”

However, it should not be forgotten that this issue is limited to the danger of fitnah (mischief) and Islamic decency. Therefore, there is no danger of fitnah in greeting elderly women or women in a group, or relatives with familiarity in the family, such as aunts and their daughters but it cannot be said that there is no such danger in greeting young girls and women who are alone.

On the other hand, the following can be said about the manners of greeting. The riding person greets the walking one, the young one greets the old one, a small group greets a large group, the one who is above greets the one who is below. One does not greet a person who is praying, eating, is in the toilet and a person committing a haram deed such as drinking alcohol and gambling. (See Bukhari, Isti'dhan, 3-7, 11; Muslim, Adab, 46, Salam, 1; Abu Dawud, Isti'dhan, 6; Tirmidhi, Isti'dhan, 14; A. b. Hanbal, III/ 44, 444, VI/19, 20)

33 What are the reasons for the defeat of the Muslims in the Battle of Uhud?

The reasons for the defeat of Muslims in the battle of Uhud is the archers’ leaving their place as it is clearly indicated in verses  152 and 165 of the chapter of Aal-i Imran. Disobedience to the order of the Prophet (pbuh) changed the course of the war all of a sudden.

However, when we view this defeat in terms of wisdom, we come across with the following verse:

“If a wound hath touched you be sure a similar wound hath touched the others. Such days (of varying fortunes) We give to men and men by turns: that Allah may know those that believe and that He may take to Himself from your ranks martyr-witnesses (to Truth). And Allah loveth not those that do wrong.” (Aal-i Imran, 3/140)

As it is stated in the verse above, Allah caused the Muslims to be defeated in order to check the sincerity of the Muslims, to make the distinguished Companions like Hz. Hamza and Mus’ab Bin Umayr attain the rank of martyrdom, and due to numerous reasons that we cannot know.

Besides, the Companions of the past were defeated by the Companions of the future in that battle. Among the idolaters were many persons like Khalid who in the future would be equal to the leading Companions of that time. Therefore, so as not to degrade them entirely in the view of the future, which for them would be glorious and honorable, divine wisdom gave them in the past immediate recompense for their future good works and did not completely destroy their pride. (see Nursi, Lem`alar, p. 29)

Abu Sufyan, who was the leader of the polytheists in the Battle of Uhud, Khalid b. Walid, who was the greatest reason for the defeat of the Muslims, and several other people started to embrace Islam after the Treaty of Hudaybiyya.

34 Will you give information about Musab Bin Umayr?

HZ. MUS'AB IBN UMAYR (r.anh)

He is one of the notables of the Companions. His nickname is Aba Muhammad. He was a member of the rich families of Makkah. He was a young man who was handsome and dressed well. His parents cherished him all the time. His mother, who was one of the richest women of Makkah, made him wear very nice clothes and perfume. The people of Makkah watched him in admiration. The Prophet (pbuh) stated the following about him:

"I have never seen anyone who wore better clothes than Mus'ab b. Umayr, who was more handsome than him and who had so many boons in Makkah." (Ibn Sa'd, at-Tabaqatul-Kubra, Beirut 1960, III, 116)

While living in wealth and magnificence in Makkah, Mus’ab was informed that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) called people to Islam. Without losing much time, he went to the Prophet (pbuh) and became a Muslim. Mus’ab had to keep it a secret from his family that he had become a Muslim since the people of Makkah inflicted a severe pressure on the Muslims at that time. However, Uthman b. Talha, one of his relatives, saw him performing a prayer and told his mother and relatives about it. Thereupon, his relatives caught him and imprisoned him. Hard days started for that delicate and rich young man of Makkah. 

Mus’ab was kept as a prisoner until he joined the first caravan that migrated to Abyssinia; when it was possible to migrate, he migrated to Abyssinia in order to practice his religion better. When Mus'ab returned from Abyssinia, he had changed a lot. The delicate young man became a strong man whose heart was full of Islam and belief and who had a strong will. When his mother saw this resoluteness and steadiness in him, she had to alleviate her pressure on him a bit.   

Meanwhile, the Pledge of Aqaba took place and a group of people from Madinah accepted Islam. They asked the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to send them an instructor to teach them Islam and to convey others the message of Islam. The Prophet (pbuh) appointed Mus’ab for this important duty. Mus'ab would lead the prayers, teach them the Quran and inform other people about Islam, inviting them to Islam.  

Thus, the first Companion that migrated to Madinah became Mus'ab b. Umayr. It is stated in resources that the first Friday prayer in Madinah was led by Mus'ab b. Umayr. (Ibn Sa'd, ibid, III/118)

A year later, Mus'ab b. Umayr came to Makkah with seventy people in the hajj season. He gave the good news of the fast spread of Islam in Madinah to the Prophet (pbuh) as follows: "There is no house into which Islam has not entered and in which Islam is not spoken left in Madinah." All Muslims, especially the Prophet (pbuh), were very pleased with this news. When Mus’ab’s mother heard that her son had returned to Makkah, she wanted to imprison him again. However, Mus'ab insisted in his belief by assuming a mature Muslim attitude and dissuaded his mother from pressurizing him. He invited his mother to Islam but he could not persuade her; she tried to dissuade him from his belief but she could not succeed.

After staying with the Prophet (pbuh) for two months, Mus'ab b. Umayr returned to Madinah twelve days before the Migration. The Prophet (pbuh) declared him as the brother of Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas and Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. (Ibn Sa'd ibid, III/120)

During the Battle of Badr, he held the standard of the Muhajirs. He was known as "the standard-bearer of the Messenger of Allah". He held the standard in the Battle of Uhud too. When he saw that the Muslim started to retreat during the battle, he rode his horse to the right and the left reciting the following verse:

"Muhammad is no more than a messenger: many were the messenger that passed away before him." (Aal-i Imran, 3/144).

The narration that this verse was not sent down until the day of Uhud shows the value of Mus'ab in the eye of Allah. (Ibn Sa'd ibid, III,120,121). In the Battle of Uhud, the right hand of Mus'ab b. Umayr, who was holding the standard of the Islamic army, was cut off first. He held the standard with his left hand and continued to fight.  However, his left hand was also cut off after that. This time, he held the standard tight with his body and continued reciting the verse above. Finally, he was martyred by a spear blow by a polytheist. Two Companions called Suwaybit b. Sa'd and Abur-Rum b. Umayr took the standard at once.

While Mus'ab was lying on the ground as a martyr, the Prophet (pbuh) saw Mus’ab holding the standard toward the evening. He said, "O Mus'ab! Proceed!" However, the person turned back and said, "I am not Mus’ab." The Prophet (pbuh) realized that he was one of the angels of Allah fighting disguised as Mus’ab. (Ibn Sa'd ibid, II, 121)

Many notables of the Companions were martyred in the Battle of Uhud. Mus'ab b. Umayr was also among the martyrs. The Prophet’s face showed how sorrowful he was. He sat next to the dead body of Mus'ab and recited the following verse, which is stated to have been sent down for the martyrs of Uhud:

"Among the Believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah: of them some have completed their vow (to the extreme), and some (still) wait: but they have never changed (their determination) in the least." (al-Ahzab, 33/23)

Then, the Prophet (pbuh) told the other Companions to approach the martyrs and to greet them, stating that their greetings would be accepted by the martyrs. (Ibn Sa'd ibid, III, 121)

When Mus'ab was martyred, he was about forty years old. They could not find even a piece of cloth to be used as a shroud for this meritorious man, who lived in wealth and welfare once. When the Prophet (pbuh) came near Mus'ab b. Umayr, he was lying in an old cardigan with his hair disheveled and his body torn apart with blows of sword and spears. The Prophet (pbuh) stated the following in sorrow:   

"When I saw you in Makkah, there was nobody who wore better clothes than you and nobody more handsome than you. Now your head remains uncovered when your cardigan is wrapped around your body as your shroud."

Then, they dug a grave and buried that blessed Companion among the martyrs of Uhud.
Habbab, one of the Companions, narrates the following about this dear martyr, who sacrificed his life in the way of Allah:

"We migrated to Madinah with the Prophet (pbuh) only for Allah's sake. We expect its reward from Allah. Some of our friends died without tasting any of those pleasures.  Mus'ab b. Umayr is one of them. He was martyred on the day of the Battle of Uhud and we could not get any cloth to enshroud him. We found his cardigan and tried to use him as his shroud. However, when we covered his head, his feet became bare and we covered his feet, his head remained uncovered. The Prophet (pbuh) ordered us to cover his head only and to put idhkhir (a kind of aromatic shrub) over his feet." (Bukhari, Janaiz 27; Ibn Sa'd ibid, III, 121).

(see M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayatus- Sahaba)

35 Will you give detailed information about Khadija (ra)?

1. Before the verse on hijab was revealed, the general way women dressed was as follows: Before the verse on hijab was revealed, Muslim women used to let their headscarves hang between their shoulders, leaving their ears, neck and most of their breasts uncovered. Some of their hair was also visible. Allah forbade this form of covering with the relevant verse and ordered that the headscarf be tied in such a way that it covered them thoroughly.

2. It is reported that the Prophet (pbuh) used to periodically retreat to Hira before he became a prophet. In the hadith books, the terms “tahannuth” or “tahannuf” are used to describe his worship there... While explaining the word “tahannuth” in his book “Umdatul-Qari”, Ayni, the commentator of Bukhari, writes the following:

“If we are asked about the manner in which the Prophet worshipped there, we can say that it consisted of contemplation.”

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) hated idolatry even before he became a prophet. When the month of Ramadan came, he would take his food and retreat to the cave of Hira on Mount Nur, where he would stay for days in contemplation. He would get great pleasure and spiritual solace from it.

3. Khadija (r. anha) was the first believer. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that she did not believe. All the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) believed in him.

Khadija al-Kubra (ra)

Mother of the Believers...

Khadija (ra), the first of the pure, chaste, moral wives of our Prophet (pbuh), who was the Leader of the Two Worlds, and the mother of the believers. She was from the Quraysh tribe; her father’s name was Khuwaylid and her mother’s name was Fatima. Her paternal and maternal lineage unite with the lineage of the Prophet (pbuh).

Khadija was first engaged to Waraqa ibn Nawfal, but the marriage contract was not performed. She was betrothed for the second time to Ibn Nabbash, who was also called Abu Hala. After Abu Hala’s death, she married Atiq ibn Abid. After Atiq’s death, she married Sayfi ibn Umayya, her paternal uncle’s son. She became a widow upon his death.

Khadija (ra) was a rich, dignified and honorable woman engaged in trade. She used to organize trade caravans to Damascus with the men she hired for a fee. They would manage her affairs and conduct her trade. Allah Almighty gave Khadija abundant worldly wealth. However, the sad and sorrowful incidents she underwent alienated her from the world.

At that time, the pure and clean ethics, honor and dignity of Muhammad (pbuh) were legendary, and for this reason, he was known by the nickname “AMIN (TRUSTWORTHY)”. Taking all this into account, Khadija (pbuh), with great eagerness, sent a message to him to appoint him as her trustee to manage her trade affairs: “If you want to take my goods to Damascus and take care of my trade affairs, I will send my slave Maysara with you to go to Damascus. No matter what you earn, I will give you more than what I give to others.”

Muhammad (pbuh) accepted her offer, loaded her trade goods and set out for Basra. In a short period of time, he sold her goods at a good price. When he returned to Makkah and settled the account, it was seen that he had earned twice as much as the usual business. Khadija (ra) was pleased, and she gave him double amount that she had agreed.

Her Marriage with the Prophet (pbuh)

Khadija (ra) made another thorough investigation. She wanted to marry him. She sent a message with her female slave named Nafisa and conveyed her request; and upon receiving the answer, she conveyed the news to her paternal uncle Amr Ibn al-Asad.

This uncle was the guardian of Khadija (ra), whose father had died in the battle of Fijar, and he was the one who took care of her affairs. The Prophet’s paternal uncle Abu Talib and Amr Ibn al-Asad were prominent members of their families. In accordance with the customs and traditions of that time, the families gathered in the house of Khadija (ra) and Abu Talib performed the marriage contract. 500 gold coins were determined as mahr. Khadija (ra) was forty years old at that time and the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was twenty-five years old.

Her Being a Muslim

When the first revelation was sent to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), he felt afraid, went to Khadija (ra) and told her about it. Khadija consoled our Prophet (pbuh) as follows:

“You tell the truth; you are a person who cares for his relatives; you take care of the things entrusted to you; you are hospitable; you help people in times of distress and sorrow. Allah Almighty will not leave you alone.”

Khadija (ra) went to her paternal uncle’s son Waraqa Ibn Nawfal and told him about the issue. Waraqa, one of the famous Christian scholars of the time, listened to the story and said:

“This is what appeared to Moses and he has now appeared to him. If only I had the power and the means to come to his aid when he will emerge among his people. If only I could help him when your people would displace him.”

Waraqa died after a short time. Khadija (ra) was the helper of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) for a long time. Only she listened to his problems. They worshipped together in secret. She offered all her means to him and became her right-hand woman.

Her Love

A woman who turns to her husband with such devotion will definitely seek his consent, obey him, and think of his comfort and peace of mind. In addition to this, Khadija (r.a.) was such a woman that she was able to prevent all kinds of evil against her husband with her wisdom, intelligence and mind, and she was able to put the polytheists who opposed her husband in their place and protect him from their evil.

Even after her death, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) always remembered her with praise. Aisha (r.a.) states the following in this regard:

“I envy Khadija so much. I do not envy any other woman. Once, Khadija was mentioned in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). This touched a nerve in me. I turned and said,

‘She was an old woman. Now Allah has given you a better and more beautiful one.’ When the Messenger of Allah heard this, he became sad and even angry. I felt his hairs standing on end with anger. He said:

‘I swear by Allah, it is not so. I have never met a better woman than her. She was a woman who believed. When she believed, all people were unbelievers. She accepted me, encouraged me and helped me with her property and wealth. Although I had no children from my other wives, Allah Almighty gave me children from her.’”

Yes, the Prophet (pbuh) did not marry another woman when Khadija (ra) was alive.

Her Ethics and Habits

She was very compassionate toward her children. She was also a woman who knew how to do household chores properly. She had great respect and love for the Prophet (pbuh). She would accept whatever the Prophet (pbuh) said without objection both before and after his prophethood.

Her Virtues and Anecdotes

Abu Hurayra (ra) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“The virtues of four women are superior to the virtues of all the women of the world. Maryam bint Imran, Pharaoh’s wife Asiya, Khadija bint Khuwaylid and Fatima binti Muhammad.”

Once, Khadija (ra) went out to look for the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). At that time, all the Arabs were hostile to him. Gabriel (Jibril) appeared to her disguised as a man. She hesitated to ask him about the Prophet (pbuh), wondering whether this man was an enemy or not. When she returned home, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had returned; she told him about the incident. The Prophet said:

“Do you know who that person whom you saw and wanted to ask about me was? It was Gabriel. He came to me and told me to convey his greetings to you that a building made of pearls had been prepared for you in Paradise. There will definitely be no such sorrowful, troublesome and burdensome things there.”

Once, Gabriel came to the Prophet (pbuh) and said:

“Allah Almighty greets Khadija. Deliver His greetings to Khadija.” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) did so. Khadija said:

“Innallaha huwas-salam. Allah is the One who is peace. Peace be upon Gabriel too. Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah.”

This incident shows the religious wisdom of Khadija (ra). She did not say “And peace be upon Him” in her reply.

At first, when the Companions recited tashahhud in prayer, they did not say “At-Tahiyyatu Lillah”; they said “as-salamu Alallah”. The Prophet (pbuh) forbade this and said, “The name of Allah is actually “Salam”. Say, “At-tahiyyatu lillah” instead.”

Once, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) visited his daughter Fatima (ra) when she was ill. He asked:
- “How are you, my daughter?” Fatima replied:
- “I am not well; I am sick and the worst part is that there is nothing to eat at home. Our Prophet said:
- O my daughter! Do you not want to be the leader of all the women of the world? Fatima asked:
- O my father! What was Maryam bint Imran? Our Prophet said:
- She was the leader of the women of her time, and you are the leader of the women of your time. Khadija was the best woman and the leader of the women of the last era.

Her Children

Khadija had two marriages before her marriage to the Prophet; the first one was with Abu Hala from Sons of Tamim and the second one was with Atiq (Utayyiq) from Sons of Mahzum.

Some sources state that Khadija had three children from her former husbands, two boys from Abu Hala and one girl from Atiq (Utayyiq).  (Ibnul-Jawzi, Muntazam, 2/316; Halabi, Insanul-Uyun, 1/156)

The names of those from Abu Hala were Hala and Hind, and the name of the one from Atiq was Hind. (Abu Nuaym, Ma’rifatus-Sahaba, 6/2751)

Our opinion based on the sources we were able to examine is that this information is accurate.

It is narrated that these children of Khadija from her first two husbands became Muslims when the Prophet was alive. (See A. Güzel, Hz. Hatice’nin Hz. Peygamber’le Evliliği, Çocukları.., İstem, Year: 10, Issue 9, 2012, pp. 57 -100)

Since the names of two of Khadija’s children were Hind, she was nicknamed “Umm Hind”.

She had two sons named Qasim and Abdullah from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Their nicknames were Tahir and Tayyib and they were both born in the Islamic era. The names of her four daughters were Zaynab, Ruqayya, Umm Kulthum and Fatima (r.a). All of them were born before Islam and were among the first Muslims. Her son Qasim passed away when he just started to walk in his infancy and Abdullah passed away at a younger age.

Her Death

Khadija (ra) lived with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) for twenty-four years after marrying him. She died at the beginning of Ramadan in the eighth year of the Prophethood, three years before the Migration (Hijrah). At that time, janazah prayer had not yet become fard; so, janazah prayer was performed for her because this decree had not been sent yet. She was buried in the cemetery of Hajjun. We could not see her in this world. May Allah enable us to see her in Paradise. May He make us her guests. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) loved guests, and she loved what the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) loved. May Allah enable us to get a share from her intercession.

References:

1) Kadın Sahabiler, Mevlana Niyaz, Translation Prof Ali Genceli, Toker Yayınları.
2) Şamil İslam Ansiklopedisi.
3) İslam Tarihi - Mekke Devri, M. Asım Köksal.
4) Sahih Bukhari.

36 Will you give information about Hz. Umar? Did Hz. Umar make any mistakes in his ijtihads?

Hz. Umar is among the Companions that were given the glad tiding of Paradise while they were alive. Besides, when the Prophet (pbuh) was alive, some verses that confirmed the views supported by Hz. Umar were sent down. (Muslim, Fadailus-Sahaba, II; Suyuti, 137-140)

Therefore, it is not permissible to speak against him. It does not fit a Muslim to gossip about a person whom Allah called a person of Paradise and sent down verses to approve his views.  

His knowledge

Hz. Umar had a distinguished place in fiqh. On the one hand, he tried to establish the organizations of the state; on the other hand, he made efforts to ensure the scientific development that was the foundation of this organization. The formation of fiqh methodology started with Hz. Umar. He started to determine the rules that formed the foundations of the science of fiqh while settling the issue about jurisprudence and administration with the methods that he used. The number of the fiqh decrees reported from him through sound chains is a few thousand. Hz. Umar’s ijtihads have a great importance in terms of Islamic law. Nothing except the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is superior to his ijtihads. [Muhammad Rawwas Qal'aji, Mawsuatu Fiqhi Umar b. al-Khattab, 1981, 8; In this book, Hz. Umar’s ijtihads of fiqh were compiled and classified alphabetically.]

Hz. Umar acted very meticulously related to the narrations of hadith. He questioned some people who narrated hadiths from the Prophet (pbuh) and asked witnesses from them for the hadiths that they narrated. Five hundred and thirty-nine hadiths were reported from Hz. Umar himself. (Suyuti, 123)

In addition, he had ilm in the interpretation of the Quran. According to what is reported from Ibn Umar, he was asked who issued fatwas when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was alive; he said, "I do not know anyone except Abu Bakr and Umar to issue fatwas." (H. I. Hasan, İslâm Tarihi, İstanbul 1985, I, 319)

His personality

Hz. Umar is known to act harshly related to doing something that he believed. Before becoming a Muslim, he treated the first believers harshly. After becoming a Muslim, he treated the polytheists in the same way.  

After becoming the caliph, Hz. Umar continued to act meticulously so that what is right would be applied and the rights would be obtained; he acted very carefully and followed the smallest details himself. When he ordered or prohibited something, he would start from his own family. He would gather his family members and address them as follows: "I prohibited this and that. People observe you like birds of prey observing flesh. I swear by Allah that if any of you violates these prohibitions, I will punish him more severely."

Although he had a stern character, he would act humbly toward people. That he was the president of a state that had vast land and strong armies did not prevent him from leading a humble and plain life like other people. He avoided wearing expensive and luxurious clothes and never avoided doing ordinary chores like other people. He who did not know him could not understand that he was the caliph of the Muslims because the clothes he wore usually had patches.

Hz. Umar had a strong rhetoric and he spoke eloquently. His superior ability was also seen in his writings. The instructions and letters he wrote to his governors were regarded as examples for the Arabic language. He memorized the poems of Arab poets and wrote a few poems.

When Hz. Umar worshipped, he would turn to his Lord with all of his being. After becoming the caliph, he started to perform nafilah prayers at night due to being very busy during daytime. He would awaken his household for the morning prayer by reading the following verse: "Enjoin prayer on thy people…" (Taha, 20/132). He performed hajj every year and he himself led the hajjis who came to Makkah for hajj. He felt the responsibility toward his Lord so much that he said he would be happy if he managed to pass through the Reckoning on the Day of Judgment without being punished. He expressed this concern with the following couplet at his deathbed:

"I have wronged my soul except for being a Muslim, performing prayers and fasting." (Shibli Numani, Bütün yönleriyle Hz. Ömer (ra) ve Devlet İdaresi, Translated by Talip Yaşar Alp, İstanbul, II / 373).

Hz. Umar’s personal life was rather plain. Hz. Umar was the president of a strong state that sent big armies against Byzantine and Iran and that defeated them continuously, which they experienced very rarely in their history. Despite this, he led his life wearing clothes that had patches and torn shoes. He sometimes carried water to a widow and sometimes slept on the ground in the mosque to relax a bit after a tiring day. He travelled from Madinah to Makkah many times but he never had a tent with him; he relaxed in a simple manner by stretching a bed linen on some branches.

Once, Ahnaf b. Qays visited Hz. Umar with some notables of Arabs; they say him running with his garment tucked under his belt. When Hz. Umar saw Ahnaf, "Come and join us to catch the camel. A camel belonging to the state ran away. You know how many people have rights on it." Meanwhile, somebody asked him why he was worried so much and why he did not order a slave to catch it. Hz. Umar said, "Who can be a better slave than me?" (Shibli, ibid, I / 384-385).

These examples showing Hz. Umar’s daily life displayed how those who undertook the responsibility of the ummah should fulfill their duties and that they had to judge without being deceived by the attraction of their positions and without living in a way that is different form ordinary people, setting a model valid for all ages. A president can establish a just administration only like that, without living away from people and their ordinary life. What gained Hz. Umar the attribute fair (just) was his doing his best like that in order to make Islam dominant on earth.

Hz. Umar earned his living through trade. In addition, it is known that the Prophet (pbuh) gave him some fields in Madinah. The land obtained after the conquest of Khaybar was divided among those who took part in the war. However, Hz. Umar established a foundation for the land that was given to him as his share and arranged a foundation contract. That was the first foundation in Islam:   

"This land cannot be sold or given to anybody as a present and be inherited, but its yield will be given in charity to the poor people and relatives, for freeing slaves, for Allah's Cause, to the travelers and guests; and that there will be no harm if the guardian of the endowment ate from it according to his need with good intention, and fed others without storing it for the future." (Bukhari, Shurut, 19)

After being the caliph, he was always busy with state affairs; therefore, he applied to the Companions for his livelihood; He and his family were given a certain amount of money from the Treasury enough for their livelihood. When the Muslims were put on salary in 15 H, five thousand dirhams were allocated to him like the other notables of the Companions. However, his expenses were not very much. Umar generally ate and drank the following: Bread (sometimes whole-whet bread), sometimes meat, milk, vegetables and vinegar. 

There are many sound hadiths about the virtue and superiority of Hz. Umar. He was so uncompromising related to the religion that even devils avoided encountering him. Once, he went to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to ask something from him. When the women heard the voice of Umar, they stood up and went hurriedly behind the curtain. When Umar entered, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was smiling. Hz. Umar said to him, "May Allah keep you happy all your life!" Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah said, "I wonder at these women who were with me; no sooner did they hear your voice, they immediately went behind the curtain." Hz. Umar said, "O Messenger of Allah! You have more right that they should fear you." Then he addressed the women as follows: "O enemies of yourselves! Do you fear me and fear not the Messenger of Allah?" The women said, "Yes, you are harsh and strict compared to the Messenger of Allah." The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if Satan would encounter you in the way, he would certainly take a different way from that of yours." (Muslim, Fadailus-Sahaba, 22).

In another narration, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stated the following about him:

"There is no angel in the sky that does not respect Umar. There is no Satan on earth that does not escape from Umar." (Suyuti, ibid, 133)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) states the following related to the superiority of Hz. Umar about seeing the truth and applying it:

"In the ummahs before you, there were sometimes people of inspiration. If there are any of them in my ummah, Umar b. Khattab is one of them." (Muslim, Fadailus-Sahaba, II)

This statement explains the sagacious deeds and decisions of Hz. Umar in a sense. As a matter of fact, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) states the following:  

"Allah rendered the truth in accordance with Umar's tongue and heart." (Usdul-Ghaba, IV / 151; Suyuti, 132)

Once, he pointed to Hz. Umar and said,  

"There will be a firmly closed door between mischief and you as long as he lives." (Suyuti, ibid)

This state of Umar is confirmed by some verses that were sent down in accordance with his views. Hz. Umar states the following:

"My view turned out to be in accordance with my Lord in three issues: Maqam Ibrahim, and slaves of Badr." (Muslim, Fadailus-Sahaba, II).

Hz. Umar did not mention the others. For instance, the verse ordering the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) not to perform janazah prayers of munafiqs is one of them. (see Muslim, the same chapters; for the verses that were sent down in accordance with Hz. Umar’s views, see Suyuti, ibid, 137-140)

His life in summary

Hz. Umar is the second rightly-guided caliph. He is one of the closest Companions of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) in his struggle of oneness to spread Islam and to make it dominant on earth. Hz. Umar was born thirteen years after the Incident of Elephant. According to a narration reported from him, he was born for years after the Big war of Fijar. (Ibnul-Athir, Usdul-Ghaba, Cairo 1970, IV,146). His father is Khattab b. Nufayl; his ancestor Ka'b is also the ancestor of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). He belongs to Adiyy clan of Quraysh; his mother is Hantama, who is Abu Jahl’s sister or cousin. (see ibid, 145)

The resources do not mention much about the life of Hz. Umar before Islam. However, it is known that he herded the sheep belonging to his father when he was a child and that he started trade afterwards. He joined the caravans that went to the direction of Syria. (H. Ibrahim Hasan, Tarikhul-Islam, Egypt 1979, I, 210). He was among the notables of Makkah during the Era of Jahiliyya; he was the envoy of the Makkan city-state. When a war broke out, they would send Umar as the envoy to the other party and act in accordance with the information he gave and his view. He also took an active part in the settlement of the disagreements among the tribes and the decisions he made would be binding. (Suyuti, Tarikhul-Khulafa, Beirut 1986, 123; Usdul-Ghaba, IV, 146)

Hz. Umar had a harsh character and was among those who showed an extreme reaction against Islam. Finally, he decided to kill Muhammad (pbuh), who denied the religion of their ancestors, insulted the idols they worshipped and called people to turn their faces away from the idols. He girded on his sword and set off to kill the Messenger of Allah. However, this attempt caused him to become a Muslim. According to the narration reported by historians unanimously, Umar became a Muslim as follows:  

"While Umar was walking to the place where the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was in order to kill him, he met Nuaym b. Abdullah on the way. When Nuaym asked him where he was going so furiously, he said he was going to kill Muhammad. When Nuaym found out what he wanted to do, he told Umar that his sister and brother-in-law accepted the new religion and that he had to take care of his family first. When Umar heard this, he hurried on to the house of his brother-in-law. When Umar arrived at the door, they were reading the Quran. When he knocked on the door, the people inside the house stopped reading and hid the pages of the Quran they were reading. Umar entered the house and started to beat his brother-in-law. His sister, who intervened also received a blow and her nose started to bleed. When his sister told him that they would not return from their religion no matter what he did and expressed their determination, Umar started to show mercy and said he wanted to see what they were reading. Umar, who started to read the verses of the Quran from the pages given to him, became a believer there and asked where the Messenger of Allah was. At that time, the Muslims used to come together in Arqam’s house, which was near Safa Hill. When Umar found out that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was in Dar al-Arqam, he went straight to Arqam’s house. He knocked on the door. When the Companions saw that it was Umar, they started to feel worried because Umar was standing at the door wearing his weapons. Hz. Hamza said,

"This is Umar. It is all right if he has come with a good intention. If he has a bad intention, it is easy for us to kill him." Then, he had the door opened. The Messenger of Allah held Umar’s collars and said

"O Ibn Khattab! Be a Muslim. O Allah! Give him guidance!" Umar uttered kalima ash-shahadah at once and declared that he believed. (Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqatul-Kubra, II/268-269; Usdul-Ghaba, IV/148-149; Suyuti, Tarikhul-Khulafa, Beirut 1986, 124 ff)

According to narrations, Umar became a Muslim as a result of the following prayer by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh): "O Allah! Elevate Islam with Umar (ra) b. al-Khattab or Amr b. Hisham (Abu Jahl)." (Ibnul-Hajar al-Asqalani, al-Isaba fi Tamyizis-Sahaba, Baghdad n.d., II, 518; Ibn Sa'd, ibid; Suyuti, ibid, 125)

Umar became a Muslim in the sixth year of the prophethood. When he became a believer, the number of the Muslims was about seventy or eighty. (Ibn Sa'd, ibid)

The Muslims could not perform prayers in Baytullah due to the brutal reactions of the polytheists and they could gather secretly. When Umar became a Muslim, he went to Baytullah and declared loudly that he had become a Muslim. Those who were there reacted severely. However, he continued his struggle against the polytheists and broke their opposition to the Muslims. He performed a prayer with a few Muslims in Baytullah. His joining the Muslims like that boosted the morale of the Muslims. The following statement of Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud expresses it clearly: "Umar’s being a Muslim was a conquest." (Usdul-Ghaba, IV,151; Ibn Sa'd, ibid, III, 270) According to a hadith Tabari reported from Ibn Abbas, the first person to declare that he was a Muslim was Hz. Umar. (Suyuti, ibid, 129) Hz. Umar struggled against unbelief openly and without heeding any threats with the excitement of belief that surrounded him. The polytheists could not dare to disturb him because they knew his courage and determination.  

After becoming a Muslim, Hz. Umar was together with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) all the time and did his best to protect him.

After becoming a believer, he treated the polytheists harshly and defended his religion on any occasion without fearing anyone and by challenging everybody. When migration to Madinah was ordered so that the message of Islam would have a new aspect, the Muslims started to migrate to Madinah from Makkah secretly but Umar did not need to migrate secretly. He set off for Madinah with twenty people. Hz. Ali narrates his migration as follows:

"I do not know anybody who migrated openly except Umar. When he prepared for migration, he girded on his sword, placed his bow on his shoulder, held his arrows and went to the Kaaba. The notables of Quraysh were sitting in the yard of the Kaaba. He circumambulated the Kaaba seven times and performed a prayer of two rak’ahs in front of Maqam Ibrahim. He approached the polytheists who were sitting there in circles and addressed each of them as follows: "The faces have become dirty. Let anyone who wants to leave his mother sonless, his children orphans and his wife a widow follow me in that valley." None of them dared to prevent him." (Suyuti, ibid, 130)

Umar took part actively in all of the events that affected the elevation of Islam during the period of Madinah. Umar was one of the first people that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) consulted when he was to make important decision. The views he expressed were so unerring that some verses were sent down in accordance with his views. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stated this fact as follows:  

"Allah rendered the truth in accordance with Umar's tongue and heart." (Usdul-Ghaba, IV, 151).

Umar took part in all of the battles and wars like Badr, Uhud, Khandaq and Khaybar, and many expeditions; he was a commander in some of them. One of them was the sariyya sent against the people of Hawazin.

Umar is known by his clear and uncompromising attitude in the face of all issues. His enmity toward unbelief and his sensitiveness about not being able to put up with the attacks of the polytheists on Islam caused him to oppose some decisions severely. His opposition to the items of the Treaty of Hudaybiyya that seemed to be in favor of the polytheists was one of them. However, when the Messenger of Allah warned him that what he did was the order of Allah, he retreated and realized the wisdom behind it.    

Hz. Umar played an important role in eliminating the disorder that occurred immediately after the death of the Messenger of Allah through the election of Hz. Abu Bakr as the caliph. The greatest assistant of Hz. Abu Bakr in his short period of caliphate was Umar.

When Hz. Abu Bakr realized that he would die, he thought of appointing Hz. Umar as his caliph and he consulted some Companions by telling them about his thought. Everybody accepted the virtues and superiority of Hz. Umar but some people thought he was too stern for the caliphate. Besides, Talha and some other Companions asked him, "If your Lord questions you due to appointing Umar as the caliph, what will you say? You know that Umar is a very harsh person. Hz. Abu Bakr said, "I will say, ‘O Allah! I chose the best of your slave as the caliph." Then, he called Hz. Uthman and dictated that he appointed Hz. Umar as the caliph. The paper was folded and sealed. Then, Hz. Uthman went out and asked the people there to pay allegiance to the person whose name was written in the paper. When the people there paid allegiance, Hz. Umar became the second rightly-guided caliph. (Usdul-Ghaba, IV,168-199; Ibn Sad, ibid, III, 274 vd.; Suyuti ibid, 92-94)

The Islamic State and Conquests during the Caliphate of Hz. Umar

When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was alive, Islam became dominant in the Arabian Peninsula and people became integrated with the Muslims by entering Islam in groups.   

After that, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) started military expeditions against the Byzantine Empire, which formed a barrier, preventing the message of Islam from being conveyed to people and which was one of the polytheistic oppressors. Hz. Abu Bakr suppressed the movements of Ridda (Abjuration), which occurred immediately after the death of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh); then, he started military attacks on the land under the domination of the Byzantine. On the other hand, he started military activities against the Persian Empire, which was one of the despotic states of that age. What was necessary for Hz. Umar was to continue this policy. On the one hand, he made efforts to complete the conquest of Syria; on the other hand, he sent armies to the front of Iran. The army of Iran was defeated in the War of Qadisiya; Kisra (Chosroes) had to escape to the east by leaving his palaces to the army of Islam. Thanks to the armies that were sent to Iran one after another, some parts of Iran were captured through war while other parts were captured through peace. Mughira b. Shu'ba, who went to the north, captured Azerbaijan through peace. The region of Armenia was also conquered.   

After the conquest of Syria was completed, the military operations in this region were transferred to the west. Quds (Jerusalem) was besieged after the cities and towns around it had been conquered. The Christians in the city resisted for a while but they had to ask for peace in the end. However, they were afraid of the commanders; therefore, they said they wanted to surrender the city to the caliph himself. Hz. Umar was informed about the situation by Abu Ubayda. After consulting the notables of the Companions, Hz. Umar set off for Jabiya, where he had decided to meet his commanders. After the treaty made in Jabiya, Hz. Umar went to Quds and the city was delivered to him. (16 H- 637 AD) After staying in Quds for a while, Hz. Umar returned to Madinah.  

Meanwhile, things at the front of Iran started to go wrong. Hz. Umar decided to settle the issue of Iran by strengthening and supporting the armies in the region.  As a result of the attacks that started in 21 H and that were strengthened continuously, the land of Iran up to Khorasan, including Azerbaijan and Armenia, was captured; thus, the military operations at the front of Iran were completed.

On the other hand, Amr b. al-As managed to conquer Egypt with the plan that he prepared and put into practice; he attacked the Byzantine army, which was making preparations in Alexandria in order to repel the Muslims from Egypt, and captured Alexandria. (21 H) Thus, the Byzantine domination in Egypt ended after Syria. (Shibli Numani, Bütün yönleriyle Hz. Ömer (ra) ve Devlet İdaresi, Translated by Talip Yaşar Alp, Istanbul n.d., I, 285-286)

The people in the regions conquered by the Muslims entered Islam in groups because they were affected by the tolerance and fair treatment shown by the Muslims. The people who were crushed by the oppression of the Byzantine and Persian states and who were despised did not hesitate to become Muslims when they encountered the encompassing mercy of Islam. Those who did not want to abandon their religions were not pressurized; in addition, they attained a vast freedom of faith.

On the one hand, Hz. Umar sent armies to various places in order to eliminate the barriers that prevented the message of Islam from being conveyed to people; on the other hand, he tried to organize the state, which lacked its institutions.  

Before Hz. Umar, the soldiers that joined the army and the money given to them was not used to be written and recorded in certain books. This naturally caused some confusion; the income and expense could not be recorded. It was not necessary very much in the first years of Islam. However, when the land of the state got bigger and bigger, it became necessary to make some administrative arrangements in order to make the state effective on this vast land. He established the organization of "diwan", in which the soldiers were recorded and the distribution of the revenues of fay’ and booty was recorded.

In addition, the diwans in Syria and Iraq continued to exist. They did works about the collection of taxes. Although the diwans in Syria and Iraq remained from Iranian and Byzantine financial organizations, the diwan he established in Madinah without any foreign influence was used in order to meet the needs that occurred.

Hz. Umar also classified the atiyyas (grants) he distributed from the revenues of fay’.  

Hz. Umar is the first person to appoint qadis (judges) that worked independently from the governors in order to arrange the jurisdiction. He appointed Shurayh b. al-Harith to Kufa, and Qays b. Abil-As as-Sahmi to Egypt as qadis. His qadi in Madinah was Abu Darda. One of the famous qadis of that period was Abu Musa al-Ashari. Hz. Umar gave the qadis he appointed instructions about how to fulfill their duties and warned them not to go beyond those limits. (Mustafa Fayda, Doğuştan Günümüze Büyük İslâm Tarihi, Istanbul 1986, II, 176-177).

The most important issue that Hz. Umar dwelled on meticulously and never showed any tolerance was the issue of justice. He acted very harshly so that rights would be given to their owners without any discrimination. There is no difference between a slave and his master in his eye related to justice.  


He tried to do everything to practice justice fully, to look after the needy and the poor and to be informed about the things in all parts of the country in time. He did not discriminate among needy people; he helped the Christians and Jews that were poor too. 

One of the main duties of the state is to make ilm (knowledge) available to all people. Hz. Umar opened schools in the regions that were conquered, appointed teachers there; he made efforts to educate people so that they could read the Quran and act accordingly. He benefited from the Companions and other scholars in order to teach Islam to new Muslims and to convey the message of Islam; he appointed them and sent them to various regions. He allocated high salaries to those scholars who taught the Quran hadith and fiqh. Hz. Umar had mosques built all around the country. It is narrated that four thousand mosques were built during his caliphate. (Ahmad an-Nadwi, Asr as-Saadah, Translated by Ali Genceli, Istanbul 1985, I, 317)

The need for the use of a calendar arose during the caliphate of Hz. Umar; thus, the problems caused by the difficulty determining dates were eliminated thanks to the calendar formed based on the Migration. (16 H)

The Islamic state was an independent state and it had economic activities on a vast geographic area but the money used there was of foreign origin. Persian dirhams were in circulation in the regions of Iraq and Iran, and Byzantine dinars in Syria and Egypt. This situation posed the threat of an economic pressure thought it had not started to be felt then. It was impossible for Hz. Umar not to intervene it while trying to establish the necessary organizations for the state. He coined money in 17 H and started its circulation. It is also known that Khalid b. Walid had money coined in Tabariya in 15 H. (Hassan Hallaq, Dirasat fi Tarikhil-Khadaratil-Islamiya, Beirut 1979, 13-15).

Hz. Umar established cities of encampment in order to ensure the security of the Islamic state against the possible attacks from outside and to have armies ready in places near the enemy regions. He established Basra encampment for the possible sea attacks from the direction of Iran and India. The location of this city was determined by Hz. Umar himself. He appointed Utba b. Ghazwan for this task. Utba went to the region of Hariba, which was empty and uninhabited at that time with eight hundred men and started to build the city of Basra in 14 H.

Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas started to attack inside Iran after the great victory in Qadisiya. His army was in Madayin then. However, when it was understood that the climate of Madayin affected the Arab soldiers negatively, Hz. Umar ordered Sa'd to find a place that was appropriate in terms of climate and that was not separated from the center of the state by a sea. Salman and Hudhayfa, who were appointed to find a place like that, regarded Kufa appropriate. This city of encampment, which was established in 17 H, was big enough to house forty thousand people.

After Amr b. al-As conquered Egypt, he asked permission from Hz. Umar to use Alexandria as his headquarters. Hz. Umar did not want a river to exist between him and the armies in Egypt because he was worried about communication; therefore, he rejected Amr’s offer. Amr moved to the east bank of the Nile and established the city of Fustat there (H. 21). In addition to those cities of encampment, headquarters with military purposes were also established. 

Hz. Umar’s Understanding of Administration

When Hz. Umar was to decide about an issue that would interest the community, he would consult the Muslims and ask their views. He said, "Things practiced without consultation are bound to fail." The method he used in consultation was as follows: First, he would consult most of the Muslims that he could see; after that, he would ask the opinion of Qurayshis; finally, he would ask the Companions. Thus, the most appropriate view would appear and it would be practiced. Hz. Umar asked the Muslims to warn him when they saw a mistake in the things he did. He would ask the views of dhimmis who were followers of other religions related to the issues that interested them. This shows how comprehensive Hz. Umar’s understanding of justice was.

Hz. Umar would treat the officials he appointed harshly and never allowed them to commit injustice. He treated ordinary people compassionately and did his best to find their problems that they concealed and to solve them. His following statement shows his sensitivity regarding the issue:

"If a camel is destroyed by the side of the Euphrates, I fear that Allah will ask Umar about it."

Hz. Umar would travel in order to see closely the situation of the people who lived away from the center. He was worried that those people could not inform him about their problems since they were far away from the center. He travelled to some regions and planned to visit others but his lifespan was not long enough to do it. The following incident reported about Hz. Umar, who is known as the model of justice in the history of Islam, shows that he really deserved it:

Once, he was walking with Aslam near Harra (outside Madinah); he saw a light and said to Aslam,

"There is someone affected by the night and cold over there. Let us go there." When they arrived, they saw a woman with her two children around a fire on which there was a saucepan. Hz. Umar said to them,

"Greetings to the family with light." The woman answered his greeting; after receiving permission from the woman to approach, Hz. Umar asked her why the children were crying. The woman said they were hungry. Hz. Umar asked her what she was cooking in the saucepan. She said there was only water in the saucepan and that she consoled them that she was cooking something. Then, she said,

"Allah will definitely ask Umar about it." Hz. Umar said to her,

"How should Umar know about your situation?" The woman said,

"Why did he become the caliph if he could not know?"

Hz. Umar shuddered when he heard the answer and went to the storehouse of food with Aslam directly. Aslam wanted to carry the sack that they filled with food. However, Hz. Umar said to him,

"You will not carry my burden on the Day of Judgment. Therefore, let me carry my own burden." He put the sack on his shoulder and took it to the place where the woman was. Hz. Umar cooked the meal himself and fed them. Aslam said,

"When he blew into the fire, I watched the smoke coming between his temples." When Hz. Umar was about to leave, the woman said,

"You deserve the post of Umar more than him."  Hz. Umar said,

"Pray for Umar. If you go to visit him one day, you will see me there." (Usdul-Ghaba, IV, 67)

That is only one example of his sensitivity related to helping people and meeting their needs.

37 Did the Prophet damn Hz. Abu Bakr and Hz. Umar?

The narration about “damning” mentioned above was put forward by the Shiite.

According to Ahl as-Sunnah scholars, there is no single sound narration regarding the issue.

The Prophet’s (pbuh) damning about something like that is not in accordance with the nature of this issue. It should not be thought that the Prophet (pbuh), who did not damn the polytheists and munafiqs, should damn those who left Usama’s army.

Besides, all of the people who were in this army were the Companions who were sincere believers. Islamic scholars hold the view that this story was made up by the Shiite in order to declare that Hz. Abu Bakr and Hz. Umar were unbelievers.

Some Shiites give Ibn Sad’s Tabaqat and Ibn Hisham’s Sirah as reference on the internet. Although we searched for it a lot, we could not find the issue of “damning” in the places where Usama’s army is mentioned in those resources.

Besides, if the Prophet had made such a warning, Hz. Abu Bakr and Hz. Umar, who acted the most sincerely toward Allah and His Messenger and showed them the most respect, would have taken this warning into consideration more than anybody else, as the ummah of Islam would agree unanimously –except some groups.

38 Did Muawiya want to please the Christians?

We could not find that information in sound Islamic sources.

We can say that the sentence “Many Arabs gathered in Jerusalem and made Muawiya the king” is not true because the place where Muawiya lived was Damascus, not Jerusalem. Muawiya served as the governor of Damascus for 19 years during the caliphate of Uthman (ra), and continued living there.

In none of the Islamic sources did we come across any information that Muawiya prayed in a Christian church; on the contrary, there is a lot of information showing that he remained firmly attached to Islam throughout his life.

We think that such information - very likely - may have been fabricated by the Shiites to imply that Muawiya sanctified the religion of Christianity.

However, today we recite al-Fatiha for the Prophet Isa (Jesus) and Maryam (Mary), pray for them and ask help from their spirits. There is nothing wrong with it in terms of our religion.

39 Will you give information about the Companions called Numan b. Malik b. Tha'laba al Ansari and Uqba b. Amr al Khazraji?

- Numan b. Malik b. Tha'laba al Ansari took part in the battles of Badr and Uhud. According to Waqidi, he was martyred at the Battle of Uhud. According to what Suddi states, on the day of Uhud, Numan b. Malik said, “O Messenger of Allah! By Allah (with the permission of Allah) I will go to Paradise.” The Prophet (pbuh) said, “By what?” He said, “By witnessing that there is no god but Allah and that you are His messenger, and by not escaping from the battle ground.” The Prophet (pbuh) said, “You have told the truth.” He was martyred at the Battle of Uhud. (see Ibn Hajar, al-Isaba, 6/246; Ibn Athir, Usdul-Ghaba, 3/70-Shamila)

According to what Ibn Kalbi narrates, Numan b. Malik, who was known with the nickname Qawqal, prayed as follows at Uhud: “O Allah! I want to step on green gardens with my lame foot before the sun sets.” After that, he was martyred. Thereupon, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Numan hoped something sincerely from Allah and found what he hoped in the presence of Allah. As a matter of fact, I saw him stepping on green gardens and he was not limping.” (Ibnul-Athir, Usdul-Ghaba, 3/69) There are some disagreements regarding the issue.

- Uqba b. Amr al Khazraji: He is known with the nickname Abu Masud. Scholars agree unanimously that he took part in the Pledge of Aqaba. However, we do not see the same unanimous agreement about taking part in the Battle of Badr. Some historians like Waqidi say that he did not take part in the Battle of Badr but Bukhari holds the view that he definitely took part in the Battle of Badr by showing some narrations as evidence. Uqba b. Amr, who is also known as Abu Masud al-Badri, died in Kufa in about 40 H. (see Ibn Hajar, al-Isaba, 4/252)

- When Hz. Ali went on the Expedition of Siffin, he appointed Abu Masud as his deputy in Kufa. Abu Masud, who narrated about one hundred hadiths, is one of the fiqh scholars of Kufa. (see Dhahabi, Tarikhul-Islam, 1/491-Shamila)

40 Is what is told about the marriage of Hz. Umar’s marriage with Hz. Ali’s daughter Umm Kulthum true?

Hz. Umar’s Desire for Kinship with Ahl al-Bayt and his Marriage with Hz. Ali’s Daughter Umm Kulthum:

This incident in Hz. Umar’s life shows his love for Ahl al-Bayt. When Hz. Umar was the caliph, he asked Umm Kulthum’s father, Hz. Ali, for his daughter’s hand. Hz. Ali said. “She is little.”

Thereupon, Umar (r.a.) said, “No. By Allah, you want to prevent me.” He added, “If it is really as you say (she is a child), send her to me.” 1

In fact, Umm Kulthum, who was born before the death of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), was really very young. 2 The following is stated in a narration about her: “She was a little girl at that time.” In fact, the people who were with Hz. Umar, who was waiting for the result in Masjid an-Nabawi, said to him, “O Leader of the Believers! What do you want from her? She is a little girl.”

Along with Umm Kulthum’s young age, Hz. Ali wanted to marry her off to the orphaned son of his brother Jafar Tayyar, who was martyred in Mu’ta.

Hz. Ali went to his house. He gave a dress to Umm Kulthum and said, “Take this to the Leader of the Believers and say to him: ‘My father asks you how you find this dress?’ He sent her to Hz. Umar. Umm Kulthum, who was a child, was unaware of anything. She took the dress to Hz. Umar and repeated what his father had said. When Umar grabbed Umm Kulthum’s izar (forearm), she pulled her arm away.”3

Umm Kulthum got angry with Umar. Hz. Umar said, “She is a chaste and honorable person.” Then, he said to Umm Kulthum, “Go and tell your father this: It is very beautiful. By Allah, it is not as you said.”

Thereupon, Hz. Ali married her off to Umar. There are also different narrations similar to one another regarding the issue. According to Dhahabi, Hz. Umar married Umm Kulthum in the 17th year of the Migration. 4

In fact, Hz. Umar (ra) had a different purpose in marrying Hz. Ali’s daughter. When Umar wanted to marry Umm Kulthum, according to a narration, he said, “O Abul-Hasan! Marry her off to me because I definitely expect a value and honor that no one expects from her.” he said.

He said, “It does not matter if she is very young” and explained the value he expected from Umm Kulthum to Hz. Ali as follows:

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) say, ‘All causes/ties, ancestry (lineages) and kinships end except for my cause, my lineage, and my kinship’” 6

The following addition exists in another narration: “I also wanted a kinship between me and the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to occur through a cause and marriage.”7

a) Hz. Umar was not from Ahl al-Bayt by lineage. He wanted to have a relation with Ahl al-Bayt and the Prophet at least through marriage on the Day of Judgment.

b) He was very eager to have a connection and closeness with the descendants of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). His marriage with Umm Kulthum was not for any other reason; her being very young and his marital relationship with her are secondary issues. He wanted to marry her by saying to Hz. Ali, “I really want a limb (organ) from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) next to me.” 8 Ali said, “I only have Umm Kulthum (born of Fatima) but she is very young.” Hz. Umar said, “She will grow up if she lives.” 9

He wanted to have a cause and a piece of flesh from the descendants of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) for the Day of Judgment. Sabab (cause) is a “habl” (rope) to climb trees like date palms. Every occasion through which something is achieved is called a cause. 10 Everything that leads to knowledge is also a cause. Being the daughter of Fatima and a “sayyida”, Umm Kulthum will be a means of reaching the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) on the Day of Judgment and forming a relation with him. “Dhari’a” also means cause. As a matter of fact, Imam Shafii states the following in one of his poems expressing his love for Ahl al-Bayt:

“Aal-i Nabiyy (the family of the Prophet) is my cause/rope. They are also a means connecting me to him/the Messenger of Allah.”11

He mentions the same issue in the poem. This marriage of Hz. Umar is a great piece of evidence for his love and respect for the Prophet (pbuh) and Ahl al-Bayt.

After getting married to Umm Kulthum, Umar said to Muhajirs and Ansar, who were sitting in Masjid an-Nabawi “Will you not congratulate me?” They said, “O Leader of the Believers! Why should we congratulate you?” He answered, “Due to my marriage with Ali’s daughter, Umm Kulthum...”

Then, Hz. Umar mentioned the hadith of the Prophet about the breaking off all causes and relations on the Day of Judgment and said, “I also wanted a kinship between me and the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to occur through a cause and marriage. I desired it very much as a requirement of love.” 12 Thereupon, the people who were there congratulated him.

Indeed, his kinship with Ahl al-Bayt made him very happy.

In Islamic culture, marriage with sayyidas and sharifas (female descendants of the Prophet) was highly in demand especially because of this incident. 13

Hz. Umar had a daughter named Ruqiyya and a son named Zayd from Umm Kulthum. Their children did not live long. After Hz. Umar’s death (23 H / 644 AD), Umm Kulthum married her paternal uncle’s son Awn b. Jafar. When her second husband died without having any children, she married Muhammad b. Jafar, another son of her uncle. She had a daughter from him. After his death, she married Abdullah b. Jafar. She died while she was married to him and without any children from her last husband. 14

Click for additional information:

Is it not perversion for Hz. Umar to enter the nuptial chamber with a girl who had not reached the age of puberty?

Footnotes:

1. Tarikhul-Khamis, II, 284; Dhakhairul-Uqba, p. 168
2. Dhakhairul-Uqba, p. 169; al-Khulafaur-Rashidun, p. 68. This marriage took place in 17 H.
3. Fa akhadha Umaru biziraiha fajtazabatha minhu; Dhakhairul-Uqba, p. 168; Tarikhul-Khamis, II, 284.
4. We do not include other narrations since dealing with all narrations and discussing will lengthen the issue. For detailed information, see Tarikhul-Khamis, II, 284; Dhakhairul-Uqba, pp. 148-170; al-Khulafaur-Rashidun, p. 68
5. Dhakhairul-Uqba, p. 168; Tarikhul-Khamis, II, 284.
6. Dhakhairul-Uqba, p. 168; Tarikhul-Khamis, II, 285.
7. Dhakhairul-Uqba, p. 169
8. The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Fatima is a piece of flesh from me. Since, Umm Kulthum was born of her, she is also regarded as a flesh from the Messenger of Allah.
9. Dhakhairul-Uqba, p. 169; Tarikhul-Khamis, p. 284 ff.
10. al- Mufradat, p. 220; see the word sabab.
11. al- Mufradat, p. 220; see the word sabab.
12. Dhakhairul-Uqba, p. 168.
13. Tuğrul Bey had a similar marriage.
14. Dhakhairul-Uqba, p. 170; al-Khulafaur-Rashidun, p. 103; Murujudh-Dhahab, II, 353.

41 Are there any hadiths about the ten Companions who were given the glad tidings of Paradise?

Said Ibn Zayd narrated. I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) say,  

"Abu Bakr will go to Paradise, Umar will go to Paradise, Uthman will go to Paradise, Ali will go to Paradise, Talha will go to Paradise, Zubayr will go to paradise, Sa'd ibn Malik will go to Paradise, Abdurrahman bin Awf will go to Paradise, Abu Ubayda Ibn Jarrah will go to Paradise."

(The narrator said) Zayd kept silent before the tenth one. The listeners said, "Who is the tenth?" Thereupon, he said, "Said Ibn Zayd!" That is, he himself was the tenth one. Zayd added it later.

"The company of one of their man whose face has been covered with dust by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is better than the actions of one of you for a whole life time even if he is granted the life-span of Noah." (Abu Dawud, Sunnah 9)

We will understand why those blessed Companions were given the glad tidings of Paradise better when we read the books narrating their lives. We will explain their virtues in summary here:

1. Hz. Abu Bakr (ra):

Abu Musa al Ashari narrates: "Once, we were with the Messenger of Allah in one of the gardens of Madinah. Somebody came and asked permission to come in. The Prophet (pbuh) said,

'Open the door and give him the glad tiding of Paradise.' I opened the door and saw that it was Abu Bakr. I gave him the glad tiding of Paradise. He praised Allah." (Muslim, Fadailus-Sahaba, 28)

Abu Hurayra narrates: Once, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked, "Who among you performed fasting today?"
Abu Bakr said, "I did." The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked, "Did anyone visit an ill person?" Abu Bakr said, "I did."
The Prophet (pbuh) asked, "Who among you attended a funeral today?"
Abu Bakr said, "I did."
"Who among you fed a poor person today?"
When Abu Bakr said, "I did", the Prophet (pbuh) said,

"A person who does those deeds on the same day goes to Paradise."

2. Hz. Umar (ra):

He received the following compliment from Hz. Muhammad (pbuh): "If there was to have a Prophet after me, it would have been Umar." (Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 18)

"The sun has not risen upon a man better than 'Umar." (Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 18)

"Indeed, the people of the higher levels, will be seen by those who are beneath them like the stars which appear far off in the sky. And indeed, Abu Bakr and Umar are among them." (Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 17)

3. Hz. Uthman (ra):

Hz. Uthman is one of the first believers and he was tormented by his paternal uncle Hakam b. Abil As because of it. He tied Hz. Uthman to a pole and said to him, "You will stay here hungry and thirsty unless you return to your ancestors’ religion from this new religion. Thereupon, Hz. Uthman said, "By Allah, I shall not give up this religion and I shall not return to my ancestors’ religion." Eventually, when his uncle saw Hz. Uthman’s devotion to his religion, he released him.

However, Hz. Uthman's distress did not end with it but it started. For, as the Prophet put it, he attained the honor of becoming the first person to leave his hometown and to migrate after Hz. Lut (Lot) for his religion and belief. When the tortures and torments of the polytheists became unbearable, Hz. Uthman migrated to Abyssinia with the permission of the Prophet.

4. Hz. Ali (ra):

"You are my brother in the world and the hereafter." (Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 21)

He received the compliment above from the Prophet. Hz. Ali took part in all expeditions that the Messenger of Allah took part except the Battle of Tabuk. He did not take part in it because the Messenger of Allah ordered him to take part in it.  

Abu Nuaym describes Hz. Ali in his book called Hilya as follows:

"Ali b. Abi Talib is the master of his tribe, lover of the Prophet and the beloved one of Allah. He is the gate of the city of knowledge and the leading personality of religious talks. He has the ability to deduce great meanings from small signs; he is the flag of those entering the way of truth, the light of those who obey Allah, the friend of muttaqis and the leader of those who keep justice up. Among the Companions, he is the first one to answer the call of the Prophet (pbuh), the strongest one in terms of deducing decrees and deeply-rooted belief, the one with the most tenderminded and the most knowledgeable one. He is the model for muttaqis and evidence for those who attained the secret of marifatullah (knowledge of Allah). He informed people about the truths of oneness and indicated the important aspects of the science of fiqh. He had a heart that understood, a tongue that asked questions a lot and an ear that did not forget what it heard. He always kept his promise and tried to eliminate the source of mischief. He underwent various tests and trials but he was always saved from falling into bad deeds. He dismissed those who broke their promises and contracts. He punished the oppressors and defeated those who exited the religion of Islam. His devotion to Allah is endless." (Abu Nuaym, Hilya, 1/61)

5. Sa'd Bin Abi Waqqas (ra):

He is among the first Companions. Hz. Sa'd is among the first ones who migrated to Madinah after the permission of migration. He took part in all battles beginning from the Battle of Badr and he became very useful in almost all of the battles he joined. The fact that the arrows he shot hit the targets in the Battle of Uhud attracted the attention of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh); the Prophet said, "May my mother and father be sacrificed for you!" to him and gave his arrows to Sa’d saying, "May Allah be pleased with you! Throw these arrows too!"

6. Abdurrahman b. Awf (ra):

One of the most important aspects of Hz. Abdurrahman is that he took part in all of the battles in which the Prophet (pbuh) took part. This famous Companion, who took part in all battles and wars from Badr to the Conquest of Makkah and from Hunayn to Tabuk, fought heroically and bravely in those battles. One of the blessed people who surrounded the Messenger of Allah and defended him during the Battle of Uhud was Hz. Abdurrahman. As a matter of fact, he became lame after the Battle of Uhud due to more than twenty wounds caused by arrows and spears.

7. Abu Ubayda bin Jarrah (ra):

The Prophet (pbuh) called him "the reliable person of the ummah"; Hz. Umar said, "If Abu Ubayda were alive, I would appoint him as the caliph."

Abu Ubayda was 27 years old when he became a Muslim. After the tortures and torments of the polytheists increased in Makkah, he took part in the second migration to Abyssinia with the permission of the Prophet. He stayed in Abyssinia for a while and migrated to Madinah afterwards.  

When Abu Ubayda saw his father among the polytheists at the Battle of Badr, he tried not to encounter him but his father followed him insistently in order to kill him; he had to kill his father though he did not want to.

"Thou wilt not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, loving those who resist Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred. For such He has written Faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with a spirit from Himself. And He will admit them to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, to dwell therein (for ever). Allah will be well pleased with them, and they with Him. They are the Party of Allah. Truly it is the Party of Allah that will achieve Felicity." (al-Mujadala, 58/22)

It is narrated that the verse above was sent down upon that incident. It is possible to see the special place of Abu Ubayda in the eye of Allah in the verse above.

8. Talha Bin Ubaydullah (ra):

Hz. Talha was a person who was tormented along with Hz. Abu Bakr. Nawfal b. Khuwaylid tied both of them with a rope and nobody opposed to what Nawfal, who was called 'the Liion of Quraysh' did. This torment, which was endured for the sake of Islam, left a nice name behind that reached us. Yes, since Hz. Abu Bakr and Hz. Talha were tied with the same rope, they were given the nickname 'Qarinayn', which could be translated as ‘two inseparable friends’.

9. Zubayr bin Avvam (ra):

Hz. Zubayr always supported what was true and right throughout his life; he did not heed anything that happened to him on this way. As a matter of fact, he did not heed the torments and tortures that he suffered after becoming a Muslim.

Our Lord, who has vast mercy, did not allow humanity to be drowned in darkness any longer and sent the Prophet to take humanity out of darkness to light. One of the people who accepted his call was Hz. Zubayr. There were only five or six Muslims then.

Once, Hz. Zubayr drew his sword and went out of his house. It was not known where he was going and what he was going to do. Suddenly, he was astonished when he saw the Prophet. The Prophet was also surprised to see him like that. It was later understood that he rushed out because he heard that the Prophet had been martyred and vowed to kill anybody who would encounter him. The Prophet congratulated him for his loyalty to Islam. As you can see, it is not easy to be an apostle of the Prophet. That was the first sword drawn in Islam.  

10. Said. b. Zayd (ra):

Hz. Said heard the prayers of his father who said, "O Allah! I do not know how to worship you. If I knew, I would worship you like that." Hz. Said, who grew hearing prayers to God, became a believer as soon as he saw the Messenger of Allah and attained the rank that his father could not. When he became a believer, he told the Prophet (pbuh) about his father and wanted him to pray for his father. The Prophet (pbuh) prayed for him and gave Said the glad tiding that "his father would be resurrected as an ummah on his own", which made Said very happy.

42 Are all Companions (Ashab) people of Paradise? Are there any Companions who will go to Hell?

"A Companion (sahaba) is person who saw and met the Prophet (pbuh) as a believer and died as a Muslim." (Ibn Hajar, al-Isaba, 1/7)

The Companions are unanimously the greatest people after prophets because they were educated by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) himself.

All Companions are regarded as just and righteous because all scholars were classified in terms of reliability but the Companions were excluded from it; they are all regarded as honest, straightforward and good people.

The consensus of the ummah – that all Companions remained on the true path going to Paradise – is a definite evidence for it.

Besides, the ummah also unanimously agreed that the Companions were the most virtuous people after prophets.

As a matter of fact, Ibn Hazm expressed his view by speaking on behalf of many mujtahids and imams: "All Companions are people of Paradise.” (Ibn Hajar, al-Isaba, 1/10)

There are many verses of the Quran and hadiths supporting this fact: Allah praised them and said,

they were an Ummah justly balanced (al-Baqara, 2/143),

they answered the call of Allah and the Messenger, and had a great reward (Aal-i Imran, 3/172, 173),

well-pleased is Allah with them, as are they with Him and for them hath He prepared gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein forever (at-Tawba, 9/100)

they were loyal believers aiding Allah and His Messenger (al-Hashr, 59/8),

they gave preference to others even though poverty was their own lot and they deserved salvation (al-Hashr, 59/9), 

they will be forgiven as true believers and that they will be given a provision most generously in the hereafter (al-Anfal, 8/ 74).

When the Prophet (pbuh) mentioned the Companions, whose sacrifices he personally witnessed, he described them as

"the best generation in the history of humanity" (Bukhari, Fadail 1; Muslim, Fadail 211, 212),

“the best ones among the ummah" (Musnad, 5/350),

"the people whom hellfire would not burn " (Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 57),

"people of Paradise" (Kanzul-Ummal, 11/539).

He also wanted his ummah

"to entertain them " (Tayalisi, Musnad, p. 7),

"to treat them well " (Musnad,1/ 26),

"and not to criticize them maliciously" ((Bukhari, Fadail 4).

He made the following warning for those who criticized his Companions maliciously:

"May Allah damn a person who curses my Companions! May angels damn him!  May all people damn him!" (Majmauz-Zawaid, 10/21; Kanzul-Ummal, 11/531)

Badiuzzaman Said Nursi states the following regarding the issue:

“From the point of view of general virtue, the Companions cannot be reached, who are the subject of Divine praise at the end of Sura al-Fath, and are praised and applauded in the Torah, Gospels, and Qur’an.” (Sözler, Yirmi Yedinci Söz'ün Zeyli)

Since the Companions are greater than the greatest saints as the ummah unanimously agrees, it is a necessity of the common sense that becomes distinguished with the belief of consciousness to show them more respect than the respect we show to great saints like Abdulqadir Ghaylani, Shah Naqshband, Imam Ghazali and Imam Rabbani.

43 Will you give information about the life and virtue of Hz. Aisha?

Ummul-mu'minin Aisha bint Abi Bakr as-Siddiq al-Qurashiyya (d. 58/678), Hz. Abu Bakr's daughter and the Prophet’s wife.

Her father, Abu Bakr b. Abu Quhafa, was known by the nickname as-Siddiq; therefore, she was called Aisha as-Siddiqa (as-Sadiqa) bintis-Siddiq. Her mother was Umm Ruman bint Amir b. Uwaymir from the tribe of Kinana.

Since her father had migrated with the Messenger of Allah earlier, she migrated to Madinah with her mother, brother Abdullah, sister Asma, the Prophet’s wife Sawda and the Prophet’s daughters Fatima and Umm Kulthum in the same year (622). At first, she could not adapt to the climate of Madinah and got ill like her father. She married the Prophet in the month of Shawwal in the second year of the Migration.

Hz. Aisha attained a superior position and a deserved fame after marrying the Messenger of Allah. She took part in rear service like carrying water, gathering information and looking after the wounded in the Battle of Uhud. She took part in the Battle of Khandaq in the castle of Sons of Haritha tribe with the mother of Sa'd b. Muadh. She was also present in the Treaty of Hudaybiyya; after the conquest of Khaybar, the Prophet (pbuh) gave her and his other wives a share from the booty. When Hz. Umar deported Khaybar Jews to Palestine, he asked the wives of the Prophet to get their shares as crop or land and Hz. Aisha preferred land. When preparations for the conquest of Makkah started, the Prophet (pbuh) kept it as a secret; he told only Aisha about it. Hz. Abu Bakr learned from his daughter that the preparations were for Makkah. She took part in the Farewell Hajj in 10 H together with the other wives of the Prophet.

One of the most important expeditions in which Hz. Aisha participated was the Expedition of Sons of Mustaliq, which took place in the month of Shaban in the 5th (according to some resources, 6th) year of the Migration. The Prophet (pbuh) took Hz. Aisha with him when he set off for the expedition. While returning from the expedition, the army stopped somewhere. Hz. Aisha got off her camel and moved away from the army to answer the call of nature. When she returned, she noticed that her necklace had broken off and fallen. While she was away to look for the necklace, they thought she was on the camel and the army was ordered to proceed. When Hz. Aisha returned, she could not see anybody there and started to wait, hoping that they would return to take her. When Safwan b. Muattal, who always stayed behind the army to check if there was anything left behind, saw her, made her get on his camel and caught up with the army.  Abdullah b. Ubayy b. Salul, the leader of the hypocrites (munafiqs) who took part in this expedition, started to slander and backbite Hz. Aisha. Some Muslims were also affected and deceived by his words. The Prophet and Aisha's parents were very depressed by the rumors. Hz. Aisha, who got ill and stayed in bed after the expedition for a month, heard this rumor coincidentally afterwards. She took permission from the Prophet and went to her father’s house; she wept for days due to her distress and suffered. Eventually, verses 11-21 of the chapter of an-Nur were sent down. Allah Almighty stated that the rumor was baseless and that Aisha had been slandered.

When the Prophet (pbuh) got ill in the last week of the month of Safar in 11 H, he took permission from his other wives and went to stay in Hz. Aisha's room. He died by placing his blessed head on her lap there and was buried in her room. Hz. Aisha obeyed the order of the Quran that prohibited the wives of the Prophet from marrying others and did not marry after his death. She lived forty-seven more years after the death of the Prophet and died in Madinah on Ramadan 17 in 58 H on Wednesday night after performing witr prayer. There are also narrations stating that she died in 56, 57 or 59 H on Ramadan 19 or 13. People became very sad when she died; her body was buried the same night. All people including women living in Madinah and the regions around it came to Baqi Cemetery at night; her funeral prayer was led by Abu Hurayra, who was the deputy governor of Madinah, in the middle of the cemetery and she was buried in Baqi Cemetery as she had willed. Her nephews placed her in the grave.  

Hz. Aisha had the opportunity to grow up and to mature her personality in the house of the Prophet. She did not have any children. Arabs had the custom of giving mothers and fathers nicknames based on their first sons; when she said, she felt sorry because of not having such a nickname, the Prophet gave her the nickname "Umm Abdullah" attributing Abdullah b. Zubayr, her sister Asma’s son to her. The Prophet addressed her as Aisha, Uwaysh and Aish because he loved her very much. It is also narrated that Hz. Aisha was called Humayra because she had a light skin and that the Prophet also called her like that. Hz. Ali mentions her as “the beloved one of the Messenger of Allah” in a hadith; Masruq, from Tabiun, uses the phrase “the beloved one of Allah’s beloved one, the one acquitted by the verse sent down from the sky” in the chain of narrators in the hadiths he narrates from Hz. Aisha.

The family tie between Hz. Aisha and the Prophet was based on love, understanding and respect. It is known that she ran and raced against the Prophet, who loved her very much, that she watched the Abyssinians who played a game of war with their spears in the Mosque of the Prophet by leaning on his shoulder and that she liked acting coyly toward the Prophet. The Prophet also liked being together with her, talking to her on night journeys, going to the places where he was invited with her and answering her questions.  

In fact, Hz. Aisha attained an exceptional position in the eye of the Prophet thanks to her intelligence, understanding, strong memory, eloquence and her efforts to understand the Quran and the Prophet in the best way. When the Prophet helped her develop her abilities, her education in her father's house developed, matured and deepened further in the house of the Prophet, illuminated by revelation. She had a good habit of asking the Prophet what she did not know and could not understand, about her deficiencies and mistakes and even the issues that she regarded to be different between the Quran and the hadiths of the Prophet, and of negotiating with him.

The Prophet liked her the most after Khadija among her wives; when he was asked whom he loved most in the world, he uttered her name and expressed this love. That he explained that he received revelation when he was with Aisha but not with his other wives shows that she was more virtuous than his other wives and that the love that the Prophet felt for her was based on the divine source, as Dhahabi states.

She did the housework herself. When she was with the Prophet, she would chat with him and performed nafilah worship. In addition to the love she nurtured toward the Prophet, she was also known for obeying him and his orders. She prayed at night and fasted on most days. She did not like to speak against anyone. She was contented, modest, humble, dignified and generous. She would take orphans and poor children under her auspices, care for their education and upbringing, and then marry them off.

She freed many male and female slaves; some of those freed slaves, whose number is mentioned as sixty-two, were engaged in religious science and hadith. She showed her nobility by narrating many hadiths about the virtues of the other wives of the Prophet, his daughter Fatima, Hz. Ali and other companions by introducing them to the ummah.

Although she was very young when the Prophet passed away, she was one of the leading companions who knew, understood and maintained the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet. She grew up in the best way both in her father's house and the Prophet’s house thanks to her intelligence, understanding, desire to learn, strong memory, love and faith; she obtained information that could not be obtained by others.

She knew Arab poetry very well along with using the Arabic language skillfully. She knew by heart many couplets of Labid, almost all odes of Ka’b b. Malik, the poems of Hassan b. Thabit and Abdullah b. Rawaha. She pointed out the importance of poetry in terms of both the Arabic language and understanding of the Quran and hadiths by saying, "Teach your children poetry so that their tongues will be sweet."

Since Hz. Aisha was an orator famous for her eloquence and rhetoric, her speech had a great effect on people. Her prayer at the grave of her father after his death, her sermon in the Incident of Camel and some of her letters are examples of masterpieces showing her literary ability. In addition, she had extensive knowledge about Arab history, the science of genealogy, the social state, customs and traditions of the Era of Jahiliyya. She learned poetry, literature, history and genealogy from her father, Hz. Abu Bakr. She took after her father in ethics and good manners as well as interest in knowledge.

Thanks to the enlightenment she received from the Prophet, she became the most distinctive teacher of Islamic principles. She interpreted the Quran. Not only did she convey and explain the sunnah of the Prophet but she also showed her mentality of scientific criticism about understanding it correctly. She started to memorize the Quran at a young age and learned the reading style of the verses thoroughly. In particular, she knew very well the reasons of revelation, indications, analyses and evaluations of the verses that were sent down in Madinah, and how to deduce decrees from each verse. She was one of those who understood the Quran best. Hz. Aisha, who understood the sunnah very well deduced new decrees from hadiths through interpretation and analogy. Her ijtihads and fatwas enabled her to be accepted as a fiqh scholar and mujtahid. Hz. Aisha was one of the seven people who were famous for issuing many fatwas among the companions of the Prophet. In addition to many fiqh issues, she had a deep culture and understanding in the fields of fiqh methodology, reasons for legislation, and especially in the field of the law of inheritance. According to what Masruq, who was the fiqh scholar of Kufa and one of the students of Hz. Aisha, says, the notables of the Companions always asked her about the issues related to the law of inheritance. It is seen in the sources of hadith and fiqh that her fatwas different from some Companions occupy a large place. Many fiqh scholars of the Era of Tabiun had scientific consultations with her in order to benefit from her high level of legal knowledge. Her views in the field of Islamic law were reported by her nephews, Qasim and Urwa, and her other students.

Thanks to her strong memory, she performed unmatched services in conveying the hadiths and sunnah of the Prophet to the next generations. The number of the hadiths she narrated is 2.210. Two hundred and ninety-seven of those hadiths were reported by Bukhari and Muslim in their Sahihs: one hundred and seventy-four of them exist in both books, fifty-four of them are only in Bukhari, and sixty-nine of them are only in Muslim. She is the only woman who narrated more hadiths than the other wives of the Prophet and all of the Companions except Abu Hurayra, Abdullah b. Umar and Anas b. Malik.  She was the fourth of the seven companions called “Mukthirun”, who narrated more than a thousand hadiths. She reported most of the hadiths she narrated directly from the Prophet. She would state the reasons why the hadiths were uttered, examine them in order to clarify whether they contained any elements contrary to the Quran, and correct any mistakes made by some companions during narration. When she corrected the beginning or end of the hadiths or the mistakes caused by not knowing the reasons why the hadiths were uttered very well, she used phrases like “he made a mistake”, “he forgot” and “he reported the end of the hadith but not the beginning”; thus, she blazed a trail for the development of the mentality of criticism in the Islamic world.

When the contents of the hadiths narrated by Hz. Aisha are examined, it will be seen that they include the prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh), his family life, daily life, wars, Farewell Hajj, death and ethics, decrees related to the history of the Era of Jahiliyya, women, various activities of Muslims in the Era of Makkah and Madinah, worship and history of worship, ru'yatullah (seeing Allah), knowing the ghayb (unknown/unseen), Day of Judgment, and some theoretical issues and news about life in the hereafter.

One of most prominent features of Hz. Aisha was her activities to explain the principles of the religion of Islam. After the death of the Prophet, her house became a place of knowledge and science where many people, men and women, young and old, came to her presence, listened to her asked her questions and listened to her answers. As a result of the death of some of the Companions and many of them going to various regions due to conquests, there were very few Companions left in Madinah. Thanks to Hz. Aisha's presence there, “Madinah, the city of the Prophet” continued to be a science and knowledge center. As a result of her education and training activities for years in this city, the foundations of Islamic sciences were laid and the scientific movement developed; in addition, Madinah school in the fields of hadith and fiqh was established.

Hz. Aisha answered not only oral questions but also written questions asked by Muslims living in various cities and regions through letters. Thus, she pioneered in the writing of hadiths and some fiqh issues. On the other hand, when she went to Makkah for hajj every year from 23 H until her death, she allowed people coming from various places to visit her in her tent and ask her questions. She was closely interested in the education and training of women, starting from the Era of the Prophet; there were many girls and women who attended her lessons and reported hadiths. Thus, she herself clearly showed with the students she educated that women in the Islamic world should be engaged in science and learning.

There are many documents and detailed information about her life and personality, the hadiths she reported, her decrees, fatwas and political activities in tafsir, hadith and fiqh collections, siyar, battle, history, biography, poetry and literature books. If the independent works written about the wives of the Prophet are also taken into consideration, it will be seen that the resources to be referred to for Hz. Aisha's biography are abundant.

(see Diyanet İslam Ansiklopedisi, Aişe Item)

44 Hz. Ali said, "If the veil that covers ghayb (the unknown/unseen) were opened, my belief in Allah would not increase. Is it possible for man to have such a belief? Would the belief of a person not be different if he saw Allah?

As it can be noticed, Hz. Ali says, “My belief would not increase.” No increase in belief is not contrary to noticing the details when one sees with his eyes. Belief means to believe. There is no doubt that Hz. Ali’s belief is at that level.

Suppose that our belief in the existence of the city of Makkah is full. When we go and see it, our belief about it will not change. However, seeing it more clearly with its details does not contradict our previous knowledge.

Hz. Ali’s statement is about his unhesitant belief at the level of absolute certainty. It is normal for us not to understand a level of belief like that, which we cannot even perceive.

On the other hand, when Hz. Ali said,

“If the veil that covers ghayb (the unknown/unseen) were opened, my belief would not increase",

he indicates the clarity and certainty of the embroidery of oneness beyond the universe and material world. Allah has placed such signatures and seals on His art of the universe that man can believe in both oneness and the other principles of belief unhesitatingly. Furthermore, it means he can believe as if he sees them.

Besides, it is not appropriate to understand Hz. Ali’s statement “If the veil that covers ghayb (the unknown/unseen) were opened, my belief would not increase,” as he believed at the last level of belief. For, even when the Prophet (pbuh) ascended in Miraj, he said,

“I have not been able to know You (Allah) fully.”

Accordingly, Hz. Ali believed in everything that is necessary to believe fully and learned those realities fully. That is, what is meant is how he knows that reality, not how much he believed in it.

45 What is the importance of love for the Prophet’s Companions in the religion, as some groups are considered aberrant because of their enmity towards some Companions?

It is essential to explain the place of the Honorable Companions in our religion, the importance of affection towards them and how Muslims should evaluate the controversies between some Companions.

The Honorable Companions became thorough inheritors and representatives of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). They walked on the right path, without tending to the right or to the left at all. Each of them became a guide, a leader on the paths leading to Allah. Whomever of them one follows, s/he will arrive in the right path, bliss and salvation. For, Allah bestowed upon them a feature, an attractiveness which attracts people to righteousness. They are elite and diligent characters with high ethics, whom Allah the Glorious loved in the assembly of souls and made them a halo around the Prophet.

All of the companions without any exception were honored with the Prophet’s conversation. Their souls, minds, hearts, consciousnesses and all of their emotions were educated by Prophet and they grew up with his knowledge. In other words, they directly benefited from the Sun like flowers on the southern sides of mountains and talked with him. And the Muslim generations who came after them benefited from not the Sun itself but from its light, like flowers on the northern sides of mountains.

The great secret behind the fact that no saints (walis) who came after them can reach their level must be sought in that great difference. They witnessed the arrival of revelation in person. They saw angel Gabriel (Jibril) many times in the form of Dihya (a Companion). They witnessed a lot of miracles. They were the first people to listen to the Quran, sent to lead people to the light, righteousness and bliss. They received the honor of being the first students of the Quran. They learnt the glorious realities in it from the Prophet. They made the Quran sovereign over their hearts, minds, souls and lives. They reached such knowledge, abundance, righteousness, loyalty, self-renunciation and generosity which no other people could reach after them. Their glances were filled with exemplary lessons, their ideas with knowledge and wisdom, and their hearts with divine love. Neither the world could make them its captives, nor could the beauty and attractiveness of Heaven capture them. They desired not the boons of the world and hereafter, but the Creator of those boons Himself and they found Him. They led their lives with the honor of being servants merely to Allah.

All of them are in the group that reached salvation. All of them are honored with being “Companions”. Allah and His Messenger were consent with all of them and elevated them by extolling them.

Allah the Glorious states that He is consent with the Honorable Companions and He prepared infinite boons and bliss for them in the chapter at-Tawbah as follows:

“The vanguard (of Islam)- the first of those who forsook (their homes) and of those who gave them aid, and (also) those who follow them in (all) good deeds,- well-pleased is God with them, as are they with Him: for them hath He prepared gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever: that is the supreme felicity.” (at-Tawbah, 100)

In the same chapter, Allah the Glorious extols the Honorable Companions stating that they fought for the sake of Islam, sacrificing their lives and properties and gives them the good news with blessings and grants:

“But the Apostle, and those who believe with him, strive and fight with their wealth and their persons: for them are (all) good things: and it is they who will prosper. Allah hath prepared for them gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein: that is the supreme felicity.” (at-Tawbah, 88-89)

There are a lot of verses sent about the Companions. We find it sufficient to quote the two verses above as examples.

The Messenger of Allah extolled the Honorable Companions with a lot of hadiths, telling his people about the greatness of their honorability and the fact that they were accepted in the presence of Allah and he threatened the ones who slandered them. We present some of these hadiths below:

“My Companions are just.”

“If one loves a Companion, he does so because he loves me. If one becomes an enemy to them, he does so because he is an enemy to me.”

The following hadith reveals that it is impossible to feel enmity towards any of the Honorable Companions and that all of them, without any exception, are torches of righteousness:

“My Companions resemble stars. Whomever of them you follow, you will find the right path.” (Ajluni, 1/132)

Although all heavenly bodies which are characterized as “stars” are equal, there are some differences between them in terms of size. In this sense, of course there are differences among the Companions in terms of virtues and levels. Some of them were honored with the choice of Islam earlier than others and excelled them in service. Some of them excelled others in terms of justice and management. Another one was superior in mildness and generosity, while another one advanced in knowledge and braveness.

Now you can conclude what a great evil it is to talk about those stars of righteousness offensively, to love some of them and blacken the others.

It must be kept in mind that lots of religious realities about worship and moral values were taught by those Companions who were subject to unfair attacks. Attacking them is considered attacking Islam.

Yes, it means to attack Islam itself to try to blacken those elite Companions of the Last Prophets, those understanding collocutors of his, those elite people, even the lowest of whom the greatest saint cannot reach, to the thawabs of whom more is being added with the every thawab gained by every Muslim until the Day of Judgment because of the rule “One who causes something is like the one who performs it” in Islam.

Those who overstepped their limits by daring to judge that elite group who shed their blood for the sake of Islam and by finding one of them right while criticizing the other cannot dishonor those stars of righteousness; they can only prepare their own disastrous end with it.

Besides, the people, whom they dare to judge, are the outstanding ones of the Companions. Some of them were already given the good news of deserving to enter Heaven while alive. The Quran and our Prophet extolled those people whom they backbite.

Another strong proof to our argument is this: As it is known, Sahih Bukhari is accepted by both the followers of Ahl as-Sunnah and Shia as the most significant book after the Quran. Both sides agree on it. There are many hadiths about belief, worship and high ethics narrated by both sides of those conflicting Companions in Sahih Bukhari. Islamic jurisprudents and all Muslim community accepted all of them without any discrimination. People who narrated those hadiths did not take the conflicts about the Companions into consideration while narrating them. They did not say, “This hadith is not true because it is narrated by that Companion who opposed to Hz. Ali or Hz. Muawiyah, which would be wrong.”

In that case, we come to this conclusion; all mujtahids, Islamic jurisprudents, hadith narrators respected and loved all of the Companions, and accepted the hadiths they narrated from the Prophet as the basic of the religion; without taking those conflicts into consideration. So, how could we dare to regard those conflicts, which those significant people did not mind, as problems and trouble?

By the way, it is also necessary to pay attention to this important reality:

Allah tells believers to refrain from prejudice in the chapter of al-Hujurat as follows:

“Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?” (al-Hujurat, 49/12)

Allah the Glorious informs us with that verse that backbiting a believer is as disgusting as eating a dead person’s flesh and it is a kind of behavior which is not appropriate for a Muslim. What if the one that a believer backbites is one of the Companions, and an outstanding one of them? You could now think of its danger.

46 Who is the woman Companion about whom the Prophet made a joke by saying, "Old people cannot enter Paradise"? How did that incident happen?

Tabarani reports the incident from Hz. Aisha as follows:

“Once, an old woman of Ansar came to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Pray to Allah to put me in Paradise!”

The Prophet said, “Old people cannot enter Paradise.” Then, he went to mosque to pray since it was time for prayer.

When he returned home to Hz. Aisha’s room, Hz. Aisha said, “O Messenger of Allah! I was astonished and terrified due to your statement.” The Messenger of Allah said,

“What I have said is true because when Allah puts women in Paradise, He turns them into young girls”.” (see Tabarani, Awsat, 5/357)

Abush-Sheikh reported a similar narration from Mujahid. (see Abush-Sheikh b. Hayyan al-Isfahani, Akhlaqun-Nabi wa Adabuhu, Darul-Muslim, 1998, p. 493)

Tirmidhi’s mursal narration from Hasan al-Basri is as follows:

“Once, an old woman came to the Messenger of Allah and said,

'O Messenger of Allah! Pray to Allah to put me in Paradise!' The Prophet said,

'O mother of …! Old people cannot enter Paradise.' Thereupon, the woman left by crying. When she left, the Messenger of Allah said,

Go and tell the woman that she cannot enter Paradise in the form of an old woman. As a matter of fact, Allah states the following: “We have created (their Companions) of special creation. And made them virgin - pure (and undefiled).” (al-Waqia, 56/35-37)” (Tirmidhi, Shamail, Beirut, nd, p.144)

The name of that woman is not mentioned in narrations. However, according to some scholars, that woman is Safiyya, the paternal aunt of the Prophet. (see Tirmidhi, Shamail, ibid - a ta’liq)

However, we think the information that the woman is Safiyya is weak.

47 When Hz. Ali wanted to marry another woman while he was still married to Hz. Fatima, the Prophet said, “If he wants to do it, he must divorce my daughter first.” What is the wisdom behind it?

The Prophet (pbuh) did not oppose to polygamy; he expressed his view about his daughter as a father and guardian.

The reason why the Prophet (pbuh) opposed Hz. Ali’s marriage is special. The Prophet’s daughter Fatima opposed her husband Hz. Ali’s marrying another woman. The Prophet did not want his daughter to grieve; therefore, he opposed to such a marriage. (see Bukhari, Nikah, 109, Fadailus-Sahaba 16; Muslim, Fadailus-Sahaba 95-96; Abu Dawud, Nikah, 13; Ibn Majah, Nikah 56; Ahmad b. Hanbal, IV, 376)

Besides, if it were not permissible for Hz. Fatima, who was brought up by the Prophet (pbuh), to object to her husband’s second marriage. The Messenger of Allah would have warned her and ordered her to consent to her husband’s wish. However, it did not happen like that. On the contrary, the Messenger of Allah, who saw that his daughter was sorry, asked Hz. Ali to give up his wish and told him that if he did not give up, he could marry another woman after divorcing Hz. Fatima. He did not consent to Hz. Ali’s second marriage and depressing his daughter.

By considering that act of the Messenger of Allah, it can be stated that Muslim daughters and fathers may object to the second marriage of the son-in-law.

48 Did Bilal (ra), who called the first adhan, die as a Muslim?

Bilal (ra) died as a Muslim and was buried in a Muslim cemetery.

A grain of truth burns and destroys thousands of lies and slander. Here is just one of those truths:

Once, the Prophet (pbuh) said to him, “Tonight I heard your shoes clacking in front of me in heaven”, giving him the glad tidings that he was in heaven and asked for what deed he might have attained that degree. Bilal (ra) mentioned his custom of performing supererogatory (nafilah) prayers “as much as Allah preordained” after every wudu. (1)

In that case, Bilal al-Habashi (ra) is one of the Companions who were declared to be in heaven while he was still in the world.

In addition, many Tabi’un scholars also narrated hadiths from him. (2)

Bilal was a Companion who never left the Prophet (pbuh) from the moment he became a Muslim until his death, who had a modest life that, who fulfilled many duties during the period of the Prophet and who was mentioned a lot during the period of Abu Bakr (ra) and Umar (ra).

He asked permission from Abu Bakr to go to Syria by telling him that the Prophet (pbuh) said to him, “O Bilal! There is no deed more virtuous than jihad in the way of Allah” but remained in Madinah upon the insistence of the caliph. When Umar (ra) became the caliph, he left Madinah and participated in the conquest of many cities and regions in Syria.

When Bilal al-Habashi (ra) was in Damascus, he saw in his dream that the Prophet (pbuh) asked him, “Are you not going to visit me, Bilal?” Being affected by the words of the Prophet (pbuh), Bilal (ra) came to Medina, visited the Prophet (pbuh), showed respect to Rawda al-Mutahhara and wept thinking of the memory of those happy days. Umar greeted him by saying “O my sheikh! O my sheikh!” Upon Hasan and Husayn’s request to call the morning adhan, he recited adhan in Masjid an-Nabawi one day. (3)

After visiting the grave of the Prophet (pbuh) in Madinah, Bilal returned to Damascus.

Days passed and Bilal caught a severe illness. He could not leave home. He started to breathe hard. His wife did not leave him; she served him. When his wife saw that Bilal had difficulty in breathing, she said, “Bilal, how is your health today? Do you have a problem?” Bilal (ra) said, “Separation is near.”

Bilal understood that his death was near and he was happy that he would meet the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) because of his love for him. Bilal showed his joy that his death was approaching by saying “Watarabah” (Oh how sweet) and, “Tomorrow, I will meet my beloved ones, Muhammad (pbuh) and his friends.” (4)

Bilal al-Habashi (ra), died in Damascus or Dariya region during the caliphate of Umar (ra) in 20 H (AD 641). He was 63 years old when he died. He was buried in Bab as-Saghir in Damascus cemetery. (5)

References:

1) Bukhari, Tahajjud, 17; Muslim, Fadailus-Sahaba, 108.
2) Ibn Abdil-Barr, al-Istiab, I/180; adh-Dhahabi, Siyaru A’lamin-Nubala, I/347; Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, I/502; Ibn Hajar, al-Isaba, I/182; Kattani, Hz. Peygamber’in Yönetiminde Sosyal Hayat ve Kurumlar, III/135.
3) Ibn Qutayba, Abu Muhammad Abdullah b. Muslim, Uyunul-Akhbar, Sharh: Mufid Muhammad, Beirut, nd., III/72; Ibnul-Athir, Usdul-Ghaba, I/245; Kattani, Hz. Peygamberin Yönetiminde Sosyal Hayat ve Kurumlar, I/157.
4) Ahmad Khalil Jum’a, Rijalun Mubashsharuna bil-Jannah, p.313; Nadwi-Ansari, Asr as-Saadah, II/132.
5) Ibn Sad, at-Tabaqat, VII/386, III/238; at-Tabari, Tarikhut-Tabari, IV/112; Ibn Asakir, Tarikhu Dimashq, III/304; adh-Dhahabi, Duwalul-Islam, Beirut, nd., p.8; adh-Dhahabi, al-Ibar fi Khabari Man Ghabar, Beirut, nd. I/18; adh-Dhahabi, al-Isharat Ila Wafayatil-A’yan (al-Muntaqa min Tarikhil-Islam), Thq: Ibrahim Salih, Beirut, 1991, p.18.

49 If Hz. Fatima did not pay allegiance to Hz. Abu Bakr, what is the religious decree about it? Is there a religious responsibility about it?

- It is written in the Islamic resources that Hz. Ali paid allegiance to Hz. Abu Bakr on the second day of his caliphate. It is not possible for Hz. Fatima not to pay allegiance though she saw Hz. Ali pay allegiance (or to pay allegiance to Hz. Ali as the Shiite claim).

The people who were at the Saqifa of Sons of Saida paid allegiance to Hz. Abu Bakr there but an allegiance ceremony was made again on the second day in the mosque; everyone in the mosque paid allegiance. Hz. Abu Bakr ascended the pulpit and looked at the Companions; when he could not see Hz. Ali, he asked where he was. When Hz. Ali came, he said,

“You are the cousin and son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah. I feared that there would be conflict among the Muslims if you did not come. Therefore, I looked for you in particular.”

Thereupon, Hz. Ali said, “O Caliph of the Messenger of Allah! There is no sin for you due to this thought.” Then, he paid allegiance to Hz. Abu Bakr. (see Bayhaqi, as-Sunanul-Kubra, 8/143)

Hz. Ali always went to mosque and performed prayers behind Hz. Abu Bakr. He never said anything that would offend Hz. Abu Bakr. It is unthinkable for Hz. Fatima who saw all this not to pay allegiance to Hz. Abu Bakr. However, during the allegiance ceremony in the mosque, the names of certain men were mentioned, not everybody, in accordance with the tradition, and the other Muslims were meant by the word “in general”. There is no information indicating that not only Hz. Fatima but also the other wives of the Prophet (pbuh) paid allegiance to the four caliphs. Allegiance was made within a narrow framework and by the notable men of that period due to the conditions of that period. The issue is not the allegiance of Hz. Fatima to Hz. Abu Bakr only.

Even today, not all voters go to polls. Allegiance is made, so to speak, based on the voters who go to polls.

- Even after fourteen centuries, in an age when communication is widespread, it is not in question for everybody to take part in the allegiances; therefore, it is not appropriate to think that that there is a responsibility for all members of the ummah related to participation in allegiance. For this reason, it will be more appropriate to attribute the hadith narrations that warn the people who do not pay allegiance to those who are notables and leaders in society.

- The complexity of the issue of the allegiance of Hz. Fatima originates from the following fact: After the partial allegiance made in the Saqifa of Sons of Saida, a ceremony of allegiance open to all the people of Madinah took place in the mosque on the second day. In the days after this public allegiance, Hz. Fatima and Hz. Ali applied to Hz. Abu Bakr in order get their inheritance from the property of the Messenger of Allah. However, the Caliph reminded them of the following hadith, which he heard from the Messenger of Allah:

“We prophets do not leave inheritance to anyone ... Our property belongs to the whole ummah.”

Therefore, he did not give them anything as inheritance from the property of the Messenger of Allah. Thereupon, Hz. Fatima was offended by it as a human being, and throughout the six months that she lived, she was cross with the Caliph and did not speak to him. Hz. Ali held himself at a distance from the Caliph for Fatima's sake. After Hz. Fatima's death, Hz. Ali paid allegiance to Hz. Abu Bakr for the second time - to show that he did not have any special resentment against the caliph. (see al-Bidaya wan-Nihaya, 8/92)

- There are also narrations showing that Hz. Fatima was reconciled with Hz. Abu Bakr.

According to a narration, Hz. Abu Bakr went to Hz. Fatima’s house when she was ill and wanted to visit her. Hz. Ali told Hz. Fatima that Abu Bakr wanted to visit her and asked if she would allow him. Hz. Fatima said, "Do you want me to allow?" She allowed him to visit her after Hz. Ali's answer "Yes". Thereupon, Hz. Abu Bakr walked in and said,

“By Allah, the only reason why I did not give the Prophet's inheritance to his relatives is to gain the consent of Allah, His Messenger and you, Ahl al-Bayt.”

Then, he softened her by uttering some other words. Thereupon, Hz. Fatima was reconciled with him. (see Bayhaqi, Sunan, 6/301; Halabi, as-Sira, 3/478) Beyhaqi stated that this mursal narration had a sound chain of narrators. (ibid)

In our opinion, Hz. Fatima's reconciliation with Hz. Abu Bakr means an implied allegiance in a way.

50 Who was the first Muslim woman to take part in a war?

Hz. Aisha, who wanted to make jihad by taking part in the Battle of Badr, Umm Haram, who wanted to fight, Umm Kabsha, who said she could treat the sick instead of fighting, Umm Waraqa, who said she could look after the wounded and treat them, and a group of women from the Uzra tribe who said they could help in any way in the war volunteered to join the war with the Prophet (pbuh).

However, in this first war, which was very important for Muslims, the Prophet (pbuh) turned away all volunteer women because he was worried that a rumor like “Is the prophet fighting together with women?” would spread.

Therefore, there were no female Companions in the Battle of Badr, the first war.

The first battle in which female Companions participated was the Battle of Uhud. It is narrated that fourteen female Companions participated in the Battle of Uhud and Umm Umara took some gauze and bandage with her when she went to war. (1)

It means that the number of the female Companions who took part in the first war was more than one. However, it can be said that Umm Umara was the first woman to fight in person among the female Companions who took part in the Battle of Uhud.

Umm Umara, who was converted to Islam, was present at the night of the Aqaba Pledge, gave allegiance to the Prophet (pbuh) and wanted to distribute water to the wounded in the Battle of Uhud. When she saw that the Muslims were defeated, she went to the Prophet with her husband and sons, and fought in front of the Prophet (pbuh); she received severe wounds. (2)

It is narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) prayed for her and her family to be his neighbors in Paradise and that he said, “Wherever I looked on that day, I saw Umm Umara fighting to protect me.” (3)

In the wars fought during the Era of the Prophet (pbuh), along with fighting, women undertook the duties of carrying out health services, carrying water to the front lines, preparing food for the fighters, providing economic support for wars, protecting the belongings during the battle, and providing information in the field of intelligence. (4)

Footnotes:

1) Ibn Sad, at-Tabaqatul-Kubra, 8/414.
2) ibid, 8/383.
3) Vaqidi, Maghazi, 1/271-273.
4) see Merve Aktaş, Hz. Peygamber’in Savaşlarında Kadın, SAMER, Kahramanmaraş-2021.

51 Will you give information about Hz. Ali's wives and children? Did Hz. Ali have three sons: Hasan, Husayn and Muhsin? Why do we not see Muhsin in history at all?

Hz. Ali’s son Muhsin (or Muhassin) died at a very young age. Besides, Hz. Ali had many other children apart from Hz. Hasan and Hz. Husayn.

Hz. Ali is of Sons of Hashim. He is the son of Abu Talib, the paternal uncle of the Prophet (pbuh). His wives and his children from them are as follows:

1) Hz. Fatima: She is the youngest daughter of the Prophet (pbuh). She is the first wife of Hz. Ali. Hz. Ali did not marry anybody else before Hz. Fatima died. 1 His children from Hz. Fatima are Hasan Husayn, Muhsin, Zaynab and Umm Kulthum.

When Hz. Umar was the caliph, he married Umm Kulthum, who was born before the death of the Prophet (pbuh). The reason why he married Umm Kulthum was this: "On the Day of Judgment, all lineages and causes will end the Prophet’s lineage and cause will not end." He knew about it. Zaynab (Zaynab al-Kubra) married Abdullah b. Jafar.

2) Ummul-Banin bint Hizam from the tribe of Amir b. Kilab: Hz. Ali had four children from her: Abbas, Jafar, Abuddullah and Uthman.

3) One of her wives was Layla bint Mas'ud from the tribe of Tamim: He had two children from her: Abdullah and Abu Bakr.

4) Asma bint Umays from the tribe of Has’ami: Yahya and Muhammed al-Asghar (Muhammad junior) were born from her.

5) Sahba bint Rabia from the tribe of Ju’sham b. Bakr is also among the wives of Hz. Ali. She was a slave from Taghlib. Hz. Ali had two children called Umar and Ruqiyya from this slave. (The owner of a female slave can have a sexual intercourse with her without marriage. This is called istifrash. Owning a female slave is stronger than marriage; therefore, the owner of a slave can have sexual intercourse with her. If the female slave gives birth to a child out of this intercourse, she is called "Umm Walad=Mother of child". She cannot be sold. Her child has the status of being free. Umm Walad becomes free if her owner says she is free or when he dies. In addition, it is permissible to marry the female slave of another person with the permission of her owner according to Islam. 2 The issue of Hz. Ali's female slave and his children from her should not confuse us.)

6) Umame, the daughter of Abul-As b. Rabi, a son-in-law of the Prophet (pbuh), is also a wife of Hz. Ali. Muhammad al-Awsat (Muhammad, the middle) was born out of this wife.

7) Hawle bint Jafar al-Hanafiyya. Muhammad, who was known as "Ibn-Hanafiyya" was born out of this wife.

8) Umm Said, the daughter of Urwa b. Mas'ud ath-Thaqafi. Hz. Ali had two daughters from this wife: Umm Husayn and Ramla al-Akbar.

Apart from them, Hz. Ali had other daughters and sons from her female slaves. Hz. Ali had fourteen sons and eighteen daughters. However, his progeny continued with his sons called Hz. Hasan, Hz. Husayn, Muhammad (Ibn Hanafiyya), Abbas and Umar. Most of his sons were martyred in Karbala in 60 H. 

Footnotes:

1. Ahl al-Bayt, see hadiths related to Hz. Fatima. "Hz. Fatima is a piece of flesh from me. What distresses her distresses me too." For his children, see Tarikhul-Khamis. II/283.
2. For detailed information, see Osmanlı'da Kölelik Cariyelik ve Harem, p. 208 ff. Çok evlilik yerine cariyelerin istifraş edilebilmesi. ibid, p. 212 ff.; Ubancı, M. A. Osmanlı'da Modernleşme Sancısı, translated by Cemal Aydın, İstanbul 1988 p. 359-365; for the issue of slaves, see İslâm Tarihi, Hitti, II/369-371 (Köleler Taba­kası); Ahkâm-ı Kur'âniye, p. 133, 136; the issue of marrying female slaves in the decrees of the Quran.

(Assoc. Prof. Murat Sarıcık, Hz. Ali, Dört Halife Dönemi)

52 When, how and by whom was Hz. Umar given the nickname "Faruq"?

Hz. Umar was given the nickname "Faruq" by the Prophet (pbuh) when he became a Muslim

At-Taftazani states that Hz. Umar was given the nickname Faruq because he distinguished between the right and the wrong in his decrees and in legal cases. (Hashiyatul-Kastalli p.178)

This name indicates the truth, Islam, the true religion, that he regards the truth to be superior to everything, that he surrenders himself to the truth and that this characteristic of his is prominent. When he became a Muslim, he challenged Quraysh and the whole world without fearing and by risking anything. (Tarikhul-Islam, p. 172 ff.)

It is understood from this characteristic of Hz. Umar how much he supported the truth and how strongly he believed. It becomes salient that one of the reasons for his superiority is this characteristic. (The Messenger of Allah expressing Hz. Umar’s religiousness based on a dream Sahihul-Bukhari, IV, 201)

After becoming a Muslim, Hz. Umar started to feel restless and said to the Messenger of Allah, 

"O Messenger of Allah! Are we not in the true religion whether we die or live?"

The Messenger of Allah answered:

"Yes, I swear by Allah, in whose hand of power my existence is that you are in the true religion whether you die or live." Thereupon, he said,  

"Why do we hide then? I swear by Allah, who sent you with the true religion that I will go to all assemblies of polytheists and proclaim Islam bravely."

Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah left "Darul-Arqam" and started to walk toward the Kaaba followed by Hz. Umar on his right side, Hz. Hamza on his left side and the Companions behind them. They entered Masjid al-Haram with solemn steps.

The polytheists, who expected to see the head of the Messenger of Allah, were surprised by this scene. They were looking at Hz. Umar and Hz. Hamza in a surprised, timid and scared way. Then, they felt a bit brave and asked, 

"O Umar! What do you have behind you? What did you come with?"

Hz. Umar said, 

"I came with La ilaha illallah, Muhammadur-Rasulullah." Then, he added, "Let nobody move or I will behead him." 

The polytheists shut up. They looked as if they were dumb. The Messenger of Allah circumambulated the Kaaba freely and prayed. The Muslims prayed openly too.
Hz. Umar said,

"At that time, the Messenger of Allah gave me the nickname 'FARUQ' 'for distinguishing between right and wrong.'" (Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat: 3/270)

Hz. Hamza's becoming a Muslim and then Hz. Umar’s becoming a Muslim enabled Islam to develop and the Muslims to worship easily by getting rid of the pressure of the polytheists. Therefore, Hz. Umar’s becoming a Muslim has an important place in the history of Islam. Abdullah bin Mas'ud expressed this importance as follows:

"Umar’s becoming a Muslim was a conquest for Islam and honor and dignity for the Muslims. His migration to Madinah became a victory and his caliphate became a mercy. We could not perform prayers openly in the yard of the Kaaba until Umar became a Muslim." (Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat: 3/270; Suhayli, Rawdul-Unf: 1/219).

53 Were the people who lived during the era of the Prophet luckier than us since they saw him and attained the rank of being Companions?

All of the deeds of Allah, who is the Just and Wise and Absolutely Merciful, are wise, merciful and just. Nobody can be more compassionate and merciful to His creatures than Him. When issues like qadar (destiny) and justice are viewed, it is necessary not to overlook this fact.

The different conditions of life everybody faces in this world, and the different issues he faces related to himself, his family and relatives are a result of a divine distribution whose reasons and wisdoms we cannot know truly.

It is necessary not to doubt that Our Lord, who has endless mercy, gives man what is good for him. If we had lived in the era of the Prophet (pbuh), we could have attained the degree of the Companions. However, we should not forget that there were so many people who lived in that era and died as unbelievers. We could have been among them by using our will in a wrong way. 

What we need to do is to accept that our Lord gave us what is best for us and try to live in accordance with His consent.

54 Is the claim that the Companion Sa’d b. Muadh had some bad characteristics true?

This story is narrated on the internet without any source being given. We could not find this information in sound (sahih) sources.

However, there are some hadith narrations showing that this story is not true:

1) The Prophet (pbuh) said for Sa’d b. Muadh, “The Throne of Rahman trembled because of his death.” (Bukhari, Manaqibul-Ansar, 12; Tirmidhi, Manaqib,5; Hakim, 3/227)

Various interpretations were made about this hadith. However, the common point of all interpretations is that the Throne of Rahman trembled - with joy - because of the value of Sa’d b. Muadh in the sight of Allah. (see Ibn Hajar, Fathul-Bari, 7/132-134)

2) Some hypocrites who were among those carrying the corpse said that Muadh’s corpse was very light because of the decree he gave about the Jews of Sons of Qurayza (to imply that he was a worthless person). When the Prophet (pbuh) heard it, he said,

“Angels were carrying his dead body (therefore, it was light).” (see Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 51; Ibn Hajar, ibid)

3) According to a narration, Sa’d b. Muadh passed away at night. Gabriel (Jibril) went to the Prophet (pbuh) and said: “Who died tonight? The gates of the heavens were opened for him and the Throne of Rahman trembled?” The Prophet went to Sa’d Muadh, who was ill, and saw that he had passed away. (Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 3/227)

4) When Sa’d b. Muadh passed away, his mother cried out to relieve her grief over the death of her son addressing herself:

“Your son is the first person to whom Allah smiled and the one for whom the Throne trembled. Should your tears not stop now and the sadness not go away?” (see Hakim, 3/228)

This hadith narration was accepted to be sound by both Hakim and Dhahabi. (see ibid)

5) According to a narration from Aisha (ra), the Prophet (pbuh) said: “If only one person were to be saved from the pressure of the grave, Sa’d b. Muadh would have been saved.” This narration of Ahmed b. Hanbal is sound. (see Majmauz-Zawaid, h.no: 4255)

The virtue of Sad b. Muadh is emphasized in the hadith.

6) The following is stated in the narration reported from Ibn Abbas: “If only one person were to be saved from the pressure or questioning of the grave, Sa’d b. Muadh would definitely have been saved. However, the grave squeezed him a bit and then released him.” This hadith, which Tabarani narrated in (al-Kabir, al-Awsat), is sound. (see Majmauz-Zawaid, h. no:4257)

7) After leading Sa’d’s janazah prayer with the participation of the angels, our Prophet (pbuh) started walking on the tips of his blessed toes while carrying the corpse. He gave the following answer to those who wondered about it: “All the people of the sky have come down to accompany this funeral; I am ashamed to step on the ground.” (Bukhari, Manaqib, 12)

8) Our Prophet (pbuh) was given a robe made of fine silk brocade as a gift. The Prophet had forbidden wearing silk clothes for men. People really liked that robe. Our Prophet (pbuh) said, “I swear by the One in whose hand my soul (power) is, Sa’d b. Muadh’s handkerchiefs in Paradise are better than this.” (Bukhari, Manaqibul-Ansar, 12)

The fact that neither Muadh’s mother statement mentioned in the question nor the Prophet (pbuh)’s answer to it is included in all those hadith narrations is an indication that the story mentioned in the question is not true.

For more information, click on the link given below;

Why did the grave squeeze Sa´d b. Muadh though 70.000 angels took part in his janazah prayer?

55 When Hind came to pay allegiance (to the Prophet to become a Muslim), was she asked to apply henna on her hands?

Yes, it is true. We will try to explain the issue briefly.

Hz. Aisha narrates:

"Hind Bint Utba said to the Prophet, "O Messenger of Allah! Accept my allegiance!" The Prophet said, "No. I will not accept your allegiance unless you change your hands. Your hands are like the feet of wild animals." [Abu Dawud, Tarajjul 4, (4165)]

Hind, who is mentioned in the narration, is Abu Sufyan's wife and Muawiya’s mother. She became a Muslim with her husband during the conquest of Makkah. Hz. Prophet accepted their previous marriage and found a new nikah (marriage) unnecessary. However, as it is seen, he did not accept her allegiance before she applied henna on her hands.

Acting upon this hadith, scholars regard men’s applying henna as makruh. When a woman’s hands have no henna, they resemble a man’s hands. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) likened them to the feet of wild animals in order to express this karahah. (İbrahim Canan, Kütüb-i Sitte, 7/489)

However, this does not mean that women absolutely have to apply henna; it aims to make it understood whether the hands belong to a woman or man. 

One of the decorative elements that distinguishes a woman from a man is the thing that is spread on the body. It can scent but it must be colorless for men; it can be colorful but it must be odorless for women. The Prophet (pbuh) did not like it when men and even boys spread things whose color was seen; he showed his dislike by rejecting their demand for allegiance and by not complimenting them when such people visited him.

Henna is something that distinguishes a woman from a man. Narrations show that the Prophet (pbuh) did not regard it normal for a woman not to have any traces of henna on her hands. In another narration, Hz. Aisha states that when the Prophet (pbuh) reached out to take a letter extended from behind a curtain, he retreated his hand without taking the letter and by saying, "I do not know whether it is the hand of a man or woman." When the owner of the letter said, "O Messenger of Allah! It is a woman’s hand", the Prophet said, "If it were a woman’s hand, you would change your nails (with henna)." He meant applying henna with it. [Abu Dawud, Tarajjul 4, (4166); Nasai, Ziynah 18, (8, 142)]

Hind, whose name almost all Muslims knew because of her role in the martyrdom of Hz. Hamza, who was martyred at the Battle of Uhud, wass the daughter of Utba b. Rabia, who was a Makkan that belonged to family of Abdu Shams, who were relatives of Hashimis. She was Abu Sufyan b. Harb’s wife and the mother of Muawiya, who would be a caliph later. The exact dates of her birth and death are not known. Her deeds before she became a Muslim were famous. She was one of the primary figures that harmed Islam in that period.

Despite her husband Abu Sufyan’s cold-blooded, patient and moderate traits, it is said that Hind was very angry, hot-tempered and ambitious. It is known that her husband, who knew her extreme characteristics, listened to her ideas to some extent after making his decision. It will be seen that Abu Sufyan nurtures less enmity toward the Prophet (pbuh) than his wife and Abu Jahl when their attitudes are compared.  

Muawiya narrates how his mother and father were invited to Islam by the Prophet (pbuh) when he was a child:

“Abu Sufyan went to the countryside; Hind was riding pillion. I was in front of them, riding my donkey. I was a child. Then, we heard the voice of the Messenger of Allah. I dismounted from my donkey and he mounted on it. He rode in front of us for a while. Then, he turned to us and said,

“O Abu Sufyan b. Harb! O Hind bint Utba! I swear by Allah that you will die one day. Then, you will be resurrected. He who does good deeds will go to Paradise. He who does bad deeds will go to Hell. I am telling you the truth. You are among the first ones that are warned.”

Then, he read verses 1-11 of the chapter of Fussilat. Then, the Prophet dismounted from the donkey and I mounted. Hind turned toward Abu Sufyan and said, “Did you make my son dismount from the donkey for this magician?" Abu Sufyan said, “No, by Allah, he is neither a magician nor a liar.”

Makkan polytheists were astonished due to the terrible defeat at the Battle of Badr. When the news about the result of the Battle of Badr reached the people of Makkah, the polytheists were astounded. The Qurayshi women went to Hind bint Utba. They said, “Do you not cry for your father (Utba b. Rabia), your brother (Walid b. Utba) and your uncle (Shayba b. Abu Sufyan, who was enslaved)?" Hind said, “I do not cry because if Muhammad and his friends hear that I cry, they and the women of Khazraj will be happy because of what happened to us. My distress will not end unless their revenge is taken.”

Hind bint Utba went to the Battle of Uhud with her husband Abu Sufyan, who was the leader of Quraysh. She encouraged the polytheists to fight the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). She was the fuel of her husband for revenge. She said to Wahshi Ibn Harb, an Abyssinian slave, “My father was killed on the day of Badr. If you kill one of those three people: Muhammad, Hamza b. Abdulmuttalib or Ali b. Ebu Talib, you will be freed.” She made some other promises. After she saw the martyrdom of Hz. Hamza, she kept her promise and gave Wahshi more than what she had promised.

Hind, who was about to be killed by Abu Dujana but narrowly escaped death, was among those who were going to be killed wherever they were seen. First, she hid. Then, she said to her husband Abu Sufyan, “I want to go and pay allegiance to Muhammad.” He said, “I saw you cursing yesterday.” She said, “By Allah, I had never seen that Allah was worshipped truly in this mosque before last night (the night of conquest). The Muslims performed prayers until the morning." Thereupon, Abu Sufyan said to her, “You will definitely do what you plan to do. Take one of your relatives when you go.” She formed a group of ten people with some other Qurayshi women and went to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to pay allegiance to him.

Hind bint Utba disguised so as not to be known and put a veil on her face. When it was her turn to pay allegiance, she said, “O Messenger of Allah! Shall we hold hands while I pay allegiance?” The Messenger of Allah said, “I do not hold hands with women for allegiance.” According to narrations, when the Prophet (pbuh) accepted the allegiance of women, the women would place their hands on the hand of the Prophet (pbuh) that was wrapped in a piece of cloth or the Prophet (pbuh) would put his hand in a receptacle full of water, give that receptacle to the women and they would put their hands in the receptacle. According to another narration, the Prophet (pbuh) accepted their allegiance through words. The answers given by Hind in the meeting of allegiance with Hind and the other women show how superior and talented Hind was.

When Hind bint Utba became a Muslim, she broke the idol in her house into pieces and said, “We were in conceit and deception because of you.”

After Hind became a Muslim, she had two kids slaughtered and sent them to the Messenger of Allah. The Prophet (pbuh) became pleased with it and prayed so that her sheep and lambs would increase. As Hind’s sheep increased, she said, “Alhamdulillah! This happened thanks to the prayer of blessing of the Messenger of Allah.”

Hz. Hind’s perseverance in Islam was better than her efforts in unbelief in the Era of Jahiliyya. She lived as a sincere believer. She took part in the Battle of Yarmuk with her husband. She encouraged the warriors of Islam to fight against the Byzantine. Thus, the following statement of the Messenger of Allah that he had said to Hind came out to be true: “By Allah, as the light of belief settles in your heart, your love toward me will increase.”

56 Is it true that Sunni scholars also say that caliphate was the right of Ali first?

We could not find the book of Ibn Qutayba in question. We think that something like that is written in that book because if such a thing did not exist, those who claim it would not be able to write. If there were no such article in an accessible source, it is clear that those who said it would be regarded as liars.

However, there is widespread information in the Arabic websites that this book does not belong to Ibn Qutayba, but was written by someone and was attributed to him. It is highly likely that a Shiite wrote this book. This bigoted Shiite may have written this book - to be a reference book that some of the Sunni scholars support them related to caliphate - and tried to reinforce his own views by attributing it to Ibn Qutayba, one of the famous scholars of Ahl as-Sunnah.

In addition, the fact that there are many historical errors in that book is an indication that it does not belong to Ibn Qutayba. Those mistakes are proven by many examples. We think it would be sufficient to mention only one of them:

In that book, Ibn Qutayba quotes from Ibn Abi Layla in a way that gives the impression that he met Ibn Abi Layla. However, Ibn Abi Layla died in the 148 H and Ibn Qutayba died in 213 H; it is impossible for them to meet.

57 How can the religion brought to us by the Companions be reliable since they committed sins?

The fights among the Companions are a result of ijtihad. 

The concept justice does not mean not committing any sins? What is meant by the Companions’ “being just”, which is accepted by the whole ummah unanimously, is that it is impossible for them to tell lies about the Quran and the Prophet intentionally.  

The unanimous agreement of the Islamic scholars except Shiite about the Companions is evidence that they are just.

The environment in which the Companions lived helped them to believe and it was accepted by the ummah that they would not slander the Prophet (pbuh) intentionally.

Badiuzzaman Said Nursi states the following regarding the issue:  

“Such a difference was apparent between good and evil and such a distance opened up between truth and falsehood that they drew as distant from one another as belief is from unbelief, and even Hell is from Paradise. The Companions, who by nature possessed elevated emotions, were captivated by the highest morality, and inclined towards dignity and virtue, would not voluntarily stretch out their hands to evil and falsehood, and so fall to the level of Musaylima the Liar and his ridiculous utterances. For he was the herald of falsehood, evil, and lies, and their embodiment. Their characters demanded that they looked to the rank of the perfections, those of God’s Beloved (PBUH) at the highest of the high, who was the herald and embodiment of truthfulness, good, and right, and that they hastened in that way with all their strength and endeavor.” (Sözler, p. 490)

In the market of every age, some objects are in demand while people flee from other objects. Similarly, in the Era of Bliss in the market of that age, goodness, honesty and trustworthiness were in demand. On the other hand, it is a necessity of the conscience and nature of the Companions to avoid the deeds the lead people to Hell like telling lies and committing evil deeds when they saw a bad example like Musaylima, who was at peak in terms of ugliness and telling lies. (see ibid)

“Yes, the absolute majority of the Companions of the Prophet were lovers of the truth, truthfulness, and justice. For in that age, the ugliness of lies and falsehood was shown in all its ugliness and the beauty of right and truthfulness was shown in all its beauty in such a way that the distance between them stretched from the ground to the Divine Throne. There was a clear separation between them, from the depths of Musaylima the Liar at the lowest of the low to the degree of truthfulness of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) at the highest of the high. Indeed, just as it was lying that brought Musaylima to the lowest of the low, so it.” (Sözler, s. 484).

The following verses contain statements indicating that the Companions are just:

“Thus, have We made of you an Ummat justly balanced, that ye might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves.” (al-Baqara, 2/143). 

“Ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah. If only the People of the Book had faith, it were best for them: among them are some who have faith, but most of them are perverted transgressors.” (Aal-i Imran, 3/110).

“ Those who believe, and adopt exile, and fight for the Faith, in the cause of Allah as well as those who give (them) asylum and aid,- these are (all) in very truth the Believers: for them is the forgiveness of sins and a provision most generous.” (al-Anfal, 8/74).

“The vanguard (of Islam)- the first of those who forsook (their homes) and of those who gave them aid, and (also) those who follow them in (all) good deeds,- well-pleased is Allah with them, as are they with Him: for them hath He prepared gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever: that is the supreme felicity.” (at-Tawba, 9/100).

“Allah´s Good Pleasure was on the Believers when they swore Fealty to thee under the Tree: He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down Tranquillity to them; and He rewarded them with a speedy Victory; And many gains will they acquire (besides): and Allah is Exalted in Power, Full of Wisdom.” (al-Fath, 48/18-19).

“Muhammad is the messenger of Allah; and those who are with him are strong against Unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other. Thou wilt see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer), seeking Grace from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces are their marks, (being) the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Taurat; and their similitude in the Gospel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the Unbelievers with rage at them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness, and a great Reward.” (al-Fath, 48/29).

Based on the verses above and hadiths regarding the issue, Ahl as-Sunnah scholars did not criticize the Companions, decreed that they were all just and that they would not resort to lies in their duties of the establishment of the religion of Islam.  

It is possible to see between the lines of the works narrating the lives of the Companions that they were very meticulous about the religion. 

58 Will you give information about Hz. Ali's physical features and appearance?

Ali b. Abu Talib was a bit short, had dark skin, big eyes, a dense and large beard, and a nice face; when he smiled, his teeth would appear. He had some nicknames like “al-Murtaza” (the Chosen one) and “Asadullahil-ghalib” (Victorious Lion of Allah) along with the nickname “Abu Turab” (Father of Soil) given to him by the Prophet (pbuh). Since he did not worship idols when he was a child, he was mentioned with the following prayer afterwards: “Karramallahu wajhah” (May Allah honor his face).

(see T.D.V. İslam Ansiklopedisi, İstanbul-1989, ALİ item., ​II/374)

59 How I can prove that sahabas of prophet were truthful and they written hadith perfectly

These doubts are of Satan, not of you, and since they do not belong to you, they will never harm your belief or worship.

There are verses of the Quran and hadiths that Allah is pleased with the Companions, that they are the best of the Ummah and that they will all enter Paradise.

Besides, the Quran was handed down to us through them.

Therefore, there is nothing to worry about. Please click here for more details:

Are all of the Companions (Sahaba) people of Paradise? If they are all people of Paradise, is there any information in the Quran about the issue?

Considering that hadiths reached us through many narrators, why should we trust hadiths and why should we not deny hadiths?

Are all Companions (Ashab) people of Paradise? Are there any Companions who will go to Hell?

60 Will you give information about Abu Hudhayfa, the brother of Hind and Walid?

Abu Hudhayfa Mihsham b. Utba b. Rabia (d. 12/633) is among the first Muslims. His name is not known for sure because he was known with his nickname; his name is mentioned as Mihsham in most resources, and Hashim and Hushaym in some resources. His father Utba b Rabia was one of the notables of the polytheists. Abu Hudhayfa, who is reported to be the forty-fourth Muslim, was one of the first seventeen Companions who could read and write in the first years of Islam. He married Sahla bint Suhayl, who became famous for asking the Prophet (pbuh) about the issue of menstruation. He took part in both of the migrations to Abyssinia with her.

Abu Hudhayfa returned to Makkah from Abyssinia and did not leave the Prophet until the migration to Madinah. When he migrated to Madinah, he was a guest in the house of Abbad b. Bishr with his freed slave Salim; therefore, the Prophet established brotherhood with him and Abbad.

Abu Hudhayfa, who joined the expedition of Batn Nakhla under the command of Abdullah b. Jahsh, took part in all battles including the battles of Badr, Uhud and Khandaq. He loved his father Utba a lot and hoped that he would be a Muslim one day. When he saw his father among the ranks of the enemy at the Battle of Badr, he became very sorry and invited him to fight one on one. However, the Prophet did not allow it. After the battle, the Messenger of Allah addressed the dead bodies of the polytheists as follows: "Have you seen now that what my Lord promised to you was true?" Then, he ordered his Companions to throw the dead bodies in the Well of Badr; Utba’s dead body was among them. His sister Hind, who is known for what she did to Hz. Hamza at the Battle of Uhud, uttered a poem to satirize Abu Hudhayfa due to his attitude to his father.

Salim, who was among the first Muslims, was Abu Hudhayfa’s slave and was known as Salim Mawla Abu Hudhayfa. After freeing Salim, Abu Hudhayfa adopted him as his son and married him off to his niece Fatima bint Walid. After the verse ordering Muslims to call adopted children by the names of their fathers (al-Ahzab 33/5) was sent down, Abu Hudhayfa still kept Salim with him. However, Sahla bint Suhayl thought it would not be appropriate for him to enter her house freely after reaching the age of puberty and asked the Prophet about it; the Prophet ordered her to breastfeed Salim so that milk kinship would occur between them. It is accepted that this permission given by the Messenger of Allah is related to this incident only.

When Abu Hudhayfa was fifty-four years old, he was martyred together with his freed slave in the Battle of Yamama. His name is mentioned in various hadiths.

61 Will you give information about Ziyad (ra), who was martyred in the Battle of Uhud?

This person is mentioned as Ziyad or Umara b. Ziyad in resources.

When the Muslims were surrounded by the enemy in the Battle of Uhud, the Prophet (pbuh) said,

“Who will sacrifice himself for us?”

Ziyad or Umara b. Ziyad stepped forward with five people. They fought heroically and were martyred.  Umara b. Ziyad was the last one who was martyred.

He had been wounded in various places of his body (fourteen sword and arrow blows); he was saved from the enemy by a group of Muslims and were taken to the Prophet (pbuh). He was about to die. The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Bring him close to me.” They placed his head on the feet of the Prophet. When he died, his cheek was on the blessed feet of the Prophet. (see Ibn Ishaq, I/116- al-Maktaba ash-Shamila; Ibn Hajar, al-Isaba, III/19).

May Allah allow us to be interceded by them!

62 Did Hz. Ali say to a person who did not believe in the hereafter, "If the hereafter does not exist, I will not lose anything. What will you do if it exists?''

- The correct narration of the statement attributed to Hz. Ali is as follows:  

An astrologer and a doctor said, "The dead cannot be revived." (That is the hereafter does not exist). I said,  

"If what you say is true, I will not lose anything but if what I say is true, you will lose a lot.”

Fakhruddin Razi said “the poet said” for the statement above. (Razi, 17/199)

Imam Ghazali states that the statement above belongs to Abul-Ala al-Maarri. (Ihya, 4/59)

After this poem, Ghazali adds the following:

“Therefore, Hz. Ali said to some insane people who could not understand the realities,  

“If what you say is true, we will all be saved. However, if what I say is true, I will be saved but you will be destroyed.” (Ihya, ibid)

The famous tafsir scholar, Ibn Ashur quoted this poem by saying, “the poem attributed to Hz. Ali”. (Ibn Ashur, at-Tahrir wat-Tanwir, 16/114)

- The logic behind it is as follows: If the hereafter does not exist – God forbid- , a person who believes in the hereafter will not lose anything different from those who do not believe; they will all disappear together. However, if it does exist, those who do not believe will lose a lot of things because they will go to Hell.

Thus, this statement was not uttered to make those who believe in Allah and the hereafter doubt; on the contrary, it was uttered to make the believers think and use their minds better. 

The general logic of it is as follows: A sane person prefers the safest way – the way that has no probability of risk. 

- The following statement of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi indicates the same way of reasoning:

“Only one who is tired of living tries to follow a way that is 90 percent certain to lead to perdition. There is a 99 percent chance of salvation in the Prescribed Prayers, an indispensable obligation of Islam that takes only an hour to perform. There can come, at most, 1 percent of worldly harm from praying, whereas there is a 99 percent chance of harm in not obeying Islam. I wonder what excuse can be given for neglecting or ignoring the Islamic obligations, for doing so is certain to harm one both in this world and the next. How do religious and national zeal allow it?” (Tarihçe-i Hayat, p. 141)

63 Will you give information about Hz. Hasan's multiple marriages and divorces?

This question can be answered based on different viewpoints as follows:

1. It was a tradition to marry (and divorce) many women during the Era of Jahiliyyah. They adopted polygamy probably due to some reasons like “having wealth, property and sons”. At that time, children, especially sons, were important because they were the power of the family. Male children prevented a person from being suppressed and enabled the tribe to be powerful. Male children were necessary and indispensible for “wealth (trade) war and raids”. The descent of a family continued with the male children. They regarded male children as honor and were called (nicknamed) by being associated with their male children. (1) Verses of the Quran and the practice of the Prophet (pbuh) decreased the limitless number of wives of the Era of Jahiliyyah to four, limiting the number of women a person can be married to at most four women at the same time. Besides, the verse laid it as a condition to treat one's wife justly (equally) if he married more than one woman. Those who feared being unable to act justly would marry only one woman. The following is stated in verse 3 of the chapter of an-Nisa regarding the issue:

“…but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one..."(2)

2. When the relevant verses of the chapter of an-Nisa were sent down, Hz. Prophet (pbuh) asked the Muslims who had more than four wives to keep four wives and to divorce the others. For instance, Qays b. Harith, who had eight wives, asked the Prophet (pbuh) about his situation and divorced four of his wives after the explanation of the Prophet. Ghaylan b. Salama of Taif had ten or eleven wives. He acted in accordance with the limitation and divorced his wives except four of them.(3)

3. According to the decrees of the verses, divorcing is halal and permissible just like marrying. Divorce is possible on the day of wedding even before sexual intercourse. There are examples of it in the Era of Bliss.(4) If the chapters of hadith books related to marriage are viewed, it will be seen under the light of hadiths (sunnah) that divorcing like that is legitimate.

4. There were some Companions who divorced their wives from time to time; in fact, the Prophet sometimes said that it was permissible to divorce one's wife due to various reasons.(5) For instance, the following statement belongs to the Prophet (pbuh):

“…If you try to straighten a woman fully, you will break her; her breaking is divorce.”(6)

5. Divorce is legitimate but it is a legal practice and deed that is disliked and abominable. The Prophet (pbuh) said,

“...The most disliked one among halal deeds in the eye of Allah is divorce.”(7)

Thus, he pointed out that random, thoughtless, impetuous divorces that are not based on valid reasons and that are due to trivial, petty mistakes were not appropriate. However, different advice about divorce aims to realize what is ideal and perfect about divorce.

It is not possible for all Muslims to do and attain what is ideal and best in all issues. In that case, nobody needs to make any mistakes and commit abominable deeds and sins. A Muslim always needs to do the best, not the inappropriate one though it is permissible. In that case, nobody in the community will make mistakes and commit sins; it is impossible; it has never happened up to now. We think Hz. Hasan did not always do what is ideal and appropriate regarding divorce. This can be seen as his personal weakness. However, what he did was not "haram and forbidden by Islam" though it might be arbitrary.

The reasons why divorce causes dislike are due to being a big psychological blow to the spouses - or one of them -, the situation of the children, the hard and unsuitable situations the widow or widower can find themselves in, the possibility of their committing a haram deed, causing hatred and enmity between families, etc.  

6. At that time, marriages and divorces were easier; therefore, divorces took place a lot.

7. Hz. Hasan was a person that divorced a lot; therefore, he was given the nickname “mitlaq / a person who divorces a lot”. He also has other nicknames like “mujtaba (chosen), taqiy (pious), zakiy (intelligent), sibt (grandchild)”. The rumor, narration and exaggeration that he married about “ninety to one hundred women” is talked among people. It is even included in some books.(8) According to the Shiite writer Ibn Shahrub, he also had 250- 300 female slaves.(9) In our opinion, they are unreal rumors and narrations; they are unreal factoids and exaggerations produced by the imagination of the people overestimating and exaggerating Hz. Hasan as a leader and grandson of the Prophet. They are even epic elements.    

Similar things are valid for the other imams and saints. For instance, in Kyrgyz epics, Hz. Ali wears an armor of sixty batmans (the weight of one batman changes from 2,5 kg to 10 kg) like Kyrgyz epic heros; he is a hero that eats five sheep at one meal, drinks bowls of kumis and sacrifices grizzly mares like Kirgiz people. He conquered Turkestan and married Turkish girls.(10) However, none of them are in compliance with historical facts. They are the things that were imagined and spread by the people who love Hz. Ali in order to elevate him. 

 Baqir Sharif al-Qurashi, who made a separate research on Hz. Hasan, determined that he married only “thirteen women".(11) There are different narrations about the number of Hz. Hasan's children like his marriages: The number of his children are mentioned as 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20 and 23. According to Cevdet Paşa, he had fifteen sons and eight daughters.

The number of Hz. Hasan’s sons whose names are known is twelve. They are as follows: Zayd, Hasan, Qasim, Abu Bakr, Abdullah, Amr, Abdurrahman, Husayn, Muhammed, Yaqub, Ismail andTalha. (12) Hz. Hasan’s descendants continued from his sons Hasan al-Musanna and Zayd.

8. As it is mentioned in resources, Hz Hasan's divorcing a lot was not liked by people, primarily, his father. Once, Hz. Ali said to the people of Kufa, “O people of Kufa! Do not give your daughters to Hasan because he is a habitual divorcer (rajulun mitlaq).” Then a man from the tribe of Hamdan said, “We will give him our daughters; and he may retain whomever he wishes and may divorce whomever he dislikes.”(13)

In our opinion, Hz. Ali’s warning and criticism about his son's attitude is correct, reasonable and balanced. According to the words of the person from Hamdan, he regarded trivial reasons and dissatisfactions as causes of divorce and divorced his wives. In other words, he was not a person that was easily satisfied by his wives. The reason for this attitude might be his meticulousness and perfectionism. Hz. Ali warns people against “his weakness of divorce, which he does not approve”.

CONCLUSION: In our opinion, Hz. Hasan married more than ten times and divorced some women. We do not know what caused his divorces. When Hz. Ali's approach and words are taken into consideration, it is seen that his divorces are not approved and liked. However, it should not be regarded as “a big mistake, haram and sin”. It might be his “personal weakness”. In his divorces, he acted within the limits of legitimacy. He might have committed a makruh deed. We should remind you that the Companions are also human beings; they might have committed makruh deeds and even major sins. They are not perfect and sinless people.

When the conditions of the age he lived in are taken into consideration, his marrying and divorcing a lot of women was not something very important and to be exaggerated. For instance, his father, Hz. Ali, married nine times. He had fourteen sons and eight daughters from his wives.(14) However, he was not blamed by the people living in his age due to his marriages. Hz. Abu Bakr, the first caliph, had six children from his four wives.(15) Hz. Umar married eight women and he divorced three of his wives. (16) If the lives of the other Companions are searched, more examples regarding the issue can be found.

Footnotes:

(1) Murat Sarıcık, İnanç ve Zihniyet Olarak Cahiliye, Nesil Publications, İstanbul, 2004, p. 261- 262, 265.
(2) an-Nisa, 4/3; Heyet, Kur’an-ı Kerim ve Açıklamalı Meali, Medine 1987, p. 76;
(3) Ibn Kathir, Ismail b. Kathir, Tafsirul-Qur’anil- Azim. I- IV, Çağrı Publications, İstanbul 1986, I, 441; Sarıcık, Cahiliye, p. 265- 266; Muhammad Hamidullah, İslam Peygamberi, II, 715 ff.
(4) al-Baqara, 2/ 227- 231; an-Nisa, 4/ 3, 20, at-Talaq, 65/ 1-2; al-Ahzab, 33/ 50; al-Mumtahina, 60/ 10-11; Mansur Ali Nasif, at-Tajiul-Jami‘u lil- Usul, I-V, Maktabatu Pamuk, İstanbul 1981, II, 315, 325, 327.
(5) Mansur Ali, II, 327, K. Nikah, bab, 7.
(6) Mansur Ali, II, 315, K. Nikah, bab, 6; al-Ahzab, 33/ 49, 51.
(7) Mansur Ali, II, II, 337, K. Nikah, bab, 9.
(8) Haytami, as-Sawaiqul-Muhriqa, Maktabatul- Qahira, Cairo, 1385, p. 137.
(9) Ibn Shahrub, Manaqibu Ali bin Abi Talib, Najaf 1965, III, 141- 205; Ibrahim al- Musawi, az- Zanjani, Aqaidul- Imamiyyatil- Ithna Ashariyya, Beirut, 1973, I, 141, 145.
(10) Seyfettin Erşahin, “SSBC’de İslami İnancın Korunmasında Hz. Ali Kültünün Rolü”, Hayatı, kişiliği ve Düşünceleriyle Hz. Ali, Bursa Müftülüğü, Bursa 2004, 261, 263- 264.
(11) Ethem Ruhi Fığlalı, “Hasan”, DİA, XVI, İstanbul 1997, p. 283. (Baqir Sharif al-Qurashi, Hayatul-Imam al Hasan bin Ali, Beirut 1983, II, 433- 460).
(12) Fığlalı, “Hasan”, DİA, XVI, 283, A. Cevdet Paşa, Kısas-ı Enbiya, Bedir Publishing, İstanbul, 1981, I, 616.
(13) Haytami, p. 136- 137. (from Ibn Sad’s Tabaqat); Abul-Fida, Ismail b Umar, al-Bidaya, I- XIV, Egyp nd, VIII, 38; Yaqubi, Ahmed b. Abi Yaqub, Tarikhul-Ya’qubi, I-II, Daru’s-Sadr, Beirut 1960, II, 228.
(14) Murat Sarıcık, Dört Halife Dönemi, I- II, Nesil Publications, İstanbul, 2002, II, 191- 194.
(15) ibid, I, 199- 201.
(16) ibid, I, 415- 416.

Author:

Murat Sarıcık (Prof.Dr.)

64 Were there any male Companions who were stoned to death?

The examples of the application of the penalty of stoning to death by the Prophet (pbuh):

1. A single worker who committed adultery with the wife of his employer was given the penalty of one hundred lashes and exile for one year; the woman was stoned to death.

According to what is reported from Abu Hurayra and Zayd b. Khalid al-Juhani, the husband of the woman who committed adultery and the father of the worker applied to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and asked him to judge based on “the Book of Allah”. The father of the worker said,

“My son was a worker in the house of this person and he committed adultery with his wife. I was informed that my son deserved stoning to death. However, I gave one hundred sheep and a female slave as ransom on behalf of him. Meanwhile, I asked some scholars. They told me that my son deserved one hundred lashes and exile for one year (since he was single) and the woman deserved stoning to death.” Thereupon, the Prophet (pbuh) said,

“By Him in whose hand is my life. I will decide between you according to the Book of Allah. The female slave and the sheep will be given back. Your son will be punished with one hundred lashes and exile for one year. O Unays! Go to the wife of this man. If she makes a confession, stone her.”

Unays went to the woman and she confessed her crime. She was stoned to death upon the order of the Prophet (pbuh). (Muslim, Hudud, 25; Bukhari, Hudud III, 38, 46, Wakalah, 13).

According to Abu Hanifa, one year of exile along with one hundred lashes is in the form of an addition to the verse; when the verse was sent down, that additional part was abrogated. However, the president of the Islamic state can apply it as a tazir penalty.

2. Stoning of Ma’iz b. Malik, who confessed his fornication four times.

Ma’iz b. Malik came to the Prophet (pbuh) and said, “Purify me.” The Prophet (pbuh) said to him, “Woe on you! Go away. Repent of your sin and ask Allah for forgiveness.” Ma’iz returned without going very far and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Purify me.” The Prophet (pbuh) made him go away three times by saying the same things. When he said it for the fourth time, the Prophet (pbuh) asked, “What shall I purify you from?” Ma’iz said, “From adultery.” The Prophet (pbuh) asked the people there, “Does he suffer from a mental illness?” They said that he did not have such an illness. He asked, “May he have drunk wine?” Somebody stood up to check. He could not sense any smell of wine. The Prophet (pbuh) asked Ma’iz again, “Did you commit adultery?” Ma’iz said, “Yes, I did.” The Prophet (pbuh) gave the order and he was stoned.

After Ma’iz was stoned to death, the Companions were divided into two about him. Some of them said that he had been destroyed while others said that he had made the most virtuous repentance. This different approach lasted for three days. Then, the Messenger of Allah came over to them and said, “Ask forgiveness for Ma’iz b. Malik.” They said, “ May Allah forgive Ma’iz.” Then, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Ma’iz made such a repentance that if that were to be divided among a people, it would be enough for all of them.” (Muslim, Hudud, 22; ash-Shawkani, Naylul-Awtar, VII, 95,109; az-Zaylai, Nasbur-Raya, III, 314 ff)

3. The stoning of the married woman from Ghamidiya due to adultery

“A short while after Ma’iz was stoned to death, a woman from Ghamid branch of the tribe of Azd came and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Purify me.” The Prophet (pbuh) said to her, “Woe on you! Go away. Repent of your sin and ask Allah for forgiveness.” The woman said, “Do you want to send me away like you did to Ma’iz.” The Prophet (pbuh) asked, “What happened to you?” The woman said she was pregnant due to adultery. The Prophet (pbuh) asked, “You?” The woman said, “Yes.” The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Go away and return when you give birth.” A man from Ansar undertook the care of the woman. After a while, he came to the Prophet (pbuh) and said, “The woman from Ghamid gave birth.” A man from Ansar undertook the care of the child and she was stoned.” (Muslim, Hudud, 22, 23, 24; Ibn Majah, Diyat, 36; Malik, Muwatta’, Hudud, II).

It is stated in another narration that she was given permission until the child kept suckling and that Khalid b Walid uttered bad words about the woman when blood splashed on him during stoning. Then, the Prophet (pbuh) said to him,  

“O Khalid! Be gentle. By Him in whose hand is my life that she made such a repentance that even if a wrongful tax-collector were to repent, he would be forgiven.” Then, he ordered her dead body to be prepared and led her janazah prayer. Then, she was buried.

4. The stoning of a married Jewish man and a Jewish woman due to adultery

According to what is reported from Abdullah b. Umar, a Jewish man and woman who committed adultery were brought to the Prophet (pbuh). The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked Jews about the decree of adultery in the Torah. The Jews said, “We darken their faces and make them ride on the donkey with their faces turned to the opposite direction and their backs touching each other, and then they are taken round the city.” They brought the Torah but when the young Jew who was reading placed his hand on the verse pertaining to stoning and skipped it, Abdullah b. Salam, who was a Jew before becoming a Muslim, noticed it and asked the Prophet (pbuh) to command him to lift his hand. When he lifted his hand, the verse pertaining to stoning was seen. Both Jews were stoned because they committed adultery though they were married. (Muslim, Hudud, 26)

The incident of the stoning of the two Jews reported from Bara b. Azib is as follows:  

“A Jew whose face had been blackened by coal and who had been flogged was brought to the Prophet (pbuh). The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked Jews about the decree of adultery in the Torah. When the Jews said the penalty was like that, he asked a Jewish scholar, “I ask you in the name of Allah who sent down the Torah on Musa (Moses): What is the decree for adultery in the Torah?” The Jewish scholar said, “Stoning to death exist in the Torah. However, adultery became quite common amongst our aristocratic class. When a rich person was caught and brought to us, we would release him, but when we caught hold of a helpless person, we would stone him. We gave up stoning in order to punish both groups equally; we replaced stoning with blackening the face with coal and flogging.” Thereupon, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “O Allah! I am the one who will fulfill your command after they changed it.” Then, he gave the order and the Jew was stoned.”  

According to some Islamic mujtahids, if non-Muslims apply to the Muslim court, the judge has to act according to Allah’s decree. They say that their right of choice regarding the issue was abrogated. According to an opinion from Hanafis and Imam Shafi’i, this principle is valid. However, Abu Hanifa states the following: “If the non-Muslim husband and wife come to the Islamic court together, it is necessary to judge with justice between them. If the woman comes alone, the judge cannot make a judgment if her husband does not consent.” According to Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad, he can make a judgment. (Ahmed Davudoğlu, Sahihi Müslim Terceme ve Şerhi, İstanbul 1978, VIII, 376).

65 Who are the Companions known as the four political geniuses of Arabs?

1. Muawiya b. Abi Sufyan: He is famous for doing things solemnly and gradually. (However, according to some resources, this person is Muawiya b. Abih).

1. Amr b. As: He was famous for solving the hardest problems.

3. Mughira b. Shu’ba: He was famous as the man of great jobs and deals.

4. Ziyad b. Abih (According to some resources, he is Muawiya b. Abih’s brother.) He was famous for his skill that could deal with all kinds of jobs and transactions. (see Ya‘qubi, Tarikh, Beirut 1960, II, 229; Tabari, Tarikh, V, 212-218, 295-348; Ibnul-Athir, al-Kamil, III 247-248)

66 Why is the phrase "Karramallahu wajha" is used for Hz. Ali? What does it mean?

Hz. Ali is the son of Abu Talib, the paternal uncle of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). He was born 23 years before the migration and became a Muslim on the second day of the prophethood of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh). He never worshipped idols. Therefore, he is appreciated by the phrase "Karramallahu wajha" when his name is mentioned.

KARRAMALLAHU-WAJHAHU is a prayer meaning 'May Allah make his face/aspect/side/ honorable!' This phrase is uttered to show him respect because he never prostrated or worshipped idols and because he prostrated before Allah since his childhood.

67 Why would our Prophet sit up straight when ʿUthmān (Hz. Osman) came in?

The hadith mentioned in the question is included in Muslim (Fadailus-Sahaba 26-27, (2401-2402). Since the hadith is included in Sahihu Muslim and since its narrators are reliable, it should be regarded as sound.  

If Hz. Uthman had seen that the Prophet was lying down, he would have left without asking a question so as not to disturb him. The Prophet (pbuh) knew about it, sat up and enabled Hz. Uthman to ask his question. As a matter of fact, the following explanation of the Prophet indicates it:   

"Uthman is a very shy person. If I had allowed him to enter without changing my position, I feared that he would have left without mentioning the reason why he had come."

This practice shows us that it is permissible to speak to friends by lying down. The Messenger of Allah, who is a model for us with all of his deeds, teaches his ummah something with this practice.

That Hz. Aisha wanted to put a cover on her when Hz. Uthman wanted to enter shows that this incident took place at some other time. For, it cannot be thought that Hz. Aisha was without a cover when Hz. Umar entered. It means the incidents that took place at different times were narrated in the same hadith. As a matter of fact, Muhammed b. Abi Harmala, who narrated the hadith said, "They did not take place on the same day." (Muslim, ibid) Thus, he clarified the issue. Accordingly, it is not in question for Hz. Aisha not be careful about covering her body when Hz. Umar was present.

68 How did Hz. Umar attain a distinguished rank among the Companions though he became a Muslim late (six years after the emergence of Islam)?

Along with receiving the prayer of the Prophet, Hz. Umar attained a distinguished rank among the Companions due to having superior personal characteristics like righteousness and justice, and making sacrifices to serve Islam.   

When Umar came to kill the Messenger of Allah, he held Umar’s collars and said,  

"O Ibn Khattab! Be a Muslim. O Allah! Give him guidance!"

Umar uttered kalima ash-shahadah at once and declared that he believed. (Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqatul-Kubra, II/268-269; Usdul-Ghaba, IV/148-149; Suyuti, Tarikhul-Khulafa, Beirut 1986, 124 ff)

Some of his characteristics and some information about him are as follows: 

According to the narrations, Hz. Umar became a Muslim as a result of the following prayer of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh):

"O Allah! Elevate Islam with Umar b. al-Khattab or Amr b. Hisham (Abu Jahl)." (Ibnul-Hajar al-Asqalani, al-Isaba fi Tamyizis-Sahaba, Baghdad n.d., II/518; Ibn Sa'd, ibid; Suyuti, ibid, 125).

According to a hadith Tabari reported from Ibn Abbas, the first person to declare openly that he became a Muslim was Hz. Umar (r.a) olmuştur. (Suyuti, ibid, 129)

Hz. Umar took part in all incidents that affected the elevation of Islam during the period of Madinah. Hz. Umar was one of the first people the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) consulted when he made important decisions. His views were so pointed that some verses were sent down in accordance with what he had indicated. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) expressed this state of Umar’s as follows:   

"Allah realized the truth based on the tongue and heart of Umar." (Usdul-Ghaba, IV/151)

Hz. Umar is known to adopt a clear and uncompromising attitude toward issues. His enmity against unbelief and his sensitivity about not being able to accept the attacks of the polytheists on Islam caused him to oppose some decisions severely. However, when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) warned him that he did nothing but to fulfill Allah’s orders and instructions, he came round and realized the inner nature of the incidents.

Hz. Umar played an important role in eliminating the disorder that occurred immediately after the death of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) with the election of Hz. Abu Bakr as the caliph. The greatest helper of Hz. Abu Bakr during his short caliphate was Hz. Umar.

69 How should we understand the following statement of Hz. Abu Bakr's: "O Lord! Enlarge my body so much that it will fill Hell so that there will be no place for others? Is this a rebellion?

There is no rebellion - God forbid - in this statement but the perfection given by belief. As a matter of fact, many great Islamic scholars have similar statements.  The following statement of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi confirms this: "If I see the belief of my ummah safe, I am ready to burn in the flames of Hell."

Islamic scholars approached all people with the compassion of a mother. A mother does not want her child to be thrown into fire; she will throw herself into fire instead of her child; she will throw herself into fire in order to save her child from fire. Similarly, Islamic scholars wanted themselves to be thrown into fire for the salvation of the ummah. Besides, what makes them elevate to that level is that spirit.