A Short Biography Of Musaylimah
He was one of those persons, who came to Medina in the tenth year of migration and embraced Islam. However, after his return to his birth-place he himself claimed to be a prophet and some simple-minded and also some fanatical persons responded to his call. His popularity in Yamamah was not a manifestation of his real personality. Some people had gathered round him knowing that he was a liar and their logic was this: "A liar of Yamamah is better than a truthful person of the Hijaz". This sentence was uttered by one of the supporters of Musaylimah when he asked him: "Does an angel descend on you? " He said: "Yes. Its name is Rahman". The man asked: "Is that angel in light or in darkness?" Musaylimah replied: "In darkness". The man said: "I testify that you are a liar. However, a liar of the Rabi'ah tribe of Yamamah is better than a truthful person of the Mazar tribe of the Hijaz" (By the truthful person of Mazar he meant the Prophet of Islam). It cannot be gain said that this man claimed to be a prophet and gathered some persons round him.
However, it is not at all established that he planned to contend with the Holy Qur'an, and the sentences and verses which have been quoted in the historical texts as examples of his contention with the Qur'an cannot be the logic and wording of an eloquent person like Musaylimah, because his usual words and sentences carry great firmness and self-possession. In view of this it may, be said that whatever has been attributed to him is like the sentences which have been attributed to his contemporary Aswad bin Ka'b 'Unsi who claimed to be a prophet in Yemen simultaneously with Musaylimah(24) and it is not improbable that all these may be mere embellishments in both the cases, resorted to with some specific motives. The reason for holding this view is that the Holy Qur'an possesses such an unusual greatness and eloquence that nobody can pick up courage to think of contending with it and every Arab knew clearly that it was humanly impossible to imitate. After the demise of the Prophet campaign against the apostates was the first action of the lslamic Caliphate. Hence, the zone of Musaylimah's influence vas besieged by the forces of Islam.
When the siege was tightened and the eventual defeat of this pretender became evident some of his simple-minded friends said to him "What has happened to the occult help and support which you had promised us? Musaylimah replied "There is no news about occult law and help. It was a false promise which I gave you. However, it is incumbent upon you to defend your honour and greatness". However, defense of honour and greatness was of little avail! Musaylimah and a group of his friends were killed within the precincts of a garden and the false prophethood met the end it deserved. The very sentence translated above shows that he was an eloquent speaker and it also shows that he is not at all the speaker of those msipid sentences, which history has attributed to him, as specimens of his contention with the Holy Qur'an.
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Apprehension of Rome
Although the appearance of such impostors to prophethood in different parts of Arabia constituted a danger for Islamic unity, the Prophet was more worried about the Romans, who held Syria and Palestine as a part of their colonies, because he knew that the able and competent Governors of Yamamah and Yemen would be able to deal with the impostors to prophethood. Hence, Aswad Unsi, the second impostors during the time of the Prophet was killed, as a result of the measures adopted by the Governor of Yemen, only one day before the Prophet breathed his last.
The Prophet was sure that the powerful Rulers of Rome, who were watching the ever-increasing influence of the Islamic Government, would be disturbed as Christianity has been losing its influence in Arabia and Islam having obliged some Christians to pay tribute to the Islamic Government. He had been apprehending very seriously the danger from the side of Romans for quite some time. It was for this very reason that in the eighth year of Migration he sent an army to the territory of the Romans under the command of Ja'far bin Abi Talib, Zayd bin Harith and Abdullah Rawaha, and in this encounter all the three commanders were killed and the army of Islam returned to Medina, as a result of the management of Khalid, without achieving victory.
When the news of the intended attack upon the Hijaz by Romans spread in Medina in-the 9 A.H. the Prophet proceeded to Tabuk personally at the head of 30,000 strong army and, returned to Medina without fighting and without encountering the enemy. In view of all this the Prophet apprehended very serious danger and for this reason he organized, after return to Medina, an army consisting of the Muhajirs and the Ansar, which included distingusished persons like Abu Bakr, Umar, Abi 'Ubaydah, Said Waqqas etc. In fact he ordered that all those Muhajirs who had migrated to Medina earlier than others should participate in this battle.(25) In order to arouse the religious sentiments of the Muslim warriors the Prophet fastened a standard for Usamah with his own hand(26) and gave him the following instructions: "Fight in the name of Allah and in His path. Fight against the enemies of Allah. Attack the people of Unba(27) early in the morning and cover this distance so quickly that you and your soldiers should arrive at that place before the news of your march reaches there". Usamah gave the standard to Buraydah and fixed Jurf(28) to be his camping-place so that the Muslim soldiers might arrive there in groups and then all might depart at a fixed time.
The Prophet had two things in view while he selected a young man to be the head of the army and placed the elders from amongst the Muhajirs and the Ansar under his command; firstly he wanted to compensate Usamah for the calamity which had befallen him on account of his having lost his father in the Battle of Mutah and to exalt his personality; secondly he wished to revive the law of distribution of work and position on the basis of personality and ability, and wanted to make it clear that public offices and situations demand nothing except ability and skill and have nothing to do with age, so that capable young men might prepare themselves for important public responsibilities and should know that in Islam status and office have a direct link with ability and skill and not with years and age. Islam is strict discipline in accordance with the Divine teachings; and a real Muslim is he, who submits before Allah's orders like a soldier on the battlefield, and accepts those orders sincerely-whether they result in his benefit or in his loss, and whether they are according to his wishes or against them. Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, defines the reality of Islam in a brief but very pithy sentence. He says: Islam is nothing except submission to its orders".(29) Some persons resort to discrimination in the matter of rules and regulations of Islam, and whenever they find them to be opposed to their personal wishes, they at once raise objections and try to find some pretext to divest themselves of their obligations.
These people lack Islamic discipline, and do not possess the real spirit of submission, which is the basis and root of Islam. The commandership of the young man, Usamah bin Zayd, whose age did not then exceed twenty years,(30) is a clear proof of what we have said above, because his status annoyed a number of the companions, who were much older than he. They began to sneer and object and uttered words, which showed lack of military discipline and absence of the spirit of submission to the orders of the Supreme Commander of Islam (i.e. the Prophet). Their main objection was that the Prophet had appointed a young man as the commander of senior companions.(31) They were, however, not aware of the greater interests involved in the matter as explained by us in the fore-going lines, they assessed it in accordance with their limited wisdom and personal interests. Notwithstanding the fact that they felt clearly that the Prophet was endeavouring to mobilize this army, some mysterious hands were delaying its departure from the camping-place at Jurf and were plotting evil designs. The next day after the Prophet fastened the standard of war for Usamah, he fell sick with high fever and head-ache. This ailment continued for some days and eventually resulted in his tragic demise.
The Prophet became aware, during his illness, that the movement of the army from the camping-place was being obstructed, and some persons were sneering at the commander- ship of Usamah. This annoyed him immensely and with a towel on his shoulder and a piece of cloth tied to his head, he went into the mosque so that he might speak to the Muslims from near and warn them with regard to the violation of his orders. While he had high temperature, he mounted the pulpit and, after glorifying the Almighty Allah, spoke thus "Yes, O people! I am very sad on account of delay in the departure of the army. It appears that the commandership of Usamah has been disliked by some of you, and you have stated raising objections. However, your objections and disobedience is nothing new. Previously you criticized the commandership of Usamah's father Zayd. I swear by Allah that he was fit for this office and his son is also fit for it. He is dear to me. O people ! Be good to him, and, also, recommend to others that they should be good to him. He is one of your good ones".
The Prophet finished his sermon at this juncture, dismounted from the pulpit and went into bed with a high fever and a heavy body. He repeatedly recommended to the senior companions, who came to enquire after his health: "Make Usamah's army move''.(32) And at times he said: "Equip Usamah's army" or "Send Usamah's army". The Prophet was so keen for the departure of Usamah's army that while he was bed-ridden on account of illness, asked his companions to equip Usamah's army for departure, he also cursed those, who wished to separate themselves from the army and to stay on in Medina.(33)
These recommendations led to the elders from amongst the Muhajirs and the Ansar coming to see the Prophet to bid him farewell and then wily nilly leave Medina to join the army of Usamah at the camping-place of Jurf. During the two or three days when Usamah was busy arranging the preliminaries of the march, news about the serious condition of the Prophet were reaching from Medina and weakened the determination of the people to depart, until, on Monday, the commander of the army came to bid farewell to the Prophet and noticed some improvement in him. The Prophet asked him to proceed to his destination as early as possible. He returned to the camping-place and issued orders for the march of the army. The army had not yet left Jurf (the camping-place) when news reached from Medina that the Prophet was on the brink of the grave. Some persons, who had delayed the departure of the army for sixteen days on different excuses, made the serious condition of the Prophet a pretext and returned to Medina, and others also followed suit. Thus one of the. earnest desires of the Prophet could not be fulfilled during his lifetime on account of the indiscipline of some of the officers of the army.(34)
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A Lame Excuse
It is not possible to explain away such a mistake on the part of some of those companions who later held the reins of the Caliphate and assumed the title of the Caliph of the Prophet! Some scholars of Ahl-i Sunnat have endeavoured to explain away their disobedience m various ways. For the perusal of their unfounded apologies, refer to the books entitled al-Murajiiat(35) and al-Nass wal Ijtihad.(36)
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Seeking Forgiveness For Those Buried In Baqi
Some of the biographers have stated thus "On the day the Prophet's temperature became very high and he was confined to bed, he went to the graveyard of Baqi at mid-night, accompanied by his servant Abi Muwayhabah(37) to seek forgiveness for those buried there. Some historians believe that on the day the Prophet felt unwell he caught the hand of Ali and proceeded to the graveyard of Baqi along with a group of persons, who were following them, and said to those accompanying him: "I have been ordered by Allah to seek forgiveness for the people of Baqi". When he set his foot in the graveyard he greeted those buried there, and spoke thus "I send my greetings to you, who are buried under earth. May the condition in which you are, be happy and wholesome for you. Disturbances have appeared like the parts of a dark night and are united with one another". Then he sought forgiveness for the people of Baqi. Thereafter he turned to Ali and said "l he key of the treasures of the world and prolonged life in it has been presented to me and I havc been given a choice between them and meeting Allah and entry into Paradise but I have preferred meeting Allah and entry into Paradise. (As quoted by the narrators of Tabaqat etc. he turned his face to Abi Muwayhabah).
"The Archangel Jibreel used to present the Qur'an to me once every year, but this year he has presented it to me twice. There can be no reason for this except that the time of my departure has drawn near''.(38) The people, who see this world with material eyes only, arid do not consider the aim of creation to be anything beyond matter and its manifestations, may perhaps entertain doubts in this regard and may say to themselves "How can one contact the souls and converse with them and how can one become aware of the time of one's own death?" However, the people, who have disavowed materialism and believe in the existence of a soul independent of the elemental body, do not at all deny contact with the souls and consider it to be something possible and real.(39) A Prophet, who is connected with the world of revelation and other world independent of matter, and who is free from mistakes, can certainly give information regarding Allah's will about his death.
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A Will Which Was Not Written
The last chapter of the life of the Prophet of Islam, when he was confined to bed, is one of the most delicate and subtle chapters of the history of Islam. In those days the Muslims were passing through very tragic moments. Open disobedience on the part of some companions and their refusal to join the army of Usamah was an evidence of a series of underground activities and the earnest determination of the persons concerned that after the demise of the Prophet they would take possession of the governmental and political affairs of Islam7 and would push back the person, who had been formally appointed on the day of Ghadir as the successor to the Prophet. The Prophet also knew to some extent their intentions and, in order to neutralize their activities, insisted that all the senior companions should join the army of Usamah and should leave Medina as early as possible to fight against the Romans. However, in order to put their own plans into operation, the political jugglers excused themselves from joining Usamah's army on various pretexts and even prevented the army from marching off, so much so that the Prophet passed away but the army of Islam did not depart from Jurf (camping-place at Medina) and returned to Medina after sixteen days. Their detention was due to the death of the Prophet.
Thus the desire of the Prophet that on the day of his death Medina should be free from political mischief-makers, who might indulge in activities against his immediate successor, was not fulfilled. They did not only fail to leave Medina but endeavoured to forestall every action, which could possibly confirm the position of Ali as the uninterrupted successor of the Prophet and to prevent the Prophet, by different means, from talking on this subject. The Prophet came to know about the shocking actions, and secret activities of some of their daughters, who happened to be his wives. In spite of the fact that he was suffering from high fever, he entered the mosque, stood by the side of the pulpit, turned his {ace to the people and said with a loud voice which could be heard even outside the mosque "O people ! The mischief has been sparked off and rebellion has appeared like the pieces of a dark night.
You have no excuse against me. I did not declare lawful anything except that which the Qur'an declared lawful and did not declare unlawful anything except that which the Qur'an declared unlawful.(40) This sentence shows the Prophet's grave anxiety about the future and about the fate of Islam after his own death. What did he mean by the mischief which had been sparked off? Could it be anything other than - the mischief and dispersion which was created after the death of the Prophet and its flames have not yet extinguished but continue to flare up?
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Bring A Pen And An Ink-pot So That I May Write A Will
The Prophet was aware of the activities which were in the offing outside his house, to take possession of the caliphate. In order to check the deflection of the caliphate from its real pivot and the appearance of differences and disputes he decided to affirm the Caliphate of Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, and the position of Ahlal Bayt in writing so that the document in question might serve as a clear-cut evidence on the subject of caliphate. One day, when the senior companions came to enquire about his health, he lowered his head a little and reflected for some time. Then he said to them "Bring me a sheet of paper and an ink-pot so that I may write something for you, after which you will never be misguided".(41) At this moment the Second Caliph broke the silence and said: "Sickness has overpowered the Prophet. The Qur'an is with you. The Divine Book is sufficient for us". The view expressed by the caliph became the subject of discussion, some persons opposed him and said: "The orders of the Prophet must be obeyed.
Go and bring him pen and paper so that whatever he has in mind should be recorded". Some others took the side of the caliph and prevented the procurement of pen and ink. The Prophet was extremely annoyed on account of their dispute and presumptuous words and said "Get up and leave the house". (Be off from here). After narrating this incident Ibn Abbas says "The greatest calamity for Islam was that the discord and dispute of some companions prevented the Prophet from writing the deed which he intended to write''.(42) This historical event has been quoted by a number of Sunni and Shi'ah traditionalists and historians, and from the viewpoint of a critical study of tradition they consider it as falling under the category of the authentic and correct reports.
The point, which needs attention is that the Sunni traditionalists have quoted only the purport of the words of Umar and have not reproduced his presumptuous remarks. Evidently they have refrained from quoting the original remarks not because reproduction of such presumptuous remarks amounts to taking liberty with the Prophet but have altered the words of the caliph with a view to protecting his position, so that the posterity might not form an adverse view about him on coming across such insulting remarks of his. Hence when Abu Bakr Jauhari, author of al-Saqifaa reaches at this point in his book he says, while quoting the remarks of Umar: "Umar said something the purport of which is that the sickness had overpowered the Prophet ".(43) However, when some of them wish to quote the text of the remarks of the caliph, they refrain, with a view to protecting his position, from mentioning his name clearly and write only this: "And they said: The Prophet of Allah has spoken in a delirious state of mind''.(44) It is an admitted fact .hat whosoever utters such an indecent and repulsive sentence cannot be forgiven, because, as clearly mentioned by the Qur'an, the Prophet was immune from every kind of mistake and whatever he said was revealed to him. The dispute of the companions in the presence of the infallible Prophet was so repugnant and annoying that some of his wives, who were sitting behind a curtain, asked, by way of objection, as to why his orders were not being obeyed. In order to silence them the caliph replied:
"You women are like the companions of Prophet Yusuf. As and when the Prophet falls ill you shed tears and when he regains health you rule over him".(45) Although some fanatics have apparently coined excuses for the caliph having opposed the demand of the Prophet(46) they have condemned him from the standpoint of logic, and have considered his remark (The Books of Allah is sufficient for us) to be baseless. All of them have admitted it very clearly that the Sunnah of the Prophet is the second pillar of Islam and the Book of Allah cannot at all relieve the Muslim Ummah from the need of the Prophet's Sunnah. It is, however, surprising that Dr Haykal, the author of the book Hayat-i Muhammad has undertaken to side with the caliph by way of a hint and writes:
"After this event Ibn Abbas believed that on account of not writing what the Prophet wanted to be written the Muslims had lost something important but Umar stuck to his view, .because Allah says in the Qur'an: "We have neglected nothing in the book."(47) If, however, he had studied the preceding and succeeding words of the verse he would not have explained it in such an unjustified manner and would not have risen in support of the caliph against the clear-cut words of the infallible Prophet because the meaning of the word book in the said verse is the creation and the pages of existence and the various species in the world of existence are different pages of the book of creation and these innumerable pages give shape to the book of creation. Here is the text of the verse:
" All the beasts on land and flying birds have different communities just as you (men) have. We have not neglected anything in the book. They will be brought into the presence of their Lord." (6: 39)
As the words preceding the sentence under consideration relate to the animals and the birds and the words succeeding it relate to the Day of Resurrection it can be said definitely that in this verse the meaning of the word book, from which nothing has been left out, is the book of creation. Besides this, even if we admit that what is meant by the word book in this verse of the Qur'an is the Qur'an itself even then, as specified by the Qur'an itself, it is an admitted fact that it can be understood only in the light of the hadith and the guidance of the Prophet of Islam . The Holy Qur'an says:
"Whom we had sent with miracles and revelations, 'Ask those who know about the Books if you do not know about this'. We have revealed the Qur'an to you, so that you may explain to mankind what has been revealed to them and so that perhaps they will think." (16:44)
In this verse it has not been said "You may read to mankind". The words used are "You may explain to mankind". Hence even if the Book of Allah be sufficient for mankind it stands in great need of explanation by the Prophet. If the Muslim ummah could really dispense with such a document (i.e. the one which the Prophet proposed to write) why should Ibn Abbas have said the following words, while tears were trickling down his cheeks "What a painful day was Thursday; when the Prophet said: "Bring me a shoulder-bone and an ink-pot or a paper and an ink-pot so that I may write something for you and you may not be misguided in future", some persons said " I he Prophet is ...(48) How can it be said that in spire of the sentiments expressed by Ibn Abbas and the insistence made by the Prophet himself, the Qur'an has enabled the Muslim Ummah to dispense with the will in question. And as the Prophet did not succeed in dictating such a will, can it be guessed by means of any definite indications as to what he intended to record in his will?
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