MARTYRDOM OF THE PRINCE OF THE COMPANIONS [OF THE PROPHET], O’MAR B. ALKHATTÂB—MAY ALLAH BE PLEASED WITH HIM—AND ACCOUNT OF THE ELECTION [OR CONSULTATION].

The U’lamâ of histories—Allah have mercy on them— have recorded that in the last days of O’mar’s life, Ka’bu-l-âkhbâr had said to him: ‘Prepare for thy journey to the next world and make thy last will, because not more than three days of thy life remain.’ As he felt no weakness nor pain, he was astonished at the words of Ka’b, and asked: ‘Whence hast thou obtained this information?’ Ka’b replied: ‘From the Torathah’ [i.e., Pentateuch]. O’mar continued: ‘Is there any mention of me in the Torathah?’ Ka’b replied: ‘Yes. Some of thy qualities and acts are recorded in that book.’ At that time the slave of Moghyrah B. Sha’bah, whose name was Fyrûz, also called Abu Lûlû, and who was a Christian, laid a complaint before O’mar, saying: ‘My master daily extorts from me a sum unjustly,* so that I am reduced to great distress. I hope thou wilt order him to reduce it a little.’ O’mar asked: ‘Hast thou any qualifications?’ He replied: ‘I am a carpenter, a painter and a blacksmith.’ O’mar rejoined: ‘Taking into consideration all these abilities of thine, what Moghyrah extracts from thee is but just.’ He also added: ‘Abu Lûlû, I have heard that thou art able to construct a windmill; if thou makest one for me to grind the corn of the public treasury into flour it will be well.’ Abu Lûlû then angrily exclaimed: ‘I shall construct for thee a wind­mill, which will become known from East to West!’ After this interview had terminated, O’mar said: ‘This slave has threatened to kill me!’ In short, Abu Lûlû, having deter­mined to slay O’mar, ran to the Mahrâb,* where O’mar was engaged in conducting the morning prayers of the people, and stabbed him six times with a dagger, a blow under the navel taking lethal effect. O’mar having been conveyed to his house, the physician Hâreth B. Kaldah was asked whether the wounds could be cured or not. When Hâreth arrived, he administered a little milk to O’mar, and when it issued with blood under the navel, Hâreth despaired of the life of O’mar, and said: ‘O Amir, make thy last will, because from a medical point of view thy case is a dangerous one.’ On this occasion Ka’bu-l-âkhbâr made his appear­ance, whereon O’mar recited two distichs, the translation of which is as follows: ‘Ka’b said to me: Of thy life, O O’mar, three days remain, and there is no doubt of it. By Allah! I dread not the loss of my life, but I am apprehen­sive of the multitude of my sins.’ Then he said to his son A’bdullah: ‘Go to A´ayshah, and do not speak of me as the Amir of the Faithful, because I am not their Amir to-day, but say to her: “O’mar sends thee his greeting, and asks for permission to be interred by the side of his companion”’ [i.e., Abu Bakr]. A’bdullah obeyed, and the request was complied with. O’mar then again said: ‘When I am dead you are again to ask A´ayshah for permission. If she assents it will be well; but if not, then bury me in the cemetery of the Musalmâns.’ On this occasion the chief Mohâjer and Anssâr requested O’mar to appoint a man worthy to be invested with the important office of the Khalifate. O’mar replied: ‘I have taken this heavy burden upon myself in my lifetime, but how can I con­tinue the responsibility for it when I am dead? If I appoint a man to the Khalifate, he ought to be better than myself, namely, one like Abu Bakr [who is, however, dead]; so it will be proper not to appoint anyone, the prince of the sons of Adam, namely, Muhammad the elect, not having himself appointed anyone to succeed him.’ Some of the people present in the assembly then said: ‘A number of the companions [of the prophet] are willing to see thy son A’bdullah, who is endowed with laudable qualities, appointed to the Khalifate.’ He, however, rejoined: ‘I do not think that one of the family of O’mar could bear this heavy burden without becoming obnoxious and subject to reproaches.’ After one of the friends had again insisted on the appointment of A’bdullah to the Khalifate, O’mar said to him: ‘Thou art attached to A’bdullah, but hast no regard for the nation. How could I entrust the affairs of Islâm to a man who is not cognizant of the circumstances under which he may divorce his own wife?’—These words he uttered because during the lifetime of his holy and prophetic lordship A’bdullah had divorced his wife while she was in a state of menstruation; whereon his lordship, having heard of the case, said to him: ‘Take her back, and, if thou art so inclined, divorce her in a state of purity, so as to act in conformity with the Sonna.’—O’mar then said: ‘There are six men worthy to be appointed to the Khalifate, namely, first of all, A’li, then O’thmân, and Sa’d B. Abu Woqqâss, and Ttolhah B. A’bdullah, and Zobeyr, and A’bdu-r-rahman B. A’wuf. The companions [of the prophet] must three days after my decease elect one of their own number to the Khalifate.’ It is related that certain Musul­mâns, having heard this injunction of O’mar, lengthened their tongues of disapproval with reference to the [just-enumerated] candidates; and when O’mar received the information he became displeased, and said: ‘I heard the apostle—u. w. bl.—uttering with his wonderfully eloquent mouth the following words: “I am in no place without my hand being in the hand of A’li B. Abu Ttâleb.” His lord­ship, one day addressing me, said: “O’thmân B. O’ffan is praying in the night, and the angels of the seven heavens are uttering salutations to him.” I asked: “O apostle of Allah, what is the virtue of O’thmân?” He replied: “Indeed, O’thmân is ashamed to commit sin or wrong in the sight of his Nourisher.” As for Ttolhah B. A’bdullah, when he marched one cold night with his holy and pro­phetic lordship, the baggage of that prince was about to fall, whereon he opened his pearl-dropping mouth in prayer, and said: “O Lord, whoever alights from his saddle, to arrange the saddle of Thy apostle, be Thou so pleased with him as never to be angry with him.” At that moment I saw Ttolhah getting down and putting the baggage right. Thereon his lordship again said to him: “O Ttolhah, here is Jebrâil [i.e., Gabriel] saluting thee, and saying to me: ‘Inform Ttolhah that at the resurrection no mishap will befall him, because I shall be with him.’” One day Zobeyr beheld the apostle—u. w. bl.—sleeping, and flies gathering on his blessed countenance, whereon Zobeyr occupied him­self in warding them off. When his lordship awoke and witnessed the service Zobeyr had been doing him, he said: “O Zobeyr, here is Jebrâil, who salutes thee and says to thee: ‘By that God who has sent Muhammad as a prophet, I swear that on the day of resurrection I shall ward off the fire-sparks from thy face.’” As to A’bdu-r-rahman B. A’wuf, his merit appeared as follows: One day the lord of apostleship was sitting in the chamber of A´ayshah, when Fattimah entered with Hasan and Husain, both children crying from hunger, and Fattimah with them. The prophet, witnessing this scene, said: “O Allah, rejoice him who gives food to my children!” Then someone shook the ring of the door, and it being opened, A’bdu-r-rahman B. A’wuf appeared, bearing in his hand a dish full of victuals. His lordship the apostle having given him leave to enter, he said: “O apostle of Allah, this is a gift.” His lordship replied: “A’bdu-r-rahman, Paradise has been made ready for thee, but God the Most High will also in this world bestow blessings and honours upon thee.” Then his holy and prophetic lordship partook of the victuals with the children, and all were filled. As to the merit of Sa’d, he acquired it in the battle of Ohod when serving out arrows to the apostle—u. w. bl.—who shot them at the unbelievers; and on that day I heard him saying thirteen times: “Shoot, O Sa’d; may my father and mother be a sacrifice for thee.” Accordingly, he who entertains evil suspicions concerning these men [i.e., the six candidates] is injuring his own soul.’ It is narrated in some traditions that, certain persons having asked O’mar why he had not himself appointed one of those six men to the Khalifate, he then mentioned a quality of each of them, which the broken-tongued reed, however, considered proper not to record, on grounds of perfect regard for them.

When the appointment to the office of the Khalifate by election [of one of the six candidates proposed by O’mar] had been decided upon, O’mar said to the Anssâri Abu Ttolhah: ‘Islâm has by your aid become exalted and impregnable. Thou must select fifty men of the Anssâr and superintend the candidates, that they may call no one, and thou art to admit no one. Thou must request and incite them to appoint one of themselves to the Khalifate as soon as possible, and if one or two men disagree with four or five men, thou must cause the sharp sword to decide between the opponents. If three men of the six differ [in their votes] from the other three, thou art to second the party to which A’bdu-r-rahman B. A’wuf belongs. My son A’bdullah is to be present at that meeting, but is not to interfere in anything. After my demise the six companions are to wait three days till they appoint a Khalifah.’—It is on record that after O’mar had nominated those six blessed men to be candidates, A’bbâs, who had become aware of the fact, said to A’li the Commander of the Faithful by way of advice: ‘In my opinion it will be better for thee to keep thyself aloof from this matter.’ A’li Murtadza replied: ‘It is repugnant to me to act contrary to the injunction of O’mar.’ A’bbâs continued: ‘Then thou wilt experience something repugnant to thyself.’ When A’li the Amir of the Faithful heard that preference had been given to A’bdu-r-rahman B. A’wuf, he said: ‘I have been deprived of the robe of the Khalifate.’ A’bbâs asked: ‘Whence knowest thou it?’ The Amir replied: ‘Because O’mar has said that if three men of the six are on one side and three on the other, the Musalmâns must follow the decision of A’bdu-r-rahman and not swerve therefrom; and he being the son-in-law of O’mar, they will certainly act according to it; nor will Sa’d B. Abu Woqqâss, who is the cousin of A’bdu-r-rahman, disregard his opinion, so that, supposing Ttolhah and Zobeyr to be with me, we shall not attain our object.’ A’bbâs continued: ‘O A’li, I have often given thee advice, but thou hast not listened to it. In the last sickness of the apostle—bl. u. h.—I told thee to ask him who should after him administer the affairs of the commonwealth, but thou hast demurred. When his lordship had joined the proximity of God’s mercy, I often told thee that if thou covetest the Khalifate thou must make haste to attain it, but thou hast not approved of my suggestion. I have directed thee not to enrol thyself among the candidates, but thou hast not followed my advice. Now the circum­stances of the time and the requirements of honour make it necessary that if they propose thee to become Khalifah, thou art not to open the mouth of assent unless they unanimously propose to pay thee allegiance. A’li, take care of the cunning of these people! They wish to remove us, and to seat another on the masnad* of the govern­ment.’

It is known for certain that O’mar departed to the eternal abode at the end of Dhu-l-Hejjah of the year twenty-three.* According to one tradition, the duration of his Khalifate amounted to ten years, six months, and four days, but a few days less have also been assigned to it; and Ssahyt B. Sanân Rûmy, whom O’mar had appointed Emâm of the people in his days of weakness, held the funeral prayers over him.

In the book ‘Muwaqa’h Assuhâbah’ it is recorded that A’li B. Abu Ttâleb entered the house of O’mar after his death but before his ablution, and said: ‘O O’mar, may God the Most High have mercy on thee, because I know of no one except thyself whose page of deeds is in conformity with the volume of His acts. It is my desire that my meeting the majesty of the Nourisher should be like thine. I am of opinion that God will not separate thee from His beloved one [i.e., Muhammad], and from his friend, namely, Abu Bakr, for I have often heard the apostle—u. w. bl.— say: “I and Abu Bakr and O’mar have done thus, and have walked thus,” and thy name was always the third of them. May God the Most High pardon thee, O son of Khattâb, for thou hast been conversant with His evident signs [i.e., verses of the Qurân], and hast feared no one except Him, whose name be glorified; thou hast held His commands in very great esteem, and hast, in executing His injunctions, been partial to no one. Thou hast been liberal towards God and parsimonious to thyself, and thou hast been poor in mundane goods but rich in eternal prospects.’ When the people had taken up the corpse of O’mar and conveyed it to the door of the chamber of A´ayshah, according to the injunction of O’mar, and again asked for permission [to inter it by the side of her father, Abu Bakr], A´ayshah—may Allah be pleased with her—said: ‘I shall never withdraw my gift.’ She then interlaced her fingers, lifted up her hands, and wailed: ‘O Muhammad! O Abu Bakr! your friend O’mar has come to pay you a visit, and asked for permission to enter.’ The population of Madinah then raised a unanimous shout of lamentation which made the earth and the heavens quake. After that his blessed body was interred by the side of Abu Bakr. When he died, his agent over Mekkah was Nâfi’ B. A’bdullah Khozaa’y; and over Ttâyf, Sofiân B. A’bdullah Thaqfy; and over Bossrah, Abu Mûsa Asha’ry; and over Kûfah, Moghyrah B. Sha’bah; and over Egypt, A’mru B. A´ass; and over Hamss, A’mru B. Sa’d; and over Damascus, Moa’wiah B. Abu Sofiân. The allegation of some chroniclers, that in one of the nights during the election A’mru B. A´ass had an interview with A’li, and beguiled him so that the Khalifate devolved on O’thmân, is rejected by the U’lamâ of histories and considered to be weak. The arranger of the parts [i.e., our author] says that information on the names of the chaste wives of O’mar, the number of his children, and his meritorious acts in detail, is recorded in extensive books on the religious wars and in biographical works.