Nomination of Umar by Abu Bakr

In his last illness, when Abu Bakr felt that he was dying, he sent for Uthman, and asked him to write down his will. Abu Bakr began dictating it, but had given only a few preliminary sentences when he became unconscious, and Uthman extemporized by inserting the following sentence: " I have nominated Umar as my successor". This sentence was the core of the will; in fact it alone was the will.

When consciousness returned to Abu Bakr, he asked Uthman to read what he had written. Uthman 'read out the will with the added sentence. Abu Bakr was relieved to know that Uthman had of his own accord written down the name of Umar, and applauded his action, saying "You perhaps feared that if I died while the name of Umar was not there, serious differences might arise among the Muslims". Uthman replied in the affirmative, and Abu Bakr sought God's blessings for this insertion and interference in the will, and completed it (97).

When the people came to hear of the nomination of Umar., they came and remonstrated with Abu Bakr, saying that his choice had fallen on the wrong person, and that they wondered what answer he would give to God for selecting the wrong person to guide and lead the Muslim nation. Talha and Zubair also came and said the same thing. Abu Bakr asked' his attendants to help him sit, and when he had sat up said" You threaten me with God's displeasure. When questioned by God, I shall reply that I put Muhammad's Ummah into the charge of the best man of that Ummah". He then announced this nomination from his own house, and gave the written will to.Umar, asking him to go and reconcile the people to it. The people meekly submitted (98).

Umar took the written will, went out, sat in the mosque, and with his rod in his hand, asked the people to promise obedience to what was written in that document. The slave of Abu Bakr was by his side (99).

In pondering over this affair, the following points deserve consideration:
1. The nomination of Umar was against the wishes of the people.

2. The people were not consulted.

3. Nonetheless the people never maintained that they had a right to elect the Caliph.

4. The clique against Ali was so strong and determined that they were prepared to go to the extent of forging a will, this being applauded by the Caliph.

5. It further shows that the designs of the party were well known, and everybody knew even before the actual nomination that Umar would succeed Abu Bakr.

6. When the Prophet (P) had intended to write a similar will nominating Ali as his successor, and demanded writing materials for the purpose, Umar interposed between the Prophet's desire and its fulfilment, obstructing the supply of writing materials, and asked the people not to listen to the Prophet as the Book of God was sufficient for all purposes, adding that it ", as was due to febrile delirium. But now the Book of God was forgotten, no delirium was suspected, even though Abu Bakr had actually fainted during the writing of the will, and the writer had made an insertion in it. Yet a will written under such suspicious circumstances was accepted and acted upon.

7. All the people, including the Caliph himself. realized that the ruler of this Islamic State would be answerable to God as to the man in whose charge he left the Umma when on the point .of himself leaving the world; yet according to this Theory of Non-appointment, we are expected to believe that Muhammad himself had no such sense of answerability.

8. It is thus obvious that it was the duty of the dying ruler to nominate his successor.

The manner in which "Umar nominated "Uthman was one of those deep-laid plans whereby 'Ali was kept out of the Caliphate. I will be discussing it in its proper place. Suffice it to say here that when "Umar was fatally wounded, people came in groups to request him to nominate his successor, and 'A'isha sent word to him asking him not to leave the Umma leaderless, entreating him to nominate his successor as she feared serious disturbances and grave consequences if he failed to do so (100).

It surpasses one's comprehension why of all persons Muhammad alone should be unmindful of his duty to man, this answerability to God, this liability as a Prophet, this re­sponsibility as a king, and this need as the founder of a religious state. This then is the Non-appointment Theory. Reason refuses to accept it, common sense scoffs at it, and sanity rejects it. The matter does not end here, None of them thought to remind the Prophet of this urgent need, yet this same crying need for the appointment of a successor to the Prophet, which brooked no delay, is cited as an excuse for the unseemly haste with which they hurried to the Saqifa, leaying the body of the Prophet unburied while they attended to the election of a Caliph, But when it comes to the Prophet they say no, he did not think of it.

References:
(97) A!-Tabari: Vol. 4, p. 25;
Ibn-AI-Athir: "Tarikh AI-Kamil", Vol. 2, p. 163;
Hussain Dayar Bakri: "Tarikh-AI-Khamis", Vol. 2, p. 268.

(98) At-Tabari: Vol. 4, p. 54;
Diyar Bakri: "Tarikh-AI-Khamis", Vol. 2, p. 269; Ibn-Autaiba: "Kitab-Al-lmama". Part I. p. 19.

(99) At-Tabari: Vol. 4, p. 52;
Ibn-AI-Athir: Vol. 2, p. 163.

(100). Shibli: “Al-Faruq”, Part. 2, Page 202 to 206;
At Tabari Vol.5, Page – 35 to 38
Ibn-Qutaiba: “Kitab-AL-Imama”, Part 1, Page 22;
Ibn-Khaldun : (‘Urdu’ translation) Vol.2, Page 124 to 126.

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