The Muhajirs (the Immigrants) from the Quraish supported Abu Bakr's allegiance. They emphasized that the Caliph should be from the tribe of Quraish but excepting the Bani Hashim. In this regard, as mentioned before, the Muhajirs addressed the Ansars(the Helpers) as such, "The Prophet (s.a.w.a) is from the Quraish and so the Arabs will never agree the caliphate to be selected from a tribe other than the Quraish." Practically too, it was Abu Bakr, Umar or Abu Ubaidah who introduced the candidate for the Caliphate and they never even once uttered the name of Ali or Abbas (the Prophet's uncle). They swore allegiance to Abu Bakr for the reason that he was from the Quraish. During Umar's caliphate, while Umar was conversing with Ibne Abbas, he stressed on this point and said, "O Ibne Abbas, your father is the Prophet's uncle and you are his cousin. What made your tribe and your people keep a distance from you? (In other words, why didn't your own tribe viz. Quraish appoint you to the seat of caliphate?) Ibne Abbas said, 'I do not know'! Umar said, 'I know. They disliked your rule upon them'. Ibne Abbas said, 'Why is it so while we are good and beneficial to them'? Umar said, 'May Allah shower His Mercy! They feel unpleasant if the prophet hood and caliphate are (both) placed in your household lest pride overcomes you. Perhaps, you may say Abu Bakr had done such and such act. By Allah, no!
Abu Bakr acted most prudently with regards to the affair entrusted to him.82 In another tradition, Umar addressed Ibne Abbas thus, 'O Ibne Abbas, do you know what made your tribe (the Quraish) keep a distance from you?' Ibne Abbas says, "I did not want to reply to this question and so I said, 'If I am unaware of the reason, Amir-ul-Mumineen (Umar) will make me aware"!
Umar said, 'they were reluctant to see the prophet hood and the caliphate merge in your household (Bani Hashim) as in such a case you would have behaved arrogantly and braged over your tribe and nation. For this reason, the Quraish selected a Caliph for themselves and in this selection they have traversed the true path and turned successful'!
Ibne Abbas says, "I said, 'O Amir-ul-Mumineen! If you don't turn angry and allow me to speak, I shall reply'.
Umar said, 'Ibne Abbas, you may speak'.
Ibne Abbas said, 'O Amir-ul-Mumineen! As for your saying that the Quraish appointed a Caliph for themselves and in their selection they traversed the true path and became successful, I reply, 'If the Quraish had selected the one whom Allah, Exalted be He, had appointed for this affair, they would have traversed the true path and would have become successful. And as for your saying that the Quraish were reluctant to see the prophet hood and caliphate gather in our household, Allah says about the nation, which is reluctant as such:
"That is because they hated what Allah revealed, so He rendered their deeds null." (Muhammad/9)
Umar said, 'Alas! O Ibne Abbas! By Allah, I was informed of your talks about which I was reluctant to accept. Let not your position fall before me'! I said, 'O Amir-ul-Mumineen! What were those talks? If it is the truth, then truth should not bring down my position before you and if its false, then someone likes me will repel falsehood!
Umar said, "I have been informed that you say, 'They have done injustice against us and cherished jealousy and for this very reason, they have kept away the caliphate from us"!
I said, 'O Amir-ul-Mumineen, the point that we have been done with injustice is a matter well known to all - the learned as well as the ignorant. With regards to jealousy, the Satan cherished jealousy against Adam and we are Adam's sons against whom jealousy has been cherished too'!
Umar said, 'Alas! O Bani Hashim! Your hearts are filled with jealousy, which will never fade away, and full of spite and deceit, which will never file away! I said, 'Be calm, O Amir-ul-Mumineen; about the hearts from which Allah has kept away every kind of impurity and uncleanness, 83 do not say that they are filled with jealousy, spite and deceit; as the Prophet's heart too is the same as ours i.e. Bani Hashim's heart'. Umar said, 'Get out of my sight'! I said, 'I shall do so'!
"When I was about to depart, he felt ashamed and said, 'Ibne Abbas, wait! I swear by Allah that I shall observe your right and I prefer whatever pleases you'!
I said, 'O Amir-ul-Mumineen, I have right over you and every other Muslim (for being the Prophet's cousin). Whosoever observes this right will earn his reward and whosoever tampers my right has indeed ruined his own lot. 84
After this conversation, Umar stood up and departed."
* * *
In this connection, Ali (a.s.) too, while referring to the event of the Consultative Committee of six men for the appointment of a Caliph, said after Uthman's death as such, "The people fixed their eyes on the Quraish and awaited their action. The Quraish reflected on their own affairs and said, 'If the Bani Hashim takes over the caliphate, then at no time will the caliphate depart from them. However if the caliphate and government is handed over to the people from the Quraish but not the Bani Hashim then it will rotate amongst them and all will get a chance to rule. 85
Appraisal of these utterances
The aforesaid three speakers were the three exact witnesses to these events and two amongst them were two rulers from hostile flanks. Umar was the chief figure who hatched the conspiracy at Saqifa. Can anybody know the reality of those events better than they can?
In the course of these conversations, Umar wished to acquaint himself of the internal secret of Bani Hashim through Ibne Abbas, who was then a youth. He would repeatedly provoke Ibne Abbas and persuade him to talk. Umar repeatedly tells Ibne Abbas as such, 'Your tribe (Quraish) were reluctant enough to see the prophet hood and caliphate gather in your household (Bani Hashim) lest you take pride over them. For this reason, the Quraish appointed a Caliph for themselves and succeeded in their affair.'
After seeking the Caliph's permission and assurance that he would not get angry, Ibne Abbas says, 'Had the Quraish selected the same leader, whom God had appointed, then surely they would have been successful in their affair. And about your saying that they were reluctant to see the prophet hood and caliphate gather in our household, Allah says, "That is because they hated what Allah revealed, so He rendered their deeds null."
Umar said, "I have been informed that you say, 'Injustice has been done and jealousy cherished against us and for this reason they have kept away the caliphate from us."
Ibne Abbas said, "That injustice has been done to us is something well known to all, the learned as well as the ignorant. With regards to jealousy, the Satan bore jealousy against Adam and we too are Adam's sons against whom jealousy has been cherished.
* * *
In these conversations, all the three speakers were unanimous in this that whatever had occurred in the matter of caliphate was due to the endeavors of the Quraish. Amongst them, Umar explained the reason for the action initiated by the Quraish. He stressed that the Quraish were reluctant in seeing the prophet hood and caliphate gather in the Bani Hashim because the latter would have taken pride and bragged over all the tribes of the Quraish. And Ali (a.s.) adds to this reality and says, 'The Quraish feared lest the caliphate would rotate amongst the Bani Hashim and (so) the other household amongst the Quraish would not get the chance to rule. They wished that the caliphate should rotate amongst all the Quraish and so they kept away the caliphate from the Bani Hashim.
Ibne Abbas reckoned this action to be the result of the jealousy cherished by the Quraishite families against the Bani Hashim. In this regard, he claimed that they had committed injustice against the Bani Hashim and kept away the caliphate from the one appointed by God.
Umar failed to give any reply except that he cursed Ibne Abbas!
* * *
From what was explained, it becomes obvious that the selection of the first three Caliphs was based on this argument that the caliphate should circulate amongst the household of the Quraish, save the household of Bani Hashim. In implementing this policy, the Qurasihites first selected "Abu Bakr" from the family of Teem, followed by "Umar" from Adi, and "Uthman" from the Bani Ummayah for the post of caliphate.
Abu Bakr acted most prudently with regards to the affair entrusted to him.82 In another tradition, Umar addressed Ibne Abbas thus, 'O Ibne Abbas, do you know what made your tribe (the Quraish) keep a distance from you?' Ibne Abbas says, "I did not want to reply to this question and so I said, 'If I am unaware of the reason, Amir-ul-Mumineen (Umar) will make me aware"!
Umar said, 'they were reluctant to see the prophet hood and the caliphate merge in your household (Bani Hashim) as in such a case you would have behaved arrogantly and braged over your tribe and nation. For this reason, the Quraish selected a Caliph for themselves and in this selection they have traversed the true path and turned successful'!
Ibne Abbas says, "I said, 'O Amir-ul-Mumineen! If you don't turn angry and allow me to speak, I shall reply'.
Umar said, 'Ibne Abbas, you may speak'.
Ibne Abbas said, 'O Amir-ul-Mumineen! As for your saying that the Quraish appointed a Caliph for themselves and in their selection they traversed the true path and became successful, I reply, 'If the Quraish had selected the one whom Allah, Exalted be He, had appointed for this affair, they would have traversed the true path and would have become successful. And as for your saying that the Quraish were reluctant to see the prophet hood and caliphate gather in our household, Allah says about the nation, which is reluctant as such:
"That is because they hated what Allah revealed, so He rendered their deeds null." (Muhammad/9)
Umar said, 'Alas! O Ibne Abbas! By Allah, I was informed of your talks about which I was reluctant to accept. Let not your position fall before me'! I said, 'O Amir-ul-Mumineen! What were those talks? If it is the truth, then truth should not bring down my position before you and if its false, then someone likes me will repel falsehood!
Umar said, "I have been informed that you say, 'They have done injustice against us and cherished jealousy and for this very reason, they have kept away the caliphate from us"!
I said, 'O Amir-ul-Mumineen, the point that we have been done with injustice is a matter well known to all - the learned as well as the ignorant. With regards to jealousy, the Satan cherished jealousy against Adam and we are Adam's sons against whom jealousy has been cherished too'!
Umar said, 'Alas! O Bani Hashim! Your hearts are filled with jealousy, which will never fade away, and full of spite and deceit, which will never file away! I said, 'Be calm, O Amir-ul-Mumineen; about the hearts from which Allah has kept away every kind of impurity and uncleanness, 83 do not say that they are filled with jealousy, spite and deceit; as the Prophet's heart too is the same as ours i.e. Bani Hashim's heart'. Umar said, 'Get out of my sight'! I said, 'I shall do so'!
"When I was about to depart, he felt ashamed and said, 'Ibne Abbas, wait! I swear by Allah that I shall observe your right and I prefer whatever pleases you'!
I said, 'O Amir-ul-Mumineen, I have right over you and every other Muslim (for being the Prophet's cousin). Whosoever observes this right will earn his reward and whosoever tampers my right has indeed ruined his own lot. 84
After this conversation, Umar stood up and departed."
* * *
In this connection, Ali (a.s.) too, while referring to the event of the Consultative Committee of six men for the appointment of a Caliph, said after Uthman's death as such, "The people fixed their eyes on the Quraish and awaited their action. The Quraish reflected on their own affairs and said, 'If the Bani Hashim takes over the caliphate, then at no time will the caliphate depart from them. However if the caliphate and government is handed over to the people from the Quraish but not the Bani Hashim then it will rotate amongst them and all will get a chance to rule. 85
Appraisal of these utterances
The aforesaid three speakers were the three exact witnesses to these events and two amongst them were two rulers from hostile flanks. Umar was the chief figure who hatched the conspiracy at Saqifa. Can anybody know the reality of those events better than they can?
In the course of these conversations, Umar wished to acquaint himself of the internal secret of Bani Hashim through Ibne Abbas, who was then a youth. He would repeatedly provoke Ibne Abbas and persuade him to talk. Umar repeatedly tells Ibne Abbas as such, 'Your tribe (Quraish) were reluctant enough to see the prophet hood and caliphate gather in your household (Bani Hashim) lest you take pride over them. For this reason, the Quraish appointed a Caliph for themselves and succeeded in their affair.'
After seeking the Caliph's permission and assurance that he would not get angry, Ibne Abbas says, 'Had the Quraish selected the same leader, whom God had appointed, then surely they would have been successful in their affair. And about your saying that they were reluctant to see the prophet hood and caliphate gather in our household, Allah says, "That is because they hated what Allah revealed, so He rendered their deeds null."
Umar said, "I have been informed that you say, 'Injustice has been done and jealousy cherished against us and for this reason they have kept away the caliphate from us."
Ibne Abbas said, "That injustice has been done to us is something well known to all, the learned as well as the ignorant. With regards to jealousy, the Satan bore jealousy against Adam and we too are Adam's sons against whom jealousy has been cherished.
* * *
In these conversations, all the three speakers were unanimous in this that whatever had occurred in the matter of caliphate was due to the endeavors of the Quraish. Amongst them, Umar explained the reason for the action initiated by the Quraish. He stressed that the Quraish were reluctant in seeing the prophet hood and caliphate gather in the Bani Hashim because the latter would have taken pride and bragged over all the tribes of the Quraish. And Ali (a.s.) adds to this reality and says, 'The Quraish feared lest the caliphate would rotate amongst the Bani Hashim and (so) the other household amongst the Quraish would not get the chance to rule. They wished that the caliphate should rotate amongst all the Quraish and so they kept away the caliphate from the Bani Hashim.
Ibne Abbas reckoned this action to be the result of the jealousy cherished by the Quraishite families against the Bani Hashim. In this regard, he claimed that they had committed injustice against the Bani Hashim and kept away the caliphate from the one appointed by God.
Umar failed to give any reply except that he cursed Ibne Abbas!
* * *
From what was explained, it becomes obvious that the selection of the first three Caliphs was based on this argument that the caliphate should circulate amongst the household of the Quraish, save the household of Bani Hashim. In implementing this policy, the Qurasihites first selected "Abu Bakr" from the family of Teem, followed by "Umar" from Adi, and "Uthman" from the Bani Ummayah for the post of caliphate.
82 The detail of this tradition has come down in Tarikh-Tabari 5/2767; (printed in Europe).
83 It is in reference to the verse: Innama Yureedullaha li yuzhiba .....
84 Tarikh-Tabari 5/2770-2771; printed in Europe.
85 Tarikh-Tabari 5/2787; printed in Europe.
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