by Abu Dharr (Opinion, Crescent International Vol. 54, No. 11, Rajab, 1446)
(Continued from previous article)
Whatever the precise details may have been, the general public acceding to ‘Uthman is, more or less, comparable to the general public that ‘Umar ruled over. In the last few years of ‘Uthman’s 12 years in office, the population makeup of the Islamic domain, as one would expect, grew considerably from ‘Umar’s time in office.
With hindsight we can now say that ‘Umar’s firm and faithful method of ruling was a dependable way to go as far as the composition, temperament and tendencies of that “mixed” and developing Islamic population configuration was.
Truth be said, though, not everyone is comfortable with asceticism, austerity, and exactitude which were the hallmarks of ‘Umar’s time in office. The apparent fact of the matter is that the standards of ‘Umar, which were the high standards of the Prophet’s generation, were not experienced and endured by the following generation(s).
The Prophet (pbuh) and his kindred spirits and fellow-faithfuls were saturated with the values of justice, they were drenched with the guidelines of social justice, and they were highly and selflessly motivated to characterize justice, socialize justice and eventually legalize social justice. ‘Uthman himself was aware of this, of course.
He is known to have commented on occasion when guests were dining with him and enjoying his delectable cuisine: Not everyone can live up to the norms of ‘Umar. ‘Uthman would respond to those who reproached him because of his [‘Uthman’s] dipping into the Islamic treasury and handing out munificence to his relatives: Can anyone of us compare to ‘Umar?
Standing atop the minbar of the Prophet (pbuh), ‘Uthman scolded his critics by saying: The son of al-Khattab (‘Umar) had his foot on your necks, he slapped you with his hand, and he hushed you with his tongue. You were afraid of him and you were satisfied with him [doing that to you] and you are not satisfied with whatever [moderation] comes from me! Is it because I withhold both using my power prerogatives and my oration against you?
Obviously there was a considerable distance between the disposition of ‘Umar and ‘Uthman as well as a significant departure of characteristics. Add to that the age factor: ‘Umar was assassinated when he was around 60 years old while ‘Uthman was assassinated when he was around 80 years old. That being the case, these divergences were not by themselves the instigating factors of malevolence and divisions that were to follow.
The malicious developments in the making were beyond the operational control of ‘Uthman. We shall see and uncover some of these disturbing developments as we proceed…
After one year in office in which ‘Uthman honored ‘Umar’s aspiration to have the governors remain in their positions, ‘Uthman began to use his power to appoint and dismiss previously retained executives and administrators. He may have been too quick to do so. Or, looking at it differently he may have prematurely dismissed and appointed some office-holders.
He appeared to have coldshouldered some governors who were doing a good job running the affairs of their jurisdiction and who were not crucial in affairs that we would call today national security issues or defense priorities. He simply kept these administrators in their positions with maybe a few and late exceptions.
Keep in mind that the regions governed by these officials were not all the same – some were very dissimilar and even extremely diverse. Some of these districts and precincts were enormously important – militarily, politically and economically. A number of these geographical areas were secured from the Byzantines but most from the Persians.
These crucial administrative areas were: Al-Sham (the Levant), Egypt, al-Kufah, al-Basrah, and parts of Persia. These outlying regions were, more or less, considered military zones that demanded military resources and reserves.
These Islamically liberated counties and countries were once considered, to use the fiqhi terminology Dar Harb (a War Zone). On the borders of al-Sham were the Byzantines and the Mediterranean Sea. On the borders of Egypt was the Mediterranean Sea and North Africa. Al-Kufah and al-Basrah were on the borders with Persia.
These were the four main fronts of a developing and progressing Islamic military push for wide-ranging social justice. The Islamic armed forces were concentrated and stationed in these provinces and adjacent to them were the armed forces of the foes. Along with that, these four provinces were a supply line of wealth and resources for the Muslims.
Located in these areas was physical progress and material modernity. These geographical areas were economically thriving with their fertile lands and agricultural produce.
Living in these locations were populations who maintained their religious beliefs as there is no compulsion in matters of faith, and freedom of religion was guaranteed to all. These non-Muslims were not expected to pay sadaqah or zakah as Muslims do but they were obligated to pay their jizyah tax.
The resources and profits generated in these areas remained in these areas, and out of that one fifth of the total budget would be remitted to the Central Islamic Treasury in al-Madinah. We may say that at this point in time the [Islamic] Arabs were the military backbone of the Islamic state while these mostly non-Islamic populations to date were non-Muslims making up the bulk of the assets and material goods that now belonged to an Islamic authority.
We can without hesitation understand why these four geographical areas captured the attention of and were considered priority regions by the Khalifah. Of course Makkah, al-Ta’if, Yemen and other areas were vital and valuable in their own ways but they were not military sectors and they did not produce and yield in the economic, agricultural and financial sense what the other four regions generated and delivered. Furthermore, their population base was much less than the four faraway frontiers.
These outlying areas were considered an external threat during the Prophet’s time when he was concentrating on liberating Arab lands. But once these Arab lands were liberated they became secured and secondary compared to the Byzantine and Persian controlled areas that cost the Muslims much life and limb to liberate later – nothing compared to what the combatant Muslims had to sacrifice to liberate Arabia.
You may have realized that in the time of the Khulafa’ the Muslims who wanted to leave al-Madinah did not want to leave it to go and settle in Makkah, al-Ta’if or Yemen or to be more precise, most of them did not think of relocating there. They thought about leaving al-Madinah and going to ‘Iraq, al-Sham, or Egypt. These were the provinces to which Muslims of virtue would go to gain the incentives to be gained in life after death – either by their steadfast military service or by commercial and agricultural activities that were intended for lifting the standard of living on the basis of a divine program for social justice.
And when those who place their trust in Our demonstrations [of power and authority] come to you [O Prophet], say, “Peace be upon you, your Sustainer has willed upon Himself [the law of] grace and mercy – so that if any of you does a bad deed out of lack of wisdom, and thereafter repents and lives improvingly, He shall be [found] much-forgiving, very merciful - Al-An‘am, verse 54.
