by Abu Dharr (Opinion, Crescent International Vol. 54, No. 8, Rabi' al-Awwal, 1446)
After all the information we have provided in previous articles, we now find ourselves having to backpedal to the major issue that was preoccupying the minds of the Muhajireen and Ansar. And that was, how do we, the tested and proven followers of the Prophet (pbuh), interrelate and conduct policies with Quraish and Makkah who have been our avowed enemies throughout the past two decades and more and who now profess an ostensible Islamic loyalty?
‘Uthman’s course of action towards Makkah and Quraish as we will discover, amounted to a plan of innocuous pacification and mollification. As it turned out, Quraish and Makkah did not reciprocate with good intentions and good will.
To understand this better we have to understand the ‘Umar’s policies. He (‘Umar) dreaded Quraish and Makkah more than anyone and anything else. His ten years in office concentrated on evading and preventing the fitnah and potential internal threat that Quraish and Makkah epitomized. ‘Umar knew the Quraishi authorities very well, both their strengths and their weaknesses.
The Quraishi establishment prior to Islam was held in high esteem because it was the custodian of the Ka‘bah, the master of ceremonies of the Hajj and, therefore, socially, culturally, and religiously above all the Arabians. Its prerogatives and privileges were acknowledged by all and sundry.
Quraish was a class of its own, way above all the other tribes and communities. Quraish was a well-known gentry of lords and ladies, the elites of the Arabians.
When we state this aspect of ‘Umar we are not “un-stating” this very fact about Imam ‘Ali as many sectarians are quick to infer. Imam ‘Ali, ‘Umar and most of the Muhajireen and Ansar were aware of this Quraishi pomp and pride which was wounded by their military defeat.
It is this awareness that legitimated a pre-Imamat Khilafah. Quraish per se was not famous because of military prowess; it was famous because of its “religious” appearance and its upkeep of al-Masjid al-Haram and its maintenance of the Ka‘bah.
The Islamic military liberation of Makkah brought Quraish down from its high horses. The liberation of Makkah turned the leaders of Quraish into a “wounded beast” even though the majority of Quraish had, due to their military defeat, become ostensible Muslims. Quraish then, like the Sa‘udis today, were widely acknowledged because of their wealth and commercial attainments.
Other Arabian tribes paid homage to the affluent Quraishis similar to the way current Arabians defer to the oil rich Sa‘udis. Quraish’s huge commercial enterprise is acknowledged in the Qur’an (Surat Quraish). Without hesitation the Islamic authority in al-Madinah had to manage this methodically subdued population of Makkah.
‘Umar showed them the stick and ‘Uthman showed them the carrot. For centuries Quraish was, with its shrewdness and craftiness, head and shoulders above all the Arabians with the possible exception of Thaqif.
In a geopolitical sense, Quraish was at an advantageous location vis-a-vis the East and the West: Asia, Africa, and Europe. Obviously, it developed contacts with power centers around the Arabian Peninsula. We can’t easily dismiss centuries of profitable interactions and shared ventures gained by lucrative Quraish.
This high- profile status of Quraish survived all challenges that came its way except for the Islamic challenge. The glory of Quraish was no more and its hubris became stealthy. It would bide its time until the opportunity presented itself to “get even” with the Muhajireen and Ansar; and for some years Quraish “lay low”, not drawing attention to itself.
Quraish internalized its psychological reversal and latest demotion by an ummah of committed Muslims, first and foremost among them were the sovereigns in al-Madinah. The materialism, commercialism, and secularism of Quraish remained intact immediately beneath their outward assumption of Islamic rituals.
Quraish had spent pre-Islamic centuries publicly presenting itself as the “faith keepers”, the guardians of the haram, and the heirs of Ibrahim and Isma‘il (pbut) the while they were commercializing and monetizing religion. The bigwigs of Quraish considered religion to be a means to an end, the more idols in the Haram, the more attraction and traffic, the more profit and proceeds and the more pomp and show…
The Quraishi VIPs were in reality very money-oriented and worldly, strategic, and wily. Hardly ever were they, before Islam, outwitted or outfoxed.
Here is a short refresher course on Quraish and Makkah:
1: Most of the inhabitants of Makkah were of the ‘Adnani lineage (northern Arabians), while the Aws and Khazraj of al-Madinah were of Qahtani (southern Arabian) origins. Both of these pedigrees had their intense rivalries preceding Islam. (A tribal/racial definition)
2: The word “Quraish” is linguistically extracted from يتقرش and this word is used in conjunction with المال [money] so in the Arabic language the saying goes: يتقرش المال (أي يجمعه) (a person gathers money and accumulates wealth). (An economic/class definition)
And they [Quraish] said, “If we are to follow guidance along with you [O Muhammad] we will be torn away from our property.” Have We not established firmly for them [Quraish] a secure sanctuary [al-Bayt al-Haram] to which all produce [and products] are brought as sustenance – as a courtesy from Us to you? But most of them are oblivious [or ignorant] -- Al-Qasas, 57.
The Muhajireen and Ansar, among them ‘Umar and Imam ‘Ali, were very much aware of these realities and details that have been buried by centuries of Umawiy sectarianism as well as Safawi sectarianism. ‘Umar as the leader of the Muslims during his time in office and Imam ‘Ali during his time in office did not let the chieftains of Quraish have it their way.
‘Umar was more fortunate as the generation of the Muhajireen and Ansar were more numerous. Imam ‘Ali was less fortunate because the Muhajireen and Ansar decreased in numbers as the years went by. ‘Umar and Imam ‘Ali were not fooled by the superficial conversion of most of Quraish to Islam.
Thus ‘Umar was alert and fully on guard concerning the true nature of Quraish and its henchmen. There were no conciliation and concession approaches by ‘Umar towards Quraish. ‘Umar did not permit the superiority obsession of Quraish to rear its ugly head with its pre-Islamic condescension mania.
This may explain, to a certain extent, why ‘Umar “disproportionately” honored the enduring Muhajireen who broke away and turned against their own precarious Quraish and why he advised them to hold back or decrease their impending military duties. This may also explain why ‘Umar was strict and stark with Khalid ibn al-Walid who ‘Umar sacked from military service fearing that his large Quraishi past might eclipse his small Islamic present by way of continuous and resounding military victory status, as Khalid no doubt was an accomplished military commander.
Some, not many, Quraishi latter day Muslims wanted honestly or opportunistically to “make up” for their many years of fighting against Islam by fighting for Islamic justice after the Prophet-led liberation of Makkah. Some of them may have been without doubt truthful and trustworthy and some of them may have joined the military ranks to score worldly gains.
They all knew that the Prophet (pbuh) identified them as الطلقاء [amnestied enemies] after Makkah was militarily liberated. Let that sink in. The Prophet (pbuh) identified the up-to-now anti-Islamic warriors of Makkah as amnestied individuals and not as Sahabah [companions of the Prophet (pbuh)].
They knew that they could never match the honorable record and self-sacrificing service of the Muhajireen and Ansar. This may have caused some of the previously “high and mighty” Quraishi tribal chiefs and their minions to experience an “inferiority complex”. They were aware that ‘Umar knew their true character and that deepened their feelings of mediocrity.
So now they had to demonstrate and put on view an image of being more committed to Islam than the committed Muslims. They wanted to prove by their military enlistment that ‘Umar is wrong and now they are the loyal and faithful followers of the Prophet (pbuh). Their vengeance, however, could not be concealed from ‘Umar, Imam ‘Ali and the rest of the Muhajireen and Ansar.
And it was He who withheld their [the Makkan-Quraishi mushriks] forces that were positioned to take you on and withheld your forces from [assaulting] them in the interior of Makkah, after He had enabled you to score a military success over them; and Allah has continually been observant of what you do -- Al-Fath, 24.
