by Abu Dharr (Opinion, Crescent International Vol. 55, No. 4, Dhu al-Hijjah, 1446)
As narrated in a previous article, ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, a companion of the Prophet (pbuh), was a wealthy man during the Prophet’s time but he became what one may say “affluent and opulent” during the administration of ‘Uthman. This writer is aware of how sensitive the subject of wealth is, especially when we speak about wealth during the immediate post-Prophetic generation.
Non-sectarian minds, however, are urgently called upon in our present-day circumstances of trials and tribulations to open up the long forsaken or fanatically manipulated chapters of our early history to understand and learn the requisite Qur’anic and Prophetic lessons that will help us pull through these taxing times. History ignored is history repeated; conversely, a history misunderstood is a history mal-explained. What follows is a brief account of the holdings and fortunes of some the earnest helpers of the Prophet (pbuh).
‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf bequeathed 50,000 dinars (gold coins) for the cause of Allah (swt). He left a vast fortune upon his death. He had in his possession 1,000 camels and 3,000 sheep, plus 1,000 horses in addition to vast agricultural lands. It is reported that he left behind four wives; each one of them inherited between 80,000 to 100,000 dinars. He also left behind heavy gold bars… And ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf was not alone who enjoyed this kind of affluence.
Talhah and al-Zubair were some of the richest aides of the Prophet (pbuh). Upon his death, Talhah left behind a cash flow of 2.2 million dirhams (silver coins), in addition 600,000 dinars (gold coins). All in all, his wealth was estimated to be around 30 million dirhams. The revenue from his large estate in ‘Iraq amounted to an income of 1,000 dirhams daily. He came into view as a very generous businessperson as he financially assisted his tribe Taim.
He also supported Umm al-Mu’mineen ‘A’ishah by allocating a yearly stipend of 10,000 dirhams to her. He was the property-owner of a highly crafted residence in both al-Madinah and al-Kufah.
As for al-Zubair, he may have been the richest of them all. He gained the trust of the wealthy circle of individuals who counted on him as a trustee depository. The amount of assets entrusted to him may have helped him with his commercial transactions.
When al-Zubair passed away, his heirs had to pay back 2.2 million dirhams which he owed, and that took a few years to accomplish. There are different accounts of his total wealth at the end of his life. Some put it at 35 million, others at 40 million, and yet others at 51 million. One account devalues his worth at the time of death to only 50,000 dinars.
This does not seem to be accurate as al-Zubair was in possession of woodlands and farmsteads, plus eleven residences in al-Madinah, two residences in al-Basrah, a residence in al-Kufah and another in Egypt. He also owned orchards in the suburbs of al-Madinah in addition to property in al-Kufah, al-Fustat (capital of Egypt at that time, founded by ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, located in the southern part of the Cairo prefecture), and Alexandria, Egypt. His wealth and possessions were geographically dispersed.
Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas who was less wealthy than the others, left behind a fortune of 250,000 dirhams and a manor house in al-‘Aqeeq (an area between Makkah and al-‘Aseer in southern Arabia). Non-Quraishi companions of the Prophet (pbuh) also amassed fortunes.
Zaid ibn Thabit left behind sizable ingots of gold and silver, in addition to money and property valued to be about 100,000 dinars. Al-Miqdad (Ibn al-Aswad) built a highly crafted residence in al-Madinah in a place called al-Jurf. Even the prominent companion ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud who hailed from a very modest and underprivileged background, and who was censored by ‘Uthman for a couple of years, left behind 90,000 dirhams at the time of his death.
Most of this wealth accumulation began to happen during the administration of ‘Uthman. Some of this wealth was duly distributed while other was amassed. ‘Uthman’s formal and governmental policy withdrawal from “market and commercial activities” allowed for concentration of wealth in the hands of entrepreneurs and business persons without any executive or lawmaking oversight.
Some of those benefiting from ‘Uthman’s “open door market freedoms” were his blood relatives like Zaid ibn Thabit. This policy of ‘Uthman, done in good faith and with good will, was unscrupulously used as an instrument to climb the ladder of power and control by his relatives. This is what opened up a wide range of criticism directed at ‘Uthman.
Remember, ‘Uthman was not doing this to empower himself or his relatives; he was doing it, as we mentioned earlier, to lodge Makkah—short of going to war—squarely in the ambiance of Islam and consequently to have the seat of power established in Makkah where it rightly belongs.
‘Uthman, however, may have gone too far in his “bridge building” with Makkah’s influential personas. He left the general public with the impression that he was nepotistic—giving special treatment to his selected relatives, who while the beneficaries of this special treatment, were not solidly grounded in Islamic selflessness. They believed that they were entitled to it!
Public opinion did not sit comfortably with ‘Uthman giving his cousin Marwan one fifth of the revenue coming from Africa totaling about 100,00 to 200,000 dinars with which he built a residence in al-Madinah after having lived a Quraishi life of scarceness and neediness.
Likewise, ‘Uthman granted the sadaqaat of Quda‘ah to his uncle al-Hakam—an amount of 300,000 dirhams. He gave to al-Harith ibn al-Hakam 300,000 dirhams, and Zaid ibn Thabit 100,000 dirhams.
It is clear how this type of plan to win over Makkah went too far and too fast. ‘Uthman himself obtained a loan of 500,000 and was late in paying it back. Some say he never paid it back. Other opinion is because of his assassination, he did not get a chance to pay it back. Compare that with the 5,000 dirhams allotted to the esteemed veterans who fought the battle of Badr.
We can, thus, detect that the start of a widespread revolt against a societal polarization of people with wealth and power vs. people without wealth and power began during the last six years of ‘Uthman’s time in office. A real sense of popular aversion to the combination of wealth and power by those who were neither Muhajireen nor Ansar emerged in the various precincts of the Islamic homeland.
This status quo left a lot to be desired and was first challenged by the people of al-Kufah. The information provided above is in our common Islamic books of history but it does not circulate. The spokespersons and highbrow representatives of contemporary Islamic discourse are feloniously uncommunicative about it.
There is nothing in the information above that disparages the Prophet’s companions. Rather, it sheds light on the vulnerabilities of everyone who is not a perfect Prophet—the Prophet’s generation of his kindred spirits, his supporters, and those who were forced out of Makkah with him (pbuh) were not Prophets.
Your wealth and your [illusory] production powers are but a contentious ordeal, whereas with Allah there is a remarkable reward. Therefore, safeguard yourselves [against Allah’s corrective power] as best as you can, and listen [to Him], and do as you are told [by Him]. And spend [of what you have on those who have less than their needs], as it is better for your own selves: and whoever averts his own ungenerousness—it is they, they who are successful - 64/15-16.
