Tarikh (al-Tabari) 1855
The caliphate of ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb
خِلَافَةُ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخِطَابِ، ؓ وَأَرْضَاهُ. كَانَتْ وَفَاةُ الصِّدِّيقِ، ؓ، فِي يَوْمِ الِاثْنَيْنِ عَشِيَّةً. وَقِيلَ: بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ . وَدُفِنَ مِنْ لَيْلَتِهِ، وَذَلِكَ لِثَمَانٍ بَقِينَ مِنْ جُمَادَى الْآخِرَةِ سَنَةَ ثَلَاثَ عَشْرَةَ، بَعْدَ مَرَضٍ خَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا. وَكَانَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ يُصَلِّي عَنْهُ فِيهَا بِالْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَفِي أَثْنَاءِ هَذَا الْمَرَضِ عَهِدَ بِالْأَمْرِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ إِلَى عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخِطَابِ ، فلقد دَعَا عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ عَوْفٍ فَقَالَ: أَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ عُمَرَ. فَقَالَ: إِنَّهُ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ رَأْيِكَ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ فِيهِ غِلْظَةٌ. فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: ذَلِكَ لِأَنَّهُ يَرَانِي رَقِيقًا، وَلَوْ أَفْضَى الْأَمْرُ إِلَيْهِ لَتَرَكَ كَثِيرًا مِمَّا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ، وَقَدْ رَمَقْتُهُ فَكُنْتُ إِذَا غَضِبْتُ عَلَى رَجُلٍ أَرَانِي الرِّضَاءَ عَنْهُ، وَإِذَا لِنْتُ لَهُ أَرَانِي الشِّدَّةَ عَلَيْهِ. وَدَعَا عُثْمَانَ بْنَ عَفَّانَ وَقَالَ لَهُ: أَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ عُمَرَ. فَقَالَ: سَرِيرَتُهُ خَيْرٌ مِنْ عَلَانِيَتِهِ، وَلَيْسَ فِينَا مِثْلُهُ. فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ لَهُمَا: لَا تَذْكُرَا مِمَّا قُلْتُ لَكُمَا شَيْئًا، وَلَوْ تَرَكْتُهُ مَا عَدَوْتُ عُثْمَانَ، وَالْخِيرَةُ لَهُ أَنْ لَا يَلِيَ مِنْ أُمُورِكُمْ شَيْئًا، وَلَوَدِدْتُ أَنِّي كُنْتُ مِنْ أُمُورِكُمْ خِلْوًا، وَكُنْتُ فِيمَنْ مَضَى مِنْ سَلَفِكُمْ. وَشَاوَرَ مَعَهُمَا سَعِيدَ بْنَ زَيْدٍ، وَأُسَيْدَ بْنَ الْحُضَيْرِ، وَغَيْرَهُمَا مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ، فَقَالَ أُسَيْدٌ: اللَّهُمَّ أَعْلَمُهُ الْخَيِّرَ بَعْدَكَ، يَرْضَى لِلرِّضَا وَيَسْخَطُ لِلسُّخْطِ، الَّذِي يُسِرُّ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الَّذِي يُعْلِنُ، وَلَنْ يَلِيَ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ أَحَدٌ أَقْوَى عَلَيْهِ مِنْهُ. وَدَخَلَ طَلْحَةُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ فَقَالَ: اسْتَخْلَفْتَ عَلَى النَّاسِ عُمَرَ وَقَدْ رَأَيْتَ مَا يَلْقَى النَّاسُ مِنْهُ وَأَنْتَ مَعَهُ، وَكَيْفَ بِهِ إِذَا خَلَا بِهِمْ وَأَنْتَ لَاقٍ رَبَّكَ فَسَائِلُكَ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِكَ ! فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: أَجْلِسُونِي، فَأَجْلَسُوهُ، فَقَالَ: أَبِاللَّهِ تُخَوِّفُنِي ! إِذَا لَقِيتُ رَبِّي فَسَأَلَنِي قُلْتُ: اسْتَخْلَفْتُ عَلَى أَهْلِكَ خَيْرَ أَهْلِكَ. ثُمَّ إِنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ أَحْضَرَ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ عَفَّانَ خَالِيًا لِيَكْتُبَ عَهْدَ عُمَرَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: اكْتُبْ: بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ، هَذَا مَا عَهِدَ أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي قُحَافَةَ إِلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ، أَمَّا بَعْدُ 000 - ثُمَّ أُغْمِيَ عَلَيْهِ - فَكَتَبَ عُثْمَانُ: أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنِّي قَدِ اسْتَخْلَفْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ، وَلَمْ آلُكُمْ خَيْرًا. ثُمَّ أَفَاقَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَقَالَ: اقْرَأْ عَلَيَّ. فَقَرَأَ عَلَيْهِ، فَكَبَّرَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَقَالَ: أَرَاكَ خِفْتَ أَنْ يَخْتَلِفَ النَّاسُ إِنْ مُتُّ فِي غَشْيَتِي. قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: جَزَاكَ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا عَنِ الْإِسْلَامِ وَأَهْلِهِ. فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ الْعَهْدُ أَمَرَ بِهِ أَنْ يُقْرَأَ عَلَى النَّاسِ، فَجَمَعَهُمْ وَأَرْسَلَ الْكِتَابَ مَعَ مَوْلًى لَهُ وَمَعَهُ عُمَرُ، فَكَانَ عُمَرُ يَقُولُ لِلنَّاسِ: أَنْصِتُوا وَاسْمَعُوا لِخَلِيفَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَأْلُكُمْ نُصْحًا. فَسَكَنَ النَّاسُ، فَلَمَّا قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْكِتَابُ سَمِعُوا وَأَطَاعُوا، وَكَانَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَشْرَفَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَقَالَ: أَتَرْضُونَ بِمَنِ اسْتَخْلَفْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ ؟ فَإِنِّي مَا اسْتَخْلَفْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ ذَا قَرَابَةٍ، وَإِنِّي قَدِ اسْتَخْلَفْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ عُمَرَ فَاسْمَعُوا لَهُ وَأَطِيعُوا، فَإِنِّي وَاللَّهِ مَا أَلَوْتُ مِنْ جُهْدِ الرَّأْيِ. فَقَالُوا: سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا. ثُمَّ أَحْضَرَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ عُمَرَ فَقَالَ لَهُ: إِنِّي قَدِ اسْتَخْلَفْتُكَ عَلَى أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَوْصَاهُ بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: يَا عُمَرُ، إِنَّ لِلَّهِ حَقًّا بِاللَّيْلِ لَا يَقْبَلُهُ فِي النَّهَارِ، وَحَقًّا فِي النَّهَارِ لَا يَقْبَلُهُ بِاللَّيْلِ، وَإِنَّهُ لَا يَقْبَلُ نَافِلَةً حَتَّى تُؤَدَّى الْفَرِيضَةُ، أَلَمْ تَرَ يَا عُمَرُ أَنَّمَا ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُ مَنْ ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِاتِّبَاعِهِمُ الْحَقَّ وَثِقْلِهِ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَحُقَّ لِمِيزَانٍ لَا يُوضَعُ فِيهِ غَدًا إِلَّا حَقٌّ أَنْ يَكُونَ ثَقِيلًا. أَلَمْ تَرَ يَا عُمَرُ أَنَّمَا خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُ مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِاتِّبَاعِهِمُ الْبَاطِلَ وَخِفَّتِهِ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَحُقَّ لِمِيزَانٍ لَا يُوضَعُ فِيهِ غَدًا إِلَّا بَاطِلٌ أَنْ يَكُونَ خَفِيفًا. أَلَمْ تَرَ يَا عُمَرُ أَنَّمَا نَزَلَتْ آيَةُ الرَّخَاءِ مَعَ آيَةِ الشِّدَّةِ، وَآيَةُ الشِّدَّةِ مَعَ آيَةِ الرَّخَاءِ؛ لِيَكُونَ الْمُؤْمِنُ رَاغِبًا رَاهِبًا، لَا يَرْغَبُ رَغْبَةً يَتَمَنَّى فِيهَا عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لَيْسَ لَهُ، وَلَا يَرْهَبُ رَهْبَةً يَلْقَى فِيهَا بِيَدَيْهِ. أَوَلَمْ تَرَ يَا عُمَرُ أَنَّمَا ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ أَهْلَ النَّارِ بِأَسْوَأِ أَعْمَالِهِمْ، فَإِذَا ذَكَرْتُهُمْ قُلْتُ: إِنِّي لَأَرْجُو أَنْ لَا أَكُونَ مِنْهُمْ، وَأَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا ذَكَرَ أَهْلَ الْجَنَّةِ بِأَحْسَنِ أَعْمَالِهِمْ؛ لِأَنَّهُ يُجَاوِزُ لَهُمْ مَا كَانَ مِنْ سَيِّئٍ، فَإِذَا ذَكَرْتُهُمْ قُلْتُ أَيْنَ عَمَلِي مِنْ أَعْمَالِهِمْ ؟ فَإِنْ حَفِظْتَ وَصِيَّتِي فَلَا يَكُونَنَّ غَائِبٌ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ حَاضِرٍ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ، وَلَسْتَ بِمُعْجِزِهِ. ثُمَّ خَرَجَ عمر مِنْ عِنْدِهِ، فَرَفَعَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ يَدَيْهِ فَقَالَ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي لَمْ أُرِدْ بِذَلِكَ إِلَّا صَلَاحَهُمْ، وَخِفْتُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْفِتْنَةَ، فَعَمِلْتُ فِيهِمْ بِمَا أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ، وَاجْتَهَدْتُ لَهُمْ رَأْيِي، فَوَلَّيْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ خَيْرَهُمْ وَأَقْوَاهُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَأَحْرَصَهُمْ عَلَى مَا أَرْشَدَهُمْ، وَقَدْ حَضَرَنِي مِنْ أَمْرِكَ مَا حَضَرَ، فَاخْلُفْنِي فِيهِمْ، فَهُمْ عِبَادُكَ، وَنَوَاصِيهِمْ بِيَدِكَ، أَصْلِحْ لَهُمْ وُلَاتَهُمْ، وَاجْعَلْهُ مِنْ خُلَفَائِكَ الرَّاشِدِينَ، وَأَصْلِحْ لَهُ رَعِيَّتَهُ). وَأَخْرَجَ ابْنُ سَعْدٍ وَالْحَاكِمُ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، قَالَ: (أَفَرَسُ النَّاسِ ثَلَاثَةٌ: أَبُو بَكْرٍ حِينَ اسْتَخْلَفَ عُمَرَ، وَصَاحِبَةُ مُوسَى حِينَ قَالَتِ: اسْتَأْجِرْهُ، وَالْعَزِيزُ حِينَ تَفَرَّسَ فِي يُوسُفَ فَقَالَ لِامْرَأَتِهِ: أَكْرِمِي مَثْوَاهُ). وَتُوُفِّيَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ، فَلَمَّا دُفِنَ صَعِدَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ فَخَطَبَ النَّاسَ ثُمَّ قَالَ: إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الْعَرَبِ مَثَلُ جَمَلٍ أَنِفٍ اتَّبَعَ قَائِدَهُ، فَلْيَنْظُرْ قَائِدُهُ حَيْثُ يَقُودُهُ، وَأَمَّا أَنَا فَوَرَبِّ الْكَعْبَةِ لَأَحْمِلَنَّكُمْ عَلَى الطَّرِيقِ ! وقَامَ عمر بِالْأَمْرِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ أَتَمَّ الْقِيَامِ، ؓ، وَهُوَ أَوَّلُ مَنْ سُمِّيَ بِأَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ، وَكَانَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ حَيَّاهُ بِهَا الْمُغِيرَةُ بْنُ شُعْبَةَ، وَقِيلَ: غَيْرُهُ. وعَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ] بْنِ مِكْنَفٍ، قَالَ: سُلِّمَ عَلَى عُمَرَ فِي صَدْرِ إِمَارَتِهِ: يَا خَلِيفَةَ خَلِيفَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ فَجَمَعَ النَّاسَ بَعْدُ، وَقَالَ: إِنِّي أَرَاكُمْ لِمَنْ بَعْدَكُمْ خَيْرٌ مِنْ رَأْيِهِمْ لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ، وَإِنِّي أَخَافُ أَنْ يَلْحَدُوا فِي هَذَا الِاسْمِ، أَنْتُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَنَا أَمِيرُكُمْ، فَقَالُوا: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، فَقُبِلَتْ. وَقَدْ كَتَبَ بِوَفَاةِ الصِّدِّيقِ إِلَى أُمَرَاءِ الشَّامِ مَعَ شَدَّادِ بْنِ أَوْسٍ، وَمَحْمِيَةَ بْنِ جَزْءٍ، فَوَصَلَا وَالنَّاسُ مُصَافُّونَ جُيُوشَ الرُّومِ يَوْمَ الْيَرْمُوكِ.
Translation
✧ The caliphate of ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, ؓ and may He be pleased with him. The death of al-Ṣiddīq, ؓ, took place on Monday evening. It is said: after sunset. He was buried that same night, and that was when eight days remained of Jumādā al-Ākhirah in the year 13 AH, after an illness of fifteen days. ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb used to lead the Muslims in prayer on his behalf during it, and in the course of this illness he entrusted the matter after him to ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb. He called ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿAwf and said: Tell me about ʿUmar. He said: He is better than your opinion of him, except that there is roughness in him. Abū Bakr said: That is because he sees me as lenient, and if the matter were turned over to him he would abandon much of what he is upon. I have watched him, and when I was angry with a man he would show me satisfaction with him, and when I was lenient to him he would show me severity toward him. He called ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān and said to him: Tell me about ʿUmar. He said: His inner self is better than his outward self, and there is none like him among us. Abū Bakr said to the two of them: Do not mention anything of what I said to you. Even if I left him aside, I would not go beyond ʿUthmān, but it is better for him not to take charge of any of your affairs. How I wish I had been free of your affairs and had been among those of your predecessors who have passed on. Along with those two he consulted Saʿīd b. Zayd, Usayd b. al-Ḥuḍayr, and others from the Emigrants and the Helpers. Usayd said: O God, teach him the good one after you. He is pleased for the sake of what pleases, and angered for the sake of what angers; the good he conceals is better than what he shows, and no one will take charge of this matter with more strength for it than he. Ṭalḥah b. ʿUbayd Allāh entered upon Abū Bakr and said: You have appointed ʿUmar as successor over the people, and you have seen what the people meet from him while you are with him; so how will it be with him when he is alone with them, and you are about to meet your Lord who will ask you about your flock! Abū Bakr said: Sit me up. So they sat him up, and he said: Do you frighten me by God? When I meet my Lord and He asks me, I will say: I appointed over Your people the best of Your people. Then Abū Bakr brought ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān in private to write the covenant for ʿUmar, and said to him: Write: In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. This is what Abū Bakr b. Abī Quḥāfah has entrusted to the Muslims. To proceed 000 — then he lost consciousness — so ʿUthmān wrote: To proceed: I have appointed over you ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb as successor, and I have not failed you in good. Then Abū Bakr regained consciousness and said: Read it to me. He read it to him, and Abū Bakr said allāhu akbar and said: I see you feared that the people might differ if I died during my swoon. He said: Yes. He said: May God reward you well on behalf of Islam and its people. When the covenant was written, he ordered that it be read to the people. He gathered them and sent the letter with a client of his, and with him was ʿUmar. ʿUmar kept saying to the people: Be silent and listen to the successor of the Messenger of God ﷺ, for he has not failed you in sincere counsel. The people fell silent, and when the letter was read to them they heard and obeyed. Abū Bakr looked out over the people and said: Are you content with the one I have appointed over you as successor? For I have not appointed over you a relative. I have appointed over you ʿUmar, so listen to him and obey him, for by God I have not spared any effort of judgment. They said: We hear and obey. Then Abū Bakr brought ʿUmar in and said to him: I have appointed you as successor over the companions of the Messenger of God ﷺ. He charged him to fear God, then said: O ʿUmar, God has a right by night that He does not accept by day, and a right by day that He does not accept by night, and He does not accept a supererogatory act until the obligatory one is performed. Have you not seen, O ʿUmar, that the scales of those whose scales are heavy on the Day of Resurrection became heavy only because they followed the truth and it weighed upon them? It is fitting that a scale in which nothing but truth will be placed tomorrow should be heavy. Have you not seen, O ʿUmar, that the scales of those whose scales are light on the Day of Resurrection became light only because they followed falsehood and it was light upon them? It is fitting that a scale in which nothing but falsehood will be placed tomorrow should be light. Have you not seen, O ʿUmar, that the verse of ease descended together with the verse of hardship, and the verse of hardship together with the verse of ease, so that the believer may be hopeful and fearful, not hoping with a hope in which he wishes from God what is not his, and not fearing with a fear in which he casts himself into ruin? Have you not seen, O ʿUmar, that God mentioned the people of the Fire for the worst of their deeds, so when I remember them I say: I hope I am not among them, and that He mentioned the people of Paradise only for the best of their deeds, because He passes over for them whatever evil there was, so when I remember them I say: Where is my deed compared with their deeds? If you keep my charge, then let no absent thing be dearer to you than a present thing except death, and you will not escape it. Then ʿUmar went out from him, and Abū Bakr raised his hands and said: O God, I did not intend by that anything but their well-being, and I feared dissension for them, so I acted among them according to what You know best, and I exerted my judgment for them, and I appointed over them the best of them and the strongest of them for it and the most eager of them for what guides them. What has come to me of Your command has come, so be my successor among them, for they are Your servants, and their forelocks are in Your hand. Set right their governors for them, and make him one of Your rightly guided successors, and set right his flock for him). Ibn Saʿd and al-Ḥākim related from Ibn Masʿūd, who said: The most discerning of people are three: Abū Bakr when he appointed ʿUmar as successor; the companion of Mūsā when she said: Hire him; and al-ʿAzīz when he discerned in Yūsuf and said to his wife: Make his stay honorable. Abū Bakr died, and when he was buried ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb ascended and addressed the people, then said: The likeness of the Arabs is only the likeness of a docile camel that follows its driver, so let its driver look where he drives it. As for me, by the Lord of the Kaʿbah, I will surely carry you upon the road! And ʿUmar undertook the matter after him with the fullest undertaking, ؓ, and he was the first to be called Amīr al-Muʾminīn, and the first to greet him with it was al-Mughīrah b. Shuʿbah, and it is said: someone else. From Abū ʿUthmān b. Miknaf, who said: ʿUmar was greeted at the beginning of his rule with: O successor of the successor of the Messenger of God, so he gathered the people afterwards and said: I see that those after you have better judgment for themselves than you do, and I fear that you will deviate in this name. You are the believers and I am your amīr. They said: O Amīr al-Muʾminīn, and it was accepted. He wrote about the death of al-Ṣiddīq to the commanders of Syria with Shaddād b. Aws and Maḥmiyah b. Jazʾ, and they arrived while the people were arrayed against the armies of the Byzantines on the day of al-Yarmūk.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.