The Role of Aishah in the History of Islam (volume Three)

Mu'awiyah and 'uthman

They brought wine for us and Mu'awiyah kept on drinking it heedlessly.

'Abd Allah ibn Buraydah - a companion of the Prophet

Mu'awiyah's position in the time of 'Uthman was different from his state in the time of the first two caliphs. In 'Uthman's time was given a free hand which enabled him to loosen all the ties of law and morality, and his power and wealth had made him wholly oblivious of all Islamic and human matters, and dragged him to the point of winebibbing.

Ibn 'Asakir and adh-Dhahabj, two greater historians, narrate: One day 'Ubadah ibn as-Samit was walking along one of the streets of Damascus. He noticed a caravan of camels carrying loads. He asked: "What is the load? Is it olive oil?" Someone said: "No, it is wine; they take it to Mu'awiyah who has ordered them." 'Ubadah at once found a knife and ripped open all the skins of wine.

Abu Hurayrah Lived in ash-Sham at this time. During the Prophet's time he was not considered of any account, but after him, owing to the favour shown to him by the caliphate, he was greatly respected. So Mu'awiyah sent someone to him with this message: "Why don't you check your brother in his deeds? He goes to the market every morning and hinders tributaries from their transactions, and sits in the mosque at doing nothing but blemishing our honour and prestige At Mu'awiyah's request Abu Hurayrah went to 'Ubadah and said to him: "What is your business with Mu'awiyah? Leave him alone and do not molest him."

'Ubadah said: "Abu Hurayrah! You were not with us on the day we made a pact with the Prophet of God to obey his orders to the effect to do our best in enjoining good and forbidding evil, and have no fear of any reproach, for the sake of Allah."

Abu Hurayrah had no answer to give but to remain silent. So Mu'awiyah wrote to 'Uthman: " 'Ubadah has ruined and corrupted ash-Sham and its inhabitants. Summon him and either prevent him from such deeds, or allow me to hand over ash-Sham to him." 'Uthman wrote in answer: "Expel 'Ubadah from the city and send him back to his house in Medina."

Historians write: "When 'Ubadah returned to Medina, he went to see 'Uthman. 'Uthman was sitting in his house and on looking up, he saw 'Ubadah in front of him. So he said: "What is your business with us? Why do you interfere in our affairs?"

'Ubadah arose from amidst the people said: "I heard the Prophet state: After me such people govern you who accustom you to forbidden things and pollution's with their actions, and at the same time they will criticize the good deeds with which you are familiar. Therefore it is not right to obey the rebellious. Take care not to be diverted from the way of your God." According to Ibn 'Asakir, 'Ubadah continued by saying: "I swear in the Name of Him in Whose Capable Hand lies the life of 'Ubadah that Mu'awiyah belongs to this group of people. 'Uthman said nothing in answer and did not protest at all."(103)

The story of Mu'awiyah's excess in drinking and his involvement's and attitude towards the remaining friends of the Prophet is not the only incident related to him and 'Ubadah. Historians have written that Abd ar-Rahm an, son of Sahl ibn Zayd al-Ansari, had during 'Uthman's time gone to ash-Sham and Damascus to take part in the frontier's holy war, and as we know, at this time Mu'awiyah was governor of ash-Sham.

One day on passing in the street he noticed several skins of wine being carried. He had a spear in his hand and rushed upon them and ripped them open. The servants who were in charge of the skins fell upon him. When the matter was reported to Mu'awiyah he told his men to leave him alone since he had gone crazy. Mu'awiyah's remark was reported to 'Abd ar-Rahman who said: "By God! I have not gone crazy, but the Prophet had ordered us never to bring wine into our houses, and I swear that if I stay in this land and notice Mu'awiyah doing what the Prophet has forbidden, I will either rip his belly or lose my life for it "(104)

Ahmad ibn Hanbal writes in his book of Musnad quoting 'Abd Allah ibn Buraydah, narrating: I went to see Mu'awiyah with my father. He told us to sit down on the floor covered with carpets and ordered to bring us food. We partook of it. Then they brought wine. He drank some then offered my father a cupful. My father refused it, saying: "Since the day the Prophet has forbidden wine, I have abstained from it."(105)

Other stories, too, have been told about Mu'awiyah's excesses in drinking wine, and Ibn 'Asakir (106) mentions them in his history books. Those who are interested can refer to that reliable source.

Abu Dharr facing Mu'awiyah

The blue sky has never thrown its shadow over anyone more honest than Abu Dharr!

The Prophet

In 'Uthman's time, Mu'awiyah had some violent encounters with Abu Dharr, the well-known companion of the Prophet and the great upright Muslim, an account of which is too lengthy, so we will describe them briefly here. Historians say: Abu Dharr, that devout Muslim and true believer of Islam, believed in God even in pagan times, and was wholly averse towards the worship of idols.(107) When he heard the news of the rise of a prophet in Mecca, he traveled to that city, and was the fourth or fifth person to embrace Islam.(108)

The day after embracing Islam he went to the mosque of al-Haram and loudly declared his faith amidst Qurayshi infidels. They rushed upon him from every side and beat him so badly that his whole body was covered with blood, and as a result he fell down unconscious. Had not al- 'Abbas the Prophet's uncle come to his aid, he might have died under the cruel assaults of the Quraysh. An hour later, he rose with a stiff and injured body and went to a corner to wash his wounds and rest his battered body.

Next day he went to the mosque again and loudly exclaimed:

"There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet." For, he was never afraid of anything in the way of truth. Once more the people rushed upon him and beat him almost to death, leaving him unconscious again.

The following day he emigrated from Mecca to his tribe by the order of the Prophet to invite them to Islam, and stay with them until they were converted. Abu Dharr returned to his tribe of Ghifar, and made many efforts to convert them to Islam. Many years passed until he heard the news of the Prophet's arrival in Medina and his rise to power and glory. So he set off from his home to stay with his beloved Prophet and feel at peace in his association with him. His emigration to Medina took place after the battle of al-Khandaq. Thenceforth he never left the Prophet's side, and benefited greatly from his infinite store of knowledge and spirituality, and showed great loyalty and self-sacrifice, and engaged in so many religious acts of devotion and reflection that he became one of the dearest friends of the Prophet.

He has been praised greatly in many genuine traditions by the Prophet. Such as the following:

1-"The blue sky has never thrown its shadow over anyone more honest than Abu Dharr."(109) 2-In the battle of Tabuk, when his old and weak camel could not keep pace with others Abu Dharr was left behind. He had to abandon the camel. Then he carried his load on his own back and proceeded to march towards the Prophet's army. The hot desert and scorching sands made this march very difficult, but his true faith made it easy to bear all the hardships. He made a great effort until he finally reached the army. When the Prophet noticed the lonely figure of him approaching the warriors of Islam, he said: "May God bless Abu Dharr- he walks alone, dies alone and will be resurrected alone." (110)

From the time 'Uthman became caliph until the days he made innovations for the enhancing the influence of his kith and kin, several years passed. Therefore at the beginning of his caliphate when he followed the ways of Abu Bakr and 'Umar, the Quraysh chiefs were satisfied with him. But when some of the Umayyads began to influence him, and other Quraysh leaders such as Talhah az-Zubayr, 'A'ishah 'Amr ibn al-'As and their supporters were treated with indifference, displeasure and difference arose.

He offered an enormous gift to his son-in-law, Marwan namely the taxes of a large region like Africa;(111) three hundred thousand drachmas to his cousin, al-Harith ibn al-Hakam; one hundred thousand drachmas to his supporter, Zayd ibn Thabit al-Ansari.

When Abu Dharr saw that Muslims' public fund was being squandered and the Islamic government, as Abu Sufyan said, was changed into a pagan one, he felt it his duty to revive the forgotten injunctions of the Qur'an and deliver the Muslims from their negligence towards the Qur'an and Prophet's household. It was owing to this feeling that Abu Dharr adopted this smashing verse of the Qur'an as his slogan:

"Those who hoard up gold and silver and do not spend in Allah's way, warn them of a painful chastisement."(112)

This verse was addressed to the Umayyads who regarded other people's property and public funds as their own and easily made use of them. They gave them away, built palaces, and spent them extravagantly. Consequently the caliph's administrators took umbrage at Abu Dharr's words, and sharp altercations between Abu Dharr and 'Uthman took place.

'Uthman was aware that no compromise was possible with that true and God-fearing warrior of Islam, and Abu Dharr showed no mercy with the pagan customs, which were being revived under the cover of Islam, and he did not allow them a formal recognition. So 'Uthman ordered him to go to ash- Sham and to the border where the Muslims were fighting the Romans, hoping that Abu Dharr would be involved with these wars, and Leave the caliph's organization alone.

But who was governing ash-Shim except the Mu'awiyah a man of the Umayyads, and an heir of black paganism, and a hypocrite in the garb of Islam? Therefore in ash-Sham, too Abu Dharr could not abandon his duty of enjoining good and forbidding evil. As we have already stated, Mu'awiyah acted as a great pillar of paganism which with the aid of 'Uthman was now governing the wide realm of Islam. Consequently there occurred clashes since Abu Dharr reminded Mu'awiyah of his deeds which lacked the hue of Islam and were nothing but infidelity and selfishness, and forbade him from engaging in them.

One day Mu'awiyah sent him three hundred dinars. When Abu Dharr saw Mu'awiyah's messenger and the gold dinars, he said: "If this money is my annual salary from the public fund of which you deprived me last year, I will accept it, but if it is meant to be a gift, I have no need of it."

When Mu'awiyah began the construction of his palace, a big palace of green stones which was unrivaled in the world at that time and was a symbol of paganism and sensuality in the land of Islam, Abu Dharr protested loudly to Mu'awiyah: "If you are building this palace with public funds and God's property, your action is treachery, since such funds should be spent on the amelioration of the conditions of the Muslims and Islam and they do not belong to any particular person. But if it is built out of your own wealth, then it would be a sign of extravagance; for, how many things does a single person need for his daily life?"

Mu'awiyah had nothing to say, and Abu Dharr as usual emerged victorious in this argument with his power of reasoning. Abu Dharr had often said to him: "I swear to God, you have committed such acts the examples of which we do not remember in our Islamic customs, and know nothing like them. By God! Such deeds are mentioned neither in the Book of God, nor in the ways and traditions of His prophet. I am witnessing the right being suppressed and the wrong coming into surface. Truth is negated, and the incompetent and unabstemious are exalted, and a noble and pious person like Imam 'Ali is forced to retire to his house."(113)

The people gathered round this old man who was full of love for God and sympathy for people, to hear the sincere words which he uttered in defense of Unity, truth and Islam. But unfortunately the pestilential organization of Mu'awiyah would not tolerate him, and his soldiers shouted: "O people! No one should associate with Abu Dharr!"(114) He was one of the few true Muslims who still lived in that land, and as Islam could not tolerate paganism, paganism, too, could not tolerate Islam.

A historian writes: One night Mu'awiyah sent Abu Dharr one thousand dinars, and he in turn immediately divided that money among the needy people since Islamic training and ascetic spirit had no liking for collecting worldly treasures. In the morning when Mu'awiyah came for prayer, he summoned the previous night's messenger and told him to go to Abu Dharr and say to him: "Save me from Mu'awiyah's punishment. The money, which I brought to you, was a mistake. Please give it back to me to deliver it to its original place, and be thus immune from Mu'awiyah's punishment."

When the messenger delivered his message, Abu Dharr said to him: "My son, tell Mu'awiyah that Abu Dharr says: I swear to God that at this dawn not a single dinar remains with me. Give me three days' respite to take the money back from the needy."

Mu'awiyah realized that Abu Dharr is not merely a man of talk, but engages in action at the first opportunity, and thus he proves his words. So Mu'awiyah felt apprehensive of him, and an old man like Abu Dharr with his Islamic belief and deeds posed a threat to him making his backspin shiver with fear. At this time he took refuge with his master, 'Uthman and wrote to him: "If you have authority over ash-Sham and its people, summon Abu Dharr since he fills people's minds with rancor."(115)

According to al-Baladhuri 'Uthman wrote to Mu'awiyah in answer: "Make Abu Dharr mount a rough and uneasy ride and send him back to Medina." Consequently they made him ride an unruly camel and proceed non-stop to Medina. It was a long and exhausting journey in a dry and sandy desert, led by cruel and inhuman guards.(116)

al-Ya'qubi gives further details and says: 'Uthman wrote to Mu'awiyah: "Put him on a saddleless camel and send him to us." 'Uthman's strict order was carried out about this man of God, and as a result when he reached Medina he had lost much of the flesh of his legs.(117) al-Mas'udi says: They made him mount a camel, which had only a dry niece of wood on its back, and he was guarded by five coarse men of as-Saqalabah (118) who forced him to move swiftly. This went on until they reached Medina. His thighs were badly sore and showed raw flesh. In short, during those few days he had suffered so much that he was almost on the point of death.(119)

But this brave and valiant man was not so weak as to be vanquished by such treatments, nor had he forgotten his duties towards the Qur'an and the Prophet's household as to come to terms with 'Uthman. He was like a steadfast mountain that could not be moved by any event. Consequently the moment he reached Medina, he cried out vigorously and rose once more to fight the 'Uthmanic paganism. He said protestingly: "They appoint children as administrators and arrange fiefs and feuds for themselves. They raise and exalt the offsprings of the men freed after the capture of Mecca and bestow on them rank and dignity."

It was the reward and lot of this godly man to be exiled to ar-Rabadhah, a very dry and waterless desert in which Abu Dharr had stayed before Islam and which he disliked immensely. Thenceforth the rest of Abu Dharr's life was spent in ar Rabadhah, that terribly dry and lifeless desert It was in the same place, too, that he lost his wife and children, and he himself died of hunger and illness. Only one of his daughters stayed alive to live.

According to historians Abu Dharr spent one year in ash-Sham where he had been exiled in the year 29 of the Hijrah. In the year 30 Mu'awiyah complained of him to 'Uthman, following which he was summoned to Medina in the sorry conditions described before. Then in the same year he was exiled to ar-Rabadhah, where he died in the year 31 or 32 of the Hijrah.

A fable in the history of Islam

Many things have been said about the reason for Aba Dharr's exile which I feel disgusted to mention.

at-Tabari

What we have described in the proceeding pages concerning Abu Dharr's life, and his exiles from Medina to ash-Sham, from ash-Sham to Medina and from Medina to ar-Rabadhah, was only a brief account derived from the reliable researches of historians. But what has been narrated about this subject by at Tabari and his followers, namely Ibn al-Athir, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Khaldun and Abu al-Fida' are a series of lies and forgeries all of which were originally fabricated by Sayf ibn 'Umar, the great Kufi interpolator and forger of history.

at-Tabari and succeeding historians have adopted the historical events of those years from the fables invented in the imagination of Sayf and have thus filled their books and history of Islam with these lies and fables. at-Tabari writes in his history: In this year, namely the year 30 of the Hijrah, the incident of Abu Dharr has taken place, namely his expulsion from ash-Sham to Medina by Mu'awiyah.

Narrators have said much about this hideous exile which I have no inclination to quote. But those who offer an excuse for Mu'awiyah in this incident, have quoted a story narrated by Sayf from Yazid al-Faq'asi. He says: When Ibn as-Sawda' arrived in ash-Sham, he met Abu Dharr and said to him: Abu Dharr, are you not surprised at Mu'awiyah who says: 'Wealth belongs to God', whereas everything belongs to God? Then he adds: Mu'awiyah intends to swallow the whole of the public funds and revenue, and deprive the Muslims of it."(120)

Here at-Tabari is quoting the story of 'Abd Allah ibn Saba', the fabulous hero of the history of Islam, with the title of Ibn asSawda' and we have shown in the book of 'Abd Allah ibn Saba', two volumes of which have been published, that it is full of lies and fables, and interested readers can refer to them.

All the historians who have succeeded at-Tabari have more or less followed his example in quoting the said story. For example, Ibn al-Athir, the great historian of the 7th century, writes in his history book: 'In that year (30th of the Hijrah) the incident of Abu Dharr's exile from ash- Sham to Medina by Mu'awiyah took place. Many things have been said about the motive and cause of this matter including Mu'awiyah's abuses and threats to Abu Dharr and his expulsion on a bare camel, his exile to Medina in that tragic state, which should be left, unsaid.

If it is true, it would be fitting to offer an excuse for 'Uthman about this matter such as the claim that a ruler and imam can chastise his subject and so on, and not make use of such incidents as a basis of irony and criticism towards 'Uthman. These narrations contain matters, which I do not like to quote. But Mu'awiyah's apologists have offered some excuses in this connection. They write… "(121)

Then he narrates the story of 'Abd Allah ibn Saba', the imaginary and untrue hero of the stories of Sayf ibn 'Umar from at-Tabari, and this is exactly what Ibn Kathir, Ibn Khaldun and others have done. But when we refer to at-Tabari's words, we see that he does not disregard the numerous calamities, which have befallen Abu Dharr owing to their being false and forged, but he merely does not like to quote them, since he does not wish to blemish such Prophet's companions as 'Uthman and Mu'awiyah.

Then he speaks of apologists and excuse-makers and fills his great book with their false and fabulous reports, such reports which he himself calls "fibs". Thus he closes the door of truth seeking upon future investigators, and throws the chaste visage of such a great man as Abu Dharr into the depth of obscurity.

The conduct of Ibn al-Athir, the great historian of the middle centuries of the history of Islam, is similar. He, too, collaborates with at-Tabari in this great crime and truth-destroying history, and after referring to a number of issues, despite the fact that the sources do not weaken his statements, he avoids going into details, since he thinks that such matters should not be described fully for, such a description would be detrimental to the powerful Umayyads and caliphs.

But to-day we neither intend to cavil anyone, nor to find baseless excuses for him. We are only trying to find the truth of historical events for the sake of doing service to the sacred field of knowledge. We will not, of course, forgive these great scholars for their connivance at the facts of the history of Islam; for, their purpose has been nothing but to please the powerful and the ruling caliphs by their works.

***

As we saw, at-Tabari quotes the story of Abu Dharr from Sayf, and other historians have either borrowed it directly from Sayf or through at-Tabari. This story is part of the fable of 'Abd Allah ibn Saba', which is fabricated by Sayf ibn 'Umar. We have dealt with it in the second volume of this book in connection with the fable of 'Abd Allah ibn Saba' and its origin and source. Here we add that the story of Abu Dharr and most of the fables of 'Abd Allah ibn Saba' have been quoted solely by Sayf from a person named Yazid al-Faq'asi.

Now we should see who this Yazid al-Faq'asi is and what his narration is to discover the identity of this man, we have referred to all the available sources about personalities, traditions, history, biography, genealogy and Islamic and Arab literature, and have not found the slightest trace of his name or mention of him, except in the narrations quoted from Sayf by at-Tabari and adh-Dhahabi. Such narrations are no more than in number, five of which are seen in at- Tabari, and one in adh-Dhahabi's "History of Islam".(122)

In these narrations Sayf has quoted the story of 'Abd Allah Saba' from Yazid al-Faq'asi, and one of them is related to the story of Abu Dharr. In this one Sayf has lowered Abu Dharr, that great companion and secret-keeper of the Prophet, to a point where he, under the influence of an unknown Jew, namely 'Abd Allah ibn Saba', engages in riot and uprising against Mu'awiyah and other Umayyad rulers, and thus causes mischief in an Islamic environment. This narration concludes that in all these riots the Umayyads, namely 'Uthman Mu'awiyah and others have not been guilty at all and that their son-in-law been a perfectly virtuous man!

After a long and careful investigation about the source of the story of Abu Dharr and 'Abd Allah ibn Saba', we came to the conclusion that all these fables are borrowed from Sayf ibn 'Umar by all writers of history, and Sayf, the forger and fabricator of events, in order to give validity to a story and narration, invents a narrator named Yazid al-Faq'asi, and this fictitious narrator is artificially related to the house of al-Faq'asi which is a branch of the Asad tribe.(123) But in none of these narrations does Sayf mention him, as if he considered him to be fatherless! In fact the real father of this narrator and all those fabricated companions and narrators who are the heroes of Sayfs stories, and the father of 'Abd Allah ibn Saba', the greatest hero of his fables, is Sayf ibn 'Umar at-Tamimi himself who is the first producer of all these lies, and no one else has been his partner.

Unfortunately most great writers of history such as 4-Tabarj, Ibn al-Athir, Ibn 'Asakir, Ibn Khaldun Ibn 'Abd al-Barr, Ibn Hajar and many others have filled their books with the fabrications of that great liar and atheistic forger named Sayf ibn 'Umar. Consequently the views of most Muslims bout he friends of the Prophet are based to day on those fables, and they tend to know Islam through them.

Will they allow us after twelve centuries to pull these fables out .of the traditions and history of Islam and throw them away in order to open the way for a true understanding of Islam for all people?