Restatement of the History of Islam and Muslims [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

It is not known with any degree of certainty who
were these three girls. Most of the Sunni historians claim that they were the daughters of
Muhammad and Khadija. According to some other historians, they were the daughters of
Khadija by an earlier marriage.

The Shia Muslims disagree. They assert that Zainab,
Ruqayya and Umm Kulthoom were not the daughters of Muhammad and Khadija; in fact, they
were not even the daughters of Khadija by any earlier marriage; they were the daughters of
a (widowed) sister of Khadija. Khadija's sister also died, and upon her death, she brought
the three girls into her own house and brought them up as her own children.

According to the Shia Muslims, Muhammad and Khadija
had three and not six children.The first two of them – Qasim and Tayyeb or Tahir
– were boys, and both of them died in their infancy. Their third and the last child
was a girl – Fatima Zahra. She was their only child who did not die in infancy.

The girls – Zainab, Ruqayya and Umm Kulthoom
– could not have been the daughters of the Prophet of Islam. If they were, he would
not have given them in marriage to the idolaters which the husbands of all three of them
were. It's true that all three girls were married long before the dawn of Islam. But then
he did not violate any of the imperatives of Qur’an at any time – before or
after he was ordained God's Messenger. And Qur’an is explicit on the prohibition of
the marriage of a Muslim woman to a pagan.

The proscription of the marriage of a Muslim woman
and a polytheist occurs in the following verses of Qur’an:

Do not marry (your girls) to unbelievers. (Chapter
2; verse 221)

They (believing women) are not lawful (wives) for
the unbelievers, nor are the (unbelievers) lawful (husbands) for them. (Chapter 60; verse
10)

There are other verses in Qur’an which, without
referring specifically to marriage, make it impossible for a Muslim to give his daughter
or daughters to an idolater. Some of them are:

...the curse of God is on those without faith.
(Chapter 2; verse 89)

...God is an enemy to those who reject faith.
(Chapter 2, verse 98)

O ye who believe! Truly the pagans are unclean.
(Chapyrt 9:verse 28)

Can a Muslim, even if he is a "marginal"
or a "statistical" Muslim, believe that Muhammad, the Bringer and the
Interpreter of Qur’an, would give his daughters to those men whom God has cursed;
whose enemy He is; and who are unclean?

To a believer, the verses of Qur’an quoted
above, are incontrovertible proof that Zainab, Ruqayya and Umm Kulthoom, all three
married, at one time, to three idolaters in Makkah, were not the daughters of Muhammad
Mustafa and Khadija.

It should also be noted that the Apostle who was
very fond of children, never said anything about Zainab, Ruqayya and Umm Kulthoom. The
parents give the same love to all their children, and do not make any distinction between
them. But he was bestowing encomiums only upon his daughter, Fatima Zahra. Judging by the
traditions, he was not even aware that three women called Zainab, Ruqayya and Umm Kulthoom
existed.

Ruqayya and Umm Kulthoom were still living with
their husbands when a new revelation, the Chapter 111 of Qur’an, came from Heaven. In
this chapter Abu Lahab and his wife, Umm Jameel, the in-laws of Ruqayya and Umm Kulthoom,
were cursed for their perversity.

The new revelation roused the anger of the old
couple, and they ordered their sons to divorce their wives, and to send them back to
Khadija's home. The boys obeyed their parents, divorced their wives and they (the wives)
returned to Khadija's home. Sometime later, Ruqayya was married to Uthman bin Affan. She
died in A.D. 624. After her death, her sister, Umm Kulthoom, was also married to Uthman.
She died a few years later.

The years in Makkah, after the proclamation of
Islam, and the early years in Medina, were fraught with peril for Muhammad. Everyday
brought new challenges to him. He put his life in the line of fire as soon as he stepped
out of his house. And yet, Ruqayya and Umm Kulthoom are never mentioned as giving any
service to their father. On the other hand, Fatima Zahra helped her father in various
emergencies, both in Makkah and Medina. Ruqayya and Umm Kulthoom both were many years
older than Fatima, and they ought to have cheered and comforted their father whenever he
was oppressed by the idolaters in Makkah or was wounded in battles in Medina but they
never did.

The Sunni historians have bestowed upon Uthman the
grandiloquent title of Dhun-Noorayn which means "the owner of two lights,"
because he married, according to them, two daughters of the Prophet, an honor not attained
even by Abu Bakr and Umar!

Uthman became the owner of two lights after marrying
Ruqayya and Umm Kulthoom. But both of these girls were married to two idolaters, i.e.,
Utba and Utaiba, the sons of Abu Lahab, before they were married to Uthman. Therefore,
each of the two sons of Abu Lahab ought to be called Dhun-Noor – the owner of one
light. Each of them, Utba and Utaiba, was the owner of one light which he passed on to
Uthman, thus making him the owner of two lights. After all, the lights remained the same;
only the ownership changed!

Principal Events of the Caliphate of Uthman

In A.D. 645, there were rebellions in the provinces
of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and they were quelled.

In 647, Muawiya bin Abu Sufyan, Uthman's governor in
Syria, invaded Asia Minor and captured Ammuria.

In 648, Abdullah bin Saad bin Abi Sarh, Uthman's
governor in Egypt, captured Tripoli in Libya.

Both Muawiya and Abdullah bin Saad bin Abi Sarh
built fleets and challenged the naval power of the Byzantine in the Eastern Mediterranean.

In 649, Muawiya's fleet conquered Cyprus.

In 651, Uthman's generals conquered Herat in
Afghanistan.

In 652, the first official copy of Al-Qur’an
al-Majid was published in Medina, and its copies were distributed in all provinces.

In 652-54, Abdullah bin Aamir, Uthman's governor in
Basra, sent his general, Abdur Rahman bin Samra, to the east, where he conquered Balkh in
Khurasan, and Kabul and Ghazni in Afghanistan. These new conquests made the empire of the
Muslims contiguous with the sub-continent of Indo-Pakistan.

Favoritism and Nepotism in the Khilafat of Uthman

Uthman loved the members of his own clan, the Banu
Umayya, to a point where his love became an obsession. The Umayyads were the arch-enemies
of Islam, and they had fought against its Prophet for more than two decades. Now suddenly,
Uthman made them masters of the empire of the Muslims. He himself became their puppet, and
they took the reins of the government in their own hands. The real rulers of the empire,
in the khilafat of Uthman, were Marwan (the cousin and son-in-law of Uthman) and Hakam bin
Abul-Aas (Uthman's uncle and Marwan's father).

Uthman opened the gates of the public treasury to
his relatives. He gave them rich presents, vast estates and high ranks. Then, as if he had
not done enough for them, he forbade the citizens of Medina to graze their camels and
cattle in the pastures around the city. These pastures had been made a public endowment by
the Prophet but according to the new ordinance of Uthman, only those animals could graze
in them which belonged either to himself or to the Banu Umayya. The Prophet had told the
Muslims that all those lands which were irrigated by rain, were the property of the whole
umma, and therefore, the animals of all its members could graze in them. He had also told
them that these lands could not be appropriated by anyone for private use as was done in
the Times of Ignorance.

Al-Qur’an al-Majid has told the story of
Prophet Saleh in its seventh chapter (Al-'Araf - the Heights). According to this story,
the haughty and the mighty of the times of the Prophet, Saleh, prevented the access of the
humble and the weak people and their cattle, to the springs. It was only through the
intervention of Saleh that the latter could obtain water from the springs. Like water,
pasture was also considered to be a free gift of God to His creatures but the arrogant
ones denied it to them. What was done in the times of Saleh by the rich and the powerful
of the Thamud, was now being done in Medina by the rich and the powerful of that city
– the Umayyads. They formed the new clique, grasping all the levers of power.

The government in Medina had become an inter-locking
directorate of the cousins, the in-laws and the other relatives of Uthman. Other Muslims
had no share in it. Principal figures in the "directorate" were:

Hakam bin Abul Aas

Hakam was Uthman's uncle. In Makkah, he was one of
the neighbors of Muhammad, and was one of his tormentors. He made a mockery of the Word of
God, and ridiculed His Messenger.

In 630 the Apostle captured Makkah whereupon Hakam,
his son Marwan and many other Umayyads "accepted" Islam. But Hakam and his son
could never overcome their animosity to Islam and its Prophet. If they could hurt Islam,
they did. Eventually, the Prophet banished them from Medina. When he died, and Abu Bakr
became khalifa, Uthman requested him to allow his uncle and his son-in-law to return to
Medina but he refused. When Umar became khalifa, Uthman begged him to let the two pariahs
come back to Medina but he too refused. Then Uthman became khalifa, and he, of course,
lost no time in bringing them back to Medina, and in bestowing the greatest honors upon
them. Yaqoobi, the historian, says that when Hakam entered Medina, he was wearing dirty
tatters like a beggar but when he left Uthman's palace, he was dressed in the richest
silks and brocade.

Uthman appointed Hakam as collector of the poor-tax
from the tribe of Banu Qaza'a. Baladhuri, the historian, says that Hakam collected 300,000
dirhems and when he brought it to the khalifa, the latter gave it back to him to keep and
to spend.

Yaqoobi has quoted a certain Abdur Rahman ibn Yasir
in his history as follows:

An officer's duty was to collect taxes from the
merchants of the markets in Medina. One evening I noticed that Uthman, the khalifa, came
to him, and asked him to pay to Hakam all the money which he had collected that day. It
was Uthman's practice to bestow gifts from the public treasury to members of his family.
The tax collector tried to fob off Uthman and said that he would pay when he had collected
all the dues. But Uthman said to him: "You are my treasurer, and do what I tell you
to do." The collector retorted that he was the treasurer neither of Uthman nor of his
relatives but only of the Muslims. On the following morning, the same officer came into
the Mosque, and addressing the congregation, said: "O Muslims! Uthman says that I am
his treasurer. I am not. I am the treasurer of the Muslims. I do not want to be his
treasurer." He then threw the keys of the treasury before Uthman, and walked out.
Uthman picked up the keys, and gave them to Zayd bin Thabit.

Marwan bin al-Hakam

Marwan was Hakam's son and Uthman's first cousin. He
was married to Uthman's daughter, Umm Aban.

Marwan was Uthman's "prime minister." He
distributed gifts from the public treasury to whomsoever he pleased, and he distributed
positions of authority in the government to his favorites. He also kept the privy seal of
the khalifa in his possession and made free use and abuse of it. Uthman was in his grip,
and acted upon his advice blindly.

After a successful campaign in Africa, one of
Uthman's generals sent the spoils of war to him in Medina. This was estimated to be a
half-million pieces of gold. Uthman gave all of it to Marwan.

Baladhuri, the historian, has quoted Abdullah bin
Zubayr as follows:

"In 27 Hijri, Uthman sent us to the front in
Africa. His foster brother, Abdullah bin Saad bin Abi Sarh, was the general of the army.
He captured vast quantities of booty; kept four-fifths of it for the army, and sent
one-fifth to Uthman in Medina. Uthman gave it all to Marwan."

On another occasion, Uthman gave his son-in-law four
million dirhems out of the public treasury. He also made the estate of Fadak a gift to
him.

Marwan was to reveal himself one of the most
rapacious grafters in the khilafat of Uthman, and manifested a vampire-like mentality of
extortion.

Harith bin al-Hakam

Harith, the younger brother of Marwan, was married
to the second daughter of Uthman. He received a gift of 300,000 dirhems from the treasury.
Baladhuri says that once some camels were sent to the khalifa as part of the poor-tax, and
he gave them to Harith.

Abdullah bin Khalid

Abdullah bin Khalid was another of Uthman's
sons-in-law. When he gave him his daughter, he ordered Abdullah bin Aamir, his governor in
Basra, to pay him (Abdullah bin Khalid) 600,000 dirhems from the public treasury.

Walid bin Aqaba

Walid was the son of Aqaba bin Abi Mu'ait. Aqaba was
the first or second husband of the mother of Uthman. In Makkah, he was also a neighbor of
Muhammad, and like Umm Jameel, he too collected garbage and threw it at his door. He
fought against the Prophet at Badr, was captured, and upon his orders, was executed.

Walid and his brothers – the siblings of Uthman
– accepted Islam when Makkah was conquered.

On one occasion, the Prophet sent Walid to the tribe
of Banu Mustalaq to collect taxes. He left Medina but soon came back and told the Prophet
that the Banu Mustalaq had repudiated Islam, and had refused to pay their taxes.

The Prophet was surprised to hear this. But before
he could investigate the matter, the leaders of Banu Mustalaq themselves arrived in Medina
to pay their taxes. They assured the Prophet that they were sincere Muslims. Walid had
never visited them.

It was after this incident that the following verse
was revealed to the Messenger of God:

O ye who believe! If a fasiq (wicked person) comes
to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest ye harm people unwittingly, and afterwards
become full of repentance for what ye have done. (Chapter 49; verse 6)

It was the Book of God which called Walid a fasiq,
and it was by this name that he was known ever-after.

Umar bin al-Khattab had told Uthman that if he
became khalifa, he should appoint Saad bin Abi Waqqas the governor of Kufa. Uthman became
khalifa, and he appointed Saad governor of Kufa as per Umar's wish. But within a year,
Uthman dismissed Saad and appointed Walid in his place as the new governor.

As soon as Walid found himself in control of the
rich province, he became drunk, both with power and with wine. He was a compulsive
drinker. He was drunk even when he led the Muslims in prayer. One morning he entered the
mosque in a state of drunkenness. He led the prayer, and then vomited in the alcove of the
mosque. The reports on his drunkenness became so persistent that even Uthman was unable to
turn a blind eye on them, and he was compelled to recall him to Medina. In his stead,
Uthman appointed Saeed bin Aas as the new governor of Kufa.

Saeed bin Aas

Saeed's father, a rabid enemy of the Apostle of God,
was killed in the battle of Badr. After his death, Uthman adopted his son, and brought him
up in his own home. In 30 Hijri Uthman dismissed Walid and appointed Saeed the new
governor of Kufa. He also gave him a present of 100,000 dirhems from the state
treasury.

Like other members of his clan, Saeed also
considered public funds as his private wealth, and spent them as he pleased. If anyone
protested, he silenced him with his "police" powers. He could get any man beaten
up and he could get anyone's house burned down.

The governors were plundering every province in the
empire. They seemed to have the tacit blessing if not the explicit encouragement of the
khalifa. Inevitably, agitation began to simmer and smolder. Uthman was told that someday
there would be an explosion. Alarmed by the growing discontent and the crescendo of
protests, he convened a conference of all his governors. They came, gave him some
perfunctory advice, and dispersed. Saeed bin Aas was also among them. But after the
conference when he returned to Kufa, the citizens of that city stopped him near Qadsiyya,
and told him that they would not let him enter Kufa. He could not enter Kufa, and went
back to Medina. In his place, Uthman appointed Abu Musa al-Ashari as the new governor.

Abdullah bin Saad bin Abi Sarh

This Abdullah was the foster-brother of Uthman. His
father, Saad bin Abi Sarh, was one of the munafiqeen in Medina.

Abdullah, at one time, was one of the secretaries of
the Prophet. When the latter dictated to him any verse of Qur’an, he distorted it by
changing its diacritical marks or the letters or the words. Soon he was caught and the
Prophet banished him from Medina. He repudiated Islam, went to Makkah, and began to spread
the story that Muhammad himself made up the verses of Qur’an, and claimed that they
are revelations from Heaven.

When Makkah was conquered, the Prophet ordered that
Abdullah should be executed as an apostate even if he was in the Kaaba itself. But Uthman
managed to conceal him in his own house. Later, when conditions became normal, he brought
him before the Prophet and said that he sought pardon and also wished to take the oath of
loyalty. But the Prophet did not put out his hand, and maintained a studied silence for a
considerable time. Uthman importuned him to pardon Abdullah. Eventually, he pardoned him.
But as soon as Uthman and Abdullah were out of his sight, he turned to those around him,
and said: "I was silent for such a long time hoping that one of you would kill
him." Baladhuri writes in his book, Ansab-ul-Ashraf (p. 358):

"The Apostle said: ‘Was there no one among
you who would kill this dog before he got a pardon?'

Umar bin al-Khattab answered: ‘O Messenger of
God, if you had signaled to us, we would have killed him.' The Apostle said: ‘I could
not signal to you. Doing so would be unworthy of me.'"

When Uthman became khalifa, he appointed Abdullah
the governor of Egypt. With his appointment, a reign of tyranny and exploitation began in
Egypt. The fortunes of Egypt turned into misfortunes; prosperity turned into adversity.
Everyone turned against the new governor. The latter also ran afoul of Muhammad ibn
Hudhaifa.

Muhammad's father, Hudhaifa, was one of the earliest
converts to Islam. He died fighting in the battle of Yarmok. At his death, Uthman took
charge of Muhammad, his young son, and brought him up. When he grew up, he sought
permission to go to the foreign wars. Uthman allowed him to accompany Abdullah bin Saad to
Egypt as one of his aides.

Muhammad bin Hudhaifa was a very pious and
God-fearing man, and spent most of his time in devotions. When graft and corruption reared
their head in the administration, he admonished Abdullah, and urged him to restore good
government. But Abdullah did not respond to sincere admonition. Nevertheless, Muhammad
persisted in his efforts to reform him. Abdullah, however, appeared to have, like Marwan,
a streak of perversity in his character, and took pleasure in doing just what he was
forbidden to do.

Eventually, Muhammad gave up hope. From a friendly
and sympathetic admonisher, he turned into a disillusioned and a bitter critic –
first of Abdullah bin Saad, and later of Uthman himself for appointing as governor of
Egypt an apostate whose execution had been ordered by the Apostle of God himself.

The people of Egypt loved Muhammad ibn Hudhaifa for
his uprightness and his courage in criticizing the errant governor, and they rallied round
him. Abdullah wrote to Uthman that the young man he (Uthman) had brought up, was spreading
sedition against the government, and that if nothing was done to stop him, the situation
would get out of hand.

Uthman did not know what to do. It occurred to him
that he might silence Muhammad's protests with gold and silver. He, therefore, sent to him
30,000 dirhems and many expensive pieces of fabrics as a present. This gambit,
unfortunately for Uthman, backfired upon him. Muhammad brought the money and the material
into the great mosque, piled them on the ground before the Muslims, and said:

"O Muslims! Do you see what Uthman is trying to