Documents of the Right Word

ecause the Ummat (Muslims) wished them to be their Khalîfa
and elected them on a unanimous vote. For it was declared as
follows in the hadîth-i-sherîfs of our master Rasûlullah’s ‘sall-
Allâhu alaihi wa sallam’: “The votes of my Umma will not come
together on aberration.” “Whatever Believers find beautiful is
beautiful to Allâhu ta’âlâ.” To assert that the four Khalîfas seized
the office of caliphate by using force, when it is a fact that they
were elected by the Ummat, is a very grave oddity and a detestable
defamation. The following event shows plainly that hadrat Abû
Bekr Siddîq was not at all eager for caliphate: Rasûlullah ‘sall-
Allâhu alaihi wa sallam’ would give some disbelievers worldly
goods from the Bayt-ul-mâl in order to appease them and to
conciliate them with Muslims. Those disbelievers who were given
such goods were called ‘Muellefa-i-qulûb’. When Abû Bekr Siddîq
‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ became Khalîfa, he gave one of the muellefa-iqulûb
a piece of land from the Bayt-ul-mâl. This person, sensing
the vast popularity ’Umar had been enjoying among the As-hâb-ikirâm
and expecting him to be the next Khalîfa, took the title deed
he had been given to ’Umar and asked him to undersign it. Upon
seeing the title deed, hadrat ’Umar took it and went with it to the
Khalîfa to ask him how come the person had been given land from
the Bayt-ul-mâl. When the Khalîfa explained that the muellefa-iqulûb
had been given land from the Bayt-ul-mâl in Rasûlullah’s
time, too, hadrat ’Umar stated, “It was because Muslims were not
powerful enough yet. Now we are not weak, and therefore that
necessity does not exist any longer. Even if it were still necessary,
the decision to execute it could be made only after communing
with six or seven of the As-hâb-i-kirâm.” The Khalîfa found this
statement well put and said, “Yâ ’Umar! When I was elected
Khalîfa, I said I was not fit for the office and suggested that you
would be a better choice. But the As-hâb-i-kirâm would not listen
to me. It has been seen once again on this occasion that you are
superior to me. I want to resign from caliphate. And I request that
you accept this service.” ’Umar ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ replied in due
respect that he was not superior at all, that he did not think of
becoming the Khalîfa, and that his purpose was to remind (the
Khalîfa) of what he (’Umar) thought would be right. Thereupon
hadrat Khalîfa commanded that from then on nothing should be
put into practice without a foregoing consultation in matters
pertaining to the Bayt-ul-mâl.
During the caliphate of ’Umar ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’, several
Sahabîs came to him with the request that he make a will to advise
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