Righteous (orthodox) caliphs. Righteous caliphs: list, history and interesting facts Years of Abu Bakr's reign

Next Wise sayings of 'Uthman ibn 'Affan (r.a.)

In the Holy Quran, the Almighty says (meaning): "Among Muslims there are men who are faithful to the covenant (fortitude with the Prophet) given by them to Allah. Among them there are those who fulfilled their vow (fighting in the way of Allah), there are also those for whom the term of its fulfillment has not yet come, but they have not changed (the covenant) in any way. This verse also applies to Umar ibn al-Khattab, who left an indelible mark on the history and development of Islam.

Umar ibn al-Khattab is the second righteous caliph, the ruler of the faithful, for whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed, asking the Almighty: "O Allah, strengthen Islam with Umar ibn al-Khattab", and when Umar converted to Islam, this gave the Muslims strength and power. The Prophet called him al-Farooq, i.e., the instrument by which Allah separates truth from falsehood. That the Prophet called him that was one of the miracles of the Messenger. The reign of Umar ibn al-Khattab was the strengthening of truth and justice, he conquered many countries and spread Islam in them.

In the "Biography of the Prophet Muhammad" Ibn Hisham quotes the words of Ibn Masud: "We did not have the opportunity to pray near the Kaaba until Umar converted to Islam. And having converted to Islam, he opposed the Quraysh so that we could pray near the Kaaba, and we prayed with him." Umar was true to Allah in such a way that He put the truth in his mouth and heart, and until Allah inspired it in him, he was not from among those whom the Almighty inspires. Tirmidhi reports from Ibn Umar, Ibn Maji and al-Hakim that the Messenger of Allah said: "Verily, Allah put the truth in the mouth and heart of Umar."

Bukhari reported from Abu Hurayrah: "The Messenger of Allah said: "Among those who were before you, there were those who were inspired from Allah. If there is a similar one in my ummah, then it will be Umar."

According to Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Oh, Ibn al-Khattab, I swear by the One in whose hands my soul is, whenever the devil meets you walking along one of the gorges, he will go along another gorge."

We also find that in confirmation of the words and opinions of Umar, the Almighty sent down the verses of the Koran. So, verses were sent down regarding his opinion about the prisoners taken at Badr, as well as in connection with the prayer at the camp of Ibrahim (maqam Ibrahim) near the Kaaba, about the prohibition of intoxicating drinks, about wearing a hijab and about other important issues. All of them confirm his nickname al-Farouk given to him by the Prophet. This fact also confirms that Allah put the truth in the mouth and heart of Umar.

When Umar ibn al-Khattab was caliph, he judged according to truth and justice, and his commitment to justice has remained famous for centuries. Umar strengthened Islam and made the Islamic state powerful. His deeds confirm the words of the Almighty that (meaning) "those of you who believed and did good deeds, Allah promised that he would certainly make them successors on earth, just as He made those who were before them successors; and promised that he would strengthen their faith, which he approved for them."

The life of Umar ibn al-Khattab was similar to the life of prophets and messengers. This is confirmed by the words of the Messenger of Allah himself, who said: "If there had been a prophet later, then he would have been Umar ibn al-Khattab." Umar ibn al-Khattab was very afraid of the wrath of the Almighty, often wept, trembling before Him. He took care of following the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah and the path of the first righteous Caliph Abu Bakr. He firmly adhered to truth and justice, was zealous in the religion of Allah, sought to improve the life of Muslims, was versed in the Book of Allah, and was not afraid of reproaches from those who reproached him for the sake of Allah. In his striving for truth and justice, he reached the point that one day, standing on the minbar, he said: "Oh, Muslims, what do you say if I bow to this world so much?" and bowed his head. One man stood up and said, "We'll fix you with a saber like this" and ran his hand over his throat. Umar asked him: "Do you mean me?" He replied: "Yes, I meant you." Then Umar said: "May Allah have mercy on you! Praise be to Allah, thanks to whom there is one in my flock who will correct me if I deviate!"

One day, al-Ahnaf ibn Qays, the ruler of Iraq, came to Umar with a delegation. It was on a hot summer day, and the delegation found him wrapped in an aba and anointing himself with special oil from one of the camels intended for alms. Umar said: "Oh Ahnaf, take off your clothes and help the commander of the faithful with this camel. This camel is alms, it has a share of an orphan, a widow and a poor man." One of the arrivals said: "May Allah forgive you, why don't you command this to a slave who collects alms to do it for you?" Umar then asked: “And who is more a slave than me and Akhnaf? I am a slave responsible for alms just like Akhnaf. instructing Muslims and carrying out orders.

Once, being at home and hiding from the incredible heat, Usman ibn Affan saw a man leading two camels. The day was so hot that Uthman thought, "What is the matter with him? Why shouldn't he stay in Medina until the cool of the evening and then set out?" Uthman said to his freedman, "Look who it is." He replied: "I see a man with a cape around his head. He is leading two young camels." Soon the man approached. It turned out to be Umar ibn al-Khattab - the ruler of the faithful. Then Usman asked him: "What brought you at such an hour?" Umar replied: "Two stray young camels intended for alms. I want to bring them to pasture. I was afraid that they would be lost and Allah would ask me for them." Uthman said: "Go into the shade and drink some water. We will relieve you of this task and send someone to do it for you." Umar said: "Go to your place." But Usman continued: "We have someone who will do it instead of you." However, Umar was unshakable and set off. Then Usman said: "Whoever wants to look at a strong, trustworthy person, let him look at him!"

There are many stories about Umar's selflessness in serving his flock and establishing truth and justice. History did not know such a caliph who would serve people so sincerely, honestly and justly, as Umar did. At the same time, he was ascetic and was content with the smallest things. He ate cakes only from wholemeal flour, wore coarse clothes and often said: "We know the tenderness of food better than many who use it, but we leave it for the day when every nursing mother will forget her baby and everyone who bears a burden, lose his child."

Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari reported: "Once Umar ibn al-Khattab saw me carrying meat." "What is it, Jabir?" - he asked. I replied: "I wanted meat, and I bought it." “Whatever you want, will you buy? Are you not afraid of the verse that says that “for each there will be a degree of retribution in accordance with their deeds, so that He fully repays them for their deeds, and there will be no injustice for them? "

Umar ibn al-Khattab was also an excellent military leader. He sent troops to take the cities of the Persians and the Byzantines, where people later converted to Islam. During his reign, Iraq, Isfahan were taken, cities in Ash-Sham and Egypt were conquered. During his era, the greatest battles in the history of Islam took place: the battle of Yarmuk, al-Qadisiyya, Nahavand and others. The ruler of the faithful Umar ibn al-Khattab, sending troops from Medina, appointed leaders and determined military plans. The great achievements of Umar overshadowed the military successes of other great commanders and heroes of history.

Against this great man, the enemies of Islam could do nothing but a cowardly attack: they sent a fire-worshipping slave named Abu Lulua, and during the morning prayer, standing behind Umar, he stabbed him several times in the back. Thus, the second righteous Caliph fell to the death of a martyr. This ended one of the most important stages of Islamic history.

May Allah have mercy on the ruler of the faithful Umar! His adoption of Islam was a help for the Muslims, and the period of his reign was their victory, he strengthened the foundations of the Islamic state, made it powerful, suppressing its enemies. May the Almighty reward him and from the entire Muslim Ummah with the best reward!

This Islamic video tells about the life of the second righteous Caliph of Islam - Umar bin Khattab, nicknamed the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) - FARUQ (distinguishing). UMAR bin al-khattab



His full name is Umar bin al-Khattab bin Nufayl bin Abd al-Uzza bin Riyah bin Abdullah bin Kurt bin Razah bin Adi Ibn Kaab. He belonged to one of the Quraish clans, and Ka'b bin Luayy, who was the ancestor of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), in the seventh generation, was also his ancestor.

Umar bin al-Khattab was one of the noble Quraysh and acted as an ambassador in the event of conflicts within the Quraysh tribe or military clashes between the Quraysh and other tribes.

Kunya1 Umara is Abu Hafs, and the nickname given to him by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is Farouk (discriminating). He was born 13 years later than the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). In the first years after the emergence of Islam, he was extremely hostile towards Muslims, but later the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, turned to Allah with a prayer that He would lead Umar to the right path, and in the sixth year from the beginning of the prophecy, Umar converted to Islam, thanks to which this religion was strengthened.



HOW UMAR BIN AL-KHATTAB ACCEPTED ISLAM, may Allah be pleased with him



Umar was a strong and respected man who caused many offenses to Muslims and persecuted them. Said bin Zayd bin Amr bin Nufail, Umar's cousin and the husband of his sister Fatimah bint al-Khattab, said: "By Allah, Umar strengthened me in Islam before he himself converted to Islam."2 For example, it is reported that Umar bound Said to turn him away from his religion.

However, behind the external severity of Umar, mercy and sympathy were hidden. Umm Abdullah bint Abu Hasma, who migrated to Ethiopia with other Muslims, is reported to have said:

- I swear by Allah, when we were about to move to Ethiopia and Amir left for some of our things, Umar came, who was still a pagan then and caused us the greatest offenses, and stood next to me. He asked: "Leaving, O Umm Abdullah?" I said, “By Allah, yes! We are leaving for the land of Allah, because you offended and oppressed us, and (we will not return) until Allah shows us a way out. Then he said: “May Allah not leave you,” and I noticed that he shows compassion, which was not there before. Then he left, and I think that our departure brought him grief. Then Amir came with his things, and I told him: “O Abu Abdullah, if you saw Umar, who was just here, and how he sympathized with us and felt sorry for us!” He asked: "Would you like him to convert to Islam?" I answered yes. He said: “But the one whom you saw will not accept Islam until the donkey al-Khattaba accepts him!”

Umm Abdullah said: "He said this out of desperation, because he saw the rudeness of (Umar) and his (attempts to end) Islam by force." Thus, it turned out that the insight of a woman is stronger, because by that time the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had long prayed to Allah that He would support Islam through Umar.

It is reported from the words of Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, turned to Allah with the following prayer: “O Allah, strengthen Islam with the one of the two whom You love more: Umar bin al -Khattab or Abu Jahl bin Hisham!”

Allah answered his prayer, and Umar converted to Islam after the first migration of Muslims to Ethiopia (that is, after 615), thanks to which Islam was strengthened, and Muslims were able to pray at the Kaaba without being attacked by polytheists. It is reported that Abdullah bin Masud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "After the adoption of Islam by Umar, we constantly gained strength." He also said: "Before, we could not pray at the Kaaba, (and this continued until) until Umar bin al-Khattab accepted Islam, and after that he fought with the polytheists until they left us alone." He also said: "His acceptance of Islam was a support for us."



Qualities and Virtues of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him



After Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, converted to Islam, the polytheists began to put up all sorts of obstacles to him, which often led to clashes between them. At the time of the Jahiliyyah, Umar was known for his eloquence and courage, while in Islam his strength, justice, asceticism, mercy, knowledge and awareness in the field of fiqh gained fame. He was a man of sound mind, and on several occasions his desires coincided with what was later revealed in the Qur'an. This refers to the choice of the place of Ibrahim as a place for prayers and the advice to the mothers of the faithful4 to appear on the streets in veils. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, pleased Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, with the news of paradise and that he would become a martyr. Oath



It is known that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, pointed out to the Muslims that after him Abu Bakr should become their leader, may Allah be pleased with him, as for Abu Bakr, then, according to his will, the caliph after him was to be Umar bin al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with them both. Abu Bakr consulted the people on this matter and they left the choice of successor to Abu Bakr himself.

Then he gathered people at his place and said to them: “O people, you see what has befallen me according to the ordinance of Allah. Now it is necessary for someone else to gain power over you, hold prayers with you, fight your enemies and give you orders, and if you wish, I will think about what to say to you regarding this. By Allah, besides Whom there is no other god, you should not hope that I can recover! After that, Abu Bakr wept, and all those present wept with him, and then the people said: “You are the best and most knowledgeable of us, so make your own choice!” On this Abu Bakr said: "I will think about what to say to you, and I will choose for you the best of your midst, if Allah wills."

After that, Abu Bakr called Uthman to him and said: “Write: “In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Merciful! This is what Abu Bakr bin Abu Kuhafa instructed when leaving this world and entering the eternal world, where the unbeliever will believe, and the wicked will be convinced, and the deceitful will become truthful. I leave Umar bin al-Khattab over you. Listen to him and obey him, but I swear by Allah, I did not miss anything to do good for Allah, His messenger, His religion, myself and for you. If he begins to show justice, then he will act in accordance with what I think of him and what I know about him, and if he changes, then everyone will bear the burden of his sin. I aspired only to the good, and the hidden is unknown to me, the unjust will know what will happen to them. Peace be upon you, the mercy of Allah and His blessings.”

METHODS OF GOVERNING UMAR, may Allah be pleased with him



As caliph, Umar bin al-Khattab followed the example of his predecessor Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with them both. When he was sworn in as Caliph after the death of Abu Bakr, he climbed the minbar, praised Allah and thanked him, and then said: “O people, I will call on Allah, and you say“ Amin ”. O Allah, verily, I am rude, make me so, by following the truth for Your sake and striving for eternal peace, that I be gentle towards those who obey You, and endow me with harshness and severity towards Your enemies, depraved people and hypocrites, but do not allow me to oppress them or transgress the boundaries of what is permitted! O Allah, indeed, I am stingy, make sure that during trials I am generous without waste and excess and show generosity not for show and not for the sake of good fame, and that I do it for You and the eternal world! O Allah, endow me with humility and accommodating towards the believers!

An indication of how Umar ruled, may Allah be pleased with him, can be the speech with which he addressed the people and which was similar to the speech of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with both of them.

As caliph, Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, proved himself to be a skillful politician, distinguished by determination and well thought out his steps. He organized the administrative and financial systems of the state, outlined plans for new conquests, ensured the management of the conquered territories, guarded the interests of his subjects and monitored the observance of justice in the country. He did not allow himself to take anything from public funds (bayt al-mal), with the exception of one winter and one summer clothes, as well as a riding camel, as for its content, it corresponded to the content of an average muhajir. It should be noted that the messages that Umar sent to the governors of different regions testified to his deep understanding of his responsibility to Allah and his subjects, trust in Allah and faith in his own strength.



Umar set about organizing an Islamic state and did so with unflagging determination. This was necessary so that he could cope with various difficulties and respond to new requirements, which was given special relevance by the constant expansion of the Islamic state. The following are the most important accomplishments of Umar bin al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him:



1. Umar founded various state institutions (sofas). So, for example, he founded a military sofa, which roughly corresponded to the modern Ministry of Defense, and a kharaj sofa5, whose functions were similar to those of the Ministry of Finance.

2. He established a public treasury (bayt al-mal), appointed judges and scribes, introduced the Hijri calendar as the basis for the calendar of the Islamic state, and organized a postal service.

3. Umar showed concern for his subjects, as evidenced by the fact that he checked the conditions in which Muslims lived, and walked around the streets of the city at night.

4. Instead of dividing the conquered lands among the warriors, as was usually done before, Umar left them in the hands of the natives, who had to pay only a land tax.

5. Umar divided the conquered lands into provinces and appointed a viceroy to manage each of them, who received the established allowance from the general treasury. He chose the governors from among those who were known for their piety and administrative abilities, not paying attention to the origin of these people.

6. By his order, several cities were founded in the conquered countries, for example, Basra and Kufa in Iraq, Fustat in Egypt and a number of other cities, each of which was to become the center of the Islamic state in the region.



CONQUESTS DURING UMAR'S RULE



Umar paid great attention to the continuation of jihad, the spread of Islam and the implementation of further steps to conquer Iran and Byzantium, which was initiated by Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with both of them.



Conquest of Iran and Iraq. Convinced that the Muslim troops in the territory of Sham were safe, Umar concentrated all his efforts on the conquest of Iran and Iraq.

He considered this matter so important that he even wanted to lead troops there himself, but at the council of Muslims it was decided that he should stay and entrust one of the most prominent associates to lead the troops. Umar agreed with this opinion and appointed Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas as commander, may Allah be pleased with him.



The Battle of Qadisiyah (15 AH) Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas marched on Iraq, which at that time was part of Iran, and set an example of correct leadership and correct policy, carried out on the basis of Islamic principles. When the Persians sensed the approaching danger, their king Yazdegerd gathered a well-trained and equipped army, the number of which historians estimate at 80,000 people. This army, which was accompanied by 33 war elephants, was led by an experienced commander Rustam.

When the two armies converged, Rustam demanded that Sa'd send an intelligent and knowledgeable person to him, to whom he could ask a few questions. He was interested in the reason for the amazing change in the Arabs, who had always been obedient to Iran and were satisfied with obtaining food supplies in case of famine or when raiding. Sa'd sent several companions to him, among whom was Rib'i bin Amir, may Allah be pleased with him. Rib‘i entered the tent of Rustam, decorated with pillows embroidered with gold and silk bedspreads, where he was shown precious yachts and pearls. Rustam had a shining crown on his head, and he himself sat on a golden throne, while Rib'i was dressed in shabby clothes, had only a shield and a sword with him, and sat astride a small horse. Seeing all these decorations and the arrogance of the Persians, Rib'i decided to show his contempt for this imaginary brilliance and rode into the tent without dismounting from the horse, which stopped at the edge of the carpet.

After that, Rib‘i dismounted and walked with a firm step towards the Persians, raising his head high and not taking off his weapons, armor and helmet. They told him, "Take off your weapons!" - however, he answered with dignity: “I did not come to you of my own free will! It was you who called me, and if you leave everything as it is, I will stay, otherwise I will come back. Rustam said: "Let him leave his weapon", whereupon Rib'i approached him, leaning on his spear and stepping on the pillows, most of which he tore. Rustam asked: "What brought you here?" Rib‘i replied: “Allah has sent us to lead whom He wills from the worship of slaves to the worship of Allah, from need to prosperity, and from the arbitrariness of different religions to the justice of Islam. He sent us to people with His religion to call them to Him, and we will turn away from the one who accepts it, and with the one who refuses, we will fight until we are brought to the promise of Allah. Rustam asked: “What did Allah promise you?” Rib'i replied: "Paradise for those who die in battle with those who refuse, and victory for those who remain alive."

After that, Rustam asked for a delay, but the Muslims refused to give him more than three days to think, after which the armies met in a fierce battle that lasted all day, most of the night and two more days. During this battle, the war elephants brought many difficulties to the Muslims, which frightened the Arabian horses, who were not accustomed to their appearance. However, the heroes of Islam persevered and fought until Allah helped them to win. On the fourth day of the battle, Allah sent a strong wind that scattered the camp of the fire worshipers, after which they fled, and their leader died. In total, 10,000 Persians and about 2,500 Muslims perished.

By sending the Muslims victory in this decisive battle, Allah upheld His religion and exalted His word, as a result of which Muslims began to be feared by both Arabs and non-Arabs, the leadership and justice of Islam spread, and disbelief and polytheism became less.



Conquest of Sham. Having learned about the entry of Muslim troops into their land, the Byzantines wrote about this to Heraclius, who at that time was in Jerusalem. Heraclius said: “I think that you should make peace with the Muslims, because, by Allah, if you agree with them that you have half of Sham left along with Byzantium, it will be better for you than to be defeated by them and lose all of Sham and half of Byzantium.

Such advice infuriated the representatives of the Byzantine nobility, who thought that the weakened emperor decided to give the country to the victorious invaders. Heraclius really showed weakness, because, frightened by the wrath of his own nobility, he decided to fight the Muslims, although he was convinced of the inevitability of his defeat. Gathering the indignant nobility, Heraclius went to Hims, where he gathered a huge and well-equipped army to fight the Muslims.



Battle of Yarmuk (15 AH) Seeing that the Muslims were gaining victories, the emperor of Byzantium, Heraclius, gathered all his forces, at the head of which he put his brother. The Byzantines concentrated near the Yarmuk River, one of the tributaries of the Jordan, and on the other side, a Muslim army under the command of Abu ‘Ubaida bin al-Jarrah took up positions. He instructed Khalid bin al-Walid to build the troops, and he arranged them into a fine battle formation, which was previously unfamiliar to the Arabs.

The Muslim cavalry bravely attacked the Byzantines, thanks to which they managed to cut off the Byzantine cavalry from the infantry. After the death of thousands of Byzantine horsemen, the Byzantine cavalry fled under the blows of the valiant Muslim cavalry, and then the Muslims fell upon the Byzantine foot soldiers, who died in battle or drowned in the river. More than 100,000 Byzantines and about 3,000 Muslims died in the Battle of Yarmuk. Conquest of Egypt. In those days, Egypt was one of the provinces of Byzantium. Like the Byzantines, the Egyptians professed Christianity, but the Byzantines mistreated their co-religionists. So, for example, the Egyptians were strangled with taxes, and it came to the point that they were forced to pay taxes on the dead, allowing them to bury the dead only after paying the established tax.

At the head of a detachment of four thousand, Amr bin al-As moved to Egypt, may Allah be pleased with him. He crossed the Sinai desert, and at the end of 18 AD. appeared at al-Arish, which was occupied without a fight, since there was no Byzantine garrison in it. Then he moved to al-Faramah, which was taken after a month and a half siege at the beginning of 19 AH. During this siege, the Egyptians provided assistance to the Muslims. Then Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, went to Bilbais, which he took possession of after a month of continuous fighting.

Then he laid siege to the fortress of Umm Dunayn, for which a fierce battle broke out. The Byzantines took refuge behind the walls of one of their most impregnable fortresses, Babaylun, which the Muslims besieged until Allah helped them to win, and then victories followed one after another, and eventually Egypt became a province of the Islamic state.



DEATH OF CHALIFA 'UMAR bin al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him



Umar bin al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, died at the hands of Fairuz, who was also called Abu Lu'lua. He was a fire worshiper and was a slave of al-Mughira bin Shu'ba. Fairuz killed Umar with a double-bladed dagger, inflicting six blows on him. The fatal wound was below the navel.

Fairuz made an attempt on Umar during the morning prayers on the 23rd Dhul Hijj, 23 AH. He delivered his blows at the time when Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, uttered the words of takbir, after which he ran out of the mosque and began to strike with his dagger to everyone he met, as a result of which 13 people were injured, more than half of whom died. Realizing that he would definitely be captured, Abu Lu'lua stabbed himself with the same dagger, and the caliph was transferred home.

He lived for three more days and died on Wednesday, 4 days before the end of the month of Dhu-l-Hijjah 23 AH. His son Abdullah bin Umar washed his father's body, wrapped the body in a shroud and held a funeral prayer, after which Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was buried next to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and welcome him, and Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him Allah. His reign lasted ten and a half years, and may Allah reward him with good.

On the planet, it has a very interesting history filled with vivid events and facts. Many experts believe that the once powerful and influential Arab Caliphate owes its appearance to the successful work of the Prophet, who managed to unite in a single faith a large number of previously disparate tribes. The best period of this theocratic state can be considered the decades when the righteous caliphs were at the head. All of them were the closest associates and followers of Muhammad, who were related to him by blood. This period of formation and development of the caliphate is considered by historians to be the most interesting, often it is even called the “golden era”. Today we will talk in detail about all four righteous caliphs and their most significant achievements at the head of the Muslim community.

The concept of "caliphate": a brief description

At the beginning of the seventh century, the Prophet created a small community of fellow believers, spread over the territory of Western Arabia. It was called umma. Initially, no one imagined that thanks to the military campaigns and conquests of the Muslims, it would noticeably expand its borders and become one of the most powerful associations for several centuries.

The words "caliphate" and "caliph" in Arabic mean about the same thing - "heir". All rulers were considered the successors of the Prophet himself and were very revered among ordinary Muslims.

Among historians, the period of the existence of the Arab Caliphate is usually called the "golden age of Islam", and the first thirty years after the death of Muhammad were the era of the righteous caliphs, which we will tell readers about today. After all, it was these people who did a lot to strengthen the positions of Islam and the Muslim state.

Righteous caliphs: names and dates of reign

The first caliphs accepted Islam during the lifetime of the Prophet. They were well aware of all the nuances of life in the community, because they always helped Muhammad in managing the Ummah and were directly involved in military campaigns.

The four righteous caliphs were so respected by the people during their lifetime and after death that later a special title was coined for them, literally meaning "walking the righteous path." This phrase fully reflects the attitude of Muslims towards their first rulers. Further caliphs of this title were not awarded, as they did not always come to power in an honest way and were not close relatives of the Prophet.

By year of reign, the list of caliphs is as follows:

• Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (632-634).
• Umar ibn al-Khattab al-Farouk (634-644).
• Usman ibn Affan (644-656).
• Ali ibn Abu Talib (656-661).

During his reign as a caliphate, each of the Muslims listed above did everything possible for the prosperity of the state. Therefore, I would like to tell you more about them.

The first righteous caliph: the path to the heights of power

Abu Bakr al-Siddiq was one of the first who believed the Prophet with all his heart and followed him. Before meeting Muhammad, he lived in Mecca and was quite rich. His main activity was trade, which he continued to engage in after the adoption of Islam.

Even in Mecca, he began active work on the development of the Muslim community. The righteous caliph Abu Bakr al-Siddiq spent huge sums of money on this and was engaged in the ransom of slaves. It is noteworthy that each of the slaves received freedom, but in exchange he had to become orthodox. We think it is not necessary to say that this deal was very beneficial for the slaves. Therefore, the number of Muslims in Mecca grew rapidly.

After the Prophet decided to move to Medina, the future caliph followed him and even accompanied Muhammad when he hid in a cave from sent assassins.

Later, the Prophet married the daughter of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, which made them blood relatives. After that, he went on military campaigns with Muhammad more than once, performed Friday prayers and led pilgrims.

In the year 632, the Prophet died without heirs and without appointing a new successor, and the Muslim community faced the choice of a new leader.

The reign of Abu Bakr

The companions of Muhammad could not agree on the candidacy of the caliph, and only after they remembered the numerous services of Abu Bakr to the Muslim community, the choice was made.

It is worth noting that the righteous caliph was a very kind and absolutely not conceited person, therefore he attracted other followers of the Prophet to the management, distributing the circle of duties among them.

Abu Bakr al-Siddiq came to power at a very difficult time. After the death of Muhammad, many people and tribes turned away from Islam, who felt that now they could return to their former lives. They tore up their treaty obligations to the caliphate and stopped paying taxes.

For twelve years, Abu Bakr took action to maintain and expand the boundaries of the Caliphate. Under him, a regular army was formed, which managed to advance to the borders of Iran. At the same time, the caliph himself always admonished his soldiers, forbidding them to kill women, babies and the elderly, as well as to mock enemies.

In the thirty-fourth year of the seventh century, the army of the caliphate began to conquer Syria, but the ruler of the state at that time was dying. In order to prevent conflicts in the caliphate, he himself chose a successor among his closest associates.

Second caliph

Umar ibn ruled the Muslim country for ten years. Initially, he was very skeptical against Islam, but one day he happened to read a sura, and he became interested in the personality of the Prophet. After meeting him, he was imbued with faith and was ready to follow Muhammad to anywhere in the world.

Contemporaries of the second righteous caliph wrote that he was distinguished by incredible courage, honesty and disinterestedness. He was also very humble and pious. Very large sums of money passed through his hands as the Prophet's chief adviser, yet he never succumbed to the temptation to get rich.

Umar ibn al-Khattab al-Farouk often took part in military battles and even married his beloved daughter to Muhammad. Therefore, it is not surprising that on his deathbed, the first caliph named Umar as his successor.

Achievements of Umar ibn al-Khattab

The second righteous caliph did a lot for the development of the administrative system of the Muslim state. He created a list of individuals who received an annual allowance from the state. This register included the companions of the Prophet, warriors and members of their families.

Umar also laid the foundations of the tax system. Interestingly, it concerned not only monetary payments, but also regulated relations between different citizens of the caliphate. For example, Christians did not have the right to build their dwellings higher than Muslim houses, have weapons and publicly display their creeds. Naturally, the faithful paid taxes in a smaller amount than the conquered peoples.

The merits of the second caliph include the introduction of a new system of calculation, the legal system and the construction of military camps in the conquered territories in order to prevent uprisings.

Umar ibn al-Khattab al-Faruk paid great attention to construction. He managed to fix the rules of urban planning at the legislative level. The example of Byzantium was taken as a basis, and most of the cities of that time were distinguished by slender and wide streets with beautiful houses.

During the ten years of his reign, the caliph laid the foundations of national and religious unity. He was merciless to his enemies, but at the same time he was remembered as a just and active ruler. Many historians believe that it was during this period of time that Islam declared itself as a strong and fully formed religious movement.

Third ruler of the Caliphate

During his lifetime, Umar created a council of six of his closest associates. It was they who had to choose a new ruler of the state, who would continue the victorious march of Islam.

They became Usman ibn Affan, who had been in power for about twelve years. The third righteous caliph was not as active as his predecessor, but he belonged to a very ancient and noble family.

Uthman's family converted to Islam even before the Prophet moved to Medina. But relations between the aristocratic family and Muhammad were rather tense. Despite this, Usman ibn Affan would have been married to the daughter of the Prophet, and after her death he received an offer to marry his other daughter.

Many believe that Uthman's numerous connections made it possible to spread and strengthen Islam during Muhammad's lifetime. The future caliph knew many noble families and thanks to his active work, Islam was accepted by a large number of people.

This strengthened the position of the then small community and gave a powerful impetus to the creation of a religious state.

Reign of Caliph Uthman

Briefly describing these years, we can say that the third Caliph deviated from the principles that his predecessors adhered to. He put family ties above all else, thus throwing the caliphate back in the days of the proto-state.

Uthman's relatives and close associates had a penchant for acquisitiveness and sought to enrich themselves at the expense of other residents of the Caliphate. Naturally, this led to increased material inequality and unrest.

Surprisingly, during this difficult period, the boundaries of the Caliphate continued to expand. This was facilitated by military conquests, but it was extremely difficult to keep the conquered peoples in obedience to the caliph.

As a result, this led to an uprising, as a result of which the caliph was killed. After his death, a bloody period of civil strife began in the state.

Fourth Caliph

The Righteous Caliph Ali ibn Abu Talib, who became the fourth ruler of the "golden era", belonged to very unusual people. Of the entire galaxy of caliphs, he was the only blood relative of Muhammad. He was his cousin and the second person to convert to Islam.

It so happened that Ali and the Prophet were brought up together. Therefore, it is not surprising that the caliph married the daughter of Muhammad. Later, from their union, two boys were born, to whom the Prophet was very attached. He had long conversations with his grandchildren and was a frequent visitor to his daughter's family.

Ali often took part in military campaigns and was distinguished by simply legendary courage. However, until his election as caliph, he did not hold important government posts.

Ali ibn Abu Talib as caliph: an assessment of historians

Ali's personality seems to be extremely controversial to experts. On the one hand, he did not possess organizational skills, political talents and a flexible mind. It was under him that the prerequisites for the collapse of the caliphate were outlined, and the Muslims were divided into Shiites and Sunnis. However, no one can deny his fanatical devotion to the cause of Muhammad and loyalty to the chosen path. In addition, untimely death elevated him to the rank of a martyr. Many feats and deeds worthy of a saint are attributed to him.

Based on the foregoing, historians conclude that Ali turned out to be a true Muslim, but he could not contain the separatist mood in the caliphate.

Arab Caliphate in the 7th-8th centuries

After the death of the prophet in 632, the question arose of a successor, who, after heated discussions between the Muhajirs and the Ansar, was elected the oldest companion of Muhammad, Abu Bakr. The new head of the Muslim community (ummat al-Islam) received the title of caliph (lit. "one who follows after", "successor"), the bearer of secular and spiritual power.

Abu Bakr (632-634) became the first of the four righteous caliphs. Under him, the military campaigns begun by Muhammad continued. Intensive conquests remained under the caliphs 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (634-644), 'Usman ibn 'Affan (644-656) and 'Ali ibn Abu Talib (656-661). The campaigns against Byzantium were successful (Damascus was taken in 635, Jerusalem in 638, Caesarea in 640), as a result of which Syria and Palestine were under the rule of the Muslims. The conquests in the Mesopotamian region took place with varying success, which subsequently ended in the victory of the Arabs (in 637, the capital of Sassanid Iran, Ctesiphon, fell in 641, Mosul, in 642, Nehavand), so that by 651 the territory of the Sassanid state to the river . The Amu Darya was included in the Caliphate. In 640, Arab troops invaded Armenia and occupied its capital, Dvin; in 654 - the capital of Eastern Georgia, the city of Tbilisi (Tiflis).

Despite the successful policy of conquest, the activities of the righteous caliphs were not limited to the seizure of territories and the division of military booty. Under caliph 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, measures began to be taken to organize the administration of the conquered provinces, the social and economic level of development of which was often higher than that of the political center of the caliphs - Hijaz. He began his reforming activity with the development of a system of land distribution, taxation, and administrative management.

The most important contribution of Caliph 'Uthman ibn 'Affan was the formation of a single edition of the text of the Koran. By that time, each administrative center of the Islamic state had its own authoritative edition of the sacred text of Muslims. On behalf of 'Uthman, on the basis of these lists, a consolidated text was verified, which was sent to the largest cities, and the rest of the versions were to be destroyed.

During the reign of the fourth righteous caliph 'Ali ibn Abu Talib, a center of opposition formed in Mecca, in addition, the governor of Syria and Palestine, Mu'awiya ibn Abu Sufyan, refused to swear allegiance to the new caliph. In 657, 'Ali moved his residence to Kufa to attract supporters (later they received the name "shi'at 'Ali" - "party of 'Ali", Shiites). In the spring of the same year, the troops of Ali and Mu'awiya clashed near the village of Siffin. In this battle, neither side achieved decisive success, but Ali's position was seriously shaken. It was then that a group of supporters departed from him, who later received the name Kharijites (lit. “departed”, “departed”). After 'Ali's death, his supporters elected Ali's son Hasan as caliph, who, under pressure from the Umayyads, renounced power.

From the book of August Muller "History of Islam from foundation to modern times" St. Petersburg. 1895

Difficulties in establishing succession

No matter how dangerous the last illness of the Prophet seemed from the very beginning, its end, which came after a visible improvement in the patient’s condition on the morning of the day of death, struck everyone with its unexpected speed. Most of the community members peacefully dispersed after the service. Even Abu Bekr returned to his dwelling in the suburbs. Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet, also did not have a father on his deathbed. Her husband, Aliy, after the story with the necklace was in an open quarrel with Aisha, in whose house Muhammad was lying. Therefore, both husband and wife limited themselves to visiting the patient occasionally. Omar alone remained near Aisha at the bedside of the dying man and was present at the last breath of the Prophet. The fateful event did not take Omar by surprise: the day before he had managed to eliminate the desire of the patient, who demanded writing materials; therefore, it must not be allowed that the demands that, with the onset of a terrible event, will necessarily be presented to all close associates of the Prophet did not come to his mind. Whatever, however, he thought or managed to decide with Abu Bekr, the end came so suddenly that nothing could be done to consolidate public order and to immediately transfer power to the proper member of the community. And she, alas, was not able to wait and endure, at least for a moment, the absence of a common leader recognized by all.<…>
There was not a single word in the Koran that would indicate the order of succession of power. Muhammad himself, during his illness, did not bother to issue a direct order (...). Therefore, it was now impossible to do otherwise than to find a solution in the ancient customs of the Arab people, which, however, would have been a waste of work, since any immediate justification of heredity was so foreign to the freedom-loving mores of the Bedouins that even under the pressure of Byzantine and Persian hegemony, it was difficult to the right of inheritance could take root in the provinces of Ghassan and Hira (...). Suppose it often happened that after the death of the head, who was distinguished by courage and wealth, the choice of the elders of the tribe fell on the son, but this happened only when personal respect or the interests of the tribe tended precisely to this, and the slightest pressure in such a matter was felt by everyone to the point of pain. . But Muhammad did not leave behind a single son. If Fatima, as the only surviving child of the Prophet, enjoyed personal respect, yet she was only a woman and could not make serious claims in favor of her husband Aliyah outside the close circle of the Hashemites and her few other personal adherents.
Whoever could manage to act faster than others in such doubtful circumstances would undoubtedly have a significant advantage. For, despite the equal rights of all the faithful, repeatedly testified by Muhammad, this equality has not yet been practically consolidated on the battlefields in Persia and Syria; in fact, the people of Medina, the fugitives, the Ansar, and in general those who in recent times took a place among those around the Prophet, disposed of everything, while the rest of the mass of the Arab tribes remained as before inert. Of course, only the Medinans could participate in the election of a new ruler, not to mention the fact that it was simply impossible to wait for the representatives from all parts of the country to gather.<…>It was necessary to foresee that at the first promulgation of the sad news, various groups of the population would immediately begin to form. For Omar, therefore, the most important thing was to prevent the spread of the sad news until at least Abu Bekr and a significant number of the rest of the fugitives had gathered around him.<…>
(...) Omar went out of the house to the crowd of believers who were still near the mosque (...) He announced to the people that only "hypocrites" could have thought that the messenger of God had died. “This is a deliberate lie,” he continued in the same vein, “the Prophet, like Moses once, retired only from his people for 40 days; after this period, he will return and punish with death all those who invented that he died. While he was talking like this, Abu Bekr came up. Convinced that the unexpected event, alas, had truly happened, he exclaimed: “O you, for whom I would gladly sacrifice my father and mother, just as you were dear to me in life, so now you, dead, are dear to me!” - and kissed the pale forehead of the one whom he revered not only as a “messenger of God”, but also as his unchanging most faithful friend. Then, prompted by an urgent need to take care and, above all, to ensure the future of that great cause to which this extinguished life was wholly devoted, Abu Bakr hastily went out to the still waiting crowd, imperiously ordered Omar to be silent, and himself, recalling some passages from the Koran that represented the deceased the same person as everyone else, he said: “Whoever wants to worship Muhammad, let him know that Muhammad is dead. Worship the Lord: God lives and will never die!”

Election of Abu Bakr

Meanwhile, among the fugitives standing in front of the house of Aisha, who were impatiently awaiting further orders from Abu Bekr and Omar, the extremely unpleasant news began to spread that the Ansar had gathered in large numbers and were preparing to choose a new ruler from their midst. It was impossible to wait any longer, and immediately both confidants of the Prophet rushed there, surrounded by a crowd of reliable Meccans. They arrived just in time: Sa'dibn Ubada, since the death of Ibn Ubay, the first person among the Khazrajs, had just delivered a short speech. he got out of trouble and difficulties and brought victory to Islam. Separate timid objections were heard; some found it risky and one-sided to solve such an important matter without the participation of the oldest confessors of the faith, but most opinions tended to immediately recognize the ruler of Sa "da. At this very time, fugitives burst into the meeting in a dense crowd, and at their head Abu Bekr, Omar, and Abu Ubeid, revered by everyone for his piety and meekness. Abu Bekr spoke first. Calmly and amiably, he gave full justice to the merits of the men of Medina, but at the same time firmly stated that the future head of the community should be elected from among the first companions of the Prophet. Khazrajit Al-Munzir objected to this, suggesting that both parties choose each individual leader. Omar, noticing at once the whole danger of the demand, stepped forward with his characteristic energy and fervently began to prove that the rest of the Arabs would never wish to obey a leader chosen not from the tribe of the Prophet. The dispute flared up. Abu Ubeyda began to beg the Ansar and persuade them to peacefulness, when suddenly jumps forward, to the amazement of his fellow tribesmen, Khazrajit Beshir, one of the 70 who were under Aqaba, a zealous hero of Islam. He loudly announces that he takes the side of the Meccans. Abu Bekr takes advantage of the moment of confusion: “Look! he exclaims. “Before you is Omar and Abu Ubeida. Whoever you want, swear allegiance to him! Both named refuse and ask him himself as the most worthy, on whom the Prophet entrusted the duty to replace him as the one who is coming in prayer, to take the rank of ruler. Abu Bekr still hesitates, but the indomitable Beshir jumps out again and strikes him lightly on the right hand - a sign of the oath among the Arabs. The Khazraj are outraged; the Ausites, who had been watching with secret displeasure all the time the maneuvers of their old rivals, who were again trying to squeeze into the front line, without thinking twice and bravely, despite their small numbers, take the side of Abu Bekr. Everyone rushes towards their leaders. The sick Sa "da, brought to the meeting on the bed, was almost trampled underfoot in the rising crush. Only the personal intervention of Abu Bekr saved him from the impudent insults of the passionate Omar. The dispute threatened to turn into an open dump. At this time, new crowds of the faithful suddenly invade the house. This there were people of the Aslam tribe who roamed in the vicinity of Medina. Descended from the Khuza "ites, related to the Quraysh, carefully guarded in recent times by the Prophet, as soon as they heard about what was happening, they hastened to come to the aid of their Meccan friends. The Khazraji now found themselves in a minority; the calmer men of both parties succeeded in separating the quarreling parties, and Abu Bekr could at last calmly continue to take the oaths of the others.

Spiritual and temporal power of the caliph

Meanwhile, it was clear to every true believer that Abu Bekr, as Omar put it in the electoral meeting, was appointed by the Prophet himself as a substitute for common prayer in the mosque: and prayer, as you know, was the foundation of all religion. The other affairs of the community could more easily join this main duty; it was not necessary, therefore, to create a new authority, which, not only in appearance, could rely on the orders of the Prophet himself. But after all, a new authority, in fact, was not created. Abu Bekr remained only in a somewhat expanded sense what he had already been a few days ago, namely: the deputy ambassador of God, the caliphate ras ul i "llah i - nothing more and means nothing more than the simple title of caliph. Fabulous the idea of ​​unlimited power and brilliance, which until now, according to children's views, is associated with the name of the caliph of Baghdad as the third in the union, next to the emperor and the pope, does not change the essence of things at all, for the caliph, in fact, had the right to be called only "viceroy of Islamism". Of course, over time, circumstances gave this rank a different meaning. Already the successor of Abu Bekr found it necessary to slightly outline the increasing brilliance of the head of the community by adding to the title of the words: emir "l-Mu minina, that is," the ruler of the faithful ", but the modest title of caliph in the eyes of all the rulers of Islam was of ever-increasing importance.<…>
On the basis of Islam, the one who is recognized as the vicar of the messenger of God combines the dignity of the head of the secular and spiritual. The power of the Caliph, therefore, cannot be equated with the temporal power of the pope, as it used to be in his ecclesiastical domain, or compared with the spiritual primacy of the king of Saxony, as bishop of the evangelical subjects of his whole country. Imagine the power of the higher Roman Catholic hierarchy, combined with the power of the unlimited reign of Louis XIV, or the state system that Calvin implemented in Geneva, and for a short time in England - Cromwell, or, finally, existing theoretically in Russia.<…>
(...) The serene fulfillment of dual dominion was possible only as long as the overwhelming majority of Muslims were imbued with the consciousness that the caliph rules, really steadily following the words of God and the example of the Prophet. But even in this case, the power of the caliph was limited by love for the freedom of a powerful people, the sensitive delicacy of which was spared even by Muhammad where the interests of faith were not violated; and the tempestuous impulses of this love became the more dangerous for his successors, the more the ancient secular habits took over, spreading to the widest circles of new confessors of the faith outside the peninsula.

Military policy of the caliphs

We already know that even Mohammed made preliminary orders to spread the faith outside the peninsula among other peoples, and above all among the neighboring Persians and Byzantines. His message to the Shah of Persia had no particular results; followed by embassies and reconnaissance to the south of Syria, the defeat at Mut, and later the annexation of the border districts, up to and including Ayla. Since then, a new, more serious campaign was conceived in the country east of the Jordan. An army was already gathering, which, by the time of the death of Muhammad, had managed to be pulled to Medina. Following his basic rule - to fulfill exactly the plans of the Prophet in everything - Abu Bekr sent troops to the north, under the leadership of Usama, despite the imminent retreat of the central tribes of Arabia. Probably, this decision reflected the intention to simultaneously give the Ansar an opportunity to calm down and help them forget their failure in choosing a caliph away from the capital. But, naturally, the dangerous position of Medina among the rebellious Bedouins prevented the campaign from being given greater importance; therefore, Osama hurried back two months later, having only managed to make a demonstration to the Byzantine border. Too hot work awaited the troops inside Arabia. But now, after an uninterrupted struggle for three-quarters of a year, order was finally restored, Islam reigned again throughout the entire peninsula. However, there was still much to be done in individual details, until worship was finally introduced everywhere and the collection of taxes was regulated; now, only little by little, the tribes, especially the outlying provinces, began to get used to marching at the first call of the caliph to the military muster in Medina. But one could fear, despite the severe punishment of the rebels, that in the course of time the encroachment to disobedience would again stir here and there in the stubborn Arab heads. Abu Bekr foresaw this. He deliberately sent to the frontiers, as the uprising was put down, every free thousand people, assuming very well that every success from outside, every news of a successful raid, would arouse in the ever-troubling tribes of Central and South Arabia a desire to join the military enterprises that showed such brilliant promises.<…>In any case, this military policy served as a necessary counterbalance to all possible future uprisings: only on the battlefields in Persia and Syria, the recent victors and vanquished at Buzakh, in the "garden of death" and on the fields of Yemen, could rally into those mighty hordes of warriors, which soon shook half the world with an unstoppable pressure.

Reasons for Islam's victories

The first raids began under Abu Bekr, heading for southern Palestine and the lowlands of the Euphrates.<…>. (...) By the end of his life, Omar commanded, in addition to Arabia itself, the northeastern coast of Africa, Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, Babylonia and the western half of Persia, in general in space - over a country the size of Germany and Austria-Hungary combined<…>.
(...) in 30 (651) the sphere of dominion of Islam extended from the Oxus up to the great Syrt and was equal in space to almost half of Europe.
If these conquests represent a revolution the likes of which, in breadth and speed, the world has not seen since the time of Alexander, then the question arises all the more obsessively: what were the reasons that made it possible to accomplish these extraordinary successes. Alexander the Great, as is known, tore apart the helpless masses of the Persian hordes with a wedge of his iron phalanx; the unstoppable flow of German settlers, with an infinite number of their mighty bodies, crushed the so skillfully armed and led legions of the Romans, a people weakened by extreme effeminacy. Here we come across something special: both the mass, and the superiority of weapons, and the art of war - everything is on the side of the Greeks and Persians. Of course, even approximately the number of fighters that Muslim Arabia could send against the infidels to the east and west is almost unknown. Although the figures of the first armies, according to the information that has come down to us, seem to be quite plausible, we know absolutely nothing about the size of the reinforcements, which, undoubtedly, had to be sent from Arabia from time to time to various points in the theater of war. The gaps in the ranks of the Arabs were enormous, partly due to very bloody battles, and even more due to the need to leave detachments in the conquered areas for free movement further forward. Likewise, we are deprived of any reliable source for certain population statistics.<…>
According to all we know, the Muslims in 15 (636) could hardly have had more than 80,000 men in service outside of Arabia.<…>
(...) Short news and assumptions agree on one thing: that it was in the first decisive minutes that Muslims almost always had to fight at least with a double strength of opponents. The reason that, despite this, they almost always came out victorious, historians are accustomed to attribute to religious fanaticism, which inspired the followers of the Prophet. Doing full justice to the truly incomparable courage of the Arabs and their contempt for death, we must, however, say that it is difficult to explain the success of an endless series of victories by this alone. At the same time, one should not forget that fanaticism only gradually became universal: the thirst for prey, let's say, half compensated for the lack of faith in the first battles.<…>Therefore, one should look, at least in part, for the reasons for success in something else.<…>(...) in large decisive battles, the Persians and Byzantines felt an obvious lack of overall leadership. So, for example, as is known, the Persian commander-in-chief fought at Kadesia not on his own impulse, but only following the urgent order of the king. In the battle of Hieromax, the Greek army, as if on purpose, was divided into three camps, treating each other with malice and thinly hidden distrust. These strife, doubly dangerous in view of the incomparable discipline of the Muslims, were symptoms of deep-seated diseases that devoured the Persian and Byzantine states in the bud.
<…>(...) But most of all, the enemies were struck by the exemplary discipline of the followers of Islam, which willingly obeyed, beyond all expectations, the Arabs of the center and south, who were now appearing for the first time. On the other hand, the same people who 10 years ago considered a simple ditch an impregnable stronghold, and four years later did not know what to do, finding themselves in front of the simple walls of the small fortress of Central Arabia, Taif, are now taking one Byzantine fortress after another non-stop. , and later they themselves build fortified camps in Persia, as if they were doing their usual business for a long time. Meanwhile, they wisely refrain from imitating orders of dubious dignity, such as squadrons of elephants, which the Persians, due to national obstinacy, still adhered to, despite the fact that almost 1000 years ago, in battles with Alexander, their complete unfitness for war was proved. .
Thus, it seems to the historian, on the one hand, spiritual and bodily mobility, incomparable enthusiasm in conjunction with strict discipline, military talent, not constrained by a worked out and frozen routine, although not a particularly large army, and on the other, sluggishness, discord, next to courage of a certain sort, spiritual infirmity, rich external means, and a great preponderance in numbers.

Capture of Hira

The first raids began under Abu Bekr, heading for southern Palestine and the lowlands of the Euphrates. In 12 (633) the kingdom of Hira was already temporarily occupied.<…>
(...) By the end of 11 (beginning of 633), the Arabs reached the borders of Persia proper. Inside the peninsula, there was no more business for the warlike and predatory Bedouins. Then they began to recall what noble booty they once extracted in the countries on the other side of the borders, and even once, after the fall of the Lakhmids, about 25 years ago they defeated the Persian governor of Hira himself. The children of the desert, perhaps, have also heard that there, in Persia, disorder is again going on: the new king Yezdegerd, who sat on the throne at the end of 632, cannot cope with the adherents of his minor competitor, Hormizd V, and others. internal enemies. The Arabs took advantage of this convenient moment to roam in a foreign country, following the example of their fathers. Rumors soon reached the Caliph's ears about Musanna's successful predatory raids to the mouth of the Euphrates. He was invited officially from Medina to gather as many hunters as possible in his tribe and become under the command of Khalid, whose troops, meanwhile, found themselves free after the complete calm of Central Arabia. Many more of the tribes of the newly converted joined the hordes of the faithful, located at Akraba, forming a venerable army with a strength of up to 10,000 people; Musanna joined her with his 8,000 bekrits. Then Khalid moved at the end of 11 (at the beginning of 633) to the mouth of the Euphrates, into the Persian possessions. The large valley of the Euphrates and the Tigris, that is, Babylonia and Chaldea, the lowland part of Mesopotamia and the area between the two rivers, the countries bordering the Syrian desert on one side and reaching the Median mountains on the other, the Arabs used to call Sevad, or Iraq.
In those days, and several centuries later, this country, irrigated in all directions by an ancient, highly branched system of canals, was one of the most fertile, one might even say, of the most fertile in the whole world. In order to protect it from the predatory attacks of predators of the desert, the Persians organized the border state of Hiru. Therefore, it was necessary first to take this main center of the Christian-Persian-Arab tribes and then to cross the Euphrates. But Abu Bekr decided otherwise. He ordered Khalid to directly invade the southern tip of Sevad; meanwhile, at the same time, another detachment, led by Ida, was sent further east, across the steppes, to Hira, in order to divert a possible enemy strike to Khalid's flank.<…>Even a somewhat clear picture of the disposition of both troops and tactical movements during the struggle has not come down to us. One way or another, the Persians were beaten (Muharrem 12 = March 633), despite the fact that, according to the very doubtful testimony of Arab historians, they were partly linked by a chain; that is why this first skirmish is called "chain battle". Hormizd himself fell, as they say, at the hand of Khalid; the winners got rich booty. For the first time here, the nomads managed to see one of those precious diadems that Persian nobles usually wore, adorned with rows of noble stones. Hitherto, as a rarity, in the form of fragments of an indefinite value, they sometimes fell into the interior of Arabia, but now it was intended entirely for the state treasury. In the same way, an elephant captured in battle was sent to Medina, which aroused the astonishment of the inhabitants of Medina, who had never seen such an animal. At the sight of it, some of the most naive women seriously doubted whether it was a creation of God or an artificial imitation of nature. But the Bedouins had to see much more amazing things in the raids. After the “chain battle”, the whole army bravely crossed the Euphrates and rushed to rob the southern part of Mesopotamia, killing adults everywhere and taking wives and children with them - it’s very understandable, this was done only on the estates of Persian large owners, officials and police officials. Peaceful peasants, mostly Arameans, that is, of Semitic origin, were left alone. Khalid was so wise not to slaughter the goose that lays the golden eggs. And so that she would not become very ill, this, as we shall see later, was taken care of with great skill. So the Arabs continued to penetrate further into the country (...).
<…>The combined army was located (Safar 12 = May 633) on the right bank of the Euphrates, almost in the rear of Khalid, who, meanwhile, continued to plunder on the left. But at the very first news, the Arab commander realized the immensity of the danger that threatened: Khalid quickly turned back, crossed the Euphrates and boldly attacked the enemies, who still continued to stand at Ulleys. The battle was hard, its outcome remained doubtful for a long time. The fierce Arab in his soul made a vow to his God, if only He would grant him victory, that the river would flow with blood instead of water. The battle was indeed won. And now the commander gives the order to grab the fugitives everywhere, divert the water of the river and immediately kill hundreds of prisoners on the spot. Flowed, of course, blood in streams. They turned on the water again, and, in a way, the vow was fulfilled. From now on, the stream began to be called the "bloody river."
The path to Hira was now free. First, by land, then on boats, along the canals, the army approached the city itself, the old residence of the Lakhmids. The Arabs set up camp at the Khavarnak castle itself. The city was fortified, and the garrison could hold out for some time, but the Persian governor suddenly disappeared somewhere, and most of the inhabitants, Aramaic Christians, preferred to surrender after a short resistance to capitulation. However, they did not want to give up their faith for anything; a tribute was imposed on them, which the "possessors of the Scripture" had to pay as the price of tolerance.

Battle of Buweiba; founding of Basra

The rival nobles of Ctesiphon apparently reconciled for some time, and one of the descendants of Mikhran, one of the seven most famous Persian noble families, crossed the Euphrates with 12,000 people. Musanna waited patiently for the enemy behind one of the western canals of the Euphrates at Buweiba, near Hira, leaving this time to the Persians themselves. Mihran seems to have been unaware of the number of Muslims and expected to meet their weak remnants after the battle at the bridge. He made the same mistake as Abu 'Ubeyd: he crossed the canal in the sight of the enemy army and attacked the Arabs who were waiting for him on the other side. The Persians fought this time especially bravely, and despite this, the victory fell to the side of the faithful thanks to the predominantly brave restraint of the Namirites. Wanting to complete the defeat of the enemy, Musanna ordered one flying detachment to destroy the bridge in the rear. This maneuver almost became disastrous: deprived of retreat, the Persians rushed with the courage of despair to the attackers, and the battle began again. Musanna himself reproached himself later that he subjected the Muslims to new, completely unnecessary losses, but the battle nevertheless ended in the complete annihilation of the enemy army: almost none of the Persians escaped. Such a significant defeat opened the eyes of the Persians. They saw that half-measures could not break the extraordinary tenacity with which the audacious Arabians, who had previously made their raids quite often, now decided to continue them, apparently without interruption. Therefore, Rustem decided to gather a preliminary serious military force in order to put an end to the tiresome frontier war with an irresistible onslaught and one blow. We have pointed out more than once that the internal situation of the Persian state presented great obstacles to such an undertaking. Therefore, it took more than a year before the new militia, gathered partly in the outlying provinces, could reach the capital. The Arabs took advantage of this moment of relative peace in the best possible way. Throughout Mesopotamia and the delta of the Euphrates and the Tigris, in a space of about 80 miles, counting upwards from the tip of the Persian Gulf, they darted in all directions and robbed horse detachments, occupying one city after another, up to the Tigris above Ctesiphon. At the same time, they laid the foundation for a firm settlement in the conquered country, laying the Basra fortress near the present Shat-al-Arab, the main branch of the connected Euphrates and Tigris. A wide channel becomes available here for ships; that is why this place later became the center of all maritime trade of the Islamic state, with the foundation of Baghdad under the Abbasids - the natural harbor of the residence of the caliphs.

Battle of Cadesia

Complaints of the inhabitants of Mesopotamia about the predatory raids carried out without hindrance by the Bedouins in all directions became so frequent that King Iezdegerd and his close nobles lost all patience. It was really hard to endure such a shame, and the army set off on a campaign on the direct royal command. And now, probably, Rustem was waiting for the arrival of some militias from the most distant provinces; this alone can explain the more or less plausible stoppage of the movement against the army of Sa "da. Just as at first the Persians were hurt by the fact that they took Khalid's invasion for too long for one of those simple Arab raids, for the sake of prey repeated periodically from time immemorial times, and they thought it was relatively easy to deal with, so at the present time the desire of the Persians to overcome any resistance by piling up an overwhelming number of troops served them to their death.The indecisiveness of actions in general, as a direct consequence of the intervention of the court in Rustem's way of waging war, was aggravated by the inaction of the leader himself which gave more and more confidence to the daily increasing number of Arabs. And then, as if by misfortune, at the moment that decides the fate of the battle, fresh Syrian troops appeared. Something fatal has come, before which both people and people bow blindly, without resistance. states.
The best forces of both great nations stood here, at Cadesia, opposite each other, in 16 AD (637). Around the famous ancient Sassanid banner of leopard skin, the color of Persian chivalry rallied in dense squadrons, clad in armor. Ahead of them lined up 30 war elephants, and then, all around, an endless army, at least it seemed to the Arabs, was worried. In the very middle, on a precious throne, Eranspahpat (state commander) Rustem sat in order to look at the deeds of his heroes, like Xerxes on the banks of Attica, opposite Salamis. On the other side, a whole horde of the oldest and closest companions of the Prophet could be seen; among them were issued 99 participants at Bedra, 310 who swore allegiance at Hudeibiya and 300 who were present at the occupation of Mecca. Particularly noteworthy is how Sa'd positioned his army. He based, of course, a division into tribes, for diligent competition between them was always the main motivating reason for their courage. Among the tribes, to facilitate their tactical mobility, there was a separate leader over every 10 people. The commander-in-chief himself, by a sad accident, could not take part in the battle; a serious illness chained him to the ramparts of Kudeisa, a small fortress built on one of the channels of the Euphrates. From there he was forced to dispose of The Arabs, of course, were not to their liking; they were accustomed to seeing their commander in the midst of the battle, they expected this especially from Sa "yes, so" fearless under the whistle of arrows. It is quite possible, however, that it was better that way. He could now turn all his attention to the general course of the battle, and with such impressive numbers of troops clashing, it was not so easy to realize what was happening. Unfortunately, very little news has come down to us about the course of the battle. From many different legends, one can, of course, gather enough separate data, and from these pieces one has to restore, one way or another, the overall picture. At the same time, one cannot fail to notice that it remains in great doubt whether the battle lasted 3 or 4 days. According to the most ancient sources, it is also told differently and completely contradictory about its beginning. Finally, in all the various reports, there is a clear desire to attribute the main merit of a decisive blow to one or another hero; therefore it is necessary to carefully exclude all such one-sided legends. In general, one thing can be positively said only, that at first speak brightly

Among the most revered and authoritative Muslims in the history of Islam, Umar al-Faruk ibn al-Khattab (r.a.) is often mentioned. He is the second righteous caliph (after Abu Bakr), and his whole life after accepting the religion of Allah was aimed at strengthening it.

Umar ibn al-Khattab (r.a.) was born in Mecca in 585 (according to Miladi). He had two nicknames. The first is al-Faruk, which was given to him by the Prophet Muhammad (s.g.v.) when Umar (s.a.) converted to Islam. This nickname can be translated as "distinguishing right from false." The second name - Abu Hafs - is the traditional Arab use of the names of their older children. The name Hafs was the daughter of Umar, she later became the wife of Muhammad (s.g.v.).

Biography of Umar

Umar (r.a.) was not among the first Muslims. Even before becoming a righteous believer, he had great authority among the people of Mecca, which, among other things, was based on his very tough and stern disposition. At the same time, the Grace of the Worlds Muhammad (r.a.) often said a special prayer in which he asked the Almighty to enrich the community of believers with such a strong spirit as Umar ibn al-Khattab (r.a.). As a result, that is for the sixth year since the beginning of the prophetic mission of Muhammad (S.G.V.).

By this time, about forty men and more than a dozen women had become Muslims. But before Umar (r.a.) often spoke out against the faithful. Moreover, he somehow thought to kill the Final Messenger of the Almighty (S.G.V.) due to the fact that his activities contributed to the renunciation of the Meccans from the religion of their ancestors. Actually, just when Umar (r.a.) set out to commit a terrible crime, he met a man named Nuaym ibn Abdullah, who told him that his sister Fatima and her husband Zeid had converted to Islam. Angry in earnest, he went to their house and found them memorizing Surah Ta Ha, after which he severely beat them both. As soon as the anger subsided, Umar (r.a.) decided to ask what exactly his relatives were studying. Taking a scroll with the text of Surah Ta Ha, he began to read it carefully until he reached the 14th verse:

“Verily, I am Allah! There is no god but Me. Worship Me and pray to remember Me” (20:14)

This verse made a great impression on Umar (r.a.), he immediately went to the house of the Prophet Muhammad (s.g.v.). Seeing him, Umar (r.a.) fell to his knees and uttered the words of the Shahada. This scene shocked the Muslims. They began to pronounce the takbir so loudly that it could be heard at the al-Haram mosque, on the territory of which there were then idols, perceived by the Meccans as deities.

Virtues of the 2nd Righteous Caliph

Here are a few examples of how highly the status of Umar ibn al-Khattab (r.a.) is appreciated by Muslims.

1. In the collections of hadiths of Bukhari and Muslim there is a saying belonging to the son of Ali ibn Abu Talib (r.a.) - Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyy. It contains the following story: “Once I asked my father - who is the best of the believers after the Final Messenger of the Most High (s.g.v.)? He replied that such a person is. Then I asked about who, after him, occupies this status. The father said that it was Umar (r.a.). Then I asked if Umar (r.a.) was following him - my father. He declared that he was simply one of the believers.”

2. In the collection of Imam Ahmad there is a hadith similar in content. From Abu Juhaifa as-Sawi, the words of Ali ibn Abu Talib (r.a.) are quoted. He asked people about who is the best Muslim after Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). When no one could answer this question, Ali (r.a.) named Abu Bakr (r.a.) as such. After that, he said: “Shall I tell you who is the best representative of the Muslim Ummah after Abu Bakr? It is Umar."

3. The fact that the Final Messenger of God (s.g.v.) himself prayed with a request to strengthen the Muslim community by Umar (r.a.) speaks volumes. There is, in particular, such a very remarkable hadith: “After Umar became a Muslim, the Islamic Ummah never lost its majestic position” (at-Tirmidhi).

4. Due to the fact that such an authoritative Meccan as Umar (r.a.) became a member of the Muslim community, the Muslims came out of the underground and began to more actively conduct the call (dagwat).

5. Collectors of hadiths Ahmad and at-Tirmidhi cite the following saying of the Grace of the Worlds of Muhammad (s.g.v.): “If after me another messenger was sent to this world, then it would certainly be Umar.”

Umar ibn al-Khattab (r.a.) died in 23 Hijri (644 Miladi). He was then 63 years old. The cause of death was stabbings inflicted by Abu Lulua al-Majusi. The murder of the second righteous Caliph is probably connected with his policy towards the Persian Empire (the Sassanid state). He was buried in Medina, not far from the graves of Muhammad himself (s.g.v.) and the first Caliph Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (r.a.).

The reign of Umar (r.a.) lasted more than ten years and is considered one of the most productive in terms of the implementation of state and public interests.