Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) worried\nabout the future of his Ummah because he knew that the Muslim nation is on the\nverge of seditions and chaos. He was especially worried about the few around\nhim hidden amongst the Muslims. The Prophet feared a return of the nation to\nthe past, namely the tribal traditions and ignorant Arab racism, which he had\nfought so hard to remove during his mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the sensitivity of the\nsituation, and before his illness, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) had decided\nto dispatch a great army to an outlying land. On the second day of his illness,\nhe chose “Usama the son of Zeid” as chief commander(1) and ordered\nhis companions, especially those more known, to join the army\u2019s young commander\nin his mission to Balgha in Damascus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After equipping the army, the Holy\nProphet (PBUH&HP) ordered Usama and his army to leave Medina immediately,\n(2) and emphasized his disapproval for those that disobeyed the orders as\npeople that fell far from God\u2019s mercy(3). The choosing of a young commander to\nlead the elders is a decision worthy of analysis from all angles. For one, the\nprophet had fell ill, and another was that among the elders were chief\ncommanders, companions, and noblemen who considered themselves more valuable\nthan the young commander.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nonetheless, despite of Prophet’s\n(PBUH&HP) emphasis, reprimand and command to follow orders, some Muslims\nrefused to join the army (4) and falsified the situation. The group of Muslims\nwho objected to the commanding officer would not have done so if they had truly\nlearnt the teachings of Islam, and understood that the Great Prophet\n(PBUH&HP) does not speak of his own will (5). They should not have\ncontradicted the Prophet (PBUH&HP). But how could the Prophet have cleared\nMedina from its elders and noblemen, when he had become aware of the much\nsedition that would occur after his demise?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, all of these actions were\ndone in order to clarify an important affair. The following points can be\nobtained from Great Prophet’s (PBUH&HP) decision:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, The Holy Prophet was preparing\nhis community for understanding the concept of allocating the responsibility of\nrule based on virtue and ability, and not on the basis of fame and old age.\nUsama’s case was made to teach and prepare the people for the leadership and\nWilayah of Ali (PBUH), a man younger than many noblemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Second, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP)\nwas aware of their ill intentions, and by ordering them to join Usama\u2019s army,\nwanted to send away those men who had devised a plan for usurping the Caliphate\nduring the chaos and confusion. While, Ali (PBUH) and his close companions were\nasked to remain and not join the army(6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group that stayed behind and did\nnot join the army did so to hijack the caliphate by staying in Medina and\nspreading rumors about the Prophet’s (PBUH&HP) martyrdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Third, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP)\nwanted to show to all and those who had plans to hijack the caliphate that they\nare not fit to rule the entire Muslim Ummah when they themselves have been\ncommanded to obey a young commander. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In sum, as the demise of Prophet\nMuhammad (PBUH&HP) was approaching, he was worried about the events that\nwere to follow. His dispatching of an\narmy with Usama, as its commander, was one of his final strategies to establish\nAli ibn Abi Talib (PBUH) as his successor. However, those intended, disobeyed\nthe Great Prophet (PBUH&HP) and refused to join Usama’s army. They were the ones who played a major role in\nthat which happened in Medina after the Demise of the Great Prophet\n(PBUH&HP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Selection taken\nfrom The incident of Saqifah by Allamah MuhammadReza Mozafar translated by\nGholamreza Saeidi (with some changes))<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Roshd Website offers condolences\nto all Muslims upon the anniversary of the demise of the last Messenger, the\nmercy upon the universe, and master of the Prophets, Prophet Muhammad Mustafa\n(PBUH&HP)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Footnotes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1.Dispatching\nUsama’s army has been mentioned in many Sunni’s historical references: Al-Sirah\nal- Halabiah, vol. 3, p. 227; Al-Tabaghat al-Kobra, Vol.2, p.90; Tarikh Madinah\nDamishq, vol. 2, p. 55; Omdah al-Ghaari fi Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 18, p.\n76<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Tarikh\nal-Islam al-kabir by al- Dhahabi, vol, 3, p. 19 and History of the Caliphs by\nSuyuti, p. 82<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Al-Melal va\nNehal by Shahrestani, vol.1, p.129; Al-Mavaghef by Jorjani, vol.8, p.619<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Fath al-Baari\nfi Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 8, p. 115; Al-Sirah al- Halabiah, vol. 3, p.\n227<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. The Holy\nQuran, (53:3)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. There are\nseveral evidences which show that despite of ordering the companions to join\nthe Usama’s army, Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH&HP) made an exception for Amir\nal-Mu\u2019minin (PBUH) to stay in Medina.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) worried about the future of his Ummah because he knew that the Muslim nation is on the verge of seditions and chaos. He was especially worried about the few around him hidden amongst the Muslims. The Prophet feared a return of the nation to the past, namely the tribal traditions and ignorant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28248,28383],"tags":[63169],"class_list":["post-3968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-occasional-letters","category-en-the-great-prophet-of-islam-pbuhhp","tag-gaurdianship-of-amir-al-muminin"],"yoast_head":"\n