5.2 The four Caliphs                                                                      

After Muhammad’s (sm) the death, Muslims in Medina gathered to select a primacy or mouthpiece called the Caliph. There were three main candidates:

(1) The Prophet’s (sm) closest friend, merchant Abu-Bakr (ra)

(2) Ali (ra) who was married to the Prophet’s (sm) daughter Fatima

(3) A leader from Medina

Muhammad's (sm) friend and father-in-law Abu-Bakr (ra) was then chosen as Caliph (632 A.D.). He formed a Islamic State Council. Abu-Bakr successfully defended the newly created state from the internal and external enemies.

After Abu-Bakr (ra) untimely death (634 A.D.), the State Council chose Muhammad’s (sm), friend and father-in-law Omar (ra) to the Caliph. It was he who proposed “Adhan” for the Muslims at the prayer time when the first mosque was built in Medina. As a Caliph his great task was to compile the Holy Koran in a specific order, and he preserved the original of it to his own daughter and Prophet's widow Hafsa. He prohibited“Muta Nikah” (time-limited marriage) and homosexuality which were sometimes practiced by soldiers and merchants.

During Omar’s rule (ra) Muslims capturedSyria, Palestine, Persia and Egypt. He deposed General Khalid when people began to adore him as "Unbeatable war hero". Khalid who won the 80 war without ever losing could probably throw the dice as Julius Caesar. But he chose rather to serve as Foot Soldier in its final stage of life. He begged to the Caliph, -"You may take all that I have, but please do not take away my sword which the Prophet (sm) let me keep to defend Islam".

When a part of the war booties from Egypt ended up in Medina,Omar (ra) began to weep and said -"Here I see the downfall of Islam". Only one-fifth of the war booties came to the State treasury while the rest was given as pay for the soldiers in compulsory military service. Omar (ra) walked alone at night in the capital Medina to see if anyone starved for lack of food. But it was impossible for him to appoint officers or deliver relief items to the needy to satisfy everybody.

It was dangerous for the most powerful man of the world to roam without guards. Omar (ra) was stabbed to death (644 A.D.) of an insane labourer who considered that the Caliph's verdict in a dispute between an employer and workman on a wage of 50 cents per day was "unfair". Omar (ra) lived in a simple thatched cottage without bodyguards and servants.

After Omar's (ra) death Prophet's (sm) friend and wealthy son-in-law Usman (ra) was chosen the Caliph. He belonged to the Umayyid elites. Soon he allowed his cousin Marwan, who was banished by Muammed (sm), to return home and appointed him as the Governor of Medina. Usman (ra) was very old and was barely able to manage his office. Marwan worked for the Caliph. The Umayyids got then all high posts in the empire. The Islamic State Council which had chosen Usman (ra) as Caliph stood powerless.

One day the people Medina gathered in a meeting to listen some veterans’ rhetoric about Caliph’s nepotism, the increase in social inequality and the Umayyid’s antecedents. That ended in an insurrection when a crowd of angry men stormed into Usman’s (ra) house and killed the eighty-year old Caliph (656 A.D.).

After Usman’s (ra) death Muhammad’s (sm) cousin and son-in-law Ali (ra) was chosen as the Caliph. He was Muhammad’s (sm) uncle Abu Talib's son and his first wife was the Prophet’s (sm) daughter Fatima who gave birth to two sons and a daughter: Hassan, Hussain and Djainab. They were the apples of their grandfather Mohammed’s (sm) eyes.

After the death of Fatima, Ali married Hunafa who gave him a son named Muhammad-bin-Hanafiya (mother’s name). Then Ali married Abu-Bakr's widow and brought-up Abu-Bakr’s minor son Muhammad. These two youngmen became later Ali's right and left arms in the civil war.

Ali (ra) came to power during a difficult time. The Umayyids accused him for his reluctance to bring Usman’s (ra) murderers to justice. Syria's governor Muawiyah, son of Henda, the crown prince of the Umayyids and the hero of the war against the Byzantine Empire, then threw the dice and proclaimed himself as the Caliph. Then the fight of everyone against all began which the Prophet (sm) feared, -"I'm afraid you have to hit each other in the neck when wealth comes".

The Muslim community was divided in four categories:

(G1) those commending a republic with the election of a Caliph who would be the Prophet’s (sm) theological heir

(G2) those commending the Prophet’s (sm) biological heirs i.e. his son-in-law Ali and his sons would be Caliph

(G3) Umayyids, the wealthy elite in Mecca and who then led the Islamic victory train. They were chauvinists and jealous of the Hashemites

(G4) Militants, who hated a hierarchy, the Umayyids in special, and they believed in equality like that of  ultra-democracy or anarchy.

Ali (ra) deposed Medina's Governor Marwan and moved his military headquarter to Basra. The Prophet’s (sm) youngest wife Aisha was convinced by some veterans of the Islamic State Council that Ali (ra) actually protected Usman’s (ra) murderers. Although her younger brother Muhammad-bin-Abu Bakr was active in that assassination, she led the warriors from Medina to Basra (distance about 700 km and Stockhom-Oslo). Marwan also allied with her against Ali (ra). It was the first Muslim civil war. As Prophet’s (sm) wife was regarded as the mother of all Muslims, none could hurt her. Then Ali’s (ra) soldiers tried kill her camel while their enemies fought to save the camel. Therefore, it was called "The Camel War".

After that war Ali (ra) moved his headquarter to Kufa and advanced towards Damascus. Muawiyah resisted him at Siffin by 120,000 soldiers. When one-third of Muawiyah’s soldiers were killed within three days, he went to Marwan's proposal and ordered his soldiers to fetch the Holy Quran on their shields. Then Ali (ra) was forced to conduct a dialogue for negotiation which many of his militant soldiers (Group 4) disliked.

The the Negotiators favoured Muawiya. It immediately sparked anger among a half of Ali’s (ra)soldiers. A splinter group would no longer have any Caliph at all. They pleaded that only Qur'an was sufficient to guide the Muslims. Ali (ra) and his supporters called them Kharijite i.e. "the excluded" and went in war against them. The Kharijites (Group G4) lost heavily and became extremists who decided to carry out suicide attacks in order to end the Caliph system. A Kharijite would kill Caliph Ali (ra) and another would kill rebel Muawiyah during the morning-prayer. On that dawn Muawiyah did his morning prayer at home while Ali (ra) was stabbed to death in a mosque in Kufa (661 A.D.).

After Ali's (ra) death his eldest son Hassan became the Caliph in Medina. He was a handsome man who had never been on a warpath. Cunning Muawiyah concluded an agreement with him of coexistence of two Caliphs. Imam Hassan became the spiritual leader while Muawiyah became the Executive Caliph in-charge of administration and military power. The the civil war took a break.

Muawiyah replaced the compulsory military servicemen with professional soldiers and gradually strengthened his position. Marwan was again appointed as the Governor of Medina. Muawiyah was religious man, a friend and step brother-in-law of Muhammad (sm), but not a fanatic. Non-Muslims had a slightly easier life under his rule because he let them live in peace according to the Quran: "You have your faith and I have mine" (Surah Al-Kafirun). He built up a bureaucracy with extensive secret services.

Around the year 670 A.D. Imam Hassan was poisoned to death by a mysterious “love-drink" which he got from his jealous second wife after he had taken a third wife. Imam Hassan was convinced that someone had fooled his second wife. Therefore, he requested his younger brother Imam Hussain not to punish her. The source of the poisonous "love-drink" was suspected to come from the Governor’s House in Medina.

Sunni Muslims recognize only four righteous caliphs: Abu-Bakr (ra), Omar (ra), Usman (ra) and Ali (ra). The fifth Caliph Muawiyah was not a righteous Caliph. He was accused of two offences: the autocratic act of calling himself Caliph and establishing a dynasty by declaring his own son Yazid as successor Caliph.

Muawiya ignored the Islamic practice of choosing a Caliph. However, he qualified as the fifth caliph, through an agreement with Imam Hassan.

Muawiyah died in 680 A.D. His last advice to his Yazid was to let the Imam Hassan's younger brother Imam Hussain to live in peace in Medina because of Imam Hussain was a beloved leader of the people. That pragmatic policies ended with Muawiyah's death.

Yazid was a selfish, angry, drunk, arrogant, and vindictive hawk sunken into seven sins. The people spoke ill of Yazid, and did not accept him as Caliph. Then he became furious. Yazid's Advisor Marwan went to Medina and ordered Imam Hussain to declare himself an "Abd" or slave of Yazid. Marwan insulted Imam Hussain and threatened him for beheading if he refused. But this was not acceptable for Imam Hussain because he was the slave of Allah only. He hated of course to call himself "Abdul Yazid".

But at that time the Muslim Empire was a military state. The Umayyidic Arab-ultra-nationalist faction in Damascus was a believer without faith and used Islam as a weapon to wage war with the ambition to conquer Asia, Africa and Europe. This faction had formed an army of professional soldiers which replaced the conscript soldiers. Rarely could professional soldiers think in terms "Right" Or "Wrong". They were trained to obey orders like hounds, in the same pattern as that in the Roman Empire which was the world champion in the art of killing.

Imam Hussain felt himself as an outlaw in Medina and he moved to the sacred holy city of Mecca. He decided to fight like his maternal grandfather Muhammad (sm) to become a signpost to the right path. Imam Hussain believed that all people should choose a life on Earth worthy to live as God's slave. He was martyred at the carnage in Karbala.

5.3 Bloodbath in Karbala                                                            

Imam Hussain stayed in Mecca five months. In 680 A.D., just before the pilgrimage, Yazid sent thousands of soldiers to Mecca. Imam Hussain felt unsafe in Mecca too.

The people of Kufa did not accept Yazid as Caliph, and they did a rebellion against the Umayyid governor there. Imam Hussain got an invitation from Kufa in Iraq for a visit. Imam sent his cousin Muslim bin Akil together with Akil’s two sons to Kufa in advance. But the rumour of the people’s uprising in Kufa was exaggerated and it was suppressed shortly. Eventually became Kufa a ghost town swarmed by Yazid’s soldiers.

Imam Hussain prepared a caravan for a thousand kilometers (distance Malmo-Kiruna) long fateful journey through the desert. It comprised his family, a handful of relatives and some friends. The journey began the 8th Djul'hadjdj (20 October) and to end the 2nd Muharram (10 November, 680 A.D.). During the 22 days long journey stopped the caravan at fourteen places to take rest and get food and water.

At the first resting place Imam Hussain met a poet from Kufa on his way to Mecca. The poet said, -"The hearts of the people of Kufa pounded for the Imam but their swords were against him".

At the second resting place came Imam Hussain's younger sister Djainab with her two sons who were eleven and thirteen years old to follow with others. At the third resting place the Imam met a man from the troubled Iraq. He warned Imam proceeding further. "Al Kufi la yufi" (Kufa, one should not trust), - he said.

At the fifth resting place Imam Hussain met two men from Kufa. They advised Imam to refrain from continuing further. Then a messenger came there who informed Imam Hussain that his cousin Muslim bin Akil and his two sons who had arrived Kufa in advance had been executed together with many other insurgents. At the sixth resting place a man from Kufa told Imam Hussain that Yazid's army had surrounded the town and no one could get in or come out.

When the caravan had left the ninth resting place, Imam Hussain met a battalion of soldiers who were tired of wandering in the desert. The soldiers got food and drink of the Imam. Then Imam Hussain perceived Kufa no longer as an oasis but as a mirage. He decided to turn back to Medina, but the battalion's commandant named Hur forced the caravan to move forward.

Imam Hussian became worried. His son Ali Akbar asked,

- "Dad, why are you worried? Are we not in the right path?

- "Yes, we are", - said his father and calm himself.

At the eleventh resting place Imam Hussain met a powerful nomadic tribe who offered him 20,000 men and a place to hide if he would like to strike Kufa. But Imam Hussain refused the offer and left his fate to Allah.

After the twelfth resting place the caravan bypassed the city Kufa. When the women learned that the caravan was no longer to Kufa, but to an unknown destination, all of them became worried.

When the caravan had left the thirteenth resting place, the Governor Obaidullah came there to inspect the situation and he ordered commandant Hur to watch the caravan. The Governor could hardly rely on the soldiers in Kufa and he was waiting for an elite unit from Damascus. Imam Hussians final resting place was Karbala at the riverside of Furat.

On the 4th of Muharram (12 November) 4000 soldiers arrived there from Kufa. On the next day there arrived 10,000 two-legged bloodhounds from Damascus under the command of the creature General Shimar. On the 7th Muharram the caravan was forced to move away from the riverside and water supply was stopped. Hunger and thirst soon began to plague children and adults in the tents. Some officers then thought to allow Imam Hussain to turn back. But Shimar who eagerly waited for a big reward did not agree to it. On the 9th of Muharram Imam Hussain sent his son Ali Akbar to learn their motive who informed Imam Hussain that the Governor of Kufa had ordered the military to destroy the whole caravan.

Imam Hussain and his followers got a night to say their last prayer. That night belonged to the Holy Ashura (Easter) when Prophet Moses' (am) Liberation March persuaded by Pharaoh's army arrived at the riverside of Nile in Egypt. Now, nearly two thousand years later stood another tyrant ranking as Pharaoh with the name Yazid whose army surrounded the Imam Hussain's caravan at the riverside of Nahr-al-Furat. All children and adults in the caravan cried whole night for God's help, while the soldiers outside danced and sang in eager waiting for the joy in slaughtering and the pleasure of looting of valuables. But thirty-two soldiers suffered immensely on the night of their conscience and they deserted in the darkness to come over to Imam Hussain. Two of them were Commandant Hur and his son.

The 10th of Muharram Shimar took the command of his 10,000 troops. Imam Hussain's group, only 72 men and boys stood against the attack. The young boys were between eleven and twenty years old. Hur and his son were martyred in the early morning. Then the deserted soldiers were martyred one by one. Then Imam Hussain’s relatives and friends became martyred. Imam Hussain's son Ali Akbar, Imam Hassan's sons: Kasim, Usman, Jaffar, Abdulla and Abbas, Imam's sister Djainab's sons Aun and Muammed became martyrs before noon.

Imam Hussain's three-month-old Ali Asgar did not get breast milk of his starving mother. At her request, the Imam took the child and the requested the soldiers were to give a little water for the child. Shimar ordered his archer Maruk to quench the baby's thirst. A dart hit the child’s neck within a moment. The puzzled father became wet from the blood of his lifeless son.Imam Hussain's two-year old daughter Fatima yelled and screamed for a drop of water until her weak voice faded away forever.

In the afternoon it was the Imam's turn to fight against enemies. He was very weak and fell down when he was injured. General Shimar, who was a cruel creature, cut off Imam Hussain's head to take with him to Damascus and the other seventy-one martyr’s heads were set there over poles.

Only Imam Hussain's son Ali who was sick was alive. Imam's sister Djainab had hid him. He and his sister Sakina along with the women and children were thrown into the prison in Kufa in waiting to be sent to Damascus. All the martyrs’ body lied over the sand under the sun for three days until the local people came forward to bury the corpses.

Imam Hussain's family members were shown up for the people on the streets of Damascus. Yazid stuck his stick in Imam Hussain's mouth and shouted, - "Today is another Badr". Henda, his grandmother had eaten up Muhammad’s (sm) uncle Hamza's liver as revenge which was at least ridiculous to say. Yazid took now a terrible blood-revenge by destroying Muhammad’s (sm) heirs, and relatives, even small children and adolescents.

When all the women and children were sent back to Medina, they told the people about the carnage in Karbala. Mecca residents did then a revolt which lasted for many years. There ended the Islamic Republic which Muhammad (sm) had established in Medina.

Man is God's finest creation, but can turn into the worst

Yazid died suddenly only three years later (683 A.D.) at 38 years of age. His eldest son Muawiya II who was only 20 years became the next Caliph. He was raised up by his grandfather Muawiyah under constant care in fear of the Kharijites. Therefore, the boy got all his education in the palace. His mother was a kind woman. Caliph Muawiya II was probably shocked by the carnage in Karbala. He said that in the palace in Damascus he got the smell of blood of the martyrs in Karbala.

During that time there was uprising in Mecca and Medina, but the Caliph Muawiyah II refused to send troops to the holy cities. He sought peace with the rebels through major concessions. "The Heaven begins to tremble when blood is spilt in Mecca and Medina."- said the young Caliph. But he was like a dove in a nest of hawks. So, he was poisoned to death after only four months in power.

Old Marwan who had been in the coulisse so long, kicked out Yazid’s other four sons out of the palace, and usurped the power (684 A.D.). He ordered Caliph Omar’s (ra) daughter and the Prophet’s (sm) widow Hafsa to surrender the original transcript of the holy Koran to him, and he tore it into small pieces.

Marwan heirs reigned for over sixty years. But the guilt of the carnage in Karbala chased the Umayyids unceasingly. The people revolted again and again which was stifled by the military until the insurgency intensified in strength like a tornado. The Umayyids ignored the message, - "An Arab is not better than a non-Arab and non-Arab is not better than an Arab." Apparently they made a mockery of the non-Arabic language and culture. Therefore, the discriminated Muslims supported the uprising which swept away the Umayyid military power such as river Nile washed out the Pharaoh's army pursuing the Prophet Moses' (am) Liberation March. The last ruler of the Umayyia dynasty, Marwan’s grandson Marwan II succumbed to death in a public uprising in the year 750 A.D.

The leader of the uprising was Saffi who was an heir to Muhammad’s (sm) uncle Abbas. His rhetoric about the carnage in Karbala gave a sparkle to that violent uprising. Then only one of the seventy Umaiyya princes, Abdur Rahman could flee away and stay in power in Spain, while all the other princes were beaten to death.But that act also was a crime because at Prophet’s (sm) last pilgrimage (hadjdjatul Wada) Muslims had pledged to follow the words: "A father is not guilty of his son's misdeeds and a son is never guilty of his father's misdeeds".

Saffi established the Abbasid dynasty. Discrimination of the non-Arab Muslims ceased when the proud Arab-ultra-nationalists had done their job. But the Islamic Empire remained feudal society like that of the as the Byzantine Empire. In the year 762, the capital was shifted from Damascus to Baghdad by Caliph Mansur. He offered the scholar Imam Abu Hanifa the post of Chief Justice, but the Imam said, “No, Thanks”. Then the Caliph ordered the punishment of ten lashes on that day, and thereafter to add ten lashes more on each and every day, until the Imam says "Yes". On the second day Imam 20 got lashes and 30 on the third day. Imam Abu Hanifa died on the tenth day of 100 lashes, after having a total of about 500 lashes.

The medieval darkness began to drown the whole Eurasia in the eleventh century. The Mongol Halagu Khan besieged and destroyed the mythical capital of Baghdad is 1258 A.D. The invaders conducted a genocide beheading one million men and stealing all young women. Man is obviously God's finest creation, but she can be turned into the worst (Surah At-Tin).

The carnage in Karbala happened long ago but still relevant today when we get to see and hear about Muslim children and adults who remind us Little Fatima, young Kasim, Imam Hussain, Shimar and Yazid. The difference is Shimar today do not spare even the women, and Yazid today can rarely stand on their own feet. Unfortunately, the murder of children like Ali Asgar in our time is accepted as a mistake, and the criminals often hailed as heroes.

The carnage of Karbala is a heavy legacy for all Muslims, giving them a guide in the fight for a life worth living as God's slave. Imam Hussain could get a different life if he had chosen to call itself "Abdul Yazid" (Yazid slave). Moses (am), during his childhood, chose an ember in his hand instead of a glittering jewel of gold. Imam Hussain chose rather to die as a martyr than to live a life as a wealthy slave. Therefore, he is like a hero in a folk tale: "The prince is small and weak, while the evil giant is big and strong. The road is long and dangerous. But the abducted princess must be freed from the giant's cave".

But Imam Hussain was not a victor who had "happy days" for the rest of his life where the story ended, but he was a unique martyr. Martyrs' blood in Karbala became the fuel for inextinguishable torches to show us the right path in a dark universe. When we perceive that Conscience is like a liver which is almost eaten up every day by evil eagles but grows again more or less every night, we think about the right path and pray to God:

                                             ['ihdina:ssira:tal mustaqi:m].   

5.4  The Right Path and Ashura (Easter)                                  

We have narrated about the four Caliphs who are examples of Sunni Muslims in terms of how to live. But three of the four Caliphs were murdered. They became martyrs - Sunni Muslims believe. But who are the martyrs? It is not easy to say who is a martyr. Muslims believe that "A martyr is a person who sacrificed his life to establish or defend the right way."

But the problem is that there is often disagreement about the right thing. One killed in war in dispute over the right way to break an egg would not be counted as a martyr.

The Kharijite who murdered Ali (ra) belonged to a group who claimed to Ali (ra) had dropped out of the correct track, making peace with the Henda’s son rebel Muawiya. The man who took the suicide mission to kill the Caliph Ali knew of course that he would be executed in the same way. But why did he do it then? Well, he would become a martyr in the struggle to "establish or defend the right thing". Perhaps he also was hailed by his group. So we got both the Caliph Ali (ra) and his murderers as martyrs because of opposing views on the correct.

Sunni Muslims felt that Ali (ra) was martyred while the Kharijite was a terrorist. But Kharijites thought that the man who gave his life to kill "misguided" Caliph Ali was a martyr. Thus, all of them, although they had opposing views on the "right thing", claimed that they were true Muslims.

Sunni Muslims believe that even if the Caliph Usman (ra) made errors, he was still on the right track. Therefore, he became through murder Usman (ra) became a martyr. But those who founded the rebellion were veterans of the Islamic Council of whom the Prophet Muhammad (sm) had predicted that they would be killed by enemies of Islam. The Umayyids celebrated those veterans death. Is it wrong to call those veterans as brave fighters for justice?

The mad worker who killed Omar (ra) thought that the Caliph was no longer on the side of the oppressed because his verdict of worker's wage of 50 cents a day was fair (at the time, a slave was sold for 200 dollar). Islam allowed slave trade and was contented with the obligation that a slave could get food and clothing of the same quality as its owner and was not abused. Many slaves were freed but they found it difficult to support themselves. The worker who killed the Caliph Omar (ra) thought that his suicide attack would improve workers' lives.

Yazid and his followers thought they did right thing in the carnage in Karbala because of Imam Hussain was a rebel. Yazid was right in nomadic custom by implementing a blood revenge for the death of his paternal grandmother’s father and her brother who fell at the first attack (Badr-war) against Muhammad (sm). Yazid was convinced that power gives righteousness. He rewarded General Shimar who had ordered to shoot the three-month-old child Ali Asgar.

Yazid was the way, a copy of a domineering and cruel Pharaoh in Egypt. Yazid was also guilty for the psychological wound of his young son Muawiyah II who was shaken by the horrific scene in Damascus.The dozens of children and adolescents who were killed in Karbala by ten thousand soldiers who found pleasure in killing children were martyrs, without any doubt or dispute about the right thing. Therefore, Yazid and his accomplices deserved all Muslims curse. Therefore, Sunni Muslim regard Imam Hussain as a martyr in the fight to restore the right thing.

Although the Pharaohs and Yazid (bin Muawiyah) died long ago, the struggle for the right thing has not ceased because many large and small copies of the Pharaoh and Yazid has emerged on Earth at all times. Pharaoh is a symbol for powerful infidels and tyrants and Yazid for illegitimate autocratic caliphs.

Ashura, the 10th of Muharram is of immeasurable importance in Muslim life interpretation. The Day of bloodshed in Karbala coincided with the day Moses (am) fasted to thank God (Easter) because he got his people freed from slavery in Egypt. Muhammad (sm) fasted on the day to follow this practice which was called Ashura.

The two events had one common denominator: "The struggle to establish or defend the right thing". The Prophet Moses (am) was a winner against Pharaoh in Egypt, while Imam Hussain and his followers all became martyrs in Karbala. Imam's fifteen year old daughter Sakina got a trauma for life. She became a well-known singer. Her grief echoes even today during Ashura.

Before Imam Hussain left Mecca, he wrote in a farewell letter to his younger stepbrother war veteran Muhammad-bin-Hanafiya that his struggle was not for power but because he had chosen not to be a man's slave. Imam Hussain  accompanied with by his relatives, friends and relatives became martyrs in Karbala in the fight to restore "Salah" which it is reminded many times in the holy Quran. This is not just something to believe in, but it to apply-

                                            ['a: manu: wa `amilu:ssaliha: t]