Episode 16: Life of Umar ibn al-Khattab
Challenges in Mada’in:
After the Muslims conquered the Persians, many of them settled in Mada’in which was formerly the capital of the Persian Empire.
The Muslims struggled to adjust to the climate and the environment at Mada’in and because of this, they started getting weaker physically. When they would return to the Arabian Peninsula, Umar ibn al-Khattab would notice a change in the people who lived there.
They looked different and Umar ibn al-Khattab noticed some sort of weakness in their face and their physical characteristics.
Umar’s Instructions for a New Capital:
Umar ibn al-Khattab decided to change the regional capital of the Muslim land in Persia.
He sent a letter to Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas informing him to send Salman al-Farisi and Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman to look for a land that was not right on the river, but at the same time, not too far from the river. (Mada’in was located by the river).
Umar ibn al-Khattab also instructed that the land should be in a position where there is no need to cross the land over water.
Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas received these instructions and sent Salman and Hudhayfah to carry out Umar’s commands.
Selection of Kufa:
Salman al-Farisi was well-suited for this job as he was originally from Persia.
They ended up in the land of Kufa as they believed this was the best place because it matched the requirements of Umar ibn al-Khattab.
Salman and Hudhayfah prayed Salah and made Dua for Allah SWT to make it (Kufa) a land of firmness for the Muslims.
Establishment of Kufa:
Kufa was just land and there were no buildings, roads or pathways.
The Muslims decided to build a city on that land and this is how the city of Kufa was established.
Salman and Hudhayfah sent a message back to Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas notifying him that they had found a land that fit the requirements of what the Amir al-Mu’minin (Umar) was looking for.
Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas and Al-Qa’qa ibn Amr went to Kufa to start building the city.
Umar’s Instructions When Developing Kufa:
Before they started building, Umar ibn al-Khattab gave some instructions regarding the construction.
Umar said: the people can build homes, but no one person can have more than three homes. Don’t make the buildings too tall.
Appointment of a Civil Engineer:
Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas appointed a great civil engineer to design the layout of Kufa.
After he designed the city, the first building that they built was the Masjid, and this was the Central Masjid of Kufa.
After building the Masjid, they built the Capital building, which became the government headquarters.
Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas Inviting the Muslims to Move From Mada’in to Kufa:
After the city was designed, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas went back to Mada’in and told the Muslims who had settled there: Now we have established the new city of Kufa, we are going to make that the capital so you can move from Mada’in to Kufa.
Sa’d also gave permission for the Muslims to stay in Mada’in if they wanted to.
Kufa’s Later Importance
A number of years later, during the caliph of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Kufa became the central capital of the Islamic World.
Establishment of Basra:
In the same year that Kufa was built (Year 17 AH), the city of Basra was also built.
Divided Governance:
Umar ibn al-Khattab decided to split the governance of the land into two.
Kufa would be the headquarters of the northern side of Iraq and Basra would be the headquarters of the Southern side.
Governor Appointments:
Umar appointed Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas to govern the northern side based in Kufa and Utbah ibn Ghazwan was appointed to govern the Southern side from Basra.
Bahrain’s Request to Join the Conquests:
The Muslims of Bahrain, under the command of Al-Ala ibn al-Hadhrami, wanted to play a part in the conquests and they wanted the honour of participating in Jihad.
Al-Ala ibn al-Hadhrami wanted to expand the borders into Iran, so he formed an army to cross over the Gulf to conquer the Persian lands of Iran.
Al-Ala al-Hadhrami’s Naval Expedition:
The army of Al-Ala ibn al-Hadhrami crossed the Persian Gulf by boats and this is how they entered Iran.
Al-Ala ibn al-Hadhrami’s Mistake:
Al-Ala al-Hadhrami made the mistake of doing this without first consulting Umar ibn al-Khattab’s approval.
Umar did not authorise conquests by sea as he feared that crossing it would be dangerous because if they drowned, the whole army would be destroyed.
Arrival in Persia:
Once Al-Ala ibn al-Hadhrami and his army arrived in Persia, they continued further for around two hundred miles until they reached the city of Mastahir.
The Persian army surrounded Al-Ala al-Hadhrami and his army from each direction.
They blocked the Muslims’ access to their boats and the Muslim army soon realised that their only option was to fight the Persian army.
During this battle, both the Muslims and the Persians experienced heavy casualties.
Al-Ala ibn al-Hadhrami and his army decided to head north and would go around the gulf in order to get back to Bahrain. As they headed north, they found Persian soldiers blocking their entry.
Umar ibn al-Khattab’s Reaction:
The news of this situation reached Umar ibn al-Khattab, who was very angry but he put his anger aside as the most important priority was to save the Muslims.
Umar sent a message to Utbah ibn Ghazwan in Basra, informing him to help the Muslims.
Utbah ibn Ghazwan was in the best strategic location to help the army of Al-Ala ibn al-Hadhrami in Mastahir.
Muslim Victory:
Utbah ibn Ghazwan immediately organised an army of 12,000 soldiers and he went South-East from Basra towards the army of Al-Ala ibn al-Hadhrami.
Once they reached Mastahir, both the armies of Utbah and Al-Ala combined forces and fought against the Persians and once again, the Muslims were victorious.
Disciplinary Action Against Al-Ala ibn al-Hadhrami:
Umar removed Al-Ala ibn al-Hadhrami from his position as the ruler of Bahrain, ordering him to move to Kufa to be under the command of Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas.
This was the consequence for making such a decision without consulting Umar ibn al-Khattab first.