Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 39842 — Reports on the caliphate of Umar bin

It is narrated from Amr bin Maymun: I came and saw that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was standing with Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Uthman bin Hunayf (may Allah be pleased with him), saying: "Do you fear that you have assessed the land at a charge beyond its capacity?" Sayyiduna Hudhayfah said: "If I wished, I could double (the charge on) my land." And Sayyiduna Uthman said: "I have placed upon my land a charge that it can bear, and there is no great surplus in it." Sayyiduna Umar said: "Look to what you have, lest you have burdened the land beyond what it can bear." Then he said: "If Allah Almighty keeps me safe, I shall leave the widows of the people of Iraq in such a state that after me they will not be in need of anyone else." The narrator says: Then only four days had passed for Sayyiduna Umar when he was struck down in martyrdom. 2. The narrator says: When Sayyiduna Umar entered the mosque, he would stand between the rows and say: "Straighten (your rows)." When the people had straightened, he would step forward and say the takbir. The narrator says: Then (one morning) when he began the prayer, he was struck right there in his place. The narrator says: I heard him saying: "The dog has killed me," or "The dog has devoured me." Amr, the narrator, says: I do not know which he said. There was no one between him and me except Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both). Then Sayyiduna Umar took Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) by the hand and put him forward. The killer began to run with a two-edged knife in his hand, and he kept striking every man he passed on the right and the left until he had wounded thirteen people. Then nine of those wounded also died. The narrator says: When a Muslim saw this scene, he threw a large cloak over him in order to catch him. When the killer became certain that he would be caught, he slit his own throat. 3. The narrator says: We then offered a short Fajr prayer. The narrator says: The people at the edges of the mosque did not realise what had happened at all. But when they no longer found (the voice of) Sayyiduna Umar, they began saying: "Subhan Allah! Subhan Allah!" Then when the people had left, the first person who came to Sayyiduna Umar was Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas. Sayyiduna Umar said (to him): "Look (find out) who has killed me." The narrator says: Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas went around for a short while and came back and reported: "The skilled slave of Sayyiduna al-Mughirah (may Allah be pleased with him)." This slave was a carpenter. The narrator says: At this Sayyiduna Umar said: "All praise belongs to the One who did not make my death occur at the hand of a man who claims Islam. May Allah Almighty destroy him. Indeed, I had ordered him to do good." The narrator says: Then Sayyiduna Umar said to Ibn Abbas: "Indeed, you and your father used to like the non-Arab foreigners ('uluj) to become many in Madinah." The narrator says: Ibn Abbas said: "If you wish, we will do it." He said: "After they have spoken your language, prayed your prayer and performed your rites?" 4. The narrator says: The people said to Sayyiduna Umar: "There is no (serious) problem with you." The narrator says: Then Sayyiduna Umar called for nabidh and drank it, but it came out of his wounds. Then Sayyiduna Umar called for milk and drank it, but that too came out of his wounds. So he became certain of death, and he said to Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): "Look into the debt that is upon me and calculate it." Ibn Umar said: "It is eighty-six thousand." Sayyiduna Umar said: "If this debt can be met from the wealth of the family of Umar, pay this debt from their wealth on my behalf. Otherwise, ask Banu Adi bin Ka'b. If the debt can be met from their wealth, then well and good; otherwise, ask Quraysh, and do not ask anyone besides them. And pay this debt on my behalf. 5. Go to the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), greet (her) with salam and say: 'Umar bin al-Khattab (do not use the words Commander of the Believers, for at this time I am not the leader of the people) asks permission to be buried with his two companions (peace and blessings be upon him, and Abu Bakr).'" The narrator says: So Abdullah bin Umar came to Sayyidah Aishah and found her sitting and weeping. Ibn Umar greeted her with salam and then said: "Umar bin al-Khattab asks permission to be buried with his companions." Sayyidah Aishah said: "By Allah! I wanted this for myself (that is, to be buried in the chamber), but today I give Umar al-Faruq preference over myself in this (burial in the chamber)." Then when Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar came back, it was said: "This is Abdullah bin Umar (he has returned)." The narrator says: Sayyiduna Umar said: "Raise me up." So a man propped him up against himself, and he asked: "What do you have (to report)?" He said: "She has given you permission." The narrator says: Sayyiduna Umar said: "Nothing was of greater concern to me than this." Then he said: "When I die, carry me on my bier, then ask permission and say: 'Umar bin al-Khattab asks permission.' If she gives you permission, take me in, and if she does not give permission, return me to the graveyard of the Muslims." The narrator says: When he was carried, it was as though the people had never been struck by a calamity until that day. The narrator says: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar greeted with salam and said: "Umar bin al-Khattab asks permission." So she gave him permission (to be buried) where Allah honoured him, with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and with Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). 6. When death came to him, they said to him: "Appoint a successor." He said: "I do not find anyone more deserving of this matter than this group, with whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was pleased when he passed away. Whichever of them they appoint, he is the caliph after me." So he named Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf and Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him). "If it falls to Sa'd, so be it; otherwise, whichever of them is appointed, let him seek his help, for I did not remove him for any incapacity or betrayal." The narrator says: And Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar was made to take part in consultation with them, but he had no share in the matter. 7. The narrator says: When they gathered, Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf said: "Entrust your matter to three of you." So Sayyiduna al-Zubayr entrusted his matter to Sayyiduna Ali, Sayyiduna Talhah entrusted his matter to Sayyiduna Uthman, and Sayyiduna Sa'd entrusted his matter to Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman. Those three conferred together when the matter had been entrusted to them. Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman said: "Which of you will withdraw from the matter and entrust it to me? And I give you Allah as my guarantee that I will spare no effort to choose the best and most excellent of you for the Muslims." They said: "Yes." So he went aside with Sayyiduna Ali and said: "You have kinship with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and priority (in Islam). I take Allah as witness over you: if you are made caliph, you will be just, and if Uthman is made caliph, you will listen and obey." He said: "Yes." And he went aside with Sayyiduna Uthman and said the same thing to him, and Sayyiduna Uthman said to him: "Yes." Then he said: "O Uthman! Stretch out your hand." So he stretched out his hand, and he pledged allegiance to him, and Sayyiduna Ali and the people pledged allegiance to him. 8. Then Sayyiduna Umar said: "I enjoin the caliph after me to fear Allah, and (I enjoin him regarding) the first Muhajirun, that he recognise their right and recognise their sanctity. I enjoin him to treat the people of the garrison cities well, for they are the support of Islam, the anger of the enemy and the collectors of wealth, and that their fay' not be taken from them except with their consent. I enjoin him to treat the Ansar well, those who settled in the abode and in faith, that he accept from those of them who do good. I enjoin him to treat the Bedouin well, for they are the root of the Arabs and the substance of Islam, that (zakah) be taken from the lesser part of their wealth and returned to their poor. And I enjoin him regarding the covenant of Allah and the covenant of His Messenger, that their pledges to them be fulfilled and that they be burdened only with what they can bear."