# MBC1 - # series _ Omar - Episode Twenty - Episode 20

"Caution: The following show contains disturbing images for young children" Prepare your mounts, and get ready to plunder, and attack Al-Rabab. They are vulnerable. Would that Abu Bakr had instructed me to fight them before they attacked Al-Rabab people, most of whom remained Muslims. Al-Rabab have now made peace with them. Driven to it by necessity. They have to protect themselves and their families until God gives them a way out. By God, if I get hold of Malik, I will deal with him and those with him very severely. I will punish him for those whom he killed of the Al-Rabab Muslims. I will not apply to him the rules of a fighter, but the rules of a murderer. A murderer is punished by death in war and peace. We must not proceed to them until we receive the Caliph's instructions. Abu Bakr has been right about them. They will fight each other. Let us see what will those people of Sajah and Malik do against Musailamah and his people. They are heading towards him. Head on to Yamamah; fast and quick like pigeons. It is a decisive expedition, from which you will emerge blameless. Yamamah Lands No. We shall not fight her. It has been revealed to me to make peace with her so that she will leave us alone. I am instructed to give her what ensures that she leaves and spares us a battle. It may be that she returns to the Island. And you thought that your fort will give you protection. Come down and fight, or give in. Had I wished, I would have fought you, and I am able to do so. But why should I fight you when I better fight others. Let us agree on some accommodation that will satisfy you and us. What do you offer? This cannot be settled except in a meeting between you and me. Come down then. I said: you and me alone. I pledge your safety and you pledge my safety. We then erect a tent that is neither within my army nor within yours. Unless you fear me more than I fear you. - I fear no one. - So it be, then. Does it immensely worry you that they are alone together? Stop these thoughts. I only fear... What do you fear? I have become her partner in this endeavour; yet she is now with Musailamah discussing and deciding and I don't know... You do not know what they will agree together, and whether you will have a share that satisfies you or not. You are a partner in effort and responsibility, but not in gains. You will soon see that I am right. She will take from him every advantage for herself and her people. When she goes back to Taghlib's area, she abandons you to God's Messenger's successor and God's sword, Khalid Ibn Al-Waleed. God's Messenger's successor! God's sword! Are you siding against me, Laila, when I am your husband? You are no longer my husband. To you, I am only a slave. Tell me: what do you have for me? I will tell you what I have when I know what you are asking about. Let us start with revelations which you allege. Tell me something of it. Have you not seen what your Lord has done with the pregnant one? He brings a living soul out of her, through insertion and retention. Sajah is not taken in by that. Sajah takes but is never taken in. Take, then. I will give you one year's yield of Yamamah. You take half of it now and you leave with me some people to bring you the other half. You go back to your place. Why fight Arabs? Huh! Am I fair? This is merely an offering. We haven't finished. What else? You marry me and stay with me three days. Thus we are together and our agreement is better sealed. Then we go our separate ways. We are thus happy together and happy going apart. I have made an agreement with Musailamah to give us the yield of Yamamah for a year. Pull down the tents and get ready to leave for home. We have finished our business in Najd. What about us? Tameem? This is your country where you can do what you please. What about the commitments we made to each other. These are over. We fought Al-Rabab with you until they made peace with you. If you have something you need from Musailamah, you can ask him that. Get going. Pull down the tents and prepare the mounts. We have got the plunder, and no blame can be attached to us. What shall we do now, Malik? We split ourselves in small groups so that Khalid will not find us all in one place. This is against the Caliph's instructions. He has ordered us to stay at Buzakhah until he writes to us. He has given me the command of this army, and that commanders of the other armies should refer to me when they need help. When I see a good opportunity I cannot just let it go while I write to him and await his reply. The chance that has presented itself to us is something that we must never miss. I shall not force any of you. You choose whether to march with me or stay behind. God is Supreme; God is Supreme. I bear witness that there is no deity other than God... I bear witness that there is no deity other than God... The call to prayer, Malik. These people have caught up with us. What concern to me is their call to prayer? I bear witness that Muhammad is God's Messenger. Are we to fight them? We neither fight nor say the call to prayer. Shall we flee, then? Where can we flee from them? What shall we do, then? We wait until they come and we surrender. We then give Khalid the tribute they impose on us which they call zakat. God is Supreme. There is no deity other than God. We do not hear anything of the Athan. It is sometime since we have finished ours. Listen carefully. It sounds like the Athan. I cannot determine what I hear. It may not be easy to hear it clearly with this wind blowing. What do we do? I think we better move on towards them. If they fight, we will fight them. Otherwise, we take them captive. I personally did not hear their call to prayer. I heard some noises and I listened carefully, but I could not identify the call to prayer. I think that I heard their call to prayer. You think? I do not claim that it was clear. There was a strong wind, but I surmise. Surmise can never take the place of truth. Abu Sulaiman! This Qur'anic verse is not to be applied in this way. In judgement, doubt and surmise are interpreted in favour of the accused. When we surrounded them, they all laid down their arms and gave themselves up. Had they not replied to our call to prayer by a call from their side, that would have been a signal indicating war. I feel that you are only apologizing for him because he is the chief of his tribe, and he has his standing among the Arabs. By God, I do not distinguish between master and slave. Abu Sulaiman! This is not our aim. We only want to be extra careful so that we do not shed blood without justification. What justification is greater than that he first stopped the payment of zakat, then he followed that cursed soothsayer, Sajah. He also fought alongside her against the Al-Rabab clan who included many Muslims from his own people. He has thus disbelieved in what Muhammad (peace be upon him) preached and he killed Muslims. Then send him over to the Caliph for judgement. Every time I am about to take some action you tell me to go back to the Caliph first, when there is several days distance between us. He has put me in charge of what he has assigned to me. I judge it according to circumstances at the time and place it occurs. Otherwise, the enemy would be able to steal a march against us while we remain confused. That is true, Abu Sulaiman. Yet you captured the man when you sent out detachments of your forces seeking him and the apostates from Tameem. That was before you received the Caliph's letter. We have gone along with you in all this. Now that the man is in your hand, send him captive to Abu Bakr for judgement, as you did with Uyaynah Ibn Hisn, the chief of Ghatafan. You have mentioned one thing and forgotten another. What were the Caliph's orders to me concerning the people of Buzakhah when we defeated them? He said: Do not accept anything from them until they bring you those of them who killed the Muslims among their people. When you have taken these, kill them for their crime of killing Muslims. These were in the same position as Malik Ibn Nuwairah. A killer must be killed, even if he is a Muslim. Stop this arrogance and look at me. What were you after, doing what you did? Answer. If you are Khalid Ibn Al-Waleed, I am Malik Ibn Nuwairah. Captivity has not changed you. A lion does not change his skin in captivity, while a weasel remains a weasel when free. What I was after is what the lion seeks by nature. He is created as the king of beasts, so he does not accept anything less. When he is challenged in his domain or over his prey, he fights hard or kills. In my view, the evidence against you is solid. When you stopped the payment of zakat, you disbelieved altogether, following that woman soothsayer who claimed she was a prophet. Then with her, you fought the Muslims of Al-Rabab clan and killed many of them. You are responsible for their blood. Nevertheless, what do you say about zakat? As for prayer, I will do that for you if you want. If I want? Or as ordered by God? Won't you do it for God? If I offer it to God, then God alone knows that of me. You can only know what I put out in public. I have asked you about zakat. That I won't give you. It is my money to do with it what I want. Do as you like. Don't you know that zakat is at the same level with prayer? Your man used to claim this. Our man? You mean God's Messenger (peace be upon him). So, he is not your man. He has condemned himself. Strike his head off. Khalid! Don't do it. After all that you heard you continue to argue his case. Move aside, Abu Qatadah. The man never said something that clearly indicated his disbelief. As for what he did to the Muslims of Al-Rabab, well there was fighting, then they negotiated peace with Malik and stopped fighting. I counselled Khalid not to kill him but he refused. Abdullah Ibn Umar agreed with me. Before that I testified that I heard the people calling for prayer, as I strongly felt they did, although others disagreed with me. After he killed him, he married his wife, Umm Tameem. This is indeed a disgrace. When he did that, I left him to complain to you. Did he marry her after she had finished her waiting period? Did he force her to marry him or was she willing? He took her with her husband as captives. She is thus in the position of a captive woman. She is in no position to express her agreement or disagreement. You, Abu Qatadah! Who gave you permission to leave your commander and come to me? He saw something from his commander... Hold it, Umar. You were wrong to leave Khalid and the army and to come to me without either his or my permission. Go back to him straightaway and do as he bids you. Do not miss out on jihad with him. I will do that, Caliph. What is the matter, Abu Bakr? You were *** Abu Qatadah and did not consider what he came here about: Khalid and his actions. We must not encourage soldiers to disobey their commander in a situation of war. Otherwise, the system of the army will be lost, and their commander will lose his status, while the enemy is monitoring their conditions. Had your son, Abdullah, come with the same complaint as Abu Qatadah, I would have been ever harder on him. How about Khalid? What will you do with him? - Are you going to punish him? - What should I punish him for? What for? He killed a man who did not show clear disbelief, but was his captive. If the man did not say the word of disbelief, his actions said it. What about him following the liar soothsayer, Sajah? Didn't she claim that she was a Prophet? Suppose that he came back to Islam to stop his execution, hasn't he refused to pay zakat? He did, but he did not deny its being a duty, so as to become a rejecter of the faith. How about his killing of the Muslims of Al-Rabab? Did we not punish those of Ghatafan and Asad who did the same with their own Muslims as Khalid punished him? In his case, it was a fight as Abu Qatadah said. Then the two parties agreed peace. Besides, why did he go ahead to execute him without referring to you first? Indeed, he should not have left Buzakhah to fight Malik and the apostates of Tameem when you had not sent him instructions to do so. It is not my policy that an army commander should consult me on everything that he happens to face when we are so far apart. The army commander should act as he sees fit after proper deliberation and consultation. If he is right, he earns double reward and if he errs, he earns a single reward. The consequences of error in this case are less serious than the consequences of delay between his writing to me and my answer, when the enemy is so close to him. This is not my policy. The actions of your commanders are counted against you as you are their overall leader. Everyone is a shepherd and all shepherds are accountable for what they are entrusted with. When they take decisions without consulting you, I fear that someone may act totally independently without reference to you at all. This is easy when they are far away. Umar, infallible revelations have ceased. God has outlined the details of what is permissible and what is forbidden. The Prophet made sure that we have all this in full clarity. As for worldly matters, including government affairs and management of people's interests, we must remain God-fearing, think hard, consult with one another and pray to God to help us make the right decisions. I dearly wish that what we face is either as clearly right as daylight or clearly wrong as the dark night. We would never disagree in that case. But the world is not like that. Why has God ordered us to resort to consultation, if the right course was very clear in every matter? Does anyone consult others about doing what God has commanded us to do such as prayer, fasting or zakat? Since this is the nature of life, people will have divergent views. This is how God has ordained human life. The main condition is that it should be controlled through consultation and God-fearing. This ensures that disagreement and having different views do not develop into conflict. I have explained my policy with regard to the authority granted to my officials. You have a different policy. Each has its validity, strength and weakness. I praise God who has given me Umar to help me so that the two policies will moderate each other. Fine. This is with regard to the actions of commanders and governors: This, however, does not justify Khalid in killing Malik then marrying his widow. I have argued my case. And you argued long. The most I can say about this is that he had his justification. And the least I see is that you should replace him. His sword is so hard and he acts in haste. Replace him? Far be it from me. By God, I shall not put down a sword God has drawn against the unbelievers. Why are you so hard against Khalid, Umar? Is there any old score between you? Or do you still remember what he did to us at Uhud? Islam erases what went before it. Soon after he became a Muslim, the Prophet gave him a command and gave him what suits his status. By God, I have nothing personal against him. You know that he is related to me through my mother. As such, I should be defending him, but I give priority to the interests of the Muslims. And so do I, God willing. Suppose he was wrong in reading the situation, would I punish him by replacing him? If I did, I would have punished the entire Muslim community, by taking away from them God's own sword. I would have deprived them of the most astute war commander the Arabs and the Muslims have ever known. And who can take command in the war against the Haneefah tribe, when they have defeated Ikrimah first, then Shurahbeel Ibn Hasanah. You know how good these two are as commanders. This is exactly what I fear for tomorrow: that people will say that no one can replace Khalid. He may then allow conceit to creep into him and people will idolize him. If he gives them an order that is contrary to the Caliph's orders, they would follow him. Do not judge on surmise, Umar. Nor should you build on what may happen before it happens. None of us is secure from the lure of this life until God has passed judgement on us. We will always try to do what is best. Now march to Yamamah with God's blessing. This I am assigning to you. Fear God alone as He has no partners. Guard yourself, Khalid, against the vehemence typical of your family of Al-Mugheerah. I have taken in your favour a stand against someone whom I never disagreed with before. When you meet the Haneefah army, God willing, study their situation carefully, as you never met the likes of them before. They are all against you and their country is vast. When you draw near them, take things into your own hand, People of Haneefah. Today is the day of fury. If you are defeated, your women will be taken for pleasure, and be treated as maids. Fight for your pride and protect your women. I am Khalid ibn Al-Waleed, challenging you. Whoever thinks he is a match to me let him come out. Oh, Muhammad (Ya Muhammadah) Oh, Muhammad (Ya Muhammadah) Oh, Muhammad (Ya Muhammadah) Oh, Muhammad (Ya Muhammadah) Oh, Muhammad (Ya Muhammadah) Oh, Muhammad (Ya Muhammadah) Any other? Have all your brave ones been killed, or have you lost heart? Then listen to me, Musailamah. I am offering you and your people a way out. Revert to the truth now and declare your repentance before everyone, stating that you believe that there is no deity other than God and that Muhammad is God's Messenger, and that you have so far been in disbelief and in error. If you do this and pledge to obey God, His Messenger and the Caliph, I promise to accept this from you, pardon you and stop fighting. What do you say? Stop shedding the blood of your people, Musailamah. Give me what I asked you and I will give you what I promised. I have been more than fair to you. Oh, Muhammad (Ya Muhammadah) Abu Hudhaifah! O' you Muslims! Are you fleeing from heaven? I am Ammar Ibn Yassir. Are you fleeing? Stop! Are you fleeing from heaven? - Stop! - Come back! Stop! You, enemy of God. To the orchard... Get to the orchard. - God is Supreme. - God is Supreme. - God is Supreme. - God is Supreme. To the orchard. Oh, Muhammad (Ya Muhammadah) Oh, Muhammad (Ya Muhammadah) To the orchard... To the orchard. Get in; get in! Get in; get in! Close the gate! May God bestow His mercy on Zaid Ibn Al-Khattab. He is, God willing, with the prophets, the steadfast and the martyrs. Make sure you bury your brother well. To the highest heaven, Abdullah Ibn Suhail, God willing. You have given your all and fulfilled your duty. God's Messenger was pleased with you when he died. Bury him well. Limitless is God in His glory. They lived together and are now martyrs together. How good Abu Hudhaifah Ibn Utbah was, and how good a scholar of the Qur'an Salim was. I will testify for you both before God. Bury your two brothers in one grave. They lived as two inseparable brothers, supporting each other in obedience to God. What shall you do, Abu Sulaiman, now that they have gone in and we cannot get at them? We shall besiege them until they starve. Are we to stay here for several days until our bodies have cooled down, and we get preoccupied with our martyrs and wounded? What if reinforcements are being dispatched to them and we find ourselves between them and their reinforcements? How can we get our supplies here? What shall we do as they have closed the gates, and the wall is high, as you see? Lift me up and throw me over the wall, close to one of the gates. When I am on the other side, I will hasten to open the gate for you. When you are in, we will open the other gates. - You will kill yourself. - I will kill them, God willing. You want to throw yourself among them, man? Before you reach the gate, they would have torn you to pieces. They do not imagine that any of us would do this. They are now resting, as they think that they are safe now. By God, you shall do as I am saying. Our heartfelt condolences, Umm Imarah. Your son, Habeeb, is a martyr. To God belongs what He gives and what He takes. I offer him to God, Abu Sulaiman. Rise and come with me, Umm Imarah. You have done more than well today, and you have all these wounds. Come. I will take you to your tent and place with you someone to take care of your wounds. Come on; may God lead you to the right path. Bury Habeeb well... He was such a dutiful son and a well contented man.