Hazrat ABU BAKR SIDDIQUE (R.

A)

Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu's) real name was Abdullah, and he was given the title of
"As Siddique" or"Testifier to the Truth." His father, 'Uthman, was known as Abu Quhafah and his
mother, Salma, was known as Ummul Khair. He was two and a half years younger than
Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam).
PERSONAL LIFE
He lived a very simple, pious and upright life. He was a true servant of Almighty Allah and a
meticulous follower of Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam).
He wore ordinary clothes and his meals were very simple. He attended to house-hold work and
would go out at night and seek the poor and destitute. Humility and modesty were the keynotes
of his character. He felt embarrassed when people showered praises on him or showed him
immense respect. He often fasted during the day and spent the whole night in Salaah and
meditation. He was a great orator and a master of genealogy (one who can trace a person's
family line). In personal life, he was a Saint. He used all his powers to promote the interest of
Islam and the good of people.
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu) fell ill at this time and passed away on the 21st of
Jamadi-ul-Aakhir 13 A.H. (22 August 634). His rule lasted 2 years and 3 months. He was 63
years old.
One of the many contributions of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu) was the collection and
compilation of the Holy Quran.

Hazrat UMAR FAROOQ (R.A)

He was the son of Khattab and is famous in Islamic history as "Al Farooq" or "One who
distinguishes between Right and Wrong." His acceptance of Islam is also very famous.
Sayyiduna Umar (radi Allahu anhu) was a very brave and straight-forward person. He was
tough and uncompromising in Islamic principles. He was a great and talented ruler. During his
Khilaafat, vast areas of the Roman and Persian empires and the whole of Egypt were brought
under Islamic rule. He was also a gifted orator. He was very concerned for the welfare of the
Muslims. He left a honourable legacy for Muslims after him. The Holy Quran was given to him
by Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu) for safe-keeping.
Simplicity and devotion were the main characters of Sayyiduna Umar (radi Allahu anhu). He
used to wear clothes that had many patches and yet received Governors, convoys and
diplomats. He took just enough allowance from the State to have a simple meal and wear
simple clothes. At times he was very poor. He used to visit the old people and sick and even
does their house work. He used to visit the houses of the soldiers and inquire about their
families. He stayed awake at night in Salaah and often kept fast. He always supported and
upheld the cause of Islam, with his wisdom, energy, dynamism, bravery and little wealth.
A Persian non-Muslim, named Firoz and nicknamed "Abu Lulu," complained to Sayyiduna Umar
(radi Allahu anhu) about his master, Sayyiduna Mughirah bin Shuba (radi Allahu anhu), who
imposed tax on him. Sayyiduna Umar (radi Allahu anhu) told Firoz that the tax was reasonable.
This made Firoz angry.
The next day, during the Fajr Salaah, he stabbed Sayyiduna Umar (radi Allahu anhu) 6 times in
the back, severely wounding the Caliph. Sayyiduna Umar (radi Allahu anhu) passed away 3
days later in 23 A.H. He was 63 years old. He ruled the Islamic State for 10 years, 6 months and
4 days.

HAZRAT USMAN GHANI ( R.A )

Life Before acceptance of Islam

Hazrat Usman(R.A.) belonged to a noble family of Quraish in Mecca. His ancestral pedigree
joins with that of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi wa Sallam) in the fifth generation. He was
from the "Umayyah" family of Quraish, which was a well reputed and honourable family of
Mecca during the pre-Islamic days. In the famous battle of "Fajar" the Commander-in-Chief of
the Quraish army, Harb bin Umayyah was from the same family. The descendants of this family
are known as "Banu Umayyah" or "Umawwin".

Hazrat Usman(R.A.) was born in 573 A.C. His patronymic name was "Abu Amr" and father's
name was "Affan bin Abul-As". He was known by the name "Uthman ibn ‘Affan". Hazrat
Usmanwas one of the few persons of Mecca who knew reading and writing. When he grew up,
he started business in cloth which made him very rich. He used his money in good ways and
always helped the poor. Uthman (R.A.) was a soft natured and kind hearted man. He did not
hesitate to spend any amount of money on seeing a man in trouble in order to remove his
misery. For his noble qualities the Meccans had great respect for him.

USman (R.A.) gets the title of "Dhun-nurain"

Hazrat Usman(R.A.) migrated second time with other Muslims to Medina. He could not
participate in the first battle of Islam against non-believers of Mecca at Badr, because
his wife was very ill. She died before the Muslims returned from Badr after the victory.
The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam) gave him glad tidings that he would get
the same reward as though he had participated in the battle. After the death of Hadrat
Ruqayyah (R.A.), the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam) married his next
daughter, "Umm Kulthum" with him and he was given the title of "Dhun-nurain" i.e., the
man with two lights.
Hazrat Usman(R.A.) elected as the third Khalifah (Caliph)

Before his death, Hadrat ‘Umar (R.A.) appointed a panel of six men to select a
"Khalifah" from amongst themselves and then sought his approval through Bai'at
(Pledge of loyalty) by Muslim Public. He also instructed them to make the nomination
within three days. The panel included Uthman,'Ali, Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas, Talha, Zubair
and 'Abdur Rahman bin 'Auf (Ridwanullah-i-'Alaihim) as the members.

The panel could not arrive at any decision even after long meetings. Then, Hadrat
'Abdur Rahman bin 'Auf proposed somebody to withdraw his name in order to decide
the matter. When he got no response, he withdrew his own name. The remaining
members agreed that he could take a decision. He consulted each member individually
except Hadrat Talha (R.A.) who was not present at Medina. It so happened that Hazrat
Usmanproposed 'Ali's name and Hadrat 'Ali proposed Uthman's name for the post of
Khalifah. But Zubair and Sa'd (R.A.) were more in favour of Hazrat Usmanthan Hadrat
‘Ali. After more consultations with other companions and thinking over the problem
during the third night, Hadrat ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Auf(R.A.) gave his decision in the
morning of the fourth day in favour of Hazrat Usman(R.A.).

First of all Hadrat ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Auf(R.A.) took Bai'at at the hands of Hazrat
Usmanand then all the Muslims present in the Mosque followed suit and took Bai'at
(pledge of loyalty) at the hands of Hadrat Uthman(R.A.). In this way, Hazrat
Usman(R.A.) was declared to be the third Khalifah. When Hadrat Talha (R.A.) returned
to Medina, Uthman (R.A.) requested him either to accept the post of "Khalifah" (as he
was among the persons proposed by Hadrat ‘Umar for the post) or to acknowledge him
as Khalifah by taking Bai'at. Hadrat Talha declined to be the Khalifah and took pledge of
loyalty at his hand, saying "How can I object to your being the Khalifah when all the
Muslims have agreed upon you."
The siege of Khalifah's house

A few days later the Medinites were surprised to hear shouts of "Revenge", "Revenge"
in the streets of Medina. Hearing the shouts Hadrat ’Ali came out to enquire about the
matter. The insurgents showed a letter to him under the seal of "Khalifah" and signed by
Marwan bin Hakm, the chief secretary of Hazrat Usman(R.A.). The letter was being
carried to the Governor of Egypt by a special messenger whom they intercepted on the
way. The letter said; "Uqtul Muhammad bin Abu Bakr" (i.e. Kill Muhammad bin Abu
Bakr) instead of "lqbil Muhammad bin Abu Bakr" (i.e. Accept Muhammad bin Abu Bakr
as governor).

Note: It seems that the "Nuqtab "(dot) of Arabic letter "Ba" was wrongly placed at the
top giving it a letter similar to another letter "Ta" due to which the meaning was totally
changed. But according to most of the historians the letter was intentionally written by
Marwan about which Hazrat Usmandid not know. While some others say that was a plot
of insurgents and they produced a forget letter. For the reason given in the Glorious
Caliphate by Athar Husain the letter was a clean forgery.
Hadrat'Ali tried to pacify them but they did not listen to him and went straight to Uthman,
saying: “We do not want Uthman (R.A.) to be the Khalifah. Allah has made his blood
lawful for us. You should also help us." Hadrat 'Ali said, "By Allah, I have nothing to do
with you. It seems that you have hated a plot and are trying to carry it out."

When the insurgents went to Hazrat Usman(R.A.) he took a solemn oath that he knew
nothing about the letter. But they did not believe him and said, "Whether you wrote it or
not, you are unfit to be the Khalifah and you must abdicate." They threatened to kill him
on which Hazrat Usman(R.A.) replied, "I do not fear death, but I do not want to shed
Muslim blood."

When Hadrat'Ali saw that the insurgents were not in control and Hazrat Usmandid not
want to use force against them, he left for Ahjar, a place few miles away from Medina,
because his position was becoming difficult as the insurgents wanted to drag him in the
dispute.

Afterwards the insurgents demanded Hazrat Usman(R.A.) to give up the "Khilafat". He

rejected their demand and said, "I can't take off the robe of honour with my own hands
that Allah has bestowed upon me." Consequently the insurgents laid a siege to his
house and did not allow him to come out except for offering Salats in the Masjid. But
later on they did not allow him to come out even for the Salats. The siege went on for
forty days. During the last few days they also stopped supply of water. Some brave
Muslim youths like Hadrat Hasan, Husain, Muhammad bin Talha, 'Abdullah bin Zubair
(R.A.) were guarding the gate of the house so that nobody among the insurgents could
enter the house. Beside Hazrat Usmanand his wife, Nailah, Marwan bin Hakam was
also in the house. He did not allow any person to fight with the insurgents although a
fight took place between Hadrat Hasan, Husain and Marwan and the insurgents when
they did not allow Umm-ul-mu'minin Hadrat Habibah (R.A.) to supply meals to Hadrat
Uthman. Hadrat Hasan received minor injuries but Marwan was seriously hurt. However
the insurgents did not fight with Hadrat Hasan and Husain because of the fear of
Hashmites. During the siege Hazrat Usmansent Abdullah bin ’Abbas to Mecca to lead
the Hajj and also to inform people about the insurgents. He also sent messengers to
provincial governors.

When hardship grew, some eminent Companions like Hadrat Mughirah bin Shu'bah
requested the "Khalifah" to take action against the insurgents and said that all the
people of Medina were ready to fight for him but he did not agree to shedding of blood
of Muslims. Then they proposed that he should leave the house through the back door
and either go to Mecca or to Damascus where he would be safer but he accepted
neither of the proposals. The things got worse day by day, and at last the crisis arrived.

Martyrdom of Hazrat Usman(R.A.)

The only weapon with Hazrat Usmanwas his kindness and soft nature. He addressed
several times the insurgents from the roof of his house and reminded them about his
family relations with the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam), and the services he
had rendered to Islam but they never listened to him.

The insurgents were afraid that the Hajj was coming to an end and after the Hajj a
number of supporters of the "Khalifah" would come to Medina. They decided therefore
to assassinate him without delay. As stated before, they did not want to fight with
Hashmites like Hadrat Hasan, Husain and 'Abdullah bin Zubair who were standing
guard at the main gate of Hadrat Uthman's big residence. The reason not to fight with
Hashmites was that they had incited a number of people against Banu Umayyah
(Hadrat Uthman’s family) in favour of Banu Hashim (Hashmites). So the insurgents
climbed the back walls of the house and entered the room where Hazrat Usman(R.A.)
was reciting the Holy Qur'an.

On seeing Hadrat Uthman, one of the insurgents hit his head with an axe while the next
struck him with a sword. His wife, Nailah tried to shield her husband but she also got
several wounds and her fingers were chopped off. Chronicles record that Muhammad
bin Abu Bakr was the leader of the assassins. He got hold of Hadrat Uthman’s beard
and pulled it. On this Hazrat Usmanremarked, "0 my dear nephew if your father (Abu
Bakr) were alive you would not have done this." The remarks of Hazrat Usmancut him
to the quick and he turned back and did not take part in the assassination.

After giving severe injuries to Hadrat Uthman, one af insurgents, an Egyptian named
'Amr bin Hamq cut off Khalifah's head.

Hazrat Usman(Radiallahu 'Anhu) was assassinated on Friday, the 17th Dhul-Hijjah, 35

A.H. (the 17th July, 656 A.D.).

Hazrat ALI UL MURTAZA (R.A)

Periods in the life of Hazrat Ali

The life of Hazrat Ali can be divided into three distinct periods. The first period
comprises the first 32 years of his life and extends from 600 to 632 CE. I call this period
the period of the education and action. It was during this period that he received his
education under the loving care of the holy Prophet; imbibed with values of Islam; and
acquired all the attributes that contribute to greatness. In the post-Hijri years, he
emerged as the greatest warrior of the age. He distinguished himself as a great warrior
in the battles of Badr, Uhud and the Ditch. His crowning success was his conquest of
the Khyber. In battle he killed more men [through hand-to-hand combat] than any other
single man in history. All those who fought in the duels against him were invariably
killed. He came to be known as the "Lion of God."

He acted as a Justice, and acquired fame for his wise and well-reasoned judgments. He
acted as the Governor of Yemen, and acquired a good deal of experience as
administrator. He had the honour of announcing the verses of the Holy Qur'an about the
"Declaration of Immunity" to the people on behalf of the Holy Prophet on the location of
the Hajj. When the holy Prophet died, Hazrat Ali was in the prime of his youth and he
was enlightened, experienced, wise, valiant -- the embodiment of virtue. He had
expected that because of his outstanding qualities and his relationship to the holy
Prophet, he would be chosen as the Caliph. He was however, passed over, and this
state of affairs continued for 24 years when the office of the caliphate was held by
Hazrat Abu Bakr, Hazrat Umar and Hazrat Usman.

This period constitutes the second period of the life of Hazrat Ali. During this time,
although Hazrat Ali acted as the Counsellor to Caliphs, he generally kept aloof from
active politics. I call this period as the period of inaction and contemplation. It was a
period of inaction from the political point of view, because he kept aloof from politics. It
was the period of contemplation from the spiritual point of view, for this period was
spent by Hazrat Ali mostly in prayer, religious exercises and dialogue with God. The
further he went from the world, the nearer he got to God.

The third period began when Hazrat Ali was elected as Caliph. This period only lasted
for five years. I call this period the period of frustration. Hazrat Ali found the caliphate to
be a bed of thorns. During those five years, he fought three battles: (i) the Battle of the
Camel, (ii) the Battle of Siffin, and (iii) the Battle of Nahrawan. All three battles were
fought against the Muslims and led to considerable bloodshed. It was a matter of the
great shock for him, that instead of fighting against non-Muslims, he had to fight against
Muslims. During this period, Hazrat Ali had to suffer from frustration because of
repeated and continuous betrayals, even by men close to him. At the outset of his
caliphate, he was betrayed by Banu Umayya when Muawiyah defied him and accused
him of involvement in the murder of Hazrat Usman. He was betrayed by the people of
Medina who did not respond to his call to undertake 'jihad' against Muawiyah. He was
betrayed by Talha and Zubair, who took the oath of allegiance [from] him and later
defected. He was betrayed by Hazrat A'isha his mother-in-law, who took top arms
against him. He was betrayed by the people of Basra who had taken the oath of
allegiance [from] him but later defected. At Siffin he was betrayed by his own army who
would not fight when the victory was in sight. In the matter of arbitration, he was
betrayed by his umpire Abu Musa Ashari, who instead of defending his cause deposed
him. He had to face the succession of the Kharijites who had originally fought on his
side at the battle of Siffin. He was betrayed by Khurrity b. Raashid who had been his
ally, but later revolted against him, and created trouble in Basra. He was betrayed by his
own brother Aquil who was not satisfied with the allowance that Hazrat Ali gave him,
and joined Muawiyah who rewarded him handsomely. He was betrayed by his cousin
Abdullah b. Abbas when he had appointed as the Governor of Basra, and who left his
post after misappropriated heavy fines from the Bait-ul-Mal. The final active betrayal
came when Hazrat Ali was married, by a fanatic Kharijite.

Wives and children of Hazrat Ali

The principal wife of Hazrat Ali was Hazrat Fatima, the favourite daughter of the holy
Prophet. During the lifetime of Hazrat Fatima, Hazrat Ali at one stage proposed to marry
a daughter of Abu Jahl. When the holy Prophet came to know of this proposal, he
became annoyed and declared that if Hazrat Ali wanted to marry another wife, he
should divorce Hazrat Fatima first. Thereupon Hazrat Ali abandoned the idea of
marrying another wife. Hazrat Fatima was the mother of three sons and two daughters.
The sons were Hasan, Hussain, and Mohsin. Mohsin died during childhood. The
daughters were Zainab and Umm Kulthum.

After the death of Hazrat Fatima, Hazrat Ali married a number of wives. They were:

(1) Umm-ul-Bunian who was the daughter of Hazam b. Khalid. Hazrat Ali had five sons
from her, namely: Abdullah, Jafar, Abbas, Usman, and Umar. All of them except Abbas
were martyred in the battle of Karbala along with Hazrat Hussain.

(2) Khaula was the daughter of Jafar Hanfiyah. She was the mother of the son known
as Muhammad b. Hanfiyah.

(3) Umm Habib who was the daughter of Rabiah. She gave birth to a son Umar, in the
daughter Ruqiya.

(4) Asma who was the daughter of Umais. She was in the first instance married to
Hazrat Jafar, an elder brother of Hazrat Ali. On the death of Hazrat Jafar, Hazrat Abu
Bakr married her. After the death of Hazrat Abu Bakr she married Hazrat Ali. She had to
sons from Hazrat Ali, namely: Yahya and Muhammad Asghar.

(5) Laila who was the daughter of Masud. She was the mother of two sons, namely
Ubaidullah and Abu Bakr.

(6) Umama who was a daughter of Abi Al Aa's and Hazrat Zainab and elder sister of
Hazrat Fatima. Her son from Hazrat Ali bore the name of Muhammad Awsat.

(7) Umm Saeed who was a daughter of Urwa. She bore Hazrat Ali two daughters,
namely: Umm-ul-Hasan and Rumia.

(8) Muhyat was a daughter of the famous Arab poet Imra-ul-Qais. She gave birth to a
daughter who expired in infancy.

Hazrat Ali married nine wives in all including Hazrat Fatima. The number of wives at a
time however did not exceed four. He had a few slave girls of whom Humia and Umm
Shuaib bore him 12 daughters, Nafisa, Zainab, Ruqiya, Umm-ul-Karaam, Humaira,
Umm Salma, Sughra, Khadija, Umm Hani, Umm Kulthum Jamana and Maimuna.
Hazrat Ali was, in all, the father of 15 sons and 18 daughters. [total = 33 children]