Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 47
Khilafat Centenary recipients. 3. Rules of Engagement in Military Action The code of conduct prescribed for commanding officers, also reveals Hadhrat Abu Bakr's ra great concern for life and other aspects of social welfare. The following standing instructions to Usama bin- Zaid '• are quoted by Najibabadi: Women , children and the aged should not be attacked plantations, crops and vegetation should not be destroy ed Christian monks or Jewish Rabbis should not be killed or uprooted the Dhimmis (see definition below) should be treated in accordance with the existing Islamic traditions (Najibabadi, p. 228) The term 'Dhimmis' refers to those non -Muslims who willingly accept the protection from Islamic authorities in lieu of a nominal tax known as Jiziyah. The Dhimmis enjoy full religious protection and social justice. Another clause is mentioned by Professor Majeed: "Do not mutilate the enemy dead. " (Majeed, p. 108) 4. Criterion of Faith Hadhrat Abu Bakr r• gave a very clear directive to his generals on the issue of their dealing with so- called rebels and apostates. Najibabadi reports: "Oral submission of an individual would be deemed sufficient. Whatever belief thereafter, he cherishes in his heart, is a matter that falls in the domain of God. " (Najibabadi, p. 234) Hadhrat Abu Bakr's r• opinion was based on the practice of the Holy Prophe r•w. A subdued warrior in a military encounter recited the Islamic creed (Shahada) , but Usama bin Zaid r• killed him, rejecting his last minute confession as pretext to save his skin. The Ho ly Prophet Muhammad saw condemned Usama's ra action in strong terms: "Did you tear his heart to confirm that he was pretending?" Hadhrat Abu Bakrr• was simply reminding his generals to adhere to the spirit of that code of conduct. 5. Inheritance Right of an Unborn Baby Another episode throws a flood of light on Abu Bakr's r• profound righteousness, respect for Islamic Sharia' and concern for financial rights of ind ividuals. Hadhrat Abu Bakr's r• last marriage was with an Ansari woman, Habiba hint Kha r ja of the Khazraj tribe, who was pregnant at the ti me of his death. In his testamentary wi ll , Hadhrat Abu Bakr'• advised his daughter, Umm-ul-Momineen, Hadhrat Ayesh a' • to be mindful about the share in the i nh eritance for her unborn sibling. That fortunate baby was Umme Kulthoom, who was given the rightful share from Hadhrat Abu Bakr's r• inheritance. Thus Hadhrat Abu Bakr established the tradition of safeguarding the rights of even unborn babies. Hadhrat Umarra bin al-Khattab 1. Independence and Supremacy of Judiciary Hadhrat Umar ' sr • reign constitutes the most glorious part of the Khilafat-e-Rashida. Hart, in his book about most influential persons in history, has preferred Hadhrat Umar '• over famous conquerors like Julius Caesar and Charlemagne, and refers to him as the "greatest of the Moslem caliphs" (Hart, p. 271). It is also the best as far as the human rights record is concerned. With his personal example, he demonstrated impartiality and integrity of the judicial system. Throughout the Islamic emp ire, he separated the judiciary from the executive, which is a modern concept. Once he was summoned to the court of law in a legal dispute with Hadhrat Ubayy bin Ka'a b'•. Shibli reports that on Hadhrat Umar's'• arrival in the court, the Qadi (ChiefJustice) of Medina, H ad hrat Zaid bin Thabit' 3, stood in respect and offered him a seat, but Hadhrat Umar r• declined an d sat adjacent to Hadhrat Ubayy bin Ka'ab r• telling the Qadi: "This is the first injustice that you have com mitted in this case" (Shibli, p. 27 4). He thus emphasized in practice that even the head of state was not above the law and should be treated equally. 2. Kind Treatment of the Dhimmis Hadhrat Umar r• has earned copious praise even from non-Muslim critics for generous treatment of the Dhimmi population of his vast empire. He personally ensured that his governors and other officials treated Dhimmis with dignity and justice. Every Dhimmi's life,