Two incidents can be mentioned: that is forbidding questions about difficult
portions of Quran and queries about future. The third incident, which is more
exposing than these two is prohibition of Caliph to narrate traditions of Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) or too much inclination to them; and his threatening and
confining the companions of Prophet due to this act.
It is mentioned in the text of Tabari that:1
“Umar often said: Read only the Quran, which is written on skin and do not
interpret it and narrate minimum traditions from the Prophet, as long as I am
present among you.”2
Tibrani has narrated from Ibrahim bin Abdur Rahman that:
“Umar imprisoned three persons: Ibne Masud, Abu Darda and Abu Masud
Ansari and said: You narrate too many traditions from the Prophet, and he
confined them in Medina till they were martyred.”3
Dhahabi has narrated from Abu Salma in Tadhkira4 that they asked Abu
Huraira:
“Did you narrate so many traditions during period of Umar?”
Abu Huraira replied: “If I have narrated as many traditions during period of
Umar, I would have definitely been lashed.”
Abu Huraira says: “As long as Umar was alive, I was not able to say: Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said…”
Allamah Amini says: The facts that apparent of Quran does not make
people needless of Sunnah and Sunnah can never be separated from Quran till
they would arrive to the Prophet at the Cistern of Kauthar; and the need of
Sunnah is not less than the need for Quran. And need of Book for Sunnah,
according to Awzai and Makhul is more than the need of the Sunnah over the
Book; was the Caliph unaware of these facts.5
After the Caliph prohibited the Islamic Ummah from knowledge of Quran;
after he forbid them from excessive discussions, academic, religious, political,
social, moral, historical pursuits; and closed the path of learning; restraining them
from deriving laws, whose need has not risen till then. And keeping them away
from readiness for acting according to religion of God before appearance of
phenomenon; stopping them from learning the holy Sunnah and prohibiting its
spread among people and society.
How this helpless community could benefit from these teachings and get
precedence on other communities? And from which Book and from which
Sunnah, can we obtain the success of the world that Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
brought for us and laid its foundation?
This style of the Caliph was a fatal strike at the backbone of the structure of
Islam and Islamic Ummah, which degraded its teachings, nobility and progress.
Now, whether he was aware of this fact or not?
Among the products of this hateful behavior was the matter of writing the
Sunnah, which we recount as follows:
51. Writing of the Sunnah
It is narrated from Urwah that:
“Umar decided to write and record the Sunnah of Prophet. He sought advice
of companions of Prophet and they said that it was advisable. But Umar
continued to draw Istikhara [and prayed to God to show him the right path]. Till
once day he gave up his intention and said:
‘I had decided to record in writing, the reports and traditions of Prophet, but
when I studied histories of previous nations, I saw that people before had written
books and they became engrossed in those books and abandoned the Book of
God. By God, I will never mix the Book of God with another thing.’
Some people also followed the practice of the Caliph as opposed to Sunnah
of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and prohibited writing and narration of traditions.6