On the basis of Baqilani’s viewpoint among the ancient scholars in
Tamheed:1 and Sayyid Ahmad Zaini Dhalan – from the latter day scholars – in
his book of biography on the margins of Seerah Halabiyya2 that the first instance
of expression of knowledge of caliph was at the time he announced the passing
away of Prophet with statement of Almighty Allah:
وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ : قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ أَفَأَبِنْ مَاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انْقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَى أَعْقَابِكُمْ
“And Muhammad is no more than an apostle; the apostles have
already passed away before him; if then he dies or is killed will
you turn back upon your heels?”3
That is would you abandon Islam and turn back to ignorance and infidelity?
With this he reasoned against Umar bin Khattab.
How unaware were these two that the passing away of Prophet was not
difficult for any of the companions and they were much above that their
knowledge should be of this level and all of them who knew Quran, were aware
that His Eminence would pass away as per the practice that they knew Almighty
Allah has placed among human beings:
قَضَى أَجَلًا وَأَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى
“He decreed a term; and there is a term named with Him.”4
وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَنْ تَمُوْتَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ كِتَبًا مُؤَجَّلًا
“And a soul will not die but with the permission of Allah; the term is fixed.”5
لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلٌ إِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَلَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ
“Every nation has a term; when their term comes, they shall not
then remain behind for an hour, nor can they go before (their
time).”6
And due to their being connected to Quran and numerous statement that His
Eminence (s.a.w.a.) mentioned time and again regarding this; especially in
Farewell Hajj. That is why this Hajj was named as Farewell Hajj.
Umar’s denial of the passing away of His Eminence (s.a.w.a.) was not due to
ignorance, because Amr bin Zaida had recited to Umar the verse, which Abu
Bakr recited later and other companions also recited it in the Masjid and also
added the following verses:
إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَّيْتُونَ
“Surely you shall die and they (too) shall surely die.”7
But Umar paid no attention to the verse and its reciter and Amr bin Zaida
was a senior companion, whom Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) had appointed as
his deputy in Medina thirty times when he proceeded on expeditions and wars.8
The denial of Umar and his threatening people was pre-planned and it was to
deflect the thoughts of people from search of Caliph till Abu Bakr, who was on
the outskirts of Medina9 in Sunh locality, may arrive.10
This was a pre-planned course of action Don’t you see that some senior Ahle Sunnat scholars reason this denial of
Umar to be other than his ignorance; some say:
“This is because of extreme shock and unawareness of reality.”11
Some have presented justification that Umar lost his senses at the passing
away of Prophet and said:
“By God, he is not dead, on the contrary, he has gone to his Lord.”12