IN GIVING, WE RECEIVE
Glimpses from the Muslim History
DURING the Caliphate of the second Caliph Umar, a Christian merchant entered the Islamic frontiers from the river Euphrates with his horses for trade. Ziyad bin Hadeer, who was appointed at the frontiers to oversee imports and exports, demanded tax from the merchant which he paid. He returned through the same route taking with him his unsold horses. Ziyad again demanded tax on these horses. The merchant felt a strong objection to it. He left his unsold horse under the care of his servants and travelled to Madinah in order to lodge a complaint with the Caliph himself. After reaching Madinah, he narrated his ordeal to Umar and mentioned that he has been asked unfairly to pay taxes on his unsold horses. Umar listened to the complaint and replied, “Your complaint has been taken care of.”
The merchant left disappointed as he felt that the Caliph had not accorded much importance to his grievance. He came to the check port of the Euphrates and offered the tax amount which was demanded by Ziyad before. This time, Ziyad did not accept the offered money and said that he had been commanded by the Caliph not to impose tax upon him.
The Christian merchant was really impressed to know that the Caliph’s decision was so swift that the justice he asked reached there before him.
Ali was the fourth rightly-guided Caliph. Once his armour got stolen. He came to know that the stolen armour was with a Jew. He put the case before the court of Qazi (judge) Shuraih in Kufa. To verify his claim, Ali presented two witnesses. One was his servant Qanbar, while the second was his own son Hasan. Justice Shuraih objected by saying that testimony of a son is not acceptable to support the claim of his father. He further said that only one solitary witness is not enough to prove a claim. Therefore, Justice Shuraih dismissed the petition, and the armour remained in possession of the Jew.
This incidence left the Jew overwhelmed. He said, “This episode reminds me of the conduct of the prophets where a Qazi announces his judgement against the ruler.” Soon after, the Jew returned the armour to Ali saying that it indeed belonged to Ali and that Ali’s claim was, in fact, true. (Kanz Al-Ammal)
During the reign of Umayyads, a grand Jamia mosque was erected in Damascus. On one side of the mosque was an ancient church. Muslims wished to include a part of the church in the mosque, but the Christians did not agree to this development. Caliph Abdul Malik offered a considerable amount of money, but the Christians did not agree. Consequently, a part of the mosque remained incomplete.
Then came the reign of the Caliph Waleed bin Abdul Malik, Muslims tried again to get hold of a part of the church to complete the construction of the mosque. The Christians remained steadfast again. Waleed bin Abdul Malik used force and got the possession of the land unrightfully. He included this land in the completion of the mosque. Many years passed. Umar bin Abdul Aziz became the Caliph. His fame as a just and fair ruler spread far and wide. The Christians decided to meet him and present their grievance. After hearing their complaint, Caliph Umar bin Abdul Aziz commanded that the unrightful construction over the church land be razed and the land be handed over to the Christians.
No nation can aspire to be at the forefront of worldly affairs unless it carves for itself the image of a giver group.
This judgement proved hard for the Muslims. They protested against razing the mosque in which they had called people for prayers and performed prayers. Umar bin Abdul Aziz replied, “Be whatever it may. If this was a place of prayer for the Christians, it must be duly returned to the Christians.”
Now, it was the turn of the Christians to be enthralled. They had a change of mind. They said, “Our claim has proved to be true. We need no more than this. We now give this piece of land as gift to the mosque.” (Tareekh-e-Baladhuri)
In this world, one who gives; receives. One who always seeks to receive, will eventually lose. This is the unshakeable law of the world. This law has always existed and will exist forever. No nation can aspire to be at the forefront of worldly affairs unless it carves for itself the image of a giver group. The recent Babri Mosque verdict announced by the Indian Supreme Court is a great opportunity for the Muslims to carve out this image. Acceptance of the verdict wholeheartedly will open up new horizons and prospects for the Muslims in the subcontinent.