|
A GOVERNOR CANNOT DETACH HIMSELF FROM PEOPLE
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas is
one of the ten people to whom God's Messenger, upon him be
peace and blessings, gave the good news that they would go
to Paradise. He was a cousin of the Prophet and was among
the first to accept Islam. He was a teenager when he became
a Muslim. He fought very bravely in the Battle of Uhud and
shot almost a thousand arrows at the enemy. The Messenger,
who was being attacked on all sides in the second phase of
the Battle during which the Muslim army experienced a setback,
told him:
—
Shoot, O Sa'd! May my father and mother be sacrificed for
you!
The
Messenger addressed no one other than Sa'd this way.
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas was also famous for the acceptability
by God of his prayers and maledictions. People were afraid
of being cursed by him. During the conquest of Makka he fell
gravely ill. When the Messenger visited him, he told him:
—
O Messenger of God! While my brothers are returning to Madina,
shall I stay here for ever?
The
Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, who did not speak
on his own, consoled him, saying:
—
It is hoped that you will live many years more and while
many people get benefit by means of you, many others will
suffer harm because of you.
Sa'd
recovered from his illness and lived a long life. He commanded
the Muslim armies in the Battle of Qadisiya and conquered
Iran (Persia). So, he was known as the Conqueror of Iran and
'Umar appointed him as the governor of Mada'in in Iran. Sa'd
was also famous for building the city of Kufa, which was destroyed
centuries later.
It was the custom of the Caliph 'Umar to question the pilgrims
coming to Makka and Madina from distant cities about their
governors, and if any complaint was made of a governor, he
inquired into it. The people coming from Mada'in complained
about their governor that he had made a two-floored government
building with a door. As a memorial of the conquest of Iran
and a symbol of the Muslims' victory, Sa'd had attached the
portal of a former imperial Sassanid palace to the government
building.
'Umar, who did not allow the governors to separate themselves
from the people even by a door, wrote a letter to Sa'd, carried
to him by Muhammad ibn Maslama. He wrote in the letter:
O Sa'd! I have heard that you have had a government building
constructed, and attached to it the portal of the palace of
the defeated Emperor of Iran. Why did you do that? Did you
do that so that people might not reach you easily because
of the porters you will employ? Or do you intend to follow
the way of that despotic king? Do you not know that the palaces
of despotic kings like him were destroyed because they detached
themselves from the people in order not to listen to their
complaints? Now, I am sending a man with no fear of you. He
will pull up the door and then give this letter to you. You
should be content with two houses, one for your residence,
the other for keeping the public treasury in.
Muhammad ibn Maslama, the Caliph's envoy, duly carried out
the order of the Caliph, and Sa'd, Conqueror of Iran though
he was, and one of those very few assured of Paradise, looked
on without objection while it was done.
|
|
