Around AH 18 the Muslim state faced two great disasters in quick succession: a famine in the Hijaz known as Am ar-Ramadah and the plague of Amwas in Sham (greater Syria). Prothom Alo's religion pages trace from the classical histories how Caliph Umar met them.
From late AH 17 into early AH 18, no rain fell in the Hijaz for about nine months. Crops withered, livestock died and hunger spread through Medina and its surroundings. Because the dry earth turned black like ash, the year was called the Year of Ashes (Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabaqat al-Kubra).
As soon as the crisis began, the caliph distributed the grain and money in Medina's treasury, the Bayt al-Mal, until it stood empty. He then wrote for help to Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, governor of Iraq, and to Amr ibn al-As, who ran Palestine and Egypt. Camel caravans loaded with food came from the provinces, and Amr sent grain ships across the Red Sea to the port of Jeddah. Supervisory committees were set up so that every hungry family received its fair share.
During the famine he suspended the collection of zakat and taxes, to be collected once conditions returned to normal. He also ruled that a person who stole food to stay alive would not have his hand cut off. He himself gave up ghee, milk and meat and lived for days on dry bread with vinegar and olive oil. The famine ended when rain fell after nine months.
Soon afterwards the plague of Amwas spread through Sham, killing many companions of the Prophet, among them Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah and Mu'adh ibn Jabal. On the road to Syria, at a place called Sargh, the caliph called a council; most advised against entering the plague zone. Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf then recited the Prophet's hadith: if you hear of plague in a land, do not enter it, and if it breaks out where you are, do not flee from it (Sahih al-Bukhari, 5729). The caliph returned to Medina.
After the plague he travelled to Sham himself to rebuild its administration, appointing new governors to vacant posts and settling the estates of the dead. The article presents these decisions as an example of far-sighted disaster management and government for the public good.
Source: Prothom Alo
Comments
(0)