The Conquest of Istakhr
The conquest of Istakhr: Istakhr was the capital of Fars and was an ancient holy centre for the Sasanians. The ancient fire temple was situated here and was under the direct control of the Persian King. Hazrat Uthman bin Abi Al-Aas (ra) decided to march towards Istakhr and a battle ensued between the people of Istakhr at a place called Jaur.
A fierce battle took place with the people of Jaur after which Allah the Almighty granted them victory and the Muslims were able to conquer Istakhr as well. Many people were killed and many people fled. Hazrat Uthman bin Abi al-Aas (ra) invited the non-Muslims to pay the jizya and to live as a subject of the Muslim government [dhimmi]. He sent them letters and kept in correspondence with them. Eventually, their leader Hormuz accepted the offer and agreed to pay the jizya. Those people who fled during the conquest of Istakhr or migrated, all agreed to pay the jizya and returned home to a peaceful resolution.
After the enemy had been defeated, Hazrat Uthman bin Abi al-Aas (ra) gathered the spoils of war and set aside one fifth and sent it to Hazrat Umar (ra). The remaining spoils were kept to distribute between the Muslims. He prevented the Muslim army from any kind of looting and there was an order to return anything that was snatched away [from the people]. The commander-in-chief ordered to return anything that had been taken away from the people. Then, Hazrat Uthman bin Abi Al-Aas (ra) gathered everyone and said, “We will continue to scale new heights and be safeguarded from all trials as long as we do not carry out theft or be dishonest. If we are dishonest in the spoils of war, then these immoral acts will become prevalent among us. These evil deeds will bring everyone down.” That is, if they become dishonest and start stealing things, then this will be their downfall.
Nowadays, these habits have become prevalent amongst Muslims; they are stealing from each other, wherever the opportunity arises they steal, they are dishonest [in dealings] and it is these immoral traits that are leading to their ruin. They are vilified everywhere in the world.
On the day of the conquest, Hazrat Uthman bin Abi Al-Aas (ra) said, “When Allah the Almighty wishes good for a people, He saves them from every form of evil and immorality. He instils within them the qualities of honesty and truthfulness. Therefore, safeguard the trusts handed over to you because the aspect of faith that is the first to vanish is honouring of a trust. And when you lose your integrity and honesty in this regard, with the passing of each day, you will lose another virtue.” Meaning, when one overlooks honesty, one will stop upholding other virtues as well.
In the latter years of Hazrat Umar Farooq’s (ra) khilafat and in the first year of Hazrat Uthman’sra Khilafat, Shariq instigated a revolt and incited the Persians. As a result of this, they broke their treaty. Hazrat Uthman bin Abi Al-Aas (ra) was sent again to crush the revolt. Similarly, reinforcements were sent with Hazrat Abdullah bin Ma‘mar and Shibl bin Ma‘bad Bajali. They encountered the enemy at Fars and a fierce encounter took place, in which Shariq and his son were killed. Many other people also died. Shariq was killed by Hakam bin Abi Al-Aas, the brother of Hazrat Uthman bin Abi Al-Aas (ra).
(Muhammad Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Tabari Translation, Vol. 3, Pt. 1 [Karachi, Pakistan: Dar al-Isha‘at, 2003], pp. 192-193)
According to one narration, Hazrat Ala bin Hadrami (ra) conquered Istakhr for the first time in 17 AH during the era of Hazrat Umar’s (ra) Khilafat. After agreeing to a treaty, the residents broke off the agreement and a rebellion followed suit. In order to put down this rebellion, Hazrat Uthman bin Abi Al-Aas (ra) sent his brother and son. They succeeded in crushing the rebellion. They killed Shariq, the governor of Istakhr.
(Ali Muhammad as-Sallabi, Sirat Ameerul Momineen Umar bin Khattab, [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Ma‘rifah, 2007], p. 432) (Ali Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, Vol. 2, [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2006], pp. 382-383)