A Review of the Story of Raf al-Qalam

Firuz Abu-Lulu' (also known as Pirouz Nahavandi), an Iranian slave, killedOmar b. al-Khattab at the closing days of Dhul-Hijjah of the year 23 ('AH'). According to authentic historical sources of the school of Caliphs and that of the Fourteen Infallibles and according most Sunni and Shiite scholars, the time of his assassination was the closing days of Dhul-Hijjah, but some recent Shiite sources, which rely on narration, assume that it was on the 9th of Rabī' the 1st (Rabī' al-Awwal). This narration, known as "the tradition of Raf' al-Qalam", is attributed to Ahmad b. Ishaq Qomi. The mentioned narration also included such claims like distortion of the holy Quran and permissibility of doing sins. This research blemishes and refutes the idea that this account is attributed to Ahmad b. Ishaq Qomi, criticizes its text and chain of transmission and proves that the assassination of the caliph 'Omar took place on the 26th of Dhul-Hijjah. According to the research, choosing the 9th of Rabī' theI st. as the assassination anniversary of the caliph and holding ceremonies on such a day are not based on narrative or historical grounds.