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"God
has placed truth upon Umar's tongue and
heart. (Hadith)"
'Umar's
Life
During
his last illness Abu Bakr had conferred
with his people, particularly the more
eminent among them. After this meeting
they chose 'Umar as his successor. 'Umar
was born into a respected Quraish family
thirteen years after the birth of
Muhammad (peace be on him). Umar's
family was known for its extensive
knowledge of genealogy. When he grew up,
'Umar was proficient in this branch of
knowledge as well as in swordsmanship,
wrestling and the art of speaking. He
also learned to read and write while
still a child, a very rare thing in
Mecca at that time. 'Umar earned his
living as a merchant. His trade took him
to many foreign lands and he met all
kinds of people. This experience gave
him an insight into the affairs and
problems of men. 'Umar's personality was
dynamic, self-assertive, frank and
straight forward. He always spoke
whatever was in his mind even if it
displeased others.
'Umar was
twenty-seven when the Prophet (peace be
on him) proclaimed his mission. The
ideas Muhammad was preaching enraged him
as much as they did the other notables
of Mecca. He was just as bitter against
anyone accepting Islam as others among
the Quraish. When his slave-girl
accepted Islam he beat her until he
himself was exhausted and told her,
"I have stopped because I am tired,
not out of pity for you." The story
of his embracing Islam is an interesting
one. One day, full of anger against the
Prophet, he drew his sword and set out
to kill him. A friend met him on the
way. When 'Umar told him what he planned
to do, his friend informed him that 'Umar's
own sister, Fatima, and her husband had
also accepted Islam. 'Umar went straight
to his sister's house where he found her
reading from pages of the Qur'an. He
fell upon her and beat her mercilessly.
Bruised and bleeding, she told her
brother, "Umar, you can do what you
like, but you cannot turn our hearts
away from Islam." These words
produced a strange effect upon 'Umar.
What was this faith that made even weak
women so strong of heart? He asked his
sister to show him what she had been
reading; he was at once moved to the
core by the words of the Qur'an and
immediately grasped their truth. He went
straight to the house where the Prophet
was staying and vowed allegiance to him.
Umar made
no secret of his acceptance of Islam. He
gathered the Muslims and offered prayers
at the Ka'aba. This boldness and
devotion of an influential citizen of
Mecca raised the morale of the small
community of Muslims. Nonetheless 'Umar
was also subjected to privations, and
when permission for emigration to Medina
came, he also left Mecca. The soundness
of 'Umar's judgment, his devotion to the
Prophet (peace be on him), his
outspokenness and uprightness won for
him a trust and confidence from the
Prophet which was second only to that
given to Abu Bakr. The Prophet gave him
the title 'Farooq' which means the
'Separator of Truth from False hood.'
During the Caliphate of Abu Bakr, 'Umar
was his closest assistant and adviser.
When Abu Bakr died, all the people of
Medina swore allegiance to 'Umar, and on
23 Jamadi-al-Akhir, 13 A.H., he was
proclaimed Caliph.
'Umar's
Caliphate
After
taking charge of his office, 'Umar spoke
to the Muslims of Medina:
"...O
people, you have some rights on me
which you can always claim. One of
your rights is that if anyone of you
comes to me with a claim, he should
leave satisfied. Another of your
rights is that you can demand that I
take nothing unjustly from the
revenues of the State. You can also
demand that... I fortify your
frontiers and do not put you into
danger. It is also your right that if
you go to battle I should look after
your families as a father would while
you are away. "O people, remain
conscious of God, forgive me my faults
and help me in my task. Assist me in
enforcing what is good and forbidding
what is evil. Advise me regarding the
obligations that have been imposed
upon me by God..."
The most
notable feature of 'Umar's caliphate was
the vast expansion of Islam. Apart from
Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Palestine and Iran
also came under the protection of the
Islamic government. But the greatness of
'Umar himself lies in the quality of his
rule. He gave a practical meaning to the
Qur'anic injunction:
"O
you who believe, stand out firmly for
justice as witnesses to God, even as
against yourselves, or your parents,
or your kin, and whether it concerns
rich or poor, for God can best protect
both." [4:135]
Once a
woman brought a claim against the Caliph
'Umar. When 'Umar appeared on trial
before the judge, the judge stood up as
a sign of respect toward him. 'Umar
reprimanded him, saying, "This is
the first act of injustice you did to
this woman!"
He
insisted that his appointed governors
live simple lives, keep no guard at
their doors and be accessible to the
people at all times, and he himself set
the example for them. Many times foreign
envoys and messengers sent to him by his
generals found him resting under a palm
tree or praying in the mosque among the
people, and it was difficult for them to
distinguish which man was the Caliph. He
spent many a watchful night going about
the streets of Medina to see whether
anyone needed help or assistance. The
general social and moral tone of the
Muslim society at that time is
well-illustrated by the words of an
Egyptian who was sent to spy on the
Muslims during their Egyptian campaign.
He reported:
"I
have seen a people, every one of whom
loves death more than he loves life.
They cultivate humility rather than
pride. None is given to material
ambitions. Their mode of living is
simple... Their commander is their
equal. They make no distinction between
superior and inferior, between master
and slave. When the time of prayer
approaches, none remains behind..."
'Umar
gave his government an administrative
structure. Departments of treasury, army
and public revenues were established.
Regular salaries were set up for
soldiers. A popuation census was held.
Elaborate land surveys were conducted to
assess equitable taxes. New cities were
founded. The areas which came under his
rule were divided into provinces and
governors were appointed. New roads were
laid, canals were lug and wayside hotels
were built. Provision was made for he
support of the poor and the needy from
public funds. He defined, by precept and
by example, the rights and privileges of
non-Muslims, an example of which is the
following contract with the Christians
of Jerusalem:
"This
is the protection which the servant of
God, 'Umar, the Ruler of the Believers
has granted to the people of Eiliya
[Jerusalem]. The protection is for their
lives and properties, their churches and
crosses, their sick and healthy and for
all their coreligionists. Their churches
shall not be used for habitation, nor
shall they be demolished, nor shall any
injury be done to them or to their
compounds, or to their crosses, nor
shall their properties be injured in any
way. There shall be no compulsion for
these people in the matter of religion,
nor shall any of them suffer any injury
on account of religion... Whatever is
written herein is under the covenant of
God and the responsibility of His
Messenger, of the Caliphs and of the
believers, and shall hold good as long
as they pay Jizya [the tax for their
defense] imposed on them."
Those
non-Muslims who took part in defense
together with the Muslims were exempted
from paying Jizya, and when the Muslims
had to retreat from a city whose
non-Muslim citizens had paid this tax
for their defense, the tax was returned
to the non-Muslims. The old, the poor
and the disabled of Muslims and
non-Muslims alike were provided for from
the public treasury and from the Zakat
funds.
'Umar's
Death
In 23
A.H., when Umar returned to Medina from
Hajj;, he raised his hands and prayed,
"O
God! I am advanced in years, my bones
are weary, my powers are declining,
and the people for whom I am
responsible have spread far and wide.
Summon me back to Thyself, my
lord!" Some time later, when 'Umar
went to the mosque to lead a prayer, a
Magian named Abu Lulu Feroze, who had
a grudge against 'Umar on a personal
matter, attacked him with a dagger and
stabbed him several times. Umar reeled
and fell to the ground. When he
learned that the assassin was a Magian,
he sid, "Thank God he is not a
Muslim."
'Umar
died in the first week of Muharram, 24
A.H., and was buried by the side of the
Holy Prophet (peace be on him).
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