Hazrat Umar’s (RA) full identify was Umer Ibn Al-Khattab Ibn Nufayal Ibn Abdul
Uzza. He was born into the Adi clan of the Makkan Qurayash tribe 13 years
after the yr of the Elephant. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was born within the
yr of the Elephant itself, subsequently making Umar(RA) 13 years youthful
than him. When his daughter, Hafsa, married the Prophet (SAW), Umar(RA) additionally
turned the latter’s father-in-law. Nufayal Ibn Abdul Uzza, Umar’s grandfather, was a good character of his
time, usually being referred to for judgment(s) and session(s). Umar (RA) was
subsequently introduced up within the household of a sensible man, in an atmosphere of data
and studying. This might need influenced him (RA) in his quest for data. Actually, Umar (RA) was amongst the only a few individuals in pre-Islamic Arabia who
may learn and write. He additionally had an important ardour for poetry – to the extent that
there was hardly an event when Umar(RA) wouldn’t quote poetry about
one thing. Umer (RA)memorized a large number of poems, each by the poets of
historic occasions and his contemporaries, and would usually quote them spontaneously. This means that he was sharp man, with an excellent reminiscence. He was very
eloquent, clear in his speech, persuasive, sensible and forbearing. For these causes, the Quraysh nominated him as their ambassador, marking his eminence and
supremacy inside the tribe. His father, Khattab, was a really harsh man, which Umar (RA) remembered
all through his life. He additionally remembered how he used to have a tendency his father’s livestock
and gathered firewood for him – duties he additionally carried out for his maternal aunts. As soon as, whereas he was Caliph, Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb(RA) ascended the pulpit and instructed
the individuals about his earlier occupation and the way, after tending the flocks for his
aunt from the Banū Makhzūm, in return he would obtain only a handful of dates
and raisins – that, he stated, was all he needed to eat for the entire day! When
Abdur-Raḥmān ibn Awf requested Umar(RA) why he denigrated himself in entrance of the
individuals by telling them this, ‘Umar (RA) instructed him that it was meant to remind him
about his previous, to kill the satisfaction and haughtiness popping up in his coronary heart. Such was
the energy of character of caliph Umar (RA), the Nice. In the course of the early days of Islam, Umar (RA) was a stern opponent of the
Prophet(SAW). Together with the opposite Quraysh leaders, he would mercilessly
persecute individuals who accepted Islam. Umm ‘Abdullāh bin Hantamah described
how, whereas she was migrating to Ethiopia, Umar (RA) went to her and requested her
why she was leaving Makkah. She replied that it was because of the insufferable
remedy he had doled out to her and the opposite Muslims. Umar (RA) was touched
by her phrases; quickly after, he nonetheless determined to kill the Prophet(RA) and his
shut companions at a gathering with the Quraysh leaders. He subsequently headed
in direction of Dār al-Arqam, beside the Mount Ṣafā, the place Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
and his companions had been in hiding. On his means, nonetheless, he met Nu’intention ibn
Abdullāh, who tried to cease him. They each argued and, whereas attempting to cease
Examine Notes by Aamir Mahar 2
Umar(RA), Nu’intention knowledgeable him that his sister, brother-in-law, and cousins had all
accepted Islam. Upon listening to this, Umar(RA) ran to his sister’s home and burst in
whereas she and her husband had been reciting elements of sūrah al-ṬāHā(chapter 20). He
attacked each of them, hitting his sister within the face and making her bleed. Umar
instantly regretted this and, after calming down, requested them to offer him what
they had been studying. Umar’s(RA) sister, nonetheless, refused handy the Qur’an
fragment over to him till he purified himself. After Umar(RA) had accomplished this, he
learn the sūrah and was deeply moved by the message of the Qur’an, subsequently
declaring his religion in Islam by the hands of the Prophet(SAW). He was the fortieth
individual to just accept Islam. Historically, his conversion is seen as a response to the
Prophet’s supplication to Allah, that Islam be supported by both Abū Jahl ibn
Hishām or ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb. Upon accepting Islam, Umar(RA) determined to
preach the message of fact brazenly in public. For his braveness and boldness, the
Prophet (SAW) gave him the title al-Fārūq (the differentiator between fact and
falsehood). Umar’s(RA) Islamic training was earned by the hands of the Prophet (SAW). He
was amongst the Prophet’s closest companions and would usually enquire and study
about Islam in his presence, later transmitting the data he gained to others. Particularly, Umar (RA) would usually ask the Prophet about his opinions with
regards to sure Qur’anic verses. Furthermore, Umar (RA) incessantly provided his
personal private reasoning (ijtihād). In reality, there are a number of cases the place the
Qur’an incorporates a verse revealed in affirmation of Umar’s(RA) opinions. Ṣaḥīḥ
al-Bukhārīreports a convention from Umar(RA), wherein he stated that:
My opinion coincided with that of my Lord (Allah) in three issues. I stated ‘O
Messenger of Allah, why don’t you’re taking maqām Ibrāhīm[the station of Ibrahim, located near the Ka’ba in Makkah] as a spot for prayer? Then Allah revealed that. And I stated ‘O Messenger of Allah, each righteous and immoral individuals go to you, why
don’t you inform the Moms of the believers to watch ḥijāb? And, Allah revealed the
verse of ḥijāb. And I heard that the Messenger of Allah had rebuked a few of his
wives, so I went to them and stated ‘both you cease, or Allah will give His Messenger
wives higher than you… then Allah revealed the verse of sūrah al-Tahrīm(66:5)
Along with these examples, when the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was requested to
supply the funeral prayer for Abdullāh ibn Ubay, one of many munāfiqūn (hypocrites), Umar (RA) went to him to try to cease him from doing so. The Prophet (SAW), nonetheless, merely smiled and selected to proceed with the funeral. Later, the Quranic
verse in sūrah al-Taubah(9:84) was revealed, prohibiting the Prophet(SAW) from
becoming a member of the funeral prayer of any of the hypocrites, or of standing by their graves to
pray for them. These factors of settlement replicate the Prophetic assertion: “Among the many nations
earlier than you had been some individuals who had been impressed [muhaddathūn]. If anybody amongst
my ummah(individuals) had been to be impressed, it could be Umar (RA). The scholar Ibn
Hajar al-Asqalānī considers the phrase muhaddath to suggest any of 4 meanings: a. one who’s impressed, b. one who speaks the reality spontaneously, c. one to whom
angels converse with out him being a prophet, or d. one with instinct.3 The
correspondence between ‘Umar’s opinions and the Qur’an’s signifies that ‘Umar
Examine Notes by Aamir Mahar 3
was a possessor of muhaddath. This uncommon attribute carefully affiliated him with
the Prophet(SAW) and – provided that not one of the different companions acquired this
present – rendered Umar (RA) an unmatched honour. Upon session with the distinguished companions, Abū Bakr (Islam’s first Caliph, appointed Umar (RA) to succeed him. Certainly, Umar’s(RA) management of the
Muslim neighborhood had been envisioned by the Prophet, and is described in
a number of narrations. One, recorded in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, experiences that the Prophet (SAW)
stated: “Whereas I used to be sleeping, I noticed myself drawing water from a properly with a bucket. Abū Bakr got here and drew a bucket or two. Then, Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb got here and the
bucket in his fingers become a really giant one. I had by no means seen anybody so robust. All of the individuals drank their fill and watered their camels that knelt down there.” This
ḥadīth foretold the rule of the 2 distinguished companions of the Prophet and
implied that Umar(RA), by serving individuals with a big bucket of water, would
strengthen Islam greater than any of his predecessors. Certainly, it’s undoubtedly true
that Umar’s(RA) rule noticed Islam increase proper throughout the Center East. He additionally
ushered in a interval of governance primarily based upon advantage, piety and knowledge. He was
the primary Muslim ruler to bear the title Amīr al-Mu’minīn (Commander of the
Believers). As a number one companion, Umar (RA) is unsurpassed by every other contributor to
Islamic civilization. His knowledge and foresight, his steering and simply rule, his
integrity and sincerity in spreading Islamic teachings, render him one of the
distinguished architects of Islamic civilization. To offer some examples of his particular
contributions, it was upon his suggestion and in session with the Caliph Abū
Bakr (RA) that the Qur’an was lastly compiled into an entire quantity. Throughout his
personal rule, Umar (RA) established the town of Prophet, Madinah, because the centre of
fatwā (authorized verdicts and opinions) and fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). He stored these
companions who had been identified for his or her data and authorized opinions near him
in Madinah. Main students from amongst the companions had been additionally dispatched
to different cities, with a view to educate the individuals about Islam. For instance, Umar(RA)
despatched Abdullāh ibn Mas’ud, Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamān, Ammār ibn Yāsir, ‘Imrān ibn
Ḥusain and Salmān al-Fārsī to Iraq. Likewise, Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal, ‘Ubādah ibn
al-Ṣāmit, Abū al-Dardā’, Bilāl ibn Rabāh and others went to Syria, the place they
established Homs, Damascus and Palestine as prime facilities of studying. Umar (RA)
would usually talk with them and supervise their authorized opinions and, for
their half, they might refer points again to him in the event that they discovered them troublesome to
resolve. Umar (RA) additionally had direct affect over the institution of the primary distinguished
colleges of fiqhin Makkah, Basra, Kufa, and Syria. For instance, he personally selected
and skilled ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās, the long run chief of the Makkan College, conserving
him in his consultative circle and grooming him as a number one mufassir(exegete of
the Qur’an). Likewise, Abū Mūsā al-Ash‘arī and Anas bin Mālik, the forerunners of
the Basran College, had been each shut companions of ‘Umar throughout their keep in
Madinah. Umar (RA) would additionally usually ship students to the military earlier than it was
dispatched, with a view to educate troopers about Islam and information them in response to the
Examine Notes by Aamir Mahar 4
prophetic methodology. He was influential in formulating the idea of qiyās(authorized
analogy), usually writing to his governors and judges to advocate implementing
this authorized precept in instances the place there was no priority within the Qur’an and
Sunnah . Along with these factors, Umar (RA) was the primary individual to formally
set up the evening prayers (tarāwīh) through the month of Ramadan. Umar al-Khaṭṭāb (RA)additionally efficiently launched many administrative
improvements. He was, for instance, the primary individual to introduce an Islamic calendar
primarily based on the Arabic months, and starting with the Prophet’s migration from
Makkah to Madinah. He additionally launched the bayt al-māl(public treasury), from
which public welfare funds, stipends for the poor, and authorities salaries had been
paid. In the course of the period of his predecessors, there had been no want for a bayt al-māl, because the Islamic state had been very small and wealth might be distributed
instantly. Because the territorial domains of Islam unfold underneath caliph Umar (RA), nonetheless, the necessity for a extra systematic methodology of fee developed. Notably, underneath Umar’s (RA) authorities, stipends had been additionally given to poor non-Muslim
residents. Umar (RA) additionally established judicial courts, studying facilities, and a authorities
division tasked with controlling markets. He launched applicable salaries
for judges, academics, troopers, public servants and governors. His worry of
misappropriation and corruption led him to open a public division for dealing
with complaints towards authorities officers. He was the primary to introduce land
taxation (kharaj) in Islamic territory. Because the borders of the Islamic world unfold
additional, he additionally sought to prepare it extra effectively. As such, he divided the brand new
empire into administrative divisions, primarily based round cities. He additionally established new
cities, and offered incentives for cultivating barren land. This facilitated the
rebuilding of societies past the main cities and enhanced the state’s common
financial situation. Caliph Umar (RA)was additionally the primary Muslim ruler to dig canals, notably between the
Tigris River and the town of Basra. These had been designed to offer cities with water
for each ingesting and irrigation. Bridges, roads and highways had been likewise
constructed underneath Umar (RA). One of many basic rights, Umar (RA) ensured
for his topics was their freedom of expression. In his first handle as Caliph, he
confused the proper of the individuals to criticize him and, if needed, unseat him ought to
he deviate from the proper path. Certainly, he was as soon as questioned by a layman about
a bit of fabric, he had used to sew his gown; the layman had observed that it was
longer than the shares of fabric different individuals had acquired. Umar’s (RA) son, Abdullāh, then stood up and knowledgeable the group that he had added his share to his
father’s as a result of, as Umar (RA) was a tall individual, he required some additional material to
make his gown. On one other event, Umar (RA) expressed his curiosity in fixing
the dower for girls on the time of their marriages. In response, a woman stood up
and raised her voice towards Umar’s (RA) concern, reminding him that Allah had
not fastened the dower, even when it’s given in bulk. Umar (RA) accepted the girl’s
opinion, thanking her for correcting him. After getting back from the Hajj within the yr 23/644, Caliph Umar (RA) was stabbed by
Examine Notes by Aamir Mahar 5
a Magian named Abū Lū‘lū‘ah through the daybreak (fajr) prayers. Abū Lū‘lū‘ah stabbed
Umar (RA) within the again, till he fell down bleeding. As he started to lose
consciousness, Umar al-Khaṭṭāb(RA) referred to as for ‘Uthmān, ‘Alī (RA), Ṭalhah (RA), Zubayr (RA), ‘Abdur-Raḥmān bin ‘Awf(RA) and Sa’d ibn Abī Waqqās (RA). He
granted them the authority to seek the advice of Muslims and nominate a ruler from amongst
themselves. The excellent man and caliph of Islam breathed his final on
Wednesday, the twenty sixth day of Dhul-Hijjah, that’s the day when world misplaced certainly one of its
nice leaders and a pioneering architect of civilizational reform.
