Reign as Caliph[edit]

On 22 August Caliph Abu Bakr died. Umar assumed the office of Caliph on the same day. He then
addressed the Muslims in his Inaugural address:
"O ye faithful! Abu Bakr is no more amongst us. He has the satisfaction that he has successfully piloted
the ship of the Muslim state to safety after negotiating the stormy sea. He successfully waged the
apostasy wars, and thanks to him, Islam is now supreme in Arabia. After Abu Bakr, the mantle of the
Caliphate has fallen on my shoulders. I swear it before God that I never coveted this office. I wished that
it would have devolved on some other person more worthy than me. But now that in national interest,
the responsibility for leading the Muslims has come to vest in me, I assure you that I will not run away
from my post, and will make an earnest effort to discharge the onerous duties of the office to the best of
my capacity in accordance with the injunctions of Islam. Allah has examined me from you and you from
me, In the performance of my duties, I will seek guidance from the Holy Book, and will follow the
examples set by the Holy Prophet and Abu Bakr. In this task I seek your assistance. If I follow the right
path, follow me. If I deviate from the right path, correct me so that we are not led astray.
Initial challenges[edit]
Even though almost all of the Muslims had given their pledge of loyalty to Umar, he was rather more
feared than loved. According to Muhammad Husayn Haykal, the first challenge for Umar was to win over
his subjects and members of Majlis al Shura.
[46]

Umar was a gifted orator, and he would use his ability to get a soft corner in the hearts of people.
[47]

Muhammad Husayn Haykal wrote that Umar's stress was on the well being of poor and underprivileged
people, the people were soundly moved by Umar's speeches and his popularity grew rapidly and
continuously over the period of his reign.
[48]
In addition to this Umar, in order to improve his reputation
and relation with Banu Hashim, the tribe of Ali, delivered to him his disputed estates in Khayber. Though
he followed Abu Bakr's decision over the dispute of land of Fidak, continued its status as a state
property. In Ridda wars, thousands of prisoners from rebel and apostate tribes were taken away as
slaves during the expeditions. Umar ordered the general amnesty for the prisoners, and their immediate
emancipation.
[49]
This made Umar quite popular among the bedouin tribes. With necessary public
support with him, Umar took a bold decision of retrieving Khalid ibn Walid from supreme command
on Roman front.
[50]

Political and civil administration[edit]
The government of Umar was more or less a unitary government, where the sovereign political
authority was the Caliph. The empire of Umar was divided into provinces and
some autonomous territories like in some regions Azerbaijan and Armenia, that had accepted the
suzerainty of the Caliphate. The provinces were administered by the provincial governors or Wali. The
selection of which was made personally by Umar, who was very fastidious in it. Provinces were further
divided into districts, there were about 100 districts in the empire. Each district or main city was under
the charge of a junior governor or Amil, usually appointed by Umar himself, but occasionally they were
also appointed by the provincial governor. Other officers at the provincial level were:
1. Katib, the Chief Secretary.
2. Katib-ud-Diwan, the Military Secretary.
3. Sahib-ul-Kharaj, the Revenue Collector.
4. Sahib-ul-Ahdath, the Police chief.
5. Sahib-Bait-ul-Mal, the Treasury Officer.
6. Qadi, the Chief Judge.
In some districts there were separate military officers, though the Governor (Wali) was in most cases the
Commander-in-chief of the army quartered in the province. Every appointment was made in writing. At
the time of appointment an instrument of instructions was issued with a view to regulating the conduct
of Governors. On assuming office, the Governor was required to assemble the people in the
main mosque, and read the instrument of instructions before them.
[51]

Umar's general instructions to his officers were:
"Remember, I have not appointed you as commanders and tyrants over the people. I have sent you as
leaders instead, so that the people may follow your example. Give the Muslims their rights and do not
beat them lest they become abused. Do not praise them unduly, lest they fall into the error of conceit.
Do not keep your doors shut in their faces, lest the more powerful of them eat up the weaker ones. And
do not behave as if you were superior to them, for that is tyranny over them."
Various other strict codes of conduct were to be obeyed by the governors and state officials. The
principal officers were required to travel to Mecca on the occasion of the Hajj, during which people
were free to present any complaint against them. In order to minimize the chances of corruption, Umar
made it a point to pay high salaries to the staff. Provincial governor received as much as five to seven
thousand dirham annually besides their shares of the spoils of war (if they were also the commander in
chief of the army of their sector). Under Umar the empire was divided into the following provinces.
1. Arabia was divided into two provinces, Mecca and Medina;
2. Iraq was divided into two provinces, Basra and Kufa;
3. In the upper reaches of the Tigris and the Euphrates, Jazira was a province;
4. Syria was a province;
5. Umar divided Palestine into two provinces Iliy' ( ), and Ramlah;
6. Egypt was divided into two provinces, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt;
7. Persia was divided into three provinces, Khorasan; Azarbaijan and Fars.
Umar was first to established a special department for the investigation of complaints against the
officers of the State. This department acted as Administrative court, where the legal proceedings were
personally led by Umar.
[52]
The Department was under the charge of Muhammad ibn Maslamah, one of
Umar's most trusted men. In important cases Muhammad ibn Maslamah was deputed by Umar to
proceed to the spot, investigate the charge and take action. Sometimes an Inquiry Commission was
constituted to investigate the charge. On occasions the officers against whom complaints were received
were summoned to Medina, and charged in Umar's administrative court. Umar was known for this
intelligence service through which he made his officials accountable
[53]
This service was also said to have
inspired fear in his subjects.
[54]

Umar was a pioneer in some affairs:
1. Umar was the first to introduce the public ministry system, where the records of officials and
soldiers were kept. He also kept a record system that had the messages he sent to Governors
and heads of states.
2. He was the first to appoint police forces to keep civil order.
3. He was the first to discipline the people when they became disordered.
[55]

Canals[edit]
When Basra was established during 'Umar's period, he started building some canals for conveying
drinking water and for irrigation. Al-Tabari reports that 'Utba ibn Ghazwan built the first canal from the
Tigris River to the site of Basra when the city was in the planning stage. After the city was built, 'Umar
appointed Abu Musa Ashaari as the first governor. Abu Musa Ashaari governed during the period 17-
29/638-650. He began building two important canals linking Basra with the Tigris River. These were al-
Ubulla River and the Ma'qil River. The two canals were the basis for the agricultural development for the
whole Basra region and used for drinking water. 'Umar also devised the policy of cultivating barren lands
by assigning such lands to those who undertook to cultivate them. This policy continued during the
Umayyad period and it resulted in the cultivation of large areas of barren lands through the construction
of irrigation canals by the state and by individuals.
[56]

Reforms[edit]
Main articles: Reforms of Umar's era and Covenant of Umar I
Umar is regarded as one of the greatest political geniuses in history.
[5]
While under his leadership, the
empire was expanding at an unprecedented rate, he also began to build the political structure that
would hold together the vast empire that was being built. He undertook many administrative reforms
and closely oversaw public policy. He established an advanced administration for the newly conquered
lands, including several new ministries and bureaucracies, and ordered a census of all the Muslim
territories. During his rule, the garrison cities (amsar) of Basra and Kufa were founded or expanded. In
638, he extended and renovated the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) in Mecca and the Al-Masjid al-
Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet) in Medina.
[57]
Umar also ordered the expulsion of the Christian and
Jewish communities of Najran and Khaybar allowing them to reside in Syria or Iraq. He also permitted
Jewish families to resettle in Jerusalem, which had previously been barred from all Jews.
[58]
He issued
orders that these Christians and Jews should be treated well and allotted them the equivalent land in
their new settlements. Umar also forbade non-Muslims to reside in the Hejaz for longer than three
days.
[59]
He was first to establish army as a state department. Umar was founder ofFiqh, the
Islamic jurisprudence.
[60]
He is regarded by Sunni Muslims to be one of the greatest Faqih. Umar as
a jurist started the process of codifying Islamic Law. In 641, he established Bayt al-mal, a financial
institution and started annual allowance for the Muslims. A year later he also started allowance for the
poor, underprivileged and old non-Muslim citizens of the empire. As a leader, 'Umar was known for his
simple, austere lifestyle. Rather than adopt the pomp and display affected by the rulers of the time, he
continued to live much as he had when Muslims were poor and persecuted. In 639, his fourth year as
caliph and the seventeenth year 17 since the Hijra, he decreed that the Islamic calendar should be
counted from the year of the Hijra of Muhammad from Mecca to Madinah.
Visits Jerusalem in 637 CE[edit]
Umar's visit to Jerusalem is documented in several sources. A recently discovered Judeo-Arabic text has
disclosed the following anecdote:
[58]

"Umar ordered Gentiles and a group of Jews to sweep the area of the Temple Mount. Umar oversaw the
work. The Jews which had come sent letters to the rest of the Jews in Palestine and informed them that
Umar had permitted resettlement of Jerusalem by Jews. Umar, after some consultation, permitted
seventy Jewish households to return. They returned to live in the southern part of the city, i.e. the
Market of the Jews. (Their aim was to be near the water of Silwan and the Temple Mount and its gates).
Then the Commander Umar granted them this request. The seventy families moved to Jerusalem from
Tiberias and the area around it with their wives and children."
It is also reported in the name of the Alexandrian Bishop Eutychius (932-940 CE) that the rock known as
the Temple Mount had been a place of ruins as far back as the time of the Empress Helena, mother of
Constantine the Great, who built churches in Jerusalem. "The Byzantines," he said, "had deliberately left
the ancient site of the Temple as it was, and had even thrown rubbish on it, so that a great heap of
rubble formed." It was only when Umar marched into Jerusalem with an army that he asked Kaab, a
Jew, "Where do you advise me to build a place of worship?" Kaab indicated the Temple Rock, now a
gigantic heap of ruins from the temple of Jupiter.
[61]
The Jews, Kaab explained, had briefly won back
their old capital a quarter of a century before (when Persians overran Syria and Palestine), but they had
not had time to clear the site of the Temple, for the Rums (Byzantines) had recaptured the city. It was
then that Umar ordered the rubbish on the akhra (rock) to be removed by the Nabataeans, and after
three showers of heavy rain had cleansed the Rock, he instituted prayers there. Until this day, the place
is known as ubbat es akhra, the Dome of the Rock.
Military expansion[edit]
Main article: Military conquests of Umar's era
[show]
v
t
e
Wars of
Caliph Umar

Under Umar the Rashidun Caliphate grew enormously. In 638, after the conquest of Syria, Umar
dismissedKhalid, his most successful general, owing to his ever-growing fame and influence. He was
quoted as doing this because he wanted the people to know that victory came from God, not the
general. Later however Umar regretted this decision. The military conquest were partially terminated
between 638639 during the years of great famine and plague in Arabia and Levantrespectively. During
his reign Levant, Egypt, Cyrenaica, Tripolitania, Fezzan, Eastern Anatolia, almost whole of Sassanid
Persian Empire including Bactria, Persia,Azerbaijan, Armenia, Caucasus and Makran were annexed to the
Rashidun Caliphate. According to one estimate more than 4050 cities were captured during these
military conquest.
[62]
Prior to his death in 644, Umar had ceased all military expeditions apparently to
consolidate his rule in Egypt and the newly conquered Sassanid Empire (642644). At his death in
November 644, his rule extended from present day Libya in the west to the Indus river in the east and
the Oxus river in the north.
The great famine[edit]
In the year 638 CE, Arabia fell into severe drought followed by a famine. Bedouin people began to die
because of hunger and epidemic disease. Hundreds of thousands
[citation needed]
of people from all over
Arabia gathered at Madinah where food was rationed. Soon the reserves of food at Madinah began to
run out, and Umar wrote to the provincial governors of Syria, Palestine, and Iraq for aid. A state of
emergency was declared in Madinah and Arabia. The timely aid of Umar's governors saved the lives of
thousands of people throughout Arabia. The first governor to respond was Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah,
the governor of Syria and supreme commander of Rashidun army. He sent a historic letter to Umar
saying
I am sending you the Caravans whose one end will be here at Syria and the other will be at Madinah.
Later, Abu Ubaidah paid a personal visit to Madinah and acted as an officer of Disaster management
cell
[clarification needed]
, which was headed personally by Umar. Once an adequate supply of rations reached
Madinah, Umar dispatched his men to the routes of Iraq, Palestine, and Syria to take the supply
caravans to the desert settlements deeper into Arabia, which in turn, saved millions from starvation. For
internally displaced people, Umar hosted a dinner every night at Madinah, which according to one
estimate, had attendance of more than hundred thousand people.
[63]
By early 639, conditions began to
improve. It rained in Arabia and as soon as the famine ended, Umar personally supervised the
rehabilitation of the displaced people. They were given adequate amounts of rations and were
exempted from payment of zakat for that year and the next year.
The great plague[edit]
While famine was ending in Arabia, many districts in Syria and Palestine were devastated by plague.
While Umar was on his way to visit Syria, at Elat, he was received by Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, governor
of Syria, who informed him about plague and its intensity, and suggested Umar to go back to Madinah.
Umar tried to persuade Abu Ubaidah to come with him to Madinah, but he declined to leave his troops
in that critical situation. Abu Ubaidah died in 639 due to plague, which also cost the lives of 25,000
Muslims in Syria. After the plague had weakened in late 639, Umar visited Syria for political and
administrative re-organization, as most of the veteran commanders and governors had died of
plague.
[64]

Welfare State[edit]
To be close to the poor, Umar lived in a simple mud hut without doors and walked the streets every
evening. After consulting with the poor, Umar established the first welfare state Bayt al-
mal.
[65][66][67]
The Bayt al-mal or the welfare state was for the Muslim and non-Muslim poor, needy,
elderly, orphans, widows, and the disabled. The Bayt al-mal ran for hundreds of years under
the Rashidun Caliphate in the 7th century and continued through the Umayyad period and well into the
Abbasid era. Umar also introduced Child Benefit and Pensions for the children and the
elderly.
[68][69][70][71]
The expansion of the state, was partially terminated between 638639 during the
years of great famine and plague in Arabia and Levant respectively. During Umars reign, within 10
years Levant, Egypt, Cyrenaica,Tripolitania, Fezzan, Eastern Anatolia, almost the whole of Sassanid
Persian Empire including Bactria, Persia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Caucasus and Makran were incorporated
into Islamic State. When Umar was assassinated in 644, the election of Uthman as successor was met
with increasing opposition. The Qur'an wasstandardized during this time.
Free Trade[edit]
Local populations of Jews and indigenous Christians, persecuted as religious minorities and taxed heavily
to finance the ByzantineSassanid Wars, often aided Muslims to take over their lands from the
Byzantines and Persians, resulting in exceptionally speedy conquests.
[72][73]
As new areas joining the
Islamic State, they also benefited from free trade, while trading with other areas in the Islamic State, so
as to encourage commerce, in Islam trade is not taxed, wealth is taxed.
[74]
The Muslims paid Zakat on
their wealth to the poor. Since the Constitution of Medina, was drafted by the Islamic
prophet Muhammad the Jews and the Christians continued to use their own laws in the Islamic State
and had their own judges.
[75][76][77]
Therefore they only paid for policing for the protection of their
property. To assist in the quick expansion of the state, the Byzantine and the Persian tax collection
systems were maintained and the people paid a poll tax lower than the one imposed under the
Byzantines and the Persians.


Umar is regarded as one of the greatest political geniuses in history.[3] While under his
leadership, the empire was expanding at a unprecedented rate, he also began to build the
political structure that would hold together the vast empire that was being built. He
undertook many administrative reforms and closely oversaw public policy. He established an
advanced administration for the newly conquered lands, including several new ministries
and bureaucracies, and ordered a census of all the Muslim territories. During his rule, the
garrison cities (amsar) of Basra and Kufa were founded or expanded. In 638, he extended
and renovated the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) in Mecca and the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi
(Mosque of the Prophet) in Medina.[53] Umar also ordered the expulsion of the Christian
and Jewish communities of Najran and Khaybar allowing them to reside in Syria or Iraq. He
issued orders that these Christians and Jews should be treated well and allotted them the
equivalent land in their new settlements. Umar also forbade non-Muslims to reside in the
Hejaz for longer than three days.[54] He was first to establish army as a state department.
Umar was founder of Fiqh, the Islamic jurisprudence.[55] He is regarded by Sunni Muslims
to be one of the greatest Faqih. Umar as a jurist started the process of codifying Islamic
Law. In 641, he established Bayt al-mal, a financial institution and started annual allowance
for the Muslims. A year later he also started allowance for the poor, underprivileged and old
non-Muslim citizens of the empire. As a leader, 'Umar was known for his simple, austere
lifestyle. Rather than adopt the pomp and display affected by the rulers of the time, he
continued to live much as he had when Muslims were poor and persecuted. In 639, his
fourth year as caliph and the seventeenth year 17 since the Hijra, he decreed that the
Islamic calendar should be counted from the year of the Hijra of Muhammad from Mecca to
Madinah.
[edit] Military expansion
Main article: Military conquests of Umar's era
[show]
v
t
e
Wars of
Caliph Umar
It is widely believed that Umar stressed more on consolidating his power and political
influence in the conquered land, rather than pursuing conquests. Nevertheless under Umar,
The Islamic empire grew at an unprecedented rate. In 638, after the conquest of Syria,
Umar dismissed Khalid, his most successful general due to his every growing fame and
influence. Later however Umar regretted over his decision. The military conquest were
partially terminated between 638639 during the years of great famine and plague in Arabia
and Levant respectively. During his reign Levant, Egypt, Cyrenaica, Tripolitania, Fezzan,
Eastern Anatolia, almost whole of Sassanid Persian Empire including Bactria, Persia,
Azerbaijan, Armenia, Caucasus and Makran were annexed to Islamic Empire. Accordiong to
one estimate more than 4050 cities were captured during these military conquest.[56] Prior
to his death in 644, Umar had ceased all military expeditions apparently to consolidate his
rule in Egypt and newly conquered Sassanid Empire (642644). At his death in November
644, domain of his rule extended from present day Libya in west to Indus river in east and
Oxus river in north.
[edit] The great famine
In the year 638 Arabia fell into severe drought followed by a famine. Bedouin people began
to die because of hunger and epidemic disease. Hundreds of thousands[citation needed] of
people from all over Arabia gathered at Madinah where food was rationed. Soon the
reserves of food at Madinah began to decline, and Umar wrote to the provincial governors of
Syria, Palestine and Iraq for aid. A state of emergency was declared in Madinah and Arabia.
The timely aid of Umar's governors saved the lives of thousands of people throughout
Arabia. The first governor to respond was Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, the governor of Syria
and supreme commander of Rashidun army. He sent a historic letter to Umar saying
I am sending you the Caravans whose one end will be here at Syria and the other will be at
Madinah.
Later, Abu Ubaidah paid a personal visit to Madinah and acted as an officer of Disaster
management cell, which was headed personally by Umar. Once an adequate supply of
rations reached Madinah, Umar dispatched his men to the routes of Iraq, Palestine and
Syria to take the supply caravans to the desert settlements deeper into Arabia, which in
turn saved millions from starvation. For internally displaced people, Umar hosted a dinner
every night at Madinah, which according to one estimate had attendance of more than
hundred thousand people.[57] By early 639 conditions begun to improve. Arabia received
precipitation and as soon as the famine ended, Umar personally supervised the
rehabilitation of the displaced people. They were given adequate amounts of rations and
were exempted from payment of zakat for that year and the next year.
[edit] The great plague
While famine was ending in Arabia, many districts in Syria and Palestine were devastated by
plague. While Umar was on his way to visit Syria, at Elat, he was received by Abu Ubaidah
ibn al-Jarrah, governor of Syria, who informed him about plague and its intensity and he
was suggest to go back to Madinah. Umar tried to persuade Abu Ubaidah to come with him
to Madinah but he denied to leave his troops in that critical situation. Abu Ubaidah died in
639 due to plague, which also cost the life of 25,000 Muslims in Syria. After the plague had
weakened in late 639 Umar visited Syria for political and administrative re-organization, as
most of the veteran commanders and governors had died of plague.[58]
[edit] Assassination
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by
adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
(May 2012)
Tombstone of Caliph Umar, in Al-Masjid al-Nabawi, Medina. The first window from the right
gives a view of Umar's grave.
In 644, at zenith of his power, Umar was assassinated. His assassination was carried out by
Persians, in response to the Muslim conquest of Persia.[59] The assassination was planned
several months earlier. In October 644 Umar went for Hajj in Mecca, the assassins started
the hoopla of Umar's possible death that year, and the massive crowd of the congregation
was used by the conspirators as a veil to hide themselves. It is related that when Umar
stood at Mount Arafat he heard a voice saying:
"O Caliph, never again will you stand on the Mount of Arafat".
A companion of Umar, Jabir bin Mutaam is reported to have said:
We saw a man standing at the top of the hill and crying 'Verily that is the last Hajj of Umar.
He will never come here again.
During one of rituals of Hajj, the Ramy al-Jamarat (stoning of the Devil), some one threw a
stone on Umar that wounded his head, a voice was heard that Umar will not attend the Hajj
ever again. Amongst the conspirators was:
1.Hormuzan, the alleged mastermind of the plot. He was Persian Commander in Chief and
was captured and brought to Umar at Madinah where to save his life he apparently
converted to Islam.
2.One of Umar's advisors, Ka'ab al-Ahbar, a former Jewish Rabbi, who had converted to
Islam.
3.Jafinah, the Christian Arab from Iraq, who was also a foster brother of Saad ibn Abi
Waqqas, former governors of Busra.
4.Piruzan, popularly known as Abu Lulu, he was slave of Mughira ibn Shu'ba the then
governor of Busra.
It was Abu Lulu who was assigned the mission of assassinating Umar. According to the plan,
before the Fajr prayers (the morning prayers before the dawn) Abu Lulu will enter Al-Masjid
al-Nabawi, the main mosque of Madinah where Umar led the prayers and will attack Umar
during the prayers, and will flee or will mix with the congregation at mosque. There were
Persian children slaves in Madina. Seeing them, Firoz is quoted saying:
You have been enslaved at such a tender age. This Umar sees eaten my heart. I will take
his heart out".
Abu Lulu brought a conjectural complaint to Umar about the high tax charged from him by
his master Mughirah. Umar wrote to Mughirah and inquired about the tax, Mughirah's reply
was satisfactory Umar held that the tax charged from Abu Lulu was reasonable, owning the
to his daily income. Umar than is reported to have asked Abu Lulu:
I heard that you make windmills; make one for me as well. In a sullen mood, Firoz said, "
Verily I will make such a mill for you, that whole world would remember it ".
On 3 November 644, Umar was attacked, while leading the morning prayers, Abu Lulu
stabbed him six times in the belly and last on the navel, that proved fatal. Umar was left
profusely bleeding while Abu Lulu tried to flee but people from all sides rushed to capture
him, he in his efforts to escape is reported to have wounded twelve other people, six or nine
of them later died. At last he was captured but committed suicide from the same dagger.
Umar died of the wounds three days later on Sunday, 7 November 644.[60] Umar is
reported to have left the following testament:
Be kind and generous to the Muhajirun and the Ansar. Those out of them who are good, be
good to them; those who are bad overlook their lapses. Be good to the people of the
conquered lands. They are the outer line of our defense; they are the target of the anger
and distress of our enemies. They contribute to our revenues. They should be taxed only on
their surplus wealth. Be gracious to the Bedouins as they are the backbone of the Arab
nation. I instruct you to be good to the Dhimmis for they are your responsibility. Do not tax
them beyond their capacity. Ensure that they pay the Jizya without undue inconvenience.
Fear God, and in all that you do keep His pleasure in view. In the matter of people fear God,
and in the matter of Allah do not be afraid of the people. With regard to the people, I enjoin
upon you to administer justice with an even hand. See that all the legitimate requirements
of the people are met. Be concerned for their welfare. Ensure the safety of their person and
property. See that the frontiers of our domains are not violated. Take strong steps to guard
the frontiers. In the matter of administration do not prefer the rich to the poor. Be hard
against those who violate the law. Show them no mercy. Do not rest content until you have
brought the miscreants to book. Treat all the people as equal. Be a pillar of strength for
those who are weak and oppressed. Those who are strong but do wrong, make them pay for
their wrong-doings. In the distribution of booty and other matters be above nepotism. Let
no consideration of relationship or selfish interest weigh with you. The Satan is at large; it
may tempt you. Rise above all temptations and perform your duties in accordance with the
injunctions of Islam. Get guidance from the Holy Quran and Sunnah. Freely consult the wise
men around you. Apply your own mind in difficult cases, and seek light from God. Be simple
in your living and your habits. Let there be no show or ostentation about you. Lead life as a
model Muslim. As you are the leader of the Muslims, justify your leadership by being the
best among them all. May God bless you.
As per Umar's will, he was buried next to Al-Masjid al-Nabawi alongside Muhammad and
Caliph Abu Bakr by the permission of Aisha.
[edit] Aftermaths
On his death bed Umar vacillated to appoint his successor, however it has been reported
that he said that if Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, Khalid ibn Walid or Salim, the mawali and
freed Persian slave, were alive he would have appointed one of them his successor. Umar
finally appointed a committee of six persons comprising,
1.Abdur Rahman bin Awf
2.Saad ibn Abi Waqqas
3.Talha ibn Ubaidullah
4.Uthman ibn Affan
5.Ali ibn Abi Talib
6.Zubayr ibn al-Awwam
Their task was to chose a caliph from amongst them. Umar appointed a band of fifty armed
soldiers to protect the house where the meeting was proceeding. Until the appointment of
the next caliph Umar appointed a notable Sahabi, a mawali, Suhayb ar-Rumi (Suhayb the
Roman) as a caretaker Caliph. While the historic meeting for selection of caliph was
preceding, Abdulrehman ibn Abu Bakr and Abdur Rahman bin Awf revealed that they saw
the dagger used by Abu Lulu, the assassin of Umar. A night before Umar's assassination,
reported Abdur Rahman bin Awf, he saw Hormuzan, Jafina and Abu Lulu, while they were
suspiciously discussing some thing, bewildered by his presence, the dagger fell, it was the
same two sided dagger used in the assissination. Abudulrehman ibn Abu Bakr, son of late
caliph Abu Bakr also confirmed that few days before Umar's assassination, he once saw this
dagger with Hurmazan. After the mystery of assassination got uncovered by the two of the
most notable governmental figures, it seemed clear that the assassination was planned by
the Persians residing in Medina. Infuriate by this Umar's younger son Ubaidullah ibn Umar
sought to kill all the Persians in Madinah. He killed Hormuzan, Jafinah, and daughter of
Umar's assassin Abu Lulu, who is believed to be a Muslim. Ubaidullah was intercepted by
the people of Madinah and withholding him from the massacre. Amr ibn al-Aas is said to
have intercepted him, convinced him to handover his sword. The murder of Jafinah, enraged
Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, his foster brother, and he assaulted Ubaidullah ibn Umar and again
the companions intervened. It is also believed that Umar daughter Hafsa bint Umar
provoked Ubaidullah to take the punitive action. When Umar was informed about the
incident, he ordered that Ubaidullah should be imprisoned and the next Caliph should decide
his fate.[61] Umar died on 7 November 644; on 11 November Uthman succeeded him as
the Caliph. After prolonged negotiations the tribunal decided to give blood money to the
victims and released Umar's son Ubaidullah, on the ground that after the tragic incident of
Umar's assassination people will be further infuriated by execution of his son the very next
day.
[edit] Legacy
Umar is regarded as one of the most influential figures in Islamic history. He was in a true
sense the architect of the Islamic Empire. As a leader, 'Umar was known for his simple,
austere lifestyle. Rather than adopt the pomp and display affected by the rulers of the time,
he continued to live much as he had when Muslims were poor and persecuted.
[edit] Physical Appearance
Umar is said to be blessed with a strong physique. He could travel on foot for miles. From
contemporary sources it appears that Umar had attained perfection in the art of wrestling.
He was an athlete and a wrestler. He is said to have participated in the wrestling matches
on the occasion of the annual fair of Ukaz.[62] From first hand accounts of his physical
appearance Umar is said to be vigorous, robust and a very tall man, in markets he would
tower above the people. The front part of his head was bald, always A'sara Yusran (working
with two hands),[63] both his eyes are black, with yellow skin, however, ibn Sa'ad in his
book The Book of the Major Classes (Tabaqat al-Kubra) stated that he never knew that
'Umar had yellow skin, except if the people took into criterion a certain part of his life where
his color changed because he always ate oil at that part of his life,[64] Others say he has
reddish-white skin. His teeth were ashnabul asnan (very white shining). He would always
color his beard and take care of his hair using a type of plant.[64][65]
Early Muslim historians Ibn Saad and Al-Hakim have recorded a description of Umar
mentioning that Abu Miriam Zir, a native of Kufa described Umar as:
I went forth with the people of Medina on a festival day, and I saw Umar walking barefoot.
He was advanced in years, bald, of a tawny colour- a left handed man, tall and towering
above the people.
[66] Umar's eldest son Abdullah described the physical appearance of his father as follows:
He was a man of fair complexion, a ruddy tint prevailing, tall, bald and grey.
an other historian Salima bin al-Akwa'a said about him:
Umar was ambidexter, he could use both his hands equally well.
Ibn Asakir records on the authority of Abu Raja al-U'taridi that:
Umar was a man tall, stout, very bald, very ruddy with scanty hair on the cheeks, his
moustaches large, and the ends thereof reddish.
[67]
[edit] Political legacy
Umar is considered as a political genius, as an architect of Islamic Empire he is regarded as
52nd most influential figure in history.[68] Umar remained politically stagnant during
Prophet Mohammad's era, however after his death, it was Umar's brilliance that Abu Bakr
was elected Caliph, despite of massive initial confrontations at Saqifah. Umar successfully
broke the alliance of the tribes of Madinah who claim Caliphate to be their right in addition
cleverly sidelined Ali, paving the way for the succession of Abu Bakr. during Abu Bakr's era,
he actively participated as his secretory and main adviser. After succeeding Abu Bakr as
caliph, Umar win over the hearts of Baudouin tribes by emancipating all their prisoners and
slaves taken during Ridda wars, his excellent oratory skills helped him to heightened his
popularity graph, mostly among the poor and underprivileged people. He proved himself as
a excellent manager during the year of the great Famine when his dynamic abilities saved
millions from starvation. He is best known to built up an efficient administrative structure of
the empire, that held together his vast realm. He organized an effective network of
intelligence, partly a reason for his strong grip on his bureaucracy.[69] His judicial reforms
were fairly modern and advance in nature when compared to contemporary systems of his
era. He opposed the construction of present day Suez Canal, as it posed threat to the
security of Madinah. Twelve hundred years later Great Britain opposed the construction of
the canal for the same reason as it then posed threat to its colonies in Indian subcontinent.
One of the reason of the compactness of his political rule in the conquered lands is reputed
to his policy of tolerance to their religious believes and imposition of far lower taxes on
them as compared to Sassanid Persian empire and Byzantine Empire. Their local
administration was kept un-touched and several of the former Byzantine and Persian official
were retained on their services under Umar's governors.
Umar was very painstaking in every matter. His meticulous was evident from his
appointment of governors and judges that never let him lose his grip on the government.
He never appointed governors for more than two years, for they might get influence in their
county. He dismissed his most successful general Khalid ibn Walid, due to his immense
popularity and growing influence that he saw menace to his authority. Rather than
tenacious conquest he stressed more on consolidating his rule in the conquered land, a fact
that saved Byzantine empire from complete disappearance. Umar is reported to have
wished an official tour across his domain to personally examine the condition of his subjects.
In 641, before the conquest of Persian empire, Umar is reported to have said:
If I would live few more years, I wish to visit Syria next year, then next Iraq and then the
next year Egypt to personally check the conditions of the subjects and inquire whether my
mandate is followed or not.
It should be noted that at the time, Umar made this statement, Persia was not yet
conquered (conquest of Persia begun in 642). He would walk the streets of Medina with a
whip in his hand, and it is said that Umar's whip was feared more than the sword of another
man. He is famous for covert night tour of the city to know the secret life of his domain, the
tradition that later be followed by some of the Abbasid Caliphs and even Mughul rulers of
Indian subcontinent. Saeed M.Mohtsham cites from Caliph Umar's rule in his research paper
Vision and Visionary Leadership An Islamic Perspective:
"He used to monitor very closely the public policy and had kept the needs of the public
central to his leadership approach. As second caliph of Islam, he refused to chop off the
hands of the thieves because he felt he had fallen short of his responsibility to provide
meaningful employment to all his subjects. As a ruler of a vast kingdom, His vision was to
ensure that every one in his kingdom should sleep on a full stomach.
If a dog dies hungry on the banks of the River Euphrates, Umar will be responsible for
dereliction of duty.
(Umar)
The author further wrote that:
He also knew that just having a vision is not enough unless it is supported by effective
strategies. He didnt only have a vision; he truly transformed his vision into actions. For
example, to ensure that nobody sleeps hungry in his empire, he used to walk through the
streets almost every night to see if there is any one needy or ill."[70]
In The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gibbon refers to Umar in the following terms:
"Yet the abstinence and humility of Umar were not inferior to the virtues of Abu Bakr: his
food consisted of barley bread or dates; his drink was water; he preached in a gown that
was torn or tattered in twelve places; and a Persian satrap, who paid his homage as to the
conqueror, found him asleep among the beggars on the steps of the mosque of Muslims."
[edit] Military legacy
It has been reported that Umar was a champion wrestler of his time, and though not
distinguished as a swordsman, he would later attain prominence as a master strategist.
Along with Khalid, he is said to be one of the key figures in the collapse of the Arabian
rebellion, the greatest triumph of Abu Bakr. One of his greatest strategic marvels was his
brilliant fission of Persio-Roman alliance in 636, when Emperor Heraclius and Emperor
Yazdegerd III allied against their common enemy Umar. He was lucky in that the Persian
Emperor Yazdegerd III couldn't synchronize with Heraclius as planned. Umar fully availed
the opportunity and successfully tackled the minefield by straining the Byzantines to jump in
the battle. This was contrary to the orders of Empreror Heraclius, who presumably wanted a
coordinated attack along with the Persians. Umar did this by sending reinforcements to the
Roman front with instructions that they should appear in the form of small bands, one after
the other, giving the impression of a continuous stream of reinforcements that finally lured
the Byzantines to an untimely battle. On the other hand Yazdegerd III of Persia was
engaged in negotiations that further gave Umar time to transfer his troops from Syria to
Iraq. These troops proved decisive in the Battle of Qadisiyyah. Both the battles thus fought
proved decisive and are noted as two of the most decisive battles in history.
His strategic dimensions were the prime reason of Muslim victory at 2nd Battle of Emesa in
638. Where the pro-Byzantine Christian Arabs of Jazira, aided by Byzantine Emperor,
making an unexpected flanking movement and laid siege to Emesa (Homs). Umar's
brilliance was behind this Muslim victory and was achieved without firing a single shot.
Umar's orders to invade the very homeland of the Christian Arab forces besieging Emesa,
the Jazirah. A three prong attack against Jazirah was launched from Iraq. To further
pressurize the Christian Arab armies, Umar instructed Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, commander of
Muslim forces in Iraq, to sent reinforcement to Emesa, Umar himself led a reinforcement
from Madinah and marched towards Emesa. Under this unprecedented press-gang, Christian
Arabs retreated from Emesa before Muslims reinforcement could reach their. This incursion
from Byzantines however resulted in Muslim annex Mesopotamia and parts of Byzantine
Armenia.
Nonetheless the greatest triumph of Umar remained Conquest of Persian empire. After
years of non-offensive policy according to which Umar wished the Zagros Mountains to be
the frontiers between Muslims and Persians, after Battle of Nahavand Umar launched a
whole scale invasion of Sassanid Persian Empire. The invasion was a series of well
coordinated multi-prong attacks that was based on the principle of isolating and then
destroying the target. Umar launched the invasion by attacking the very heart of Persia
aiming to isolate Azerbaijan and eastern Persia. It was immediately followed by
simultaneous attacks on Azerbaijan and Fars. In the final secession Sistan and Kirman and
captured thus isolating the stronghold of Persian, the Khurasan. The final expedition was
launched against Khurasan where after Battle of Oxus river Persian empire ceased to exist,
and emperor Yazdegerd III fled to Central Asia. He founded the city of Cairo, conquered
36,000 cities or castles, and built 1400 mosques [71].
[edit] Religious legacy
[edit] Sunni views
Main article: Sunni view of Umar
Sunnis remember Umar as a rigid Muslim of a sound and just disposition in matters of the
religion of Allah, a man they title Farooq, meaning "leader, jurist and statesman", and the
second of the rightly-guided Caliphs. He patched his clothes with skin, took buckets on his
two shoulders, always riding his donkey without the saddle, rarely laughing and never
joking with anyone. On his ring is written the words "Enough is Death as a reminder to you
O' 'Umar".[72] He did not seek advancement for his own family, but rather sought to
advance the interests of the Muslim community, the ummah. The general Sunni sentiment
for Umar is summarized by one of Muhammad's companions, Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud:
Umar's submission to Islam was a conquest, his migration was a victory, his Imamate
(period of rule) was a blessing, I have seen when we were unable to pray at the Kaabah
until Umar submitted, when he submitted to Islam, he fought them (the pagans) until they
left us alone and we prayed.
Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, [73]
Umar made the pilgrimage to Mecca nine times. Mohammed had the highest esteem for
Umar. He said that:
If God had wished to give another prophet to the world, His choice would have fallen upon
Umar
Mohammed, [71]
[edit] Shia views
Main article: Shi'a view of Umar
Umar is viewed very negatively in Twelver Shi'a literature and is often regarded as a traitor
to Muhammad, a usurper of Ali's rights, and, by some, a murderer. Some Twelver Shi'a
writers have accused him of killing Muhammad's daughter Fatimah. According to the
majority of Twelver scholars, Fatimah, wife of Ali, was physically abused by him. These
sources report that the event caused her to miscarry her child and eventually led to her
death soon after.[74][75] (see Umar at Fatimah's house). However, some Twelver scholars
reject these accounts of physical abuse as a "myth".[76] Other Shia sects, like the
Zaidiyyah, following Zaid ibn Ali, accept Umar and Abu Bakr as legitimate caliphs, despite
their beliefs that they are inferior to Ali.[77]
[edit] Western views
In his book Mahomet and His Successors, Washington Irving estimates the achievements of
Umar in the following terms:
The whole history of Omar shows him to have been a man of great powers of mind,
inflexible integrity, and rigid justice. He was, more than any one else, the founder of the
Islam empire; confirming and carrying out the inspirations of the prophet; aiding Abu Beker
with his counsels during his brief caliphate; and establishing wise regulations for the strict
administration of the law throughout the rapidly-extending bounds of the Moslem
conquests. The rigid hand which he kept upon his most popular generals in the midst of
their armies, and in the most distant scenes of their triumphs, gave signal evidence of his
extraordinary capacity to rule. In the simplicity of his habits, and his contempt for all pomp
and luxury, he emulated the example of the prophet and Abu Beker. He endeavored
incessantly to impress the merit and policy of the same in his letters to his generals.
'Beware,' he would say, 'of Persian luxury, both in food and raiment. Keep to the simple
habits of your country, and Allah will continue you victorious; depart from them, and he will
reverse your fortunes.' It was his strong conviction of the truth of this policy which made
him so severe in punishing all ostentatious style and luxurious indulgence in his officers.
Some of his ordinances do credit to his heart as well as his head. He forbade that any
female captive who had borne a child should be sold as a slave. In his weekly distributions
of the surplus money of his treasury he proportioned them to the wants, not the merits of
the applicants. 'God,' said he, 'has bestowed the good things of this world to relieve our
necessities, not to reward our virtues: those will be rewarded in another world.'[78]
In his book The Caliphate: Its Rise, Decline, and Fall Sir William Muir says as follows about
Umar:
Omar's life requires but few lines to sketch. Simplicity and duty were his guiding principles;
impartiality and devotion the leading features of his administration. Responsibility so
weighed upon him that he was heard to exclaim, 'O that my mother had not borne me;
would that I had been this stalk of grass instead!' In early life of a fiery and impatient
temper, he was known, even in the later days of the Prophet, as the stern advocate of
vengeance. Ever ready to unsheathe the sword, it was he that at Bedr advised the prisoners
to be all put to death. But age, as well as office, had now mellowed this asperity. His sense
of justice was strong. And excepting the treatment of Khalid, whom he pursued with an
ungenerous resentment, no act of tyranny or injustice is recorded against him; and even in
this matter his enmity took its rise in Khalid's unscrupulous treatment of a fallen foe. The
choice of his captains and governors was free from favouritism, and (Moghira and Ammar
excepted) singularly fortunate. The various tribes and bodies in the empire, representing
interests the most diverse, reposed in his integrity implicit confidence, and his strong arm
maintained the discipline of law and empire. ... Whip in hand, he would perambulate the
streets and markets of Medina, ready to punish slanders on the spot; and so the proverb,-
'Omar's whip more terrible than another's sword.' But with all this he was tender-hearted,
and numberless acts of kindness are recorded of him, such as relieving the wants of the
widow and the fatherless.[79]
In The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gibbon refers to Umar in the following terms:
Yet the abstinence and humility of Omar were not inferior to the virtues of Abubeker: his
food consisted of barley-bread or dates; his drink was water; he preached in a gown that
was torn or tattered in twelve places; and a Persian satrap, who paid his homage as to the
conqueror, found him asleep among the beggars on the steps of the mosch of Medina.
Oeconomy is the source of liberality, and the increase of the revenue enabled Omar to
establish a just and perpetual reward for the past and present services of the faithful.
Careless of his own emolument, he assigned to Abbas, the uncle of the prophet, the first
and most ample allowance of twenty-five thousand drams or pieces of silver. Five thousand
were allotted to each of the aged warriors, the relics of the field of Beder, and the last and
the meanest of the companions of Mahomet was distinguished by the annual reward of
three thousand pieces. ... Under his reign, and that of his predecessor, the conquerors of
the East were the trusty servants of God and the people: the mass of public treasure was
consecrated to the expenses of peace and war; a prudent mixture of justice and bounty,
maintained the discipline of the Saracens, and they united, by a rare felicity, the dispatch
and execution of despotism, with the equal and frugal maxims of a republican
government.[80]
In his book History of the Arabs Professor Philip Khuri Hitti has assessed the achievements
of Umar in the following terms:
Simple and frugal in manner, his energetic and talented successor, 'Umar (63444), who
was of towering height, strong physique and bald-headed, continued at least for some time
after becoming caliph to support himself by trade and lived throughout his life in a style as
unostentatious as that of a Bedouin sheikh. In fact 'Umar, whose name according to Moslem
tradition is the greatest in early Islam after that of Muhammad, has been idolized by
Moslem writers for his piety, justice and patriarchal simplicity and treated as the
personification of all the virtues a caliph ought to possess. His irreproachable character
became an exemplar for all conscientious successors to follow. He owned, we are told, one
shirt and one mantle only, both conspicuous for their patchwork, slept on a bed of palm
leaves and had no concern other than the maintenance of the purity of the faith, the
upholding of justice and the ascendancy and security of Islam and the Arabians. Arabic
literature is replete with anecdotes extolling 'Umar's stern character. He is said to have
scourged his own son to death for drunkenness and immorality. Having in a fit of anger
inflicted a number of stripes on a Bedouin who came seeking his succour against an
oppressor, the caliph soon repented and asked the Bedouin to inflict the same number on
him. But the latter refused. So 'Umar retired to his home with the following soliloquy: 'O son
of al-Khattab! humble thou wert and Allah hath elevated thee; astray, and Allah hath guided
thee; weak, and Allah hath strengthened thee. Then He caused thee to rule over the necks
of thy people, and when one of them came seeking thy aid, thou didst strike him! What wilt
thou have to say to thy Lord when thou presentest thyself before Him?' The one who fixed
the Hijrah as the commencement of the Moslem era, presided over the conquest of large
portions of the then known world, instituted the state register and organized the
government of the new empire met a tragic and sudden death at the very zenith of his life
when he was struck down (November 3, 644) by the poisoned dagger of a Christian Persian
slave in the midst of his own congregation.[81]
Encyclopedia Britannica remarks about Umar:
To 'Omar's ten years' Caliphate belong for the most part the great conquests. He himself did
not take the field, but remained in Medina; he never, however, suffered the reins to slip
from his grasp, so powerful was the influence of his personality and the Moslem community
of feeling. His political insight is shown by the fact that he endeavoured to limit the
indefinite extension of Moslem conquest, and to maintain and strengthen the national
Arabian character of the commonwealth of Islam; also by his making it his foremost task to
promote law and order in its internal affairs. The saying with which he began his reign will
never grow antiquated: 'By God, he that is weakest among you shall be in my sight the
strongest, until I have vindicated for him his rights; but him that is strongest will I treat as
the weakest, until he complies with the laws.' It would be impossible to give a better
general definition of the function of the State.[82]
On the other hand, David Samuel Margoliouth offers this assessment of Umar:
Yet we have no record of any occasion on which Omar displayed remarkable courage,
though many examples are at hand of his cruelty and bloodthirstiness; at the battle of
Hunain he ran away, and on another occasion owed his life to the good nature of an
enemy.[83]
However, in contrast to Margoliouth's assertion, Shahid Ashraf celebrates Umar as amongst
the firmest companions who remained with Muhammad at his most critical juncture during
the Battle of Hunayn when others fled during ther disarray: