Umar

Umar bin a-Khittab
Umar bin a-Khittab
	Tombstone of Caliph Umar,the hole 1st from the right gives view of Umar's grave
Reign	634 – 644
Predecessor	Abu Bakr
Successor	Usman
Burial	Al-Masjid al-Nabawi

`Umar ibn al-Khattāb (in Arabic, عمر بن الخطاب) (c. 584 – November 7, 644), sometimes referred by Sunni Muslims as `Umar al-Farūq (Umar the Distinguisher (between Truth and Falsehood)), also known in English as Omar or Umar, was from the Banu Adi clan of the Quraysh tribe. He was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and became the second Caliph (634 – 644) following the death of Abu Bakr, the first Caliph.

Early life

Umar was born in Mecca. His father was Khattab ibn Nufayl, and he is said to have belonged to a middle class family. He was literate, which by some accounts is considered to be uncommon in those times, and he was also well known for his physical strength, being a champion wrestler.^[1]

Conversion to Islam

When Prophet Muhammad first declared his message of Islam, `Umar ibn al khattab resolved to defend the traditional religion of the Quraish (regarded by Muslims as idolatry). `Umar was most adamant in opposing Prophet Muhammad and very prominent in persecuting the Muslims. According to an early story, recounted in Ibn Ishaq's Sīrah, `Umar resolved to assassinate Prophet Muhammad. A Muslim he met on the way told him to set his own house in order first, as his sister and her husband had converted to Islam. `Umar went to her house and found her reciting verses of the Qur'an. He became infuriated and hit her. When he saw her bleeding, he was sorry for what he had done and in order to please her he said he would read the sura, Ta-Ha, that she had been reading. He was so struck by the sūrah that he accepted Islam that very day.

Life in Medina

`Umar was part of the first emigration (Hijrah) to Yathrib (later renamed Medīnat an-Nabī, or simply Medina) in 622. He was present at the battles of Badr, Uhud, Khaybar, and the raid on Syria, as well as many other engagements. He was one of Muhammad's close companions. In 625, `Umar's daughter Hafsah was married to Muhammad. Muhammad's household was not always peaceful; his wives quarreled over his favors and took sides against each other. `Umar was much displeased when he heard this, and according to the story, scolded her thus:

"Hafsa, the (news) has reached me that you cause God's Messenger (may peace be upon him) trouble. You know that God's Messenger (may peace be upon him) does not love you, and had I not been (your father) he would have divorced you." (On hearing this) she wept bitterly. ([1])

Shi'a say that this demonstrates his harshness; Sunni say that this shows that he put loyalty to Muhammad over the closest family ties. And authentic Hadith quote that 'Umar said those words because he was mis-informed that the "Prophet has divorced all his wives", as there has been a quarrel between the Prophet's wives and that Hafsa was involved in the quarrel. Since 'Umar loved the Prophet more than his own family, he was angered when he came to know all this and said those words under the influence of his anger. But later, the Prophet himself cleared to 'Umar that he had not planned to divorce his wives. So, the matter was closed then and there.

The death of Muhammad

After an illness of lasting several weeks, Muhammad died at noon on Monday June 8, 632 (12th Rabi ul-Awwal, AH 11), in the city of Medina, at the age of sixty-two. Upon hearing the news, Umar, the devoted disciple, couldn't accept the reality that the Messenger of God died. He insisted that the prophet was absent from his body but would return. Abū Bakr had been absent from Medina; upon being told of Muhammad's death, he returned post-haste. He found the Muslim community in a state of sadness and sorrow. After going to the house of the Prophet to confirm the news, Abu Bakr is reported to have come out to the Muslim community and gave his famous speech which included:

"If anyone worshipes Muhammad, let them know that Muhammad is dead, but if anyone worshipes God, then let them know that God is living and does not die."

Abū Bakr then recited these words from the Qur'an: "Muhammad is but a messenger; messengers (the like of whom) have passed away before him. If, then, he dies or is killed, will you turn back on your heel?" Hearing this from Abu Bakr, the most senior disciple of Muhammad, Umar then fell down on his knees in great sense of sorrow and acceptance of the reality. Sunni Muslims say that this denial of Muhammad's death was occasioned by his deep love for Muhammad.

Caliphate of Abu Bakr

Abu Bakr, supported by Umar and other sahaba in a shura, took power after Muhammad after he had asked the Ansar to elect Umar or Abu 'Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah.(see Sahih Bukhari 5:57:19). There had been a debate between the Ansar and Abu Bakr that there should be two leaders, but Abu Bakr convinced them saying they, Al Ansar, were always great advisors during the time of the Prophet and the leader should come from amongst the Quraish tribe if the rest of the Arab tribes were to be kept unified. During Abū Bakr's short reign as caliph, `Umar was one of his chief advisors. Abū Bakr appointed `Umar as his successor prior to his death in 634. He was confirmed in the office thereafter.

Reign as caliph

During `Umar's reign, the Islamic empire grew at an unprecedented rate, taking Mesopotamia and parts of Persia from the Sassanids (effectively ending that empire), and taking Egypt, Palestine, Syria, North Africa and Armenia from the Byzantines.Many of these conquests followed watershed battles on both the western and eastern fronts. The Battle of Yarmūk, fought near Damascus in 636, saw a Muslim army of 40,000 defeat a Byzantine force estimated to number 160,000, permanently ending Byzantine rule south of Asia Minor. Another small Muslim army achieved victory over a larger force in the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah (c. 636), near the banks of the Euphrates River. During the course of the battle, Muslim general Sa'ad bin Abu Waqqas routed the Sassanid army and achieved the death of the famed Persian general Rostam Farrokhzād.

His conquests usually followed watershed battles on both the western and eastern fronts. The Battle of Yarmūk, fought near Damascus in 636, saw a Muslim army of 40,000 defeat a Byzantine force estimated to number 160,000, permanently ending Byzantine rule south of Asia Minor. Another small Muslim army achieved victory over a larger force in the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah (c. 636), near the banks of the Euphrates River. During the course of the battle, Muslim general Sa'ad bin Abu Waqqas routed the Sassanid army and achieved the death of the famed Persian general Rostam Farrokhzād.

In 637, after a prolonged siege of Jerusalem, the Muslims took the city.

A famous story tells of Umar arriving in Jerusalem walking beside his donkey upon which his servant was sitting. `Umar was given the key to the city by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Sophronius, and was invited to pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Historically, The reason behind this welcoming reception from Sophronius was that -according to the biblical prophecies known to the Christian church in Jerusalem at that time- he learned of a time when a poor -but just and powerful- man will come walking beside a donkey (because of his extremely austere lifestyle)with his right hand sitting on it after a prolonged battle in Jerusalem (this description perfectly matched the image of `Umar at the time of his arrival) and will actually prove to be a protector and an ally to the Christians of Jerusalem. In agreement with these prophecies, Umar -out of respect to the Christians of Jerusalem- chose to pray some distance from the Church, so as not to endanger its status as a Christian temple. ^{[citation needed]}

However, Jerusalem had probably surrendered at least a year before, and that divergent accounts of Umar's stay in Jerusalem may be related tostages in the Islamisation of the city's holy places. A text, existing in a number of versions, in which Umar receives the submission of the inhabitants of Jerusalem to the Muslims and formally sets out the rights and obligations of both parties, became known as the "Umariyya Treaties" (Ahd Umar), a foundational text of the dhimma. Much of the Pact has been shown to have originated in later times; here, as elsewhere, developments extending over generations have been concentrated into idealised pictures associated with the revered figure of the second caliph. For indeed, Umar's caliphate has traditionally been regarded as the time in which nearly all the major political institutions of Islam had their origin, which cannot have been so in every instance (G.LeviDellaVida and M.Bonner, Encyclopaedia of Islam).

Another interesting story lies in the meeting between one of Persia’s leaders who previously fought against the Muslims, namely hurmuzan(who later converted to Islam).^[2] He found Umar sleeping on the ground after he had sought him out for battle and was amazed of his humility and austere lifestyle he found before him. He commented on that by saying his famous phrase: “You ruled by justice, therefore you became safe; only because of that, you are now able to sleep peacefully anywhere."^[3]

Fifty-five years later, the Dome of the Rock was constructed on the site where he prayed. For one version of `Umar's speech to the people after the surrender of Jerusalem, see [2].

`Umar undertook many administrative reforms and closely oversaw public policy, establishing an advanced administration for newly conquered lands, including several new ministries and bureaucracies, as well as ordering a census of all the Muslim territories. During his reign, the garrison cities (amsar) of Basra and Kufa were founded or expanded. In 638, he extended and renovated the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina. He also began the process of codifying Islamic law.

Umar also ordered the expulsion of the Christian and Jewish communities of Najran and Khaybar and forbade non-Muslims to reside in the Hijaz for longer than three days. (G.L eviDellaVida and M. Bonner, EI and Madelung, The Succession to Muhammad p 74)

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 years of the Islamic era should be counted from the year of the Hijra.

Death

`Umar died in 644, the victim of an assassin's dagger. `Umar's killer (Abu-Lu'lu'ah) was a nonmuslim Persian slave who is said to have held a personal grudge against Umar; he stabbed the Caliph six times as `Umar led the dawn prayers in the Masjid al Nabawi mosque in Medina. `Umar died two days later, and was buried alongside Muhammad and Abū Bakr. Uthman ibn Affan was elected as his successor, by a group of prominent Muslims appointed by `Umar before his death.

Sunni view

Sunnis remember Umar as a leader, jurist and statesman, and the second of the rightly-guided Caliphs. He did not seek advancement for his own family, but rather sought to advance the interests of the Muslim community, the ummah. One hadith, or oral tradition, credited by Sunnis says that at the time of his death he was asked if he would like to nominate his son `Abd-Allah bin `Umar as caliph to which he replied: "One is enough from the Khattab (Umar's) family."

Some Sunnis take a more nuanced view of Umar. They note that even amongst the early Muslims, he had a reputation for strict militancy and conformity and was even accused by contemporaries of being harsh.

Shi'a view

Most Shi'a regard `Umar as a usurper, and criticize him. He is said to have questioned some of Muhammad's decisions, shown cowardice in battle, and been too harsh to his daughter when he scolded her for her behavior towards Muhammad. During the matter of the disputed succession to Muhammad, Shi`as believe he persecuted Ali and caused the death of Muhammad's daughter Fatima Zahra as well as an unborn child. Shi'as say that `Umar ruled capriciously as caliph, at times giving legal rulings which contradicted the Qur'an and sunnah.

Non-Muslim view

Non-Muslim scholars generally treat Umar as a pivotal figure in the history of Islam, since it was under his aegis that the Muslims expanded outwards from the Syro-Arabian steppe to conquer the great powers of the time, the Sassanid and Byzantine empires. They analyze his decisions primarily in military and political terms, and are less concerned with the religious or character judgments that interest Muslims.

Farūqī

The family names Farūqī (alternative spellings, Faruqi, Farooqui, Farooqi, Faruqi, etc.) and El-Umari are used by families claiming descent from `Umar.

Notes

^ Numani, Shibli (2004). `Umar, I.B. Tauris Publishers. ISBN 1850436703. p. 4
^ Occupation of Khuzestan by Muslims
^ Fatwa pertaining to the authenticity of the story

References

Donner, Fred, The Early Islamic Conquests, Princeton University Press, 1981
Guillaume, A., The Life of Muhammad, Oxford University Press, 1955
Madelung, Wilferd, The Succession to Muhammad, Cambridge University Press, 1997
"G.LeviDellaVida and M.Bonner "Umar" in Encyclopedia of Islam CD-ROM Edition v. 1.0, Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands 1999"

External links

www.al-farook.com Anti Umar site
Family tree of Umar bin al-Khattab
Al Farooq - The Life of Umar The Great By Shams-Ul-Ulama Allama Shibli Nomani
Excerpt from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti
Sirah of Amirul Muminin Umar Bin Khattab (r.a.a.) by Shaykh Sayyed Muhammad bin Yahya Al-Husayni Al-Ninowy.
Umar bin al-Khattab, the Second Khalifa of the Muslims A critical review of Umar's reign

Preceded by Abū Bakr	Caliph 634-644	Succeeded by `Uthmān

[1] Numani, Shibli (2004). `Umar, I.B. Tauris Publishers. ISBN 1850436703. p. 4

[2] Occupation of Khuzestan by Muslims

[3] Fatwa pertaining to the authenticity of the story

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