The Second Caliph, Umar (634-644 A.C.)

"God has placed truth upon Umar's tongue and heart. (hadeeth)"
'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 arespected Quraish
family thirteenyears 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 andthe 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 tradetook 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 ifit displeased others.
'Umar was twenty-seven when the Prophet (peace be on him) proclaimed
his mission. The ideas Muhammad was preachingenraged him as much as
they didthe other notables of Mecca. He was just as bitter against
anyoneaccepting Islam as others amongthe Quraish. When his slave-girl
accepted Islam he beat her until he himself was exhausted and told
her, "I have stopped becauseI 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 toldhim what he planned to do,
his friend informed him that 'Umar'sown 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 thesmall
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'sjudgment, 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 washis 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 rightson me which you can always claim.
One of your rights is that ifanyone of you comes to me with a claim,
he should leave satisfied. Another of your rights is that youcan
demand that I take nothing unjustly from the revenues of theState. You
can also demand that...I fortify your frontiers and do notput 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]....

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