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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The First Caliph, Abu Bakr(632-634 A.C.)

"If I were to take a friend other than my Lord, I would take Abu Bakr as a friend." (Hadeeth)
Election to the Caliphate
The Prophet's closest Companion,Abu Bakr, was not present when the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) breathed his last in the apartment of his beloved wife of later years, Aisha, Abu Bakr's daughter. When he came to know of the Prophet's passing, Abu Bakr hurried to the house ofsorrow.
"How blessed was your life and how beatific is your death,"
he whispered as he kissed the cheek of his beloved friend and master who now was no more.
When Abu Bakr came out of the Prophet's apartment and broke the news, disbelief and dismay gripped the community of Muslims in Medina. Muhammad (peace be on him) had been the leader, the guide and the bearer of Divine revelation through whom they had been brought from idolatry and barbarism into the way of God. How could he die? Even Umar, one of the bravest and strongest of the Prophet's Companions, lost his composure and drew his sword and threatened to kill anyone who said that the Prophet was dead. Abu Bakr gently pushed him aside, ascended the steps of the lectern in the mosque and addressed the people, saying
"O people, verily whoever worshipped Muhammad, behold!Muhammad is indeed dead. But whoever worships God, behold! God is alive and will never die."
And then he concluded with a verse from the Qur'an:
"And Muhammad is but a Messenger. Many Messengers have gone before him; if then he dies or is killed, will you turn back upon your heels?" [3:144]
On hearing these words, the people were consoled. Despondency gave place to confidence and tranquility. This critical moment had passed. But the Muslim community was now faced with an extremely serious problem: that of choosing a leader. After some discussion among the Companions of the Prophet who had assembled in order to select a leader, it became apparent that no one was better suited for this responsibility than Abu Bakr. A portion of the speech the First Caliph gave after his election has already been quoted in the introduction.
Abu Bakr's Life
Abu Bakr ('The Owner of Camels')was not his real name. He acquired this name later in life because of his great interest in raising camels. His real name wasAbdul Ka'aba ('Slave of Ka'aba'), which Muhammad (peace be on him) later changed to Abdullah ('Slave of God'). The Prophet also gave him the title of 'Siddiq' - 'The Testifier to the Truth.'
Abu Bakr was a fairly wealthy merchant, and before he embraced Islam, was a respectedcitizen of Mecca. He was three years younger than Muhammad (peace be on him) and some natural affinity drew them together from earliest child hood.He remained the closest Companion of the Prophet all through the Prophet's life. When Muhammad first invited his closest friends and relatives to Islam, Abu Bakr was among the earliest to accept it. He also persuaded Uthman and Bilal to accept Islam. In the early days of the Prophet's mission, when the handful of Muslims were subjected to relentless persecution and torture, Abu Bakr bore his full share of hardship. Finally when God's permission came to emigrate from Mecca, he was the one chosen by the Prophet to accompany him on the dangerous journey to Medina. In the numerous battles which tookplace during the life of the Prophet, Abu Bakr was always byhis side. Once, he brought all his belongings to the Prophet, who was raising money for the defense of Medina. The Prophet asked "Abu Bakr, what did you leave for your family?" The reply came: "God and His Prophet."
Even before Islam, Abu Bakr was known to be a man of upright character and amiable and compassionate nature. All through his life he was sensitive to human suffering and kind to the poor and helpless. Even though he was wealthy, he lived very simply and spent his money for charity, for freeing slaves and for the cause of Islam. He often spent part of the night in supplication and prayer. He shared with his family a cheerful and affectionate home life.
Abu-Bakr's Caliphate
Such, then, was the man upon whom the burden of leadership fell at the most sensitive period in the history of the Muslims.
As the news of the Prophet's death spread, a number of tribes rebelled and refused to pay Zakat(poor-due), saying that this was due only to the Prophet (peace be on him). At the same time a number of impostors claimed that the prophethood had passed to them after Muhammadand they raised the standard of revolt....

Police keeping missing girl's family from Arizona home

Police keeping missing girl's family from Arizona home

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Everything is possible for those who believe:

Nourish your dreams. To achieve anything requires faith in Allah,
belief in yourself, imagination, vision, persistence, hard work, and
sometimes blood and tears.
The will of Allah and the power of your heart and mind make an
unbeatable combination. Everything is possible for those who believe –
anything you can envision, and many things you can't.
I'm thinking of a ragtag group of desert Arabs, who, in the course of
a single generation, transformed the world forever. I am speaking of
course of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions.
What they did was impossible – there's no other word for it. But
through the power of Allah, and the tremendous determination of one
man, and the faith of those who followed him, the impossible became
possible. Because of their faith and sacrifices, you and I can utter
the words, " Laa ilaha-il-Allah " and put them into practice in our
lives.
Your dreams don't have to be thatgrand. Whether you dream of building
a new masjid for your community, writing a novel, competing in sports,
becoming a doctor, doing charity work overseas, memorizing the Quran,
or any other good and meaningful goal – it can be achieved by the will
of Allah. But you can't just sit back and wait forit to happen. Feed
your dream as you would feed a newly planted seed. Care for it, devote
time to it, don't give up, and watch it grow before your eyes/

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