Umar (Arabic: عمر ابن الخطاب, Transliteration: `Umar ibn Al-Khattāb, Umar Son of Al-Khittab, c. 586–590 CE– 7 November 644), also known as Omar, Farooq the Great was the most powerful of the four Rashidun Caliphs and one of the most powerful and influential Muslim rulers in history. He was a sahabi (companion) of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He succeeded Caliph Abu Bakr (632–634) as the second Caliph of Rashidun Caliphate on 23 August 634. He was an expert jurist and is best known for his justice, that earned him the title Al-Farooq (The one who distinguishes between right and wrong). Under Umar the Islamic empire expanded at an unprecedented rate ruling the whole Sassanid Persian Empire and more than two thirds of the Eastern Roman Empire. His brilliantly coordinated multi-prong attacks against the Sassanid Persian Empire resulted in the conquest of the Persian empire
in less than two years. His legislative abilities and firm political
and administrative control over a rapidly expanding empire marked his
reputation as a great political and military leader. It was Umar, who for the first time in 500 years since their expulsion from the Holy Land, allowed Jews to practice their religion freely and live inside Jerusalem.
Umar was born in Mecca to the Banu Adi clan, which was responsible for arbitrations among the tribes. His father was Khattab ibn Nufayl and his mother was Fatima bint Hasham, from the tribe of Banu Makhzum. He is said to have belonged to a middle class family. In his youth he used to tend to his father’s camels in the plains near Mecca.
His father was famed for his intelligence among his tribe. He was a
middle class merchant and is believed to be a ruthless man and emotional
polytheist
who often treated Umar badly. As obvious from Umar's own statement
regarding his father during his later political rule, Umar said, "My
father Al-Khittab was a ruthless man. He used to make me work hard; if I
didn't work he used to beat me and he used to work me to exhaustion."
Despite literacy being uncommon in pre-Islamic Arabia, Umar learned
to read and write in his youth. Though not a poet himself, he developed a
love for poetry and literature. According to the tradition of Quraish, while still in his teenage years, Umar learned martial arts, horse riding and wrestling. He was tall and physically powerful and was soon to became a renowned wrestler. Umar was also a gifted orator, and due to his intelligence and overwhelming personality, he succeeded his father as an arbitrator of conflicts among the tribes.
In addition, Umar followed the traditional profession of Quraish. He became a merchant and had several journeys to Rome and Persia,
where he is said to have met the various scholars and analyzed the
Roman and Persian societies closely. However, as a merchant he is
believed to have never been successful. Drinking alcohol was very common among the Quraish, and Umar was also fond of drinking in his pre-Islamic days
Umar's hostility to Islam
In 610 Muhammad started delivering the message of Islam. Umar,
alongside others in Mecca, opposed Islam and threatened to kill
Muhammad. He resolved to defend the traditional, polytheistic religion
of Arabia. He was most adamant and cruel in opposing Muhammad and very prominent in persecuting the Muslims. Umar was the first man who resolved that Muhammad had to be murdered in order to finish Islam.
Umar firmly believed in the unity of the Quraish and saw the new faith
of Islam as a cause of division and discord among the Quraish.
Due to the persecution at the hands of the Quraish, Muhammad ordered his followers to migrate to Abyssinia.
As a small group of Muslims migrated Umar felt worried about the future
unity of the Quraish and decided to have Muhammad assassinated.
Converting to Islam
Umar converted to Islam in 616, one year after the Migration to Abyssinia. The story was recounted in Ibn Ishaq's Sīrah;
On the way to murder Muhammad, Umar met his best friend Nuaim who had
secretly been converted to a Muslim but he did not tell Umar anything
about it. When Umar told him that he was going to kill Muhammad he was
afraid. He knew Umar will attempt what he said. So just to divert his
attention he told him to set his own house in order first, as his sister
and her husband had converted to Islam. Upon arriving at her house,
Umar found his sister and brother-in-law Saeed bin Zaid (Umar's cousin), reciting the verses of the Qur'an(Surah Taha).
He started quarreling with his brother-in-law . When his sister came to
rescue her husband, he also started quarreling with her. Yet still they
kept on saying "you may kill us but we will not give up Islam". Upon
hearing these words, Umar slapped his sister so hard that she fell to
the ground bleeding from her mouth. When he saw what he did to his
sister now, out of guilt he calmed down and asked his sister to give him
what she was reciting. She gave him the paper on which was written the
verses of the chapter Ta-Ha. He was so struck by the beauty of
the verses that he accepted Islam that day. He then went to Muhammad
with the same sword he intended to kill him with and accepted Islam in
front of him and his companions. Umar was 27 when he accepted Islam . Following his conversion, Umar went to inform the chief of Quraish, Amr ibn Hishām,
about his acceptance of Islam. According to one account, Umar
thereafter openly prayed at the Kaaba as the Quraish chiefs, Amr ibn
Hishām and Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, reportedly watched in anger.
This further helped the Muslims to gain confidence in practicing Islam
openly. At this stage Umar even challenged anyone who dared to stop the
Muslims from praying, although no one dared to interfere with Umar when
he was openly praying.
Umar’s conversion to Islam gave power to the Muslims and the faith in
Mecca. It was after this that Muslims offered prayers openly in Masjid al-Haram for the first time. Abdullah bin Masoud said,
Umar's embracing Islam was our victory, his migration to Medina was our success and his reign a blessing from Allah, we didn't offer prayers in Al-Haram Mosque until Umar accepted Islam, when he accepted Islam Quraish were compelled to let us pray in the Mosque.
Migration to Medina
In 622 due to the growing popularity of Islam in the city of Yathrib (later renamed Medīnat an-Nabī, or simply Medina) Muhammad ordered his followers to migrate to Medina. Muslims usually migrated at night due to fear of Quraish's resistance to that migration, but Umar is reported to have migrated openly during the day time saying; Any one who wants to make his wife a widow and his children orphan should come and meet me there behind that cliff." Umar migrated to Medina accompanied by his cousin and brother-in-law Saeed ibn Zaid.Life in Medina
Medina became the new center of Islam and the religion spread rapidly across Arabia. When Muhammad arrived in Medina, he paired off each immigrant (Muhajir) with one of the residents of the city (Ansari), joining Muhammad ibn Maslamah with Umar making them brothers in faith. Later in Umar's reign as caliph Muhammad ibn Muslamah would be assigned the office of chief inspector of Accountability. Muslims remained in peace in Medina for approximately a year before the Quraish raised an army to attack them. In 624 Umar participated in the first Battle between Muslims and Quraish of Mecca i.e. Battle of Badr.In 625 he participated in the Battle of Uhud. In the second phase of Battle when Khalid ibn Walid's Cavalry attacked Muslims at the rear changing the victory of Muslims to defeat, rumors of Muhammad’s death were spread many Muslim were warriors routed from the battle field, Umar too was initially routed but hearing that Muhammad was still alive he went to Muhammad at the mountain of Uhud and prepared for the defenses of the hill to keep the Quraishi army down the hill. . Later in the year Umar was a part of campaign against the Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir. In 625 Umar’s daughter Hafsah was married to Muhammad Later in 627 he participated in the Battle of the Trench and also in the Battle of Banu Qurayza. In 628 Umar participated in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and was made one of the witness over the pact. . In 628 he was a part of Muslims' campaign to Khaybar. In 629 Muhammad sent Amr ibn al-A’as to Zaat-ul-Sallasal from where he called for reinforcement and Muhammad sent Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah with reinforcement, serving under him were Abu Bakr and Umar, they attacked and defeated the enemy In 630 when Muslim armies rushed for the Conquest of Mecca he was part of that army. Later in 630 he was part of Battle of Hunayn and Siege of Ta'if. He was part of Muslim's army that went for the campaign of Tabuk under Muhammad's command and he was reported to have given half of his wealth for the preparation of this expedition. He also participated in a farewell Hajj of Muhammad in 631.Umar's political genius first manifested as the architect of the caliphate after Muhammad died in 8 June 632. While the funeral of Muhammad was being arranged a group of Muhammad's followers who were natives of Medina, the Ansar (helpers), organised a meeting on the outskirts of the city, effectively locking out those companions known as Muhajirs (The Emigrants) including Umar. Umar found out about this meeting at Saqifah Bani Saadah, and taking with him two other Muhajirs, Abu Bakr and Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, proceeded to the meeting, presumably to head off the Ansar's plans for political domination. Arriving at the meeting Umar was faced with a unified community of tribes from the Ansar who refused to accept the leadership of the Muhajirs. However Umar was undeterred in his belief the caliphate should be under the control of the Muhajirs. Though they Khazraj were in disagreement, Umar after strained negotiations lasting up to one or two days, brilliantly divided the Ansar into their old warring factions of Aws and Khazraj tribes, Umar resolved the divisions by placing his hand on that of Abu Bakr as a unity candidate for those gathered in the Saqifah, most others gathered at the Saqifah followed suit with the exception of the Khazraj tribe and their leader, Sa'd ibn 'Ubada, whose tribe was ostracized. The Khazraj tribe is said to have posed no significant threat as there were sufficient men of war from the Medinan tribes such as the Banu Aws to immediately organize them into a military bodyguard for Abu Bakr.
The creation of the islamic caliphate would be one of Umar's most enduring legacies, and its significance to world history is hard to overestimate. However Umar himself was characteristically guarded about his own creation, Dr. Wilferd Madelung in his book The Succession to Muhammad summarising Umar's contribution:
According to various shia sources and some western scholars, Umar and Abu Bakr had in effect mounted a political coup against Ali at the Saqifah According to one version of narrations in primary sources, Umar and Abu Bakr are also said to have used force to secure the allegiance from Ali and his party. It has been reported that after Ali's refusal to pay homage, Abu Bakr sent Umar with an armed contingent to Fatimah’s house where Ali and his supporters are said to have gathered. Umar is reported to have warned those in the House that unless Ali succumbed to Abu Bakr, he would set the House on fire, with its inhabitants ablaze, and under these circumstances Ali was forced to capitulate. This belligerent version of events, fully accepted by Shia scholars, is generally rejected by Sunni scholars who in view of other reports in their literature believe that Ali gave oath of alliance to Abu Bakr without any grievance, while others believe that Ali was reluctant to swear allegiance to Abu Bakr and gave his allegiance six months later after the death of his wife Fatimah.Umar judged the outcome of the Saqifa assembly to be a falta [translated by Madelung as 'a precipitate and ill-considered deal' because of the absence of most of the prominent Muhajirun, including the Prophet's own family and clan, whose participation he considered vital for any legitimate consultation (shura, mashwara). It was, he warned the community, to be no precedent for the future. Yet he also defended the outcome, claiming that the Muslims were longing for Abu Bakr as for no one else. He apologized, moreover, that the Muhajirun present were forced to press for an immediate oath of allegiance since the Ansar could not have been trusted to wait for a legitimate consultation and might have proceeded to elect one of their own after the departure of the Mekkans. Another reason for Umar to censure the Saqifa meeting as a falta was no doubt its turbulent and undignified end, as he and his followers jumped upon the sick Khazraji leader Sa'd bin Ubada in order to teach him a lesson, if not to kill him, for daring to challenge the sole right of Quraysh to rule. This violent break-up of the meeting indicates, moreover, that the Ansar cannot all have been swayed by the wisdom and eloquence of Abu Bakr's speech and have accepted him as the best choice for the succession, as suggested by Caetani. There would have been no sense in beating up the Khazraji chief if everybody had come around to swearing allegiance to Umar's candidate. A substantial number of the Ansar, presumably of Khazraj in particular, must have refused to follow the lead of the Muhajirun.
Western scholars tend to agree that Ali believed he had a clear mandate to politically succeed Muhammad, but offer differing views as to the extent of use of force by Umar in an attempt to intimidate Ali and his supporters, for instance, Dr. Wilferd Madelung in his book The Succession to Muhammad, discounts the possibility of use of force and argues that:
Isolated reports of use of force against Ali and Banu Hashim who unanimously refuse to swear alligence for six months are probably to be discounted. Abu Bakr no doubt was wise enough to restrain Umar from any violence against them, well realizing that this would inevitably provoked the sense of solidarity of majority of Abdul Mannaf who’s acquiescence he needed. His policy was rather not isolating Banu Hashim as far as possible.
Caliph Abu Bakr's era
During Abu Bakr's short reign as caliph he was mostly remained occupied with Ridda wars,
Umar was one of his chief advisers and secretary. Umar along with
Khalid ibn Walid, probably was the architect and main strategist behind
the collapse of rebellion in Arabia. Though at the beginning due to the
apprehensive situation in Arabia Umar was opposing the military
operations against the rebel tribes, it was to enjoy their support in
case of any possible foreign invasion by Romans or Persian, but later he
seem to agree with Abu Bakr's warlike strategies to crush rebellion. Khalid ibn Walid
by late 632 had successfully united Arabia after consecutive victories
against rebels. Later during his own reign, Umar would mostly adopt the
policy of avoiding wars and consolidating his power in the conquered
land rather than expanding his empire through continuous warfare. Prior to Battle of Yamamah, Umar pressured Abu Bakr to call back Khalid, who had killed Malik ibn Nuwayrah,
a rebel chief who was a state criminal. Umar was reportedly misguided
by Malik's brother that Malik was a Muslim and Khalid killed him because
he wanted to marry his wife Layla bint al-Minhal,
a renowned beauty in Arabia. While Abu Bakr refused to accept Umar's
opinion and Umar continue insisting for Khalid disposal even after
Khalid's conquest of Iraq.
This became a major issue between Abu Bakr and Umar and a spacious
chapter in Islamic history. It was Umar who advised Abu Bakr to compile Quran
in the form of a book, after the death of 300 memorizers of Quran in
Battle of Yamamah. Abu Bakr appointed Umar as his successor prior to his
death in 634. He was confirmed in the office thereafter.
Appointment as a Caliph
Due to his strict and autocratic nature, Umar was not a very popular figure among the notables of Madinah and members of Majlis al Shura, accordingly succession of Umar was initially discouraged by high ranking companions of Abu Bakr.
Nevertheless, Abu Bakr decided to make Umar, his successor. Umar, still
was well known for his extraordinary will power, intelligence,
political astuteness, impartiality, justice and care for poor and
underprivileged people. Abu Bakr is reported to have said to the high-ranking advisers:
His (Umar's) strictness was there because of my softness when the weight of Caliphate will be over his shoulders he will remain no longer strict. If I will be asked by the God to whom I have appointed my successor, I will tell him that I have appointed the best man among your men.
Abu Bakr was fully aware of Umar's power and ability to succeed him.
Succession of Umar was thus not as troublesome as any of the others. His
was perhaps one of the smoothest transitions to power from one
authority to another in the Muslim lands.[36] Abu Bakr before his death called Uthman to write his will in which he declared Umar his successor. In his will he instructed Umar to continue the conquests on Iraq and Syrian fronts. Abu Bakr's decision would prove to be crucial in the strengthening of the nascent Islamic empire.
On 22 August Caliph Abu Bakr died. The same day Umar assumed the
office of Caliphate. After the assumption of office as the Caliph, Umar
addressed the Muslims in his Inaugural address as:
"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 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
Umar was already not an endearing figure in Medina. Although almost
all of the Muslims had given pledge of loyalty to him, nevertheless he
was rather more feared than loved. The first challenge for Umar was to
win out his subjects and members of Majlis al Shura.[37] Umar was a gifted orator, and he would use his ability to get a soft corner in the hearts of people.[38] On Friday prayers Umar addressed the people as follow:
Brethren, it has come to my notice that the people are afraid of me..... they say that he (Umar) has become the Caliph now, God knows how hard he will be. Whoever has said this is not wrong in his assessment...... know ye brethren that you will feel a change in me.[39] For those who practise tyranny and deprive others of their rights, I will be harsh and stern, but for those who follow the law, I will be most soft and tender.
Umar's addresses greatly moved the people. Next time he addressed the people as:
I will be harsh and stern against the aggressor , but I will be a pillar of strength for the weak.
I will not calm down until I will put one cheek of a tyrant on the ground and the other under my feet, and for the poor and weak, I will put my cheek on the ground.
There could be no better definition of the democracy and justice, then the historic words of Umar, over which he laid foundation of his rule:
By God, he that is weakest among you shall be in my eye the strongest, until I have vindicated for him his rights; he that is strongest I will treat as the weakest, until he complies with the law.
Umar's stress was on the well being of poor and underprivileged
people, as this class made a bulk of any community, the people were
soundly moved by Umar's speeches and his popularity grew rapidly and
continuously over the period of his reign. 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. ]
This made Umar quite a popular among the budoiene tribes. With
necessary public support with him, Umar took a bold decision of
retrieving Khalid ibn Walid from supreme command on Roman front.
Political and civil administration
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 Wali, usually appointed by Umar
himself, but occasionally they were also appointed by the provincial
governor. Other officers at the provincial level were:
- Katib, the Chief Secretary.
- Katib-ud-Diwan, the Military Secretary.
- Sahib-ul-Kharaj, the Revenue Collector.
- Sahib-ul-Ahdath, the Police chief.
- Sahib-Bait-ul-Mal, the Treasury Officer.
- 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.[46].
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 code of conducts were to be obeyed by the
governors and state officials. The principal officers were required to
come 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.
- Arabia was divided into two provinces, Mecca and Medina;
- Iraq was divided into two provinces, Basra and Kufa;
- In the upper reaches of the Tigris and the Euphrates, Jazira was a province;
- Syria was a province;
- Umar divided Palestine in two provinces Aylya and Ramlah;
- Egypt was divided into two provinces, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt;
- 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. The Department was under the charge of Muhammad ibn Maslamah,
one of Umar's most trusted man. 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. One of Umar's most powerful department was his intelligence department of secret services[dubious ].
Umar's iron fist rule on his empire, is often credited to this
institution . His agents were everywhere, in the army, in the
bureaucracy and in the enemy land. For the officials of Umar it was said
to be the most fearsome department[dubious ].
Umar was a pioneer in some affairs:
- 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.
- He was the first to appoint police forces to keep civil order.
- He was the first to discipline the people when they became disordered.
Reforms
Umar is regarded as one of the greatest political geniuses in history.
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. 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. He was first to establish army as a state department. Umar was founder of Fiqh, the Islamic jurisprudence. 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.
Military expansion
Muslims invaded the neighboring Eastern Roman Empire in 634 soon after Conquest of Iraq in 633 during
Damascus fall in September 634 and Emesa fall in March 635. In the years 635, Emperor Heraclius successfully allied with Sassanid Persian Emperor Yazdegerd III
on Yazdegerd III's request to crush the Muslim power. A well
coordinated plan was deiced to launch a massive counterattack against
Muslims in Iraq and Syria at once so that Muslims, because of the
resulted pressure may retreat back to Arabia where they may be dealt in
detail later, either by invading it or by economical and trade blockage.
Caliph Umar successfully tackled the alliance by putting pressure
tactics on Byzantine front and deceptive tactics on Persian front and
engaging Yazdegerd III into negotiations, this rendered the alliance and
a would be decisive plan abortive. The Byzantine forces were decisively
defeated in Battle of Yarmouk fought in August 636, Persian army was defeated in Battle of Qadisiyyah three months later in November 636. Muslim victory pertinently ended Byzantine rule south of Anatolia, and Jerusalem fall in April 637 after a prolonged siege, Umar personally came to receive the key to the city by the Greek Orthodox patriarch, Sophronius, and invited to offer Muslims prays at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Umar chose to pray some distance from the Church, so as not to endanger
its status as a Christian temple. Fifty-five years later, the Mosque of `Umar was constructed on the site where he prayed. After fall of Jerusalem, Umar permitted Jews to practice their religion freely and live in Jerusalem. (See: Covenant of Umar I)
It was after almost 500 hundred years of Jews expulsion from Jerusalem by Romans, that they finally enjoyed religious freedom. The conquest of Levant completed in 637 after the last relentless resistance by Byzantines at Battle of Iron bridge, that resulted in Muslim occupation of Antioch, capital of eastern zone of Byzantine Empire in October 637. Emperor Heraclius attempt to capture northern Syria in 638, with the aid of Christian Arabs of Jazira, prompted Muslims to invade Jazira (Mesopotamia)
in 638 and captured it securing the eastern flank of Syria from
Byzantine attacks in future, soon after occupation of Jazira, Muslim
columns marched north in Anatolia, invaded and plundered Byzantine
provinces of Armenia, these were however only preemptive attacks on Armenia to eliminate all Byzantine presence north of Syria, Armenia was annexed in 643 During the Conquest of Persian Empire.
| “ | I wish there was a wall of fire between us and the Romans, so that nor we can cross into their land neither they could in ours | ” |
The Byzantine empire already exhausted after major defeats in Yarmouk
and Northern Syria was left vulnerable to Muslims attacks and its very
existence in Anatolia
was threaten. Umar, apparently was not interested in occupation of
Anatolia, it had a cold and mountainous terrain with no economic
incentives, soon after the occupation of Byzantine Armenia, the time
when chaos was at its peak in Byzantium, Umar had already rejected Khalid and Abu Ubaidah's
proposal of invading Anatolia. More over Umar, due to his strong desire
to consolidate his rule in the conquered land and owing to his
non-offensive policy left the remaining Byzantine empire on its own. The
situation was a stalemate, Umar had power but not desire to cross into
Byzantine Empire, and Emperor Heraclius had desire but not left powerful
enough to roll back his former rich provinces. For the security of
northern Syria, Umar issued orders for annual raids into Byzantine
territories in Anatolia and Muslims raided as far as Phrygia.
Conquest of Egypt (640-642)
After losing Levant, the economic life line of Byzantines and Armenia, the manpower hub, Emperor Heraclius was left incapable of any military come back, he rather focused to consolidate his power in Egypt. In his visit to Syria in 637 to receive surrender of Jerusalem, Amr ibn al-Aas tried to convince Umar for the invasion of Egypt, but Umar rejected on the ground that Muslim rule in Syria was still not firm. After the great plague in 639, Umar paid a visit to Syria and was again persuaded by Amr for the invasion of Egypt. Along with various other reasons, Amr convinced Umar that Byzantine influence in Egypt is a continuous threat to Muslim rule in Palestine and that Egypt is the richest land on earth that can provide Muslims with immense wealth, economical stability and strategic location for trade with North Africa and Mediterranean. Initially hesitant for the expedition Umar rejected the proposal and is reported to have said:| “ | Life of my one soldier is dearer to me that a million Dirham. | ” |
But eventually decided to put the matter in Majlis al Shura (parliament) in Madinah. Once approved by the parliament Umar issued orders for the invasion of Egypt in December 639 which completed in 642 at the eve of Muslim conquest of Persian highlands.
Dismissal of Khalid from army (638)
In late 638, following Khalid's invasion of Byzantine Armenia in eastern Anatolia,
Khalid was dismissed from army by Umar. The exact reason remained
unknown, but various scholars including Muslims and non-Muslims argue
that Khalid's dismissal from army at zenith of his power was due to the
fact that his ever growing popularity and influence even after his
removal from supreme command, worried Umar, who saw this as a threat to
his absolute rule as well as a possible threat to national peace in case
of Khalid's revolt against his authority. Khalid, on his return from an
expedition of Amida and Edessa
was charged for embezzlement and thus was dismissed from army. Khalid's
removal created a strong wrath among the people on the ground that
Khalid, a national hero was mistreated by the Caliph and it was unjust
to remove him from the army for a claim that was virtually never proved
against him. In addition to this some supporters of Khalid embolden him
to rebel against Umar's discriminatory decision but Khalid, though more
than able to rebel chose to accept the decision and live a retire life.
Had Khalid revolted a bloody civil war would be inevitable. Khalid
visited Madinah and met Umar who is reported to have given Khalid a prestigious tribute saying:
| “ | You have achieved what no man did ever before, but verily it was through Allah's help | ” |
due to his discriminatory act of dismissing Khalid, Umar was highly
criticized publicly and it was a general though that Umar dismissed
Khalid owning to his personal grievance and jealousy. Umar thus
explained his dismissal of Khalid as:
| “ | I have not dismissed Khalid because of my anger or because of any dishonesty on his part, but because people glorified him and were misled. I feared that people would rely on him for victory. I want them to know that it is Allah who does all things; and there should be no mischief in the land. | ” |
From Madinah Khalid went to Emesa and died after less than 4 years in 642 at the eve of Muslim conquest of Persia. During Hajj
of the year 642 Umar decided to reappoint Khalid to the army services,
he most probably intended to have Khalid's services for the invasion of
main land Persia, like Caliph Abu Bakr did during his first foreign expedition, the conquest of Iraq
by using Khalid as a guaranteed victor for Persian front to boost up
moral of Muslims for further such expeditions, his abilities and
military prowess could also be used this time as a sure victory more
over his presence could also boost up the moral of Muslim army invading
Persia and his formidable reputation as a psychological weapon against
Persians. Umar reached Madinah after Hajj only to receive the news of
Khalid death that broke like a storm over Medinah. The women took to the
streets, led by the women of the Banu Makhzum
(Khalid's tribe), wailing and beating their chests. Though Umar, from
very first day had given orders that there would be no wailing for
departed Muslims, but in this one case he made an exception.
Umar reportedly said:
| “ | Let the women of the Banu Makhzum say what they will about Abu Sulaiman (Khalid), for they do not lie, over the likes of Abu Sulaiman weep those who weep. | ” |
Umar is reported to have later regretted over his decision of
dismissing Khalid from army, accepting the fact that he (Khalid) was not
like as he (Umar) though of him. On his death bed, Umar is also
reported to have wished that beside Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, if Khalid would be alive he would have appointed him his successor.
Conquest of Sassanid Persian Empire
Conquest of Iraq
Abu Bakr became caliph in 632 and triumphed in Ridda wars thus conquering Arabia by early 633. Soon after Ridda wars Abu Bakr started a war of conquest by invading neighboring rich and fertile Iraq, a province of Sassanid Empire where its capital Ctesiphon situated. Muslims under Khalid ibn Walid captured Iraq after decisive Battle of Ullais. In June 634 Khalid was sent by Abu Bakr to Roman front in Syria to command Muslim armies in Syria. Khalid left with half of his army which left Muslim position in Iraq dangerously exposed to Persian counterattack. Misna ibn Haris,
Khalid's successor, evacuated Iraq and camped near Arabian Desert after
Persian counterattack. Umar soon sent reinforcement, to strengthen the
position in Iraq, which was finally defeated in Battle of Bridge in October 635. Emperor Yazdegerd III sought help from his Byzantine counter part Emperor Heraclius,
who married his granddaughter to Yazdegerd III, an old Roman tradition
to seal the alliance. Planned to overpower Umar, their common enemy,
both emperors started preparations for a massive coordinated
counterattack at once on their respected front to crush the threat in
Arabia once for good. This alliance resulted in a bloody year of 636 in
which Battle of Yarmouk in Syria and Battle of Qadisiyyah in Iraq resulted in decisive Muslim victory. Followed the victory at Qadisiyyah, Muslims captured Ctesiphon, the Sassanid Persian capital city, after two month siege in March 637 followed by capturing of Tikrit and Mosul. Umar wanted Zagros mountains to be the frontiers between Muslims and Persians and is quoted saying| “ | I wish that between the Suwad and the Persian hills there were walls which would prevent them from getting to us, and prevent us from getting to them. The fertile Suwad is sufficient for us; and I prefer the safety of the Muslims to the spoils of war. | ” |
Persians kept on raiding Iraq, which resulted in political instability in Iraq, as a result Muslims invaded Ahvaz in 638 which forced powerful Persian commander in chief, Hormuzan,
to enter into peace negotiations with Muslims. Hormuzan agreed to
accept Muslim suzerainty over Ahvaz province and agreed to rule as
Muslim's vassal. Hormuzan broke peace agreement three time and each time
was pardoned by Caliph Umar and the peace renewed, until the third time
when on Umar's instructions his capital was besieged and he was taken
prisoner and sent to Madinah to umar, where he apparently accepted Islam. He later allegedly master minded Umar's assassination. In 641 Persians under Yazdegerd III managed to muster up a massive army to attack Iraq, this army was defeated in Battle of Nahāvand in December641.
Conquest of mainland Persia (642-644)
After the battle Umar changed his policy towards Sassanid Persian
Empire, Yazdegerd III, who unlike his Roman counter part Heraclius,
denied submission to Muslim supremacy in his land, was a constant threat
for Caliphate, Umar decided to launch a whole scale invasion of Sassanid Persian Empire
to eliminate this threat. After a devastating defeat at Nihawand, last
Sassanid emperor Yazdgerd III, a man with iron nerves, was never to be
able again to raise more troops to resist the mighty onslaught of Umar,
it had now became a war between two rulers, Umar will follow Yazdgerd
III to every corner of his empire either will kill him or will capture
him, like he did with Hormuzan. Yazdgerd III would have a narrow escape
at Marv when Umar’s lieutenant was to capture him after Battle of Oxus river, he would save his life only by fleeing to China, far enough from reach of Umar, thus effectively ending the 400 years old Sassanid dynasty. In 642, Umar launched multi-prong expeditions into Persia, first capturing Isfahan province thus cutting off the northern province of Azerbaijan and southern province of Fars from main empire. in the second phase capturing Azerbaijan and fars thus isolating Yazdegerd III's stronghold Khurasan. The third phase further isolated Khurasan by capturing Kirman, Sistan and Makran in south while Persian Armenia in north. Fourth and last phase started in early 644 with the invasion of Khurasan. After a Decisive Battle of Oxus river,
Yazdegerd III fled to central Asia and Persian Empire ceased to exist.
Umar's conquest of Sassanid Persian empire by commanding the operations,
while sitting about 1000 kilometer away from the battle fields, will
become the greatest triumph of Umar and his strategic marvel, and marked
his reputation as one of the greatest military and political genius of
history, like his late cousin Khalid ibn Walid (590 – 642).
Umar bin Khattab as a Leader....
from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti
Umar ibn al-Khattab ibn Nufayl ibn ‘Abdu’l-‘Uzza ibn Riyah
ibn Qart ibn Razah ibn ‘Adi ibn Ka‘b ibn Lu’ayy, Amir al-Mu’minin, Abu
Hafs, al-Qurashi, al-‘Adawi, al-Faruq.He accepted Islam in the sixth year of prophecy when he was twenty-seven years old, says adh-Dhahabi.An-Nawawi says: ‘Umar was born thirteen years after the
Elephant, he was one of the nobility of Quraysh, and he had the role of
ambassador in the Jahiliyyah; Quraysh, whenever war broke out among them
or between them and others, would send him as an ambassador, i.e. a
messenger, and when someone called them to judgement – often over a
matter of standing or lineage – then they sent him as a response to
that. He accepted Islam very early on, after forty other men and
eleven women. Some say that it was after thirty-nine men and
twenty-three women, and some say, after forty-five men and eleven women.
But it was only after he accepted Islam that Islam was shown openly in
Makkah and the Muslims rejoiced in him.He said: He was one of the outstripping first ones, one of the
ten for whom it was witnessed that they were for the Garden, one of the
khulafa’ who took the right way, one of the in-laws of the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, one of the great men of knowledge
of the Companions and one of their abstinent people.
There are related from him five hundred and thirty-nine hadith from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan narrated from him, ‘Ali (ibn Abi Talib), Talhah (ibn ‘Ubaydullah), Sa‘d (ibn Abi Waqqas), ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, Ibn Mas‘ud, Abu Dharr, ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah and his son ‘Abdullah, Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn az-Zubayr, Anas, Abu Hurayrah, ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari, al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib, Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, and a great number of the Companions and others, may Allah be pleased with them. I say: I attach here some sections in which there are some collections of interest connected to his biography.
The reports on his acceptance of Islam
At-Tirmidhi narrated that Ibn ‘Umar narrated that: The
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘O Allah,
strengthen Islam with whoever is more beloved to You of these two men:
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab or Abu Jahl ibn Hisham.’ At-Tabarani narrated this
from hadith of Ibn Mas‘ud and Anas, may Allah be pleased with them.
Al-Hakim narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas related that the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘O Allah, strengthen
Islam by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab especially.’ At-Tabarani narrated this in
the Awsat from a hadith of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and in the Kabir from
hadith of Thawban.
Ahmad narrated that ‘Umar said: I went out to confront the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and found
that he had preceded me to the mosque (of Makkah). I stood behind him
and he began by reciting Suratu’l-Haqqah. I was astonished by the
composition of the Qur’an, so I said, ‘By Allah, this is a poet as
Quraysh say.’ Then he recited, ‘It is truly the saying of a noble
messenger, and it is not the saying of a poet, how little you believe…’
(Qur’an 69: 40) to the end of the ayah, and Islam came about in my
heart.
Ibn Abi Jabir narrated that Jabir said: The beginning of
‘Umar’s Islam was that ‘Umar said, ‘My sister’s time to give birth came
to her at night so I went out of the house, and entered the precincts of
the Ka‘bah. Then the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
came and entered the Hijr (the low-walled, semi-circular area to one end
of the Ka‘bah) and on him there were two rough cloths. He prayed to
Allah as much as Allah willed, then he turned away and I heard something
the like of which I had not heard. He went out and I followed him and
he said, “Who is this?” I said, “‘Umar.” He said, “‘Umar, will you not
leave me alone, either by night or by day?” I became afraid that he
might supplicate against me, so I said, “I witness that there is no god
but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah.” He said, “‘Umar,
keep it secret.” I said, “No, by the One Who sent you with the truth, I
will openly declare it just as I openly declared idolatry.”’
Ibn Sa‘d, Abu Ya‘la, al-Hakim, and al-Bayhaqi in ad-Dala’il,
narrated that Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ‘Umar went out
wearing his sword, and a man from Bani Zuhrah met him and said, ‘Where
do you intend going, ‘Umar?’ He said, ‘I want to kill Muhammad.’ He
said, ‘How will you be safe from Bani Hashim and Bani Zuhrah if you have
killed Muhammad?’ He said, ‘I can only believe that you have
converted.’ He said, ‘Shall I show you something astonishing; your
brother-in-law and your sister have converted and abandoned your deen.’
‘Umar walked on and came to the two of them while Khabbab was with them.
When he heard the sound of ‘Umar he hid in the house, and then he
(‘Umar) entered and said, ‘What is this murmur of lowered voices?’ They
had been reciting Taha. They said, ‘Nothing but some conversation which
we were holding.’ He said, ‘Perhaps you two have converted?’ His
brother-in-law said to him, ‘‘Umar, what if the truth were outside of
your deen?’ So ‘Umar leapt upon him and struck him severely. His sister
came to push him away from her husband and he struck her a blow with his
hand so that her face bled. Then she said, and she was angry, ‘And if
the truth were outside of your deen? I witness that there is no god but
Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger.’ ‘Umar said,
‘Give me the writing which you have and I will read it,’ – and ‘Umar
used to read. His sister said to him, ‘You are dirty, and no-one reads
it but the purified (so stand and bathe yourself or perform wudu’).’ He
stood and performed wudu’, then he took the writing and read Taha until
it came to, ‘Truly I, I am Allah there is no god except Me, so worship Me and establish the prayer for My remembrance.’
(Qur’an 20: 14). ‘Umar said, ‘Show me the way to Muhammad.’ When
Khabbab heard the words of ‘Umar he came out and said, ‘Rejoice, ‘Umar!
Because I hope that you are the (answer to the) supplication which the
Messenger of Allah made for you on the night of Thursday, “O Allah,
strengthen Islam with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab or with ‘Amr ibn Hisham.”’
The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was in
the lower part of the house which was at the foot of Safa and ‘Umar went
off until he came to the house, at the door of which were Hamzah,
Talhah and others. Hamzah said, ‘This is ‘Umar; If Allah wants good for
him he will become a Muslim; and if He wishes other than that, then
killing him will be a little thing for us.’ He said: And the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was inside receiving
revelation. He came out when ‘Umar arrived, took hold of the folds of
his clothes and the straps of his sword, and said, ‘You won’t give up,
‘Umar, until Allah visits you with disgrace and punishment like he did
al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah.’ ‘Umar said, ‘I witness that there is no god
but Allah and that you are the slave of Allah and His Messenger.’
Al-Bazzar, at-Tabarani, Abu Nu‘aym in al-Hilyah, and al-Bayhaqi in ad-Dala’il
narrated that Aslam said: ‘Umar said to us, ‘I was the most severe of
people against the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace. Then one hot day at midday I was in one of the pathways of
Makkah, and a man met me and said, “I am amazed at you, Ibn al-Khattab.
You claim that you are like this and like this, and this matter has
entered your own house.” I said, “What is that?” He said, “Your sister
has become a Muslim.” So I went back in a fury and struck the door.
Someone said, “Who is it?” I said, “‘Umar.” They hurried and hid from
me. They had been reciting a page which they had and they abandoned it
and forgot it. My sister got up to open the door, and I said to her,
“Enemy of her own self, have you converted?” I struck her upon the head
with something that I had in my hand so that the blood flowed and she
cried. She said, “Ibn al-Khattab, whatever you are going to do, then do
it, for I have converted.” I entered and sat down on the couch. Then I
glanced at the page and said, “What is this? Give it to me.” She said,
“You are not one of its people, you don’t clean yourself after
intercourse, and this is a writing which none touches except for those
who have purified themselves.” But I wouldn’t give up until she gave it
to me. I opened it and there in it was, “In the name of Allah, the
Merciful, the Compassionate.” When I passed by one of the names of
Allah, exalted is He, I became afraid of it and I put down the page.
Then I came back to myself and picked up the page and there in it was, “There glorifies Allah that which is in the heavens and the earth,” and I became afraid. I read up until, “believe in Allah and His messenger!”
(Qur’an 57: 1-7) and so I said, “I witness that there is no god but
Allah,” and so they all came out to me hastily, saying, “Allahu Akbar!”
and said, “Rejoice! Because the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, supplicated on Monday and said, ‘O Allah strengthen
Your deen with whoever is the more beloved of the two men to You,
either Abu Jahl ibn Hisham or ‘Umar.’” They directed me to the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in a house at the foot of
as-Safa, and I went to it and knocked on the door. They said, “Who is
it?” I said, “Ibn al-Khattab.” They knew my severity against the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, so nobody
moved to open the door until he said, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, “Open it for him.” They opened it for me, two men grabbed hold of
me by the upper arms and brought me to the Prophet, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, who said, “Leave him alone.” Then he grabbed me by
my shirt and dragged me forcibly towards him and said, “Accept Islam,
Ibn al-Khattab. O Allah guide him,” and I bore witness and the Muslims
said, “Allahu Akbar!” so loudly that it was heard in the valleys of
Makkah.
‘They had been concealing themselves. I did not wish to see a
man striking and being struck but that I experienced it myself and none
of that touched me. I went to my uncle Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, who was one
of the nobility, and knocked on his door. He said, “Who is it?” I said,
“Ibn al-Khattab, and I have converted.” He said, “Don’t do it,” and
slammed the door on me. I said, “This isn’t anything,” and went to one
of the great ones of Quraysh, called out to him and he came out to me. I
said to him the same as I had said to my uncle, he said to me the same
as my uncle had said to me, went in and slammed the door on me. I said,
“This isn’t anything, the Muslims are being struck and I am not being
struck.” A man said to me, “Would you like your acceptance of Islam to
be known?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “When people are seated in the Hijr
go to so-and-so, a man who cannot possibly conceal a secret, and say to
him, just between yourself and him, ‘I have converted,’ for it is very
rare that he has ever concealed a secret.” I went and people had already
gathered in the Hijr. I said, just between me and him, “I have
converted.” He said, “Did you really do that?” I said, “Yes.” He cried
at the top of his voice, “Ibn al-Khattab has converted.” They ran up to
me; I was hitting them, they were hitting me and people gathered around
me. Then my uncle said, “What is this group?” Someone said, “‘Umar has
converted.” He stood upon the Hijr and indicated with the palm of his
hand, “I have helped the son of my sister.” They dispersed from around
me. I did not want to have seen any of the Muslims being struck and
striking without seeing it myself, so I said, “This which has happened
to me is nothing.” I went to my uncle and said, “Your help is returned
to you,” and I continued to hit and be hit until Allah strengthened
Islam.’
Abu Nu‘aym narrated in ad-Dala’il and Ibn ‘Asakir that Ibn
‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, said: I asked ‘Umar, may
Allah be pleased with him, ‘For what reason were you called Al-Faruq?’
He said, ‘Hamzah accepted Islam three days before me. I went to the
mosque, and Abu Jahl hurried up to abuse the Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, and Hamzah was told about it. He took his bow
and came to the mosque up to the circle of Quraysh in which Abu Jahl
was. He leant upon his bow facing Abu Jahl and looked at him, and Abu
Jahl recognised the mischief in his face, and said, “What is wrong with
you, Abu ‘Umarah?” He raised his bow and with it struck one of the veins
in his neck, cutting it so that blood flowed. Quraysh rectified that
from fear of mischief and trouble.’ He said, ‘The Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was concealed in the house of
al-Arqam al-Makhzumi so Hamzah went off and accepted Islam. I went out
three days after him and there was so-and-so son of so-and-so
al-Makhzumi, and I said to him, “Do you yearn to get out of the deen of
your ancestors and follow the deen of Muhammad?” He said, “If I did,
then one who has much greater right upon you has also done it.” I said,
“Who is he?” He said, “Your sister and your brother in-law.” I went off,
found the door locked and heard the murmur of lowered voices. Then the
door was opened for me. I entered and said, “What is this I hear with
you?” They said, “You didn’t hear anything,” and the conversation
continued between us until I took hold of my brother in-law’s head and
hit him, making him bleed. My sister stood up to me and took hold of my
head and said, “That has happened despite you.” I was ashamed when I saw
the blood, so I sat down and said, “Show me this writing.” My sister
said, “No-one touches it except for the purified. If you are truthful
then get up and bathe yourself.” I got up and bathed myself, then I
returned and sat down. They brought me a page in which was, “In the name
of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate.” I said, “Wholesome and pure
names!” “Taha. We have not revealed the Qur’an to you for you to
grieve, …” up to His words, “… His are the most beautiful names.”
(Qur’an 20: 1-8). It became a great matter in my heart and I said, “From
this Quraysh have fled!” I accepted Islam and said, “Where is the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?” She said,
“He is in the house of al-Arqam.” I went to the house and knocked on the
door. The people gathered and Hamzah said to them, “What is wrong with
you.” They said, “‘Umar.” He said, “And if it is ‘Umar? Open the door
for him. If he has accepted, then we will accept that from him, and if
he turns his back, we will kill him.” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, heard that and came out. I pronounced the
shahadah and the people of the house said, “Allahu Akbar!” in such a
way that the people of Makkah heard it. I said, “Messenger of Allah, are
we not upon the truth?” He said, “Of course.” I said, “Why do we
conceal it?” We went out in two ranks, in one of which I was and in the
other Hamzah, until we entered the mosque, and Quraysh looked at me and
at Hamzah. There came upon them gloom and depression the like of which
had never before come upon them. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, named me on that day “al-Faruq” because Islam
had been shown openly and a separation made between the truth and
falsehood.’
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Dhakwan said: I said to ‘A’ishah, ‘Who
named ‘Umar “al-Faruq”?’ She said, ‘The Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace.’
Ibn Majah and al-Hakim narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be
pleased with them both, said: When ‘Umar accepted Islam, then Jibril
descended and said, ‘Muhammad, the inhabitants of heaven rejoice in
‘Umar’s acceptance of Islam.”
Al-Bazzar and al-Hakim, who declared it sahih, narrated that
Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: When ‘Umar
accepted Islam, the idolaters said, ‘The people have been split in half
from us today,’ and Allah revealed, ‘O Prophet, Allah is enough for you;
and whoever follows you of the believers.’ (Qur’an 8: 64
Al-Bukhari narrated that Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with
him, said: We continued to become mighty after the acceptance of Islam
by ‘Umar. Ibn Sa‘d and at-Tabarani narrated that Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah
be pleased with him, said: The Islam of ‘Umar was an opening, his
emigration was a help and his imamate was a mercy. I saw us unable to
pray towards the House until ‘Umar accepted Islam. When ‘Umar accepted
Islam, he fought them until they left us alone and we prayed.
Ibn Sa‘d and al-Hakim narrated that Hudhayfah said: When ‘Umar
accepted Islam, Islam was like the man advancing towards you, only
increasing in nearness. When ‘Umar was killed, Islam was like the man
backing away from you, only increasing in distance.
At-Tabarani narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased
with them both, said: The first man to be open about Islam was ‘Umar ibn
al-Khattab.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Suhayb said: When ‘Umar, may Allah be
pleased with him, accepted Islam, he was open about it, invited people
to it openly; we sat around the House in circles, we made circuits
around the House, we took our rights from whoever was tough with us, and
we retaliated against him for some of what he brought us.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Aslam the freed slave of ‘Umar said:
‘Umar accepted Islam in Dhu’l-Hijjah of the sixth year of prophethood
while he was twenty-six years old. His emigration Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that ‘Ali said: I don’t know of anyone
who didn’t emigrate in secret except for ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab; because
when he wanted to emigrate he strapped on his sword, put his bow over
his shoulder, carried his arrows in his hand, and came to the Ka‘bah
where the nobles of Quraysh were in the courtyard. He performed seven
circuits, and then prayed two raka‘at at the Station (of Ibrahim). Then
he approached their circle one step at a time and said, “What ugly
faces! Whoever wishes to bereave his mother, orphan his children and
widow his wife then let him meet me behind this valley.” Not one of them
followed him.
He narrated that al-Bara’, may Allah be pleased with him,
said: The first of the Muhajirun who came to us was Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr,
then Ibn Umm Maktum, then ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab mounted among twenty
others. We said, ‘What has the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, done?’ He said, ‘He is right behind me.’ Then
later, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came and
Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, along with him.
An-Nawawi said: ‘Umar attended, along with the Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, all of the battles, and
he was one of those who stood firm beside him on the Day of Uhud.
The hadith on his merit, other than those already quoted in the chapter on as-Siddiq.
The two Shaykhs narrated that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘While I was asleep I saw myself in the Garden, and there was a woman performing wudu’ beside a palace. I said, “Whose is this palace?” They said, “It belongs to ‘Umar.” Then I remembered your jealousy and turned away.’ ‘Umar wept and said, ‘Could I be jealous of you, Messenger of Allah?’
The two Shaykhs narrated that Ibn ‘Umar narrated that the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
‘While I was asleep I drank – meaning milk – until I saw satiation
flowing in my nails, and then I passed it to ‘Umar.’ They said, ‘How did
you interpret it, Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘Knowledge.’
The two Shaykhs narrated that Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, ‘While I was sleeping I saw people being shown to me and they had shirts on. Some of them reached to the breast, and some of them reached lower than that. ‘Umar was shown to me and he had on a shirt which he was dragging along.’ They said, ‘How did you interpret it, Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘The deen.’
The two Shaykhs narrated that Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Ibn al-Khattab, by Him in Whose hand is my self, the shaytan never met you travelling on a road but that he would travel on a road other than your road.’
Al-Bukhari narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘There were in the nations before you people who were inspired, and if there is one in my ummah it is ‘Umar.’
At-Tirmidhi narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Allah has put the truth upon ‘Umar’s tongue and (in) his heart.’ Ibn ‘Umar said: No affair ever happened among people and they spoke about it and ‘Umar spoke about it but that the Qur’an was revealed confirming what ‘Umar said.
At-Tirmidhi narrated, as did al-Hakim who declared it sahih, that ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, said, ‘If there were to be a prophet after me it would be ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab.’ At-Tabarani narrated it from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri and ‘Ismah ibn Malik and Ibn ‘Asakir narrated it from Ibn ‘Umar.
At-Tirmidhi narrated that ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘I am looking at the shaytans of the jinn and men who have fled from ‘Umar.’
Ibn Majah and al-Hakim narrated that Ubayy ibn Ka‘b said: The
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘The first one
whom the Truth will shake hands with is ‘Umar, the first He will greet
(with the greeting of peace), and the first He will take by the hand and
enter into the Garden.’
Ibn Majah and al-Hakim narrated that Abu Dharr said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Truly Allah has placed the truth upon the tongue of ‘Umar, it speaks by him (or he speaks by it).’
Ahmad and al-Bazzar narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Truly Allah has placed the truth on the tongue of ‘Umar and (in) his heart.’ At-Tabarani narrated this hadith from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, Bilal, Mu‘awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan and ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with them, and Ibn ‘Asakir narrated it from a hadith of Ibn ‘Umar,
Ibn Mani‘ narrated in his Musnad that ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: We, the Companions of Muhammad, used not to doubt that the sakinah (tranquillity or Divine presence) spoke by the tongue of ‘Umar.
Al-Bazzar narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘‘Umar is the lamp of the people of the Garden.’ This hadith was narrated by Abu Hurayrah and as-Sa‘b ibn Juththamah.
Al-Bazzar narrated from Qudamah ibn Madh‘un that his paternal uncle ‘Uthman ibn Madh‘un said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘This one is the lock upon the fitnah (sedition and trials),’ and he indicated ‘Umar with his hand. ‘There will remain a door strongly locked between you and the fitnah as long as this one lives among you.’
At-Tabarani narrated in al-Awsat that Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both him and his father, said: Jibril came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, ‘Greet ‘Umar with the greeting of peace and inform him that his anger is might and his good pleasure is judgement.’
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with
her, said that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
said, ‘The shaytan is afraid of ‘Umar.’
Ahmad narrated by way of Buraydah that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘The shaytan is afraid of you, ‘Umar.’
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘There is no angel in the heaven that does not respect ‘Umar, and no shaytan on the earth but that is afraid of ‘Umar.’
At-Tabarani narrated in al-Awsat that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Allah glories in the people of ‘Arafah generally and He glories in ‘Umar particularly.’ He narrated the same in al-Kabir in a hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both.
At-Tabarani and ad-Daylami narrated that al-Fadl ibn ‘Abbas said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘The truth, after me, is with ‘Umar wherever he is.’
The two Shaykhs narrated that Ibn ‘Umar and Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with both of them, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘While I was asleep I saw myself at a well upon which was a bucket, so I drew from it as long as Allah willed. Then later Abu Bakr took it and drew a full bucket or two, and in his drawing there was some weakness, and Allah will forgive him. Then ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab came and drew water and it became transformed in his hand into a large bucket, and I have not seen a chief of the people do wonderful deeds such as he did, until the people had satisfied their thirst and settled down (there by the water).’
An-Nawawi said in his Tahdhib: The men of knowledge say, ‘This points to the khilafahs of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, and to the great number of conquests and the victory of Islam in the time of ‘Umar.’
At-Tabarani narrated that Sadisah said: The Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘The shaytan has not met ‘Umar
since he accepted Islam but that he fell upon his face.’ Ad-Daraqutni
narrated this hadith in al-Afrad by way of Sadisah from Hafsah.
At-Tabarani narrated that Ubayy ibn Ka‘b said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Jibril said to me, “Let Islam weep over the death of ‘Umar.”’
At-Tabarani narrated in al-Awsat that Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri
said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
‘Whoever is angry with ‘Umar is angry with me. Whoever loves ‘Umar loves
me. Allah glories in the people on the evening of ‘Arafah generally,
and He glories in ‘Umar particularly. Allah has not sent a prophet
except that he put among his ummah an inspired man and if there is one
such in my ummah then it is ‘Umar.’ They said, ‘Prophet of Allah, how
inspired?’ He said, ‘The angels speak by his tongue.’ Its isnad is hasan
(good).
Sayings of the Companions and first generations on him.Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, said: There is not on the face of the earth a man more beloved to me than ‘Umar. Ibn ‘Asakir narrated it.
Someone said to Abu Bakr during his (last) illness, ‘What will you say to your Lord, when you have appointed ‘Umar?’ He said, ‘I will say to Him, “I have appointed over them the best of them.”’ Ibn Sa‘d narrated it. ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: When the right-acting are mentioned then begin with ‘Umar. We did not think it unlikely that as-Sakinah (the Divine Presence) spoke with the tongue of ‘Umar. At-Tabarani narrated it in al-Awsat.
Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I have never
seen anyone after the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
from the time he died, more perceptive and more liberally generous than
‘Umar. Ibn Sa‘d narrated it.
Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Even if the knowledge of ‘Umar were to be put in one scale of a balance and the knowledge of every living being on the earth were put in the other scale, the knowledge of ‘Umar would outweigh their knowledge. They used to hold the view that he had gone (i.e. died) with nine-tenths of knowledge. At-Tabarani narrated it in al-Kabir, and al-Hakim narrated it.
Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: It is as if the knowledge of mankind was concealed in the understanding of ‘Umar.
Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: By Allah, I do not know a man whom the blame of the one who blames, for the sake of Allah, does not overcome, except for ‘Umar.
‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said – and she mentioned ‘Umar – ‘He was, by Allah! skilful in managing affairs, absolutely unique.’
Mu‘awiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: As for Abu Bakr, he did not want the world and it did not want him. As for ‘Umar, the world wanted him but he did not want it. As for us, we have rolled over in it (like an animal in the dust). Az-Zubayr ibn Bakkar narrated it in al-Muwaffaqiyat.
Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ‘Ali entered upon ‘Umar – and he was shrouded – and said, ‘The mercy of Allah upon you! There is no-one I would prefer to meet Allah with that which is in his page (the record of his actions), after the companionship of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, than this shrouded one.’ Al-Hakim narrated it.
Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: When the right-acting ones are remembered, then begin with ‘Umar. Truly ‘Umar was the most knowledgeable of us of the Book of Allah, and the most understanding (literally: having the most fiqh) of us of the deen of Allah, exalted is He. At-Tabarani and al-Hakim narrated it.
Ibn ‘Abbas was asked about Abu Bakr and he said, ‘He was the good, all of it.’ He was asked about ‘Umar and said, ‘He was like the apprehensive bird which thinks that on every path there is a snare to catch it.’ He was asked about ‘Ali and he said, ‘He was full of resolve, sound judgement, knowledge and valour.’ He narrated it in at-Tuyuriyyat.
At-Tabarani narrated from ‘Umayr ibn Rabi‘ah that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said to Ka‘b al-Ahbar, ‘How do you find my description?’ He said, ‘I find your description to be a horn of iron.’ He asked, ‘What is a horn of iron?’ He said, ‘A strong commander who, for the sake of Allah, the censure of the one who blames does not overcome.’ He said, ‘Then what?’ He said, ‘There will be after you a khalifah whom a wrongdoing group will kill.’ He said, ‘Then what?’ He said, ‘Then there will be the trial (affliction).’
Ahmad, al-Bazzar and at-Tabarani narrated that Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab excelled people in four: the affair of the prisoners on the Day of Badr, he ordered that they should be killed and Allah revealed, ‘If it were not for a decree of Allah which had preceded …’ (Qur’an 8: 68) to the end of the ayah; and in the matter of the hijab, he ordered the women of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to veil themselves, so Zaynab said to him, ‘And really you are responsible over us Ibn al-Khattab, and the revelation descends upon us in our houses?’ So Allah revealed, ‘Then if you ask them for some item …’ (Qur’an 33: 53) to the end of the ayah; and by the supplication of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ‘O Allah, help Islam with ‘Umar’; and in his view of Abu Bakr, for he was the first one to pledge allegiance to him.
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Mujahid said: We used to say that the shaytans were chained and shackled during the amirate of ‘Umar, then when he was struck they spread abroad.
He narrated that Salim ibn ‘Abdullah said: News of ‘Umar was
slow in reaching Abu Musa so he went to a woman who had a shaytan in
her, and asked her about him. She said, ‘Wait until my shaytan comes to
me.’ Then he came and she asked him about him. He said, ‘I left him
dressed with a piece of cloth as a waistwrapper, smearing the camels of
the sadaqah (the zakat) with tar (against the mange or scab). And that
is a man whom a shaytan does not see but that he falls flat on his
nostrils; the angel is between his two eyes and the Ruh al-Quds (Jibril)
speaks with his tongue.’
Section
Sufyan ath-Thawri said: Whoever claimed that ‘Ali had more right to authority than Abu Bakr and ‘Umar has made a mistake and has accused Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and all the Muhajirun and the Ansar of making a mistake.
Sharik said: No-one in whom there is any good advances ‘Ali before Abu Bakr and ‘Umar.
Abu Usamah said: Do you grasp who Abu Bakr and ‘Umar were? They were the father and mother of Islam.
Ja‘far as-Sadiq said: I am quit of whoever mentions Abu Bakr and ‘Umar with anything but good.The agreements of (the views of) Umar (with subsequent confirmatory revelations of Qur’an)Some of them make them amount to more than twenty.
Ibn Mardawayh narrated that Mujahid said: ‘Umar used to hold a
view and Qur’an would be revealed with (confirmation of) it.
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that ‘Ali said: In the Qur’an there are some of the views of ‘Umar.
He narrated from Ibn ‘Umar as a marfu‘ [hadith]: When people
said one thing and ‘Umar said another, the Qur’an would be revealed with
the like of what ‘Umar said.
The two Shaykhs narrated that ‘Umar said: I agreed with my Lord in three things; I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, if only we were to take the Station of Ibrahim as a place of prayer,’ and there was revealed, ‘… and take the Station of Ibrahim as a place of prayer.’ (Qur’an 2: 125). I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, both good and bad people come to visit your wives; if only you would order them to wear hijabs,’ and the ayah of the hijab was revealed. The wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, united in jealousy, and so I said, ‘Perhaps his Lord, if he divorces you, will give him in exchange wives better than you, …’ and it was revealed just like that (with exactly the same words, see Qur’an 66: 5).
Muslim narrated that ‘Umar said, ‘I agreed with my Lord in three things: in the hijab, in the prisoners at Badr, and in the Station of Ibrahim.’ In this hadith is a fourth instance.
In at-Tahdhib of an-Nawawi, ‘The Qur’an was revealed in
agreement with him on the prisoners at Badr, on the hijab, on the
Station of Ibrahim and on the prohibition of wine.’ He added a fifth
instance and its hadith is in the Sunan and the Mustadrak of al-Hakim
that he said, ‘O Allah, make clear to us about wine with an explanation
which relieves us from all doubt.’ Then Allah revealed its prohibition.
Ibn Abi Hatim narrated in his tafsir that Anas said: ‘Umar said, ‘I was in agreement with my Lord in four things: this ayah was revealed, “And certainly We have created man from an extraction of clay,” (Qur’an 23: 12) and when it was revealed I said, “So blessed be Allah the best of creators,” and then it was revealed, “So blessed be Allah the best of creators.”’ (Qur’an 95: 8). Here he mentioned a sixth instance. The hadith has another chain of transmission from Ibn ‘Abbas which I have narrated in at-Tafsir al-Musnad.
Then I saw in the book Fada’il al-Imamayn of Abu ‘Abdullah ash-Shaybani that he said, ‘‘Umar agreed with his Lord in twenty-one situations,’ and he mentioned these six (aforementioned). He augmented as a seventh the story of ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy. I say: Its hadith is in the sahih traditions from him (‘Umar). He said, ‘When ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy died, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, was invited to perform the funeral prayer over him so he stood up for that. I rose up until I stood up close to his chest and said, “Messenger of Allah, is it over the enemy of Allah, Ibn Ubayy, who said one day such-and-such?” Then, by Allah, it wasn’t very long until it was revealed, “And do not pray over one of them ever …” (Qur’an 9: 84) to the conclusion of the ayah.’
8. ‘They ask you about wine ...’ (Qur’an 2: 219) to the end of the ayah.
9. ‘O you who believe, do not approach the prayer ...’ (Qur’an
4: 43) to the end of the ayah. I say that the two of them, along with
the ayah from Al-Ma’idah, are one instance, and the three are in the
preceding hadith.
10. When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, increased in seeking forgiveness for a people, ‘Umar said,
‘It is equal to them.’ Then Allah revealed, ‘It is equal to them whether
you seek forgiveness for them …’ (Qur’an 63: 2) to the end of the ayah.
I say that this hadith has been narrated by at-Tabarani from Ibn
‘Abbas.
11. When he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sought
the advice of the Companions about the expedition to Badr, ‘Umar was in
favour of the expedition and so it was revealed, ‘Just as your Lord
brought you out of your house by the truth …’ (Qur’an 8: 5) to the end
of the ayah.
12. When he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sought
the advice of the Companions with respect to the story of the slander
(of ‘A’ishah) ‘Umar said, ‘Who married you to her, Messenger of Allah?’
He said, ‘Allah.’ He said, ‘Do you think that your Lord would conceal a
defect of hers from you? Glory be to You, this is huge slander!’ (Qur’an
24: 16). Then the revelation came down just like that.
13. His story in the fast when he made love to his wife after
waking from sleep (before the pre-dawn meal) – and that was forbidden in
the beginning of Islam – and so it was revealed, ‘It is permitted to
you on the night of the fast …’ (Qur’an 2: 187) to the end of the ayah. I
say that Ahmad narrated it in his Musnad.
14. His words, Exalted is He, ‘Whoever is an enemy to Jibril
…’ (Qur’an 2: 97) to the end of the ayah. I say that Ibn Jarir and
others narrated it from many different narrators the best of which is
from ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Layla that: A Jew met ‘Umar and said,
‘Jibril, whom your companion mentions, is an enemy to us.’ So ‘Umar
said, ‘Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and His messengers
and Jibril and Mika’il, then truly Allah is an enemy to the
disbelievers.’ So it was revealed on the tongue of ‘Umar.
15. His words, Exalted is He, ‘Then no! By your Lord, they do
not believe …’ (Qur’an 4: 65) to the end of the ayah. I say that its
story has been narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Mardawayh from
Abu’l-Aswad. He said: Two men brought a dispute to the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, and he gave
judgement between them. The one who had judgement given against him
said, ‘Let us go to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab,’ and so the two of them went
to him. The man said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, gave judgement in my favour against this man and he
said, “Let us go to ‘Umar.”’ ‘Umar said, ‘Is it like that?’ He said,
‘Yes.’ So ‘Umar said, ‘Stay where you are until I come out to you.’ Then
he came out to them wrapping his sword in his garment and struck the
one who had said, ‘Let us go to ‘Umar,’ and killed him. The other
returned and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, ‘Umar killed – by Allah! – my
companion.’ So he said, ‘I wouldn’t have thought that ‘Umar would have
ventured to kill a believer.’ Then Allah revealed, ‘Then no! By your
Lord they do not believe …’ to the end of the ayah. He declared, there
was to be no retaliation or compensation for the blood of the man and
declared ‘Umar free from any wrong in his killing. There is another
connected text that supports this story which I have related in
at-Tafsir al-Musnad.
16. Seeking permission to enter. That was because his servant
entered his room when he was sleeping and he said, ‘O Allah, forbid
entrance.’ Then the ayah of seeking permission to enter was revealed.
17. His saying about the Jews, ‘They are a confounded people.’
18. His words, exalted is He, ‘Many of the first ones and many
of the latter ones.’ (Qur’an 56: 39-40). I say that Ibn ‘Asakir
narrated it in his Tarikh from Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah and that it is in the
Asbab an-Nuzul.
19. The lifting (abrogation) of the recitation of, ‘The older
man and the older woman when they commit adultery …’ to the end of the
ayah.1
20. His words on the Day of Uhud when Abu Sufyan said, ‘Is
so-and-so among the people?” (‘Umar said) “We will not answer him,’ and
the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, agreed with him. I
say that Ahmad narrated its story in his Musnad.
He said: And one joins to this what ‘Uthman ibn Sa‘id
ad-Darimi narrated in his book ar-Radd ‘ala’l-Jahmiyah by way of Ibn
Shihab from Salim ibn ‘Abdullah that Ka‘b al-Ahbar said, ‘Woe to the
king of the earth from the King of heaven.’ Then ‘Umar said, ‘Except for
whoever takes himself to account.’ Ka‘b said, ‘By the One in Whose hand
is my soul it is in the Tawrah. You have carried it on (the words of
the verse) consecutively.’ Then ‘Umar fell prostrate.
Then I have seen in al-Kamil of Ibn ‘Adi by the route of
‘Abdullah ibn Nafi‘ – and he is weak – from his father from ‘Umar that
Bilal used to say, when he called the adhan, ‘I witness that there is no
god but Allah. Come to prayer.’ Then ‘Umar said to him, ‘Say after it,
“I witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”’ The Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Say as ‘Umar said.’
His miracles
Al-Bayhaqi and Abu Nu‘aym narrated, both of them in [books
that they each called] Dala’il an-Nubuwwah, and al-Lalka’i in Sharh
as-Sunnah, ad-Dayr‘aquli in his Fawa’id, Ibn al-A‘rabi in his Karamat
al-Awliya and al-Khateeb in Ruwat Malik ‘an Nafi‘ ‘an Ibn ‘Umar that Ibn
‘Umar said: ‘Umar sent an army and he put at the head of them a man
called Sariyah. While ‘Umar was delivering the khutbah he began to cry
out, ‘Sariyah, the mountain!’ three times. Then later the messenger of
the army came and he told ‘Umar, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, we were being
defeated and in that situation we heard a voice crying out, “Sariyah,
the mountain!” three times. We put the mountain to our rear, and then
Allah defeated them.’ Someone said to ‘Umar, ‘You cried out with those
words.’ That mountain, where Sariyah was, is close to Nahawand in the
land of the non-Arabs (Persian Iraq). Ibn Hajar said in al-Isabah: Its
isnad is good.
Ibn Mardawayh narrated by way of Maymun ibn Mihran that Ibn
‘Umar said: ‘Umar was delivering the khutbah on the day of Jumu‘ah and
then he turned aside during his khutbah and said, ‘Sariyah, the
mountain! He who asks the wolf to be a shepherd will be wronged.’ People
looked about, one to another. Then ‘Ali said to them, ‘Let him explain
what he meant.’ When he had finished they asked him and he said, ‘It
occurred to me in my mind that the idolaters were defeating our brothers
who were passing by a mountain, and that if they were to turn towards
it, they would fight on one front only, but if they passed by it they
would be destroyed. So there came out of me that which you claim you
heard.’ He said: The messenger came a month later and mentioned that
they had heard the voice of ‘Umar on that day, and he said, ‘We turned
towards the mountain, and Allah gave us victory.’
Abu Nu‘aym said in ad-Dala’il that ‘Amr ibn al-Harith said:
While ‘Umar (ibn al-Khattab) was upon the minbar delivering the khutbah
on the day of Jumu‘ah suddenly he left off the khutbah and said,
‘Sariyah, the mountain!’ two or three times. Some of those present said,
‘He has gone mad, he is insane.’ ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Awf went in to see
him – and he had confidence in him – and he said, ‘You give them room
to talk against you. While you were giving the khutbah, suddenly you
cried out, “Sariyah, the mountain!” What sort of thing is this?’ He
said, ‘By Allah, I could not control it. I saw them fighting near a
mountain and they were being attacked from in front of them and from
behind them. I could not stop myself from saying, “Sariyah, the
mountain!” so that they would reach the mountain.’ Then they waited some
time until Sariyah’s messenger came with his letter, ‘The people met us
(in battle) on the day of Jumu‘ah, and we fought them until, when it
was time for Jumu‘ah, we heard someone cry out, “Sariyah, the mountain!”
twice, so we reached the mountain. We continued victorious over our
enemy until Allah defeated them and killed them.’ Then those people who
had accused him said, ‘Leave this man alone, because he is in collusion
with him.’
Abu’l-Qasim ibn Bishran narrated in his Fawa’id by way of Musa
ibn ‘Uqbah from Nafi‘ that Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said to
a man, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jamrah (a live coal).’ He asked,
‘Whose son?’ He said, ‘The son of Shihab (flame).’ He asked, ‘From what
tribe?’ He said, ‘From al-Hurqah (a state of burning).’ He asked, ‘Where
is your dwelling?’ He said, ‘At al-Harrah (“the volcanic tract” from
al-harr – the heat).’ He asked, ‘In which of them?’ He said, ‘Dhat Ladha
(the blazing one).’ ‘Umar said, ‘Go to your family for they have been
burnt.’ The man returned to his family and found that they had been
burnt. Malik narrated the like of it in the Muwatta from Yahya ibn
Sa‘id, Ibn Durayd in al-Akhbar al-Manthurah, Ibn al-Kalbi in al-Jami‘
and others narrated it.
Abu’sh-Shaykh narrated in Kitab al-‘Adhamah: Abu’t-Tib
narrated to us: ‘Ali ibn Dawud narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Fattah ibn Salih
narrated to us: ‘Abdullah ibn Salih narrated to us: Ibn Lahi‘ah narrated
to us from Qais ibn al-Hajjaj, from someone he related from, said: When
Egypt was conquered, its people came to ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, when the first
day of one of their months arrived, and they said to him, ‘Amir, this
Nile of ours has a custom (sunnah) without which it does not flow.’ He
asked, ‘And what is that?’ They said, ‘When eleven nights have elapsed
of this month we seek a young virgin from her parents, we obtain the
consent of the parents, then we dress her in the best possible clothing
and ornaments, and then we throw her in this Nile.’ So ‘Amr said to
them, ‘This will never be in Islam. Islam demolishes what precedes it.’
They left, and neither did the Nile flow a little nor a lot, so much so
that they intended to emigrate. When ‘Amr saw that, he wrote to ‘Umar
ibn al-Khattab about it. He wrote back to him, ‘You were right in what
you said. Truly, Islam demolishes what precedes it.’ He sent a slip of
paper inside his letter and wrote to ‘Amr, ‘I have sent you a slip of
paper inside my letter, so throw it in the Nile.’ When ‘Umar’s letter
reached ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, he took the slip and opened it, and there was
in it, ‘From the slave of Allah ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab Amir al-Mu’minin to
the Nile of Egypt. Now, if you used to flow before, then don’t flow! If
it was Allah who made you flow, then I ask the Overwhelming One to make
you flow.’ He threw the slip into the Nile a day before (the Festival
of) the Cross. They woke up in the morning, and Allah, Exalted is He,
had made it flow (and it rose) sixteen cubits in one night. Allah cut
off this sunnah (custom) of the people of Egypt right up to this day.
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Tariq ibn Shihab said: A man was in
conversation with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and told him a lie, and he would
say, ‘Withhold this.’ Then later he told him something else and he said,
‘Withhold this.’ He said to him, ‘Everything I told you was true except
for what you told me to withhold.’
He narrated that al-Hasan said: If there was anyone who
recognised a lie when he was told it, it was ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab.
Al-Bayhaqi narrated in ad-Dala’il that Abu Hudbah al-Himsi
said: ‘Umar was told that the people of Iraq had pelted their amir with
pebbles and he went out angry. He performed the prayer but was forgetful
in his prayer. When he had completed the prayer, he said, ‘O Allah,
they have made me confused, so make them confused, and hasten with the
youth of (the tribe of) Thaqif who will pass judgement among them with
the judgement of Jahiliyyah, who will not accept from their good-doers
and he will not pass over their wrongdoers with pardon.’ I say that this
indicates al-Hajjaj. Ibn Lahi‘ah said, ‘Al-Hajjaj was not yet born at
that time.’
Some particulars of his biography
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that al-Ahnaf ibn Qays said: We were sitting
at ‘Umar’s door and a slave girl passed by, and they said, ‘The
concubine of the Amir al-Mu’minin.’ He said, ‘She is not the concubine
of the Amir al-Mu’minin, and she is not permitted to him. She is of the
property of Allah.’ So we said, ‘Then what is permitted to him of the
property of Allah, exalted is He?’ He said, ‘There is only permitted to
‘Umar of the property of Allah two garments, a garment for the winter
and a garment for the summer, that with which I can perform the Hajj and
the ‘Umrah (i.e. an ihram), my sustenance and the sustenance of my
family, as a man of Quraysh who is not the wealthiest of them nor the
poorest, then I am, after that, a man among the Muslims.’
Khuzaymah ibn Thabit said, ‘Whenever ‘Umar appointed a
governor, he wrote to him and made a condition on him that he should not
ride a birdhaun (a large heavy non-Arabian horse from Asia Minor or
Greece), nor eat delicacies, nor dress in finery, nor lock his door
against the needy. If he did that, it would be permitted to punish him.’
‘Ikrimah ibn Khalid and others said: Hafsah, ‘Abdullah and
others spoke to ‘Umar and said, ‘If only you were to eat wholesome food
it would strengthen you upon the truth.’ He asked, ‘Are you all of this
view?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘I have learnt what your sincere
advice is. However, I have left my two companions on a highway, and if I
abandon their highway I will not reach them in the house.’ He
(‘Ikrimah) said: An affliction befell the people one year, and that year
he did not eat clarified butter nor fat.
Ibn Mulaykah said: ‘Utbah ibn Farqad spoke to ‘Umar about his
food and he said, ‘Mercy on you! Should I eat up my wholesome sweet
things in my worldly life and seek to enjoy myself with them?’
Al-Hasan said: ‘Umar entered in upon his son ‘Asim when he was
eating meat and he said, ‘What is this?’ He said, ‘We had a craving for
it.’ He said, ‘Every time you crave something, do you eat it? It is
sufficient wasteful extravagance for a man that he eats everything for
which he has an appetite.’
Aslam said: ‘Umar said, ‘There occurred to my heart a desire
for fresh fish.’ He (Aslam) said: Yarfa’ mounted his camel and rode four
miles there, four miles back, buying a basketful and bringing it back.
Then he went to his camel, washed it, and went to ‘Umar. He said, ‘Let
us go and I will look at the camel.’ He said, ‘Did you forget to wash
this sweat beneath its ears? Have you tormented an animal for the
appetite of ‘Umar? No! by Allah! ‘Umar will not taste of your basket.’
Qatadah said: ‘Umar used to dress, while he was khalifah, with
a garment of wool patched in parts with leather, and he would go around
in the markets with a whip over his shoulder with which he would
correct people. He would pass bits of rags and pieces of date-stones,
which he would stumble on unexpectedly, and he would throw them into
people’s houses for them to use.
Anas said: I saw between ‘Umar’s shoulder-blades, four patches
in his shirt. Abu ‘Uthman an-Nahdi said: I saw ‘Umar wearing a
waistwrapper patched with leather. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amir ibn Rabi‘ah said:
I performed the Hajj with ‘Umar and he did not pitch a tent of goat’s
hair nor of wool. He used to throw the upper part of his ihram and his
leather mat over a bush and seek shelter underneath it. ‘Abdullah ibn
‘Isa said: There were two dark furrows in ‘Umar’s face from his weeping.
Al-Hasan said: ‘Umar used to pass by an ayah in his wird (daily portion
set aside to recite) and he would fall down (in a faint) until he
revived after some days. Anas said: I entered a walled garden and heard
‘Umar saying, while there was a wall between us, ‘‘Umar ibn al-Khattab,
Amir al-Mu’minin. Well done! Well done! By Allah, you will fear Allah,
Ibn al-Khattab or Allah will punish you.’ ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amir ibn
Rabi‘ah said: I saw ‘Umar take up a straw from the ground and say, ‘I
wish I was this straw. I wish I was nothing. I wish that my mother had
not given birth to me.’ ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar ibn Hafs said: ‘Umar carried
a skin full of water upon his neck. Someone spoke to him about that and
he said, ‘My self was filling me with conceit and I wished to humble
it.’ Muhammad ibn Sirin said: An in-law of ‘Umar’s came to see him and
asked him to give him something from the bait al-mal and ‘Umar refused
him and said, ‘Do you want me to meet Allah as a treacherous King?’ Then
he gave him from his own property ten thousand dirhams. An-Nakha‘i
said: ‘Umar used to trade while he was khalifah. Anas said: ‘Umar’s
stomach rumbled from eating olive oil the year of the drought – he had
forbidden himself clarified butter – and he tapped on his stomach with
his finger and said, ‘There is nothing else for us, until the people
have the means of living.’ Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah said: ‘Umar ibn
al-Khattab said, ‘The person I like most is the one who points out to me
my defects.’ Aslam said: I saw ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab taking hold of the
ear of the horse, taking hold of his own ear with the other hand, and
leaping up on the back of the horse. Ibn ‘Umar said: I never saw ‘Umar
become angry, and then Allah was mentioned in his presence or he was
made to fear, or a person would recite an ayah from the Qur’an in his
presence, but that he stopped short of what he meant to do. Bilal said
to Aslam, ‘How do you find ‘Umar?’ He said, ‘The best of people, except
that when he becomes angry it is a mighty matter.’ Bilal said, ‘If I was
with him when he became angry, I would recite Qur’an to him until his
anger went.’ Al-Ahwas ibn Hakim said, narrating from his father: ‘Umar
was brought meat dressed with clarified butter and he refused to eat the
two of them. He said, ‘Both of them are seasonings.’ All of the
foregoing traditions are from Ibn Sa‘d.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that al-Hasan said: ‘Umar said, ‘It is an
easy thing by which I put right a people, that I exchange them an amir
in place of an amir.”
His description
Ibn Sa‘d and al-Hakim narrated that Zirr said: I went out with
the people of Madinah on the day of ‘Eid and I saw ‘Umar walking
barefoot, an old man, balding, of a tawny colour, left-handed, tall,
towering over people as if he were on a riding beast. Al-Waqidi said: It
is not known among us that ‘Umar was tawny, unless he saw him in the
year of the drought, because his colour changed when he ate olive oil.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Ibn ‘Umar described ‘Umar and said: A
man of fair complexion, with a ruddy tint prevailing, tall, balding and
grey-haired.
He narrated that ‘Ubaydah ibn ‘Umayr said: ‘Umar used to overtop people in height.
He narrated that Salamah ibn al-Akwa‘ said: ‘Umar was left and right-handed, meaning that he used both hands together.
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Abu Raja’ al-‘Utaridi said: ‘Umar
was a tall stout man, extremely bald, fair but extremely ruddy, in the
two sides of his beard a lightness, his moustache was large and at its
extremities there was a redness at the roots of which there was black.
In the Tarikh of Ibn ‘Asakir by various routes there is that
the mother of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab was Hantamah the daughter of Hisham
ibn al-Mughirah and she was the sister of Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, so that
Abu Jahl was his maternal uncle.
His khilafah
He took on the khilafah through the covenant of Abu Bakr in Jumada al-Akhirah in the year 13 AH.
Az-Zuhri said, ‘‘Umar was appointed khalifah on the day that
Abu Bakr died which was Tuesday eight days before the end of Jumada
al-Akhirah.’ Al-Hakim narrated it. He undertook the command most fully,
and there were very many openings in his days.
In the year 14 AH, Damascus was opened [to Islam] partly both
by treaty and force, and Homs (ancient Emessa) and Baalbek by treaty,
and Basra and Ubullah by force.
‘In that year ‘Umar united people in one jama‘ah in salat
at-tarawih (the optional prayers said at night in Ramadan),’ said
al-‘Askari in Al-Awa’il (Firsts).
In the year 15 AH, all of Jordan was opened [to Islam] by
force except for Tiberias which was by treaty. In this year there were
the battles of Yarmuk and Qadisiyyah.
Ibn Jarir said: In it Sa‘d founded Kufa, and ‘Umar instituted
regular wages (for the fighting men), registers, and gave allowances
according to priority.
In the year 16 AH, Ahwaz and Mada’in were opened, and in the
latter Sa‘d established the Jumu‘ah in the great hall of Khosrau, and
this was the first Jumu‘ah to be held in Iraq. That was in the month of
Safar. In it, was the battle of Jalula in which Yezdajird the son of
Khosrau was defeated and he retreated back to Rayy. In it, Takrit was
opened, ‘Umar travelled and took al-Bait al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) and gave
his famous khutbah in al-Jabiyyah. Kinnasrin, Aleppo, and Antioch were
opened by force, Manbij by treaty, and Saruj by force. In that year,
Qirqisiya’ was opened by treaty. In Rabi‘ al-Awwal, dating was begun
from the Hijrah on the advice of ‘Ali.
In the year 17 AH, ‘Umar increased the size of the Prophet’s
Mosque. In it there was drought and famine in the Hijaz and it was
called the Year of Destruction, and ‘Umar prayed for rain for people by
means of al-‘Abbas.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated from Niyar al-Aslami that ‘Umar, when he
came out to pray for rain, came out with the cloak of the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, upon him.
He narrated that Ibn ‘Awn said: ‘Umar took hold of the hand of
al-‘Abbas and raised it up, saying, ‘O Allah, we approach You by means
of the uncle of Your Prophet (asking) that You drive away from us the
drought, and that You give us to drink from the rain,’ and they didn’t
leave before they were given to drink. The sky poured down upon them for
days. In that year Ahwaz was taken by treaty.
In the year 18 AH, Jundaysabur was opened [to Islam] by
treaty, and Hulwan by force. In it, was the plague of Emaus; Urfa
(Edessa) and Sumaysat were opened by force; Harran, Nasibin and a part
of Mesopotamia by force, and it has been said, by treaty; and Mosul and
its environs by force.
In the year 19 AH, Cæsarea was opened by force.
In the year 20 AH, Egypt was opened by force. It is also said
that all of Egypt was opened by treaty except for Alexandria which was
opened by force. ‘Ali ibn Rabah said, ‘The whole of the Maghrib
(northwestern Africa) was opened by force.’ In that year Tustar was
opened, Caesar (Heraclius), the great man of the Byzantines, died. In it
also, ‘Umar expelled the Jews from Khaybar and Najran, and he
apportioned Khaybar and Wadi’l-Qurra’ (between those who had been
present there at the original battles of the Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace).
In the year 21 AH, Alexandria was opened by force, and
Nahawand, after which the Persians could not muster an army, and Barqah
and other places.
In the year 22 AH, Azerbaijan was opened by force, and it has
been said, by treaty, and Dinawr by force, Masabdhan and Hamadan by
force, and Tripoli of North Africa, Rai, ‘Askar and Qumas.
In the year 23 AH, there were the openings [to Islam] of
Kirman, Sijistan, Makran in the mountainous lands, and also Isfahan and
its environs.
In the end of this year there was the death of Sayyiduna
‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, after his return from the Hajj; he
was killed as a martyr.
Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab said: When ‘Umar returned from Mina (to
Makkah), he made his camel kneel down in the watercourse, then he threw
himself down, raised his hands to the sky and said, ‘O Allah! I am
advanced in years, my strength has weakened, and my subjects have
increased, so take me to You without (my) being wasteful or falling
short.’ Dhu’l-Hijjah had not gone before he was killed. Al-Hakim
narrated it.
Abu Salih as-Saman said: Ka‘b al-Ahbar said to ‘Umar, ‘I find
you in the Tawrah killed as a martyr.’ He said, ‘How can I be a martyr
when I am in the peninsula of the Arabs?’
Aslam said: ‘Umar said, ‘O Allah provide me with martyrdom in
Your way, and make my death to be in the city of Your Messenger.’
Al-Bukhari narrated it.
Ma‘dan ibn Abi Talhah: ‘Umar gave a khutbah and said, ‘I saw
(in a dream) as if a cock pecked at me once or twice, and I can only
believe that it means that my term has come. There are people who tell
me to appoint a successor, and Allah will not cause His deen to go to
waste nor His khilafah. If the matter is hastened for me, then the
khilafah is a matter of consultation between these six whom the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was pleased
with when he died.’ Al-Hakim narrated it.
Az-Zuhri said: ‘Umar would not permit a captive who had
reached the age of puberty to enter Madinah until al-Mughirah ibn
Shu‘bah wrote to him – and he was the governor of Kufa – mentioning to
him a slave who had a number of crafts and asking permission that he
enter Madinah, saying, ‘He has many trades which are useful to people.
He is a blacksmith, engraver and carpenter.’ He gave permission to him
to send him to Madinah. Al-Mughirah put a demand for revenue on him (the
slave) of one hundred dirhams per month, so the slave came to ‘Umar to
complain of the severity of that imposition. He [‘Umar] said, ‘Your
demand for revenue is not that much,’ and he [the slave] turned away in
anger and threateningly. ‘Umar waited some days and then called him and
said, ‘Have I not been informed that you say, “If I wished, I could make
a mill which will grind by means of the wind.”’ Then he turned his face
to ‘Umar with a frown and said, ‘I will make for you a mill which
people will talk about.’ When he turned away, ‘Umar said to his
companions, ‘The slave threatened me just now.’ After a while Abu
Lu’lu’ah wrapped his garments around a dagger with two heads (to the
blade) whose handle was in the middle of it, hid in one of the corners
of the mosque in the darkness of the last part of the night, and there
he waited until ‘Umar came out waking people up for the prayer. When he
drew near to him, he stabbed him three times. Ibn Sa‘d narrated it.
‘Amr ibn Maymun al-Ansari said: Abu Lu’lu’ah, the slave of
al-Mughirah, stabbed ‘Umar with a dagger which had two heads, and he
stabbed, along with him, twelve other men of whom six died, then a man
from Iraq threw a robe over him. When he became tangled up in it, he
killed himself.
Abu Rafi‘ said: Abu Lu’lu’ah, the slave of al-Mughirah, used
to make mills. Al-Mughirah used to demand as revenue from him four
dirhams a day. He met ‘Umar and said, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, al-Mughirah is
being very heavy on me, so speak to him.’ He said, ‘Behave well towards
your master,’ – and ‘Umar’s intention was to speak to al-Mughirah about
it – so he (the slave) became angry and said, ‘His justice encompasses
all of the people except for me,’ and he secretly decided to kill him.
He took a dagger, sharpened it and poisoned it. ‘Umar used to say,
‘Straighten your ranks,’ before he pronounced the takbir. He came and
stood opposite him in the rank, stabbed him in his shoulder and side,
and ‘Umar fell. Then he stabbed thirteen other men with him, of whom six
died. ‘Umar was carried to his family. The sun was about to rise so
‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Awf led the people in prayer with the two shortest
surahs. ‘Umar was brought some nabidh (a drink made from dates left to
soak in water) and he drank it and it came out of his wound, but it
wasn’t yet distinct (from the blood). So they gave him some milk to
drink, and it came out of his wound and they said, ‘There’s no great
harm with you.’ He said, ‘If there is any harm in killing, then I have
been killed.’ People began to praise him, saying, ‘You were such and
such and you were such and such.’ He said, ‘By Allah, I wish that I had
gone out of it, independent of others, with nothing against me and
nothing for me, and that the companionship of the Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, was secure for
me.’ Ibn ‘Abbas praised him, so he said, ‘Even if I had that gold which
would fill the earth, I would ransom myself by it from the terror of the
rising. I have made it (the khilafah) a matter of consultation between
‘Uthman, ‘Ali, Talhah, az-Zubayr, ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Awf and Sa‘d.’ He
ordered Suhayb to lead people in prayer, and gave the six a period of
three (days in which to decide). Al-Hakim narrated it.
Ibn ‘Abbas said: Abu Lu’lu’ah was a Magian.
‘Amr ibn Maymun said: ‘Umar said, ‘Praise be to Allah Who did
not make my decree of death to be at the hands of a man who claimed
Islam.’ Then he said to his son, ‘‘Abdullah, look and see what debts I
have.’ They calculated it and found it to be eighty-six thousand or
thereabouts. He said, ‘If the wealth of the family of ‘Umar is enough,
then pay it. If it is not, then ask among Bani ‘Adi, and if their wealth
is not enough, then ask among Quraysh. Go to the Mother of the
Believers, ‘A’ishah, and say, “‘Umar asks permission to be buried with
his two companions.”’ He went to her and she said, ‘I wanted it’ –
meaning the burial plot – ‘for myself, but I will definitely prefer him
over myself, today.’ ‘Abdullah came and said, ‘She has given
permission,’ so he praised Allah. Someone said to him, ‘Make bequest,
Amir al-Mu’minin, and appoint a successor.’ He said, ‘I see no-one with
more right to this command than these six with whom the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, was pleased when he died,’ and he
named the six, and said, ‘‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar will be present with them
but he has no part in the command. If the office should fall to Sa‘d,
then he it is, and if not, then let whoever of you is appointed seek
help from him, for I did not remove him (from his office as amir of
Kufa) because of any incapacity or treachery.’ Then he said, ‘I counsel
the khalifah after me to have fearful obedience of Allah; I counsel him
to pay particular care to the Muhajirun and the Ansar, and I counsel him
to treat the people of the provinces well,’ and other similar counsels.
When he died, we went walking with him, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar called out
the greeting and said, ‘‘Umar seeks permission to enter.’ ‘A’ishah said,
‘Bring him in.’ He was brought in and placed there with his two
companions.
When they finished burying him and had returned, that group
gathered and ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Awf said, ‘Delegate your authority to
three among you.’ Az-Zubayr said, ‘I delegate my authority to ‘Ali.’
Sa‘d said, ‘I delegate my authority to ‘Abd ar-Rahman.’ Talhah said, ‘I
delegate my authority to ‘Uthman.’ He continued: so there remained these
three. ‘Abd ar-Rahman said, ‘I don’t want it. Which of you two will be
quit of this matter and we will entrust it to him (the remaining one)?
And Allah is his witness and Islam, let him consider in himself who is
the best of them and let him be eager for the benefit of the ummah.’ The
two Shaykhs, ‘Ali and ‘Uthman were silent. ‘Abd ar-Rahman said,
‘Delegate me and, Allah is my witness, I will not fail you in choosing
the best of you.’ They said, ‘Yes.’ Then he went apart with ‘Ali and
said, ‘You have that precedence in Islam and kinship with the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which you know. Allah is your
witness; if I give you authority, will you be just, and if I give
authority (to ‘Uthman) over you, will you hear and obey?’ He said,
‘Yes.’ Then he went apart with the other and said to him the same thing.
When he had their agreement, he pledged allegiance to ‘Uthman and ‘Ali
pledged allegiance to him.
There is in the Musnad of Ahmad that ‘Umar said: If my term
overtakes me, and Abu ‘Ubaydah al-Jarrah is still alive, then I would
appoint him as khalifah. If my Lord asked me, I would say, ‘I heard the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, “Every Prophet
has a trustworthy (companion), and my trustworthy (companion) is Abu
‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah.”’ If my term overtakes me, and Abu ‘Ubaydah
al-Jarrah has died, I would appoint Mu‘adh ibn Jabal as khalifah. If my
Lord asked me, ‘Why did you appoint him as khalifah?’ I would say, ‘I
heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, “He
will be raised up on the Day of Resurrection a distance in front of the
men of knowledge.”’ They had both died during his khilafah.
Also in the Musnad there is from Abu Rafi‘ that someone spoke
to ‘Umar at his death about the appointment of a khalifah, so he said,
‘I have seen among my companions an unfortunate eagerness. If one of two
men had reached me, and then I had entrusted this command to him, I
would have been sure of him: Salim the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah and
Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah.’
‘Umar was struck on the Wednesday, four days before the end of
Dhu’l-Hijjah, and he was buried on Sunday, the day of the new moon of
al-Muharram, the Sacred (month). He was sixty-three years old. It has
also been said that he was sixty-six, sixty-one, sixty (which al-Waqidi
considered the weightiest). It has been said that he was fifty-nine,
fifty-five and fifty-four. Suhayb performed the (funeral) prayer over
him in the mosque.
In the Tahdhib of al-Mazini, there is that the engraving on
the seal-ring of ‘Umar was, ‘Death is enough of an admonisher, ‘Umar.’
At-Tabarani narrated that Tariq ibn Shihab said: Umm Ayman
said, on the day ‘Umar was killed, ‘Today Islam has been rent.’
‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Yasar narrated. He said, ‘I witnessed the
death of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and the sun was eclipsed on that day.’ The
men who transmitted (this hadith) were trustworthy.
The things in which he was first
Al-‘Askari said: He was the first to be called ‘Amir
al-Mu’minin’, the first to date events from the Hijrah, the first to
take a bait al-mal (see the chapter on Abu Bakr), the first to establish
as a sunnah the standing (for prayer) in the month of Ramadan, the
first who patrolled at night, the first who punished satire, the first
who punished wine-drinking with eighty (lashes), the first who declared
al-mut‘ah (temporary marriage) haram (rather the Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, forbade it on the Day of Khaybar – see
the Muwatta’ of Imam Malik), the first to forbid the sale of female
slaves who had borne children to their masters, the first to assemble
for prayers over the dead with four takbirs, the first to have a
register, the first to make conquests, the first to survey the Sawad
(the cultivated land of Iraq), the first to convey food from Egypt upon
the Aylah Sea (Gulf of ‘Aqabah) to Madinah, the first who dedicated
sadaqah (purely for the sake of Allah) in Islam, and the first who
adjusted the division of inheritances (in cases where the calculated
portions add up to more than the total inheritance), the first to take
the zakat of horses, the first to say, ‘May Allah lengthen your life,’
(he said it to ‘Ali) and the first to say, ‘May Allah help you,’ (he
said it to ‘Ali). This is the end of what al-‘Askari mentioned.
An-Nawawi said in his Tahdhib that he was the first to adopt
the whip. Ibn Sa‘d mentions it in the Tabaqat, and he said: It used to
be said, after him, ‘The whip of ‘Umar is more terrible than your
sword.’ He (an-Nawawi) continued: He was the first to appoint qadis in
the provinces, the first who established the provinces of (the cities
of) Kufa, Basra, and of Mesopotamia, Syria, Cairo (Egypt), and Mosul.
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Isma‘il ibn Ziyad said: ‘Ali ibn Abi
Talib passed by the mosques in Ramadan and in them there were lamps, so
he said, ‘May Allah illuminate ‘Umar in his grave, as he has
illuminated our mosques for us.’
Section: Ibn Sa‘d said: ‘Umar appointed a meal (flour) house
and put flour in it, parched barley meal, dates, raisins and
necessities, in order to help the traveller whose journey was
interrupted (through need or other causes), and he established between
Makkah and Madinah on the road that which would be useful to travellers
whose journeys were interrupted. He demolished the Mosque of the
Prophet, added to it, expanded it and floored it with pebbles. He was
the one who evicted the Jews from the Hijaz (and sent them) to Syria,
and evicted the people of Najran (and sent them) to Kufa. He was the one
who moved the Station of Ibrahim back (from the Ka‘bah) to where it is
today, and it used to be adjoining the House.
Some accounts of him and of his judgements
Al-‘Askari narrated in al-Awa’il, at-Tabarani in al-Kabir, and
al-Hakim by way of Ibn Shihab that ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz asked Abu
Bakr ibn Sulayman ibn Abi Hathamah what was the reason that it used to
be written, ‘From the Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace,’ in the time of Abu Bakr, then later
‘Umar used to write at first, ‘From the Khalifah of Abu Bakr’? Then who
was the first to write, ‘From the Amir al-Mu’minin (the Commander of the
Believers)’? He said, ‘Ash-Shifa, who was one of the women of the
Muhajirun, told me that Abu Bakr used to write, “From the Khalifah of
the Messenger of Allah,” and ‘Umar used to write, “From the Khalifah of
the Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah,” until one day ‘Umar wrote to
the governor of Iraq, to send him two strong men whom he could ask about
Iraq and its inhabitants. He sent to him Labid ibn Rabi‘ah and ‘Adi ibn
Hatim, and they came to Madinah and entered the mosque where they found
‘Amr ibn al-‘As. They said, ‘Get permission for us (to visit) the Amir
al-Mu’minin.’ ‘Amr said, ‘You two, by Allah, have hit upon his name!’
Then ‘Amr went in to him and said, ‘Peace be upon you, Amir
al-Mu’minin.’ He said, ‘What occurred to you about this name? You must
explain what you have said.’ He told him and said, ‘You are the amir
(commander) and we are the mu’minun (the believers).’ Thus letters have
continued to be written with that from that day.
An-Nawawi said in his Tahdhib: ‘Adi ibn Hatim and Labid ibn
Rabi‘ah named him thus when they came as a deputation from Iraq. It has
been said that al-Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah named him with this name. It has
also been said that ‘Umar said to people, ‘You are the believers and I
am your amir,’ and so he was called Amir al-Mu’minin, and before that he
was known as the Khalifah of the Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah,
but they changed from that expression because of its length.
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Mu‘awiyah ibn Qurrah said: It used
to be written ‘From Abu Bakr the Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah,’
and then when it was ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab they wanted to say, ‘The
Khalifah of the Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah.’ ‘Umar said, ‘This
is lengthy.’ They said, ‘No. But we have appointed you as amir over us,
so you are our amir.’ He said, ‘Yes, and you are the believers, and I am
your amir.’ Then it became written Amir al-Mu’minin.
Al-Bukhari narrated in his Tarikh that Ibn al-Musayyab said:
The first to write the date was ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab two and a half
years into his khilafah, and it was written down as the sixteenth year
of the Hijrah, through the advice of ‘Ali.
As-Salafi narrated in at-Tuyuriyyat with a sahih isnad from
Ibn ‘Umar from ‘Umar that he wished to record the sunan (customary
practices of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and
of his companions), so he sought Allah’s choice in the matter (through
the supplication known as the istikharah) for a month. Then he arose one
morning with a clear resolve and said, ‘I remembered a people who were
before you who wrote a book, and then they turned to it and abandoned
the Book of Allah.’
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Shaddad said: The first words that
‘Umar would say when he ascended the minbar were, ‘O Allah, I am severe,
so make me gentle, I am weak, so strengthen me, and I am miserly, so
make me generous.”
Ibn Sa‘d and Sa‘id ibn Mansur and others narrated by
different routes thatt ‘Umar said, ‘I have placed myself in respect to
Allah’s property in the same relation as the guardian of the orphan to
his (the orphan’s) wealth. If I am in good circumstances, I will refrain
from it, and if I am in need I will eat of it in moderation, and if
(again later) I am in good circumstances, I will repay.”
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said that when ‘Umar ibn
al-Khattab was in need, he used to go to the man in charge of the bait
al-mal and seek a loan from him. Often he might be in difficulty and the
man in charge of the public treasury would come to him, seek repayment
of the debt and would oblige him to pay it, and ‘Umar would be evasive
to him. Then, often ‘Umar would receive his stipend and so pay his debt.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that al-Bara’ ibn Ma‘rur said that ‘Umar
went out one day until he came to the minbar and he had been suffering
from a complaint. The good qualities of honey were mentioned to him, and
there was a receptacle (made of kidskin) of it in the bait al-mal. He
said, ‘If you give me permission I will take it, but if not then it is
haram for me.’ They gave him permission.
He narrated that Salim ibn ‘Abdullah said that ‘Umar used to
insert his hand into the saddle sore of his camel and say, ‘I fear that I
will be asked about what is (wrong) with you.’
He narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: When ‘Umar meant to forbid
people from some wrong action, he would come to his family and say, ‘If I
come to know of anyone who becomes involved in something I have
forbidden, I will double the punishment for him.’
We have narrated in more than one way that ‘Umar ibn
al-Khattab went out one night to patrol Madinah – and he used to do that
a lot – when he came upon one of the women of the Arabs whose door was
bolted against her (locking her in) and she was saying:
‘This night, whose stars creep slowly, is wearisome and makes me sleepless,
Because I have no bedfellow with whom to sport,
For, by Allah, if Allah’s punishments were not feared,
His rights would have been removed from this couch.
However, I fear a Watchful One Who is in charge of our selves
And Whose recorder is not negligent for an instant.
Fear of my Lord and modesty prevent me, and I honour my husband (too much),
That his noble station should be conferred (on another).’
So he (‘Umar) wrote to his governors about military expeditions that no-one should be absent for more than four months.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated from Zadan that Salman said that ‘Umar said to him,
‘Am I a king or a khalifah?’ Salman said to him, ‘If you collect a
dirham from the land of the Muslims, or less or more, then you put it to
an improper use, you are a king, not a khalifah.’ ‘Umar took warning
from it.
He narrated that Sufyan ibn Abi’l-‘Arja’ said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab
said, ‘By Allah, I do not know whether I am a khalifah or a king, for if
I am a king then this is a tremendous matter.’ Someone said, ‘Amir
al-Mu’minin, there is a distinction between the two of them.’ He said,
‘What is it?’ He said, ‘A khalifah does not take except what is due and
he does not use it except in the right way, and you, praise be to Allah,
are like that. The king treats people unjustly, and takes from this one
and gives to that one.’ ‘Umar was silent.
He narrated that Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ‘Umar
mounted a horse and his robe disclosed his thigh. The people of Najran
saw on his thigh a black mole and said, ‘This is the one whom we find in
our Book will exile us from our land.’
He narrated from Sa‘d al-Hari that Ka‘b al-Ahbar said to ‘Umar, ‘We find
you in the Book of Allah at one of the gates of Jahannam preventing
people from falling into it. When you die, they will carry on plunging
into it until the Day of Resurrection.’
He narrated that Abu Mash‘ar said: Our shaykhs told us that ‘Umar said,
‘This matter will not be correct but with the severity that has no
haughtiness in it, and with the gentleness that has no weakness in it.’
Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated in his Musannaf that Hakim ibn ‘Umayr said:
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said, ‘Let not the amir of an army or a raiding
party whip anyone for a hadd punishment until he arrives at Darb (Derbe
near the Cilician Gates, a mountain pass through which the Muslims
passed returning from raids into Byzantine territory) so that the rage
of the shaytan does not carry him to the point that he joins with the
kuffar.’
Ibn Abi Hatim narrated in his tafsir that ash-Sha‘bi said: The Byzantine
Emperor wrote to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, ‘My messengers have come to me
from you claiming that among you there is a tree which is not like
anything else among trees: it produces something like the ears of the
ass, it opens out (to reveal) something like a pearl, it becomes green
so that it is like the green emerald, it reddens until it is like the
red ruby, then later it ripens and matures so that it becomes like the
sweetest honey-cake ever eaten, then later it dries until it becomes a
defence (against want) for the house-dweller and a provision for the
traveller. If my messengers have told me the truth, I can only imagine
that this is one of the trees of the Garden.’ ‘Umar wrote to him, ‘From
the slave of Allah, ‘Umar, the Amir al-Mu’minin, to Caesar, the king of
the Byzantines. Truly your messengers have told you the truth. This
tree, which is with us, is the tree which Allah made to grow over Maryam
when she gave birth to ‘Isa her son. So fear Allah and do not take ‘Isa
as a god apart from Allah, for truly, “The likeness of ‘Isa with Allah
is as the likeness of Adam, He created him from dust, …”’ (Qur’an 3: 59)
to the end of the ayah.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that ‘Umar ordered his governors, so
they recorded their properties, and among them was Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas.
Then ‘Umar shared with them in their properties and took a half and gave
them a half.
He narrated that ash-Sha‘bi said that when ‘Umar used to appoint a governor he would record his property.
He narrated that Abu Imamah ibn Sahl ibn Hunayf said: ‘Umar remained
some time not eating anything at all from the property of the bait
al-mal, until poverty and constriction came upon him in that. He sent
for the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, to seek their advice. He said, ‘I have occupied myself with this
command, so what is fitting for me from it?’ ‘Ali said, ‘The midday and
evening meals.’ ‘Umar took that.
He narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that ‘Umar performed the Hajj in the year
twenty-three (AH) and spent sixteen dinars upon his Hajj. He said,
‘‘Abdullah we have been extravagant with this property.’
‘Abd ar-Razzaq narrated in the Musannaf that Qatadah and ash-Sha‘bi
said: A woman came to ‘Umar and said, ‘My husband stands at night (in
prayer) and fasts during the day.’ ‘Umar said, ‘You have praised your
husband excellently well.’ Ka‘b ibn Sawwar said, ‘She was complaining.’
‘Umar said, ‘How?’ He said, ‘She claims that she has no share in her
husband (in his time).’ He said, ‘If you understood that much, then you
decide between them.’ He said, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, Allah has permitted
him four (wives). So she has one day of every four days, and one night
of every four nights.’
He narrated that Ibn Jarir said: One I trust informed me that ‘Umar, while he was patrolling, heard a woman saying:
‘This night stretches out and is grievous,
and that I have no intimate to sport with makes me sleepless,
For, if it were not for fear of Allah Whom nothing is like,
his rights would have been removed from this couch.’
‘Umar said, ‘What is wrong with you?’ She said, ‘You sent my husband on
an expedition some months ago, and I long for him.’ He said, ‘Do you
mean to do wrong?’ She said, ‘(I seek) the refuge of Allah!’ He said,
‘So restrain yourself; it is only (a matter of) the post to him.’ He
sent a message to him. Then he went to Hafsah and said, ‘I want to ask
you about a matter which concerns me, so dispel it for me. How long does
a woman long for her husband?’ She lowered her head and was shy. He
said, ‘Truly Allah is not shy of the truth.’ She gestured with her hand,
indicating three months, and if that is not possible, then four months.
‘Umar wrote that armies must not be kept on service for more than four
months.
He narrated from Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah that he came to ‘Umar to complain
to him of the treatment he received from his womenfolk. ‘Umar said to
him, ‘We also find that, so much so that when I intend (going out for)
some necessity, she says to me, “You are only going to the girls of Bani
so-and-so to look at them.”’ ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud said to him, ‘Has it
not reached you that Ibrahim, peace be upon him, complained to Allah
about Sarah’s character and it was said to him, “She has been created
from a rib so have the enjoyment of her company as long as you don’t see
in her any unsoundness in her deen.”’
He narrated that ‘Ikrimah ibn Khalid said: One of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab’s
sons went in to see him. He had combed and oiled his hair and dressed
up in the very best clothing. ‘Umar struck him with a whip until he made
him weep. Hafsah asked him, ‘Why did you strike him?’ He said, ‘I saw
that his self had made him conceited, and I wanted to make it (his self)
small for him.’
He narrated from Ma‘mar from Layth ibn Abi Salim that ‘Umar said, ‘Do
not name yourselves with the name al-Hakam (the ruler and judge) nor
Abu’l-Hakam (possessor of judgement) for truly Allah, He is al-Hakam
(the ruler) and don’t call a road a sikkah.’2
Al-Bayhaqi narrated in Shu‘ab al-Iman that ad-Dahhak said: Abu Bakr
said, ‘By Allah, I wish that I were a tree by the side of the road by
which a camel passed, and it took me into its mouth, chewed me,
swallowed me, passed me out as dung, and that I were not a man.’ ‘Umar
said, ‘Would that I were my family’s ram, which they were fattening as
much as seemed right to them, until when I became as fat as could be,
some people whom they love visit them, and they sacrifice me for them,
make some of me into roasted meat, some of me into sun-dried meat, then
eat me, and that I were not a human being.’
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Abu’l-Bakhtari said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab used
to give the khutbah on the minbar. Al-Hussein ibn ‘Ali, may Allah be
pleased with him, stood up before him and said, ‘Come down from my
father’s minbar.’ ‘Umar said, ‘It is the minbar of your father and not
the minbar of my father. Who told you to do this?’ ‘Ali stood and said,
‘By Allah, no-one told him to do this. I will certainly cause you
(al-Hussein) some pain, traitor.’ He (‘Umar) said, ‘Don’t hurt the son
of my brother, for he has told the truth, it is the minbar of his
father.’
Al-Khateeb narrated in Adab ar-Rawi from Malik by his route from Ibn
Shihab that Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman and Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab
narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan were arguing
over a certain question until an onlooker said, ‘They will never reach
an agreement.’ Yet they only separated on the best and most beautiful
terms.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that al-Hasan said: The first khutbah which ‘Umar
delivered, he praised Allah and then said, ‘Right. I have been tested by
you and you have been tested by me, and I have succeeded to the
khilafah, amongst you, after my two companions. Whoever is here present,
we will manage their affairs in person, and whoever is not here with
us, we will appoint over him strong and trustworthy people. Whoever acts
excellently well, we will increase him in excellent treatment, and
whoever acts wrongly we will punish, and may Allah forgive us and you.’
He narrated from Jubayr ibn al-Huwayrith that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may
Allah be pleased with him, sought the advice of the Muslims on the
recording of a register. ‘Ali said to him, ‘Divide up every year what is
collected for you of property, and don’t keep any of it.’ ‘Uthman said,
‘I see much wealth, which is sufficient for the people and if it is not
counted so that whoever takes is distinguished from whoever does not
take, I am afraid that the matter will become confused.’ Al-Walid ibn
Hisham ibn al-Mughirah said, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, I went to Syria and I
saw that its kings had recorded registers and organised the troops, so
record registers and organise the troops.’ He took his advice, and he
called ‘Aqil ibn Abi Talib, Makhramah ibn Nawfal and Jubayr ibn Mut‘im,
who were genealogists of Quraysh, and said, ‘Record people according to
their ranks.’ They recorded them beginning with Banu Hashim, then they
followed with Abu Bakr and his people, then ‘Umar and his people,
according to the order of their khilafahs. When ‘Umar saw it, he said,
‘Begin with the close relatives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, the closest, then the next closest until you place
‘Umar where Allah placed him.’
He narrated that Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab said: ‘Umar recorded the register in al-Muharram of the year 20 AH.
He narrated that al-Hasan said: ‘Umar wrote to Hudhayfah, ‘Give the
people their stipends and their provisions.’ He wrote back to him, ‘We
have done that and a great deal remains.’ ‘Umar wrote to him, ‘It is
their spoils which Allah has given them. It is not ‘Umar’s nor ‘Umar’s
family’s. Divide it up among them.’
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Jubayr ibn Mut‘im said: While ‘Umar was standing
on the mountain of ‘Arafah he heard a man calling out, saying, ‘Khalifah
of Allah!’ Another man heard him, and they were taking provisions for
the way, so he said, ‘What is wrong with you, may Allah split your
uvulas?’ I went towards the man and shouted at him. Jubayr continued:
Then the next morning, I was standing with ‘Umar at al-‘Aqabah (the
major pillar of stones in Mina) and he was stoning it, when there came a
stray pebble and split (the skin on) ‘Umar’s head. I turned that way
and heard a man from the mountain saying, ‘I make it known, by the Lord
of the Ka‘bah, that ‘Umar will not stand in this place after this year,’
and it was the one who had called out among us the day before, and that
disturbed me greatly.
He narrated that ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: At the
time of the last Hajj which ‘Umar performed with the Mothers of the
Believers (the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace), when we returned from ‘Arafah, I passed by al-Muhassab and I
heard a man upon his camel saying, ‘Where was ‘Umar, the Amir
al-Mu’minin?’ I heard another man saying, ‘Here was the Amir
al-Mu’minin.’ He made the camel kneel down upon its breast, then he
raised his voice in a wail saying:
‘Upon you peace from an imam and may the hand of Allah bless that much-rent skin,
Whoever hurries on or mounts the two wings of the ostrich, in order to
overtake what you sent ahead the day before, will be outstripped.
You decided matters, then after them you left behind trials and misfortunes in their sleeves, not yet unloosed.’
That rider did not move and it was not known who he was, and we used to
say that he was one of the Jinn, for ‘Umar came back from that Hajj, was
stabbed by the dagger and died.
He narrated that ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abza said that ‘Umar said, ‘This
authority is among the people of Badr as long as one of them remains,
then it is among the people of Uhud as long as one of them remains, and
among such and such, and such and such, and there is no part in it for a
freed captive, nor the son of a freed captive, nor those who became
Muslims at the Opening (of Makkah to Islam).’
He narrated from an-Nakha‘i that a man said to ‘Umar, ‘Will you not
appoint ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar as khalifah?’ He said, ‘May Allah fight you!
By Allah, I never wanted this of Allah. Shall I appoint as khalifah a
man who did not know how to divorce his wife properly?’
He narrated from Shaddad ibn Aws that Ka‘b said: There was among the
Tribe of Isra’il a king whom, when we remember him we are reminded of
‘Umar, and when we remember ‘Umar we are reminded of him. He had by his
side a prophet who received revelation. Allah revealed to the prophet,
peace be upon him, to say to him, ‘Make your covenant and write your
testament to me, for you are dead after three days.’ The prophet
informed him of that. When it was the third day, he fell down (dead)
between the wall and the couch. He came to his Lord and said, ‘O Allah,
if You knew that I was just in my rule; that when matters differed, I
followed Your guidance; and I was such and such, and such and such, then
increase my life-span until my infant son grows up and my nation
increases.’ Allah revealed to the prophet that, ‘He has said such and
such – and it is true – and I have added fifteen years to his life-span.
That is enough for his infant son to grow up and his nation to
increase.’ When ‘Umar was stabbed, Ka‘b said, ‘If ‘Umar were to ask his
Lord, Allah would definitely let him stay.’ ‘Umar was told about that.
He said, ‘O Allah take me back to You without (my) being powerless and
incapable or blameworthy.’
He narrated from Sulayman ibn Yasar that the Jinn wailed in mourning for ‘Umar.
Al-Hakim narrated that Malik ibn Dinar said: A voice was heard on the
mountain of Tabalah when ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was
killed:
‘Let whoever would weep, weep for Islam,
For they are on the point of being thrown to the ground and (their) appointed time has not been exceeded,
And the world has declined and the best of it has gone, turning its back,
Whoever is sure of the promise has become weary of it.’
Ibn Abi’d-Dunya narrated that Yahya ibn Abi Rashid al-Basri said: ‘Umar
said to his son, ‘Be economical with my shroud, for if there is good for
me with Allah, He will exchange it for me for that which is better than
it. If I have been otherwise, He will strip me and be very fast in
stripping me. Be economical in the grave you dig for me, for if there is
good for me with Allah, He will expand it for me as far as my sight can
reach. If I have been otherwise, He will tighten it upon me until my
ribs interlace. Let not a woman go out with me (to the grave), and do
not attribute to me a purity that I do not have, for Allah has more
knowledge of me. When you go out (with me to the grave) then hasten your
pace, for if there is good for me with Allah, you will send me on to
what is better for me. If I am otherwise, you will throw an evil you
have been carrying down from your necks.’
Section
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that al-‘Abbas said: I asked Allah,
one year after ‘Umar had died, to show me him in a dream. I saw him
after a year and he was wiping the sweat from his brow, so I said, ‘May
my father and my mother be your ransom, Amir al-Mu’minin! How is it with
you?’ He said, ‘This is the time I have just finished. The house of
‘Umar had almost been violently demolished if it had not been that I met
a pitying, compassionate one (Ra’uf Rahim. Note that these are two
names that Allah gave to His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, in the penultimate ayah of Surat at-Tawbah. Ar-Ra’uf ar-Rahim
are names of Allah).’
He also narrated from Zayd ibn Aslam that ‘Amr ibn al-‘As saw ‘Umar in
his sleep and asked, ‘How have you done?’ He asked, ‘When did I leave
you?’ He answered, ‘Twelve years ago.’ He said, ‘I have only finished my
accounting now.’
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Salim ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said: I heard a man
of the Ansar saying, ‘I asked Allah to show me ‘Umar in my sleep, then I
saw him after ten years, and he was wiping sweat from his brow. I said,
‘Amir al-Mu’minin, what have you done?’ He said, ‘Right now I have
finished, and if it were not for the mercy of my Lord I would have been
destroyed.’
Al-Hakim narrated that ash-Sha‘bi said: ‘Atikah bint Zayd ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufayl eulogised ‘Umar, saying:
‘Eye! let your tears and weeping be abundant,
and do not weary over the noble imam.
The fate of the inspired horseman distressed me
on the day of combat and harsh reproach;
The protection of the deen, the helper against fate,
succour of the troubled and the distressed.
Say to the people of hardship and misfortune,“Die! since fate has given us to drink the cup of division and disunion.”’
Those of the Companions who died during his days During the khilafah of ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, those of
the notable companions who died were: ‘Utbah ibn Ghazwan, al-‘Ala’ ibn
al-Hadrami, Qais ibn as-Sakan, Abu Quhafah the father of as-Siddiq, may
Allah be pleased with him, Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubadah, Suhayl ibn ‘Amr, Ibn Umm
Maktum the mu’adhdhin, ‘Ayyash ibn Abi Rabi‘ah, ‘Abd ar-Rahman the
brother of az-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwam, Qais ibn Abi Sa‘sa‘ah one of those
who memorised all of the Qur’an, Nawfal ibn al-Harith ibn ‘Abd
al-Muttalib, his brother Abu Sufyan, Mariyah the mother of the Sayyid
Ibrahim (the son of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, who died in infancy), Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, Mu‘adh ibn
Jabal, Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan, Shurahbil ibn Hasanah, al-Fadl ibn
al-‘Abbas, Abu Jandal ibn Suhayl, Abu Malik al-Ash‘ari, Safwan ibn
al-Mu‘attal, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, Bilal the mu’adhdhin, Usayd ibn al-Hudhayr,
al-Bara’ ibn Malik the brother of Anas, Zaynab bint Jahsh, ‘Iyad ibn
Ghanam, Abu’l-Haytham ibn at-Tayyihan, Khalid ibn al-Walid, al-Jarud the
chief of Bani ‘Abd al-Qais, an-Nu‘man ibn Muqarran, Qatadah ibn
an-Nu‘man, al-Aqra‘ ibn Habis, Sawdah bint Zam‘ah, ‘Uwaym ibn Sa‘idah,
Ghilan ath-Thaqafi, Abu Mihjan ath-Thaqafi, and other Companions, may
Allah be pleased with all of them.
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