UMAR KHATTAB (R.A)
Umar (/ˈuːmɑːr/), also spelled Omar (/ˈoʊmɑːr/; Arabic: عمر بن الخطاب ʻUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb[ˈʕomɑr-, ˈʕʊmɑr ɪbn alxɑtˤˈtˤɑːb], "Umar, Son of Al-Khattab"; c. 584 CE – 3 November 644 CE), was one of the most powerful and influential Muslim caliphs in history.[6] He was a senior companion of the Islamic prophetMuhammad. He succeeded Abu Bakr (632–634) as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate on 23 August 634. He was an expert Muslim jurist known for his pious and just nature, which earned him the epithet Al-Farooq ("the one who distinguishes (between right and wrong)"). He is sometimes referred to as Umar I by historians of Islam, since a later Umayyad caliph, Umar II, also bore that name.
| Umar ibn Al-Khattab عمر بن الخطاب | |||||
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| 2nd Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate | |||||
| Reign | 23 August 634 CE – 3 November 644 CE | ||||
| Predecessor | Abu Bakr | ||||
| Successor | Uthman ibn Affan | ||||
| Born | 584 Mecca, Arabia | ||||
| Died | November 3, 644(aged 59–60) (26 Dhul-Hijjah 23 AH)[2] Medina, Arabia, Rashidun Empire | ||||
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| Tribe | Quraysh (Banu Adi) | ||||
| Father | Khattab ibn Nufayl | ||||
| Mother | Hantamah binti Hisham | ||||
| Venerated in | All of Sunni Islam(Salafi Sunnis honorrather than veneratehim). | ||||
Under Umar, the caliphate expanded at an unprecedented rate, ruling the Sasanian Empire and more than two-thirds of the Byzantine Empire.[7] His attacks against the Sasanian Empire resulted in the conquest of Persia in less than two years (642–644). According to Jewish tradition, Umar set aside the Christian ban on Jews and allowed them into Jerusalem and to worship.[8] Umar was eventually killed by the Persian Piruz Nahavandi (known as ‘Abū-Lū‘lū‘ah in Arabic) in 644 CE.
Early life
Umar was born in Mecca to the Banu Adi clan, which was responsible for arbitration among the tribes.[13] His father was Khattab ibn Nufayl and his mother was Hantama bint Hisham, from the tribe of Banu Makhzum. In his youth he used to tend to his father's camels in the plains near Mecca. His merchant father was famed for his intelligence among his tribe.[14] Umar himself said: "My father, Al-Khattab 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."[15]
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.[16]According to the tradition of Quraish, while still in his teenage years, Umar learned martial arts, horse riding and wrestling. He was tall, physically powerful and a renowned wrestler.[16][17] He was also a gifted orator who succeeded his father as an arbitrator among the tribes.[18]
Political legacy
One writer states that Umar is a political genius and, as an architect of the Islamic Empire, rates him as the 52nd most influential figure in history.[104] Umar was one of Muhammad's chief advisers. After Muhammad's passing, it was Umar who reconciled the Medinan Muslims to accept Abu Bakr, a Meccan, as the caliph.[105] During Abu Bakr's era, he actively participated as his secretary and main adviser.[106] After succeeding Abu Bakr as caliph, Umar won over the hearts of Bedouin tribes by emancipating all their prisoners and slaves taken during the Ridda wars.[107]
He is best known for building up an efficient administrative structure of the empire, that held together his vast realm. He organized an effective network of intelligence, partly a reason for his strong grip on his bureaucracy.[108]
Umar never appointed governors for more than two years, for they might get influence in their county. He dismissed his most successful general Khalid ibn Walid, due to his immense popularity and growing influence that he saw as a menace to his authority.[109]
He would patrol the streets of Medina with a whip in his hand, ready to punish any offenders he might come across. It is said that Umar's whip was feared more than the sword of another man. But with all of this, he was also known for being kind hearted, answering the needs of the fatherless and widows.[110]
Umar's swift imparting of justice against his governors for any misdeeds they commit made even famous powerful governors such as Muawiyah scared of him. Ali ibn Abu Talibduring the later rule of Uthman ibn Affanwanted Uthman to be more strict with his governors saying, "I adjure you by God, do you know that Mu'awiyah was more afraid of Umar than was Umar's own servant Yarfa?"[111]
Under Umar's rule, in order to promote strict discipline, Arab soldiers were settled outside of cities, between the desert and cultivated lands in special garrison towns known as "amsar". Known examples of such settlements are Basra and Kufa, in Iraq, and Fustat south of what would later become Cairo. His goal was to keep his troops separate form settled peoples. His soldiers were forbidden to own land outside of Arabia. There were restrictions on their right to seize buildings and other immovable things usually thought to be prizes of war. Movable spoils were shared to people back to the people of the umma, regardless of their social stratum.[112]
A modern researcher writes about this:[113]
His rule was one of the few moments in the history of Islam where Muslims were united as a single community. Abdullah ibn Masʿudwould often weep whenever the subject of Umar was brought up. He said: "Umar was a fortress of Islam. People would enter Islam and not leave. When he died, the fortress was breached and now people are going out of Islam".[114] Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah before Umar died famously said: "If Umar dies, Islam would be weakened". People asked him why and his reply was "You will see what I am speaking about if you survive."[114] His greatest achievement from a religious perspective was the compilation of the Qur'an.[115] It was Umar who convinced Abu Bakr to compile the Quran into a single book.[50] This was something not done during the time of Muhammad. However, during the Battle of Yamama a great number of the memorizers of the Quran perished in the battle. On the advice of Umar, Abu Bakr tasked Zayd ibn Thabit with the momentous task of compiling the Quran into a single Book.[50]
Military legacy
Along with Khalid ibn Walid, Umar was influential in the Ridda wars.[116]
One strategic success was his fission of the Persio-Roman alliance in 636, when Emperor Heraclius and Emperor Yazdegerd III allied against their common enemy Umar.[citation needed] He was lucky in that the Persian Emperor Yazdegerd III couldn't synchronize with Heraclius as planned. Umar fully availed himself of the opportunity and successfully tackled the situation by inducing the Byzantines to act prematurely.[citation needed] This was contrary to the orders of Emperor Heraclius, who presumably wanted a coordinated attack along with the Persians. Umar did this by sending reinforcements to the Roman front in the Battle of Yarmouk, with instructions that they should appear in the form of small bands, one after the other, giving the impression of a continuous stream of reinforcements that finally lured the Byzantines to an untimely battle.[citation needed]On the other hand, Yazdegerd III of Persia was engaged in negotiations that further gave Umar time to transfer his troops from Syria to Iraq. These troops proved decisive in the Battle of Qadisiyyah.[citation needed]
His strategy resulted in a Muslim victory at the Second Battle of Emesa in 638, where the pro-Byzantine Christian Arabs of Jazira, aided by the Byzantine Emperor, made an unexpected flanking movement and laid siege to Emesa (Homs).[citation needed]
Umar issued an order to invade the very homeland of the Christian Arab forces besieging Emesa, the Jazirah. A three-pronged attack against Jazirah was launched from Iraq. To further pressurize the Christian Arab armies, Umar instructed Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, commander of Muslim forces in Iraq, to send reinforcements to Emesa. Umar himself led a reinforcement from Medina and marched towards Emesa. Under this unprecedented pressure, the Christian Arabs retreated from Emesa before Muslim reinforcements could arrive. The Muslims annexed Mesopotamia and parts of Byzantine Armenia.[citation needed]
After the Battle of Nahavand, Umar launched a full-scale invasion of the Sassanid Persian Empire. The invasion was a series of well-coordinated multi-prong attacks that were based on the principle of isolating and then destroying the target. Umar launched the invasion by attacking the very heart of Persia, aiming to isolate Azerbaijan and eastern Persia.[citation needed] This was immediately followed by simultaneous attacks on Azerbaijan and Fars. Next, Sistan and Kirmanwere captured, thus isolating the stronghold of Persia, the Khurasan. The final expedition was launched against Khurasan, where after the Battle of Oxus River, the Persian empire ceased to exist, and emperor Yazdegerd III fled to Central Asia.[citation needed]
Religious legacy
Sunni views
Umar is remembered by Sunnis as a rigid Muslim of a sound and just disposition in matters of religion; a man they title Farooq, meaning "leader, jurist and statesman", and the second of the rightly guided caliphs. He patched his clothes with skin, took buckets on his two shoulders, always riding his donkey without the saddle, rarely laughing and never joking with anyone. On his ring is written the words "Enough is Death as a reminder to you O' 'Umar".[117] He did not seek advancement for his own family, but rather sought to advance the interests of the Muslim community, the ummah. According to one of Muhammad's companions, Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud:
Shia views
Umar is viewed very negatively in the literature of Twelver Shi'a (as the main branch of Shia Islam[119][120]) and is often regarded as a usurper of Ali's right to the Caliphate. After the Saqifah assembly chose Abu Bakr as caliph, Umar marched with armed men to Ali's house in order to get the allegiance of Ali and his supporters. Sources indicate that a threat was made to burn Ali's house if he refused. But the event ended when Fatimah intervened.[121]According to the majority of Twelver scholar writings, Fatimah, wife of Ali, was physically assaulted by Umar. These sources report that the event caused her to miscarry her child, Muhsin ibn Ali, and eventually led to her death soon after.[122] (see Umar at Fatimah's house). However, some Twelver scholars, such as Fadhlalla, reject these accounts of physical abuse as a "myth",[123] although Fadlallah mentioned that his speech is a probability, not a certain reason to reject that event.[124][better source needed][125][better source needed]
Another Shia sect, the Zaidiyyah followers of Zaid ibn Ali, generally has two views about that. Some branches such as Jaroudiah(Sarhubiyya) don’t accept Umar and Abu Bakr as legitimate caliphs. For instance, Jarudiyya believes that Muhammad appointed Ali ... and believes that the denial of the Imamate of Ali after passing away of Muhammad will lead to infidelity and also it would lead to deviation from the right path.[126] The other view accepts Umar and Abu Bakr as legitimate caliphs, despite their beliefs that they are inferior to Ali.[127] According to al-Tabari (and Ibn A'tham),[128] when asked about Abu Bakr and Umar, Zayd ibn Ali replied: "I have not heard anyone in my family renouncing them both nor saying anything but good about them...when they were entrusted with government they behaved justly with the people and acted according to the Qur'an and the Sunnah.".[129][130]
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