Biography of umar ibn abdulaziz pdf files

UMAR BIN ABDUL AZIZ Naima Sohaib Muslim Heroes series No. 3 Translated by Eman Asif Misbah ã Naima Sohaib Smashwords Edition No part of this book may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, including photocopying, recording, Internet or any storage and retrieval system without prior written permission from the Publisher.

Available in print at Dawah Books Translated from the Urdu book “Tareekh-e-Islam ki Azeem Shakhsiat” by Naima Sohaib Table of Contents Title Page Foreword Umar Bin Abdul Aziz - Introduction Birth and Childhood Awareness and Upbringing Marriage The Governership of Medina Dismissal or Resignation Caliphate The Difference Between Caliphate and Kingship The Fifth Rightly Guided Caliph Caliphate - A Trust The Process of Reforms and the Return of Usurped Wealth Opposition of the Family The Withdrawal of Illegitimate Taxes Careful Selection of Governors and their Accountability Protection of the Rights of Non-Muslim Subjects Regulation of Justice Restoration of Rights of Banu Hashim Improvements of Prisons Revival of Shariah Compilation of Hadith Benevolent Works Conquests Death Distinguishing Traits References About the Author About the Translator Foreword In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Few authentic books are available in English on the subject of Muslim heroes. The ones that are there focus mainly on the Companions of the Prophet (SAW). Petty is known to the general masses about the great personalities who had an impact on millions of Muslims – who came after the Companions.

When I read Naima Sohaib’s publication on Muslim heroes, I realized that it filled a gap. I thought of translating it into English so that all segments of our society contain access to it. The foremost part about this book is that it does not just contain stories of eminent people.

It also focuses on the lessons that we need to learn from these sincere Momins – may Allah have mercy on them. This book has covered 20 Muslim heroes. Each hero is being presented as a separate booklet in English, and this is the third of the series after Ayesha (RA) and Khalid Bin Waleed (RA).

This booklet is about Umar Bin Abdul Aziz – well known as the Fifth Rightly Guided Caliph. In a short span of two and a half years he revived the period of benevolent governance that prevailed during the caliphate of Abu-Bakr Siddique (RA), Umar Farooq (RA), Usman Ghani (RA), and Ali (RA).

Though he could not end the tradition of family rule, he demonstrated what an honest, competent and God-fearing individual could achieve despite all odds and intense rivalry from within the ruling family. This has great lessons for Muslim rulers of all times.

I would like to express gratitude Sana Dossal, Misbah Shakoor, and Sohaib Umar for their assist with the editing and the formatting of this book, Nadeem Siddiqui for the design and my husband for his desire and support.

Eeman Asif Misbah Umar Bin Abdul Aziz The Fifth Rightly Guided Caliph and the Mujaddid (Reformer) of the Second Century Hijri Introduction His name was Umar and his kuniat Abu Hafs. Kuniat is a special name whereby the father is called after a child or a dear one.

Umar Bin Abdul Aziz belonged to the royal family of Banu Umayya. His father was the son of Abdul Aziz Marwan and the prince of the family of Banu Umayya. In 65 Hijri he was appointed the governor of Egypt. He became well known because of his exceptional services as governor.

His mother Umme Asim was the daughter of Asim Bin Umar, the son of Umar Farooq (RA), so she was the granddaughter of Umar (RA), the respected companion of the Prophet (SAW). There is an interesting story behind how the marriage of Asim took place.

One night Umar (RA) was taking a round of Medina as was his usual practice during his caliphate. When he got tired he rested against a wall. From a nearby house, he could perceive a mother ordering her daughter to mix water with the milk that she would exchange the next day.

The lady replied that the Amir ul Mominin (the caliph) had forbidden this practice. The mother insisted that Umar was not show to see what she was doing. Her daughter was swift with her reply, “By Allah! It is not possible that when I am alone I disobey the caliph – because if he is not watching me, Allah certainly is!” Umar (RA) listened to this whole conversation quietly, and was so impressed by the girl that he asked his servant to mark the house and the door.

In the morning, he was told that the miss was not married and her mother was a widow. Umar gathered all his sons together and asked them who needed a wife. He said that he would personally have married this wise girl if he had the desire but since he was old and had no need for a wife, he would like one of his sons to marry her.

His son Asim agreed to this proposal and he and Laila, the milk-girl were married. The mother of Umar Bin Abdul Aziz was the daughter of these two, hence Umar Bin Abdul Aziz was the grandson of Umar (RA) from the maternal side. Birth and Childhood According to authentic traditions, Umar Bin Abdul Aziz was born in Medina in 63 Hijri.

When he was youthful, his maternal grandfather passed away. His mother’s uncle and eminent companion of the Prophet, Abdullah Bin Umar (RA), used to take special care of them. Umar was very attached to his maternal relations.

He often visited Abdullah Bin Umar. When he returned from these visits, he would try to adopt the ways of his great-uncle. His mother Umme Asim used to encourage him in matters of religion. However, she mind it a great a question to reach a high status of the likes of Ibn Umar.

When Umar Bin Abdul Aziz’s father was appointed the governor of Egypt, he called his family there to stand with him. In order to complete his education, Umme Asim while leaving for Egypt left her son in Medina with her uncle Abdullah Bin Umar (RA) at his suggestion.

Abdullah Bin Umar (RA) knew that his grand-nephew was particularly attached to his maternal family. Hence he kept Umar with him. When Umar’s father Abdul Aziz found out about this arrangement, he was delighted. From his childhood, Umar had a streak of nobleness in him.

We find one interesting childhood event in the annals of history. Once he came to Egypt to visit his father. There he got injured when a donkey kicked him which made him fall and he suffered a minor injury on his forehead. When his brother Asbagh found out, he started to laugh.

When his father got annoyed at him for making fun of his brother’s injury, he replied, “I am not happy at his fall, I am happy at the evidence that until now, Umar had all the markings of a righteous man, but he did not have the mark on his forehead.” It was a famous prediction in the tribe of Banu Umayya that among their successors there would be a person who would own a mark on his forehead and he would fill the earth with justice.

Perhaps some saintly person had seen this in a dream. Education and Upbringing Umar Bin Abdul Aziz had memorized the Quran as a child. This was the era when most of the companions of the Prophet (SAW) had left this world, handing over their treasure of information to the Taba’een (next generation after the companions).

Umar was fortunate in that he had exceptionally pious family links on his mother’s side. Abdullah Bin Umar (RA) himself was his teacher; besides that, Swaleh Bin Kaisan (a famous Taba’ee) was his mentor, who took keen interest in his education as well as grooming.

Umar had a passion for dressing skillfully since young age. Once when he was late for prayers, his teacher asked him for an explanation. He replied that he had been busy combing his hair. The teacher was surprised and admonished him for delaying his prayers because of his hair.

Umar’s parents create out about this incident. His father was well aware of his son’s fondness for dressing up. He got Umar’s chief shaved to discourage his inclination towards fashion. Other famous taba’eens like Ubaidullah Bin Utbah and Saeed Bin Musayyeb were also among those who taught Umar.

We can thus assess the caliber of his education in his formative years. By the time he completed his teaching and came to Egypt and Syria, he was considered an eminent scholar. The famous scholar Allama Zahbi writes, “Umar was a notable imam, a fantastic scholar of Fiqh, a vast Mujtahid (one who deduces solutions to new problems according to religious perspective) and was also a great and reliable scholar of Hadith.” Umar now became busy with the different posts he was assigned to in the kingdom and this prevented him from pursuing further his scholarly interests.

Marriage After completing his education, Umar came help to his father in Egypt. In those days, there was a dispute between his father Abdul Aziz and his uncle Abdul Malik, regarding the heir apparent to the throne. Soon after, when Umar’s father expired his uncle Abdul Malik was very regretful about their disagreement.

He cried a lot and called Umar to the capital Damascus, where he treated him like his own son. Also, he arranged his marriage with his beloved daughter Fatima. Fatima was a princess and had led a life of pomp and luxury. Umar’s father had also left an immense fortune for his son.

Both husband and wife had a luxurious lifestyle. Umar was a very fashionable young man. He used to dress in the finest of clothes, ate the leading of delicacies, and rode satisfactory horses. He rarely repeated his clothes.

Some of his nice cloaks cost upto dirhams, which was a lot of cash in those times. According to Rija Bin Hayat, “Umar Bin Abdul Aziz was the most well-dressed man of his period, wearing the best of perfumes and exhibiting a gait of pride.” The Governorship of Medina After the death of Abdul Malik in 87 Hijri, his son Waleed became the caliph and appointed Umar the governor of Medina.

At this period, Umar was merely 25 years old. He reached Medina with his wife and servants with such pomp and show that thirty camels carried their belongings. Although his lifestyle was that of a prince of Banu Umayya, he was against the policy of oppressing the needy to fill the treasury of the state.

The life and contributions of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz. Introduction. Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz was one the superb figures of Islam. He was the Caliph of the Muslim Umma at the turn of the first Islamic century. More than thirteen centuries later, his name lives on to denote piety, fairness and justice. This paper.

When Waleed made him the governor of Medina, he hesitated in accepting the upload. When he was questioned, he replied, “I cannot practice the tradition of increasing the wealth of the state at the expense of the poor!” At this, Waleed sent him a reply saying that he was to govern Medina with justice, even if he did not contribute a single dirham to the treasury.

As soon as Umar became the governor, he stopped the forceful exhortation of taxes from the poor and sent a notice to all the respectable elites that if there was any injustice he was to be notified. Ibn Hakam writes that inspite of his lavish lifestyle, Umar never resorted to earning a living through unlawful means, and never gave any order against the Shariah.

Umar believed in the philosophy of a welfare articulate. Hence he started big projects of social welfare. During his governance, wells were dug in the suburban areas of Makkah and Medina. The roads connecting Makkah, Medina and Taif were reconstructed so that the travelers would be comfortable on their journey.

Another of his significant works was the reconstruction of Masjid-e-Nabvi. Umar realized that the capacity of the mosque was inadequate to accommodate the increasing population, although both Umar (RA) and Usman (RA) had increased the dimensions of the mosque during their caliphate.

Umar asked Waleed for his permission to reconstruct the mosque, which was granted. In a period of three years, the capacity of the Prophet’s mosque was increased manifold and it was reconstructed to give it a face-lift.

Umar himself took part as a worker in the construction. The mosque was beautified, and fountains, arches and ponds were added to its surroundings. Another special characteristic of Umar’s administration of Medina was that he included the scholars of Islam in his decision-making.

He sent a special invitation to ten of Medina’s most esteemed scholars to assist and counsel him in the running of Medina. This was not an use in ostentation but he truly valued the counsel and consultation of these pious and learned men. Umar also asked them to lay down the foundation stone for Masjid-e-Nabvi.

Once Umar sent a messenger to the famous Taba’ee and his mentor, Saeed Bin Musayyeb to question about an issue. The emissary instead of asking about the matter sent the scholar to Umar. When he saw his teacher, Umar was very regretful and told him, “Please proceed back; I will come myself to you to ask your counsel.” Because Umar valued religion so much, the scholars in Medina wished to keep in touch with him.

When Umar left Medina, Saeed Bin Musyyeb raised both hands and prayed for him. Dismissal or Resignation As mentioned earlier, Umar hated any kind of oppression and injustice. That is why he had a firm dislike for the ruler of Iraq, Hajjaj Bin Yusuf, who was notable for his tyrannical and despotic rule.

When Hajjaj intended to visit Medina after performing Haj, Umar wrote a letter to Waleed saying that he would not like Hajjaj visiting Medina. Waleed after reading the letter conveyed the sentiments to Hajjaj and asked him to comply with Umar’s request.

This caused a lot of rancour in Hajjaj’s heart against Umar. According to one tradition, when Umar wrote a letter to Waleed about Hajjaj’s tyrannies, Hajjaj also wrote a letter to Waleed complaining that Umar was giving refuge to the agitators in his domain.

Waleed accepted the perspective of Hajjaj and dismissed Umar from his post. Another tradition tells us that Khubaib, the son of Abdullah Bin Zubair (RA), once did something to anger Waleed, who ordered Umar that Khubaib should be whipped a hundred times.

Until now, in his six years of rule over Medina, Umar had not let Waleed interfere in his domain and had not accepted any unjust organize from him. Whatever the circumstances, it appears that this instruct was carried out.

Khubaib was a weak man physically and the perpetrator was harsh in his punishment. On reaching house, Khubaib could not bear the pain of the injuries and passed away. Upon hearing of Khubaib’s death, Umar collapsed on the floor, and went into intense depression and regret.

Umar did not care for his post or position in the face of such cruelty and resigned from his post. Contradicting this tradition, Ibn Kaseer has stated with confidence that Umar did not resign but he was removed from his position.

Whatever the true situation might be, it is obvious to all that Umar maintained a fair and just rule over Medina during his six years of governorship and became renowned for his piety. After his dismissal, he returned to Damascus, the capital of the Muslim empire.

He stayed with his royal cousins for the next six years and advised them in matters of the mention. First Waleed and later Suleman Bin Abdul Malik would at times act on the consultation given by Umar and at other times do things on their own.

Once Umar and Caliph Suleman had an altercation. Matters worsened to the extent that Umar decided to action to Egypt. But in age, Suleman apologized and admitted that he was most upset at Umar’s plans to move to Egypt. Caliphate In the month of Safar, 99 Hijri, caliph Suleman fell extremely ill.

When he lost all hope of regaining his health, he issued an order to the royal princes to dress up in their finery and appear before him carrying swords. The princes were so young that they could barely handle their dense robes, let alone lift their swords.

When Suleman saw this state of affairs, he was saddened. He consulted the celebrated scholar Rija Bin Hayat. When Rija suggested Umar’s name, the caliph told him, “I will make such a nomination that Satan will have no part to play in it”. Then he proceeded to nominate Umar Bin Abdul Aziz and then Yazeed Bin Abdul Malik after him.

The political wisdom behind nominating the latter was that the caliph could not overlook the clan of Abdul Malik (the ruling Umayyad family). According to another tradition, when Suleman was convinced that he would not survive for long, he wanted to nominate his son Ayub and then Daud for the caliphate.

When he consulted Rija, he told him to select a noble candidate so that Suleman could die peacefully knowing that the caliphate was in able hands. Rija wanted to bring his attention to his cousin Umar. The caliph was still unconvinced about what decision to take.

He asked, “What do you think of my son, Daud?” Rija replied that he was currently committed in a war in Constantinople and there was uncertainty about his return since a grand part of his force had already been killed. Then Suleman inquired about Umar.

Rija was quick to give his acceptance and praised Umar’s pious and noble nature. Thus Suleman nominated Umar Bin Abdul Aziz and then Yazeed as successors. With his own hands, he wrote out the nomination papers. He gathered his entire family around Rija and got their okay for his decision.

After the death of Suleman, Rija hid this information for a while and took a unanimous vote in favour of Umar Bib Abdul Aziz once again so that there would be no dispute later. After the people had pledged their loyalty then he disclosed the news of Suleman’s death.

He then proceeded to read out the nomination orders of the caliph. When the papers were read out, Umar was present in the crowd. He panicked because he had already told Rija to decide against him if the caliph nominated him. Umar approached Rija and beseeched him to take back the nomination orders on account of their friendship and for the sake of Allah.

He did not need to take on such a heavy responsibility. But Rija would not agree with him under any circumstances. With extreme reluctance, Umar stepped onto the pulpit, reciting “Inna lillahi wa inna ilaehi rajioon” (recited at the time of death or sorrow).

Then he spoke out to the people, “By Allah! I never aspired to become the caliph secretly or openly.” Then he gave a sermon in which he proclaimed, “O people! This position has been thrusted upon me without my okay. In this decision, the counsel of the Muslims was not taken.

I release you all from the pledge that you have taken. Choose whoever you will for this post.” The people unanimously replied, “We hold chosen you and we are pleased with you.” The only person to protest against this decision was Hisham Bin Abdul Malik, but he was strongly put down by Rija.

The Difference Between Caliphate and Kingship Before we talk about the challenges to Umar Bin Abdul Aziz and how he faced them, it is necessary to highlight the difference between caliphate and kingship. The cornerstones of caliphate during the times of the rightly guided caliphs were the council of advisors, respect for public opinion and their right to choose their ruler.

The rightly guided caliphs had very high standards of excellence and were very pious people. Their hearts always trembled with the fear of Allah. In matters of justice they did not distinguish between friend and stranger.

They were very careful in spending the wealth of the state treasury. Not a single dirham was spent for undue reasons. Their personal lives were very simple. The insight of the fact that they would be held accountable for their deeds in the Hereafter, particularly with respect to the rights of those governed, made them vigilant and unable to rest peacefully for a available moment.

After the death of Ali (RA), Amir Muaviyah (RA) became the next caliph. He belonged to the family of Banu Umayya. He nominated his son Yazeed after him. This way of nomination was alien to the Muslims. Muaviyah was a companion of the Prophet (SAW) and he had experienced the era of the Prophet (SAW) as well as the glorious rule of the rightly guided caliphs.

Hence after becoming the caliph, he tried to establish his rule on the same foundations as his predecessors. But the nomination of Yazeed changed the caliphate into a kingdom and the trend of dictatorship entered into the Islamic world.

All the special foundations and ground rules laid down by the Prophet (SAW) and his companions were discarded one by one. Firstly, injustice and oppression became the order of the day and the blameless were victimized. The reason for this was that the usual Muslims had no say in the creation of Banu Umayya’s kingdom.

When the system of caliphate fell apart, the people raised a hue and sob and became strong opponents of the tyranny imposed upon them. Hence we see that in the reign of Yazeed, the bloody assassination of Imam Hussain (RA) took place which shook the entire Islamic empire.

Waves of discontent and anger could be felt everywhere. The people started hating Banu Umayya and developed a strong sympathy for the household of the Prophet (SAW) commonly referred to as Ahl e Bait. The government in their sermons started maligning Ali (RA) and his family which further stoked the heat of discontent.

When the supporters of Ali who believed that the caliphate should only reside with the family of the Prophet (SAW) started speaking against the caliphs of Banu Umayya, they were punished severely. Any kind of political opposition was unacceptable and was made a target for persecution.

The Caliph Suleman meted out harsh treatment on the basis of personal enmity and he tortured many famous Muslim generals and honourable persons. The well-known conqueror of Sindh Muhammad Bin Qasim was put to death. Likewise, the mastermind behind the conquest of Spain, Moosa Bin Nusair was targeted for persecution and was badly humiliated (Tariq Bin Ziyad who won the war at Gibralter was a general in Moosa’s Army).

If this wasn’t enough, Banu Umayyah used Hajjaj Bin Yusuf to increase the domination of the ruling family at any cost. He was such a cruel man that he rained stones on the Kabah on one occasion, laid siege to Medina on another occasion and gave orders for the murder of Abdullah Bin Zubair, Saeed Bin Jubair and other pious companions and Taba’een.

Inspite of the magnificent principles of social and economic justice laid down in Islam, the ruling family of Banu Umayya treated the new non-Arab converts in a hostile manner. Not only were they not given their equal rights as fellow Muslims, they were also subjected to unjust policies.

Every fresh governor would impose new taxes on them. During Hajjaj’s governance, they had to pay Jizya as well (a tax imposed on non-Muslims). This went on to such an extent that some converts left the fold of Islam and became rebels. The only purpose of these unjust taxes was to stuff the state treasury with wealth, which had become the personal treasury of the caliph.

The resources of the state were at his discretion to be used for his comfort and to support his luxurious lifestyle. Palaces were constructed for the royal family. The Umayyid Caliphs were so obsessed about their security that when Caliph Waleed went to Medina to inspect the reconstruction job of Masjid-e-Nabvi, the whole mosque was emptied of people before he stepped in.

This system of government was opposed to the essence of Islam and possessed all the bad characteristics of a monarchy. It had not been long since the era of the Prophet (SAW) and his Companions. The masses in general and the scholars, the taba’een and the taba-taba’een in particular hated the nonIslamic practices that had filtered in the caliphate.

But the powerful ruling family was so brutal that they ruthlessly suppressed any kind of protest. We have before us the examples of the atrocities committed on Imam Hussain (RA) and Abdullah Bin Zubair (RA). Hence these noble persons for the time being chose to remain silent in the encounter of such extreme persecution.

Umar Bin Abdul Aziz – The Fifth Rightly Guided Caliph This state of affairs was not hidden from Umar Bin Abdul Aziz who used to counsel his cousins heading the caliphate. But his best efforts could not bring a change in their way of governance. Now the burden of the caliphate had fallen on Umar’s shoulders.

It was such a serious burden to bear that at first he wanted to disentangle himself from its clutches. He accepted that people ought to be free to choose their caliph and proposed to resign. The people knew his ethics very well. They had been reluctantly accepting the rule of the tyrannical chiefs of Banu Umayya.

They knew Umar was the best choice among them all. Hence they all voted for the leadership of Umar and did not accept his resignation. Immediately after this election, a group of horses was brought for Umar’s transport. A grand arrangement of tents and decorative floors was prepared for him.

Umar stated that he had no need for all this pomp and show. Then he ordered his servant Mazahim to deposit these in the state treasury. According to the custom, a team of guards started walking with him for his defense.

Umar found this to be very offensive. He told them, “I don’t necessitate you. I am also a Muslim like other Muslims.” Then he went to his residence. H e informed his wife Fatima about his appointment as a caliph. Then he demanded her to deposit all her jewelry and other expensive possessions in the state treasury.

He gave her the option of either living with him or leaving him. Fatima was a princess, but she was a noble person and had a kind and God-fearing nature. Living with a person like Umar had also made an impact on her personality. She agreed to his demand. The next day the family of the deceased caliph, Suleman, sent all the expensive furniture and other stuff to the house of the new caliph.

When Umar found out, he deposited the items into the public treasury. He was presented with pretty slave-girls who were unique in their beauty. On his orders, they were sent back to their families and households Caliphate – A Trust The burden of the caliphate took away any peace of mind that Umar possessed.

He forgot about his wealth, estate and worldly desires. He became so unthinking about these things that his wife Fatima says, “Umar had dedicated himself to the Muslims. He used to think about them all the time. If their grievances were not redressed by evening time, he would continue working late in the night.

When he would conclusion his work, he would request for a lantern, pray two rakats of salat, then he would lower his head in his hands, and tears would fall down his cheeks. He used to cry with such intensity that it would arrive that his heart would burst and he would collapse and die.

Then dawn would show up and he would keep a fast. Sometimes I would move near him and ask if I did not have the same rights on him as I did before. He would tell me to leave him on his own. I used to request him to discuss to me.

He used to reply that he had been made the guardian of this Ummah, that all he could remember was the hungry, the poor, the travelers who had no one to help them, and the innocent prisoners, and the people who had small wealth and such others occupying different territories and different countries.

He would say that he knew Allah (SWT) would doubt him about them, and so would Prophet Mohammad (SAW). He was fearful that Allah would not accept his excuses and the Prophet (SAW) would not listen to his logic.” Umar was aware that the caliphate was not his personal right but a trust given to him by Allah.

He knew that all the wealth accumulated by the ruling family had actually been obtained through tyrannical policies and unfair taxes from the poor people. He felt that as a caliph he should feel the actual pain that the masses were suffering.

It could only be feasible if he came down to their level to assess things. This created a revolution in his life. The same Umar Bin Abdul Aziz whose shawl used to cost dirhams now wore ordinary attire. He used to be displeased at any formal protocol given to him.

Also, he dismissed the custom of sending blessings (durood) on the caliph after the prayers, and stated: “Durood is only reserved for the Prophet (SAW) and prayers should be said for all the Muslims. If I am one of them then I would be automatically included.” The trend that he introduced was a novel one for the family and servants of Banu Umayya.

Once at a funeral a special sheet was laid for Umar to sit on. He removed the sheet with the end of a walking stick and sat with the rest of the Muslims. The Process of Reforms and the Return of Usurped Wealth Umar Bin Abdul Aziz had started the process of change and improvement with his own self.

But a consideration was constantly nagging him. How would all the wealth that had been accumulated in the previous eras by his family members be accounted for? He knew that the properties owned by his relatives had been usurped from others by unfair means.

This was a delicate issue. While expressing his thoughts one day, he said to his servant Mazahim, “There are some estates in our possession over which we have no right. We should not own accepted these properties. Now that the caliphate has come to me, it is incumbent upon me to account for them.” Mazahim inquired what would unfold to his children if he gave away the properties.

Umar replied that Allah would provide them with sustenance. Mazahim discussed this issue with Umar’s son Abdul Malik who was even more pious than his father. He came running to his father and told him to act upon his intention and not to worry about them.

Umar Bin Abdul Aziz spoke, “Next Friday there should be a public announcement in the mosque regarding these unlawful properties.” The noble son asked if he was certain that he would be alive till Friday since this temporary life could not be trusted.

He urged that there should be no delay in performing acts of goodness. Umar Bin Abdul Aziz was very pleased with his son’s support on his ruling. Immediately, he made an announcement in the mosque that anyone whose property had been unlawfully seized by Umar’s forefathers could come and reclaim it.

Then he proceeded to return his entire property to the rightful owners, to the extent that he even returned his chime, given to him by Waleed, to the state treasury. Then he gathered his family members together and said, “O Bani Marwan!

You have received a large share of wealth and honour. I think half or two-thirds of the wealth of the Ummah is in your possession.” When his family members became aware of his intention, they lost control of their emotions. They exclaimed, “By God! Till our heads are severed from our bodies, we will not return these estates!” Umar Bin Abdul Aziz replied in an equally loud voice, “By God!

If you don’t accomplish the rightful thing, I will leave you in a wretched state.” After that, he made a speech in the mosque in which he ensured the people that they would receive their properties back. Umar then ordered for the chest containing the documentation of the estates to be brought before him.

Mazahim would read out one document after another and Umar Bin Abdul Aziz would carve them up with a pair of scissors. The most essential issue was that of the area of Fidak, which was under his own control, and the income of most of his family and relatives came from this estate.

This area had specifically been the property of the Prophet (SAW) who used to distribute the earnings to the needy ones in his clan and the clan of Banu Hashim. The Rightly Guided Caliphs had also maintained this order.

In the later Umayyad rule, it was made the personal property of Marwan Bin Hakm. Umar had inherited one portion of this estate through his father and now the other portion also came under his possession as the ruler after the demise of Waleed and Suleman.

Umar Bin Abdul Aziz pronounced, “Rasool Allah (SAW) used to use the land of Fidak for the sake of Allah. The matching was done by Abu Bakr and Umar. When Marwan took over this property by strength, I also chanced to inherit a part of it.

I am depositing this illegally inherited property back in the declare treasury so that it can be used for the equal purpose as it was used in the time of the Prophet (SAW).” He also renounced the land of Yamama and gave it back to the treasury.

Besides depositing his personal cash of 40, dirhams, he surrendered the clothes of his wife and the jewels that he had inherited from her father. His wife Fatima had a slave-girl whom he liked. After becoming the caliph, he asked the slave-girl one afternoon, “How did you come into the possession of Fatima?” She answered that Hajjaj Bin Yusuf had put a penalty on the ruler of Kufa.

She was owned by the ruler who gave her to Hajjaj, and Hajjaj passed her on to Abdul Malik who was the father of Fatima. Umar further asked what was the state of that ruler of Kufa. She informed him that he was dead but that his children were living in a poor condition.

Umar Bin Abdul Aziz summoned the family and returned their possessions including the slavegirl to them. When she was leaving, the slave-girl asked Umar, “What happened to your love for me?” He replied, “It is still there; in fact its intensity has increased.” In the entire Muslim empire, all the rulers and governors were advised that illegal properties were to be returned to their rightful heirs.

When this mission was embarked upon, the treasury of Iraq became empty. The salaries given to Banu Umayya were discontinued. Also, the custom of giving allowances and expensive gifts to the favourites of the caliphs was also put to an finish.

Opposition of the Family The clan of Banu Umayya did not imagine in their wildest dreams that a man of their own family would proclaim their entire holdings to be illegal and return them to the rightful owners. Further, it was impossible to even reflect that their allowances and salaries would be suspended.

Subsequently, the whole family gathered and decided to send their aunt to knock some sense into her nephew. This aunt had also lost all her privileges, hence she appeared before Umar Bin Abdul Aziz to plead the case of the entire clan and to question the sudden suspension of her income.

Umar replied, “O my dear Aunt! My uncle Abdul Malik and my cousins Waleed and Suleman used to give you allowances from the Bait ul Maal (state treasury). This wealth is not mine. I can donate you a grant from my own possessions.” The aunt inquired how much he possessed.

He replied that he received dirhams annually. His aunt sorrowfully replied that she had no exploit for it (being such a petty amount). Another tradition tells us that Umar asked for a dinar and heated it over a fire. Then he put a morsel of meat on it which burned to a crisp.

Umar said, “O Aunt! Beware that your nephew will meet a similar end!” The aunt went back with a small face to Banu Umayya and told them, “You marry into Umar’s (RA) family and when his offspring turns out to be on the maternal side, you make a hue and cry.

Now be patient.” (Remember that the mother of Umar Bin Abdul Aziz was the granddaughter of second caliph Umar Bin Khattab). After this, Hisham Bin Abdul Malik came to Umar and suggested that he should leave the past alone and should only decide matters that occurred in the present.

Umar replied, “I would judge every matter brought to me according to the Book of Allah, be it current or of the past.” A nephew of Umar sent him a harsh letter and accused him of breaking family ties. Umar replied in equally harsh terms, “If I had enough time I would get every bit of Allah’s property from you people and distribute it amongst the Muslims.

You and your family have been accustomed to oppressing the people for long. By God, you deserve to be made slaves and sold off and your price be distributed among widows and orphans. Even after this you won’t be able to compensate for the excesses you have been perpetuating on the Muslims.” The Withdrawal of Illegitimate Taxes After disposing off the illegal holdings of Banu Umayya, Umar turned his attention to the state treasury.

A grand portion of it was calm by unfair means. Further, the wealth was not distributed according to the Shariah. The destitute and needy often did not benefit from the distribution system. The first step Umar took was to stop the manipulation of the poor in terms of unfair taxes.

He observed that there were too many taxes levied on the masses. There were taxes on melting of silver, submitting applications, shops, houses, windmills and even on marriages. Umar did away with all these taxes which relieved the masses of the crippling burden and they breathed a sigh of relief.

In the days of Hajjaj, Jizya (a tax levied on nonMuslims) was collected from those newly-converted to Islam, in gross violation of Shariah and an unwelcome innovation in the religion. Umar ended this unfair tax. This resulted in people converting to Islam en masse especially in Egypt, causing a heavy depletion of the income of the declare, so much so that the government had to borrow funds to furnish allowances.

When an official complained, he remarked, “The Prophet (SAW) was sent as a guide, not as a tax officer (to exhort taxes from the people).” The strange thing was that despite the reduction in the number of taxes and the leniency showed in their collection, the period of Umar Bin Abdul Aziz exhibited a remarkable increase in the amount collected after the initial period of difficulty.

He himself stated proudly, “May Allah send His curse on Hajjaj; he was incompetent both in worldly and religious matters. Umar Bin Khattab (RA) collected 10 crores 28 lacs from Iraq, Ziyad collected 10 crores 25 lacs, and Hajjaj inspite of his unjust rule netted an amount of just 2 crores 80 lacs from the people.

Despite the scarcity in Iraq, when it came under my command, I collected a sum of 10 crores 24 lacs from there, and if I am alive I will amass an even bigger amount than Umar Bin Khattab.” Umar considered the treasury to be a sacred trust and took precautions to safeguard the interest of the public.

He would accept extra care in spending general money. If a single coin went missing, an inquiry would be carried out. Non-productive government expenses were reduced. When he was asked to increase the budget for stationary for official use, he ordered, “Use your pens thinly and word your letters closely in every line.

Be careful in your expenditure. I do not want to approve of any expense from the state treasury which is of no benefit to the people.” His written orders were also short and concise. All the governors were notified to use small writing and smaller size of paper in arrange to conserve resources.

On a personal level, he was extremely cautious. When doing any personal work, he used to produce sure that his own lantern was used and not the state utilities. When he was offered water for ablution which had been warmed over coals owned by the state, he returned the water.

At times, his servants did not practice much care in these matters. Once his servant brought honey for him while riding an official horse that belonged to the post office. Umar Bin Abdul Aziz sold the honey and deposited the amount in the state treasury.

This caution extended to the members of his household as well. Once his daughter sent him a precious stone and requested that he find a similar one from the state treasury so that she could wear a matching pair of earrings. In response to her request, he sent two embers of heat.

Contrast this cautious approach in personal matters with the sharing demonstrated in spending money for rightful purposes. Lists of the names of the poor were compiled. A special allocation was made for the loan repayments of those deserving.

Allowances were fixed for suckling infants. At many places, food was distributed freely among the poor and the needy. When the funds in the state treasury were employed to relieve the disabled and the needy, within a year the recipients of philanthropy became the donors and the general condition of the masses improved dramatically.

We know through authentic traditions that when officials would go out in seek of deserving people to distribute charity, they could not identify any in this category. Meticulous Selection of Governors and Their Accountability Banu Umayya had not been selective in their option of governors/officials and they had also given them free reign to behave as they wished.

As long as the administrators carried out the orders of the caliph, just or unjust, the ruling family would stay happy with them. They did not care about the shared man suffering under their tyrannical rule. Immediately after becoming the caliph, Umar dismissed three rulers who were known for their oppressive governance, and for giving punishment without due reason.

The entire family of Hajjaj Bin Yusuf was expelled from Yemen and their allies who were at important posts were dismissed. A cruel practice in vogue was the forced reduction in prices of products which were purchased by the government at low prices.

This practice was most prevalent in Persia. Umar wrote to the officials there, “It has come to my knowledge that your subordinates purchase fruits at unjustly low prices and then extort taxes on the fruits from the travelers. If I happen to uncover out that this practice is being carried out with your knowledge or your approval I will not spare you.” While appointing officials Umar Bin Abdul Aziz used to keep certain principles in mind; that they should not be his relatives, that they should not request for the post, that they should not be tyrannical, rather they should be wellversed with the Quran and be devout followers of Islam.

For his personal advisory council he had appointed competent individuals like Rija Bin Hayat, Maimoon Bin Mehran and his pious son Abdul Malik. After selecting the officials, he used to liaise with them regularly. He sent them letters of advice to manual them in their job.

If there were complaints from the subjects against the rulers, he carried out an investigation. Those rulers whose performance was not up to the standard were removed.

To learn more, view our Privacy Policy. To browse Academia. This paper explores the life and attributes of Umar Bin Abdul Aziz, detailing his lineage, governance, and character. It highlights significant events from his early life, his role as a governor, and exemplary traits such as forgiveness and justice, portraying him as a model leader during his caliphate in the Islamic history.

He was not in favour of meting out strict punishments. Rather, he thought they were answerable to Allah for their actions. Protection of the Rights of Non-Muslim Subjects Umar Bin Abdul Aziz paid great attention to the rights of Zimmis (nonMuslim subjects).

Previously no one cared about their life or property. Jizya (tax) was collected from them through unfair means. Umar made the bloodmoney of a non-Muslim equal to that of a Muslim. Any Muslim who usurped the property of a non-Muslim was given strict punishment.

The Biography Of Umar Ibn Abd Al Aziz Dr. Ali Muhammad Sallabi by download 1 file. ABBYY GZ PDF download. download 1.

The officials were instructed not to adopt harsh measures when they went to assemble taxes from them. Measures were taken to provide allowances from the state treasury for the disabled or needy non-Muslims. Their usurped properties were returned to them. Thus they were given a respectable status in the society.

This was reflected in law courts too where the royal family members had to stand side by side with the non-Muslims in hearings. Once Hisham Bin Abdul Malik and on another occasion Muslima Bin Abdul Malik were placed together with a Zimmi in a case hearing to which they both objected.

Umar told them to get a lawyer if they had a problem with standing together with a nonMuslim. Rule of Justice The more advanced a society is, the better its system of administering justice. The rule of commandment is an important indicator of the moral health of a people.

A government cannot be called Islamic if it inherently practices injustice. The Umayyad period saw a decline in moral and economic justice and a good example was the usurping of properties by unfair means mentioned earlier. The Umayyad kings in their time would imprison anyone without a trial about whom they had the slightest suspicion.

Suleman and his appointees used to make their opponents blind, break their hands and feet, imprison them and construct them starve. Hajjaj was known for spilling blood over the minutest of crimes. For Umar bin Abdul Aziz these practices were intolerable.

He discontinued the law of imprisoning without any proof. He also put an end to the barbaric system of giving women as blood-money in exchange for a male. There were some areas where people were kidnapped, enslaved and forced to work for free. Umar abolished this practice altogether.

Restoration of Rights of Banu Hashim Banu Umayya took away the rights enjoyed by Banu Hashim to a large extent. Umar Bin Abdul Aziz made sure that all their privileges were returned to them. To the extent that Fatima Bint Hussain (daughter of Imam Hussain) sent him a letter of gratitude for his kind treatment.

The file will be sent to you via the Telegram messenger. It may take up to minutes before you acquire it. The file will be sent to your Kindle account. It may take up to 1—5 minutes before you acquire it.

Since the beginning of the Umayyad rule, the Friday sermons used to contain contemptuous words against Ali (RA). As soon as Umar became the caliph, he sent an command to all the governors to stop the use of insulting words for the eminent companion of the Prophet (SAW).

He replaced those words with this verse from the Quran: “Allah adjoins justice, kindness and help to relatives, and forbids vulgarity, wrong-doing and tyranny. Maybe you will understand.” This verse is quoted to this day in Friday sermons all over the Muslim world.

Improvement of Prisons It is usual to discover governments who do not protect about the condition of their citizens to be oblivious to the situation in prisons. Before the caliphate of Umar Bin Abdul Aziz, the jails were in a deplorable state of affairs.

Prisoners were treated prefer creatures from another planet. Their basic health, sanitary, nutritional and other needs were completely neglected. To the extent that when they died their shrouds were not arranged. The inmates would collect funds from each other to perform the last rights of a deceased comrade.

Umar Bin Abdul Aziz took a serious view of the situation and advised his governors repeatedly to adopt measures to enhance the condition. He passed orders for the construction of vivid and spacious prison cells instead of the prevalent dreary ones. The governors were responsible for redressing the pleas of the inmates.

Provisions were made for the basic needs of the prisoners. They were to be provided with blankets in the winter season and cool shirts in the summer. Their medical expenses were to be taken care of by the government.

Separate prisons were to be built for the women prisoners. If an inmate died in jail, the state would be responsible for the last rites and burial. Prisoners were to be released from their chains in the night and during prayer times. Thus like other classes of people, the prisoners breathed a sigh of relief during the philanthropic rule of Umar Bin Abdul Aziz.

Revival of Shariah The masses of a country generally follow the example laid down by the rulers. They get influenced by the values that the rulers possess. The Umayyad era was a reign of kingship and royalty. Hence materialism had put in. The main topics of conversation among people were wealth, women and buildings.

The awareness and implementation of Shariah were no longer given prime importance. The first attack was on the Islamic belief system. Instead of focusing on implementation of basic and simple Islamic principles, people began to indulge in arguments and philosophical talk.

When the conversation turned to fatalism, Umar made every effort to turn the people away from this useless discussion. He called Ghailan Damashqi, the one who was stimulating these discussions of fatalism, and asked him to seek forgiveness of Allah. Once a man inquired about a complex issue.

Instead of answering him Umar Bin Abdul Aziz gave him this priceless advice: “Adopt the religion of college children and of bedouins in the desert.” (meaning that simplicity of religious beliefs is required). Besides the beliefs the next hit was performance of religious duties which people started to neglect.

People had begun to ignore the timings of prayers. Umar Bin Abdul Aziz ordered his governors to leave all work at the time of salah, stating “the one who is negligent about prayers is the one who is most negligent about all Islamic duties.” It came to his observe that like in the times of ignorance, women were indulging in wailing and loud mourning over the deceased.

He sent an order to all foremost officials, “I have heard that the women of ignorance indulge in weeping and tearing their hair out over their gone. Stop this kind of mourning at once.” He also sent instructions regarding the rising trend of singing and music, “the non-Arabs used to seek pleasure in activities that Satan had made dear to them.

Prevent the Muslims from indulging in frivolous activities and those who refuse to obey should be chastised with a mild punishment.” Similarly public baths were prevalent in which men and women used to take baths without much care for modesty and dignity.

Umar barred women from entering these public bathrooms and made sure that the men wore a loin-cloth while taking a bath. The walls of the bathrooms used to acquire vulgar pictures on them. Umar Bin Abdul Aziz ordered for such pictures to be erased.

Once he erased some of these paintings himself and stated that if he had acknowledged the name of the painter he would have surely punished him. Besides other frivolities drinking had become a common trend. People would ferment alcohol on the pretext of making Nabeez, a sweet drink.

Then they would get intoxicated and respond in an inappropriate manner. When they were questioned about their behaviour they would feel no shame in acting in an obnoxious manner. Umar took packed measures to eliminate this menace and issued directives to the effect that non-Muslims could no longer bring alcohol to the cities.

The wine shops and cellars were closed down. Compilation of Hadith Umar Bin Abdu Aziz was a scholar and he recognized the value of knowledge. He was afraid that after the eminent scholars would pass away, they would seize the treasure of Ahadith with them.

He ordered the governor of Medina Qazi Abu Bakr to begin the compilation of Ahadith. Once compiled he distributed the same to all parts of the Islamic empire. According to one tradition, piles and piles of Ahadith were recorded.

This was the first endeavor at the government level to compile the existing Ahadith into a collection. Benevolent Works Extensive plans were made in the reign of Umar for the benefit of the poor and the needy. Road inns were built.

Instructions were issued to the effect that whoever passed by these motels should be offered one day of free services and his riding animal should be taken care of. Free food kitchens were arranged to provide food for the needy and the beggars.

The state pastures were opened to the public for the grazing of their animals. Conquests No memorable victories on the battlefield took place during the period of Umar Bin Abdul Aziz. He was one of those rulers whose eyes were constantly on the internal reforms of his empire rather than the expansion of his territory.

However, the excursions which had been pre-planned were completed. During this period Muslims conquered a huge part of Southern France. Umar Bin Abdul Aziz was prosperous not to have internal strife and civil wars during his caliphate.

He hated bloodshed. Even the Kharajites who had created problems for every government remained relatively peaceful. Their presence had always been a threat to every Islamic government. Umar resolved their differences in a conciliatory manner and forbade the employ of arms against them.

The governor of Kufa was instructed not to altercate with them unless the instigation was from their side, and a astute man be appointed to negotiate with them.

Search the history of over billion web pages on the Internet. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. Uploaded by islamic books free on January 21, Hamburger star An icon used to illustrate a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon.

He also invited the leader of the Kharajites to an open forum to consider the opposing viewpoints and said that the argument which had the most weight in terms of truth would be approved. Still, we see that towards the end of Umar’s regulation, the Kharajites again showed their true colours and created dissension and strife.

The ruler of Kufa was given permission to launch an offensive against them but with certain conditions – that no woman, child or prisoner would be killed, the injured would not be chased on the battlefield, the spoils of war that would advance into their hands would be returned to the family of the Kharajites, and the prisoners of war would only be detained till they repented and reformed themselves.

Death The improvements in Umar’s caliphate were gaining momentum when he fell ill in Hijri in the month of Rajab. According to one tradition, his illness was due to natural causes while another tradition tells us that he was poisoned. Umar’s reorganization and reforms had made Banu Umayya very insecure about their future, so they paid one of his slaves a sum of coins to poison him.

This account further tells us that Umar found out about this treachery but instead of punishing the culprits and taking revenge, he merely ordered the amount to be returned to the state treasury. For a limited days, he remained sick. When little hope remained of his recovery, his brother-in-law Muslima Bin Abdul Malik came to him and said, “O Leader of the Believers, you have always kept your children away from the riches and you are leaving them empty-handed.

Before you die, instruct me or someone else about your family.” Umar Bin Abdul Aziz answered, “You want me to leave a will for them. In this issue, my helper and supporter is Allah. If my sons are fearful of Allah, he will provide a way for them and if they indulge in a life of sin, then I don’t want to increase them in sin by leaving them an inheritance.” Then he called his sons and addressed them with tears in his eyes: “May my existence be sacrificed for you, my sons whom I kept in want, in poverty.

But I thank Allah that I am leaving you in a wonderful state. You will never see an Arab or a non-Muslim who would claim any right upon you. My children! Your father had two options before him. One was to opt the life of luxury for you and hell for himself.

The second was to maintain you tight and in wish and he would enter heaven. Your father chose the second option. May Allah keep you in His protection. He will provide for you.” Before he died he recited this Quranic verse repeatedly, “The home in the hereafter is for those who choose not to influence in the earth or produce dissension, and the hereafter is only for the God-fearing.” When he was in the throes of death, he told everyone to leave the room.

Muslima and Umar’s wife Fatima were outside his door. They heard a voice saying, “What blessed faces, which are neither of men nor of Jinns.” Muslima told his sister that Umar must have died. When they went in to check, Umar’s soul had departed from his body.

He died on a Friday, Hijri and at the time he was just 39 or 40 years old. He was buried in the area of Dir Samaan. The duration of his caliphate had been a mere two years and five months. At the hour of his death, Umar Bin Abdul Aziz had eleven sons. He left them an amount of 17 dirhams only, out of which five were spent on his shroud and two on his grave.

Thus he did not even leave one dirham each for his children. Hisham Bin Abdul Malik, who was Umar’s uncle became one of the future caliphs. He also had eleven sons and he left them an inheritance of ten lacs each. But one of Umar’s sons was in later years seen distributing horses in Allah’s way, and out of the sons of Hisham, one was spotted asking for charity.

Hence Allah acknowledged the prayer of Umar regarding the provisions to his children. His Distinguishing Traits Fear of Allah Fear of Allah was the most dominant trait in Umar’s personality. He was always fearful of the wrath of Allah and His divine punishment, and of the fact that the time to do excellent deeds in this life could end any moment.

His wife states, “He wasn’t ahead of others in terms of prayers or fasting, but no one was more God-fearing than him. He used to start shivering in bed when he remembered Allah.” Because of his apprehension he could not sleep at night. When he mentioned this to a companion once he asked the reason, to which Umar replied, “I was thinking about the grave and the condition of people in the grave; if we looked at the dead body three days later, it would be a gruesome sight, worms would be crawling over it, and pus would be coming out.” Saying these words, Umar collapsed out of intense fear.

Umar Bin Abdul Aziz remembered death so frequently that his contemporary Yazeed Bin Khoshab commented, “I possess never known anyone to avoid death more than Umar and Hasan Basri. Looking at their intense fear of death, it seemed as if hell was only designed for the two of them.” Humility and Modesty Humility was another dominant trait in Umar’s personality.

This inherent became prominent after he became the caliph. We find this humility reflected time and again and there are numerous examples. Once when he found people standing in his honour he stated, “O People! If you keep standing I will also have to stand and if you sit then I can also sit.

We should only stand before Allah (in prayers)!” Similarly once when Rija Bin Hayat came to visit him, the flame in the lantern burnt out. A servant was sleeping nearby. Rija asked him if he should wake him up. But Umar asked him to let the servant rest.

Rija suggested that he himself should light the flame. Umar replied that it would be inconsiderate to make a guest perform a chore. Ultimately, Umar got up himself, took some olive oil, and lit the wick. Then stated, “When I got up to perform this task I was Umar Bin Abdul Aziz and when I returned I am still the same.” (meaning to say that this humble task did not reduce his stature).

Once a female slave was fanning him when she dozed off. Umar Bin Abdul Aziz took the fan and gave her the same treatment. When she woke up she was very embarrassed. To which Umar replied, “You are a human like me. I wanted to give you the same comfort as you gave me by fanning you.” Spirit of Forgiveness Umar’s world was full of forgiveness and mercy.

Once he entered the mosque at night. A gentleman was sleeping there. In the darkness, Umar’s feet accidentally tripped over him. The man screamed, “Are you crazy?” Umar simply replied, “No.” His servant wanted to punish this uncouth male instantly but Umar restrained him and explained that the guy had merely asked him if he was mad to which he replied in the negative.

We find another example of his forgiving nature. Once when after hours of hard operate, Umar was getting up for his afternoon nap, a guy approached him with some documents. Because of his carelessness, the file hit Umar’s face. The papers cut his cheek and it started to bleed.

But he still attentively read the person’s application and attended to his need. Patience and Tolerance Umar had the patience of a saint. He experienced a very tough period in his life when his most fit and dearest son Abdul Malik, his favourite brother Sahal Bin Abdul Aziz and his most loyal servant Mazahim died within a short span of occasion.

When people visited him to offer their condolence, they set up him to be patient and grateful. One day a contemporary scholar Rabi came to him to offer his condolence. Hearing his words, Umar bent his neck downwards. The man sitting near Rabi told him that he had upset the Public figure of the Faithful.

To which Umar stated, “By the One who ordained their deaths! I do not wish that these events had not occurred.” He further sent an order throughout the Muslim empire that no mourning shall be done in this regard. Simplicity The changes that took place in the lifestyle of Umar Bin Abdul Aziz after he became a caliph have been touched upon.

He preferred a life of simple living for himself and his family members. The robe that he wore was made of the cheapest cloth and there were patches on his garment. One sheet of cloth would last him for six months. The same would be washed every Friday.

Once he was late for the prayer. When somebody asked him, he explained that his only garment was being washed by his servant and there was no other garment to wear. When he fell ill before his death his brother-in-law Muslima came to inquire about his health.

He noticed that the caliph was wearing a dirty torn shirt. Muslima requested his sister, the wife of Umar, to wash the garment. Next night when he arrived he establish Umar wearing the same shirt. He asked his sister why she had not listened to him, as it was embarrassing in front of people coming to visit him.

She replied that those were the only clothes he had. Similarly, he chose to eat very uncomplicated food. Once one of his servants complained that he was tired of eating the alike pulses every day. Fatima replied that his master also ate the same.

In fact, after his caliphate, he did not even eat heartily. Umar Bin Abdul Aziz was very particular about simple food and earning an honest means of livelihood. One instance demonstrates his viewpoint in this regard. His relatives had come for a stop by and Umar told the prepare not to hurry in the meal.

By mid-afternoon time the guests were very hungry so Umar laid out sattu (a drink) and dates for them. When they had had enough of these two things, the servants brought out the meal. The guests declined because they were full.

[PDF] The Biography of Umar ibn Abd Al-Aziz (رضي الله عنه): This manual describes, among other things, the principles based upon which 'Umar ibn Abd Al-Aziz governed the Muslims during his caliphate: among those principles were mutual consultation, justice, equality among people, and honoring of freedoms.

Umar told them, “Then why do you eat fire?” (meaning to declare that if a simple diet can suffice then why acquire money in the wrong way for lavish meals which would ultimately land a person into hell fire). There was such a paucity of regular domesticated items in his house that an Iraqi woman who had come to ask for stipends for her daughters was amazed.

When she expressed her surprise, Umar’s wife Fatima answered her, “Trying to fulfill the wants of people like you has made our house a desolate place.” Umar would remain working in official work spending prolonged hours until late in the night.

Then when he had time to lie down on the bed, he would recite the verses of the Quran and he used to turn into restless. His wife relates that he was once reciting this verse in prayers, “When people will be spread about enjoy moths and the mountains will be like fluffs of wool” he collapsed again and again out of sheer terror.

Once she thought that he would die on the spot. Umar had reserved a portion of the house for prayers . He used to spend a large part of the nighttime in prayer and woeful distress. He was so punctual about the prayer timings that if the Muazzin (one who calls for the prayers) was a little late in calling the azaan, he would send him a message to remind him of the time for prayers.

Anas relates that he had never seen someone so closely follow the Prophet (SAW) in his prayers as Umar Bin Abdul Aziz. To emulate Rasool Allah (SAW) in the Sunnah acts of worship he would fast on Mondays and Thursdays. Love of the Prophet (SAW) and the Prophet’s Family Umar’s love for Rasool Allah (SAW) was tremendous.

If he establish any memento of the Prophet’s, he would hold it adjacent to his heart. The Prophet (SAW) had given some territory to a companion and he had written an account of it. A person from that family showed the written document to Umar who kissed and held it to his eyes.

His attachment for the family of the Prophet (SAW) and his exemplary treatment towards them stemmed from his love for the Prophet (SAW). Before him, Banu Umayya had treated the family of the Prophet very unkindly. But Umar acted in an altogether different manner.

Once a slave appeared before him with a request. He was from the family of slaves who served Banu Hashim and had come with the purpose of asking for an allowance. When he mentioned the identify of Ali Bin Abi Talib (RA), Umar’s eyes became soggy with tears and he stated that he himself was the slave of Ali.

He further explained that Rasool Allah (SAW) had said that whoever considered him a master also should take Ali (RA) as a master. Then Umar rewarded the slave handsomely for his association with Ali. Similarly once many of members from the clan of Banu Umayya were waiting at his door.

But when Umar first called in the slave of Abdullah Bin Abbas (RA), his cousin Hisham objected, “After doing so much to our family Umar is still not satisfied. Now he lets a slave of Abdullah Bin Abbas walk all over us.” Umar had deep reverence in his heart for Medina because of his love for the Prophet (SAW).

When he left Medina for Syria, he turned back with glistening eyes, and said to his servant Mazahim, “I hope we are not among those people that Medina has spitted out.” This referred to the Hadith of the Prophet (SAW) in which he says that Medina is a furnace that churns out all the filth leaving only the pure behind.

Piety was the cornerstone of Umar’s existence. The reason Umar is superior among the religious and the pious is the fact that kingship had moved him closer to God whereas it moves most people away from God. We hope that on the Time of Judgment Allah will shelter Umar under His shade in the category of Just Kings.

On that fearsome day, there will be no other shade.

Search the history of over billion web pages on the Internet. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. Uploaded by Free Islamic Books on July 16, Hamburger icon An representative used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon.

Muhammad Bin Ma’abud relates that when he appeared before the King of Rome, he found him sitting on the floor in a state of depression. On being asked the reason for his sorrow he answered that the man of piety had died. On further enquiry he pronounced the name of Umar Bin Abdul Aziz.

Then he added, “After Jesus if anyone could revive the dead, it was Umar Bin Abdul Aziz. I am not impressed with the monk who closed his door and left the planet, and got busy in his prayers. I am amazed at the man who was offered the world on a pedestal and he rejected it with disdain.” After the death of Umar Bin Abdul Aziz, Yazeed, the son of Abdul Malik Bin Marwan became the caliph.

Alas, he undid all the good that Umar had done and reversed the reforms made in the system. Hence Umar’s effort to change monarchy into caliphate only lasted until his death. It is said that in the beginning Yazeed tried to follow Umar in his footsteps, but he could not sustain the pressure for more than forty days.

He did not possess the courage, robust will and self-restraint needed to withstand all the difficulties. In the words of Allama Iqbal: The world never had the rule of love The reason is that love is no hypocrite ### Reference books: Seerat Umar Bin Abdul Aziz by Abdus Salam Nadvi Seerat Umar Bin Abdul Aziz by Ibne Abdul Hakam Umar Bin Abdul Aziz by Rasheed Akhtar Nadvi Hazrat Umar Bin Abdul Aziz by Ferozsons Hazrat Umar Bin Abdul Aziz by Abu Hanifa Kashfi Tareekh e Islam by Moeenuddin Nadvi About the Creator Naima Sohaib, 40, is the author of “Tareekh-e-Islam ki Azeem Shakhsiat”, a page book in Urdu about twenty most prominent Muslim scholars, reformists, revivalists and caliphs of the last years, including several from the twentieth century.

The book is written in easy language, punctuated occasionally by pertinent and thought-provoking comments by the author. Naima has a Masters in Islamic Studies from University of Karachi and did her in Mathematics from Lahore College for Women.

She has also authored several storybooks for children. She lives in Bahrain with her husband and four daughters About the Translator Eeman Asif Misbah, 45, is the English translator of the original Urdu book. She converted from Hinduism some years ago after studying Islam for several years.

Her passion to look for knowledge about great personalities of Muslim history led her to the present translation work. She is an avid reader of Islamic books. Eeman is an MBA from Institute of Business Administration, Karachi.

An expert in human resource management and general administration, she worked in the financial sector before her marriage. She lives in Karachi with her husband and two children.