The second Caliph and the successor of Hazrat Abu Bakr R.A, Hazrat Umar Farooq R.A was born in 583 and passed away on August 23, 644. Hazrat Umar R.A was a senior companion of Muhammad S.A.W. as well as the father-in-law. In addition to being an accomplished Muslim theologian, he was also noted for his piety and righteousness, qualities that earned him the epithet al-Farooq, which means “the one who identifies and distinguishes” (between right and wrong).
Historians are pretty universal in their conclusion that Hazrat Umar R.A was among the most influential and powerful caliphs in the history of Muslims. As a great equitable ruler and an exemplar of Islamic qualities, he is respected in the Sunni Islamic tradition. He was the one who swore loyalty to Hazrat Abu Bakr R.A as the first caliph and remained the closest adviser until August 634, when Hazrat Abu Bakr R.A, who was nearing the end of his life, chose Hazrat Umar R.A as his successor.
Before Islam
Hazrat Umar R.A. was raised in Makkah by the Banu Adi tribe, which was the community that was in charge of mediating disputes between the various tribes. Both of his parents were members of the Banu Makhzum tribe: his father was Khattab ibn Nufayl, and his mother was Hantama bint Hisham. In his younger years, he spent his time in the fields close to Makkah tending to the camel that belonged to his family. His merchant father had a reputation across his tribe for being incredibly smart.
Hazrat Umar R.A. was capable of reading and writing as a young man, despite the reality that literacy was unusual in the Arabia that existed before Islam. As a teenager, he acquired a love not just for books, and poetry but also wrestling, riding skills, and many forms of combat sports. Hazrat Umar R.A. was tall and physically muscular, being a talented orator, he took over for his father as the chief mediator between the various tribes. He became a merchant like his father and traveled extensively, making multiple trips to Rome and Persia, met a variety of intellectuals, and analyzed Roman and Persian society. Before accepting Islam, Hazrat Umar enjoyed drinking regularly, much like the other tribe people around him.
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Acceptance Of Islam
When Muhammad S.A.W began teaching the message of Islam. Hazrat Umar R.A, like many others in Makkah, was anti-Islam and planned to assassinate Muhammad S.A.W. At the time, Muhammad S.A.W was directing some of his followers to migrate to Abyssinia which made him concerned about the Quraish’s future oneness and he planned to assassinate Muhammad S.A.W.
Historians have recalled one of Hazrat Umar Farooq’s R.A notable accounts in which he considered rejecting Islam and left his house with the purpose of assassinating Muhammad S.A.W. Because Hazrat Umar Farooq R.A heard several rumors about his sister and her husband accepting Islam. The Quraish tribe was divided into sections at times, and Hazrat Umar Farooq R.A desired harmony and unity among the Quraish. But when he learned that even his sister had converted to Islam, he proceeded to ascertain the authenticity of the allegations. When he arrived at his sister’s house, she was reciting Holy Quran verses, and he requested her to describe what she was reading from the Holy Qur’an. When she delivered a few verses from the Quran, they captivated the courageous person of the Quraish tribe and led him to adopt Islam.
Previously, Quraish circulated rumors that Muhammad S.A.W. was a poet or a magician. When Hazrat Umar Farooq R.A went to see Muhammad S.A.W he discovered that Muhammad S.A.W is neither a poet nor a magician. He discovered Hazrat Muhammad S.A.W. to be a true messenger of Allah The almighty.
Hazrat Muhammad S.A.W’ Dua for Umar
On the way to murder Muhammad S.A.W, Hazrat Umar R.A’s friend Khabbab R.A (who was also secretly converted to Islam) informed him about his sister and brother-in-law who believes in Muhammad’s S.A.W prophecy and had accepted Islam. He later told Hazrat Umar R.A that Muhammad S.A.W prayed to convert either Abu Jihel or you to Islam. Perhaps Allah and Muhammad S.A.W love you the most.
After Converting to Islam
At the time of his conversion to Islam, Umar ibn al Khattab was an experienced adult man between the ages of thirty and thirty-five. Following Hazrat Umar’s acceptance of Islam, the religion obtained a fresh source of power, and Muslims were motivated to fight against the pagan religions. They were able to come out of their hiding places and pray freely within the confines of the Kaaba, or rather, he personally took them out of their hiding places, and they were no longer terrified of Abu Jahl or anyone else. According to these stories, they could now come out of their hiding places and pray freely within the confines of the Kaaba.
The Muslims and the Islamic faith in Mecca were awarded power as a result of his decision to convert to Islam. Following the occurrence of this incident, Muslims were finally able to pray publicly in the Masjid al-Haram for the first time.
The Successor of the Hazrat Abu Bakr R.A
Before his death in 634 CE, Hazrat Abu Bakr R.A nominated him as his successor. Because of his rigid and dictatorial personality, he was unpopular among Medina’s notable members. Hazrat Abu Bakr R.A was well aware of his strength and potential to succeed him. His was one of the easiest power transitions from one ruler to another in Muslim nations, for which he named Hazrat Umar R.A as his successor. He directed Umar through his will to pursue the victories on the Iraqi and Syrian fronts.
Reign (634 – 644)
Umar Ibn al-Khattab R.A, the second of Islam’s Rightly Guided Caliphs, made an enormous contribution not only to the geographical extension of Islam but also to the creation of religious justice and intellectual freedom. His dominion spanned Persia, Egypt, and Anatolia, and he conquered mighty empires such as the Sassanids and the Byzantines. The such quick growth of the Islamic world would be worthy of praise in and of itself, but Umar R.A did not stop there; his goal was not to conquer lands in the name of Islam but to build peace and justice in line with God’s will. Thus, he established the Islamic legal system, reformed the economic system, created a calendar, and brought Muslims together.
Political Justice
Hazrat Umar Farooq R.A created the first department to investigate complaints against state officers. This department served as an administrative court, with him presiding. On discovery of any official controversy, a special department of accountability headed by Muhammad ibn Maslamah would investigate. If the official proved guilty, he was promptly ousted from his office and punished with public humiliation or flogging. Before the appointment, a political officer’s finances were documented and examined annually.
Military Work
Hazrat Umar R.A set up the army as a branch of the government. The Quraish and the Ansars were the first people to use the system. Over time, it was used by all of Arabia and by Muslims in countries that had been taken over. A list of all the adults who could be called up for war was made, and pay rates were set. All men who signed up had to serve in the military.
He put military cantonments in key spots all over the imperial power so that they could respond rapidly and efficiently to any urgent situation and built the towns of Kufa, Busra, and Fustat to serve as military bases.
Social Welfare
Welfare and pension were instituted as types of Zakat (charity tax) by Hazrat Umar R.A in the 7th century. The taxes (Zakat) received in an Islamic government’s budget were used to support the underprivileged, such as the poor, aged, orphans, widows, and the disabled. The state was also required to store food rations in every area in case of an emergency or hunger.
Hazrat Umar R.A Assasination and The Third Caliph
In the decade 644, a Persian slave by the name of Abu Lu’lu’a Firuz was responsible for Hazrat Umar’s death. His reasons for carrying out the murder are unknown; however, records from the middle ages suggest that it was due to a disagreement over taxes with his Arab lord al-Mughira ibn Shu’ba. However, Hazrat Usman R.A was elected as the third caliph by a council that Hazrat Umar R.A had appointed before he passed away.
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