Notes on Umar Ibn al-Khattab's Accomplishments

By Muhammad Hozien  

  1. Abdullah ibn Masood al-Hudhali, He was one of the early Muslims and later moved to al-Kufah. He played a crucial role in the transmission of Hadith to the next generation in al-Kufah, which was the crucible of the earliest Islamic writing and systematization of Islamic legal thinking. See Blankinship, Tabari Vol. XI, P.94 n.522.
  2. G. al-Qarashi, Awliyat al-Farooq fi al-Idara wal-Qada (Beirut, 1990), p.; J. as-Suyuti, The History of Khalifahs Who Took The Right Way (London, 1995), p. 112.
  3. S. Nu’ami, Al-Farooq: Life of Omar the Great (New Delhi, 1992), p. 45; J. as-Suyuti, The History of Khalifahs Who Took The Right Way (London, 1995), p. 112.
  4. Abas Mahmoud al-Aqad, Abqaryat Umar , [The Genius of Umar.] Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi, Beirut, 1969.
  5. There are many works in Arabic which specialize in certain aspects of Umar’s rule. For intstance the Fiqh of Umar, see Dr. Mohammad Rawas Qalaji’s Mawsuat Fiqh Umar bin al-Khatab [The Encyclopedia of the Jurisprudence of Umar bin al-Khatab. ] Maktabat al-Falah, Beirut 1401 A.H. See also Dr. Sulyman Tamawi’s Umar bin al-Khatab wa Isul as-Siyasya wal Idara al-Hadytheea.[Umar bin al-Khatab and the fundamentals of Modern Policy and Administration] Egypt 1967. Prof. Tamawi is a professor of Policy and Administration in Egypt. See also Dr. Ghalib A. al-Qarashi’s Ph.D. Thesis which is listed in the Bibliography. For general poplar works see Ali and Naji at-Tantawi’s Akhbar Umar and Abdullah bin Umar. Dar al-Fikr, Beirut. Also Khalid M. Khalid Khulfaa ar-Rasul, Dar al-Fikr, Beirut. Mahmoud Shalibi’s Hayat Umar, Maktabat al-Qahira, Cairo. Among the popular press books are: M. Saleem’s ahly as-Sumar fi Seerat Umar (Cairo, n.d. 1990?), M. al-Halawi’s Fatawi wa aqdeyat Umar (Cairo, n.d. 1985?), M. as-Sayed’s Sahih at-Tawtheeq fi Seerat wa hayat al Farooq Umar bin al-Khatab (Tanta,1996). For more classical sources see Abul Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi’s Tarikh Umar bin al-Khatab, Damascus, Maktabat as-Salam al-Alamiyah.
  6. S. Nu’ami, Al-Farooq: Life of Omar the Great (New Delhi, 1992)), p. 25
  7. Ibid., p. 21; J. as-Suyuti, The History of Khalifahs Who Took The Right Way (London, 1995), p. 105. Tabari’s Tarikh al-Rusul wa’l-Muluk, vol. 4, p. 195.
  8. S. Nu’ami, Al-Farooq: Life of Omar the Great (New Delhi, 1992)), p. 22.
  9. J. as-Suyuti, The History of Khalifahs Who Took The Right Way (London, 1995), p. 107-108.
  10. Ibid. p. 110. It was this action that he earned the name al-Farooq.
  11. Ibid. p. 113. Ali narrates the story in detail and Umar’s warning: "…whoever wishes to bereave his mother, orphan his children and widow his wife then let him meet me behind this valley."
  12. J. as-Suyuti, The History of Khalifahs Who Took The Right Way (London, 1995), p. 114.
  13. Ibid. p. 120 - 123.
  14. J. as-Suyuti, The History of Khalifahs Who Took The Right Way (London, 1995), p. 54 - 61.
  15. J. as-Suyuti, The History of Khalifahs Who Took The Right Way (London, 1995), p. 117.
  16. Mahmoud S. Khattab, Bayan al-Aqeedah wal-Qiyadah, P. 206.
  17. Apostasy, repudiation of Islam by Arab tribes after the death of the Messenger. It was these outward acts of blasphemy that deserved Military suppression that held the political consolidation of the Early Muslim state whole and united. F. M. Donner, The Early Islamic Conquest (Princeton, 1981), p.85-86.
  18. J. as-Suyuti, The History of Khalifahs Who Took The Right Way (London, 1995), p. 64.
  19. K. Y. Blankinship, The History of al-Tabari: vol. XI, p. 145-153.
  20. Ibid., p.157.
  21. Ibid., see footnote on p.72. One of the great Companions of the Prophet, part of the Qurashi aristocracy, died in 32/653 at the age of Seventy-two.
  22. Third Khalifah of Islam who succeeded Umar.
  23. S. Nu’mani, Al-Farooq: The Life of Omar the great, p. 271-273.
  24. G. al-Qarashi, Awliyat al-Farooq fi al-Idara wal-Qada (Beirut, 1990), p. 94 and p. 564-655. This was a senstive issue for Umar. He had even setup tests to test Judges before appointment and sometimes during the appointment. See p. 612-619. He also had written a set of protocols on the behavior of judges. Ibn Qayiam al-Jawzyah mentions the fact that Umar had written a long letter to Abu Musa al-Ashari in his book al-alam al-Muwqeen an Rabb al-Alymeen (The notable signatories on Behalf of the Lord of the Worlds Vol. 1p. 85-86.
  25. S. Nu’mani, Al-Farooq: The Life of Omar the great, p. 289-308.
  26. G. al-Qarashi, Awliyat al-Farooq fi al-Idara wal-Qada (Beirut, 1990), p. 217.
  27. Ibid., p. 124.
  28. Ibid., p. 124.
  29. Ibid., p. 132.
  30. Ibid., p. 230.
  31. Ibid., p. 210.
  32. Ibid., p. 179.
  33. Tabari’s Tarikh al-Rusul wa’l-Muluk, vol. 4, p. 209.
  34. G. al-Qarashi, Awliyat al-Farooq fi al-Idara wal-Qada (Beirut, 1990), p. 247 he also had separate male from female stations set up.
  35. Tabari’s Tarikh al-Rusul wa’l-Muluk, vol. 4, p. 209.
  36. G. al-Qarashi, Awliyat al-Farooq fi al-Idara wal-Qada (Beirut, 1990), p. 102.
  37. Ibid., p. 115.
  38. Ibid., p. 109.
  39. Ibid., p. 109.
  40. Ibid., p. 303.
  41. Here he had forbidden some people from practicing certain trades without a minimum amount of knowledge. This would later lead to the establishment of guilds for certain trades and skills. The example that the author uses is the butchers. Umar in one incident punished someone by use of the whip for not knowing how to slaughter well. Some of the reports mention that the one punished was abu Loa’la the Magain who would later assassinate Umar. Ibid., p. 239-240.
  42. Ibid., p. 543. The state would pay for the lighting. He also had the Mosques outfitted with straw mats see p. 550. He also was the first to burn incense on Fridays to make the Mosques smell pleasantly for the congregation prayers. See p. 552
  43. Ibid., p. 264.
  44. Ibid., p. 252.
  45. Ibid., p. 258. Lost camels have a special ruling in Islamic jurisprudence as Muslims is not allowed to keep lost camels as is the case with sheep. The logic behind it is that camels are able to take care of themselves and do not need to be looked after. Camels were the mainstay of Bedouins and stolen camels were sometimes the cause of long feuds between tribes which could last generations.
  46. Ibid., p. 222.
  47. Ibid., p. 472. In the enlargement he also made provisions to protect it from floods. He also built a wall surrounding the entire Mosque structure. Regarding the cover of the Kaaba see p. 479. He also enlarged the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina by buying the nearby houses and making major enlargements see p. 512.
  48. Ibid., p. 155- 178. Umar seemed to have held ash-Sham (Greater Syria) in high esteem it is the only place he would visit personally from the newly conquered lands. He would be the one to personally conclude the peace agreement with Jerusalem’s Patriarch. See also at-Tabari’s Tarikh al-Rusul wa’l-Muluk (vol. 3, p. 611) for the details of the discovery of Rock. He would later visit this area three more times.
  49. S. Nu’ami, Al-Farooq: Life of Omar the Great (New Delhi, 1992)), p. 460.
  50. T. W. Arnold, The Caliphate. (New York, 1965), p.33.
  51. By the end of his rule the total area of his conquests was to reach 2,251,030 square miles. S. Nu’mani, Al-Farooq: The Life of Omar the great, p. 209.
  52. F. M. Donner, The Early Islamic Conquest (Princeton, 1981), p. 269.
  53. G. al-Qarashi, Awliyat al-Farooq fi al-Idara wal-Qada (Beirut, 1990), p 303.
  54. Ibid., p.323-328.
  55. Ibid., p. 258 and 289-290.
  56. Tabari’s Tarikh al-Rusul wa’l-Muluk, vols. 3 and 4 the events of Years 14 – 23. This list was taken and summarized from this reference. The English language volume on deals with a small portion of Umar’s time. To keep this paper short the Conquests were only listed and no details were mentioned.
  57. Tabari’s Tarikh al-Rusul wa’l-Muluk, vol. 4, p. 190-194 see also p. 228-229.
  58. Ibid., p. 194.
  59. J. as-Suyuti, The History of Khalifahs Who Took The Right Way (London, 1995), p. 117.
  60. Tabari’s Tarikh al-Rusul wa’l-Muluk, vol. 4, p. 245.

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