Omar ibn Abdulaziz rahimahullah
Is one of the greatest muslim leaders and scholars as well.
All the historians and shcolars who documented his life mentioned so. Imam athahabi documented some of his sayings about Iman and following the sunnah.
he was considered the fifth kaliphat.
Omar Bin Abdul Aziz did not lay much stress on military glory. He paid greater attention to internal administration, economic development and consolidation of his State. The siege of Constantinople was raised. In Spain, the Muslim armies crossed the Pyrennes and penetrated as far as Toulouse in central France.
His short reign was like a merciful rain which brought universal blessings. One of its special features was that almost all Berbers in Northern Africa as well as the nobility of Sind embraced Islam of their own accord.
Omar Bin Abdul Aziz was a unique ruler from every point of view. The high standard of administration set by him could only be rivalled by the first four Caliphs of Islam.
Umar bin Abdul Aziz was born approximately 50 years after Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)’s death. His mother was the grand daughter of Hadhrat ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (the 2nd Caliph). Born of a royal family, his father was an important figure in the Egyptian provinces and it is reported that his earning was 50 000 pounds annually. ‘Umar lived like a grandee and his food, dress and habits were that of a prince. His lifestyle at the time did not hint towards any of the tasks he would undertake in his later years but he had training in Hadith and Fiqh, was a first-rate Muhaddith, with great authority on Fiqh.
‘Umar was confronted with obstacles of non-Islam brought about by his own immediate family’s elders, where a general moral degeneration had set in all the Muslim countries involving all classes of society. The collective life of the people did not bear any impression of the guidance of the Qur’an and the Sunna. The lives of luxury led by the ruling few and greed had caused many people a grave economic set-back and the levying of undue taxes had made their lives all the more miserable. (Very much like today’s Islam and its ruling elite.)
Such were the conditions when ‘Umar iinherited the throne, when he was 37 years old. He declared that people were not bound, but free to elect anybody they pleased as their Caliph. The people were only willing to elect him as their leader. Straight away he dismissed the false ruling pride, court practices of worldly kings and pledged himself to a simple life of a Caliph. He levelled the royal household to that of the common Muslims and all estates in the possession of the royal family, including his own, were returned to the public treasury. Unlawfully seized property was returned to their rightful owners and ‘Umar’s annual income of 50 000 pounds was reduced to 200 pounds a year. He rejected all monetary reward for his services as Caliph. After setting the house hold affairs in order, he turned to reform the government system and he removed unjust governors and launched a search for righteous men to replace them. He also obliged all despotic government officials to adhere to justice and peace and he abolished all unlawful taxes and re-organised the system of collecting Zakat.
‘Umar granted non-Muslims their rights and privileges under the Shari’ah. He enforced the Islamic principles of equity and fair-play over the shadows of the unjust royal influence. He revived the true spirit of practising the Shari'ah, and arranged for education of the masses. ‘Umar drew attention to the Glorious Qur'an sciences, Hadith and Fiqh and as a result, he succeeded in generating a powerful intellectual movement and eventually produced the four great Imams.
‘Umar enforced total prohibition and discouraged all ease-loving tendencies left from the rule of the monarch. Thus he achieved the purpose for which Islam endeavours to establish its rule: “When we give them authority in the earth, they strive to establish Salat, make arrangements for the collection of Zakat, enforce good and forbid evil.” (22:41)
It is related that during the reign of Waleed, people would meet and talk about buildings and gardens, under Suleiman bin Abdul Malik their main interest was sex, but when ‘‘Umar bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz became Caliph, conditions quickly changed and Salat, Fasting and the Glorious Quran became the popular subjects for conversation.’ Non-Muslims were so impressed that they embraced Islam in thousands, even the neighbouring non-Muslims willingly embraced Islam as well.
‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz was the first Mujaddid of Islam and did work for more than two and a half years to revolutionise life in all its various aspects. The Umayyad's felt threatened by this man that they conspired against him to his death by poisoning him at the young age of 39. He cleansed the social life of the Muslims of the evil influence left by the Umayyad’s and prepared them morally and intellectually to burden the responsibilities of leadership and revival, ‘Umar covered every aspect in reviving Islam. However he remained deficient in one area: he could not abolish the monarchy. (Which today, should be removed from every Muslim state, Insha’Allah?)
Wa Allah A'lam
All the historians and shcolars who documented his life mentioned so. Imam athahabi documented some of his sayings about Iman and following the sunnah.
he was considered the fifth kaliphat.
Omar Bin Abdul Aziz did not lay much stress on military glory. He paid greater attention to internal administration, economic development and consolidation of his State. The siege of Constantinople was raised. In Spain, the Muslim armies crossed the Pyrennes and penetrated as far as Toulouse in central France.
His short reign was like a merciful rain which brought universal blessings. One of its special features was that almost all Berbers in Northern Africa as well as the nobility of Sind embraced Islam of their own accord.
Omar Bin Abdul Aziz was a unique ruler from every point of view. The high standard of administration set by him could only be rivalled by the first four Caliphs of Islam.
Umar bin Abdul Aziz was born approximately 50 years after Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)’s death. His mother was the grand daughter of Hadhrat ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (the 2nd Caliph). Born of a royal family, his father was an important figure in the Egyptian provinces and it is reported that his earning was 50 000 pounds annually. ‘Umar lived like a grandee and his food, dress and habits were that of a prince. His lifestyle at the time did not hint towards any of the tasks he would undertake in his later years but he had training in Hadith and Fiqh, was a first-rate Muhaddith, with great authority on Fiqh.
‘Umar was confronted with obstacles of non-Islam brought about by his own immediate family’s elders, where a general moral degeneration had set in all the Muslim countries involving all classes of society. The collective life of the people did not bear any impression of the guidance of the Qur’an and the Sunna. The lives of luxury led by the ruling few and greed had caused many people a grave economic set-back and the levying of undue taxes had made their lives all the more miserable. (Very much like today’s Islam and its ruling elite.)
Such were the conditions when ‘Umar iinherited the throne, when he was 37 years old. He declared that people were not bound, but free to elect anybody they pleased as their Caliph. The people were only willing to elect him as their leader. Straight away he dismissed the false ruling pride, court practices of worldly kings and pledged himself to a simple life of a Caliph. He levelled the royal household to that of the common Muslims and all estates in the possession of the royal family, including his own, were returned to the public treasury. Unlawfully seized property was returned to their rightful owners and ‘Umar’s annual income of 50 000 pounds was reduced to 200 pounds a year. He rejected all monetary reward for his services as Caliph. After setting the house hold affairs in order, he turned to reform the government system and he removed unjust governors and launched a search for righteous men to replace them. He also obliged all despotic government officials to adhere to justice and peace and he abolished all unlawful taxes and re-organised the system of collecting Zakat.
‘Umar granted non-Muslims their rights and privileges under the Shari’ah. He enforced the Islamic principles of equity and fair-play over the shadows of the unjust royal influence. He revived the true spirit of practising the Shari'ah, and arranged for education of the masses. ‘Umar drew attention to the Glorious Qur'an sciences, Hadith and Fiqh and as a result, he succeeded in generating a powerful intellectual movement and eventually produced the four great Imams.
‘Umar enforced total prohibition and discouraged all ease-loving tendencies left from the rule of the monarch. Thus he achieved the purpose for which Islam endeavours to establish its rule: “When we give them authority in the earth, they strive to establish Salat, make arrangements for the collection of Zakat, enforce good and forbid evil.” (22:41)
It is related that during the reign of Waleed, people would meet and talk about buildings and gardens, under Suleiman bin Abdul Malik their main interest was sex, but when ‘‘Umar bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz became Caliph, conditions quickly changed and Salat, Fasting and the Glorious Quran became the popular subjects for conversation.’ Non-Muslims were so impressed that they embraced Islam in thousands, even the neighbouring non-Muslims willingly embraced Islam as well.
‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz was the first Mujaddid of Islam and did work for more than two and a half years to revolutionise life in all its various aspects. The Umayyad's felt threatened by this man that they conspired against him to his death by poisoning him at the young age of 39. He cleansed the social life of the Muslims of the evil influence left by the Umayyad’s and prepared them morally and intellectually to burden the responsibilities of leadership and revival, ‘Umar covered every aspect in reviving Islam. However he remained deficient in one area: he could not abolish the monarchy. (Which today, should be removed from every Muslim state, Insha’Allah?)
Wa Allah A'lam
