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Hazrat Umar (May Allah be pleased with him): A Brief Introduction
Name And Pedigree: Umar ibn Al-Khattab ibn
Nufayl ibn Abd Al-Uzza ibn Ribah ibn Abdullah ibn Qurt ibn Razah ibn Adi ibn
Ka'b ibn Lu'ay ibn Ghalib ibn Fihr ibn Malik ibn Al-Nadr ibn Kinanah. His
genealogy connects with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the 8th
generation.
Title and Epithet:
Farooq-e-Azam (The Great Distinguisher), Abu Hafs.
Accepting Islam:
Initially, Hazrat Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) was not in favor of
Islam. He used to hurt Muslims until one day when he was going to slay the
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). On the way, he was told that his sister
and her husband had embraced Islam. He turned to their house and found them
reciting the Holy Quran. When he witnessed this, he became furious and started
beating them severely for accepting Islam. However, they said, "We will
never leave the Islamic religion, even if you kill us." Seeing their
determination, he calmed down. He asked for the page of the Holy Quran they
were reciting and recited it himself. Impressed by the Islamic religion, he
embraced Islam at the blessed hands of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
When Hazrat Umar accepted Islam, he performed
Salah with Muslims openly in the Ka'aba. At that time, the number of all
Muslims reached forty, including Hazrat Umar (May Allah be pleased with him).
His Caliphate:
In the month of Jamadi-al-Thani, 13 AH, Hazrat Abu Bakr fell ill. He discussed
his successor with the illustrious companions of the Prophet Muhammad and said,
"I find no one more suitable for the caliphate than Hazrat Umar now."
However, a few companions disagreed with his opinion because Hazrat Umar was
known for his wrathful nature. Then Hazrat Abu Bakr said, "If Allah asks
me about it on the Day of Judgment, I will say, 'O Almighty Allah, I chose only
one from Your slaves who was the most liable for the caliphate.'" After
that, he called Hazrat Uthman Ghani to write a testament.
Peculiarities:
Many verses of the Holy Quran were revealed in favor of Hazrat Umar's opinions,
such as verses about the prohibition of liquor, wearing veils, offering Salah
on Maqam-e-Ibrahim, etc.
His Justice: His justice has been a great example even
now. His justice was equal for everyone, whether they were rich or poor,
leaders or common people. Even non-Muslims accepted his justice. It was a
benefit of his justice that the emotion of true faith and chastity was created
in people during his caliphate. He did justice to himself and applied the same
standards to others as well.
Hazrat Umar and the Hungry Family:
It was midnight. Most people were having sweet dreams, whereas Sayyiduna Umar,
the second Caliph, and his servant Hazrat Aslam (May Allah be pleased with
them) were walking around the city at night to look after their people.
Suddenly, he heard some kids crying and gazed at flames of fire a few feet
away. The caliph's curiosity took them towards the voice to find out the reason
for the crying. The caliph presumed himself guilty, as if he were the one who
made the children cry.
When they approached the cottage where the
crying was coming from, he saw a woman sitting by the oven, surrounded by a few
children. She looked worried and sorrowful. One of the children said to his
mother in a weak voice, "Mother, when will the food be cooked? For how
long will we mortify our hunger? How will we manage to quench our thirst? It
has been days since we had something. Mother, we cannot endure in such
conditions. Please, do something, mother."
Both Sayyiduna Umar and Hazrat Aslam (May
Allah be pleased with them), hiding behind the wall, could hear the
conversation between the child and the mother. The mother heard these painful
words from her little kid and somehow managed to hold back her tears.
"Don't worry, my little prince. Soon, we will have a delicious dinner
together," said the mother while moving her hand into the pot onto the
oven.
"We have been hearing the same for days,
but we don't see anything here to eat," murmured the youngest son.
Hazrat Umar was now unable to hear anymore of
this conversation. He asked the lady for permission to come in. She allowed
him. Hazrat Umar asked the reason why the children were crying. She replied
that they were hungry. "What is there in the pot onto the oven?" he
asked. The lady said, "There is nothing but water boiling in the pot so
that the kids would believe dinner is being cooked and sleep for a while."
These words seemed like arrows shot into the
caliph's kind heart. He retraced his steps and rushed to the official grocery
godown where the edibles were stored. There was a guard at the gate. Seeing the
caliph at this late hour, he was a little shocked. "Ameerul Mo'mineen, is
everything alright? Can I help you?" said the guard.
Hazrat Umar stepped into the warehouse and
filled a sack with flour, ghee, dates, etc. When he was about to pick it up on
his own back, the guard came forward with folded hands and offered to carry it
for him.
Some Great Jobs Done by Hazrat Umar:
·
He established the Islamic treasury.
·
He built courts and set up judges.
·
He dug canals.
·
He built cities and police stations.
·
He had the people agree unanimously on four
Takbirs in funeral prayers.
·
He sentenced a drunk man to be given 80
lashes.
·
He fixed the salary for Imams and Mu'azzins.
·
He established military headquarters.