AI- Farouk Omar Ibn AI-Khattab The Second Caliph ~~, . , By Mohammad Redha Former librarian of Fouad the 1st Library Interpreted by Mohammad Agha DAR al-KOTOB al-ILMIYAH Beirut - Lebanon ~I ,I:a.l Uö~ 4i&J1." ~J~I ~I J.,.J.. ~ ...."ß ."r .>'.,..J .,,1 ~~..J :JUtJ - .::I,,.. ~l 4J.~r .)& 4-i.,,' ·IJ.!-o ."I·~~ ..,..~I ..t+>:.ü 'J~!."I ':'UI"J.-I ..,..1& ~.>! ."I.>-'~I .,l& ~la.J!.,,1 ~~ :l-...+U ~LiJI aäl.~. ~! ~.,..... Copyright © All rights reserved Exclusive rights by DAR .I·KOTOB .1· ILMIYAR Beirat • Leb8DOD. No part of this publication may be translated, reproduced, distributed in any form or by any rneans, or stored in a data base or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ~1 .fiLl1~1b öü.....,J - .-:.:.J ~>:H -':'J~ ~~ .~~I tJL.:. .~):JI J..J : .j1.,aJi ..( ~1\ \ 1"·m, - n1lH - nHV, : ~LiJ WJAL .j~ - -':'J~ \\ - ~~ n :~~ jJ.J.W. DAR al·KOTOB al·ILMIYAH Beirut - Lebanon Address :Ramel al-Zarif, Bohtory sr., Melkart bldg., Ist Floore. Tel. &Fax: 00 (961 I) 60.21.33·36.61.35 -36.43.98 POBox : 11 -9424 Beitut -Lebanon ISBN 2-7451-2270-3 90000> (7 2745 122704 http://www.al-ilmiyah.com.lb/ e-mail: [email protected] [email protected] Introduction 0/ interpreter Omar: Man 0/ right and might Omar Ibn al-Khattab, al-Farouk, the second orthodox Caliph, for whom may Allah's good pleasure is prayed, is truly the strongman who helped Islam extend to an extensive area in the world. During his Caliphate, Islamic fighters conquered the two great powers of Persia and Rome, and the banners of Islam were hoisted high in Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean... He was the fair caliph whose rule prevailed in justice and decisiveness and whose care for people was infinite. Ornar disliked favouritism and bias and showed ability to rule in a right and fair manner. He was lenient when matters required leniency and decisive and strong when things needed to be dealt with so. lt is known that he rejected gifts even for his wife. And he punished the treasurer for he had presented his wife (A'teka) a simple gift!!! The Messenger of Allah, to whom may Allah's Blessings and peace be granted, told hirn: «Even Satan fears you Omarll!». Allah, to whom belong might and majesty, hath responded to the supplication of the Prophet, to whom may Allah's Blessings and peace be granted, and supported Islam by Ornar Ibn al-Khattab. The Prophet besought Allah, Be He exalted. As for taking care of Moslems, Omar was known for spending the night in worshipping and walking around in Medina to inspect the conditions of Moslems people. He repeatedly worked for solving the problems of Moslems and helped the needy; poor families, women, children and elderly. He was the first one to take care of the foundlings and babies; and he 3 considered them the sons of the nation who deserve sympathy. So, he allocated monthly allowances for them. Omar's social policy was really a success. He let people feel sure of peace and stability as the resources of Bait al-Mal (The Moslems Treasury) were invested in their right place. Orientalists described horn as a man who possesses great mental talent and abilities. «He was known for justice, straightforwardness and honesty»; MI'. Washington Irving said. «Simplicity and doing duty were two basic principles cherished by Omar, MI' Moer said in his book «The Caliphate». Omar, for whom may Allah's good pleasure is prayed, was a wise man who gave priority to reason and faith. He also considered toiling and labour as Most important for man to avoid leisure which is the source of corruption, according to hirn. Omar was humble and ascetic in dress and food. He also was simple and true in his behaviour. Ah-Hurmozan, the Persian Commander, was taken prisoner to hirn. When he saw Omar, the Caliph, sleeping to the right of al-Masjed placing his head on his gown, he said: «Where is Omar?». They told him: «Here he is». Al-Hurmozan said: Where are his gaurds and escorts?». They said: «There is neither guard nor escort! He said: «He must be a Prophet! They said: «He is acting like prophets». When Omar sat up he said: «Thanks be to Allah who humiliated this and his folks by Islam». «0, Moslems! Cling fast to this religion and be guided by your Prophet's Sunna (Tradition of sayings and acts). And don't be arrogantby the world. It is vanity. Late in his life, he said: «0, Allah! I have grown old. My strength faltered and my people grew larger. 0, Allah! May thee taketh my soul as I still have sound mind and sound body». Omar said this when he made his last pilgrimage to Mecca. 4 When he went to Medina he addressed Moslems: «0, people! I have opened for you the bright route to lead a true life and left you in a clear situation... It was also reported that Omar had said: «I saw as if a cock had picked me twice. I said it leads me to martyrdom and a Persian shall kill me». Omar liked to die as martyr. And, afterwards, he told Moslems about what he had seen. Abu Lu'lu'a, the assassin of Omar, was the boy of al-Maghira Ibn Shu'ba. He stabbed Omar by a poisonous dagger in the Mosque. He was buried at the tomb of the Messenger of Allah, to whom may Allah's Blessings peace be granted, alongside his predecessor, Caliph Abu Bakr al-Seddeq. In Omar's opinion, Caliphate means consultation (Shura). So, Othman Ibn Affan was the third orthodox Caliph after hirn. Moslems, including Ali Ibn Abi Taleb, gave hirn the pledge of allegiance. Omar, recommended his successor to have strong faith in Allah and to take care of the pioneering immigrants to keep their right and to maintain their dignity. He also recommended him to take care of al-Ansar and the people of the far countries and to do good to them. He considered them the shield of Islam and the wrath for the enemy. He started his recommendation with the Book of Allah. And he died without any hatred against any one. Omar never showed any favouritism or bias to a person to be his successor as Caliph. Omar Ibn al-Khattab, for whom may Allah's good pleasure is prayed, was a true man of right. He also was a true man of might. The word «al­ Farouk» is only one symbol of his great character as a man and as caliph. Mohammad Agha 5 In the Name ofAllah the Gracious Most Merciful Introduction Praise be to Allah Who guided US, thanks to His favour and .generosity, to the grace of Islam, and who bestowed upon us faith in the message of Mohammed, to whom may Allah's blessings and peace be granted, the last of prophets and messengers and the best of His creatures as a whole, the herald of monotheism, the advocate of fraternity and humanity, who defeated the doctrines of polytheism and the defects of paganism by the power of evidence. He also refuted all those unreasonable contenders and repelled the armies of stubborn soldiers by the force of sword and the talent of brain. Allah, by this, granted Hirn the might of brain and the solidness of heart and gave Hirn the grace of elequence and the strength of faith. And He made Caliph's after Hirn the best who protected religion and reunited Moslems. So, in order to fulfil my promise and to carry out my duty towards my community and nation, I hereinafter introduce to readers the third book «Omar Ibn al Khattab», the second orthodox caliph, following my first book «Biography of Mohamed the Messenger of Allah» and then my second book «Abu Bakr al-Seddeq». These books, even they are considered as biographies or interpretations, they remain on the Islamic history because Islam started with the history of the messenger of Allah, and because I did not only write biographies; but also I dealt with the works that had been done at the time of their makers, such as wars, conquests, reforms, beliefs, rules and laws, etc... Moslems gave the pledge of allegiance for Abu Bakr al- Seddeq after the demise of the Messenger of Allah for he was the best immigrants, and the second of two who were at the cave, and the Caliph (Successor) of the Messenger of Allah as Imam before prayers performers. And when Abu 7 Bakr was dying he chose Omar Ibn al-Khattab as his successor saying: «If I met Allah my God and if He asked me about it, I said I made the best of your people as my successor», And he said: «Do you accept whom I make my successar, I swear by Allah, I spared no effort or preferred a relative. I made Omar Ibn al-Khattab my successor... You have to listen to hirn and obey hirn. They said: «We heard and obeyed». Abu Bakr wasn't one of those who had a personal objective when he had chosen Omar for caliphate after hirn. He was aware of men's capabilities and appreciative of them, confident that Omar was the best for Moslems regardless of any other consideration. Omar Ibn al-Khattab, for whom may Allah's good pleasure is prayed, was in full agreement with Abu Baker during his caliphate. But he did not see the sending of Osama's army, as a right decision, first for his young age, second; because the apostates threstened the city and he feared their creeping tacties if the army went out as invaders.