Al-Khulafa ur-Rashideen; the Rightly Guided Caliphs - 2. Sayyidina ‘Umar (radhiAllahu ‘anhu)
“Allah has placed truth upon Umar’s tongue and heart.” ~Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)
Before passing away Sayyidina Abu Bakr (radhiAllahu ‘anhu) nominated Sayyidina ‘Umar (radhiAllahu ‘anhu) as the next caliph.
The conversion of Sayyidina ‘Umar (radhiAllahu Ta’ala ‘anhu) into Islam was in answer to a du’a made by Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), in which RasoolAllah (ﷺ) asked Allah to strengthen Islam with Sayyidina ‘Umar (radhiAllahu Ta’ala ‘anhu). After reading a verse from the Holy Qur’an which his sister & her husband were studying, his heart turned to Islam with Allah’s will. Sayyidina ‘Umar (radhiAllahu ‘anhu) announced his conversion straight away.
“If there were to be a prophet after me it would be ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab.” ~Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)
The most notable feature of Sayyidina ‘Umar’s (RadhiAllahu ‘anhu) caliphate was the vast expansion of Islam. However, the greatness of Sayyidina ‘Umar (radhiAllahu ‘anhu) lies in his quality of rule.
Once a woman brought a claim against Sayyidina ‘Umar (radhiAllahu ‘anhu). When Sayyidina ‘Umar (radhiAllahu ‘anhu)appeared on trial before the judge, the judge stood up as a sign of respect toward him. Sayyidina ‘Umar (radhiAllahu ‘anhu) reprimanded him, saying: “This is the first act of injustice you did to this woman!”
He insisted that his appointed governors live simple lives, keep no guard at their doors and be accessible to the people at all times, and he himself set the example for them. When he was on his deathbed, as a result of being stabbed by a man during salaat, he thanked Allah that the stabber was not a Muslim. Sayyidina ‘Umar (radhiAllahu ‘anhu) was then buried next to the blessed side of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).
