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Umar (Template:Lang-ar-at, c. 581-83 CE– 7 November, 644), also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great was a Muslim from the Banu Adi clan of the Quraysh tribe, and a sahaba (companion) of Muhammad. He became the second Caliph (634–644) following the death of Abu Bakr, and is thus regarded by Sunni Muslims as one of the Rashidun (four (or five) righteously guided Caliphs). Shias however strongly dispute the legitimacy of his caliphate.

Umar was decisive in shaping the political development of the early Islamic state. He was the first to establish the financial institution of the diwan and he also took a title amīr al-mu'minīn,. He regulated the relations of Muslims and dhimmis and incepted the Mawali policy. He expanded the dominion of Arab Muslims into Persia and beyond. The Covenant of Umar has traditionally been ascribed to him.

Both Sunni Muslims and Shi'as agree that Umar was initially opposed to Islam before converting, and Shias reject the legitimacy of his caliphate altogether. But Sunnis view him as a very just, if sometimes harsh, ruler who abided by the Sunnah.

Lineage

'Umar ibn al-Khattab ibn Nufayl ibn Adi ibn 'Abd al-Uzza ibn Riyah ibn 'Abd Allaah ibn Qurth ibn Razah ibn Adi ibn Ka'ab ibn Lu'ay, Abu Hafs al-'Adawi.

Name

Umer, Umar, Omer, or Omar is an Arabic word which is directly corresponding to the English word "life", thus Umer means "who live longer" `Umar ibn al khattab is also referred to as `Umar al-Farūq (meaning: Umar the Distinguisher ). He is regarded by Sunni Muslims as the second of the four Khulafā' ar-Rashīdīn (meaning: rightfully-guided caliphs). In English, his name has also been spelled as Omar or Omer. Tabari said that his title of al-Farooq was given by the Ahl al-Kitāb , while ibn Sa'ad reported from 'Aa'ishah that Muhammad said,

Verily Allah made the truth upon the tongue of 'Umar and on his heart, is al-Faruq

Life

Early life

Umar
Family Family tree of Umar Abdullah ibn Umar (son) Zayd ibn Umar (son) Ubayd Allah ibn Umar (son) Asim ibn Umar (son) Hafsa bint Umar (Daughter)
Views Sunni view of Umar Ten Promised Paradise Shia view of Umar
Related articles Treaty of Hudaybiyya Rashidun Caliph Succession to Muhammad Umar at Fatimah's house Military conquests Reforms (Pact of Umar)
Category Islam portal
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Umar was born in Mecca. On his own admission, Umar claimed that his mother was Hantamah binti Hisham ibn al-Mugheerah older sister of Aboo Jahl ibn Hishām, making Aboo Jahl his uncle, while some Ulema of nasab (genealogy) say his mother was Hantamah binti Hashim ibn al-Mugheerah sister of Hisham ibn al-Mugheerah, making Aboo Jahl son of his uncle . 'Umar was a tall man, the front part of his head was bald, always "A'sara Yusran" (working with two hands) , both his eye's are black, with yellow skin, however, ibn Sa'ad in his book Tabaqat al-Kubra stated that he never knew that 'Umar had yellow skin, except if the people took into criterion a certain part of his life where his color changed because he always eat oil at that part of his life , while ibn 'Abd al-Barr said of this opinion,

This saying is something that must be refuted

Others say he has reddish-white skin. His teeth were "ashnabul asnan" (very white shining). He would always color his beard and take care of his hair using a type of plant . Shia sources mention his illegitimate birth, which is not denied by Sunni sources though since illegitimacy was common in pre-islamic Arabia this is not regarded by the latter as a criticism of Umar's right to be caliph. In his earlier years, he worked as a shepherd and a merchant, growing up in humble surroundings. His father was Khattab ibn Nufayl, who is said to have been an emotional polytheist belonging to a middle class family. Umar was literate, which by some accounts was uncommon in those times, and he was also well known for his temper and physical strength. Umar in his early life and early middle age was just like the rest of Quraysh in that he was a staunch pagan.

Acceptance of Islam

When Muhammad began preaching Islam, `Umar ibn al-Khattāb resolved to defend the traditional, polytheistic religion of Arabia. He was most adamant and cruel in opposing Muhammad and very prominent in persecuting the Muslims. In those days, the early Muslims lived in fear of their life and often did not openly pray at the Kaaba. According to Sunni Muslims it was to overcome this oppression, Muhammad explicitly prayed, 'to strengthen the religion with Umar. According to the most popular Sunni version of the story, recounted in Ibn Ishaq's Sīrah, `Umar was the first man who resolved that Muhammad had to be murdered to finish Islam. On the way to murder Muhammad, Umar met a Muslim who told him to set his own house in order first, as his sister and her husband had converted to Islam. Upon arriving at her house, `Umar found her reciting verses of the Qur'an. After beating her repeatedly, when he listened carefully to the Sura's verses, he was so impressed that he accepted Islam that very day. 'Umar was 27 when he accepted Islam . Following this `Umar went to inform the chief of Quraish, Amr ibn Hishām, about his acceptance of Islam. According to one account, Umar, thereafter prayed openly at the Kaaba as the Quraish chiefs, Amr ibn Hishām and Abu Sufyan ibn Harb reportedly watched in anger. According to the same account, this further helped the Muslims to gain confidence in practicing Islam openly, since it is said that no one dared to interfere with Umar when he was openly praying.

Migration to Medina

`Umar was part of the first migration (Hijrah) to Yathrib (later renamed Medīnat an-Nabī, or simply Medina, which means "the city," in 622. where in Sunni Islam he is regarded as one of two chief advisers to Muhammad, the other being Abu Bakr. However there is little evidence that Muhammad felt the need to have advisers.

In the following years, he participated at the battles of Badr, Uhud, Khaybar, and the raid on Syria, as well as many other engagements. He was one of Muhammad's companions. In 625, `Umar's daughter Hafsah was married to Muhammad.

Caliphate of Abu Bakr

Abu Bakr was chosen as the new leader, the Khalifah, of the islamic community by a group of men gathered in Saqifah Bani Saadah, in Medina, without informing Ali nor any of the other early muslims (apart from Abu Bakr), after Muhammad died in 632. The Muslims who were natives of Medina, the Ansar, had organised this meeting ostracising the Muhajirs, and may have been planning to elect their own leader. This had potential to split the community between the natives of Medina and the immigrants from Mecca, known as the Muhajirun. Abu Bakr and Umar learned of the meeting and abandoned the funeral of Muhammad to lay claims to the caliphate, while the other companions preferred to attend the funeral which was led by Muhammad's immediate family led by Ali. At the meeting Abu Bakr who was a Muhajir (Quraysh), laid his claim to the caliphate on the basis of a closer kinship to Mohammad than the Ansar, the Quraysh being the native tribes of Mecca. Abu Bakr emerged the political victor after up to a day of heated deliberations in which Umar's role was cardinal in reversing the hand of the Ansar by strategically dividing them into their rival tribal factions of Aws and Khazraj and then, in a momemt of initiative, publicly giving his allegiance to Abu Bakr. The Ansar , who were divided, suddenly followed suit rather than let the leader of a rival Ansar tribe gain power, and hence swore allegiance to Abu Bakr who was a Muhajir and hence not an Ansar. Shias view Umar's actions at the Saqifa as political manipulation of the Arabs, while in Sunni Islam it is viewed as testimony to Umar's brilliant political skills, important credentials for a would-be khalifa which he became when he succeeded Abu Bakr whose reign would be brief.

According to the narratives written in the Shia books and notable primary Sunni sources including Ibn Qutayba's Al Imamah Wa'l Siyasa, Tabari's History and Masudi's Muruj Ud Dhahab , following his election to the caliphate, Abu Bakr and Umar with other companions who had gone over to their side went to Fatimah's house to forcefully obtain homage from Ali and those companions who supported him - the same sources report that in this event Umar would viciously beat Fatima, the latter being the female islamic figure with a devotional status equivalent to Mary in catholicism. Umar and Khalid ibn Walid threatened to burn the house down if they did not submit, . They broke in, threw torches inside to gut the house in flames setting it alight knowing fullwell that inside were women and small children in addition to the men. Umar's forcing the front door of the house inwards resulted in trapping Fatimah between the door and an internal wall, breaking her ribs. Umar, who was presumably aware she was pregnant, punched her in the belly, causing an unborn son of her and Ali's called Muhsin to miscarry Muhsin. To what degree these events are accepted by Sunni Muslims is variable. The most detailed recent western research from Madelung seems to accept these events as historical fact. Shia sources clearly accept their veracity. Presumably those Sunni scholars who have recorded them believed in their veracity, and some like Ibne Qutayba wholeheartedly acknowledged in painstaking detail these apparently shocking events in islamic history. Sunni sources generally do not deny the occurrence of these events, though tend not to dwell on them and to play them down. Some Sunni sources like Ibne Qutayba even applaude Umar's behaviour viewing his attack on Ali, Fatima and their children as a necessary method of stamping out resistance to the new caliphate, though it must be remembered that Ibne Qutayba was a hardline official scholar and Judge for the Abbaside caliphate who could not tolerate dissent to the caliph-king nor the system begun by Abu Bakr and Umar that founded the caliphate. This ruthless justification for Umar's attitude to Ali, Fatima and their children can also be found in the responses of modernday Sunni muslims who call for the re-establishment of the caliphate. It is also telling that Umar's principal biographer, the Sunni scholar Shibli Nomani, writes that in view of Umar's frightening temper (for example his beating his own sister some years before for her conversion to Islam), his shocking role in the burning of Fatima's house is quite plausible. According to Mas'udi, they dragged Ali out of the house and pressed Fatima between the door and the wall so forcefully that Muhsin, her unborn son, died of miscarriage. According to several Sunni sources, Umar ordered the beating of Fatimah, some saying Umar personally kicked Fatimah in the stomach, causing her miscarriage others say that he punched her in the belly while she was pregant rather than kicking her in the belly while she was pregnant. In the Sunni version of Ibn Qutayba a crowd gathered and Abu Bakr, who was Umar's ally, while supportive of Umar's political objectives started to weep hysterically and threatened to resign the caliphate unless Umar desisted from his use of physical violence against Fatima who was Muhammad's only surviving child. Shortly after this event Shia sources report that Muhammad appeared in a dream and informed Fatimah, who was just 29 or 30 years of age, that she herself would be passing away shortly therafter. Fatimah informed her husband Ali and asked him not to allow those who had done injustice to her, to be involved in her janazah (prayer performed in congregation after the death of a Muslim) or take part in the burial.

Abu Bakr was Caliph for only a short time. Most of his caliphate was occupied with the Ridda wars, in which tribes who tried to desert the Muslim alliance were brought to heel. Umar was one of his chief advisors. Just before his death in 634, Abū Bakr appointed Umar as his successor.

Umar's Reign as a caliph, including the Mawali Policy

During Umar's reign, the Islamic empire grew at an unprecedented rate, taking Mesopotamia and parts of Persia from the Sassanids (effectively ending that empire), and taking Egypt, Palestine, Syria, North Africa and Armenia from the Byzantines. Many of these conquests followed major battles on both the western and eastern fronts. The Battle of Yarmouk, fought near Damascus in 636, saw a small Muslim army defeat a much larger Byzantine force, permanently ending Byzantine rule south of Anatolia (Asia Minor). A Muslim army achieved victory over a force in the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah (c. 636), near the banks of the Euphrates. During the course of the battle, Muslim general Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas routed the Sassanid army and killed the Persian general Rostam Farrokhzād.

The general social and moral tone of the Muslim society at that time is well-illustrated by the words of an Egyptian who was sent to spy on the Muslims during their Egyptian campaign. He reported:

"I have seen a people, every one of whom loves death more than he loves life. They cultivate humility rather than pride. None is given to material ambitions. Their mode of living is simple... Their commander is their equal. They make no distinction between superior and inferior, between master and slave. When the time of prayer approaches, none remains behind..."

Umar has been heavily criticised for his Mawali policy by Arabs and Arabists . . However great caution has had to be used by academics criticising him owing to his status as a major devotional figure in Sunni Islam. Most criticism has been made of Umar's stringent attempts to prevent non-Arabs converting to Islam, most likely not out of personal racism but to maintain the higher fiscal income the Arabian tribes had become used to. Umar was the first caliph to extend the dominion of the Arab empire into non-Arab lands, so in his defence it may be argued he faced new challenges. His response to the problem of converts to Islam who threatened to dilute the wealth of the Arab masters was the Mawali policy - non-Arabs had to first become token Arabs or clients of an Arab family, if the latter would have them. The non-arab converts (blacks, persians, turks, indians, central asians) and who were all called mawalis, also had to pay the jizya or tax levied upon non-muslims underlining that Umar's motivation was at least partly to favour the finances of the Arab muslims. Further the Mawalis were forbidden from entering Madina the centre of political authority and hence could not have a role in central government. The Mawali policy is regarded as the first semblance of Arab nationalism, with which Umar may be credited as its true founder. The issue of how the expanding and increasingly wealthy sons of the desert would deal with whole non-Arab nations did not raise its head before Umar. Umar's predecessor Abu Bakr had only enjoyed sovereignty over Arabia so the issue of how to deal with non-arab nations was not relevant to him. Umar's successor Uthman continued the Mawali policy.However the Mawali policy was controversial, evinced by the fact that Ali and his successor Al-Hassan banned the Mawali policy and encouraged conversion by non-Arabs. Furthemore the Mawali policy was at odds with the teachings of Muhammad that there was no distinction between Arab and non-Arab. The Umayyad Moawiya however restored Umar's Mawali policy after Ali and Al-Hassan banned it. Under the Umayyad caliphs the Mawali policy continued for almost 100 years.

The Treaty of Umar

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In 637, after a prolonged siege of Jerusalem, the Muslims finally entered the city peacefully following the signing of a treaty by the Patriach of Elya Al-Quds (i.e. Jerusalem) and Umar himself. Several years earlier, the Patriach had announced that he would not sign a treaty with anyone other than the Caliph himself. For this reason, `Umar personally came to Jerusalem after Muslims had established control of all the surrounding territory. According to both Muslim and Christian accounts, `Umar entered the city humbly, walking beside a camel upon which his servant was sitting, due to the reason they shared turns over it and it was his servant's turn when they reached the city. He is said to have been given the keys to the city by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Sophronius, after conducting the peace treaty known as the Treaty of Umar, the English translation of which is provided below:

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Beneficent.

This is what the slave of Allah, Umar b.Al-Khattab, the Amir of the believers, has offered the people of Illyaa’ of security granting them Amaan (protection) for their selves, their money, their churches, their children, their lowly and their innocent, and the remainder of their people.

Their churches are not to be taken, nor are they to be destroyed, nor are they to be degraded or belittled, neither are their crosses or their money, and they are not to be forced to change their religion, nor is any one of them to be harmed.

No Jews are to live with them in Illyaa’ and it is required of the people of Illyaa’ to pay the Jizya, like the people of the cities. It is also required of them to remove the Romans from the land; and whoever amongst the people of Illyaa’ that wishes to depart with their money together with the Romans, leaving their trading goods and children behind, then they selves, their trading goods and their children are secure until they reach their destination.

Upon what is in this book is the word of Allah, the covenant of His Messenger, of the Khulafaa’ and of the believers if they (the people of Illyaa’) gave what was required of them of Jizya.

The witnesses upon this were Khalid ibn Al-Walid, 'Amr ibn al-'As, Abdur Rahman bin Awf and Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan. Written and passed on the 15th year (after Hijrah)

Then Umar asked the Patriach to lead him to the place of the old Jewish Temple. Umar was shocked to find the site covered in rubbish, as the Romans had initiated the custom of using it as a dung heap. `Umar knelt down immediately, and began to clear the area with his hands. When the Muslims saw what he was doing, they followed his example, and soon the entire area of al-Aqsa, approximately 35 acres (14 ha), was cleaned up. Thereafter, commissioned the construction of a wooden mosque on the southern end of the site, exactly where the present-day mosque of Al-Aqsa stands.

`Umar was then led to the sites of the Foundation Stone by a rabbi, Ka'ab al-Ahbar, who had converted to Islam and was his closest advisor after the gravedigger of Mecca Abu Ubayda bin Jarra. The rock was surrounded by a fence, and several years later an Umayyad Khalif built the Dome of the Rock over the site. Under Ka'ab's influence upon Umar the jews enjoyed great freedoms during Umar's caliphate in comparison with the christians, and other religious groups.

Upon taking Jerusalem, `Umar demonstrated the utmost respect for members of the other faiths living in the city. For the first time in 500 years since their expulsion from the Holy Land, Jews were allowed to practice their religion freely and live in the vicinity of Jerusalem. According to the Encyclopaedia Judaica, seventy Jewish families took up residence in the city. `Umar also agreed to several pacts, called the Covenant of Omar, with the local Christian population, determining their rights and obligations under Muslim rule.

As a conqueror, `Umar undertook many administrative reforms and closely oversaw public policy. He established an advanced administration for the newly conquered lands, including several new ministries and bureaucracies, and ordered a census of all the Muslim territories. During his rule, the garrison cities (amsar) of Basra and Kufa were founded or expanded. In 638, he extended and renovated the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) in Mecca and the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet) in Medina. He also began the process of codifying Islamic law. At the same time, `Umar also ordered the expulsion of the Christian and Jewish communities of Najran and Khaibar and forbade non-Muslims to reside in the Hijaz for longer than three days.

As a leader, `Umar was known for his simple, austere lifestyle. Rather than adopt the pomp and display affected by the rulers of the time, he continued to live much as he had when Muslims were poor and persecuted. In 639, his fourth year as caliph and the seventeenth year 17 since the Hijra, he decreed that the years of the Islamic era should be counted from the year of the Hijra.

Narratives from Sunni Islamic literature

According to Sunni tradition, after the siege of Jerusalem, Sophronius welcomed `Umar because, according to biblical prophecies allegedly known to the church in Jerusalem, "a poor, but just and powerful man" will rise as a be a protector and an ally to the Christians of Jerusalem. Sophronius believed that `Umar, a great warrior who led an austere life, was a fulfilment of this prophecy.

In the account by the Patriarch of Alexandria, Eutychius, it is said that `Umar paid a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and sat in its courtyard. When the time for prayer arrived, however, he left the church and prayed outside the compound, in order to avoid having future generations of Muslims use his prayer there as a pretext for converting the church into a mosque. Eutychius adds that `Umar also wrote a decree which he handed to the Patriarch, in which he prohibited that Muslims gather in prayer at the site.

Another story tells of the meeting between `Umar and Hurmuzan, a Persian leader who fought against the Muslims, but later converted to Islam. He found `Umar sleeping on the ground after he had sought him out for battle, and was amazed at his humility and austere lifestyle. The story continues that Hurmuzan declared: "You ruled by justice, therefore you became safe; only because of that, you are now able to sleep peacefully anywhere."

Death

Umar died in 644, the victim of an assassin's dagger. His killer, Pirouz Nahavandi (also known as Abu Lulua) was a Persian Soldier who was in both wars of Jaloola and Nahavand and taken as a captive in the second. Some reports state Firuz (Firuzan) was a christian slave of Umar. It is possible Firuzan was a Zoroastrian as the majority of Iranians were, at the time of Arab occupation of Iran in 7th century. One day when the caliph was leading prayers in the mosque, Pirouz Nahavandi walked over to him and stabbed him. There are varying accounts about the actual events that took place. Other accounts state that Umar was in his private chambers in a compromised position which the slave took advantage of. Some believe that when Pirooz got to Umar he used his dagger to rip his stomach open from below belly all the way to his neck. and then stabbed him in his back as well and some say that he stabbed Umar six times or seven times. `Umar died two days later, and was buried alongside Muhammad and Abū Bakr. Uthman Ibn Affan was chosen as his successor, by a group of people appointed by Umar before his death.

Analysis of the recently found sandstone inscription, determined that it reads: "In the name of Allah/ I, Zuhayr, wrote (this) at the time 'Umar died/year four/And twenty."

'Umar's family

Uncle: Umar ibn Nufayl (citation needed)

Cousin: Zayd ibn Umar

Cousin's daughter: Aatika bint Zayd (citation needed)

Father: Khattab ibn Nufayl

Mother: Hantamah binti Hisham ibn al-Mugheerah

Brother: Zayd ibn al-Khattab

Sister: Fatimah bint al-Khattab

Himself: Umar ibn al-Khattab

Wife: Zaynab bint Mazh'un (at the time of Jahiliyyah)

Son: `Abd Allah ibn `Umar (The Older)

Grandson: Salim ibn Abd-Allah

Daughter: 'Umar buried this daughter of his alive

Son: 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar (The Younger)

Son: 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Umar

Daughter: Hafsa bint 'Umar

Wife: Umm Kulthum bint Jarwila Khuzima (divorced)

Son: 'Ubaid Allah ibn 'Umar

Son: Zayd ibn 'Umar

Wife: Quraybah bint Abi Umayyah al-Makhzumi (divorced, married by Abdulrehman ibn Abu Bakr)

Wife: Umm Hakim bint al-Harith ibn Hisham (after her husband, a former ally of 'Umar and a companion Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl was executed on 'Umar's command Greater Syria, later divorced but al-Madaini says he did not divorce her)

Daughter: Fatima bint 'Umar

Wife: Jamilah bint Ashim ibn Thabit ibn Abi al-Aqlah (from the tribe of Aws)

Son: Asim ibn Umar.

Granddaughter Umm Asim bint Asim.

Great grandson Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, sometimes counted as a fith Rashidun, praised by both Shi'a and Sunnis.

Wife: Atikah bint Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nifayl (former wife of 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abu Bakr married 'Umar in the year 12 Anno hegiræ and after 'Umar was murdered, she married az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam)

Son: Iyaad ibn 'Umar

Wife: It is very controversial whether 'Umar married Umm Kulthum bint 'Ali

. Several Sunni scholars as well as the Shia scholars dispute this marriage to a daughter of his main political rival occurred,especially in view of 'Umar's alleged murder of her mother Fatima, and the marriage may have been a later polemical fabrication

Alleged Son: Zayd ibn 'Umar

Alleged Daughter: Ruqayyah bint 'Umar

Wife: Luhyah (a woman from Yaman who's marital status with 'Umar is disputed, al-Waqidi said that she was Umm Walad, meaning a slave woman)

Son: 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Umar (the youngest 'Abd ar-Rahman while some say the middle 'Abd ar-Rahman from Luhyah)

Wife: Fukayhah (as Umm Walad)

Son: Zaynab bint 'Umar (the smallest child of 'Umar from Fukayhah)

Another son is, az-Zubayr ibn Bakkar, called Abu Shahmah, though from which wife is unknown.

Sunni views

Sunnis remember Umar as a rigid Muslim of stern and potentially aggressive disposition in matters of the religion of Allah, a man they title Farooq, meaning "leader, jurist and statesman", and the second of the rightly-guided Caliphs. He patched his clothes with skin, took buckets on his two shoulders, always riding his donkey without the saddle, rarely laughing and never joking with anyone. On his ring is written the words "Enough is Death as a reminder to you O' 'Umar" . He did not seek advancement for his own family, but rather sought to advance the interests of the Muslim community, the ummah. The general Sunni sentiment for Umar is summarized by one of Muhammad's companions, Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud:

Omar's submission to Islam was a conquest, his migration was a victory, his Imamate (period of rule) was a blessing, I have seen when we were unable to pray at the Kaabah until Umar submitted, when he submitted to Islam, he fought them (the pagans) until they left us alone and we prayed.

Shia Views

Umar is viewed very negatively in Shia literature and is regarded as a traitor to Muhammad, a usurper of Ali's rights, and a murderer. Some Shi'a writers have accused him of killing Muhammad's daughter Fatimah (see Fatimah#Death).

According to the narratives written in the Shia books and a substantial number of primary Sunni histories, following his election to the caliphate, Abu Bakr and Umar with other companions went to Fatimah's house to forcefully obtain homage from Ali and his supporters. Umar and Khalid ibn Walid threatened to burn the house down if they did not submit. They broke in, set fire to the house, resulting in Fatimah's ribs being broken between the broken door and the wall, and she miscarrying an unborn son named Muhsin . According to Mas'udi, they dragged Ali out of the house and pressed Fatima between the door and the wall so forcefully that Muhsin, her unborn son, died of miscarriage. The report that Umar forcefully thrust the handle-end of his sword into one her eyes is only found in Shia sources, unlike the remainder of the narrative. According to some sources including the great Sunni legislators like Ibn Hanbal, Umar ordered the beating of Fatimah, some saying Umar personally kicked Fatimah in the stomach, causing her miscarriage. Shia sources state that Muhammad later appeared in a dream to Fatima - he was cursing some of his companions for betraying Ali and Muhammad's spiritual legacy for the sake of political mastery over the Arabs after him, and he informed Fatima that she would be departing the world shortly thereafter to a better world by his side in Paradise. Fatimah informed her husband Ali and asked him not to allow those who had done injustice to her, to be involved in her janazah (prayer performed in congregation after the death of a Muslim) or take part in the burial. Shia sources maintain Fatima cursed Abu Bakr and Umar, never forgiving them. Some Sunni sources suggest she may have forgiven the former shortly before her departure from the world, though this is vehemently denied by Shias. Both Shia and Sunni sources are united in that Abu Bakr and Umar were banned from her funeral. Fatima was 5 years younger than Ali, and so was probably aged then about 29 or 30. She was buried secretly at night, and left the world either 3 or 6 months after her father. The mystery that surrounds Fatima's place of burial suggests a major controversy centred upon her very shortly after the departure of her father Muhammad, who breathed his last only a few months before his daughter. Fatima's grave is an enigma that endures, for even minor historical figures from the time-period have graves in the City of Madina that are very well-recorded and often marked - in the cemetery of Al-Baqi or in the Prophet's Mosque. It is hence intriguing that the grave of the most important feminine figure in Islam is unknown, especially since the city and its graves and shrines have been under Muslim control over since the time of Muhammad. Shias maintain Fatima was deliberately buried secretly in Madina on her own instructions and those of Ali who buried his wife, so that enquirers in ages to come would become suspicious of the circumstances of her departure from the world and read the historical accounts of the time. Ultimately it is in his calamitous role in what they believe to be the sadistic persecution and murder of Fatima that Umar is most despised in many parts of the Muslim world, yet revered in others as a powerful king, facts which underline the controversy over Umar that exists to this day.

See also

• Ali
• Abu Bakr
• Uthman

Notes

1. Ahmed, Nazeer, Islam in Global History: From the Death of Prophet Muhammad to the First World War, American Institute of Islamic History and Cul, 2001, p. 34. ISBN 073885963X.
2. "Umar" Encyclopedia of Islam. Leiden: Brill, 1993.
3. Tartib wa Tahthib Kitab al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah by ibn Kathir, published by Dar al-Wathan publications , Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1422 Anno hegiræ (2002) compiled by Dr. Muhammad ibn Shamil as-Sulami, page 168, ISBN 979-3407-19-6
4. From way of ibn Sa'ad with a Sahih Sanad sourced from az-Zuhri with the lafaz "News has come to me . . ." Tarikh ar-Rusul wa al-Muluk 4/ 195
5. Tabaqat al-Kubra ibn Sa'd 3/ 270 with sanad and way of al-Waqidi
6. Fath al-Bari 7/44
7. Nasab Quraishi by az-Zubairi 103 and 347
8. Tabaqat al-Kubra 3/ 270 by ibn Sa'ad
9. jamharatu Ansab al-Arab by ibn Hazm page 44
10. al-Isti'ab by ibn 'Abd al-Barr page 1144
11. Lisan al-Arab 4/196
12. Tabaqat al-Kubra ibn Sa'd 3/ 324
13. al-Isti'ab by ibn 'Abd al-Barr page 1146
14. Tabaqat al-Kubra 3/ 324 by ibn Sa'ad
15. Tarikh ar-Rusul wa al-Muluk 4/ 196 by at-Tabari
16. Ahmed, p. 35.
17. Armstrong, Karen, Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet, HarperCollins, 1992, pg. 120. ISBN 0062508865.
18. Nomani, Shibli (2004). `Umar, I.B. Tauris Publishers. ISBN 1850436703. p. 4
19. `Umar ibn al-Khattab ibn Nufayl ibn `Abd al-`Uzza ibn Rayyah
20. Armstrong, p. 128.
21. Tartib wa Tahthib Kitab al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah by ibn Kathir, published by Dar al-Wathan publications , Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1422 Anno hegiræ (2002) compiled by Dr. Muhammad ibn Shamil as-Sulami, page 170, ISBN 979-3407-19-6
22. Armstrong, p. 35.
23. Armstrong, p. 151.
24. The History of Tabari
25. The History of Tabari
26. Madelung, Wilferd (1997). The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate, p. 43. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521646960.
27. Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, History of the Prophets and Kings, vol. 1, p.1118-1120
28. al-Tabari, History of the Prophets and Kings, vol. 9, p.186-187
29. Ali ibn al-Athir, The Complete History, vol. 2, p.325
30. Yusuf ibn Abd-al-Barr, Al-Isti'ab, vol. 3, p.375
31. Ibn Qutaybah, Al-Imama wa al-Siyasa, vol. 1, p.19-20
32. al-Baladhuri, Genealogies of the Nobles, p.252
33. Ibn Hanbal, Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal vol. 3, p. 259
34. Ibn Abed Rabboh, Al-Aqd ul-fareed, vol. 13, p. 5
35. Ibn Abu al-Hadid Sharh Nahju'l-Balagha, vol. 3, p. 351 text
36. al-Mas'udi, Ithbat ul-wasiyyah p.123
37. Ibn Hanbal, Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal vol. 3, p. 259
38. Ibn Abed Rabboh, Al-Aqd ul-fareed, vol. 13, p. 5
39. al-Mas'udi, Ithbat ul-wasiyya p. 123
40. Ibn Qutaybah, Al-Imama wa al-Siyasa vol. 1, p. 19-20
41. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Lisan al-Mizan vol. 1, p. 268
42. Salahuddin Khalil al-Safadi, Al-Wafi bil-Wafiyyat, vol. 5, p. 347
43. al-Shahrastani, Al-Milal wa al-Nihal vol. 1, p. 57
44. Ordoni (1990) p.?
45. Hourani, Albert. A History of the Arab People
46. Chapter 1. Mas'udi The Meadows of Gold Trans. and Eds. Paul Lunde and Caroline Stone
47. G. Levi DellaVida and M. Bonner, Encyclopedia of Islam, and Madelung, The Succession to Prophet Muhammad, p. 74
48. The Holy Sepulchre - first destructions and reconstructions
49. See Occupation of Khuzestan by Muslims
50. Fatwa pertaining to the authenticity of the story
51. http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/11/18/islamic-inscription.html
52. Nasab Qurayshi page 349 by az-Zubayri
53. Nasab Qurayshi page 349 by az-Zubayri
54. al-Isaba fi tamyiz as-Sahaba 8/ 193 by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani
55. Tarikh ar-Rusul wa al-Muluk 4/ 199 by at-Tabari
56. Nasab Qurayshi page 349 by az-Zubayri
57. Tabaqat al-Kubra ibn Sa'd 3/ 265 by ibn Sa'ad
58. Tarikh ar-Rusul wa al-Muluk 4/ 199 by at-Tabari
59. al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah 6/352 by ibn Kathir
60. www.answering-ansar.org
61. Tartib wa Tahthib Kitab al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah by ibn Kathir, published by Dar al-Wathan publications , Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1422 Anno hegiræ (2002) compiled by Dr. Muhammad ibn Shamil as-Sulami, page 168, ISBN 979-3407-19-6
62. www.answering-ansar.org
63. Nasab Qurayshi page 349 by az-Zubayri
64. Tartib wa Tahthib Kitab al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah by ibn Kathir, published by Dar al-Wathan publications , Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1422 Anno hegiræ (2002) compiled by Dr. Muhammad ibn Shamil as-Sulami, page 168, ISBN 979-3407-19-6
65. Nasab Qurayshi page 349 by az-Zubayri
66. Tartib wa Tahthib Kitab al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah by ibn Kathir, published by Dar al-Wathan publications , Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1422 Anno hegiræ (2002) compiled by Dr. Muhammad ibn Shamil as-Sulami, page 168, ISBN 979-3407-19-6
67. as-Suyuti, The History of the Khalifas Who Took the Right Way, p. 112
68. Madelung, Wilferd (1997). The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate, p. 43. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521646960.
69. Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, History of the Prophets and Kings, vol. 1, p.1118-1120
70. al-Tabari, History of the Prophets and Kings, vol. 9, p.186-187
71. Ali ibn al-Athir, The Complete History, vol. 2, p.325
72. Yusuf ibn Abd-al-Barr, Al-Isti'ab, vol. 3, p.375
73. Ibn Qutaybah, Al-Imama wa al-Siyasa, vol. 1, p.19-20
74. al-Baladhuri, Genealogies of the Nobles, p.252
75. Ibn Abu al-Hadid Sharh Nahju'l-Balagha, vol. 3, p. 351 text
76. al-Mas'udi, Ithbat ul-wasiyyah p.123
77. Ibn Hanbal, Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal vol. 3, p. 259
78. Ibn Abed Rabboh, Al-Aqd ul-fareed, vol. 13, p. 5
79. al-Mas'udi, Ithbat ul-wasiyya p. 123
80. Ibn Qutaybah, Al-Imama wa al-Siyasa vol. 1, p. 19-20
81. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Lisan al-Mizan vol. 1, p. 268
82. Salahuddin Khalil al-Safadi, Al-Wafi bil-Wafiyyat, vol. 5, p. 347
83. al-Shahrastani, Al-Milal wa al-Nihal vol. 1, p. 57
84. Ordoni (1990) p.?

References

• Donner, Fred, The Early Islamic Conquests, Princeton University Press, 1981
• Guillaume, A., The Life of Muhammad, Oxford University Press, 1955
• Madelung, Wilferd, The Succession to Muhammad, Cambridge University Press, 1997
• "G.LeviDellaVida and M.Bonner "Umar" in Encyclopedia of Islam CD-ROM Edition v. 1.0, Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands 1999"
• Previte-Orton, C. W (1971). The Shorter Cambridge Medieval History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

External links

• Excerpt from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti
• Sirah of Amirul Muminin Umar Bin Khattab (r.a.a.) by Shaykh Sayyed Muhammad bin Yahya Al-Husayni Al-Ninowy.

• Converts to Islam
• Arab people
• Rashidun
• Sahaba
• 580 births
• 644 deaths
• Assassinated religious leaders