Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah asked a question to President General Ayub Khan in 1964. She asked that American military aid to India was the talk of the town. And India would use this aid against Pakistan. "I want to know how it happened." America was your friend. Why did you lose this friend? Everyone living in the East and the West Pakistan wanted to get the answer to this question. This question came up in the early era of Ayub Khan when industrial development was fast taking place. Now it had become clear that this progress was due to Pakistan's support to America against Russia. In return Pakistan had secured economic aid from America. This aid was being spent on the construction of Tarbela, Mangla dams and many other projects. But the Indo-China war in 1962, changed the scenario. America turned its face on Pakistan and started to give military aid to India. On the one side, America was giving military aid to India on the other, India was annexing Kashmir to its territo
Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz was the eight caliph of Umayyad dynasty. He was nephew of Abdul Malik and cousin of his predecessor Suleiman ibn Abdul Malik. His mother, umm Asim bin Asim was granddaughter of Hazrat Umar (رضي الله عنه). So he was matrilineal great grandson of Hazrat Umar (رضي الله عنه). He was also known as Umar II in the history. He was married with Fatima binte Abdul Malik.
Early Life
Umar bin Abdul Aziz was born in 63 A.H (682 A.D) in Halwan, Egypt but he received his education in Madina from his mother’s uncle and a renowned Scholar Abdullah ibn Umar (RA).
Hazrat Umar as Governor:
He was appointed governor of Madina in 706 A.D succeeding Caliph Waleed bin Abdul Malik. Hazrat Umar remained governor of Madina throughout the reigns of caliph Walid and Caliph Suleiman.
Hazrat Umar As Caliph:
There are few rulers in the world who have left indelible impression in the history, Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz is distinguished among them. After four caliphs of Islam, Hazrat Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه), Hazrat Umar (رضي الله عنه), Hazrat Usman (رضي الله عنه) and Hazrat Ali (رضي الله عنه), Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz is referred to as fifth caliph of Islam.
Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz ruled for 30 months as a Caliph, but his tenure was considered as brightest period in 92 years of Umayyad Caliphate.
When Suleiman fell seriously ill he wanted to appoint heir, as his sons were still minors. Reja ibn Haiwah, the advisor, proposed to him to appoint his cousin Umar ibn Abdul Aziz as his successor. Suleiman accepted the suggestion.
After being nominated caliph, Umar addressed the people from the pulpit saying: “O people, I have been nominated your caliph despite my unwillingness and without your consent. So here I am, I relieve you of your pledge (baiyat) that you have taken for my allegiance. Elect whomsoever you find suitable as your caliph.” People shouted: “O Umar, we have full faith in you and we want you as our caliph.” Umar continued, “O people, obey me as long as I obey Allah; and if I disobey Allah, you are not duty-bound to obey me.”
Umar was extremely pious and averse to worldly luxuries. He preferred simplicity to extravagance. He wore rough clothes instead of royal robes and often went unrecognized in public like his great grandfather Caliph Umar ibn Al Khattab (رضي الله عنه).
After his appointment as caliph he discarded all the pompous appendages of princely life-servants, slaves, maids, horses, palaces, golden robes and real estates and returned them to Bait Al Maal. He also asked his wife Fatima to return the jewelry she had received from her father Caliph Abdul Malik. The faithful wife complied with his bidding and deposited all of it in the Bait Al Maal. He never built a house of his own.
Once his wife found him weeping after prayers. She asked what had happened. He replied: “I have been made the ruler over the Muslims and I was thinking of the poor who are starving, and the sick who are destitute, and the naked who are in distress, and the oppressed that are stricken, and the stranger that is in prison, and the venerable elder, and him that hath a large family and small means, and the like of them in countries of the earth and the distant provinces, and I felt that my Lord would ask me about them on the Day of Resurrection, and I feared that no defense would avail me (at that time), and I wept.”
His generous reforms and leniency led the people to deposit their taxes willingly. He undertook extensive public works in Persia, Khorasan and North Africa, including the construction of canals, roads, rest houses for travelers and medical dispensaries. The result was that during his short reign of two and half years, people had become so prosperous and contented that one could hardly find a person who would accept alms.
Following the example of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), Umar sent out emissaries to China and Tibet, inviting their rulers to embrace Islam. It was during the time of Umar that Islam took roots and was accepted by a large segment of the population of Persia and Egypt. He abolished home tax, marriage tax, stamp tax and many other taxes as well.
Once a Muslim murdered a non-Muslim of Hira. Caliph Umar, when informed of the event, ordered the governor to do justice in the case. The Muslim was surrendered to the relations of the murdered person who killed him. The general princely class of that time could not digest these policies of justice, simplicity and equality.
Hazrat Umar As Scholar:
Omar bin Abdul Aziz was a scholar of the first rank and surrounded himself with great scholars like Muhammad bin Kaab and Maimun bin Mehran. He offered stipends to teachers and encouraged education.
His work for Quran and Hadith:
Umar is credited with having ordered the first collection of Hadith, in an official manner, fearing that some of it might be lost.
Omar bin Abdel Aziz was the first Caliph to commission a translation of the Qur’an from Arabic into another language. Upon the request of the Raja (king) of Sindh (in modern day Pakistan), Omar bin Abdel Aziz had the Qur’an translated into the ancient Sindhi language and had it sent to the Raja (718 CE).
Death:
A slave of the caliph was bribed to administer the deadly poison to him. The caliph having felt the effect of the poison sent for the slave and asked him why he had poisoned him. The slave replied that he was given 1,000 dinars for the job. The caliph took the amount from him and deposited it in Bait Al Maal. Freeing the slave he asked him to leave the place immediately, lest anyone might kill him. This was his last deposit in the Bait Al-Maal for the welfare of Muslims. Umar died in Rajab 101 AH at the age of 38 in a rented house at the place called Dair Sim’aan near Homs. He was buried in Dair Sim’aan on a piece of land he had purchased from a Christian. He reportedly left behind only 17 dinars with a will that out of this amount the rent of the house in which he died and the price of the land in which he was buried would be paid. And thus departed the great soul from the world.
The Roman Emperor, when heard about his death, said: “A virtuous person has passed away. I am hardly surprised to see an ascetic who renounced the world and give himself to the prayers of Allah. But I am certainly surprised at a person who had all the pleasures of the world at his feet and yet he shut his eyes against them and lived a life of piety and renunciation.”
May Almighty Allah rest his soul in peace and award him the best place in Paradise.
