Opinion

Contributions of Hazrat Umer to the Modern World
By Mohammad Ashraf Chaudhry
Pittsburgh, CA

Most of us today perform the Irkans/rituals of Islam in a very regulated and mechanical manner, accepting their presence for granted. Things, however, were not always so. People know very little about the far-reaching reforms and contributions that were initiated by Hazrat Umer (r), especially in modern-day administration as well as in the spread of the true teachings and the spirit of Islam.

One of the greatest wishes of our Noble Prophet (s) as well as of the religion, Islam had been that its followers should undergo a positive transformation, a visible and verifiable change in their behavior, in their manners; in their speech; in their day-to-day conduct of business in such a manner that the people of other religions feel tempted to emulate them. .

Hazrat Umer (s) made that dream come true in just over 10 years. We shall look at the reforms introduced by this great Caliph of Islam one by one:

When he assumed the office of the Caliphate, he prayed and vowed in these words, “ O God, by temperament I am strict, so soften me; as a human being I am weak, so strengthen me; it is true, Arabs are like the wild, undomesticated camels, and their nostril’s string, reign, has been placed in my hands. I am resolved to put them on the right track”. And he accomplished that impossible dream.

He civilized the Arabs by cultivating in them the virtues of truthfulness, honesty, fairness, and tolerance of other people’s religion; he gave them the tongue to speak out without fear in front of the most powerful; he cultivated in them the inner strength of contentment and patience, so that no worldly fame or wealth could impress them. He enacted the religion of Islam as per the wishes and the Sunna of the Prophet (s).

His daily expense was of only two Dhirams, tabulated by none else but Hazrat Ali ®. Once he went to call on some elite in the company of Hazrat Munaf bin Qais that an Arab’s camel got loose and ran away. H. Umer began chasing the camel. He even asked Hazrat Munaf to help him. Haztrat Munaf said what most of us would say, “Why don’t you let this petty task be taken care of by a slave? Why are you tiring yourself in this futile effort?” Hazrat Umer’s ® reply was classic, “Who can be a greater slave than I in the eyes of God?”

He brought clarity, understanding and rationality in matters of religion. His motto was: do not go after the appearances and do not be-fooled by a person’s fame and do not you look at a person’s apparent regularity in saying prayers and fasting, but look at his intellect and his truthfulness”.

Hazrat Abi bin Kaab was a great Sahabi and was greatly respected. Once people came to see him in great numbers. People would walk with him out of respect when he would desire to leave. Once H. Umer ® was passing by that he saw this scene. When alone, he, Hazrat Umer, inflicted a lash at Hazrat Abi Kaab’s back, who retorted and said, ‘What are you doing?”. “Just for teaching you a lesson as well as to others to not to feel important in one's own eyes, and to people for not engaging themselves in blind veneration”.

Hazrat Umer ® was a born administrator. Once he was the bitterest opponent of the Prophet and Islam. After conversion he became the Prophet’s closest advisor. Michael Harte even calls him the second founder of Islam, the St. Paul of Islam.

He had the guts to even question the Prophet (s) if he was not convinced, just to convince himself because he would not accept a thing unless it made some sense to him and it touched his soul and qalb. For example: During the pact of Hudaiyyibia in 628, he asked the Prophet (s) why he was accepting those apparently humiliating terms of peace: during the Battle of Badr in 624, on the question of the fate of prisoners, he differed with the Prophet (s). Allah later sent the Revelation which almost endorsed Hazrat Umer’s point of view; on the matter of wearing Hijab by the Prophet’s wives. Hazrat Umer always insisted that they should do so. The Prophet (s) waited. Later Allah endorsed Umer’s point of view. In the saying of the funeral prayers of the biggest hypocrite:- Abdullah bin Abi - again Hazrat Umer (s) differed. He insisted that the Prophet (s) should not do so. The Ayat came and he was right. The Prophet (s) always liked his piece of advice.

Today we in the month of fasting, perform extra prayers in the form of Taraweeh. It was Hazrat Umer who regulated them.

Today we recite the Holy Qur'an and we find it in a beautiful form. It was Hazrat Umer who convinced Hazrat Abu Bakr to start the process and start putting the verses in an arrangement.

Till the Muslims arrived in Medina after Hijra in 622, they performed their Arkan in a brief manner. Prayers were said in brief. I.e. two Rakats except the Mughrab prayers. And there was no formal way to call people for prayers. It was Hazrat Umer who gave the idea of making the announcement of what we call, Adhan and the Prophet (s) liked that. Even the words were suggested by him.

The expansion of Harem and Masjid Nabvi was resisted by many as people held that things should not be changed if they were not by the Prophet. Hazrat Umer started the expansion. He lighted the two holy places of Makkah and Medinah with lamps; paved the floor so that dirt would not soil peoples’ dresses, established rest areas and guest homes on the way to Medina; established daily allowance for the poor, orphans, and handicapped; established dispensaries in all major cities; constructed more than four thousand mosques; in order to make justice readily available, he ordered that mosques be used as court houses; made it compulsory that every Budu and every citizen must know the law of the land; made sure that all were treated on equal basis when in court, and that no discrimination was carried out. He tested this himself; he created the departments of public works to take care of streets; canals; sanitation.

In Namaz Janaza, the four takbeers was agreed upon through him.

In the utterance of three Talaaq, all at the same time, he declared it a Talaaq i bain.

During Hajj while doing Rummi people undertake brisk walk. The reason for doing so was that in the early days, the non-Muslims mocked at Muslims, saying that they had grown too weak to even walk with vigor. The Prophet (s) then asked Muslims to walk briskly to prove on the non-believers that they were not weak. Hazrat Umer later raised the issue contending that as Muslims were not weak now, so what was the need to continue with the practice. He continued, however, saying that he was doing so because it was the Sunnah of the Prophet (s).

Same way, kissing Hajr Aswad. H Umer found no logic as a true follower of Tawheed in doing so. He accepted it because it was done so by the Prophet.

Same way in the concession of saying Qasr prayers. H Umer contended that Muslims did that when they lived in Khuf (fear) and the paths were not safe. Now there was no such thing, so what was the justification! He took up his concern to the Prophet (s) who satisfied him by saying that it was a reward from Allah.

In awarding respect to non-Muslims, Hazrat Umer was very particular. At his deathbed he willed that the new Caliph should safeguard the interests of five people: The Muhajirs; the Ansaars; the Arabs; the people settled in the cities; and the Dhimis (non-Muslims). “Fulfil the duties as ordained by God and His Prophet, and guard the rights of Ahli Zima. Do not burden them more than their strength.”

Hazrat Umair bin Saad, the governor of Hamas once used a derogatory phrase for a non-Muslim which meant, “May God humble you”. Later he felt so ashamed that he came to Hazrat Umer to resign from his post. Hazrat Umer allowed non-Muslims to conduct their lives in the light of their own laws; even allowed them to bear arms. In the regions that the Muslims conquered like Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Iran, the natives were allowed to keep cultivating their land. Soldiers and generals were not allowed to allot any land to themselves. These were very revolutionary reforms.

Non-Muslims were appointed as accountants and were assigned even teaching jobs. The financial system of Iraq and Syria was followed with modifications.

Soldiers were paid on a fixed basis. Hazrat Ali (s) favored this system. Hazrat Umer based the compensation on the character and performance of the soldiers.

Once in a Khutba, Hazrat Umer said, “Once I was so poor that I would fetch water to people who would pay me in the form of dry dates. I used to survive on those dry dates.” After the Khutba, the people asked him why he had to say all that. Hazrat Umer replied, “I had started feeling like I was a very important person. Just to rid myself of my ego and pride, it was necessary for me to do so”.

Hazrat Umer ® streamlined the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah. He nominated qualified people who alone could pass edicts or Fatwas and for this he created the department of Utfah. Once he even asked Hazrat Abu Huraira his views on a certain matter. On listening to him he said, "Abu Huraira, had you answered it differently, you would not have been allowed to pass any fatwas in life”.

Once he fell sick, and it was suggested that he should use some honey. There was no honey at his home. He publicly made the request in the Mosque, seeking permission to take some from Bait ul Mal. The purpose in doing so was to give the message that even the Caliph had no right to use an ounce of honey from the public trust. It was Hazrat Ali who fixed his daily expenses at 2 Dhirams by saying, “That much is enough to help you to lead a simple life, and eat a simple diet”.

Even in those days, people indulged in such evils as taking pride in tribes; in their races; in womanizing; gambling, drinking, lying; in short- weighing etc. During his ten-year rule, Hazrat Umer (s) purged them of these evils to a great extent. Lying became a rare phenomenon; an honest way of living became a norm, a habit. Free speech became the crown virtue of the day.

May Allah bless all of us to emulate the examples of these great role-models of Islam.