Umar ibn Al-Khattab

634-644 A.D.
Nomination as the Caliph
● Abu Bakr’s concern regarding his successor who had to assume office after him
● Nominated Umar and put the proposal in front of all the leading Companions
● Concern regarding Umar’s strict nature
● “His strictness was there because of my softness; when the weight of the Caliphate is
upon his shoulders, he will no longer remain strict. If I will be asked by Allah as to
whom I appointed my successor, I will say that I have appointed the best among your
men.”
● Abu Bakr dictated his verdict regarding Umar’s nomination to Uthman bin Affan
Umar’s speech after taking charge of the office:
"O ye faithful! Abu Bakr is no more amongst us. After having led us for about two years, he has returned to
His Maker. He has the satisfaction that he has successfully piloted the ship of the Muslim state to safety after
negotiating the stormy sea. He successfully waged the apostasy wars, and thanks to him, Islam is now
supreme in Arabia. Islam is now on the move and we are carrying Jihad in the name of Allah against the
mighty empires of Byzantine and Persia.

After Abu Bakr, the mantle of Khilafat has fallen on my shoulders. I swear it before God that I never coveted
this office. I wished that it would have devolved on some other person more worthy than me. But now that in
national interest, the responsibility for leading the Muslims has come to vest in me, I assure you that I will not
run away from my post, and will make an earnest effort to discharge the onerous duties of the office to the
best of my capacity in accordance with the injunctions of Islam.

In the performance of my duties, I will seek guidance from the Holy Book, and will follow the examples set by
the Holy Prophet and Abu Bakr. In this task I seek your assistance. If I follow the right path, follow me. If I
deviate from the right path, correct me so that we are not led astray.
O people, you have some rights on me which you can always claim. One of your rights is that if anyone of you
comes to me with a claim, he should leave satisfied. Another of your rights that anyone of you can demand is that I
take nothing unjustly from the revenues of the State. You can also demand that… I fortify your frontiers and do not
put you into danger. It is also your right that if you go to battle I should look after your families as a father would
while you are away.

O people, remain conscious of Allah; forgive me my faults and help me in my task. Assist me in enforcing what is
good and in forbidding what is evil. Advise me regarding the obligations that have been imposed upon me by
Allah…”
● Once, in Kufa, someone addressed him as ‘Ameer-ul-Momineen.’ Hazrat Umar (ra)
liked it very much and, after consultation with the Shuru, he adopted the title of
Ameer-ul-Momineen. Thus, he was always addressed with this title during his
caliphate.
Battles During Umar’s Caliphate
Main Achievements

Conquered: Adding lands in:

● Damascus in 634 AD ● Syria
● Yarmuk in 636 AD ● Egypt
● Jerusalem in 637 AD ● Persia
● Egypt in 639-640 AD ● North Africa
● Alexandria in 642 AD
The Conquest of Persia
634 A.D. 636-37 A.D. 642 A.D.

● Battle of Namarraq ● Battle of Qadisiya ● Battle of Nahawand

● Battle of Jasr (Bridge) ● Battle of Jalula
● Battle of Buwaib
 ● The predominant religion in Persia was Zoroastrianism. There
was hostility between Muslims and Persians ever since Chosroe
Pervez tore the Prophet’s (pbuh) letter in 7 A.H and ordered the
Yemeni governor to arrest him.
● Persians used to instigate and financially assist Arab tribes on
the border to rise against Muslims, trying to create an uprising
against Islam.

Reasons ● Persians financially helped the tribes in Bahrain to fight against

Muslims when some tribes in Bahrain apostatised Islam during
Hazrat Abu Bakr’s (ra) caliphate
● Iraq, which was a part of Persia, was a rich, fertile land, with 2
main rivers flowing through it (River Euphrates and River
Tigris). Arabia, being a barren land, depended heavily upon
trading provisions with Iraq, for survival. But the Persians now
would not allow Arabs to continue trading with them. So
economic necessity drove the Muslims into bringing Persia
under their control.