Biography of Umar Ibn Khattab

Umar Ibn Khattab

His name is Abu Hafsh, Umar al Faruq Ibn Khattab Ibn Nufail Ibn Abdil Uzza Ibn
Adi Ibn Ka’ab Ibn Luay Ibn Ghalib al Qurasy. His pedigree meets the pedigree of
the Prophet -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- on his fourth grandfather,
Ka’ab Ibn Luaiy Ibn Ghalib. He was dubbed as “al Faruq” because he was the first
man to show his Islamic state in Mecca, thus Allah the Glorified and Exalted
revealed it among the infidelity and wickedness there. Ibn Abbas said, “The first
man who bravely exposed Islam in Mecca is Umar Ibn Khattab.”

He was born 13 years after the Elephant Year. He was a tough and brave man,
white skinned, tall and stout, sturdy, and strong; sounded his talk was, hurtful his
smashing was. At the pre Islamic time of ignorance, he was educated by his
father, al Khattab, in a hard way. He was obliged to herd his camels every day. He
got used to endure difficult and exhausting days, and got smacked if his work was
bad. Those experiences helped to shape him into a harsh man.

Before embracing Islam, Umar was among the harshest man in his hostility to
Islam and the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-.
He was among the most notorious man who tortured and annoyed muslims, thus
some muslims felt desperate for him embracing Islam due to his harshness and
ferociousness , hence it was said that Umar would not embrace Islam until one of
the donkey of Al Khattab embraced it.

However, the crown (forelocks) of all human beings under the power and will of
Allah the Glorified and Exalted, and Allah the Glorified and Exalted is omnipotent
of all things. The messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- ever
said to Umm Salama, “O Umm Salama, the heart of Adam’s sons is between the
fingers of Allah the Glorified and Exalted. Whoever Allah wish will be guided, and
whoever He wish will be misled. ” (Narrated by At Tirmidhi), in hadith no. 3522).

Umar bin Khattab was the second caliph in power from 634 to 644. He was also
classified as one of the Khulafaur Rashidin. 'Umar is one of the main companions
of the Prophet Muhammad and is also the father of Hafshah, the wife of the
Prophet Muhammad.

In the Sunni viewpoint, 'Umar was one of the great leaders and exemplary in
Islamic matters and some hadiths mentioned him as the Prophet's best friend
after Abu Bakr. 'Umar has a nickname given by the Prophet Muhammad, namely
Al-Faruq, which means that people can separate between truth and falsehood.
But on the other hand, 'Umar tends to be viewed negatively in a Shiite
perspective.

During his leadership, the Caliphate became one of the new great powers in the
Middle East region. Apart from conquering the already weakened Sasaniyah
Empire in just two years (642–644), 'Umar succeeded in taking over the
leadership of two-thirds of the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire. [10] The
expansion of this region was also followed by various reforms. In the field of
government and politics, special departments are formed as places where people
can complain about officials and the state. The establishment of the Baitul Mal
became one of 'Umar's reforms in the economic field. All achievements made
'Umar as one of the most influential caliphs in history.