Umar II-1 PDF

Productivity
Principles Of
ʿUmar II
ʿUmar bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz
Ismail Kamdar
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Copyright 2019 © lslamic Self Help

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Published by
Islamic Self Help
Musgrave, Durban, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
E-mail: Ismail.kamdar@islamicselfhelp.com
Website: https://www.islamicselfhelp.com
Copyright © Islamic Self Help 2019/1441 h.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the
copyright owner.
Written by Ismail Kamdar

Foreword by Dr. Yasir Qadhi
Edited by Irada Ronalder
Blurb and Book Description by Ashraf Ali
Cover Designs by Ismail Azer and Azis Nurudin Sonjaya

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Contents
Notes on Transliteration, Dates, Citation and Salutations.......... 9
Dedication .................................................................................. 13
A Note on the Usage of the Word God ....................................... 15
Foreword by Dr. Yasir Qadhi ..................................................... 17
Introduction............................................................................... 21
Why History Often Seems Bizarre ............................................. 27
History as a Resource................................................................. 35
Brief History of the Early Muslim Empire ................................. 47
Brief Biography of ʿUmar II ....................................................... 64
Principle 1: Practicing Extraordinary Parenting....................... 77
Principle 2: Choosing the Right Spouse................................... 100
Principle 3: Fulfilling a Spiritual Purpose ............................... 112
Principle 4: Developing an Abundance Mentality ................... 127
Principle 5: Maintaining a Sense of Responsibility ................. 145
Principle 6: Focusing on the Hereafter.................................... 156
Principle 7: Following the Right Role Models and Mentors .... 169
Principle 8: Pursuing Beneficial Knowledge for Life ............... 183
Principle 9: Aiming for the Stars ............................................. 197
Principle 10: Finding the Freedom of Self-Discipline.............. 211
Principle 11: Consulting Experts ............................................. 223

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Principle 12: Prioritizing ......................................................... 237
Principle 13: Delegating ........................................................... 252
Principle 14: Progressing Gradually ........................................ 264
Principle 15: Leaving a Legacy ................................................. 276
Conclusion ............................................................................... 295
Appendix A: ʿUmar’s Mistake .................................................. 304
Appendix B: Selected Quotes from ʿUmar II ............................ 311
About the Author ..................................................................... 316
Bibliography ............................................................................ 318
Glossary.................................................................................... 328
Index ........................................................................................ 335
Other Books by Ismail Kamdar ................................................ 351

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Notes on Transliteration, Dates, Citation

and Salutations
Initially, I wanted to use as little Arabic in this book as

possible. However, as this book covers the early portion of
Muslim history, the majority of the names used in this
book are Arabic. For transliteration of these names and
various other Arabic terms mentioned throughout the
book, I have utilized the conventions of the International
Journal of Middle East Studies (IJMES) with diacritic
markings.
Yet there are some exceptions to the rule; IJMES rules

state that “words found in Merriam-Webster’s should be
spelled as they appear there and not treated as technical
terms. They should have no diacritics, nor should they be
italicized.” In keeping with this rule, common Arabic
words found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary are
spelled according to their English common spelling. These
include the words Allah, Islam, and Quran.
Some symbols used in this book may not be familiar to

English readers, as they represent Arabic sounds not
found in the English language. The symbol ʿ is used to
indicate the Arabic letter ʿayn, a deep throat or guttural
vowel sound that does not exist in the English language.

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Names like ʿUmar are pronounced with this sound.

Similarly, the sound of the letter ḥ is a version of the letter
h originating deep in the throat, as in the word hadith.
The Arabic long vowels are indicated by a line above the

vowel. For example, the word Tafsīr is pronounced Tuf-
seer, and the word Mālik is pronounced Maalik. More
details about the transliteration system used can be found
on the official IJMES website.
The Arabic definite article “al-” which often translates as

“the” is utilized in many names like ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz. I have
maintained the standard method of writing “al-” even in
words where the letter “l” is silent, like al-Raḥmān which
is pronounced Ar-Rahmaan. This is in keeping with the
IJMES transliteration system.
In Arabic names, people are often referred to by their

fathers with the title “ibn/bin” (son of) or "bint”
(daughter of). For ease of reading, I have abbreviated
these words with b whenever they form part of a longer
name. The exception being when a name starts with Ibn
or Bint, then I have written it in full.
Throughout the book, after the name of Prophet

Muhammad, I have used an (s) as an abbreviation for the
honorific Arabic phrase “Peace and blessings of God be
upon him” (ṣallā Allāh ʿalayhi wa sallam) in keeping with

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traditional Islamic practice of saying and writing the

salutations upon the Prophet whenever his name is
mentioned.
Dates in this book are according to the Common Era (CE)

unless followed by the abbreviation h. The h. indicates
Post-Hijrah referring to the Muslim lunar calendar which
began with the Prophet Muhammad’s (s) migration to
Medina in 622 CE.
I have tried to limit my usage of Arabic words in order to

make the book as easy to follow as possible for those
readers who are unfamiliar with the language. The few
Arabic words I have used are listed at the end of the book
in a glossary with their translations and explanations.

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Dedication
This book is dedicated to the memory of the fifth Rightly Guided

Caliph and reviver of Islam, ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz aka ʿUmar II.
I pray that this book serves as a source of continuous reward for
Caliph ʿUmar II, as every lesson discussed in this book was
extracted from his noble biography.

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A Note on the Usage of the Word God
I have used the words Allah and God interchangeably

throughout this book. This is to make the book easier for
non-Muslim readers to understand. The Arabic word Allah
is considered by Muslims the proper and preferred name
of God.
Muslims believe in one God who created the Heavens and

Earth. This is the same God that Abraham, Moses, and
Jesus called people to worship. He is known by many
names in different languages, but they all refer to the
same God.
As such, I have used the word God in most places, and

occasionally used the Arabic word Allah wherever it
seemed more suitable. This is completely acceptable from
an Islamic framework and is intended to help non-Muslim
readers familiarize themselves with the Islamic concept of
God.

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Foreword by Dr. Yasir Qadhi
In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Full of Mercy
History is a fascinating subject and one that I am always

eager to read more about. One of my goals is to revive a
critical study of history, in which we take our history as-
is, without sugar-coating the past or romanticizing our
leaders, and in which the various events are studied and
analyzed for lessons. History should provide value and
guidance for the current generation and should be treated
as a treasure box of lessons and wisdom. This is the
approach I have taken with my online lecture series on
the life of the Prophet Muhammad (s) and his
companions.
Over the past few years, I have produced a large series of

lecture videos dedicated to discussing the lives of great
Muslim heroes in detail. In these videos, I focus on two
primary things. The first is a clear explanation of events
exactly as they occurred, even if they are controversial.
The second is a reflection on lessons that we can learn and
extract from each of these events. I believe that in this
humanization of the past, we can seek to benefit the most
for the future.

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I am happy to see that my friend and student, Ismail

Kamdar, has taken a similar method in studying and
explaining the life of the great Caliph ʿUmar bin ʿAbd al-
ʿAzīz. In this book, he not only discusses the history of the
early Muslim empire frankly, highlighting both the good
and the bad, but he engages with the history extracting
lessons that may slip through the mind of the average
reader.
In doing so, he has put together a unique book, a

combination of authentic history and powerful
productivity lessons extracted from that history. He does
not shy away from historical facts like the military
expansion of the early Muslim empires, the existence of
slavery in the Muslim world, or the primary role the
monarchy system played throughout Islamic History. At
the same time, his focus is not on what some may deem
the sordid details of that time, but rather, he concentrates
on the lessons we can learn and apply for living our best
lives, accomplishing as much as we can for the sake of
Allah, and producing projects of value that continue to
benefit the ummah long after we have passed away.
With these goals in mind, Ismail has chosen an excellent

subject for his book. ʿUmar bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz lived for only
four decades and ruled for only two and a half years. Yet
he left behind a legacy that continues to benefit and

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inspire millions of people today. Through a deep analysis

of ʿUmar’s life, the author brings to light various life-
changing principles that ʿUmar implemented. These
include the principles of Shūrā (discussion), delegation,
focusing on the afterlife, and giving preference to the
needs of society over one’s own desires. ʿUmar II is an
excellent example of each of these principles, and Ismail
has done an excellent job breaking down and discussing
each of these principles in detail throughout this book.
I hope that the reader finds this book as interesting and

beneficial as I did and that it inspires towards a deeper
study of history, as well as a practical implementation of
all fifteen principles taught in this book.
I pray that our brother Ismail continues down this path

and hope that he continues to benefit the Ummah
through his writings and talks. May Allah accept this book
from him and make it a means of benefit for millions of
readers.
Ameen
Dr. Yasir Qadhi
Plano, TX
23 October 2019/ 24 Safar 1441 h.

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Introduction
All praise is for Allah, Most Merciful, Perfect in His Mercy.

Peace and blessings are upon His Messenger, the Mercy to
this universe, Muhammad and all those who follow his
way with righteousness until the end of time.
There are two subjects that I really enjoy studying, history

and personal development. I love reading the biographies
of great people and analyzing their lives for lessons. I also
love personal development books, any book that teaches
beneficial skills that help people grow to their full
potential. I have often wondered why the two have never
been combined.
The life stories of great people are a perfect fountainhead

for identifying, analyzing, and discussing principles for
success. After all, these are people who have upheld
certain principles, applied them, and achieved great
results. When comparing the advice of modern authors
who often don’t practice what they preach to the life
experience of the heroes of the past, the latter proves to
be a greater source of lessons and principles. It is for this
reason that I have decided to write this book, focusing on
extracting productivity principles from the life of one
such great man.

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The subject of this book, ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz aka ʿUmar

II is a figure with whom I have been fascinated from a
young age. I always found it amazing how he
accomplished so much in such a short lifetime and against
insurmountable odds. Yet despite his remarkable
achievements, very few books in the English language
have been dedicated to his life, and even less to extracting
the valuable lessons therein. I have also noticed that
people rarely seem to have even heard about him.
A few years ago, I delivered a Friday sermon focusing on

highlighting lessons from his reign. The feedback was
remarkable. Many people thanked me for the sermon,
stating that they benefited greatly. Almost all of them,
however, stated that they had never heard of ʿUmar b.
ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz before that sermon. The more time I spent
discussing and teaching this subject, the more I realized
how very few people I found who knew about the
accomplishments of this great man.
Perhaps it is because he was an Umayyad King, and the

Umayyads have a bad reputation (for good reason, as you
will see in this book). Or perhaps it is because Muslim
history classes rarely focus on the historical figures after
the first generation of Muslims. It could even be because
his reign only lasted two and a half years, making it seem
like a blip in the 1400-year history of Islam. Whatever the

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case, the lack of English literature on this great man is a

travesty and needs to be remedied. I hope that this book
does justice to the subject.
Through this book, I hope to accomplish four goals. The

first is to revive enthusiasm for the vital role Muslims
have played throughout history in the minds of the
readers. I hope that the content of this book will spark
excitement and curiosity of Islamic history that will cause
the readers to dive deeper into this field and learn more
about the glorious past of the fallen Muslim empires.
The second goal is to do justice to the legacy of ʿUmar II. I

hope that by narrating the history leading up to the time
of Umar II’s rule, recounting his life story and its impact
on the world, and then following this narration with
various lessons extracted from his life, I am able to bring
to light the greatness of this man and his
accomplishments. My hope is that after this book is
published, it will be rare to meet someone who hasn’t
heard about ʿUmar II and his important place in Islamic
history.
The third goal of this book is to inspire the reader to take

action and become a person of excellence. The fifteen
principles discussed in this book all lead to productivity,
greatness, and the accomplishment of extraordinary
goals. I hope that this book will inspire the readers to

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learn these principles, implement them, and leave an

impact on the world because of them. My goal is to inspire
change and to motivate the readers to grow into the best
versions of themselves. That is the purpose of personal
development, and therefore the purpose of this book.
My final goal with this book is to revive (or kick-start) a

genre of literature which focuses on extracting lessons
from historical biographies. I hope that this book will
inspire other authors and teachers to produce works
analyzing the lives of great men and women of the past
for their inherent productivity lessons. For too long,
history has been all about dates, names, and facts. This is
good, but not enough. There is so much gold hidden deep
in the mines of history waiting to be dug up and discussed.
I hope that this will be the first in a series of books
discussing lessons and principles taken from the lives and
examples of the great heroes of the past.
I am excited to share with you Productivity Principles of

ʿUmar II, and I hope that by the end of this book, you will
be inspired to dive deeper into history, honor the legacy
of ʿUmar II, apply these productivity principles, and apply
this method to studying the lives of other historical
figures.
With these goals in mind, let’s dive into the history of the
Muslim world and the legacy of ʿUmar II.

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Why History Often Seems Bizarre
I have been studying history since I learned to read. It has

always been a passion of mine and one of my favorite
subjects. However, as a history teacher at a university, I
noticed that my students don’t always share my passion
for history.
Often, they are baffled, puzzled, and horrified by the

events of history. Some even lose faith in their religion
when they study the histories of related empires.
There are three main reasons why this happens, but with
a bit of explanation, it is my hope that you will be able to
study any part of history without it shaking your faith in
the least.
The Misnomer of Islamic History
The first major problem for Muslim students, in

particular, is that the history of the Muslim empires is
often labeled Islamic History.
This mislabeling of events creates unrealistic expectations

in the mind of the student, as they assume that whatever
they are going to study represents the religion of Islam.
They also may take this history as a source of Islamic
legislation as it is labeled as Islamic.

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The label itself is a problem. Classically, Muslim scholars

divided history into two subjects, known in Arabic as Sīrah
and Taʾrīkh. Sīrah books tended to focus on the life of the
Prophet Muhammad (s) only or on the life of one specific
righteous individual.
Their lives were studied religiously, and various lessons

were extracted from these stories upon which the
foundations of the religion were built, particularly in
dealing with the stories of the Prophets and the first
generation of Muslims.
Any book focusing on political events after the Prophet’s

(s) time is called a Taʾrīkh book. Generally, these books
narrated all historical events for a specific time period
without comment or judgment. These histories focused
heavily on political events and wars.
If we had to invent similar labels in English for these two

divisions of history, then we can say that the life of
Prophet Muhammad (s) is Islamic History, and whatever
came after his time is Muslim History. The difference is
very important.
The life of Prophet Muhammad (s) represents Islam at its

best. His life is to be studied in detail, analyzed for lessons,
taken as proof of the truthfulness of his message, and used
as a basis for forming our understanding of Islam. It is

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truly Islamic History in that his actions were guided by

revelation and represent the perfect example of Islam for
the world.
Anything that occurred after Prophet Muhammad’s (s) life

is Muslim History. It is the history of people who believe
in Islam but are subject to human temptation, corruption,
and error.
They may at times accomplish amazing things in the

name of Islam. Conversely, they may at times fall to the
deepest of lows due to temptation or human error. Their
lives do not represent Islam. Rather their lives represent
the struggles, highs, and lows of Muslim human beings.
Just as the Muslim world today is full of sinners, pious,

and everything in between, so was the case in every
century of Muslim history.
Yet, by and large, it is the sinners and pious whose names

often made it into the history books, while everybody else
was left out. Most likely because the life of the average
person would be considered too mundane or
inconsequential to write a history book about, whereas
the life of a tyrant or a pious king is material for a
bestseller.
If we approach the life of any individual after the time of

the Prophet (s) as Muslim History, this will lower our

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expectations and help us appreciate history better. We

will be able to appreciate their struggles, understand their
errors, and marvel at their accomplishments because this
is the history of Muslims.
The Human Aspect of History
The second issue that people often overlook is just how

human Muslims throughout history have been.
Many Muslims approach history with the misconception

that we are living at the worst point in history and that
every era before us was full of devout Muslims who
epitomized the best of the religion.
Reality is that every generation of Muslims has had its

share of pious, sinners, and everything in between. The
average Muslim general, king, merchant, and governor
were just that: average.
They weren’t all righteous. Their lives were a complicated

mix of good deeds, sins, permissible, and questionable
deeds. They experienced highs and lows, moments of
greatness, and moments of weakness.
They passed some of life’s tests and failed others. So, it is

perfectly normal to study the life of any individual in
history and learn that at some points in his life he was a
righteous worshipper, while at some other point he
murdered his enemies.

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This is because of the complexity of human life, a

complexity that is especially evident in situations of
leadership and governance which often force people to
make extremely difficult decisions between life and death.
The correct approach to studying the life of anybody after

the time of the Prophet (s) is to accept their humanity.
The first generation of Muslims was the best, but they
were still human and still erred. Each generation after
that fell into different types of sins and mistakes, just as
we do today.
When you realize that every historical figure was

struggling with desires and temptation just as we do, it
becomes easier to understand their mistakes and
approach history with more realistic expectations.
Different Times, Different Norms
The final thing that confuses people when studying

history is realizing that there are some fundamental
differences between the cultures we live in and those of
the past
Many young people have not been exposed to anything

outside modern culture, and they assume that what is
now is the way the world always was. As a result, when
they study history, they are shocked to find realities that

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contradict their norms, and these contradictions shake

their faith.
We live in a time that is unique to human history. We live

in the only century in human history without child
marriages, slavery, or military expansion of empires.
These things are foreign concepts to our times, and many
people wrongly assume that people always considered
these practices to be immoral or wrong.
Reality is that throughout the greater part of human

history almost all major cultures, civilizations, and
religions had no problem with any of these now-
controversial practices. Slavery, child marriages, and
military expansion were global norms in the ancient
world. This is simply a reality.
If we accept this reality, then history makes a lot more

sense. We shouldn’t be surprised by any of these concepts
when we find them in the history of any civilization,
because these were the norms of that time.
To judge ancient cultures and civilizations by 21st-century

standards is ridiculous and illogical. Historical incidents
should be understood within the context of the places and
times in which they took place.
If history is studied in light of these three facts, it becomes

much easier to understand and interact with. We should

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not project our cultural norms onto past civilizations. We

should not expect perfection from the people of the past,
present, or future. And we should not judge Islam by the
actions of Muslims, because Islam is the revelation from
God, but Muslims are humans who struggle to follow that
revelation and succeed and fail at various degrees.
Keeping these three points in mind whenever studying
any aspect of Muslim History will open the way to greater
understanding and learning.

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History as a Resource
History is an amazing subject. It is the story of the world

recorded and preserved for generations to read and
deliberate. People study it, marvel at it, are horrified by it,
and talk about it. Yet, this book aims to go even further
and tackle history from a different perspective: to analyze
the past for practical lessons.
The history of the Muslim empires is full of amazing

leaders and pious men and women, all of whom
accomplished wonders. Too often, their stories are shared
simply to extol or memorize. Yet there is so much that we
can learn from these awe-inspiring men and women. If we
just take the time to analyze their lives and reflect on
their decisions, we can perhaps repeat their successes.
Too often we hear the phrase “those who don’t study

history are doomed to repeat it.” This is true to some
extent, but with this book, I hope to prove a different
truth and perhaps coin a new phrase “those who analyze
history are destined to repeat it.” History is not all doom
and gloom, and just as the mistakes of people of the past
are often repeated so, too, can their successes be imitated
and replayed. Just as the civil wars, racial tensions, and
massacres are repeated throughout history by those who
fail to study it, so too can the victories, beneficial projects,

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and peaceful reigns also be replicated. It is up to us to

choose the right historical role models, study their lives,
and repeat their successes.
This is why I have chosen ʿUmar II as the subject of this

book. I mentioned that Muslim history is full of both great
leaders and individuals of great piety. ʿUmar II is both. He
is a rare example of a religiously devout man who
ascended to a position of power and excelled in it, thus
making him the perfect subject for this book.
But who is ʿUmar II and why does he matter? The first

chapter of this book will cover a brief history of the
Muslim Empire up until ʿUmar II came into power, and the
second chapter will cover his reign in detail. The
remaining chapters of this book will focus on extracting
leadership lessons from his life. In this introduction, I
want to mention a few brief points about Muslim history
to set the context for this book.
A Perspective on Monarchies
Let’s begin with a concept that may be controversial to

readers from democratic countries. ʿUmar II was a king, in
the sense that he was a member of the ruling family who
ascended to power through blood relations. He was the 8th
king in the Umayyad Dynasty. Monarchy has a bad
reputation in modern society for being draconian,

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outdated, tyrannical, and overall, a poor system of

governance.
People have turned against the monarchy system so much

that many modern-day Muslims may even claim that it is
Ḥarām (prohibited) in Islamic Law. In fact, they may even
object to calling ʿUmar II a king, as they view the title
negatively. This verdict of prohibition exposes a problem
with many modern-day Muslim ideas; they are often
derived from the perspective of modern culture and
contradict the actual history of Islam.
In order to benefit from this book, the reader needs to

come to terms with the following fact: the majority of
Muslim rulers throughout history were kings. The
monarchy system was chosen by Muslims as their
preferred system very early on. In fact, just thirty years
after the death of the Prophet (s), the Muslims switched to
a system of monarchy and have been using it ever since.
The scholars of that era, and every era since did not reject
the monarchy system. None of them declared it Ḥarām. In
fact, they all considered the monarch as the legit caliph
that must be obeyed. Even when pious and learned men
like ʿUmar II or Saladin ascended to power, they did not
attempt to dismantle the monarchy system. They simply
tried to steer it towards a more righteous path. In fact, it
seems that the majority of Muslims throughout history

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had no problem with the monarchy system at all, leading

to a silent ijmaʿ (consensus) on the permissibility of the
monarchy system.
The monarchy system was simply the most practical

system of governance for the Muslim empires of old.
Society benefited in many ways from having a monarchy
in place. For one, it limited the number of civil wars that
occurred between Muslims. People were less likely to fight
over leadership when it belonged to a powerful family.1
A second benefit of the monarchy system is that it allowed

the average Muslims to focus on living their lives and
worshipping God. People did not need to worry about who
was in charge, who would take charge next, and in what
direction the nation was heading.
Furthermore, Islam teaches people to avoid seeking

positions of power. So, the average citizen, scholar, and
righteous person had no interest in politics and power.
They were usually very happy to leave the administration
of the country to someone else, so they could focus on
worshipping God, working, and taking care of their
1
Ironically, the main cause of civil war has always been the
diminishing of the ruling family’s power and influence. This often leads
to a violent transition of power to the next dynasty ascending to
power.

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families. The monarchy system facilitated maintaining

this order.
Finally, the monarchy system produces more good leaders

than bad. This is for two reasons. The first is that the
princes were raised for leadership. They were well-trained
in the art of administration from an extremely young age
making them the most qualified people for the job by
default. Secondly, knowing that they would have the
position for life (as opposed to a specified term of a few
years) made them take the position very seriously. A poor
job would likely lead to rebellions, civil war, or political
assassination. So, the next in line to the throne was often
the most qualified and the most serious about doing a
good job.
This does not mean that these empires were perfect.

Every system of governance has its pros and cons,
including both the monarchy and democratic systems.
This is probably why Islam does not prescribe a specific
system of governance but leaves it for the people to
choose. In Islam, it does not matter through which
process a person came into power, what matters is that he
used that position of power to establish God’s Law, peace,
and justice on earth.
The monarchy system proved to be so effective that it

became the de facto system of governance for the bulk of

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Muslim history. Overall, the Muslim world produced three

glorious dynasties and dozens of smaller, yet effective,
dynasties over its fourteen-hundred-year history. It is
interesting to note that whenever leadership changed
hands, nobody tried to replace the monarchy with a
different system until very recently.
The monarchy system produced legendary dynasties such

as the Umayyads who ruled the Muslim empire for the
bulk of the first one and half centuries, then ruled Islamic
Spain for almost three centuries.2 The subject of this book
ʿUmar II is one of the early rulers from this dynasty.
Another great dynasty was the ʿAbbāsids. They succeeded

the Umayyads and ruled the Muslim world for close to 700
years. Although their power declined steadily in the
second half of their reign, the first half of the ʿAbbāsid
Era, which coincides with the Umayyad rule over Spain, is
considered the Islamic Golden Age. It was during this time
that the Muslims led the world in science, technology,
education, and culture.3
A third legendary empire was the great Turkish Empire,

the Ottomans. They too ruled for a span of over 600 years
which only ended during World War I. The Ottomans
started as a resistance movement against the Mongols and
2
Firas Alkhateeb, Lost Islamic History, pp. 113-116
3
Ibid. pp. 63-88

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Crusaders in Turkey. Over the centuries they expanded,

and at the height of their power, they ruled over 50
countries across three continents.4
The concept of monarchy may be controversial in modern

times because this is an era in which most leaders are a
disappointment, to say the least, and many are outright
tyrants. Many of the incompetent and tyrannical leaders
of our time are democratic presidents and prime
ministers. It is easy to assume that if elected leaders can
be so corrupt, then treachery would be even easier in a
monarchy where the power does not leave the ruling
family. However, such discontent and injustice is not a
fault restricted to monarchies or any other governing
system; it is a timeless predicament balancing on the
morality or immorality of the individuals rising to power.
The problems seen in the monarchies of our time are not
a reflection of the monarchy system itself. Rather, they
are a reflection on the egocentric culture of the modern
era.
Military Expansion
Throughout this book, there are many references to the

military expansion of the Muslim empire during the first
century of its existence. This is another issue that has
4
Ibid. pp. 151-164

42
been downplayed in recent times. Many apologetic

Muslims prefer to ignore the fact that the Islamic Empire
was founded upon a strong military and its conquest of
various countries, as it feels too similar to colonialism and
imperialism.
Military expansion is an undeniable and historical fact.

There is no way around that. For the bulk of human
history, the world did not have the set borders that we
know today. Rather, empires expanded and constricted
regularly based on the strength of their military. Being
sandwiched between the Romans and Persians, two mega-
empires, put the Arabs in a precarious situation. It was
“conquer or be conquered,” and they chose the former.
The expansion of the Muslim world became a blessing for

every land they conquered. It is important to note that
the early Muslims did not force people to convert to Islam
at the point of the sword, as some orientalists would like
people to believe. Rather they took over the governance
of the lands but allowed people to maintain their religions
and to even rule according to their own scriptures among
themselves.5
The expansion brought peace, justice, and religious

tolerance to lands in which such concepts were previously
5
Dr. Mustafa as-Sibaa’ie, Civilization of Faith, pp. 117-138

43
unheard of. That is not to say that injustices no longer

occurred (as we will see later, ʿUmar II had to undo some
unjust taxes that his predecessors had legislated), but it
paled in comparison to the injustice that people were
subject to under the Romans.
Some countries, specifically Spain, Iraq, and Turkey,

experienced their Golden Ages after converting to Islam.
Had Islam not reached these lands through political and
military expansion, those Golden Ages would not have
materialized. The military expansion of the Muslim
Empire was a necessity of its time that does not need
replication in the modern world.
At the same time, we should not be ashamed of our

history, nor attempt to change or hide it out of fear of
what people may think. The expansion of the Muslim
empires is simply a fact of history that must be
acknowledged in order to study history properly.
The Curious Case of ʿUmar II
ʿUmar II is a fascinating figure in Muslim history. He was

the 8th Umayyad caliph, yet he was nothing like his
predecessors nor those who followed him. He ruled for
only two and a half years yet accomplished more than
many people do in a decade. He was raised as a prince yet

44
had no attachment to this world and was extremely

pious.6
All these reasons make him the perfect candidate to study

in search of insightful treasures for success. In ʿUmar II,
we have an example of a man who balanced religiosity
with good governance. He is considered a prime example
of the kind of leader Islam can produce when the tenets of
the faith are applied properly.
In this book, I hope to dig deeper into his life and analyze
the various things he did right that made him such a
brilliant ruler. I will not focus on the spiritual elements of
his piety, as that has been covered in great detail in many
other books. The focus here is primarily on leadership and
productivity lessons from the life of this devout Muslim
and effective leader.
In the following pages, I will provide a brief history of the

first century of Islam, so that his biography can be
understood in context. After that, we will dive deep into
his life and discuss in detail fifteen productivity principles
derived from his life. My hope is that by the end of this
book, the reader will grow to love ʿUmar II and emulate
these exceptional qualities of his.
6
Prof. Masudul Hasan, History of Islam, vol. 1, pp. 173-175

45

46

47
Brief History of the Early Muslim Empire
In this chapter, we will summarize the history of the first

century of the Muslim world. ʿUmar II came into power at
the end of the first century of Islam, so understanding the
history beginning with the life of the final Prophet of
Islam, Muhammad (s) leading up to Umar II’s reign is
essential for understanding his place in Muslim history.
Muslim history is often divided into a few core eras; the

Prophetic Era, Rightly Guided Era, and Umayyad Era are
the ones that relate directly to our topic. After these, the
next two key eras are the ʿAbbāsid and Ottoman Eras.
As these last two eras occur centuries after the time of

ʿUmar II, they will not be discussed in this book.7
The Prophetic Era
Prophet Muhammad (s) was born in 570 in Makkah, in

what is currently Saudi Arabia.8 He lost both of his parents
very early and was primarily raised by his uncle Abū Ṭālib
7
God willing, in a later book, I can summarize the history of these
empires when extracting lessons from rulers who were part of these
dynasties.
8
Saudi Arabia is a new country that only came into existence in 1932.
Before that, Arabia was part of the Ottoman Empire. Arabia has
always been part of the global Muslim Empire since the time of the
Prophet (s), and only became an independent country in the twentieth
century.

48
and Abū Ṭālib’s wife Fatima b. Asad. Growing up as an

orphan in Makkah enabled him to formulate his own
opinions, allowing him to become critical of various
aspects of the local culture.9
Arabia at the time was a neglected part of the world. It

was sandwiched between two great empires, the Persians
and the Romans, but it was ignored by both. Makkah was
the commercial city of Arabia, and it was governed by
tribal law. The average Makkan was pagan in belief and
worshipped a variety of idols.
However, there existed a few followers of early prophets

in their community, and because of this, the Arabs were
familiar with the concept of prophethood and revelation.
Makkah was founded by Prophet Abraham’s son Ishmael,
and its inhabitants claimed to follow in their footsteps, yet
despite this claim, very few citizens were true followers of
Abraham. Even fewer were following the teachings of
Moses or Jesus.10
Muhammad (s) grew up in this city and gained a great

reputation in his community. He became known by two
titles: The Trustworthy and The Honest One. Because of
these noble qualities, people loved him and often trusted
him with their greatest possessions and secrets. When he
9
Ramadan, The Messenger, pp. 10-17
10
Alkhateeb, Lost Islamic History, pp. 1-7

49
was twenty-five, he was hired by the widow Khadīja to

work for her. Impressed by his honesty, she sent a
marriage proposal to him through her friends, and he
accepted. Muhammad (s) and Khadīja married and lived a
happy loving life together for over twenty years.
Muhammad (s) was younger than her,11 yet this did not
bother him at all. In fact, he did not marry any other
woman while married to her.12
At the age of forty, Muhammad (s) experienced his first

revelation. He was meditating in a cave when the Angel
Gabriel came to him and commanded him to read.
Frightened, he ran home to his wife and explained to her
what had just occurred.13
Khadīja took him to her cousin Waraqa, who was a

Christian monotheist and a Biblical scholar. Waraqa
confirmed that Muhammad (s) was a prophet and that the
same angel that had brought the revelation to Moses had
come to Muhammad (s). He also predicted that
11
The popular opinion is that she was forty, and he was twenty-five
when they married. However, there is a lot of evidence that indicates
that she was actually twenty-seven when they married. The most
obvious evidence being that they had six children together over the
next twenty years, which wouldn’t be biologically possible if she was
forty when they married.
12
Ramadan, The Messenger, pp. 19-24, Alkhateeb, Lost Islamic History,
p. 10
13
Ramadan, The Messenger, p. 29

50
Muhammad’s (s) people would turn against him and expel

him from Makkah.14
Muhammad (s) soon began preaching his message: to

worship God alone, follow the prophet, and avoid all
forms of paganism. He began preaching in secret to his
family and friends, a few of whom accepted. Khadīja was
the first to accept his message. After her, the two most
notable were his best friend Abū Bakr and his cousin ʿAlī.
After three years of secret preaching, God commanded

Muhammad (s) to preach openly. He began calling the
people in Makkah to accept his message and faced staunch
resistance. Although many slaves and lower-income
earners accepted his message, the majority of the nobles
of society rejected it. In a tribal society, this did not bode
well as the nobles controlled the political climate.
The nobles of Makkah began to persecute the believers,

particularly the slaves and foreigners among them. Any
noblemen and women who had converted to Islam were
usually safe from persecution due to tribal protection.
Although there were pockets of violence against them
too.15
14
Ibid, p. 30
15
Ramadan, The Messenger, pp. 37-49, Alkhateeb, Lost Islamic History,
pp. 13-17

51
This situation persisted for ten years. During these ten

years, the Makkan leaders tried various methods to stop
the rise of Islam. They attempted a financial and social
boycott for three years. They tortured and persecuted the
poorer Muslims. They even executed a few of those who
lacked tribal protection. Some of them tried to bribe the
Prophet (s) out of preaching his message, while others
warned the pilgrims who were coming to Makkah for
Hajj16 to stay away from the Muslims and their message.
They labeled the Prophet (s) a madman and sorcerer and
warned people not to listen to the words he recited (the
Quran).
Eventually, the Muslims grew frustrated with their plight

and began to look outside Makkah for solutions. Two
groups of Muslims migrated to Abyssinia where they were
protected from the Arabs by a righteous Christian king.17
However, Abyssinia was too far away for the majority of
Muslims to migrate to, and the Prophet (s) needed to
remain based in Arabia. So, they stayed in Makkah for a
few more years until a new opportunity arrived. They
found a place closer to Makkah to migrate to, a city in
Arabia called Yathrib. This city would soon be known by a
new name: Medina.
16
The Hajj was already an annual pilgrimage to Makkah from the time
of Prophet Abraham.
17
Ramadan, The Messenger, pp. 59-62

52
The people of Yathrib were familiar with the concept of

prophethood. There were various Jewish tribes settled
among them who were very vocal about their beliefs. The
Jews had prophesized that the next prophet would arise in
that region. So it was no surprise to the Arabs of Yathrib
when they encountered the message of Prophet
Muhammad (s). Initially, a handful of pilgrims from
Yathrib converted to Islam during the Hajj.
They asked the Prophet (s) to send someone with them to

preach Islam to the tribes in Yathrib. So he sent Muṣʿab b.
ʿUmayr as the first Muslim missionary. Muṣʿab was one of
the early Muslim converts from Makkah who came from
an influential tribe and was gifted at both learning and
teaching. He was well-suited to this mission of preaching
Islam to the chiefs of the various tribes of Yathrib, and he
was successful in his mission. As a result, some of the
tribal leaders of Yathrib converted to Islam. Many of their
tribes’ members also converted. Soon, enough people had
converted and embraced the message that they were able
to offer protection to the Prophet (s) and his followers.
This turn of events enabled the Prophet (s) and his

companions to migrate to Yathrib (Medina), establishing
the first Islamic State there. The next ten years formed
the foundation of the Islamic State. The Prophet (s) set up

53
his base in Medina and from there sent emissaries to

share his message with the leaders of the known world.18
But the pagans of Makkah refused to let Islam spread, so

they continued their assault on Islam. A series of battles
eventually took place between the two cities. These
battles were spaced out over a few years, and there were
minimum casualties on either side. Eventually, the pagans
and Muslims agreed to a ten-year peace treaty. During the
time of this peace treaty, the Islamic faith spread rapidly.
No longer held back by the propaganda and emotions of
war, Islam spread throughout Arabia, and soon there were
over ten thousand Muslims living throughout the
peninsula. This was less than twenty years after the
Prophet (s) had first started preaching his message.19
Finally, the pagans violated the peace treaty. In

retaliation, the Prophet (s) marched upon Makkah. Ten
years after being forced to leave his home town, Prophet
Muhammad (s) returned at the head of an army of ten
thousand. To the surprise of the pagans, he conquered the
city peacefully and forgave them for their crimes against
the Muslims. The people of Makkah then converted to
Islam, and soon thereafter, the rest of Arabia followed.
18
Alkhateeb, Lost Islamic History, pp. 17-19, Ramadan, The
Messenger, pp. 78-89
19
Alkhateeb, Lost Islamic History, pp. 20-22, Ramadan, The Messenger,
pp. 111-163

54
Paganism was abolished from Makkah, and the Prophetic

mission was accomplished. Islam was now established in
Arabia and here to stay. Mission complete, the Prophet (s)
passed away at the age of sixty-two, leaving the future of
his nation in the hands of his trusted companions.20
The Rightly Guided Era
The thirty-year period following the Prophet’s (s) death is

considered the Era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs (Khulafāʾ
al-Rāshidīn). The name is derived from a hadith narration
in which the Prophet (s) prophesized that after his death,
there would be a rightly guided succession of rulers for
thirty years before the nation settled into a system of
monarchy. This prophecy came to pass. The Muslims were
successively ruled by the Prophet’s (s) four closest
companions, Abū Bakr, ʿUmar I, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī over
the next thirty years. After that, a younger companion,
Muʿāwiya, came into power and established the first
monarchy.
Abū Bakr was the first to rule. He was chosen by the

companions as their leader due to his closeness to the
Prophet (s) and his deep piety and wisdom. He ruled for
two years and spent most of that time quelling rebellions
and establishing Islam’s dominance in Arabia. At the same
20
Alkhateeb, Lost Islamic History, pp. 23-27, Ramadan, The Messenger,
pp. 165-197

55
time, he sent out armies to deal with the neighboring

Roman and Persian empires which had grown suspicious
of the rising power in Arabia. Before passing away, Abū
Bakr chose ʿUmar I as his successor.21
ʿUmar was one of the toughest, wisest, and most

intellectual companions. His reign proved to be the most
fruitful of the four. During his ten-year reign, the Persian
Empire collapsed. The Muslim armies conquered the
Persian lands very quickly, while at the same time taking
Egypt and Greater Syria from the Romans. Just twelve
years after the Prophet’s (s) death, the Muslim world was
a fast-rising empire that had defeated one superpower
while conquering multiple lands from another.
ʿUmar I was murdered by a disgruntled Zoroastrian while

leading the dawn prayer. Before passing away, ʿUmar I
chose a committee of six of the most senior companions
to choose the next leader from among themselves.22
ʿUthmān was chosen by consensus. He came into power

and continued the expansion of the Muslim Empire during
his early years. He ruled for 13 years, but the first half and
second half were very different. The first half of his reign
was marked with conquest and expansion. During the
second half, however, rebellions began to rise throughout
21
22
Ibid, pp. 33-40

56
the newly-conquered territories. New Muslims, unfamiliar

with the status of ʿUthmān, began to rebel against him
based on rumors and unfounded slander.
They disliked that he was a wealthy millionaire and not a

simple man like Abū Bakr and ʿUmar. They hated that he
had placed his relatives (the Umayyads) in positions of
power, even though they were the most qualified people
for the job. These, along with other rumors, circulated
among the zealous new converts causing rage in their
hearts. The rumors led to rebellions, which eventually led
to a group of Muslim rebels murdering ʿUthmān in his
home during the Hajj season.23
This brutal murder plunged the ummah into a state of

civil war. The prophet’s (s) cousin ʿAlī was elected caliph
by the people of Medina and Iraq but he wasn’t able to
control the rebellions. ʿUthmān’s cousin Muʿāwiya, the
governor of Syria at that time, demanded that ʿAlī should
bring ʿUthmān’s murderers to justice. He refused to
accept ʿAlī as the caliph until justice was done. On the
other hand, ʿAlī declared that while he would carry out
justice, stabilizing his position as caliph was paramount,
and he wanted Muʿāwiya’s support before the murderers
were brought to justice. This dispute sparked a civil war
between Syria and Iraq. The war lasted several years and
23
Ibid, pp. 40-43

57
only ended with the birth of a new extremist ideology

known as the Khawārij.
The Khawārij claimed that anybody who committed a sin

was a disbeliever. Based on this extremist belief, they
labeled both Muʿāwiya and ʿAlī as disbelievers for fighting
each other. Determined to end the conflict, they set out to
assassinate the two leaders. They assassinated ʿAlī but
were unsuccessful in their attempt to murder Muʿāwiya.24
For six months after the death of ʿAlī, there was

uncertainty about the leadership. ʿAlī’s son Ḥasan (the
Prophet’s grandson) was chosen as the leader of the
people of Iraq, but Muʿāwiya claimed leadership in Syria.
As Ḥasan had no aspirations for power and desired peace
and a resolution to the civil war, he forfeited his right to
rule and accepted Muʿāwiya as the ruler of the Muslim
Empire. This marked the end of the Rightly Guided Era
and the beginning of the first dynasty, the Umayyads.25
The Umayyad Era
Although there are some Muslim sects that dispute the

validity of the Umayyad dynasty, the majority of Muslims
accept that they were the first legitimate Muslim
kingdom. The Umayyads occupied various positions of
24
Ibid, pp. 43-46
25
Hasan, History Of Islam, vol. 1, pp. 140-141

58
power very early due to the fact that they were the most
experienced family in Makkan politics and administration.
Muʿāwiya’s father, Abū Sufyan, had been the leader of
Makkah before its conquest. This gave the Umayyads an
advantage over others in the political arena, and it made
sense that the first dynasty would spring from their
descendants.
Although ʿUthmān was the first Umayyad caliph, the

dynasty really begins with his cousin Muʿāwiya. Muʿāwiya
was appointed as the governor of Damascus during the
reign of ʿUmar I. He organized his administration in a
similar fashion to the Roman Emperors that had ruled
Syria before him. This preemptive measure to adapt to the
Syrian culture resulted in Muʿāwiya winning over the
Syrian population.. During the reign of ʿUthmān,
Muʿāwiya’s authority extended over all of Syria. This
made him the most powerful governor in the Muslim
Empire. When Hassan forfeited the caliphate, Muʿāwiya
became the ruler of the entire Muslim Empire.26
He became known as the first Muslim king because he

appointed his son Yazīd as his successor. This started the
tradition of monarchy which remains strong in the
Muslim world today. Muʿāwiya justified his decision by
saying that it would prevent people from fighting over the
26
Ibn Kathīr, The Caliphate of Banu Umayyah, pp. 21-23

59
leadership, and for the bulk of Muslim history, the

monarchy system proved successful in this regard.
Muʿāwiya ruled as caliph for 20 years. It was a time of

growth, expansion, internal peace, and prosperity. Yet
because of the actions of his son, the success of
Muʿāwiya’s reign is often overlooked.27
Unfortunately, Yazīd did not live up to his father’s

reputation. Yazīd was young, brash, and inexperienced.
He clashed with the companions of Prophet Muhammad
(s) on many issues, and eventually caused two disastrous
events: the murder of the Prophet’s (s) grandson Husain
in Karbala and the massacre of Madina. Yazīd’s reign
lasted only three years before he died in a horse-riding
accident. His son, Muʿāwiya II, was a sickly man unable to
rule who himself passed away a few days after his father.28
Left leaderless, the Muslim world fell into a second civil

war. Three parties rose up claiming leadership, the
companion ʿAbd Allāh b. al-Zubair claimed the caliphate
in Makkah, a rebel leader in Iraq also claimed leadership
and Marwān b. al-Ḥakam (Muʿāwiya’s cousin) married the
widow of Yazīd in order to bring the leadership into his
family.
27
Alkhateeb, Lost Islamic History, pp. 47-51, Hasan, History Of Islam,
vol. 1, pp. 151-154
28
Hasan, History Of Islam, vol. 1, pp. 155-159

60
This civil war lasted for 14 years. Although Marwān was

murdered by his wife, his son ʿAbd al-Mālik was able to
defeat his rivals and united the Muslim world under
Umayyad rule. ʿAbd al-Mālik’s victory is considered the
beginning of the second Umayyad dynasty.29
ʿAbd al-Mālik I was a brutal, yet intelligent, leader. He

crushed his enemies and brought the entire Muslim world
under one leader. Yet he also realized that the Muslim
world needed to establish itself as an authority and official
empire, in opposition to the Romans.
To achieve this goal, he made several wise decisions. He

minted the first Muslim currency, established Arabic as
the national language, and developed the first official flag
of the kingdom. These steps showed the rest of the world
that the Muslims were now a full-fledged empire and were
here to stay. He also continued the expansion of the
Muslim Empire in every direction.30
It was during the reign of ʿAbd al-Mālik I’s son, Walīd I

that the Muslim world expanded most rapidly. Walīd I
hired some of the greatest military commanders of all
time and put them in charge of conquest. During his reign,
29
Alkhateeb, Lost Islamic History, pp.52-53
30
Hasan, History of Islam, vol. 1, pp. 163-167

61
parts of India, present-day Russia, all of North Africa, and

even Spain became part of the Umayyad Empire.31
The conquest of Spain is an interesting example of how

the rest of the world viewed the rising Muslim world.
Spain at that time was ruled by a tyrannical Christian king
by the name of Roderic. The citizens of Spain felt
oppressed under Roderic, despite being Christians
themselves. They sought assistance from the Muslims in
Morocco and received it. The Muslim army, led by Ṭāriq b.
Ziyād, conquered Spain and brought it under Islamic rule
in 718. 32 It remained a Muslim country for over 700 years
before falling back into Christian hands in 1479.33
Aside from Spain, various other countries became part of

the Umayyad Empire during the reign of Walīd I.
Expansion came at a price. For the first time, the Muslim
world was exposed to untold riches and resources. The
Umayyads had no experience in dealing with such wealth.
As a result, they fell into materialism and hedonism.
Walīd I was succeeded by his younger brother, Sulaimān.

Sulaimān enjoyed the newfound wealth of the Muslim
world and ignored his sacred duties. During his short
reign, he spent most of his time eating, enjoying his wives
31
32
Ibid, pp. 54-56
33
Azizur Rahman, The Story Of Islamic Spain, pp. 346-355

62
and concubines, and living a lavish lifestyle. To uphold

this lifestyle, the Umayyads had set up various unjust
taxes on their subjects, particularly their non-Muslim
subjects.
But Sulaimān’s hedonistic lifestyle got the better of him.

Overeating led to sickness, and he passed away three
years into his reign from that sickness. Before passing
though, he was faced with choosing his successor.
Sulaimān was at a loss. His children were too young to
succeed him, and his guilty conscience plagued him for
the way he had squandered his reign. He wanted to atone
for his sins by choosing a worthy successor. Finally, he
settled on his brother-in-law/cousin ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-
ʿAzīz. And so began the reign of ʿUmar II, the noble
personage of this book, on 22 September 717.34
34
Hasan, History of Islam, vol. 1, pp. 171-172

63

64
Brief Biography of ʿUmar II
Family Background
ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, aka ʿUmar II, was a descendant of

the Umayyads on his father’s side and a descendant of
ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb on his mother’s side. He was named
after his maternal great grandfather.
On his father’s side, he was ʿUmar, son of ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz,

son of Marwān, son of al- Ḥakam, son of Abī al-ʿĀṣ, son of
Umayyah.35 King ʿAbd al-Mālik was his father’s brother,
and that made Walīd and Sulaimān his first cousins.
On his mother’s side, he was ʿUmar, son of Layla, daughter

of ʿĀṣim, son of ʿUmar, son of al-Khaṭṭāb. The story of how
his grandparents met is often retold in Muslim circles due
to its mythical and mysterious nature. When ʿUmar I was
caliph, he had a habit of going around at night in disguise
to see if anybody needed help. One night, he overheard a
conversation between a young lady and her mother. The
mother was telling her daughter to mix milk with water
and sell it in the market. Her daughter reminded her that
Caliph ʿUmar had prohibited such practices. The mother
35
As-Sallabi, ʿUmar Bin ʿAbd al- ʿAzīz, p. 48

65
said, “ʿUmar cannot see you.” To which the daughter

replied, “But the Lord of ʿUmar can.”
ʿUmar was so impressed by this reply that he asked his

servant to find out who that young lady was. When he
learned more about her, he approached her with an offer
to marry his son ʿĀṣim. She accepted the offer, and they
married. It is narrated that later ʿUmar had a dream, after
which he used to say, “I wish I knew the man from my
descendants, with a scar on his face, 36 who will fill the
earth with justice, just as it was full of injustice and
oppression.”37 Many Muslim historians claim that the just
ruler ʿUmar saw in his dream was actually ʿUmar II.
Childhood and Upbringing
Despite being an Umayyad prince, ʿUmar II had a unique

upbringing that caused him to develop a very different
personality from his cousins. He grew up in Medina, in the
company of great scholars and the last remaining
companions of the Prophet (s).
When he was young, his father was appointed governor of

Egypt. The family of ʿUmar had to move to Egypt, but
Layla wanted her son to grow up in Madina, which she
36
ʿUmar II had a scar on his face from a horse-accident during his
childhood. His parents took this as a good sign that the vision was
about him. (As-Sallabi, ʿUmar Bin ʿAbd al- ʿAzīz, p. 55)
37
al-Dhahabī, Siyar aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, vol. 5, p. 122

66
believed was a much better environment than Egypt at

that time. So, she left him in Madina in the care of his
grandfather’s brother, the great scholar of Islam ʿAbd
Allāh b. ʿUmar.38
ʿUmar grew up under the guidance of the local scholars,

particularly his granduncle ʿAbd Allah. As he grew, he
displayed great wisdom and piety and became a role
model to his people. Eventually, he moved to Damascus
where he married his cousin, the princess Fatima b. ʿAbd
al-Mālik.39 Fatima was a loyal and pious woman who
played an important role in ʿUmar’s life. We will discuss
her biography in a later chapter.
Early Political Positions
When Walīd I became the king, he appointed ʿUmar II as

governor of Madina. ʿUmar moved back to Madina where
he governed justly and became extremely popular. He
grew so popular that Walīd extended his rule to include
the entire Hijaz region. One of the reasons ʿUmar II’s reign
was so popular was because he surrounded himself with a
committee of righteous scholars. These scholars advised
ʿUmar and guided his leadership towards justice and
righteousness. 40
38
As-Sallabi, ʿUmar Bin ʿAbd al- ʿAzīz, pp. 59-60
39
Ibid. p. 57
40
Ibid. pp. 76-78

67
However, his popularity caused jealousy among the other

governors who feared he would grow too powerful,
particularly al-Ḥallāj b. Yūsuf. Al-Ḥallāj was a tyrant, and
people feared him. As a result, a large number of people
migrated during this period from Iraq, where al-Ḥallāj was
governor, to Medina. This made al-Ḥallāj extremely angry
and jealous. So, he plotted against ʿUmar and complained
about him to Walīd. Walīd favoured al-Ḥallāj’s method of
ruling over ʿUmar’s, so he listened to al-Ḥallāj and
removed ʿUmar from power. Then he had ʿUmar move
back to Damascus. It has been speculated that he may
have done this to protect ʿUmar from harm, as Walīd was
well-aware of al-Ḥallāj’s violent nature.41
In Damascus, ʿUmar continued to play a role in politics.

After Walīd passed away, his brother Sulaimān became
the next king. Sulaimān was fond of ʿUmar and valued his
wisdom, so he appointed ʿUmar as one of his viziers.
ʿUmar played a major role in guiding Sulaimān’s reign and
serving as a conscious for him.42
Sulaimān’s rule was short, and after only three years, he

contracted a fatal illness. As he was preparing to pass
away, he was faced with choosing his successor. His
children were too young to succeed him, and he had a
41
Ibid. pp. 84-87
42
Ibid. pp. 92-97

68
guilty conscious about his conduct as the king. He wanted

to choose a righteous successor. On the advice of his
vizier, the righteous scholar Rajāʾ b. Ḥaywah al-Kundī, he
chose his cousin/brother-in-law ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz as
his successor.43 In the year 717 CE, corresponding with the
Islamic year 99 h. Umar became the new king of the
Umayyad Empire.
The Caliph of the Muslim World
ʿUmar II did not want power or leadership, but he was

chosen for it. Yet once he had accepted the role as his
destiny, he immediately jumped into making drastic
changes for the benefit of his subjects.
In terms of his own personal life, ʿUmar gave up the lavish

life that he was accustomed to and chose instead to live a
simple lifestyle devoid of worldly treasures and wealth. He
feared using public wealth for his own livelihood, so he
survived on the bare minimum. Other than Abū Bakr and
ʿUmar I, no other caliph had made such a lifestyle choice.
ʿUmar also stripped his cousins of much of their wealth

and comforts, on the basis that the wealth was taken from
public money and should be used for the benefit of the
community instead of their own personal pleasures.44
43
al-Ṭabarī, Taʾrīkh al-Ṭabarī, vol. 7, p. 445
44

69
He set up a series of reforms across the empire. He

removed any taxes that he considered unjust. One such
tax was the jizya on Muslim converts. Jizya is a tax paid by
non-Muslim subjects to the Islamic government in
exchange for protection. The Umayyads found the jizya to
be a great source of income, so they levied it not only the
non-Muslims but converts to Islam as well. This became a
barrier between people and conversion. ʿUmar recognized
this as an injustice and removed this tax from the
converts.45
Some of the governors objected to this decision. In

response, ʿUmar said, “Allah has only sent Muhammad as
a guide. He did not send him as a tax collector.”46
To encourage Islamic education, ʿUmar increased the

salaries of scholars. Walīd I had started the practice of
paying religious scholars a salary so that they could
pursue their studies and teaching without worrying about
money. ʿUmar increased these salaries as a way of
encouraging people to seek Islamic knowledge. The
increase in salaries led to more people choosing Islamic
scholarship as a profession and led to a higher quality of
scholarship as well. 47
45
46
Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāya wa-l-nihāya, vol. 13, p. 667
47

70
ʿUmar did not focus on education alone; he also gave great

importance to missionary work. He chose some of the best
scholars in the Muslim world and sent them to the newly
conquered lands to teach Islam to the people of those
territories. As a result of this effort, thousands of people
across the empire converted to Islam during his reign.48
ʿUmar also stopped all expansion, claiming that priority

must be given to developing the lands that had already
been conquered. This was a unique approach that was
unheard of in that era. Military expansion had been the
accepted norm from the time of the first Muslim ruler.
However, ʿUmar felt that the empire was expanding too
quickly, and that not enough attention had been given to
its new subjects, their lands, and their needs. As a result,
he made the controversial decision to halt expansion in
lieu of targeting development of the territories already
under the empire’s control. Ultimately, this was the best
decision for that time. As a result of this policy change,
the newly conquered lands thrived and grew to their full
potential. The best example of this advancement is Spain.
ʿUmar gave special attention to Spain. Spain was the first

European land to become part of the Muslim world and
the Umayyads were unfamiliar with it; as a result, it had
48
Ibid, pp. 540-553

71
remained neglected during the reigns of Walīd and

Sulaimān.
ʿUmar chose a just governor for Spain and put him in

charge of a huge project. He ordered a full census to be
carried out, detailing everything from the regions
geography to the number of villages and cities, the
religions and the populations of the land. ʿUmar wanted
full details so that he could rule honorably and justly over
the people living in Spain. As a result of ʿUmar’s projects,
Spain began to grow and blossom. Within a century, it
became the most developed and most impressive region
of the entire Muslim world, and it introduced a Golden
Age of science, technology, and culture. This may not
have been possible had ʿUmar chosen to continue
overlooking Spain as his predecessors had.
ʿUmar also began another important endeavor. He

gathered a group of scholars and assigned them the task
of compiling the narrations of Prophet Muhammad (s)
into books. These narrations, called hadith, were passed
down primarily through memorization in the first century
of Islam. ʿUmar started the project of compiling them into
book form. To ensure the success of this project, he chose
the best hadith scholars of his era for this momentous
task.49 The project would see its true fruits over a century
49

72
later when two great Persian scholars, Imām Bukhārī and

Imām Muslim compiled the two greatest and most
authentic books of hadith. Their books were the product
of a multi-century effort that began in the time of ʿUmar
II to preserve hadith.
The most extraordinary thing about ʿUmar’s reign is that

all of these accomplishments took place within a span of
two and a half years. ʿUmar’s cousins were resentful of
being stripped of their luxuries, and so they plotted
against him. They bribed a slave to poison one of his
meals, and this led to his untimely death in 720 AH. The
leadership passed back to his cousin Yazīd who returned
administrative policies and affairs back to the way they
had been before ʿUmar II’s rule.50
Before ʿUmar II passed away, he delivered a final sermon

in the mosque. He began by praising Allah and said, “You
were not created in vain, nor will you be left without
purpose. Verily, you have an appointed time in which
Allah, the Most High, will come down to judge you.
Wretched and ruined will he be who leaves the mercy of
Allah and is denied a Garden whose width is that of the
heavens and Earth. Know you not that no one will be safe
tomorrow save one who is wary of today and fears it and
who sells the transitory for what will remain and the little
50
Ibid, pp. 710-713

73
for the plenty, and fear in exchange for security [in the
hereafter]? See you not that you are in the loins of the
dead, to be taken by those who remain after you, until all
matters return to the Best of Inheritors? Every day, [in the
funerals] you accompany those returning to Allah, the
Mighty and Sublime, having spent their time, until you
hide them in a crevice in the ground, in the belly of a bare
and unfurnished hole, having parted from their loved
ones, stroking the dirt and facing their accounts. Now,
they are dependent on their deeds, free of what they left
behind, in need of [the deeds] they put before them. So,
fear Allāh before the time He appointed is up and death
descends upon you. This is what I have to say.” He then
lifted the edge of his garment over his face and wept
profusely and made everyone around him weep.51
This was Umar’s last sermon before he passed away,

leaving behind an extraordinary legacy. For a brief period
of two and a half years, the Muslim world experienced life
under a ruler who truly embodied the teachings of Islam.
Although ʿUmar II’s rule was short-lived, his legacy had a
lasting impact on the world.
ʿUmar II’s efforts in Spain eventually led to Spain

becoming an independent Umayyad State after the
ʿAbbāsids took over the rest of the Muslim world.
51
Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm Vol. 3 p343

74
Umayyad Spain would last for over 290 years, during

which it experienced a Golden Age, and became the most
technological, scientific, and culturally advanced nation
on Earth.
His efforts in preserving hadith would lead to the great

books of hadith being written more than one hundred
years later. These are books that Muslims still read and
study every day despite being over a thousand years old.
His biography has been studied and analyzed by many

great scholars over the years. This has made him a role
model for countless future kings, governors, and scholars.
Until now, most books about ʿUmar II have focused on the

details of his history, his leadership skills, or his piety.
However in this book, I will introduce a new perspective
from which this great man’s life can be viewed. And so,
the rest of this book is dedicated to extracting
productivity lessons from the life of this exemplary
leader.
ʿUmar II lived in this world for only thirty-seven years,

and he ruled the Muslim world for only two and a half
years. Yet his accomplishments are truly amazing and
enviable. There are several things he did that made him
highly productive. These systems or principles helped him

75
achieve so much during his short life that it seems almost

unbelievable.
In fact, there is a miraculous nature to the

accomplishments of ʿUmar II. As a Muslim, I believe in the
concept of barakah (blessings) which means that when a
righteous person does something, God blesses it with far
more than they could ever imagine. And so it was with
ʿUmar II, God blessed his efforts and gave him great
results from which we still benefit today. But it is equally
true that action, principles, and sincere hard work are all
necessary to gain God’s assistance. And that is what I want
to discuss here.
In this book, we will look at those efforts, analyze them,

extract productivity tips from them, and apply them to
modern situations. My goal is that by the end of this book,
each of us should be able to apply these productivity
habits in our own lives and that this will lead to great
results for us too.
But before we look at what ʿUmar II did right, let us look

at an often-overlooked productivity habit of his parents.

76

77
Principle 1: Practicing Extraordinary

Parenting
Greatness does not occur in a vacuum. Great people are

often the products of extraordinary parenting, and the
parents of ʿUmar II were extraordinary.
In this section, I will focus primarily on ʿUmar’s mother

Layla and how she raised him. The reason for this is
twofold: First, as a governor, ʿUmar’s father was very busy
running the province, therefore there are fewer
narrations about the role he played in his son’s life. As a
result, most stories are about ʿUmar’s mother and the
choices she made. Secondly, we live in a time in which
motherhood is often demeaned and overlooked. Women
are taught to choose careers and money over children and
parenting, and stay-at-home mums are frowned upon.
Because of this, entire generations are losing out on one of
the most important factors that contribute to success:
extraordinary mothers.
ʿUmar II was born into the second generation of Muslims

following Prophet Muhammad (s), at a time when
traditional culture was still the norm. Traditional culture
dictates that fathers work to provide for their families,
while the mother plays the primary role in raising and

78
nurturing the children. This view of clearly identified and

balanced roles is part of the Islamic tradition, as well as
the tradition of many other cultures and religions, and it
is a precept that worked perfectly. It was only in recent
times that the dominant culture has changed, and the
results have been disastrous.
So, as was the norm at the time, ʿUmar’s father worked to

support the family, and his mother focused on raising her
children as best as she could. The results of her efforts are
clear: an extraordinary and pious king, ʿUmar II.
Layla made several decisions that highlight her concern

for her ʿUmar’s upbringing. She sent him to the greatest
scholars of Medina to study Islam, so that he would not
just learn the knowledge of the religion but would also see
the active example of his teachers’ piety and personal
virtues. Her decision gave ʿUmar the opportunity to
emulate the behavior of the scholars as well as learning
the knowledge they shared. ʿUmar’s mother chose ʿUmar’s
grand-uncle ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar to be his mentor so that
ʿUmar could absorb the religion and piety directly from
the first generation of Muslims. (Ibn ʿUmar was a
companion of Prophet Muhammad) And when she

79
migrated to Egypt, she left her son back in Madina so that

he would grow up in the best possible environment.52
The decision to leave ʿUmar in Madina was particularly

difficult. ʿUmar lived in an era before technology. By
leaving him in Medina, his mother was sacrificing being
physically close to her son in exchange for him growing
up in a better environment. This would be an extremely
difficult sacrifice for any parent to make, but the results
speak for themselves.
As a result of this mother’s three amazing decisions:

educating ʿUmar in Medina under the scholars of Islam,
choosing ʿUmar’s grand-uncle ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar to be
her son’s mentor, and leaving ʿUmar behind when she
moved to Egypt, ʿUmar grew up to become one of the
most extraordinary Muslims of his generation. ʿUmar
benefited greatly from the environment of Medina. He
became more religious, knowledgeable, and empathetic
than his cousins. His growth into an extraordinary
individual can be directly attributed to the amazing
sacrifices his mother made in raising him.
ʿUmar’s Commitment to Parenting Well
Not only was ʿUmar the result of extraordinary parenting,

he also put in a lot of effort to raise his own children well.
52

80
The attention he gave his children ensured that they grew

into amazing individuals with strong Islamic values.
ʿUmar taught his children to value the Quran and recite it

daily,53 taught them good manners and character,54 and he
appointed the best teachers to teach them both their
religion and necessary worldly skills.55 Because of these
factors, his children grew up well and became important
members of their communities.
The results of his extraordinary parenting methods can be

seen in the example of his son ʿAbd al-Mālik. ʿAbd al-Mālik
grew into such a pious young man that some historians
consider him more pious than his own father. He would
spend a lot of time worshipping Allah, possessed deep
knowledge and wisdom well beyond his age, and was
committed to serving Islam.56
ʿAbd al-Mālik was so righteous that many people wanted

him to be the next caliph, but ʿUmar did not want to
appoint his own son as the next leader for fear that it
would be a form of nepotism on his part.57 Even if he had
done so, it wouldn’t have mattered because a year before
ʿUmar passed away, a devastating plague hit Syria, and
53
Ibid. p. 343
54
Ibid. pp. 344-348
55
Ibid. pp. 352-358
56
Ibid. pp. 358-361
57
Ibid. p. 364

81
ʿAbd al-Mālik was affected and passed away at the young

age of nineteen.58
Long after his son’s death, ʿUmar continued praising and

remembering him. Even when his son was alive, he once
told him, “I have never met a young man more pious,
more learned in legal knowledge, and less inclined
towards his sensual desires than you.”59
In this extraordinary family, we see the fruits of multiple

generations of righteous parenting. ʿUmar I raised a great
son, who in turn raised an amazing daughter, who in turn
raised ʿUmar II, who raised ʿAbd al-Mālik. This is a
beautiful example of the compounded success of
parenting done well across multiple generations.
The Art of Parenting
Parenting is slowly becoming a lost art. As we go deeper

into the age of liberalism and individualism, fewer people
are choosing to have children, and those who do are less
active as parents. In the olden days, parenting was
considered a noble role that built the next generation of a
community. Today, it is seen as a burden and an obstacle
to freedom and fun. This is a result of choosing personal
pleasure over higher aspirations.
58
Ibid. pp. 362-363
59
Ibid. pp. 363-364

82
Parents, especially mothers, would pour their hearts into

raising the leaders of the next generation. Each
generation produced children who were even more
successful than their parents. In the modern world, this
art is nearly lost and in dire need of revival.
Parenting, especially mothering, is seen as a step

backward for society. People choose work and recreation
over spending time with their children. These days,
children are raised by the media, schools, and other
outside influences. The result is a generation lacking
skills, confidence, and basic morality.
But it doesn’t have to be like this. If we make a firm

commitment to parenting well, we can raise a generation
that is better than ours. In doing so, we can break the
current trend and contribute in our own little ways of
making this world a better place.
More Examples of Extraordinary Parenting
History is full of examples of extraordinary parenting that

produced amazing results. The Quran gives us the
examples of Prophet Jacob and his extraordinary son,
Joseph.60 As well as the example of Hannah and her
amazing daughter Mary.61 There are many other examples
60
Quran 12:4-6
61
Quran 3:35-37

83
of amazing parents in the Quran including Abraham,62

Luqmān, and Mary, the mother of Jesus.63
The story of Luqmān is an excellent example of parenting

in the Quran. In this story, we learn that Luqmān played a
direct role in his son’s education and upbringing. He
taught his son the importance of worshipping God alone,
being humble, praying, and standing up for what is right.
64
When we look at the parenting examples in the Quran,
we find examples of both great fathers and mothers,
showing that both genders have an important role to play
in their children’s lives.
Throughout history, we find that many great heroes were

raised by amazing parents. Imām al-Shāfi῾ī was raised by a
single mother who dedicated her life to her son’s
education. When she was widowed, she moved from Gaza
to Mecca so that her son could have a better education. As
a result, her son grew up surrounded by amazing Islamic
scholars and eventually became one of the greatest
scholars the world has ever seen.65
ʿĀʾisha b. Abī Bakr was the daughter of Abū Bakr, Prophet

Muhammad’s (s) closest friend. She was raised upon Islam
by Abū Bakr, married at a young age to the Prophet (s),
62
Quran 19:49-50
63
Quran 19:16-34
64
Quran 31:12-19
65
Salahi, Pioneers of Islamic Scholarship, pp. 46-47

84
and spent her youth studying Islam directly under the

Prophet (s). As a result, she became one of the greatest
scholars of her generation.66
Ibn Baṭṭūṭa was raised in a scholarly and noble household.

His parents encouraged him to study Islam at a young age.
He graduated in his early twenties, spent the next few
decades traveling the known world and became one of the
most renowned travelers in the history of this world.67
There are many more cases like this throughout Muslim

history. In most cases of noble heroes, their parents were
righteous, caring, and proactive parents. Because of their
parents’ active role in raising them well, these heroes
grew up well-educated, confident, religious, and
exceptionally skilled in their fields. The examples listed
are sufficient to prove the importance of active parenting.
Uncertain Results
However, excellent parenting does not always guarantee

results. The Quran relates the story of Prophet Noah who
raised his children on the correct theology. Yet his son
was influenced by society and died a disbeliever.68 This
story is a warning to all of us. Even if we try our best to
raise righteous children, the end result is not always
66
Sieny, Heroes of Islam, pp. 182-191
67
Gibb, The Travels of Ibn Battuta, pp. 2-15
68
Quran 11:42-47

85
guaranteed. There are many outside forces competing for

our children’s attention. Despite their parents’ best
efforts, youth could be influenced by one wrong source
and end up on a wrong path.
One might ask what then is the point of active parenting if

there is no guarantee of success. The reality is that there
is no guarantee of success in anything we do in life.
Everything we do is risky. When we start a business, we
are not guaranteed success, but we still try. When we start
a project, success is never guaranteed, but we still devote
our efforts to it.
Parenting is the same. Parenting is one of the noblest and

most important aspects of our human lives. Through
parenting, we have an opportunity to shape the next
generation. We pour our hearts into it and aim for the
stars, knowing full well that it may not work out. If we
don’t parent well, we become partly responsible for our
children’s failure in life, if they do fail. If they succeed in
spite of us, then we have no claim to their success. On the
other hand, when we do our best and they follow what we
have raised them upon, we become partially69 responsible
for their success in life, and if they stray, then we at least
know that we did our job and tried our best. Inevitably,
69
I say partially in both cases, because they are still responsible for
their own success and failure in life once they have grown up.

86
their fate lies between their own hands and in their

choices.
When we parent well, we increase their chances of success

dramatically. Yes, it isn’t guaranteed, but the chance of
success is so much higher that it is worth our best
endeavors. At the end of the day, if you raise your
children well and they go astray on their own, you can at
least find comfort in the fact that you tried your best. If
you don’t, then you may end up blaming yourself for their
misguidance.
In a way, we parent for our own sake, as well as theirs. Just

like any other worthy pursuit, we want to know that we
have given our best efforts; everything after that is a
matter of destiny.
The Pursuit of Excellence
We must spend our lives striving for excellence. In every

single task we undertake or goal we pursue, we must work
to be and do our very best. This includes how we raise our
children. We must commit to being the best parents
possible. Not because of who our children might be, but
because of who we are. We are people of excellence, and
anything we do, we will do the best job possible.

87
The Arabic word for excellence is iḥsān.70 The Prophet

Muhammad (s) said, “God loves that when a servant of His
does anything, he does it with iḥsān.”71 This means that
striving for excellence in everything that we do is a
quality of a true believer. That alone is enough reason to
commit to excelling at parenting.
Iḥsān is an oft-forgotten aspect of Islam. Islam demands

from its followers to be the best at everything we do. In
worship, iḥsān means to worship God as if you can see
Him. If this level is not possible, then it means to worship
God knowing that He sees you.72 This is the level of
excellence Islam teaches its followers to aspire towards.
But iḥsān is not limited to the sphere of worship. It applies

to every area of our lives. Iḥsān in work means striving to
be the best in your field. Iḥsān in studying means aiming
for high grades and deep understanding. And iḥsān in
parenting translates into giving your absolute best effort
to raising amazing people. As part of living a life of iḥsān,
Muslims must strive to be the best parents possible.
The Fruit of Good Parenting
70
Linguistically, iḥsān translates as perfection. However, its actual
meaning in this context is to work to the best of your ability, because
perfection is not possible for humans. Therefore, I prefer to translate
it as excellence.
71
Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī 1409
72
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 121

88
It is true that good parenting does not guarantee results,

but when it works, it is truly amazing and gratifying. A
parent may commit to raising four children in the best
possible way. Out of those four, it may be that one goes
astray, two live average lives (which is also a win), and
only one rises to become one of the greatest people of
his/her generation.
That one success alone makes the entire process and

struggle worth it. Without excellent parenting, that hero
may not exist. It is truly worth investing our time and
efforts to parenting with excellence simply because the
results can change the world in ways we never imagined.
As in the case of ʿUmar II, his parents raised him in the
best possible manner, and the results of their efforts
continue to have an impact on the world today.
This should be our hope as parents. We should not expect

that every single child of ours will grow up to be amazing.
If that happens, great. If not, there is still a chance that at
least one child reaches full potential when parenting is
done properly. Although the results are never guaranteed,
the chances of success are much higher when you make
the effort.
How to parent successfully

89
Parenting isn’t easy. It is a skill that most people learn on

the job and often too late. By the time mistakes are
realized, the children are all grown up and efforts must
turn to damage control.
This can be avoided by learning from both the successes

and mistakes of others. I have studied many cases of
parents who raised amazing children, both past and
present. When doing so, I noticed that most are
characterized by the following four aspects: spending
quality time, building close bonds of love, playing a role in
their education, and nurturing their talents. If we commit
ourselves to focusing our efforts in these areas, we too can
parent successfully.
Spending Quality Time
This does not mean you must spend a lot of time with
your children. The time you have available depends on
your work schedule. But whether you work long hours or
not, everybody can make quality time for their children.
Of course, the more quality time you spend with your
children, the bigger the impact on them will be.
Quality time means giving them your full attention and

doing something they enjoy. Nowadays, parents are often
distracted by their phones and gadgets when spending
time with their children. During the quality time, gadgets

90
and phones should be put away and your focus should be

entirely on your children. This is necessary to make them
feel loved and cared for.
Furthermore, the activity you do together should be fun,

memorable, or both. This will help build unbreakable ties
between you and your children—ties that will benefit you
all for the rest of your lives. Going out for dinner together,
playing games together, working on projects together, or
just spending the weekend hanging out together are all
examples of quality time provided that you are focused on
your children and what you are doing together.
Building Close Bonds of love
Related to spending quality time is the second factor in

raising children with excellence: building close bonds of
love. Children require affection and emotional support
from their parents. Some parents are very cold and
emotionally distant from their children. Their
interactions are restricted to shouting, reprimanding, and
criticizing. As a result, the child feels neglected, unloved,
and frustrated. This leads to rebelliousness and can
eventually lead to the breaking of family ties.
It is strange that this coldness seems to be found more

often among religious parents these days. Even though
Islam preaches loving and nurturing children, some

91
Muslims become extremely tough, strict, and harsh when

trying to raise their children with Islamic values. As a
result, they break the ties of love between themselves and
their children, and they destroy their children’s love of
Islam. In many of these cases, the children end up going
far from Islam, because they associate it with their
parents unloving nature and strictness.
Yet this coldness is not only unnatural, it is also

completely against the prophetic model. The Prophet
Muhammad (s) used to openly praise his children and
show them affection. On one occasion he picked up his
little grandson in public and kissed him, and a bedouin
remarked that he had ten sons and never kissed any of
them. The Prophet (s) responded with two replies, “What
can I do if God has removed mercy from your heart?”73
And “Whoever does not show mercy should not expect to
be shown mercy.”74
These responses and the action of the Prophet (s) towards

his grandson clearly show the importance of love and
mercy in the Islamic model of parenting. Muslim parents
must express their love for their children regularly,
through their words, actions, and emotional support. This
73
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5652
74

92
will build unbreakable bonds of kinship between parent

and child.
Expressing love through words means telling your child

that you love him/her and praising your children when
they do something right or commendable. Expressing love
through actions is done through kissing them, hugging
them, spending time and money on them, and taking care
of them. Giving love through emotional support is done
through motivating them, advising them, and being there
for them during difficult times. Positive actions such as
these that are characterized by awareness, involvement,
and interaction are necessary for helping a child grow up
feeling loved and safe.
This does not mean that we should not set boundaries for
our children. Rather part of loving them is teaching them
to be self-disciplined and how to make the right choices,
showing them the importance of respecting the law and
letting them learn that there are consequences for
breaking laws. When these things are done in a balanced
manner, they increase the bonds of love.
The key is to find the right balance; which is to be loving

80% of the time, and strict 20% of the time. That means
the general norm is that parents should be loving and
kind, and they should only be strict when the situation
calls for it. Kindness should be the norm, and strictness

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should be the exception. This is how we achieve balance

in parenting.
Playing an Active Role in Their Education
The third habit in successful parenting is playing a direct

role in your child’s education. In contemporary culture,
most parents outsource education to the local school.
They do this without considering the kind of influence
that school will have on their child’s personality, faith,
and lifestyle. They rarely evaluate the teachers to
determine whether they are qualified and effective
teachers or even good role models.
Nor do parents consider the other children in the school

and the impact they will have on their own children.
Children are simply shipped off to school between 8 am
and 3 pm every day for thirteen years or more to be
negatively influenced by many different kinds of people.
The result is often disastrous, and by the time parents
realize this, it is often too late to do anything about it.
Compare this to the parents of ʿUmar. Yes, they too

outsourced some of his education to the scholars of
Medina. However, they only did this because they knew
these scholars personally, trusted them, and understood
that these scholars were the best role models for their
son. They were very careful about whose influence

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affected their son. As a result, their son grew up with the

best of educations in the best environment. He had the
best of role models and became a positive role model
himself.
We see this reflected in how ʿUmar raised his children too.

Not only did he teach them many things himself, but he
personally appointed their tutors and mentors and helped
set the curriculums for their study.75 He was actively
involved in the education of his children despite his busy
life and important administrative duties to the kingdom.
If we want our children to thrive, we must play a more

active role in their education. There are various ways to
do this. Some parents choose to do this by homeschooling
their children. Others are very selective about the school
they choose for their children, and then too, they join the
school board or parent committee and actively follow up
on their children’s progress and growth. Some parents
may even move to another city or country so that their
children have access to better education. You need to
choose the method that is best for your family. Whatever
method you choose, as long as you are playing an active
role in educating your children, they have a better chance
of success.
75

95
When my eldest child was starting school, I needed to

make a decision regarding his education. I made the
unpopular decision to homeschool him. Seven years later,
I am now homeschooling five children and have no
regrets. All of these children are growing into amazing
people. They have good role models, a great education,
and high aspirations. Homeschooling has proven to be one
of the best decisions I have made in my life.76
Yet I know homeschooling isn’t practical for everybody.

Many families cannot homeschool due to financial, time-
related, or skill-related issues. Therefore, each family
needs to find the system that works best for them. It may
be homeschooling, private schooling, or something new
altogether. Find something that works for your family,
keeping in mind the goal: to raise amazing people who
succeed in both worlds. Whatever you choose, make sure
it is a conscious decision that moves towards this goal and
that you are not simply following society’s expectations.
Nurturing Their Talents
The fourth focus of a successful parent is nurturing the

child’s natural talents so that the child can thrive in life
and have a fulfilling career. Some parents make the
mistake of forcing their children down narrow career
76
To learn more about homeschooling, sign up for my homeschooling
courses at courses.islamicselfhelp.com

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paths which, as much as the parents may find these

careers desirable, the children themselves have no
interest in. As a result, the child grows up disinterested in
his/her career and never really reaches his/her full
potential. It is very difficult to reach your full potential
when you don’t have any interest or passion for the work
you do. Parents need to keep this in mind when giving
their children career advice.
In the old days, the path to financial success seemed

straightforward: go to school, go to university, get a
degree, get a job, and work until retirement. If someone
truly wanted financial success they would get a job as a
doctor, accountant, or lawyer. The world has changed a
lot since then, and modern technology has produced
substantial new paths to wealth.
Through modern technology, computer experts, artists,

writers, and entertainers have just as much a chance to
succeed as doctors and accountants. With this in mind, it
doesn’t make sense to restrict your child’s career choices.
The only real restriction that should be set is that their
career choice is not an immoral one. Then one is obligated
to step in and guide the child back towards honorable
sources of income.
In most cases, however, you will find that your child is not
only pursuing a career path different from what you had

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envisioned, but he will probably do work that didn’t even

exist when you were young. As the work arena is
constantly changing with every new technology that is
invented, it makes no sense to force a child to choose a
specific career based on old information or expectations.
The wisest approach is to teach children responsibility,

financial literacy, independence, and how to succeed in
any role. Then the parents should step back and allow
these youngsters to apply these skills and pursue success
in whatever career they choose.
Take the time to get to know your children, discover their

natural skills and inclinations and help them forge a path
that excites their interests, employs their strengths, and
widens their options for success. This will go a long way
towards helping them live a happier and more fulfilling
life.
These four actionable points are a common thread in

almost any case in which parenting was done successfully.
By spending quality time with our children, building

strong bonds of love with them, playing a direct role in
their education, and helping them excel in fields they are
interested in and naturally good at, we can help them
grow to their full potential.

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Section Summary
 ʿUmar II development into such an exemplary role

model and leader was the result of extraordinary
parenting.
 Excellent parenting may not guarantee results, but
it increases the chances of producing amazing
people.
 We must commit to parenting with excellence to
increase the likelihood of raising amazing people.
 Successful parenting includes spending quality
time with your children, building strong bonds of
affection with them, taking charge of their
education, and helping them grow to their full
potential.

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Principle 2: Choosing the Right Spouse
Fatima, the Righteous Queen
ʿUmar was very careful in his choice of spouses. He had

three wives, and all of them were righteous women who
raised righteous children. They were Fatima b. ʿAbd al-
Mālik, Lamas b. ʿAlī, and Umm Walīd.77 In this chapter, I
want to focus on Fatima and her contribution to Umar’s
success.
From all of ʿUmar’s wives, Fatima is the most famous. This

is due to the crucial role she played in ʿUmar’s life, and
the great sacrifices she made for the success of his
mission. Fatima was a princess with the noblest of
lineages. She was the daughter of a king, granddaughter of
a king, sister to four kings, and the wife of one of the
greatest kings of all time.78
Some historians refer to her as “The Ascetic Queen”

because she chose to live a simple life focused on
worshipping God, rather than indulging in the wealth of
her kingdom. She was also a narrator of hadith, and
quotations from her are found in many famous books.79
77
78
Ibid. p. 57
79
Nadwi, al-Muhaddithat, p. 267

101
ʿUmar needed a supportive wife to deal with the pressures

of reforming his kingdom. His core enemies were his own
brothers-in-law and cousins, so this placed Fatima in a
difficult situation. On one side was her husband, and on
the other were her brothers. Yet she never hesitated in
supporting her husband and taking right action.
Fatima sided with her husband’s reforms and goals, even

after his death. After ʿUmar passed away, his cousin Yazīd
(Fatima’s brother) became the next king. He returned the
kingdom to its former materialistic ways and told Fatima
she no longer needed to live a simple life now that ʿUmar
was dead. She refused to listen to him, stating that she
had chosen this lifestyle for her Creator. She remained
focused on worshipping God and avoiding materialism for
the rest of her life.80
It is this level of commitment and loyalty that makes a

strong marriage. For someone to remain loyal and
committed to their spouse’s vision and lifestyle after that
spouse has passed away is one of the greatest
compliments that could be given. In order to succeed at
achieving our goals, we too need to ensure we have
spouses that support and motivate us towards them.
80
Al al-Shaykh, ʿUmar bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz: The Fifth Rightly Guided Caliph,
pp. 41-42

102
The Importance of Marriage
We live in a time in which marriage is slowly becoming a

pale shadow of what it once was. The hedonistic, ego-
centric culture that we live in is very anti-marriage.
Divorce rates are at the highest they have ever been in
history, and many young people are choosing to avoid
marriage altogether. This may seem fun and exciting on
the surface, but it will have long-term negative
consequences for society as a whole.
Marriage is a central institution of human existence. It has

been a tradition since the beginning of the human race
when Adam married Eve. It has been a fundamental part
of the life of the majority of great men and women
throughout history. Through marriage, we preserve our
honor and dignity, build a loving home, ensure the
continuation of our lineage, and build a strong support
system for ourselves. Marriage is the foundation of the
family, and without strong familial ties, society itself is
endangered.
Marriage, when done right, is one of the most powerful

sources of motivation, support, encouragement, and
productivity on earth. A loving spouse and children are all
a person needs to truly motivate them to work at a higher
level and achieve greater goals. Marriage is one of the
greatest gifts that God has given to humans. When done

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right, it is the greatest source of peace and happiness in

our lives. The key to a successful marriage is to become
the kind of person that is worth marrying, then to marry
someone with similar aspirations.
Qualities of a Great Spouse
Too often, we focus on searching for the perfect spouse

without realizing that we need to be what we seek. Like
attracts like. Therefore, in order to attract a great spouse,
we must become great spouse-material ourselves. There is
no agreed-upon definition of what a great spouse is, and
the criteria will differ from person to person.
Nonetheless, the following qualities always help make a

marriage stronger, so we can look at them as some of the
universally-accepted qualities of a great spouse.
Kindness
Marriage is a lifelong contract. During that lifetime, there

are going to be disagreements, bad moods, stressful
events, and human failings. Kindness and forgiveness go a
long way in making a marriage last a lifetime. This only
works though if both spouses are kind. If one side is kind
and the other takes advantage of that, this becomes a
form of abuse and will destroy the marriage.
Kindness is necessary for every relationship. Without it, a

relationship will break down, and animosity will rise.

104
Kindness is even more important for marriage, as

marriage is one of the most essential relationships in
human life. Children learn from how their parents
interact with each other. When parents are kind, children
mirror that. Likewise, when parents are rough, the
children become the same.
Prophet Muhammad (s) said, “Allah is kind, and He loves

kindness in all matters.”81 He also said, “Allah is gentle,
and He loves gentleness, and He rewards for gentleness
what is not granted for harshness, and He does not reward
anything else like it.”82 In another narration, he said, “He
who is deprived of kindness is deprived of goodness.”83
There are many other narrations in the books of hadith

that emphasize kindness as the basis of all our
relationships. This is one of the fundamental teachings of
Islam.
Similar Goals
People grow and change over time. If two spouses have

different goals in life, they may grow in opposite
directions and eventually become incompatible. This will
make it a lot harder to maintain the marriage.
81
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukharī 6528
82
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2593
83

105
However, if they have similar goals, then they will grow

and change in similar directions and are more likely to
grow even closer to each other over time. Having similar
goals in life is a key feature of a happy marriage.
Even as spouses grow older and their goals change, if they

spend a lot of time together, those changes will be mutual,
and they will grow together. There are many successful
couples out there who started with a few things in
common, and over time they grew to be in sync on almost
all major issues. This is part of the beauty of truly living
together.
Compatibility
People have different personalities, cultures, and

traditions. No two people are exactly alike, but the more
they have in common, the easier it is to make the
marriage work. Ideally, spouses should have enough in
common to be able to enjoy each other’s company and
find things that they can do together. If there is no
compatibility at all, then making the marriage work can
be a struggle.
The specifics of compatibility are difficult to identify in a

book because it depends on the local culture. Every
community has their own ideas of what makes one person
compatible with another. In some countries, compatibility

106
involves social status or economic class. Other cultures

focus on lineage and tribal issues. And in some, it boils
down to values and hobbies.
Every family needs to have honest discussions on what

matters to them and what factors are essential for making
two people compatible for marriage.
However, one area in which compatibility is crucial is

theology. People from different theological backgrounds
will find it very difficult to live together unless they are
willing to compromise or sacrifice their religious beliefs.
They will have an even harder time agreeing on how to
raise their children and what theology, if any, their
children should be taught.
This isn’t limited to differences between religions. Even in

Islam, a marriage between a Salafī and a Sufi can lead to a
lot of complications, especially in raising children.
Likewise, a marriage between a Sunni and Shiʿi can cause
a lot of compatibility issues. Before marrying someone, it
is important to first learn whether your beliefs and
understanding of your religion are compatible with the
religious beliefs and understandings of the other person.
Commitment
Marriage is for life. Yes, in worst-case scenarios divorce is

better than marriage, but nobody should get married with

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the intention of getting divorced. If two people choose to

commit to marriage from the onset, it has a far stronger
chance of working out.
Marriage is hard, and there are many obstacles that will

pop up during one’s lifetime that will test one’s marriage.
During these times, it is essential that both spouses
remain committed to each other and not allow the trials
of life to tear the marriage apart. Couples that get through
difficult times together emerge stronger and more in love
than ever before. In this way, the tests of life help us to
build stronger relationships.
Just like any other goal in life, marriage requires

commitment, hard work, and teamwork. If a man and a
woman are committed to working hard together at
making their marriage successful, then it will last and will
blossom over time into something beautiful.
Forgiveness
Living with another person for the rest of your life means
that disputes will arise and errors in judgement or choice
will be made. You and your spouse are both human and so
mistakes are inevitable. When someone errs and seeks
forgiveness, forgive them. After all, this is what we want
for ourselves from God, His Forgiveness.

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This does not mean we should condone abuse,

mistreatment, or evil habits. Rather, in all these situations
we should work to rectify the situation. If that isn’t
possible, then divorce is better than a marriage that
makes someone miserable.
There is a difference between a spouse who is trying

his/her best, yet slips up as a human, and a spouse who
doesn’t care and purposely makes life difficult. The first
deserves forgiveness, the second needs to be let go of.
There is no shame in divorce, especially if it leads to a
greater good or removes harm.
A Happy Family
An important key for productivity, happiness, and success

is to have a happy family. There is rarely anything that
can motivate a person more than a loving and supportive
family. Families drive people to become the best versions
of themselves so that they can provide the best possible
life for their families.
In our individualistic culture, the importance of spouses

and children is often diminished. We see a lower rate of
marriage and child-birth, accompanied by a rise in
depression, addiction, and suicide. These occurrences are
not coincidences. Humans are by nature familial
creatures. We were created to live in families and to

109
continue our lineage through families. Without a family,

humans are often lost, vulnerable, and easily misguided.
Successful people understand the importance of family.

They understand the importance of caring for elders,
especially parents. And they understand the importance
of being a great spouse, having a great spouse, and being a
great parent. When one has a strong family support
system, achieving one’s goals is so much easier.

110
Section Summary
 Your spouse plays an important role in your life.

 ʿUmar II was very careful in choosing his wives.
 Fatima contributed significantly to her husband’s
success.
 Family is one of the greatest motivations to be
productive and strive for success.
 Having a happy family is a better measure of
success than wealth or prestige.

111

112
Principle 3: Fulfilling a Spiritual Purpose
ʿUmar’s Spirituality and Purpose
A brief glimpse at the life of ʿUmar II makes it clear that

he was a very spiritual person with a strong connection to
the Creator. ʿUmar II is considered by most Muslim groups
as a righteous, religious scholar and reviver of the
religion.
Many books have focused on his piety and religiosity. And

although this book does not aim to detail ʿUmar II’s
devotion and piety, his spirituality does deserve some
level of discussion as it was the core motivation behind his
productivity and a major factor influencing his goals and
projects.
An interesting aspect of ʿUmar’s religiousness is that it did

not manifest itself in the usual ways. He was not known
for praying all night or keeping voluntary fasts or reciting
the entire Quran in one day. These are the qualities
usually associated with pious Muslims. ʿUmar was
different; his piety manifested in his justice, simplicity,
and personal sacrifice.

113
In fact, his wife Fatima said about him “By Allah, he did
not pray or fast more than anyone else, but by Allah, I
never saw anyone more fearful of God than ʿUmar.”84
Piety can manifest itself in many ways. For some people it

is praying at night, for others, it is fasting or charity, yet
for others, it may appear in their commitment to
humanitarian work. ʿUmar’s piety manifested itself in his
dedication to justice, social development, and simplicity.
His justice came from a sense of accountability to God for
his actions. This deep piety made him one of the most just
rulers in the history of the Muslim World.
True piety has a spiritual impact on those around you.

This is clearly seen in the life of ʿUmar. His piety not only
impacted the hearts of the Muslims, but it also affected
the hearts of many non-Muslims in his kingdom too. Many
dhimmī subjects converted to Islam during his reign. This
was partially due to his removing the jizya tax from
converts, but the high priority ʿUmar II gave to Islamic
education was a significant factor as well.85 Even those
who did not convert had great respect and admiration for
him. When the news of his death reached a Christian
monk, the monk cried and said, “I am not crying for him,
84
Ibn Kathir, The Caliphate Of Banu Umayyah, p. 527
85

114
but I am crying over a light which was lit on earth and has
now been extinguished.”86
One of ʿUmar’s contemporaries said about him, “I have

not seen anybody more spiritually ascetic and conscious
of God than ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al- ʿAzīz.”87
Mālik b. Dīnār said about ʿUmar, “The (true) ascetic is

ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al- ʿAzīz who was given the world and
everything in it but is still disdainful of its luxuries, so he
abandoned them.”88
ʿUmar II was granted everything in this world that people

desire. He was a prince, the nephew of the king, a man
born into wealth and luxury. Yet, out of fear that all these
luxuries were purchased with unjust taxes, he abandoned
this affluence and lived a simple life. When he passed
away, ʿUmar possessed only seven hundred dīnārs which
was divided among his inheritors. To understand the
significance of this amount, one of his cousins Hishām left
behind an inheritance of one million dīnārs.89
ʿUmar came from the same family as Hishām and had

access to the same funds. His simple lifestyle was a
conscious choice driven by his fear of God. It was this deep
86
87
Ibid, p. 724
88
Ibn Kathir, The Caliphate Of Banu Umayyah, p. 525
89

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sense of piety that made ʿUmar II such an exemplary ruler

and role model.
The Purpose of Life
Many people struggle to find purpose in their lives. They

go through life without any real direction or noble
objectives. This search for meaning grows more desperate
if they attain financial success. Financial success without
purpose often leads to a sense of emptiness and
directionless life primarily because one must face the
devastating realization that money does not guarantee
happiness or contentment. Their search for happiness
resulted in a pursuit of wealth which once achieved
proved fruitless. This is a common problem in the modern
world.
Capitalist culture preaches that the pursuit of wealth, or

happiness through wealth, is the objective of life. But
what happens when a person achieves wealth and isn’t
happy? What happens when a person finally acquires
wealth and riches, yet still feels empty, purposeless, and
unsure what to do with the rest of his life? The pursuit of
more money does not fill this gap at all.
Life without a purpose is meaningless, boring, and

depressing. Many people around the world are searching
for a purpose in their lives, and philosophers spend

116
countless hours debating the purpose of life. When they

are unable to find it, many people then choose to invent
their own purpose. This self-defined purpose may be a
form of philanthropy or leaving some kind of legacy.
The purpose of their life becomes their projects, and they

dedicate the rest of their lives to this. This may help some
people feel better, but for many others, they know deep
down that these aspirations are arbitrary and not the
definitive purpose of their existence. Projects and
passions of this nature, while beneficial to society, don’t
really solve the issue of finding one’s true purpose.
Instead, these self-defined purposes are simply decoys
masking the deep inner struggle to find the true purpose
of life.
Yet great people like ʿUmar II lived with true purpose.

They did not need to search for it or face internal
struggles of discovery. It was clear to them, and all the
goals in their lives revolved around it. This is because
ʿUmar II and people like him took their purpose in life
directly from the teachings of Islam.
Unlike other religions, Islam is very clear about the

purpose of life. It is stated in the Quran, “I only created
jinn and humans to worship me.”90
90
Quran 51:56

117
The meaning of this verse is that God did not create

humans without a purpose or reason. That Divine Purpose
is that God created humans to worship Him and, through
that worship, to become a manifestation of His Divine
Attributes on earth. He created the earth as a place to test
humanity and gave us free will so that the results of that
test will be our own.
The purpose of life according to Islam is “to worship God”.

However, many people may have difficulty understanding
what that means on a practical level. Does it mean
abandoning our businesses, retreating to the mountains
and spending our entire lives in ritual worship? Not
really. The Islamic definition of worship is a lot more
nuanced.
Worship in Islam is a broad term that covers a variety of

actions, beliefs, and emotions. It is not limited to
ritualistic acts of worship, although that is an important
part of it. Worship in Islam is equal to the concepts of
obedience or submission. In fact, the linguistic meaning of
the word Islam is “to submit to God.”
So when Muslims say that we believe that the purpose of

life is to worship God, it means that we believe that our
entire lifestyle should be done in a manner that is
pleasing to God. This means that the worship of God

118
manifests itself in every action that a Muslim consciously

makes.
This includes beliefs, actions, and emotions. When a

Muslim believes that God will assist him/her or that an
event that occurred in his/her life is destiny, that belief
itself is an internal form of worship. When a Muslim
prays, fasts, or gives charity, these are physical acts of
worship. When a Muslim fears God, loves God, and trusts
God these emotions are internal acts of worship.
The Islamic concept of worship is so vast that it includes

everyday acts. When done with the correct intention, and
within the boundaries set by God, even mundane acts like
eating, sleeping, working, and having sex become means
through which God is worshipped.91
It is with this comprehensive understanding of the Islamic

purpose of life that we gain more clarity into what drove
the productivity of ʿUmar II and people like him. ʿUmar II
was a firm believer in Islam, with a strong connection to
God.
Because of this, he treated everything he did as an act of

worship and strove to do everything in a manner that was
pleasing to God. His simplicity, justice, mercy, kindness,
advice, and projects were all endeavors through which he
91
Kamdar, Best Of Creation, pp. 28-29

119
worked to fulfill his purpose of life: to live a life pleasing

to Allah.
To understand ʿUmar’s initiatives and motivations, we

need a clear understanding of the Islamic purpose of life
and how it drives the goals and ambitions of Muslims.
Without this insight, many of ʿUmar’s decisions, projects,
and goals do not make any sense.
Islam teaches its followers that life is about submission

(Islam) to God and that every aspect of life should be done
in a manner that is pleasing to Him. This concept shapes
the lives of Muslims across the globe. Everything from
marriage to business is based on this primary concept:
How can I do this in a manner that is pleasing to God? It is
this profound question that shaped ʿUmar’s policies and
decisions.
Spiritually-Fuelled Productivity
Spirituality gives productivity an edge. It gives it a deeper

purpose and makes it a source of divine blessings (baraka).
When productivity is based on a higher spiritual purpose,
especially when it is aligned with the Divine Purpose (i.e.
to worship God), then it is transformed into something
nobler.
This deeper purpose pushes a person to work harder,

overcome bigger obstacles, and attain higher goals. This is

120
because one is driven by something much deeper than

desire or want: one is driven by God to do God’s work on
earth. It is this deeper purpose that makes spirituality
such an essential part of productivity. In order to become
the best versions of ourselves, we must dig deeper and
connect with our Creator.
Fluctuating Spiritual Levels
Spiritual levels are not static. They fluctuate according to

a person’s deeds and thoughts. Even within one day, there
are moments when we feel stronger spiritually and other
times when we are weaker and give in to temptation. This
fluctuation is natural. In Islamic theology, one of the core
beliefs is, “faith increases with good deeds and decreases
with sin.”92
This means it is normal to experience fluctuations in our

spiritual levels according to the condition of our deeds.
Our goal then should be to work on maintaining and
gradually increasing our spirituality by consistently
improving our worship and spiritual state.
The Results of Spiritually-Fuelled Productivity
A strong relationship with the Creator is the secret

ingredient to true success. With spirituality comes baraka,
92
Ibn Taymiyyah, Sharh al-ʿAqīdat al-Wāṣatiyyah, p. 190

121
contentment, gratitude, inner peace, and maximized

impact.
Baraka refers to an unexplainable increase in a thing.

Examples of baraka are how some people are able to get
more done in the early hours of the day and how charity
causes an increase in wealth. Neither of these two
concepts can be understood logically or explained
scientifically, but everybody experiences them.
God stated in the Quran, “(God) increases (wealth

through) charity.”93
Prophet Muhammad (s) said, “O Allah, bless my nation in

their early morning.”94
Both of these examples are clearly mentioned in Islamic

scriptures as examples of baraka. Anybody can experience
this baraka when they do these things, but those close to
God experience a deeper level of baraka. Umar II had
baraka in his projects, which is why they continued to
benefit people centuries after he had passed away. He also
experienced baraka in his life, he lived for only forty years
yet accomplished so much that we are writing this long
book about him. Baraka is a secret ingredient of success
that God gives to those who are close to Him.
93
Quran 2:276
94
Sunan al-Tirmidhī 1212

122
God says in the Quran, “If you are grateful, I will give you
more.”95
The Prophet Muhammad (s) said, “Wealth is not having

many possessions. Rather, true wealth is the richness of
the soul.”96
The Prophet Muhammad (s) also said, “Wealth is in the

heart and poverty is in the heart. Whoever is wealthy in
his heart will not be harmed no matter what happens in
the world. Whoever is impoverished in his heart will not
be satisfied no matter how much he has in the world.
Verily, he will only be harmed by the greed of his own
soul. ”97
Contentment and gratitude go hand in hand. When a

person is grateful for what God has blessed him with, he
will automatically experience contentment. Instead of
always looking at the next goal, the next level, and the
next target, we should always take time to enjoy our
current accomplishments, thank God for them, and
benefit from them. When our goals have a spiritual
dimension, it isn’t higher levels of wealth that we always
aim for, rather it is a life of contentment, gratitude, and
inner peace.
95
Quran 14:7
96
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6081, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1051
97
al-Mu’jam al-Kabīr 1618

123
God says in the Quran, “It is only through the

remembrance of God that hearts experience inner
peace.”98
Inner peace cannot be attained without spirituality. Inner

peace means being at peace within ourselves. Not in our
bodies and minds, but in our souls.
Every human has within them a soul and attached to that

soul is our spiritual heart. Just as the physical heart keeps
the body alive, the spiritual heart is where emotions and
faith reside. The spiritual heart is where inner peace is
experienced, and that can only happen through
improving our spiritual state.
It is possible to reach a state of inner peace that impacts

the entire soul. This is what God describes in the Quran
when He said, “Oh soul that is in a state of inner peace,
return to your Lord, pleased and pleasing.”99
This verse shows the link between pleasing God and

attaining inner peace and a state of eternal happiness. Our
pleasure lies in the pleasure of God, and it is in pleasing
God that we will find the crucial ingredient for true
success. This is the single ingredient that many who are
otherwise successful are lacking, and therefore they
98
Quran 13:28
99
Quran 89:27-28

124
remain discontent or unfulfilled despite their

achievements.
The final result of true spirituality is that the impact of

your work will be beyond your imagination. When God is
on your side, there are no limits to what you can
accomplish. With God by your side, it is possible for even
your smallest action to have a global impact. Spirituality
unlocks the assistance of God, and the result is a life of
blessings, inner peace, and maximum impact.
God says in the Quran, “Whoever is conscious of Allah, He

will make for him a way out and provide for him from
where he never imagined. And whoever trusts Allah, He is
sufficient for him.”100
100
Quran 65:2-3

125
Section Summary
 ʿUmar II was a very spiritual individual who

worked to maintain a close relationship with the
Creator.
 Based on his spirituality, he was able to align his
goals with the Divine Purpose.
 This congruency of purpose and goals caused
ʿUmar II’s efforts to be blessed and receive Divine
Assistance.
 When we fulfill our purpose in life, build our
spirituality, and dedicate our lives to a noble
purpose, we too will experience blessings in our
efforts and results.
 When one has true spirituality he/she will
experience baraka, contentment, gratitude, inner
peace and maximum impact.

126

127
Principle 4: Developing an Abundance

Mentality
ʿUmar’s Tax Reform
One of ʿUmar’s most famous reforms were the changes he

made to the tax laws in the Umayyad Empire. His
predecessors had imposed various taxes that were
burdensome on society and created much ill will. ʿUmar
did not agree with these taxes and considered them
unjust.
One of the first changes he made upon gaining power was

the removal of oppressive taxes. This did not sit well with
his cousins or his governors, as they were worried about a
decrease in revenue for the state. ʿUmar did not worry
about that at all and famously stated, “Verily, Allah has
only sent Muhammad as a preacher. He did not send him
as a tax collector.”101
ʿUmar’s attitude towards money reflects the teachings of

Islam on this topic. He approached wealth as a resource
meant for public benefit. He was opposed to greed,
hoarding, and wastage. He was convinced that God’s
treasures are limitless, and therefore sufficient for
101
Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāya wa-l-nihāya, vol. 13 p. 667

128
everybody. This belief governed his lifestyle and economic

policies.
The Abundance Mentality
The abundance mentality is the philosophy that there is

enough in this world for everybody, and that we can all
prosper together. It is the opposite of the scarcity
mentality which pervades capitalistic societies. The
scarcity mentality is the belief that there are limited
resources in the world, and there isn’t enough for
everybody.
In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey

explains clearly the difference between the scarcity
mentality and the abundance mentality.
He describes the Scarcity Mentality as follows:
Most people are deeply scripted in what I call the

Scarcity Mentality. They see life as having only so
much, as though there were only one pie out
there. And if someone were to get a big piece of
the pie, it would mean less for everybody else.
The Scarcity Mentality is the zero-sum paradigm

of life. People with a Scarcity Mentality have a
very difficult time sharing recognition and credit,
power or profit—even with those who help in the

129
production. They also have a hard time being

genuinely happy for the success of other people.102
He describes the Abundance mentality as follows:
The Abundance Mentality, on the other hand,

flows out of a deep inner sense of personal worth
or security. It is the paradigm that there is plenty
out there and enough to spare for everybody. It
results in the sharing of prestige, recognition,
profits, and decision-making. It opens possibilities,
options, alternatives, and creativity.103
The abundance mentality for Muslims is an even deeper

issue, it is a matter of theology. Muslims believe that God
created the entire universe, provides for all His creation,
and that God’s treasures are limitless. Based on these
beliefs, a scarcity mentality can lead to defects in one’s
understanding of God and His infinite treasures.
The Scarcity Mentality of the Umayyads
ʿUmar’s cousins seemed to be affected by the scarcity

mentality. They were afraid of losing their wealth and
status due to ʿUmar’s reforms and new policies. Out of fear
of financial loss, they were driven to commit a great
crime. They paid his slave to poison his food, which led to
102
Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, p. 219
103
Ibid. pp. 219-220

130
his untimely death, just two years into his reign as

caliph.104
This incident represents the biggest danger of the scarcity

mentality. It drives people to commit injustices against
others out of fear of poverty. The scarcity mentality leads
to greed, jealousy, hatred, anxiety, and unhealthy
competition. In worst-case scenarios like this, it can even
lead to murder.
Stephen Covey explained the harms of the scarcity

mentality as follows:
People with a Scarcity Mentality have a very

difficult time sharing recognition and credit,
power or profit…They also have a hard time being
genuinely happy for the success of other people.-
even, and sometimes, especially, members of their
own family or close friends and associates. It’s
almost as if something is being taken from them
when someone else receives special
recognition…105
This describes the attitude of ʿUmar’s cousins in this

incident. Unable to accept that he was given something
they desired, they could not feel happy for him. They
104
As-Sallabi, ʿUmar Bin ʿAbd al- ʿAzīz, pp. 710-712, Ibn Kathir, The
Caliphate of Banu Umayyah, pp. 532-535
105

131
were driven to take it away from him in hostility because

they believed this was the only way for them to get it
back. The extent to which the Umayyads reached is an
example of the scarcity mentality taken to its extreme
conclusion: murder for the sake of worldly power. Indeed,
it is a clear example of the dangers of subscribing to the
scarcity mentality.
God’s Limitless Treasures
The scarcity mentality is based on false notions about this

world and God. These false notions lead to a problematic
understanding of resources and how they are divided. In
reality, there is enough food, wealth, and everything else
for all of humanity to live comfortably. Unfortunately,
this wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few elite
capitalist leaders.
Yet, if it were distributed fairly, world poverty would not

exist. This balance and fair distribution actually occurred
in ʿUmar’s kingdom during his reign. ʿUmar’s economic
reforms, as well as his emphasis on the collection and fair
distribution of the Zakat, led to a strong economy. The
economy grew so strong under ʿUmar that there reached
a point in which people had difficulty locating eligible
Zakat recipients.106 Even the lowest economic levels of
society were comfortable and were not qualified to
106

132
receive Zakat due to the just economic policies ʿUmar had

implemented.
This is the power of the Islamic economic model, which

balances a free market economy with just restrictions, and
redistribution of wealth via Zakat. Although annual Zakat
on wealth and assets is only 2.5%, it can go a long way
towards solving economic problems, especially if the
billionaires and millionaires of the world paid their Zakat,
as well as giving additional charity, as Islam encourages.
In a truly Islamic environment, it is common to find most

people engaging in acts of charity well above the
minimum. They do so regardless of their economic status
and without fear of poverty. This is because Islam cements
the abundance mentality into the minds of its believers.
Islam teaches us that God’s treasures are limitless, and

even if every creature asked God for whatever they
wanted and He gave it to them, it would not decrease His
treasures in the least.
Muslims also believe that charity increases wealth and

causes baraka (spiritual blessings) in one’s wealth. With
such deep-rooted spiritual beliefs, it is clear why Muslims
who understand their religion are often among the most
charitable people in the world, without any anxiety about
poverty.

133
The Story of Three Men and an Angel
There is a lengthy story in the books of hadith that clearly

indicates the effects of the scarcity and abundance
mentality. In this story, God tests three people with
wealth, two fail the test due to a fear of poverty, but the
third passed the test due to several good qualities, one of
which was an abundance mindset. The story is as follows:
Abu Huraira narrated that he heard God's

Messenger (s) saying, “Allah willed to test three
Israelis who were a Leper, a blind man, and a bald-
headed man. So, he sent them an angel who came
to the leper and said, 'What thing do you like
most?'
He replied, 'Good color and good skin, for the

people have a strong aversion to me.' The angel
touched him and his illness was cured, and he was
given a good color and beautiful skin.
The angel asked him, 'What kind of property do

you like best?' He replied, 'Camels (or cows).' So he
(i.e. the leper) was given a pregnant she-camel,
and the angel said, 'May Allah bless you in it.'
The angel then went to the bald-headed man and

said, 'What thing do you like most?' He said, 'I like
good hair and wish to be cured of this disease, for

134
the people feel repulsion for me.' The angel

touched him and his illness was cured, and he was
given good hair.
The angel asked, 'What kind of property do you

like best?' He replied, 'Cows.' The angel gave him a
pregnant cow and said, 'May Allah bless you in it.'
The angel went to the blind man and asked, 'What

thing do you like best?' He said, 'that Allah may
restore my eyesight to me so that I may see the
people.' The angel touched his eyes and Allah gave
him back his eyesight.
The angel asked him, 'What kind of property do

you like best?' He replied, 'Sheep.' The angel gave
him a pregnant sheep.
Afterward, all the three pregnant animals gave

birth to young ones, and multiplied and brought
forth so much that one of the men had a herd of
camels filling a valley, and one had a herd of cows
filling a valley, and one had a flock of sheep filling
a valley.
Then the angel, disguised in the shape and

appearance of a leper, went to the leper and said, I
am a poor man, who has lost all means of
livelihood while on a journey. So none will satisfy

135
my need except Allah and then you. In the Name of

Him who has given you such nice color and
beautiful skin, and so much property, I ask you to
give me a camel so that I may reach my
destination.
The man replied, 'I have many.' The angel said, 'I
think I know you; were you not a leper to whom
the people had a strong aversion? Weren't you a
poor man, and then Allah gave you this?'
He replied, 'I got this property through

inheritance from my fore-fathers.' The angel said,
'If you are telling a lie, then let Allah make you as
you were before. 'Then the angel, disguised in the
shape and appearance of a bald man, went to the
bald man and said to him the same as he told the
first one, and he too answered the same as the first
one did.
The angel said, 'If you are telling a lie, then let
Allah make you as you were before.' The angel,
disguised in the shape of a blind man, went to the
blind man and said, 'I am a poor man and a
traveler, whose means of livelihood have been
exhausted while on a journey. I have nobody to
help me except Allah, and after Him, you yourself.
I ask you in the Name of Him who has given you

136
back your eye-sight to give me a sheep, so that

with its help, I may complete my journey.'
The man said, 'No doubt, I was blind and Allah

gave me back my eyesight; I was poor and Allah
made me rich; so take anything you wish from my
property. By Allah, I will not stop you from taking
anything of my property which you may take for
Allah's sake.'
The angel replied, 'Keep your property with you.

You have been tested, and Allah is pleased with
you and is angry with your two companions”107
The above story is quite lengthy, but it teaches us a very

valuable lesson. It doesn’t matter how much wealth you
have, if you have a scarcity mindset, your wealth won’t
make you a better person. Therefore, reforming our
mindset takes precedence over building wealth. Without
the proper mindset, wealth can be extremely destructive
to the soul.
Tapping into the Abundance Mindset
The abundance mindset is easily espoused when a person

has the correct understanding of God and His Attributes.
One of Allah’s Beautiful Names is al-Ghani which
107

137
translates as “The Independent” or “The Richest” or “The

One whose treasures are limitless”.
Based on this belief, Muslims have a firm conviction that

there are enough resources on earth for everybody, and
the apparent shortage or deficiency is simply a matter of
flawed access and distribution. This is why a Muslim
trader would not feel threatened if someone purchased an
item from a neighboring store. He simply sees it as that
person receiving his share of sustenance from God whose
own treasures are limitless.
In Islamic theology, the scarcity mindset is considered one

of the tricks of the devil. God states in the Quran, “Satan
threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality,
while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and
abundance. And Allah is All-Encompassing and All-
Knowing.”108
In the above verse, the scarcity mentality is listed as a

trick of the devil that leads to immorality–much like how
Umar’s cousins had him poisoned out of fear of loss of
wealth. The scarcity mentality causes jealousy, hatred,
anger, pettiness, miserliness, and is sometimes the rod
prodding one to commit violence and murder. Therefore,
108
Quran 2:268

138
the scarcity mentality is condemned in Islam as a trick of

the devil.
This same verse also highlights the abundance mentality

as a gift from God. The verse mentions God’s name al-Wāsi
(The All-Encompassing) which means that God’s treasures
are limitless and abundant. It also means that everything
belongs to God and He is the one who distributes his
treasures among His Creation. It also means that God’s
generosity is limitless. All these meanings engrave in the
mind of the believer an abundance mentality.
Furthermore, in this same verse, God promises abundance
for His servants.
This verse shapes the believer’s mindset regarding wealth

and sustenance. Ideas of poverty, competition, jealousy,
and pettiness are all tricks of the devil to push us into evil
actions. While obedience to God leads to abundance,
maybe not in material wealth but in contentment,
happiness, inner peace, baraka, and good character. All of
which are more important than material wealth.
When a person adopts an abundance mentality, worries

about this world fall away. Without worry, a person is able
to be more charitable, generous, caring, happy, and
content. This leads to a higher quality of life and better
mental health overall.

139
Healthy Competition Versus Unhealthy Competition
Competition is either healthy or unhealthy. Healthy

competition is based on the idea that people should strive
their best to be their best. We compete with each other in
becoming the best versions of ourselves without wishing
any harm upon the other. The competition is friendly,
mutually beneficial, and leads to an outpouring of
productivity.
Unhealthy competition is when a person sees others as his

enemies who need to be eliminated or defeated. This leads
to jealousy, hatred, underhanded tactics, and in the case
of Umar’s cousins, murder. Simply stated, healthy
competition is productive, and unhealthy competition is
destructive.
Healthy competition helps us overcome the temptation to

laziness and complacency. It keeps us on our toes and
forces us to give 100% every single day. When there is no
competition at all, many people become demotivated and
start doing substandard work. In this way, competition
can a blessing because it forces us to always strive to be
the best versions of ourselves.
A Life of Gratitude and Contentment
The most beautiful thing about the abundance mentality

is that it leads to a happy, content life full of gratitude.

140
This contentment does not mean that a Muslim should

lack ambition or become lazy. It simply means that we
should look at the positive side of things and live a happy
life.
When ʿĀʾisha saw the Prophet Muhammad (s) praying a

long night prayer in tears, she asked him a very practical
question. She asked, “Oh Prophet of Allah, why do you go
through so much effort (in worship) even though Allah
has forgiven for you your earlier and later sins?”
His reply was extremely brief and profound, “Should I not

be a thankful servant?”109
The Prophet’s (s) relationship with Allah was founded on

gratitude. As he is our role model, we too should aim to
have a relationship with Allah based upon gratitude.
The results of such gratitude are clear in Allah’s promise:
And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, If

you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in
favor]; but if you are ungrateful, indeed, My
punishment is severe.110
The promise of Allah is simple and clear: be grateful, you

will receive more bounties. Be ungrateful, and your
109
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhār1130, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2819
110
Quran 14:7

141
sources of misery will increase. In this way, our daily

attitude towards the bounties of God affects our destiny.
There is a strong emphasis on gratitude in modern

productivity teachings. Many people around the world
have experienced an increase in blessings when they
began living a life of gratitude. Some modern sources list
as many as 30 benefits of gratitude.
Gratitude has proven to be a truly beautiful and

productive quality. One of the best ways to experience
gratitude is to take time every day to contemplate the
blessings of Allah in your life and to thank Allah for those
blessings. When we do this, we experience gratitude,
inner peace, and contentment, and it has a positive
impact on the rest of our day.
This is why ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz said, “Speaking in

remembrance of Allah Almighty is good and
contemplating over the blessings of Allah is the best act of
worship.”111
He also said about gratitude, “Remind each other of your

blessings, to remember them is to be grateful.”112
111
Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, vol. 3, p. 190
112
Sirāj al-Mulūk vol. 1, p. 106

142
By contemplating the blessings of Allah and reminding

each other about them, we can all experience gratitude
together, and live a life of abundance.

143
Section Summary
 ʿUmar II believed in the concept of abundance.

 He reformed the tax laws so that wealth would be
distributed fairly among his people.
 His cousins, fearing poverty, had him murdered.
 Abundance mentality leads to contentment,
gratitude, and empathy.
 Scarcity mentality leads to greed, jealousy, and
crime.

144

145
Principle 5: Maintaining a Sense of

Responsibility
ʿUmar II found no joy in being caliph. In fact, he couldn’t

sleep at night or even find joy in intimacy after taking on
this responsibility. He saw the caliphate as a responsibility
for which he would have to answer to God on the Last Day.
He would often stay up at night thinking about his

responsibility towards his subjects. The fear of being
unjust to anybody living in his empire terrified him. He
lost countless nights of sleep over this fear.
His wife Fatima described him as lying in bed shivering

like a bird shaking off water. She said that he would
become tense and start crying, and she would say, “I wish
we never had this caliphate offer to us and that we were
never burdened with its responsibility. For by Allah, we
have never seen happiness or been at rest since then.”113
Yet this sense of responsibility towards his subjects was a

driving force in his productivity. From this, we learn an
important internal cause of productivity: a sense of
responsibility towards others.
The Shepherd and the Flock
113

146
Prophet Muhammad (s) said, “Every one of you is a

shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The leader of
people is a guardian and is responsible for his subjects. A
man is the guardian of his family and he is responsible for
them. A woman is the guardian of her husband’s home
and his children and she is responsible for them. The
servant of a man is a guardian of the property of his
master and he is responsible for it. No doubt, every one of
you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock.”114
Mohammed Faris has a beautiful explanation for this

hadith. He says;
We’ve probably read this hadith many times, but

we’ve mostly misunderstood it by thinking it
means we are to fulfill our role by simply
protecting and preserving that which we’ve been
given responsibility over…If you think about what
a shepherd does, he doesn’t just protect the flock,
he nurtures and develops them. He searches for
new pastures, tends to the sick, ensures that young
ones are taken care of, etc. It’s not a passive
responsibility but a very active role.115
Islam teaches us that everybody is responsible for those

under their authority. This includes an employer towards
114
115
Faris, The Productive Muslim, pp. 27-28

147
his employees and a parent towards their children. We are

all responsible to ensure that those under us are treated
with justice, kindness, and dignity.
Yet this responsibility cannot be fulfilled passively, we

must actively work to attain the best results possible. Just
as working hard is essential in our parental and marital
relationships, the same applies to every relationship in
which we hold even a partial responsibility. Being active is
the key to being truly responsible.
Our sense of responsibility does not stop with our families

and employees. We are also responsible for making this
world a better place in any way that we can. Whether it is
developing beneficial projects, writing a beneficial book,
or giving charity, each of us must play a role in improving
the condition of others.
The Dangers of Being Irresponsible
Without a feeling of responsibility towards others, people

tend to spend their life in trivial pursuits of fun and
indulgence. In this age of individualism, many people
shun the idea of being responsible for anything besides
their own happiness. This misguided and narrow
preoccupation leads to a wasted life in which nothing
important is accomplished, and one’s entire life becomes a
meaningless blur of selfish pleasures.

148
True happiness cannot be attained through the selfish

pursuit of personal pleasure. After a while, these pleasures
lose some of their sweetness and are replaced with
feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and emptiness. This is
because living a self-centered life is unnatural and
unfulfilling.
Fulfilling one’s responsibilities towards others, on the

other hand, creates a much deeper sense of satisfaction.
And the deepest type of happiness is achieved when one
fulfills one’s responsibilities towards Allah. Because this is
the purpose of life, it creates the ultimate satisfaction in
the heart of the believer.
Universal Obligations
We all have responsibilities that we are obligated to meet.

These responsibilities can be divided as follows:
Responsibility Towards the Creator
Everyone is responsible for understanding their purpose

of existence, fulfilling it, and living a life that is pleasing
to the Creator. This is our primary responsibility as
human beings and takes precedence over every other
responsibility. Allah created us to worship and serve Him,
so that should be the single most important responsibility
that we revolve our lives around and the one constant
rule that guides our choices and actions on a daily basis.

149
Muʿadh b. Jabal reported that the Prophet (s) said, “O

Muʿadh, do you know what the right of Allah upon His
servants is?” I said, “Allah and his messenger know best.”
The Prophet (s) said, “To worship Him alone and to
associate none in worship with Him. And do you know
what their right upon Him is?” I said, “Allah and his
messenger know best.” The Prophet (s) said, “Not to
punish them if they do so.”116
Responsibility Towards Ourselves
All human beings are responsible for their own actions.

But we are also responsible for our own health. Our bodies
are a trust from God, and we will be answerable to God for
what we did with our bodies. This makes it our
responsibility to take care of our well-being; that means
we are obligated to eat healthily, sleep well, exercise,
engage our minds, have fun, and do everything needed to
ensure we are physically, mentally and spiritually healthy.
The Prophet (s) said, “Verily, your own body has rights
over you, so fast and break your fast, pray and sleep (i.e.
maintain moderation in worship.)”117
Responsibility Towards Our Families
116
117
Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1369

150
Each of us has responsibilities towards our families. This

includes caring for our elders, raising the young well, and
supporting family members who are having a difficult
time. These responsibilities fall on all our shoulders and
should never be neglected. It is the neglecting of family
ties that has caused so much corruption in the modern
world.
The Prophet (s) said, “Fear Allah, for your family has
rights over you, and your guest has rights over you.”118
Responsibility Towards Our Communities
We are also responsible for our communities. In whatever

capacity we are capable, we must strive to make our
communities better by removing injustices, improving the
quality of life, and ensuring happiness for the people
around us.
The Prophet (s) said, “A Muslim has six rights over

another Muslim in good conduct: to greet him with peace
when he meets him, to respond to his invitation, to
respond to his sneeze, to visit him when he is sick, to
follow his funeral prayer when he dies, and to love for
him what he loves for himself.”119
118
119
Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2736

151
He also said, “Do not envy each other, do not outbid each
other, do not hate each other, do not turn away from each
other, and do not outsell each other. Rather, be servants
of Allah as brothers. The Muslim is the brother of another
Muslim. He does not wrong him, nor humiliate him, nor
look down upon him.”
Adding to the above, he said, “It is enough evil for a man

to look down upon his Muslim brother. The entirety of the
Muslim is sacred to another Muslim: his life, his wealth,
and his reputation.”120
All of these narrations show us that Muslims have a

responsibility to others; we must treat people well, fulfill
their rights, and abstain from harming others.
Responsibility Towards the World
Finally, we have responsibilities towards the world at

large, not just the people in it, but all of creation. We must
be kind, just and gracious in our treatment of each other,
but we are also obliged to be considerate in our treatment
of all creation: humans, animals, plants, and the earth
itself. This is what Islam teaches us to do.
120

152
A Muslim must make it his personal responsibility to

avoid pollution, unnecessary killing of animals121 and the
destruction of plant life. We must strive to leave this
world in a better condition than we found it.
ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb said, “If a lost sheep under my care

were to die on the banks of the Euphrates, I would expect
Allah the Exalted to question me about it on the Day of
Resurrection.”122
The Prophet (s) said, “Fear Allah regarding (the rights of)
these animals.”123
He also said, “No Muslim plants a tree or sows seeds and

then a bird, or a human, or an animal eats from it but that
it is a charity for him.”124
The Relation of Responsibility and Productivity
When we embrace our responsibilities, we become better

people. Our lives become purposeful and driven. We are
then able to develop goals that benefit others and
dedicate our lives to pursuing these goals.
121
Islam allows the killing of animals for only two purposes; the first is
to serve as food or clothing for humans, the second is self-defence.
Similar rules apply to plant life.
122
Ḥilyat al-Awliyā’ 137
123
124

153
This is why it is crucial that we abandon selfishness and

materialism, and embrace our responsibilities. True
productivity lies in accepting the fact that we are all
responsible for what we do with our time, energy, and
wealth and then using that fact to propel us to live our
best lives possible.
At the end of the day, we will all die, and only those of us
who fulfilled our responsibilities will leave this earth in a
state of happiness to experience eternal success. This is
why the Prophet (s) said, “Those who remember death
often and have best prepared for it with good deeds; those
are the wisest.”125
125
Sunan Ibn Mājah 4259

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Section Summary
 ʿUmar II could not sleep at night due to worry

about his responsibilities towards his kingdom.
 Islam teaches us that we are all responsible for our
own lives, as well as for those under our care and
authority.
 Without responsibility, there is very little to push
a person towards being productive.
 We have responsibilities towards ourselves, our
families, those under our authority, and humanity
as a whole.
 When we tap into this sense of responsibility, our
lives become more productive.

155

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Principle 6: Focusing on the Hereafter
Our life in this world is temporary. It is the everlasting life

of the Hereafter that we need to set as our priority. This is
exactly what ʿUmar did, and this mindset is what made
him such an exceptional leader. ʿUmar II was always
preoccupied with the next life and what he was preparing
for it. As a result, every decision he made was to preserve
and build a better Afterlife for himself.
Yazīd b. Ḥawshab said, “I never saw anyone more fearful

of Allah than al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī126 and ʿUmar bin ʿAbd al-
ʿAzīz. It was as if the Hellfire had solely been created for
the two.”127
This statement may seem strange for anyone who is not

familiar with the Islamic beliefs related to the Afterlife, so
a brief explanation is fitting at this point:
Muslims believe that the Hellfire is a real place, and one of

the reasons God created it was to motivate people to do
good deeds and abstain from sin. Islam recognizes that
different people are motivated differently. Some are
motivated by aspirations to attain the love of God, others
by the desire for Paradise and some by fear of Hellfire.
126
Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī was a famous Muslim pious ascetic and scholar
that lived during the same period as ʿUmar II.
127

157
Each of these rewards or punishments plays a role in

bringing people closer to the Creator.
In this way, Muslims do not view the existence of the

Hellfire in the same negative sense that many others do.
Rather, it is seen as a necessary creation of God that
serves a beneficial purpose. This fundamental belief in
Heaven and Hell forms part of the fifth pillar of Islamic
theology.
ʿUmar II once said, “Take care of your Hereafter and Allah

will take care of your worldly life. Take care of your
private life and Allah will take care of your public life.”128
In this quotation, we see the importance ʿUmar II gave to

the Afterlife. He prioritized focusing on the Afterlife and
working towards Paradise over worldly goals. He did this
with the full conviction that Allah would help him achieve
his worldly goals even though the Afterlife was ʿUmar’s
primary focus.
In the second half of this quote, ʿUmar II gave another

important piece of advice. He advised that we should
focus on our private lives. This is crucial for developing
sincerity and living a clean life free from hypocrisy. Too
often people focus on their public image, while in private
they commit many of the evils they publicly preach
128
Kitāb al-Ikhlāṣ, 50

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against. In doing so, they develop a two-faced personality

that ruins their Afterlife. In order to meet Allah with a
clear conscious, we must be more concerned with our
private practice of Islam. When this is straight, everything
else will follow.
ʿUmar’s statement is a clear example of the importance

ʿUmar II gave to the Afterlife, and how he promoted
prioritizing it over worldly goals and public image.
Further proof of ʿUmar’s focus on the Afterlife can be seen

in his final sermon, which dealt entirely on the
importance of prioritizing the Afterlife. In this sermon, he
advised people, “You were not created in vain, nor will
you be left without purpose. Verily, you have an
appointed time in which Allah, the Most High, will come
down to judge you. Wretched and ruined will he be who
leaves the mercy of Allah and is denied a Garden whose
width is that of the heavens and Earth.
Know you not that no one will be safe tomorrow save one
who is wary of today and fears it; and sells the transitory
for what will remain, and the little for the plenty, and fear
in exchange for security [in the hereafter]? See you not
that you are in the loins of the dead, to be taken by those
who remain after you until all matters return to the Best
of Inheritors?

159
Every day, [in the funerals] you accompany those

returning to Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, having spent
their time, until you hide them in a crevice in the ground,
in the belly of a bare and unfurnished hole, having parted
from their loved ones, stroking the dirt and facing their
accounts. Now, they are dependent on their deeds, free of
what they left behind, in need of [the deeds] they put
before them. So fear Allah before the time He appointed is
up and death descends upon you. This is what I have to
say.”129
Reflecting on the above words shows that his entire focus

in this sermon was redirecting people away from chasing
the gains to be had in this life and instead focusing on
what would benefit them in the Afterlife. This was the
final sermon that he delivered, and it shows the high level
of priority he gave to attaining the good in the Afterlife.
A final story that indicates the importance ʿUmar II and

his advisors gave to the Afterlife is related in the following
narration. It is reported that ʿUmar b. ʿAbd Al-ʿAzīz once
wrote to Al-Ḥasan Al-Baṣrī to get some advice from him,
so Al-Ḥasan wrote back, “The world distracts and
preoccupies the heart and body, but Zuhd (asceticism, not
giving importance to worldly things) gives rest to the
129
Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm Vol. 3 p343

160
heart and body. Verily, Allāh will ask us about the Ḥalāl
things we enjoyed, so what about the Ḥarām!”130
Even in their private advice between each other, the focus

was on accountability to Allah on the Last Day. This was
the guiding force behind all the efforts, goals, and projects
of ʿUmar II.
The Fifth Pillar of Faith
In Islam, there are six pillars of faith (iman). These are the
six core beliefs of Islam. If a Muslim denies any of these six
pillars, then that individual is no longer a Muslim. These
beliefs are the belief in the Oneness of Allah, belief in the
angels, the divinely revealed scriptures, the prophets, the
Afterlife, and destiny.
The fifth pillar of faith or belief in the Afterlife includes

the following doctrines. Muslims believe that God created
the soul to live forever in the Afterlife. Our existence in
this world is temporary and a test. After we die, our souls
are transferred to the barzakh (world of the dead) where
the soul is either rewarded or punished until the Day of
Resurrection.
On that day, all souls will be resurrected in new bodies

and will face judgment. Based on that judgment, the souls
will either face eternal damnation, eternal bliss, or
130
Al-Bayhaqī, Al-Zuhd Al-Kabīr, article 26

161
temporary punishment followed by eternal bliss. Muslims

do not have the authority or knowledge to say which
individuals will go to Heaven or Hell, rather we trust God’s
Perfect Justice and Mercy and leave the judgment to His
Perfect Attributes.131
But what do these beliefs have to do with productivity?
The Importance of Believing in the Hereafter
Belief in the Hereafter is one of the fundamental beliefs of

Islam, but it is also key to true productivity. Many people
don’t see the point in setting goals and working hard if we
are all just going to die anyway. This nihilistic attitude
causes many people to simply waste their lives away.
However, when we embrace the idea that there is another

life after this life, an everlasting life that can be full of
bliss and happiness, it motivates us to work for a higher
purpose and towards a nobler goal. It then doesn’t matter
whether we necessarily see the fruits of our efforts in our
lifetime or not.
What matters is that we leave behind beneficial projects

that continue to make an impact long after we have
passed away. It may seem like we might not see the fruit
131
Dr. Muhammad Khalil Harras, Ibn Taymiyyah, Sharh al-ʿAqīdat al-
Wāṣatiyyah, pp. 163-179,

162
of our goals, but we will see it on the Last Day when we

face our Creator and see the list of deeds we left behind.
Islam encourages us to focus on beneficial projects that

last long after we pass away; these projects become a
source of continuous reward for us, even centuries after
leaving this earth. Such projects include charitable work,
knowledge that benefits people, and even righteous
offspring that make this world a better place.
Regarding this, Prophet Muhammad (s) said, “When the

human being dies, his deeds end except for three: ongoing
charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who
prays for him.”132
Narrations like this encourage focusing on life after death.

Not just doing what we can with our present lives, but
looking beyond to what impactful and beneficial legacy
we can leave behind after we have passed on to the next
life.
The Problem with Nihilism
Nihilism is the belief that nothing really matters because

we are all going to die anyway. This belief has become
very popular in post-modern times, with many influential
authors being self-professed nihilists.
132

163
Nihilism can be defined as, “to say that one has no

authentic values, no real ends, that one's whole existence
is pure nothingness.”133
Nihilism first started gaining popularity during the

French revolution. It began with the rejection of
Christianity, and in post-modern times includes the
rejection of all or most, religions, and forms of belief.
Nihilists tend to be Atheists or Agnostics and rarely have
any religious affiliation.
Nihilism propagates the belief that we are not important

and that there is no purpose to life. One of the outcomes
of this self-defeating ideology is a generation of people
that don’t realize the purpose of life, nor do they really
see the point of anything beyond the present. This
perception creates an environment of untapped
productivity and wasted potential. In fact, this
problematic belief has caused dramatic problems in
recent times, including reducing the productivity of
individuals and even entire societies.
Nihilists, in recent times, have tried to create a productive

framework around their philosophy, but in doing so, they
violate their core belief, creating a paradox. Are our lives
133
Meerten B. ter Borg, The Problem of Nihilism: A Sociological
Approach, p. 2

164
worthless specks in the books of history or significant

impressions left in its pages?
It can’t be both. In this area, religion provides far stronger

motivations for productivity than nihilism ever could.
A Fuel for Productivity
Belief in the Hereafter forces us to think bigger. It makes

us look beyond our lives at what impact we can have even
after our deaths. Islam teaches us that certain good deeds
continue to pile up on our accounts long after we have
passed away.
Dr. Bilal Philips describes the Islamic Belief in the

Hereafter as follows:
Those who believe in the Afterlife, resurrection

and the judgment, are obliged to consider carefully
the consequence of their deeds. Belief in the Last
Day causes them to think beyond their immediate
needs and desires. It sets their goals beyond this
temporal existence.134
When we embrace the concept of an Afterlife, we no

longer work for the trivial rewards of this world. Our
focus lies beyond the immediate horizon; we work for the
everlasting rewards of the next world. In doing so, we
134
Dr. Bilal Philips, The Clash Of Civilisations, p. 141

165
elevate our goals and efforts to another level, and

everything we do takes on a spiritual dimension.
Belief in the Afterlife also makes us more principled and

less likely to violate these principles when facing
desperate situations.
Dr. Bilal Philips explains this concept well:
Believers in the Judgement will not compromise

the basic commandments of God in order to attain
some limited measure of material success. They
will be principled individuals, sticking to their
beliefs and practices regardless of how odd they
may seem or how lonely and isolated the society
may make them.
Those who do not believe in the Judgement tend to

be good as long as it is convenient. But when
everyone else around them is cheating or stealing,
or being honest will cost economic loss, they
usually compromise their principles with
appropriate justifications.135
This statement may seem like a generalization. There may

exist people who remain honest in all situations even
without belief in the Afterlife. However, it can’t be denied
that belief that one will be held accountable or called for
135
Ibid. P. 141

166
judgement does provide a stronger basis to remain firm

on one’s principles even when things seem desperate.
Belief in the Afterlife leads to a more productive lifestyle

in many ways. It causes us to focus on bigger goals that
extend beyond our lifetime; it gives life purpose and
meaning; and it makes us unwavering in our principles.
The life of ʿUmar II is an excellent example of this belief in
practice.

167
Section Summary
 ʿUmar’s focus was on the Afterlife. He did not care

much for worldly pleasures and focused all his
efforts on the next life.
 Belief in the Afterlife is the fifth pillar of faith. It is
a core belief of Islam and includes belief in
Resurrection, Paradise, and Hell.
 Belief in the Afterlife gives us purpose and
meaning, beyond the material. Life is driven by a
deeper motive and greater cause.
 Nihilistic thinking leads to giving up hope and a
lack of productivity.
 Belief in the Afterlife leads to being productive
until the very end and even setting up productive
projects that continue to benefit society long after
one has passed away.

168

169
Principle 7: Following the Right Role

Models and Mentors
ʿUmar II surrounded himself with great men. These were

men of knowledge, wisdom, and piety. He looked up to
them, learned from them, sought counsel from them, and
heeded their advice. As a result, he was able to accomplish
great things in a short period of time.
One of the shortest routes to success is to find a mentor

who is already successful at what you want to do, and
then learn from him, train under his guidance, and grow
faster through his advice, criticism, and expertise. This
approach helps accelerate the path to success and helps
you reach your full potential.
ʿUmar’s Pious Mentors and Role Models
ʿUmar II benefited from the knowledge and wisdom of

great men like ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar, ʿUbaydullah b. ʿAbd
Allāh, Ḥasan al-Basrī, Saʿid b. al-Musayyib, and Salim b.
ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar.136 All of these men when known for
their deep knowledge and piety, and they were all
beacons of the faith. ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar was the son of
136
As-Sallabi, ʿUmar Bin ʿAbd al- ʿAzīz, pp. 67-72, 205-206, 478-480

170
ʿUmar I and a great scholar of hadith and fiqh.137 Sālim b.

ʿAbd Allāh was his son and followed in his footsteps in
knowledge. And Ḥasan al-Basrī is considered by many as
the father of the pious due to his deep spirituality and
wisdom.138
It wasn’t just his mentors who were great men. ʿUmar also
studied the lives of the great men who lived before his
time and emulated their character and lifestyle.
He studied the life of Prophet Muhammad (s) and his

companions and tried his best to follow in their footsteps.
In fact, if one examines ʿUmar’s rule, it becomes very clear
that he imitated the leadership style of the first two
caliphs Abū Bakr and ʿUmar I.
ʿUmar studied their lives in depth and emulated them as

much as he could, from their governing policies to the
simplicity maintained in their homes. In this way, he built
his legacy upon the legacy of greater men.
The Advantage of Having Mentors
In the age of individualism, many people underestimate

our social need for each other. Everybody wants to “make
it on their own” and become a “self-made success” but
137
Dr. Bilal Philips, Usool al-Ḥadeeth, pp. 30-31
138
Prof. Mahmoud Esma’il Sient, Heroes of Islam, pp. 222-225

171
this is foolish and unrealistic. Human beings are social

creatures and need each other.
This is why interdependence is one of the most

emphasized topics in self-help books. Stephen Covey talks
about this topic in detail in his 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People, in which three of these habits relate to dealing
with other people. The fact that almost half of his book
focuses on principles of inter-dependence indicates its
importance in personal development.
Success, by any definition, usually requires help. We need

the wisdom, advice, and experience of those who were
successful before us so that we can learn best practices
faster and avoid repeating the mistakes that other people
made before us. It is the whole idea of not having to re-
invent the wheel.
This is why it is very important to choose a good mentor.

Mentors speed up the process and help their protégés
attain success faster than they could if they tried doing it
on their own. A mentor also increases the likelihood of
success, because you are no longer alone in your journey
towards your goals.
The Search for the Right Mentors
Choosing a mentor isn’t easy. You need to find someone

who is, on one hand, successful in your field, experienced

172
and knowledgeable. On the other hand, you also need

someone who is accessible and willing to work with you.
This isn’t always an easy combination to find. It may take
some serious networking and several trials before you
find the right mentor for you.
You could also have different mentors for the different

aspects of your life. So it’s possible that you might have a
mentor for your religion, a mentor for your business, and
maybe even a mentor for improving your family life. For
every aspect of life that has a skillset you want to master
and excel in, you can achieve success faster if you find a
good mentor in that area.
A good mentor should have the following qualities:

trustworthiness, expertise in their field, a compatible
personality, and available for communication.
Trustworthiness
A mentor needs to be trustworthy. You will be sharing

with your mentor your biggest fears, largest dreams, and
often your immediate projects and goals. And it is never
wise to share your secrets with someone you can’t trust. It
is essential to establish that someone is trustworthy
before taking that person as a mentor.
The best way to do this is to speak to people who have

worked with that individual before and learn from them.

173
If they testify to his good character, then that is a good

sign. If they warn about betrayal or any other traits of
dishonesty, then take it as a red flag. Establish
trustworthiness before choosing a mentor.
Expertise
Your mentor needs to be an expert in the area in which

you are seeking assistance. If you want to improve
spiritually, you need to seek out an expert in Islamic
spirituality who lives what he teaches. If you want to
improve your time management skills, you should spend
time with a time management guru. And if you want to
get better at business, you need to take a successful
entrepreneur as your mentor.
The key is to find someone who has already succeeded in

whichever field you want to grow in. This is crucial. You
cannot get expert advice from someone who is still
learning, figuring things out, or has attained only
moderate success. You must seek out the best of the best
and ask that person to be your mentor. If your first choice
isn’t available or is unsuitable, then seek the next best
person and ask them. Keep at it until you find someone
successful enough to truly teach you what you need to
know to succeed.
Compatibility

174
Your mentor needs to have a personality compatible with

your own. This does not mean that you need to have the
exact same personality; it simply means that you should
have enough in common to be able to get along and enjoy
the time you spend together.
You will be spending a lot of time with your mentor. This

makes it crucial that you enjoy each other’s company. If
not, then the relationship can go sour fast, and nobody
will benefit. Seek out a mentor you can get along with,
and you will find it much easier and enjoyable to gain the
expertise you’re looking for.
Communication
Finally, your mentor needs to be a person with whom you

can communicate easily. You will be expecting your
mentor’s advice, opinions, and experience when dealing
with various situations in your life. You will end up
disappointed and frustrated if the mentor you choose is
constantly in a remote location, too busy to answer your
calls, or simply not interested in talking to you.
Find someone with whom you have a direct line of

communication, who is easy to talk to, and who is willing
to make time for you when you need it. If you can find
someone who is able available, it will make the
mentorship process so much easier for you.

175
In summary, you need to find a mentor who is

trustworthy, an expert in the field you are seeking help in,
compatible with your own personality, and who has an
open line of communication with you. These four qualities
will ensure a productive relationship.
The Importance of Reading Biographies
Another great source of inspiration is biographies.

Biographies that have been collected and written down
give us the opportunity to choose individuals who are no
longer living as role models. Look at this book as an
example. Despite ʿUmar II passing away over one
thousand three hundred years ago, we can still learn
about his life and take him as an example to be looked up
to and followed in the various aspects of his life just by
studying this book.
You will find biographies on almost every great figure in

history. With some research and dedicated reading time,
you can dive deep into the lives of the great role models of
every era, learn from their qualities, and emulate those
qualities in your own life.
Reading often is itself a quality that leads to productivity

and success. And when you read biographies, you have a
winning combination. Make a list of every historical figure
you would like to know more about. Now, find good books

176
on each of these individuals, and add these books to your

reading list. By immersing yourself into the biographies of
great people on a consistent basis, you will find yourself
adopting their habits, mirroring and modeling their
personalities, qualities, and successes.
Criteria of the Right Role Model
Just like mentors, it is essential to choose the right role

models. There is a big difference between someone who
studies and learns from the biographies of pious men and
someone who is obsessed with the biographies of tyrants.
The first has chosen his role models wisely, while the
latter may end up following the worst of role models.
When choosing a role model, whether alive or deceased,

look for the following qualities; righteousness, self-
discipline, selflessness, good character, and productivity.
Righteousness
The primary quality of a good role model is righteousness.

Our role models must be people who love God, are close to
Him, and bring us closer to Him. Any role model that takes
us away from our Creator is causing great harm to our
soul. It doesn’t matter what worldly benefits we get out of
such relationships; the bottom line is that if any
relationship damages our relationship with our Creator, it
is problematic and not worth it.

177
We must choose role models who are people of piety.

Spending time with them should bring us closer to God,
and make us better people. This is the primary role of any
good role model.
Self-Discipline
A good role model has a high level of self-discipline. Good

role models demonstrate strong self-discipline through
their ability to meet their goals, fulfill their duties, and get
things done on schedule. Studying the life of a highly
disciplined individual will help us become more
disciplined ourselves.
The easiest way to find out if a role model is disciplined is

to look at their daily schedule and the frequency with
which they achieve their goals and keep their promises.
Selflessness
A good role model is selfless. This quality is a part of

having good character, but it warrants distinct mention
because it is one of the most important characteristics we
can learn from our role models.
When someone chooses an egotistical role models, that

vanity may rub off and cause that person to grow into the
worst version of himself. When our role models are
selfless, we inherit this beautiful quality and will find it

178
much easier to live our lives in a way that is beneficial to

others.
Good Character
A good role model should be a person of outstanding

moral character. This does not mean perfection, because
no human alive today is perfect. They should be people
who hold themselves to the highest standards and inspire
others to do the same as well.
In Islam, there is a difference between character (akhlāq)

and manners (adab). Character refers to our internal state,
while manners refer to our actions. Manners can be faked,
but good character can’t. A person can pretend to be
polite and friendly, while inside he is full of malice and ill-
will. This is called faking good manners. However, a
person cannot fake true character as this resides in the
heart.
A person of good character will naturally have good

manners. Because manners are the natural consequence
and outward reflection of character. Character is the key,
and that is why it is crucial to find role models who have
outstanding character; this will reflect in their manners
and their dealings with others.
Productivity

179
A role model must show us how to live a productive

lifestyle. Their lives must be productive, and fruitful.
From their lives, we should be able to extract lessons on
how to be productive and get things done.
When we analyze the life of ʿUmar II, we find that he had

all of these qualities. He was righteous, disciplined,
selfless, productive, and held himself to the highest
standards of character. There are books written about
ʿUmar’s character and piety, and this is evidence that he is
a great role model, and one worthy of study and
emulation.
In summary, a good role model will inspire you to become

righteous, disciplined, selfless, and productive, while
showing you how to live your life with exemplary
character.
Legacies of the Greats
There isn’t a single great person today who has reached

wherever they have gotten truly on their own. Modern
culture likes to emphasize self-made successes, but the
reality is that every so-called self-made success had a lot
of help. From parents to teachers, mentors to role models,
every successful person learned from those who came
before and built on those legacies.

180
Even ʿUmar II, a thousand years ago, built his legacy on

the legacy of other great men like his great grandfather
ʿUmar I. Greatness does not exist in a vacuum. It requires
humility, education, and modeling those who succeeded
before you. If you can find amazing role models for
yourself, and emulate them, you will make the path to
success so much easier for yourself.

181
Section Summary
 ʿUmar II surrounded himself with the best

teachers, role models, and mentors.
 He also took his example from role models of the
past like the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
 Who you choose to model greatly impacts the kind
of person you become.
 Choose your mentors wisely, and then listen
carefully to their advice and criticism.
 Read the biographies of great people so that you
can learn from their successes and mistakes.
 When you have great role models and mentors,
your legacy becomes part of something bigger and
greater.

182

183
Principle 8: Pursuing Beneficial Knowledge

for Life
The Princely Student
ʿUmar II was always open to new knowledge and wisdom.

Even though he spent the bulk of his youth studying
under the scholars of Medina, he remained humble
throughout his life and never presumed that he had
learned all there was to learn. Even after becoming the
caliph, he still remained a student at heart. He continued
to listen to the scholars, take their advice, read their
letters, and attend their lessons.
He never considered himself too important or too busy to

seek knowledge. He exhibited all the characteristics of a
great student: humility, sincerity, earnestness, and
commitment. As a result, he became one of the wisest,
scholarly, and most pious kings that the world has ever
seen. This is a direct result of his commitment to being a
humble student for life, despite having been born into the
royal family.
One of ʿUmar’s most outstanding qualities is that he is one

of the few Muslim rulers who is also considered a religious
scholar. Not only is he studied as a role model in
leadership, but he is also considered an authority on

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Islam. Some of the greatest scholars in Muslim history like

Imām Mālik and Sufyān b. ʿUyaynah took knowledge from
him and gave him the title, “The Imam of his era.”139
This high status was confirmed by all leading scholars in

every generation after him. A king would only attain such
a high status in Islamic knowledge if he had dedicated a
large portion of his life to studying Islam. When
considering his entire lifespan, ʿUmar actually spent a
larger portion of his life as a student than he did as a
ruler.
ʿUmar gained deep knowledge by starting his studies at a

young age. He memorized the entire Quran while he was
still a child.140 After that, he spent years studying under
the leading scholars of Medina.
His teachers in Medina included some of the most pious

and learned men of that era, including Ṣāliḥ b. Kīsān, Saʿīd
b. al-Musayyib, and ʿAbdullah b. ʿUmar.141 Even after he
became the king, ʿUmar continued to take advice and
knowledge from the leading scholars of his time, like al-
Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, and Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī.142
139
140
Ibid, p. 61
141
Ibid, pp. 67-72
142
Ibid, p. 464, p. 520

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This shows that he remained a student for life, never

considering himself too knowledgeable, pious or
important to seek advice from others or to grow as an
individual. This quality, remaining a student for life, is a
shared quality in the majority of successful leaders
throughout history.
Importance of Continuous Personal Development
One of the biggest mistakes that people make these days is

to give up education as soon as they are done with school.
Many people never pick up a book or learn a new skill for
the rest of their lives. As a result, they waste their
potential and remain at the same level of education for
life. I blame the current education system for this.
By forcing children to sit in a classroom every weekday

for 13+ years, and then forcing them to listen to boring
classes, and learn things that do not benefit them at all,
schools effectively kill the love of learning that children
naturally have.
By the final year of school, children have had enough and

don’t want to learn anything ever again. Education is seen
as a burden and something that is only done when forced.
The sad result is the wasted potential of millions of
people.

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But it doesn’t need to be so. Educating yourself does not

need to be like school at all. Educating yourself can be
simultaneously fun, rewarding, and motivating. If you find
the right resources, teachers, and approach. We are
blessed to live in the information era. We can literally
teach ourselves anything we want to learn using eBooks,
videos, online courses, and various other online resources.
The possibilities available for self-education are greater
than ever. All we need is the key to unlock all those new
doors of opportunity for ourselves. And that key is the
right mindset.
The Student-for-Life Mindset
Our brains need to be rewired to their natural state which

excites a love of learning. If you are a parent, you can
protect your child from losing their love of learning by
homeschooling them or enrolling them in an alternative
education system that keeps education fun and
interesting.
For those of us who have been through the traditional

system and lost the love of learning along the way, we
need to reclaim it. This isn’t easy, but it is possible and
vital.
The first step to recovering your love of learning is to

unschool. This means removing the mental link that has

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been formed between school and education. You need to

remove from your mind the idea that education is about
curriculums, tests, exams, and grades.
You must replace this with the idea that education is

about personal development, growth, fulfilling our
potential, and becoming better versions of ourselves. If we
do this, then we can approach education from the proper
angle again.
A second step to rediscovering your love of learning is to

do something fun and educational, and then observe the
impact it has on your life. You might study an online
course on a subject that has always interested you or
attend a workshop or seminar on such a topic. Do
something that you enjoy, but engage yourself on a level
where you are learning or discovering something new.
This will help break the idea that education is boring. This
doesn’t mean every learning step you take in the future
will be fun, but initially, you must break the idea that
learning is boring in order to reprogram your mind to
become a student again.
Finally, you can develop a student mindset by setting your

life goals and making a list of the skills you need to
improve or learn in order to meet those goals. When you
do so, you will realize the need and benefit of self-study,

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and this will provide you with the motivation to begin

your journey of self-study.
The Five Learning Styles
In order to learn faster and better, it is important to figure

out your core learning style. Every person is unique, and
this includes how we learn and process information.
There are some commonalities in how we learn that have
been grouped as learning styles. The five learning styles
are; reading, listening, watching, thinking, and doing.
Some people learn faster through books and articles. They

love to read and absorb the information in books very
quickly. People who learn best through reading can
leverage this style by learning to speed-read, setting
annual reading goals, and always having a to-read book
list.
Other people learn best through listening. These are

people who can listen to a podcast or lecture and
remember everything the speaker said. Their ears are the
gateway to their minds.
For a listener, the fastest way to learn anything is to study

it in a classroom setting, an online course, or through
podcasts/lecture series on the topic. Listeners should also
have a series of lectures to listen to, or an online course
that they are studying.

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Many people are visual learners. They learn by observing

and studying visual guides. Visual learners enjoy
PowerPoint presentations, animated videos, picture
guides, and documentaries.
They observe information fastest when they can see it in

action. A visual learner can leverage this skill by watching
beneficial videos on YouTube, watching online course
videos, or attending visual demonstrations. If they can see
it, they will learn it. From my experience, most people are
visual learners.
Thinkers are also called logical or analytic learners. They

observe information through thinking, reflecting and
asking questions. Logical learners are naturally good at
math and are often attracted to subjects that require deep
thought like philosophy and psychology. A logical learner
will learn fastest through having access to a teacher or
mentor whom they can ask questions. They also learn
through experimentation and observation. They are the
scientists of learners.
The final learning style is doing. These are people who

learn things by doing them. They find it hard to
understand things abstractly, but when given the
opportunity to be trained, they learn very quickly on the
job. Someone who learns through doing is best suited to
attending workshops, training sessions, and practice

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drills. They need classes that are hands-on and in-person

in order to absorb their information faster.
Figuring out your learning style is crucial for working out

your daily study plan. Most people excel at one or more of
these learning styles. A quick reflection over your life will
help you identify your number one and number two
learning styles easily. By leveraging your best learning
methods with a daily schedule, you can learn more and
faster than anybody else you know and, in that way, attain
your maximum potential sooner than you could ever
imagine.
Another point to keep in mind is whether you are an

introverted or extroverted learner. Introverts learn best
in isolation. They usually find crowded classrooms
distracting and making it hard to concentrate in such
environments. Introverts tend to prefer a home office or
other private area to study or work.
An extroverted learner is the opposite. An extrovert may

get bored or lonely trying to learn at home alone. They
might require the energy of a group or classroom setting
to motivate them to study and work hard. Keep in mind
whether you prefer being alone or learning in a group
when assessing your learning style.
A Daily Education Plan

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Once you have determined your preferred learning style

and have enough motivation to be a student for life, the
next step is to develop a daily study plan and slowly turn
it into a habit.
This will not be easy at first. Your mind will likely be rusty
from not studying for a long time, and your body won’t be
used to doing anything besides work and fun. It will take a
few months of commitment and hard work to adjust and
formulate a habit of studying every day, but this is one of
the most important habits you could ever form.
The first step is to identify daily self-study as a priority in

your life and add it to your daily to-do list. In the
beginning, you will need to set a specific and
uncompromisable time so that you remain committed and
meet your goal. If you are a reader, you can choose a book
and dedicate thirty minutes daily to reading it. If you
prefer podcasts, you can choose a podcast series of the
podcast and commit to half an hour of attentive daily
listening.
The same applies if your preference is learning via videos,

online courses, or attending a live class. The point is to
choose your learning style, schedule a daily lesson,
commit to it, and get it done. In this way, every day you
go to sleep with more knowledge than you had the day
before. This should be your goal every day of your life.

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The second step is to force yourself to stick to these thirty

minutes of daily learning for a month, and then evaluate
the results. In the beginning, you may need a friend or
family member to remind you and force you to do it. Once
it becomes a habit, then you won’t need that external
push anymore.
Commitment to a Lifetime of Learning
The final step is to make that commitment and stick to it.

In order to excel in life, you must become a student for
life. Consistent daily education is key to succeeding in any
field. This commitment is critical for success.
Every successful person that I know is committed to life-

long learning. I have seen this in the lives of every type of
person. From entrepreneurs to school teachers, doctors to
salespeople, every person I know who excels in their field
of choice is dedicated to life-long learning.
When I was in school, I had a teacher I looked up to due to

his good character. After I grew up, that teacher and I
became friends. We even worked together on several
projects. This teacher has one quality that I truly admire.
Despite being over fifty years old, well-respected in the
community, and successful in his field, he spends every
evening reading books and learning new things. He never
stops learning and is extremely humble about it.

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This is one of the qualities that has made him excel as a

teacher. I can narrate similar stories about every other
successful person I know. They all have similar habits and
have no intention of stopping no matter how old they get.
But it doesn’t come easily. In the beginning, it may be

difficult to build successful daily learning habits. If you
haven’t studied for a while or taken education seriously
before, then you may experience learning rust and
internal resistance to education. This must be overcome
with sheer will power and determination.
You must push past this tree in the road and force
yourself to get started. Then no matter how tiring it feels,
you must stick to it for at least a month. If you can do that,
then it may grow into a habit. Once it becomes a habit, it
will become easier, and you will continue to reap the
benefits of this effort for the rest of your life.
Dedicating your life to self-education may be a struggle

during the first month or two, but with hard work and
determination, it will eventually become a part of your
daily routine.
Simply dedicate an hour a day to learning through your

preferred learning style, and stick to it for a month or
two. After that, you won’t be able or want to stop. You

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will see so much benefit from this habit that you will stick
to it for life.

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Section Summary
 ʿUmar II continued studying Islam and

administration throughout his life. He was a
lifelong student.
 Successful people are students for life. There is no
end on the journey of knowledge.
 We must develop a student mindset, discover our
learning style, and commit to learning for life.
 Developing a daily education plan goes a long way
in helping you grow to your potential.
 Dedicate your life to learning with no plan to ever
retire from it.

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Principle 9: Aiming for the Stars
ʿUmar’s Lofty Goals
Many rulers choose to focus on immediate easy-to-attain

goals. Their objective being to “be remembered” as
someone who got things done. Between the lack of sincere
intention and the low-hanging fruit they reach for, they
aren’t remembered fondly in history books, if they are
remembered at all.
ʿUmar II is not one of those rulers. Although he was king

for only two and a half years, he is still remembered and
studied over a thousand years later. One of the reasons for
this is because he set out to attain some incredibly
difficult goals, and he did so with sincere intentions.
As a result, he realized some of his goals, while others

were accomplished after his time. And there are some
goals that although he did not accomplish, we still
remember him fondly for trying.
ʿUmar made it his goal to increase the status and

influence of religious scholarship by increasing the
salaries of scholars, building more institutes of learning,
and sending some of his best scholars to foreign lands. He
accomplished this goal, and it resulted in a new era of

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Islamic Scholarship that blossomed into a Golden Age less

than a hundred years later.
ʿUmar also made it his goal to give proper attention to

Spain and develop it into a thriving civilization. To do this
he replaced the governor with one more worthy, ordered
a census carried out of the entire Spanish population, and
sent religious scholars to spread Islam in that region.
As a result, less than a hundred years later, Spain became

an independent Umayyad State when the ʿAbbāsids took
over the rest of the Muslim World. Under the authority of
the Umayyads, it blossomed into the greatest civilization
on earth and became a world leader in science,
knowledge, technology, culture, and art.
ʿUmar set a goal to have the hadith narrations preserved

in book form. To accomplish this, he hired the best hadith
scholars in his community to compile the various hadith
narrations. Less than two hundred years later, the
magnum opus of hadith literature, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukharī, was
written and ʿUmar vision became reality.
On the flip side, ʿUmar also made it his goal to reform

Islamic leadership and move it closer to the way it was in
the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. Sadly, in response
to this effort, he was poisoned by his cousins, and after his
death, the leaders returned to the materialistic ways of

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the Umayyads. Although he did not accomplish this

particular goal, Muslims around the world love and honor
him for trying.
High Targets
Setting high goals really has little to do with what is

possible to accomplish in your life. It is about much more
than that. It is about living your life to the fullest. It is
about becoming the best version of yourself and doing
everything you can to leave this world a better place than
you found it.
Does this mean that you will attain all your life goals? No,
but if you set four or five high goals for yourself, you may
accomplish two or three, and others may accomplish the
rest for you after you have passed away. Either way, you
have left behind a noble legacy that continues to benefit
people after your death.
Goal setting with the intention of leaving a legacy that

will benefit and become a continuous source of reward
long after we have passed away, is not just about what we
can do with our lives, but what we can do for humanity.
When setting your life goals, do yourself a favor and aim
as high as possible. Aim for the stars, and you may reach
the moon. Aim high and you will get somewhere.

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Higher than goal setting is vision planning. A goal is

something you want to do. A vision is something you want
to be. Your vision should be something that makes you
excited, something that makes you work hard, and
something that pushes you outside your comfort zone.
Your vision should motivate you to work hard when

nobody else is looking. It should push you to give 100%
even when you are alone in your basement without any
support or visible success. It should keep you up at night,
and wake you up early in the morning. The clearer your
vision, the more powerful its effects will be on your
thoughts, habits, and goals.
Discovering your vision isn’t always easy. It is often quite

random. It may take years of soul-searching and hard
work, or you figure it out in a moment or two. It really
depends on how in-tune you are with your core skills and
passions.
Developing you vision involves looking for a way to

combine your skills with your passions in a way that
makes your life and the lives of others better. And if this
path is something you can aspire to and dedicate your life
towards, then you will have a clear vision of who you
want to be. Then the trick is to set high goals that help
you work towards making that vision a reality. But they
must be high goals. Low-hanging goals don’t work.

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Mediocre or uninspired goals just aren’t good enough to

bring visions to life.
The Fault of Low Goals
If you aim low, don’t expect to go anywhere. The truth is

that if your goals are too easy, then you will often fall into
boredom and a loss of purpose. If your goals have no long-
term value, you may question why you are even exerting
the effort and time to chase them, and may give up easily.
If your goal does not inspire you, there is no way you can
rally others to help you achieve it.
This is why setting low goals doesn’t work. Some people

assume that if they set low goals, they can get them done
quickly, and then they will be motivated to tackle larger
goals. This doesn’t work for two reasons. The first is that a
person gets accustomed to the ease of accomplishing a
low goal, and as a result, becomes slack and unprepared or
unwilling to commit to do the real work or give a full
effort.
The second is that when a person gets used to aiming low,

it’s easy to settle for current conditions and lose interest
in things that are higher. After all, if I can make a five-
minute YouTube video, why should I go through the
trouble of writing a 50,000 word book? This is how you
will begin to think if you are always aiming low.

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This doesn’t mean that there is no place for short easy

goals. Rather, they have their place as stepping stones on
the path to achieving a greater goal. If the small goal is
simply a step on the path to something greater, then it
has its purpose and is worth accomplishing. But it
shouldn’t be an end unto itself.
Setting Goals
There are many ways to set goals that are achievable. One
simple approach that is very popular because it works is
the S.M.A.R.T. system. Yet even this approach can be
adjusted and refined to make it even more effective, to
make it the S.M.A.R.T.E.R. system.
S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym for five qualities that a goal

needs to have in order to accomplish it. It stands for
Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-
Bound. I have used this system to write books, build
businesses, develop online courses, and learn new skills.
This system is even more effective if you add two more

qualities to it; Evaluation and Rewards. Let’s break this
system down to understand how it works and why it is so
effective.
The first step is that a goal needs to be specific. This

means that you need to know exactly what you want to
do. If you don’t know exactly what you want, how will you

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know when you have achieved your goal? If someone

wants to lose weight, will one kilogram be sufficient to
accomplish this goal? If someone wants to become a
writer, does one blog post count as accomplishing this
goal?
Without specific details, goals are too vague to

accomplish. So the first step to accomplishing any goal is
to make it as specific as possible. When I decide to write a
book, I first write down specifically what I want to write: I
want to write a 300-page book extracting leadership
lessons from the life of ʿUmar II. When a goal is that
specific, you know exactly what needs to be done and can
focus on doing it.
But being specific is not enough. You need a method of

measuring how close you are to succeed. This is especially
true for long-term projects that may take months or years
to accomplish. Without a system of measurement, it isn’t
easy to tell how close you are to accomplishing your goal.
As a result, you may give up without realizing that you are

closer to the finish line than you imagined. The easiest
way to set up a system of measurement is to include a
number in your goal. That number becomes your unit of
measurement to help you see how close you are to
accomplishing that goal.

204
That is why I wrote that I want to write a 300-page book.

The page number gives me something specific to work
towards so that I know how close or far I am from
accomplishing my goal, as well as how many pages I need
to write daily in other to accomplish it.
Without a plan of action, a goal will never materialize and

is really nothing more than a notion or idea. It’s not
enough just knowing where you want to go; you need to
know how to get there. Likewise with a goal, you need to
know what steps to take in order to meet that goal. You
also need to know in what sequence these steps should be
taken; this will enable you to maintain focus as you
proceed from what step to the next. If your goal is to build
a school, you need an action plan. This action plan may
include researching to find out what exactly is needed,
and then working through each step one by one.
These different steps may include securing funding,

finding land, dealing with the paperwork, meeting
contractors, hiring staff, and many other steps. You need
to list out all the steps, the order of priority, and most
importantly, you need to know which step needs to be
taken first, second, and so on in order to accomplish your
goal. If you follow this ordered action sequence, you will
always be moving one step closer towards your goals.

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Goals need to be both realistic and limitless at the same

time. This may sound like a contradiction, but it isn’t. By
realistic, I mean within the realm of possibility. By
limitless, I mean it needs to be something special and
unique, something that makes other people think you are
crazy, that you are reaching for the sky.
It needs to be something that you know is possible, but

cynics tell you it is impossible. When you find a goal that
meets that balance between being realistic and limitless,
and you know it will benefit a lot of people, then you have
found a goal worth working towards. Knowing that your
goal is realistic, despite what other people keep telling
you, will help you push through the hard times and get it
done.
Finally, your goal needs to be time-bound. This is very

important. If you do not set a deadline for your goal, you
will most likely procrastinate indefinitely and never
accomplish it.
Unless you tell yourself that my book needs to be

published by 28 November 2019, or any other date, you
will always find excuses not to work on it and may end up
never doing it. Setting a deadline is the final piece of the
puzzle. It makes our goals real, urgent, and high priority.
It ensures that our goals get done on time, so we can move

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on to the next major goal. It is the last necessary step in

setting a goal so that it actually gets done.
There are two bonus steps you can take to get your goals
done even faster: they are evaluation and self-reward.
Evaluation means that you continuously check how close
you are to achieving your goal. One of the biggest
mistakes that people often make in setting goals is that
they do not follow up on their progress. People often
write a goal down and forget about it.
Then they are disappointed when they do not achieve that

goal. A key to achieving any goal is to track your progress
regularly. Depending on whether the goal is short-term or
long-term, this could mean checking on it once a week,
once a month, or once a year. Personally, I evaluate my
monthly goals on a weekly basis, my annual goals on a
monthly basis, and my life goals on a quarterly basis.
This helps me stay on track and understand how close or

far I am from achieving the goal. I can then adjust course
if necessary to improve my chances of achieving the goal.
Evaluation is crucial for sustaining momentum over a long
period of time.
Our brains respond best to rewards. With a long-term

goal, the reward may only come at the end. So, an easy
hack to sustain momentum during the journey is to

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reward yourself for every mini goal you achieve along the
way.
This reward serves as motivation and inspiration to keep

moving forward and helps track progress as well. If you
are writing a book, you could reward yourself with a cup
of coffee for every five pages written, a fancy meal out for
every chapter written, and a vacation after completing
the book itself. These rewards create excitement and
break the monotony of working long-term towards a goal.
There are many ways to set goals, and most of them are
effective. I like the S.M.A.R.T.E.R. system because it works
for me and helps me get things done. By making sure that
your goal is Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic,
and Time-Bound, by Evaluating your progress regularly
and Rewarding yourself for every mini-victory, you can
dramatically improve your odds of accomplishing your
goal.
A Step-by-Step Guide
Setting your goals is just one part of the journey towards

achieving them. Often, setting a large goal can seem
overwhelming when you write it down and realize just
how big it is and how much work it is going to take to
achieve it.

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This is why it is important to also have a system for

attaining your goals. A simple way to achieve almost any
goal is to break it down into mini-goals. This process is
called chunking.
Chunking can be done to almost any major or minor goal.

If you want to read a 500-page book, just read 10 pages a
day over 50 days or 20 pages a day over 25 days, and you
will get it done easily.
Do you need to grade 300 assignments in a month? Simply

grade 10 a night over 20 nights, and it will be done. Do you
need to write a 300-page book? Just write five pages a day,
and your first draft will be ready in only two months.
Almost anything looks easier when you break it down into
workable chunks.
The benefits of chunking a goal are many. It makes the

goal look easier, charts a map towards attaining the goal,
gives you an actionable step for each day, and moves you
towards your goal in gradual stages. If you follow this
process, you will achieve your goal before you even
realize it.

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Section Summary
 ʿUmar II is remembered for the noble goals he set

out to achieve, especially those that he completed.
 Set noble and beneficial goals so that your life
becomes a productive source of goodness for the
world.
 Use the S.M.A.R.T.E.R. system to set workable
goals: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic,
Time-bound, with a system for Evaluation, and
Reward.
 Break your goal down into mini-goals that can be
accomplished in a day, and then just focus on the
mini-goal of that day. Do this and you will
accomplish your goals in record time.

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211
Principle 10: Finding the Freedom of Self-

Discipline
The Disciplined King
One of the primary reasons ʿUmar II was able to get so

many things done during his short reign was due to his
high level of self-discipline. ʿUmar not only knew his
purpose, but he remained aligned with this purpose
through dedicated action, self-control, and strong will. He
never missed a prayer, never overate, and was extremely
careful regarding how he spent his wealth. Such behavior
is indicative of a highly disciplined personality.
ʿUmar’s self-discipline was rooted in a religious

framework and was an outward manifestation of his piety.
Umar’s self-discipline came from his consciousness of God
and his commitment to living a life that was pleasing to
Allah.
Because of ʿUmar’s clear purpose, he was extremely

disciplined in every area of life. He would eat only that
which was necessary for survival; he would only sleep
enough to be refreshed the next day; and he would only
purchase the essentials and necessities for his family.143 `
143

212
This does not mean that this level of discipline is required

for every Muslim. ʿUmar was a role model of piety and on
a higher level. We can take inspiration from his level of
discipline by at least modeling those aspects that are
practical for us in our time and culture.
A key to freedom
Self-discipline is a common trait in every successful

person. Study the biography of any great individual in
history, and you will most likely find an extremely
disciplined person.
The word “discipline” has a bad reputation in some circles

due to its association with punishment. But this is not the
correct definition of discipline. Discipline means the
ability to obey and follow rules. Self-discipline means the
ability to set rules for oneself, commit to them, and follow
them. This one characteristic is perhaps the most
important internal quality needed in order to be
productive.
A lot of people seek freedom, but they do so in the wrong

manner. They assume that by indulging their desires,
overeating, lazing around, and wasting time, they are
enjoying freedom.
The problem with this kind of freedom is that it is fleeting

and self-destructive. In the long run, it leads to so many

213
problems causing restrictions and limitations instead of

freedom. True freedom arises from self-discipline.
A person who eats whatever he wants whenever he wants

will eventually face health complications that limit his
freedom. A person who controls his diet and eats
moderately will have more freedom in the long-term
because he will have fewer health complications.
Someone who enjoys a life of fun all day by avoiding work

and responsibilities will eventually end up poor, alone,
and depressed. There is no freedom in this condition. A
responsible family man will almost always have enough
money, family, and support to succeed in life.
Therefore, self-discipline is important. It separates the

average from the amazing. The good from the great. And
the failures from the successes.
It takes self-discipline to stick to a diet. It takes self-

discipline to wake up early every morning. It takes self-
discipline to write a book. And it takes self-discipline to
learn any new skill. There is nothing worth accomplishing
that does not require self-discipline.
Religious Self-Discipline
One of the most beautiful qualities of Islam is that it builds

self-discipline into its followers. If someone is serious
about following Islam, they will naturally gain self-

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discipline through the implementation of Islamic

principles in their lives.
Praying five times a day builds self-discipline. Waking up

early every morning for the pre-dawn prayer builds self-
discipline. Fasting the month of Ramadan builds self-
discipline. Controlling one’s anger, refraining from
backbiting, wearing modest clothing, even memorizing
the verses of Quran… the list of Islamic manners and
deeds that inherently build self-discipline goes on.
Every Islamic command and prohibition works towards

building self-discipline. This is clear when a Muslim
chooses to avoid alcohol, drugs, gambling, and
fornication. This is clear when a Muslim lowers his gaze
and controls his lust. It is apparent whenever a Muslim
seeks forgiveness for sinning or gives charity.
Committing oneself to Islam is a course in gaining true

self-discipline. When following the guidelines of Islam, a
person gains self-discipline in a natural, gradual manner
without even realizing it.
It is for this reason that self-discipline came so naturally

to Abu Bakr, Umar I, Umar II and all the other great
Muslim heroes. Their commitment to Islam led them to
instinctively grow into some of the most self-disciplined
individuals of their eras. The same results are possible for

215
anybody in any era who chooses to commit to Islam and

follow it.
Core Characteristics of Self-discipline
Self-discipline manifests in many ways. There are a few

core characteristics common to every disciplined
individual. These include waking up early, getting things
done, utilizing time wisely, and tackling difficult or
disliked tasks.
The first battle that needs to be won every day is the

battle of the bed. If we can overcome the desire to sleep in
and gets an early start to the day, we will accomplish a lot
more during that day than others. This is a common habit
most self-disciplined people share, they start their day
early.
To do this you need to set a bedtime and waking time for

yourself and stick to it. This may seem strange to many
adults who love the fact that they no longer require
bedtimes.
Perhaps such adults may require a scheduled bedtime the

most. Without a set bedtime, it is very difficult to get
enough sleep each night to operate optimally the next
day. Setting a bedtime and sticking to it is crucial for
waking up early.

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The second step is to set your waking time and stick to it.
No matter how tired you feel, you must wake up early.
Even if it means starting your day slowly and building up
towards higher intensity tasks later in the day. Doing
something early in the morning is better than sleeping it
away.
Self-disciplined people accomplish the tasks on their To

Do lists and meet their daily and weekly goals. It does not
matter how difficult a task is, how much time it takes, or
even if it is a disliked task, you can always rely on a self-
disciplined person to get things done. This is because they
are committed to being their best every day. They have
systems and methods of getting through whatever needs
to be done. They focus on solutions, not on excuses.
You will rarely hear a self-disciplined person making

excuses for why they failed at a task. Rather, they either
get it done, or they learn from it and do a better job the
next time. Excuses are not something they allow for
themselves. They take complete ownership of all their
actions and never make excuses for their own failures and
weakness.
Self-discipline includes knowing how to use time wisely.

This means being able to make time every day for
everything that matters to you. In a later chapter, we will

217
discuss prioritization and how to make times for every

important aspect of your life.
Using time wisely is an important part of self-discipline

that requires a chapter of its own. Time is one of our most
valuable resources, and unlike money, it can’t be
recovered. So, it is of the utmost importance that we learn
to utilize our time productively and maximize our output
for each day.
To help people accomplish this, I wrote a book in 2014

dedicated to time management. The book has been
published under several names in different countries,
Getting the Barakah, Time Management, and Time
Management & Barakah in Islam.144
Over the years, this book has helped thousands of readers

improve their time management skills. As the topic of this
book is productivity principles, some of the principles
from that book have been replicated and discussed in later
chapters of this book.
The fourth crucial part of self-discipline is doing the work

that nobody wants to do. This is the essence of self-
discipline. Often the greatest results are hidden
underneath the hardest work. To access these results,
144
More details about other books can be found at
books.islamicselfhelp.com

218
someone needs to do the hard work. The person who

pushes through and gets it done is the one who will access
the hidden gems.
Doing hard work is the piece of the puzzle that most

people miss. This is the real test of self-discipline and the
barrier between success and failure. If you want to be a
great writer, you have to do the hard work of research
and writing. If you want to lose weight, you need to do the
difficult tasks of dieting and exercising. If you want to
earn better, you need to put in more time to learn new
skills and work more projects at a time. Nothing worth
gaining is easy to gain, all of it lies behind hard work. If
you can discipline yourself enough to do the hard work,
you can unlock your full potential.
Even in spirituality, this same principle applies. There is a

hadith that states that Paradise is hidden behind difficult
and undesired tasks. This means unlocking eternal bliss
requires doing the hard work that most people don’t want
to do, like disciplining the soul, controlling one’s lust, and
praying the pre-dawn prayer on time. This isn’t easy, but
just like every other difficult task, the rewards are worth
it.
One of the best ways to motivate yourself to do the

difficult work is to focus on the end goal. Keep your eye on
the prize awaiting you at the end of the task. If you know

219
that something you deeply desire lies at the end of this

difficult task, then you will find within yourself the
motivation to push through the hard work and get it
done.
No Self-discipline, No Success
It is true that some people find success very easily. All it

took was one good idea at the right time, or even just
being born into the right family. These stories, however,
are a matter of destiny out of an individual’s control.
We do not get to choose our destiny, contrary to popular

thought. Even if someone believes that he is the captain of
his own ship, God is still in charge of the ocean and the
weather. Destiny is God’s Will. However, we do have the
ability to choose our actions and make our intentions.
ʿUmar II sincerely chose to reform the Umayyad kingdom.

It was God’s Will that he was unable to accomplish this
mission completely. We still love ʿUmar and admire his
effort and sincerity. This is an important point to
understand to avoid adopting the unrealistic expectation
that anything is possible.
Rather our expectation should be that anything is possible

with the help of God, but only if it is what God wills to
happen. This understanding creates a more realistic
framework within which we can operate. When we trust

220
the final outcome to the Creator, we can focus on what is

within our control: our efforts and sincerity.
Yes, there will be cases of people who succeed at their

goals without putting in much effort because God willed
it. And there will be people who strive hard all their lives
but never accomplish their goals because God didn’t will
it. As a society, we need to learn to admire the efforts of
those who strived, regardless of the outcome.
So, what then is the purpose of self-discipline? Self-

discipline is not about the end result. It is about who you
are as a person. You do not control your destiny or the
destiny of humanity, but you do have a choice in the kind
of person you grow into.
That includes choosing between being a self-disciplined

person who gets things done or a laid back person who
lives a life of excuses. At the end of the day, your choice
will define you, and God will decide your destiny as He
sees fit.
Choose to be self-disciplined because it will make you the

best version of you, and without it, success is rare and
often unappreciated.

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Section Summary
 ʿUmar II was an extremely disciplined man. He

lived a life of self-discipline and that enabled him
to accomplish so many great things.
 Self-discipline is the key to freedom. Without
discipline, we become trapped in our own bad
habits, weaknesses, and restrictions.
 Islam offers one of the purest and most natural
paths to self-discipline.
 Self-discipline includes waking up early, managing
time well, getting things done, and doing the
important tasks that you dislike.
 Self-discipline helps you grow into the best version
of yourself.
 Remember that success is never guaranteed for
anybody, as everyone’s destiny is in God’s Hands.

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Principle 11: Consulting Experts
The Shūrā Committee
When ʿUmar II was governor of Medina, he surrounded

himself with a panel of pious and experienced
consultants. When he became king, he maintained this
system, and once again put together a team of experts to
consult with on every major decision.
The practice of consulting experts has always been a

recommended practice for Muslims. In the Quran, there is
an entire chapter titled the Chapter of Shūrā
(Consultation) which includes the verse, “And their affairs
are decided through consultation among themselves,”145
Prophet Muhammad (s) said, “If your brother requests

your consultation, let him give counsel.”146 It was also the
practice of the Rightly Guided Caliphs to have a
committee of consultants to discuss all important issues.
In Islam, such committees are called shūrā committees
and are very important for success in any project.
ʿUmar II wanted to emulate the leadership style of the

Prophet Muhammad (s) and the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
Based on their example, he set up shūrā committees to
145
Quran 42:38
146
Ibn Mājah 3747

224
consult whenever he was in a position of power. He first

established such a committee when he was governor of
Medina. His committee at that time included ten of
Medina’s leading scholars. This included ʿUrwa b. al-
Zubayr, ʿUbaydullāh b. ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUtbah, Abū Bakr b.
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, and many other leading scholars from
the second and third generation of Muslims.147
This council was given several tasks, which included

giving ʿUmar their opinion on any action he planned to
take, informing him of any misconduct in his region, and
advising him on matters of policy. Based on the advice of
this council, he made several improvements to the social
structure of Medina. This resulted in a large number of
people migrating to Medina during his short reign.148
When he was appointed caliph of the Muslim world,

ʿUmar again set in place a shūrā council to guide his
decisions. This committee included leading scholars from
across the Muslim world including Sālim b. ʿAbdullāh,
Muhammad al-Qurṭubī, Rajāʾ b. Ḥaywa and Yazīd b. al-
Muhallab.149
Surrounded by such exemplary individuals, and in contact

with various others throughout the Muslim Empire via
147
148
Ibid. pp. 78-81
149
Ibid. pp. 115-118

225
letters, ʿUmar’s policies and decisions were guided by

sincere advice, experience, and piety. This led to some of
the most important decisions that shaped the history of
the Muslim world.
Because of the wise and righteous advice of these

consultants, ʿUmar II was able to set up various long-term
projects that benefited the Muslim community for
centuries.
Some of the decisions that resulted from consultation

include the removal of various unjust taxes, increasing
the salaries of religious scholars, sending scholars to teach
Islam to the newly conquered regions, and the
compilation of hadith into books. Each of these decisions
played an important role in improving the lives of the
Muslim community.
ʿUmar II’s High Regard for Consultation
ʿUmar II once said, “Nobody is entitled to be a judge

unless he has five qualities. He must be chaste, gentle and
patient, knowledgeable of the past, accustomed to seeking
the consultation of others, and indifferent to criticism
from others.”150
Among the five most crucial qualities of a judge, ʿUmar II

included seeking consultation. A judge cannot always rely
150
Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, Fatḥ al-Bārī, vol. 15, p. 50

226
on his own opinion or view of a matter, and neither can

he always trust his own ability to remain unbiased. A just
judge will seek the opinion of righteous experts before
making a decision.
ʿUmar II advised his governors, judges, and contemporary

scholars to seek consultation on every important issue.
He once wrote to ʿUrwah a letter in which he mentioned,

“You have written to me asking about the practice of
issuing legal rulings and settling people’s dispute. That
heart of the judicial practice is adherence to what you find
in the Book of God, the issuing of rulings based on the
example set by the Messenger of God as well as the
judgments handed down by the Rightly-Guided leaders,
and consultation with the learned whose points of view
can be trusted.”151
In these two quotations, we can see the high status ʿUmar

II gave to consultation. He considered it among the most
important sources of decision making, policy making,
deduction of laws, and application of principles. He would
not make any major decisions without consulting experts
on the topic, and he advised others to do the same.
Consultation is one of those principles that ʿUmar both

practiced and preached, and it is one of the most
151
Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, Jamiʿ Bayan al-ʿIlm, vol. 2, p. 30

227
important principles that led to his success in various

fields.
The Benefits of Consultation
There are many benefits of seeking the counsel of experts.

Ahmad al-Raysuni, in his book al-Shūrā, lists ten major
benefits of consultation.
These are:
1. Choosing the most correct opinion

2. Protecting the decision from bias and desire
3. Preventing tyranny
4. Promoting humility
5. Giving people their due
6. Promoting an atmosphere of freedom
7. Improving one’s thinking and planning capabilities
8. Building support structures
9. Promoting unity and goodwill
10. Increasing the ability to deal with unwanted
consequences.152
Each of these is important for achieving maximum

productivity from one’s goals. When we consult others,
we increase the chance of arriving at the correct opinion
152
Al-Raysuni, al-Shura, pp.24-40

228
and therefore increase our chances of succeeding at our

goals.
Sometimes when we make decisions on our own, these

decisions are clouded by bias or desire. Seeking the
counsel of someone unbiased helps us see past these
distortions and helps us arrive at a better conclusion. In
doing so, we also protect ourselves and others from any
unintentional tyranny that our biased opinions may
cause.
It takes humility to seek the counsel of others. This makes

consultation an act that strengthens humility and reduces
arrogance. This increases the chance of success, as
humble people are far more likely to excel than the
arrogant.
Consultation with specialists actively demonstrates

appreciation and respect for the experts. This is a way of
giving people their dues, promoting an atmosphere of
freedom and discussion, as well as promoting unity and
goodwill among people.
The more we discuss our ideas with others, our thinking

and planning capabilities grow accordingly. Each
discussion teaches us a new way of looking at things and
refines our thinking process.

229
Finally, consultation is a team task. When you consult

others, they become invested in your outcome, which
gives you a stronger support structure and an increased
ability to deal with any obstacles or problems that may
arise.
These are just ten benefits of consultation.
The Art of Consultation
Islam is a community-based religion. Muslims are not

expected to live in isolation or make their decisions alone.
Unlike individualistic cultures, Islam values the opinions
of others. It doesn’t matter whether a decision is pleasing
or not. More important than the pleasure of the individual
is whether the impact on society is negative or positive.
Often, we are unable to single-handedly see the full and

real impact our decisions have on others. It requires
humility, discussion, and listening to those with more
knowledge and experience than us. This is where
consultation comes in and why it is so important for
Muslims.
Our elders have experiences that we don’t. People who

have mastered other fields can see things that we can’t.
People with different personalities bring in different
perspectives and alternative ideas. Every individual brings
unique knowledge, wisdom, and experiences to the table.

230
When you tap into this wealth of diverse insight, you can
discover newer and better ways of doing things compared
to going at it alone.
We were not meant to live in a vacuum and depend

entirely on our own minds. We need each other in order
to do our best. This is why consulting experts is so
important. An expert, or at least someone with more
experience than you, can share alternative ideas and
perspectives you did not consider and help you achieve
more than you thought possible.
This is why so many successful people having mentors,

coaches, and personal consultants. They did not get to the
top on their own. Reaching the peak takes a team effort.
A popular mixed martial arts fighter does not become

champion on his own. He needs a team of trainers and
coaches to show him his strengths and weaknesses, help
him hone his skills, and to discuss strategy with him.
During the fight, it looks like it is his effort alone, but
behind the scenes, it takes an entire team to win one fight.
Every field of life is like this. We all need coaches, trainers,

and experts to show us our strengths and weaknesses,
help us develop our skills, and show us the best strategies
at life. This doesn’t mean that you cannot achieve victory

231
on your own. It simply means you will get there a lot

faster if you have the right consultants.
The Right Consultants
It is important to choose the right team for consultation.

The wrong consultants can lead you astray, discourage
you, or cause you to make unnecessary mistakes. It is
crucial, before deciding to listen to anybody, that you first
decide who you are going to listen to.
Ideally, you will need as your mentor, coach, or consultant

someone who is sincere about wanting you to succeed and
who has a higher level of qualification than you. When
your advisor cares about you and genuinely wants to see
you succeed, this connection ensures the best advice and
prevents that person from sabotaging you. When your
advisor has more experience and success than you in your
chosen field, you will have an additional advantage and
can leverage your advisor’s experience and success to
build your own.
Your consultants need to be people of sound character so

that your relationship is one of mutual trust. They need to
have a positive and optimistic attitude, so they can
motivate you to be your best. A negative or cynical
advisor will just cause you to give up on your dreams
altogether. If you can find advisors who are caring,

232
successful, trustworthy, and optimistic, then latch onto

them and pay careful attention to everything that they
say.
Listening to Advice
It isn’t enough to have the best consultants. You also need

to actually listen to them. This does not mean you should
blindly follow them. It simply means you should take their
opinions seriously and under careful consideration before
making your decision. At the end of the day, you need to
forge your own path, and that path will have traces of
your own ideas mixed with the ideas of your mentors and
coaches.
There will be occasions when your ideas and the advice of

your counsel clash. During such times, you must take time
to think deeply and give weight to all opinions. There isn’t
necessarily a right or wrong answer on such issues. It boils
down to treating each person’s opinion with respect,
thinking each perspective over deeply, and finally
choosing a plan of action accordingly.
Sometimes you may go with your own idea and sometimes

with that of one of your consultants. Either way, make
sure that your decision is based on doing what is best for
the cause and not on ego.

233
Ego often gets in the way of taking other people’s ideas

seriously. But ego has no place on the path to genuine
success. Success means being humble enough to know
that you don’t know everything and that you need all the
help you can get.
Success means being grateful for having access to experts

and showing that gratitude by taking their advice
seriously. Success means working together to do what is
best for the project, even if it means crushing your own
ego in the process.
The Meeting of Goals and Advice
When you combine high goals with expert advice, you will
discover a quicker, better path to success. You won’t need
to repeat all the mistakes that your mentors and coaches
might have made, because their advice and experience
will protect you from such mistakes.
Instead, you will be free to make new mistakes, learn from

new experiences, and as a result attain success a lot
quicker than if you went at it alone. Consulting experts is
key to getting your goals accomplished faster.
When starting a business and relying entirely on oneself,

the chances of success decrease dramatically. It is highly
likely that several avoidable mistakes will be made that
could cause failure very early in the business.

234
Yet, if one consults successful entrepreneurs before

starting, one would be cautioned about these mistakes,
avoid them completely, and in doing so, increase chances
of success by a large margin.

235
Section Summary
 ʿUmar surrounded himself with the best experts

and consulted them on every important decision.
 ʿUmar II advised all of his governors, judges, and
scholars to rely on consultation before making any
important decision.
 There are many benefits of consultation which
include preventing mistakes, learning from the
experiences of others, and promoting an
environment of goodwill, freedom, and unity.
 Consulting experts is crucial for long-term success.
 A consultation committee must be chosen wisely.
Look for people with experience and success in
your field.
 It is not enough to just let them speak. You need to
take their advice seriously and follow through
whenever needed.
 High Goals + Expert Advice = Faster route to
success.

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237
Principle 12: Prioritizing
A Unique Stance
ʿUmar II made a seemingly strange decision when he came

into power. He halted the expansion of the Muslim Empire
to focus on developing the lands that had already been
conquered.153
To put this into context, the Muslim Empire had been

constantly expanding through military conquests since
the time of the Prophet (s) until ʿUmar II came into power.
The only exception being the two periods of civil war
during that century.
This meant that military conquest and expansion, which

was the norm of all empires at that time, had become an
expected course of action from the leader. ʿUmar II was
the first leader to take a different approach and put a
pause to the expansions despite being in the perfect
position to continue.
ʿUmar’s decision was based on something he had noticed

while serving as a vizier to Walīd and Sulaimān. The
empire had expanded greatly during the reign of Walīd,
more than any other ruler before him. The Muslims were
153

238
ruling over 20 countries across three continents.

However, they were completely unfamiliar with the
people, geography, culture, and economics of the foreign
lands over which they ruled, particularly their first
European state, Spain.
This led to these lands being neglected on multiple fronts.

The people of these lands had yet to be properly
introduced to the message of Islam despite being subjects
of the Muslim Empire. Their lands were also not
benefiting from the economic boom of the empire because
the ruler was uninformed regarding what was needed in
these lands. Furthermore, the people were heavily
burdened with taxes, had to deal with difficult governors,
and had no way of improving their overall situation.
ʿUmar recognized these problems and realized that the

empire was expanding too fast. Left unchecked, this would
lead to a large and unstable empire, which would, in turn,
lead to rebellions and anarchy. He also recognized that he
had a moral and religious duty to take care of the citizens
of his empire no matter how far away they were from his
capital.
So ʿUmar made a controversial decision quite unexpected

by his governors and generals, he halted the expansion of
the empire and focused on developing the newly
conquered lands instead.

239
He prioritized research and development over conquest

and expansion, which was the right move for his time. As
a result of his decision, Islam began to flourish in these
new lands, particularly Spain which experienced its own
Golden Age under Umayyad rule a century later.154
What Really Matters
This is not the only example of prioritization in the life

ʿUmar II. In almost all his major decisions, he displayed a
knack for being able to figure out what was most
important and making it a priority.
Among the many decisions he made that showed his skill

in prioritizing was undertaking the preservation of
hadith, increasing the wages of religious scholars,
decreasing or annulling unjust taxes, and developing the
economic and social conditions of various regions.
In all these decisions, ʿUmar showed that he had far

clearer priorities than his predecessors. By prioritizing
matters that genuinely mattered and positively impacted
the nation, he was able to accomplish more in his two
years as caliph than many others were able to accomplish
in a decade.
Prioritization
154

240
From the life of ʿUmar II, we learn the importance of

prioritization. Many of his best decisions were made on
the basis of prioritizing what was important over
everything else.
He prioritized the development of his lands over

expansion. He prioritized the education of his subjects
over taxes. He prioritized the collection of hadiths over
other types of writings. Every major decision he made was
a matter of prioritizing what was important for that time
over matters that were less important.
One of the reasons many people fail to accomplish

anything meaningful with their lives is because they fail
to understand what their priorities should be. Prioritizing
the important over the less important tasks creates the
clarity of mind needed to know what to focus on.
Prioritizing is something essential to the character of the

believer. The pillar of praying five times a day creates a
foundation for prioritizing Allah and salat over everything
else. This system of prioritizing can be applied to every
part of our lives. Be it our personal lives, our careers, or
our personal growth. In every department, some things
are more of a priority than others.155
155
Kamdar, Time Management, p. 46

241
The challenge lies in firstly identifying our priorities. This

requires reflection and introspection. In an age of instant
gratification, many run away from anything that requires
deep thought and long-term planning. But prioritizing is
worth the effort in the long run because the impact it has
on our lives is not just a more effective approach but a
more meaningful existence.
Many people don’t take the time to figure out what the
priorities of their life should be. This haphazardness leads
to a lot of wasted time. Priority should be given to those
pursuits that are important to your happiness and success
in both worlds. These matters are more deserving of our
time than other things that clutter our lives.
In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey

teaches a framework to help work out one’s priorities.
This is the urgent/important matrix. He explains that in
order to truly understand one’s priorities, one must
understand the difference between what is urgent and
what is important.156
Urgent, in this context, means that you feel an emotional

need to do it right now. Important means that it has long
term value, even if there isn’t an immediate emotional
drive to get it done. So, a notification on your phone may
156

242
be urgent, but completing the draft of your project

proposal is important. Prioritizing means ignoring that
notification and focusing on your proposal instead.
Too often we treat urgent tasks as if they are important.

Very often, the article you are writing or the book you are
reading is far more important than the phone call,
notification, or message you just received. Yet many of us
will put our project aside and check our notifications
instead. Not only does this waste time, but it is very
distracting. It takes up even more time trying to get your
mind back into your work after being distracted and
becomes harder to enter a state of flow.
Understanding the difference between urgent and

important is crucial for figuring out your priorities. When
you categorize things accordingly, it is easier to work out
what needs your attention the most.
The Urgent/Important Matrix
Urgent, Urgent and Important
Not Important

243
Not Urgent, Not Urgent, Important
Not Important
This is a diagram of the urgent/important matrix. Tasks in

our lives usually fall into one of four categories. They
could be urgent and important, urgent but not important,
important but not urgent, or not urgent or important.
Most people prioritize urgent tasks without first figuring
out what is important, which leads to important tasks
being neglected.
An example of something that is both urgent and

important would be a deadline due this week. The task is
important, and the deadline makes it urgent. These tasks
should be at the top of your To-Do list.
Things that are important, yet not urgent, are your long-
term goals, like writing a book. There is nothing urgent
that forces a person to write a book. But if the topic is
important to the author, then they will make time daily to
work on it.
This is where many people slip up. They fail to identify

their important projects that lack urgency. As a result,

244
they procrastinate and often never even get started.

Think about how many people talk about one day writing
a book but never even start on their first draft. That is
what happens when a person does not identify a task as
important despite lacking urgency.
The compilation of hadith is a good example of this. It was

not urgent during the reign of ʿUmar II and really would
only become urgent more than a century later. However,
because he was concerned with the long-term spiritual
well-being of the Muslim community, he treated it as
important and delegated it to the hadith scholars.
The correct way to deal with important, yet not urgent,

tasks is to schedule a time for them. Schedule in time for
personal development, studying, reading, long term goals,
and any other important projects that lack urgency. Don’t
wait until they become urgent, because if they never
reach that level of being urgent, you will never get down
to doing them.
Tasks that are urgent but not important are usually

distractions and interruptions like phone calls, messages,
and people wanting to talk to you. Many people make the
mistake of thinking that they need to answer every phone
call and respond to every message immediately.

245
Doing so can take up a lot of time and interrupt the flow

of our work, causing much time to be wasted. One way to
avoid this is to silence your phone and disable
notifications when working on a high concentration
important task.
Finally, we have things which are not important or

urgent. These include watching television, playing video
games and browsing the internet. These things should
never get in the way of our important tasks and should be
left for one’s spare time. A balanced life includes making
time for having fun, but that time should ideally be on the
weekends or evenings when all important tasks are
done.157
Stephen Covey explains this concept very well:
Urgent matters are usually visible. They press on

us; they insist on action. They’re often popular
with others. They’re usually right in front of us.
And often they are pleasant, easy, and fun to do.
But often they are unimportant.
Importance, on the other hand, has to do with

results. If something is important, it contributes to
your mission, your values, and your high priority
goals.
157
Kamdar, Time Management, pp. 47-48

246
We react to urgent matters. Important matters that

are not urgent require more initiative, more
proactivity. We must act to seize the opportunity,
to make things happen.158
The following diagram shows work-related tasks divided

according to importance and urgency:
Urgent, Not Important Urgent and Important
Answer Emails, Answer Meet Deadlines for this

Phone Calls week, attend meetings
Not urgent, Not Important, Not Urgent

Important
Write my book, work on
Catch up on latest office projects due next month
gossip
The urgent/important matrix is just one way of

identifying the priorities in your life. Another method is
to look at every aspect of your life and figure out how to
balance it all. To figure this out, let’s divide our priorities
into five categories: religious, career, family, social, and
personal.
158
Stephen Covey, 7 Habits, p. 151

247
Religious Priorities
This is one area in which our priorities have already been

worked out for us and require no brainwork except in
making time for them. For a Muslim, religious priorities
include praying five times a day, attending the Friday
prayer, studying the religion, and striving to overcome
one’s weaknesses. These things must be treated as
priorities and given the necessary time due them.
Some of these tasks need to be done daily. Some weekly,

and some whenever needed. We need to make time for
them according to how Allah has legislated them for us.
Obedience to God should be, without question, the
number one priority of every believer.
Career Priorities
When it comes to working, your priorities can be divided

into long-term and short-term. Long-term priorities are
things that lead to promotions, better jobs, and better
opportunities. These include professional development,
large projects, and developing new ideas.
Short term projects are things that require immediate

attention, like weekly meetings and deadlines. These
would fall under the urgent/important category and
require immediate attention. Balance means finding time

248
for both short-term and long-term priorities during the

workday.
In doing so, we should be able to get our work done while

improving our skillset, thud opening more doors for
climbing the career ladder and achieving higher levels of
success.
Family Priorities
A balanced life does not revolve entirely around work. We

must make time for family. This includes spending quality
time with our spouses, parents, children, and siblings.
How we do this really depends on many factors but each
of us must find a way to make enough quality time to
maintain the bonds of love with those who are close to us.
The key here is to make quality time for family. When

spending time with family, give them your full attention,
put away your phone, and engage with them. Even an
hour of loving meaningful time goes a long way towards
making a relationship work.
Social Responsibilities
A balanced life includes giving back to society. This means

making time to serve the community. Whether through
social work, charity, or volunteering. Every person should
find a way to give back to their community and make this
a priority in their life.

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When we pass from this world, the projects and

knowledge that we leave behind to benefit others
continue to serve as a source of on-going reward for us.
We must make time to focus on this aspect of our legacy
and work on projects that have a long-term benefit for the
community.
Personal Priorities
This is an area that people often neglect. Sometimes

people get so caught up in their careers and families that
they forget about their own health and well-being.
Self-care is very important. We must make time daily for

getting enough sleep, eating healthily, relaxing, having
fun, and personal development. These should be our
personal priorities as without them we cannot function
optimally or live up to our full potential.
The Right Balance
The right balance is very hard to find, and some people

even say it is impossible. I agree that perfect balance isn’t
possible, but it is possible to make time for everything
that matters to us. In this way, we create a semblance of
balance that helps us move along and function optimally.

250
Section Summary
 ʿUmar prioritized the development and education

of his subjects over the expansion of his empire.
 Prioritizing is all about figuring out what is
important and making time for it.
 We must make time for our religious, family, work,
community, and personal priorities in a way that
does justice to each of these aspects of life.

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252
Principle 13: Delegating
The Delegations of ʿUmar II
One of the principles of ʿUmar’s great success as a ruler

was that he assigned the right tasks to the right people. By
delegating tasks to those who were the most reliable and
the most qualified for a specific job meant that he freed
his own time to focus on other tasks instead.
Spain had been conquered just a few years before ʿUmar II

came into power. Yet it had remained neglected
throughout that time. ʿUmar delegated the governance of
Spain to Al-Samh b. Mālik al-Khawlanī, a righteous and
just man who started a new era of growth and peace in
the region. Al-Samh wasn’t the only capable leader given
a position of governance by ʿUmar.159
He chose Ismaʿīl b. ʿAbd Allah to be the governor of North

Africa, Adi b. Artah al-Fazarī as the governor of Basra and
al-Jarrah b. ʿAbd Allah al-Hakamī as the governor of
Khurasan.160 The common factors between all these
choices is that they were just and competent leaders who
excelled as governors. Knowing that his kingdom was run
by capable governors gave ʿUmar the chance to focus on
159
160
Ibid. pp. 647

253
other projects instead of having to concern himself with

the governance of the separate regions.
Governance is not the only area in which ʿUmar delegated

tasks to capable people. He delegated the compilation of
hadith to the leading hadith scholars of his time, namely
Abū Bakr b. Muhammad b. Ḥazm and Ibn Shihāb al-
Zuhrī.161 These scholars started the noble trend of
compiling hadith books which would reach its peak a
century later in the writings of al-Bukharī and Muslim.162
A third example of delegation from the reign of ʿUmar is

daʿwa (invitation to Islam). The Umayyads had conquered
many new lands, and the people of those lands had not
properly received the message and teachings of Islam.
To solve this, ʿUmar sent qualified, pious teachers to every

new territory to convey the message of Islam to its people
and to educate the new converts on the basics of Islam. As
a result, thousands of people converted to Islam, and the
converts had access to classes where they could learn the
basics of the religion.163
ʿUmar sent many great scholars to every region of the

empire. He sent Yazīd b. Abī Mālik and al-Ḥārith b.
Muhammad to teach the bedouins of the desert regions.
161
Ibid. pp. 464-473
162
Brown, Hadith: Muhammad’s Legacy, pp. 39-41
163
As-Sallabi, ʿUmar bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, p.537-540

254
He sent the great scholar Nafiʿ (the freed slave of Ibn

ʿUmar) to teach Islam to the people of Egypt.164
ʿUmar paid special attention to North Africa and sent ten

leading scholars to spread Islam in that region. These
scholars included Abū Thamāmah al-Jadhāmī who spent
more than thirty years teaching hadith in North Africa
and Wahb b. Hayy al-Maghafirī who spread the hadiths
narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas through North Africa.165
These cases are all excellent examples of an essential

principle of productivity called delegation.
The Art of Delegation
Delegation simply means to assign a task to someone else.

It is the secret to the success of almost any person who
seems to be accomplishing more at one time than seems
humanly possible. In general, if someone seems to be
getting more done in a day than seems feasible, he is
likely delegating some tasks to others.
Life is short, and we only have 24 hours in a day. If we

want to get more done, we must find others who can help
us get these things done. By delegating tasks and projects
to trustworthy and competent people, we free up time to
164
Ibid. pp. 541-543
165
Ibid. pp. 543-549

255
focus on other tasks and projects. This is how every

successful leader operates.
Delegation is crucial for succeeding in multiple projects at

the same time. Brian Tracy explains it as follows, “You
must develop the ability to delegate the right task, to the
right person, in the right way. The inability to delegate
effectively can be the cause of failure or
underperformance of the individual, and even bring about
failure of the business.”166
There are essentially two types of tasks that should be

delegated to others: tasks that anybody can do and tasks
that someone else can do better than you. The first type
should be delegated to people who are competent and
trustworthy, even if they are not necessarily skilled. The
second type of task should only be delegated to experts
who have more know-how for that particular project or
undertaking.
The Ordinary Tasks
Let’s call the first type of task ordinary. These are simple
things that take up time but with a bit of training,
anybody can do. An example of this is replying to social
media messages.
166
Tracy, Million Dollar Habits, p. 152

256
This can be very time consuming if you have high traffic

social media pages, and you may want to put that time to
better use. Yet, with just an hour or two of training, you
can hire almost any social media savvy person to take
over your page and handle this task for you.
There are many tasks that often fill up our time

unnecessarily that can be outsourced or delegated to
others. The exact tasks you choose to delegate will depend
on various factors including your financial resources, your
priorities, and your human resources.
A high-level manager can delegate everything from

answering phone calls and scheduling meetings to
employees or direct reports. But a struggling artist
working from home may have less access to finances or
people to delegate tasks.
In general, if you have the finances to outsource certain

tasks, then it is in your best interests to do so. Delegating
frees up your time to focus on the things that really
matter. If you can’t afford to delegate tasks yet, then build
yourself up to a level where you can.
In the information era, we have more access to people we

can delegate tasks to than ever before. Young
professionals today often hire Virtual Assistants (VAs) to
handle their email, scheduling, social media pages, and a

257
variety of other tasks that they do not want to spend the

time doing themselves.
The internet gives us access to VAs from across the globe

who may be more affordable and skilled than local talent.
This opportunity alone opens a whole new door for
delegation.
The beauty of delegation is that you get so much more

done in a 24-hour period than you would have previously
thought possible.
If you are working on your next big idea, while a hired

salesperson is marketing and selling your previous
production for you, while a social media manager is
running your social media pages for you, and a virtual
assistant is handling your email and schedule, then you
are essentially getting four days’ worth of work done
every single day.
The Big Stuff
The second type of task that needs delegation is the big

stuff, the things beyond your skillset. Every one of us has
our strengths and weaknesses. It is very important that
we recognize areas in which other people are more skilled
than us and hire them for those tasks. This is what ʿUmar
did when he hired the greatest hadith scholars to compile
hadith, the best teachers to teach Islam, and the most

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experienced administrators to serve as governors for his

various regions.
ʿUmar delegated tasks to the people most likely to excel at

those tasks. In life, as you work towards your goals, you
will encounter many tasks that require the skills of others.
It can be very tempting to just save money and do it
yourself. But this can often be disastrous if you are not
skilled in that area.
As an author, I know I am not skilled at editing my own

grammar and sentence construction. That is why I hire a
professional to edit every book I write. It makes things
easier for me and ensures a better product. Likewise, I
hire a professional cover designer instead of designing my
own covers.
The temptation to save money and just do it yourself is

very strong, but professionalism lies in investing money
to get the job done by someone more skilled than you.
If you were designing an idea for an app, it would make

sense to hire a team of professionals to actually produce
the app and another team of professional marketers to
market it for you. This will help you achieve your goals
faster and with a higher quality product even though it
might cost a lot more money up front than trying to do it
all yourself.

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The key is to hand over the task completely to the person

you are assigning it to. If you micromanage, then this will
interfere with the quality of the work produced. Brian
Tracy says about delegation, “The key to delegation is to
delegate the task completely and refuse to take it back. Do
not interfere. Give whatever advice, guidance, and
support is necessary for the person to do the job, but
make it clear that the job is the responsibility of the
person.”167
If you work on new projects often, it is a helpful practice

to keep a list of professionals available for hire to work on
the tasks for you as they come up. A strong network of
professionals ensures that you always have access to the
best in the business whenever you are looking for
someone to hire to get any new tasks done.
Automation – the New Delegation
We have access to another amazing tool that did not exist

in the time of ʿUmar II. We live in an era of artificial
intelligence and advanced technology. This gives us an
edge to get even more done in a day by automating as
much as possible.
Automation means assigning a task to a computer

program or machine to do for you. This means you can
167
Tracy, Time Power, p. 61

260
free up time to work on something else, while the

computer handles that aspect of your work for you. There
are many things that can be automated these days from
bill payments to sales funnels. With a bit of research, you
can find ways to automate various tasks in your life,
freeing up time for the tasks that truly require your
attention.
I utilize automation for as many parts of my online

businesses as possible. The sales funnels for my various
courses and books are all automated. When someone
purchases a book or course, the computer handles the
entire process, from payment to delivery. I don’t have to
do anything besides production and marketing. This gives
me a lot of free time to focus on producing even more
books and courses.
Just as I have been able to utilize this system to free up

time, you can as well. Take some time to think about the
various aspects of your life that can be easily automated
and take the time to learn how to make that happen.
There are so many tasks that can be automated in the

modern world. Shipment, payments, production, even
responding to simple messages can all be assigned to
various apps and bots to do for you. Just follow the
following productivity rule and you will free up more time

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than you ever imagined: whatever can be automated must

be automated.
One of the secrets of getting more done in less time is to

outsource your tasks. Between delegating and
automation, there are dozens of tasks that can be
outsourced to computers, machines, and other people.
Doing so frees up time to get even more done, allowing us
to live the best versions of our lives and achieve
maximum benefit.

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Section Summary
 ʿUmar II delegated various tasks and projects to

the people who were most capable of excelling at
those tasks.
 We should delegate simple tasks to others so that
we can free up time to focus on bigger projects.
 We should delegate tasks outside our skillsets to
professionals so that we can ensure higher quality
and more timely outcomes.
 We should make it a habit to take advantage of
automation by following the principle that
anything that can be automated must be
automated.

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264
Principle 14: Progressing Gradually
ʿUmar II set in motion various projects that would require

a lot of time to complete. Several of these projects
outlived him and only reached fruition more than a
century after his death. These include the preservation of
hadith, the development of Spain, and the efforts to
spread Islam in newly conquered lands.
ʿUmar appointed the collection of hadith to some of the

leading scholars of his time.168 The project began during
his reign and continued slowly for decades. It reached its
peak two centuries later. It took the daily efforts of
thousands of scholars over two hundred years for this
project to reach fruition.169
Likewise, Spain was a newly conquered and

underdeveloped territory when ʿUmar came into power.
He set in place long term projects for documenting and
developing the region.170
A few decades later, the Umayyads lost power to the

ʿAbbāsids and fled to Spain, establishing it as a separate
168
Jonathan A.C. Brown, Hadith: Muhammad’s Legacy, p. 24
169
Ibid. pp. 32-35
170
As-Sallabi, ʿUmar bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, p. 648

265
kingdom.171 The development of Spain continued and

eventually, Islamic Spain experienced a Golden Age and
became the most advanced society in Europe for several
centuries.172
We also see an example of gradualism in how ʿUmar

approached changing his community. When one of his
sons asked him, “O father, why do you not implement the
commands (i.e. be strict on the citizens regarding God’s
Law)? By Allah, I would not mind if it caused discord
between us as long as it was the truth.” ʿUmar said, “Do
not make it so, my son. Verily, Allah blamed wine-
drinking in the Quran twice and on the third time He
made it unlawful. I fear that if I compelled people to
follow the truth all at once, they would reject it all at once
and that would cause a tribulation.”173
This exchange shows the deep wisdom of ʿUmar II. He was

not strict in implementing some of the harsher laws on
his people, because he believed they needed time to
gradually and naturally grow into better Muslims. He
adapted a gradual approach to changing society. He
focused on education and spiritual development as the
basis for sustained long-term change. Instead of trying to
force change through governance and strict policies.
171
Syed Azizur Rahman, The Story Of Islamic Spain, pp. 53-60
172
173
al-ʿIqd al-Farīd, vol. 5, p. 185

266
Through this wisdom, ʿUmar won the hearts of his citizens

and was able to gradually influence people to become
better over time.174
The example that ʿUmar gave of alcohol refers to the

gradual prohibition of alcohol in the Quran. Allah did not
reveal the prohibition of alcohol early in Islam. Instead,
He prohibited it in stages, beginning with warning against
its harms, then prohibiting intoxication at the time of
prayer, and finally completely prohibiting it. This is
considered by Muslims as a divine example of gradualism
in reforming society.
ʿĀʾisha b. Abī Bakr explained this gradualism by saying,

“Verily, the first verses to be revealed were from the
shorter chapters at the end of the Quran. In them is
mentioned Paradise and Hellfire, until people were firmly
established upon Islam, then the verses of lawful and
unlawful were revealed. If the first verse to be revealed
was ‘do not drink wine,’ they would have said, ‘we will
never stop drinking wine.’ And if the first verse to be
revealed was ‘do not commit adultery,’ they would have
said, ‘we will never stop committing adultery.’”175
174
Author’s Note: ʿUmar, however, did make the mistake of not
applying this principle when dealing with his cousins, which led to his
untimely death. See Appendix A for more details.
175

267
These quotations show that gradualism doesn’t apply to

our worldly goals only, but also applies to spiritual
reformation. Whether dealing with our own spiritual
state, or other people’s weaknesses, we need to adapt a
gradual process of spiritual development if we want to
experience long-term sustained progress.
In each of the projects that ʿUmar started, these projects

only reached their peak due to long-term commitment
and gradual progress. None of these things could have
been accomplished overnight or within a short period of
time. They required daily effort over a long period of time.
When we are working to attain long-term goals, we should
not be discouraged by slow advancements. Instead we
should value this gradual progress as an indication that
we are on the path to success. Gradual progress is often
necessary to build the strong foundation upon which
long-term goals are built. Viewed in this way, gradual
progress becomes the key to achieving long-term goals.
The First Step
Often the goals we set for ourselves seem too large to ever
accomplish. The sheer size of the goal and the amount of
effort needed to accomplish it scares many people away
from even trying. This is because we are looking at our
goals from the wrong angle.

268
In order to make a goal workable, we need to break it

down into a step-by-step action plan. If we focus on how
much work needs to be done or how far or long the
undertaking will be, it is very easy to become discouraged
by overwhelm. Yet, if instead we simply look at what
needs to be done first and then second and then third and
so on, breaking the goal into smaller, more doable, and
less intimidating tasks, then it becomes easier to focus on
getting through each step. Eventually, with diligence, the
day will come when only one last step remains and the
goal is at your fingertips.
Once a project is broken down into workable steps, it also

becomes easier to commit to. You don’t need to think
about how many years or decades it would take to
accomplish your goal, you simply need to focus on what
needs to be done next.
Every journey begins with a first step, figure out your first
step, then do it. Figure out the next step, then do it. Keep
working gradually like this, and eventually, you will
accomplish your goal.
Let’s take the example of opening up a new school. This

may seem like a daunting task, but it can be broken down
into multiple steps. The first step may be researching
what is required to start the school. The second step may
be finding a location.

269
The third step may be getting one’s documentation in

order. Likewise, various other steps of the process can be
identified. Once a project is broken down into multiple
steps like this, it becomes easier to focus on the next step
only, and not be overwhelmed by the bigger picture.
Brain Tracy says about goal setting, “When you break

down even the biggest goal into its individual parts, and
then organize those parts into a step by step series of
specific actions, the task seems much more manageable
and under your control. The more you plan, the more you
program your goal deeper and deeper into your
subconscious mind, where it takes on a motivational
power of its own.”176
This is the beauty of breaking down a goal into smaller

manageable goals, it provides motivation to get started.
When the next step doesn’t seem so difficult, it is easier to
get to work and take that step, then the next, then the
next. Each little success provides motivation and
excitement to keep moving forward. This is one of the
psychological benefits of breaking down a goal into
smaller goals.
The Chunking Approach
176
Tracy, Time Power, p. 70

270
One method of working on larger goals is to break each

task down into workable chunks. This method, called
chunking, makes any goal easier to accomplish.
Any large task can be cut down to digestible chunks. This

itself requires some planning and diligence. Yet it is a
habit that saves a lot of time.177
For example: consider a school teacher who has ten days

to prepare 100 questions for an exam paper.
That teacher could choose to spend the first few days

complaining that the deadline is too short, then a few
more days stressing over the deadline, before stressfully
sitting down the night before in a panic to write all 100
questions. Yet this approach makes no sense at all.
Alternatively, that same teacher could dedicate a few

minutes each day to write ten questions. At the end of the
ten days, the task would be completed not only on time,
but in a calm manner. Additionally, the quality of the
questions will be much better due to the time allowed to
prepare each question carefully.
This same concept can be applied to almost any aspect of

our lives. If someone is working on a research paper,
simply break it into workable chunks.
177
Kamdar, Time Management, p. 89

271
A research paper can be divided into researching one day,

data collection another, outlining another, then a few
days to write each section, and in this way, the entire
paper will be completed in good time without any stress.
Chunking is exactly how I am able to write books. By just

setting aside an hour a day to write 1000 words, I am able
to write an entire book in a few months.
Chunking is a powerful habit that can help you complete

almost any long-term goals. The rule is simple: break it
down into workable daily chunks and focus only on those
chunks every day.
The Art of Gradual Progress
Prophet Muhammad (s) advised his wife ʿĀʾisha, “Do good

deeds properly, sincerely and moderately and know that
your deeds will not make you enter Paradise and that the
most beloved deed to Allah’s is the most regular and
constant even though it were little,”178
This hadith shows us the proper method of spiritual

development: gradual progress. Committing to long term
growth through daily practice is how a person develops
spiritually. Instead of trying to change everything about
178

272
oneself in a day, a believer should commit to micro-

changes.
Through daily practice, these micro-changes become

habits. Eventually, these habits replace old bad habits. In
this way, a person can slowly replace their sins with good
deeds through small consistent efforts that do not
overload the soul.
This same mindset can be applied to any aspect of life. To

lose weight, make a few minor adjustments to your
lifestyle (eat less, train more), and gradually you will lose
weight over time.
To improve your knowledge, simply start a habit of

reading for a few minutes daily, and it will add up over a
long period of time. Likewise, to accomplish major goals,
simply dedicate an hour a day to working on the next step
and eventually you will accomplish your goal.
This principle may initially take a lot of time and thought,

but in the long run it saves you even more time. By taking
time in the beginning to reflect, research, plan, divide,
and chunk, you can create an easier system of strategies
to achieve your goals. Remember that almost anything
worth doing takes a long time to do well, so prepare for
the long-term by making a plan to accomplish your goal
gradually.

273

274
Section Summary
 ʿUmar II set long-term goals that took decades, and

sometimes centuries, to accomplish.
 These were accomplished by people working on
them gradually over a long period of time.
 It takes a long time to achieve anything worth
achieving.
 Breaking a goal down into mini-goals increases
motivation, builds momentum, and makes the goal
easier to work on and achieve.

275

276
Principle 15: Leaving a Legacy
ʿUmar’s Impact
One of the most remarkable qualities of ʿUmar was that he

focused on the long-term benefits for the Muslim nation.
Although he lived an incredibly short life, the choices he
made had a lasting impact on the history of Islam because
he focused on projects that would benefit Muslims long
after he has passed away. He left behind a legacy of
greatness that we continue to benefit from today.
The compilation of hadith is a great example of big-

picture thinking. In order to understand the significance
of ʿUmar’s policy regarding hadith, it is important to first
understand a brief history of hadith.
The Prophetic Narrations
There are two primary sources of revelation in Islam. The

first is the Quran, the revealed word of God. The second is
the Sunnah, the practice and teachings of the Prophet
Muhammad (s). The narrations containing the Sunnah are
called hadiths.
The Quran focuses primarily on beliefs, stories of the

prophets, and a broad outline of Islamic Law. The hadiths
contain details about the laws of Islam, the manners and

277
character of the believer and explanations of the Quran.

Together, the Quran and hadith form the foundation of
Islam.
The Quran was revealed verbatim to the Prophet (s) via

the angel Gabriel. It was preserved in both writing and
memory. The first actual written copy of the entire Quran
was compiled a few months after the Prophet (s) had
passed away during the reign of Abū Bakr.
All modern copies of the Quran are based on that first

compilation which was popularized when ʿUthmān was
the caliph. As a result, Muslims are secure in their belief
that the Quran is preserved as it was revealed.
Hadiths, however, were not compiled into book form

during the early years of Islam. There are several reasons
for this. The first is that the first generation of
companions was primarily concerned with preserving the
Quran in written form. So although there are records of
hadith being written down during this era, the Muslims
were focused more on collecting the Quranic verses and
paid less attention to compiling the hadiths.
The second is that the nature of hadith was an oral

tradition. Hadith simply refers to the oral transmission
from a particular companion to his family or students
regarding the Prophet Muhammad (s). Each hadith

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narrated something that companion had witnessed the

Prophet (s) do or heard him say. Such narrations were
generally passed down orally in the Arab culture, and so
most scholars saw no need to write them down as they
had passed them on to their students and children
through oral teachings.
A third reason was that book writing, especially

compilations, was not yet common practice among the
Arabs. They were yet to discover paper, and so they rarely
wrote anything. They made an exception for the Quran
due to its primary role in Islam, but for everything else,
they relied on their memories.
As a result, by the time ʿUmar had become king, there

weren’t any well-known hadith compilations in
circulation. Rather scholars from across the Muslim world
passed the entirety of hadith knowledge via oral
transmission to their students.
However, ʿUmar noticed a few worrying trends emerging

in his time that forced him to rethink the traditional
approach to preserving the hadiths. The most important
of these trends was the fabrication of hadiths. While
serving as governor of Medina, ʿUmar had to deal with
and punish a man who had been accused of fabricating
hadiths. This brought the importance and urgency of
preserving the authentic hadiths to ʿUmar’s attention, so

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that the hadith teachings would not be corrupted by

falsehood and lies.
The reasons for fabrication were many, but the sake of

simplicity, they could be summarized by the following: to
achieve fame, to further political motives, to justify new
practices, and to cause confusion. ʿUmar needed a
solution to this problem, so he decided to do for hadith
what his great-grandfather had done for the Quran.
ʿUmar I was responsible for convincing Abū Bakr to

compile the Quran into one book, and ʿUmar decided to
play a similar role in the compilation of hadith.
The Results of the Hadith Project
ʿUmar put together a team of the greatest hadith scholars

of his era and tasked them with compiling hadith into
books. Although the project started during ʿUmar’s reign,
it would only truly bear fruit almost a hundred years later.
The early hadith compilations were short and lacked any
structure. These were the first attempts that later
generations would build upon.
The second generation of hadith books was much better.

Two of the surviving books from this era include the
Muwatta of Imām Mālik and the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad b.
Hanbal. The Muwatta focused only on authentic narrations

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that had value to Islamic Law and divided these according

to subject headings.
For example, the hadiths related to how to pray salat were

all organized in one section. The Musnad was arranged
according to narrators. All the narrations from ʿUmar I
were grouped together, as were all the narrations of Abū
Bakr, and so forth. These two books showed the potential
for hadith compilations as sources of Islamic Law. The
third generation, however, perfected the format.
Imām Aḥmad’s student, Imām al-Bukharī compiled a book

containing over 9000 authentic hadiths. His student,
Imām Muslim, compiled a similarly-sized book of only
authentic hadiths.
Together these two books became known as the two most

authentic compilations of hadith. Over time, they gained
such importance that they are still considered today to be
the two most important sources of Islam after the Quran.
As such, ʿUmar’s project reached its peak almost two
hundred years after its initiation.
The early works compiled during his reign opened the

doors for the preservation of authentic hadith, and its
outcome is one from which Muslims today continue to
benefit.
A Lasting Legacy

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Too often, we focus on short term gains and immediate

results. Yet real value lies in producing things that will
continue to benefit humanity long after we have left this
world. ʿUmar’s project to compile hadith is a great
example of this. He started the project 1300 years ago. The
project produced its best works 1100 years ago. And over a
billion Muslims continue to benefit from this project
today.
We don’t have long in this world. Each of us will be here

for a limited amount of time and then we are gone. None
of us knows how much time we’ve been granted, but we
can all agree to one thing: we are forgotten soon after our
deaths unless we leave behind a meaningful legacy.
A legacy can be anything that continues to benefit

humanity after you have passed away. It can be a book, an
invention, a social project, an organization, a solution to a
problem, or even descendants that carry on your good
name.
Wanting to leave a legacy is an important part of

productivity. It drives people to go beyond their normal
effort and put out the extra effort needed to get more
done than they otherwise would.
Legacy Thinking

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Legacy Thinking means that when choosing projects and

setting goals our focus should be on the kind of impact it
will leave behind. A bad project will leave a negative
memory of you in the minds of people.
A mediocre project will leave behind no memory of you in

the minds of people. But an extraordinary project will
continue to benefit people long after you have left this
world. When choosing your life projects and goals, choose
to be extraordinary. Aiming for the extraordinary, legacy-
worthy will help you find projects that are beneficial for
humanity.
The Significance of Pure Intentions
Muslims have another aspect to consider in legacy

thinking, which is intention. Sometimes legacy thinking
can be driven by ego and pride. This is forbidden in Islam.
Islam emphasizes that all deeds are judged by their
intentions.
An intention to please God and benefit His creation will

turn a legacy project into a continuous source of reward
long after a person has left this life. An intention to
become famous or show off will remove all blessings and
rewards from a project and turn it into sin in one’s book of
deeds.

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Muslims, therefore, must question their own intentions

before embarking on any legacy project and must ensure
that they are doing it for the right reasons.
A Guide for Choosing Your Projects
Choosing your legacy is essentially a matter of finding

something that you really care about and can make an
impact on through a course of action, and then dedicating
a portion of your life to making that impact happen.
It doesn’t have to consume your entire life; how much of

your time it will take depends on the nature of the
project. However, you must care deeply about it,
otherwise, you will not have the internal motivation to
push through the difficult times along the way.
There are five parts to choosing a legacy project:
1) Finding a cause you care about

2) Identifying a positive contribution you can make
to that cause
3) Devising a plan to make that happen
4) Following through that plan to completion
5) Ensuring a means for the project’s longevity even
after your death
When these factors combine in a project that has long-

term benefits for humanity, it becomes a legacy project.
Here are a few examples to illustrate:

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Fatima cares deeply about the plight of widows in her

community. She has the financial resources and ability to
set up an empowerment program for these women. She
plans to roll out the program locally. She follows through
with that plan. After a few years, she trains and appoints a
successor to continue the project in case she passes away.
If the project is successful, she now has a legacy. Long
after she passes away, maybe even a hundred years later
her project will continue to assist thousands of widows
throughout the community and if it has expanded,
possibly even beyond.
Zaid is passionate about finding a better way to educate

children. He invents a new education system that is more
efficient and effective. He starts a pilot school to
demonstrate the new system. Twenty years later, the
school is a proven success, so he works with the
government in publicly rolling out the new system across
the country. He then travels across the globe convincing
other governments to do the same. He may pass away at
some point in this process.
As the system has been proven effective and is now in the

hands of the government, the project may continue
rolling out globally long after he has passed away.
Changing the education system is now Zaid’s legacy.

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Ahmad wants to help teenagers understand Islam better.

He is a computer programmer, so he invents an app that
teaches Islam in a fun manner. Slowly, his app builds up
an audience and becomes a global hit. He hands over the
running and updating of the app to a team of individuals
that share his passion for the project. Now he can move
on to other passion projects, as his legacy app is running
smoothly without him.
In each of these examples, we see the five factors of a

legacy project at play in different ways. People care about
different issues and have different concerns, and that is
good because it creates more diversity in our legacies, and
we can solve more problems collectively. You need to find
something you care about deeply and build your project
around that.
Deciding what you are going to do about it and developing

the plan for contributing benefit or positive change is the
hard part, and that’s where the most mental energy goes.
A plan needs to be clear, practical, and possible, but it also

needs to be flexible enough to maneuver around any
obstacles that can, and will, pop up. In the “Aiming for the
Stars” chapter, we covered in detail how to formulate
such a plan.

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Working on the plan and seeing it through to completion

is the hardest task on this legacy project list. It can take
anywhere from a few months to your entire lifetime to see
a legacy project bear fruit. Some legacy projects only
flourish and bloom long after you leave this world, like
ʿUmar’s hadith project.
Committing to long-term work without any immediate

results and pushing through the obstacles that may come
your way will probably be the most difficult thing you
ever do in your life.
It will also be the most rewarding. There is rarely

anything you can do that brings more joy and satisfaction
to your soul that working on a project that will benefit
people. The process itself becomes exciting and enjoyable
because your focus is not on the immediate task or
difficulty, but instead, your focus is on all the people that
are going to benefit from this project. That feeling alone is
worth your effort and will drive you to get the project
done.
Finally, a legacy project is only a true legacy project if it

can survive without you. For some projects, this is simple.
If you publish a book, that book will remain available to
the public for hundreds of years without any extra effort
on your part.

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Other projects, however, require that you set a system to

keep it going after you pass away. There are many ways to
invent a system for legacy projects. The most common
include training successors, automating the project,
building a system to make it self-sustainable, making it
public property, or handing it over to someone else.
The Trap of Instant Gratification
Our generation is a generation that wants everything

now. Because of the culture we are raised in, along with
the technology that surrounds us, we grow up too
accustomed to getting what we want when we want it. As
a result, we set ourselves up for disappointment and
anxiety when we get older and pursue actual life goals.
The real world is not one of instant victory and immediate

results. The real world is a place wherein you may have to
spend months, if not years, working on a project before
you receive any tangible return from it. The real world is a
world of commitment and long-term focus. Yet, these are
qualities many people lack.
If we want to achieve a legacy goal or set up a legacy

project, we must be ready to commit to the long-term.
This means a fundamental paradigm shift in how we
approach goals and rewards.

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We cannot expect to get rich quick, be successful

overnight, or change the world in a fortnight. Good things
take time, so be prepared to put in the time and effort
needed to get something meaningful done.
Legacy projects require us to sacrifice a lot of short-term

gains for long-term sustained change. This isn’t easy.
Every goal comes with its price. In ʿUmar’s case, it was his
life. Our goals may not be as noble and largescale that we
need to sacrifice our lives, but we may need to commit
significant amounts of our lives to them for a very long
time.
Some legacy projects require multi-generational

commitment and work, and the fruits of the project will
only be seen by the generations that follow. Yet these are
often the greatest projects that have the greatest impact
on humanity.
Six hundred years ago, Turkey faced constant siege from

its two fronts. In the east, the Mongols were invading and
taking over their lands, and in the west, the crusaders
were closing in and taking over their lands. Between the
two, it seemed that Turkey’s days were numbered.
In Turkey at that time, there lived a small nomadic tribe

called the Kayi. Their tribal leader Ertuğrul was a brave
and noble man. He had committed himself to a lifelong

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goal of establishing a region as a base for his tribe so that

they could defend their lands against the invaders.
Ertuğrul dedicated his life to this project, and when he

passed away, his tribe was ruling a single city and a few
surrounding settlements. His son, Osman took over the
mission and continued to fight both the Mongols and the
Crusaders, while continuing to expand the tribe’s
territory.
Osman was successful in conquering many cities and

established a kingdom. This kingdom grew over time into
one of the most powerful empires in the history of this
world, the Ottoman Empire.
At the height of its power, during the reign of Sulaimān

the Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire included over 50
countries spread across three continents. What started as
an effort by a small nomadic tribe determined to protect
Muslims against their enemies had grown into a mighty
empire.
This is the fruit of committing to a long-term multi-

generational project. Our projects may not be on such a
large scale, but we must be committed to long-term work
and the possibility of not even seeing the fruit of our
projects during our lives.

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ʿUmar II did not see the fruit of his hadith compilation

project during his lifetime. Ertuğrul did not see the fruit
of his mission to establish safety in Turkey during his
lifetime. Both of them established legacy projects that
were continued after they passed away and only reached
their apex centuries later. Are we prepared to dedicate
our lives to such projects?
The Unselfish Commitment
Legacy projects require us to move beyond our egos. They

require us to look beyond selfish pursuits and personal
gains. They require us to focus on doing things that
benefit humanity, even if we don’t personally get any
worldly benefit from them. To do this, we must first learn
to let go of selfishness and greed.
Ego clouds our judgment and shapes our goals. When our
egos are strong and our empathy weak, then the goals we
set for ourselves will be selfish, materialistic, and shallow.
But if we can move beyond ego, if we can purify our souls
from selfishness and greed, we can unlock that deeper
spiritual part of our souls in which lie amazing ideas that
will benefit humanity.
If you are having trouble coming up with ideas that

benefit others more than yourself, take some time to
spend time with people that need help. Befriend them,

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hang out with them, help them as best you can, and make
it your purpose to learn more about them and what
struggles they face.
Through this process, you will increase in humility,

kindness, empathy, and understanding. You will discover
their problems and can then brainstorm potential
solutions for them. Your best ideas will come from this
hands-on experience. You will also purge your soul of
selfishness and miserliness.
And when you do so, you will discover deep within your
soul great ideas to help these very people and make life
better for them. It is then that you will discover your
legacy project and find a passion to dedicate your life to.
The Moment the Dust Settles
When the dust settles on your life, and you are lowered
into your grave, what will you leave behind? Will it be just
a few fleeting memories or nothing at all? Or will it be a
source of eternal reward for you that continues to benefit
generations of humanity long after you have passed
away? Imagine leaving behind a project that continues to
benefit people for hundreds of years. Imagine the impact
it will have on the world. Imagine the reward it will
represent on your scale on the Day of Judgment. And
imagine how pleasing it will be to your Creator.

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Leaving a legacy is one of the best and most noble things

that a person can do. So, find your legacy project and get
started today.

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Section Summary
 ʿUmar II focused on legacy projects that would

benefit the Muslim nation long-term.
 An example of this was his project to preserve and
compile hadith.
 We must choose projects and goals that benefit
humanity long-term.
 We must be unselfish in pursuing such goals as the
benefits may only be seen long after we pass away.
 The most fulfilling and worthy goals are those that
leave a lasting impact on this world.

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Conclusion
ʿUmar II was one of the greatest leaders in the history of

the Muslim world. In these fifteen chapters, we have
explored several aspects of this exemplary man’s life, extracted
several beneficial tenets, and learned valuable life-
changing lessons. In particular, we discussed fifteen
productivity principles drawn from the life of ʿUmar II
that we can apply in our own lives to succeed in the
pursuit of our goals and to build a legacy worth leaving.
The Productivity Principles Summarized
We learned the importance and far-reaching effect of

practicing productive parenting. When children are raised
well, they have a better chance of growing into productive
individuals who have the capabilities to make this world a
better place. We saw this principle at work in the virtues
of ‘Umar’s character that were a result of parenting
choices made by his parents.
Then we looked at the importance of choosing the right

spouse. Your life partner has an influence that will either
hinder or boost your productivity. Therefore, it is crucial
to choose the right spouse, someone who will be
supportive of your goals and life mission. We saw this

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power of support in ʿUmar’s relationship with his wife

Fatima.
Spiritually is essential for leading a truly productive and

blessed life. When fulfilling a spiritual purpose defines and
guides our goals and life mission, we tap into a source of
incredible motivation. Moreover, when that spiritual
purpose is aligned with the Divine Purpose, our goals and
life mission become blessed by God and become a part of
something greater. We saw this grander scheme at work
in the impact ʿUmar’s deep spirituality had on his
governance and project choices.
The fourth lesson we learned was the importance of

developing an abundance mentality. God’s treasures are
limitless, and there is more than enough for everybody.
With this in mind, we can focus on leveraging our efforts
to benefit humanity, without becoming preoccupied with
greed, jealousy, and fear of poverty. The scarcity
mentality is dangerous and is one of the factors that
caused ʿUmar’s cousins to have him poisoned.
We also explored the necessity of maintaining a sense of

responsibility and obligation towards others in general and
the ummah in particular. ʿUmar’s policies and projects all
focused on benefiting others. He sacrificed his own
luxuries and life so that the rest of the world could benefit
even centuries after his death. Projects that come from a

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sense of responsibility have the strongest impact on the

world.
The sixth principle we were able to see that ʿUmar

espoused that contributed to making him an exemplary
leader was focusing on the Hereafter. Our lives in this world
are temporary. Eventually, we will all leave, yet our
homes in the Afterlife are everlasting. ʿUmar made it his
habit to contemplate on the Afterlife, and this
preoccupation drove all of his key decisions and reforms.
Commitment to the Afterlife is essential to secure baraka
and real success.
We also considered the next principle of following the right

role models and mentors. The people we take as our
examples contribute to shaping our personalities and
guiding our choice of goals. We extracted this from
studying how ʿUmar modeled his leadership style after his
role models, Abū Bakr and ʿUmar I. This was also
apparent when we examine the relationship he had with
his teachers and how they influenced his character.
In order to stay productive, it is essential that we commit

to pursuing beneficial knowledge for life. We must dedicate
ourselves to continuous development and study and never
become content with stagnant or outdated knowledge.
Regularly seeking knowledge with humility is essential for

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success. Even when he was king, ʿUmar II still asked for

advice from the scholars and learned hadiths from them.
We also covered how important it is to be setting high

goals in life, to be aiming for the stars. We only have one
shot at life, so we should not waste it chasing after low-
hanging fruit. We must push ourselves to achieve as much
as possible during our short stay on earth. We derived this
principle from studying the high goals that ʿUmar set such
as the preservation of hadith and the development of
Spain, both of which were only accomplished after his
time.
Another guiding principle of productivity that we see in

the life of ʿUmar II is finding the freedom of self-discipline.
Self-Discipline is essential for succeeding at any task or
goal. Contrary to popular perception, self-discipline is not
as restrictive as it seems on the surface; in fact, it is a
means of escaping some of the most stifling limitations.
The purest form of self-discipline is one rooted in
spirituality. ʿUmar II was an extremely disciplined
individual. He always prayed on time and was extremely
cautious about how he used public funds. This was one of
the core qualities that led to his success.
The eleventh principle is consulting experts. Humans are

social creatures, and we cannot succeed on our own.
When we consult experts, we are able to leverage their

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experience and wisdom to help us achieve our goals

faster. ʿUmar II set up consultation committees, both
when he was governor and king. He also advised others to
always seek consultation before making any important
decisions.
The next principle for productivity is prioritizing. It is

fundamental to understand one’s priorities and to make
time for them daily. This means being able to distinguish
the urgent from the important and to schedule time to do
the important non-urgent tasks. We learn this from how
ʿUmar dedicated time and resources to tasks like the
development of Spain, preservation of hadith, and the
establishment of educational centers across his kingdom.
A critical principle in productivity is delegating. We cannot

achieve high-level tasks entirely on our own. These tasks
are usually a team effort. This means automating
whatever we can and delegating as much as we can to
others. If we leverage automation and delegation, we will
be able to accomplish a lot more in our lifetime. ʿUmar
practiced delegation throughout his reign. He delegated
the development of Spain to its governor and his team, he
delegated the preservation of hadith to the leading hadith
scholars of his time, and he delegated the education of
people to the great scholars of their regions.

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If one wishes to be productive and to attain the goals

ahead, it is necessary to make a consistent effort, even if it
is small. As much as we might want to succeed overnight,
progressing gradually is the key to sustained success. Small
sincere efforts lead to baraka and happiness. ʿUmar set in
place projects that took centuries to reach their fruition.
Day by day, small efforts were made towards these goals,
and eventually, they were accomplished. A daily
committed effort is necessary for accomplishing lofty
goals.
Finally, we learned the importance of being impact

focused, of leaving a legacy. Our lives should not revolve
around the now and immediate. Neither should a person
be self-centered, looking only to accomplish what will
benefit himself alone. Instead, we should focus on leaving
behind beneficial projects that continue to impact the
world long after we have left this earth. ʿUmar II
accomplished this when he initiated projects like the
preservation of hadith which was accomplished over a
century after his death and continues to benefit people
today. Likewise, the development of Spain reached its
peak a century later when Umayyad Spain experienced a
Golden Age.
The Perspectives History Offers

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History is full of amazing figures from whom we can learn

amazing lessons. Too often we approach history as simply
a record of facts and figures. But the true purpose, the real
wealth of history is to give us a chance to learn from the
successes and mistakes of others. By studying and
analyzing the lives of great people from various
perspectives, we can extract a lot more value from
history.
In doing so, we can avoid their mistakes and repeat their

successes. Thus, allowing history to repeat itself in a good
way. There are so many other great men and women like
ʿUmar II throughout history who deserve to have their
lives studied and analyzed to the benefit of ourselves and
those who will follow us, and I hope this book will inspire
others to research and write similar books about other
historical figures.
I hope that this book will motivate you to apply these

lessons to your own life and to live a truly productive life.
We all have only one life in this world, and then it is over.
Let us make the best of that life, and live such amazing
lives that the people of this world continue to benefit
from our efforts long after we pass away, and we too
continue to benefit from it in the Afterlife.
ʿUmar II was the product of great parenting, an amazing

education, and the influence of brilliant role models and

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mentors. He accomplished amazing things through goal-

setting, consultation, prioritization, delegation, and
focusing on legacy projects. If we apply these same
principles to our lives, we can also accomplish amazing
goals and leave behind legacies that benefit humanity
long after our earthly lives have ended.
The tools and skills required to succeed have been laid

before you; now it falls upon you to take them and utilize
them to produce something magnificent. Go out there and
build your legacy.
May God bless and accept this work.
Ismail Kamdar
7 August 2019 – 5 Dhul Hijjah 1440 h.

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Appendix A: ʿUmar’s Mistake
There is no such thing as a perfect king, just as there is no

such thing as a perfect human. Humans were created
weak, and sin is built into our very nature. This is why
even the greatest and most pious people in history made
mistakes, including ʿUmar II.
Muslims are prohibited, in general, from discussing the

sins and mistakes of each other. These are considered
private, and something that only God can judge. This is
especially true when it comes to our righteous
predecessors and scholars. Muslims tend to cover up their
mistakes and simply ask God to forgive them.
This is the correct approach, and I will not contradict it in

this appendix. There is no benefit in bringing up any of
ʿUmar’s personal faults or sins as these are mostly hidden
by God and not for us to judge.
Rather, in this appendix, I want to discuss a governance

mistake that is not in and of itself sinful. Just as studying
the strengths and means of success can help us improve
our current conditions, it is equally useful for us to discuss
the weaknesses and faults, so we can learn from example
and avoid repeating them. It is for this reason only that I
point out this particular mistake and discuss it here.

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The major mistake that ʿUmar II made is the one that cut
his reign short: he tried to change his family too quickly,
and it backfired.
Hastiness is from the devil
The Prophet Muhammad (s) said, “Hastiness is from the

devil.” The meaning of this is that we should never rush
into a matter without proper planning and careful
thought. This applies twofold when it comes to trying to
change someone else. Sudden radical change rarely works
and often leads to rebellion.
In the time of ʿUmar II, we see this in his cousins. Because

he drastically changed their lifestyle overnight, they
could not handle the change and plotted against him,
leading to his death.
In the modern world, we see this very often. We see it in

the treatment of addictions. Addicts need to be weaned of
their addictions as going cold turkey rarely works. In fact,
going cold turkey often has negative repercussions and
can even lead to death in the case of some addictions.
We see this in parenting. When parents suddenly enforce

new rules on their children that contradict the rules in
place before, it often leads to rebelliousness and problems
in the home. A wiser solution would be to gradually

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change the home environment and slowly move it in the

direction that one wants.
On a political level, this is an issue that extremists fail to

understand. Militant extremist groups assume that if they
can take over land and enforce their extreme
understanding of Shariah law on the people overnight,
then people would submit willingly and all the problems
in that land would be solved.
It has never happened and backfires every time. This is

why extremists have never been able to maintain control
of any country long term, and they never will as long as
they insist on instantaneous change.
Gradual Change
The Prophetic method of changing a nation is gradual,

merciful, and natural. These three qualities are key and
essential for sustaining long-term change. Yet many
modern organizations and movements lack all three
qualities. While ʿUmar’s approach was merciful, it was too
sudden for his relatives to digest.
Gradualism is the fundamental quality of sustainable

social change. When an idea or belief is enforced upon a
community suddenly, it is generally rejected. People, by
nature, are suspicious and averse to sudden change even
if it is beneficial. But when an idea is introduced gradually

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and allowed to grow into the consciousness of people, it

naturally becomes a part of them without any resistance.
A great example of these two contrasting approaches is

the prohibition of alcohol in the USA and in Islam. The
historical prohibition in the USA is a known failure. In the
USA, alcohol was made illegal in one swift amendment to
the constitution. Unable to enforce this sudden restriction
upon the community, the American government
eventually gave up and revoked the law. As a result,
alcohol and its ill effects continue to plague American
society today.
The prohibition of alcohol in Islam, however, was and

continues to be very successful in most parts of the world.
The Arabs, at the time of Muhammad, were lovers of
alcohol. It was an inherent part of their culture and
something many of them were addicted to.
Yet, despite alcohol’s potentially damaging effects on

individuals and society, when Prophet Muhammad (s)
began preaching Islam, he did not ask anybody to give it
up. In fact, for the first decade of his message, there was
no discussion about the ruling on alcohol at all, and many
of his followers continued to consume it.
In the years that followed, the Prophet (s) focused on

developing the spirituality of his followers. As they grew

308
spiritually, they naturally began to dislike alcohol. As its

effects numbed the mind and contradicted the essence of
spirituality, more and more Muslims slowly gave it up.
Some, like ʿUmar I, even asked the Prophet (s) to prohibit
it altogether.
Yet it was only a decade and a half after Islam started that
the Quran first addressed the issue of alcohol. It simply
stated that there was a benefit in it, but the harms
outweighed the benefits. The Quran left it like that
without mentioning any specific ruling. Even without a
ruling, the words were enough for many more followers
to give up the bottle.
A few years later, another verse was revealed prohibiting

the attendance of prayer while intoxicated. In order to
meet this prohibition, more Muslims gave up alcohol.
Finally, almost two decades after Islam was established,

God revealed that alcohol is filth from the devil and that
believers must shun it. The prohibition was final and
immediately the community as a whole abandoned it.
This doesn’t mean that no Muslim ever drank alcohol

again. Rather some people were addicted and struggled to
give it up, while others who fell into it considered it a
personal weakness and felt ashamed of this habit.

309
The point is that all Muslims considered alcohol as

prohibited, a major sin, and a cause of problems for
society. As a result, the prohibition was effective, and the
majority of Muslim society abandoned it and continues to
do so today, over 1400 years later. This is the result of
gradual, merciful, and natural change. Without any
fighting, civil wars, or bloodshed an entire culture
abandoned alcohol simply upon learning that God
despises it.
If we want to be effective in changing the world today, we

need to take a gradual approach to change. People do not
often willingly adopt sudden changes.

310

311
Appendix B: Selected Quotes from ʿUmar II
ʿUmar II was an eloquent man who gave a lot of golden

advice to those around him. In this final appendix, I have
gathered some of that advice and left it as self-
explanatory. My hope is that the reader will take time to
reflect on the wisdom of ʿUmar II and benefit from his
quotations directly.
“The most beloved matters to Allah are three: forgiveness

in a position of power, moderation in a position of
affluence, and gentleness in worship. No one is kind to
another in this world but that Allah will be gentle with
him on the Day of Resurrection.”179
“The best jihad is the jihad against lust.”180
“Take care of your Hereafter, and Allah will take care of

your worldly life. Take care of your private life, and Allah
will take care of your public life.”181
“Allah does not grant a servant a blessing and then

removes the blessing, then compensates him with
179
Rawḍat al-‘Uqalā, 1:167
180
al-Ādāb al-Shar’īyah, 3:131
181
Kitāb al-Ikhlāṣ, 50

312
patience in place of what was removed, but that what he

was granted is better than what was taken away.”182
“Whoever worships without knowledge will cause more

harm than good. Whoever considers his words part of his
deeds will speak little unless it concerns him. Whoever
makes the purpose of his religion to indulge in arguments,
he will frequently change his position.”183
“May Allah have mercy on a man who knows his place.”184
“Speaking in remembrance of Allah Almighty is good and

contemplating over the blessings of Allah is the best act of
worship.”185
“Tell the people of knowledge to spread knowledge in the

mosques, because the Sunnah has been deadened.”186
“I fear that if I compelled people to follow the truth all at

once, they would reject it all at once and that would cause
a tribulation.”187
182
al-Ṣabr wal Thawāb ‘Alayhi, 22
183
Sunan al-Dārimī, 308
184
Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī, vol. 16, p. 14
185
Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, vol. 3, p. 190
186
Al-Ājurrī, Al-Sharīʿah 1202
187
al-ʻIqd al-Farīd, vol. 5. P. 185

313
“If you see a people meeting in secret for their religion to

the exclusion of the public, then know that they are
establishing misguidance.”188
“You must fear Allah in every situation you find

yourselves. Verily, the fear of Allah is greater for
preparation, a better plan, and a stronger force. There is
nothing of the hostility of your enemies that deserves
more caution than your own selves, and those with you
who are sinfully disobedient to Allah, for I fear the sins of
the people more than the plots of their enemies. Verily,
we were only transgressed by our enemy and given divine
support over them due to their sinful disobedience. Were
it not for that, we would have no power over them.”189
“Verily, faith consists of obligations, laws, limits, and

traditions. Whoever perfects them has perfected faith,
and whoever does not perfect them will not have perfect
faith.”190
“Verily, Allah has only sent Muhammad as a preacher. He

did not send him as a tax collector.”191
“Nobody is entitled to be a judge unless he has five

qualities. He must be chaste, gentle and patient,
188
Ḥilyat al-awliyāʾ 7548
189
Ḥilyat al-Awliyā’, 7409
190
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 1:11
191
al-Bidāya wa-l-nihāya, vol. 13 p. 667

314
knowledgeable of the past, accustomed to seeking the

consultation of others, and indifferent to criticism from
others.”192
“Remind each other of your blessings, to remember them

is to be grateful.”193
192
Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, Fatḥ al-Bārī, vol. 15, p. 50
193
Sirāj al-Mulūk vol. 1, p. 106

315

316
About the Author
Shaykh Ismail Kamdar is a graduate of a traditional ʿAlim

program. He also holds a Bachelor's in Islamic Studies. He
has studied Islam in both traditional and modern settings
and has been a student of Islamic Studies for almost two
decades.
He began studying Islam full-time at the age of thirteen,

began preaching at the age of sixteen, and wrote his first
book at the age of twenty-three. Over the years, he has
taught multiple courses and seminars around the world
and has worked with multiple leading Islamic
organizations across the globe.
He currently works from home freelancing for various

organizations and companies, while home-schooling his
children and writing books. He hopes to inspire the
ummah to return once again to their former glory and
become role models for the world.

317

318
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Glossary
ʿAbbāsid: A dynasty of caliphs who ruled in Baghdad from

750 to 1258, and were descendants of Prophet
Muhammad’s (s) uncle ʿAbbās.
Abū: “Father of” commonly used in Arab culture as part of

a kunya or nickname indicating parentage.
Adab: Manners, refers to external actions that are

considered good and polite behavior in society.
Akhlāq: Character, refers to internal personality traits and

good character.
Allah: The Arabic name of the one true God who created
the universe.
ʿAlim: Plural. ʿulema. Someone who has studied Islamic

Studies at a higher level and graduated in the field of
Islamic Studies. A qualified Islamic scholar.
Awliyāʾ: Sing. Walī. A righteous, friend of God or political

ally, depending on context and usage.
Baraka: Divine blessings or abundance, when something

produces more than it logically should. When something
is blessed by God.

329
Barzakh: Literally means a barrier but refers to the world

of the dead. The place where the souls of the dead reside
until the Day of Resurrection.
Bint: “Daughter of” commonly used in Arab culture to

indicate the father of an individual. Many individuals are
more commonly known by their fathers’ names.
Caliph: Successor, a title given to the ruler of the Muslim

Empire in pre-modern times.
Daʿwa: Inviting a non-Muslim to Islam or conveying the

message of Islam to others.
Dhimmī: A non-Muslim living in an Islamic State under the

protection of the Muslim ruler. Dhimmīīn receive full
protection from the State and freedom of religion in
exchange for a tax called the jizya.
Dīnār: Currency of the ancient Muslim world minted from

gold coins.
Hadith: A narration of something that Prophet Muhammad

(s) said or did.
Hadith Al-Qudsī: A narration from Prophet Muhammad (s)

of something that Allah said, separate from the Quran.
Ḥalāl: Something that is permitted in Islamic Law. The

default principle is that everything is permitted unless it
can be proven to be prohibited.

330
Ḥarām: Something that is prohibited in Islamic Law.
Ibn: “Son of” commonly used in Arab culture to indicate

the father of an individual. Many individuals are more
commonly known by their fathers’ names.
Iḥsān: To perform an action at the highest level of

excellence. In worship, it means to worship Allah as if you
can see Him, and if you are unable to do that, to know that
He sees you.
Ijmaʿ: Consensus, the third principle of Islamic Law. Any

Islamic law that Muslim jurists unanimously agree upon
becomes binding.
Imām: Leader, an honorary title given to classical Muslim

scholars.
Jihad: Literally means struggle. In Islam, it refers to the

military struggles done to protect the religion, as well as
the internal struggle against lust and desire.
Jinn: Genie, Djinn, or demons in English. A race of invisible

creatures made from a fire that exists in an alternate
dimension, and who seldom interact with humans.
Jizya: A tax paid by non-Muslim citizens of an Islamic State

in exchange for protection and freedom. The Umayyads
unjustly levied this tax on converts as well.

331
Khawārij: literally, those who have left. The name given to

an early group of Muslim extremists who left the
mainstream understanding of Islam, excommunicated its
leaders and assassinated them. This title is also used today
by Muslims when referring to modern extremist
movements.
Khulafāʾ al-Rāshidīn: A title that is given to the first four

Muslim rulers, often translated as The Rightly Guided
Successors.
Kunya: A component of an Arabic name, a type of epithet,

usually referring to the bearer's first-born son or
daughter.
Madhhab: A legal school of Islamic Law. There are four

popular schools of Islamic Law. Each of them based on the
principles and opinions of early Muslim scholars.
Musnad: A compilation of hadiths arranged according to

the level of the primary narrator.
Ottoman: Name of a former Turkish empire that was

founded about 1300 by Osman and reached its greatest
territorial extent under Suleiman in the 16th century. It
collapsed after World War I.
Quran: The Word of Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad

(s) in Arabic.

332
Ṣaḥīḥ: Authentic, refers to a hadith whose chain of

narrators is authentic. It also can refer to a compilation
made up primarily of authentic hadiths.
Salafī: Muslims that claim to follow the understanding of

the first three generations of Islam. Usually defined as
people who follow Ibn Taymiyyah’s understanding of
theology and who do not follow a madhhab (legal school).
Salat: The Islamic ritual prayer. It refers to the obligatory

prayer prayed five times daily or any extra prayers.
Shiʿa : literally means, the followers, but refers to the

followers of ʿAlī who believe that ʿAlī and his descendants
have an exclusive claim to Islamic leadership.
Shūrā: Consultation, refers to the practice of consulting

with experts before making a decision.
Sīrat/Sīrah: A book dedicated to explaining the biography

of an individual. It also refers to books dedicated to the
life of Prophet Muhammad (s).
Sufi: Muslims who follow mystical paths and generally

have a spiritual leader to guide them on that path.
Sunan: A title that is given to various hadith compilations.
Sunni: Muslims who follow the traditional understanding

of Islam. The majority of Muslims identify as Sunni.

333
Tafsīr: Exegesis of the Quran, a book, lecture or article

dedicated to explaining the meanings of the Quran.
Taʾrīkh: Arabic word for history.
Umayyad: A member of a Muslim dynasty that ruled the

Islamic world from AD 660 (or 661) to 750 and Moorish
Spain 756–1031. The dynasty claimed descent from
Umayya, a distant relative of Muhammad.
Zakat: The obligatory Islamic tax upon wealthy Muslims.

Zakat is the third pillar of Islam and refers to Muslims
paying 2.5% of their excess wealth towards charitable
projects on an annual basis.
Zuhd: Asceticism, refers to the Islamic concept of

detaching one’s heart from this world and focusing one’s
life on preparing for the Afterlife. Zuhd is an important
part of Islamic spirituality.

334

335
Index
ʿAbbās, 328
ʿAbbāsid, 40, 47, 328
ʿAbbāsids, 40, 73, 198, 264
ʿAbd Allāh b. al-Zubair, 59
ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar, 66, 78, 169
ʿAbd al-Mālik, 60, 64, 66, 80, 81, 100
ʿAbdullah b. ʿUmar, 184
Abraham, 15, 48, 51, 83

Abū Bakr, 50, 54, 56, 68, 83, 170, 224, 253, 277, 279, 280, 297
Abū Bakr b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān,, 224
Abū Sufyan, 58
Abū Ṭālib, 47, 48
Abū Thamāmah al-Jadhāmī, 254
abundance mentality, 128, 129, 132, 133, 138, 139, 296
Abyssinia, 51
accountants, 96
Adab, 178, 328
Adam, 102
addiction, 108
Adi b. Artah al-Fazarī, 252
advice, 21, 68, 96, 118, 169, 171, 173, 174, 181, 183, 184, 185, 224,
225, 231, 232, 233, 235, 298, 311
Afterlife, 156, 160, 164, 165, 166, 167, 297, 301
Agonistics, 163
ʿĀʾisha b. Abī Bakr, 83

336
Akhlāq, 178, 328

al-Bukharī, 104, 198, 253
al-Ḥallāj, 67
al-Ḥallāj b. Yūsuf, 67
ʿAlī, 50, 54, 56, 57, 100

ʿAlim, 316, 328
al-Jarrah b. ʿAbdallah al-Hakamī, 252

Allah, 9, 15, 21, 66, 69, 80, 104, 113, 119, 121, 124, 127, 133, 134, 135,
136, 137, 141, 145, 148, 156, 157, 160, 211, 240, 252, 271, 311,
312, 313, 328, 329, 330, 331
al-Shāfi῾ī, 83
angel, 49, 133, 134, 135, 136, 277
Arabic, 9, 10, 11, 15, 28, 60, 87, 328, 331, 333
Arabs, 42, 48, 51, 52, 278, 307
Art of Consultation, 229
ʿĀṣim, 64, 65
assassin, 57
assassination, 39
Atheists, 163
Automation, 259
Awliyāʾ, 328
Baghdad, 328
bald, 133, 135
Barakah, 119, 120, 121, 125, 132, 138, 217, 297, 300, 328, 351
Basra, 252
Bedouin, 91
Bedouins, 253

337
beneficial knowledge, 162

Benefits of Consultation, 227
Bint, 10, 329
biographies, 24, 175, 176, 181
biography, 13, 66, 74, 175, 212, 332
blind man, 133, 134, 135
Bukhārī, 72
Caliph, 13, 37, 43, 56, 58, 59, 64, 68, 80, 101, 130, 145, 183, 224, 239,
277, 329
careers, 77, 95, 240, 249
charity, 113, 118, 121, 132, 147, 162, 214, 248
child marriages, 32
children, 49, 62, 67, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88, 89, 90,
91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 97, 98, 100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 146, 147, 185,
248, 278, 284, 295, 305, 316
Christian, 49, 51, 61, 113
Christianity, 163
Chunking, 208, 271
civil war, 39, 56, 57, 59, 60, 237
civilizations, 32, 33
colonialism, 42
Communication, 174
compatibility, 105, 106
Compatibility, 105, 173
compiling, 71, 253, 279
consultants, 223, 225, 230, 231, 232
consultation, 223, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 231, 235, 298, 302, 314
Creator, 101, 112, 120, 125, 148, 157, 162, 176, 220, 291
Crusaders, 41, 289
culture, 31, 37, 40, 41, 48, 58, 71, 77, 93, 102, 105, 108, 115, 179, 198,
212, 238, 278, 287, 307, 309, 328, 329, 330

338
cultures, 31, 32, 78, 105, 106, 229

currency, 60
Damascus, 58, 66, 67

Daʿwa, 329
Day of Judgment, 291
Day of Resurrection, 160, 311
delegating, 252, 254, 258, 299
delegation, 253, 254, 257, 299, 302
Delegation, 252, 254, 259
democratic, 36, 39, 41
depression, 108
Dhimmī, 113, 329
Dīnār, 114, 329
Divine Attributes, 117
divorce, 106, 108
doctors, 96, 192
Dr. Bilal Philips, 164, 165, 170
economic, 106, 128, 131, 132, 165, 238, 239

education, 40, 69, 70, 83, 93, 94, 95, 97, 98, 113, 180, 185, 186, 187,
190, 192, 193, 195, 240, 250, 284, 299, 301
Egypt, 55, 65, 79, 254
emotional support, 90, 91, 92
entrepreneurs, 192, 234
eternal bliss, 160, 218
eternal damnation, 160
Eve, 102
Expertise, 173
families, 77, 95, 108, 149, 150, 154, 249

339
family, 36, 38, 50, 58, 59, 65, 81, 90, 94, 95, 106, 108, 109, 110, 114,
130, 146, 150, 183, 192, 211, 213, 219, 246, 248, 250, 277, 305
fasting, 113
Fāṭima, 48, 66, 100, 101, 110, 113, 145, 284, 296
Fāṭima b. Asad, 48
flag, 60, 173
forgiveness, 103, 107, 108, 137, 214, 311
freedom, 81, 212, 213, 221, 227, 228, 235, 329, 330
French revolution, 163
Gabriel, 49, 277

Gaza, 83
gentleness, 104, 311
goals, 23, 24, 101, 102, 104, 105, 109, 112, 116, 119, 122, 125, 152,
161, 162, 164, 165, 166, 171, 172, 177, 187, 188, 197, 199, 200,
201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 220, 227, 233, 243,
244, 245, 258, 267, 269, 270, 271, 272, 274, 282, 283, 287, 288,
290, 293, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300
God, 10, 15, 33, 38, 39, 50, 75, 83, 87, 91, 100, 101, 102, 107, 113, 114,
117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 127, 129, 131, 132, 133,
136, 137, 138, 145, 149, 156, 157, 160, 161, 165, 176, 177, 211,
219, 220, 221, 226, 276, 282, 296, 302, 304, 308, 309,328
Golden Age, 40, 71, 74, 239, 265, 300
Golden Ages, 43
Good Character, 178
good deeds, 30, 120, 156, 164, 271, 272
governance, 31, 37, 38, 39, 42, 44, 252, 296, 304
Gradual Change, 306
Gradual Progress, 264
Gradualism, 306

340
Ḥadīth, 10, 54, 71, 74, 100, 104, 170, 198, 218, 225, 239, 244, 253, 254,
257, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281, 286, 290, 293, 298, 299, 300,
329, 332
Ḥadīth compilations, 278, 279, 280, 332
Ḥadīths, 240, 254, 276, 277, 278, 280, 298, 331, 332, 351
Ḥalāl, 329
Hannah, 82
Ḥarām, 37, 330
harshness, 104
Ḥasan, 57, 156, 169, 184
Hastiness, 305
heaven, 161
Hellfire, 156, 157
Hereafter, 156, 157, 161, 164, 297, 311
Hijaz, 66
Hishām, 114
history, 9, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 35, 36, 37, 40, 42, 47,
59, 74, 83, 84, 102, 113, 164, 175, 184, 185, 197, 212, 225, 276, 289,
295, 301, 304, 333
hobbies, 106
homeschooling, 94, 95, 186
humanitarian, 113
Ibn Baṭṭūṭa, 84
Ibn Shihab al-Zuhrī, 253
Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī, 184
Iḥsān, 87, 330

341
ijmaʿ, 38
Imām, 72, 83, 184, 279, 280, 330
Imām Aḥmad b. Hanbal, 279
Imām al-Bukharī, 280
Impact, 276, 281, 282
imperialism, 42
individualism, 81, 147, 153, 170
indulgence, 147
information era, 186, 256
inner peace, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 138
Iraq, 43, 56, 57, 59, 67
Ishmael, 48
Islam, 9, 13, 22, 27, 28, 29, 33, 37, 38, 39, 42, 43, 44, 47, 50, 51, 52, 53,
54, 66, 69, 70, 71, 73, 78, 80, 84, 87, 90, 104, 106, 113, 116, 117,
118, 119, 127, 132, 138, 146, 151, 152, 154, 156, 160, 161, 162,
164, 167, 170, 178, 184, 195, 198, 213, 214, 217,221, 223, 225, 229,
238, 239, 253, 254, 257, 264, 276, 277, 278, 280, 282, 285, 307,
308, 316, 329, 331, 332, 351
Islamic History, 27, 28, 29, 265
jealousy, 67, 130, 137, 138, 139, 143

Jesus, 15, 48, 83
Jinn, 116, 330
Jizya, 69, 113, 329, 330
justice, 23, 39, 42, 56, 65, 66, 112, 113, 118, 147, 250
Justice, 161
Khadīja, 49
Khawārij, 57
Khulafāʾ al-Rāshidīn, 54, 331
Khurasan, 252
Kindness, 92, 103
King, 22, 51, 61, 64, 211, 278

342
kingdom, 60, 94, 100, 101, 113, 131, 154, 252, 265, 289, 299
Kunya, 328, 331
Layla, 64, 65, 77, 78

leadership, 31, 36, 38, 39, 40, 44, 57, 59, 66, 68, 72, 74, 183, 198, 203,
223, 297, 332
learning styles, 188, 190
legacy, 23, 24, 73, 116, 170, 180, 181, 199, 276, 281, 282, 283, 284,
285, 286, 287, 288, 290, 291, 292, 302
Legacy projects, 288, 290
Leper, 133
liberalism, 81
life after death, 162
long term projects, 264
love, 21, 90, 91, 92, 97, 107, 156, 176, 185, 186, 187, 188, 199, 215,
219, 248
Luqmān, 83
madhhab, 332
Madhhab, 331
Madinah, 11, 51, 52, 56, 65, 67, 79, 93, 183, 184, 223, 224, 278
Makkah, 47, 48, 50, 51, 52, 53, 58, 59, 83
Makkan, 48, 51
Mālik, 10, 60, 80, 81, 114, 184, 252, 253, 279
manager, 256, 257
manifestation, 117
marriage, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 119
Marwān, 59, 60, 64
Marwān b. al-Ḥakam, 59
Mary, 82
materialistic, 101, 198, 290
mentor, 78, 169, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 189, 231

343
Mentors, 169, 170, 171

Mercy, 21, 91, 161
military conquest, 237
military expansion, 32, 41, 43
millionaire, 56
monarchy, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 54, 58
Mongols, 40, 288, 289
monk, 113
Moses, 15, 48, 49
motherhood, 77
Muʿāwiya, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59
Muḥammad, 10, 11, 21, 28, 29, 47, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 59, 69, 71, 78,
83, 87, 91, 104, 121, 122, 127, 146, 162, 170, 223, 224, 253, 271,
276, 277, 305, 307, 313, 328, 329, 331, 332, 333
Muḥammad al-Qurṭubī, 224
Muṣʿab, 52
Muṣʿab b. ʿUmayr, 52
Muslim, 9, 11, 15, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40, 41,
42, 43, 47, 52, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 64, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73,
74, 75, 84, 87, 91, 104, 112, 113, 118, 122, 137, 140, 146, 152, 156,
160, 162, 183, 198, 212, 214, 224, 225, 237, 238, 244, 247, 253,
271, 276, 280, 293, 295, 308, 309, 329, 330, 331, 333
Muslim Empire, 36, 40, 41, 43, 47, 55, 58, 237, 238, 329
Muslim History, 23, 28, 29, 33, 36, 40, 43
Musnad, 279, 280, 331
Muwatta, 279
nihilism, 162, 164

nihilistic, 161
nihilists, 162
Noah, 84
North Africa, 61, 252, 254

344
Ottoman, 47, 289, 331

Ottomans, 40
Paradise, 156, 167, 218, 271

parenting, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 87, 88, 91, 93, 97, 98, 295,
301, 305
parents, 47, 65, 75, 81, 83, 84, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 104,
109, 179, 248, 295, 305
Persian, 55, 72
Persians, 42, 48
personal development, 21, 24, 171, 185, 187, 244, 249
philanthropy, 116
Piety, 113
plague, 80, 307
poison, 72, 129
praying, 83, 112, 113, 218, 240, 247
prince, 43, 65, 114
Priorities, 241, 247, 248, 249
Prioritizing, 237, 240, 242, 250
productive, 74, 75, 139, 154, 163, 166, 167, 175, 179, 209, 212, 295,
296, 297
productivity, 21, 23, 24, 44, 74, 75, 102, 108, 112, 118, 119, 120, 139,
145, 152, 153, 161, 163, 164, 167, 175, 176, 217, 227, 254, 260,
281, 295, 301
Productivity, 1, 24, 178, 295, 351
Prophet, 10, 11, 28, 29, 31, 37, 47, 48, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 57, 59, 65,
71, 78, 82, 83, 84, 87, 91, 104, 121, 122, 146, 162, 170, 223, 237,
271, 276, 277, 305, 307, 328, 329, 331, 332
Prophetic Era, 47
prophetic model, 91
Prophetic Narrations, 276

345
purpose, 24, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 125, 148, 157, 161, 163, 166,
167, 220, 301, 312
quality time, 89, 90, 97, 98, 248

Queen, 100
Quran, 9, 51, 80, 82, 83, 84, 112, 116, 121, 122, 123, 124, 137, 184,
223, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 308, 331, 333
Rajāʾ b. Ḥaywa, 224

Rajāʾ b. Ḥaywah al-Kundī, 68
Ramadan, 48, 49, 50, 51, 53, 54, 214
religion, 27, 28, 30, 78, 80, 106, 112, 132, 164, 229, 247, 253, 312, 329
responsibilities, 148, 150, 151, 152, 154, 213
responsibility, 97, 145, 147, 148, 149, 152, 154
righteous child, 162
Righteousness, 176
Rightly Guided Caliphs, 54, 181, 198, 223
Rightly Guided Era, 47, 54, 57
Roderic, 61
Role Models, 169
Romans, 42, 43, 48, 55, 60
S.M.A.R.T., 202
S.M.A.R.T.E.R., 202, 207, 209
Ṣaḥīḥ, 87, 91, 122, 136, 146, 162, 198, 271, 313, 332
Saʿid b. al-Musayyib, 169
Saʿīd b. al-Musayyib, 184
saint, 112, 156, 328
Saladin, 37
Salafī, 106, 332
Salah, 240, 280, 332
sales funnels, 260

346
Ṣāliḥ b. Kīsān, 184
Salim b. ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar, 169

Sālim b. ʿAbdullāh, 224
Saudi Arabia, 47
scarcity mentality, 128, 129, 130, 131, 137, 296
scholar, 38, 49, 66, 68, 112, 156, 170, 183, 328
science, 40, 71, 198
Self-Discipline, 177, 211, 213, 221, 298
Selflessness, 177
shepherd, 145, 146
Shia, 106, 332
Shura, 223, 224, 227, 332
simplicity, 112, 113, 118, 170
sin, 57, 120, 156, 282, 304, 309
Sīrah, 28, 332
Sīrat, 332
Slavery, 32
slaves, 50
Spain, 40, 43, 61, 70, 71, 73, 198, 238, 239, 252, 264, 265, 298, 299,
300, 333
spiritual, 44, 112, 113, 119, 120, 122, 123, 125, 132, 165, 244, 271,
290, 332
spiritual heart, 123
spiritual state, 120, 123
spouses, 100, 101, 103, 104, 105, 108, 248
Stephen Covey, 128, 130, 171, 241, 245, 246
Sufī, 106, 332
Sufyān b. ʿUyaynah, 184
suicide, 108
Sulaimān, 61, 62, 64, 67, 71, 237, 289

347
Sunan, 121, 312, 332

Sunnah, 276
Sunnī, 332
Syria, 55, 56, 57, 58, 80
Tafsīr, 141, 312, 333

Tafsīr, 10
talents, 95
Taʾrīkh, 68, 333
Taʾrīkh, 28
Ṭāriq b. Ziyād, 61
technology, 40, 71, 79, 96, 97, 198, 287

temporary punishment, 161
theology, 84, 106, 120, 129, 137, 157, 332
Turkey, 41, 43, 288, 290
ʿUbaydullah b. ʿAbd Allāh, 169

ʿUbaydullāh b. ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUtbah, 224
ʿulema, 328
ʿUmar, 1, 10, 13, 22, 23, 24, 36, 37, 40, 43, 44, 47, 54, 55, 56, 58, 62,
64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 88,
93, 94, 98, 100, 101, 110, 112, 113, 114, 116, 118, 119, 125, 127,
129, 130, 131, 143, 145, 154, 156, 166, 167, 169, 170, 175, 180,
181, 183, 184, 195, 197, 198, 203, 209, 211, 212, 219, 221, 223,
224, 225, 226, 235, 237, 238, 239, 240, 244, 250, 252, 253, 254,
257, 258, 259, 262, 264, 274, 276, 278, 279, 280, 281, 286, 288,
290, 293, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 301, 304, 305, 306, 308,
311, 351
ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, 13, 22, 62, 64
ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, 64
ʿUmar I, 54, 55, 58, 64, 68, 81, 170, 180, 279, 280, 297, 308

348
ʿUmar II, 1, 13, 22, 23, 24, 36, 37, 40, 43, 44, 47, 62, 64, 65, 66, 68, 72,
73, 74, 75, 77, 78, 81, 88, 98, 110, 112, 114, 115, 116, 118, 125, 143,
145, 154, 156, 157, 158, 166, 169, 175, 180, 181, 183, 195, 197,
203, 209, 211, 219, 221, 223, 225, 226, 235, 237, 239, 240, 244,
252, 259, 262, 264, 274, 290, 293, 295, 298, 299, 300, 301, 304,
305, 311, 351
ʿUmar’s Mistake, 304
Umayyad, 22, 36, 40, 43, 47, 57, 58, 60, 61, 65, 68, 73, 127, 198, 219,
239, 300, 333
Umayyad Spain, 74, 300
Umayyah, 64, 113, 114, 130
urgent/important matrix, 241, 243, 246
ʿUrwa b. al-Zubayr, 224

ʿUrwah, 226
ʿUthmān, 54, 55, 56, 58, 277
Virtual Assistants, 256
Wahb b. Hayy al-Maghafirī, 254

Walī, 328
Walīd, 60, 61, 64, 66, 67, 69, 71, 100, 237
Walīd I, 60, 61, 66, 69
Waraqa, 49
World War I, 40, 331
Yathrib, 51, 52
Yazīd, 58, 59, 72, 101, 156, 224, 253
Yazīd b. al-Muhallab, 224
Zakah, 131, 132

Zoroastrian, 55

350

351
Other Books by Ismail Kamdar
Getting the Barakah: An Islamic Guide to Time Management
Best of Creation: An Islamic Guide to Self-Confidence
Ahmad Climbs a Mountain: A Parable about Achieving Your Goals
Time Management
Self-Confidence
Homeschooling 101: What to Expect in Your First Year
Having Fun, the Halal Way: Entertainment in Islam
Guidelines for Confused Muslims
Productivity Principles Of ʿUmar II: ʿUmar bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz
Themes of the Qur’an
The Greeting Of Peace
Time Management and Barakah in Islam
Self-Confidence: The Islamic Way
Verse of the Day Collection
The Book of Hope for Sinners
10 Self-Help Tips from 10 Authentic Hadiths
Discover Your Hidden Gems

352
Discover Your Confidence194
194
Information about each of these books can be found at
books.islamicselfhelp.com

353
Website:
Islamic Self Help
http://islamicselfhelp.com
Social Media:
Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/ShIsmailKamdar
Twitter Handle
https://twitter.com/IsmailKamdar
YouTube Channel
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Audio Lecture Stream
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Productivity

Copyright 2019 © lslamic Self Help

Copyright © Islamic Self Help 2019/1441 h.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

Written by Ismail Kamdar

Copyright 2019 © lslamic Self Help

Copyright 2019 © lslamic Self Help

Copyright 2019 © lslamic Self Help

Notes on Transliteration, Dates, Citation and Salutations.......... 9

A Note on the Usage of the Word God ....................................... 15

Foreword by Dr. Yasir Qadhi ..................................................... 17

Why History Often Seems Bizarre ............................................. 27

Brief History of the Early Muslim Empire ................................. 47

Brief Biography of ʿUmar II ....................................................... 64

Principle 1: Practicing Extraordinary Parenting....................... 77

Principle 2: Choosing the Right Spouse................................... 100

Principle 3: Fulfilling a Spiritual Purpose ............................... 112

Principle 4: Developing an Abundance Mentality ................... 127

Principle 5: Maintaining a Sense of Responsibility ................. 145

Principle 6: Focusing on the Hereafter.................................... 156

Principle 8: Pursuing Beneficial Knowledge for Life ............... 183

Principle 9: Aiming for the Stars ............................................. 197

Principle 10: Finding the Freedom of Self-Discipline.............. 211

Principle 11: Consulting Experts ............................................. 223

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Principle 12: Prioritizing ......................................................... 237

Principle 13: Delegating ........................................................... 252

Principle 14: Progressing Gradually ........................................ 264

Principle 15: Leaving a Legacy ................................................. 276

Conclusion ............................................................................... 295

Appendix A: ʿUmar’s Mistake .................................................. 304

Appendix B: Selected Quotes from ʿUmar II ............................ 311

About the Author ..................................................................... 316

Bibliography ............................................................................ 318

Index ........................................................................................ 335

Other Books by Ismail Kamdar ................................................ 351

Copyright 2019 © lslamic Self Help

Copyright 2019 © lslamic Self Help

Notes on Transliteration, Dates, Citation

Initially, I wanted to use as little Arabic in this book as

Yet there are some exceptions to the rule; IJMES rules

Some symbols used in this book may not be familiar to

Copyright 2019 © lslamic Self Help

Names like ʿUmar are pronounced with this sound.

The Arabic long vowels are indicated by a line above the

The Arabic definite article “al-” which often translates as

In Arabic names, people are often referred to by their

Throughout the book, after the name of Prophet

Copyright 2019 © lslamic Self Help

traditional Islamic practice of saying and writing the

Dates in this book are according to the Common Era (CE)

I have tried to limit my usage of Arabic words in order to

Copyright 2019 © lslamic Self Help

Copyright 2019 © lslamic Self Help

This book is dedicated to the memory of the fifth Rightly Guided

Copyright 2019 © lslamic Self Help

Copyright 2019 © lslamic Self Help

A Note on the Usage of the Word God