#9 Umar ibn al-Khattab from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad- Din as-Suyuti

His khilafah
He took on the khilafah through the covenant
of Abu Bakr in Jumada al-Akhirah in the year
13 AH.
Az-Zuhri said, ‘‘Umar was appointed khalifah
on the day that Abu Bakr died which was
Tuesday eight days before the end of Jumada
al-Akhirah.’ Al-Hakim narrated it. He
undertook the command most fully, and there
were very many openings in his days.
In the year 14 AH, Damascus was opened [to
Islam] partly both by treaty and force, and
Homs (ancient Emessa) and Baalbek by treaty,
and Basra and Ubullah by force.
‘In that year ‘Umar united people in one
jama‘ah in salat at-tarawih (the optional
prayers said at night in Ramadan),’ said
al-‘Askari in Al-Awa’il (Firsts).
In the year 15 AH, all of Jordan was opened
[to Islam] by force except for Tiberias which
was by treaty. In this year there were the
battles of Yarmuk and Qadisiyyah.
Ibn Jarir said: In it Sa‘d founded Kufa, and
‘Umar instituted regular wages (for the
fighting men), registers, and gave allowances
according to priority.
In the year 16 AH, Ahwaz and Mada’in were
opened, and in the latter Sa‘d established the
Jumu‘ah in the great hall of Khosrau, and this
was the first Jumu‘ah to be held in Iraq. That
was in the month of Safar. In it, was the battle
of Jalula in which Yezdajird the son of
Khosrau was defeated and he retreated back
to Rayy. In it, Takrit was opened, ‘Umar
travelled and took al-Bait al-Maqdis
(Jerusalem) and gave his famous khutbah in
al-Jabiyyah. Kinnasrin, Aleppo, and Antioch
were opened by force, Manbij by treaty, and
Saruj by force. In that year, Qirqisiya’ was
opened by treaty. In Rabi‘ al-Awwal, dating
was begun from the Hijrah on the advice of
‘Ali.
In the year 17 AH, ‘Umar increased the size of
the Prophet’s Mosque. In it there was drought
and famine in the Hijaz and it was called the
Year of Destruction, and ‘Umar prayed for rain
for people by means of al-‘Abbas.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated from Niyar al-Aslami that
‘Umar, when he came out to pray for rain,
came out with the cloak of the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, upon
him.
He narrated that Ibn ‘Awn said: ‘Umar took
hold of the hand of al-‘Abbas and raised it up,
saying, ‘O Allah, we approach You by means
of the uncle of Your Prophet (asking) that You
drive away from us the drought, and that You
give us to drink from the rain,’ and they didn’t
leave before they were given to drink. The sky
poured down upon them for days. In that year
Ahwaz was taken by treaty.
In the year 18 AH, Jundaysabur was opened
[to Islam] by treaty, and Hulwan by force. In it,
was the plague of Emaus; Urfa (Edessa) and
Sumaysat were opened by force; Harran,
Nasibin and a part of Mesopotamia by force,
and it has been said, by treaty; and Mosul and
its environs by force.
In the year 19 AH, Cæsarea was opened by
force.
In the year 20 AH, Egypt was opened by force.
It is also said that all of Egypt was opened by
treaty except for Alexandria which was opened
by force. ‘Ali ibn Rabah said, ‘The whole of
the Maghrib (northwestern Africa) was opened
by force.’ In that year Tustar was opened,
Caesar (Heraclius), the great man of the
Byzantines, died. In it also, ‘Umar expelled the
Jews from Khaybar and Najran, and he
apportioned Khaybar and Wadi’l-
Qurra’ (between those who had been present
there at the original battles of the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace).
In the year 21 AH, Alexandria was opened by
force, and Nahawand, after which the Persians
could not muster an army, and Barqah and
other places.
In the year 22 AH, Azerbaijan was opened by
force, and it has been said, by treaty, and
Dinawr by force, Masabdhan and Hamadan by
force, and Tripoli of North Africa, Rai, ‘Askar
and Qumas.
In the year 23 AH, there were the openings [to
Islam] of Kirman, Sijistan, Makran in the
mountainous lands, and also Isfahan and its
environs.
In the end of this year there was the death of
Sayyiduna ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with
him, after his return from the Hajj; he was
killed as a martyr.
Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab said: When ‘Umar
returned from Mina (to Makkah), he made his
camel kneel down in the watercourse, then he
threw himself down, raised his hands to the
sky and said, ‘O Allah! I am advanced in
years, my strength has weakened, and my
subjects have increased, so take me to You
without (my) being wasteful or falling short.’
Dhu’l-Hijjah had not gone before he was
killed. Al-Hakim narrated it.
Abu Salih as-Saman said: Ka‘b al-Ahbar said
to ‘Umar, ‘I find you in the Tawrah killed as a
martyr.’ He said, ‘How can I be a martyr when
I am in the peninsula of the Arabs?’
Aslam said: ‘Umar said, ‘O Allah provide me
with martyrdom in Your way, and make my
death to be in the city of Your Messenger.’ Al-
Bukhari narrated it.
Ma‘dan ibn Abi Talhah: ‘Umar gave a khutbah
and said, ‘I saw (in a dream) as if a cock
pecked at me once or twice, and I can only
believe that it means that my term has come.
There are people who tell me to appoint a
successor, and Allah will not cause His deen
to go to waste nor His khilafah. If the matter
is hastened for me, then the khilafah is a
matter of consultation between these six
whom the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, was pleased with
when he died.’ Al-Hakim narrated it.
Az-Zuhri said: ‘Umar would not permit a
captive who had reached the age of puberty to
enter Madinah until al-Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah
wrote to him – and he was the governor of
Kufa – mentioning to him a slave who had a
number of crafts and asking permission that
he enter Madinah, saying, ‘He has many
trades which are useful to people. He is a
blacksmith, engraver and carpenter.’ He gave
permission to him to send him to Madinah.
Al-Mughirah put a demand for revenue on him
(the slave) of one hundred dirhams per month,
so the slave came to ‘Umar to complain of the
severity of that imposition. He [‘Umar] said,
‘Your demand for revenue is not that much,’
and he [the slave] turned away in anger and
threateningly. ‘Umar waited some days and
then called him and said, ‘Have I not been
informed that you say, “If I wished, I could
make a mill which will grind by means of the
wind.”’ Then he turned his face to ‘Umar with
a frown and said, ‘I will make for you a mill
which people will talk about.’ When he turned
away, ‘Umar said to his companions, ‘The
slave threatened me just now.’ After a while
Abu Lu’lu’ah wrapped his garments around a
dagger with two heads (to the blade) whose
handle was in the middle of it, hid in one of
the corners of the mosque in the darkness of
the last part of the night, and there he waited
until ‘Umar came out waking people up for the
prayer. When he drew near to him, he stabbed
him three times. Ibn Sa‘d narrated it.
‘Amr ibn Maymun al-Ansari said: Abu
Lu’lu’ah, the slave of al-Mughirah, stabbed
‘Umar with a dagger which had two heads,
and he stabbed, along with him, twelve other
men of whom six died, then a man from Iraq
threw a robe over him. When he became
tangled up in it, he killed himself.
Abu Rafi‘ said: Abu Lu’lu’ah, the slave of al-
Mughirah, used to make mills. Al-Mughirah
used to demand as revenue from him four
dirhams a day. He met ‘Umar and said, ‘Amir
al-Mu’minin, al-Mughirah is being very heavy
on me, so speak to him.’ He said, ‘Behave well
towards your master,’ – and ‘Umar’s intention
was to speak to al-Mughirah about it – so he
(the slave) became angry and said, ‘His
justice encompasses all of the people except
for me,’ and he secretly decided to kill him. He
took a dagger, sharpened it and poisoned it.
‘Umar used to say, ‘Straighten your ranks,’
before he pronounced the takbir. He came and
stood opposite him in the rank, stabbed him in
his shoulder and side, and ‘Umar fell. Then he
stabbed thirteen other men with him, of whom
six died. ‘Umar was carried to his family. The
sun was about to rise so ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn
‘Awf led the people in prayer with the two
shortest surahs. ‘Umar was brought some
nabidh (a drink made from dates left to soak
in water) and he drank it and it came out of
his wound, but it wasn’t yet distinct (from the
blood). So they gave him some milk to drink,
and it came out of his wound and they said,
‘There’s no great harm with you.’ He said, ‘If
there is any harm in killing, then I have been
killed.’ People began to praise him, saying,
‘You were such and such and you were such
and such.’ He said, ‘By Allah, I wish that I had
gone out of it, independent of others, with
nothing against me and nothing for me, and
that the companionship of the Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and
grant them peace, was secure for me.’ Ibn
‘Abbas praised him, so he said, ‘Even if I had
that gold which would fill the earth, I would
ransom myself by it from the terror of the
rising. I have made it (the khilafah) a matter
of consultation between ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, Talhah,
az-Zubayr, ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Awf and
Sa‘d.’ He ordered Suhayb to lead people in
prayer, and gave the six a period of three
(days in which to decide). Al-Hakim narrated
it.
Ibn ‘Abbas said: Abu Lu’lu’ah was a Magian.
‘Amr ibn Maymun said: ‘Umar said, ‘Praise be
to Allah Who did not make my decree of death
to be at the hands of a man who claimed
Islam.’ Then he said to his son, ‘‘Abdullah,
look and see what debts I have.’ They
calculated it and found it to be eighty-six
thousand or thereabouts. He said, ‘If the
wealth of the family of ‘Umar is enough, then
pay it. If it is not, then ask among Bani ‘Adi,
and if their wealth is not enough, then ask
among Quraysh. Go to the Mother of the
Believers, ‘A’ishah, and say, “‘Umar asks
permission to be buried with his two
companions.”’ He went to her and she said, ‘I
wanted it’ – meaning the burial plot – ‘for
myself, but I will definitely prefer him over
myself, today.’ ‘Abdullah came and said, ‘She
has given permission,’ so he praised Allah.
Someone said to him, ‘Make bequest, Amir al-
Mu’minin, and appoint a successor.’ He said,
‘I see no-one with more right to this
command than these six with whom the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, was pleased when he died,’ and he
named the six, and said, ‘‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar
will be present with them but he has no part
in the command. If the office should fall to
Sa‘d, then he it is, and if not, then let whoever
of you is appointed seek help from him, for I
did not remove him (from his office as amir of
Kufa) because of any incapacity or treachery.’
Then he said, ‘I counsel the khalifah after me
to have fearful obedience of Allah; I counsel
him to pay particular care to the Muhajirun
and the Ansar, and I counsel him to treat the
people of the provinces well,’ and other similar
counsels. When he died, we went walking with
him, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar called out the
greeting and said, ‘‘Umar seeks permission to
enter.’ ‘A’ishah said, ‘Bring him in.’ He was
brought in and placed there with his two
companions.
When they finished burying him and had
returned, that group gathered and ‘Abd ar-
Rahman ibn ‘Awf said, ‘Delegate your
authority to three among you.’ Az-Zubayr
said, ‘I delegate my authority to ‘Ali.’ Sa‘d
said, ‘I delegate my authority to ‘Abd ar-
Rahman.’ Talhah said, ‘I delegate my
authority to ‘Uthman.’ He continued: so there
remained these three. ‘Abd ar-Rahman said, ‘I
don’t want it. Which of you two will be quit of
this matter and we will entrust it to him (the
remaining one)? And Allah is his witness and
Islam, let him consider in himself who is the
best of them and let him be eager for the
benefit of the ummah.’ The two Shaykhs, ‘Ali
and ‘Uthman were silent. ‘Abd ar-Rahman
said, ‘Delegate me and, Allah is my witness, I
will not fail you in choosing the best of you.’
They said, ‘Yes.’ Then he went apart with ‘Ali
and said, ‘You have that precedence in Islam
and kinship with the Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, which you know.
Allah is your witness; if I give you authority,
will you be just, and if I give authority (to
‘Uthman) over you, will you hear and obey?’
He said, ‘Yes.’ Then he went apart with the
other and said to him the same thing. When
he had their agreement, he pledged allegiance
to ‘Uthman and ‘Ali pledged allegiance to him.
There is in the Musnad of Ahmad that ‘Umar
said: If my term overtakes me, and Abu
‘Ubaydah al-Jarrah is still alive, then I would
appoint him as khalifah. If my Lord asked me,
I would say, ‘I heard the Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, saying, “Every
Prophet has a trustworthy (companion), and
my trustworthy (companion) is Abu ‘Ubaydah
ibn al-Jarrah.”’ If my term overtakes me, and
Abu ‘Ubaydah al-Jarrah has died, I would
appoint Mu‘adh ibn Jabal as khalifah. If my
Lord asked me, ‘Why did you appoint him as
khalifah?’ I would say, ‘I heard the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
saying, “He will be raised up on the Day of
Resurrection a distance in front of the men of
knowledge.”’ They had both died during his
khilafah.
Also in the Musnad there is from Abu Rafi‘
that someone spoke to ‘Umar at his death
about the appointment of a khalifah, so he
said, ‘I have seen among my companions an
unfortunate eagerness. If one of two men had
reached me, and then I had entrusted this
command to him, I would have been sure of
him: Salim the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah
and Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah.’
‘Umar was struck on the Wednesday, four days
before the end of Dhu’l-Hijjah, and he was
buried on Sunday, the day of the new moon of
al-Muharram, the Sacred (month). He was
sixty-three years old. It has also been said
that he was sixty-six, sixty-one, sixty (which
al-Waqidi considered the weightiest). It has
been said that he was fifty-nine, fifty-five and
fifty-four. Suhayb performed the (funeral)
prayer over him in the mosque.
In the Tahdhib of al-Mazini, there is that the
engraving on the seal-ring of ‘Umar was,
‘Death is enough of an admonisher, ‘Umar.’
At-Tabarani narrated that Tariq ibn Shihab
said: Umm Ayman said, on the day ‘Umar was
killed, ‘Today Islam has been rent.’
‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Yasar narrated. He said,
‘I witnessed the death of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab
and the sun was eclipsed on that day.’ The
men who transmitted (this hadith) were
trustworthy.