Biography of caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab part 1
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00:00The Rashidun Caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, his qualities and morals since the beginning
00:06of the Islamic message and its spread to the world part 1 Umar ibn al-Khattab.
00:12Also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun Caliph, ruling from August 634, when he succeeded
00:18Abu Bakr, R. 632-634, as the second Caliph, until his assassination in 644.
00:28Umar was a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
00:34Umar initially opposed Muhammad, his distant Qurayshite kinsman and later son-in-law.
00:40Following his conversion to Islam in 616, he became the first Muslim to openly pray
00:45at the Kaaba.
00:47Umar participated in almost all battles and expeditions under Muhammad, who bestowed the
00:52title al-Faruq upon him, for his judgments.
00:56After Muhammad's death in June 632, Umar pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr R. 632-634
01:04as the first Caliph and served as the closest advisor to the latter until August 634, when
01:09the dying Abu Bakr nominated Umar as his successor.
01:14Under Umar, the Caliphate expanded at an unprecedented rate, conquering the Sasanian Empire and more
01:19than two-thirds of the Byzantine Empire.
01:23His attacks against the Sasanian Empire resulted in the conquest of Persia in less than two
01:27years, 642-644.
01:32According to Jewish tradition, Umar set aside the Christian ban on Jews and allowed them
01:36into Jerusalem and to worship.
01:39Umar was assassinated by the Persian slave Abu Lu'a Firooz in 644.
01:45Umar is generally viewed by historians to be one of the most powerful and influential
01:50Muslim Caliphs in history.
01:52He is revered in the Sunni Islamic tradition as a great just ruler and paragon of Islamic
01:57virtues, and some Hadiths identify him as the second greatest of the Sahaba after Abu
02:02Bakr.
02:03However, he is viewed negatively in the Twelver Shia tradition.
02:08Umar was born in Mecca to the Banu Adi clan, which was responsible for arbitration among
02:13the tribes.
02:15His father was Khattab ibn Nufayl and his mother was Hantama bint Hisham, from the tribe
02:20of Banu Maz'um.
02:22In his youth he used to tend to his father's camels in the plains near Mecca.
02:27His merchant father was famed for his intelligence among his tribe.
02:31Umar himself said my father, Al-Khattab, was a ruthless man.
02:36He used to make me work hard, if I didn't work he used to beat me and he used to work
02:40me to exhaustion.
02:42Despite literacy being uncommon in pre-Islamic Arabia, Umar learned to read and write in
02:47his youth.
02:49Though not a poet himself, he developed a love for poetry and literature.
02:54According to the tradition of Quraysh, while still in his teenage years, Umar learned martial
02:59arts, horse riding and wrestling.
03:02He was tall, physically powerful and a renowned wrestler.
03:06He was also a gifted orator who succeeded his father as an arbitrator among the tribes.
03:11Umar became a merchant and made several journeys to Rome and Persia, where he is said to have
03:16met various scholars and analyzed Roman and Persian societies.
03:21As a merchant he was unsuccessful.
03:23Like others around him, Umar was fond of drinking in his pre-Islamic days.
03:28In 610, Muhammad started preaching the message of Islam.
03:33However, like many others in Mecca, Umar opposed Islam and even threatened to kill Muhammad.
03:40He resolved to defend the traditional polytheistic religion of Arabia.
03:45He was adamant and cruel in opposing Muhammad and very prominent in persecuting Muslims.
03:51He recommended Muhammad's death.
03:53He firmly believed in the unity of the Quraysh and saw the new faith of Islam as a cause
03:57of division and discord.
04:00Due to persecution, Muhammad ordered some of his followers to migrate to Abyssinia.
04:05When a small group of Muslims migrated, Umar became worried about the future unity of the
04:10Quraysh and decided to have Muhammad assassinated.
04:15Umar converted to Islam in 616, one year after the migration to Abyssinia.
04:20The story was recounted in Ibn Ishaq's Surah.
04:24On his way to murder Muhammad, Umar met his best friend Nu'aym ibn Abd Allah who had
04:28secretly converted to Islam but had not told Umar.
04:33When Umar informed him that he had set out to kill Muhammad, Nu'aym said,
04:37By God, you have deceived yourself, O Umar!
04:41Do you think that Banu Abd al-Manif would let you run around alive once you had killed
04:45their son Muhammad?
04:47Why don't you return to your own house and at least set it straight?
04:51Nu'aym al-Hakim told him to inquire about his own house where his sister and her husband
04:56had converted to Islam.
04:59Upon arriving at her house, Umar found his sister and brother-in-law Sayyid bin Zayd
05:04Umar's cousin reciting the verses of the Quran from Surah Taha.
05:08He started quarrelling with his brother-in-law.
05:11When his sister came to rescue her husband, he also started quarrelling with her.
05:16Yet still they kept on saying you may kill us but we will not give up Islam.
05:21Upon hearing these words, Umar slapped his sister so hard that she fell to the ground
05:26bleeding from her mouth.
05:28When he saw what he did to his sister, he calmed down out of guilt and asked his sister
05:32to give him what she was reciting.
05:35His sister replied in the negative and said you are unclean, and no unclean person can
05:39touch the scripture.
05:41He insisted, but his sister was not prepared to allow him to touch the pages unless he
05:46washed his body.
05:48Umar at last gave in.
05:50He washed his body and then began to read the verses that were verily, I am Allah.
05:55There is no god but me.
05:57So serve me, only, and establish regular prayer for my remembrance.
06:01Quran 2014.
06:03He wept and declared, surely this is the word of Allah.
06:07I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
06:11On hearing this, Khabab came out from inside and said O, Umar!
06:16Glad tidings for you.
06:18Yesterday Muhammad prayed to Allah, O, Allah!
06:22Strengthen Islam with either Umar or Abu Jahl, whomsoever thou lickest.
06:27It seems that his prayer has been answered in your favor.
06:31Umar then went to Muhammad with the same sword he intended to kill him with and accepted
06:34Islam in front of him and his companions.
06:38Umar was 39 years old when he accepted Islam.
06:42According to one account, after his conversion to Islam Umar openly prayed at the Kaaba as
06:47the Quraysh chiefs, Abu Jahl and Abu Sufyan, reportedly watched in anger.
06:53This further helped the Muslims to gain confidence in practicing Islam openly.
06:58At this stage Umar even challenged anyone who dared to stop the Muslims from praying,
07:03although no one dared to interfere with Umar when he was openly praying.
07:07Umar's conversion to Islam granted power to the Muslims and to the Islamic faith in Mecca.
07:13It was after this event that Muslims offered prayers openly in Masjid al-Haram for the
07:18first time.
07:20Abdullah ibn Masud said, Umar's embracing Islam was our victory, his migration to Medina
07:26was our success, and his reign a blessing from Allah.
07:30We didn't offer prayers in al-Haram mosque until Umar had accepted Islam.
07:35When he accepted Islam, the Quraysh were compelled to let us pray in the mosque.
07:40In 622 CE, due to the safety offered by Yathrib later renamed Medinat and Nabi, or simply
07:47Medina, Muhammad ordered his followers to migrate to Medina.
07:51Most Muslims migrated at night fearing Quraysh resistance, but Umar is reported to have left
07:56openly during the day saying anyone who wants to make his wife a widow and his children
08:00orphans should come and meet me there behind that cliff.
08:04Umar migrated to Medina accompanied by his cousin and brother-in-law Sayyid ibn Zayd.
08:11During Umar's reign as Caliph Muhammad ibn Muslimah was assigned the office of Chief
08:15Inspector of Accountability.
08:18Muslims remained in peace in Medina for approximately a year before the Quraysh raised an army to
08:22attack them.
08:24In 624, Umar participated in the first battle between Muslims and Quraysh of Mecca i.e.
08:30the Battle of Badr.
08:32In 625, he took part in the Battle of Uhud.
08:37In the second phase of the battle, when Khalid ibn Walid's cavalry attacked the Muslim rear,
08:42turning the tide of battle, rumors of Muhammad's death were spread and many Muslim warriors
08:46were routed from the battlefield, Umar among them.
08:50However, hearing that Muhammad was still alive, he went to Muhammad at the mountain of Uhud
08:55and prepared for the defense of the hill.
08:58Later in the year Umar was a part of a campaign against the Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir.
09:04In 625, Umar's daughter Hafsa was married to Muhammad.
09:09Later in 627, he participated in the Battle of the Trench and also in the Battle of Banu
09:14Khurayza.
09:16In 628, Umar witnessed the Treaty of Hudaybiyah.
09:20In 628, he fought in the Battle of Khaybar.
09:25In 629, Muhammad sent Amr ibn al-Az to Zat al-Salasal, after which, Muhammad sent Abu
09:32Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah with reinforcements, including Abu Bakr and Umar, whereupon they
09:37attacked and defeated the enemy.
09:40In 630, when Muslim armies rushed for the conquest of Mecca, he was part of that army.
09:46Later in 630, he fought in the Battle of Hunayn and the Siege of Taif.
09:52He was part of the Muslim army that contested the Battle of Tabuk under Muhammad's command
09:56and he was reported to have given half of his wealth for the preparation of this expedition.
10:01He also participated in the Farewell Hajj of Muhammad in 632.
10:06I stop at this point today until next time, stay curious, stay informed, and keep exploring
10:12the world's incredible stories.
10:15Soon we will publish part 2.