'Umar ibn Abdul Aziz Rahimullah (The second Umar)
(Here is only synopsis if you want to read full history of this Great person of Islamic History who changed the tide and brought great Revolution Read full Biography ......from Sviors of Islamic Sprit Vol 1 For downloading it click this website and search in the book list of Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi Rahimullah. Original urdu book is also in the link.......http://islamicbookslibrary.wordpress.com/was bom in 61 a .h He was a
cousin of the preceding Cahph, Sulaiman ibn cAbdul Malik and
had been posted as Governor of Madina since the time of Walid
ibn cAbdui Malik, the Caliph before SulaimSta* The life led by
him as Governor was entirely different from that he adopted as a
Cahph. He was known as a polished and decorous aristocrat of
refined taste Anybody could tell from the fragrance of perfumes
he used that cUmar has passed that way. He was all the rage
for the fashionable youths of his day. Except for his integrity of
character and righteous disposition there was nothing to suggest
that he was destined to perform a memorable task in the history
of Islam.
But he proved to be a standing miracle of Islam. The very
way he ascended to the Caliphate was miraculous; for, nobody
could have predicted the dramatic turn that the events took in
bringing him to the throne He could not have hoped to be anything
more than a viceroy under the hereditary custom of
accession to the Caliphate, but God had willed otherwise*
Sulaiman ibn cAbdul Malik fell serioudy ill and lost all hopes of
recovery. He was anxious to leave the throne to one of his sons
who were still minors. Shaken with this anxiety he got his sons
put on longer dresses, uniforms and armours so that they might
appear sizeable, but all his efforts proved fruitless. In his dread**
ful agony, he cast a pathetic glance over his sons and said: “ He
is really fortunate who has grown-up sons” * Reoa* ibn Haiwah
happened to be present at the time and he promptly proposed
cUmar ibn cAbdul cAziz as the successor to the throne* Cahph
Sulaiman accepted the suggestion and thus by his timely intervention
Reja* rendered yeoman service for the revival of Islam
Character of cUmar XI:
Immediately upon his accession, cTJmar dismissed provincial
governors known to be cruel or unjust to the people. All the
jewellery and valuable presents brought before on accession to the throne were deposited in the State treasury He was now
a completely changed man; he considered himself a successor to
Caliph cUmar I, son of KhattSb, rather than SulaimSn ibn cAbdid A ** r ------
Malik Slaves of the royal household were emancipated, the
royal court modelled after Persian and Byzantine Royal patterns
was now marked by an austere and primitive simplicity. He
returned to the State not only his ancestoral fief but even the
valuables and jewellery his wife had received m from her father and
brothers He led such a simple and ascetic hie as it would have
Uu_e_e__aJ ui /uE u—uu1*i iX t.u unu _a_i_n_u_ _n_g_ i lu__i_c_ u__i_u_i_u1u.i. _su__iuJ r__e_u_1u_s__e_a- _m__u. .uL i 1ic.sMa me
kings and emperors. On several occasions he was late for Friday
prayers since he had to wait till his only shirt dried up after a
wash Before Caliph cUmar II ascended to the throne Baitul-M8ls
the public treasury, was treated as a personal property of the King
from wliicli members of royal family wsro granted cnorznous sumsy
but now they had to be content with the paltry stipends Once,
when he was talking to his daughters, he noticed that the children
cupped their mouths while talking to him. On making enquiries
he found that since only pulses and onions were available m his
ul i Au uf iae av uA nu +uUi qA ui l amj rf r r u t v u Iutna uJ lmi abacnu fl aa laf ag nu Kv jtrr t■i>l!& a« b i i u u A M « j t l lW
cupped their mouths lest its smell should offend him With tears
in his eyes, cUmar said “ My child, would you like to have
sumptuous food and your father to be consigned to Hell1 He
was the ruler of the mightiest empire of his day but he did not
have enough money to perform the He once asked his
servant if he had saved anything so that he could go -for the Haj]
The servant informed him that he had only ten or twelve Anars
and thus he could not undertake the journey After a few days,
cUmar II received a sum sufficient to perform the Hajj from
his personal holdings The servant congratulated ‘Umar II,
and said that now he could go for the Hqjy cUmar II however,
r_e_p1l_iedt « it~ TvAvTe- 1n_a_v_e1 _u_e_e_uJ _d_e_ri_v_in_g1 _u_c_u_eCuai ifr ui-u- uiwc
since a long time Now Muslims have a right to enjoy its fruits
Then he got the entire proceeds deposited in the public treasury cUmar II never spent more than two dtrhants ou his messing*
If any official came to see him and began talking of the
Caliph's private affairs, he would promptly put off the candle
provided by the State and ask for his own candle to be brought
in. He would nevei use the hot water taken from the State
mess or even inhale the fragrance of musk belonging to the
cUmar II was careful not for his peison alone* He always
exhorted the State officials to be extremely cautious in their
dealings involving the State property Tlie Govei nor of Madina,
Abtt-Bakribn Hazm had submitted an application to SulaimSn
ibn cAbdul Malik demanding candlesticks and a lamp-glass for
the official work By the time the requisition reached the Caliph,
SulaimSn had died and it was placed before cUmar II He
wrote <c O AbS-Bakr, I remember the days when you wandered
duiing the dark nights of winter without candlesticks and light,
and, were you then m a better condition than now ? I hope you
have now enough candlesticks to spare a few foi conducting the
business of the State*2” Similarly on another request made for
supply of paper for official work, he remarked * “ Make the point
of-your pen finer, write closely and concisely, for, Muslims do not
require such detailed reports which are unnecessarily a burden
on the State exchequer*”2
