Umar ibn al-Khattab

ProfileUmar ibn al-Khattab

Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was among the strongest men of Quraysh and, at first, one of the harshest opponents of the new faith. His change came around 616 CE. He set out one day intending to confront the Prophet ﷺ, and on the way he learned that his sister Fatimah and her husband had become Muslims. He went to their house and found them reciting the Quran. He read the pages, was moved, and went to the Prophet ﷺ to accept Islam. He was given the title al-Faruq, the one who separates truth from falsehood.

As the second caliph, from 13 AH, he led a rapid expansion into Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Persia, and he received the keys to Jerusalem in person. He set up the state's registers and treasury, and he introduced the Hijri calendar. He was known for justice and simple living. He walked the streets at night to see how the people fared, and in famine years he refused better food than the poorest had.

In 23 AH, he was stabbed while leading the dawn prayer, and he died three days later. He was buried beside the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr.

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