Umar bin al-Khattab’s (RA) 10 Years of Caliphate‘

Contents
 Introduction
 Expansion of the Islamic Empire
 The Iraq Campaigns
 The Syrian Campaigns
 The Conquest of Persia
 The Conquest of Egypt
 ‘Umar’s (RA) Reforms

Introduction
Hazrat Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) was appointed as the successor to Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) in
634 CE. Despite initial concerns about his strict and authoritarian personality, Hazrat Abu Bakr
recognized Umar's intelligence, strong willpower, sense of justice, and compassion for the poor.
Umar assumed the role of the second caliph immediately after Abu Bakr's death.
Umar took on the titles of "Successor to the Successor of the Messenger of Allah" and
"Commander of the Faithful." In his first address as caliph, he praised the achievements of Abu
Bakr and vowed to strengthen the Islamic State following the laws of Allah and the example set
by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and Abu Bakr.
Under Umar's leadership, the Muslim armies expanded the Islamic Empire by gaining territories
in Syria, Iraq, Persia, and Egypt. Victories in battles such as Yarmuk, al-Qadisiyya, and
Nihawand brought these regions under Islamic rule.
What sets Umar's caliphate apart is the territorial expansion and the establishment of a strong
infrastructure to govern the newly acquired lands. Umar implemented administrative reforms,
created ministries and departments, established garrison towns, designated provinces for
effective governance, and ordered a census of all Muslim territories. These efforts aimed to
maintain unity and stability within the Islamic Empire.

Expansion of the Islamic Empire

Hazrat Umar (RA) became the Caliph when Iraq and Syria, previously controlled by the Persian
and Byzantine empires, came under Muslim rule. Campaigns were launched in Iraq, Syria,
Persia, and Egypt to solidify these territories.
Key battles between 634 and 638 included Marwa, Buwayb, and al-Qadissiya, which secured
Iraq and led to the conquest of Mada'in. In Syria, victories were achieved through the capture of
Damascus and successes at Fihl, Hims, and the significant battle at Yarmuk, which resulted in the
Muslim control of Jerusalem and the end of Byzantine dominance in the area.
 Umar bin al-Khattab’s (RA) 10 Years of Caliphate‘

Between 638 and 639, military expeditions and empire expansion were temporarily halted due to
plague and famine in Arabia and its western provinces, requiring urgent attention. However,
campaigns resumed in 639 with the battle of Nihawand, followed by the conquest of Persia in
642. In the Egyptian campaign, major battles took place at Qaysaria, Fustat, and Alexandria,
resulting in the conquest of Egypt in 642.
By the time of Hazrat Umar's (RA) death in 644, the Islamic Empire extended from present-day
Libya in North Africa to the Makran region in the east. It encompassed Anatolia in the north and
the entire Arabian Peninsula south of Madina.

The Iraq Campaigns

The Battle of Marwa (The Bridge):
 Led by Abu Ubaidah in 634.
 He was accompanied by Muthanna Shaybani.
 The Persians were under the command of Rustam.
 Persians were a total of 4000 strong soldiers who camped on the eastern bank of the
River Euphrates.
 Muslims gathered on the other side, hence the name: Battle of The Bridge.
 During the battle, the Muslims were overrun by the Persians when they crossed to the
other side to fight them.
 The Persians used elephant cavalry and charged toward the Muslim army.
 This resulted in the collapse of the bridge and the Muslims being trapped.
 Abu Ubaidah was killed along with his kinsmen.
 Muthanna managed to save the remaining Muslim forces by holding the bridge and
returning.
 The Muslims had lost this battle.

The Battle of Buwayb:

 Took place the very next year of the Battle of Marwa, 635.
 Umar bin Khattab consoled and motivated the defeated Muslims into mobilizing a new
force.
 This force consisted of Christian Arabs as well.
 Muthanna Shaybani although wounded led this army.
 He encouraged and inspired his men and this battle took place on the western bank of the
River Euphrates.
 Persian army this time consisted of 12,000 and was led by Mehran Hamdani.
 The Persian leader was killed by a young Muslim soldier.
 Umar bin al-Khattab’s (RA) 10 Years of Caliphate‘

 The loss of the army chief demotivated the Persians and his troops scattered and were
demoralized.
 The Arabs blocked access to the bridge and eliminated the retreating army.
 Southern Iraq was now under Muslim control.
 This battle was significant in terms of ending the fear and awe of the Persians that the
Arabs felt for them.

The Battle of al-Qadissiya:

 After the defeat at Buwayb, the Persians put together a huge army against the Arabs.
 'Umar bin al-Khattab, in response, appealed to the people and received an enthusiastic
response.
 The importance of this battle can be gauged from the fact that 'Umar bin al-Khattab
himself took part in it.
 A historian writes that the Khalifa was accompanied by 70 of those who participated in
Badr, 300 of those from the Treaty of Hudaibiyyah, and 700 sons of notable companions
and tribal leaders.
 Umar bin Khattab gave the command of the 30,000 Muslim armies to Sa’d bin Abi
Waqqas.
 They camped at Qadissiyah.
 The Persian army consisted of 60,000 men and an elephants corps and a large cavalry
battalion led by Rustam.
 Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas sent 14 Muslim elders to the Persian Emperor – Yazdgird, inviting
them to accept Islam, pay Jizya, or arbitrate for battle.
 The Persian emperor in response spoke contemptuously of the Muslims, degraded them,
and insinuated that the Muslims were backward, poor, and lacked refinement as
compared to the Persians.
 The Muslim delegation was patient and courteous, but in vain.
 A standoff ensued between the two nations for three months.
 Some skirmishes took place at the border settlements in which the Muslims were
successful.
 Eventually, Rustam – the Persian commander – had his men block the water channel and
crossed over to attack the Muslim army.
 Muslims received enforcements of 6000 men from Syria.
 Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas, by making use of archers and employing successful strategies was
able to overcome the elephant corps.
 On the third day of the Persian crossing over, Rustam was caught and killed while trying
to swim to safety.
 The Persians were defeated and Sa’d chased them to Babal where they sought refuge.
 Umar bin al-Khattab’s (RA) 10 Years of Caliphate‘

 After a two-month campaign to cross the river Tigris, Muslims captured Yazdgird's
capital, Mada’in.
 The emperor and the nobles fled leaving its cities, streets, gardens, and palaces deserted.
 Two-thirds of the Persian army were killed, while the Muslim casualties stood at one-fifth
of their men.
 Royal treasures were collected and sent to Madinah along with one-fifth of the war booty.
 The remaining was distributed among the soldiers.
 Eventually, peace was restored and the remaining population agreed to the terms of Jizya.
 The conquest of Iraq had been achieved.

The Syrian Campaigns

The Fall of Damascus, 635:
 Led by Khalid bin al-Waleed.
 Abu Ubaidah and Khalid bin al-Waleed were occupied on the Syrian front.
 Khalid bin al-Waleed organized the siege and capture of Damascus, a city known for its
wealth and culture.
 Syrian forces who were in hopes of getting reinforcements from Heraclius were
disappointed as that help never reached them.
 Muslims undeterred by the Syrian winter swam across the moat (a deep wide ditch
surrounding a castle that was filled with water as a defense mechanism).
 They used rope ladders to scale the walls; this made the Syrians panic and they opened
the gates to escape.
 Muslim forces used this opportunity to rush in and occupy the city.
 Damascus was now under Muslim rule.

The Battle of Fihl:

 Led by Khalid bin al-Waleed.
 This resulted in the addition of Jordan to the Muslim Empire.
 Abu Ubaidah sent Muadh bin Jabal as his emissary to the Christians.
 The Christians offered negotiations and tried to impress the austere Muslims with their
pomp and ceremony.
 They tried to lure Muadh bin Jabal with riches but Muadh was not to be deflected.
 Muadh offered them to accept Islam or become Dhimmis by paying Jizya or else to settle
the matter through war.
 All these measures were fruitless.
 The Romans employed the tactic of attacking the Muslims in small groups.
 Umar bin al-Khattab’s (RA) 10 Years of Caliphate‘

 Khalid saw through this.

 He retreated; drawing the enemy forces deeper in and then launched a furious attack.
 The Romans suffered heavy casualties and those who survived scattered and fled.
 Jordan was secured under Muslim rule.

The Battle of Yarmuk:

 Led by Khalid ibn al-Waleed and Abu Udaidah, and Amr bin 'As.
 Heraclius eyes were set to recover Palestine from Christian rule.
 Hearing about the Muslims' victory at Damascus, Fihl, mobilized troops from all corners
of his empire.
 Khalid bin Waleed also gathered his troops at River Yarmuk- receiving constant
encouragement and advice from Umar bin Khattab.
 Meanwhile, the Romans tried to drive out the Muslims from Syria through negotiations
and sent their representatives to discuss and convince them or buy them over.
 Khalid bin Waleed declined their offer.
 He invited them to accept Islam explaining the pros or else get protection by paying
Jizya.
 They refused to leave war as an inevitable option.
 Muslims' tactics paid off and they managed to defeat the Romans who suffered heavy
losses.
 Muslims lost 3000 lives.
 This battle of Yarmuk changed the history of the southern Mediterranean region.
 Almost all of Syria was under Muslim rule except Jerusalem.
 Amr ibn Al’ As had besieged the city but they managed to withstand the surrender.
 When Abu Ubaidah arrived on the scene, they realized the futility of their efforts.
 Finally, they agreed to surrender but only to the Caliph himself in person.
 Umar bin al-Khattab went to Jerusalem and they surrendered.
 Umar bin al-Khattab visited Masjid al Aqsa and also Christian churches and other
historical sites.

 638-639: there was a lull in the campaigns due to natural calamities.

 Victories in Iraq opened the way for expeditions into the Persian mainland.
 The battle of Nihawand led to the invasion of the Persian provinces in 642 and by the
next year Isfahan, Khurasan, Rayy, Fars, and Sindh had been conquered.
 Victories in Syria led to expansion towards the northwest into Egypt, the capture of the
fort at the base of the Nile Delta, and The fall of Alexandria.
 Umar bin al-Khattab’s (RA) 10 Years of Caliphate‘

The Conquest of Persia

The Battle of Nihawand:
 The Muslims had won many battles against the Persians, such as the Battle of Qadissiyah.
Between the 4 year gap between the Battle of Qadissiyah and the Battle of Nihawand, the
Persians faced many losses against the Muslims.
 The governors and emperors were extremely angry and they asked Yazdgird, the Persian
king, for his permission to let the Persians keep fighting against the Muslims.
 The Persian army numbered 150,000 soldiers, and the Muslim army had 30,000 soldiers.
 The two armies fought at Nihawand for 2 days. On the 3rd day, the Persians took refuge
in their forts. Nihawand was chosen for the following reasons: it was well-protected, it
was covered by mountains on all sides and the only entrance was through rough and
harsh mountain passes.
 By a clever strategy, the enemy was coaxed out of hiding and hand-to-hand fighting took
place.
 The Muslims used Khalid bin al-Waleed’s tactic to act as if the army was withdrawing
before the battle. So, the Muslims were divided into groups.
 One group attacked the walls of the forts, then another group charged at the enemy face-
to-face, but as soon as the Persians came out of their forts, another Muslim army group
came out and started to attack the Persians from both sides of the mountains, so when the
Persians tried to go back to their forts, they fell into the ditches and traps they set up for
the Muslims.
 The Persian might was shattered forever and their emperor fled to Isfahan.
 This battle was a decisive one for the whole world, as it signaled the end of the Persian
power and the Rise of Muslims.

The Conquest of Egypt

 Egypt is at a strategic place in the region and an economically profitable province of the
Roman Empire Commander Amr bin al’As convinced Umar bin al-Khattab to allow him
to lead the expedition.
 The conquest of Egypt happened in two stages:
 By conquering the fort at the base of the Nile River and The Fall of Alexandria.
 Umar bin al-Khattab’s (RA) 10 Years of Caliphate‘

The Conquest of The Fort:

 Amr bin al-’As was given the command of 4000 men.
 He approached the massive and well-defended fort at the base of the Nile Delta
 Having made no headway, reinforcements were requested.
 4 brilliant commanders arrived from Madina: Zubayr Bin Awwam, Ubada bin Al Samit,
 Miqdad ibn Umar and Maslama.
 Amr handed over the operations to Zubayr who captured the fort after 7 months long
siege by scaling the walls and opening the gates for the Muslim army to enter.
 This fort later became the garrison town of Fustat.

The Fall of Alexandria, 635:

 In 635, the governor of Fustat who surrendered to Amr made his way to Alexandria as the
Roman Governor of Egypt.
 Alexandria was a well-established port city- having a large population, many public
buildings, a famous library, and a historic lighthouse.
 It was a well-defended city and despite attacks and a long siege - the Muslims had little
success.
 Umar Bin Khattab’s letter to Amr which was read aloud to the troops expressed his
displeasure at the pace of things- got the army to mobilize and exhorted them to action.
 Led by the four commanders; troops stormed in and captured Alexandria.

‘Umar’s (RA) Assassination

The assassination of ‘Umar took place in 23H, following ‘Umar’s return from Hajj. He was
assassinated by a Persian Majoosi (Fire Worshipper) called Abu Lulu Al Majoosi, who was in the
employment by Al Mughira bin Shu'ba – Allah be pleased with him. ‘Umar didn’t allow war
captives to enter Al-Madînah, but Al-Mughira wrote to him requesting him to allow this worker
to be hired for his skills in carpentry and metalwork. Al Mughira believed people in Al-Madinah
could benefit from his skills. Al Mughira conventionally taxed this worker, but he complained to
‘Umar about the amount. ‘Umar told him that he was not being taxed unfairly for what he was
doing. This angered Abu Lulu.
‘Amr bin Maimun (RA) said: The day Umar ibn Al-Khattab was stabbed, I was standing and
there was nobody between me and him except Abdullah bin 'Abbas. Whenever Umar passed
between the two rows, he would say, “Stand in straight lines.” When he saw no defect (in the
rows), he would go forward and start the prayer with Takbir.
 Umar bin al-Khattab’s (RA) 10 Years of Caliphate‘

He would recite Surat Yusuf or An-Nahl or the like in the first Rak'a so that the people may have
the time to join the prayer. As soon as he said Takbir, I heard him saying, “The dog has killed or
eaten me,” at the time he (the murderer) stabbed him. A non-Arab infidel proceeded on carrying
a double-edged knife and stabbing all the persons he passed by on the right and left (till) he
stabbed thirteen persons out of whom seven died. When one of the Muslims saw that, he threw a
cloak on him. Realizing that he had been captured, the non-Arab infidel killed himself, 'Umar
held the hand of 'Abdur-Rahman bin Auf and let him lead the prayer.
Those who were standing by the side of 'Umar saw what I saw, but the people who were in the
other parts of the Mosque did not see anything, but they lost the voice of 'Umar and they were
saying, “Subhan Allah! Subhan Allah!” Abdur-Rahman bin Auf led the people in a short prayer.
When they finished the prayer, 'Umar said, “O Ibn 'Abbas! Find out who attacked me.” Ibn
'Abbas kept on looking here and there for a short time and came to say. “The slave of Al Mughira
(Abu Lulu, also known as Fairuz).” 'Umar said, “The craftsman?” Ibn 'Abbas said, “Yes.” 'Umar
said, “May Allah curse him. I did not treat him unjustly. All the Praises are for Allah Who has not
caused me to die at the hand of a man who claims himself to be a Muslim. Then Umar was
carried to his house, and we went along with him, and the people were as if they had never
suffered a calamity before. Some said, "Do not worry (he will be all right soon).” Some said,
“We are afraid (that he will die).” Then an infusion of dates was brought to him and he drank it
but it came out (of the wound) of his belly. Then milk was brought to him and he drank it, and it
also came out of his belly. The people realized that he would die. 'Umar then said (to 'Abdullah),
“Go to 'Aisha (the mother of the believers) and say: 'Umar is paying his salutation to you.’ But
don’t say: 'The chief of the believers,’ because today I am not the chief of the believers. And say:
'Umar bin Al-Khattab asks the permission to be buried with his two companions (i.e. the Prophet,
and Abu Bakr).’” Abdullah greeted 'Aisha and asked for permission for entering, and then
entered her and found her sitting and weeping. He said to her, “' Umar bin Al-Khattab is paying
his salutations to you, and asks the permission to be buried with his two companions.” She said,
“I had the idea of having this place for myself, but today I prefer Umar to myself.” When he
returned it was said (to 'Umar), “' Abdullah bin 'Umar has come.” 'Umar said, “Make me sit up.”
Somebody supported him against his body and 'Umar asked ('Abdullah), “What news do you
have?” He said, “O chief of the believers! It is as you wish. She has given the permission.”
'Umar said, “Praise be to Allah, there was nothing more important to me than this. So when I die,
take me, and greet 'Aisha and say: 'Umar bin Al-Khattab asks the permission (to be buried with
the Prophet (pbuh), and if she gives the permission, bury me there, and if she refuses, then takes
me to the grave-yard of the Muslims.’” [Saheeh Bukhaari 3700]
 Umar bin al-Khattab’s (RA) 10 Years of Caliphate‘

The Shoora Council appointed by Umar to elect the next Caliph:

Before his death, Umar had appointed a Shoora (Committee) to choose the next caliph. This a
committee comprised of six members who were: Uthman bin Affan, Ali bin Abi Talib, Abdur
Rahman bin Awf, Az-Zubayr bin Al-Awwam, Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas, and Talha bin Ubaidullah.
This committee was to select a caliph from themselves (not from someone other than these six)
and finally, it was Uthman who was chosen as the successor to Umar.

‘Umar’s (RA) Reforms

Hazrat Umar (RA) implemented various administrative measures during his time as Caliph. He
established a register called the diwan, which listed individuals entitled to state pensions for their
contributions to the expansion of Islam. This ensured that Muslim soldiers did not settle in
conquered lands but remained available for further service by residing in garrison towns. Notable
army towns established during Umar's reign include Basra and Kufa in southern Iraq, as well as
Fustat in Egypt.
Umar introduced several other measures, including the establishment of the office of a qadi
(judge), the Muslim calendar, and regulations regarding prayer, fasting, and pilgrimage. He was
known for his stern discipline but also demonstrated a sense of responsibility towards those
under his care. He displayed kindness and charity towards non-Muslims as well, exempting an
elderly Christian beggar from jizya and providing him with a subsistence allowance.
Umar adopted a democratic system of government by setting up two councils. The General
Assembly convened to discuss matters of national importance, while the Special Council dealt
with daily business. He reformed the governance of Islamic territories by creating provinces and
appointing capable officials with strict instructions on good governance, combating corruption
through fair salaries.
During Umar's caliphate, numerous mosques were built, and state-employed muezzins and
imams led prayers. He also oversaw improvements and extensions to Masjid-al-Haram in Mecca
and Masjid-al-Nabawi in Medina. Umar appointed qualified teachers to spread the teachings of
the Holy Quran, making Quranic knowledge compulsory for Bedouin tribes and directing
soldiers to learn it during leisure hours.
Umar established a society based on the principle that the most honorable person is the most
God-fearing. His administration serves as an excellent example for Muslim governments today.
Despite his quick temper, as seen in his eagerness to access a sheet containing a sura during his
conversion to Islam, Umar's temperament garnered respect from Muslims. However, it also led
to instances of him expressing annoyance, such as when he encountered commanders dressed in
silk. Ultimately, his refusal to grant a tax exemption led to his assassination by Abu Lu'lu'a in
644 CE, when Umar was approximately 60 years old. As per his will, he was buried in Medina,
next to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA).