Hazrat Umar (Razi-Allah-o-Ta'ala Anho)
Hazrat Umar (Razi-Allah-o-Ta'ala Anho) was the second caliph of Islam. He was born at Makkah in the noble family of quraish. He received the title of Faruq after he embraced Islam. He was one of the very few persons in Makkah who could read and write.
He was a tall, strong and a brave man. He was also a very good wrestler, horse-rider and a swordsman. He was a very daring man. Business was his occupation. In the beginning, he was an enemy of Islam, but an incident changed his life completely. One day he heard his sister reciting verses from the Holy Quran. He listened to it with interest and when she had finished reciting, he lowered his head. Filled with the new spiritual thought, he ran to the Holy Prophet (Sall-Allah -o-Alaihi-Wasallam) and embraced Islam. His conversion to Islam was of great value to the Holy Prophet (Sall-Allah -o-Alaihi-Wasallam) in his mission of Islam. Afterwards, he remained very close to the Holy Prophet (Sall-Allah -o-Alaihi-Wasallam).
Hazrat Umar (Rz) participated in the holy wars and proved to be a great strength for Islam. He remained caliph for 10 years 6 months. He conquered a vast empire during his Khilafat. He introduced a great system of administration, which served as a model during the whole of Islamic history. He introduced a large number of reforms. He organized the army. He was a great man who shaped the destiny of the nation.
He gave much importance to justice and the well-being of the people. He led a very simple life. He loved to meet people and inquire about the problems. He followed the saying of the Holy Prophet (Sall-Allah -o-Alaihi-Wasallam :
"Treat your servants as you would treat yourself.
Master and servant are both equal before God."
Hazrat Umar (Rz) was kind and sympathetic to the poor. He spent many sleepless nights. He used to walk in the streets to see the condition of his people. Once night he passed by a house and heard some children crying. There was a pot of water on fire. The mother told them to go to sleep and when the food was ready, she would wake them up. But the children would not listen. Hazrat Umar (Rz) asked the woman. "What is the matter?" She told him that there was nothing to eat. There was no money and no grain in the house. Her husband had died. The children were crying for food. He helped the widow with food, money and clothing.
He was very strict about justice. He would not spare any one, not even his own son, when wrong was committed by him. For him high and low, rich and poor, were all equal.
One day, while Hazrat Umar (Rz) was saying his prayers in the mosque a non-Muslim named Feroze killed the caliph with a knife. Hazrat Umar (Rz) was buried near the Holy Prophet (Sall-Allah -o-Alaihi-Wasallam) and Hazrat Abu Bakar (Rz) in the Masjid-e-nabvi at Madina.
Ideal Knowledge is Power: Hazrat Umar (Razi-Allah-o-Ta'ala Anho)