Hazrat Umar was probably the greatest muslim king ever,during his ten years of caliphate Islamic arm forces conquered Syria,Palestine,Egypt and Perisa and to the west Islamic armies continued their push in North Africa.
Umar was a man of many distinctions. A study of his life shows that in many respects he had the unique distinction of being the first or foremost. Hereunder an attempt is made to catalogue the matters in which Umar was the foremost.
His superiority over his contemporaries was acknowledged when the Holy Prophet said that if there was to be a prophet after him, it would have been Umar.
He was the first Muslim ruler to be known by the title of Amir-ul-Mo'minin.
The conquests made by him exceeded in extent the conquests made by any other Muslim ruler throughout the course of history.
He was the first Muslim ruler to establish public treasury.
He was the first Muslim ruler to establish courts of justice and appoint judges.
He was the first Muslim ruler to establish the Army Department and assign regular salaries to the men in the armed forces.
He was the first to create army reserves.
He established the land revenue department for the first time.
He was the first ruler under whom the survey and assessment work of lands was undertaken.
He was the first Muslim ruler to take a census.
He was the first Muslim ruler to strike coins.
He was the first Muslim ruler to dig canals.
He was the first Muslim ruler to found cities.
He was the first Muslim ruler to divide the country into provinces and provinces into districts.
He imposed the customs duty for the first time.
He was the first to set up jails.
He was the first to organize the Police Department.
He was the first among the Muslim rulers to establish Military Centers and Military Cantonments at strategic points.
He established cavalry. He set up stables at strategic points. He created the distinction of pedigree and nonpedigree horses.
He established guest-houses in all cities. He established rest-houses on the road from Madina to Mecca for the comfort of travelers.
He provided for the care and bringing up of foundlings.
He laid down that no Arab could be made a slave.
He gave stipends to the poor.
He established schools throughout the country. He allowed liberal salaries to school teachers.
He was the first who instituted the prayers of Tarawih in congregation in the mosque in the month of Ramazan.
He was the first to formulate the principle of Qiyas.
He had the formula "Prayer is better than sleep" inserted in the call for morning prayers.
He was the first to provide light in mosques at nights.
He was the first to provide salaries for Imams and Muezzins.
He was the first to organize sermons in mosques.
He was the first to punish for writing satires and lampoons.
He was the first to prohibit the mention of women's names in lyric poems, an ancient custom in Arabia.
He was the first to inflict eighty stripes for indulgence in wine.
He was the first to prohibit 'Muta'ah'-marriage for a limited term.
He was the first to forbid the sale of female slaves, who had borne children to their masters.
He was the first who assembled the people to prayers over the dead with four Takbirs.
He was the first to enlarge and pave the Prophet's mosque at Madina.
He was the first to expel non-Muslims from Arabia. The Jews from Hijaz were transferred to Syria, and the Christians from Nijran were transferred to Kufah.
He was the first to place the law of inheritance on a sound basis.
He was the first to establish trusts.
[url]http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Articles/companion/00_umar_bin_al_kha...
Salam
Would you say that, if found to be true, some of the things in your list would constitute something new in Islamic Law ?
For example, why would the Caliph decide to add a new sentence to the morning call to prayer and thereby contradict the method established by the Holy Prophet ?
I think this might turn out to be a false allegation on Umar.
Omrow
There no doubt that whatever Hazrat Umar (ra) done was for the best of the Ummah, after all he had the greatest teacher and if the prophet
himself said the following, who are we too doubt any of the decision of Hazrat Umar (ra)
[i]I see that devil either from humans or jinn, runs away from Umar. (Tirimzi)
I saw in a dream that I was given a bowl of milk which I drunk and remaining I gave it to Umar. (Tirimzi)
No doubt, ALLAH has issue truth, on the tongue and in the heart of Umar. (Tirimzi)
I saw a dream that I am in the Heaven, there I saw Rameesa (my quilt aunt) and I heard someone's footstep, I asked: who is this?. I was answered: it is Bilal and I saw a palace with a handmaid standing in front of it, I asked: whose palace is this?. She said: Umar bin Khattab's. I wished to see it from inside but, Oh Umar!, I divided my attention from your shame. Hazrat Umar (r.a) said: My father and mother be sacrificed upon You, should I ponder from Your saying?. (Bukhari)
If some else Prophet should have been proposed by ALLAH after me, would have been Umar bin Khattab. (Tirimzi)[/i]
When I find out more about Hazrat Umar life, I can’t but fall more in love with his Character. 3 stories stick out for me.
[i]Companions of the Prophet, pbuh, migrated to Madinah secretly, while Umar - when he was migrating - armed himself with his sword, went to the Ka'bah, made a Tawaaf, prayed behind Maqaam Ibraheem, and then announced to the Quraysh chiefs that he was migrating. He told them,
‘Whoever wants to make his mother bereaved, his children orphans and his wife a widow should follow me after this valley.’ [/i]
Nobody followed him. Another story of when Hazrat Umar found out about how the Quraysh was mistreating the weaker muslims, how Hazrat Umar (ra) went and knock on the door of Abu Lahab to pronounce hi faith, just so he could be treated in the same manner as the other companions, obviously they didn’t dare to do that. Also of the case where Hazrat Umar heard of the death of a muslim of starvation in a faraway land and how he made all the people living around pay blood money to the death person family. I can go on about Hazrat Umar (ra) all day long, but I won’t want to bore anyone. Too me this Hazrat Umar (ra) is what a true servant of Allah swt is, not someone who sit back and find fault in everything, which I am personally guilty of. May the life of Hazrat Umar (ra) inspire us, like all the life of the companions and let us aim to be like them, so Allah swt will advance our cause and make us worthy of the taqwa they process.
"A true Muslim is thankful to Allah in prosperity, and resigned to His will in adversity."
[url=http//www.guidancemedia.com/videostream.php?id=Burda.mov]Quran[/url]
Walaikum Assalam
I am quite sure that its not so and each and every word of this list is true.
Holy Prophet Muhammad SAW,a few days after Namaz was made obligation in Islam,was discussing with his Sahabas that what should be the criteria of calling a muslim to the mosque that is by ringing bells etc.Hazrat Umar presented the concept of Azaan and obviously this decision was adored by Muhammad SAW and sahabas,hence Azaan was introduced.
As far as adding a new sentence to morning prayer is concerned,firstly it was Namaz is the best prayer(i am not quite sure if this was the exact phrase) and muslims became very slack slowly and gradually in offering Fajr prayer in mosques,hence he introduced the verse "Prayer is better than sleep" to make them aware of its importance,here i would also like to mention that Azaan is only a source to call muslims for namaz and nothing else.
HELP! i've fallen and i can't....................HEY nice carpet!
Well in that age there were probably less people running around shouting biddah at everything...
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.