History of Khulafah Rashideen by Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti - translated by Abdassamad Clarke

He took on the khilafah through the covenant of Abu Bakr in Jumada al-Akhirah in the year 13 AH.

Az-Zuhri said, ‘cUmar was appointed khalifah on the day that Abu Bakr died which was Tuesday eight days before the end of Jumada iil-Akhirah.’ Al-Hakim narrated it. He undertook the command most fully, and there were very many openings in his days.

In the year 14 AH, Damascus was opened [to Islam] partly both by treaty and force, and Homs (ancient Emessa) and Baalbek by treaty, and Basra and Ubullah by force.

‘In that year cUmar united people in one jamacah in salat attarawih (the optional prayers said at night in Ramadan),’ said al- Askari in Al-Awa’il (Firsts).

In the year 15 AH, all of Jordan was opened [to Islam] by force cxcept for Tiberias which was by treaty. In this year there were the battles of Yarmuk and Qadisiyyah.

Ibn Jarir said: In it Sacd founded Kufa, and cUmar instituted regular wages (for the fighting men), registers, and gave allowances according to priority.

In the year 16 AH, Ahwaz and Mada’in were opened, and in the latter Sacd established the Jumucah in the great hall of Khosrau, and this was the first Jumtfah to be held in Iraq. That was in the month of Safar. In it, was the battle of Jalula in which Yezdajird the son of Khosrau was defeated and he retreated back to Rayy. In it, Takrit was opened, cUmar travelled and took al-Bait al-Maqdis (Jerusalem)

and gave his famous khutbah in al-Jabiyyah. Kinnasrin, Aleppo, and Antioch were opened by force, Manbij by treaty, and Saruj by force.

In that year, Qirqisiya’ was opened by treaty. In Rabic al-Awwal, dating was begun from the Hijrah on the advice of cAli.

In the year 17 AH, cUmar increased the size of the Prophet’s Mosque. In it there was drought and famine in the Hijaz and it was called the Year of Destruction, and cUmar prayed for rain for people by means of al-cAbbas.

Ibn Sacd narrated from Niyar al-Aslami that cUmar, when he came out to pray for rain, came out with the cloak of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, upon him.

He narrated that Ibn cAwn said: cUmar took hold of the hand of alcAbbas and raised it up, saying, ‘O Allah, we approach You by means of the uncle of Your Prophet (asking) that You drive away from us the drought, and that You give us to drink from the rain,’ and they didn’t leave before they were given to drink. The sky poured down upon them for days. In that year Ahwaz was taken by treaty.

In the year 18 AH, Jundaysabur was opened [to Islam] by treaty, and Hulwan by force. In it, was the plague of Emaus; Urfa (Edessa)

and Sumaysat were opened by force; Harran, Nasibin and a part of Mesopotamia by force, and it has been said, by treaty; and Mosul and its environs by force.

In the year 19 AH, Cassarea was opened by force.

In the year 20 AH, Egypt was opened by force. It is also said that all of Egypt was opened by treaty except for Alexandria which was opened by force. cAli ibn Rabah said, ‘The whole of the Maghrib (northwestern Africa) was opened by force.’ In that year Tustar was opened, Caesar (Heraclius), the great man of the Byzantines, died.

In it also, cUmar expelled the Jews from Khaybar and Najran, and he apportioned Khaybar and Wadi’l-Qurra’ (between those who had been present there at the original battles of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

In the year 21 AH, Alexandria was opened by force, and Nahawand, after which the Persians could not muster an army, and Barqah and other places.

In the year 22 AH, Azerbaijan was opened by force, and it has been said, by treaty, and Dinawr by force, Masabdhan and Hamadan by force, and Tripoli of North Africa, Rai, cAskar and Qumas.

In the year 23 AH, there were the openings [to Islam] of Kirman, Sijistan, Makran in the mountainous lands, and also Isfahan and its environs.

In the end of this year there was the death of Sayyiduna cUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, after his return from the Hajj; he was killed as a martyr.

Sacid ibn al-Musayyab said: When cUmar returned from Mina (to Makkah), he made his camel kneel down in the watercourse, 1 lien he threw himself down, raised his hands to the sky and said, ‘O Allah! I am advanced in years, my strength has weakened, and my subjects have increased, so take me to You without (my) being wasteful or falling short.’ Dhu’l-Hijjah had not gone before he was killed. Al-Hakim narrated it.

Abu Salih as-Saman said: Kacb al-Ahbar said to cUmar, ‘I find you in the Tawrah killed as a martyr.’ He said, ‘How can I be a martyr when I am in the peninsula of the Arabs?’ Aslam said: cUmar said, ‘O Allah provide me with martyrdom in Your way, and make my death to be in the city of Your Messenger.’ Al-Bukhari narrated it.

Macdan ibn Abi Talhah: cUmar gave a khutbah and said, ‘I saw (in a dream) as if a cock pecked at me once or twice, and I can only believe that it means that my term has come. There are people who tell me to appoint a successor, and Allah will not cause His deen to go to waste nor His khilafah. If the matter is hastened for me, then the khilafah is a matter of consultation between these six whom the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was pleased with when he died.’ Al-Hakim narrated it> Az-Zuhri said: cUmar would not permit a captive who had reached the age of puberty to enter Madinah until al-Mughirah ibn Shucbah wrote to him — and he was the governor of Kufa — mentioning to him a slave who had a number of crafts and asking permission that he enter Madinah, saying, ‘He has many trades which are useful to people. He is a blacksmith, engraver and carpenter.’ He gave permission to him to send him to Madinah. Al-Mughirah put a demand for revenue on him (the slave) of one hundred dirhams per month, so the slave came to cUmar to complain of the severity of that imposition. He [cUmar] said, ‘Your demand for revenue is not that much,’ and he [the slave] turned away in anger and threateningly. cUmar waited some days and then called him and said, ‘Have I not been informed that you say, “If I wished, I could make a mill which will grind by means of the wind.’” Then he turned his face to cUmar with a frown and said, ‘I will make for you a mill which people will talk about.’ When he turned away, cUmar said to his companions, ‘The slave threatened me just now.’ After a while Abu Lu’lu’ah wrapped his garments around a dagger with two heads (to the blade) whose handle was in the middle of it, hid in one of the corners of the mosque in the darkness of the last part of the night, and there he waited until cUmar came out waking people up for the prayer. When he drew near to him, he stabbed him three times. Ibn Sacd narrated it.

cAmr ibn Maymun al-Ansari said: Abu Lu’lu’ah, the slave of al- Mughirah, stabbed cUmar with a dagger which had two heads, and he stabbed, along with him, twelve other men of whom six died, then a man from Iraq threw a robe over him. When he became tangled up in it, he killed himself.

Abu Rafic said: Abu Lu’lu’ah, the slave of al-Mughirah, used to make mills. Al-Mughirah used to demand as revenue from him four dirhams a day. He met cUmar and said, "Amir al-Muminin, al-Mughirah is being very heavy on me, so speak to him.’ He said, ‘Behave well towards your master,’ — and cUmar’s intention was to speak to al-Mughirah about it - so he (the slave) became angry and said, ‘His justice encompasses all of the people except for me,’ and he secretly decided to kill him. He took a dagger, sharpened it and poisoned it. cUmar used to say, ‘Straighten your ranks,’ before he pronounced the takbir. He came and stood opposite him in the rank, stabbed him in his shoulder and side, and cUmar fell. Then he stabbed thirteen other men with him, of whom six died. cUmar was carried to his family. The sun was about to rise so cAbd ar-Rahman ibn cAwf led the people in prayer with the two shortest surahs. cUmar was brought some nabidh (a drink made from dates left to soak in water) and he drank it and it came out of his wound, but it wasn’t yet distinct (from the blood). So they gave him some milk to drink, >iikI it came out of his wound and they said, ‘There’s no great harm wii li you.’ He said, ‘If there is any harm in killing, then I have been killed.’ People began to praise him, saying, ‘You were such and such Unci you were such and such.’ He said, ‘By Allah, I wish that I had gone out of it, independent of others, with nothing against me and nothing for me, and that the companionship of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, was secure for me.’ Ibn cAbbas praised him, so he said, ‘Even if I had that gold which would fill the earth, I would ransom myself by it from the terror of the rising. I have made it (the khilafah) a matter of consultation between cUthman, cAli, Talhah, az-Zubayr, Abd ar-Rahman ibn cAwf and Sacd.’ He ordered Suhayb to lead people in prayer, and gave the six a period of three (days in which to decide). Al-Hakim narrated it.

Ibn cAbbas said: Abu Lu’lu’ah was a Magian.

‘Amr ibn Maymun said: cUmar said, ‘Praise be to Allah Who <1 id not make my decree of death to be at the hands of a man who claimed Islam.’ Then he said to his son, ‘cAbdullah, look and see what debts I have.’ They calculated it and found it to be eighty-six thousand or thereabouts. He said, ‘If the wealth of the family of 1 Umar is enough, then pay it. If it is not, then ask among Bani ‘Adi, and if their wealth is not enough, then ask among Quraysh.

Go to the Mother of the Believers, CA’ ishah, and say, “cUmar asks permission to be buried with his two companions.’” He went to her and she said, ‘I wanted it’ - meaning the burial plot - ‘for myself, but I will definitely prefer him over myself, today.’ cAbdullah came and said, ‘She has given permission,’ so he praised Allah. Someone said to him, ‘Make bequest, Amir al-Muminin, and appoint a successor.’ He said, ‘I see no-one with more right to this command than these six with whom the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was pleased when he died,’ and he named the six, and said, ‘cAbdullah ibn cUmar will be present with them but he has no part in the command. If the office should fall to Sacd, then he it is, and if not, then let whoever of you is appointed seek help from him, fori I did not remove him (from his office as amir of Kufa) because of] any incapacity or treachery.’ Then he said, ‘I counsel the khalifah after me to have fearful obedience of Allah; I counsel him to pay particular care to the Muhajirun and the Ansar, and I counsel him' to treat the people of the provinces well,’ and other similar counsels.

When he died, we went walking with him, cAbdullah ibn cUmar called out the greeting and said, ‘cUmar seeks permission to enter.’ cA’ishah said, ‘Bring him in.’ He was brought in and placed there with his two companions.

When they finished burying him and had returned, that group gathered and cAbd ar-Rahman ibn cAwf said, ‘Delegate your authority to three among you.’ Az-Zubayr said, ‘I delegate my authority to cAli.’ Sacd said, ‘I delegate my authority to cAbd ar- Rahman.’ Talhah said, ‘I delegate my authority to cUthman.’ He continued: so there remained these three. cAbd ar-Rahman said, ‘I don’t want it. Which of you two will be quit of this matter and we will entrust it to him (the remaining one)? And Allah is his witness and Islam, let him consider in himself who is the best of them and let him be eager for the benefit of the ummah.’ The two Shaykhs, °Ali and cUthman were silent. cAbd ar-Rahman said, ‘Delegate me and, Allah is my witness, I will not fail you in choosing the best of you.’ They said, ‘Yes.’ Then he went apart with cAli and said, ‘You have that precedence in Islam and kinship with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which you know. Allah is your witness; if I give you authority, will you be just, and if I give authority (to cUthman) over you, will you hear and obey?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ Then he went apart with the other and said to him the same thing. When he had their agreement, he pledged allegiance to cUthman and cAli pledged allegiance to him.

There is in the Musnad of Ahmad that cUmar said: If my term overtakes me, and Abu cUbaydah al-Jarrah is still alive, then I would appoint him as khalifah. If my Lord asked me, I would say, ‘I heard I lie Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, "I1,very Prophet has a trustworthy (companion), and my trustworthy (companion) is Abu cUbaydah ibn al-Jarrah.’” If my term overtakes me, and Abu cUbaydah al-Jarrah has died, I would appoint Mucadh Ibn Jabal as khalifah. If my Lord asked me, ‘Why did you appoint him as khalifah? I would say, ‘I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, “He will be raised up on the Day of Resurrection a distance in front of the men of knowledge.’” They had both died during his khilafah.

Also in the Musnad there is from Abu Rafic that someone spoke to cUmar at his death about the appointment of a khalifah, so he said, ‘I have seen among my companions an unfortunate eagerness.

If one of two men had reached me, and then I had entrusted this command to him, I would have been sure of him: Salim the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah and Abu cUbaydah ibn al-Jarrah.’ TJmar was struck on the Wednesday, four days before the end of Dhu’l-Hijjah, and he was buried on Sunday, the day of the new moon of al-Muharram, the Sacred (month). He was sixty-three years old. It has also been said that he was sixty-six, sixty-one, sixty (which al-Waqidi considered the weightiest). It has been said that he was fifty-nine, fifty-five and fifty-four. Suhayb performed the (funeral) prayer over him in the mosque.

In the Tahdhib of al-Mazini, there is that the engraving on the sealring of cUmar was, ‘Death is enough of an admonisher, cUmar.’ At-Tabarani narrated that Tariq ibn Shihab said: Umm Ayman said, on the day cUmar was killed, ‘Today Islam has been rent.’ cAbd ar-Rahman ibn Yasar narrated. He said, ‘I witnessed the death of cUmar ibn al-Khattab and the sun was eclipsed on that day.’ The men who transmitted (this hadith) were trustworthy.