Al-cAskari said: He was the first to be called ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, the first to date events from the Hijrah, the first to take a bait al-mal (see the chapter on Abu Bakr), the first to establish as a sunnah the standing (for prayer) in the month of Ramadan, the first who patrolled at night, the first who punished satire, the first who punished wine-drinking with eighty (lashes), the first who declared al-mufah (temporary marriage) haram (rather the Prophet,' may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade it on the Day of Khaybar — see the Muwatta’ of Imam Malik), the first to forbid the sale of female slaves who had borne children to their masters, the first to assemble for prayers over the dead with four takbirs, the first to have a register, the first to make conquests, the first to survey the Sawad (the cultivated land of Iraq), the first to convey food from Egypt upon the Aylah Sea (Gulf of cAqabah) to Madinah, the first who dedicated sadaqah (purely for the sake of Allah) in Islam, and the first who adjusted the division of inheritances (in cases where the calculated portions add up to more than the total inheritance), the first to take the zakat of horses, the first to say, ‘May Allah lengthen your life,’ (he said it to cAli) and the first to say, ‘May Allah help you,’ (he said it to cAli). This is the end of what al-cAskari mentioned.

An-Nawawi said in his Tahdhib that he was the first to adopt the whip. Ibn Sacd mentions it in the Tabaqat, and he said: It used to be said, after him, ‘The whip of cUmar is more terrible than your sword.’ He (an-Nawawi) continued: He was the first to appoint qadis in the provinces, the first who established the provinces of (the cities of) Kufa, Basra, and of Mesopotamia, Syria, Cairo (Egypt), and Mosul.

Ibn cAsakir narrated that Ismacil ibn Ziyad said: cAli ibn Abi Talib passed by the mosques in Ramadan and in them there were lamps, so he said, ‘May Allah illuminate cUmar in his grave, as he has illuminated our mosques for us.’ Section: Ibn Sacd said: cUmar appointed a meal (flour) house and put flour in it, parched barley meal, dates, raisins and necessities, in order to help the traveller whose journey was interrupted (through lim! or other causes), and he established between Makkah and Madinah on the road that which would be useful to travellers whose journeys were interrupted. He demolished the Mosque of the I’rophet, added to it, expanded it and floored it with pebbles. He was I he one who evicted the Jews from the Hijaz (and sent them) to Syria, ami evicted the people of Najran (and sent them) to Kufa. He was the one who moved the Station of Ibrahim back (from the Kacbah)

to where it is today, and it used to be adjoining the House.