Umar Ibn Abd Al-Aziz

Most great leaders in history are remembered for the wars they fought in or the land and people whom they conquered. Only a few leaders who are known for the justice they implemented while they were in power and the reason for this is that most leaders do not rule with a clear just rule. Umar Ibn Abd Al-Aziz is known for his just rule because he came at a time when the people in charge lived in luxury and wore the finest clothes and had spectacular homes. Imagine a ruler who lived near palaces like the ones Saddam Hussein built yet he would not be recognized by his people due to the fact that his clothes were so worn out and that he walked among his own people.

When he was chosen as the leader of the Muslims, Umar is known to have said to the people that “If you find me at fault in word or action, guide me and stop me from doing it.”

Can we imagine a leader in the Middle East saying such a thing to his people? Can we visualize Husni Mubarak getting on the podium and telling his 70 million plus Muslim population that if he does not follow Allah then they should guide him? Not only will he not say such a thing, but you are in danger of being arrested in Egypt if the government does not like what you say. We are more than a thousand years away from the time that Umar ruled and while was the leader of the Muslims for only 3 years and never conquered any new land as his predecessors did, his remarkable achievements in reforming the Muslim state and his example of moderation, justice, and disregard for worldly pleasures make him a Muslim hero that will be remembered forever.

Umar’s great grandfather, the 2^nd Caliph Umar Ibn Al-Khatab, is known by Muslims to be a towering figure that struck fear into the enemies of Islam and even occasionally scared his own people. There is a story of a woman who was pregnant and was walking along a street when Umar Ibn Al-Khatab said something rather loud. His voice frightened the woman so much that she aborted her baby on the spot. The Umar who we are talking about, in comparison to his great grandfather, is like a more milder version who had a soft heart like our Abu Bakr Al-Sadiq and would cry whenever he was reminded about the punishment of Allah.

Umar II was known for was his genuine fear of Allah. It is said that he would spend every night reading the Quran and would break out crying so much that his wife had to attend to him in fear that he would pass out. On one occasion, a poor man came up to Umar II and said “I came to you out of poverty and I have nothing left. Allah will question you about me on the Day of Judgment.” Umar II could not believe what he had just heard and asked the man to repeat himself. After hearing what the man said a second time, he broke down crying until the floor he was standing on was soaking wet. He gave the man more than enough money than he needed including 100 dinars out of his own pocket.

We can only read about a man who embodied the justness and god-fearing personality that Allah commands us to be in the Quran. There is a hadith in Sahih Muslim that says that there are seven categories of people whom God will shelter under His shade on the Day when there will be no shade except God’s. One of these categories is the just leader. There is no doubt that Umar Ibn Abd Al-Aziz will have the largest shade on the Day of Judgment and will be in the company of the blessed Prophet Muhammad of whom he emulated by his actions and deeds. We can only hope that among us will soon be another Umar who will truly fear God and be fair to his people so that justice can roam the Earth and Muslims can deal with their problems in the right way.