Islamic history is filled with great names, but few shine as brightly in times of darkness as Umar ibn Abdulaziz, may Allah be pleased with him.
He was a man who combined politics, knowledge, simplicity, justice, faith, and hard work. People used to mention him as an example of goodness.
In this article, we will take you on an exciting journey through umar ibn abdulaziz life . He didn’t live long, but he made a big difference.
His birth and childhood
In this part, we talk about His birth and childhood. He was raised by great scholars who taught him religion, politics, and good leadership.
His birth and lineage
His full name is Umar ibn Abdulaziz ibn Marwan ibn Al-Hakam ibn Abi Al-As ibn Umayyah ibn Abd Shams ibn Abd Manaf. His nickname was Abu Hafs, and he belonged to the Umayyad family.
He was born in the year 61 AH (Islamic calendar) in Madinah, at the home of his mother’s family—the family of Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him. His mother was Umm Asim Layla bint Asim ibn Umar ibn Al-Khattab.
His father, Abdulaziz ibn Marwan, was one of the Umayyad rulers. He ruled Egypt for 20 years.
His grandfather was Marwan ibn Al-Hakam, the founder of the second Umayyad state and the writer and trusted assistant of Uthman ibn Affan. His uncle was Abdul Malik ibn Marwan, the fifth Umayyad Caliph and one of the top scholars of Madinah.
His childhood
Umar ibn Abdulaziz was raised in Madinah at his mother’s family.
He frequently visited the esteemed companion Abdullah ibn Umar to learn from him about knowledge, Hadith, and Quranic interpretation.
Ibn Umar noticed Umar’s intelligence and leadership and wrote to Umar’s father asking to keep him in Madinah instead of taking him to Egypt. His father agreed and asked his brother Abdul Malik to take care of him.
From a young age, Umar ibn Abdulaziz showed signs of piety and fear of Allah. One day his mother found him crying and asked him why. He told her, “I thought about death,” and she cried with him.
She knew he would become someone great, so she advised his father to send him to a good teacher. His father sent him to Salih ibn Kaysan, who taught and raised him well.
He stayed in Madinah, sitting with the scholars and learning deeply. He became strong in knowledge and a trusted source for people, This period is considered the most important stage in umar ibn abdulaziz life.
When his father died, his uncle Abdul Malik took care of him. Abdul Malik was a respected scholar and ruler. He taught him about religion, leadership, and politics, and even married his daughter Fatimah to him.
His name was mentioned in Hanafi books as “Umar the Younger” to differentiate him from his grandfather Umar ibn Al-Khattab.
Imam Malik mentioned him more than 20 times in his book Al-Muwatta. Imam Nawawi also talked about him in his books. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: “I don’t know of any follower of the companions whose opinion is proof except Umar ibn Abdulaziz.”
The First Reviver of Islam
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
“Allah will raise for this community at the end of every hundred years the one who will renovate its religion for it”.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَبْعَثُ لِهَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ عَلَى رَأْسِ كُلِّ مِائَةِ سَنَةٍ مَنْ يُجَدِّدُ لَهَا دِينَهَا ””
The first person considered the reviver of Islam after the first 100 years was the Caliph Umar ibn Abdulaziz. He was known for his justice, knowledge, piety, and simple life. Because of what happened during his rule, many scholars called him The First Reviver of Islam.
He started recording the Hadiths because he feared that the sayings of the Prophet would be lost with the death of the followers.
This step is considered one of the most important actions in Umar ibn Abdulaziz life and a turning point in the history of the Islamic nation to this day.
Previously, recording Hadiths was forbidden to prevent confusion among Muslims about what they were reading. However, Umar ibn Abdulaziz ordered scholars to collect them and organize them in written records.
In his Sahih, Imam Al-Bukhari wrote:
“Umar ibn Abdulaziz wrote to Abu Bakr ibn Hazm: Look into the Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ and write it down because I fear that knowledge will disappear and scholars will die. Accept only the Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ.”
The titles given to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz
The titles given to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz include many, The most famous ones include:
- The Fifth Rightly Guided Caliph.
- The Just and Simple Caliph.
- The Reviver of the Second Century.
- The Scarred One of Banu Umayyah.
He received these titles because of his fairness, humility, fear of Allah, and good actions. He was called “the scarred one” because he once fell from his father’s horse and got a scar on his forehead.
strong role in Islam
Umar ibn Abdulaziz played a strong role in supporting and strengthening Islam during different stages of his life.
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Governor of Madinah
He became the governor of Madinah at the age of 25. But he made conditions before accepting this job from Caliph Al-Walid ibn Abdul Malik:
- To treat people with justice and fairness.
- Not to take money from people unfairly for the state.
- Not to send the state’s money to the Caliph until the people of Madinah had what they needed.
The Caliph agreed, and the people of Madinah were very happy. They already knew his good character and his desire for justice.
His work in Madinah included:
- Forming a council of top scholars in Madinah.
- Expanding the Prophet’s Mosque.
- Adding the Prophet’s wives’ rooms to the mosque (except for Aisha’s room).
- Designing the prayer area in a new way and adding minarets – which became a model for future mosques.
- Closing places of drinking and bad behavior.
- Walking in the streets during the day and guarding at night.
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Governor of Hijaz
In the year 91 AH, his rule expanded to cover the whole region of Hijaz. He spread justice and safety, brought peace to people, stayed away from wrongdoing, and even stood up to powerful men like Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf Al-Thaqafi.
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His policy as Caliph
When he became Caliph, umar ibn abdulaziz life changed completely, and he focused on three main goals:
- Following the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
- Applying consultation (shura).
- Spreading justice.
In his first speech, he clearly said he would follow the Prophet’s ﷺ example and the way of the rightly guided caliphs.
The famous scholar Al-Hasan Al-Basri said:
“We never received a letter from Umar ibn Abdulaziz except to revive a Sunnah, stop a bid’ah (wrong practice), or return someone’s rights.”
He widened the consultation circle to include scholars, good people, and wise advisers. He even stopped poets from entering his court.
He used to write to scholars for advice, including Maimun ibn Mihran, Raja ibn Haywah, Riyyah ibn Ubaydah, Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Salim ibn Abdullah, and Tawus ibn Kaysan.
His justice was clear in how he treated his own Umayyad family. He removed the special benefits they used to receive and made them equal to all other citizens. When they complained, he told them:
“By Allah, you and the farthest man in the Muslim land are the same in my eyes.”
The past events in umar ibn abdulaziz life show his strong role in Islam, which is why he was called the ‘Fifth Rightly Guided Caliph.
His death
Umar ibn Abdulaziz died in the year 101 AH, just three days after meeting a group called the Khawarij. He was buried in Dayr Sim’an near Aleppo.
He was sick for 20 days. As for the cause of His death, there are conflicting reports.
Some say he died from tuberculosis, while others claim he was poisoned.
The ones who poisoned him were the Umayyads, fearing that he would distance himself from the caliphate and remove Yazid after meeting with the Kharijites.
The servant who gave him the poison admitted he was offered 1,000 gold coins and freedom. Umar tِook the money and threw it into the public treasury, then told the servant to go away.
When people told him to seek medicine or treatment, he said:
“By Allah, even if my cure was in touching my ear or smelling perfume, I wouldn’t do it.”
When they asked if he wanted to leave anything for his twelve children, since they were poor, he said:
“إِنَّ وَلِـِّۧىَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى نَزَّلَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ ۖ وَهُوَ يَتَوَلَّى ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ”
“Indeed, my Protector is Allah Who has revealed this Book. For He ˹alone˺ protects the righteous.
He added:
“By God, I will not give them the right of anyone. They are between two men: either a righteous one, and God takes care of the righteous, or a corrupt one, and I would not support him in his wickedness.”
Then he called his children, bade them farewell, and gave them his condolences, advising them with these words. He said, “Go, may God protect you, and may He grant you a good succession.”
When he was about to die, he asked to sit up. He said:
“My Lord, I am the one You told to obey, but I failed. You warned me, but I disobeyed – three times. But there is no god but Allah.”
He looked up strongly. They said: “You are staring very deeply.” He replied, “I see people who are not human or jinn.” Then he passed away.
In another version, he asked everyone to leave the room. Maslamah and his sister Fatimah stayed at the door. They heard him saying:
“تِلْكَ ٱلدَّارُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةُ نَجْعَلُهَا لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُرِيدُونَ عُلُوًّۭا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا فَسَادًۭا ۚ وَٱلْعَـٰقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ”
“That ˹eternal˺ Home in the Hereafter We reserve ˹only˺ for those who seek neither tyranny nor corruption on the earth. The ultimate outcome belongs ˹only˺ to the righteous.”
Then his voice stopped. They entered and found him facing the Qiblah, his eyes closed, and he died.
Conclusion
umar ibn abdulaziz life was not just a story or a memory. It was a journey full of actions that changed the history of the Muslim nation and lifted the name of Islam.
In his time, there was no poor or needy person. He even spread grains on mountaintops so birds wouldn’t go hungry and people wouldn’t say that any creature starved during his rule.
To learn more about the lives of the companions and their followers, you can follow Rahiq Academy and join these courses to discover the lessons and wisdom in their lives.
