1

O LEVELS ISLAMIYAT: 2058 FLEX AUTHORED BY: SHEES KHAN

PAPER 2: SECTION 7.2: CALIPHATE OF UMAR

7.2: CALIPHATE OF UMAR

LIST OF CONTENT
S.NO. EXAMINABLE TOPICS
1. Election of Umar as Caliph
[Go through Section 7.5]

2. Expansion of the Islamic Empire

 Roman Expansion [DEMAYJE]
 Persian Expansion [NBBCJQN]

3. Administration of Umar as Caliph

4. Death/Martyrdom of the Caliph

[Go through Section 7.5]
 2
O LEVELS ISLAMIYAT: 2058 FLEX AUTHORED BY: SHEES KHAN
PAPER 2: SECTION 7.2: CALIPHATE OF UMAR

EXPANSION OF THE ISLAMIC EMPIRE

ROMAN EXPANSION
SIEGE OF DAMASCUS – 14TH A.H
Abu Bakr ordered the siege of Damascus when he was caliph. Khalid led his forces but returned when he got
news of the caliph’s death. Umar was elected as the 2nd caliph & he sent Khalid & Abu Ubaidah to conquer
Damascus. In 14th A.H, Khalid besieged Damascus. It was a well-guarded city led by THOMAS, HERACLIUS’S
SON IN LAW. Khalid’s army surrounded the city & climbed the walls at night, managed to open the gates of
the city & the Muslim army flooded in.

The city was captured by the Muslims & Thomas surrendered to Abu Ubaidah. The surviving Romans were
given safe passage out of the city. After this, Umar dismissed Khalid as leader of the Muslim armies & made
Abu Ubaidah the leader. Since, everyone gave Khalid the credit for all Muslims victories. Umar stated, “It is
not Khalid, but Khalid’s Rabb (Allah) that grants us victory.”

BATTLE OF MUD/FAHL – 14TH A.H

After Damascus, the Muslim army encamped near river Jordan. Heraclius sent an army of 50000+ men to the
west of the river. Abu Ubaidah sent Muadh ibn Jabal to offer terms. Muadh offered 3 options which were
rejected by the Romans. The Muslims launched the attack first but due to heavy rainfall they got stuck in the
mud & stopped. This gave it the name of Battle of the Mud. The Romans attacked Muslim encampments but
they were defeated at Fahl. The river of Jordan was now under Muslim control.

BATTLE OF EMESSA – 14TH A.H

After Fahl, Abu Ubaidah besieged Emessa. The leader of the city, Harbees signed a treaty with Abu Ubaidah
but it was violated. Heraclius sent an army to reinforce Emessa. The battle was fought in the extreme Syrian
winter so Abu Ubaidah ordered Khalid to lead the siege. Khalid made a plan to fake a retreat, the Muslims
starting packing their belonging to give the impression of a retreat. Harbees noticed this & left the city with
his army to attack. The Muslim army surrounded the Romans. Harbees was killed & the city was captured.

BATTLE OF YARMUK – 15TH A.H

[Go through Page No. 5]

CONQUEST OF JERUSALEM – 16TH A.H

After Yarmuk, the caliph ordered the siege of Jerusalem. The city held religious importance for the Muslims
so Umar sent 4 commanders to capture the city. Abu Ubaidah, Khalid, Amr ibn Al-Aas & Shurahbeel ibn
Hasana surrounded the city with their armies. The Patriarch (religious leader) of Jerusalem Sophronious
agreed to surrender the city if the caliph himself would personally accept it.

Abu Ubaidah wrote letters to Madinah & after consultation with the Shura, Umar departed for Jerusalem. The
caliph was accompanied by his slave & they had one camel for the journey. They took turns riding it. It was
the slave’s turn when they reached Jerusalem. Sophronious noticed this & handed keys of city gates to the
caliph. Accepting him as their conqueror. They made a peace pact known as the “Umariya treaty.” It allowed
religious freedom to all the citizens of Jerusalem.

INVASION OF EGYPT/BABYLON – 19TH A.H

Amr ibn Al-Aas had convinced Umar to invade Northern Egypt. In 19th A.H, Amr was allowed to march into
Egypt with 5000+ men. At the banks of Fustat was a Roman fort that was besieged by the Muslims. However,
 3
O LEVELS ISLAMIYAT: 2058 FLEX AUTHORED BY: SHEES KHAN
PAPER 2: SECTION 7.2: CALIPHATE OF UMAR

the Muslims were unable to capture it. The caliph sent 4 more commanders with more armies. They were,
Zubair, Miqdad, Ubaidah ibn Samit & Kharijah ibn Hudaifah.

On the caliph’s orders, Zubair was now the leader of the battle. They plotted fake negotiations between
Theodorus of Egypt & Amr. This gave Zubair the chance to breach the walls of the city & open its gates for
the Muslim army to enter. In their panic the Roman army abandoned & retreated back to Alexandria. Egypt
was now under Muslim rule.

CONQUEST OF ALEXANDRIA – 20TH A.H

Amr began moving towards the last 2 remaining cities in Africa that were under Roman control. First was
Alexandria, named after Alexander, the great. The Muslim army was 12000+ men but the Romans guarding
the city were 50,000-60,000+, every time the Muslims attacked they were beaten back with arrows. The
siege lasted some months & Umar wrote letters to Amr ordering him to pick up the pace. During this,
Heraclius died. The news of his death reached Alexandria & the city was in civil unrest.

This gave Amr the perfect chance to breach Alexandria, as many Romans rebelled or abandoned the city.
Alexandria was captured. All of Egypt & Northern Africa was now under Muslim rule.

PERSIAN EXPANSION
BATTLE OF NAMAR’RAQ – 14th A.H
During Abu Bakr’s caliphate, the Muslims conquered Hir’ra. The Persian king Yazdegard sent an army to
reclaim his lost lands. Caliph Umar had sent Khalid to deal with the Romans which left Muthan’na in charge
of the Persian conquest. The Persian army, led by Jaban, faced the Muslim army, which they lost. This was
Umar’s 1st victory against the Persians.

BATTLE OF BRIDGE – 15TH A.H

After Namar’raq, another Persian army of 10,000+ men was sent, led by Bahman. They encamped on the
Eastern bank of Euphrates. The Muslim army was 9000+ men, encamped on the western bank. The Persian
commander invited the Muslims to cross the bridge for the battle. Abu Ubaidah had recently replaced Khalid
as the leader of the Muslim army, against Khalid’s advice, Abu Ubaidah had the Muslim army cross the bridge.

The Persians attacked the Muslims crossing the bridge. The Muslims suffered heavy losses. Around 6000+
men were martyred, out of which 3000 drowned in the river. This was the 1st Muslim defeat in Umar’s era.

BATTLE OF BUWAIB
After the loss at Bridge, Umar declared Jihad in Arabia. The Arabs sent weaponry & their youngsters to fight.
This time the Persian army crossed the bridge & was led by Mehran. The Muslim army was led by Muthan’na
& Khalid. They fought in the region of Buwaib. Mehran was killed in battle which demoralized the Persian
army. Most of their army was killed while the rest drowned in the river.

BATTLE OF QADISSIYA
[Go through Page No. 5]

CONQUEST OF CTESIPHON / AL-MADAIN

After Qadissiya, Saad took his army forward to the city of Ctesiphon known as the Al-Madain (The city of
cities). Saad divided his army of 15,000+ men into 4 groups & surrounded the city. When Yazdegard got
news of Saad’s arrival he abandoned the city taking most of the treasures with him. Still, the Muslims gained
massive riches in spoils. The people of Ctesiphon surrendered & agreed to pay Jizya.
 4
O LEVELS ISLAMIYAT: 2058 FLEX AUTHORED BY: SHEES KHAN
PAPER 2: SECTION 7.2: CALIPHATE OF UMAR

BATTLE OF JALULA
After Ctesiphon, Saad sent an army of 12,000+ men under Qaqa ibn Amr. Qaqa was sent to capture Jalula.
Yazdegard sent armies to defend the region of Jalula. The siege continued for almost 3 months when the
Persians gave up & abandoned the city. Qaqa wrote letters to Umar, asking permission to invade Persia. But
the Muslims were ordered by the caliph to not invade further so that he may consolidate the Islamic
empire.

BATTLE OF NAHAVAND
After suffering so many defeats, there was a pause of battles/wars between the Muslims & Persians.
Yazdegard was gathering armies. He even hired men from all over Asia to fight for him. The Persian armies
gathered at Nahavand. The Persian army was 60,000+ men. The governor of Kufa, Ammar ibn Yasir
informed the caliph about this.

Umar consulted the Shura & Uthman advised him to attack the Persian with all the Muslim armies. But Ali
disagreed as this may enable the Romans to rebel as well. He advised only the armies of Kufa & Basra should
attack. The caliph agreed with Ali. An army of 30,000+ men was sent under the leaderships of Qaqa ibn Amr,
Hudaifah ibn Yaman & Numan ibn Muqrin.

The Persians were led by Bahman. They dug trenches to defend the city. The Muslim army was unable to
breach their defenses. Many attacks failed. Finally, Tulayha (false prophet) suggested faking a retreat like
Khalid ibn Walid would. The Muslims spread rumors about the caliph’s death. They slowed down war
activities & started retreating. Noticing this, Bahman ordered his men to advance & attack.

The Persian crossed their trenches to attack. As soon as they did, the Muslim army faced them in battle. This
battle resulted in many losses on both sides but the Muslims emerged victorious. The citizens of Nahavand
surrendered. This victory was called “Fatah ul-Futuh.” The victory of victories.
 5
O LEVELS ISLAMIYAT: 2058 FLEX AUTHORED BY: SHEES KHAN
PAPER 2: SECTION 7.2: CALIPHATE OF UMAR

BATTLE OF YARMUK
In 15th A.H, after the fall of Damascus & suffering consecutive defeats from the Muslims, Heraclius was
frustrated & angry with his generals. He sent a massive army to Syria near the banks of Yarmuk to deal with
the rising Muslim threat.

The Roman army consisted of 200,000-240,000 men. Most of the were infantry with heavy armor. Even
their horses wore metal clothing for protection. They were led by Vahan. Their army reached Golan heights.

The Muslim army was lesser in number. They consisted of 20,000-24,000 men. Most of them were cavalry
with very light armour. They were led by Abu Ubaidah & Khalid ibn Walid. They Muslim army also reached
Golan heights & the 2 armies faced off.

The leaders met before the battle. Abu Ubaidah sent Khalid to offer terms to the Romans. Khalid often 3
terms, Accept Islam, make a peace treaty or fight. The Romans chose to fight. Both armies engaged in minor
conflicts. They fought minor battle to capture nearby lands. These conflicts lasted for weeks which resulted
in major battle. The battle was fought in 15th A.H.

When the major battle began, the Romans had the upper hand. Their army was superior in number &
weaponry. The Muslims were defensive. They pretend to draw back & flee which made the Roman army
overcommit.

Allah sent help by causing a massive sandstorm. This storm completely shifted the battle in Muslim favor.
The Roman were unable to fight in the dust but the Muslims were used to such conditions. Also, there were
rumors of some Romans embracing Islam. This demoralized the Roman army. Now, the Muslims had the
upper hand.

Khalid took his cavalry & attacked the Roman camps. He killed their leader Vahan. The roman army
panicked & thousands of their men were killed. Some fled the battle, only one-third of their army survived.
The victory at Yarmuk brought the whole of Syria under Muslim rule. Heraclius had to move his capital to
Constantinople. The Roman empire could not rise against the Muslims after this battle.

BATTLE OF QADISSIYA
In 17th A.H, when the Muslims invaded Persia. They captured many cities. The Persian king, Yazdegard, sent
his armies towards Qadissiya to deal with the invading Muslims & regain his lost cities.

He sent an army of 60,000+ men. They had heavy weaponry & War elephants along with them. They were
led by Rustam, the Persian chief of army staff. Their armies reached Qadissiya before the Muslims. Umar
prepared to fight & lead this battle himself. But Ali, who was the chief advisor to the caliph, advised him to
stay & send a senior companion to lead this battle instead.

Umar sent 30,000+ men under the leadership of Saad ibn Abi Waqas. Khalid & Abu Ubaidah couldn’t lead
since they were busy dealing with the Romans. The Muslim army reached the banks of river Euphrates. The
leaders of both armies met before the battle & Saad offered them terms. Accept Islam, make a peace pact or
go to war. The Persians chose war.

Both the armies engaged in minor conflicts to capture nearby lands. These conflicts lasted for few months.
In 17 A.H, major battle began. The battle lasted 3 days. At the start of the battle the Muslims had the upper
hand. But Saad fell extremely ill. He was on bedrest & had to lead the battle from his camp.
 6
O LEVELS ISLAMIYAT: 2058 FLEX AUTHORED BY: SHEES KHAN
PAPER 2: SECTION 7.2: CALIPHATE OF UMAR

Without their leader on the front lines, the Muslim army became demoralized. The Persians took advantage of
this & gained the upper hand in battle. Umar sent 3000+ cavalry under the leadership of Qaqa ibn Amr to
support Saad. Qaqa got news of the Muslims losing the battle.

He decided to send his men 100 after 100. This gave the Persian army the impression that Muslims are being
supported by countless men. This strategy greatly demoralized the Persians. The Muslims killed Rustam in
this battle & killed more than 60% of the Persian army.

20% of Muslims gained martyrdom. This was a decisive victory for the Muslims. The Persian empire could
never rise against the Muslims. Later, the Muslims captured the city of Ctesiphon & the whole of Iraq was
now under Islamic rule.

ADMINISTRATION & SIGNIFICANCE OF UMAR

AS CALIPH
RIGHTLY GUIDED. Abu Bakr fell extremely ill & there were talks of appointing a new caliph. Abu Bakr
consulted with all his senior companions except Umar. He nominated Umar & all the companions agreed. At
first, Umar refused the caliphate & swore that he doesn’t seek this position or authority. The companions
established Ijma/consensus on Umar’s caliphate. This was a sign of him being Rightly Guided.

ISLAMIC DEMOCRACY. He established Islamic Democracy during his rule. He governed the Muslim nation
with Islamic Laws, not Man-made laws. He prioritized the use of Quran & Sunnah. After this, he encouraged
the use of Ijma & consensus of the Muslim nation.

MAJLIS-E-SHURA. The concept of Majlis-E-Shura established by Abu Bakr was systematically enhanced by
Umar. He divided it into 2 groups. The special council & the general council. The special council consisted
of the most of senior companions of the Prophet (S). They were part of the caliph’s own personal cabinet of
ministers.

The general council consisted of youngsters. Each council had its separate responsibilities. The seniors were
responsible for managing the vast Islamic Empire. The youngsters were responsible for smooth running &
day to day affairs. This is very similar to the modern-day political system of the Senate & Parliament.

SIMPLE LIFE & HUMILITY. Umar led a simple life to follow the footsteps of the Prophet (S) & Abu Bakr. For
him, becoming caliph was a duty towards Allah & Islam. Hence, he allowed the common people to approach
him easily. Also, he refused to accept the protocol & personal guards.
He refused all luxuries of being the leader, even though they were available to him. Specially, since the
Muslims started gaining massive spoils of war. His companions would advise him to avail these riches to
improve his living standard but Umar refused each time.
He remained extremely humble throughout his time as caliph. When he was elected, he had to climb the
pulpit & address the gathering in Madinah. But he stood on the lowest step of the pulpit as he considered
himself unworthy of standing where the Prophet (S) stood (highest step).
He wanted to be called “Ameer ul Momineen” (Leader of the believers) instead of being the Caliph of Islam.
He felt he didn’t deserve to be called caliph.
Once, some delegates visited Madinah to meet with the Caliph. They were directed towards Masjid An-Nabwi.
Umar was napping in the courtyard of the Masjid. The delegates were shocked to see the leader of the vast
Islamic empire in such a humble state & simple clothing.
 7
O LEVELS ISLAMIYAT: 2058 FLEX AUTHORED BY: SHEES KHAN
PAPER 2: SECTION 7.2: CALIPHATE OF UMAR

BAIT-UL-MAAL. Umar was responsible for officially creating the Bait-ul-Maal. Proper buildings were
allotted for the national treasury. During his time the Muslims gained income through, Tax, Zakat, Jizya,
Maal-E-Fay & Maal-E-Ghanimah. These sources of incomes were systematically distributed throughout the
Muslim nation.
He started pension schemes for retired & elderly Muslims. During his time many wars were fought which
resulted in injuries or death. For this purpose, allowances were given to the families of those fallen in Jihad or
were handicapped. Allowances were also given to the poor & needy of the community.
Since the financial conditions of the Islamic empire were greatly increasing, Umar invested much of this
wealth in improving the infrastructure of the empire. Roads were constructed for frequently used routes.
Housing schemes were built for the increasing population. Also, Masjid An-Nabwi was also expanded to
accommodate more followers of Islam.
TAX-FREE TRADING. During the time of Umar, the Islamic empire expanded. This resulted in more borders
between the empire. He introduced Tax-free trading for Muslims. This resulted in most of the population
becoming traders. Since they had to pay no tax for crossing borders. This greatly improved economy.
INDEPENDENT LEGAL SYSTEM. Umar was a strong advocate of justice. He created a separate legal system
during his caliphate. The governors reported to the caliph but the judges reported to the chief justice of the
Muslim empire, Ali ibn Abi Talib. This was done to remove any influence of the governors on legal matters.
The judges could take decisions without any pressure or fear. The justice system was rid of corruption.
Umar would often meet the common people during the gatherings of Hajj. He would ask about the
performance of his governors. If people complained about the governors, they would be called upon to
answer. These governors would immediately be dismissed from their positions if they abused their authority.
CITY GOVERNANCE. Each city under Muslim rule was appointed a Mayor called Amil. The Amil was
appointed after the Ijma of the general council. A young believer capable of administration of the city & its
people was made the Amil.
PROVINCIAL GOVERNANCE. The Islamic Empire had several provinces & huge borders. Each province was
appointed a governor called Wali. The Wali was selected from the companions of the Prophet (S) after Ijma
of the special council.
ROTATIONAL GOVERNANCE. To make sure no corruption ever took place Umar introduced the concept of
rotating administrators. No Wali or Amil was allowed to stay in office for more than 2 years. This made
sure that they couldn’t develop their influence over the people or regions they governed.
ISLAMIC CALENDAR. Since the empire had expanded, some governors raised the issue of undated letters
creating mismanagement. Umar discussed this with the special council & refused to follow the Roman
calendar. On Ali’s suggestion, a new calendar was made starting from the migration of the Prophet (S).
Hence known as the “After Hijri [A.H]” calendar. This calendar is still followed by Muslims today.