The Second Caliph, Umar (634-644 A.C.)

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THE SECOND CALIPH, UMAR (634-644 A.C.) Introduction 'Umar ibn al-Khattab1 (c. 586-644 CE) was an early convert to after visiting his sister and her husband who had also converted, an important adviser to Muhammad and Abu Bakr (c. 573-634 CE) was a close friend, supporter, and adviser of Muhammad. He succeeded the Prophet as leader of the Islamic community after Muhammad's death in 632 CE. Also he known as Umar al Faruq (the one who knows the difference between right and wrong) , and born into high-ranking clan of the ruling Quraish tribe in Makkah. He was against Islam in the beginning and threatened to kill Muhammad in order to preserve the unity of the Quraish. Umar had particularly close ties to Muhammad as his daughter Hafsa was married to the Prophet. As the second "rightly-guided" caliph, 'Umar oversaw extraordinary military conquests which extended the influence and territory of Islam. 'Umar's success rested not only on his military skill and judgment or his choice of generals, but also on his ability to administer a large army with relatively few resources. He established an elite class within the military that ruled conquered lands and received a portion of the wealth of conquered peoples. These kept the army motivated and satisfied with little direct pay or supplies, so long as expansion continued. Legacy Primarily through military expeditions, Muslim armies conquered much of the Persian and Byzantine Empires under 'Umar's reign. With such rapid expansion, 'Umar had the difficult task of creating uniform policy throughout the empire. Now known for his political and administrative abilities, 'Umar was able to successfully bring newly conquered people into the Islamic community and preserve unity. Part of his success rests on his willingness to allow conquered people to retain many of their religious customs so long as they still pledged political
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