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- Era
- The Contemporary Era
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In time
History-writing and social thoughtPolitics, governance and authority
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Summary
Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab: Shakhsiyyatuhu wa-'Asruhu is a study by Dr Ali Muhammad Muhammad al-Sallabi of the life of Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second volume of his series History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. 1 Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya in Cairo published it in a first printing in 1423/2002. 2
What the book covers
The author says he followed Umar's life from birth to martyrdom: his lineage, family and life before Islam, his conversion and emigration, the role of the Qur'an and of the Prophet ﷺ's company in forming his character, and his conduct in the campaigns and in Medinan society. 3 He discusses the building of mosques in the conquered provinces as centres of preaching and teaching, states that the mosques holding Friday prayer in Umar's state reached twelve thousand, and says the institutions of learning followed behind the conquering army. 4 He gives a section to Umar's interest in poetry and its criticism, citing the saying that hardly any matter came before him without his quoting a verse on it. 4
He dwells on the Year of Ramada and Umar's measures in it, such as suspending the penalty for theft and deferring that year's zakat, and on the year of the plague, in which he says more than twenty thousand Muslims died; Umar then went to Syria, distributed the stipends, closed the frontier gaps, appointed governors and settled the inheritances of the dead. 5 He sets out Umar's work on the financial institution — zakat, jizya, kharaj, tithes, fay' and spoils, the treasury and the registers (dawawin), his judgement on conquered land and the issue of coinage — and on the judiciary, his letters to judges, their appointment and salaries. 5 He then treats the rights of commanders and soldiers, Umar's relations with kings, the results of the conquests and his last days. 6
Structure
- Chapter 1: Umar in Mecca — his name, lineage, family and life before Islam, then his conversion. 7
- Chapter 2: Umar's Qur'anic and prophetic formation, opening with his life with the Qur'an and his view of God, the universe, life and destiny. 8
- Chapter 3: Abu Bakr's nomination of Umar, the rules of his government and his life in society. 9
- Chapter 4: The financial and judicial institutions and their development, opening with the state's sources of revenue. 10
- Chapter 5: Umar's way with governors, opening with the division of the expanded state into large administrative units. 11
- Chapter 6: The conquests of Iraq and the East, treating the campaigns under Abu Bakr led by Khalid as a first stage and what followed as a second. 12
- Chapter 7: The conquests of Syria, Egypt and Libya, opening with the news of Abu Bakr's death and Abu Ubayda's appointment over Syria. 13 It closes with the killing of Umar and the story of the shura. 14
Aim
The author says he tried to show how Umar understood Islam and lived by it and how he shaped events in his time, with a focus on his part in developing the financial, judicial, administrative and military institutions; in his view the book proves Umar's greatness in faith, knowledge, thought, eloquence, character and legacy. 6
Date of writing
The author finished it on Wednesday at 7:05 in the morning, 13 Ramadan 1422, corresponding to 28 November 2001. 15
Connections
- Authored by
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi
- About
- Umar ibn al-Khattab
People and things also explored
al-Inshirah wa-Raf' al-Diq fi Sirat Abi Bakr al-Siddiq· Asma al-Matalib fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib· Taysir al-Karim al-Mannan fi Sirat Uthman ibn Affan· Umar's last pilgrimage and Ali left as deputy in Medina· al-Hisba fi al-Islam· Asrar al-Qiyada al-Nabawiyya, Secrets of Prophetic Leadership (television programme)· Kitab al-Kharaj (Abu Yusuf)· The seven ahruf
Sources
- Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi (History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs 2, Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya, Cairo, 1st printing 1423/2002) , p.5
- Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi (History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs 2, Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya, Cairo, 1st printing 1423/2002) , p.6
- Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi (History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs 2, Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya, Cairo, 1st printing 1423/2002) , p.12
- Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi (History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs 2, Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya, Cairo, 1st printing 1423/2002) , p.13
- Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi (History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs 2, Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya, Cairo, 1st printing 1423/2002) , p.14
- Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi (History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs 2, Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya, Cairo, 1st printing 1423/2002) , p.15
- Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi (History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs 2, Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya, Cairo, 1st printing 1423/2002) , p.17
- Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi (History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs 2, Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya, Cairo, 1st printing 1423/2002) , p.35
- Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi (History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs 2, Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya, Cairo, 1st printing 1423/2002) , p.89
- Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi (History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs 2, Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya, Cairo, 1st printing 1423/2002) , p.273
- Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi (History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs 2, Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya, Cairo, 1st printing 1423/2002) , p.343
- Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi (History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs 2, Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya, Cairo, 1st printing 1423/2002) , p.407
- Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi (History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs 2, Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya, Cairo, 1st printing 1423/2002) , p.515
- Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi (History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs 2, Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya, Cairo, 1st printing 1423/2002) , p.590
- Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi (History of the Rightly Guided Caliphs 2, Dar al-Tawzi' wa-l-Nashr al-Islamiyya, Cairo, 1st printing 1423/2002) , p.16
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/work/fasl-al-khitab-sirat-umar-sallabi/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-04.
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