Hazrat Umar Farooq – the second Khalifa of Islam
During Hazrat Abu Bakr’s illness he consulted the people about the next Khalifah, and then gave his decision in favour of Hazrat Umar (, may Allah be pleased with him) who took the charge of Khilafat after the death of Hazrat Abu Bakr (, may Allah be pleased with him) on 22nd of Jamadius Thani 13 A.H. (23rd August 634 AC).
Umar (, may Allah be pleased with him.) followed fully the ways of Rasulallah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and the policy of his predecessor, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique, with his characteristic zeal and vigour. It was his strict adherence to the Sunnah of Rasulallah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, which helped him to subdue the mighty empires of Persia and Byzantine.
The period of Hazrat Umar’s Khilafat undoubtedly is the Golden Age of Islam in every respect.
He was a man of extraordinary genius who not only moulded the destiny of the nation but made history of his own.
He followed the footsteps of Rasulallah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to the fullest extent. It was Hazrat Umar under whose rule Islam became an international power and the mighty empires of Persia and Byzantine crumbled before the army of Islam.
Within ten years of his glorious rule, the whole of the Persian Empire, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and a part of Turkey came under the banner of Islam and the nations entered the fold of Islam.
He was not only a conqueror but also an exemplary administrator who originated an efficient system of administration, and thus he was the real founder of political system of Islam. He enforced Divine Law (Shari’ah) as the code of a newly formed International Islamic State; he safeguarded the internal safety by introducing the police force: he gave stipends to the poor; he constructed cantonments and forts for the safety of Islamic armies; he founded new cities for the growth of Islamic culture and civilisation; he improved agriculture and economics of the Islamic State; he founded the educational system in an Islamic State; in brief he was the founder of a great Islamic State.
