Introduction
Umar Bin Abdelaziz, also known as Umar II, was the sixth Caliph ruler of the Umayyad from 717 to 720. Umar II was born in 682 and grew up in Madina, surrounded by resourceful persons that significantly shaped his political career. Although Umar had no blood connection to the Caliphs, he had a foundation and the support that he needed in the political ground. This is to say that his father was the governor of Egypt, and his uncle Abdul Malik was the Caliph. Therefore, we could say that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth since he was surrounded by people who were sources of inspiration.
Moreover, his mother, Ummu Asim Binti Asim, was Umar, a great-grandmother of Khulafaur Rashidin. Many people in the area respected Umar II due to his close connection with the Prophet through his mother. Therefore, this paper outlines the life, the rise, and the fall of Umar Bin Abdelaziz as the Caliph of the Umayyad empire.
Umar II Early Life
Several occasions and interactions prepared Umar Bin Abdelaziz’s role as Caliph of Umayyad. His family life experience cannot be underlooked as it lays his political career’s foundation. His father was the governor of Egypt, while his uncle was the Caliph when he was born. Therefore, his connection with his family could have inspired and perhaps created ambition inside him to rule Omayyad. Umar also gained popularity in the area because he grew up and was brought up by Ibn Umar, considered closest to the Prophet Companion. After his father’s death, Umar was summoned by Abdul Malik to appear in Damascus.
Umar II’s status was further strengthened when Malik offered his daughter, Fatimah, who became his wife. Umar II’s early life passed through many hands, including prophet companion, Abdul Malik, and Al-Walid, among others whose titles were not ordinary. As such, he had a fairground and information as the ruling was concerned. The interaction of Umar II with these personalities significantly shaped his political career until he managed to become Caliph of Umayyad.
Umar II Traits
Umar II had come to power when oppression was the talk in the land. Before being a caliph, he understood and experienced the characters such as cheating, lying, and drinking exhibited by the caliphates. Moreover, the rulers were corrupt and greedy and always thought of themselves rather than the people they served.
Upon getting to power, Umar II had the vision to set a legacy of being the first democratic ruler of the land. He showed a great deal of selflessness and served his community. For example, history records that Umar II gave most of his wealth and resources and even requested his wife to donate some of her properties to support the community. Therefore, the act shows that Umar II preferred and protected the rights of others more than he valued his own life and made several sacrifices for the good of the community.
Umar II Reign and Power
Umar II started his journey to become a Caliph when his father-in-law died. He was appointed the governor of Medina in 706 by Caliph Al-Walid. The appointment was necessary to fill the seat after the death of his father-in-law. Umar Bin Abdelaziz, unlike other rulers, had a lot in mind and started his ruling career when he formed councils responsible for provincial administration. Umar’s style of democratic leadership threatened the dictators of the land, and there was an immediate call to remove him from his office.
Several complaints and cries of the previous government reached his office, and he was determined to resolve and develop a ruling strategy for the good of his subjects. Umar Bin Abdelaziz resolved Medina leading to massive migration of people from Iraq to Medina to escape the cruelty of their governor Al-Hajjaj bin Joseph. Following that immigration, the Iraq government was angry at Umar and started pressuring Al-Walid I to evacuate Umar from the office. The result was positive because A-Walid I gave the call and dismissed his position.
Although the Iraq governor, in collaboration with Al-Walid I, succeeded in removing Umar II from his governorship, Umar had already taken root, and his reputation precedes him. He had created a foundation and was believed as Islamic Caliphate was concerned. It was also noted during Al-Walid I era of the controversial expansion of the Caliph to areas such as the Nabawi mosque to renovate the Prophet’s house. Being a schematic leader, Umar recited this decision as his idea in front of many people.
After his evacuation from the office, Umar remained and played low in Medina under the Al-Walid I administration. Suleiman, the brother to Al-Walid I, was the successor and became Caliph of Umayyad. Following his love and admiration for Umar, he refused to appoint his children but instead appointed Umar. With this set-in place, Umar was supposed to replace Suleiman as the Caliph Umayyad.
Suleiman started his reign in 715, and toward the beginning of 716, he fell sick and was desperate to find a successor. He could not name his two sons as they were still young. Suleiman found it with due respect to name Umar to succeed as the Caliph. Reja, the chief advisor of Suleiman, believed in Umar and claimed that he fits the mold of the archetype that has been set by many pious individuals who disregarded leadership potions due to fear and accountability responsibilities.
Therefore, Umar Bin Abdelaziz’s family and environment nurtured him politically and shaped his life. Being born of Umayyad family and his father being a governor, Umar ibn Adul had it soft as life experiences were concerned. Being a potential democratic leader, he gave all opportunities to serve and help build and transform the rotten Umayyad Empire.
Umar II Reformations
Umar II started the empire reforms by removing the oppressions that were a routine in the land. As history records, the previous Caliphs and governors had a common type of leadership. All were dictators, and the rhythm on the land was oppression. Moreover, the governors were corrupt and stole public resources for their gain. Most rulers of Umayyad misused and took public money from Baytul Maal for their expenses. Umar II set an excellent example by collecting money and treasures such as jewelry and gold into the Baytul Maal.
Another critical achievement that his reign brought was the freedom of slaves. Umar II is credited for in Umayyad as slave freedom is concerned. He removed the slaves and other extravagances from the royal household and royal court. His predecessors had implemented cruel taxes on the land. Therefore, he took it as his responsibility as Caliph to remove and implement the necessary taxes to aid people’s development. Moreover, Umar II developed programs and plans that immensely reduced corruption among government officials.
Umar II also came up with financial reforms, which positively affected the land. With the financial reform, the public resources were evenly distributed among people, and therefore, it was difficult to find poor people during Umar’s reign. In addition, Umar excels in both administrative duties and spiritual life. He built a religious foundation in the empire, intending to draw people near the Prophet. He enhanced religious advancement by countlessly sending letters to rulers and citizens concerning religious and moral reforms. The action was necessary to remind and restore Prophet’s old ways among people in the Umayyad empire.
The spread of Islamic cultures and society was significantly enhanced during Umar II’s reign. Umar sent several Muslim missionaries to both China and Tibet. The primary aim of these adventures was to spread Islam across the world through the leaders. The missionaries taught many countries Islamic beliefs and cultures along their journey. History records that it was only this time when Islam took roots and was readily accepted. Among the countries that felt this influence was Persia and Egypt.
Encountering objection to Islamic conversion, Umar II responded by writing “Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be with you),” meant to invite non-Muslims to Islamic cultures and beliefs. Another contribution of Umar II’s reign was da’wah’s emphasis on non-Muslims, as he believed it was his obligation to complete the Prophet’s mission. Ordering the collection of hadith is considered the greatest accomplishment of his reign. The collections were made through programs such as Al-Zuhri and Ibn- Hazm.
Umar II also brought significant changes as the military sector was concerned. During his reign, Umar II organized the army as a state unit. This reform is purported to have been introduced in 637. The reform was first implemented in Quraish and Ansars, spreading to Arabia and Muslim conquered territories afterward. Umar II trained adults and energetic young adults to form a military force to defend the empire’s territory.
Moreover, as military salaries are concerned, the Caliph armies were paid at the beginning of the month, termed as Muharram, while the subsequent allowances during harvesting time. In addition, recognitions in the armies were based on strength and service period. Umar also brought several changes as social lives of the Umayyad empire are concerned.
During his time, welfare and pension were introduced as Islamic law. The charitable resources collected through charity tax policy were used on the poor, needy, elderly, orphans, and the disabled. In addition, the government also had an obligation to stockpile food and other resources for emergency responses such as drought, floods, and other disasters.
The Decline of the Umayyad Empire
Several factors led to the decline of the Umayyad dynasty. Among these issues were military defeats, financial crises, and revolts. The empires faced a tough decision when a new successor was being named. This is because their system had no clear succession line as anyone could become a caliph.
The kingdom decline started following the Syrian army’s disastrous defeat in 717. Moreover, with Umar II’s fiscal reforms to address Muslims’ discontent, the attempt exhausted the empire’s resources and plunged the kingdom into financial problems. Another issue that brought the Umayyad dynasty to its knees was the feuds between the southern and the northern tribes of Arabs. The interaction of feuds led to reduced military power and gave birth to revolts in 745.
Moreover, the wawali involved Hashimiyyah in a religiopolitical offshoot, compromising the Umayyad rule. The eruption of revolts against the Umayyad dynasty was another reason that led to the decline of the Umar II reign. The Abbasids claimed that they were descended from Muhammad and had the right to be named caliphs. They rebel against the Umayyads in 747, which weakens the dynasty to a greater depth.
Conclusion
Born of a well-established political and royal bloodline, Umar II went through political inspiration from his family. His leadership skills and experience are significantly related to his growing environment. His kindness and selflessness and the sacrifice he made for the people of Umayyad surpass that of a democratic leader. As presented in this paper, Umar II was a patient before being named Caliph. He went through humiliation when he was dismissed from his governorship by Al-Wadi I as requested by a few governors from Iraq. The call for his removal was based on the fact that he was a barrier to the injustices that many rulers of the land had made part of their ruling.
Upon being named Caliph, Umar II transformed the land of its rotting leadership. He proposed and implemented several reforms that changed all aspects of life in Umayyad. Among the social changes that happened due to his reign were the introduction of charitable resources to help the poor and the needy in the community. Politically, he dealt with the individual corrupt governor and ruler who oppressed the people and relieved oppression in the land.
During his reign, we also see that he was responsible for the spread of Islamic cultures across China and Tibet through missionaries. Umar also induced changes in the military department, where he introduced a military state department. The military adult was trained and encouraged to join armies that could depend on in an invasion. Therefore, Umar II’s reign brought several changes in the land that more than any caliph who existed before him.
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