Biography of 'Umar ibn 'Abd Al-Aziz

[muhtadiyah]

Assalaamu alaikum,

I was hoping someone could recommend a good English biography of 'Umar ibn 'Abd Al-Aziz? I haven't even been able to find a title...are there any biographies of him?

peace,
muhtadiyah

[vinod]

He's one of my heroes..no doubt.

[Ahmed Waheed]

Assalam . . .

UMAR BIN ABDUL AZIZ

Check out these sites . . .

http://www.victorynewsmagazine.com/B...eousCaliph.htm

http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/seerah/0032.htm

http://www.iqraleeds.org.uk/mpe/umar.htm

http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/seerah/0043.htm

http://muslim-kidz.blogspot.com/

PS: I'll look for a book in english with his biography Insha-Allah. He was a great leader for the few months that he was Caliph . . .

Wassalam . . .

[vinod]

I found this quote about Umar bin Abdul Aziz in one of the links in the previous post -

When the Khalifah died the Roman emperor is reported to have said:

“I should not be the least surprised if a monk renounces the world and busies himself in worship behind closed doors, but I am simply amazed at this man who has a vast empire at his feet but he rejected it and lived the life of a monk.”

[Ahmed Waheed]

Assalam . . .

:knifehead Books in English about Umar bin Abdul Aziz seem to be quite hard to find . I request anyone who reads this; PLEASE FEEL FREE TO HELP . . .

Wassalam . . .

[Al-Boriqi]

Here is some of the statements of the Imaam Umar ibn Abdul-Azeez rahimahullah


From Shihaab Ibn Khiraash [1] who said: ’Umar Ibn ’Abdul-’Azeez (d.101H) – rahimahullaah - wrote to a man,
“May peace be upon you, to proceed:
So verily I advise you to fear Allaah, and to make His Command the objective, and to follow the Sunnah of His Messenger, and to leave off what people invented after him (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam), from whatever is confirmed as his Sunnah, and his supply will suffice you.
Then know that there cannot ever be any innovation, except that a proof against it has already passed, and there is a warning in it. So adhere strictly to the Sunnah, for verily the Sunnah is – with the permission of Allaah – a protection for you. Verily the one who practices the Sunnah is one who indeed knows what opposes it from mistakes and error, and foolishness, and deep thorough study.
So be pleased with for yourself what the people (i.e. the Salafus-Saalih) were pleased with for themselves, for verily they stopped upon knowledge, and they sufficed with penetrating insight, and they were the strongest in studying the matters, and the virtue that was in them, in that case, they were the most adequate; since they (the Salafus-Saalih – Righteous Predecessors) have already preceded. So indeed the guidance is not what you are upon, rather they preceded you to it. Therefore you say, he innovated a newly invented matter after them, so no one invents something, except that he opposes their path, and considers himself to be better than them. Indeed whatever they spoke was sufficient, and whatever they described was satisfying. So whatever is below them is deficient, and there is no good above them. Indeed people fell short of their mark, so they became dull, and others were too ambitious, so they went into extremes, and verily they (the Salaf) were in between the two, so they were upon the straight guidance.” [2]
From Maalik [3] (d.179H) – rahimahullaah - who said: ’Umar Ibn ’Abdul-’Azeez used to say, “The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) and the caretakers of the affairs (wulaatul-umoor) enacted Sunnahs, taking to them is affirmation (tasdeeq) of the Book of Allaah, and the completion of obedience to Allaah, and strength upon the Religion of Allaah. Whoever seeks guidance through them will be guided, and whoever seeks aid through them will be victorious, and whoever opposes them; he follows a path other than the Path of the Believers, and the close allies (wulaat) of Allaah are not with him, and his destination is Hell, and an evil end.” [3]
Maalik said, “I was amazed at ’Umar when he obligated the Fire for such a person.”
And he added to his statement: “…upon the Religion of Allaah…”, “And it is not for anyone to change it, nor to replace it, nor to oppose anything from it.” [4]
Footnotes:
[1] He is Shihaab Ibn Khiraash Ibn Hawshab ash-Shaybaanee, from Koofah. He moved to Shaam, and lived in ar-Ramlah inside of Palestine, and he died there. He was sadooq (truthful), a person of the Sunnah. Refer to Tahdheebul-Kamaal (12/568-572).
[2] Related by Ibn Battah in al-Ibaanah (1/321-322), and by al-Laalikaa‘ee in Sharh Usoolul-I’tiqaad (no. 16)
[3] This is Imaam Maalik Ibn Anas, Imaam Daarul-Hijrah (the scholar of the place of migration, i.e. al-Madeenah)
[3] The proof for this is the statement of Allaah, “And whosoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger, after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the Path of the Believers; We shall keep him upon the path he has chosen, and roast him in Hell. What an evil destination!” [Sooratun-Nisaa‘ 4:115]
[4] Related by Ibn Battah in al-Ibaanah (1/352-353)


Also here is a khutbah of him rahimahullah



Khutbah of 'Umar ibn 'Abdul-'Azeez:
Khalifah of the Taabi'een




According to Abdallaah bin Bakr bin Habeeb al Sahmee:


"We were told by a man in the masjid of al Junaabidh that 'Umar bin 'Abd al 'Azeez delivered a khutbah to the people in Khunaasirah in which he said:

O people, you were not created in vain, nor will you be left to yourselves [Qur'an 75:36].

Rather, you will return to a place in which Allah, Subhannah wa Ta'aala, will descend in order to judge among you and distinguish between you.

Destitute and lost are those who forsake the all-encompassing Mercy of Allah Ta'aala, and they will be excluded from Jannah, the borders of which are as wide as the heavens and the earth.

Don't you know that protection, tomorrow, will be limited to those who feared Allah [today], and to those who sold something ephemeral for something permanent, something small for something great, and fear for protection?

Don't you realize that you are the descendants of those who have perished, that those who remain will take their place after you, and that this will continue until you are all returned to Allah Ta'aala?...

Everyday you dispatch to Allah Ta'aala, at all times of the day, someone who has died, his term having come to an end; You bury him in a crack in the earth and then leave him without a pillow or a bed. He has parted from his loved ones, severed his connections with the living, and taken up residence in the earth, whereupon he comes face to face with the accounting. He is mortgaged to his deeds:

He needs his accomplishments, but not the material things he left on earth.

Therefore, fear Allah before death descends and its appointed times expire. I swear by Allah that I say those words to you knowing that I myself have committed more sins than any of you; I therefore ask Allah Subhannah wa Ta'aala for forgiveness and I repent.

Whenever we learn that one of you needs something, I try to satisfy his need to the extent that I am able. Whenever I can provide satisfaction to one of you out of my possessions, I seek to treat him as my equal and my relative, so that my life and his life are of equal value.

I swear by Allah that had I wanted something else, namely, affluence, then it would have been easy for me to utter the word, aware as I am of the means for obtaining this.

But Allah Ta'aala has issued in an eloquent Book and a just example (The Sunnah) by means of which He guides us to obedience, and prescribes disobedience.

He ('Umar Ibn 'Abdul Azeez) lifted up the edge of his robe and began to cry and sob, causing the people around him to break into tears. Then he stepped down...

That was the last sermon he gave before he died, may Allah have Mercy on him."

(For variant versions of this sermon, see Ibn 'Abd al Hakam, Seerah 43-45, 132-33; Ibn Katheer, Bidaayah, IX, 199; This translation was taken from The History of al Tabaree, Vol XXIV, by D.S.Powers)


According to Mansoor bin Muzaahim - Shu'ayb, that is, Ibn Safwaan - Ibn 'Abd al-Hameed: 'Umar ibn 'Abd al 'Azeez said:

"He who gives sincere advice to his brother in matters of religion and looks out for the well being of the latter's daily affairs has fulfilled his brotherly obligation, and carried out the duty that was incumbent upon him.

Ittaqillaah (Fear Allah)...

Accept these words, for they are offered as sincere advice to you with regard to your religion; and cling fast to them, for they constitute a warning that will save you in the afterlife.

The sustenance has been apportioned; therefore, let no believer exceed what has been apportioned to him, and be united in seeking the good.

In contentment there is abundance, substinence, and sufficiency.

The term of this life is in your necks, and Jahannam lies before you. What you see will pass away, what has been is as if it never was, and all will soon be dead. You have seen the stages of the dying man, both when he is in
the agony of death, and then after his demise when he has tasted death and the people all around him are saying, "He has passed away, May Allah Ta'aala have mercy on his soul."

You have witnessed the hasty manner in which he is removed, and the division of his estate, when his face is lost, his memory forgotten, and his doorway forsaken, as if he had not mixed with those who keep their word, nor inhabited the lands.

Therefore, beware the horror of a day on which not so much as the weight of an ant on the scale will be despised."


According to 'Abd al Rahmaan bin Mahdee - Sufyaan: 'Umar bin 'Abd al 'Azeez said:

"He who acts without knowledge causes more corruption than good, and he who does not consider his speech to be part of his actions sins repeatedly. Satisfaction is scarce, and the true believer should rely on sabr (patience).

Allah Ta'aala never bestowed a blessing upon one of His servants and then took it away from him, giving him sabr in return for that which was taken away, except that the replacement was better than what was taken away from him."

Then he recited the following verse:

"Surely the patient will be paid their wages in full without reckoning." [Qur'an 39:10]

[muhtadiyah]

Assalaamu alaikum br. al-Izaaree,

I just now noticed your reply on this thread and wanted to say jazak Allah khair for the quotes.

peace,
muhtadiyah

[omarm]

salamu 3alaykoom....

muhtadiyah: i may have found what u are looking for my brother...

http://islamicbookstore.com/b2642.html

if u were still looking my brother

[vinod]

Ahem...Muhtadiyah is a sister

[muhtadiyah]

walaikum salaam omarm,

Yes, I'm an ukht not an akh... And thank you very much for the book suggestion! Why couldn't I find that after looking so hard?

Jazakallah khair,

muhtadiyah

[omarm]

oops i'm soooo sorrry ....but ur very welcome..i'm like real new to the forum..sorry once again...