As-salamu alaykum everybody, your brother Muhammad here and today we're looking into the legacy of Umar ibn al-Khattab. May Allah be pleased with him, a leader who reshaped governance, society and even infrastructure in ways that are still being felt today. So first a little background of Umar ibn al-Khattab.
He wasn't always a supporter of Islam. In fact, at one point, he was actively hostile and even planned to kill the Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And then something huge happened.
He found out his own sister, someone he was very close to, had accepted Islam, and that was a turning point. Umar converted, and not long after, he became one of the most influential leaders in early Islam. And when he became the Khalifa, well, that's when things really started to change. First, let's talk about his administrative reforms. This is when he became Khalifa after Abu Bakr.
The Prophet passed away. May Allah be pleased with Abu Bakr also passed away. Then Umar took over.
So Umar organized the governance of the Islamic State, setting up a public treasury, basically an... early version of state budgeting. He also made sure the army was well paid, structured, and he personally visited regions to make sure justice was being served. Sounds like early accountability, right?
This is over a thousand years ago. He even created a judicial system where judges were appointed to handle legal matters. And here's something interesting.
Omar himself, may Allah be pleased with him, was once called and had to stand in front of a judge to settle a dispute. And this is talking about the president or equivalent to a prime minister. He believed in equality before the law, even for leaders. And it doesn't stop there for Omar.
Omar was a city planner. He founded the cities like Kufa, Basra. and Fustat, planning their layouts to handle population growth. He also ordered the construction of roads, canals, and infrastructure to make sure these cities thrived.
Omar also prioritized education. He sent teachers across the empire to teach the Quran and made it mandatory for people to learn. He even supported scholars to spread Islam. about Islamic knowledge, Islamic law, and the interpretation of the Noble Qur'an.
Now, we can't talk about Umar without mentioning the construction of masjids. He expanded the sacred masjids in Mecca and Medina, both Masjid al-Haram and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, two of the most important sites. in Islam and get this during his rule he built over 3,000 masjids.
Yes, that's a lot of masjids. Another cool invention many people do not know, even Muslims are not aware of this. The Hijri calendar was invented or established by Omar using the Prophet's migration as the starting point. That's the calendar that's still used by millions of Muslims worldwide today. Now let's look at on the agricultural side.
He made sure that land conquered during expansion was kept by local farmers. He didn't displace them. Instead, he provided resources to help them increase productivity.
That's forward-thinking economic support. And finally, one of his most remarkable contributions was his focus on social welfare. He set up systems that supported the poor, the elderly, the non-Muslims, and even newborns.
It didn't matter who you were. If you were part of the state, you were looked after. He supervised mail delivery system so soldiers could stay connected with their families.
Sounds like an early version. of modern social security, right? Now we're going to look at, you know, the takeaways from Omar, radiyallahu anhu, legacy.
May Allah be pleased with him. Omar wasn't just a ruler. He wasn't just an inventor, a city planner, a just reformer, or a social visionary. His contributions were way ahead of their time. and laid the groundwork for a lot of systems we use today, both in Muslim countries and non-Muslim countries, both in governance and in social care.
If you're into history and governance, if you're just appreciating the invention and all its forms, there's a lot to learn from Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, legacy. May Allah make us among those who are righteous and who follow the footsteps of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali and other companions. I'm going to share some quotes attributed to Umar radiallahu anhu. Have a look, dwell on them, think about them, reflect.
and hopefully they make change in your life Jazakallah Khairan, Barakallah Fiqh Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh