Umar bin Abd Al-Aziz (R)

Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (R) by Dr. Ali Muhammad Sallabi is an authoritative, scholarly yet readable biography that brings the life and legacy of the Umayyad reformer and pious ruler ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz (Umar II) into clear focus. The hardback edition (735 pages) traces his Medinan upbringing, early service as governor, accession to the caliphate (717–720 CE), and his brief but transformative reign in which he sought to restore sincerity, justice, and the Qurʾānic spirit to statecraft. The book documents his landmark reforms — equalizing treatment of converts (mawālī), revising tax practice, re-orienting administration toward mercy and accountability, curbing fiscal excess, and reviving religious learning and piety across the provinces — all explained with careful sourcing and contextual analysis.

Dr. Sallabi combines classical Arabic sources and reliable reports with critical, Ahlus-Sunnah commentary to present both events and their causes: why Umar II is remembered as a justice-minded reformer, why later scholars called him a mujaddid (reviver), and how his emphasis on consultation, the rights of the poor, and enforcement of Qurʾānic standards reshaped public life. The biography pays special attention to his governance principles (justice, equality, fiscal reforms), his personal piety and humility, and the practical measures he took to limit corruption and return waqf and public funds to rightful use.

Beyond political history, this volume mines the spiritual and ethical lessons from Umar’s character: a model of repentance, restraint, and prioritizing the common good; a ruler who reduced pomp, protected the weak, and sought to make the state an instrument of Islam’s moral aims. The book is richly referenced, suitable for students of history and sharia, imams preparing khutbahs, teachers, and readers who wish to learn how prophetic principles were applied (and sometimes recovered) within an imperial context. Practical appendices, maps, and documented sources make the title both a classroom reference and a devotional study.

This book describes, among other things, the principles upon which Umar ibn 'Abd Al-'Aziz governed the Muslims during his caliphate; among those principles were mutual consultation, justice, equality among people, and the honoring of freedoms.

With the turn of every page, the reader will come to appreciate the fact that 'Umar was exceptional in his Faith, distinguished in his knowledge, profoundly wise in his thinking, remarkable in his eloquence, noble in his manners, and great in the contribution he made to this Nation.

English readers have long been deprived of the life story of this outstanding Islamic hero and exemplar. While there are some short and scattered accounts about his general life, this is the first book to deal specifically with Umar bin `Abdul-Azeez's reforms, which is surprising given that he has been attributed the title of Mujaddid (reformer/reviver) within Islamic scholarship, in great detail.