History of Islam 2: Umar ibn al-Khattab (R)

The measure of Amir al-Mu'minin 'Umar al-Farooq رضي الله عنه is caught in a statement attributed to the Prophet ﷺ: that among the nations before us there were inspired people, and if there is any such person in this nation, it is 'Umar.

The volume covers his acceptance of Islam and what it changed for the Muslims of Makkah, his companionship, and then the caliphate: the conquests, the administration, the register and the treasury, the independent judiciary, and the far-sighted policies that gave the expanding state a shape it kept for centuries.

And the personal side that made all of it credible — a man who governed from Egypt to Persia and owned almost nothing.

Why This Series

Our past, present and future are interconnected and interdependent. Knowing and understanding our history is therefore not optional; it is essential.

Darussalam presents the entire history of Islam to young people in language that appeals to them, in a simple yet lucid manner — which is the gap this series fills. Most Islamic history in English is either written for scholars or thinned out for small children, with nothing in between for a reader of twelve or fifteen.

The Rest of the Series

Darussalam presents the whole of Islamic history to young readers in language that appeals to them. The first four volumes cover the Rightly Guided Caliphs; later volumes carry the story forward through the ages that followed.

• Volume 1 — Abu Bakr as-Siddiq رضي الله عنه
• Volume 3 — 'Uthman ibn 'Affan رضي الله عنه
• Volume 4 — 'Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه
• Volume 5 — Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan رضي الله عنه