At a glance
Era 2- Dates
- c. 682-101 AH (720 CE); ruled 717-720 CE
- Who
- Umayyad caliph remembered for justice, simple living and care for the poor
- Era
- The Umayyads
ProfileUmar ibn Abd al-Aziz
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz was an Umayyad prince who grew up in Madinah. Through his mother he was a great-grandson of Umar ibn al-Khattab. As a young governor of Madinah he was known for consulting its scholars.
He became caliph in 717, chosen in his cousin's will. He gave up the luxury of the court and returned property that his family had taken unjustly to the public treasury, starting with his own. He lightened the taxes on new Muslims, stopped the cursing of Ali from the pulpits, sent teachers to the provinces, and is said to have encouraged the first official collecting of hadith. Stories tell that in his time it was hard to find poor people to receive zakat.
He ruled for less than three years and died in 720, aged about thirty-nine. Many Muslims call him the fifth of the rightly guided caliphs.
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SourcesSources for this profile
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