‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz
‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz
Circa 680–720
Umayyad khalifah
Reformer . Although the Umayyad dynasty (661–750) is generally known among Muslim historical writers for repression rather than reform, Khalifah ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-’Aziz (also known as ‘Umar II), who reigned for only two and a half years (717–720), is an exception to that characterization. Known for his piety and frugality, he reformed the tax system, putting the mawali (non-Arab Muslims) on a equal basis with Arab Muslims.
Career . Born in Madinah, ‘Umar was the son of a governor of Egypt and a descendant of Khalifah TJmar ibn al-Khattab (’Umar I, ruled 634–644). After a traditional education in Madinah, he was made governor of the Hijaz region of Arabia, which includes Makkah and Madinah, in 706. During his tenure as governor, he formed a council of pious Muslims to advise him on his rule. He was elevated to khalifah in 717.
The Role of the State . Having come to power at the high noon of Muslim expansion, but facing a potential Muslim defeat at the siege of the Roman capital of Constantinople in 717–718, ‘Umar embarked on an extensive and well thought-out reassessment of the purpose of the Muslim state. He lifted the disastrous siege, ending the third period of Umayyad military conquest, and embarked on a campaign of reform at home, attempting to address the instability caused by discontent over taxation among the mawali and by the belief of many Muslims that the Umayyads placed greater priority on their own political interests than on religious principles. He replaced unpopular governors and reformed the system of taxation so that all Muslims, regardless of ethnic origins, had the same fiscal rights. He also began efforts to separate the treasury from the khalifah’s own funds. The only khalifah to send missionaries to convert the pagans of North Africa and other areas of the khilafah to Islam, he was also known for his tolerance of Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. Despite his popularity among a broad segment of the population, his Umayyad successors reversed ‘Umar’s reforms, leading to the successful Abbasid revolution of 749–750.
Sources
M. A. Shaban, Islamic History: A New Interpretation, Vol. I, AD. 600–750 (A. H. 132) (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1971).
Julius Wellhausen, The Arab Kingdom and Its Fall, translated by Margaret Graham Weir (Calcutta: University of Calcutta, 1927).