The Biography of Umar bin Abdul Aziz ‘May Allah Have Mercy on Him’ (Part 12)
The pure Islamic spirit and sincere religious thought were deeply rooted in the personality of Syedna Umar bin Abdul Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him), and their influence was evident in his system of governance. This can be clearly understood from the writings and official circulars he issued, which were letters and directives he occasionally sent to government officials and administrative authorities. The content of these letters reveals that Allah Almighty had granted him profound Islamic insight and wisdom. Below are a few examples of such directives:
On one occasion, he was informed that some tribal leaders and officials of the Umayyad era had revived the custom of ḥilf (alliance) from the pre-Islamic era. (The ḥilf, or alliance, in the pre-Islamic era was an agreement between two tribes pledging mutual cooperation and swearing to support each other in both right and wrong. In such agreements, the pact itself was called mu‘āhada, and the parties were referred to as ḥulafā’.)
During times of war and danger, they would call for help using slogans such as “O descendants of such-and-such tribe!” or “O Mudar tribe, come to the aid of your allies!” This practice, rather than fostering Islamic unity and brotherhood, revived pre-Islamic traditions and laid the foundation for numerous conflicts. Previous rulers, either for political or personal reasons, had supported or ignored this practice. However, Umar bin Abdul Aziz recognized the danger and issued a specific circular to condemn it. In a letter to an important official named Dahhak bin Abdul Rahman, he wrote:
“Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. It has come to my attention that Allah Almighty accepts no religion other than Islam, the religion He has chosen for Himself and His devoted servants. Allah has honored and dignified Islam through His Book and established it as a clear boundary between Islam and non-Islam, as He states: ‘قد جاءكم من الله نور وکتاب مبین یهدی به الله من اتبع رضوانه سبل السلام ويخرجهم من الظلمات الى النور باذنه ويهديهم الى صراط مستقیم’ ‘There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book, that He may guide with it those who seek His pleasure to the paths of safety, and bring them out of darkness into the light by His grace, and guide them to the straight path.’ And it is also guidance: ‘وبالحق انزلنه وبالحق نزل وما ارسلناک الا مبشراً ونذيراً’ ‘And We have sent down this Quran with the truth, and it was sent down with the truth, and We have not sent you, O Prophet, except as a bearer of good news and a warner.'”
