The Projects of Hazrat Umar (ra)

With regard to the projects started by Hazrat Umar (ra) which are known as “Awwaliyat-e-Farooqi”, Allama Shibli Naumani writes in his book, Al-Farooq that all the various projects that were started for the first time by Hazrat Umar (ra) have been all been listed by the historians and are known as “Awwaliyat” i.e. they were initiated by Hazrat Umar (ra). They are as follows:

1. Hazrat Umar (ra) established the bait-ul-mal [the treasury]

2. He established courts and appointed judges

3. He established the system of recording the dates and years which continues even till today

4. He initiated the use of the title of “amir-ul-mu‘mineen” [leader of the faithful] for the Khalifa of the time

5. He established an official department for the army

6. He fixed salaries for the volunteers

7. He established an official department for the treasury

8. He established a system of measuring and surveying the lands

9. He conducted a census

10. He started the work of digging canals

11. He inhabited the various cities such as Kufa, Basra, Jazira, Fustat, Mosul, etc.

12. He divided the conquered lands into various provinces

13. He established the system of Ushoor, a tax at the rate of 1/10. Ushoor was initiated by Hazrat Umar (ra) and it came about when the Muslims would travel to non-Muslim lands for trade and they would be charged tax at the rate of 1/10 which was the rate that was set there. Hazrat Abu Musa Asharira informed Hazrat Umar (ra) of this and Hazrat Umar (ra) instructed that those traders who would come to the Muslim lands should also be charged tax at the rate of 1/10

14. A tax was fixed on whatever was procured from the rivers and tax collectors were appointed

15. He gave permission for those traders who belonged to a country with whom the Muslims did not have any treaty to enter the Muslim lands and engage in trade

16. He established a system of prisons

17. He initiated the punishment of “durrah” [a form of cane]

18. He established the practise of doing rounds at night and assessing the conditions and circumstances of the public

19. He established the system of policing

20. He established various army barracks

21. He distinguished between the Aseel and Mujanis breed of horses, which was not previously done in the Arab land

22. He started a system of reporting

23. He built rest-houses for those travelling from Mecca to Medina

24. He established allowances for the orphans

25. He built guest houses in various cities

26. He established a rule that an Arab cannot be made a slave even if he is a disbeliever

27. He established allowances for those Christians and Jews who were facing improvised circumstances

28. He established offices

29. He assigned salaries to the teachers in schools

30. He insisted that Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) should start to compile the various manuscripts of the Holy Quran in its correct order [as taught by the Holy Prophet (sa)] and Hazrat Umar (ra) completed this task under his own supervision

31. He established the rule of qiyas [the deduction of legal prescriptions from the Quran or sunnah by analogical reasoning.]

32. He established the system of “Aul” which is to include certain people into the share of inheritance

33. He established the Tarawih prayer to be performed in congregation

34. He considered giving three divorces at once as talaq bain [complete separation]; however, he did this as a punishment for those who engaged in this practice [of issuing three divorces at once]

35. He instituted 80 lashes for indulgence in alcohol

36. He prescribed the Zakat on horses used for trade

37. He instated Zakat upon the Christians of Banu Tha‘lab instead of Jizya

38. He initiated the system of devoted service

39. He brought everyone to a consensus regarding the number of takbir [Allah is the greatest] recited during the funeral prayer. Generally, the prescribed way is saying three takbir, or four if one counts the first, until the last before saying salaam [ending the prayer]. The same is done today

40. He outlined guidance in relation to delivering lectures or discourse in mosques. With his permission, Tamim Dari delivered the discourse in accordance with this and this was the first lecture of its kind in Islam

41. Salaries were prescribed for imams and muazzins [callers to prayer]

42. He arranged for there to be light in the mosques at night

43. He ordained a punishment for publicly ridiculing others through writing and literature

44. He prohibited the mention of women’s names in romantic poems, which was an ancient custom in Arabia

Allama Shibli writes that aside from these, there are many other things that were initiated by Hazrat Umar (ra), but he has not mentioned them as the list would become too long.

(Al-Farooq, Shibli Naumani, pp. 401 – 403, 212, Idaara Islamiyyat, Karachi, 1991)