Umar ibn al-Khattab: Difference between revisions

'Umar was the second [[Rashidun Caliphate|rightly guided caliph]] following [[Abu Bakr]]. A stern and convinced convert to Islam, he is sometimes compared to Christianity's St. Paul due to his history of persecuting the religion before converting to and having great influence upon it. According to the Islamic tradition, he fought hard with Muhammad during his war against the Meccan pagans and was a man interested in military science. As caliph, he presided over the caliphate during its spectacular victories over the Byzantines and Sassanians at Yarmouk and Qadissiya, and oversaw the tremendous expansion of the caliphate into Egypt, the Levant, and Iraq. He also instituted a number of religious reforms and institutuions such as the office of the qadi. He was succeeded in his office by [[Uthman]] following his death.