ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb
Rightly-Guided Caliphs · Sunni · 584–644 CE
At a glance
| Category | Rightly-Guided Caliphs |
|---|---|
| Tradition | Sunni |
| Lifespan | 584–644 CE |
| Region | Hijaz |
| Role | Second Rāshidūn caliph (634–644) |
| Note | Presided over the great conquests of Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Persia; instituted the dīwān |
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb was the second of the Rightly-Guided caliphs (634–644) and one of the most consequential figures of early Islam. Under his rule the community expanded with astonishing speed, taking Syria, Egypt and much of the Persian empire, and he is credited with building the administrative framework of the new state — the garrison towns, the stipend register (dīwān), and the dating of the Islamic calendar from the Hijra.
Remembered in Sunni tradition for his justice, austerity and firmness, ʿUmar was assassinated at Medina in 644. As with the other early caliphs, his place in history is weighed differently in the Sunni and Shiʿi traditions.
Assassinated 644; second caliph in Sunni tradition.