A very saddening and aggravating news of desecration of the grave of Hazrat Umar Bin Abdul Aziz (RA) and his faithful wife Hazrat Fatima binte Abdl Malik has surfaced in media. The news has come as a bolt from the blue which has wretched the heart and brought tears into the eyes of Muslim Ummah.
Undoubtedly, there are very few rulers in human history who have left indelible impressions for contemporary people and the generations to come. Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz (RA) is on the top of the list. He was the best among all Ummayad rulers, referred to as the fifth Muslim Caliph by some historians, second only to Hazrat Abu Bakar, Hazrat Umar, Hazrat Uthman and Hazrat Ali (RA). Due to his piousness and righteousness, he is addressed as Umar-i-Sani as well. His ceaseless efforts and pure services for the cause of Islam earned him respect and honor in all times to come.
Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz bin Marwan breathed first in Egypt in 63 A.H. He got early education form the city of Muhammad (SAAW). He inherited an acute inclination towards simplicity, veracity and piety in his instinct. His family tree meets with Hazrat Umar bin Khattab. He was a great grandson of Hazrat Umar (R.A), the second caliph. He remained the Governor of Madinah till his declaration as a Caliph of Muslim Ummah.
After being nominated as Caliph, Hazrat Umar went to people and left them off from their pledge to the new Khalifa. People cried and once again offered their allegiance to him, calling him the most subtle and suitable person for the post. He kept his promise and left no stone unturned to ameliorate the lives of the downtrodden. Such was his allegiance to his people.
Furthermore, after his installation as Caliph, Hazrat Umar followed in the footsteps of Hazrat Umar bin Khattab and shun all his material holdings. He preferred simplicity to extravagance and a modest house to a royal palace. He wore torn clothes instead of royal robes. He often disguised himself in order to keep himself abreast of the woes and wounds of poor people. He disliked luxurious lifestyle and averted even a bit taste of it.
Moreover, Hazrat Umar (RA) asked his wife Hazrat Fatima, daughter of Caliph Abdul Malik, to return all her jewelry and donate her saving for Baitul Maal. She along with her husband discarded all the pompous appendages. It was her love for her husband that she did all whatever asked by her husband and never rued.
Not only this, Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz also proved his mettle on every occasion. He became true representative of the masses of his caliphate. He never made realise his servants to be his subordinates. He mingled with them, ate food with them and slept on a simple mate like that of theirs. He set an irreplaceable example of acute simplicity and piety that earned him all honours and cachet.
Apart from that, he sent out emissaries to China, Tibet and other contemporaries. It was during his time that many non-Muslims converted to Islam, resulting in a rapid fall of taxation. When complained about the ample number of converts, he cited “Prophet Muhammad (SAAW) was the messenger of Almighty Allah, not a tax collector. Let the people come into the fold of Islam, By God, this is the best of all services.”
Unfortunately, Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz’s principles of justice and equality were not liked by the aristocratic class, who intrigued against him. His servant was bribed to accomplish the task of getting rid of him. Consequently, Hazrat Umar (RA) got severely affected by the poison. During his last breathe, he inquired his slave of his abominable act who admitted his crime and got freed by him. Such an example of kindness and sympathy is hardly found anywhere in the world.
When heard about his demise, Roman Emperor narrated, “I could hardly find a person who had all the wealth and powers of world under his feet and yet shut his eyes against it, renouncing all the pleasures of world just for the appeasement of Allah.”
Regrettably, few days back some zealots have exhumed the shrine of Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz and disinterred his and his faithful wife’s grave in Idlib, Syria. Disrespecting his grave down after the centuries is quite disheartening and dejecting act. This is not only a barbaric and brutal, inhuman and uncivilized act but also puts a question mark on so-called Muslim leaders who claim to be the harbingers of Muslim Ummah and Islamic World.
An urgent action needs to be taken on behalf of the Muslim world to unmask all those bugs. Their opprobrium designs need to be exposed. This is not just an act of terrorism but an attack on the feelings and sentiments of Muslim Ummah inclusively. The nefarious persons claiming to be Muslims have left no stone unturned in disesteeming and desecrating the Muslim heroes and pious personalities regarded as the vanguards of Muslim’s glorious past. Disgracing and degrading the pure souls is really an ignominious act.
Those perverted souls are never to be counted in the list of humans. They are wild and wicked beasts. Organization of Islamic Cooperation must break the ice now and take a stringent and immediate action against those extremist minds. For this is the high time to come under one umbrella and regain the past glory.