عمر بن الخطاب
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb
Person
The second caliph (r. 634–644), known for justice, who expanded the state from Egypt to Persia.
What it means
Umar accepted Islam in Mecca and strengthened the early community. As caliph he took Jerusalem, set up courts and the diwan, and counted the calendar from the Hijra. A famous report has him walking at night to see that the poor were fed. He was killed by a Persian slave in 644. The Prophet called him “al-Faruq”, the one who separates truth from falsehood.