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( Umar)
Umar (Arabic ??? ?? ??????;&_160;Transliteration `Umar ibn al-Khattab, c. 581-83 CE&_160;– 7 November 644), also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great was a Muslim convert from the Banu Adi clan of the Quraysh tribe,[1] and a sahaba (righteous companion) of Muhammad. He became the second Caliph (634&_160;– 644) following the death of Abu Bakr, and is thus regarded by Sunni Muslims as one of the Rashidun (four righteously guided Caliphs). Umar was born in Mecca. In his earlier years, he worked as a shepherd and a merchant, growing up in humble surroundings.[2] His father was Khattab ibn Nufayl, who is said to have been an emotional polytheist[3] belonging to a middle class family. Umar was literate, which by some accounts was uncommon in those times, and he was also well known for his physical strength, being a champion warrior. Although Umar was a well respected and honourable man, and came from a family of noble descent, he was just like the rest of Quraysh. Omar was like most of Quraysh before Islam, yet after Islam he became one of the greatest men to walk this earth.[4] When Muhammad began preaching Islam, `Umar ibn al-Khattab resolved to defend the traditional, polytheistic religion of Arabia. He was most adamant in opposing Muhammad and very prominent in persecuting the Muslims. In those days, the early Muslims lived in fear of their life and often did not openly pray at the Kaaba. To overcome this oppression, Muhammad explicitly prayed, 'to strengthen the religion with Umar.[5] According to an early story, recounted in Ibn Ishaq's Sirah, `Umar resolved to assassinate Muhammad.[6] On the way to assassinate Muhammad, Umar met a Muslim who told him to set his own house in order first, as his sister and her husband had converted to Islam. Upon arriving at her house, `Umar found her reciting verses of the Qur'an. When he listened carefully to the Sura's verses, he was so struck by the surah's verses, that he accepted Islam that very day. When `Umar later went to inform the chief of Quraish, Amr ibn Hisham, about his acceptance of Islam. According to one account, Umar, thereafter prayed openly at the Kaaba as the Quraish chiefs, Amr ibn Hisham and Abu Sufyan ibn Harb were said to have watched in anger.[7] According to the same account, this further helped the Muslims to gain confidence in practicing Islam openly, since it is said that no one dared to interfere with Umar when he was openly praying. `Umar was part of the first migration (Hijrah) to Yathrib (later renamed Medinat an-Nabi, or simply Medina, which means "the city," in 622.[8] where he was one of two chief advisers to Muhammad, the other being Abu Bakr.
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