"'Umar bin Khattab is one of the great Companions of the Prophet and second Caliph of Islam. He was so firm in his practice of Islam that he usually could sense what was right or wrong before the Prophet had informed others of it. He used to say to this friends: if a mule stumbles near the Euphrates River, I fear being questioned by Allah as to why I had not paved the road for it. This book sheds light on the life and struggle of the greatest example of a just ruler. We should follow his footsteps to maintain justice in every walk of our life." -- Back of book.

When exercised with faith and steadfastness, history bends to the will of man. Umar Al Farooq was such a man who left a legacy that subsequent generations have emulated. He was a great conqueror, a wise administrator, a just ruler, a monumental builder, and a man of piety who loved God with the same intensity that other conquerors of his caliber have loved gold and wealth. Umar shaped the historical edifice of Islam, and whatever Islam became or did not become in subsequent centuries is primarily due to his work. Indeed, Umar was the architect of Islamic civilization. Human destiny is to realize its own sublime nature within the matrix of human affairs. When free will is abused, humans are reduced to the most wretched of creatures. Umar understood this better than anyone, and few since the Prophet carried this trust with as much wisdom, humility, determination, sensitivity, persistence, and courage. By any yardstick, Umar was one of history's greatest figures.

Umar was the second of the four ‘rightly guided’ caliphs. At first, he railed against the new Islam religion until he read parts of the Qu’ran. He was instantly impressed and became a believer. Umar is credited for establishing most of the major political institutions of the Muslim state and stabilizing the rapidly expanding Arab empire.

The two books which compose 'Umar ibn al-Khattâb: His Life and Times are sold together as a set. They belong in Part II of the Islamic History Series, as the second set of The Rightly Guided Caliphs. The second caliph of Islam, 'Umar ibn al-Khattâb faced more struggles than any other Muslim leader in the early onset of Islam. His life began in a time of ignorance and ended during the Golden Age of Islam. Under his leadership, the Muslim world was witnessing some of its most notable conquests in the history of Islam. The strength and resilience of Islam's leaders were being tested, and 'Umar ibn al-Khattâb's true commitment to Allah shone to reveal an Islamic spirit unlike that found in any other Muslim leader. The standards by which he lived can teach us a lot about determination, hardship, and success. This book was translated into English by Nasiruddin al-Khattab, who writes: For those who would be leaders, this book offers the model of an ideal Muslim leader, one who felt responsible before Allah for the well being of all those under his rule, including his troops, women, infants, non-Muslim subjects and even animals. 'Umar was a 'hands on' leader who kept himself informed and consulted scholars and experts before every major decision. For the rest of us, this book offers a window into an exciting and important period of Islamic history, and it also reminds of an important lesson, that our strength comes not from wealth or money or status, but from our submission to Allah and our commitment to the path of Islam.

Christophe Picard recounts the adventures of Muslim sailors who competed with Greek and Latin seamen for control of the 7th-century Mediterranean. By the time Christian powers took over trade routes in the 13th century, a Muslim identity that operated within, and in opposition to, Europe had been shaped by encounters across the sea of the caliphs.

This is a new story of Islam. It is the story of the movement which was launched by Muhammad, the Messenger of God, in A.D. 610 in Makkah, and was consummated with the support of his cousin, collaborator and vicegerent, Ali ibn Abi Talib, in A.D. 632 in Medina. It covers a period of ninety years from A.D. 570 when he was born in Makkah, to A.D. 661 when his successor, Ali ibn Abi Talib, was assassinated in Kufa. Countless histories of Islam have been written in the past and will be written in the future. The spectacular advance of Islam in the missionary field in our own times; the renaissance of the Muslim nations after many centuries of slumber; the obtrusion of oil as a new factor in world politics in this century; but above all and most recently, the success of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, all are acting, both in the east and in the west, as catalysts of a new interest in Islam. The Revolution in Iran, has, in fact, triggered a world-wide explosion of interest in Islam, and many new books are being written on the subject - both by Muslims and non-Muslims...