The Transformation from Luxury to Simplicity
Before his caliphate, Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz was known as a man of refined taste: fine clothing, perfume, elegant lifestyle, a member of the Umayyad aristocracy. When he became caliph upon the death of Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik (717 CE), the transformation was immediate.
He gave his wife — a granddaughter of Uthman ibn Affan — a choice: keep her expensive jewelry as a wife or give it to the state treasury and live simply with him as caliph. She chose to give the jewelry. He sold his horses (prized Arabian stock) and donated the proceeds to the treasury. He refused the Umayyad gifts of land that previous caliphs had accumulated. He paid for his own oil lamp when working late — refusing to use state oil for personal correspondence.
Ending the Cursing of Ali
Among the most historically significant acts of his caliphate: Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz abolished the decades-old Umayyad practice of cursing Ali ibn Abi Talib in the Friday khutba (sermon). This practice had been instituted by Muawiya and continued through the Umayyad period as political policy.
He replaced the cursing with the recitation of the Quranic verse: “Indeed, Allah commands justice, good conduct, and giving to relatives, and He forbids immorality, bad conduct, and oppression.” (16:90) — a verse that has been read in Friday sermons across the Muslim world ever since.
The Brief Caliphate and the Poison
His caliphate lasted only approximately two and a half years. His reforms threatened too many interests: Umayyad governors who had enriched themselves, tax collectors whose abusive practices he ended, kinsmen who had received land grants he now reclaimed.
He fell ill in 720 CE and died at age 37. His slaves reportedly confessed under later investigation that he had been poisoned at the instigation of Umayyad opponents who offered them freedom in exchange. He reportedly said before dying: “Woe to me and to my people if I did not fulfill the trust Allah gave me.”
See also: Seerah Umar Ibn Khattab, Seerah Ali, Seerah Uthman, Seerah Abd Allah Ibn Zubayr, Karbala, Fiqh Al Jihad