“Umar” Ramadan Series: Review of Episodes 1-3
Posted on July 23, 2012
How does one represent one of the most important men in Islamic (and world) history on screen? Some people in certain circles would even question whether such an individual can ever be represented faithfully in any medium. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second successor to the Prophet Muhammad, is a historical figure of immense complexity. He began as one of the staunchest enemies of Islam and the Prophet before converting to the faith and eventually becoming its most ardent proponent and most important advocate. He was the initiator of the conquests of neighboring lands which weakened the Byzantine Empire and brought down the Sassanian Persian state, opening the way for the preaching and establishment of Islam in those lands.
He institutionalized the Islamic Hijri calendar and the Ramadan tarawih prayers, in addition to a number off other things. From all perspectives, he is one of the key figures in the establishment of Islam as a world religion. His justice and mercy to Muslims and non-Muslims alike were renowned around the world and are still invoked as a paragon for just leadership.
Washington Irving, the renowned American historian from the 19th century said this about him in his well-received work “Muhammad and his Successors”:
“The whole history of Umar shows him to have been a man of great powers of mind, inflexible integrity, and rigid justice. He was, more than any one else, the founder of the Islamic empire; confirming and carrying out the inspirations of the Prophet; aiding Abu Bakr with his counsels during his brief caliphate; and establishing wise regulations for the strict administration of the law throughout the rapidly-extending bounds of the Muslim conquests. The rigid hand which he kept upon his most popular generals in the midst of their armies, and in the most distant scenes of their triumphs, gave signal evidence of his extraordinary capacity to rule. In the simplicity of his habits, and his contempt for all pomp and luxury, he emulated the example of the Prophet and Abu Bakr.
He endeavored incessantly to impress the merit and policy of the same in his letters to his generals. ‘Beware,’ he would say, ‘of Persian luxury, both in food and raiment. Keep to the simple habits of your country, and God will continue you victorious; depart from them, and he will reverse your fortunes.’ It was his strong conviction of the truth of this policy which made him so severe in punishing all ostentatious style and luxurious indulgence in his officers. Some of his ordinances do credit to his heart as well as his head. He forbade that any female captive who had borne a child should be sold as a slave. In his weekly distributions of the surplus money of his treasury he proportioned them to the needs, not the merits of the applicants. ‘God,’ said he, ‘has bestowed the good things of this world to relieve our necessities, not to reward our virtues: those will be rewarded in another world.’
Obviously, within Islamic tradition the praise for the man is even more illustrious, as is evident from the following words of ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud, one of the closest companions of the Prophet:
“Umar’s submission to Islam was a conquest, his migration was a victory, his Imamate (period of rule) was a blessing, I have seen when we were unable to pray at the Ka’bah until Umar submitted, when he submitted to Islam, he fought them (the pagans) until they left us alone and we prayed.” (Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, “Tarikh al-Khulafa’
In light of this reality, therefore, I return to my initial question: how can anyone attempt to represent this man on screen while remaining faithful to his complexity and doing his accomplishments justice? I personally don’t have an answer to this, but this Ramadan MBC is broadcasting a 30-part series purporting to represent ‘Umar’s career. Although it is only three episodes in, I wanted to give a small review of what I have seen so far in order that others (who may not have seen it or do not have access to the Arabic language) may have a vague idea regarding the representation of this great man. It is also a way of helping myself keep track of the story. Hopefully, every two or three episodes I will do the same.
The series starts during the final pilgrimage of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab where he stops in the caravan and looks towards the desert and begins reminiscing…suddenly, we are back in the pre-Islamic era and the show picks up by showing the youth of ‘Umar, his relationship with his family and the beginnings of his career as a merchant in Syria. The series does a good job emphasizing his knowledge of Arabic poetry and the strength of his character. Personally, I was a bit disappointed by the representation of Byzantine Damascus, which is depicted as more similar to Rome in the 2nd century A.D. than Byzantium in the late 6th century. Senators walking around in togas and Roman soldiers wearing the armor of Julius Caesar is not even close to how Byzantine Syria would have appeared in this time. Arab cinema really needs to work on its historical accuracy with regard to props and costumes.
Anyways, this distraction aside, they did a good job capturing the ethnic and religious diversity in Syria, using ‘Umar’s relationship with a Ghassanid Arab merchant (who is Christian) as a point of departure for addressing this issue. His concern for the social and political situation of the Arabs in the Peninsula is also highlighted. The rest of the episode was rather slow, but did a good job building character. It is shown how, gradually, ‘Umar was drawn into the influential and powerful circles of Quraysh, where he earned the respect of the notables. It also shows him developing is own, independent thought-process. This becomes quite important later.
Posted on July 23, 2012
How does one represent one of the most important men in Islamic (and world) history on screen? Some people in certain circles would even question whether such an individual can ever be represented faithfully in any medium. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second successor to the Prophet Muhammad, is a historical figure of immense complexity. He began as one of the staunchest enemies of Islam and the Prophet before converting to the faith and eventually becoming its most ardent proponent and most important advocate. He was the initiator of the conquests of neighboring lands which weakened the Byzantine Empire and brought down the Sassanian Persian state, opening the way for the preaching and establishment of Islam in those lands.
He institutionalized the Islamic Hijri calendar and the Ramadan tarawih prayers, in addition to a number off other things. From all perspectives, he is one of the key figures in the establishment of Islam as a world religion. His justice and mercy to Muslims and non-Muslims alike were renowned around the world and are still invoked as a paragon for just leadership.
Washington Irving, the renowned American historian from the 19th century said this about him in his well-received work “Muhammad and his Successors”:
“The whole history of Umar shows him to have been a man of great powers of mind, inflexible integrity, and rigid justice. He was, more than any one else, the founder of the Islamic empire; confirming and carrying out the inspirations of the Prophet; aiding Abu Bakr with his counsels during his brief caliphate; and establishing wise regulations for the strict administration of the law throughout the rapidly-extending bounds of the Muslim conquests. The rigid hand which he kept upon his most popular generals in the midst of their armies, and in the most distant scenes of their triumphs, gave signal evidence of his extraordinary capacity to rule. In the simplicity of his habits, and his contempt for all pomp and luxury, he emulated the example of the Prophet and Abu Bakr.
He endeavored incessantly to impress the merit and policy of the same in his letters to his generals. ‘Beware,’ he would say, ‘of Persian luxury, both in food and raiment. Keep to the simple habits of your country, and God will continue you victorious; depart from them, and he will reverse your fortunes.’ It was his strong conviction of the truth of this policy which made him so severe in punishing all ostentatious style and luxurious indulgence in his officers. Some of his ordinances do credit to his heart as well as his head. He forbade that any female captive who had borne a child should be sold as a slave. In his weekly distributions of the surplus money of his treasury he proportioned them to the needs, not the merits of the applicants. ‘God,’ said he, ‘has bestowed the good things of this world to relieve our necessities, not to reward our virtues: those will be rewarded in another world.’
Obviously, within Islamic tradition the praise for the man is even more illustrious, as is evident from the following words of ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud, one of the closest companions of the Prophet:
“Umar’s submission to Islam was a conquest, his migration was a victory, his Imamate (period of rule) was a blessing, I have seen when we were unable to pray at the Ka’bah until Umar submitted, when he submitted to Islam, he fought them (the pagans) until they left us alone and we prayed.” (Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, “Tarikh al-Khulafa’
In light of this reality, therefore, I return to my initial question: how can anyone attempt to represent this man on screen while remaining faithful to his complexity and doing his accomplishments justice? I personally don’t have an answer to this, but this Ramadan MBC is broadcasting a 30-part series purporting to represent ‘Umar’s career. Although it is only three episodes in, I wanted to give a small review of what I have seen so far in order that others (who may not have seen it or do not have access to the Arabic language) may have a vague idea regarding the representation of this great man. It is also a way of helping myself keep track of the story. Hopefully, every two or three episodes I will do the same.
The series starts during the final pilgrimage of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab where he stops in the caravan and looks towards the desert and begins reminiscing…suddenly, we are back in the pre-Islamic era and the show picks up by showing the youth of ‘Umar, his relationship with his family and the beginnings of his career as a merchant in Syria. The series does a good job emphasizing his knowledge of Arabic poetry and the strength of his character. Personally, I was a bit disappointed by the representation of Byzantine Damascus, which is depicted as more similar to Rome in the 2nd century A.D. than Byzantium in the late 6th century. Senators walking around in togas and Roman soldiers wearing the armor of Julius Caesar is not even close to how Byzantine Syria would have appeared in this time. Arab cinema really needs to work on its historical accuracy with regard to props and costumes.
Anyways, this distraction aside, they did a good job capturing the ethnic and religious diversity in Syria, using ‘Umar’s relationship with a Ghassanid Arab merchant (who is Christian) as a point of departure for addressing this issue. His concern for the social and political situation of the Arabs in the Peninsula is also highlighted. The rest of the episode was rather slow, but did a good job building character. It is shown how, gradually, ‘Umar was drawn into the influential and powerful circles of Quraysh, where he earned the respect of the notables. It also shows him developing is own, independent thought-process. This becomes quite important later.
