Abu Jaʿfar al-Bāqir (1) said, “Every people has its outstanding figure, and the outstanding figure of the Umayyad clan is ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz; on the Day of Resurrection he will be raised as a nation all by himself.”

Al-Thawrī transmitted from ʿAmr ibn Maymūn: “The scholars who accompanied ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz were nothing more than students in his presence.”

Maʿmar related from al-Zuhrī’s brother: “While ʿUmar was governor of Medina, al-Walīd wrote instructing him to whip Khubayb ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr (2). ʿUmar lashed him several times, left him standing in the cold, and the man died.”

I say: Whenever people praised ʿUmar he would respond, “But what about Khubayb—may Allah have mercy on both of us?”

I also say: This man possessed fine appearance and character, a perfected intellect, dignified bearing, and excellent statesmanship. He was eager to uphold justice by every possible means, abundant in knowledge, innately versed in jurisprudence, clearly intelligent and perceptive, tender-hearted, penitent, devout toward Allah, firmly monotheistic, and—despite being Caliph—ascetic. He proclaimed the truth though he had few supporters, while numerous tyrannical governors grew weary of him, resenting his holding them to account, reducing their stipends, and reclaiming much of the wealth they had taken unlawfully. They persisted until they gave him poison, whereupon he attained both martyrdom and felicity. The scholars count him among the Rightly Guided Caliphs and among the scholars who lived by their knowledge.

Mubashshir ibn Ismāʿīl narrated from Jaʿfar ibn Burqān, from Maymūn ibn Mahrān: “We came to ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz thinking that he needed us, yet in his company we were nothing but pupils.”

The same report has come from Mujāhid and others.

And in the Muwaṭṭaʾ it has reached me that ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz