A sourced account of Umar ibn al-Khattab’s final days, concern for public obligations, the succession council and the transition after his death.

This episode brings together several themes from Umar ibn al-Khattab’s caliphate: discipline, the treatment of people who had made serious…

A balanced overview of Yarmouk, Syria and Jerusalem during Umar ibn al-Khattab’s caliphate, with clear separation between caliphal oversight and field command.

A balanced account of al-Qadisiyyah, the Muslim victory over a Sasanian army in the mid-630s, and the limits of later heroic narratives about the battle.

How the Muslim-Sasanian confrontation developed before al-Qadisiyyah, why Umar appointed Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, and which popular details modern historians treat cautiously.

A balanced overview of expansion during Umar ibn al-Khattab’s caliphate, distinguishing the caliph’s strategic oversight from the work of field commanders and the experience of conquered populations.

How Umar ibn al-Khattab approached public appointments, complaints, taxation and accountability, with attention to the limits of the historical evidence.

Umar’s governors had to carry out responsibilities far from Madinah. This episode considers the qualities expected of them, the need…

A clear guide to zakat, land revenue, public stipends and fiscal accountability during Umar ibn al-Khattab’s caliphate, without forcing modern economic labels onto the seventh century.

Famine and epidemic disease presented different challenges during Umar ibn al-Khattab’s caliphate. This episode examines accounts of hunger and relief,…