Give an account of the administrative reforms that improved the lives of people in 'Umar's caliphate.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2022). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [10] (a) Use AO1 Levels of Response.
2. [10] (a) 'Umar's period as caliph is regarded as the golden era in Islamic history. Not only did the empire expand vastly during his reign but he also introduced several administrative reforms that made the caliphate prosperous and well run in which the living standard of the citizens improved a lot.
3. [10] (a) Some of the administrative reforms and how they improved the lives of people in 'Umar's caliphate are given below.
4. [10] (a) As the empire expanded ‘Umar divided the state into provinces and appointed qualified and experienced governors to run the states. This made the caliphate safe and prosperous and well administered that led to the prosperity of its people.
5. [10] (a) Made the judiciary separate from the executive and appointed judges which gave the citizens swift and impartial justice.
6. [10] (a) The bait-ul-maal was created under Amils which made the government finances safe from misuse and introduced checks and balances on public finance and kept corruption out of government.
7. [10] (a) Government officials when appointed had their credentials and finances scrutinised at the time of appointment and when they left government, to ensure no wrong doings had taken place.
8. [10] (a) Complaints against them were heard at the time of hajj and dealt with effectively and they were instructed to live simply.
9. [10] (a) All this ensured that the public servants were there to serve the people and ensure smooth running of government without any corruption.
10. [10] (a) 'Umar ran the affairs of the state by consultation hence Majlis Shura was established, and a democratic system of government was put in place.
11. [10] (a) Town planning, building of roads and highways were all undertaken to better the life of the people and make communication and defence of the caliphate better.
12. [10] (a) Mosques and schools were constructed to make the populace well versed in religious and other subjects.
13. [10] (a) Cantonments were made for soldiers and their needs were looked after. This kept the armed forces content and happy and they were happy to serve the caliphate.
14. [10] (a) Special attention was given to the wellbeing of non-Muslims which ensured good relations between all the citizens so much so that their affairs were settled by their religious laws. It fostered religious tolerance.
15. [10] (a) Candidates could list other administrative reforms than the ones given above and say how they improved the lives of the people at the time.
16. [4] (b) Use AO2 Levels of Response.
17. [4] (b) 'Umar was martyred by Abu Lulu, a Persian slave, who had a grudge against him.
18. [4] (b) Candidates in answer to the question could say that his response to his attack which took his life showed: the strength of his character, his love for the Prophet (pbuh) and his sense of duty till the very end.
19. [4] (b) He did not take revenge on Abu Lulu, which showed his forgiving nature.
20. [4] (b) He asked to be buried next to the Prophet (pbuh) showing his deep love for him.
21. [4] (b) Furthermore, he wanted to fulfil his responsibilities and appointed a committee to elect the next caliph so that the Islamic empire could continue to run smoothly and in an orderly way.
22. [4] (b) All these examples are a reflection of his noble character and strength of personality.
23. [4] (b) Candidates could give other reasons than the ones above.