'Umar made several administrative reforms during his ten year caliphate. Write an account of at least five of them and say how these reforms helped make his rule so admirable.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2017). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. 3(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. Candidates need to write about any five of these administrative reforms and say how each of those reforms made his rule admirable. Some of the reforms and how they helped to make 'Umar's caliphate so admirable are given below:
2. 3(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.
3. 3(a) Made the judiciary separate from the executive and appointed judges which gave the citizens swift and impartial justice.
4. 3(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.
5. 3(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. Complaints against them were heard at the time of hajj and dealt with effectively and they were instructed to live simply. All this ensured that the public servants were there to serve the people and ensure smooth running of government without any corruption.
6. 3(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.
7. 3(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. Mosques and schools were constructed to make the populace well versed in religious and other subjects.
8. 3(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.
9. 3(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.
10. 3(a) Candidates could list other reforms than the ones given above however, it must be remembered that it is not enough to just list the reforms but the answer also needs to say how these reforms helped make ‘Umar's caliphate admirable.
11. 3(b) Candidates are free to choose any one of 'Umar's qualities and say why in their opinion it was his greatest quality. They could e.g. write about the justice of 'Umar as being his greatest virtue or his skill as an efficient administrator or military commander being his greatest virtue. All valid responses to be credited given that they are backed up with sound reasons.