Another significant
addition to the strength of Islam was the conversion of 'Omar bin Al-Khattab in
Dhul-Hijjah, the sixth year of Prophethood, three days following the conversion
of Hamzah. ] He was a man of dauntless courage and resolution, feared and
respected in Makkah, and hitherto a bitter opponent of the new religion. The
traditional account reveals that the Prophet (Sallallahu‘Alayhi wa Sallam) once
raised his hands in prayer and said:
"O Allah! Give strength to Islam
especially through either of two men you love more: 'Omar bin Al-Khattab or Abu
Jahl bin Hisham."
'Omar (Radhi Allahu Anhu), obviously, was the one who
merited that privilege. {At-Tirmidhi 2/209)
One day, 'Omar bin Al-Khattab
(Radhi Allahu Anhu) set out from his house, and headed for the Holy Sanctuary
where he saw the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) offering prayer and
overheard him reciting the Surah Al-Haqqah (Chapter 69 — The Reality) of the
Noble Qur’an. The Words of Allah appealed to him and touched the innermost cells
of his heart. He felt that they derived from unusual composition, and he began
to question his people's allegations as regards the man-composed poetry or words
of a soothsayer that they used to attach to the Noble Qur’an. The Prophet
(Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) went on to recite:
"That
this is verily the word of an honoured Messenger (i.e. Gabriel or Muhammad
(Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) which he has brought from Allah). It is not the
word of a poet, little is that you believe! Nor is it the word of a soothsayer
(or a foreteller), little is that you remember! This is the Revelation sent down
from the Lord of the 'Alameen (mankind, jinns and all that exists)." [Surah
Al-Haqqah 69:40-43]
At that very moment, Islam permeated his
heart. However, the dark layer of pre-Islamic tendencies, the deep-seated
traditional bigotry as well as the blind pride in his forefathers overshadowed
the essence of the great Truth that began to feel its way reluctantly into his
heart. He, therefore, persisted in his atrocities against Islam and its
adherents unmindful of the pure and true-to-man's nature feeling that lay behind
that fragile cover of pre-Islamic ignorance and mentality. His sharp temper and
excessive enmity towards the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) led him one
day to leave his house, sword in hand, with the intention of killing the Prophet
(Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam). He was in a fit of anger and was fretting and
fuming. Nu'aim bin 'Abdullah, a friend of 'Omar's, met him accidentally half
way. What had caused so much excitement in him and on whom was the fury to
burst, he inquired casually. 'Omar said furiously: "To destroy the man Muhammad,
this apostate, who has shattered the unity of Quraish, picked holes in their
religion, found folly with their wise men and blasphemed their gods." "'Omar, I
am sure, your soul has deceived you, do you think that Banu 'Abd Munaf would let
you walk on earth if you slain Muhammad? Why don't you take care of your own
family first and set them right?"
"Which of the folk of my house?" asked
'Omar angrily. "Your brother-in-law and your sister have apostatized [meaning to
say: They have become followers of Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam)] and
abandoned your religion."
'Omar directed his footsteps to his sister's
house. As he drew near, he heard the voice of Khabbab bin Aratt, who was reading
the Qur’anic Chapter Ta-Ha (mystic letters, T. H.) to both of them. Khabbab,
perceiving the noise of his footsteps retired to a closet. Fatimah, 'Omar's
sister, took hold of the leaf and hid it. But 'Omar had already heard the voice.
"What sound was that I have heard just now?" shouted the son of Khattab,
entering angrily. Both his sister and her husband replied, "You heard nothing. "
"Nay," said he swearing fiercely, "I have heard that you have apostatized." He
plunged forward towards his brother-in-law and beat him severely, but Fatimah
rushed to the rescue of her husband. Thereupon, 'Omar fell upon his sister and
struck upon her head. The husband and wife could not contain themselves and
cried aloud: "Yes, we are Muslims, we believe in Allah and His Messenger
Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) so do what you will."
When 'Omar
(Radhi Allahu Anhu) saw the face of his dear sister besmeared with blood, he was
softened and said: "Let me see what you were reading, so that I may see what
Muhammad has brought." Fatimah was satisfied with the assurance, but said: "O
brother, you are unclean on account of your idolatry, none but the pure may
touch it. So go and wash first." He did so, and took the page and read the
opening verses of the Chapter Ta-Ha until he reached:
"Verily!
I am Allah! La ilaha illa Ana (none has the right to be worshipped but I), so
worship Me and offer prayers perfectly (Iqamah-as-Salat), for My Remembrance."
[Surah Ta-Ha 20:14].
'Omar read the verses with great interest
and was much entranced with them. "How excellent it is, and how graceful! Please
guide me to Muhammad." said he. And when he heard that, Khabbab came out of
concealment and said, "O 'Omar, I hope that Allah has answered the prayer of the
Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) , for I heard him say: 'O Allah!
Strengthen Islam through either 'Omar bin Al-Khattab or Abu Jahl bin Hisham.'"
'Omar then left for a house in Safa where Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi
wa Sallam) had been holding secret meetings along with his Companions. 'Omar
(Radhi Allahu Anhu) reached that place with the sword swinging by his arm. He
knocked at the door.
The Companions of the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi
wa Sallam) turned to see who the intruder was. One of them peeped through a
chink in the door and reeled back exclaiming: "It is 'Omar with his sword."
Hamzah (Radhi Allahu Anhu), dispelling the fears of his friends, said: "Let him
in. As a friend he is welcome. As a foe, he will have his head cut off with his
own sword." The Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) asked his Companions to
open the door. In came the son of Khattab. The Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa
Sallam) advanced to receive the dreadful visitor, caught him by his garment and
scabbard, and asked him the reason of his visit. At that 'Omar replied: "O
Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam), I come to you in order to
believe in Allah and his Messenger and that which he has brought from his
Lord."
Filled with delight, Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam)
together with his Companions, cried aloud: 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is Great).
The conversion of 'Omar was a real triumph for the cause of Islam. So great
and instant was the effect of his conversion on the situation that the believers
who had hitherto worshipped Allah within their four walls in secret now
assembled and performed their rites of worship openly in the Holy Sanctuary
itself. This raised their spirits, and dread and uneasiness began to seize
Quraish.
Ibn Ishaq narrated on the authority of 'Omar (Radhi Allahu
Anhu), "When I embraced Islam, I remembered the archenemy of Muhammad
(Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam), i.e. Abu Jahl. I set out, and knocked at his
door. When he came out to see me, I told him directly that I had embraced Islam.
He immediately slammed the door repulsively denouncing my move as infamous and
my face as ugly."
In fact, 'Omar's (Radhi Allahu Anhu) conversion created
a great deal of stir in Makkah that some people denounced him as an apostate,
yet he would never waver in Faith, on the contrary, he persisted in his stance
even at the peril of his life. The polytheists of Quraish marched towards his
house with the intention of killing him. 'Abdullah bin 'Omar (Radhi Allahu Anhu)
narrated: “While 'Omar was at home in a state of fear, there came Al-'As bin
Wa'il As-Sahmy Abu 'Amr, wearing an embroidered cloak and a shirt having silk
hems. He was from the tribe of Bani Sahm who were our allies during the
pre-Islamic period of ignorance. Al-'As said to 'Omar: What's wrong with you? He
said: Your people claim that they will kill me if I become a Muslim. Al-'As
said: Nobody will harm you after I have given protection to you. So Al-'As went
out and met the people streaming in the whole valley. He said: Where are you
going? They replied: We want son of Al-Khattab who has embraced Islam. Al-'As
said: There is no way for anybody to touch him. So the people retreated.
With respect to the Muslims in Makkah, 'Omar's conversion had a different
tremendous impact. Mujahid, on the authority of Ibn Al-'Abbas (Radhi Allahu
Anhu). related that he had asked 'Omar bin Al-Khattab why he had been given the
epithet of Al-Farouque (he who distinguishes truth from falsehood), he replied:
After I had embraced Islam, I asked the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam):
'Aren't we on the right path here and Hereafter?' The Prophet (Sallallahu
‘Alayhi wa Sallam) answered: 'Of course you are! I swear by Allah in Whose Hand
my soul is, that you are right in this world and in the hereafter.' I,
therefore, asked the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) 'Why we then had to
conduct clandestine activism. I swear by Allah Who has sent you with the Truth,
that we will leave our concealment and proclaim our noble cause publicly.' We
then went out in two groups, Hamzah leading one and I the other. We headed for
the Mosque in broad daylight when the polytheists of Quraish saw us, their
faces went pale and got incredibly depressed and resentful. On that very
occasion, the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) attached to me the epithet
of Al-Farouque. Ibn Mas'ud (Radhi Allahu Anhu) related that they (the Muslims)
had never been able to observe their religious rites inside the Holy Sanctuary
except when 'Omar (Radhi Allahu Anhu) embraced Islam.
Suhaib bin Sinan
(Radhi Allahu Anhu), in the same context, said that it was only after 'Omar's
conversion, that we started to proclaim our Call, assemble around and
circumambulate the Sacred House freely. We even dared retaliate against some of
the injustices done to harm us. In the same context, Ibn Mas'ud said: We have
been strengthened a lot since 'Omar embraced Islam.
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