In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Mawaddah Association
presents:
The Ten Promised Paradise:
'Umar ibn al-Khattab,
may Allah be pleased with him.
"Loving the Companions and the Prophet's kin is an established Sunnah,
with which I shall meet my Lord whenever He gives me life."
"Loving the Companions and the Prophet's kin is an established Sunnah..."
This was 'Umar ibn al-Khattab:
tall and heavily built,
towering over people as if he were riding a mount.
He was fair-skinned,
meaning very fair,
with a reddish hue.
He had handsome cheeks, nose, and eyes,
broad feet and hands,
powerful and robust,
neither frail nor weak.
He used to dye his beard with henna,
and had long mustache tips—
which are the edges of the mustache hair.
When he walked, he walked swiftly;
when he spoke, he was clearly heard;
and when he struck, he caused pain.
This awe-inspiring, great man—
the Qur'an flowed into his ears
like pure, clear water,
moving and shaking his heart,
making his entire being tremble
upon hearing the clear verses,
so that he could not help
but surrender to this divine light
and join its ranks.
His heart was illuminated after utter darkness,
light and radiance graced his face,
and his life shone anew.
'Abdullah ibn 'Umar narrates to us
this fascinating story
following his father's acceptance of Islam,
saying:
"When my father accepted Islam, he asked,
'Which person of Quraysh spreads news the most?'
It was said to him, 'Jamil ibn Ma'mar al-Jumahi.'
So he went to him early in the morning,
and I followed closely behind his footsteps
to see what he would do,
as I was a boy who understood everything I saw.
When he reached him, he said to him,
'Do you know, Jamil, that I have embraced Islam
and entered the religion of Muhammad?'
By Allah, Jamil did not reply to him,
but immediately stood up, dragging his garment,
and 'Umar followed him,
and I followed my father.
When Jamil stood at the door of the Mosque,
he cried out at the top of his voice,
'O people of Quraysh!'—
while they were gathered in their assemblies around the Ka'bah—
'Behold, 'Umar has apostatized!'
'Umar, behind him, was saying,
'He lies!
Rather, I have embraced Islam,
and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger!'
Quraysh pounced upon 'Umar,
and they struck him and he struck them;
they fought him and he fought them,
until the sun reached its zenith over their heads.
'Umar grew exhausted
and sat down,
while they stood over him,
and he was saying,
'Do whatever you please!
For I swear by Allah,
if we were three hundred men,
we would have left it to you,
or you would have left it to us!'
Meanwhile,
as 'Umar was being beaten, there passed by
an elder of Quraysh
wearing a fine striped Yemeni cloak.
He stopped before them and said,
'What is the matter with you?'
They replied, ''Umar has apostatized!'
He said, 'So what?
A man has chosen a path for himself,
so what do you want?
Do you think the clan of 'Adi ibn Ka'b
will surrender their companion to you like this?
Leave the man alone!'
He said,
'By Allah, it was as if they were
a garment peeled away from him.'
Later, Ibn 'Umar asked his father,
after their migration,
'O my father, who was the man
who drove the people away from you
in Makkah on the day you embraced Islam,
when they were fighting you?'
He said, 'O my son,
that was al-'As ibn Wa'il
al-Sahmi.'"
'Umar embraced Islam on a Tuesday
after Maghrib,
in the sixth year of the Prophetic mission.
His conversion was after thirty-nine men had accepted Islam.
The conversion of 'Umar brought
honor, elevation, and strength
to Islam and the Muslims,
owing to his high standing
and awe-inspiring personality
among the pre-Islamic society.
It is reported that 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
said to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
when he embraced Islam:
"O Messenger of Allah,
why should we conceal our religion
when we are on the truth,
while their religion is manifest though they are on falsehood?"
So 'Umar went out
and circumambulated the House,
then passed by Quraysh
while they were waiting for him.
Abu Jahl said,
"So-and-so claimed that you have apostatized."
'Umar said,
"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
and I bear witness that Muhammad
is His servant and Messenger."
The polytheists sprang upon him,
and he pounced on 'Utbah ibn Rabi'ah,
pinned him down and began beating him,
thrusting his fingers into his eyes
until 'Utbah began screaming,
so the people backed away from him.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came out,
with 'Umar walking ahead of him
and Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib,
until he circumambulated the House
and openly prayed Zuhr,
after which the Messenger of Allah departed.
'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said,
"We have remained mighty ever since 'Umar embraced Islam."
It is also narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:
"When 'Umar embraced Islam, the polytheists said,
'Today the people have gained equal footing with us.'"
'Umar migrated secretly,
just like the emigrants before him and after him,
among whom were the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).
He said, recounting the story of his migration:
"When we intended to migrate to Madinah, we made an appointment—
myself, 'Ayyash ibn Abi Rabi'ah,
and Hisham ibn al-'As—
to meet at a place outside Makkah.
We agreed that whoever of us did not reach it by morning had been detained,
so his two companions should proceed.
He said: 'So I and 'Ayyash ibn Abi Rabi'ah met,
while Hisham was detained from us
and subjected to persecution regarding his religion.'"
A number of 'Umar's relatives and their allies joined him,
numbering twenty men.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) established a bond of brotherhood
between him and 'Itban ibn Malik al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him.
Thus, he lived a life of faith in Madinah,
in all its beauty and splendor.
'Umar was transformed from that pagan man
into a possessor of true, unwavering creed.
For he once said,
while touching and kissing the Black Stone:
"By Allah, I know that you are a stone that neither harms nor benefits,
and had I not seen the Prophet (peace be upon him) kissing you, I would not have kissed you."
After embracing Islam, 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, had
a share in every field of good deeds,
being among the foremost noble disciples of the Prophetic school.
On a dew-laden night of tranquil surroundings,
the Prophet (peace be upon him) was checking on the condition of his Companions.
He asked Abu Bakr, "When do you pray Witr?"
He replied, "I pray Witr in the early part of the night."
And he asked 'Umar, "When do you pray Witr?"
He replied, "At the end of the night."
So he said to Abu Bakr, "This one has acted with prudence,"
and said to 'Umar, "This one has acted with resolve."
It is established that 'Umar fasted continuously for two years before his death,
and he would exert himself while fasting on intensely hot days,
saying to himself, "Rejoice in the quenching of your thirst!"
'Umar came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said,
"O Messenger of Allah,
I have acquired land in Khaybar,
and I have never acquired property more precious to me than it;
what do you command me to do with it?"
He said, "If you wish, you may make the property itself inalienable and give its yield in charity."
So 'Umar gave it in charity.
Yet, despite all of that,
'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, feared his past sins with the utmost fear,
supplicating and saying:
"O Allah, if You have recorded against me a sin or a transgression,
"then forgive it for me,
for You efface and confirm whatever You will,
and with You is the Mother of the Book."
'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was gifted with such immense knowledge
that he surpassed many of the Companions.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, testified to this,
saying:
"While I was asleep,
a cup of milk was brought to me,
and I drank from it until I saw the satisfaction flowing out of my fingernails.
Then I gave my leftover to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab."
They asked, "How did you interpret it, O Messenger of Allah?"
He replied, "Knowledge."
And the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"While I was asleep,
I saw people being presented before me wearing shirts;
some reached up to the breasts,
and some fell below that.
Then 'Umar was presented before me
wearing a shirt that he was dragging along."
They asked, "How did you interpret it, O Messenger of Allah?"
He replied, "Religious commitment."
'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was keen on marriage
out of a desire for children and increasing his progeny.
Whenever he divorced one of his four wives or whenever one died,
he would marry another in her place,
so that the total number of women he married reached fourteen.
He had ten sons
and seven daughters.
He used to say:
"I compel myself to intimacy
in the hope that Allah will bring forth from me
a living soul that glorifies Allah."
The formidable presence of 'Umar—
and what will make you realize what 'Umar's presence was!
That immense awe
made people fear him both before Islam and after it;
indeed, even the devils used to flee from him!
For the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"By the One in Whose hand is my soul,
whenever Satan meets you traveling along a path,
he takes a path other than yours."
More remains to be told of the biography of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
which we will continue in the next episode, Allah willing.
and az-Zubayr to
Abu 'Ubaydah,
the two Sa'ds,
and the two successors.