Part of The Ten Given Glad Tidings of Paradise (series completed)
· Lesson 6 of 30
The ten promised Paradise | Episode (6) | Omar bin Al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him (Part 2)
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Mawaddah Association
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presents:
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The Ten Promised Paradise:
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'Umar ibn al-Khattab,
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may Allah be pleased with him.
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"Loving the Companions and the Prophet's kin is an established Sunnah,
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with which I shall meet my Lord whenever He gives me life."
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"Loving the Companions and the Prophet's kin is an established Sunnah..."
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This was 'Umar ibn al-Khattab:
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tall and heavily built,
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towering over people as if he were riding a mount.
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He was fair-skinned,
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meaning very fair,
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with a reddish hue.
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He had handsome cheeks, nose, and eyes,
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broad feet and hands,
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powerful and robust,
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neither frail nor weak.
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He used to dye his beard with henna,
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and had long mustache tips—
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which are the edges of the mustache hair.
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When he walked, he walked swiftly;
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when he spoke, he was clearly heard;
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and when he struck, he caused pain.
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This awe-inspiring, great man—
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the Qur'an flowed into his ears
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like pure, clear water,
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moving and shaking his heart,
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making his entire being tremble
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upon hearing the clear verses,
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so that he could not help
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but surrender to this divine light
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and join its ranks.
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His heart was illuminated after utter darkness,
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light and radiance graced his face,
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and his life shone anew.
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'Abdullah ibn 'Umar narrates to us
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this fascinating story
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following his father's acceptance of Islam,
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saying:
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"When my father accepted Islam, he asked,
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'Which person of Quraysh spreads news the most?'
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It was said to him, 'Jamil ibn Ma'mar al-Jumahi.'
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So he went to him early in the morning,
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and I followed closely behind his footsteps
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to see what he would do,
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as I was a boy who understood everything I saw.
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When he reached him, he said to him,
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'Do you know, Jamil, that I have embraced Islam
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and entered the religion of Muhammad?'
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By Allah, Jamil did not reply to him,
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but immediately stood up, dragging his garment,
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and 'Umar followed him,
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and I followed my father.
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When Jamil stood at the door of the Mosque,
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he cried out at the top of his voice,
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'O people of Quraysh!'—
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while they were gathered in their assemblies around the Ka'bah—
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'Behold, 'Umar has apostatized!'
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'Umar, behind him, was saying,
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'He lies!
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Rather, I have embraced Islam,
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and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
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and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger!'
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Quraysh pounced upon 'Umar,
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and they struck him and he struck them;
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they fought him and he fought them,
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until the sun reached its zenith over their heads.
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'Umar grew exhausted
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and sat down,
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while they stood over him,
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and he was saying,
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'Do whatever you please!
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For I swear by Allah,
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if we were three hundred men,
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we would have left it to you,
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or you would have left it to us!'
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Meanwhile,
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as 'Umar was being beaten, there passed by
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an elder of Quraysh
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wearing a fine striped Yemeni cloak.
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He stopped before them and said,
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'What is the matter with you?'
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They replied, ''Umar has apostatized!'
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He said, 'So what?
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A man has chosen a path for himself,
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so what do you want?
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Do you think the clan of 'Adi ibn Ka'b
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will surrender their companion to you like this?
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Leave the man alone!'
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He said,
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'By Allah, it was as if they were
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a garment peeled away from him.'
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Later, Ibn 'Umar asked his father,
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after their migration,
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'O my father, who was the man
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who drove the people away from you
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in Makkah on the day you embraced Islam,
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when they were fighting you?'
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He said, 'O my son,
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that was al-'As ibn Wa'il
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al-Sahmi.'"
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'Umar embraced Islam on a Tuesday
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after Maghrib,
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in the sixth year of the Prophetic mission.
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His conversion was after thirty-nine men had accepted Islam.
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The conversion of 'Umar brought
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honor, elevation, and strength
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to Islam and the Muslims,
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owing to his high standing
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and awe-inspiring personality
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among the pre-Islamic society.
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It is reported that 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
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said to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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when he embraced Islam:
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"O Messenger of Allah,
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why should we conceal our religion
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when we are on the truth,
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while their religion is manifest though they are on falsehood?"
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So 'Umar went out
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and circumambulated the House,
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then passed by Quraysh
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while they were waiting for him.
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Abu Jahl said,
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"So-and-so claimed that you have apostatized."
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'Umar said,
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"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
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and I bear witness that Muhammad
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is His servant and Messenger."
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The polytheists sprang upon him,
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and he pounced on 'Utbah ibn Rabi'ah,
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pinned him down and began beating him,
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thrusting his fingers into his eyes
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until 'Utbah began screaming,
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so the people backed away from him.
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Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came out,
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with 'Umar walking ahead of him
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and Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib,
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until he circumambulated the House
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and openly prayed Zuhr,
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after which the Messenger of Allah departed.
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'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said,
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"We have remained mighty ever since 'Umar embraced Islam."
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It is also narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:
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"When 'Umar embraced Islam, the polytheists said,
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'Today the people have gained equal footing with us.'"
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'Umar migrated secretly,
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just like the emigrants before him and after him,
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among whom were the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).
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He said, recounting the story of his migration:
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"When we intended to migrate to Madinah, we made an appointment—
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myself, 'Ayyash ibn Abi Rabi'ah,
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and Hisham ibn al-'As—
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to meet at a place outside Makkah.
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We agreed that whoever of us did not reach it by morning had been detained,
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so his two companions should proceed.
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He said: 'So I and 'Ayyash ibn Abi Rabi'ah met,
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while Hisham was detained from us
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and subjected to persecution regarding his religion.'"
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A number of 'Umar's relatives and their allies joined him,
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numbering twenty men.
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) established a bond of brotherhood
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between him and 'Itban ibn Malik al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him.
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Thus, he lived a life of faith in Madinah,
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in all its beauty and splendor.
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'Umar was transformed from that pagan man
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into a possessor of true, unwavering creed.
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For he once said,
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while touching and kissing the Black Stone:
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"By Allah, I know that you are a stone that neither harms nor benefits,
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and had I not seen the Prophet (peace be upon him) kissing you, I would not have kissed you."
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After embracing Islam, 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, had
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a share in every field of good deeds,
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being among the foremost noble disciples of the Prophetic school.
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On a dew-laden night of tranquil surroundings,
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the Prophet (peace be upon him) was checking on the condition of his Companions.
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He asked Abu Bakr, "When do you pray Witr?"
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He replied, "I pray Witr in the early part of the night."
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And he asked 'Umar, "When do you pray Witr?"
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He replied, "At the end of the night."
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So he said to Abu Bakr, "This one has acted with prudence,"
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and said to 'Umar, "This one has acted with resolve."
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It is established that 'Umar fasted continuously for two years before his death,
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and he would exert himself while fasting on intensely hot days,
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saying to himself, "Rejoice in the quenching of your thirst!"
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'Umar came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said,
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"O Messenger of Allah,
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I have acquired land in Khaybar,
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and I have never acquired property more precious to me than it;
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what do you command me to do with it?"
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He said, "If you wish, you may make the property itself inalienable and give its yield in charity."
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So 'Umar gave it in charity.
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Yet, despite all of that,
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'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, feared his past sins with the utmost fear,
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supplicating and saying:
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"O Allah, if You have recorded against me a sin or a transgression,
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"then forgive it for me,
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for You efface and confirm whatever You will,
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and with You is the Mother of the Book."
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'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was gifted with such immense knowledge
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that he surpassed many of the Companions.
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, testified to this,
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saying:
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"While I was asleep,
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a cup of milk was brought to me,
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and I drank from it until I saw the satisfaction flowing out of my fingernails.
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Then I gave my leftover to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab."
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They asked, "How did you interpret it, O Messenger of Allah?"
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He replied, "Knowledge."
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And the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
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"While I was asleep,
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I saw people being presented before me wearing shirts;
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some reached up to the breasts,
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and some fell below that.
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Then 'Umar was presented before me
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wearing a shirt that he was dragging along."
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They asked, "How did you interpret it, O Messenger of Allah?"
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He replied, "Religious commitment."
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'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was keen on marriage
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out of a desire for children and increasing his progeny.
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Whenever he divorced one of his four wives or whenever one died,
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he would marry another in her place,
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so that the total number of women he married reached fourteen.
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He had ten sons
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and seven daughters.
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He used to say:
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"I compel myself to intimacy
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in the hope that Allah will bring forth from me
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a living soul that glorifies Allah."
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The formidable presence of 'Umar—
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and what will make you realize what 'Umar's presence was!
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That immense awe
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made people fear him both before Islam and after it;
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indeed, even the devils used to flee from him!
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For the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
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"By the One in Whose hand is my soul,
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whenever Satan meets you traveling along a path,
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he takes a path other than yours."
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More remains to be told of the biography of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
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which we will continue in the next episode, Allah willing.
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and az-Zubayr to
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Abu 'Ubaydah,
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the two Sa'ds,
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and the two successors.