Seerah of the Prophet Makkan phase open preaching Part 5/5 THE CONVERSION OF UMAR BIN AL-KHATTAB: Another significant addition to the strength of Islam was the conversion of Umar 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 (Peace be upon him) once raised his hands in prayer and said: O Allâh! Give strength to Islam especially through either of two men you love more: Umar bin Al-Khattab or Abu Jahl bin Hisham. Umar, obviously, was the one who merited that privilege. When we scrutinize the several versions that speak of Umars conversion, we can safely conclude that various contradictory emotions used to conflict with one another within his soul. On the one hand, he used to highly regard the traditions of his people, and was habituated to the practice of indulgence in wine orgies; on the other hand, he greatly admired the stamina of the Muslims and their relentless dedication to their faith. These two extreme views created a sort of skepticism in himind and made him at times tend to believe that the doctrines of Islam could bear better and more sacred seeds of life, that is why he would always experience fits of outrage directly followed by unexpected enervation. On the whole, the account of his conversion is very interesting and requires us to go into some details. One day, Umar bin Al-Khattab set out from his house, and headed for the Holy Sanctuary where he saw the Prophet (Peace be upon him) offering prayer and overheard him reciting the Sûrah Al-Hâqqah (Chapter 69 — The Reality) of the Noble Qurân. The Words of Allâh 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 peoples allegations as regards the man-composed poetry or words of a soothsayer that they used to attach to the Noble Qurân. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) went on to recite: That this is verily the word of an honoured Messenger (i.e. Gabriel or Muhammad (Peace be upon him) which he has brought from Allâh). 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 Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists). [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-mans nature feeling that lay behind that fragile cover of pre-Islamic ignorance and mentality. His sharp temper and excessive enmity towards the Prophet (Peace be upon him) led him one day to leave his house, sword in hand, with the intention of killing the Prophet (Peace be upon him) . He was in a fit of anger and was fretting and fuming. Nuaim bin Abdullah, a friend of Umars, met him accidentally half way. What had caused so much excitement in him and on whom was the fury to burst, he inquired casually. Umar said furiously: To destroy the man Muhammad (Peace be upon him) this apostate, who has shattered the unity of Quraish, picked holes in their religion, found folly with their wise men and blasphemed their gods. Umar, 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 (Peace be upon him)? Why dont you take care of your own family first and set them right? Which of the folk of my house? asked Umar angrily. Your brother-in-law and your sister have apostatized [meaning to say: They have become followers of Muhammad (Peace be upon him)] and abandoned your religion. Umar directed his footsteps to his sisters house. As he drew near, he heard the voice of Khabbab bin Aratt, who was reading the Qurânic Chapter Tâ-Hâ (mystic letters, T. H.) to both of them. Khabbab, perceiving the noise of his footsteps retired to a closet. Fatimah, Umars sister, took hold of the leaf and hid it. But Umar 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, Umar 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 Allâh and His Messenger Muhammad (Peace be upon him) so do what you will. When Umar 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 (Peace be upon him) 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 Tâ-Hâ until he reached: Verily! I am Allâh! Lâ ilâha illa Ana (none has the right to be worshipped but I), so worship Me and offer prayers perfectly (Iqâmat-as-Salât), for My Remembrance. [20:14]. Umar read the verses with great interest and was much entranced with them. How excellent it is, and how graceful! Please guide me to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) . said he. And when he heard that, Khabbab came out of concealment and said, O Umar, I hope that Allâh has answered the prayer of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) , for I heard him say: O Allâh! Strengthen Islam through either Umar bin Al-Khattab or Abu Jahl bin Hisham. Umar then left for a house in Safa where Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had been holding secret meetings along with his Companions. Umar reached that place with the sword swinging by his arm. He knocked at the door. The Companions of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) turned to see who the intruder was. One of them peeped through a chink in the door and reeled back exclaiming: It is Umar with his sword. Hamzah, 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 (Peace be upon him) asked his Companions to open the door. In came the son of Khattab. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) advanced to receive the dreadful visitor, caught him by his garment and scabbard, and asked him the reason of his visit. At that Umar replied: O Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), I come to you in order to believe in Allâh and his Messenger and that which he has brought from his Lord. Filled with delight, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) together with his Companions, cried aloud: Allâhu Akbar (Allâh is Great). The conversion of Umar 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 Allâh 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 narratedon the authority of Umar (May Allah be pleased), When I embraced Islam, I remembered the archenemy of Muhammad (Peace be upon him), 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, Umars 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 Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated: While Umar was at home in a state of fear, there came Al-As bin Wail 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 Umar: Whats 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, Umars conversion had a different tremendous impact. Mujahid, on the authority of Ibn Al-Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) related that he had asked Umar 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 (Peace be upon him): Arent we on the right path here andHereafter? The Prophet (Peace be upon him) answered: Of course you are! I swear by Allâh in Whose Hand my soul is, that you are right in this world and in the hereafter. I, therefore, asked the Prophet (Peace be upon him) Why we then had to conduct clandestine activism. I swear by Allâh 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 (Peace be upon him) attached to me the epithet of Al-Farouque. Ibn Masud (May Allah be pleased with him) related that they (the Muslims) had never been able to observe their religious rites inside the Holy Sanctuary except when Umar embraced Islam. Suhaib bin Sinan (May Allah be pleased with him), in the same context, said that it was only after Umars 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 Masud said: We have been strengthened a lot since Umar embraced Islam. QURAISHS REPRESENTATIVE NEGOTIATES WITH THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH: Shortly after the conversion of these two powerful heroes, Hamzah bin Abdul-Muttalib and Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him), the clouds of tyranny and oppression started to clear away and the polytheists realized that it was no use meting out torture to the Muslims. They consequently began to direct their campaign to a different course. The authentic records of the biography of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) show that it had occurred to the Makkan leaders to credit Muhammad (Peace be upon him) with ambition. They, therefore, time and again plied him with temptation. One day some of the important men of Makkah gathered in the enclosure of Al-Kabah, and Utbah bin Rabia, a chief among them, offered to approach the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and contract a bargain with him whereby they give him whatever worldly wealth he asks for, on condition that he keep silent and no longer proclaim his new faith. The people of Quraish endorsed his proposal and requested him to undertake that task. Utbah came closer to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and addressed him in the following words: We have seen no other man of Arabia, who has brought so great a calamity to a nation, as you have done. You have outraged our gods and religion and taxed our forefathers and wise men with impiety and error and created strife amongst us. You have left no stone unturned to estrange the relations with us. If you are doing all this with a view to getting wealth, we will join together to give you greater riches than any Quraishite has possessed. If ambition moves you, we will make you our chief. If you desire kingship we will readily offer you that. If you are under the power of an evil spirit which seems to haunt and dominate you so that you cannot shake off its yoke, then we shall call in skilful physicians to cure you. Have you said all? asked Muhammad (Peace be upon him); and then hearing that all had been said, he spoke forth, and said: In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. Hâ-Mîm. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qurân, and none but Allâh (Alone) knows their meanings]. A revelation from Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. A Book whereof the verses are explained in detail; — a Qurân in Arabic for people who know. Giving glad tidings [of Paradise to the one who believes in the Oneness of Allâh (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) and fears Allâh much (abstains from all kinds of sins and evil deeds.) and loves Allâh much (performing all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)], and warning (of punishment in the Hell-fire to the one who disbelieves in the Oneness of Allâh), but most of them turn away, so they listen not. And they say: Our hearts are under coverings (screened) from that to which you invite us … [41: 1-5] The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) went on reciting the Chapter while Utbah sitting and listening attentively with his hand behind his back to support him. When the Messenger reached the verse that required prostration, he immediately prostrated himself. After that, he turned to Utbah saying: Well Abu Al-Waleed! You have heard my reply, you are now free to do whatever you please. Utbah then retired to his company to apprise them of the Prophets attitude. When his compatriots saw him, they swore that he had returned to them with a countenance unlike the one he had before meeting the Prophet (Peace be upon him) . He immediately communicated to them the details of the talk he gave and the reply he received, and appended saying: I have never heard words similar to those ones he recited. They definitely relate neither to poetry nor to witchcraft nor do they derive from soothsaying. O people of Quraish! I request you to heed my advice and grant the man full freedom to pursue his goals, in which case you could safely detach yourselves from him. I swear that his words bear a supreme Message. Should the other Arabs rid you of him, they will then spare you the trouble, on the other hand if he accedes to power over the Arabs, then you will bask in his kingship and share him his might. These words of course fell on deaf ears, and did not appeal to the infidels, who jeered at Utbah and claimed that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had bewitched him. In another version of the same event, it is related that Utbah went on attentively listening to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) until the latter began to recite Allâhs Words: But if they turn away, they say [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ]: I have warned you of a Saiqa (a destructive awful cry, torment, hit, a thunder-bolt) like the Saiqa which overtook Ad and Thamûd (people). [41:13] Here Utbah stood up panicked and stunned putting his hand on the Prophets mouth beseeching him: I beg you in the Name of Allâh and uterine ties to stop lest the calamity should befall the people of Quraish. He then hurriedly returned to his compatriots and informed them of what he had heard. ABU TALIB ASSEMBLES BANI HASHIM ND BANI AL-MUTTALIB: The new and welcome changes notwithstanding, Abu Talib still had a deep sensation of fear over his nephew. He deliberated on the previous series of incidents including the barter affair of Amarah bin Al-Waleed, Abu Jahls rock, Uqbahs attempt to choke the Prophet (Peace be upon him) , and finally Umars (before conversion) intention to kill Muhammad (Peace be upon him). The wise man understood that all of these unequivocally smacked of a serious plot being hatched to disregard his status as a custodian of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), and kill the latter publicly. In the event of such a thing, Abu Talib deeply believed, neither Umar nor Hamzah would be of any avail, socially powerful though they were. Abu Talib was right. The polytheists had laid a carefully-studied plan to kill the Prophet (Peace be upon him), and banded together to put their plan into effect. He, therefore, assembled his kinsfolk of Bani Hashim and Bani Al-Muttalib, sons of Abd Munaf and exhorted them to immunize and defend his nephew. All of them, whether believers or disbelievers, responded positively except his brother Abu Lahab, who sided with the idolaters.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 17:00:01 +0000
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