Umar Ibn Al-Khattab Pre-Islam - All from Sunni References

 In this section we will be looking to cover:

1. Umar Burying His Daugther

2. Umar's Conversion to Islam

3. Umar Ibn Al-Khattab Tortures New Muslims

Introduction

This chapter places the character of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab under the microscope. Its requirement has arisen to quash the claims of his advocates who are of the belief that his attacking the home of Sayeda Faatima (s.a) was not plausible for him to undertake as it simply would have been 'out of character' for him.

If Umar ibn al Khattab  were to be tried in court he would be charged and found guilty for the following crimes: conspiracy to murder, murder, sedition, espionage, high treason, pedophilia, rape, torture, illegal invasion of sovereign countries, assault on civilians, illegal detention of citizens, racial discrimination, discrimination and violence against women, and desertion from the field of battle.

The so-called 'Ahl ul Sunnah' adherents are from a young age fed on a staple diet on the excellence's of Umar, and are led to believe that if Umar had a short fuse it was exacted on the kuffar and no one else. In this regard they commonly insist this verse refers to Umar:

{مُّحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاء عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاء بَيْنَهُمْ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا سِيمَاهُمْ فِي وُجُوهِهِم مِّنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ذَلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَمَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْإِنجِيلِ كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَى عَلَى سُوقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنْهُم مَّغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا }

Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. And those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves. You see them bowing falling down prostrate, seeking reward from Allah and acceptance. The mark of them is on their faces from the traces of prostration. This is their description in the Tawrah. But their description in the Injil is like a seed which sends forth its shoot, then makes it strong, and becomes thick and it stands straight on its stem, delighting the sowers, that He may enrage the disbelievers with them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous good deeds, forgiveness and a mighty reward. 

Holy Qur'aan: {48.29}

By means of this article, we will prove that Umar was in fact precisely the opposite to the above revealed Qur'aanic Ayah. He was found to be soft with the kuffar and firm against the believers, particularly the women. Despite the exalted status afforded to women by Allah (swt) in His Glorious Book, Umar was incapable or rather unwilling to view them in a favourable light. We will evidence the fact that he was a violent misogynist, prone to acts of physical violence against his subjects (particularly women) and also treated slave women as objects of sexual humiliation. To corroborate our stance, we will make reference to various historical sources including those which spring from non-Muslims, in order to give a wider scope in evaluating his conduct in life both before and after his conversion to Islam. 

Umar's Burying His Daugther 

It is claimed that the narrations pertaining to Umar ibn Al-Khattab burying his daughter alive during the period of Jahiliyyah are false since the narrations are said to be "weak." This is rather interesting, normally one would expect this not to be problematic, or at least not too problematic considering this happened in the days of ignorance before Umar ibn Al-Khattab embraced Islam. Are the implications really that frightening? The implications being that a man, supposedly chosen to be a caliph is one who buried his child alive? Is the honour of Umar ibn Al-Khattab truly that crucial, that no sin can be allowed to be passed in subscription to him? Is the impetus to immunize him from all slander part of a grander desire to not provide any opportunity for a visage of him to be permitted that shows him clearly being inferior to lead the ummah compared to Imam Alee (a.s)? Let us keep all this in mind as we dissect the evidence to counteract this claim – Insha'Allah Ta'ala.

Al-Tabarani:

Narrated Umar ibn Al-Khattab, and he was asked about the meaning of, 'And when the female (infant) buried alive (as the pagan Arabs used to do) shall be questioned. Surah Al-Takwir, Verse 8.' He said, "Qays ibn Assem came to the Messenger of Allah (saw) and said, 'I have buried alive some daughters of mine during Jahiliyyah [the period before Islam].' Then 'he' said, 'Free a slave for each one of them.' Then I said, 'O Messenger of Allah (saw), I am a camel man.' 'He' said, 'Sacrifice one corpulent (of a camel) for each one of them (the buried alive daughters)."

Al-Bazar and Al-Tabarani narrated it, and the men of Al-Bazar are the men of Al-Saheeh other than Hussain ibn Mahdi Al-Ayli and he is trustworthy.

Source: Majma Al-Zawa'id Wa Manba Al-Fawa'id. Vol. 8, Pg. # 204.

Muhammad Shanqiti:

Narrated Umar ibn Al-Khattab's saying, "There were two things in Jahiliyyah, one of them makes me cry and the other one makes me laugh. The one that makes me cry; I had taken a daughter of mine to bury her alive and I was digging the hole for her while she was dusting my beard off without knowing what I am planning for her, then when I remember that I cry. And the other one is that I used to make a God of dates that I put over my head to guard me during the night, then when I woke up I a well state I would eat it, and whenever I remember that I laugh at myself.

Source: Adwa Al-Bayan Fi Idhah Al-Qur'aan Bil Qur'aan. Vol. 9, Pg. # 63.

Al-Nawawi:

It is narrated that Umar said, "O Messenger of Allah (saw), I have committed female infanticide in Jahiliyyah time." Then the Prophet peace and prayers of Allah be upon him said, "Manumit a slave for each Maw'uda."

And the Maw'uda is the killed girl at birth. The Jahiliyyah people used to do so because of their fear of shame and poverty.

Source: Kitab Al-Majmu Sharh Al-Muhazzab Lil-Shirazi. Vol. 21, Pg. # 21

Al-Shafi'ee: 

It is narrated that Umar ibn Al-Khattab said, "O Messenger of Allah (saw), I have committed female infanticide in Jahiliyyah times." Then 'he' said, "Manumit a slave for each buried alive girl." Since Arabs used to dig a hole under the pregnant woman whenever she had labour that the child will fall into it whenever delivered then if he was a boy they would take him out of it and if she was a girl then they would leave it and they would dump soil over her body till she dies and this is premeditated killing and expiation has been ordered for this.

Source: Al-Hawi Al-Kabeer. Fi Fiqh Madhab Al-Imam Shafi wa Huwa Sharh Mukhtasar Al-Mudhni. Vol. 13, Pg. # 67.

Abbas Mahmud Aqqad:

He had buried a girl in Jahiliyyah times according to the abominable way that the narrations describe. In summary that he (Umar), was sitting with some of his companions and he laughed a little then he cried, therefore the present ones asked him about it then he said, "During Jahiliyyah times, we used to make an idol from dates then we would worship it then eat it, and this is the reason of my laughing. However, my crying was because I had a daughter and I wanted to bury her alive, then I took her with me and I dug a hole for her then she started dusting my beard off and I buried her alive."

Source: Abqariyyat Umar. Pg. # 222.

Umar's Conversion to Islam

One should note that in regards to his conversion, authentic or sound narrations are non-existent. Only those which are generally believed to be true exist and are accepted by a certain group of people. The following has been stated in the famous book, 'The Life of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab':

'Many reports have been narrated concerning the reason why Umar became a Muslim, but when we examine their isnads (chain of narration) according to the standards of the science of Hadeeth, we see most of them are not sound.'

Source: Umar Ibn Al-Khattab His Life And Times. Vol. 1, Pg. # 51.

Now the apparent narrative that has been attributed to Umar's conversion begins with him setting out to kill the Prophet (saw). Whilst en route to perform this heinous crime, he was informed that his sister and brother-in-law had embraced Islam. In a rage, he diverted his attention to them, and upon arrival at their home he beat them to a pulp before resuming his initial task. This not only highlights Umar's intolerance, but further proves the hideous, violent character he possessed. 

Dr. Al Muhammad as-Sallabi

Umar's Raid On His Sister's House

When Umar heard that his sister and her husband became Muslim, anger overtook him and he went to them. When he knocked at the door they said, 'Who is it?' He said, 'The son of Al-Khattab.' They were reading a paper that was in their hands, but when they realised that Umar was there, they rushed to hide and they left the paper where it was. When he came in, his sister saw him, she recognised the evil intent that was on his face, so she hid the paper beneath her leg. He said, "What is this muttering and whispering that I heard in your house?" For they had been reading Soorah Ta-Ha. They said, "We were just talking amongst ourselves." He said, "Perhaps you have changed your religion?" His brother-in-law said, "O Umar what if the truth were in something other then your religion?!" Umar attacked his brother-in-law Sa'eed, pulling his beard, and they wrestled. Umar was very strong, and he threw Sa'eed to the ground and jumped on him, then he sat on his chest. His sister came to her husband's defence, but he pushed her away with his hand, and her face started to bleed. She said angrily, "O enemy of Allah, are you hitting me because I believe in Allah alone?!" He said 'Yes.'  She said 'Do what you like. I bear witness there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.'

Source: Umar Ibn Al-Khattab His Life And Times. Vol. 1, Pg. # 52 - 53.

What has been kept hidden from the general public even though it is narrated in their most authentic book Saheeh Al-Bukhari, is that Umar's acceptance of Islam was done while he was hiding at home fearing death at the hands of the Mushrikeen and he did not embrace Islam until one of the enemies of the Prophet (saw) known as 'Al-As ibn Wa'il gave him protection. The two narrations in Saheeh Al-Bukhari reveal the real story of his conversion from which all the legends in connection with Umar's bravery and significance in Makkah are wiped out.  

Al-Bukhari:

1 - Narrated by Abdullah bin Umar:

"While Umar was at home (hiding) in a state of fear, there came Al-'As bin Wa'il As-Sahmi 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, "What is wrong with you?" He said, "Your people claim that they would kill me if I become a Muslim." Al-'As said, "Nobody will harm you (I give you protection), after that I embraced Islam." So Al-'As went out and met the people streaming in the whole valley. He said, "Where are you going?" They said, "We want Ibn Al-Khattab who has embraced Islam." Al-'As said, "There is no way for anybody to touch him." So the people retreated.

Source: Saheeh Al-Bukhari. Vol. 63, Book 35, H 3864, Pg. # 945.

2 - Narrated by Abdullah bin Umar:

"When Umar embraced Islam, all the (disbelieving) people gathered around his home and said, "Umar has embraced Islam." At that time I was still a boy and was on the roof of my house. There came a man wearing a cloak of Dibaj (i.e. a kind of silk), and said, "Umar has embraced Islam. Nobody can harm him for I am his protector." I then saw the people going away from Umar and I asked who the man was, and they said, he was "Al-'As bin Wa'il."

Source: Saheeh Al-Bukhari. Vol. 63, Book 35, H 3865, Pg. # 945. 

The peculiar circumstances that surrounded Umar's conversion is based on nothing but cowardice behaviour. This would indeed raise further questions as to why he sought protection under a disbeliever who coincidentally was one of the arch enemies of the Prophet (saw).

Allamah Shibli Nomani:

His domestic life is not so well known. It appears that he was not over-fond of his wives and children. Of wives especially he was not very fond. It was due perhaps to the fact that he did not have that regard for womankind which one ought to have. Bukhari in his Chapter of Dress reports him saying "In pagan days we looked upon women as mere nothings. When the Qur'aan was revealed and in it was made the mention of womankind, it was then that we learnt that they too were some bodies. Still, we never allowed them to interfere with our affairs." The same report has it that on his rebuking his wives once the wife answered back. "So you have come to that now" Umar said, to which the wife retorted that his own daughter spoke like that to the Prophet (saw).

One of Umars wives was Jamila, of whom was born 'Asim' He was yet a baby when Umar divorced his mother for some reason. It was the reign of Aboo Bakr and Umar, leaving Quba where he lived formerly, had settled in Madinah. One day he went to Quba. Seeing his son 'Asim' playing with children caught hold of him and put him on his horse and wanted to carry him away. When Asims mother learnt of it, she objected to it and wished to keep that boy with herself. The dispute became prolonged. She made her suit before Aboo Bakr and Aboo Bakr gave the judgement against Umar. Umar had to submit. The incident is reported in Muwatta and shows that Umar's attitude towards women was not characterized by affection and compassion as was the case with their saintly men. Nor had he any particular unusual affection for his children or other relations. The only person he loved dearly was his brother Zaid. When the latter died a martyr in the battle of Yamamah, Umar wept and sorrowed deeply. He used to say, "When the wind blows from the direction of Yamamah it brings me the fragrance of Zaid."

Source: Al-Farooq. Life Of Umar The Great. Vol. 2, Pg. # 331 - 332.

Umar Ibn Al-Khattab Tortures New Muslims

He (Umar) used to defend all the traditions, acts of worship and systems to which Quraysh were accustomed to (idol worship etc). His nature was one of sincerity which led him to defend all that he believed in to the bitter end. So Umar resisted Islam in the beginning, because he feared that this new religion would shake the system that was well established in Makkah and which gave Makkah a special status among the Arabs. For it was the location of the House to which people came on pilgrimage, which gave Quraysh a unique status among the Arabs and brought spiritual and material wealth to Makkah. This was the reason for a city's prosperity and its peoples wealth. So the rich men of Makkah resisted this religion and persecuted the weak among its converts, and Umar was at the forefront of those who persecuted these weak ones.

He kept on beating a slave woman who had become a Muslim, until his arms grew tired and the whip fell from his hand, then he stopped to rest. Aboo Bakr passed by and saw how the slave woman was being tortured, so he bought her from him and set her free.

Source: Umar Ibn Al-Khattab. His Life And Times. Vol. 1 , Pg # 48.

Ibn Al-Hisham:

(Aboo Bakr) saw that Umar Ibn Al-Khattab was torturing a slave-girl of Bani Mo’ammal from the family of Adee Ibn Ka’b to force her to leave the religion of Islam, and Umar at that time was a polytheist (Mushrik). He hit her until he was tired, then he said: "I apologise to you that I had to stop hitting you, that is only because I got tired" whereupon she said, "Allah (swt) will do the same to you!" And then Aboo Bakr bought her and freed her.

 Source: Saheeh Al-Sirah. Pg. # 117.

Muhammad Ibn Sa‘d:

The slave-girl Bint Amr Ibn Mo’ammal, one of the early converts to Islam in Makkah was tortured in the way of Allah (swt). And Umar Ibn Al-Khattab before his conversion was the one who tortured her to force her to leave Islam, so he hit her until he got tired, and said to her: "By God, I did not stop hitting you unless I got tired!" Whereupon she said: "Your God will do the same to you!"

 Source: Al-Tabaqat Al-Kabir. Vol. 10, Pg. # 244.

Al-Suyuti:

Narrated Ibn Al-Monzir from Awn Ibn Abi Shaddad who said: Umar had a slave-girl who embraced Islam before him. She was called Zennaira. Because of her conversion to Islam Umar used to hit her, and the disbelievers of Quraysh used to say: If Islam was a good thing, Zennaira would not have preceded us in it, whereupon Allah (swt) revealed a verse in the Qur’aan: {And those who disbelieve say of those who believe: 'Had it (Islam) been a good thing, they (the weak and poor) would not have preceded us thereto!'}[46:11]

Source: Tafsir Durr Al-Mansoor. Vol. 13, Pg. # 322.

Ibn Athir:

(Those who were tortured because of their conversion to Islam:) One of them was Laniba a slave-girl of Bani Mo’ammal Ibn Habib Ibn Adi Ibn Ka’b. She converted to Islam before Umar, and he used to torture her forcing her to apostate, in which he said to her: "I did not stop hitting you but for the fact I got tired." Whereupon she said: "Your God will do the same to you if you do not become Muslim!" Then Aboo Bakr bought her and freed her. And another one of them who Umar used to torture was Zennaira from Bani Adi.

Source: Al-Kamil Fi Tarikh. Vol. 1, Pg. # 591.

Al-Baladari:

Lobina was a slave girl of Bani Al-Mo’ammal Ibn Habib Ibn Tamim Ibn Abdullah Ibn Qart Ibn Razah Ibn Adi Ibn Ka’b and she was called by Umar to leave her faith, as Abul Bakhtari says: 'Lobaina, she converted to Islam before Umar Ibn Al-Khattab and he used to torture her trying to force her to apostatise, after he hit her for a while he said: "I stopped hitting you because I am frustrated" whereupon she said: "Your God will do the same to you if you do not become Muslim!"

And Al-Waqidi with his chain of narrators said, Hasan Ibn Thabit said: 'I went to Makkah as a Pilgrim, and the Prophet (saw) was inviting people to his faith and his companions were being tortured and persecuted. So I stopped before Umar while he was busy suffocating a slave-girl of Bani Amr Ibn Al-Mo’ammal until she relaxed in his hands, whereupon I said, "She is dead!" Then he left her and bounced over to Zennaira to do the same to her.

Source: Ansab Al-Ashraaf of Al-Baladari. Vol. 1, Pg. # 195.

Al-Salihi Al-Shammi:

One of those (who were tortured) was a slave-girl of Bani Al-Mo’ammal Ibn Habib, on the authority of Al-Baladari and Abul Bakhtari who said: 'She was called 'Labiba' (rather Lobaina), she converted to Islam before Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, and Umar used to torture her forcing her to apostate, after he hit her for a while he said: "I stopped hitting you because I am frustrated" whereupon she said: "Your God will do the same to you if you do not become Muslim!"

And Ibn Sa’d has narrated from Hasan (Ibn Thabit) who said: 'I went to Makkah as a pilgrim, and the Prophet (saw) and his companions were being persecuted and tortured. So I stopped before Umar and saw that he was busy suffocating a slave-girl of Bani Amr Ibn Al-Mo’ammal until she relaxed in his hands, so I said': "She died!" Then Aboo Bakr bought her and freed her.

Another one of them was called Zennaira (which means small pebble). Her name has been also narrated as Zanbara, she was from Rome, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab and Aboo Jahl used to torture her. 

Source: Sobol Al-Hoda Wa Rashad. Vol. 2, Pg. # 482.

Ibn Kathir:

Aboo Bakr bought the slave-girl of Bani Mo’ammal family of Bani Adi because Umar used to torture her upon her conversion to Islam.

Source: Al-Bidaya Wa'l Nihaya. Vol. 4, Pg # 145.

وغير سمية كثيرات احتملن فوق محتملاً، فمن المؤمنات الأوائل من كانت تلقى ثم تحمى لها مكاوي الحديد ثم توضع بين أعطافجلدها، ويدعون الأطفال يعبثون بعينها حتى يذهب بصرها، وقد عذب بهذا العذاب زنيرة جارية عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه، وكان هو وجماعة من قريش يتولون تعذيبها كما ذكرنا، ولما ذهب بصرها من لعب الأطفال بعينها قال المشركون: ما أزال بصرها إلا اللات والعزى. فقالت لهم: والله ما هو كذلك، وما تدري اللات والعزى من يعبدهما، ولكن هذا أمر من الله، والله قادر على أن يرد علي بصري. قيل: فرد الله عليها بصرها، فقالت قريش: هذا من سحر محمد). فبدل أن يعتقدوا أن هذه الكرامة من الله لهذه المرأة الصالحة قالوا -والعياذ بالله-: هذا من سحر محمد. وقد قام أبو بكر رضي الله عنه بشرائها ثم أعتقها، فهي من الذين اشتراهم وأعتقهم أبو بكر رضي الله عنه، فقد كان أعتق سبعة ممن كانوا يعذبون في الله في بداية الإسلام، منهم: بلال و عامر بن فهيرة وزنيرة، وجارية بني مؤمل، والنهدية وابنتها. و أم عبيس من هؤلاء المؤمنات اللاتي كان المشركون يعذبونهن، فقد كانوا يجعلونها تشرب كمية كبيرة من العسل، ثم يوثقونها بالأغلال ثم يلقونها بين الرمال ولها حر يذيب اللحم ويصهر العظم، حتى تموت من العطش ويقتلها الظمأ،..وكان عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه قبل أن يسلم يتولى تعذيب جارية مسلمة لبني مؤمل، فلا يزال يضربها بالسياط حتى إذا مل وتعب من كثرة الضرب قال لها: إني أعتذر إليك أني لم أتركك إلا ملالاً. فتقول له: كذلك فعل الله بك. أي: بل الله هو الذي يصرفكعني

Sumayya many other women suffered and endured more than one can bear. Among the early female believers there were those who were tortured by placing hot metal over their skin, and in once case the polytheists invited children to play with it until she could not see anymore. Zennaira slave-girl of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab was tortured in this way, and as we said before, Umar and a group of Quraish were in charge of her torture. When she lost her sight because of children playing with her eyes, the polytheists said: "Her sight is not taken away except by Laat and Uzza (the two Idols)," and she said to them: "By Allah (swt) it is not as you claim, Laat and Uzza are not even aware of who worship them, but this is in the hands of Allah, and Allah is capable of returning my eyesight back." It is said that Allah returned her sight back and the people of Quraish said: "This is of Muhammad’s magic." And they denied that this miracle was from Allah for this pious lady, and they said –I seek refuge in Allah- this is of Muhammad’s magic. And then Aboo Bakr bought her and freed her, and she was one of those who were bought and freed by Aboo Bakr. He freed seven of those who were tortured in the way of Allah in the beginning of Islam, and they are: Bilal, Amer Ibn Fahira and Zennaira and a slave-girl of Bani Mo’ammal and Al-Nahdiyya and her daughter. Umme Obiss was among those female believers that the Polytheists of Quraish tortured, they used to force her to drink a large quantity of honey and then they used to bind her in chains and throw her in the hot sand, whereupon she suffered such a heat that melts the flesh and burns the bones, until she died of thirst and they killed her brutally. Also Umar Ibn Al-Khattab before his conversion undertook the torture of a slave-girl of Bani Mo’ammal, and he did not stop hitting her with whips until he became tired and frustrated due to the frequent beatings, whereupon he said: "I apologise from you, because I stopped beating you on account of my exhaustion" and she replied: "Allah (swt) will do the same to you!" Her statement means that it was rather Allah (swt) who has diverted you from me.

وضمن سنوات الكفر ست سنوات كاملة وهو يعيش مع الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم في مكة، ومع ذلك يصر على كفره وإنكاره لوحدانية الله عز وجل، ويصر على عبادة الأصنام، فهذا هو عمر قبل أن يقول: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله، ولم يكن كافراً عادياً، بل كان من أشد الكفار غلظة على المسلمين، فقد كان يعذب جارية بني مؤمل -وبني مؤمل أحد فروع قبيلة عمر ، وقبيلة عمر هي بني عدي- من الصباح إلى المساء، ويتركها في الليل ليس رحمة بها ولكن يقول: والله ما تركتك إلا ملالة، أي: أنه تعب من تعذيبها، وهذا كان عقل عمر الذي رضي أن يسجد لصنم، فيطلبه ويرجوه ويخافه ويعتمد عليه، هو نفس العقل الذي كان بعد إسلامه، فعرف ربه كما لم يعرفه كثير من الخلق، وهو هذا العقل الذي صار يدير دولة كبيرة كسرت شوكتي فارس والروم اللتين ملكتا المشرق والمغرب، ما هو الذي حصل في عقل عمر ؟ لا إله إلا الله، محمد رسول الله خلقت إنساناً جديداً. وانظر إلى قلب عمر كيف كان يقبل أن يجلد بالسياط امرأة مسكينة ضعيفة، لا لشيء إلا لأنها آمنت بالله وحده، وما نقم منها إلا أنها آمنت بالله العزيز الحميد، وهذا هو قلب عمر نفسه بعد كلمة الإسلام، فقد تغير وصار يخاف خوفاً غير متخيل على كل مسلم في الأرض، سواء كان يعرفه أو لا يعرفه،

(Umar Ibn Al-Khattab) within his period of expressed disbelief lived six complete years with the Messenger of Allah (saw) in Makkah, and despite that, he insisted in his infidelity and held fast to his ignorant stance that Allah Almighty is one, and insisted in worshipping the idols. This was the condition and nature of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab before he said: "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger", besides that he was not a normal infidel (Kafir) but rather he was one of the most brutal infidels over the Muslims. He used to torture a slave-girl of Bani Mo’ammal from the morning to the evening, and Bani Mo’ammal was a sub-tribe of the tribe of Umar, and the tribe of Umar was Bani Adi, and he used to leave her be in the evenings, not because he felt pity on her but in his own words: "By Allah, I did not stop beating you except because I got so tired." It means that he got frustrated beating and torturing her, and this was the intellect of Umar who was satisfied to prostrate before idols, in particular the idol that he used to bring his desires to and trusted and held hope in. It is the same intellect that was with him after his conversion to Islam, so he recognised his real creator that many other people did not, and he is the same intellect that became the leader of a great government which broke the glory of Persians and Rome who reigned the east and the west. What has happened in the intellect of Umar? The sentence "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger" created a new man. Look into the heart of Umar, how he used to whip a poor and weak woman, there was nothing that changed him except the fact that he accepted the unity of the only God, a creed that requires nothing of him except to believe in Allah the Mighty and the Praised. And this is the same heart of Umar after accepting Islam, it changed and became so unimaginably sympathetic that it became concerned for every individual Muslim on the earth, whether he knew him/her or not.

Al-Haithami:

Narrated Abdullah Ibn Amir Ibn Rabee'ah from his mother Laili who said: When we were travelling, migrating to Abyssinia, Umar who used to persecute us mercilessly, came and stood over me and said to me, "Are you leaving, O Umm Abdullah?" I said 'Yes, you have persecuted us and oppressed us, and by Allah we are going out in the land of Allah until Allah grants us a way out!' Umar said, 'May Allah be with you' and went. When my husband Amir ibn Rabee'ah came, I told him about the softness that I saw in Umar, and he said, 'It seems that you hope Umar will become a Muslim?' I said 'Yes!' He said, 'by Allah he will not become a Muslim until Al-Khattab's donkey becomes a Muslim!'

Footnote: Al-Haythami says: Narrated it Al-Tabarani, and Ibn Ishaq mentions that he has heard it, so it is Saheeh 'Authentic'.

 Source: Majmahul Zawahid. Vol. 6, Pg. # 16.

Categories: Arabic - العربية , English