Second Caliph, Hazrat Umar Farooq (رضي الله عنه)
The history of the world has produced thousands of generals, but the conquerors of the world seem like mere schoolchildren compared to Syedna Umar Farooq (رضي الله عنه), and the just people of the world, upon witnessing the justice of Syedna Umar Farooq (رضي الله عنه), praise him wholeheartedly.
Ameer-e-Shariat Syed Ataullah Shah Bukhari (رحمه الله) once said in response to a question: “Umar (رضي الله عنه) is the desire of the Prophet (ﷺ).” This means that other companions (رضي الله عنهم) were the followers of the Prophet (ﷺ), whereas Umar Farooq-e-Azam (رضي الله عنه) was the desire of the Prophet (ﷺ). A scholar aptly said: “Umar (رضي الله عنه) was a divine gift for the Prophet of Islam (ﷺ).” Additionally, many other Islamic scholars, sages of Islam, and orientalists have expressed their reverence for Umar Farooq (رضي الله عنه) in their own words.
Syedna Umar Farooq (رضي الله عنه) was among the few literate people in Makkah Mukarramah, but he was also part of the same Arab society where the Prophet of Islam (ﷺ) was called ‘Sadiq’ (Truthful) and ‘Ameen’ (Trustworthy) before prophethood, and after the proclamation of prophethood, was derogatorily called a sorcerer, poet, soothsayer, and many other things.
The oppression and tyranny of the people of Makkah had greatly increased; the companions (رضي الله عنهم) could not openly preach, let alone worship. They practiced and preached Islam in secret. At that time, the number of companions (رضي الله عنهم) was thirty-nine. One night, while worshiping in front of the Kaaba, the Prophet of Islam (ﷺ) made a unique supplication to his Lord. He asked for something so extraordinary that no one could have imagined such a request. Instead of praying for the spread of Islam, for the faith of the people of Makkah, for the cessation of their oppression, my great Prophet (ﷺ) prayed: “O Allah! Grant honor to Islam through either Umar ibn Hisham or Umar ibn Khattab.”
The Prophet (ﷺ) nominated two people in Makkah and left the decision to Allah, the All-Knowing, saying: “O Allah, grant us whichever one You prefer.” Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) accepted the Prophet’s (ﷺ) supplication, and in the realm of causes, Syedna Umar Farooq’s (رضي الله عنه) acceptance of Islam was brought about by the fact that one day he was walking with a naked sword, when a man from the Banu Zuhra tribe met him and asked, “Umar! Where are you headed?” He replied, “I am going to kill Muhammad, who has caused division among the people of Makkah by proclaiming a new religion. Why not put an end to this matter?”
The man from the Banu Zuhra tribe said, “Umar! If you do this, won’t the Banu Hashim and Banu Zuhra take revenge on you?” Umar (رضي الله عنه) replied, “It seems you have also joined this new religion.” The man said, “Then first take care of your own household; your sister and brother-in-law have already embraced Islam.
Umar, who left in a rage, went straight to his sister’s house, where Sayyidna Khabbab bin Al-Aratt (رضي الله عنه) was teaching Surah Taha to her and her husband. Hearing a voice from outside, Umar knocked on the door. When asked who it was, he replied, “Umar!” Upon hearing his name, Sayyidna Khabbab (رضي الله عنه) hid. As Umar entered, he asked, “What were you reciting?” They tried to divert the topic by saying, “We were just talking amongst ourselves.” He said, “I heard that you have joined the new religion?” His brother-in-law replied, “Umar, that religion is better than your religion. The path you are on is a misguided one.” On hearing this, Umar struck his brother-in-law, knocking him to the ground. When his sister came to intervene, he slapped her so hard that blood started coming out from her face. Seeing blood on his sister’s face, his anger cooled down. He left his brother-in-law and sat aside, saying, “Fine, show me what you were reciting.” His sister said, “You are not yet familiar with the etiquettes of this scripture. There are manners for handling this sacred text. First, perform ablution, then I will show you.” He performed ablution and started reading Surah Taha. As he continued reading, the divine words deeply affected his heart. Witnessing this, Sayyidna Khabbab bin Al-Aratt (رضي الله عنه) came out and said, “Umar! Last night, the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed to Allah saying…
اللّٰھمّ أعزّ الإسلام بأحد الرجلین إمّا ابن ھشام وإمّا عمر بن الخطاب
And in another narration, the words are something like this:
اللّٰھم أید الإسلام بأبي الحکم بن ھشام وبعمر بن الخطاب
O Allah! Make either Umar ibn Hisham or Umar ibn Khattab a means of honor for Islam, or support Islam through one of them.” O Umar! My heart testified that this prayer of the Prophet (ﷺ) would be fulfilled in favor of Umar ibn Khattab. A similar narration is reported from our master Saeed ibn Musayyib (رحمه الله), who says: “Whenever the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saw Umar ibn Khattab or Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, he would say:
اللّٰھم اشدد دینک بأحبّہما إلیک
Whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) saw Umar ibn al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه) or Abu Jahl, he would raise his hands in prayer and say, “O Allah! Strengthen Your religion with the one who is more beloved to You between the two.” (Tabaqat Ibn Saad)
Sayyiduna Khabbab ibn al-Aratt (رضي الله عنه) was asked by Sayyiduna Umar (رضي الله عنه), “Alright! Then tell me where Muhammad (ﷺ) is? I want to meet him.” He replied, “He is staying at the house of Arqam (رضي الله عنه) on the hill of Safa.” Sayyiduna Umar (رضي الله عنه) set off, and when the Companions (رضي الله عنهم) stationed at the hill saw that Umar (رضي الله عنه) was coming with a bare sword in his hand, they anxiously informed the Prophet (ﷺ). Sayyiduna Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib (رضي الله عنه), who was also present, said, “Let him come. If his intention is good, it will be fine; but if his intention is not right, I will deal with him with his own sword.”
When Sayyiduna Umar (رضي الله عنه) arrived, the Prophet (ﷺ) was receiving revelation. A few moments later, the Prophet (ﷺ) said to Umar (رضي الله عنه), “O Umar! What are you waiting for? Has the time not come for you to accept Islam?” As soon as Umar (رضي الله عنه) heard this, he immediately recited the Shahada and entered the fold of Islam. The Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) raised the Takbeer (Allahu Akbar) so loudly in celebration of Sayyiduna Umar’s (رضي الله عنه) conversion that even the disbelievers and polytheists sitting in the courtyard of the Kaaba heard it, and the valley of Mecca echoed with their voice. Then, the Noble and Compassionate Prophet (ﷺ) placed his blessed hand on the chest of Sayyiduna Umar (رضي الله عنه) and prayed.
اَللّٰھُمَّ اخْرُجْ مَافِيْ صَدْرِہٖ مِنْ غِلٍّ وَأَیِّدْ لَہٗ إِیْمَانًا۔
O Allah, remove whatever impurity there is in his heart and fill it with faith instead.” (Mustadrak al-Hakim). According to some historians, his age at the time of accepting Islam was thirty years, while others say it was twenty-six years. A great scholar and Quranic commentator from Egypt, Allama Tantawi (may Allah have mercy on him), said an astonishing statement: “The reality is that Umar (رضي الله عنه) was born at that very moment, and it was from here that his historic life began.” The Quranic commentator, Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما), said:
قال رسول اللّٰہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم : لما أسلم أتاني جبرائیل، فقال: استبشر أھل السماء بإسلام عمرؓ
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Jibreel (peace be upon him) came to me and said that the inhabitants of the heavens are celebrating the acceptance of Islam by Umar (رضي الله عنه).” (Mustadrak Al-Hakim and Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d). A few moments later, Sayyiduna Umar (رضي الله عنه) said: “O Prophet of Allah! Are we not on the truth?” The Prophet (ﷺ) replied in the affirmative. Umar (رضي الله عنه) then said: “Then why should we worship in secret? Let us go to the Kaaba and worship openly.” I sacrifice myself for my master (ﷺ), who did not seek Umar (رضي الله عنه) for nothing, but the far-reaching vision of prophethood saw that Islam would be honored and strengthened with Umar (رضي الله عنه).
The Prophet (ﷺ) divided the companions (رضي الله عنهم) into two rows: Leading one row was the Lion of Allah and His Messenger, Sayyiduna Hamza (رضي الله عنه), and leading the other was the desire of the Messenger (ﷺ), the gift of God to the Prophet of Islam, Sayyiduna Umar Farooq (رضي الله عنه). When the Muslims entered the Kaaba, the disbelievers of Makkah saw them and were struck with grief when they saw Hamza (رضي الله عنه) and Umar (رضي الله عنه). But who had the courage to speak? From that day, it became easier for Muslims to preach the religion, and it was on this day that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
’إن اللّٰہ جعل الحق علٰی لسان عمرؓ وقلبہ وھو الفاروق فرّق اللّٰہ بہٖ بین الحق والباطل۔
Allah Almighty made the truth flow from the heart and tongue of Umar (رضي الله عنه), and he is Al-Farooq; Allah distinguished between truth and falsehood through him. (Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d)
Sayyiduna Abdullah (رضي الله عنه) states that:
واللّٰہ ما استطعنا أن نصلّي عندالکعبۃ ظاھرین حتٰی أسلم عمرؓ‘
“By Allah! We could not openly perform prayers near the Kaaba until Umar (رضي الله عنه) embraced Islam.” (Mustadrak Al-Hakim).
Similarly, Sayyiduna Suhaib bin Sinan (رضي الله عنه) states that: When Umar (رضي الله عنه) embraced Islam, Islam gained strength, and we began to openly invite others to Islam. We would sit in circles at the Kaaba, perform Tawaf of the Kaaba, and if anyone wronged us, we would take revenge.
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Masood (رضي الله عنه), the jurist of the Ummah, had similar sentiments. He said: “Umar’s (رضي الله عنه) acceptance of Islam was our open victory, his migration was a special help from Allah for us, and his caliphate was a total blessing for us. I have seen days when we could not even pray near the Kaaba, but when Umar (رضي الله عنه) accepted Islam, he confronted the disbelievers until they allowed us to pray.”
In honor of the esteemed status of Sayyiduna Umar (رضي الله عنه), I present a few sayings of the Prophet (ﷺ). (Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d)
1. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) said:
“O Ibn Khattab! By the One in Whose hand is my soul, whenever the devil finds you on a path, he turns away from that path and takes another path.” (Sahih Bukhari)
2. In Sahih Bukhari, it is narrated: “The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) said: I drank milk in a dream until I felt its fullness, and I saw its effects on my nails. Then, I gave that milk to Umar (رضي الله عنه). The companions asked: O Messenger of Allah! What is the interpretation of this dream? The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘Knowledge.'”
3. Similarly, Imam Bukhari (رحمه الله) included another narration in his Sahih: “Sayyidina Abu Sa’id Khudri (رضي الله عنه) narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: I was asleep and saw people being presented to me wearing shirts, some of which reached their chests and some reached below that. Then Umar (رضي الله عنه) was presented, and he was wearing a shirt so long that it was dragging on the ground. The companions asked: O Messenger of Allah! What is the interpretation of this dream? The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘Religion.'”
4. Similarly, a very famous and well-known Hadith of the Prophet (ﷺ) is: “If there were to be a prophet after me, it would be Umar.” Meaning, if the chain of prophethood had continued, Sayyidina Umar (رضي الله عنه) would have been honored with the position of prophethood.
5. In another blessed Hadith, it is stated: “The Honorable Messenger (ﷺ) said: Among the nations before you, there were those who were inspired (muhaddathun), and if there is any such person in my Ummah, it is Umar (رضي الله عنه).” In explaining the word “muhaddath” in this blessed Hadith, the author of Fath al-Bari, Allama Ibn Hajar Asqalani (رحمه الله), writes:
المُحْدَث المُلْھَم وھو من ألقي في روعہ شيء من قبل الملاء الأعلٰی ومن یجری الصواب علیٰ لسانہٖ بغیر قصد
Meaning, ‘Muhaddath’ is one who receives divine inspiration from Allah, whose heart is influenced by the higher realm (al-Mala al-A’la), and whose tongue speaks the truth without any intention or effort. In other words, only the truth comes from his tongue.
6. Once, Sayyidina Umar (رضي الله عنه) approached the Honorable Prophet (ﷺ) seeking permission to perform Umrah. The Noble and Esteemed Prophet (ﷺ) said:
یا أخي أشرکنا في صالح دعاء ک ولا تنسنا
“O my brother! Include us in your righteous prayers and do not forget us.”
7. Presenting the last Hadith from the series as the collection is extensive and the space is limited. In Sahih Bukhari, it is narrated by Sayyidina Anas bin Malik (رضي الله عنه) that: “Once, the Radiant Prophet (ﷺ) went to the Mount Uhud, accompanied by Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه), Umar (رضي الله عنه), and Uthman (رضي الله عنه). The Mount Uhud began to tremble, so the Honorable Prophet (ﷺ) struck his blessed foot on Uhud and said: ‘O Uhud! Be still, for upon you are a Prophet, a Siddiq (truthful one), and two martyrs.’ Thereafter, Sayyidina Umar (رضي الله عنه) used to pray:”
اللّٰھم ارزقني شھادۃ في سبیلک وموتا في بلد حبیبک
“O Allah! Grant me death in Your path as a martyr, and let my death occur in the city of Your Beloved (ﷺ).”
In the last days of his life, he (رضي الله عنه) had a dream where a red rooster pecked his blessed abdomen three times. He shared this dream with people and said that his time of death was near. After this, one day, as usual, he went to the mosque very early for prayer. At that time, he carried a whip with him and would wake up those who were sleeping with his whip. Upon reaching the mosque, he would instruct the worshippers to straighten their rows, then start the prayer, often reciting long Surahs.
On that day, he did the same, starting the prayer as usual. He had just said the Takbir al-Tahrimah when a Magian infidel, Abu Lu’lu’ (Firuz), a slave of Hazrat Mughira (رضي الله عنه), who was hiding in the mosque’s niche with a poisoned dagger, attacked him. He inflicted three deep wounds on his blessed abdomen, causing him to fall unconscious. Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Auf (رضي الله عنه) stepped forward and completed the prayer quickly in his place. Abu Lu’lu’ attempted to escape from the mosque but was hindered by the rows of worshippers, which stood like a wall. He then started injuring other companions, wounding thirteen, of whom seven succumbed to their injuries. The prayer ended, and Abu Lu’lu’ was captured. Seeing that he was caught, he killed himself with the same dagger. (Khulafa-e-Rashideen, by Lakhnawi)
Ultimately, Allah accepted his prayer for martyrdom, and he was wounded in the city of the Beloved Prophet (ﷺ), indeed, at the very place where the Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray. He was attacked on Wednesday, 27th Dhu al-Hijjah, and attained martyrdom on Sunday, 1st Muharram. At the time of his martyrdom, he was sixty-three years old. Hazrat Suhaib (رضي الله عنه) led his funeral prayer, and he was buried in the special chamber of the Prophet (ﷺ), next to Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (رضي الله عنه). رضي الله تعالى عنه
خلیفہ ثانی حضرت عمر فاروق رضی اللہ عنہ
