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Omar (r)
Up to Hijrah
A.S. Hashim, MD
From wikipedia.com
Sources of Reference
Al Farooq, Omar, Muhammad Husayn Haykal
al-Tabari, History of the Prophets and Kings
Tabqat ibn Sa'ad.
al-Suyuti, The History of Khalifahs
Madelung, Wilferd. The Succession to Muhammad.
K. Y. Blankinship, The History of al-Tabari
Early caliphate, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Ya’qub
Khan
Modern Islamic political thought, Hahmid Enayat,
Encyclopedia Britannica
al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah by ibn Kathir
Armstrong,
In this Slide Show
Omar from birth to the Hijrah
Lineage and Early Childhood
Early life
Attitude toward Muslims before his embrace of
Islam
Circumstances leading to his conversion
Praying in the open defiantly
Encounters with the disbelievers of Quraish
The emigration to Medina
The Brotherhood-in-Faith
Lineage
Omar was born in Mecca to the Benu Adi clan,
‫ بنو عدي‬thirteen years after the Prophet's birth
Benu Adi clan was responsible for arbitrations of
disputes among the tribes.
Omar’s father was Khattab ibn Nufayl ‫الخطاب بن‬
‫نفيل‬
Omar’s mother was ‫ حنتمة بنت هشام‬, Hantamah Bint
Hisham from the tribe of Banu Makhzum.
He is said to have belonged to a middle class
family.
In his youth Omar used to tend to his father’s
camels in the plains near Mecca.
Father and Home Life
His father, Khattab ibn Nufayl, was famed for being a
gifted and smart person among his tribe.
Khattab was a middle class merchant and is believed to
be:
Not only a ruthless man but also an emotional polytheist
Khattab often treated his son Omar quite badly.
As obvious from Omar's own statement regarding his father during
his later political rule,
Omar had said:
"My father Al-Khattab was a ruthless man. He used to make me
work hard; if I didn't work he used to beat me and he used to work
me to exhaustion."
Lineage
Tribe
Banu Adi
Father
Khattab ibn Nufayl
Omar
Tribe
Makhzum
Mother
Hantamah Bint Hisham
Youthful Years
Despite literacy being uncommon in pre-Islamic Arabia,
Omar learned to read and write in his youth.
Though not a poet himself, he developed a love for
poetry and literature.
According to the tradition of Quraish, while still in his
teenage years, Omar learned martial arts, horse riding
and wrestling.
Omar was tall and physically powerful, was soon to
became a famed wrestler.
Omar was also a gifted orator, and he succeeded his
father as an arbitrator of conflicts among the tribes.
Early Life
In addition, Omar followed the traditional profession of
Quraish, dealing with merchandise.
He became a merchant and had several journeys to
outside of Arabia,
where he is said to have met the various scholars and analyzed
the Byzantine and Persian societies closely.
However, as a merchant he is believed to have never
been successful.
Drinking alcohol was very common among the Quraish,
and Omar was also fond of drinking until alcohol was prohibited in
Islam.
Description
Omar was quite tall, muscular and well built, with an imposing figure
commanding attention
His complexion was ruddy (fair, tinged with red),
Omar had a bald head, but with a long beard that thins out on the
sides
He used to use Henna to color his beard, not unusual in those days
His moustache used to be long, so that when he was in anger he
would twirl it to a point and blow a huff
‫أن عمر بن الخطاب كان إذا غضب فتل شاربه ونفخ‬
His walk was usually speedy
Drinking alcohol was very common among the Quraish,
and Omar was also fond of drinking until alcohol was prohibited in
Islam.
His Married Life
Omar married a total of 9 women in his lifetime
Omar had 14 children,
10 sons and
4 daughters.
Of the 9 women he was married to:
He divorced 3 of them
And 2 of them were Umm Wilid (slave girls)
One wife was the daughter of Imam Ali, by the name of Umm
Kulthoom, who bore him two children:
Son: Zayd ibn Omar, (famously known as Ibn al-Khalifatayn; the son of
the two Khalifas i.e Omar and Ali).
Daughter: Ruqayyah bint Omar
Arabia at the Time
Arabian peninsula at the time consisted of dispersed
tribes in conflict with each other: looting, kidnapping for
slavery, etc.
As for religion, there were 360 statues of gods on top of
the Ka’ba.
Some people used to take a square stone for a god.
Others would make a god out of date paste if it were too
cold to go to the place of worship.
However, when hunger strikes, eating the god they made
out of dates might be the only option!
Even Omar Ibn al-Khattab did such a thing and when
later he was asked, “didn’t people have a brain at the
time?” He replied, “We did, but we didn’t have guidance.”
Arabia at the Time
Women had no financial rights of inheritance or
ownership. A woman was not even part of the
inheritance, except for those of some noble families.
Khadijah was not like this nor Amina Bint Wahab.
Moreover, the practice of burying girls alive was
common.
Some companions of the Prophet had buried up to seven of their
daughters before Islam, and
could never cry enough afterwards for what they had done.
Some girls were buried at birth, others at the age of up to
six.
See what Allah says in the next slide:
Quran 16:58-59
َ ‫َو ِإذَا بُ ِش َر أ َ َحد ُ ُه ْم ِب ْاْل ُ ْنث َ ٰى‬
‫ظ َّل َو ْج ُههُ ُم ْس َودًّا َو ُه َو َك ِظيم‬
‫سهُ ِفي‬
ُّ ُ ‫ون أ َ ْم يَد‬
ِ ‫س‬
ُ ‫ار ٰى ِم َن ْالقَ ْو ِم ِم ْن‬
َ ُ‫وء َما بُ ِش َر ِب ِه ۚ أَيُ ْم ِس ُكه‬
ٍ ‫علَ ٰى ُه‬
َ ‫يَت َ َو‬
‫ون‬
َ ‫سا َء َما يَ ْح ُك ُم‬
ِ ‫الت ُّ َرا‬
َ ‫ب ۗ أ َ ََل‬
When news is brought to one of them, of the birth
of a female, his face darkens, and he is filled with
inward grief!
He hide himself from his people with shame,
(due to the bad news he has had!) Shall he retain
the girl but with sufferance and contempt, or bury
it alive in the dust? Ah! what an evil choice they
decide on?
Persecution by Quraish
For three years after the advent of Islam, Muslims
kept secret their faith, and did not pray in public.
When the Prophet called people to Islam in the
open, Muslims were demeaned and they became
the target for more abuse, hurts, and exposure to
harm
Omar in particular, was quite harsh on the Muslims
Because of such violence the Prophet urged the
Muslims to take refuge in far away Abyssinia
Escaping home to Abyssinia was no easy matter,
even then they were pursued by Quraish, since it
left a worrisome vacuum in Mecca.
Abyssinia and Worries of Omar
Due to the persecution at the hands of Quraish,
Muhammad had ordered his followers to migrate to
Abyssinia
Abyssinia was with a Christian population and a Christian
Ruler
A group of about 80 Muslims did migrate to make
Abyssinia their temporary home and place of business
This migration left a vacuum in Mecca, not many Muslims
were left to persecute, and the businesses suffered
Omar worried about the unity and future of Quraish,
he thus decided on his own to kill Prophet Muhammad
to get rid of the division created by Islam among the people of
Mecca.
Omar's hostility to Islam
The polytheists of Mecca and their traditional ways
clashed head to head with the message of Islam;
Like other people of Mecca, Omar was adamant in
opposing Islam.
He resolved to defend the traditional pagan ways of
Arabia.
He was most insistent and cruel in opposing Muhammad
and vicious in persecuting the Muslims.
Omar was the first man who decided on his own that
Muhammad had to be murdered to finish Islam.
Omar firmly believed in unity of Quraish and saw the new
faith of Islam as a cause of division and discord among
Quraish.
Converting to Islam
Omar converted to Islam in 616, one year after the Migration of the
Muslims to Abyssinia.
The story was recounted in Ibn Ishaq's Seerah;
On the way to murder Muhammad, Omar met his best friend Nuaim
who had secretly been converted to Islam but he did not tell Omar
anything about it.
When Omar told him that he was on his way to kill Muhammad Nuaim
was terrified. He knew Omar was capable of what he said. So just to
divert his attention he told Omar to set his own house in order first,
since Omar’s sister and her husband had converted to Islam.
Upon arriving at her house, Omar found his sister and brother-in-law
Sa'eed bin Zaid (Omar's cousin) reciting verses of the Quran.
Omar started beating his brother-in-law savagely.
Circumstances of the Conversion
When his sister came to rescue her husband who had been
slapped by Omar,
Omar hit his sister so hard that she began to bleed.
Yet still they kept on saying “You may kill us but we will not
give up Islam"
Omar felt guilty, he calmed down but insisted to let him see
what they were reading.
Omar was so struck by its beauty that he felt for Islam that
very day.
He then went to Muhammad
with the same sword with which he intended to kill him, but
Declared accepting Islam in front of him and his companions.
Omar was 27 when he accepted Islam.
20
Omar, Islam, and his Reaction
Red with anger, the room filled with tension, Omar kept insisting to
take a look at what they were reading
They told him he was impure and was not allowed to touch the Quran
Omar’s anger abated a little, felt belittled,
But he insisted, so the page was given to him
He was overwhelmed with what he read, far beyond what he expected:
With its phraseology and its unusual style of expression
He was overjoyed and overcome by its meaning
He was overwhelmed
He was shaking inside, very taken
The part of Quran he was reading was from Surah Al-Hadeed (57)
Struck with awe, Omar reads:
Whatever is in the heavens and
the earth declares the glory of
Allah, and He is the Mighty, the
Wise
His is the kingdom of the heavens
and the earth; He gives life and
causes death; and He has power
over all things
He is the First and the Last and
the Ascendant (over all) and the
Knowledgeable of hidden things,
and He is Cognizant of all
things…..
ِ َّ ِ ‫سبَّ َح‬
‫ض ۖ َو ُه َو‬
ِ ‫س َم َاوا‬
َّ ‫ّلِل َما فِي ال‬
ِ ‫ت َو ْاْل َ ْر‬
َ
ُ ‫ْالعَ ِز‬
‫يز ْال َح ِكي ُم‬
‫ض ۖ يُ ْح ِيي‬
ِ ‫س َم َاوا‬
َّ ‫لَهُ ُم ْل ُك ال‬
ِ ‫ت َو ْاْل َ ْر‬
‫ش ْيءٍ قَدِير‬
َ ‫علَ ٰى ُك ِل‬
َ ‫َويُ ِميتُ ۖ َو ُه َو‬
َّ ‫ُه َو ْاْل َ َّو ُل َو ْاْل ِخ ُر َو‬
ۖ ‫اط ُن‬
ِ َ‫الظا ِه ُر َو ْالب‬
‫ع ِليم‬
َ ‫َو ُه َو ِب ُك ِل‬
َ ٍ‫ش ْيء‬
‫ض فِي‬
ِ ‫س َم َاوا‬
َّ ‫ُه َو الَّذِي َخلَقَ ال‬
َ ‫ت َو ْاْل َ ْر‬
‫علَى ْالعَ ْر ِش ۚ يَ ْعلَ ُم َما‬
َ ‫ِست َّ ِة أَي ٍَّام ث ُ َّم ا ْست َ َو ٰى‬
‫ض َو َما يَ ْخ ُر ُج ِم ْن َها َو َما‬
ِ ‫يَ ِل ُج فِي ْاْل َ ْر‬
‫اء َو َما يَ ْع ُر ُج ِفي َها ۖ َو ُه َو‬
َّ ‫يَ ْن ِز ُل ِمنَ ال‬
ِ ‫س َم‬
َ‫اّلِلُ ِب َما تَ ْع َملُون‬
َّ ‫َمعَ ُك ْم أَيْنَ َما ُك ْنت ُ ْم ۚ َو‬
….‫صير‬
ِ َ‫ب‬
22
Tidbits about Converting to Islam
Omar was in his twenties when he:
Embraced Islam in the 6th year of its advent, and
It was just 3 days after al-Hamza became Muslim
Omar accepted Islam one year after the immigration of
the Muslims to Abyssinia
It is claimed that Omar was the 40th Muslim convert
However, more than 80 Muslims had already emigrated
to Abyssinia the year before
Therefore he must have been the 40th of the Muslims
left in Mecca at the time
As obnoxious as he used to be on the Muslims, Omar
now became more severe and obnoxious on the pagans
of Quraish and others.
To Recognize the Truth
In accepting Islam Omar has to:
1. To know the person of the Prophet
2. To evaluate the Message
3. To believe in the Message
4. To face the consequences
5. To enthusiastically spread the Message
Praying in the Open
Following his conversion, Omar went to inform the leader
of Quraish, Amr ibn Hisham, about his acceptance of
Islam.
According to one account Omar thereafter openly prayed
at the Ka'ba
as the Quraish leaders, (Amr ibn Hisham and Abu Sufyan ibn Harb)
reportedly watched in dismay.
This further empowered the Muslims to gain confidence
in practicing Islam in the open.
At this stage Omar even challenged anyone who dared to
stop the Muslims from praying,
No one dared to interfere with Omar when he was
praying in the open.
Ibn Mas'ood and Praying in the Grand Mosque
Omar’s conversion to Islam gave power to the Muslims
and the faith in Mecca.
It was after this that for the first time Muslims offered
prayers in the open in Masjid al-Haram. Abdullah ibn
Mas'ood said,
Omar's embracing Islam was our victory, his migration to
Medina was our success and his reign a blessing from
Allah, we didn't offer prayers in Masjid Al-Haram until
Omar accepted Islam, when he accepted Islam Quraish
were compelled to let us pray in the Mosque.
All these things earned Omar the title of Farooq, meaning
one who makes a difference.
Migration to Medina
In 622 due to the growing popularity of Islam in the city of
Yathrib and the horrendous anti-Muslim attitude in Mecca:
Muhammad ordered his followers to migrate to Medina.
Muslims usually migrated at night due to fear of Quraish's
resistance to that migration,
but Omar is reported to have migrated openly during daytime
saying; “He who likes to see his wife widowed and his children
orphaned let him meet me there behind that cliff.”
Therefore Omar was not challenged by Quraish
Omar migrated to Medina accompanied by his cousin and brotherin-law Sa'eed and many of his family and friends.
Brotherhood-in-Faith
When Muhammad arrived in Medina, he paired off
Each Meccan immigrant (Muhaajir) was to be with one of the Muslim
residents of the city (Ansaari),
The only exception was to pair off himself with Ali, since both were from
Mecca, as Brothers-in-Faith
That was a further distinction and honor for Ali
The Prophet joined Omar with either:
Uwaim Ibn Sa’idah ‫عويم بن ساعدة‬
Or Utban Ibn Malik ‫وقيل عتبان بن مالك‬
Or Mu’adh Ibn Hafraa ‫ معاذ بن عفراء‬:‫وقيل‬
making them Brothers-in-Faith.
Later in Omar's reign as a Khalifa, he assigned his Brother-in-Faith
the office of Chief Inspector of Accountability.
In Conclusion
Omar from birth up to the Hijrah
Omar’s lineage and childhood
During Omar's youthful life
Arabia at the Time: Burying the female alive
Omar’s Ill-Treatment of Muslims in the beginning
Omar converts to Islam after skirmishes with sister
Omar the Muslim, prays in the open
Migration to Medina and the Brotherhood-in-Faith
Finally we quote the Quran:
By the Token of Time
Verily Man is in loss,
Except those who
believe and do good
works, and exhort one
another to Truth and
exhort one another to
patience.
ِ ‫ِب ْس ِم‬
‫الر ِح ِيم‬
َّ ‫من‬
َّ ‫هللا‬
ِ ‫الر ْح‬
‫ص ِر‬
ْ َ‫َو ْالع‬
‫ان لَ ِفي ُخ ْس ٍر‬
َ ‫س‬
َ ‫ِإ َّن اَِلن‬
‫ع ِملُوا‬
َ ‫ِإَل الَّ ِذ‬
َ ‫ين آ َمنُوا َو‬
‫ق‬
ِ ‫صا ِل َحا‬
َّ ‫ال‬
َ ‫ت َوت َ َوا‬
ِ ‫ص ْوا ِب ْال َح‬
‫صب ِْر‬
َّ ‫ص ْوا ِبال‬
َ ‫َوت َ َوا‬
THANK YOU
Be in Allah’s Care
Dr. A.S. Hashim