The Makkan Period, Part 13: Hamza and Umar Embrace Islam, the Boycott of Banu Hashim, and the Splitting of the Moon
Section 4 of 13 · The Life of the Prophet Muhammad: The Makkan Period
The Sword Turned Aside
One day, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb decided that he was going to bring an end to this misery, to this disunity among Quraysh — once and for all, he was just going to go and kill the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), no matter what happens. ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb had this dedication: he believed that he needed to rid his people from these Ṣābiʾūn — they used to call anyone who would become Muslim Ṣābiʾ, Sabian; in other words, they apostated from the religion. So ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said, "I'm going to go and kill him." He heard that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was with forty of his followers in Dār al-Arqam; he picked up his sword, walking down the streets of Makkah alone. Now, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb knew that he would be killed if he tried to kill the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), but he was determined to do it.
Walking down the streets of Makkah, who did he meet? He met one of his relatives who was Muslim in secret, Nuʿaym. So Nuʿaym saw ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, and he saw evil in his eyes, and anger. He told ʿUmar: "Where are you heading?" He said, "I'm going towards Muhammad to kill him." Nuʿaym now had to think on the spot. What did he say? Nuʿaym said: "Why don't you take care of your household first?" ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said, "What's wrong with my household?" Nuʿaym said, "Your sister has become Muslim." By saying that, Nuʿaym has put the sister of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and her husband in danger. Why did Nuʿaym do that — why would he put Fāṭimah bint al-Khaṭṭāb and her husband in danger? He did it because he wanted to save the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). So the Companions held the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in high esteem, and they saw that they could sacrifice their lives if it was going to protect his.
So Nuʿaym told ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, and this was news to him, that his sister had become Muslim. And Fāṭimah was the wife of Saʿīd ibn Zayd ibn ʿAmr ibn Nufayl — Saʿīd is one of the ten who were given the glad tidings of Paradise. ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb changed course, and now he was heading towards his sister's house. Khabbāb ibn al-Aratt was teaching Fāṭimah and her husband Qurʾān; he had his scroll with him and he was reciting to them Sūrat Ṭā Hā. When they heard the footsteps of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, Khabbāb went into hiding, and Fāṭimah took the scroll and she hid it under her thigh. And then ʿUmar came in and he said, "What was that sound that I heard?" They said, "We didn't hear anything." ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said, "Yes, I did hear you recite something. Tell me what it was." And then he said, "And I've heard that you have become Muslim," and he immediately attacked Saʿīd ibn Zayd, and he started punching him. Fāṭimah interfered and rose up to defend her husband; ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb hit her in her face.
When ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb saw blood flowing out of the face of his sister, he became very sorry, and he apologised. She said, "I have become Muslim and my husband is Muslim, and do whatever you want." ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said, "Give me that scroll you were reading." She said, "No." ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb swore in the name of his gods that he would return it back to her: "Give it to me." She said, "You are polytheist and you are impure, a mushrik." ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb went and washed himself and he came back. So she gave him the scroll, and ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb recited the first verses of Sūrat Ṭā Hā:
طه مَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ لِتَشْقَىٰٓ إِلَّا تَذْكِرَةً لِّمَن يَخْشَىٰ تَنزِيلًا مِّمَّنْ خَلَقَ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ ٱلْعُلَى ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱسْتَوَىٰ لَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَمَا تَحْتَ ٱلثَّرَىٰ وَإِن تَجْهَرْ بِٱلْقَوْلِ فَإِنَّهُۥ يَعْلَمُ ٱلسِّرَّ وَأَخْفَى ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ لَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ
“Tā-Hā We did not reveal the Qur’ān to you to (make you) face hardship rather to remind him who has the fear (of Allah), it being a revelation from the One Who created the earth, and high heavens. The RaHmān (Allah, the All-Merciful) has positioned Himself on the Throne. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens, all that is in the earth and whatever lies between them and whatever lies beneath the soil. If you pronounce the word aloud, then (it makes no difference, for) He certainly knows the secret and what is even more hidden. (Such is) Allah. There is no god but He. For Him are the Beautiful Names.” (20:1–8)
And ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb went on reciting these words, and when he finished, he said, "These are wonderful words." When Khabbāb ibn al-Aratt heard that, he came out of hiding and said, "O ʿUmar! I hope that Allah will choose you, because I heard the Messenger of Allah yesterday make a duʿāʾ and say" — the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made a prayer and said: "O Allah, guide one of the two ʿUmars, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb or ʿUmar ibn Hishām" — "and I hope that you are the one Allah will select." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) just one day before made a prayer and said, "O Allah, guide one of the two ʿUmars." And who are they? ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, and the other one is ʿAmr ibn Hishām. Who is ʿAmr ibn Hishām? Abū Jahl. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked Allah to strengthen Islam with one of these two men.
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb told Khabbāb ibn al-Aratt, "I want to become Muslim. Where can I meet the Messenger of Allah?" And the man told him, "Go and meet him in Dār al-Arqam." ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb went to Dār al-Arqam and he knocked on the door. That was a secret meeting; the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would hold secret meetings with the Companions in Dār al-Arqam, because the movement of Islam in Makkah was underground. It was not public. So one of the Companions stood up and he peeked through the door, and who would he see in front of him? ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb.