What the Two Men Had in Common

A few notes on the story of the Islam of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him). Here can be found one of the leadership qualities of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) knew the personal traits of people very well. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made the duʿāʾ, the prayer, to guide ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb or Abū Jahl — why did the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) choose these two people in particular, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and Abū Jahl? They had some personal traits that qualified them to be outstanding leaders in whatever area they were in. These two men were outstanding leaders, both of them; they had personal qualities that nominated them to lead people and to manage their affairs.

Abū Jahl, by the way, is not his name — that is a nickname that was given to him by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). He used to be called by his people, before that, Abū al-Ḥakam, which is also not his name, but it was a name given to him by his people. His original name is ʿAmr ibn Hishām, but he was such a wise and intelligent man that his people called him Abū al-Ḥakam, which means Father of Wisdom — they named him Father of Wisdom. Now, his intelligence did not lead him to Islam; he became disqualified, and he was called Abū Jahl, Father of Ignorance. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) called him Father of Ignorance, because no matter how wise a person is, if their wisdom does not lead them to the truth, it is not wisdom; no matter how intelligent they are, if their intelligence does not lead them to Islam, they have no intelligence. And that is the admission they will make on the Day of Judgment. Allah (swt) says about the people on the Day of Judgment, when they realise that they are going to Hellfire:

If we had any hearing or understanding or intellect, we would not have been in Hellfire. Where were our minds? Where was our intelligence?

These two men had determination; they had commitment to a cause. If they believe in something, they are willing to work for it until the end. They are relentless in pursuit of their objectives, and they are strong; and in situations of difficulty, they rise above everyone else. One would find that in every situation that was difficult, Abū Jahl would rise and would lead his people — even though it was an evil, he did it well; he was good in what he was doing, even though he was on the wrong path. So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) wanted to win one of these men over to Islam, because they would bring with them all of their resources.

ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb had these personal qualities. He had sincerity: when he believes in something, he would not go in twisted rounds or turns; he would face the thing straight on, head on. And he was very courageous and brave. And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was looking at these personal qualities. So ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb does not have a strong tribal backing — ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, when it comes to Islam, comes with his personal qualities, not his family background, because his family background was not that of the noblest in Quraysh; even though he did come from the core tribes of Quraysh, his tribe was not a leading tribe, nor were they many in number to give them such a strong presence in Makkah. But it was his personal qualities that nominated him to that duʿāʾ. And Allah (swt) destined that He would choose him out of these two to become the ally of Islam.

The second leadership quality that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) possessed is his deep understanding of the people, and how to cure their diseases. Even though ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb had these excellent personal qualities, he was suffering from a serious malice — ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb's heart was filled with hatred towards the Muslims. So as soon as ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb became a Muslim, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) knew where the disease was and how to cure it. It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) placed his hand on the chest of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and said, "O Allah, cure his heart from hatred," and he made that duʿāʾ three times. So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) put his hand on the disease and cured it.

The third quality, or the third point, is: khiyārukum fī al-jāhiliyyati khiyārukum fī al-Islāmi idhā faqihū. The best of you in Jāhiliyyah, the pre-Islamic era, are the best of you in Islam. Now, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not leave the statement open, because this is not a general rule; it is not necessarily that every person who was good before Islam is going to be good after Islam. If a person was good before Islam, they had some good personal qualities, and then they become Muslim, but they deviate within Islam and they do not follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and they do not have good understanding of Islam — they could end up causing more harm than benefit. And there are many examples of people who had a lot of good personal qualities, but when they became Muslim, they did not understand the religion correctly, so they ended up causing a lot of detriment and harm. So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) qualified this statement by saying, idhā faqihū — if they understand. Fiqh means understanding; fiqh does not mean that one memorises rules. The word fiqh is now used as a label to talk about Islamic law, but the word fiqh in hadith has a broader meaning — it means understanding, comprehension. So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says the people who have good personal qualities before they become Muslim will become the best among the Muslims, if they understand the religion; so there is a prerequisite there — they have to understand the religion.