leaving, and this aggravated him even further. It caused Umar great pain to see so many families broken up and all the people leaving their ancestral homes to follow Muhammad (PBUH). “He appeared on the scene,” he thought to himself, “and has torn son from father and brother from brother. Now his followers have run away to another land. Surely, Muhammad is the cause of all the trouble. I must kill him and put an end to the trouble.” After a sleepless night, in the early hours of the morning, he went outside to find and kill the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Umar noticed him walking towards the Kabah. As Umar watched Muhammad (SAW), walking in his steady pace, a scene from the previous evening flashed before him and he recalled his conversation with Umm Abdullah. “Yes, Umar, we are leaving. You have made life unbearable for us. Our only crime has been to believe in the one God. We have complete trust in Him. We know that He will guide and protect us so that we may be allowed to serve Him and worship Him in peace.” He had opened his mouth to utter a curse to her but he was astonished to find that his eyes had filled with tears and he uttered the words, “May Allah be with you.” Astonished, Umm Abdullah could not believe what she had just heard from her hardened cousin’s mouth. She saw some softness she had never seen before. As he approached Muhammad (PBUH), Umar noticed that he was already in the Haram, facing north towards Jerusalem and was praying and glorifying God. By this time he was curious to find out what was causing people to follow this man. As Umar heard the words uttered by Muhammad, he was struck by their power and how they turned his thoughts away from his anger. He recognized the sincerity and the integrity of Muhammad and left in deep thought. Entering his home as the first light of dawn appeared in the sky, his thoughts were embroiled and he felt confused. Umar finally went to sleep but he awoke hardened again and was resolved to complete what he had started earlier. As he went on his way with his sword, he encountered another cousin, Sa’ad bin Abi Waggs. When Umar told him that he was on his way to finish off Muhammad; his cousin uttered: “You had better first set your own house in order. Your sister and brother-in-law both have accepted Islam.” Umar flew off towards his sister’s home in a rage. She let him in after Khabbab (RA), who was praying with the family, managed to hide away but forgot his manuscripts in the open. He started quarreling with his brother-in-law. When his sister came to rescue her husband, he also started quarreling with her. Yet still they kept on saying, “You may kill us but we will not give up Islam.” Upon hearing these words, Umar slapped his sister so hard that she fell to the ground and bled from her mouth. When he saw what he did to his sister, he calmed down out of guilt and asked his sister to give him what she was reciting. His sister replied in the negative and said, “You are unclean, and no unclean person can touch the Scripture.” He insisted, but his sister was determined to not allow him to touch the pages unless he washed his body. Umar at last gave in. He washed his body and then his eyes fell on Surat Taha. “Verily, I am Allah. There is no God but I, so serve Me (only), and establish regular prayer for My remembrance.” (Qur’an 20:14) At that moment the fear of Allah gripped his heart and he wept as he declared, “Surely this is the word of Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” Khabbab flew out from where he was hiding and uttered, “O, Umar, glad tidings for you! Yesterday the Prophet (SAW) prayed to Allah: ‘O, Allah! Strengthen Islam with either Umar or Abu Jahl, whomsoever Thou likest.’ It seems that his prayer has been answered in your favor.” As the Prophet (PBUH) was sitting in the company of some holy men he saw Umar approach him. “Umar, what brings you here?” he asked. “O Prophet of Allah! I have come to embrace Islam.” The air in Mecca was filled with shouts of joy from Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and his followers: “Allah is Great!” Umar declared his conversion to Islam and then gathered all the chiefs of Makkah. He announced to them his conversion to Islam and though they were shocked and angered they did not dare reproach him for his faith. Al Farooq became his name amongst the believers as he was not afraid to openly proclaim his faith. Umar requested that the Holy Prophet be allowed to say prayers at the Kabah. It was the first great congregation of people around the Kabah and the first ever prayer of its kind. The conversion of Umar (RA) made a difference for Islam. Up until this time, the Muslims had lived in constant fear of the non-believers. Some of 7
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