Notes- Umar bin Al-Khattab (Part 1)

These are edited notes I took from a CD set that I had of Umar Ibn Khattab. The content is roughly one CD of the set. 95% of the material is directly from the CD set while less than 5% is from external sources. These notes were compiled so that I could give them to attendees of my class. If you have any trouble understanding some of the points, please comment below. InshaAllah, if I have time, I will write more parts.

Introduction

Why should we study the lives of the Sahabah? Abdullah ibn Masood (R) says:

"Whoever is going to follow a path, follow the path of those who died because the living could fail in their trials. They were the best of this ummah, and the had the most pious hearts and they had the deepest knowledge, they were the least superficial, and these were the people whom Allah chose to be the companions of his prophet and to establish his religion. So, recognize their virtues and follow their footsteps and follow what you can of their character and their religion."

Lessons

1. A person could be on the track of the people of Jannah, but before they die, they commit the actions of the people of hellfire and die as kuffar
   
2. The sahabah have been given the stamp of approval while others have not
   
3. The first generation, the Sahaba were much better than the second generation, the Tabieen
   
4. "they were the best of this ummah, and the had the most pious hearts
   
5. They had the most Taqwa
   
6. Not necessarily the most knowledge but the deepest knowledge
   
7. Depth of knowledge because they experienced the revelation, lived the Ahadith, knew the circumstances
   
8. When knowledge is deep, it comes with action and changes your outlook to life
   
9. They did not pretend to be sophisticated, to show off, nothing to prove
   
10. Their words were short and clear
    Arabs not affected by the culture, Islam was easy to accept because Quran came on an empty plate
    
11. Theological fitnah, Bid'ah came from other places in later times, not Makkah or Madinah
    

Why Umar (R)?

Adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided successors after me. Hold on to it and cling on to it stubbornly

Abdullah ibn Umar said: "During the time of the Prophet (sas), we never equated anyone with Abu Bakr then Umar then Uthman. We left the remainder of the Companions of the Prophet (sas) and never made comparisons between them." Umar ibn Khattab

"There were muhaddathun in the previous nations and if there would be muhaddathun in this Ummah it would be Umar"

What does the word Muhaddith mean?

• Men who are inspired by Allah
  
• Man whose intuition is right
  
• One who speaks the truth, the truth naturally flows from his tongue
  
• Men who angels speak to him, w/o
  

For what other reasons was Umar (R) special?

1. Prophet (SAW) said that if there would be a prophet after me, it would be Umar (R)
   

• He is similar to Musa (A) and Nuh (A), both Anbiya of strength
  

Birth and Physical Characteristics

Birth

• 11 years after year of elephant
  
• 29 years old when the Prophet (SAW) proclaimed Prophethood
  
• He accepted Islam when he was 29 (other narrations say early 30s)
  

Physical Description

• Towering figure, the tallest in any group of men
  
• When you saw him among men at a distance it was as if he was riding his mount,on a camel while others were standing on the ground
  
• Very well built and muscular
  
• He was a wrestler and his limbs were large,
  
• Bald-headed
  
• Fair skinned relative to other Arabs
  
• Redness in his color
  
• Tips of mustache were long, twist them when angry
  
• One Sahabi described him as: Walks fast, when strikes, he strikes with strength and when he speaks everyone can hear him
  

Personality and Demeanor

• Intimidating to both his friends and enemies
  
• Abu Musa Al Ashari's face became pale when Umar (R) asked him for something
  
• Once walking and there was a pregnant woman behind him, when he turned around she had a miscarriage
  
• The enemies of Allah's knees would shake from his name
  
• Yet very Humble and his eyes would flow with tears
  
• Very compassionate
  

Family and Upbringing

• His father was Al-Khattab bin Nufail
  
• Umar had a tough upbringing
  
• He would be a shepherd for camels, his father was very harsh, and make him exhausted, and beat him when he didn't do work
  
• His mother was the cousin of Abu Jahl and her name was Hintimah bint Hisham
  
• 7 wives
  
• 13 Children
  • Zaid (2), AbdurRahman (3), Hafsa, Ruqayyah, Zainab, Fatima
    

Profession

• Shepherd
  • One day called the people, came on the mimbar and announced "I used to be shepherd for my aunts and they would give me a handful of dates at the end of the day and I would have a miserable day."
    
  • When his son asked why he did this, he said, "My nafs was telling me that there is no one better than me, so I had to teach it a lesson."
    
• Business man – later on became a merchant and became very wealthy, one of the wealthiest in Makkah
  
• Wrestler and unbeatable
  

Lessons

• Umar ibn Khattab is not fooled by anyone, even himself
  
• Shaytan can't come to you, unless you allow him to deceive you
  
• He once said, "I'm not a deciever and I don't allow anyone to deceive me."
  

In Jahilliyah

Persecution

• Very committed, disciplined with whatever he believers
  
• He was never on the sidelines, always was in the front give his 200% in everything
  
• Very effective against the Muslims
  
• Once he was beating a female Muslim slave, and stopped. He said I stopped because I am tired, not because I am feeling sympathy. The Muslim answered. It is Allah who made you stop.
  
• To the Muslims it was unacceptable that he would ever become Muslim
  
• Once a woman was making Hijrah to Abyssinia. He saw her and asked: Are you leaving ? She answered: Yes, you have persecuted us, …. And so that we can practice our religion in freedom. He answered: May Allah be with you.
  
• When she told Nu'aym ibn Abdullah this, he said Do you think he will become Muslim. She said yes. He answered The donkey of his father will become Muslim before he does.
  

How he became Muslim

The Fortune Teller

• Once AbdurRahman was walking with his father and they saw a handsome man that they never saw before. Umar (R) said that he was a fortune teller for his people. Rarely would the intuition of my father. When he asked the man, the man said I don't know anything of this.
  
• Umar (R) told him to tell me the strangest thing that you have heard. Once I heard some strange rhyming words speaking about the coming of the prophet.
  
• Umar (R) answered that yes, that's true. Once I was near the Ka'abah and I heard a voice about the coming of a prophet. Immediately afterwards, Muhammad (SAW) declared himself to be a Prophet.
  
• "O blood red one, The deed is done. A man will cry Besides God, none." – Unknown source
  

Surah Haqqah 

• Umar (R) in the days before Islam was a heavy drinker. He had his drinking partners whom he used to drink with. One night, he went out to drink but all the bars were closed, and there was no one he could drink with
  
• So he said to himself, if I can't do this. Why not go and make tawaaf around the Kabah? It was very late at night and when he went to the Ka'bah he saw only Prophet Muhammad (SAW) praying. He said to himself: Why don't I strike fear in the heart of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
  
• So went to the opposite end of the Kabah, snuck under the cloth of the kabah and slowly made his way around in front of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) He wanted to ambushthe Prophet (SAW) and scare him.
  
• Now since he was in front of PM, he was in the hearing range of the Prophet (SAW). He had no plugs on his ears to stop him from listening to the Quran. The Prophet (SAW) was reciting Surah Haaqa.
  
• He thought to himself, that these must be the words of a poet
  
• The next ayah recited was "These are not the words of a poet, little do you believe"
  
• The he thought to himself that these must be the words of a fortuneteller
  
• The next ayah recited was "These are not the words of a fortuneteller, little do you believe"
  
• At this Umar froze and did not continue with his plan
  

Surah Taha

• One day Mushrikeen were discussing the problem of Rasulullah (SAW). Umar (R) decided that he will stop this mess and kill the Prophet (SAW) at the house of Arqam. Most of the Muslims had left to Abyssinia and Muhammad (SAW) was with a few of the Sahabah. Umar buckled his sword and set out to kill the Holy Prophet (peace be on him).
  
• In the way, Umar met Nuaim bin Abduilah. He was a friend of Umar. He had converted to Islam, but Umar did not know of that. Noticing the dark frowns on his face, Nuaim asked Umar what he was up to. Umar said that he was going to slay Muhammad (peace be on him), and thus vindicate the gods of Ka'bah. Nu'aym wanted to divert him, change his object. He said, "Beware if you harm Muhammad (peace be on him) you will not be safe from the fury of Banu Hashim. Desist from such a course in your own interest". Umar ejaculated angrily: "It appears you have also become a Muslim." Now, Nu'aym had no hope left in dissuading Umar. Then he said, "Umar, do not bother about me, but take care of your sister and brother-in-law who have been converted to Islam, and who may be reading the Quran at this very moment."
  
• That made Umar pause. Instead of going to the Holy Prophet, he went to the house of his sister. His sister was Fatima and her husband was Saeed bin Zaid. Umar loved his sister. He had never thought that his brother-in-law or his sister would have the audacity to accept Islam. This was news to him. He could not believe it, but he thought it advisable to verify the facts.
  
• As Umar stepped into the house of his sister, he found that both Fatima and her husband were reading the Quran and Khabbab bin Al-Arrat was teaching them. Seeing Umar, his sister hid the Quran under her thigh. Fatima rose to welcome her brother with a smile. But there was a dark frown on the face of Umar. "What was that humming sound I heard? ", he thundered. "O Umar, what if Islam is better than your religion?", replied Fatima. Umar caught his brother-in-law and threw him on the ground and sat on him. Fatima tried to intervene and he slapped her and she started bleeding. She became angry and said, "You enemy of Allah, you hit me b/c I believe in Allah whether you like it or not, I testify that there is no God but Allah (SWT) and Muhammad is his Messenger (SAW)." Umar felt sorry and asked what they were reading. Fatima said that he could not touch the Quran until he had made Ghusl. Umar washed Ghusl and started readingIt was the Sura Ta Ha. It read:
  • Ta­Ha. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Quran, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings.]
    
  • We have not sent down the Quran unto you (O Muhammad SAW) to cause you distress,
    
  • But only as a Reminder to those who fear (Allah).
    
  • A revelation from Him (Allah) who has created the earth and high heavens.
    
  • The Most Beneficent (Allah) Istawa (rose over) the (Mighty) Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty).
    
  • To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and all that is between them, and all that is under the soil.
    
  • And if you (O Muhammad SAW) speak (the invocation) aloud, then verily, He knows the secret and that which is yet more hidden.
    
  • Allah! La ilahla illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He)! To Him belong the Best Names.
    
• Once Umar (R) heard this, he said: Is this what Quraysh was against? Where is Muhammad? Upon hearing this, Khabbab bin Arrat came out of hiding and told Umar I think that Allah has accepted the dua of PM which he said "O Allah, honor Islam with the more beloved of the two men, Amr bin Hisham or Umar bin Khattab"
  • Why these two men? Their strength would turn into strength for Islam
    
• With his sword across his back, Umar went to Darul Arqam. When Umar knocked all the Sahabah got scared and didn't open.When Hamza asked who it is, he replied. So what if its Umar? If we came for good, he's welcome. If he came for evil, we will kill him by his own sword
  
• Once they opened the door Hamza and another Sahabi grabbed him and took him to the Prophet (SAW).The Prophet (SAW) grabbed Umar by his clothes, "Why did you come here o son of Khattab, aren't you going to stop fighting Islam untll Allah destroys you?" O Messenger of Allah (SWT), I have to come accept it.Prophet (SAW) said, Takbir.
  
• All the Sahabah were hiding but when they heard the takbir, they all said it loudly. Their voices for so loud, they had to disperse so as to not disclose their location.

Ibn Al Qayyim on the Rights of the Quran upon us

 In Surah Furqan, Ayah 30: Allah (SWT) says:

And the Messenger will say, 'O my Lord, indeed, my people have deserted the Quran.'" 

(Al-Furqan 25:30) 

Ibn Al-Qayyim commentated on this Ayah saying that people abandon the Quran in five ways:

1. Abandoning listening to it, believing in it, and paying attention to it.
   
2. Abandoning acting upon it and abiding by what it permits and prohibits, even if one recites it and believes in it.
   
3. Abandoning referring to it and judging by it in the fundamental issues of the religion even its subsidiary issues, believing it that it does not provide certainty, and that its evidences are merely words not giving (certain) knowledge.
   
4. Abandonment of pondering it, seeking to understand it and what the One who spoke it meant by it.
   
5. Abandonment of seeking healing through it for all the diseases of the heart such that one seeks the cure for his disease from other sources and abandons seeking healing through it.
   

Are we among those who have deserted the Quran? Do we fulfill any of these five obligations upon the Quran?