The most
notable event of the year 6 of the Call was the
conversion to Islam of Umar ibn al-Khattab, a future
khalifa of the Muslims. He was one of the most rabid
enemies of Islam and Muhammed Mustafa, the Messenger of
Allah, and was a great tormentor of the Muslims. The
modern Egyptian historian, Amin Dawidar, says in his
book, Pictures From the Life of the Prophet, that Umar's
hatred of Islam, and his hostility to Muhammed Mustafa,
were matched only by the hatred of and hostility to them,
of his own maternal uncle, Abu Jahl.
It is said that one day Umar resolved, in sheer
exasperation, to kill Muhammed Mustafa, and thereby to
extinguish the flame of Islam itself. He left his home
with this intention.
As noted before, the Muslims at this time (the end of the
year 6) still gathered in the house of Arqam ibn Abil
Arqam to say their congregational prayers. They were just
beginning to assemble, when one of them, looking out the
window, saw Umar approaching the house with a drawn
sword. In a state of considerable alarm, he told other
members of the congregation what he saw. Presumably, they
too were alarmed. But Hamza, who was also present in the
house of Arqam, reassured them, and said that if Umar was
coming with good intentions, then it was all right; if
not, then he (Hamza) would run him (Umar) through with
his (Umar's) own sword. But it so happened that Umar had
come with the intention of accepting Islam, and he did.
The story is told that Umar was going toward Dar-ul-Arqam
with the intention of killing the Prophet when a
passer-by stopped him, and informed him that his own
sister and her husband had become Muslims; and advised
him to put his own house in order before undertaking any
other grandiose and chimerical project.
Muhammad Husayn Haykal
Umar went
there (to Dar-ul-Arqam) resolved to kill Muhammad and
thus relieve the Quraysh of its burden, restore its
ravaged unity, and re-establish respect for the gods that
Muhammad had castigated. On the road to Makkah he was met
by Nu'aym ibn Abdullah. Upon learning what Umar was
about, Nu'aym said, "By God, you have deceived
yourself, O Umar! Do you think that Banu Abd Manaf would
let you run around alive once you kill Muhammad. Your
sister is a Muslim now. Why don't you return to your own
house and set it straight?"
(The Life of Muhammad, Cairo, 1935)
Umar was furious to hear this. He immediately changed his
direction from the house of Arqam to the house of his
sister to investigate the allegation. In reply to his
question, she gave him a discreet but evasive answer.
Muhammad ibn Ishaq
Umar came
to the door (of the house of his sister) as Khabbab (a
companion of the Prophet) was studying the Sura Taha and
When the Sun is Overthrown. The pagans used to call this
reading "rubbish." When Umar came in, his
sister saw that he meant mischief and hid the sheets from
which they were reading. Khabbab slipped away into the
house. Umar asked what was the gibberish he had heard to
which she answered that it was merely conversation
between them...
(The Life of the Messenger of God)
Umar exploded in wrath at what he thought to be a
prevarication, and struck his sister in her face. The
blow caused her mouth to bleed. Umar was going to strike
again but the sight of blood made him pause. He suddenly
appeared to relent, and then in a changed tone asked her
to show him what she was reading. She sensed a change in
him but said: "You are an unclean idolater, and I
cannot allow you to touch the word of Allah."
Umar immediately went home, washed himself, returned to
his sister's house, read the text of Quran, and then went
to Arqam's house where he bore witness to the Unity of
the Creator and the Prophethood of Muhammed.
Sir William Muir says that Umar's conversion to Islam
took place at the close of the sixth year of Mohammed's
mission.
Sir William Muir
It (Umar's conversion)
occurred in Dzul Hajj, the last month of the year. The
believers are said now to have amounted in all to 40 men
and ten women; or by other accounts, to 45 men and eleven
women. (The Life of Mohammed, London, 1877) Umar was in
his thirties when he became a Muslim.
Muhammad Husayn Haykal
At that time, Umar ibn
al-Khattab was a mature man of thirty to thirty-five
years of age. (The Life of Muhammad, Cairo, 1935)