1.
Introduction
:
“If there had been a prophet after me, it would have been
Umar (RA)”…(Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
The
Prophet (PBUH) prayed for one of the two famous Umars of his time and he was
granted UMAR-E-FAROOQ RA; one shudders at even writing, hearing, listening or
saying the name of one of the greatest non-prophetic humans to have ever have
walked on the face of this earth! Such is his greatness!
Hazrat
Umar-e-Farooq is my hero and a hero of millions of Muslims around the world; a
role model, an icon whom we all should try to emulate. The above Hadith shows
how highly our Holy Prophet (PBUH) thought of him; our Holy Prophet held him in
such a high esteem and he continues to hold that honor even today with so much
respect, reverence and admiration shown by Muslims around the world for him.
· Early life of UMAR-E-FAROOQ (R.A):
Umar was born
in Mecca to
the Banu Adi clan, which was responsible for
arbitration among the tribes. His father was Khattab ibn Nufayl and his mother was Hantama bint
Hisham, from the tribe of Banu Makhzum.
In his youth he used to tend to his father's camels in the plains near Mecca.
His merchant father was famed for his intelligence among his tribe. Umar
himself said: "My father, Al-Khattab was a ruthless man. He used to make
me work hard; if I didn't work he used to beat me and he used to work me to
exhaustion."
Umar became a
merchant and made several journeys to Rome and
Persia, where he is said to have met various scholars and analyzed Roman
and Persian societies. As a merchant he was
unsuccessful. Like others around him, Umar was fond of drinking in his
pre-Islamic days.
· Why Hazrat Umer’s conversion to Islam is famous in Islamic History :
Hazrat Umar was
a headstrong young man of great determination. He was brought up to venerate
the Kabah and to cherish the unity of the Quraysh and their religion. That is
why he saw Islam as a threat to the Quraysh and became most violent and
unrestrained in his attacks on Muslims. He was one of the most rabid enemies of
Islam and of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, and was a great tormentor of the
Muslims. That is why conversion of Hazrat Umer (R.A) to Islam is very famous incident
in Islamic history.
2.
Reason
of Conversion to Islam:
- Hazrat Umar’s Historic Acceptance of
Islam:
It was the sixth
year of Holy Prophet’s mission when leaders of Quraish called a meeting and
asked a volunteer for the assassination of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Hazrat Umar
RA offered himself for this job. While he was on his way with a sword in his
hand he met Hazrat Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (RA) who enquired of him about his
destination.
Hazrat Umar RA
told him that he was going to murder the Holy Prophet (PBUH) God-Forbid. After
some discussion Hazrat Sa’d RA said, “You had better take care of your own
family first. Your sister and brother-in-law both have accepted Islam”. Hearing
this Umar changed his direction and went straight to his sister’s house. When
Hadrat Umar RA knocked at the door, they were studying the Holy Qur’an from
Hadrat Khabbab (R.A.).
His sister
Fatimah was frightened on hearing Umar’s voice and tried to hide the portion of
the Holy Qur’an she was reciting. When Umar entered the house he inquired about
their Islam and on finding that they had accepted Islam, he first fell upon his
brother-in-law and beat him severely. When his sister intervened he beat her so
violently on her face that it bled profusely. On this his sister burst out: “Do
whatever you like, we are determined to die as Muslims”.
When Hazrat Umar
RA saw his sister bleeding, he cooled down and felt ashamed. He loved Fatimah
very much but could not tolerate her conversion to Islam. However, deeply
moved, Umar asked her to show the pages on which the Holy Qur’an was written.
But she was, after all, Umar’s sister and told him straight, “You can not touch
it unless you take a bath and make yourself clean” He washed his body and then
read the leaves. That was the beginning of Surah Ta Ha (Chapter 20 of the Holy
Qur’an). When he came to the verse:
“Lo! I even I,
am Allah, there is no god save Me. So serve Me and establish Salat for My
remembrance”. (20:14)
Umar exclaimed,
“Surely this is the Word of Allah. Take me to Muhammad (PBUH)”.
- Hazrat Umar
(RA)-‘Dua of the Prophet (PBUH)’
On hearing this
Hadrat Khabbab (RA), who had hidden himself in the house, came out from inside
and said, “O”Umar! Glad tidings for you. It seems that the prayer of the Holy
Prophet (PBUH), which he said last night, has been answered in your favour. He
had prayer to Allah: “O Allah, strengthen Islam with either Umar Ibn Khattab or
Umar Ibn Hisham whomsoever Thou pleaseth”.
Umar then went
to the Holy Prophet (PBUH). On seeing him, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) asked him,
“Umar! What brings you here”? He said, “I am here to accept Islam”. Hearing
this the Muslims shouted with joy, “Allahu Akbar”(Allah is the Greatest) and
the sound rent the air of Mecca.
- Ashra Mubashara (Blessed Ten)
Hazrat Umar (RA)
is one of the ten companions who were informed by the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H)
about the award of Paradise for them during their lifetime. This means these
companions were chosen among 124000 companions for this great blessing!
1. Problems/Hardships faced by Hazrat Umer (R.A) after the Acceptance of Islam:
When Imam took
charge of caliphate, he faced tremendous problems. Before everything it is to
known that these problems were important for a person like Imam who showed more
sensitivity to observing principles and applications than anybody else.
- The Severe Famine & Plague In his ERA
In the year
17-18 A.H., Hijaz (Northern Arabia) and Syria were faced by a severe famine and
drought. Hadrat Umar (R.A.) took steps to get food supplies from Egypt, part of
which had been conquered by Hadrat'Amr bin al-'As (R.A.). He sent three big
ships of grains to Medina which were unloaded in the presence of Hadrat Umar
(R.A.). He himself distributed the grains among the needy. Hadrat Umar (R.A.)
did not take any delicacy (butter etc.) during the famine period. When he was
requested to take care of his health he said, "If I don't taste suffering,
how can I know the sufferings of others?"
When the famine
became intolerable he prayed to Allah in a big gathering of Muslims. It has
been narrated that the prayers had not even finished when rains started to pour
down.
About the same
time plague spread in most parts of Iraq, Syria and Egypt and it caused great
havoc not only to civilians but also to the Muslim armies. After the plague
Hadrat Umar went to Syria to inspect the losses caused by the plague. Three
important figures Abu 'Ubaidah, Mu'adh bin Jabal and Yazid bin Abu Sufyan
(R.A.) had passed away. He appointed Mu'awiyah bin Abi Sufyan as the Governor
of Damascus in place of his brother Yazid bin Abi Sufyan.
- What
we learn from the life history of Hazrat Umer R.A :
1. We should
turn to Allah Most High in du‘a for all our needs and wishes, and should
persist in our du‘a, without losing hope. ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه)
made du‘a for martyrdom in the blessed city of Madeenah Munawwarah – something
that did not seem possible, as martyrdom was normally received on the
battlefields which were far from Madeenah Munawwarah. However, Allah Most High,
who is All-Powerful, answered his du‘a and blessed him with martyrdom and the
honour of being buried in Madeenah Munawwarah, alongside Rasulullah (ﷺ).
2. ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه),
despite his position as the second greatest man after all the Ambiya (peace be
upon them), remained fearful of Allah Most High even in his final moments. Yet
many of us behave as if we are already on board a one-way trip to Jannah! The
sins that we commit on a daily basis – many of them major sins, the qadha
salah, fasts and zakah that we need to fulfill as well as the outstanding
rights that we owe to people do not cause us any concern or deprive us of any
sleep.
3. Keeping the
pants/lower garment above the ankles is so important in Deen that even when
‘Umar (رضي الله عنه)
was in his final moments, he ensured that he corrected the youngster whose
lower garment was below his ankles.
Lessons To Learn From Hazrat Umar Farooq (RA):
§
To
speak less is wisdom, to eat less is healthy and to mingle less with the people
is safe and serene.
§
The one
who steps back will not progress.
§
Nothing
is worst that avarice that destroys the mind, not even Alcohol.
§
It
is unbecoming of that person who sits with his hands folded and prays to ALLAH
SubHanuhu wa Ta’ala for sustenance. ALLAH SubHanuhu wa Ta’ala does not rain
down gold and silver from the heavens.
§
To
earn a suspicious living is worse than begging.
§
The
biggest gift after Iman (Faith) is your wives.
§
Attain
knowledge before old age settles in.
§
Extravagance
is also when a person eats whatever he wishes.
§
Whosoever
hides his secret keeps his safety, safeguarded with himself.
§
Three
things build love:
§
To
make Salam (greeting)
§
To
make space for a person in a gathering
§
To
address a person in a respectable and good manner
§
There
are three types of people:
§
Successful: he who listens to the advice of people
and ponders over it.
§
Lazy or Lethargic: he who does what he wants without
consultation or advice of people.
§
Corpse: who neither gives nor listens to advice and consolation.
References :
https://majesticislam.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/lessons-to-learn-from-hazrat-umar-farooq-ra/
https://muslimvillage.com/2017/10/07/125789/lesson-life-umar-ra/
http://www.quranreading.com/blog/a-brief-biography-of-hazrat-umar-ra/
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