We are now in the fifth year of prophethood. Let’s recall some of the previous events. After receiving prophethood in the cave of Hira, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) invited his close relatives to Islam. This went on for about three years. At that time, even though the Quraysh knew about Islam, they did not care much. Three years later, when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came with the call to Islam, they started various propaganda campaigns. Everything we discussed earlier.
In the fourth year of receiving the Prophethood, they began various atrocities. As the days went by, they became more aggressive. At first, they started with sarcasm. Then the insults started, then the physical abuse started. To keep Islam intact, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) established a meeting point at Darul Arqam. This incident occurred in the fourth or fifth year of the Prophethood. We have already discussed the various tactics of the Quraysh against the Prophet Muhammad’s call to Islam. Then we discussed the stories of the persecution of the companions, but the specific time period when these events occurred is not mentioned. However, it can be roughly said that these events took place between the fourth and sixth years of the Prophethood.
In the middle of the fifth year of prophethood, the persecution became so severe that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) allowed his companions to migrate to Abu Siniyah.
That same year, a small group of companions migrated to Abu Siniyah. The Quraysh pursued them, but before they could, they reached a place called Abasan.
Then the story of the recitation of Surahs an Najms happens. We have mentioned that there are several versions of this incident, but the actual narration is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari Sharif. The Prophet (peace be upon him) recited a few verses of Surah An-Najm and upon hearing the recitation, the Quraysh fell down in prostration along with the Muslims. Then, rumors spread that the Quraysh had converted to Islam, and upon hearing this, the Muslims of Habasha set out for Mecca again. Then he discovered that it was a rumor. But after their return, the persecution and torture against the Muhajireen companions increased even more. Then a large second group migrated to Abu Siniyah. Then we discussed some people who came from outside Mecca. Those who embraced Islam without being misled by the words of the Quraysh, meaning that the propagation of Islam was not stopped by the propaganda of the Quraysh. However, overall, the call to Islam has stagnated somewhat. Because no one wanted to risk becoming a minority among the Quraysh by converting to Islam. Because no one wanted to risk becoming a minority among the Quraysh by converting to Islam.
But in the sixth year of the Prophethood, Islam took a turn. Only two people contributed to this. Although they were only two people who converted to Islam, their conversion process was stronger than that of 200 people. And those two people were Omar bin Khattab and Hamza (may Allah be pleased with them). We will discuss in this episode the story of Hamza and Omar’s conversion to Islam.
But before that, we will learn three stories. These three stories are stories of the bravery of a Muslim man.
Let’s start with Sayyidah Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) did not migrate to Abu Siniya, so he had to endure many hardships. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) did not migrate to Abu Siniya, so he had to endure many hardships. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave him permission. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) first went to Yemen and from there he first went to the tribe of Hadith.
Al-Hadith is a tribe near Mecca. There he met Ibn Nuhayna. Ibn Nuhayna said to him, “Yes, Abu Bakr, where are you going?” Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the people of my tribe had given me a lot of trouble and had physically harmed me, so I was forced to leave. Ibn Nohina said that you are an asset to your tribe, so you cannot come like this. You help the poor, you help the helpless, so you return to Mecca, I will give you security.
I have already said about Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was respected among his clan and people respected him a lot. People have respected Abu Bakr since the Dark Ages. Ibn Nuhayna returned to Mecca with Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).
And he stood before all the people of Mecca and said that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is under my protection. I don’t understand how you can expel a person like this from the country. He is your asset. How can you drive away a man like him? From today on he will be here and under my protection. The people of Quraysh said that it was okay for Abu Bakr to stay here but he could not worship in public. Ibn Nuhain came to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, “Your people do not want you to worship openly, so do not worship openly.”
Regarding the former worship of Abu Bakr (RA), Aisha (RA) said that her father was a very soft-hearted person. He used to cry a lot while reciting the Quran and everyone would come and ask about his well-being and the Quraysh would get angry when they saw this. They were afraid that people would embrace Islam after seeing the open worship of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Therefore, Ibn Luqayyah did not allow Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to worship him openly.
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) agreed and prayed secretly in his house for a few days. But an idea dawned on him and he decided to create a prayer space in his backyard. But when he prayed inside the house, it could be seen from outside, and the problem is still that people would gather to watch him pray.
The people of Quraysh became angry and went back to Ibn Nuhayna. they complain that we told Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) not to worship in public, but he did so.
When Abu Nuhain went to Abu Bakr and asked him about this, he replied that you should withdraw your security measures, rather I will remain under the protection of Allah. The lesson to be learned from this incident of Abu Bakr is that one Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) told Nuhaynah that he wanted to migrate to worship his Lord.
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) migrated only to worship Allah and not for any other purpose. Secondly, Ibn Nuhayyah had good knowledge about Abu Bakr because Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was a very complete man. Any sane person in the world is bound to appreciate the virtues of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).
This is exactly how Muslims should behave. They should have qualities that everyone, regardless of religion or caste, will appreciate. Because of all these qualities, Ibn Nuhayn gave security.
Thirdly: Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)’s worship was a kind of calling people to Islam. Worship such as Hajj, fasting, prayer, etc. attracts people to Islam. The Quraysh were angry because they knew that when they saw people worshipping in this way, they would be attracted to Islam. Because the kind of worship that Allah Almighty has commanded people to do is heartwarming.
The fourth is that if Muslims worship in secret, it will be of no use to non-Muslims. But they will resist if they see Prakash worshipping openly, so this is what Muslims should do. Something should be done to attract them to good things, and that is what Muslims should do.
The second story is about Uthman bin Masud (RA). He was a Muhajir. Since he had migrated to Abu Siniya, he wanted to return to Mecca but he was unable to enter. The matter can be compared to the current visa or passport. Those who migrated from Mecca to Abu Sime had their passports cancelled, but when they tried to return to Mecca from Abu Siniya, they were not allowed to enter.
This passport means that it guarantees security from an influential person in Mecca. The people of Quraysh regarded this provision of security with respect. If someone protected someone, others would not harm them. The companions who were facing persecution either migrated or were staying in Mecca with protection from someone else. In the case of the Prophet (peace be upon him), his uncle Abu Taali provided his security. However, Wali provided security to Osman.
We have discussed him before. He was a nobleman of Mecca. And he was the best poet. He had the intelligence to call the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) a magician. And that is what Allah Almighty mentioned in Surah Muddassir. Ibn Masum entered Mecca under the protection of Wari ibn.
He returns to Mecca and discovers that everyone else is being tortured except him. He was not happy with his security arrangements and, seeing the persecution of other Muslims, he felt that his sins were not forgiven. He said that my Muslim brothers would be persecuted and I would walk around in front of them, protecting a non-Muslim. By Allah, this would be a loss to my faith. Saying this, he returned to Walid and told him that he did not need protection. Walid asked, “Nephew, how are you doing this?” He replied, “I seek Allah’s protection, not yours.”
Hearing this, Walid said that since I had publicly announced to provide you security, I will have to publicly announce to withdraw this security measure. They went near the Kaaba and said that Uthman did not want my protection and he returned it. Osman said that I admit that I no longer need the protection of the Wali, rather I am under the protection of Allah. After a while, Osman went to a gathering of poets. There, the famous Arab poet Labib was reciting one of his poems.
He said that everything is vain except Allah, and when Uthman heard this, he said to him, “That’s right.” Then the poet said that all happiness would end. Hearing this, Osman said, “No, poet, the happiness of Paradise will never end.” The poet Labib could not believe that someone from his audience would point out his mistake. What kind of behavior is this, coming to a gathering of poets and pointing out the mistakes of poets? He became angry and asked the people of Quraysh, “Who is this man? How dare he speak in front of you?”
One of the people said, “Leave it, it is a fathead following the religion of Muhammad (peace be upon him).”
Osman was not ready to leave either, he replied to that with seven words, and a fight started between them.
At one point, the Quraysh men punched Uthman in the eye and Walid saw the incident. He came to Osman and said, “What was needed was to restore my security.” But Osman said in his brave voice that I am not afraid, rather even if my good eye is injured, I will not be afraid because I am in the protection of someone who is stronger than you.
Walid asked again, “Do you want to come back to my safety?” Osman replied that he wanted to be under the protection of Allah. When a disbeliever or polytheist experiences a loss, he puts it in the book of nullification. But for a Muslim, it’s completely different. Even after being beaten, Osman thinks that maybe some sin has been forgiven. This is the view of Muslims, the view of Islam.
Another incident is that of Abul bin Masud (may Allah be pleased with him). He was not a slave of any kind, but he was not of high birth either. He is the Muslim who recited the Quran aloud in front of the Quraysh. Ibn Hisham narrated his incident. He said that the person who recited the Quran loudly in Mecca after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was Masood (may Allaah be pleased with him). One day, the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) gathered together and said, “By Allah, no one has recited the Quran aloud in front of the Quraysh. Is there anyone who can recite the Quran aloud in front of them?”
Then Masud (RA) said that I can. The companions said that the Quraysh might attack you, so we want someone whose relatives would protect him if he was attacked. Abdullah ibn Masud (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Let me do this, Allah will protect me.” The next day, at noon, Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reached the Kaaba, where the Quraysh were present in their usual gathering. He reached Maqam Ibrahim and started moving forward, reciting Surah Ar-Rahman loudly.
Hearing this, the people of Quraysh said that he must be reciting the verses revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him). Saying this, they all rushed towards him and started hitting him in the face. Nevertheless, he continued to read and after reciting as much as was necessary, he went to his companions. And the marks of the Quraish’s blows appeared on his face. His companions told him that they were afraid of such an attack. He replied that such an attack had not happened before. If you want, I will do it again tomorrow in front of them.
Not everyone said no, you told them what they didn’t want to hear. Now we are going to start with the main topic of this episode, which is The story of Hamza ibn Abu Talib’s conversion to Islam.
The Prophet Muhammad’s uncle Hamza ibn Abu Talib was a hunter. He would often go out hunting and come back with hunting stories. One day he went out hunting and on this occasion Abu Jahl came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and started abusing him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) usually replied to the foolish. Allah Almighty has commanded him not to argue with fools. Many times, it is seen that in the process of arguing, the true call to Islam no longer remains a call, but rather turns into an argument.
Allah Almighty says in this regard:
We know that you, [O Muhammad], are saddened by what they say. And indeed, they do not call you untruthful, but it is the verses of Allah that the wrongdoers reject.
(Quran 6:33)
Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him) was returning from his studies when he heard from a slave girl that Abu Jahl had abused the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) excessively.
Hamzadah (may Allah be pleased with him) became very angry at one incident, even though he was an infidel, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was his nephew. He quickly went to Abu Jahl, who was sitting with his companions near the Kaaba. Hamza (RA) immediately hit Abu Jahl on the head with his bow and said, “How dare you insult my nephew?” He said, “Listen, I follow the religion of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and if you dare, hit me.”
Blood started flowing from Abu Jahl’s head. When a fight broke out between the two tribes, Abu Jahl said, “Leave him alone.” Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him) did not believe or accept Islam at that time, but rather spoke of accepting Islam to anger Abu Jahl. When Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him) cooled down, he thought, “I have accepted Islam.” Then he realized that he was going to get into big trouble. He thought about whether he would remain a Muslim or an infidel and fell. Now if he takes back his words, it will be insulting because he has already said to Abu Jahl’s face that he has converted to Islam.
Changing one’s words quickly was not looked upon favorably in that society. On the other hand, it is also difficult to honor his decision because he did not even think about converting to Islam. You prayed to Allah all night, “O Allah, guide me to the right path.” Even though the Quraysh were non-Muslims, they believed in Allah.
When they prayed, they would approach Allah, but when they were asked why they worshipped idols, they would reply that these idols conveyed prayers to Allah. In the morning, Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him)’s heart was filled with the love of Allah and he went to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, “I am a Muslim uncle who was very happy to have in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Abu Jahl wanted to hurt the Prophet, but instead, Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him) became a Muslim.
It is Allah’s law that people will never know which actions will have good consequences and which actions will have bad consequences. Ibn Ishaq narrated that although Hamzadah (may Allah be pleased with him) accepted Islam in anger, he later became sincere about Islam.
Next, we are going to discuss the story of Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) embracing Islam. Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was a great enemy of Islam and he persecuted Muslims with great zeal. One day, Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) met the wife of Abu Bibi. He asked her where she was going, Umm Abdullah. He replied, “You have oppressed us for worshipping my Lord, so we are going elsewhere.”
Omar said, “Peace be upon you and may your journey be safe.” Umm Abdullah was very surprised because Umar spoke so calmly to the Muslims.
When she returned home and told her husband about the incident, he laughed and said, “Do you think Omar will become a Muslim?” She replied, “Maybe.” Her husband said, “Omar’s father has a donkey. Even if that donkey becomes a Muslim, Omar will never become a Muslim.”
Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that in the past I used to drink alcohol. One day I did not find my friends in the liquor shop. I went to the Kaaba to perform Tawaf. When I got there, I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) praying. He recited this verse from the Quran. Hearing this, my heart felt calm.
After thinking about this, the verse that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited was:
And it is not the word of a poet; little do you believe.
(Quran 69:41)
I was shocked and thought this must be the words of a fortune teller.
The next verse was:
Nor the word of a soothsayer; little do you remember.
(Quran 69:42)
This incident was my first step towards accepting Islam. From then on, Omar’s heart began to weaken. But his hatred for the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Muslims did not diminish. One day he decided that he had to settle the dispute with the Quraysh and he decided to kill the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Mecca must be protected from the Muslims. He went out in search of the Messenger of Islam (peace be upon him) and found that he was sitting in Darul Aqaam with 40 of his companions.
Omar came out with an open sword in his hand and he knew that if he killed Mohamed Salah Salam, he might be killed. But he didn’t care.
On the way, he met Nain. When he asked him where Omar was going, Omar replied that he was going to kill Muhammad. Nain said that he would kill Muhammad later and first look for his family.
Omar asked why, and Nain replied, “You didn’t tell me that your own sister had converted to Islam. You saved the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) but you put Omar’s sister and her husband in danger.” This time Omar then changed and headed towards his sister’s house.
There, Khattab was teaching the Quran to Omar’s sister Fatima and her husband Saeed. Hearing the sound of Omar’s footsteps, Khattab folded the paper containing the verses of the Quran in his hand and hide.
Omar entered and said, “What nonsense were you talking about?” He replied, “We haven’t heard anything.” I heard that you have become Muslims and saying this he suddenly hit Saeed bin. Fatima ran to protect her husband but Omar hit her in the face too. Blood started to flow from Fatima’s mouth and Omar was taken aback by the sight.
He repented and apologized to his sister. His sister replied, “You heard me right, my husband and I have become Muslims. Give me the paper you have.” Omar asked. Then he said, “You are impure, you cannot be given it.” Then Omar replied, “No problem, give it to me.”
After Umar became pure, his sister gave him the paper and Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) recited the verse of Surah Toha.
Ta, Ha. We have not sent down to you the Qur’an that you be distressed. But only as a reminder for those who fear [Allah]. A revelation from He who created the earth and highest heavens, The Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established. To Him belongs what is in the heavens and what is on the earth and what is between them and what is under the soil. And if you speak aloud – then indeed, He knows the secret and what is [even] more hidden. Allah – there is no deity except Him. To Him belong the best names.
(Quran 20:1-8)
Omar (RA) said that these words were extraordinary. Upon hearing this, Khattab came out and said, “May Allah accept your words. Yesterday, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was praying for you, saying, ‘O Allah, either make Omar a Muslim or Amer Ibne Hisam a Muslim. I hope God has chosen you.'”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) wanted either of these two to become Muslims. Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Khabbab, “I want to become a Muslim.” Khabbab told him to go to Darul Aqam and meet him. When Umar arrived and knocked on the door, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was holding a secret meeting. Until then, it was forbidden to preach Islam publicly in Mecca. So this secret meeting took place. A companion went up and saw Omar through the gap in the door and came and announced that Omar had arrived. Then the companion said in a hesitant voice that Omar had a sword. Another companion said that the door should be opened. Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “O Messenger of Allah, if Umar comes with good intentions, we will treat him well, otherwise we will kill him with his own sword.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “No problem, I will open the door myself.” He opened the door himself. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “No problem, I will open the door myself.” He opened the door himself. Umar said, “O Messenger of Allah, I have come as a Muslim.
Hearing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) exclaimed, “Allahu Akbar!” The companions were in another room so they could not understand anything, but when they heard the sound of Allahu Akbar, they immediately understood that Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had become a Muslim.
Omar’s conversion to Islam was a turning point in Islam. Masud (may Allah be pleased with him) said that before Umar embraced Islam, we used to practice Islam secretly, but after he embraced Islam, we used to preach Islam openly. After Umar (RA) embraced Islam, he announced that whoever could quickly spread the news of his conversion to Islam in Mecca. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted everyone to know that he had become a Muslim.
He was told about the Jamin Anjuman, he was the media of Mecca.
We can learn several lessons from the story of Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) embracing Islam. First, an ideal leadership concept can be found in the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) knew people, so he prayed to Allah for Umar or Abu Jahl to become Muslim. Umar and Abu Jahl had certain qualities that made them capable of becoming great leaders. These two men were determined and would strive to the end to establish what they believed in. And seeing the virtues in them, the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed for them. Secondly, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had the power to understand people and to identify and resolve their inner illnesses.
Umar had hatred for Muslims in his heart, but when he became a Muslim, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) knew where his problem lay. And you also knew the solution to that problem.
Thirdly, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that those among you who are best in ignorance are the best in Islam and the best if they understand Islam. By this he meant that only those who possess good qualities before becoming Muslims can become good Muslims after accepting Islam. If they have any understanding of “Din”.
