Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 35
! ! 35 [accomplished] by striving. Otherwise , these were the same people who were thirsty for the blood of the Holy Prophet sa and would curse him. Initially, Ha z rat ‘Umar ra , who became the second K halifa [successor, vicegerent] after the Holy Prophet sa , felt such severe enmity towards the Holy Prophet sa , that he left his home with the intention of assassinating him. He m et a man on the way, who asked him where he was going. He replied, “I am on my way to kill Muhammad sa. ” The man replied , “ First, k ill your sister and brother - in - law , who have become Muslim, t hen kill Muhammad sa. ” He was enraged to hear this a nd headed for his sister’s home. Upon arriving, he saw that the door was closed , and a man was reciting the Holy Qur’ān , while his sister and brother - in - law listened within. At the time , the injunction for p u rda h had not yet been revealed. Haz rat ‘Umar ra banged on the door and demanded it be opened. At the sound of his voice, those who were inside became fearful that he would kill them, and so refused to open the door. Haz rat ‘Umar ra threatened to break down the door if they did not open it. At this, t he Muslim, who had been re citing the Holy Qur’ān , and the brother - in - law hid inside. Only hi s sister came forward to open the door. Haz rat ‘Umar ra asked her what they had been doing and whose voice had been reciting the verses. Out of fear, she attempted to stall him. He said, “Let me hear what you were reading. ” His sister replied, “Y ou will be disrespectful of it, so we will not share it with you. If you kill us , so be it. ” He replied, “ No, I promise I will not disrespect it. ” At this, she recited the Holy Qur’ān to him. Upo n hearing this , he burst into tears and went running to the Holy Prophet sa , the sword still gripped in his hands. The Holy Prophet sa saw him and asked , “ ‘ Umar, how long will this continue ?” Haz rat ‘Umar ra began to weep and said, “I left today with the i ntention of killing you but have become prey [to the truth] myself. ” So t his was the original condition from where Hazrat ‘ Umar ra began. Furthermore, these were the same companions who would drink alcohol, fight amongst themselves , and suffer many vices. However, when they accepted the Holy Prophet sa and strove with determination and courage for the sake of their religion, not only did they attain a high status themselves , but they also became the means for guiding others to an exalted level. They were not born ‘ Companions ’ but were like everyone else. Except, that they took action and showed coura ge, and thus became Companions. Today, if