Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 443
! ! 443 T his revelation is from a time when Muslims numbered very few and faced difficulty even when walking through the streets. God Almighty promised the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa during this time that He would g rant him abundance and prosperity. At the time [of this revelation] Haz rat ‘ Umar ra had not yet accepted Islam. One day , he lef t his home with the intention of kill ing the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa [ Allah forbid]. On the way, someone asked him, “ ' Umar ra , where are you going with that sword in your hand?” He replied, “To kill [ the Holy Prophet] Muhammad sa. ” Th e person retorted , “Your brother - in - law and your sister have accepted Islam. G o and murder them first. ” Ha z rat ‘ Umar ra asked, “Is this so? ” He turned around and headed to his sister’s house. Their door was closed, and they were listening to the recitation of the Holy Qur’ān. Upon arriving, he immediately knocked at the door. They replied, “Wait. Let us open it. ” Firstly , it was unusual for the door to be locked and then instructing him to wait, was cause for even more suspicion. Haz rat ‘ Umar ra g rew even more wary. He asked them why the door had been locked. They replied, “For no reason. ” Haz rat ‘ Umar ra told them that he had heard the ir voices [reciting something] and he stepped forward and began to beat his brother in - law. Haz rat ‘ Umar’s ra sister could not bear this and out of love for her husband, stepped before her husband and shielded him, saying to Haz rat ‘ Umar ra , “ If you must beat someone, then beat me. I am your sister. W hy do you beat him ? ” Haz rat ‘ Umar’s ra hand was already mid - air and unable to stop, came down upon her face with full force as she stepped before him. Her nose began to bleed. For a truly brave man, this sight was quite disturbing. His anger vanished at the sight of his sister’s blood and h e beseeched her, “Forgive me sister. I t was a mistake. ” When he noticed that his sister was still angry , he requested , “Show me what you were listening t o. ” His brother in - law was still afraid , but the H oly Prophet Muhammad ’s sa companion, who had been reciting the Holy Qur’ān [to them], leapt out with excitement , exclaiming, “Is a person such as Haz rat ‘ Umar ra w illing to listen to the Holy Qur’ān ?” As soon as Haz rat ‘ Umar ra touched the pages of the Holy Qur’ān , his sister snatched it away and said, “Do not let your impure hands touch these