Malfuzat – Volume III — Page 73
73 Hazrat Umar ra Accepts Islam Observe the degree to which Hazrat Umar, may Allah the Exalted be pleased with him, benefitted the Muslims. There was a time when he had not yet accepted the Holy Prophet sa and four years had gone by since the advent of Islam. Allah the Exalted knows best the wisdom in this underlying mystery. Abu Jahl was in search of someone who would murder the Messenger of Allah. During those times, Hazrat Umar ra was renowned for his bravery and courage, and was a man of great stature. The two discussed the matter with one another and Hazrat Umar ra took on the responsibility of putting an end to the Messenger of Allah. The agreement was signed by Hazrat Umar ra and Abu Jahl, and it was settled that if Umar ra was successful in killing the Holy Prophet sa , he would be given such and such amount as remuneration. 1 It is due to the power of Allah Almighty that the very same Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, who at one time was proceeding to martyr the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, later accepted Islam and him- self became a martyr. What a wondrous era that was. And so, it was settled that Hazrat Umar ra would kill the Holy Prophet sa. After this agreement had been put to writing, Umar ra began to scour the streets in pursuit of the Holy Prophet sa and stalked him at night so that he could find an opportunity to kill him when he was alone. He would ask the people when and where the Holy Prophet sa would spend time alone. The people said that he comes to the Ka’bah after midnight to offer his Prayer. Hazrat Umar ra was very pleased to hear this and so he came and hid near the Ka’bah. When some time had passed, he began to hear a voice coming from the wilderness. A man was proclaiming: ُ اہلل َ ٓ اِلٰہ َ اِلّ َ ل There is none worthy of worship except Allah. This was the voice of none other than the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. On hearing this voice and confirming that the voice was moving towards him, Hazrat Umar ra hid himself even more carefully and deter- mined that when the Holy Prophet sa would fall into prostration, he would strike him with his sword and sever his blessed head. The Holy Prophet sa began to offer his Prayer as soon as he arrived, and the events that transpired thereafter are 1 Al-Hakam , vol. 5, no. 2, dated 17 January 1901, pp. 2-4