The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 219
VII - Days of Struggle 219 he did not feel at ease. 1 Acceptance of ‘Umar ra Only a few days had passed after the acceptance of Ḥaḍrat Ḥamzah ra , when Allāh the Exalted blessed the Muslims with another instance of happiness, in other words, Ḥaḍrat ‘ Umar ra who was a vehement enemy, accepted Islām. The story of his acceptance is very interesting. The disposition of Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar ra enclosed a kind of stiffness which was further increased by his enmity towards Islām. Therefore, prior to his acceptance of Islām, ‘Umar ra subjected poor and weak Muslims to great torture on account of their Islām. But when he was exhausted of inflicting this agony, and saw no signs of their return, he thought, why not finish the founder of this very ‘disease’. Upon this thought, he took hold of his sword and set out in search of the Holy Prophet sa. On the way, when someone noticed him walking with an unsheathed sword in hand, he inquired, “O ‘Umar [ra] , where to?” ‘Umar ra responded, “I have set off to slay Muḥammad [sa]. ” He replied, “By slaying Muḥammad [sa] can you remain safe from the Banū ‘Abdi Manāf? Why not then look after your own home first? Your sister and brother-in-law have accepted Islām. ” Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar ra immediately turned and started off towards the home of his sister Fāṭimah ra. As he approached the home, he could hear the sound of the recitation of the Holy Qur’ān from inside, which Khabbāb bin Al-Arat was reciting very melodiously. When ‘Umar ra heard this voice, he was further enraged and entered the home. As soon as Khabbāb ra heard his footsteps, he hid somewhere, and Fāṭimah ra also hid the various pages of the Holy Qur’ān here and there. 2 When Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar ra entered, he shouted, “I heard that you have left your faith!” Then, he attacked his brother-in- law Sa‘īd bin Zaid ra. Fāṭimah ra was also wounded as she moved forward, in an attempt to save her husband, and very courageously said, “Yes ‘Umar! We have become Muslim. Do as you wish, we shall not leave Islām. ” Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar ra was a very stern man, but beneath this veil of stiffness was also a touch of love and tenderness, which showed its colours at certain occasions. When he heard the courageous words of his sister, he cast a glance upon her and noticed that she was covered in blood. This sight had an inexplicable impression upon the 1 Tārīkhul-Khamīs, By Ḥusain bin Muḥammad bin Ḥasan Dayār Bakrī, Volume 1, p. 294, Dhikru Islāmi Ḥamzah, Muwassasatu Sha‘bān, Beirut 2 This instance should be remembered, because through it we find that even from the early era, the Holy Prophet sa had the Holy Qur’ān written along the way and these manuscripts were preserved by numerous companions of the Holy Prophet sa. (Author)