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Omar’s Marked Individuality
October 10, 2008
Another side of `Omar’s marked individuality has to be considered within the overall characteristics of his wonderful personality. He was a man of transparent honesty: honesty in word and deed. Whenever he spoke or counselled, all that he said emanated from his honest transparent heart. And whatever he did was an interpretation of what was there on his honest, transparent mind. No wonder, then, that his profound affection and fondness of the Prophet, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him, were the true signs of gratitude on the part of the disciple towards his master. It was Muhammad’s Mission that extricated `Omar from the jeopardies of the dark life and beliefs of his people; and it was that transparent honesty that made him outspoken and daring in his remarks and counsels, even to the Prophet himself; which thing drew him nearer and nearer to his master and guide, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him. And it is for this quality that the Prophet made him his second counsellor after Abu-Bakr.
`Omar’s perpetual awe of Allah, his profound affection for the Prophet and his transparent honesty, all caused him to have unique relationships with the Qur’an. He did not recite it as all the other Muslims did, nor did he listen to it recited by others, as everybody else did. The Word of Allah always found its direct way to the transparent mind and heart of `Omar, whose transparent honesty in receiving it, as well as reacting to it, moved all his senses and feelings and put them in the service of the Word of Allah. That is why, in many cases, `Omar was so much in a state of Grace that, when any verse of the Qur’an was recited before him, he unintentionally found his tongue ready to complete the verse recited. It did also happen that in some situations, when `Omar talked about a certain matter, the Word of Allah was revealed to confirm what he said. Moreover, in some other situations, when he indulged in the hope of something, he was fortunate enough to have one or more verses of the Qur’an revealed to fulfil his hope. `Omar’s glorification of AI-Ka’bah was such that he hoped the name of Ibrahim, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him, be immortalized He knew the wonderful task Ibrahim had been ordered by Allah to do with the help of his son Ismail, i.e. the erection of Al-Ka’bah. So one day, `Omar went to the Prophet, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him, and said to him, “I wish you prayed behind Ibrahim’s standing.” At once, Gabriel came down with Allah’s revelation, fulfilling `Omar’s wish:
And make an oratory (place of prayer) of Ibrahim’s standing.” (Al Baqara:2:135)
Since that day, billions and billions of Muslims recite the verse of Allah, and emulate with each other to say their prayers in Ibrahim’s standing, all in fulfilment of `Omar’s wish.
Another incident. We have seen how, in his Pre-Islamic days, `Omar was addicted to drinking, as almost all the youth of his time. But after his conversion to Islam, he gave up drinking entirely, not because there were orders forbidding the drinking of wine, as there were no such orders, but because he had been responding to the great wisdom conveyed in Allah’s revelation:
“… Do not approach the prayers while you are intoxicated that you may be conscious of what you say “( Al Nisaa:4:43)
Yet `Omar, so filled in heart with Faith and inspiration, was not quite at ease concerning that indefinite prohibition of wine. So one day, he prayed to Allah to show the Muslims an indisputable evidence concerning wine. And there came down the revelation:
“O you who believe! Wine, indeed, and gambling and the idols and the (divination) arrows are filth of Satan’s act. So avoid it (all) that you may thrive.” (Al Maidah:5:90)
A third incident which shows the inspiring power in `Omar. His sense of honour always made him solicitous and considerate for all that protected the honour of any Muslim woman. What if this concerned the Mothers of the Faithful, the Prophet’s wives? `Omar’s frequent attendance to the Prophet, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him, made him discern that the Prophet’s wives received various men of diverse characters and attitudes With this `Omar was greatly annoyed and dissatisfied. So one day, taking a watchful care of all that touched the Prophet’s wives, he said to the Prophet, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him, “O Messenger of Allah! Your wives receive the righteous and the libertine. I wish you ordered them to be veiled.” He kept on requesting the Prophet to do that until Zainab bint Jahsh, a wife of the Prophet’s, became furious one day and said to `Omar: “O ibnul-Khattab! Would you force us to obey your order when Allah’s revelation comes down in our homes?” And very soon Gabriel came down with Allah’s revelation:
“And if you request of them (the Prophet’s wives) any object, then request of them from behind a screen.” (Al Ahzab:33:53)
A fourth incident which shows how `Omar’s wishes and aspirations were frequently supported and confirmed by the Qur’an. This is an account related by Ibn-’Abbas, Allah be pleased with him. He says: “The Prophet, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him, sent a boy from Al-Ansar to summon ‘Omar to go to the Prophet. When the boy went to `Omar’s house, he found the door half open, and `Omar lying on his back. The boy pushed the door open, went in and greeted `Omar who, being fast asleep, did not answer. So the boy went out before `Omar woke up. But when he heard that the boy had come to him, and seen naked parts of his body, he said to himself: “I wish Allah forbade our sons, women, and servants to enter upon us at such a time without permission.” then he hastened to the Prophet, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him, and found him sitting after Gabriel had come down with Allah’s revelation in this verse:
“O you who believe! They should certainly take your permission three times those whom you possess as slaves, and those of you who have not attained puberty, before the dawn prayers, and when you take off your clothes in the afternoon and after the night prayers.” (Al Noor:24:58)
So `Omar prostrated himself in submission and gratitude to Allah.
A fifth incident. `Abdulla ibn-’Ubaiy ibn-Saloul was the head of the hypocrites in Madinah. `Omar hated and despised all hypocrites, for the simple reason that they were stripped of every human feeling. When ibn-Saloul died, the Prophet, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him, rose up to lead the prayers at his funeral. `Omar was greatly dissatisfied, and very daringly said to the Prophet: “Are you going to pray for him, when Allah has forbidden you to do that”? But the Prophet said: “Allah has given me the choice, to ask or not to ask forgiveness for the hypocrites.” Then `Omar said again: “But he is a hypocrite!” Notwithstanding, the Prophet prayed for ibn-Saloul, and `Omar, with all the hope and daring persistence in trying to beg the Prophet not to do that, pulled the Prophet’s garb in an attempt to stop the prayer; but in vain. Allah, then, to make the matter indisputably clear and decisive for future similar cases, sent down His revelation:
“And do not ever pray on the corpse of any of them (the hypocrites) who is deceased, and do not stand on his grave.” (Al Tawbah:9:84)
The sixth incident deals with the disbelieving captives of Badr. `Omar gave his counsel that all those captives must be beheaded, irrespective of any blood relationships between them and some Muslims. Abu Bakr and some other companions of the Prophet had had a different opinion. They had given their counsel that those captives should be held to ransom; and the Prophet, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him, approved of Abu-Bakr’s opinion. That was something naturel, as the Prophet always sided with lenience sympathy and mercy! He took the ransom from the enemy and set them free. The next day, `Omar went to the Prophet and found him sitting with Abu-Bakr. Both were crying. Upon asking why the Prophet and his companion were crying, the Prophet, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him, said: “This is because my companions who have taken the ransom of the disbelievers were about to undergo a heavy torment for that,” and added that noble verses had been revealed in approval of what `Omar had seen concerning the captives, and in condemnation of ransom taking. The verses say:
“It is not fitting for a Prophet to have prisoners of war until he has thoroughly subdued the land. You desire the temporal goods of this world; but Allah desires (for you) the Hereafter, and Allah is Mighty, Wise. Had it not been for a previous ordainment from Allah, a severe torment would have reached you for (the ransom) you have taken.” (Al Anfal:8:67)
What `Omar had inspiredly counselled the Prophet with, was a prediction to some verses that had not been revealed then. It so happened that after Badr, Gabriel came down with the revelation of Allah:
“Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates or your kindred; the wealth that you have gained; the commerce in which you fear a decline; and the dwellings in which you delight - are dearer to you than Allah, and his Messenger, and the striving in His cause -; then wait until Allah brings about His decision; and Allah does not guide the sinful people.” (Al Tawbah:9:34)
That was `Omar’s marked individuality, and those were his transparent soul and his great power of inspiration. Allah’s response to His Messenger’s request and prayer to strengthen Islam by either Abu-Jahl or Omar ibnul-Khattab, and His choice of `Omar as the nearer and more beloved to Him are very significant. What we have seen in the personality of `Omar is a very clear evidence of that. His conversion to Islam was really a successful conquest, not only of his own heart, mind and soul, but also of the hearts, minds and souls of hundreds of the people who, being protected and patronized by him, abandoned their fathers’ religions and adopted Islam. And `Omar’s conversion to Islam stabbed the dignity of the leaders of Quraish in the heart, and put their active persecution of the poor and weak Muslims to a standstill. And `Omar’s emigration to Madinah was a great victory to Islam. It added a great deal to the new power gained by the Muslims through the fusion of Al-Ansar and Al Muhajireen in a wonderful rally under the banner of The new Muslim State that had been established there. And `Omar, the wise counsellor of the Prophet, was a man of opinion, whose very words either completed the verses of the Qur’an, or, as we have seen, were supported and confirmed by it, or wished for some thing that the Qur’an came down to fulfil. No wonder, then, that the Prophet, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him, said: “If there be a Prophet after me, that would be `Omar ibnul-Khattab.”
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