THE CONVERSION OF HAMZAH BIN 'ABDUL-MUTTALIB:

THE CONVERSION OF HAMZAH BIN 'ABDUL-MUTTALIB: 

 In a gloomy atmosphere infested with

dark clouds of iniquity and tyranny, there shone on the horizon a promising light for the oppressed,

i.e. the conversion of Hamzah bin 'Abdul-Muttalib in Dhul Hijjah, the sixth year of Prophethood. It is

recorded that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was one day seated on the hillock of Safa when Abu

Jahl happened to pass by and accused the religion preached by him. Muhammad (Peace be upon

him), however, kept silent and did not utter a single word. Abu Jahl went on unchecked, took a

stone and cracked the Prophet's head which began to bleed. The aggressor then went to join the

Quraishites in their assembly place. It so happened that shortly after that, Hamzah, while returning

from a hunting expedition, passed by the same way, his bow hanging by his shoulder. A slave-girl

belonging to 'Abdullah bin Jada'an, who had noted the impertinence of Abu Jahl, told him the whole

story of the attack on the Prophet (Peace be upon him) . On hearing that, Hamzah was deeply

offended and hurried to Al-Ka'bah and there, in the courtyard of the Holy Sanctuary, found Abu Jahl

sitting with a company of Quraishites. Hamzah rushed upon him and struck his bow upon his head

violently and said: "Ah! You have been abusing Muhammad (Peace be upon him); I too follow his

religion and profess what he preaches." The men of Bani Makhzum came to his help, and men of

Bani Hashim wanted to render help, but Abu Jahl sent them away saying: "Let Abu 'Ummarah alone,

by Allâh I did revile his nephew shamelessly." In fact, Hamzah's conversion derived initially from the

pride of a man who would not accept the notion of others humiliating his relative. Later on,

however, Allâh purified his nature and he managed to grasp the most trustworthy hand-hold (Faith

in Allâh). He proved to be a source of great strength to the Islamic Faith and its followers.

THE CONVERSION OF 'UMAR BIN AL-KHATTAB: Another significant addition to the strength of

Islam was the conversion of 'Umar bin Al-Khattab in Dhul-Hijjah, the sixth year of Prophethood,

three days following the conversion of Hamzah. ] He was a man of dauntless courage and

resolution, feared and respected in Makkah, and hitherto a bitter opponent of the new religion. The

traditional account reveals that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) once raised his hands in prayer

and said:

"O Allâh! Give strength to Islam especially through either of two men you love more: 'Umar

bin Al-Khattab or Abu Jahl bin Hisham."

'Umar, obviously, was the one who merited that privilege.

When we scrutinize the several versions that speak of 'Umar's conversion, we can safely conclude

that various contradictory emotions used to conflict with one another within his soul. On the one

hand, he used to highly regard the traditions of his people, and was habituated to the practice of

indulgence in wine orgies; on the other hand, he greatly admired the stamina of the Muslims and

their relentless dedication to their faith. These two extreme views created a sort of skepticism in

himind and made him at times tend to believe that the doctrines of Islam could bear better and

more sacred seeds of life, that is why he would always experience fits of outrage directly followed by

unexpected enervation. On the whole, the account of his conversion is very interesting and requires

us to go into some details.

One day, 'Umar bin Al-Khattab set out from his house, and headed for the Holy Sanctuary where he

saw the Prophet (Peace be upon him) offering prayer and overheard him reciting the Sûrah Al-

Hâqqah (Chapter 69 — The Reality) of the Noble Qur'ân. The Words of Allâh appealed to him and

touched the innermost cells of his heart. He felt that they derived from unusual composition, and he

began to question his people's allegations as regards the man-composed poetry or words of a

soothsayer that they used to attach to the Noble Qur'ân. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) went on

to recite:

"That this is verily the word of an honoured Messenger (i.e. Gabriel or Muhammad (Peace be

upon him) which he has brought from Allâh). It is not the word of a poet, little is that you

believe! Nor is it the word of a soothsayer (or a foreteller), little is that you remember! This

is the Revelation sent down from the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that

exists)." [69:40-43]

At that very moment, Islam permeated his heart. However, the dark layer of pre-Islamic tendencies,

the deep-seated traditional bigotry as well as the blind pride in his forefathers overshadowed the

essence of the great Truth that began to feel its way reluctantly into his heart. He, therefore,

persisted in his atrocities against Islam and its adherents unmindful of the pure and true-to-man's

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nature feeling that lay behind that fragile cover of pre-Islamic ignorance and mentality. His sharp

temper and excessive enmity towards the Prophet (Peace be upon him) led him one day to leave his

house, sword in hand, with the intention of killing the Prophet (Peace be upon him) . He was in a fit

of anger and was fretting and fuming. Nu'aim bin 'Abdullah, a friend of 'Umar's, met him

accidentally half way. What had caused so much excitement in him and on whom was the fury to

burst, he inquired casually. 'Umar said furiously: "To destroy the man Muhammad (Peace be upon

him) this apostate, who has shattered the unity of Quraish, picked holes in their religion, found folly

with their wise men and blasphemed their gods." "'Umar, I am sure, your soul has deceived you, do

you think that Banu 'Abd Munaf would let you walk on earth if you slain Muhammad (Peace be upon

him)? Why don't you take care of your own family first and set them right?"

"Which of the folk of my house?" asked 'Umar angrily. "Your brother-in-law and your sister have

apostatized [meaning to say: They have become followers of Muhammad (Peace be upon him)] and

abandoned your religion."

'Umar directed his footsteps to his sister's house. As he drew near, he heard the voice of Khabbab

bin Aratt, who was reading the Qur'ânic Chapter Tâ-Hâ (mystic letters, T. H.) to both of them.

Khabbab, perceiving the noise of his footsteps retired to a closet. Fatimah, 'Umar's sister, took hold

of the leaf and hid it. But 'Umar had already heard the voice. "What sound was that I have heard

just now?" shouted the son of Khattab, entering angrily. Both his sister and her husband replied,

"You heard nothing." "Nay," said he swearing fiercely, "I have heard that you have apostatized." He

plunged forward towards his brother-in-law and beat him severely, but Fatimah rushed to the

rescue of her husband. Thereupon, 'Umar fell upon his sister and struck upon her head. The

husband and wife could not contain themselves and cried aloud: "Yes, we are Muslims, we believe in

Allâh and His Messenger Muhammad (Peace be upon him) so do what you will." When 'Umar saw

the face of his dear sister besmeared with blood, he was softened and said: "Let me see what you

were reading, so that I may see what Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has brought." Fatimah was

satisfied with the assurance, but said: "O brother, you are unclean on account of your idolatry, none

but the pure may touch it. So go and wash first." He did so, and took the page and read the opening

verses of the Chapter Tâ-Hâ until he reached:

"Verily! I am Allâh! Lâ ilâha illa Ana (none has the right to be worshipped but I), so worship

Me and offer prayers perfectly (Iqâmat-as-Salât), for My Remembrance." [20:14].

'Umar read the verses with great interest and was much entranced with them. "How excellent it is,

and how graceful! Please guide me to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ." said he. And when he

heard that, Khabbab came out of concealment and said, "O 'Umar, I hope that Allâh has answered

the prayer of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) , for I heard him say: 'O Allâh! Strengthen Islam

through either 'Umar bin Al-Khattab or Abu Jahl bin Hisham.'" 'Umar then left for a house in Safa

where Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had been holding secret meetings along with his

Companions. 'Umar reached that place with the sword swinging by his arm. He knocked at the door.

The Companions of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) turned to see who the intruder was. One of

them peeped through a chink in the door and reeled back exclaiming: "It is 'Umar with his sword."

Hamzah, dispelling the fears of his friends, said: "Let him in. As a friend he is welcome. As a foe, he

will have his head cut off with his own sword." The Prophet (Peace be upon him) asked his

Companions to open the door. In came the son of Khattab. The Prophet (Peace be upon him)

advanced to receive the dreadful visitor, caught him by his garment and scabbard, and asked him

the reason of his visit. At that 'Umar replied: "O Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), I come to

you in order to believe in Allâh and his Messenger and that which he has brought from his Lord."

Filled with delight, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) together with his Companions, cried aloud:

'Allâhu Akbar' (Allâh is Great).

The conversion of 'Umar was a real triumph for the cause of Islam. So great and instant was the

effect of his conversion on the situation that the believers who had hitherto worshipped Allâh within

their four walls in secret now assembled and performed their rites of worship openly in the Holy

Sanctuary itself. This raised their spirits, and dread and uneasiness began to seize Quraish.

Ibn Ishaq narrated on the authority of 'Umar (May Allah be pleased), "When I embraced Islam, I

remembered the archenemy of Muhammad (Peace be upon him), i.e. Abu Jahl. I set out, and

knocked at his door. When he came out to see me, I told him directly that I had embraced Islam. He

immediately slammed the door repulsively denouncing my move as infamous and my face as ugly."

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In fact, 'Umar's conversion created a great deal of stir in Makkah that some people denounced him

as an apostate, yet he would never waver in Faith, on the contrary, he persisted in his stance even

at the peril of his life. The polytheists of Quraish marched towards his house with the intention of

killing him. 'Abdullah bin 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated: While 'Umar was at home

in a state of fear, there came Al-'As bin Wa'il As-Sahmy Abu 'Amr, wearing an embroidered cloak

and a shirt having silk hems. He was from the tribe of Bani Sahm who were our allies during the

pre-Islamic period of ignorance. Al-'As said to 'Umar: What's wrong with you? He said: Your people

claim that they will kill me if I become a Muslim. Al-'As said: Nobody will harm you after I have

given protection to you. So Al-'As went out and met the people streaming in the whole valley. He

said: Where are you going? They replied: We want son of Al-Khattab who has embraced Islam. Al-

'As said: There is no way for anybody to touch him. So the people retreated.

With respect to the Muslims in Makkah, 'Umar's conversion had a different tremendous impact.

Mujahid, on the authority of Ibn Al-'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) related that he had

asked 'Umar bin Al-Khattab why he had been given the epithet of Al-Farouque (he who distinguishes

truth from falsehood), he replied: After I had embraced Islam, I asked the Prophet (Peace be upon

him): 'Aren't we on the right path here andHereafter?' The Prophet (Peace be upon him) answered:

'Of course you are! I swear by Allâh in Whose Hand my soul is, that you are right in this world and

in the hereafter.' I, therefore, asked the Prophet (Peace be upon him) 'Why we then had to conduct

clandestine activism. I swear by Allâh Who has sent you with the Truth, that we will leave our

concealment and proclaim our noble cause publicly.' We then went out in two groups, Hamzah

leading one and I the other. We headed for the Mosque in broad daylight when the polytheists of

Quraish saw us, their faces went pale and got incredibly depressed and resentful. On that very

occasion, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) attached to me the epithet of Al-Farouque. Ibn Mas'ud

(May Allah be pleased with him) related that they (the Muslims) had never been able to observe

their religious rites inside the Holy Sanctuary except when 'Umar embraced Islam.

Suhaib bin Sinan (May Allah be pleased with him), in the same context, said that it was only after

'Umar's conversion, that we started to proclaim our Call, assemble around and circumambulate the

Sacred House freely. We even dared retaliate against some of the injustices done to harm us. In the

same context, Ibn Mas'ud said: We have been strengthened a lot since 'Umar embraced Islam.