Mustadrak al-Hakim — Hadith 4562

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Rafi' (may Allah be pleased with him) that Abu Lu'lu'ah (whose name was Fayruz, and who was a Christian) was the slave of Sayyiduna al-Mughirah bin Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him), and he used to make hand-mills. Al-Mughirah used to take four dirhams from him daily (as a levy). Abu Lu'lu'ah met Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: O Amir al-Mu'minin, al-Mughirah has placed a heavy burden (of levy) on me; speak to him so that he lightens it for me somewhat. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "Fear Allah and deal well with your master." And Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) intended to meet al-Mughirah and speak to him about lightening it for him. The narrator said: At this Abu Lu'lu'ah became angry and said: His justice encompasses all people except me! So he became enraged and firmly resolved to kill him. He made a double-edged dagger, sharpened it well and smeared it with poison. (At the time of the attack) Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said the takbir for the prayer, and it was his habit that when the prayer was established he would not say the takbir until he had said to the people: Straighten your rows. So that accursed man stood in the row right next to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) (in the first row). When the Fajr prayer began and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said the takbir, he stabbed him on his shoulder, then in another place, and then in his flank, whereupon Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) fell. Along with him he wounded thirteen more people, of whom seven survived and six died. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was carried away, and agitation spread among the people until the sun was about to rise. Then Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) called out: O people, the prayer, the prayer! So the people turned to the prayer, and Abd al-Rahman bin Awf stepped forward and led the people in prayer, in which he recited the two shortest surahs of the Qur'an. When they had finished the prayer, the people hurried to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). He asked for something to drink in order to find out the depth of the wound, and date nabidh was brought to him. He drank it, and it came out of the wound, so that it could not be known whether it was blood or nabidh. Then he asked for milk and drank it, and it too came out of the wound (in its white colour). At this the people said (consoling him): O Amir al-Mu'minin, no harm will come to you. He said: "If being killed is harm (ba's), then I have indeed been killed."