Before accepting Islam, Sayyiduna Umar Farooq (RA) went out with a sword hanging by his side, and he met a person from Banu Zahrah (Na’im bin Abdullah). Na’im said, “O Umar! Where are you headed?” Umar (RA) replied, “I want to kill Muhammad (SAW).” Na’im said, “If you kill Muhammad (SAW), how will you escape from Banu Hashim and Banu Zahrah?”
Umar (RA) said, “It seems you have also become irreligious and abandoned your previous religion?”
He said, “O Umar! Should I not inform you of a strange matter that your brother-in-law and sister have also (according to your assumption) become irreligious and have abandoned the religion you follow?” Upon hearing this, Umar (RA) became extremely angry and went towards them until he reached their place. At that time, one of the Muhajireen, Sayyiduna Khabbab (RA), was present there. When Khabbab (RA) sensed Umar’s arrival, he hid inside the house.
Umar (RA) came to both of them (i.e., the sister and brother-in-law) and asked, “What is this faint sound I heard from your place?” (Darimi narrates) that they were reciting Surah Taha at that time. Both said, “Nothing, we were just talking among ourselves.” Umar (RA) said, “It seems you both have become irreligious.”
Then their sister said, “O Umar! Tell me, if the truth is in a religion other than yours, then?” Upon hearing this, Umar (RA) attacked his brother-in-law and severely beat him. His sister (Quraybah) came and removed him from her husband, then Umar (RA) slapped the sister so hard that her face bled. She became angry and said, “O Umar! If the truth is in a religion other than yours, then I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger of Allah.”
Upon hearing this, Umar (RA) became disappointed and said, “Give me that book you have so I may read it.” Umar (RA) used to read books (meaning he was literate).
His sister said, “You are impure; only pure people can touch this book. So stand up and perform ghusl or wudu.” Umar (RA) stood up, performed wudu, then took the book (manuscript) and read it, starting from Taha until he ended on this verse: ‘‘اِنَّنِیۡۤ اَنَا اللّٰہُ لَاۤ اِلٰہَ اِلَّاۤ اَنَا فَاعۡبُدۡنِیۡ ۙ وَ اَقِمِ الصَّلٰوۃَ لِذِکۡرِیۡ’’ Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance.
Then Umar (RA) said, tell me the whereabouts of Muhammad (SAW). When Khabbab (RA) heard this from Umar (RA), he said: Good news! O Umar, I hope that the supplication which the Messenger of Allah (SAW) made on Thursday: “اللھم أعز الإسلام بعمر بن الخطاب أو بعمر بن ھشام” O Allah, strengthen Islam through Umar ibn al-Khattab or Umar ibn Hisham. This is the effect of that (supplication).
And it was said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was at that time in a house located at the foot of Mount Safa. At that time, at the door of the house (to keep watch) were Sayyiduna Hamza, Sayyiduna Talha, and some other companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, may Allah be pleased with them all. When Hamza رضي الله عنه saw that people were afraid of Sayyiduna Umar رضي الله عنه, he said: Yes, this is Umar indeed. If Allah Almighty has willed good for him, then he will bring Islam and follow the Prophet ﷺ. And if he intends anything else, then killing him is easy for us. And you ﷺ were inside the house receiving revelation. After that, you ﷺ came to Umar رضي الله عنه and took hold of his clothes and the sheath of his sword and said: O Umar! Will you not desist until Allah Almighty subjects you to the same humiliation, disgrace, and severe punishment in which Walid bin Mughirah was afflicted? O Allah! This is Umar bin Khattab. O Allah! Grant strength to Islam through Umar bin Khattab. Upon this, Umar رضي الله عنه said: I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah, and I have accepted Islam. And he said: (Go) out, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
This narration is strongly rejected.
There are five chains of transmission for this story, and in these five chains, there are (different) words:
First Chain: Imam Bayhaqi narrated this tradition in
and Ibn Sa’d in
, Imam Dar Qutni briefly in his Sunan
, Ibn Shabatah in
narrated this story from the chain of ‘‘إسحاق بن یوسف الأزرق قال: أخبر نا القاسم بن عثمان البصري عن أنس بن مالک رضی اللہ عنہ قال فذکرہ’’.
I say: This chain is weak; it includes the narrator “Al-Qasim ibn Uthman al-Basri”. Imam al-Bukhari said about him: He has some hadiths which are not followed.
Imam Dar Qutni said: لیس بالقوی, it is not strong. Imam Aqili said: His hadith is not followed. See
. Imam Dhahabi said: Ishaq al-Azraq narrated from him with a preserved text and also narrated the story of Umar’s (RA) acceptance of Islam, and this story is strongly rejected (منکرۃ جداً)
.
Ibn al-Jawzi mentioned it in
and
, Imam Dhahabi in
, and Al-Suyuti in
.
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Second Chain: Imam Tabarani narrated in
:
From the chain of ‘‘احمد بن محمد بن یحی بن حمزۃ: ثنا إسحاق بن إبراھیم: ثنا یزید بن ربیعۃ : ثنا أبو الأشعث عن ثوبان رضی اللہ عنہ’’ this story was narrated.
I say its chain is weak; it includes “Yazid ibn Rabi’ah al-Rahbi”. About him:
1. Imam Bukhari said: His hadiths are rejected.
2. Imam Nasai said: He is abandoned.
3. Imam Jawzjani said: I fear his hadiths are fabricated.
4. Imam Abu Hatim said: Weak hadith, rejected hadith, fabricated hadith; there is much confusion in his narration from Abu al-Ash’ath from Thawban.
5. Imam Dar Qutni said: Weak and once said abandoned.
6. Imam Ibn Hajar said: Abandoned.
See
, Imam Dar Qutni’s ‘‘الضعفاء’’
.
******
Third Chain:
narrated this story from the chain ‘‘from Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Hanini: Thana Asamah ibn Zayd ibn Aslam from Abiyah from his grandfather’’ in several ways.
I say this chain (also) is very weak for two reasons:
First: Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Hanini is weak.
Second: Usamah ibn Zayd ibn Aslam is weak.
(For their weakness see)
.
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Fourth Chain: Abu Nu’aym narrated in
.
From the chain ‘‘Ishaq ibn Abdullah from Aban ibn Salih from Mujahid from Ibn Abbas (RA)’’ narrated.
I say this chain is weak. It includes Ishaq ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Furwah, about whom:
1: Imam Bukhari said: Leave him. Meaning the hadith scholars abandoned him.
2: Imam Ahmad said: It is not permissible for me to narrate from him.
3: Ibn Mu’in said: He is nothing.
4: Ibn Sa’d said: He narrates rejected hadiths.
5: Umar ibn Ali
6: Abu Zur’ah
7: Abu Hatim
8: Imam Nasai
9: Imam Dar Qutni
10: Ibn Hajar declared him “abandoned”. See
.
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Fifth Chain: Abu Nu’aym narrated in
from the chain ‘‘یحی بن یعلی الأسلمی عن عبداللہ بن المؤمل عن أبی الزبیر عن جابر رضی اللہ عنہ’’. I say this chain is also very weak and has a series of defects.
First: Yahya ibn Ya’li al-Aslami is weak and a Shia narrator.
Second: Abdullah ibn al-Mumil ibn Wahb al-Makhzumi is weak.
Third: Abu al-Zubayr Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Tadrus is a mudallis (one who conceals defects in the chain), and (the condition of authenticity does not apply to him). This narration is mursal (broken chain), and the hearing is not specified.
See Ibn Hajar’s
.
[It is understood that the story of Sayyiduna Umar’s (RA) acceptance of Islam is not established in terms of chain and principles of hadith scholars.]
Note: Regarding some stories narrated about Sayyiduna Umar (RA), Maulana Altaf ur Rahman Johar Sahib (Director of Jamia Islamia Ahl-e-Hadith Sadiqabad) wrote an article titled “A Research Review of Some Incidents about Sayyiduna Umar (RA)” in which the baselessness of these stories has been proven.
