Investigation into the Islam of Hormuzan and the Incident Attributed to Sayyiduna ʿUmar (RA)
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah (Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām), Vol. 2, p. 434
Reference: Monthly Shahādat, March 2007 Edition
In the March 2007 issue of the monthly Shahādat, p. 36, an incident was mentioned under the title "Keeping the Promise", attributed to Sayyiduna ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RA).
❖ Capture and Presentation:
Hormuzan, a renowned commander of Persia, was captured and brought before Sayyiduna ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RA).
❖ Invitation to Islam:
Sayyiduna ʿUmar (RA) invited him to embrace Islam, but Hormuzan refused.
❖ Order for Execution:
Due to his actions harmful to Islam, ʿUmar (RA) ordered that he be executed.
❖ Request for Water:
When preparations for execution were made, Hormuzan requested:
"I am thirsty. Can I be given water before I am killed?"
ʿUmar (RA) ordered that water be brought to him.
❖ The Conditional Question:
While taking the cup of water, Hormuzan asked:
"Until I drink this water, you will not kill me?"
ʿUmar (RA) replied: "Yes! You will not be killed until you drink it."
❖ The Clever Move:
Hormuzan deliberately spilled the water and said:
"Amīr al-Muʾminīn! You have given your word — now fulfil it."
❖ Suspension of Execution:
ʿUmar (RA) said:
"You will not be killed for now; I will reconsider your case."
The executioner was ordered to withdraw his sword.
❖ Embracing Islam:
At that moment, Hormuzan declared the testimony of faith:
"أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمداً رسول الله"
❖ ʿUmar’s Question:
ʿUmar (RA) asked:
"You have done well to accept Islam, but why did you not accept when I first invited you?"
Hormuzan replied:
"I feared that if I accepted then, people would say I did so out of fear of death."
❖ Attributed Statement:
The phrase "عقول فارس تزن الجبال" ("The intellects of the Persians are as weighty as mountains") is cited here to mean that Persians are highly intelligent and wise.
This story appears in several historical works with varying wordings but without any authentic chain of transmission, such as:
The incident is reported with the chain containing Sayf ibn ʿUmar al-Tamīmī, who is considered weak in ḥadīth and unreliable even in historical reports:
Since Sayf ibn ʿUmar is weak and his narrations contain multiple defects, the story is rejected on the basis of its chain.
The same incident appears without the details of water and thirst:
"ʿUmar (RA) said to Hormuzan: Speak, there is no harm. He used the words to his advantage and saved his life."
(Tārīkh Khalīfah ibn Khayyāṭ, p. 147)
This chain is authentic up to Ḥumayd al-Ṭawīl, who narrates it from Anas ibn Mālik (RA) with the ʿan form.
❖ Some scholars consider his ʿan-narrations from Anas (RA) to be authentic.
❖ However, Ḥumayd was a third-tier mudallis (concealing narrators).
❖ The stronger opinion is that outside of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, any solitary muʿanʿan report from him is weak.
Conclusion: The chain is weak. Allāh knows best.
Hormuzan was later killed by ʿUbaydullāh ibn ʿUmar (RA) immediately after the martyrdom of ʿUmar (RA), out of suspicion and anger.
(Ṭabaqāt Ibn Saʿd, Vol. 3, pp. 355–356 — chain is authentic)
Hormuzan’s acceptance of Islam is authentically recorded in:
The saying "The intellects of the Persians are as weighty as mountains" has no basis and is not authentically established.
❖ The chains of this incident are weak.
❖ Many details are taken from historical works through unreliable narrators.
❖ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī mentions Hormuzan’s acceptance of Islam without the water-related story.
❖ The popular water incident is based on a weak, unsourced narration.
هٰذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah (Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām), Vol. 2, p. 434
The Islam of Hormuzan — An Investigation into a Historical Incident
Reference: Monthly Shahādat, March 2007 Edition
In the March 2007 issue of the monthly Shahādat, p. 36, an incident was mentioned under the title "Keeping the Promise", attributed to Sayyiduna ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RA).
Details of the Incident
❖ Capture and Presentation:
Hormuzan, a renowned commander of Persia, was captured and brought before Sayyiduna ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RA).
❖ Invitation to Islam:
Sayyiduna ʿUmar (RA) invited him to embrace Islam, but Hormuzan refused.
❖ Order for Execution:
Due to his actions harmful to Islam, ʿUmar (RA) ordered that he be executed.
❖ Request for Water:
When preparations for execution were made, Hormuzan requested:
"I am thirsty. Can I be given water before I am killed?"
ʿUmar (RA) ordered that water be brought to him.
❖ The Conditional Question:
While taking the cup of water, Hormuzan asked:
"Until I drink this water, you will not kill me?"
ʿUmar (RA) replied: "Yes! You will not be killed until you drink it."
❖ The Clever Move:
Hormuzan deliberately spilled the water and said:
"Amīr al-Muʾminīn! You have given your word — now fulfil it."
❖ Suspension of Execution:
ʿUmar (RA) said:
"You will not be killed for now; I will reconsider your case."
The executioner was ordered to withdraw his sword.
❖ Embracing Islam:
At that moment, Hormuzan declared the testimony of faith:
"أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمداً رسول الله"
❖ ʿUmar’s Question:
ʿUmar (RA) asked:
"You have done well to accept Islam, but why did you not accept when I first invited you?"
Hormuzan replied:
"I feared that if I accepted then, people would say I did so out of fear of death."
❖ Attributed Statement:
The phrase "عقول فارس تزن الجبال" ("The intellects of the Persians are as weighty as mountains") is cited here to mean that Persians are highly intelligent and wise.
Research and Source Analysis
This story appears in several historical works with varying wordings but without any authentic chain of transmission, such as:
- Ṭabaqāt Ibn Saʿd (Vol. 5, pp. 89–90)
- Al-Muntaẓim by Ibn al-Jawzī (Vol. 4, pp. 234–235, 17 AH, quoting Ibn Saʿd)
- Tārīkh al-Islām by al-Dhahabī (Vol. 3, pp. 294–295, quoting Ibn Saʿd)
- Al-Kāmil by Ibn al-Athīr
- Tārīkh Ibn Khaldūn
Presence of a Weak Narrator
The incident is reported with the chain containing Sayf ibn ʿUmar al-Tamīmī, who is considered weak in ḥadīth and unreliable even in historical reports:
- Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī (Vol. 4, pp. 83–88; other edition: Vol. 1, pp. 2551–2559)
- Al-Muntaẓim (Vol. 4, pp. 232–235)
Since Sayf ibn ʿUmar is weak and his narrations contain multiple defects, the story is rejected on the basis of its chain.
Account in Tārīkh Khalīfah ibn Khayyāṭ
The same incident appears without the details of water and thirst:
"ʿUmar (RA) said to Hormuzan: Speak, there is no harm. He used the words to his advantage and saved his life."
(Tārīkh Khalīfah ibn Khayyāṭ, p. 147)
This chain is authentic up to Ḥumayd al-Ṭawīl, who narrates it from Anas ibn Mālik (RA) with the ʿan form.
Ruling on Ḥumayd al-Ṭawīl’s Narration
❖ Some scholars consider his ʿan-narrations from Anas (RA) to be authentic.
❖ However, Ḥumayd was a third-tier mudallis (concealing narrators).
❖ The stronger opinion is that outside of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, any solitary muʿanʿan report from him is weak.
Conclusion: The chain is weak. Allāh knows best.
A Historical Note: Hormuzan’s Death
Hormuzan was later killed by ʿUbaydullāh ibn ʿUmar (RA) immediately after the martyrdom of ʿUmar (RA), out of suspicion and anger.
(Ṭabaqāt Ibn Saʿd, Vol. 3, pp. 355–356 — chain is authentic)
Authentic Report of Hormuzan’s Islam
Hormuzan’s acceptance of Islam is authentically recorded in:
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ḥadīth no. 3159
On the Statement “عقول فارس تزن الجبال”
The saying "The intellects of the Persians are as weighty as mountains" has no basis and is not authentically established.
Final Conclusion
❖ The chains of this incident are weak.
❖ Many details are taken from historical works through unreliable narrators.
❖ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī mentions Hormuzan’s acceptance of Islam without the water-related story.
❖ The popular water incident is based on a weak, unsourced narration.
هٰذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
