The Grand Event

The House of Al-Arqam ibn-abil-Arqam, known afterwards as the House of Islam, was the secret place where the Faithful used to meet with their Prophet, Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, away from the reach of the disbelievers of Quraish. In the sixth year of the Mission, two powerful citizens of Makkah, belonging to the big tribe of Quraish, an nounced their adoption of Islam and joined the party of the Faithful in their holy procession  towards realizing the Prophet’s and their objective of gathering all the people round the worship of the One God, Allah. Those were Hamzah ibn-‘Abdul Muttalib, the Prophet’s uncle, and `Omar ibnul-Khattab. The story of the conversion of each of these two great men is very interesting. It happened that one day while the Prophet, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him, was sitting contemplating on the rising ground of As safa, `Amr ibn-Hisham, Abu-Jahl, who was coming up then, saw the Prophet in that contemplative mood.  And as Abu-Jahl used to do during the last few years after the Mission, he showered the Prophet with the most contemptuous,  hideous and insulting  words, to which the Prophet gave no answer whatsoever. Soon each of them left the place and went his own way. A slave-girl, who had been passing by, had seen and heard everything. Hamzah ibn- Abdul-Muttalib, who was a very well-known hunter, chanced to be coming back from the chase  when the slave-girl met him. She related to Hamzah with indignation  what Abu-Jahl had said to Muhammad. Hamzah felt that his pride was offended  and he became as furious  as he had never been before. So, he went straight away to Al-Ka’bah; and there, before the Holy House, he found Abu-Jahl sitting with a company of Quraishite leaders. At once, Hamzah raised his bow and struck Abu-Jahl forcefully on his face saying: “Have you been insulting my nephew, and I, too, follow his religion? Now return the strike if you dare.” The kinsmen of the wounded Abu-Jahl wanted to attack Hamzah, but Abu-Jahl motioned them away saying: “Leave him alone, for indeed I did insult his nephew most disgracefully. Having thus professed Islam in a moment of indignation and passion, Hamzah found himself, afterwards, deliberately  going to the House of Al-Arqam where Muhammad, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him, was meeting with his Com panions. And there, he pledged  himself to the Prophet testifying that there was no god but Allah and that Muhammad was His Messenger. He kept steadily adherent  to his Faith  ever after.

A short time after, `Omar ibnul-Khattab’s conversion took place. At that time, he was a mature man of thirty to thirty-five years of age, though Ibn-Sa’ad’s account is that he was twenty-six. Physically  ‘Omah was well-built and strong of muscle.  Temperamentally he was well known for his strong passion. He was addicted to drinking, and he loved amusements. In spite of his violence of character, he was never ruthless to his people. But to the Muslims, he was one of their strongest enemies, a merciless aggressor of their peace, security and religion. As a national of Makkah, he felt that his pride had been wounded by the first emigration of the Muslims to Abyssinia where they had sought  the Negus’s protection from the torment they were undergoing at the hands of the disbelievers among their own compatriots How could it be that his own countrymen went to seek security and peace at a foreign king and country? This caused him much resentment

One day the Prophet, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him, was meeting with his companions at the House of Al-Arqam. `Omar got information of that meeting, and prepared to go there with the intention of killing the Prophet, and thus relieve  Quraish of its burden, restore  its destroyed unity, and re-establish reverence  for the gods that Muhammad had very severely criticized and abused. On his way to the House of AI-Arqam, `Omar was met by a man from Banu Zohrah. When the latter knew what `Omar was resolved  to do, he said to him: “O `Omar, I am afraid you are deceiving yourself. Do you think that Banu Hashim, Muhammad’s clan  would leave you alive once you have killed their son, Muhammad?” And he advised him to start back, hinting  that Fatimah bintul-Khattab (`Omar’s sister) and her husband Sa’id ibn Zayd had already been converted. This information aroused `Omar’s indignation, and consequently, instead of going to the House of Al-Arqam, he went straight to his sister’s house. Without knocking, he entered the house and heard a man reading. This was Khabbab ibnul-Aratt, reciting theth Sura of the Qur’an while Fatimah and her husband Sa’id were listening. `Omar drew near, and overheard  the murmur is low by definition murmur of the reading. When Khabbab heard his steps which could never be missed, he ran away and hid himself in a closet  at the back of the house. “What is this recital that I have heard just now?” asked `Omar as he entered angrily. Fatimah and her husband denied that there was any recital. But `Omar swore  that he had heard it, and added that he knew they had abandoned  their faith and believed in the new faith proclaimed by Muhammad. At this point, his brother in-law, Sa’id ibn Zayd, had the courage to say: “O`Omar! Don’t you think there may be truth in another faith than yours?” `Omar was now positive of what he had heard, concerning the conversion of his sister and her husband. Consequently, and in a wild passion, he sprang upon Sa’id ibn Zayd and gave him a strong blow. His wife rose at once to stop her brother’s aggression and protect her husband. But in the struggle, she too received some blows that caused her to bleed.  This violent aggression led Fatimah and her husband to fearlessly say together: “Yes, it is true We have become Muslims; we believe in Allah and in His Prophet. Now do what you will.” This fearless spirit on the part of Fatimah and her husband caused `Omar to be softened,  particularly after seeing his sister’s face covered with blood. He therefore asked to see the paper they had been reading. But Fatimah said he must first be cleansed  for “none but the pure may touch it”

`Omar did as his sister had required, and then, taking the paper and reading it, his face changed to an expression of regret  and sorrow for what he had done to his sister and her husband. The beauty and majesty  of what he had just read shook him to the depth of his heart and soul, and with the paper still in his hand, he exclaimed in a low voice, as though speaking to him self: “How excellent is this discourse, and how gracious! How noble is its call, and how generous  is its message!” In short, `Omar’s good side got the better of him. It all happened in a flash of the moment, when Allah willed it to be. `Omar was inspired to take his decision on the spot. Khabbab, feeling secure now, came out of his hiding place, and said: “O’Omar I believe that Allah has indeed set you apart for Himself, in answer to His Prophet’s plea  which I heard yesterday, and in which he prayed Allah to strengthen Islam by the nearer and more beloved to Him: `Amr-ibn-Hisham (Abu-Jahl) or `Omar-ibnul-Khat tab.” With a pure soul and a heart full of certainty and determination, `Omar headed  straight for the House of Al-Arqam where the Prophet was meeting with his Companions and followers. At the door, there were a few of these, including Hamzah-ibn-‘Abdul-Muttalib.

They were scared  when they saw Omar pacing  towards them with his sword in his hand. But Hamzah, henceforth  the lion of Allah, said: “Yes’; that is `Omar coming to us; if he is coming for good and aiming whole-heartedly at adopting our faith, that is what we will wish and hope; if otherwise, by the Will of Allah we will easily get rid of him.” At the door of the house, `Omar asked the Prophet’s permission to go in, and the Prophet gave him that permission. With his sword back into its sheath,  `Omar stepped in and beaded directly for the Prophet who at once caught hold of `Omar’s garb  and the sword-belt saying: “How long, O`Omar, will you not refrain from persecuting, until Allah sends some disaster upon you?” And `Omar replied: “I testify that there is no god but Allah and that you are His Prophet!” Filled with delight the Prophet shouted, “Allahu Akbar! Greater is Allah,” and all the Companions repeated it after him.

The gain of two such men as Hamzah and `Omar was a real triumph to the cause  of the new Faith. Both were reputed for their great physical strength, their extraordinary courage, and their social position: thus securing for themselves a high prestige and an unparalleled  calibre among their mates in Makkah. Due to his courage and heroism,  Hamzah earned for himself, as mentioned before, the title of “The Lion of Allah.” Had he lived longer, he might have had an unpredicted  influence on the destiny of Islam; but he was prematurely cut off  during the battle on the field of Ohod. As for `Omar, he was then in the pride of early manhood. His vigorous stature and ruddy heath, added to his boldness, keen glance and steady purpose, all made of him a man who was always ready in word and deed at the decisive moment. His anger was easily aroused, and Quraish stood in awe  of him, being certain that whatever he wanted to do he did, without fear of anybody or anything.

`Omar’s conversion to Islam opened a new era for this religion to start its public, fearless pratice in Makkah. The House of Al-Arqam began to be abandoned; the claims of the new Faith began to prevail  over the ties of kinship, and members of the same family were to be seen openly taking sides here or there. The believers no longer concealed  their worship within their own dwellings, but with conscious strength and defiant  attitudes assembled  in companies around Al-Ka’bah, and there, performed their rites of worship openly. The conversion of `Omar caused a further division in Quraish; it reduced their power and caused them to reconsider their tragedy. In fact, it increased the Muslims’ power very greatly and most significantly.  In short, `Omar’s conversion made the Muslim courage rise, and filled Quraish with dread and uneasiness. This matter had been very decisively settled when `Omar asked the Prophet, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him, one day after his conversion: “Aren’t we following the Truth, O Prophet, whether we die or live?” And the Prophet answered, “Yes, by Him in Whose hand is my soul O `Omar, you are following the Truth whether you die or live.” “So why,” said `Omar earnestly “Do we still meet in secret? By Him Who has sent you with the Truth, you shall call in public.” The Prophet’s silence meant his approval of what `Omar had suggested. Soon the believers went out, led by the Prophet, in two rows, the first being headed by  Hamzah, and the second by`Omar. All headed for Al-Ka’bah, and there, performed the circumambulation and said the prayers, with the leaders of Quraish watching them without daring to utter a single word, or make a motion to wards these two rows headed by Hamzah and `Omar. The conversion of `Omar to Islam reduced the power of Quraish significantly in that `Omar brought with him to the new Faith the tribal loyalties with which he had fought Islam earlier. He did not hide himself or conceal his Islam. On the contrary, as we have seen, he proclaimed his new Faith to all the people, and fought them for not joining him. He did not at all approve of the Muslims hiding themselves, or holding prayers in the outskirts of Makkah, far beyond the reach of Quraish. He continued to struggle against Quraish until he could perform his prayer beside Al-Ka’bah, where his fellow – Muslims, his brethren in Islam, joined him. Since that time, Quraish became certain that no injury inflicted upon Muhammad or his Companions would stop men from embracing  the religion of Allah, as long as they could rely upon the tribal protection of `Omar, Hamzah, the Negus of Abyssinia, or others capable of protecting them. May Allah be pleased with you, `Omar, for your conversion to Islam was indeed a conquest- and a very successful one.