The Luminous Legacy of Umar ibn Al-Khattab

Introduction:

"If there was to have a Prophet after me, it would have been Umar bin Al-Khattab!"

— Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)

For Allah, there are servants who have drawn close to Him through humility and obedience, devoted themselves in speech and action, and disciplined themselves with various forms of worship and struggles, to attain the highest ranks with Allah, the Exalted. The Lord of Honor described them in the concluding verses of Surah Al-Furqan with such beautiful and magnificent attributes, saying, {The (faithful) slaves of the Beneficent are they who walk upon the earth modestly, and when the foolish ones address them answer: Peace; And who spend the night before their Lord, prostrate and standing.}

Within the frame of these lines, we meet a man who provided an enduring example to the world, a ruler under whose doorstep the world's wealth and treasures gathered, which he then distributed generously, offering its benefits to the people and shielding them from its misguidance. The time, he had unburdened himself from the fleeting attachments of this world, he resumed his journey, hurrying in the scorching noon to chase a charity camel that might have gone astray, or bending over a pot to cook a wholesome meal for a common woman caught in the throes of labor, or for children starving in the pitch-black night.

We are about to encounter a great man whom Allah honored with Islam and who honored Islam in return. A man in whom the qualities of true manhood were fully realized, a hero whose traits of heroism embodied their noblest meanings. He carved for himself a history replete with great deeds, shining glories, rare heroics, and lofty humanitarian stances. A genius whose like was not seen in Islam, and this is not my testimony alone, but the testimony of the greatest Prophet (ﷺ).

Al-Farooq, whose memory graces gatherings, truly embodies that "He who fears Allah, He makes everything fear him," and indeed, the reward matches the deed. He would listen to the Quran and become so overwhelmed that he would faint, and be carried back to his home, where he would be visited for days, his condition being nothing but fear. Such was his fear of Allah that tears etched two dark lines on his face from his frequent weeping. (Al-Jazaa Min Jins Al-Amal, 2/17)

He was among those who proudly declared their Islam at a time when others concealed it. He who would mend his own shirt with his own hands, despite having access to the most valuable and precious things. He who would make the devil take a different path if he saw him from afar. He was steadfast by the Book of Allah, a warrior in the path of Allah. He was the epitome and very definition of integrity.

We meet the man whose opinions the Quran affirmed more than once, the master teacher who corrected many life concepts with his character and conduct. He was a leader for the righteous, a model of perfection, how splendid it is when examples are embodied by real men, turning virtues into actions. He was just as remembered by The Just, the one who stayed awake so others could sleep, who starved so others could eat. He considered the eldest Muslim as a father, the middle-aged as a brother, and the youngest as a child, honoring his father, loving his brother, and showing mercy to his child.

He is the one who would not let the blame of any blamer deter him in the path of Allah, speaking the truth even if it was bitter. He was the one who bought the honor of Muslims from a poet for 3000 dirhams (i.e., for poets used to satirize people in their poetry, attacking their honor and reputation), leading that poet to say:

You grasped from me the fringes of speech, so fleet *** Leaving not a trace of slander or praise discreet

You held me back from tarnishing a miser's name so clear *** And my slander stilled, leaving him without fear.

He is Farooq Al-Ummah who shook the thrones of tyrants, and demolished the fortresses of Caesars and Kaisers, with his justice compelling subjugation from the oppressors and emperors. The webs of injustice crumbled before his fluttering banners of justice and his triumphant conquests. He humbled the Romans, and shattered the pride of the Persians, and expelled the fighting Jews, those who incurred wrath, from the Arabian Peninsula, leaving them debased and subdued.

He is The Ascetic, The Scholar, The Devout and The Worshipper. He is Umar ibn Al-Khattab, a light that illuminated the pages of history, a mark of distinction on the forehead of time. An Ummah within a man, a heroic leader, the extinguisher of seditions and the reviver of Sunnah.

CONTINUE......