Our hero tonight is a very unique one indeed. The main reason for this is that he never knew how special he was. He never considered himself a better person than his companions. Actually, he always considered himself the worst of them all. This last thought always urged him to do better. Sincerity was his utmost goal in life. Some would say that even the devil would fear our hero’s true heart. Nonetheless, this wasn’t always the case. A huge event turned our hero from being a man of no significance into one of the greatest men in history. Before that event, Omar Ibn Al-Khattab was a simple cattle raiser. His tribe chose him to be their ambassador because of his eloquence, strong personality, and giant figure. Whenever they had a quarrel with another tribe, they sent Omar to negotiate peace terms. Like most Arabs, his tribe were idolaters. They were mostly unlettered and didn’t know Allah’s laws.

When Omar was 28 years old, something huge happened. Allah sent the archangel with revelations to a man from among Omar’s tribe. This man’s name was Muhammad. People knew Muhammad as a truthful and faithful man. Yet, Omar and the majority of their tribe denied his prophethood. Muhammad declared his tribe’s customs and faith false. He preached the worship of our creator alone and forsaking all idols. He declared that idolatry is a form of corruption that Arabs must end. This steered enmity towards him. Omar—among many others—led a persecution campaign against Muhammad and his followers. This continued and escalated for years. Many lost their lives or beloved ones. ‘Muslims,’ was the name given to Muhammad and his followers. It means, ‘Those who have surrendered to the One True God.’

When the persecution became unbearable, Prophet Muhammad advised his followers to escape to Abyssinia. Among those followers was one of Omar’s female cousins. When Omar saw her leaving, he approached her and asked, “Are you leaving Um-Abdullah?” She replied angrily, “Yes. You are persecuting us for choosing our faith. We will leave you and seek our freedom elsewhere.” On hearing his cousin’s words, something broke within Omar’s convictions. He replied in a sad tone, “May you arrive safely to your destination,” and then left. Later on, Um-Abdullah reported to her husband what had happened. She described to him that she felt some grief and tenderness in Omar’s voice. “I hope he would change his mind and make victorious what’s right,” she said. Knowing how stubborn Omar was, her husband told her not to put much hope in that thought. How wrong he was!

With time, more people believed in Prophet Muhammad’s call. Meanwhile, the persecution campaign became worse. Most of those who embraced the prophet’s teachings were the slaves and the poor. The morale and justice in what he preached was the reason for this. This outraged the rich slave owners. It horrified the merchants who sold the idols. The prophet’s call was to reduce their power and wealth. They convened together and decided to stop the prophet’s call at any cost. Omar’s greatest concern was the division he saw occurring in the community. He believed that the prophet’s call was weakening their tribe. That, he could not accept or allow to happen. At that time, Omar hated the prophet so much. Nonetheless, the cause of his hatred was his ignorance of what the prophet preached. This is the case dear ones until this day with all Islam deniers. People hate what they don’t understand. Many are even too arrogant to seek knowledge. May all the deceived open their hearts to the light of truth. “Truth-seeking” is a commonsense obligation.

One day, one of Omar’s friends informed him of something that shocked him. He told him that his sister, Fatima, and her husband, Sa’eed, followed Muhammad. Enraged by the news, Omar hurried to his sister’s house. When he stood at the door, he heard voices chanting. He knocked on the door with anger. “Who’s at the door?” Fatima asked. “Omar,” he answered. Fatima let him in. When he entered, he asked, “What was this chanting I heard?” Sa’eed faltered then said, “Nothing, we were just talking together…” “Did you follow Muhammad?” Omar interrupted. A moment of silence passed, and then Sa’eed said, “How be it, Omar, if goodness and virtue were in his faith and not yours?” Enraged by this response, Omar struck Sa’eed down. Fatima tried to stop him, but he struck her too bleeding her nose. She shouted, “O you truth denier, do you hit me for choosing to worship our creator alone and associate none with him?” Omar said in anger, “Yes.” Fatima retorted, “Then do whatever you want. I bear witness that there is only one true God and that Muhammad is his messenger.” Fatima’s fearless persistence shocked Omar. Regretting what he’s done, he backed away and collapsed on the nearest pillow. “Show me part of what he preaches,” Omar said. Fatima refused but he told her, “Calm down, Fatima. What you said has touched my heart. Give me some of what you’ve written from his teachings. I promise to return it to you unharmed.” Fatima said, “These are our creator’s words. You are not allowed to touch them unless you are in a state of purity. Perform ablution first, then I will give it to you.” Omar performed ablution and returned. Fatima gave him a papyrus holding part of the Qur’an. Omar started reading, and Fatima noticed a change in his voice. After he finished, he raised his head and said in shock, “Were we turning our backs to this! Where can I find Muhammad?”

Suddenly, a young man hurried into the room. He was Sa’eed and Fatima’s friend. His name was Khabbaab. He used to visit them secretly and teach them what he learned from the Prophet. When Omar knocked on the door, Sa’eed ordered Khabbaab to hide until Omar left. That was to protect him from Omar’s wrath. From his hiding place, Khabbaab heard all that had happened. When Omar showed the will to repent, Khabbaab was unable to stay silent. He left his hiding place and ran towards Omar saying, “I bring you glad tidings, Omar. I heard the prophet say, ‘O Allah, strengthen our ranks with the most beloved to you among those two men, Omar Ibn Al-Khattab or Amr Ibn Hesham.’ ” Omar said, “Tell me where I can find the prophet, Khabbaab.” “He’s at Al-Arqam’s house. That’s where he meets his followers and educates them about their religion.” Khabbaab replied.

Omar headed towards Al-Arqam’s house. On hearing his knocks, Al-Arqam looked from behind the door to see who it was. When he identified Omar—whom they considered an enemy at that moment—he refused to open. He also informed the prophet. The prophet’s uncle, Hamza, was among the attendees. He was a fearless man of great strength. He got up saying, “Open the door. If he seeks something good, we shall go easy on him. But if it’s something else, we are not few, we can stop him.” When Omar walked in, Hamza and another man grabbed his arms and pulled him towards the prophet. “Let the man be,” the prophet said. The prophet then got up and grabbed Omar by his clothes. When he did this, Omar fell on his knees in reverence. The prophet looked him in the eyes and said, “When are you going to repent, Omar? Embrace the truth and stand with what’s right.” The prophet then poked his chest and continued, “O Allah, guide his heart to the truth.” At that moment, Omar’s arrogance, self-conceit, and physical strength melt away. Something else replaced them, something much stronger. He replied, “I bear witness that there is only one God and that you are his messenger.” And that was another history-changing moment. It was the moment Omar Ibn Al-Khattab embraced Islam.

Whatever happened before that moment is way different from what happened after it. But that’s a story for another night. Sleep tight children, may our heroes visit you in your dreams. May they guide you. May their heroic spirits fill your hearts and minds, Amen.

Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, The Prince of Believers – Part I.
Englished and Recomposed for 5^th graders by Ehab Shawky

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