Full transcript
0:05All praise is due to Allah . We praise
0:09Him and seek His help . We seek refuge
0:14in Allah from the evil of our souls .
0:20Whom Allah guides , none can misguide ,
0:22and whom He leaves astray , none can
0:24guide . And I bear witness that there is
0:28no god but Allah . And Muhammad is His
0:34servant and messenger . We praise Allah ,
0:49the Almighty , who honored this
0:50community of Islam with men who
0:56fulfilled their commitment to Allah ,
0:58the Almighty . He sent His messenger ,
1:03Muhammad , peace be upon him , with the
1:05truth and the religion of guidance , and
1:14He appointed for him companions who
1:15supported his mission and fought to
1:17raise the word of Allah and spread it
1:19across the lands . We will speak today
1:27about one of his companions , one of his
1:29illustrious companions , who is none
1:34other than the second caliph of Islam ,
1:38Omar ibn al-Khattab , the one whom the
1:43Prophet , peace be upon him , nicknamed
1:47Al-Farooq , because he distinguished
1:53between good and evil . He was a man of
2:00immense piety , exemplary justice , and a
2:02strength feared even by the devils .
2:10Omar ibn al-Khattab ibn Nufayl , who
2:17belonged to the tribe of Quraish . He
2:20shares an ancestry with the Prophet ,
2:22peace be upon him , through ... He was
2:27born 13 years after the Year of the
2:29Elephant in Mecca , meaning 13 years
2:31after the Prophet , peace be upon him .
2:36He was 13 years younger than the
2:38Prophet , peace be upon him , while Abu
2:40Bakr was 2 years younger than the
2:42Prophet , as we saw in the first lecture
2:44on Abu Bakr as-Siddiq . Omar ibn
2:53al-Khattab was someone large , robust .
3:01He exceeded the average height of the
3:03people of his time , to the point where
3:05some said , " We would recognize him in a
3:07crowd as if he were mounted on a horse .
3:08" He had a receding hairline . He was
3:16bald , had a long beard , and white skin
3:18tinted with red , slightly sunken . He
3:25was known even before Islam for being a
3:27valiant warrior and someone feared
3:29among the Quraish , and he had the skill
3:37of speaking and diplomacy , in addition
3:39to being a valiant fighter . Before
3:46entering Islam , he was a fierce enemy
3:48of the Prophet , peace be upon him , and
3:50of Islam . Several accounts relate the
3:55circumstances and causes of his
3:56conversion to Islam . But none of these
4:01accounts have been authenticated . In
4:06reality , the true cause of the
4:08conversion of Khattab lies in the
4:14supplication that the Prophet made for
4:16him . He invoked in his favor . He said ,
4:22as in the hadith reported by Imam Ahmad
4:24: " O Allah , strengthen Islam with one
4:26of the two men You love most , Amr ibn
4:31Hisham or Omar ibn al-Khattab . " And in
4:36another hadith , he said , " O Allah ,
4:38strengthen Islam through the way of Ibn
4:40al-Khattab . " His Islam was a great
4:46victory for the Muslims , for as soon as
4:48he accepted Islam , he challenged the
4:50Quraish . And Ibn Mas'ud said , as
4:56reported in Sahih al-Bukhari , " We
4:58remained strong , powerful , and honored
5:01since the conversion of Omar . " Since
5:08Omar's conversion , he was known for his
5:10immense courage and his firmness in his
5:12religion . He was the first among the
5:18Muslims to publicly display his Islam
5:20right in the Kaaba . After his
5:25conversion , he asked the Prophet , peace
5:28be upon him , " Oh Messenger of Allah ,
5:30are we not on the truth ? " The Prophet ,
5:32peace be upon him , replied , " Yes . " Then
5:36Omar said , " Why then are we hiding ? " He
5:42marched with the Muslims to the Kaaba
5:44and proclaimed Islam openly . That is
5:52how the Prophet gave him the nickname
5:53Al-Farooq , the one who discerns good
5:55from evil , who distinguishes between
5:57the right and the wrong path . Moreover ,
6:02he did not fear any adversary . When the
6:10Quraish wanted to harm the Prophet ,
6:12peace be upon him , or kill him , he
6:14stood up and told them : " Whoever among
6:15you wants his mother to mourn him , his
6:17wife to become a widow , and his
6:19children to become orphans , let him
6:21dare to come and face me behind this
6:23valley . " Then they became afraid and no
6:32one dared to face him . Furthermore , all
6:39the Sahaba , when they performed the
6:40Hijra , when they emigrated from Mecca
6:42to Medina , they did it in secret .
6:47Except for Omar . He said , " I am leaving
6:51for Medina ; whoever wants to try to
6:53stop me , let him stop me . " And he left .
7:00There are many accounts of how he
7:01defied the Quraish . And once , several
7:08of them ganged up on him , and he would
7:10come out of the fight and go back ,
7:12beating them one by one , and they did
7:14not succeed in overcoming him . Omar ibn
7:21al-Khattab was inspired and possessed
7:24great insight . The Prophet , peace be
7:29upon him , said in a hadith reported by
7:31Bukhari and Muslim : " There were among
7:33the nations before you men who were
7:35inspired by Allah . " " If there is one in
7:40my community , it is indeed Omar ibn
7:42al-Khattab . " In another version , he
7:47said : " Allah has placed the truth upon
7:49the tongue and in the heart of Omar . " "
7:55Allah has placed the truth upon the
7:57tongue and in the heart of ... " Reported
7:59by ... [ an ] reports that ... said : " My Lord
8:12, exalted be He , granted His
8:13revelations in accordance with my words
8:16on three occasions . " " The first , I said ,
8:23' Oh Messenger of Allah , if we were to
8:24take the Station of Ibrahim as a place
8:26of prayer , ' and then Allah revealed
8:28these words . " in Surah Al-Baqarah . The
8:43second moment is that he said : " I said ,
8:45' Oh Messenger of Allah , your wives
8:46receive visits from all kinds of people
8:49, pious or not . ' " " If only you would
8:56order them to put a veil between them
8:58and those who come to visit them . "
9:03Allah revealed the verses in which He
9:05orders that , when one asks something of
9:06the Prophet's wives , ask them from
9:13behind a veil . The third situation is
9:18when the wives of the Prophet , peace be
9:20upon him , gathered around him driven by
9:27jealousy , and they asked for a standard
9:29of living that was a bit better . And
9:34the Prophet isolated himself from them
9:35for a month . Omar said to them , he said
9:50these words . It is highly likely that
9:53his Lord , meaning the Lord of the
9:55Prophet , peace be upon him , that is to
9:57say Allah Ta'ala , if the Prophet , peace
10:01be upon him , divorces you , that He will
10:03give him in exchange wives better than
10:05you . Then , Allah revealed these verses
10:10in Surah At-Tahrim using the very same
10:12words as Omar . So he said , " Allah
10:17revealed this verse in the Quran
10:19exactly as I had said , " as reported by
10:21Bukhari and Muslim . As for the end of
10:27the story , of course , Allah gave them
10:28the choice between Allah and His
10:30Messenger . That is not in the hadith
10:32but in the explanation of Surah
10:34At-Tahrim . Or , if they wanted more from
10:39this worldly life , then the Prophet
10:40would release them ; he would divorce
10:42them . They all said , " We prefer Allah
10:46and His Messenger . " So Allah Ta'ala
10:49said that He would multiply their
10:51rewards and that they hold a high rank .
10:54And that is why they are the Mothers of
10:55the Believers . Therefore , due to their
10:57high rank , they did not have the right
11:04to certain comforts that other women
11:06were entitled to . They had to be at the
11:12service of the Prophet , peace be upon
11:14him , and his mission , and endure
11:15poverty , hardship , and be in his
11:17service and nothing else . Although ,
11:21alhamdulillah , when the Prophet had
11:23something , he would give it to them ,
11:25but he was occupied with his mission .
11:28You know very well that the Prophet ,
11:30peace be upon him , would go for days
11:32and days eating nothing but dates and
11:34drinking water . The Prophet , peace be
11:37upon him , never saw white bread with
11:39his own eyes . He never saw with his own
11:42eyes a roasted lamb , as they say . Never
11:46. Peace . Omar ibn al-Khattab was one of
11:50the most learned among the companions
11:52of the Prophet . During the Prophet's
11:56lifetime , there were Sahaba who gave
11:57fatwa while the Prophet was present .
12:02Scholars have counted about ten of them
12:04, including the four Caliphs , and more
12:06particularly Abu Bakr and people used
12:13to come to ask Abu Bakr for fatwa
12:14during the lifetime of the Prophet ,
12:16peace be upon him , to demonstrate the
12:18knowledge they possessed and the status
12:20they held . Furthermore , Al-Bukhari and
12:26Muslim report that the Prophet , peace
12:28be upon him , said : " While I was
12:30sleeping , I was brought a bowl of milk ,
12:32I drank from it , then I gave the rest
12:34to Khattab . " The companions asked : " How
12:40did you interpret this dream , Messenger
12:42of Allah ? " He replied : " Knowledge . " "
12:45Knowledge . " Besides , one of his most
12:51faithful students was — who can tell me
12:53who was one of the most faithful
12:54students of Khattab ? Yes , but no , it's
13:00not him I'm looking for , other than his
13:02son Abdullah . No. Another Abdullah ,
13:07Abbas . Abdullah ibn Abbas . He spent his
13:13time with Khattab when he was Caliph .
13:17Whereas Abdullah ibn Abbas , who is the
13:19cousin of the Prophet , peace be upon
13:21him , The Prophet invoked Allah for him
13:25so that Allah would give him knowledge ,
13:27and he was among the only youths who
13:28remained in the sittings of the elders .
13:33Because of his knowledge . And besides ,
13:36when Omar Khattab brought him into the
13:37sittings of the great Sahaba , they said
13:39: " Why are you bringing this little one
13:41with you ? " " So , to show them his worth ,
13:44he asked him a question in front of
13:46them . " He asked them a question and he
13:49asked him a question . Not all of them
13:51answered correctly . And Abdullah ibn
13:53Abbas answered correctly to show the
13:55value he had . Omar had great strength
14:00of character and great piety . The
14:09Prophet , peace be upon him , said : " By
14:11Him in whose hand is my soul , every
14:13time the devil sees you , Omar , taking a
14:16path , he flees and takes a path other
14:18than yours , " reported by Muslim ; he is
14:20afraid to face him or even be on his
14:22road . or on his road . That is how much
14:35strength of faith and firmness in faith
14:37he had . Once , when he was Caliph , Omar
14:42was known to carry a small , thin stick .
14:46While he was Caliph , he just made a
14:48movement . The people next to him , they
14:50did like this . They were afraid . He
14:54looked at them and said : " Am I unjust ? "
14:57" Are you afraid of my injustice ? " They
14:59said : " No , you are just , but it is your
15:01aura . " " It is your aura . " " Whatever
15:04movement you make , we are afraid . " " It
15:06is Allah who gave you that . " He was
15:09among the people who were promised
15:13Paradise while still alive . As in the
15:15hadith of the ten promised Paradise ,
15:17where the Prophet , peace be upon him ,
15:19said : " Abu Bakr is in Paradise , Omar is
15:21in Paradise , Uthman is in Paradise , Ali
15:23is in Paradise , " up to the ten . When
15:27they were on Mount Uhud , as we cited
15:29for Abu Bakr as-Siddiq . What did he say
15:33when Uhud shook ? He said , " Be still , O
15:36Uhud ! Be still , O Uhud ! Upon you there
15:40is but a Prophet , a Truthful one , and a
15:43martyr . " There was the Prophet ( peace
15:45be upon him ) , Abu Bakr , Omar , and
15:47Uthman . Omar ibn al-Khattab was someone
15:54humble and just . He used to say , " If a
16:00mule trips in Iraq , I fear that Allah
16:02will hold me accountable , saying : ' Why
16:04did you not smooth the path for it ? ' "
16:10He was someone who was ... despite his
16:13position as Caliph , Caliph of an
16:17immense empire . He led a simple life ,
16:21detached from this world , and he would
16:23say , " It is enough for us to eat what
16:25satisfies our hunger and wear what
16:27covers our nakedness . " He wore patched
16:32clothes . Some accounts report that he
16:37had a garment with I don't know how
16:38many patches , and even between his two
16:40shoulders , there were three patches . He
16:43used to act like that . Once , his
16:48daughter Hafsa , the Mother of the
16:50Believers , wife of the Prophet ( peace
16:52be upon him ) , said to her father after
16:59the death of the Prophet ( peace be upon
17:01him ) , " O Leader of the Believers , if
17:03only you could wear clothes with a
17:05slightly softer fabric " — because he
17:07wore clothes with rough fabric — in the
17:11heat , imagine in Arabia with rough
17:13fabric — " and that you would eat food
17:18a little better than what you eat . " " For
17:21Allah ( glory be to Him and exalted be
17:23He ) has expanded our provision and
17:25multiplied the blessings . " He replied ,
17:29" Do you not remember ? I will let you
17:31judge for yourself , O Hafsa . Do you not
17:33remember how the Prophet ( peace be upon
17:35him ) was in your home ? The difficulty
17:39of the life he endured . " He continued
17:43to remind her how the Prophet ( peace be
17:47upon him ) slept on a mat . How the
17:51Prophet ( peace be upon him ) ate dates
17:53and water . How the Prophet ( peace be
17:56upon him ) tied stones to his stomach
17:58because of hunger . How the Prophet (
18:01peace be upon him ) , Abu Bakr , and Omar
18:03went out one morning , they were so
18:05hungry . They went out in the morning
18:08and they met each other . " What brought
18:10you out ? " Abu Bakr said , " I came out to
18:13look for the Prophet ( peace be upon him
18:15) and take a walk . " He felt ashamed . He
18:17did not want to say it directly , but
18:19Omar said , " Hunger , O Messenger of
18:21Allah , it is hunger that brought me out
18:23. " And then the Prophet said , " We too ,
18:28it is hunger that brought us out , " so
18:30hungry were they . So , he kept reminding
18:35her until she wept . And then he said , "
18:41By Allah , I will not depart from the
18:43example of my two companions , " meaning
18:45the Prophet and Abu Bakr . and I will
18:50share with them the rigor of their way
18:52of life . Thus , I hope that I might
18:57obtain with them a peaceful life in the
18:59hereafter . reported by Imam Ahmad in
19:04his book in once a foreign delegation
19:12came to look for him and asked the
19:14Muslims , " Where is your king ? " The
19:19Muslims replied : " We have no king , but
19:21we have a caliph , a leader of the
19:23believers . " So , the delegation found
19:29Umar sleeping under a tree without any
19:31guards . They said , " You have ruled with
19:36justice . You were therefore able to
19:39sleep in peace . " When he was the leader
19:43of the believers , he used to make
19:45rounds in Medina . He would walk around ,
19:50searching , looking at the needs of the
19:52people . He felt invested in his mission
19:56to be at the service of the community .
20:00Moreover , he was very tough on the
20:02governors he appointed in the regions .
20:04He would go to visit them unexpectedly .
20:07He would come to try to open the door .
20:10If he saw that there were chains , that
20:12there were guards , he would get angry ,
20:13go in , turn everything upside down , and
20:15say to him : " Did I put you here so you
20:17could lock yourself in your house or to
20:19be at the service of the people ? You
20:21are companions of the Prophet , peace be
20:23upon him . You must set the example . "
20:28Once , he traveled to the region of
20:30Greater Syria and came to knock on the
20:32door of the companions who lived there .
20:36They said , " Who is it ? " He said , " News
20:39that will sadden you . " They said , " Who
20:43is it , ' news that will sadden you ' ? " " Ah
20:45, the leader of the believers . " " Yes . " "
20:47Yes , it is I. " Because they knew very
20:49well that he was going to come and see
20:51what the house was like . If there was
20:52too much comfort , he would turn
20:54everything upside down and throw it all
20:55out . Because he considered that the
20:59Sahaba had to be irreproachable , they
21:01had to be models for others . So he was
21:05very harsh with them on these matters .
21:07Once , he met his son Abdullah who was
21:14heading to the market . He said to him ,
21:17" Where are you going ? " He said , " To the
21:19market . " He said , " What for ? " He said ,
21:22" I am going to buy a dirham's worth of
21:24meat . We were craving meat . " He said , "
21:27Ah , so you buy everything you crave ? " "
21:32Ah , so you buy everything you crave . "
21:34Afterward , he recited the verse to him :
21:42" You have exhausted all your good
21:44things in this worldly life ; you will
21:46have nothing left in the " So one
21:50evening while he was on patrol , he
21:52found children crying from hunger with
21:54a poor woman . He immediately went to
22:02get some provisions and carried them on
22:04his own back . His servant said to him ,
22:08" Oh leader of the believers , let me
22:10carry the provisions on my back . " " Will
22:13you be the one to carry my sins on your
22:14back on the Day of Judgment ? " " I will
22:17carry them . " He went , prepared food for
22:23them , and sat at a distance with his
22:25servant to watch them . The servant
22:30asked him , " But why are you staying ? "
22:33He said , " Just as I found them crying
22:35when I arrived , I want to stay until I
22:37see them laughing . " He became Caliph
22:46after the death of Abu Bakr , who
22:48appointed him and said , " I have
22:50appointed the best among you for you . "
22:56As for Egypt , because Abu Bakr's
22:58caliphate lasted about two and a half
23:00years . Two and a half years after the
23:03death of the Prophet ( peace be upon him
23:05) , under the caliphate of Umar , Islam
23:10spread . Muslims conquered the Levant ,
23:15Iraq , Persia , Egypt , Jerusalem , and
23:18North Africa . The Persian Empire
23:25collapsed under the victories of
23:26generals Khalid ibn al-Walid and Sa'd .
23:33Regarding Jerusalem , he traveled there
23:43himself to receive the keys to the city
23:44, dressed simply , showing his humility .
23:52He was also the one who organized the
23:54Islamic nation . He is the one who
23:58established the Hijri calendar . It was
24:01an administrative , purely
24:02administrative , implementation . That is
24:06why , in Islam , the Hijri calendar is
24:08the standard , but it is an
24:10administrative standard . It was so that
24:14when letters were written and reports
24:15were made , a date had to be included .
24:20What date would they base the years on ?
24:23As for the months , they knew the months
24:25, as the Hijri months already existed .
24:29So , he agreed that the most important
24:31event was the Hijra , the migration of
24:33the Prophet , peace be upon him . So , he
24:38started the Hijri year zero at the
24:40migration of the Prophet , peace be upon
24:43him , and now it has been 146 years .
24:51Among the things he established and
24:52created were the departments of the
24:54army and the public treasury to manage
24:56his caliphate effectively . Also , when
25:05he encountered veterans or families of
25:07the great companions living in poverty ,
25:09he decided to provide a stipend to the
25:10Prophet's companions according to their
25:12merit and an income for the families of
25:14veterans . Then he realized that people
25:26with many children had high expenses ,
25:28so he established an allowance for
25:29children , which we know today as family
25:31benefits . He passed away . at the age of
25:4163 . The story of his death is that he
25:45went out on a Wednesday to lead the
25:49prayer . The Fajr prayer , and while he
25:53was praying , the polytheist , Abu
26:00Lu'lu'ah , came with a dagger and
26:05stabbed him . And while fleeing , while
26:11trying to escape , he stabbed 11 other
26:13worshippers , seven of whom died . Until
26:18one of the Muslims took a cloak . He
26:21threw the cloak over him to blind him ,
26:23and they managed to restrain him . When
26:26he saw he was caught , he committed
26:28suicide . When he was stabbed , he sent
26:34his son , Abdullah ibn Omar . He said , "
26:36Go see the Mother of the Believers ,
26:38Aisha . " " Ask her for permission for me
26:44to be buried next to the Prophet , peace
26:46be upon him , and his father . " He came
26:49and asked the Mother of the Believers
26:51for permission : " May I enter ? " He
26:56entered and found her weeping ; when she
26:58heard it was about Omar , she was
27:00weeping . He said to her , " My father
27:05asks your permission to be buried next
27:07to the Prophet and your father . " She
27:11said , " I had kept that spot for myself ,
27:13but for Omar , I will sacrifice it . " But
27:18for Omar ibn al-Khattab , I will — and
27:21he remained in agony for 3 to 4 days .
27:25He died on Sunday . While he was in
27:29agony , his son had placed him on his
27:31lap . He said to him , " Put my head on
27:34the ground , may your mother lose you . "
27:36He wasn't listening to him . He said , "
27:38Put my head on the ground , may your
27:42mother lose you . " " Put my head on the
27:44ground . " He said , " Oh Omar , woe to you
27:48if your Lord does not forgive you . " It
27:52is reported that Al-Abbas , the
27:59Prophet's uncle and the father of
28:01Abdullah ibn Abbas , was a very good
28:03friend of Omar ibn al-Khattab . He was
28:07truly his close friend . He loved him
28:10very much and is said to have asked
28:12Allah , glory be to Him , to show him
28:16Omar in a dream . And he saw him , and he
28:25said to him , " I almost perished because
28:27of the time I was leader of the Muslims
28:29. " Meaning , the responsibility of
28:36leading the Muslims , I almost perished
28:41because of that . Moreover , even at the
28:45moment of his death , some came to
28:47praise him , saying , " You fought
28:48alongside the Prophet , peace be upon
28:51him , he promised you Paradise , and so
28:53on . " He said to them , " May your mother
28:57lose you . " The one you have managed to
29:03deceive is not me . I do not want to be
29:05deceived by your words . It's true , if I
29:08had died back then , I would have hoped
29:10for good . But now , I just hope to die
29:15without sin against me and without zero
29:17assassinations . If I could die at zero ,
29:20I would be happy . He considered the
29:24responsibility for Muslims to be so
29:26great . We could say a lot about Omar
29:35Khattab . But with these few words , I
29:46hope we've given a general overview of
29:49this great man of Islam , who was a
29:50model of justice , piety , humility ,
29:52strength , and firmness . May Allah
29:59Ta'ala be pleased with him and with all
30:03the companions of the Prophet , peace be
30:05upon him . May Allah Ta'ala allow us to
30:09follow their example . By the way , one
30:15last story comes to mind before I
30:17finish , to show the fruits of piety .
30:25Once , on a day when he was out on
30:27patrol , he heard a mother say to her
30:29daughter : " Add water to the milk to
30:35sell it . " The daughter told her , " But
30:39the Prince of the Believers , Omar , has
30:41forbidden this . " The mother said , " But
30:45where is Omar ? He isn't here . " The
30:48daughter replied , " If Omar isn't here ,
30:50the Lord of Omar is . " He heard her ,
30:55appreciated this girl , and sent one of
30:57his sons . He said , " Go and ask for this
31:00girl's hand . " And from their lineage
31:02was born Omar ibn Abd al-Aziz , who is
31:10one of the Umayyad caliphs and whom
31:12some consider the fifth caliph , so to
31:14speak , because he was so just . He only
31:20governed for two years , but two years
31:22that left a mark on Islamic history . So
31:28look at piety , see what results and
31:30what lineage it produces ; may Allah
31:33grant us , as well as you , piety .