Umar RA- Leadership and Humility
By Zaid Shakir | 2026-01-16T05:21:12.17139+00:00 | Topic: Sahaba
Umar (RA): Leadership and Humility
Shaykh Zaid Shakir | Mercy to Mankind
Opening Praise and Blessings
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And peace and blessings be upon the Master of the Messengers, our Master Muhammad, and upon his family and companions. And peace and blessings be upon you.
Our Lord, all praise is due to You, as it should be for the glory of Your Face and for the greatness of Your Sovereignty. Exalted are You, we know no praise over You as You have praised Yourself.
Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barak ala Sayyidina wa habibina wa qurrati ayyunina Muhammad wa alihi wa sahbihi wa sallim.
As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
Introduction and Welcome
Alhamdulillah, it's wonderful to see so many of you here, so many young folks. And remaining until the end of the program, there's so many things you could be doing, but you're doing the best thing. You're listening to the up-and-coming generation of leaders and scholars who will take the reins of this community and will guide it with wisdom and judiciousness.
Muhammad Ali: A Bridge to Understanding Leadership
Out of respect to the wishes of the organizers, they want me to do this Muhammad Ali poem. Many of you heard this. I had the great opportunity to write this poem in the home of Muhammad Ali several years before he passed away. And he loved it. And they asked me to do it. And then this will be a segue into Umar, who I've been asked to speak on briefly.
The Muhammad Ali Poem
So the poem goes like this:
He floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee, The greatest fighter the world has yet to see.
His opponents agree on one thing, they all got it right, In the ring with Ali, your life was in danger that night.
Had he lived during the time of Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Marciano, or Max Schmeling, His superiority over all of the former would be telling.
Had he fought Tyson or Holyfield at the height of his career, On the list of heavyweight champions, their names would not appear.
If reindeer could box, he would have fought Donner and Blitzen, If presidents could fight, he would have fought Richard Nixon.
For his right was filled with power, and his left was relentless, He'd beat people so bad, he'd have to engage in acts of repentance.
So when you discuss who was the greatest heavyweight of all time, To mention any name other than Ali's is a crime.
Connecting Muhammad Ali to Umar ibn al-Khattab
Now, Muhammad Ali, what's the segue into Umar from Muhammad Ali? Muhammad Ali was courageous, as Umar was known for his courageousness. Muhammad Ali was just, as Umar was just.
Muhammad Ali's Justice and Character
And some of you saw an HBO special, "The Trials of Muhammad Ali," and it's about how the Supreme Court came to overturn his conviction for failing to enter into the United States military owing to his religious convictions. And right at the end, there's a powerful quote where the interviewer asks Muhammad Ali, "Now that the Supreme Court has unanimously overturned your conviction, are you going to try to right this wrong that was done to you?"
And what Ali said, he said, "I don't want to go after the people who've done this wrong to me and to take anything from them, because if I were to do so, I would be doing to them what they did to me."
Ali's Service to Allah
And so as Mufti Abdul Rahman mentioned, Ali didn't see himself as a victim. That's why he changed history. He saw himself, despite his flaws, which he was able to overcome, as a servant of Allah.
Every day, you've seen Ali, when the Parkinson's syndrome he was suffering from, his hand was shaking, that shaking hand would autograph a couple hundred "Towards Islam," "Towards Muhammad" pamphlets, every day, sometimes 2,000 a week. And he would give, when people asked for his autograph, he would give them his autograph on a "Towards Islam" pamphlet. He would give them his autograph on a "Towards Muhammad" (صلى الله عليه وسلم) pamphlet.
He would keep them in a suitcase and he'd give them. And to this day, there are many people who have these. And his reasoning was, he said, "If I sign my autograph on a piece of paper, they'll keep that. If I give them a 'Towards Islam' pamphlet, who is Allah, who is Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) some of them will read it, some of them will throw it in the garbage." He said, "But if I put my autograph on the pamphlet, they'll keep it forever. Even if they don't read it, at least someone might come after them and read it."
And so, that was just part of the dawah that he was making.
The Noble Lineage of Umar ibn al-Khattab
So, Umar (رضي الله عنه)Umar ibn al-Khattab ibn Nufayl, and his lineage goes back to Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy. It joins with the lineage of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) at Ka'b, for whom Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Ibn Abdullah, Ibn Abd al-Muttalib, Ibn Hashim, Ibn Abd Manaf, Ibn Qusayy, Ibn Kilab, Ibn Murrah, Ibn Ka'b.
And here the lineage of Umar (رضي الله عنه) joins with the lineage of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم)
Umar the Shepherd: Learning Responsibility
There's something else in common that Umar (رضي الله عنه) has with Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Umar, in the early part of his life, he was a shepherd. And so that quality that all of the prophets shared of taking care of their wards, taking care of their flock. So a prophet, a leader, takes care of their flock.
The Concept of Shepherding in Islam
These are the terms when Allah describes the individual responsibility that we all have. You notice our religion, and Alhamdulillah, many speakers spoke about this. Our religion is a religion that emphasizes our responsibility, not our rights.
Kullukum ra'in
So (ra'in) is a shepherd.
Kullukum ra'in - All of you are shepherds.
Wa kullukum mas'ulun 'an ra'iyyatihi - And all of you are, I'll say now responsible, responsible for your flock. (Sahih al-Bukhari 893, Sahih Muslim 1829)
All of you are responsible for your flock. And then the hadith goes on to say the woman, the man is a shepherd. The woman is a shepherd. The servant is a shepherd.
Responsibility for Our Own Limbs
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, when he discusses this hadith in Fath al-Bari, he says the one who has no flock, who has no wards, then he or she is responsible for their limbs. Their limbs are their ward, to make sure they use their limbs in lawful, divinely sanctioned ways.
Now (مَسْؤُولٌ - mas'ul), literally, we say responsibility in English, but a better translation would be "you will be asked." So we say (مَسْؤُولٌ - mas'ul) is (إِسْمُ مَفْعُول - ism maful) So (سَأَلَ - sa'ala) - to ask (سَائِل - sa'il) - the one asking. (مَسْؤُولٌ - mas'ul) - the one who will be asked.
And so we are going to be asked by Allah how we dealt with those under our authority in this world.
Umar's Understanding of Accountability
And Umar took that very, very seriously. Umar took that very seriously. And each and every one of us, and he behaved with his (رعية - ra'iyyah), with those under his authority, even before he became khalifa, in a way that demonstrated to all and sundry that he understood: I have to answer to Allah how I treat these people.
The Consequences of Neglecting Responsibility
How many husbands abuse their wives, never thinking that they're going to have to answer to Allah for that treatment? How many mothers neglect their children? You know the greatest form of neglect today? Put them in front of a television, give them an iPad and just keep them entertained with that while you go and do what you want to do.
Because that brings into their life all of these addictions. Some of you saw an article entitled "Digital Heroin." All of these gadgets, all of these games, all the likes on Facebook. These things give us, release dopamine and actually have the effect of heroin.
The Digital Addiction Crisis
So heroin is called dope because it releases dopamine in our brain and it makes us feel good until we become so addicted that as soon as our increasing intolerance leads us to demand more and more and more and we don't get it and we start cramping and vomiting and the headaches, it doesn't feel good then.
But these devices, that's why you have to literally fight your children to get it. "Give me more!" And they'll fight you for it because they're being addicted to that device in the exact same way that a drug addict becomes addicted to the drugs. Just Google that, "Digital Heroin."
Umar's Early Life: From Shepherd to Businessman
So Umar, he was a shepherd and being a shepherd he developed a great sensitivity to taking care of his flock. Umar was an abused child, so part of the coarseness that defined his personality before Islam was a result of an abusive father.
Umar's Business Acumen
When Islam came about, he was one, and so, and like Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) so he was a shepherd, he was also a businessman. And being a businessman he learned how to organize his affairs and he became one of the wealthiest people in Mecca.
And being wealthy and being very intimidating, he was a very large man and as I said he was a very coarse person, even though he was very wise and judicious even before Islam.
Umar's Opposition to Islam and His Transformation
When Islam arose, he had a servant girl who took shahada and he beat her mercilessly. Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) he witnessed that and he purchased her freedom.
The Fateful Day: Umar's Journey to His Sister's House
Umar, as we all know, when he heard that his sister had accepted Islam, Nu'aym ibn Abdullah al-Nahham, who was going back and forth with Umar, he was trying to defend the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) "Where are you going, Umar?"
"I'm going to kill Muhammad. I'm going to kill the one (صلى الله عليه وسلم) who's divided the Arabs and split our ranks."
And he's hell-bent on killing the Prophet. And Nu'aym ibn Abdullah al-Nahham, he's trying, "You're going to, if you kill the Prophet, you're going to start a civil war and his tribe, they're going to retaliate. You're a dead man as soon as you kill Muhammad."
He's pleading with him and nothing's working. Umar is hell-bent. And then he says, "Well, you shouldn't be thinking about Muhammad. Your own family's become Muslim."
His sister Fatima bint al-Khattab and her husband and their family, other members of their families have become Muslim.
The Confrontation and the Quran
Umar immediately left, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) he goes to his sister. And when he's confronted by her husband, he begins beating him and knocks him to the ground and he's stomping him. And his sister comes out and intervenes and her words shook him so strongly, essentially saying, "We don't care what you do to us, we'll never renounce our religion," to paraphrase.
And Umar stopped in his tracks and he sat down. And when he approached the house, he heard them reciting Quran. And most narrations say they were reciting from Surat Ta-Ha. And he said, "What were you reciting?"
And she wouldn't give it to him. She said, "You're najis, you're unclean, you can't touch it." So he made wudu and then she gave him the pages and he read. And something came over him. And as opposed to going to kill the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) he went to join the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
The Lesson: Never Underestimate Allah's Plan
So there's a lesson in this. The lesson, brothers and sisters, don't assume. Let me interject this: a few days before this occurred, the Prophet made a dua (صلى الله عليه وسلم). He prayed
"O Allah, strengthen Islam with which of these two men are most beloved to You."
And the two men were Amr bin Hisham, more popularly known as Abu Jahl, and Umar bin al-Khattab. And they were equally notorious. So Umar was right up there with Abu Jahl, Abu Lahab. He was a notorious enemy of Islam. But the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) prayed and considered his prayer:
Strengthen Islam with which of these two men is most beloved to You.
The Divine Decree and Chronology
So when he made that prayer, Umar was beloved to him. This chronology is irrelevant with Allah. Chronology is relevant for us. Allah's decree unfolds in our lives, in our time, but with Allah it's irrelevant. When he made that dua, it had already been decreed, already known with Allah that Umar (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ) was beloved to Allah and that Umar was destined to be a Muslim.
Don't Judge: You Don't Know Who Will Accept Islam
So what point do we like to make from this? Don't belittle anyone out there. Don't say this kafir is this and that. How many converts in here? Raise your hands, converts. Raise your hands, brothers, I can't see the light. Converts, stand up, stand up. All the converts, stand up.
Mashallah, Allahu Akbar. If you say, I say Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah. There was no al-Qaeda, there was no ISIS, no Daesh before I converted. Because when they're saying to their minions, it's a good word, to their minions, "Kill these kuffar, run them over with your trucks, blow them up in their restaurants," and I was one of those kuffar. That sister was one of those kuffar. Maybe we would have been randomly killed in one of these attacks. Maybe we would have been in Paris or we would have been here or there.
You don't know who's going to be a Muslim. You don't know who's going to be the next Umar bin al-Khattab. So don't hasten Allah's decree. Don't hasten Allah's decree because you don't know Allah's decree and you don't know who that person standing in front of you that you might be ridiculing or ignoring, you don't know what their end is.
Umar was destined to be Umar and Umar was beloved to the Messenger of Allah before he became Muslim, as chronology unfolds in this world.
Umar al-Farooq: The One Who Distinguished Truth from Falsehood
Umar bin al-Khattab, al-Farooq. When Umar became Muslim, he was so influential, he was so powerful, he was so fearless that one of the Sahaba, he said:
Ma zilna a'izzatan mundhu aslama Umar
"We have been noble and exalted from the day that Umar became a Muslim."
And at that day, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) named him al-Farooq:
Al-Farooq alladhi farraqa bayna al-haqqi wal-batil
Because Umar, he provided the strength whereby truth could be clearly distinguished from falsehood.
The Dawn of Open Dawah
Before that, the dawah was secret. Before that, they were meeting in Dar al-Arqam. Before that, they were afraid to pray openly at the Kaaba. But after that, they prayed openly. They started calling openly to Islam.
And the Izzah that Umar gave to this Ummah through his conversion, it is still here, brothers and sisters. You are (عَزِيز - 'aziz) with Allah, (عَزِيز - 'aziz).
Wa lillahi al-'izzatu wa li-rasulihi wa lil-mu'minina wa lakinna al-munafiqina la ya'lamun
"And to Allah belongs all honor and to His Messenger and to the believers, but the hypocrites realize it not." (Quran 63:8)
Allah has this might and honor and authority and all the meanings that Izzah encompasses, so does His Messenger, as do the believers, but it's the hypocrites who realize it not.
And Umar (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ)
Ma zilna a'izzatan mundhu aslama Umar radiya Allahu anhu
Umar's Administrative Genius: Organizing the Muslim State
Umar brought all of that experience with him, the experience of being a shepherd and tending to a flock, the experience of being a businessman and being organized. He brought all of that with him into Islam.
Establishing the Framework of Islamic Government
When he ascended to the Khilafah, the leadership of this Ummah, he set down the template for the organization of a Muslim government. So amongst the things he did, just in the economic realm:
• He set up the treasury
• He set up the Bayt al-Mal
• He established the administrative office and records, so they say the Diwan
• He established networks for distributing Zakat
• He established salaries for government workers
• He established salaries for soldiers
• He initiated the stamping of gold and silver coins
The Independent Judiciary
(رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ) he separated, he established the judiciary and separated it from the executive so that the judiciary could be independent. And historically, the judiciary has always been a check on the executive.
And to a large extent, either intentionally, because the architects of the U.S. Constitution, they knew about Islam, or incidentally, they set up an independent judiciary to be a check on the executive. And right now, what's the main check on our chief executive? The courts.
This was a wisdom that Umar (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ) saw 1,400 years ago. May Allah be pleased with him.
Leading by Example: The Qualities Umar Sought in Governors
Umar led by example. One of his biographers mentions the qualities in the governors that he sent to the provinces. So we'll mention what he says.
Sound Belief and Creed
He says they have sound belief and creed. So they know what the beliefs of the Muslim are. And this isn't just in rattling off a list of things you check them off: (تَوْحِيدُ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ، تَوْحِيدُ الأُلُوهِيَّةِ، تَوْحِيدُ الأَسْمَاءِ وَالصِّفَاتِ - tawhid ar rububiyyah, tawhid al-uluhiyyah, tawhid al-asma' was-sifat) - check, check, check, check. (الْكُفْرُ الأَكْبَرُ، الْكُفْرُ الأَصْغَرُ، الشِّرْكُ، الرِّيَاءُ - al-kufr al-akbar, al-kufr al-asghar, ash-shirk, ar-riya') - no.
It's internalizing the meaning of (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ - la ilaha illa Allah) in one's life so that the reality of (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ - la ilaha illa Allah) affects how we behave in this world. That's the full meaning of the word, not checking off a list, but being affected to the depths of our hearts, knowing that Allah is real, knowing that Allah is indeed watching over us, knowing that Allah is (كَرِيم - Karim), and then trying to articulate that in our lives to the extent humanly possible.
Knowledge of the Sharia
(سَلَامَةُ الِاعْتِقَادِ فِي الشَّرْعِ - Salamat al-i'tiqad fi ash-shar')
They have a sound knowledge of the rulings of the religion, and so they rule based on truth.
The Problem of Leadership Without Knowledge
One of the big problems now is a lot of people in leadership in our communities in this country have no knowledge of the Sharia. They have no knowledge of Usul, Qawa'id, al-Furu', Fiqh. They have no knowledge of the Maqasid al-Sharia. They have no knowledge whatsoever. And so what happens?
When I was in Syria studying, I would go to Jordan periodically. There was a great scholar in Jordan, a Shaykh Nuh Ali Salman al-Qudah. He was the Mufti of the Jordanian army. He was a graduate. He did the Ma'ahid, the religious seminaries in Syria. He graduated from Jamia Dimashq with his equivalent of a BA. He did his Masters in Umm al-Qura and he did his Doctorate at Azhar, or the other way around, the Masters at Azhar, the Doctorate at Umm al-Qura. So he joined all of these different traditions in the contemporary Muslim world.
Learn Before You Lead
I attended one of his Khutbahs. He gave a brilliant Khutbah and the essence of the Khutbah, his message was that when people become active in Islam before they study the religion.
So one of the sayings of Umar, speaking of Umar:
Tafaqqah qabla an tasud
"Get a good understanding of the religion before you're placed in positions of authority."
So Shaykh Nuh al-Qudah, he said, he passed away a few years ago, he said that when people assume leadership without understanding Islam, they fall back on what they know and put an Islamic veneer on it.
The Danger of Ideological Islam
So when the communist becomes Muslim and then doesn't know Islam but knows communism through and through, they put an Islamic veneer on their communism and that becomes the foundation of their activism and their leadership.
When the nationalist becomes Muslim and doesn't understand the religion, they put an Islamic veneer on their nationalism rather, and that becomes the foundation of their leadership and their activism.
In our day and time, we have people who are thoroughly steeped in critical race theory, thoroughly steeped in European Marxism, the Marxism of Sartre and Marcuse, thoroughly steeped in the power dynamics of Foucault, and they put an Islamic veneer on it, and that becomes the foundation of their activism and their leadership. And that's destroying our community.
We need to take this religion seriously. Umar took it seriously because that opens the door to all sorts of fasad. Some wittingly, some do it wittingly, some do it unwittingly, but the result is the same.
Knowing and Engaging with the Religion Authentically
We have to, as Mufti Abdul Rahman was saying, we have to know this religion and engage our communities as the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) did as the Sahaba did. And this was the example of Umar.
'Ilm ash-shar'i, ath-thiqatu billah
They have firm faith and firm trust in Allah.
The World Is in Allah's Hands
Brothers and sisters, the world is in good hands because the world is in the hands of Allah. Not these. Allah doesn't have these. If you're thinking "hands of Allah," don't think these. The world is with Allah ta'ala and the wisdom of Allah.
The New Zealand Massacre: A Test and a Testimony
The New Zealand incident, it was terrible indeed. It was terrible. But all of those people, all of those 50 men, women, children, elderly, they're all shaheed. They're, life in this world is about getting into Jannah, right? Who wants to die in their bed after living 90 or 100 years knowing they're going to go to hell?
Bisa adhdhalimina badala
"That's an exchange only an oppressive person to their soul will make." It's not about dying in your bed. It's not about living a pain-free life.
You get old, you're supposed to hurt. If you're old and your knees are hurting and your feet are hurting, they're supposed to hurt because you're getting old. And you're supposed to accept, "My body is breaking down, but my spirit is rising up because I'm about to meet Allah." And when we try to deny that, that's a whole other lecture.
The Other Qualities Umar Sought in Leaders
Let me wrap this up. He says:
• الصدق (As-Sidq) - Honesty
• القدوة (Al-Qudwa) - Knowing you are an example
Leaders are examples. There's a saying, they say:
Zallat al-'alim, zallat al-'alam
"The slip of the scholar is the slip of the whole world."
The scholar messes up, everyone messes up. And so Umar, he put people in leadership who understood they're an example. People are looking at you. People are following your example. And they were cognizant of that.
Courage in the Face of Adversity
They were courageous people. We have to be courageous. Now is not the time for cowards. Now is the time for courageous men and women, dignified men and women. This is one of the calls of the hour.
We could cow down and hide. Go back to the New Zealand thing. And we mentioned they're going to Jannah. But what was the consequence? That incident did more to humanize the Muslims and the Muslim community than all of the PR work of every Islamic organization combined over the last 50 years, right or wrong.
The Unexpected Impact
Even I was with people from United. I was in Chicago that Friday morning. Woke up and that story was breaking. They asked me to do the Juma. All of the Jewish Rabbis in the Skokie Northwestern Chicago area
came to the masjid with signs of support for the Muslim people. People were bringing flowers to the masjid all over this country. This happened in New Zealand, like how many, 8,000, 9,000 miles away.
Our brother in the United Kingdom said the same thing. All of the hearts of so many people were open. The people in New Zealand, look, all the women putting on hijab. The newscast, I thought she was Muslim. Her hijab was wrapped so tight and right. I'm like, "Subhanallah, this sister has got it going on in New Zealand." They're like, they're major, but I saw her arms. They're like, "Oh, okay, I understand now."
But look how their hearts were affected. Why? When Allah wants something, He but says "Be" and it is. If Allah wants, He can make everyone Muslim. You go out in the morning, that's your neighbor who was kicking over your garbage cans last week. Five minutes.
The Remaining Qualities: A Brief Mention
So we'll bypass the rest. We'll just mention them briefly.
• Virtue
• Their hearts are detached from the world
• They love to give sincere advice
• Humility (تَوَاضُع - Tawadu')
Umar's Humility
Umar was so humble, people didn't know he was Umar. He's sleeping on the side of the road in beat-up clothes. "Where can I find Umar?"
They can accept. See, we know the woman told Umar, "You can't limit the dowries." He didn't say, "Woman, shut up. Who let you in the masjid anyway? This is a man's conversation." He said, "The woman is right and Umar is wrong. All the people know the fiqh better than Umar."
(تَوَاضُع - Tawadu') - Humility. He of course, he was one of the greatest legal minds in the history of humanity. You look at the greatest human beings, usually number one is Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), and many of those compilations, Umar is number two (رضي الله عنه).
(قَبُولُ النَّصِيحَة - Qabul an-Nasiha) - Accepting advice
• (صَبْر - Sabr) - Patience
• A lofty spiritual aspiration
True Liberation: Submitting to Allah
Brothers and sisters, we have to have a lofty aspiration. We shouldn't be content to be like everyone else. We
should be striving to be spiritually liberated, and that's the only true liberation.
I could give you the proof of that if we had time. The liberation that says, "Do whatever you want, however you want, just let it all hang out. You know, sister, take that oppressive hijab off. Do your thing. It's your thing. Do what you want to do. No one can tell you what to do." That's not liberation. That's enslavement.
The Diseases of Despair
If that was liberation, 123 people a day in this country wouldn't be committing suicide every day. And 4,000 people every day wouldn't be trying to kill themselves.
If that was liberation, you wouldn't have 200 opioid-related deaths every day. And if it wasn't for Narcan, a drug that revives people when they OD, there'd be a thousand a day.
If that was liberation, you wouldn't have 241 alcohol consumption-related deaths every day. Say nothing of the domestic violence, the traffic accidents, alcohol, just from over-drinking. Those are called the diseases of despair.
If that was liberation, you wouldn't have antidepressants being sold by the hundreds of thousands of tablets every day in this country. If that were liberation. That's not liberation.
The Path to Real Freedom
The only liberation for a human being:
"As for one who fears the standing before their Lord and they deny their souls the thing it craves, for paradise will be their final resting place."
It's in denying the soul the carnal appetites and lusts that will elevate the nafs from the (النَّفْسُ الأَمَّارَةُ بِالسُّوءِ - an-nafs al-ammarah bis-su'), the bestial nafs, the one that commands the evil, to the (النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ الرَّاضِيَةُ الْمَرْضِيَّةُ الْكَامِلَةُ - an- nafs al-mutma'innah ar-radiyah al-mardiyyah al-kamilah), through denial, not through assuaging them.
May Allah give us tawfiq.
The Value of Converts: Preserving the Memory of Jahiliyyah
So Umar, and there are many others, we'll just leave it for that. Umar understood the value of converts. All of the Sahaba were converts. And Umar said something. So he said:
"The bonds that hold this community together, they'll be released one by one when there grows up in Islam one that grows up in this, in Islam, having never experienced jahiliyyah."
Why Converts Understand the Value of Islam
Because a convert knows the lies that jahiliyyah tells you. And when someone's never experienced that, they might start longing for it in their heart. "I wanna party."
You think the party, because we're having fun, just hold your hands in the air and wave them like you just don't care. Yeah, you're having fun till you wake up the next day with vomit all over yourself and your head is aching from a hangover and can't do anything till four in the afternoon. It's not fun then. Think it's fun?
You know, we're gonna mess around with some heroin. Once you get addicted, the fun is over. And now I know a Muslim, I won't say where, who had a debilitating disease and started taking painkillers, OxyContin, and before he knew it, he was taking 55 tablets a day because tolerance builds up. So if he was doing that recreationally, when he got to 55 a day, it's not recreation anymore. It's torture. It's torture.
Go talk to your convert brothers and sisters. They're scattered in the audience and listen to them. Why do you think we convert? Why do you think I converted if all that was so fun?
Umar's Final Prayer: The Gift of Martyrdom
So Umar (رضي الله عنه) as he used to pray near the end of his life:
He said, "O Allah, give me shahadah, give me martyrdom." Again, martyrdom isn't going out and killing somebody. Martyrdom is being killed for what you believe, like Joan of Arc, like that kind of martyrdom. Say that so the people listening in can relate. Joan of Arc, that kind of martyrdom where people, you're killed and you're tortured because of your belief.
That's what Umar prayed for. And he said, "Make it in the land and the city of your prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)."
The Martyrdom of Umar
And it came to pass when a Persian servant of one of the Sahabi, who was known as Abu Lu'lu'ah, stabbed Umar during his prayer. And it's not usually mentioned, he went wild and stabbed 13 other people. Seven of them fatally. Seven of them died.
Umar didn't die immediately. He finished his prayer.
Umar's Final Words of Wisdom
You know, amongst his last words (رضي الله عنه) he said:
"All praises due to Allah who has not made my death at the hand of someone who claims Islam."
Because why? He said, "I was just to the people of this Ummah and I pray people appreciate that justice." And even in these final words, not his absolute final, but amongst his last words, it showed his wisdom.
It shows his understanding. "All praises due to Allah who has not made my meeting my death at the hand of one who claims Islam."
The Wisdom in Umar's Words
What did our Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) say about the killer?
"The killer doesn't kill at the time that he or she kills while remaining a believer." (Sahih al-Bukhari 6809, Sahih Muslim 57)
When that crime takes place, that person is not a believer at that time. It's from the wisdom of Umar.
Closing Dua: Following in the Footsteps of Umar
May Allah bless us to benefit from the lives of the people you've heard about today. May Allah ta'ala bless us to keep how they lived and the wisdom in their lives and the dedication in their lives vivid and alive in our consciousness and our hearts.
May Allah ta'ala bless us to appreciate the effort of the organizers and the efforts and sacrifices of everyone who came here over the course of this program.
May Allah ta'ala bless you. May Allah ta'ala bless us with wisdom and courage and love for justice.
May Allah ta'ala bless us with an appreciation for the knowledge and the other qualities that Umar exemplified and that he highlighted in those that he placed in authority.
May we all live a life that exemplifies or tries to measure up to those standards established by Umar (رضي الله عنه) and ultimately by his teacher, the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم)
والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Was-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh