[EP12] Story Of Muhammad (ﷺ) -When Hamza & Umar Converted To Islam - #SeerahSeries - Yasir Qadhi

The first of these two men was Hamza, Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) uncle. One day, Hamza was on a hunting expedition outside Makkah. Upon his return, he discovered his nephew had just been seriously cursed and insulted by his other uncle, Abu Lahab.

Upon learning the details of what had happened, Hamza charged over to find Abu Lahab at the Ka’bah, hit him on the head with a bow, and said, “You have been abusing Muhammad; I too follow his religion and profess what he preaches.”

It’s clear that Hamza’s initial reaction was to take revenge for his nephew, not really for his belief in Islam. But in time, he learned more about the religion from the Prophet (peace be upon him) and Allah guided him to faith.

Hamza’s conversion was a great boost to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He was the most senior person from Quraish to have converted at that point, and a strong support for the Muslim community. In fact, after Hamza’s conversion, the enemies of Islam in Makkah were forced to tone down their animosity for a while.

Nine years later, as a strong warrior, Hamza made an important contribution to the victory of Islam at the Battle of Badr. And one year later, he was martyred near Madinah in the Battle of Uhud. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) called him the Lion of Allah, the Master of Martyrs.

The Story of Umar’s Conversion
Going back to the small Muslim community in Makkah, who were overjoyed with the news of Hamza accepting Islam, more good news was to follow only three days later.

Faced with many hardships, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) made this supplication:

Allah (SWT) responded to the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) supplication, guiding Umar to Islam while he was on his way to kill Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Umar wanted to kill the man who had divided the people of Makkah while simultaneously cursing their gods.

On his way, Umar met one of his acquaintances who was a secret Muslim. This person suggested he should first deal with his own sister, Fatimah, and her husband Zayd, who had secretly accepted the message of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and converted to Islam. They had kept their new faith a secret and they would go to Dar Al-Arqam, where new converts gathered to learn from the Prophet (peace be upon him).

On that day, Fatimah was at home reciting the Qur’an with her husband and teacher. When Umar blasted his way into her house, the teacher hid. Umar attacked Zayd when he dared to say that he followed the religion of Muhammad (peace be upon him). While trying to protect her husband from Umar, Fatimah was struck on the face and fell to the ground bleeding.

On seeing his sister in that state, Umar felt mercy in his heart and asked her to give him the Qur’an scrolls from which they were reading. But she refused and said he had to first wash before touching the Qur’an, which he did.

After reading the first 14 verses of Surah Taha with great interest, he said, “How excellent it is, and how graceful! Please guide me to Muhammad.”

Umar Finally Submits
On hearing these words, the teacher, Khabbab ibn Al-Arat, came out of his hiding place and informed Umar he could meet the Prophet (peace be upon him) at Dar Al-Arqam.

When the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked Umar the reason he had come there, he answered