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Hamzah bin Abdul Muttalib embraces Islam 
Once, Abu Jahl happened to pass by the Prophet near 
Mount Safa. He began insulting the Prophet and, according to 
sources, hit him on the head with a stone causing him to bleed. 
The Prophet ever patient, did not respond to Abu Jahl’s 
harrassment. A slave woman who belonged to Abdullah bin 
Jad’an witnessed the scene. Satisfied with himself, Abu Jahl went 
to the Ka’bah and sat with a group of men from the Quraysh. 
Shortly aterwards, Hamzah returned from hunting with his 
bow. When the slave woman told him what happened to his 
nephew, Hamzah turned on Abu Jahl, “You bag of wind, do you 

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dare abuse my nephew when I follow his religion?” Hamzah 
struck Abu Jahl’s head with his bow and made a gash. Men from 
Banu Makhzoom (Abu Jahl’s tribesmen) and Banu Hashim 
(Hamzah’s tribesmen) rose against each other until Abu Jahl 
ordered his relatives to stay put, saying, “Let Abu Ammara 
[Hamzah] go. I abused his nephew unjustly.” 
Hamzah’s sudden conversion was obviously the result of a 
strong sense of family honour. The Prophet had been trying 
for six lonely, difficult years to spread the message of Allah, and 
Hamzah had not given it much thought until then. Soon, 
however, something began to grow in Hamzah’s heart. He 
realised that faith was taking root and he began to see that his 
love for Islam went beyond any kinship he had with Muhammad 
. His faith in Allah would become so powerful that he would 
later be called “Ashadullah” (The Lion of Allah). 
Umar bin Khattab accepts Islam 
Only three days after Hamzah’s conversion to Islam, Umar 
became Muslim. Umar, a tall and powerful man, had been a 
staunch enemy of the Muslims. He was known for his fierce 
temper and his love of poetry and strong drink. The story of how 
Umar embraced Islam is one of the most interesting episodes in 
the history of Islam. 
Umar had heard the Prophet reciting verses from the 
Qur’an at the Ka’bah, and some of the verses he overheard moved 
him. However, his heart remained firmly opposed to Islam and 
the Prophet . His opposition grew to the point that one day he 
picked up his sword and decided to kill the Prophet . 
Fortunately, Umar did not succeed in carrying out his intention. 
With his sword gripped in his hand and his mind made up, 
Umar met Nu’aym bin Abdullah, who asked him, “Where are you 
going?” “I am going to slay Muhammad,” he replied. 

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“How will you save yourself from Banu Hashim and Banu 
Zuhra?” Angered at this question, which seemed like a challenge 
to him, Ummar replied, “It seems as if you have forsaken our 
faith.” “Umar! Nu’aym countered. “The amazing thing is that 
your sister and brother-in-law have also renounced your faith.” 
Umar was furious, and his intention was diverted from the 
Prophet to his own family. In a rage, he headed straight for his 
sister’s house. At that moment, Khabbab bin Aratt was at Umar’s 
sister’s house teaching her and her husband Surah Ta Ha. When 
they heard Umar outside the door, Khabbab hid himself, and 
Fatimah, Umar’s sister, quickly hid the sheets of paper upon 
which the Qur’an was written. 
“What was that babble I heard?” They could see that Umar 
was enraged and armed with a sword. “Nothing, we were just 
talking.” 
“Maybe, both of you have renounced your faith.” Umar said. 
Umar’s brother-in-law said, “Well, tell me, Umar, what if the 
truth lies far from your religion?” Umar’s response to this 
question was swift and violent. He pounced upon his brother-in-
law and beat him mercilessly. When his sister tried to disengage 
the two in defense of her husband, Umar hit her hard on the face. 
Blood ran down her cheek, but at this point Fatimah was not to 
be deterred from speaking the truth. Echoing her husband’s 
question, she challenged the wisdom of Umar’s faith: Umar! What 
if the truth lies far from your religion?” 
Then in front of her brother, she declaired her own faith, 
using the same words every Muslim utters as solem testimony 
about the Oneness of Allah and the Prophethood of Muhammad 
. She said, “I bear witness that none is worthy of worship other 
than Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Prophet of 
Allah.” 

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When Umar heard his sister’s proud affirmation of her faith, 
he was overwhelmed with shame. “Show me what you were 
reading from,” he said. His sister retored, “You are unclean, and 
only the pure and clean can touch it. Go wash yourself.” 
A chastened Umar bathed and then took the pages of Surah 
Ta Ha in his hand and recited Bismillahir-Rahmani-Raheem (In the 
name of Allah, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful). 
“These are pure names,” Umar said. He continued reading: 
“Verily, I am Allah – there is no god but I, so worship Me and 
offer prayers in remembrance of Me.” (20: 14) 
Umar exclaimed in awe at the sublimity of the verses. “Where 
can I find Muhammad?” he asked. 
When Khabbab heard this, he came out of hiding and said, 
“O Umar! Rejoyce. I prayed that Allah would bless you. Thursday 
night before I heard the Prophet praying to Allah, saying “O 
Allah, strengthen Islam by Umar bin Khattab or Abu Jahl bin 
Hisham!” 
When Umar heard that the Prophet was at Dar Al-Arqam, 
he rushed there hoping to find him. He knocked at the door, and 
one of the Prophet’s Companions peeped through a chink to see 
Umar, sword in hand, looking very agitated. The Companion 
rushed into the back of the house with the alarming news. 
“Whats s the matter?” Hamzah asked. “Umar is at the 
door,” the Companion reported. “Is that all?” exclaimed Hamzah. 
“If he comes in peace, fine. If not, we simply kill him with his 
own sword.” 
Muhammad , meanwhile, was in the midst of receiving 
from Allah, and upon completion of the revelation came to the 
sitting room. There sat Umar. The Prophet caught him by his 
clothes and sword belt and said to hm urgently, “Umar! Will you 
not turnback from your path unless Allah Almighty sends down 
on you such chastisement as He did on Waleed bin Mugheera? O 

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Allah! This is Umar bin Khattab. O Allah! Bestow power and 
glory on Islam through this Umar bin Khattab.” 
After the Prophet ended his supplication, Umar said, “I 
bear witness that there is none worthy of worship other than 
Allah, and that you are the Prophet of Allah.” Those present in 
the house cried, “Allahu Akbar!” (God is the Greatest!) so loudly 
that their cry resonated around the Ka’bah.