Hamzah and Umar Accept Islam

Part oneHamzah

Hamzah ibn Abdul-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) was the Prophet's ﷺ uncle, close to him in age, and one of the strongest men in Quraysh. He was a hunter and a fighter, and he loved his nephew. Until now he had not joined the new faith.

One day Abu Jahl met the Prophet ﷺ near Mount Safa and insulted him badly. The Prophet ﷺ did not reply and went on his way. A woman who had watched it from her home told Hamzah when he came back from hunting that day.

Hamzah was furious. He went straight to the Kaaba, where Abu Jahl was sitting among his people, and struck him on the head with his bow. He declared that he too was on the Prophet's ﷺ religion, and dared Abu Jahl to answer him. Some of Abu Jahl's clan jumped up, but Abu Jahl told them to stand down. He knew he had insulted the Prophet ﷺ badly, and he did not want a feud between two great clans.

Hamzah had spoken in anger, and he went home unsure whether he had meant it. In Makkah, a man did not take back his word. He thought it over through the night, and by morning his heart had settled. He went to the Prophet ﷺ, declared that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad ﷺ is His messenger, and joined him as a Muslim. Later generations would call him the Lion of Allah, and he would die as a martyr at Uhud.

Quraysh felt the loss. They now knew that the Prophet ﷺ had a strong and respected man at his side, and they grew more careful about how they treated him.

For Hamzah, it was the start of a lifetime of service. He would stand beside his nephew through the hard years in Makkah, and later in Madinah he would fight at Badr, the first great battle of the Muslims. That day at the Kaaba, though, no one could have guessed it. A man had acted on his honour, and his heart had done the rest.

Part twoUmar

Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was a tall, powerful man from the clan of Adi, known for his sternness. His clan was the one Quraysh turned to when it needed an envoy or an arbiter, and Umar had grown up with that sense of responsibility for the tribe. He was one of the fiercest opponents of the Muslims. He loved Quraysh and its unity, and he believed that the new religion was dividing his people. Yet there were signs of softening. It is reported that when the believers were leaving for Abyssinia, Umar came upon Umm Abdullah bint Abi Hathmah (may Allah be pleased with her) as she prepared to go. She told him they were leaving because of how they had been treated. He was quiet, then said, may Allah be with you. She later said she had seen a gentleness in him she had never seen before.

One day, in a rage, he took up his sword and set out to find the Prophet ﷺ. On the way he met Nu'aym ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), a believer who had not yet made his faith known. Nu'aym saw the look on his face and asked where he was going. Umar told him. Nu'aym answered that he should first set his own house in order, because his sister Fatimah and her husband Sa'id ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them) had both become Muslims.

Umar changed direction. He reached his sister's home and heard the sound of recitation from inside. The believer Khabbab ibn al-Aratt (may Allah be pleased with him) was teaching the couple, and when Umar knocked, Khabbab hid. Umar came in angry, and in the argument that followed he struck his brother-in-law and then his sister, who was hurt.

When he saw her wound, something in him gave way. He felt ashamed of what he had done. He asked to see what they had been reading. Fatimah told him that he must wash first, because it was the word of Allah. He washed, and she gave him the page.

It held the opening of Surah Ta-Ha. Umar was an Arab of Makkah who knew the language well, and he knew that these words were unlike any speech he had heard. He asked to be taken to the Prophet ﷺ.

From the Quran

طه ۝١ مَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ لِتَشْقَىٰٓ ۝٢ إِلَّا تَذْكِرَةً لِّمَن يَخْشَىٰ ۝٣ تَنزِيلًا مِّمَّنْ خَلَقَ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ ٱلْعُلَى ۝٤ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱسْتَوَىٰ ۝٥ لَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَمَا تَحْتَ ٱلثَّرَىٰ ۝٦ وَإِن تَجْهَرْ بِٱلْقَوْلِ فَإِنَّهُۥ يَعْلَمُ ٱلسِّرَّ وَأَخْفَى ۝٧ ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ لَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۝٨

¹Ṭâ-Hâ. ²We have not revealed the Quran to you ˹O Prophet˺ to cause you distress, ³but as a reminder to those in awe ˹of Allah˺. ⁴˹It is˺ a revelation from the One Who created the earth and the high heavens— ⁵the Most Compassionate, ˹Who is˺ established on the Throne. ⁶To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth and whatever is in between and whatever is underground. ⁷Whether you speak openly ˹or not˺, He certainly knows what is secret and what is even more hidden. ⁸Allah—there is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him. He has the Most Beautiful Names.

This well-known account comes from the early biographies, and hadith scholars have questioned its chains. A report with a stronger chain, in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, gives Umar's own memory of an earlier night. He followed the Prophet ﷺ to the Kaaba and stood behind him as he recited Surah al-Haqqah. Umar thought to himself that this must be a poet, and the next verses said it was not the word of a poet. He thought it must be a soothsayer, and the verses that followed said it was not the word of a soothsayer either. He said Islam entered his heart that night.

He found the Prophet ﷺ at the house of al-Arqam. The believers inside were anxious when they saw Umar and his sword at the door. Hamzah said that if Umar had come with good intentions he would be welcome, and if not, they would deal with him. The Prophet ﷺ let him in, and Umar declared his faith.

Earlier, the Prophet ﷺ had asked Allah to strengthen Islam through either Umar ibn al-Khattab or Amr ibn Hisham, Abu Jahl. The prayer was answered in Umar's favour.

From the hadith

Narrated Ibn 'Umar:

that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "O Allah! Honor Islam through the most dear of these two men to you: Through Abu Jahl or through 'Umar bin Al-Khattab." He said: "And the most dear of them to Him was 'Umar."

Part threeWhat changed

Umar did not hide his Islam. He went out and told the people of Makkah, and he stood his ground when some of them attacked him. After that, the Muslims were bolder. They gathered at the Kaaba and prayed there openly, in groups, without being driven away. A Companion later said that the believers had not been able to pray beside the Kaaba until Umar became a Muslim.

The accounts do not agree on the exact years of their conversions. What no one doubts is the effect. Hamzah and Umar were both respected by Quraysh, both known for their strength, and both deeply loyal to the Prophet ﷺ. The believers had been tested for years, mostly in silence. Now they could stand a little straighter.

Quraysh responded with new methods. Mockery had not worked. Negotiation had not worked. They now reached for something that would press on the Prophet's ﷺ whole family at once, a boycott, and that is the subject of the next chapter.

The believers had been tested for years, mostly in silence. Now they could stand a little straighter.

More on How to Muslim

• quran.howtomuslim.orgSurah al-Haqqah, mappedThe surah Umar heard the Prophet ﷺ recite at the Kaaba.

WatchLectures for this chapter

Lecture Towards EternityO Messenger, Ep. 3: Hamza and Umar Become Muslims (opens on YouTube)

Lecture Islamic GuidanceUmar Ibn Al-Khattab Accepts Islam (Seerah of Muhammad, part 31) (opens on YouTube)

The mapWhere it happened

• Mount Safa
• the Kaaba
• the house of al-Arqam
• the home of Fatimah bint al-Khattab

This map is a simple sketch to help you picture where events took place. Positions, distances and borders are approximate, so please use it for reference only, not as an accurate map.

SourcesSources for this chapter