Hamzah, Umar and a Sign in the Sky

The Uncle Who Stood Up

While some believers had found safety across the sea, the call went on in Makkah. Then something happened that Quraysh did not expect. Historians reportHistorians report that Hamzah ibn Abd al-Muttalib became a Muslim. al-Dhahabi, Siyar 1:172

Hamzah was the Prophet's ﷺ uncle, close to him in age. He was also his foster brother: as babies they had been fed by the same woman. The Prophet ﷺ himself later called Hamzah “my foster brother”. Bukhari 2645

Hamzah was known as a strong, brave man. Now he stood with his nephew. His name will come back many times in this book, at Badr and at Uhud.

A Prayer for One of Two Men

The Prophet ﷺ once made a special prayer about two of the strongest enemies of the believers. Abd Allah ibn Umar reported that he said:

O Allah, honour Islam through whichever of these two men is more beloved to You: Abu Jahl or Umar ibn al-Khattab.

Ibn Umar added: “The more beloved of them to Him was Umar.” Tirmidhi 3681 · sahih

Think about that. The Prophet ﷺ did not only pray against those who hurt the believers. He prayed that they would be guided, and become a strength for Islam.

The Man Who Tied Up a Muslim

Umar ibn al-Khattab was strong and fierce, and he had been hard on the believers. Years later, a Companion named Sa'id ibn Zayd stood in the mosque of Kufa and remembered: “By Allah, I saw myself when Umar had tied me up because of Islam, before Umar himself became a Muslim.” Bukhari 3862

In another version, Sa'id says Umar tied up both him and Umar's own sister, who was Sa'id's wife. Bukhari 3867 Umar had tied up his own sister for believing. And then that same Umar became a Muslim.

A Crowd at the Door

When Umar became a Muslim, the news spread fast. His son Abd Allah, still a young boy, was on the roof of their house and saw a crowd gather around the home, shouting: “Umar has left his religion!” Bukhari 3865

Abd Allah later remembered that his father was at home, afraid, saying, “Your people claim they will kill me because I have become a Muslim.” Then al-As ibn Wa'il came, a man from a tribe that had long been allied with Umar's family. “No one will touch you,” he said. “I give you my protection.” He went out to the crowd filling the valley. “Where are you going?” he asked. “To Ibn al-Khattab, who has left his religion.” “There is no way to him,” said al-As. And the crowd went home. Bukhari 3864Bukhari 3865

Notice something strange. This same al-As ibn Wa'il was the man who had refused to pay Khabbab his money until he rejected Islam (Chapter 6). People are complicated. The same person can do wrong in one story and protect someone in another.

“We Have Been Strong Since”

Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, one of the earliest believers, summed it up in one sentence: Bukhari 3863

We have been strong ever since Umar became a Muslim.

The man who had tied up a believer was now one of the strongest supporters of the believers. Later, the Prophet ﷺ would say that Allah had placed the truth on Umar's tongue and in his heart. Tirmidhi 3682 · sahih

The Night the Moon Split

The people of Makkah kept demanding miracles. Anas ibn Malik reported that they asked the Prophet ﷺ to show them a sign, so he showed them the moon split in two. Bukhari 3637

Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud was there. “We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at Mina,” he said, “when the moon split into two parts: one part behind the mountain, and one part on this side of the mountain. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to us: Bear witness.” Muslim 2800Bukhari 3636

Ibn Abbas also reported that the moon split in the Prophet's ﷺ lifetime. Bukhari 3638 And the Qur'an speaks of it directly, along with how the deniers reacted: