The experiences of ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar during his earlier years
Ulama Institute #1
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Allah ﷻ says in the Qur’aan:
مِّنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌۭ صَدَقُوا۟ مَا عَـٰهَدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ ۖ فَمِنْهُم مَّن قَضَىٰ نَحْبَهُۥ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَنتَظِرُ ۖ وَمَا بَدَّلُوا۟ تَبْدِيلًۭا ( سورة الأحزاب : ٢٣ )
“Among the believers are men true to what they promised Allah. Among them is he who has fulfilled his vow [to the death], and among them is he who awaits [his chance]. And they did not alter [the terms of their commitment] in any way.” (soorat al-ahzab : 23)
Although greatness cannot be inherited; it can definitely be acquired. So when a person is fortunate enough to be raised by a great man, it is not unreasonable to expect that the son of a great man might eventually develop the same great qualities as the father. Such was the case with ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar
Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar was the son of ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab, who would later become the second khaleefah of the Prophet ﷺ . He was bom into a noble family that was well- known for its dignity and honor. His father ‘Umar, was one of the most distinguished men of the Quraysh. For many years, ‘Abdullaah’s father avoided the teachings of the Prophet and remained a fierce opponent of Islam.
Before embracing Islam, ‘Umar mistreated those of his relatives who had accepted Islam and similarly tried to harm others who did likewise. But when ‘Umar realized that he could not stop the spread of Islam; he decided that he would attempt to kill the Prophet. On his way to assassinate the Prophet ﷺ , he learned that his sister accepted Islam. He hastened to her house and upon his arrival, he heard several verses of the Qur’aan being recited.
“Umar was immediately touched by the truth and honesty of the Qur’aan and immediately accepted Islam. ‘Abdullaah, being only seven years old at the time, began to witness the remarkable change in his father’s life. After his father had accepted Islam, ‘Abdullaah accompanied him when he went out to meet with the Prophet ﷺ in order to announce that he had indeed become a Muslim. Although ‘Abdullaah was very young, he could see how much the followers of Islam were suffering at the hands of the Quraysh. He could not understand why the Quraysh were so cruel and harsh to the followers of his father’s religion which called for people to deal justly and mercifully with one another.
Because of the cruelty of Quraysh, ‘Abdullaah and his family were forced to leave Makkah and start a new life in another city called Yathrib (Madinah). ‘Abdullaah witnessed the Prophet and his Companions struggle to convince the people of Makkah that Islam was the true religion of Allah and that the idols which they worshipped were of no benefit to them. On several occasions, he went out with his father to the Ka’bah where his father would confront the chiefs of the Quraysh concerning their idol worship. At times, he would even worship Allah in front of them in an effort to expose them to the religion of Allah ﷻ .
At the time of the Battle of Badr, “Abdullaah was thirteen years old. He hoped to take part in the efforts to fight against the Quraysh since he felt that it was his duty to protect Islam against the idolaters. The Quraysh had gathered an army of one thousand soldiers to attack the Muslims. However, the Prophet felt that ‘Abdullaah was too young to join in the battle. ‘Abdullaah felt depressed and dejected because he was deprived of the honor of fighting with his fellow Muslims in their first battle against paganism and idolatry, especially since he saw other young Muslims joining the small army.
He asked his father to talk to the Prophets in the hope that he might be permitted to march with the army. However, his father told him that he was too young and that it was better for him to stay with his family in Madinah so that he could take care of them during the absence of his father. ‘Abdullaah was very disappointed but his sadness turned to joy when he learned that the Muslims were victorious at the Battle of Badr.
There are many important lessons that can be leamed from the character of ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar . From the most important lessons to be learned from this young Companion was his desire to aid in the defense of Islam and the Muslims and his willingness to do so even if it might involve risking his own life for the sake of Allah ﷻ . Certainly ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab played a major role in shaping the character of his son, ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar and helping him to develop into the great Companion that he would become.
Learning from the lesson
- ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar was the son of ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab
- His father was initially an opponent of Islam who embraced Islam after hearing the recitation of the Quraan.
- Abdullaah and his family moved to Yathrib (Madinah) to escape the cruelty of Quraysh.
- He was not allowed to fight in the Battle of Badr.
Discussion
- Who was ‘Abdullaah’s father?
- What position did ‘Abdullaah’s father occupy later in his life?
- Why did “Umar want to kill the Prophet earlier in his life?
- Why did the Muslims leave Makkah and settle in Yathrib?
- What is one major lesson that every young Muslim can learn from the early life of ‘Abdullaah?
