The Passing of Umar Ibn-Al Khattab(ra)-1st of Muharram

The Passing of Umar Ibn-Al Khattab(Ra)-1st of Muharram

On this day, the first of Muharram, my heart turns heavy as I remember one of the greatest souls to ever walk this earth—Sayyiduna ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu.

It was on this sacred day, 1st Muharram, in the year 24 AH, that we lost our beloved Amir al-Mu’minīn, our pillar, our protector. The one who stood tall when the world trembled. The one whose footsteps made Shayṭān flee. The one whom the Prophet ﷺ loved deeply and called a man of truth. Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu — the light of justice, the flame of strength, the heartbeat of a just Ummah — returned to his Lord after a brutal and cowardly attack while he was doing what he loved most: leading the believers in prayer in the Prophet’s ﷺ Masjid.

Imagine that moment — the Fajr stillness pierced by a sudden act of violence. Blood staining the sacred ground of Masjid an-Nabawi. The noble companion who once conquered empires now succumbing to the dagger of a slave who could not stand his justice. He lived for the Ummah, and even in pain, his heart beat only for them. For three days, he lay with fatal wounds, and his only concern was the Ummah he would leave behind. SubḥānAllāh… what kind of heart does that? What kind of soul, bleeding and broken, still thinks of the people?

I cannot help but cry when I think of his final words. When his son ʿAbd Allāh brought him water, he said, “Give it to the people. I can no longer drink.” When he was told that the people were weeping for him, he replied with a trembling voice, “Let them cry for Islam, for I am nothing if Islam is lost.”

Who among us can ever live like that? Who among us can say they loved this dīn like Umar raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu did?

He was not just a leader. He was a mountain of truth. When he walked down one path, Shayṭān would flee to another. He didn’t need an army to conquer lands — his taqwā alone struck fear into the hearts of tyrants. His shoulders carried the burdens of widows and orphans, his nights were spent weeping for the Ummah, and his days enforcing justice — not just for Muslims, but even for animals on the streets of Madinah.

I think of how he would walk the streets at night, in disguise, just to make sure no soul went hungry. I think of how he carried food on his own back to a starving woman and her children. And I wonder, in this age of selfies and show, would any of us do the same when no one is watching?

Sayyiduna ʿUmar raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu could have had palaces, he could have worn silks, but he chose to sleep on bare ground with bricks under his head — because his love for Allah and His Messenger ﷺ left no room for worldly comfort. And this man, this humble slave of Allah, was buried beside the Prophet ﷺ. Yes, buried beside him. Not by coincidence. Not by favouritism. But by Divine decree. Because he earned it.

I sometimes close my eyes and imagine that grave — the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu, and Umar raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu, side by side. Three friends reunited. The earth trembling from the weight of their legacy. And I wonder what it must have felt like when the angels welcomed Umar raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu with a smile and said: “The one the Prophet ﷺ loved… the one the heavens rejoiced for… come, your Lord is pleased with you.”

Also read : Sayings of Umar Radi Allah anhu

Virtue of Umar Radi Allah anhu

There is something about the personality of Sayyiduna ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu that leaves the heart trembling in awe and love. When I read about him, I don’t just see a ruler or a warrior—I see a man who feared Allah more than anyone feared him, a man who cried more than he smiled, and who loved the Prophet ﷺ more than his own self.

He was no ordinary man. His virtues were praised by the Prophet ﷺ again and again. How could we ever capture the depth of his rank with mere words? But my heart compels me to try.

The Prophet ﷺ once said:

“If there were to be a prophet after me, it would have been ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb.”

(Tirmidhi, 3686)

Can you imagine that? The door of prophethood is closed forever, yet the one man who stood nearest to its station was Umar raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu. What kind of sincerity, what kind of purity, must have lived in his heart to earn such words?

And the Prophet ﷺ also said:

“Verily, Allah has placed the truth upon the tongue and in the heart of Umar.”

(Tirmidhi, 2682)

The truth itself aligned with his voice. When Umar spoke, truth echoed. His insight was so blessed that many verses of the Qur’an were revealed in agreement with his opinion. From the hijab to the maqām of Ibrāhīm to prisoners of war—his heart was so connected to divine wisdom that Jibrīl Alaihe السلام would soon bring revelation confirming his thoughts.

Once, the Prophet ﷺ said:

“Indeed, in nations before you there were people who were spoken to (by angels), though they were not prophets. If there is anyone among my Ummah, it is Umar.”

(Bukhari, 3689; Muslim, 2398)

He was not just a companion; he was muhaddath—a man inspired. Angels would whisper truth into his heart. What an incredible status. And yet, this same man would fall unconscious upon hearing of the Prophet’s ﷺ passing, and say with trembling lips, “I would give my whole family in exchange for just one day in the life of Abu Bakr.” His humility never left him, even when the world bowed before him.

The Prophet ﷺ also said:

“I entered Paradise, and I saw a palace. I said: ‘Whose palace is this?’ They said: ‘It is Umar’s.’ I wanted to enter it, but I remembered your jealousy, so I turned away.” Umar began to weep and said, “Would I be jealous of you, O Messenger of Allah?”

(Bukhari, 3243; Muslim, 2394)

Even in Paradise, his light was seen. Even in the next world, his honour is unmatched. What kind of man is promised such beauty and yet still walks the earth in tattered clothes, fasting, serving, and crying in the dark?

And the Prophet ﷺ once told him:

“O son of al-Khaṭṭāb, by the One in Whose Hand is my soul, Shayṭān never meets you on a path but that he takes a different one.”

(Bukhari, 3683; Muslim, 2396)

Just think about that. Shayṭān, the enemy of mankind, feared one man so much that he avoided crossing paths with him. His presence alone silenced evil. He was a walking force of righteousness.

And yet, in his own eyes, he was nothing. He feared Allah more than anyone I have ever read about. He once said:

“If a caller from the heavens announced: ‘All of mankind will enter Paradise except one,’ I would fear that I am that one.”

This was Umar raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu. A man of immense courage, yet his greatest strength was his fear of Allah. A ruler of empires, yet he dressed in patched garments. A man who wept more than he laughed. A heart that beat for the Ummah until his final breath.

Ya Allah… how we miss such men. How we ache for that sincerity, that justice, that love for You and Your Messenger ﷺ.

May Allah be pleased with Sayyiduna Umar, reward him beyond measure, and grant us hearts that long to walk his path, even if only in the dust of his footsteps.

Ameen.