(Lessons from the Final Moments of ‘Umar [radhiyallahu ‘anhu] – Part Two)

On the night that Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was stabbed, Sayyiduna Miswar bin Makhramah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) came to see him. On entering, he found Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) covered with a sheet (and unconscious). Sayyiduna Miswar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) asked those present, “How is he?” They replied, “He is as you can see (unconscious).”

Sayyiduna Miswar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) thus advised them, “Wake him up by calling him for salaah, as there is nothing that you can awaken him for that is more urgent and important to him than salaah.” Accepting this suggestion, they called out, “Salaah, O Ameerul Mu-mineen!” As soon as they did this, Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) awoke and exclaimed, “Yes! By Allah! There is no share in Islam for the one who neglects salaah!” Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) thereafter performed his salaah while blood flowed from his wound.

(Tabraani – Majma‘uz Zawaaid #1659)

Lessons:

1. Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) truly understood the value and importance of salaahin Islam and the life of a Muslim. Hence, even in his final moments, when his wound was flowing with blood, he ensured that he performed salaah. In fact, he even mentioned that a person who neglects salaah has no share in Islam.

2. The fear of missing salaah was so strong in Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) that they used the call for salaah to revive him from unconsciousness. Today, there are people who will wake up in the early hours of the morning to frequent the gym, travel to work or catch a flight. Come what may, they ensure that they wake up on time. However, when it comes to the Fajr Salaah, let alone leaving the home and going to the masjid, they fail to even wake up and perform it at all! This is the stark contrast between the values of Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and the values that we have today. We should try to read the book ‘Virtues of Salaah’ regularly in order to understand and value the position of salaah in our lives.