You just finished binge-watching a series. Characters transforming from villains to heroes. You felt inspired by the fictional journey.
But what if I told you about a real transformation so dramatic, so complete, so earth-shattering that when it happened, the entire power structure of Makkah shifted? A man who was literally on his way to murder the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) with a sword—and ended up becoming the second most powerful force in establishing Islam across the known world?
His name was Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). And his story proves that nobody—absolutely nobody—is too far gone for Allah ﷻ (Glorified and Exalted be He) to transform completely.
The Most Feared Man in Makkah
Year 615 CE. Makkah. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was everything the Muslims feared. Physically imposing. Uncompromisingly opposed to Islam. When the weak Muslims—the enslaved, the poor, the vulnerable—saw Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) approaching, they scattered
The Quraysh elite loved him because he was their enforcer. The Muslims dreaded him because he was their tormentor.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him), seeing Umar’s strength, his intelligence, his influence, made a specific dua documented in authentic hadith collections. According to the narration recorded by Imam at-Tirmidhi in Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3681, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his hands and prayed: “O Allah, strengthen Islam through one of the two Umars”—referring to Umar ibn al-Khattab and Amr ibn Hisham (Abu Jahl).
Think about that. The Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) didn’t pray for Umar’s destruction. He prayed for his transformation. He saw potential in Islam’s worst enemy.
The Day Everything Changed
The moment that changed history started with rage. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had had enough of this “Islam” disrupting Makkah. Someone needed to end it permanently. And Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) decided that someone would be him.
He picked up his sword. Strapped it on. Set out with murder in his heart and one target in mind: kill Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him). End the movement by ending its leader.
On his way, according to authentic historical accounts preserved by scholars including those in Sirah literature, he ran into someone who asked where he was going with such determination. When Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) revealed his intention to kill the Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him), the person said something that stopped him cold: “You should worry about your own household first. Your sister and brother-in-law have become Muslim.”
His sister? Fatimah bint al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with her)? Impossible. Unacceptable. The rage redirected. He changed course and headed to her house.
When he burst through the door, he heard recitation. Someone was teaching them Quran. They quickly hid the manuscript, but Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had heard enough. “What was that rubbish I heard?” He demanded. They denied everything. His brother-in-law, Said ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him), tried to calm him, but Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) attacked him physically.
Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) jumped in to protect her husband. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) struck her. Her face bled. And in that moment—seeing his own sister bleeding because of him, seeing her willingness to sacrifice herself for her faith—something cracked in his heart.
Historical accounts describe how Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) looked at him, blood on her face, and said with complete conviction: “Yes, we are Muslims. We believe in Allah and His Messenger. Do what you will.”
That defiance. That fearlessness. That unshakeable faith even in the face of his violence. It shattered something in Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). He asked to see what they had been reciting. Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) refused unless he purified himself first—he was in a state of major ritual impurity. The fact that he agreed, that he washed, that he approached the Quran with respect even while still opposing Islam—that was Allah ﷻ (Glorified and Exalted be He) already working on his heart.
He read the opening verses of Surah Ta-Ha:
[Surah Ta-Ha, 20:1-5]
“Ta-Ha. We have not sent down the Quran upon you to cause you distress, but only as a reminder for those who fear Allah. It is a revelation from He who created the earth and the highest heavens—the Most Merciful, established on the Throne.”
These words. This message. This beauty. Something fundamental shifted. Historical sources describe how he said: “How beautiful and noble is this speech!”
He still had his sword. He still had his murderous intent. But now he was going to the Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) for a different reason—though he didn’t fully understand why yet.
The Conversion That Shook Makkah
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) was in a house near the Kaaba with a group of companions. When someone looked out and saw Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) approaching—armed, determined, with that familiar intensity—panic set in. “It’s Umar! With his sword!”
Some companions wanted to bar the door. But Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet’s ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) uncle, said something documented in historical accounts that shows his absolute trust: “Let him in. If he comes with good intentions, we welcome him. If he comes with evil, we’ll kill him with his own sword.”
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) opened the door himself. He grabbed Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) by his leather belt and pulled him forward with such force that Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) fell to his knees. And then the Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) said with firmness: “What brings you here, Umar?”
Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), on his knees before the man he came to kill, said the words that would change history: “I have come to declare that there is no god but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah.”
The companions who had been terrified moments before erupted in takbeer—Allahu Akbar—so loud that people outside the house heard it. So loud that the Quraysh across the street knew something monumental had just happened.
That takbeer announced to all of Makkah: Umar has become Muslim. And Makkah would never be the same.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him the title “Al-Farooq”—The Distinguisher—because of his ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood, his sound judgment, his clarity of vision once his heart opened to Islam. This title, documented across authentic Islamic sources, became synonymous with his name forever.
The First Public Declaration
Before Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), Muslims prayed in secret. They gathered in homes behind closed doors. They hid their faith to avoid persecution. Islam was there, but it was suppressed, concealed, afraid.
Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) changed that in one day.
According to historical accounts preserved by early scholars including those documented by Ibn Ishaq, after accepting Islam, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him): “Are we not upon the truth whether we live or die?” The Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) confirmed yes. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) responded: “Then why should we hide our faith?”
He walked out of that house and went directly to the Kaaba. He announced his Islam publicly. Then—and this is documented as a watershed moment in Islamic history—he became the first Muslim to openly pray at the Kaaba. Not hiding. Not rushing. Not apologetic. He stood there and prayed in full view of the Quraysh elite who had ruled that space through intimidation.
Abdullah ibn Masud (may Allah be pleased with him) later said something preserved in authentic narrations that captures the magnitude of this moment: “We have been powerful since Umar accepted Islam.”
Think about what that means. One man’s conversion gave the entire Muslim community courage. His presence, his strength, his unwillingness to hide—it transformed the dynamics completely.
The Muslims started praying openly at the Kaaba. They started gathering publicly. Islam moved from the shadows into the light. And the Quraysh, for all their power, couldn’t do what they had been doing before because now Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) stood with the Muslims.
The Man Who Terrified Shaytan Himself
Here’s something that should make every Muslim who struggles with temptation sit up and pay attention. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) said something about Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that was never said about anyone else.
According to the authentic hadith narrated by Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) and recorded by Imam al-Bukhari in Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3683, and by Imam Muslim in Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2396, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, whenever shaytan sees you taking a path, O Umar, he takes a different path.”
Read that again. Shaytan—the enemy who whispers to all of humanity, who has qarineens assigned to every person, who never gives up on trying to destroy us—takes a different path when he sees Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) coming.
Not because Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was sinless. Not because he was a prophet. But because his faith after conversion was so strong, so unwavering, so uncompromising that shaytan knew he was wasting his time.
How did Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) get to that level? Through the same intensity he had when he opposed Islam. That fierce determination, that uncompromising nature, that absolute commitment—it didn’t disappear when he became Muslim. It redirected. From fighting Islam to fighting for Islam. From serving his ego to serving Allah ﷻ (Glorified and Exalted be He).
In another hadith recorded by Imam al-Bukhari in Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3682, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There have been among the people before you inspired persons who, though not prophets, received divine inspiration. If there is any such person among my Ummah, it is Umar.”
Divine inspiration. Not prophethood—that ended with Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him). But a connection to truth, to guidance, to seeing through deception that made his judgment almost supernaturally accurate.
The Justice That Became Legendary
Fast forward to his reign as the second Khalifa after Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). The Islamic state expanded under Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with him) leadership like never before—conquering the Persian Empire and two-thirds of the Byzantine Empire within a decade. Historical accounts document that the territories under Muslim control grew from about one million square miles to over two million square miles during his rule.
But what made Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) truly remarkable wasn’t military conquest. It was justice. It was how he treated people. It was the accountability he demanded of himself and everyone else.
One famous story documented across authentic historical sources tells of a complaint from Egypt. A governor’s son had struck an Egyptian man unjustly. The man traveled all the way to Madinah to complain to Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) personally. When Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) verified the complaint, he summoned the governor and his son from Egypt.
Then, in front of everyone, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) handed the whip to the Egyptian man and told him: “Strike the son of the noble one.” The Egyptian hesitated. The governor’s son was elite. Connected. Powerful. But Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) insisted. Justice wasn’t negotiable. The Egyptian man got his retribution, and Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) then said words that echoed through history: “When did you enslave people when their mothers gave birth to them free?”
Another account tells of how Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to patrol Madinah at night, checking on his people’s needs. Once, he heard a child crying. He knocked on the door and found a mother struggling to feed her hungry children. She had nothing. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) went immediately, got flour and supplies from the state treasury, carried them on his own back—the Khalifa of the Islamic empire carrying supplies like a common worker—and cooked food for that family with his own hands.
When his companion tried to help, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) refused, saying: “Will you carry my burden for me on the Day of Judgment? I am responsible for them.”
Historical sources document how he would often go hungry himself to ensure others had enough. How he wore patched clothes while the state treasury held vast wealth. How he lived in a simple mud house while governors lived in palaces. How he once heard his wife had received a gift of perfume and he confiscated it, saying if she wore it, people would think the Khalifa’s family was living luxuriously from public funds.
This wasn’t performative. This was genuine. This was a man who understood that leadership meant service, accountability meant before Allah ﷻ (Glorified and Exalted be He) first and people second, and justice meant equality regardless of status.
The Fear That Drove Him
Here’s what makes Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with him) story even more profound. Despite all his strength, despite his position, despite the Prophet’s ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) praise of him, despite being promised Paradise—he was terrified of Allah’s ﷻ (Glorified and Exalted be He) judgment.
One account documents how Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him), who the Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) had told about the hypocrites, was once approached by Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). The Khalifa, the leader of the Islamic empire, asked Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him): “Did the Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) mention my name among the hypocrites?”
Think about that. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was so concerned about his standing with Allah ﷻ (Glorified and Exalted be He) that even after everything—his conversion, his service, his sacrifices—he feared hypocrisy might have crept into his heart without him knowing.
Historical accounts describe how when he would recite certain verses of Quran about divine punishment, he would weep so intensely that the marks of tears would remain visible on his face for days. When he recited Surah At-Tur in Fajr prayer, specifically the verses about punishment, his sobbing could be heard from the back rows of the massive congregation.
This is the same man who faced down enemy armies. Who conquered empires. Who made kings tremble. But in front of Allah ﷻ (Glorified and Exalted be He), he was utterly humbled.
The Promise of Paradise He Received
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) gave Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) glad tidings multiple times in ways documented across authentic hadith collections. He was one of the Asharah Mubasharah—the ten companions explicitly promised Paradise while still alive.
In one remarkable hadith recorded by Imam al-Bukhari in Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3679, and by Imam Muslim in Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2394, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) described a dream: “While I was sleeping, I saw that people were presented to me wearing shirts. Some reached their chests, some their knees, and some dragged on the ground. Then Umar ibn al-Khattab was presented to me wearing a shirt that was dragging.” The companions asked: “How did you interpret it, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied: “Religion.”
Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with him) commitment to faith was so complete, so overwhelming, that in the Prophet’s ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) dream, it dragged on the ground behind him. Not because it was a burden—because it was so vast, so encompassing, so all-consuming.
In another narration documented by Imam al-Bukhari in Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3680, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “While I was sleeping, I saw myself in Paradise. There was a woman making wudu beside a palace. I asked, ‘Whose palace is this?’ They said, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab’s.’ I remembered his protective jealousy (regarding women’s honor) and I turned back.” When Umar heard this, he wept and said: “Would I feel jealous of you, O Messenger of Allah?”
Even in Paradise, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) has a palace. The Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) saw it. Testified to it. Made it known.
The Death He Chose Without Choosing It
Year 644. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was leading Fajr prayer in the Prophet’s ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) mosque in Madinah. A slave named Abu Lu’lu’a Firuz, harboring hatred for the Islamic conquests, hid a double-bladed dagger and waited.
During the prayer, as Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) stood in front of the congregation, Abu Lu’lu’a attacked. He stabbed Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) multiple times—six stabs according to historical accounts. The wounds were fatal. Everyone knew it.
But Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) didn’t collapse immediately. Didn’t scream. Didn’t break the prayer. Historical sources document that he grabbed a nearby companion and pushed him forward to lead the rest of the salah. Even dying, bleeding out, he prioritized the completion of congregational prayer.
After the prayer ended, they carried him home. He was fading. The pain was overwhelming. People were crying. And Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), facing his final moments, made one request: he wanted to be buried next to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).
But that space belonged to Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). It was her room where the Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) were already buried. So Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sent his son Abdullah to ask her permission. Would she allow him to be buried there with the two people he loved most?
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), despite having reserved that space for herself, said yes immediately. She gave up her burial place so Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) could rest beside the Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him).
And that’s where he is today. In Madinah. In the Prophet’s ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) chamber. Three graves side by side—Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). The Messenger and his two closest companions, together in life and death.
What Umar Proves About You
You’ve read about a man who went from beating Muslims until his arms got tired to becoming a companion the shaytan avoided.
If Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) could transform—after everything he did, after all that hatred, after all that violence—what’s your excuse? You haven’t tortured anyone. You haven’t set out to murder the Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him). Your sins, whatever they are, are not bigger than Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with him) were before Islam.
And yet Allah ﷻ (Glorified and Exalted be He) not only forgave him—He made him the second most powerful force in establishing Islam across the earth. He gave him a palace in Paradise. He made his name synonymous with justice for fourteen centuries.
That same transformation is available to you. Right now. This moment. You’re not too far gone. You’re not too lost. You’re not beyond redemption. If Allah ﷻ (Glorified and Exalted be He) transformed the man who was literally walking to murder His Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him), He can transform you.
So stop making excuses. Stop thinking change is impossible. Stop believing you’re stuck in your current state forever. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) proved that one moment of genuine turning to Allah ﷻ (Glorified and Exalted be He) can change everything.
Make that turn. Right now. Before it’s too late.
Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes. Readers should consult qualified Islamic scholars for specific religious rulings and personal guidance. Verification of hadith authenticity is encouraged through recognized Islamic authorities and institutions.