Back to Hazrat Umar (ra) bin Khattab
Date of Birth and Date of Accepting Islam
From the life of Hazrat Umar (ra) bin Khattab
From the life of Hazrat Umar (ra) bin Khattab
Various narrations have been recorded with regard to Hazrat Umar’s (ra) date of birth and the year of his birth differs from one narration to another. One view is that Hazrat Umar (ra) was born four years prior to the great Battle of Fijar, whereas at another place, it is written that he was born four years after the great Battle of Fijar. It is called the Battle of Fijar as it was fought during a sacred month, which is a matter of grave immorality and sin. This battle was fought in four periods. Aside from calling the fourth battle al-Fijar al-A‘zam i.e. the greatest Battle of Fijar, it is also called al-Fijar al-A‘zam al-Akhir i.e. the last great Battle of Fijar. This battle was fought between the Quraish, Banu Kinanah and Hawazin tribes.
Another viewpoint is that Hazrat Umar (ra) was born in Mecca 13 years after the Year of the Elephant.
(Tarikh Dimashq al-Kabir li Ibn Asakir, Vol. 47, p. 54, Umar (ra) bin al-Khattab, Dar Ihya al-Turah al-Arabi, Beirut, 2001) (Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz al-Sahabah, Vol. 4, Umar (ra) bin al-Khattab [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2005], p. 484) (Atlas Sirat Nabawisa, p. 102, Dar al-Islam, Riyad, 1424 AH)
The Year of the Elephant was 570 CE and adding 13 years to this would make the year of Hazrat Umar’s (ra) birth 583 CE. A third opinion is that Hazrat Umar (ra) accepted Islam in the sixth year Nabawai and at the time he was 26 years old.
(Ibn Saad, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3, Islam Umar (ra) [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1990], p. 204)
According to the Gregorian calendar, the sixth Nabawi year is 616 CE. If Hazrat Umar (ra) was 26 at the time, the year of his birth would be 590 CE. A fourth opinion is that Hazrat Umar (ra) was born when the Holy Prophet (sa) was 21 years of age.
(Tarikh al-Khamis fi Ahwal Anfus Nafis, Vol. 1, p. 259, Wiladat Umar (ra), Mu‘assisat Sha‘ban, Beirut)
Nonetheless, there are various opinions in this regard; at the time he accepted Islam, he was somewhere between 21 and 26 years old.