A Dream Indicating his Great Knowledge
Hazrat Ibn Umar related that he heard the Holy Prophet (sa) say:
“Once, I was sleeping and I saw during this time that I was brought a bowl of milk. I drank so much that I saw it seeping from under my nails. Then, I took the remaining milk and gave it to Hazrat Umar bin Khattab.” The companions asked, “O Messenger (sa) of Allah, how have you interpreted this?” The Holy Prophet (sa) stated that it indicated knowledge.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Ilm, Bab Fadl al-Ilm, Hadith 82)
Hazrat Zain-ul-Abideen Walliullah Shah Sahib (ra) writes in the commentary of this hadith:
“‘Fazl-ul-Ilm’ here does not mean the excellence of knowledge; rather, it refers to the knowledge that still remains. There is a separate chapter related to the excellence of knowledge. It can be inferred from the dream of the Holy Prophet (sa), its interpretation and the incidents which testify this dream that the conquest of land and worldly glory granted to the Muslims through Hazrat Umar (ra) was as a result of the knowledge of the Holy Prophet (sa) which remained to be manifested and was thus made manifest through Hazrat Umar (ra).
“Owing to his complete and comprehensive knowledge, the Holy Prophet (sa) has been referred to as ‘Majma-ul-Bahrain’ [junction of the two seas] in the Holy Quran for he possessed the knowledge to attain success both in this world and the Hereafter … By including the subject of politics under the category of “Knowledge”, Imam Bukhari has alluded to the fact that the Holy Prophet (sa) brought the perfect guidance which covers both aspects of life, just as Jesus (as) had prophesied regarding him that ‘when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth’ (John 16:12-13).
“Upon reflecting over the incidents from the life of Hazrat Umar (ra), it becomes clear what the true meaning was of being granted the remaining milk which he received due to the blessings of the Holy Prophet (sa).”
(Sahih al-Bukhari Tarjumah wa Tashrih, Sayed Zain al-Abidin Waliullah Shah Sahib, Vol. 1, pp. 156-157)
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) states:
“Hazrat Umar (ra) once related his dream to the Holy Prophet (sa) wherein he was granted a bowl of milk. Upon this, the Holy Prophet (sa) stated that this [milk] signified knowledge.”
(Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 23, p. 467)
Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri (ra) relates that he heard the Holy Prophet (sa) state: “I was asleep and saw that some people had been brought before me who were wearing an upper garment. The garments were at chest height for some whilst other people’s garments fell slightly longer. Umar was also brought before me and his garment was dragging along with him.” Upon this, the companions enquired as to what this meant and the Holy Prophet (sa) stated that it signified faith.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab Fada‘il Ashab al-Nabi (sa), Bab Manaqib Umar (ra) bin al-Khattab, Hadith 3691)