Sentiments of the Companions at his Demise

There are narrations that detail the sentiments of the companions at the time of Hazrat Umar’s (ra) demise. Hazrat Ibn Abbas (ra) narrates, “When the body of Hazrat Umar (ra) was placed down for the funeral prayers, people gathered around. Before the body was taken, the people prayed for him, after which the funeral prayers were offered. I was also present among the people. A person grabbed hold of my shoulder which startled me. I turned to see that it was Hazrat Ali bin Abi Talib (ra). He prayed for Allah to bestow mercy on Hazrat Umar (ra) and then said, ‘O Umar! You have not left behind anyone whose deeds I would rather have and go before Allah the Almighty. By God! I am certain that Allah will place you beside your companions’”, i.e. that Hazrat Umar (ra) would be with the Holy Prophet (sa) and Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra).

“‘On many occasions I heard the Holy Prophet (sa) say:

ذَهَبْتُ‭ ‬أَنَا‭ ‬وَأَبُو‭ ‬بَكْرٍ‭ ‬وَعُمَرُ‭ ‬وَدَخَلْتُ‭ ‬أَنَا‭ ‬وَأَبُو‭ ‬بَكْرٍ‭ ‬وَعُمَرُ‭ ‬فَخَرَجْتُ‭ ‬أَنَا‭ ‬وَأَبُو‭ ‬بَكْرٍ‭ ‬وَعُمَرُ

“Abu Bakr, Umar and I went; Abu Bakr, Umar and I entered; Abu Bakr, Umar and I went out.”’”

*(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab Fada‘il Ashab al-Nabi (sa), Bab Manaqib Umar (ra) bin al-Khattab, Hadith 3685) *

In other words, the Holy Prophet (sa) would say this whilst narrating various incidents.

Jafar bin Muhammad narrates on the authority of his father that when the body of Hazrat Umar (ra) was washed and wrapped in the burial clothes, he was placed on a bedstead. Hazrat Ali (ra) stood beside him and praised him. Hazrat Ali (ra) said, “By Allah! There is not a single person on this earth whose deeds I would rather have and stand before Allah, than the deeds of the one wrapped in this shroud.”

(Ibn Saad, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3, Dhikr Hijrat Umar (ra) bin al-Khattab [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1990], p. 262)

Abu Makhlad narrates that Hazrat Ali bin Abi Talib (ra) stated, “The Holy Prophet (sa) had not yet passed away when we realised that after the Holy Prophet (sa), the best among us was Abu Bakr (ra); and Abu Bakr (ra)had not yet passed away when we realised that Umar (ra) was the best among us after Abu Bakr (ra).”

(Sirat Umar bin al-Khattab (ra), Ibn Juzi, p. 212, Maktabah Misriyyah al-Azhar)

Zaid bin Wahab narrates:

“We came to see Hazrat Abdullah (ra) bin Mas‘ud. Whilst mentioning Hazrat Umar (ra), he cried so much that the stones on the floor became wet due to his tears. Then regarding Hazrat Umar (ra), he said, ‘Umar was a strong fortress for Islam. People would enter into it and not leave’”, i.e. he was a solid citadel in which people would enter but not leave. “‘When he passed away, cracks appeared in this fortress and people began leaving Islam.’”

(Ibn Saad, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1990], p. 283)

Abu Wail narrates that Hazrat Abdullah (ra) bin Mas‘ud said, “If the knowledge of Umar (ra) was placed on one side of a scale and the knowledge of everyone else was placed on the opposite side, the knowledge of Hazrat Umar (ra) would be heavier.”

Abu Wail said, “I mentioned this to Ibrahim, to which he said, ‘By God! This is the truth. Abdullah bin Ma ‘ud has said something even greater than this.’ I asked what he had said, to which he stated, ‘When Hazrat Umar (ra) passed away, he’”, that is, Abdullah bin Mas‘ud, “‘said that it was as if nine tenths of knowledge had passed away with him.’”

(Ali Ibn al-Athir, Usd al-Ghabah fi Ma‘rifat al-Sahabah, Vol. 3, Umar (ra) bin al-Khattab [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Fikr, 2003], p. 651)

Hazrat Anas (ra) narrates that when Hazrat Umar (ra) was martyred, Hazrat Abu Talha (ra) said, “Among the Arabs or the Bedouins, there is not a single household that is free from the devastating effect of Umar’s martyrdom”.

(Ibn Saad, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3, Dhikr Istikhlaf Umar (ra) bin al-Khattab [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1990], p. 285)

That is, Hazrat Umar (ra) would help everyone and undoubtedly they would feel the effects of this loss.

After the funeral of Hazrat Umar (ra), Hazrat Abdullah (ra) bin Salam stood by his bedstead and said, “O Umar! Indeed, you were a great brother in Islam! You stood firmly for the truth and were fierce against falsehood. When it was appropriate to give approval, you would do so and you would express anger when the time was right. Your vision was pure; you were noble; you would not praise excessively, nor would you backbite.”

(Ibn Saad, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3, Dhikr Hijrat Umar (ra) bin al-Khattab [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1990], p. 282)

In one narration, when Hazrat Umar (ra) passed away, Hazrat Saeed (ra) bin Zaid began to cry. A person asked, “O Abul A‘war! Why do you cry?” He replied, “I cry for Islam. Indeed, the passing of Hazrat Umar (ra) has caused a crack within Islam, which will not be filled until the Day of Judgement.”

(Ibn Saad, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1990], p. 284)

Hazrat Ibn Umar (ra) states, “During the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (sa), we would say that after him, the best among them was Abu Bakr (ra), then Hazrat Umar (ra) and then Hazrat Uthman (ra).”

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Sunnah, Bab fi al-Tafdil, Hadith 4628)

Hazrat Huzayfa (ra) would say, “During the time of Hazrat Umar (ra), the case of Islam was like a person who was heading towards the path of success and prosperity. When he was martyred, it was as if that success reversed and went into constant regression.”

(Ibn Saad, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3, Dhikr Istikhlaf Umar (ra) bin al-Khattab [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1990], p. 285)