Virtues & Attributes

With regard to Hazrat Umar’s (ra) virtues and attributes, the Promised Messiah (as) says:

“Some prophecies are such that are manifested only once and they exhibit their majesty gradually, or they are fulfilled in the person of someone else. Such is the case with the prophecy of our Holy Prophet (sa) in which he said that he was bestowed with the keys of the treasures belonging to the Caesar and Chosroes. But it is evident that the Holy Prophet (sa) passed away before this prophecy was fulfilled; he neither saw the treasures of Chosroes or Caeser, nor the keys to them. However, since it was decreed, those keys were granted to Hazrat Umar (ra) because Hazrat Umar (ra) in essence was a spiritual manifestation of the Holy Prophet (sa). That is why in the spiritual realm the hand of Umar (ra) has been declared to be the hand of the Holy Prophet (sa).”

(Ayam-us-Suluh, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 14, p. 265)

The Promised Messiah (as) further states:

“It is vital to believe that Siddiq-e-Akbar (ra) [Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra)], Hazrat Farooq-e-Umar (ra) [Hazrat Umar Farooq (ra)], Hazrat Dhul-Nurainra”, i.e. Hazrat Uthman (ra), “and Hazrat Ali Murtaza (ra) were all the custodians of the faith. For Islam, Abu Bakr (ra) was the second coming of Adam; similarly, if Hazrat Umar Farooq (ra) and Hazrat Uthman (ra) did not show sincerity in the trust bestowed upon them, then it would be impossible for us to consider even one verse of the Quran to be from Allah the Almighty.”

(Maktubaat-e-Ahmad, Vol. 2, p. 151, Letter no. 2 addressed to Hazrat Khansahib Muhammad Ali Khan Sahib, Rabwah)

The Promised Messiah (as) then states:

“I have been granted in-depth knowledge from my Lord regarding Khilafat. And just like any scholar, I have also been able to delve into the depth of the matter and my Lord has revealed to me that Siddiq [Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra)], Farooq [Hazrat Umar (ra)] and Uthman (ra), may Allah be pleased with them all, were pious believers, who were among the chosen ones of Allah the Almighty and were favoured with the special bounties of the Gracious God. Furthermore, many of the wise have borne witness to their virtues. They left their lands for the pleasure of the Honourable and Glorious God, they entered the furnace of every battle, and they cared not for the scorching midday heat of every summer, nor the cold of the night of every winter; rather, they marched forward upon the paths of their faith like youthful men, inclining neither to their own people, nor to others and they bade farewell to everything, all for the sake of the Lord of all the Worlds. Their actions were imbued with a sweet fragrance and their deeds with an aroma.

“All of this points to the gardens of their rank and the orchards of their good deeds. Likewise, the aromatic breezes of their zephyr [soft, sweet-smelling wind] reveal their intricate qualities and their light becomes manifest to us with all its radiance. Thus, you ought to ascertain their illustrious rank from the aroma of their fragrance and do not show haste and follow those who think ill. And do not rely on just certain narrations because they are filled with poison and exaggerations and they cannot be trusted. Many of those narrations are like a powerful and destructive wind and like the lightning which deceives one into thinking there is going to be rain. Thus, fear Allah and do not follow such narrations.”

(Sirrul Khilafah, Urdu translation, pp. 25-26)

The Promised Messiah (as) then states:

“By God, Allah the Almighty enabled the Sheikhain i.e. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra)and Hazrat Umar (ra) and also Dhul-Nurain [Hazrat Uthman (ra)] to be like the doors to Islam and they were at the forefront of every army of the Holy Prophet (sa) who was the best of the creation. Thus, one who denies their lofty honour and discredits the clear and irrefutable arguments in their favour and does not show respect to them; rather it dishonours them and vilifies and speaks ill of them, then I fear that he may meet a terrible end and will become completely devoid of faith. And those who caused them grief and cursed them and levelled allegations against them, consequently their hearts became hardened and they incurred the wrath of the Gracious God. I have countlessly observed and have openly expressed this as well that to hold malice and enmity against these noble men is one of the main factors that severs man’s bond with God, Who is the Bestower of blessings. Whoever bears enmity against them becomes completely deprived of mercy and benevolence and the doors of divine cognisance and wisdom are never opened for them and they are left to partake in the desires and pleasures of the world and they are thrown into the abyss of carnal desires and He casts them away from His divine threshold and they remain deprived. They”, i.e. the Rightly Guided Caliphs, “also faced hardships just like the prophets, and curses were hurled at them, just as they were hurled towards the Messengers. This shows that they were the heirs of the prophets and their reward on the Day of Judgement will be the same as the leaders of [past] nations and countries. This is because when a believer is unjustly cursed and labelled a disbeliever, and is unduly mocked and ridiculed, he becomes like the prophets and akin to the chosen people of Allah. Then such an individual is recompensed just as the prophets are recompensed, and they are rewarded just like the Messengers. These people attained a lofty status through their servitude to the Best of All Prophets (sa), and Allah the Mighty and Exalted praised them. He made them an esteemed group of people, and through His own spirit, Allah helped them just as He helps all of His chosen people. In reality, the light of their truth and the effects of their piety were brilliantly apparent, and it became clear that they were truthful and that Allah was pleased with them, and they were pleased with Him, and He granted them that which had never been granted to anyone in the heavens and earth.”

(Sirrul Khilafah, Urdu translation, pp. 28-30)