Husayn ibn Waqid reported: ʿAbd Allah ibn Buraidah told me, on the authority of his father, that his mother—she was a black woman—came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, after he had returned from a campaign and said, “I vowed that, if Allah brought you back safely, I would beat the duff (frame drum) in your presence.” He replied, “If you made such a vow, then fulfil it.” She began to play; Abu Bakr entered while she was drumming, and then ʿUmar entered. At that, she put the drum behind her and sat down on her heels. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “O ʿUmar, the devil is surely afraid of you.”

Yahya ibn Yaman narrated, from Sufyan al-Thawri, from ʿUmar ibn Muhammad, from Salim ibn ʿAbd Allah, who said: News of ʿUmar was slow in reaching Abu Musa al-Ashʿari, so he went to a woman possessed by a demon and asked her about him. She said, “Wait until my demon returns.” When it came he questioned it about ʿUmar, and it replied, “I left him wrapping his waist-cloth; no devil sees that man without falling on its snout. An angel stands between his eyes, and the Holy Spirit speaks through his tongue.”

Zir reported that Ibn Masʿud used to preach, saying, “I am certain that Satan is so afraid of ʿUmar that whenever he tries to cause some mischief, ʿUmar stops him. I am also certain that an angel stands between ʿUmar’s eyes, guiding and correcting him.”

ʿAʾishah narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Among the communities before you there were inspired men (muhaddathun); if there is anyone of that kind in my community, it is ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab.” Muslim transmitted this report.

Ibn ʿUmar related that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Allah has placed the truth upon ʿUmar’s tongue and in his heart.” A group of transmitters narrated it from Nafiʿ on his authority, and a similar wording is reported from others.