Abu Bakr was present, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed for ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab—or, according to another narration (1), for Abu Jahl ibn Hisham. The supplication was made on a Wednesday, and on Thursday ʿUmar embraced Islam. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ and all who were in the house then pronounced the takbir so loudly that it was heard in the highest quarters of Mecca. Abu al-Arqam—who was blind and still a disbeliever—stepped outside calling, “O Allah, forgive the descendants of ʿAbd al-Arqam, for he has rejected the faith (2).”
ʿUmar rose and said, “O Messenger of Allah, why should we conceal our religion when we stand upon the truth, while theirs is manifest even though they are upon falsehood?” He replied, “O ʿUmar, we are few; you have seen what we have suffered.”
ʿUmar declared, “By Him who sent you with the truth, I will not leave any gathering in which I once sat as a disbeliever without openly proclaiming my faith in it.” He then went out, circumambulated the House, and passed by Quraysh, who were waiting for him. Abu Jahl ibn Hisham said, “So-and-so claims you have abandoned our religion!” ʿUmar answered, “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone without partner, and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.”
The idolaters leapt at him, but he seized ʿUtbah, threw him to the ground, and began striking him, thrusting his two fingers into his eyes. ʿUtbah screamed, and the people backed away. ʿUmar stood up, and whenever anyone dared approach he would seize whichever notable came near (3), until he had exhausted them all. He then went round to every meeting place where he had once sat and openly professed his faith.
Afterwards he returned to the Prophet ﷺ, triumphant, and said, “May my father and mother be your ransom (4)! By Allah, there is no gathering in which I previously sat as a disbeliever but that I have now declared my faith in it, without fear or hesitation.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out, with ʿUmar walking ahead of him and Hamzah ibn ʿAbd al-Muttalib alongside, until they circumambulated the Kaʿbah and prayed the noon prayer openly (5). He then returned to the house of al-Arqam with ʿUmar. ʿUmar later left alone, [prayed], and came back to the Prophet ﷺ.
The sound view is that ʿUmar did not enter Islam until after the emigrants had departed for Abyssinia, in the sixth year of the mission, as will be explained in its proper place, God willing. We have already given a detailed account of the conversions of Abu Bakr and ʿUmar—may Allah be pleased with them both—in our separate work on their biographies, where the matter is treated at length; all praise is due to Allah.
It is also related in Sahih Muslim (6), in the hadith of Abu Umamah, from ʿAmr ibn ʿAbasah al-Sulami—may Allah be pleased with him—who said: “I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at the very beginning of his mission while he was in Mecca, keeping himself concealed (7). I asked, ‘What are you?’ He said, ‘A prophet.’ I asked, ‘What is a prophet?’ He replied, ‘A messenger of Allah.’ I asked, ‘Did Allah send you?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I then asked, ‘With what has He sent you?’ He answered, ‘That you worship Allah alone [without partner] (8), demolish the idols, and maintain the ties of kinship (9).’” He said