ِUmar Ibn Al-Khattab: Wives, Children, Martyrdom Details
سْـــــــــــــــــــــــمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
السَّــــــــلاَم عَلَيــْـــــــكُم وَرَحْمَــــــــــةُاللهِ وَبَرَكـَـــــــــاتُه
Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
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The Wives, Concubines, and Children of the Second Caliph, Umar Farooq ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him)
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Zaynab bint Maz’un:
She was the sister of Sayyiduna Uthman ibn Maz’un (RA).
From her, Sayyiduna Umar (RA) had two sons and one daughter, whose names are:
- Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar (RA)
- Sayyiduna Abdurrahman ibn Umar (RA)
- Umm al-Mu’minin Hazrat Hafsa (RA)
Umm Kulthum bint Jarwal:
Her name was also Malikah. Sayyiduna Umar (RA) divorced her after accepting Islam. From her, Sayyiduna Umar (RA) had two sons named:
- Zayd ibn Umar al-Asghar
- Ubaydullah ibn Umar (RA)
Jamilah bint Thabit:
From her, Allah blessed Hazrat Umar with a son named “Asim ibn Umar (RA)”.
Umm Kulthum bint Ali:
She was the daughter of Sayyidah Fatimah bint Muhammad (ﷺ).
Imam Ibn Sa’d (may Allah have mercy on him) writes that from her, Sayyiduna Umar had one son and one daughter:
- Zayd ibn Umar
- Ruqayyah bint Umar
It is mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari that Sayyidah Umm Kulthum bint Ali ibn Abi Talib was married to Sayyiduna Umar (RA).
وَوُضِعَتْ جَنَازَةُ أُمِّ كُلْثُومِ بِنْتِ عَلِيٍّ امْرَأَةِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ وَابْنٍ لَهَا يُقَالُ لَهُ زَيْدٌ، وُضِعَا جَمِيعًا
“The funeral of Umm Kulthum bint Ali, the wife of Umar ibn al-Khattab, and her son named Zayd, were placed together (for the funeral prayer).”
Sunan an-Nasa’i – Hadith No: 1980 — Book: Funerals – Chapter: Regarding performing the funeral prayer for a man and a woman together. [Sunan an-Nasa’i]
Narrators of the Hadith: Al-Harith bin Rab’i al-Sulami (1190), Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (3260), Abu Hurayrah al-Dawsi (4396), Abdullah ibn al-Abbas al-Qurashi (4883), Abdullah ibn Umar al-Adawi (4967), Nafi’ Mawla Ibn Umar (7863), Ibn Jurayj al-Makki (5223), Abd al-Razzaq bin Hammam al-Himyari (4533), Muhammad bin Rafi’ al-Qushayri (6964)
(Al-Tabaqat li-Ibn Sa’d 3/201 : 56)
Atikah bint Zayd:
From her, you had a son named “Iyad ibn Umar (RA)”.
(Al-Tabaqat li-Ibn Sa’d 3/201)
Umm Hakim bint al-Harith:
From her, Sayyiduna Umar had a daughter named “Fatimah bint Umar (RA)”.
(Al-Tabaqat li-Ibn Sa’d 3/201)
The Concubines of Hazrat Umar Farooq ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him)
Lahiyyah:
From her, Sayyiduna Umar (RA) had a son named “Abdurrahman al-Asghar” or “Abdurrahman”.
Fukayhah:
From her, Sayyiduna Umar’s youngest daughter, “Zaynab bint Umar (RA)”, was born.
The total number of Sayyiduna Umar’s sons and daughters was thirteen (13). Similarly, the number of women he married was also thirteen. This includes all the women he married during the pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah) or the Islamic era, or those he divorced.
Seerat-e-Umar Farooq (RA)
Compiled by: Abu Nu’man Saifullah Khalid
Page No. / 35-37
The Martyrdom of Hazrat Umar Farooq
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Hazrat Mughira ibn Shu’ba, a companion of the Prophet, had a Zoroastrian slave named Abu Lu’lu’a. This Zoroastrian once came to Hazrat Umar Farooq to complain about his master, stating that his master Mughira ibn Shu’ba collected four dirhams from him daily and requested that you have this amount reduced. The Commander of the Faithful replied, “You are skilled in many crafts, so four dirhams a day is not much for you.” Hearing this answer, he became enraged and made a firm decision to assassinate you, keeping a poisoned dagger with him. On Wednesday, the 26th of Dhul Hijjah, 23 AH, you came to the Prophet’s Mosque for the Fajr prayer. When you stood up to lead the prayer, the anti-Islamic Zoroastrian attacked you, striking such a severe blow that you were badly wounded. Three days later, after managing the affairs of the caliphate for ten years, six months, and four days, you drank from the cup of martyrdom at the age of 63.
At the time of his martyrdom, people asked Hazrat Umar, “O Commander of the Faithful, give some final instructions and also choose someone for the caliphate.” On this occasion, Hazrat Umar Farooq stated, “For the caliphate, I consider these six companions worthy, with whom the Messenger of Allah was pleased when he left this world.” Then he named the six companions: Hazrat Uthman, Hazrat Ali, Hazrat Talha, Hazrat Zubayr, Hazrat Abdurrahman ibn Awf, and Hazrat Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas. “Choose whomever you wish from among these six companions.” (See Tarikh al-Khulafa)
The Date of Martyrdom of Hazrat Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA)
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In recent years, a new narrative has been presented regarding the death anniversary of Hazrat Umar Farooq (RA), claiming that the second Caliph’s day of death is the 1st of Muharram. The historical books from which these narrations are being used for argumentation rarely adhered to citing a chain of narration (sanad), so there is no strong evidence for the position that his day of martyrdom is the 1st of Muharram. Furthermore, in authentic history books, most narrations do not state his day of martyrdom as the 1st of Muharram, but rather three or four days before the end of the month of Dhul Hijjah in the year 23 AH. This is a matter of scholarly difference, but even within it, narrations regarding the date of 1st Muharram are few, while narrations about Dhul Hijjah are numerous. The following references reflect this:
- Ibn Sa’d (d. 230 AH) in Tabaqat (Vol. 3, p. 123, Nafees Academy Karachi) under the heading “The Duration of Hazrat Umar’s Caliphate” writes:
Imam Muhammad ibn Sa’d (d. 230 AH) states in Al-Tabaqat Al-Kubra:
قال: أخبرنا عمرو بن عاصم الكلابي قال: أخبرنا همام بن يحيى قال: أخبرنا قتادة أن عمر بن الخطاب طعن يوم الأربعاء ومات يوم الخميس. رحمه الله.
قال: أخبرنا محمد بن عمر قال: حدثني أبو بكر بن إسماعيل بن محمد بن سعد عن أبيه قال: طعن عمر بن الخطاب يوم الأربعاء لأربع ليال بقين من ذي الحجة سنة ثلاث وعشرين ودفن يوم الأحد صباح هلال المحرم سنة أربع وعشرين.
Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d 3/287
“Abu Bakr ibn Ismail ibn Muhammad ibn Sa’d narrated from his father that Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) was stabbed on Wednesday, the 26th of Dhul Hijjah, 23 AH, and was buried on Sunday morning, the 1st of Muharram, 24 AH. The pledge of allegiance was given to Uthman ibn Affan (RA) on Monday, the 3rd of Muharram. When I narrated this to Uthman ibn Muhammad al-Akhnasi, he said, ‘I think you have made a mistake. Umar (RA) passed away on the 26th of Dhul Hijjah, and the pledge of allegiance was given to Uthman (RA) on Monday, the 29th of Dhul Hijjah.'” - Ibn Qutaybah al-Dinawari (d. 276 AH) writes in his book Al-Ma’arif (p. 225, Qirtas Printers Karachi):
“(After Hajj) when he came to Madinah, Fairuz Abu Lu’lu’a, the slave of Mughira ibn Shu’ba, carried out a fatal attack on you on Monday, 26th Dhul Hijjah, 23 AH. According to Al-Waqidi’s narration, Umar was wounded on Wednesday, 23rd Dhul Hijjah. He remained alive for three days and passed away on the 26th of Dhul Hijjah… According to Ibn Ishaq’s statement, the duration of his caliphate was ten years, six months, and five nights.” - The historian of Islam, Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (d. 310 AH), writes in his famous history Tarikh al-Umam wa’l-Muluk, known as Tarikh al-Tabari (Vol. 3, Part 1, p. 217):
“He passed away on Wednesday night, the 27th of Dhul Hijjah, 23 AH, and his funeral was held on Wednesday morning.”
Further on, Tabari also references the narration from Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d and adds:
“According to Abu Ma’shar’s narration, Hazrat Umar (RA) was martyred on Wednesday, the 26th of Dhul Hijjah, 23 AH. The duration of his caliphate was ten years, six months, and four days.” - Imam al-Dhahabi (RA) wrote that Sayyiduna Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred on a Wednesday, when three or four days of Dhul Hijjah were remaining, in the year twenty-three Hijri. At that time, his noble age was sixty-three (63) years.
https://archive.org/stream/waq58143/58143#page/n634 - Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 AH) mentioned the martyrdom of Hazrat Umar (RA) in the events of 23 AH in “Al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Umam wa’l-Muluk” (Vol. 4, p. 329, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon).
Furthermore, Imam Ibn al-Jawzi (RA) wrote in “Manaqib Umar (RA)”:
On Wednesday, the twenty-sixth of Dhul Hijjah, 23 AH, a fatal attack was made on him, and he was buried on Sunday, the first of Muharram, twenty-four Hijri. The duration of his caliphate was ten years, five months, and twenty-one days.
“طعن عمر رضي الله عنه يوم الأربعاء لأربع ليالٍ بقين من ذي الحجة سنة ثلاث وعشرين، ودفن يوم الأحد صباح هلال المحرم سنة أربع وعشرين، فكانت ولايته عشر سنين وخمسة أشهر وإحدى وعشرين ليلة”
https://archive.org/stream/manaqibOmar/book1#page/n691 - Imam Abu al-Hasan Ali, ‘Izz al-Din Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari (d. 630 AH)
وقال ابن الاثير في اسد الغابة :
توفي عُمَر لأربع ليال بقين من ذي الحجة، وبويع عثمان يَوْم الأثنين لليلة بقيت من ذي الحجة.
Sayyiduna Umar (RA) passed away when four nights of Dhul Hijjah were remaining, i.e., on the 26th of Dhul Hijjah, and the pledge of allegiance was given to Sayyiduna Uthman (RA) on Monday when one night of Dhul Hijjah was remaining.
Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari (d. 630 AH), in his book on the lives of the Companions, Usd al-Ghaba (Part 5, Vol. 2, p. 662), writes in the account of Hazrat Umar (RA):
“When Umar ibn al-Khattab returned from Mina, he stopped at Batha and made a pile of pebbles there, spread a corner of his cloak on it, rested his head, raised both hands towards the sky, and made this prayer: ‘O Allah, I have grown old, my strength has weakened, and my intellect has slowed down, so O Allah, take me to Yourself.’ After this, the month of Dhul Hijjah had not even passed when he was wounded and passed away.”
Further in the account, he also references the same narration from Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d that is mentioned above. - Allamah al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH) in Tahdhib Tahdhib al-Kamal (Vol. 7, p. 76, No. 4928, Al-Farooq Al-Hadithiyyah lil-Tiba’ah wa’l-Nashr, Cairo, Egypt) writes:
“He possessed numerous virtues. His caliphate lasted for ten and a half years, and his martyrdom occurred four or three days before the end of Dhul Hijjah, in the 23rd year of Hijra. His funeral prayer was led by Suhayb ibn Sinan, and he was buried in the Prophet’s chamber.”
Ibn Hajar writes the same in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib (Vol. 7, p. 441, Dar al-Kitab al-Islami, Cairo, Egypt). - Allamah al-Dhahabi, in his book on the death years of famous individuals, “Al-‘Ibar fi Khabar man Ghabar” (Vol. 1, p. 20, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon), mentions the martyrdom of Hazrat Umar (RA) in the year 23 AH and writes that his martyrdom occurred three or four days before the end of Dhul Hijjah.
- Ibn Kathir (d. 774 AH), in his world-renowned “Al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya,” also known as Tarikh Ibn Kathir (Vol. 7, p. 186), has recorded all these opinions and the differing narrations about his date of martyrdom. On the same page, he writes:
“Ibn Jarir’s statement is that it was related to me through Hisham ibn Muhammad that Hazrat Umar (RA) was martyred when three nights of Dhul Hijjah of 23 AH were remaining, and his caliphate lasted for ten years, six months, and four days. And Sayf has narrated from Khulayd ibn Farwah and Mujalid that Hazrat Uthman became the Caliph on the 3rd of Muharram and he came out and led the people in the Asr prayer. And Ali ibn Muhammad al-Madaini from Sharik from al-A’mash or Jabir al-Ju’fi from Awf ibn Malik al-Ashja’i, from Amir ibn Muhammad from the elders of his tribe have narrated, and Uthman ibn Abdurrahman has narrated from al-Zuhri that Hazrat Umar (RA) was wounded on a Wednesday when seven nights of Dhul Hijjah were remaining, but the first statement is more famous.”
It should be noted that in one narration the narrator Mujalid (Mujalid ibn Sa’id) and in the other Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ju’fi are weak. - Allamah Ibn Khaldun (d. 808 AH) in Tarikh Ibn Khaldun (Vol. 2, p. 307) writes:
“After being wounded, he continuously engaged in the remembrance of Allah until he passed away on the night of Wednesday, Dhul Hijjah 23 AH, after ten years and six months of his caliphate.” - Hafiz Ibn Hajar (d. 852 AH), in his renowned book on the biographies of narrators, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Vol. 1, p. 658, No. 4888), under the entry for Hazrat Umar (RA), writes:
“Providence had bestowed many qualities upon his personality. He was martyred in Dhul Hijjah 23 AH and remained the Caliph for 10 years and six months.” - Jalaluddin al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH), in his book Tarikh al-Khulafa (p. 254, Ministry of Awqaf, Qatar), writes that his martyrdom occurred when four days were left in Dhul Hijjah, and his burial took place on the 1st of Muharram.
It is noteworthy that all historians agree on the duration of Hazrat Umar’s (RA) caliphate: ten years, six months, and four days. The day of death of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA) is the 22nd of Jumada al-Thani, 13 AH. By this calculation, the day of death of Hazrat Umar (RA) would be the 27th of Dhul Hijjah, 23 AH.
Regarding the day of death of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA), the opinions are as follows:
- Ibn Sa’d (Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3, pp. 38/39): Abu Bakr (RA) passed away in the early hours of Tuesday night, on the 22nd of Jumada al-Akhir (Jumada al-Thani), 13 AH.
- Al-Tabari (Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 4, p. 198) writes that in the same year (13 AH), Abu Bakr passed away on the 22nd or 23rd of Jumada al-Akhir… but one statement is that Abu Bakr passed away on Monday, the 22nd of Jumada al-Akhir, at the age of 63… Furthermore, Tabari writes that another narration suggests that the cause of Abu Bakr’s (RA) illness was that he bathed on Monday, the 7th of Jumada al-Akhir. It was very cold that day, which caused him to develop a fever that lasted for fifteen days… Abu Bakr (RA) passed away on Tuesday evening, on the 22nd of Jumada al-Akhir, 13 AH.
- Allamah al-Dhahabi (Al-‘Ibar, Vol. 1, p. 13) writes that Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA) passed away eight days before the start of Dhul Qa’dah.
- Ibn al-Athir (Usd al-Ghaba, Vol. 2, p. 320) writes that Abu Bakr (RA) passed away on a Friday in Jumada al-Akhirah, 13 AH… and some people have said that it was on Tuesday, the 22nd of Jumada al-Akhirah.
The total reign of Hazrat Umar (RA) spanned 10 years, 6 months, and 4 days. If we calculate from the day of Hazrat Abu Bakr’s (RA) death and Hazrat Umar’s (RA) pledge of allegiance, his day of death is the 26th of Dhul Hijjah. If someone argues that this is the date he was attacked and wounded, his day of martyrdom is still not the 1st of Muharram, because the majority of historians agree that his martyrdom occurred three days after he was wounded. In that case, his day of martyrdom would be the 29th of Dhul Hijjah.
A prominent contemporary historian, Ali ibn Muhammad al-Sallabi, writes in his book “Fasl al-Khitab fi Sirat Ibn al-Khattab Amir al-Mu’minin Umar ibn al-Khattab”:
قال الذهبي: “استشهد يوم الأربعاء لأربع أو ثلاث بقين من ذي الحجة، سنة ثلاث وعشرين من الهجرة، وهو ابن ثلاث وستين سنة على الصحيح (التهذيب)
Al-Dhahabi said: “He was martyred on Wednesday, with four or three days remaining in Dhul Hijjah, in the year twenty-three of the Hijra, and he was sixty-three years old according to the correct view (Al-Tahdhib).”
Imam Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Husayn al-Bayhaqi (d. 458 AH), in “Al-Sunan al-Kubra” (Vol. 8, p. 258), after narrating a sermon of Sayyiduna Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him), states:
” وَمَاتَ يَوْمَ الْأَرْبِعَاءِ لِأَرْبَعٍ بَقِينَ مِنْ ذِي الْحِجَّةِ “
“Meaning, Sayyiduna Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred on Wednesday, the twenty-sixth of Dhul Hijjah.”
The Soundest Opinion Regarding the Martyrdom
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From the perspective of the chain of narration (isnad), the most superior narration is the following:
Imam Muhammad ibn Sa’d (d. 230 AH) states in Al-Tabaqat Al-Kubra:
قال: أخبرنا عمرو بن عاصم الكلابي قال: أخبرنا همام بن يحيى قال: أخبرنا قتادة أن عمر بن الخطاب طعن يوم الأربعاء ومات يوم الخميس. رحمه الله.
“Sayyiduna Umar (RA) ibn al-Khattab was attacked on a Wednesday and drank the cup of martyrdom on a Thursday.”
And on which date of Dhul Hijjah did this Wednesday and Thursday fall? According to Ibn al-Athir (may Allah have mercy on him):
قال ابن الاثير في اسد الغابة :
توفي عُمَر لأربع ليال بقين من ذي الحجة، وبويع عثمان يَوْم الأثنين لليلة بقيت من ذي الحجة.
“Sayyiduna Umar (RA) passed away when four nights of Dhul Hijjah were remaining, i.e., on the 26th of Dhul Hijjah, and the pledge of allegiance was given to Sayyiduna Uthman (RA) on Monday when one night of Dhul Hijjah was remaining.”
Therefore, the correct date of martyrdom is the 26th or 27th of Dhul Hijjah.
Promoting the day of martyrdom of Hazrat Umar (RA) as the 1st of Muharram is a view held by those belonging to a specific ideology and school of thought. Its purpose is to divert the attention of the general public from the great tragedy that occurred in Muharram, the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (RA).
The Death of Hazrat Abdullah ibn Umar (RA)
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For this, an incident involving Imam al-Dhahabi’s (may Allah have mercy on him) account of his truthfulness and fearlessness is necessary:
A tyrannical and sinful figure in the Muslim Ummah, infamous by the name of Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi, who, due to his hard-heartedness, brutally martyred more than sixty thousand esteemed Muslims. According to some historians, this tyrant martyred twenty thousand great Companions and forty thousand Tabi’in (successors).
Where this tyrant martyred esteemed Companions like Abdullah ibn Zubayr, Anas ibn Malik, and Abdullah ibn Umar, he also martyred the great jurist of Madinah, Sa’id ibn Jubayr.
Once, the tyrant Hajjaj was delivering a sermon in the House of Allah (the Kaaba) when Abdullah ibn Umar stood up and declared: “The enemy of Allah has made the sacred (haram) permissible (halal), ruined the House of Allah, and killed the friends of Allah.”
Hajjaj had also said in his sermon: “Abdullah ibn Zubayr has altered the Book of Allah.”
In response, Hazrat Ibn Umar said: “You lie! Neither Ibn Zubayr can alter the Book of Allah, nor can you.”
Hajjaj said: “You are a decrepit old man.”
Janab Abdullah replied: “Even if you were to become young again, I would remain as I am.”
From this incident, the tyrant Hajjaj became inwardly resentful of Ibn Umar, but he could not harm him openly. Therefore, this wretched man diplomatically prepared a man, and that tyrant struck your foot with a poison-laced arrow while you (RA) were engaged in the circumambulation (Tawaf) of the Kaaba. Consequently, from the poison of that arrow, you departed from this mortal world to the Highest Companion in the year 74 AH.
(Tadhkirat al-Huffaz)
Muhammad Ishaq
ھٰذٙا مٙا عِنْدِی وٙاللہُ تٙعٙالیٰ اٙعْلٙمْ بِالصّٙوٙاب
This is what I know, and Allah the Almighty knows best what is correct.
وَالسَّــــــــلاَم عَلَيــْـــــــكُم وَرَحْمَــــــــــةُاللهِ وَبَرَكـَـــــــــاتُه
And peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
