64 In tlH fWfJltPI of Ibt PropiNl
been reciting. They both denied the fact, but Umar insisted that he defi-
nitely had heard them reciting a text. They refused to discuss th e matter,
which caused Umar's anger to nare. H e sprang to his brother-in-law to
strike him, and when his sister tried to intervene, he struck her, causing
blood to gush out. T he sight. of blood on his sister's face produced an
immediate effect and Umar stopped short. At that very mo ment, his sister
exclaimed with spirit: "Yes, indeed, we are M uslims and we believe in God
and His Messenger, As fo r you, you can now do as you please!"] Umar was
taken aback; he was torn between rem orse at having hurt his sister and
bewilderment at the news he had just received. He asked his sister to give
him the text they had been reading when he arrived. His sister demanded
that he should first perfo rm ablutions to purify himself. Sobered but still
upset, Umar accepted, performed ablutions, then started readlng:
Ta, ha. We have not scnt down the Quran to you to [cause] your distress,
but only as an admonition fo r those who fl:ar [GodJ. A Revelatio n from
rUm who created the earth and the heavens on high. The Most Gracious
is firmly established on the throne. To Him belongs what is in the heavens
and on earth, and all berween them, and all beneath the soil. Whether l or
not] rou speak aloud, verily He knows what is secret and what is yet more
hidden. He is God! There is no God but Him! To Him belong the most
beautiful names.^2Those were the first verses, and Vmar went on reading the rest of the
text, which was an account of God's call to :Moses o n Mount Sinai, until
he reached this verse:
Verily, I am God: there is no God but I: so serve I\le, and establish regular
prayer for i\Iy remembrance.^3Umar then stopped reading and expressed his enthusiasm about the
beaut)' and no bleness of those words. Khabbab, encouraged by Umar's
apparem good disposition, then came out of his hiding place and
informed him that he had heard the Prophet praying to God to grant his
community support through the conversion of Abu al-H akam o r of
Umar ibn al-Kharrab.^4 Umar asked him where Muhammad was, and when
to ld he was at al-Arqam's dwelling place, Umar went there. \X' hen he