Perfect Iman (Faith)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Omar Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, started out as a great enemy of Islam but his life changed one day.

One day he set out to kill the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, but was stopped on his way and told that his own sister and her husband had accepted Islam. Enraged, he marched to his sister’s house and upon arrival he attacked both his sister and her husband, causing the sister to bleed. His sister accepted any punishment from her brother but would not give up Islam. This made Omar very curious and he asked for the verses that he heard her sister recited when he came. His sister insisted that he first cleanse himself before reading the verses of the Qur'an. Omar agreed and after having purified himself, he read the the verses (which was the first few verses of Surah TaHa of the Qur'an.) These verses opened his heart to the Truth. Omar submitted to Allah and went to pledge his allegiance to the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace.

One day Omar was walking with the Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, held Omar's hand and asked him how much he loved the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Omar answered that he loved the Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, more than his wealth, his parents, his wife and children. Then the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked him whether his love for the Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was more than the love he had for himself. Omar became quiet, answering in the negative (not sure whether the hadith actually relates his silence as being the negative answer or whether he actually answered). The Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, became quiet and let go of Omar's hand.

Later when Omar went home he thought about whether he did love the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, more than himself. When the answer came to him, he rushed to the Prophet’s mosque. Upon seeing the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, he declared that he did love the Prophet more than himself. He told the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, that it was the blessing from Allah that the Prophet was sent as a mercy to guide the non-believers and save them from the Hellfire.

Omar continued saying that "I am nothing without you’re guidance, I would have been doomed and destroyed had Allah not sent you to guide me so I have to love you more than myself". The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, smiled and embraced Omar confirming that today his Imaan (faith) has become perfect.

Allah Most High says,

قُلْ إِن كَانَ ءَابَآؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَآؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ وَأَزْوَٰجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَٰلٌ ٱقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَـٰرَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَـٰكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَآ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ ٱللَّـهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَجِهَادٍ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ فَتَرَبَّصُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِىَ ٱللَّـهُ بِأَمْرِهِۦ ۗ وَٱللَّـهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَ ﴿٢٤

Say, [O Muhammad], "If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people."

[Qur'an At-Tawba 9:24]

May Allah increase our Iman and make our love for Him and His Messenger above all else. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam