At first, Umar RA was one of the biggest enemies of Islam. He hated the Prophet PBUH and planned to kill him. On the way to the house of the Prophet PBUH, he met someone who told him that his own sister and her husband had become Muslim. Full of anger, he went to their house instead and started to hit her husband, hurting his own sister by accident. Full of regret at making his sister bleed, he asked her to show him some verses of the Quran. He immediately became gripped with the fear of Allah SWT and became a Muslim. From then on, he became one of the greatest Muslims to have lived, and has been promised Paradise by the Prophet PBUH.

Umar RA was well known for being a courageous man. After he converted, he used his power and reputation as a strong and fearless warrior for the benefit of Islam. Rather than hiding his conversion from the Makkans, he publicly announced himself a Muslim. No one dared to go against him. Because of this, the Muslims gained the courage to come out of hiding and began to pray in public at the Kabah. This was the beginning of a great change in the Ummah at that time.

The Prophet PBUH gave Umar RA the title of Al-Faruq, which means one who tells right from wrong, or truth from lies. Umar RA was also fearless on the battlefield. He fought by the side of the Prophet PBUH in many battles.

As Muslims we should be proud to be Muslims and not be ashamed of it. If anyone asks us questions about Islam, we should give them as much information as we can. For example, if you are a girl, you should wear the hijab with pride and happiness, and if someone was to ask you about the hijab then you should know why you wear the scarf and be able to answer their questions.

Umar RA was a firm believer in truth. Once, Umar RA went in disguise to check on the wellbeing of the people under his rule on the outskirts of Medina. He passed by a small hut owned by a poor family, and overheard a mother and daughter talking to each other. The mother was trying to convince her daughter to mix water with their milk so that they could earn more money when they sold it. But the daughter refused and said that it was wrong to trick other Muslims, and that Allah SWT is watching them. The following day, Umar RA sent a man to buy some milk from the girl and was glad to find that she had not mixed the milk with water. She had done the right and truthful thing. He was so impressed by the girl’s character that he chose his youngest son to marry the poor girl.

Umar RA was also known for leading a very simple life without having lots of money and pleasures. Umar’s clothes were known to have as many as twelve patches on them. He did not mind wearing clothes with torn sleeves or hems. This is because he believed the pleasures in the Hereafter would be much greater than those in this world. He ate the simplest of foods. During the year of the drought, Umar RA refused to eat meat, butter and many other foods so that he could feel the calamity of the Ummah.