How many Omars have we written off?

How many Omars have we written off?

It takes time to change. When the Prophet (pbuh) first invited his extended family to call them to Islam, both his uncles Hamza and al-Abbas (ra) were present. They did not accept his message at that time. Yet when they did, they were of the best.

But they never hated the Prophet (pbuh) either, so it might not be a shock that they became Muslim. Omar bin al-Khattab, on the other hand, was not the most obvious candidate to become Muslim - at least not on the outside. It was said that the donkey of Omar's father would become Muslim before Omar did - that's how impossible it seemed!

Yet Omar became the best advocate for Islam. He was on the way to murder the Prophet (pbuh) and then became his biggest defender. He was of the ten promised Paradise, and his legacy lives on to this day.

How many Omars are in our midst, that we have written off?

I know a man who was a proud atheist. And he was not just an atheist, but he looked down upon religion. He thought science and religion were polar opposites, and science trumped faith.

This man grew up in a Muslim society, but he didn’t know how to pray. He was once embarrassed because an influential person in the community asked him to lead the prayer and he didn’t know how (it’s best that he didn’t since he didn’t believe anyway!)

Slowly, he began to change. With the supplications and efforts of his loved ones, he started to soften towards the intellectual idea of God. He became humble. Then he started to pray. Then he began to gain knowledge. 

At 70 years old, he was taking members of his family who had gone astray, and teaching them Islam, and teaching them how to pray.

You wouldn’t have ever thought this had you met him at 20, or even 40. Guidance can come in a moment, in months, or in years. Khadijah and Abu Bakr accepted immediately. Suhayl bin Amr showed enmity for years. But he was guided eventually.

Allah guides whom He wills, and gives us all multiple opportunities to return. We should not assume that because someone is taking a particular position now, that they will never change. Al-Halim (the Forbearing) is patient with us and does not 'cancel' us after the first transgression or even the tenth, but continues to send us signs. We should extend this forbearance to others and continue to have hope in Allah.

Indeed, where would we be without His grace? How long did it take us (or is currently taking us) to accept and to submit?

It might be hard, and people can be frustrating. But Allah knows that, and that is why being patient with people is of greater reward than isolating oneself. It was reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said, "The believer who mixes with people and is patient with their harm has a greater reward than the believer who does not mix with people, nor is patient with their harm.” (Sunan Ibn Mājah)

We don't know who the next Omar may be. So don’t write off people. Give them time. Continue to pray and to teach even the one who seems the most distant. Allah can bring them back.