MEDINA — Islamic tradition holds that Hazrat Omar ibn al-Khattab, the second caliph of Islam, delivered an important address to the people of Medina after an earthquake struck the city during his rule.
The account is narrated by Safiyya bint Abi Ubaid al-Thaqafi, the wife of Abdullah ibn Omar. She said the caliph addressed the residents of Medina after the tremor.
According to the narration in Musnad Ahmad, Omar said: “O people! What is this! How quickly you have brought something new? If something like this happens again, you will not find me in Medina; I will leave Medina.”
The account notes that no earthquake occurred during the rule of the Prophet Muhammad or of Abu Bakr. Omar therefore saw the quake as a “new event” and a possible warning. He believed it might have happened because of some sin or negligence on the part of the people of Medina, and so he urged himself and Muslims to be cautious.
According to scholars, his statement shows that a believer should regard natural disasters as a warning from Allah, and through self-criticism should try to increase good deeds.
Omar was one of the closest and most respected companions of the Prophet Muhammad. Several hadiths place his standing among the companions as the highest after Abu Bakr. In a narration from Wahb al-Suwai, Ali is reported to have said: “After the Prophet, the greatest of this Ummah is Abu Bakr, then Omar.” (Musnad Ahmad)
After the Prophet’s death in 632 AD, the companions unanimously appointed Abu Bakr as the first caliph. After a caliphate of only two years, Abu Bakr fell ill in 634 AD and, on his deathbed, nominated Omar as his successor. Omar later became a uniquely influential ruler in Islamic history through his administration, judicial system, statecraft and wide-ranging military conquests.
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