he, the speaker, used the most effective method of speech to...
he, the speaker, used the
most effective method of speech to persuade his listeners to believe
Umar had sparked hope in their hearts that the Prophet was still
He put fear in the hearts of the Muslims by telling them that the
Prophet would come to amputate the hands and legs of those who
Furthermore, Umar threatened them by saying: "I will cut off the neck
of anyone who says: Allah's Messenger died."
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Fear and hope were the tools that Umar used to control the nerves of
the Muslims. Because of the people's great love for the Prophet the
call to refuse accepting his death, easily found its way into their minds. Hence, no one objected to Umar and the belief that the Messenger
had not died; this overtook all other news. The Muslims lived several hours in total suspense and confusion. They
were prevented from believing in the Prophet's death until Abu Bakr
returned from a nearby village. As soon as Abu Bakr returned, he proceeded towards the prophet's
house and uncovered his face to make sure that he was actually dead. He then went to the Mosque and found Umar still stating that the
Prophet had not died. Abu Bakr ordered Umar to sit down; Umar
refused until he ordered him three times; yet, Umar still refused. Thus,
Abu Bakr stood in another corner of the Mosque and addressed the
people: "He who worships Muhammad should be informed that
Muhammad has died. He who worships Allah should know that Allah is
Abu Bakr then recited the following verse: "Muhammad is no more
than a Prophet: many were the Apostles that passed away before him. If he died or was slain, will ye then turn back your heels?"
When the Muslims heard this, they submitted to the fact... Even Umar
believed that he had actually died, and as Umar himself said: "I only
believed that he died after I had made sure that the verse was from the
Abu Bakr and Umar's story was sad!! Right?! Yet even the simplest
minds cannot be convinced that these events can be plainly
Umar shouts, swears, threatens those who say that the Messenger of
Allah has actually died... But when Abu Bakr recites a verse from the
Quran-which Umar himself did not recognize!!-the later suddenly
collapses; and believes that Muhammad really died!! How did Umar know that the Prophet will not die until his religion
reigns over all other religions?!
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