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In time
Summary
The first sermon Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him) delivered when he took over the caliphate, as collected by Ahmad Zaki Safwat in Jamharat Khutab al-Arab from al-Tabari's history, Ibn al-Athir's Kamil and Ibn Qutayba's Uyun al-Akhbar. 1
Details
When Umar was invested he mounted the pulpit and said: "I shall say words, so respond 'amen' to them" — the first utterance he made upon his accession — and he likened the affairs of the Arabs to a docile camel led by its halter while its driver watches where to set it, adding: "By God, were I leading the Ka'ba itself I would carry you onto the right path." 1
Ibn Qutayba in Uyun al-Akhbar adds that when Umar took office he ascended the pulpit, praised God, then said: "Recite the Qur'an and you will be known by it; act upon it and you will be among its people," and: "No man of truth may claim full obedience in disobedience to God." 1
Connections
- Mentions
- Medina
- Part of
- Jamharat Khutab al-Arab
People and things also explored
Abu Bakr's first sermon after the bay'a· Abu Bakr's sermon on the day of the Prophet's death· Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz's first sermon as caliph· Uthman ibn Affan's first sermon after the bay'a· Mosque of the Two Qiblas· Prophet's Mosque· The Sanctuary of Medina· Judaism in Arabia before Islam
Sources
- Jamharat Khutab al-Arab of Ahmad Zaki Safwat (1352/1933 printing) , p. 210
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Umar ibn al-Khattab's sermon on his accession”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/work/khutbat-umar-istikhilaf/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-01.