Umar's ignorance about interpretation of Quran

It is narrated from Abu Saeed Khudri that: “I performed Hajj in the company of Umar bin Khattab. When he was circumambulating Kaaba, he addressed Hajar al-Aswad: ‘No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit anyone nor harm anyone. Had I not seen Allah’s Apostle kissing you, I would not have kissed you.’

Then he kissed it. Ali Ibne Abi Talib said: ‘On the contrary, it gives benefits and harm, if you only knew from the interpretation of Book of Almighty Allah, in which He says:

“And when your Lord brought forth from the children of Adam, from their backs, their descendants, and made them bear witness against their own souls.”  (Surah Araaf 7:172 )


Then when they confessed that He is the Lord and they are servants, He wrote their covenant on a white sheet and placed it in the mouth of this stone. Indeed, on Judgment Day, this stone will be raised and it would be having a pair of eyes, tongue and lips; and it will testify in favor of those, who honored the covenant.

Thus, on the basis of Quran, this stone is the trustee of Almighty Allah.’ Umar said: ‘O Abul Hasan, may God not keep me alive in the land, where you are not present.’”

 It is mentioned in another version that he said: “O Abul Hasan, I seek refuge of God from living in a nation, in which you are not present.”

(Mustadrak Alas Saheehain, 1:457 [1/628, H. 1682]; Tareekh Umar bin Khattab, Ibne Jauzi, 106 [Pg. 115]; Kanzul Ummaal, 3:35 [5/177, H. 12521]; Sharh Nahjul Balagha, 3:122 [12/100, Sermon 223])

Umar did not know the meaning of ‘Abb’ (َأَبًّا)

Anas bin Malik says: Umar recited the following verse from the pulpit:

“Then We cause to grow therein the grain, and grapes and clover, and the olive and the palm, and thick gardens, and fruits and herbage” (Surah Abasa 80:27-31)


Then he said: “I know meaning of all these terms, but what is this ‘Abb’?” Then he left the staff he was holding and said: “My God, this is a duty and what is the problem if you don’t know the meaning of ‘Abb’?

Follow that whose guidance is clear to you from Quran and act upon it, and leave the knowledge of what you don’t know to Almighty Allah.” It is narrated from Thabit that a man asked Umar about the term of ‘abb’ in the verse:  َ

وَفَاكِهَةً وَأَبًّا

“And fruits and herbage”     (Surah Abasa 80:3)

Umar replied: We are forbidden from excessive precaution and to penetrate deeply. This tradition is also narrated in different words.

(This report is mentioned in Hakeem in Mustadrak Alas Saheehain, 2:514 [2/559, H. 3897]; Zamakhshari in Kashaf, 3:253 [4/704]; Suyuti in Durre Mansoor, 6:317 [8/421]; Kanzul Ummaal, 1:227 [2/328, H. 4154])

Ibne Hajar says in Fathul Bari: “It is said: ‘Abb’ is not an Arabic term. And it is supported by the fact that its meaning was unknown to the like of Abu Bakr and Umar.” 

Fathul Bari, 13:230 [13/270-272]

Umar’s ignorance about Quran

Hafiz Abdur Razzaq Abad bin Hamid and Ibne Mudhir have narrated through their chains of narrators from Dauli that:

A woman was brought to Umar, who had delivered a child after six months of pregnancy and Umar ordered her to be stoned to death. Her sister came to Ali Ibne Abi Talib and said:

 “Umar wants to stone my sister to death. I adjure you by God that if there is any excuse for her, let me know.”

Ali  said: “There is an excuse for her.” So the woman recited: “God is the greatest (Takbeer),” which Umar and those around him heard. Then she came to Umar and said: “Ali believes that I have an excuse for my sister.” Umar sent someone to Ali  and asked what the excuse was. Ali  replied: Allah Almighty says:

"And the mothers should suckle their children for two whole years…”     (Surah Baqarah 2:233)                                        

And also says:
 “And the bearing of him and the weaning of him was thirty months.” (Surah Ahqaf 46:15)

And God says:                          
“And his weaning takes two years.”  (Surah Luqman 31:14)
 
Now, even if we keep aside this report, it can be concluded that the period of pregnancy in the verse:  َ

"And the bearing of him and the weaning of him was thirty months.”  (Surah Ahqaf 46:15)
 
…is supposed to be six months, [because, the period of weaning is 24 months and subtracting this from thirty months, six months remain.

At this point Umar released that woman.

The narrator says: After that we came to know that the woman delivered another child after six months’ pregnancy

(Al-Musannaf, [7/350, H. 13444])