This area at the foot of Mount Safa was the approximate area where Daarul Arqam (House of Arkam) was located. It was here, in the initial period of Islam, that the Prophet (saw) secretly preached Islam.
The house belonged to a Sahabi named Arqam bin Abu Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him). For some time after the Prophet (saw) proclaimed his Prophecy, this house was the secret center of proliferation. It was here that Muslims gathered to perform their salat and learn about Islam. Since it was a short walk from the Kaaba and its noisy crowd, the pagans living nearby did not notice the many people who gathered there.
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Daarul Arqam was also known as Daarul Khaizaraan. It was here that the following verse was revealed from surah al-Anfal: “O Prophet, Allah is enough for you and for those who follow you among the believers.” [Quran 8:64]
When Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to take his shahadah (declaration of Islamic faith), he asked Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him) where he would find the Prophet (saw). Hearing about his desire to accept Islam, Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him) exclaimed: “Umar, I hope that Allah chose you through the prayers of His Prophet, whom I heard yesterday, I pray:“ O Allah, strengthen Islam with Abu Hakam (Abu Jahal), the son of Hisham, or with Umar, the son of Khattab! “. “Oh Khabbab,” said Umar, “where will Muhammad now be so that I can go to him and convert to Islam?” Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him) told him that he was in the house of Arqam near the Safah gate with many of his companions.
Umar went to Safa, knocked on the door of the house and said who he was. Sahabah was warned that he would come, but they were struck by the reserved tone of his voice. One of the companions went to the door, looked through the gap and returned in some confusion. “O Messenger of Allah,” he said, “this is indeed Umar, and he is dressed with his sword.” “Let him come in,” said Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him). “If he came with good intentions, we will give him many good deeds; and if his intention is evil, we will kill him with our sword. ” The Prophet (saw) agreed that he should be received, and, coming to meet him, he grabbed his belt and dragged him to the middle of the room. saying: “What brings you here, O son of Khattab? I cannot see how you refuse until Allah brings disaster upon you. ” “O Messenger of Allah,” said Umar, “I came to you to declare my faith in Allah and in his Messenger and in what he brought from Allah.” “Allah-Akbar!”, The Prophet said in such a way that every man and woman in the house knew that Umar entered Islam; and they all rejoiced.
Since the courage and valour of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) were recognized by all, it was after his conversion to Islam that Muslims began to performing salah open, and Islam was spread publicly.
Location In Map
Source: Muhammad – Martin Lings, Virtues of Hajj – Sheikh Zakariyya Kandhalvi