Pause,
and get to know the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures!
A new challenge: Who am I?
I am one of the Companions and an early champion of Islam,
and among the brave Muslims who set the finest examples of sacrifice and loyalty to this faith.
My kunya is Abu 'Aqil, and my lineage traces back to the famous Arab tribe of Bali.
I was an ally of the Aws in Medina,
and thus became one of the Ansar through my alliance with them.
I took part in Badr and the subsequent battles alongside the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
I was eager to give and spend in the path of Allah,
despite my poverty and meager means.
One day, the Prophet (peace be upon him) called upon the people to equip the army for an expedition,
so I went out and spent the entire day drawing and hauling water,
earning two sa's of grain from it.
I left one sa' for my family,
and presented the second sa' to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to help equip the army.
After the death of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
I set out for the Ridda Wars with the army of Khalid Ibn al-Walid, may Allah be pleased with him.
In the Battle of al-Yamama, I was severely wounded;
an arrow struck my chest,
lodged between my shoulder blades,
and paralyzed my left arm.
So I reached for the arrow with my other hand,
tore it out with all my might,
and stood firm to fight.
Yet, owing to heavy blood loss,
my strength failed me,
and I collapsed on the spot.
The Muslims carried me
and placed me in a tent at the edge of the battlefield.
When the fighting grew fierce,
the Muslim ranks wavered,
and Musaylimah was on the verge of victory,
I heard al-Bara' Ibn Malik al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) calling out:
"Where are you, O assembly of the Ansar?
Come to me!
Come to me!"
Then, through a slit in the tent, I saw
Ma'n Ibn 'Adi al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him,
breaking his sword's scabbard and charging to the front ranks,
shouting at the top of his voice:
"For Allah! For Allah, O assembly of the Ansar!
Charge again, charge against your enemy!"
So I rose to answer the call,
dragging myself despite my wounds.
'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, saw me
and said to me,
"Where are you going, Abu 'Aqil?
What do you intend to do?"
I said to him,
"Did you not hear al-Bara' Ibn Malik and Ma'n Ibn 'Adi calling out?"
He said,
"They did not call you by name,
nor did they specify anyone in particular,
and their call was not meant for the wounded."
I said to him,
"They are calling the Ansar,
and I am one of them,
and I must answer them, even if I have to crawl."
So I took the sword in my right hand
and began calling out:
"O people of the Ansar!
Charge, like the charge of Hunayn!
Charge, like the charge of Hunayn!"
The Ansar gathered and closed their ranks,
and the Muslims advanced, fighting selflessly,
until they drove Musaylimah and his men into the Garden of Death,
where they met their end.
During the fighting, my arm was severed from the shoulder,
and I sustained fourteen wounds,
all of them mortal.
I fell onto the battlefield with barely a breath of life remaining.
'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar was watching me from afar,
so he came over to me and said,
"O uncle!"
I asked him,
"Who has been defeated?"
He replied,
"Rejoice!
The enemy of Allah and the enemy of His Messenger—
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—
Musaylimah, has been killed!"
So I raised my finger to the sky,
praising Allah, the Exalted and Majestic,
and then breathed my last as a martyr
at the Battle of al-Yamama.
So, who am I?
Share your answers with us in the comments below the video,
and we will pin the correct answer in the comments
when the next episode is released,
if Allah wills.