1 00:00:01,459 --> 00:00:04,459 Pause 2 00:00:04,459 --> 00:00:12,269 and get to know the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures. 3 00:00:12,269 --> 00:00:16,269 A new challenge: Who am I? 4 00:00:16,269 --> 00:00:23,120 I am one of the Companions from the tribe of Tayy. 5 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:28,120 I grew up in the desert, raised amidst its sands and mountains, 6 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:31,120 until I memorized its trails and barren lands, 7 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:34,119 as if I were one of its very children. 8 00:00:34,119 --> 00:00:36,119 I heard of Islam 9 00:00:36,119 --> 00:00:42,119 and of the delegations coming to Medina to pledge allegiance to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 10 00:00:42,119 --> 00:00:45,119 but I paid no heed to that, 11 00:00:45,119 --> 00:00:48,119 being preoccupied with raiding homes and tribes, 12 00:00:48,119 --> 00:00:51,119 stealing their livestock and wealth, 13 00:00:51,119 --> 00:00:54,119 and fleeing with it into the labyrinth of the desert, 14 00:00:54,119 --> 00:01:00,119 relying on my mastery of its conditions and pathways. 15 00:01:00,119 --> 00:01:02,119 Thus, horsemen feared pursuing me, 16 00:01:02,119 --> 00:01:06,120 dreading destruction in the desert from getting lost and dying of thirst. 17 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,120 As for me, 18 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:12,120 I used to drink from water I stored inside ostrich eggs, 19 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:17,120 which I buried in scattered locations throughout the vast wilderness. 20 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:21,120 Because of this, I became known among the people as the "Thief of the Desert." 21 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:28,500 The Prophet, peace be upon him, dispatched an expedition toward the land of Tayy, 22 00:01:28,500 --> 00:01:33,500 which included Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and senior figures among the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. 23 00:01:33,500 --> 00:01:37,500 When they reached the mountains of Tayy, they lost their way 24 00:01:37,500 --> 00:01:40,500 and feared perishing in those perilous wastes. 25 00:01:40,500 --> 00:01:44,500 So they sought an expert guide familiar with those deserts, 26 00:01:44,500 --> 00:01:47,500 and they found none better than me. 27 00:01:47,500 --> 00:01:50,500 They summoned me and took me as their guide, 28 00:01:50,500 --> 00:01:55,500 and I accompanied them on that journey for days and nights. 29 00:01:55,500 --> 00:02:00,500 I witnessed things about their conduct that made me pause and reflect upon their state: 30 00:02:00,500 --> 00:02:03,500 they were devoted worshipers by night, 31 00:02:03,500 --> 00:02:05,500 valiant knights by day, 32 00:02:05,500 --> 00:02:07,500 ascetic regarding this worldly life, 33 00:02:07,500 --> 00:02:10,500 yearning for Allah and the Hereafter. 34 00:02:10,500 --> 00:02:14,500 The one who caught my attention most among them was Abu Bakr; 35 00:02:14,500 --> 00:02:16,500 I stayed close to him, 36 00:02:16,500 --> 00:02:19,500 observing him without his noticing. 37 00:02:19,500 --> 00:02:21,500 When my mission with them came to an end, 38 00:02:21,500 --> 00:02:24,500 I came to al-Siddiq and said to him, 39 00:02:24,500 --> 00:02:28,500 "What should I do if I wish to become one of you and like you?" 40 00:02:28,500 --> 00:02:30,500 So he guided me to Islam, 41 00:02:30,500 --> 00:02:32,500 and I embraced Islam. 42 00:02:32,500 --> 00:02:35,500 After that dark past, 43 00:02:35,500 --> 00:02:38,500 I became a soldier among the soldiers of the Muslims. 44 00:02:38,500 --> 00:02:43,259 During the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, 45 00:02:43,259 --> 00:02:46,259 he sent word to Khalid ibn al-Walid, 46 00:02:46,259 --> 00:02:49,259 instructing him to march swiftly toward Damascus 47 00:02:49,259 --> 00:02:52,259 to aid the Muslim army there, 48 00:02:52,259 --> 00:02:55,259 which was on the verge of defeat and annihilation. 49 00:02:55,259 --> 00:02:59,259 Khalid sought a skilled, expert guide of the desert routes 50 00:02:59,259 --> 00:03:03,259 to show him the shortest path leading to the Levant. 51 00:03:03,259 --> 00:03:05,259 So I went to him 52 00:03:05,259 --> 00:03:07,259 and mentioned a shortcut to him, 53 00:03:07,259 --> 00:03:10,259 though there was no water along it 54 00:03:10,259 --> 00:03:13,259 until after a five-day march. 55 00:03:13,259 --> 00:03:16,259 I asked Khalid to bring twenty camels, 56 00:03:16,259 --> 00:03:18,259 take them to drink water 57 00:03:18,259 --> 00:03:21,259 until their bellies were full, 58 00:03:21,259 --> 00:03:24,259 and carry as much water on their backs as possible. 59 00:03:24,259 --> 00:03:26,259 They did so. 60 00:03:26,259 --> 00:03:29,259 Then I led them through that desert, 61 00:03:29,259 --> 00:03:32,259 and each day we would slaughter four camels; 62 00:03:32,259 --> 00:03:35,259 the beasts would drink from what was in their bellies, 63 00:03:35,259 --> 00:03:39,360 and the men would drink from what was carried on their backs. 64 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,360 On the morning of the sixth day, 65 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:44,360 I was afflicted with ophthalmia in my eyes, 66 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,360 and I could no longer see a thing, 67 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:50,360 while our water supply had run out. 68 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:53,360 The men were overcome with exhaustion and thirst, 69 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,360 so Khalid came to me and said, 70 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:58,360 "Where is the water?" 71 00:03:58,360 --> 00:03:59,360 I said to him, 72 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:02,360 "Do you see two hills resembling two breasts?" 73 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:04,360 Khalid looked and said, 74 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:05,360 "Yes." 75 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:07,360 I said to him, 76 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:11,360 "Search for a boxthorn tree in this vicinity." 77 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,360 They searched, but could not find it. 78 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:15,360 So I told them, 79 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:17,360 "Scour the ground thoroughly for it." 80 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:21,360 They searched diligently 81 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:24,360 and found it uprooted from its place, 82 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:26,360 with only its root remaining. 83 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:28,360 I told them, 84 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:30,360 "Dig beneath it." 85 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:32,360 Sweet water gushed forth from it, 86 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:35,360 with which Allah quenched the thirst of that army. 87 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:38,360 The Muslims praised Allah for that, 88 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:40,360 and I told them, 89 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:44,360 "I last passed by this place thirty years ago; 90 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:46,360 that was my knowledge of it." 91 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:50,220 People forgot the "Thief of the Desert" 92 00:04:50,220 --> 00:04:53,220 and came to know me for goodness and generosity. 93 00:04:53,220 --> 00:04:56,220 I used to give abundant charity to the poor, 94 00:04:56,220 --> 00:04:59,220 and I would feed the congregations of three mosques 95 00:04:59,220 --> 00:05:02,220 from the labor of my own hands and the sweat of my brow. 96 00:05:02,220 --> 00:05:04,220 Yet despite that, 97 00:05:04,220 --> 00:05:07,220 I possessed only a single garment, 98 00:05:07,220 --> 00:05:09,220 which I wore at home 99 00:05:09,220 --> 00:05:11,220 and went out in for prayer. 100 00:05:11,220 --> 00:05:13,379 So, who am I? 101 00:05:21,509 --> 00:05:25,740 We will pin the correct answer in the comments 102 00:05:25,740 --> 00:05:28,740 upon the release of the next episode, 103 00:05:28,740 --> 00:05:30,740 if Allah wills.