Pause
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
A new challenge: Who am I?
I am one of the senior Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and one of the ten promised Paradise.
My supplications were always answered.
My father was one of the few who adhered to monotheism (Tawhid) before the Prophet's mission, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and he is among those who will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection as an entire nation unto himself.
I was the first governor of Damascus in Islam,
as I took part in its siege alongside Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, may Allah be pleased with him.
When he conquered it,
he appointed me over it on his behalf.
I owned a piece of land in Medina,
adjacent to a plot belonging to Arwa bint Uways.
Arwa went to Muhammad ibn 'Amr ibn Hazm,
claiming that I had built a wall on her land,
and asked him to come speak to me so I would restore her right to her.
And if I did not,
she threatened to cry out against me in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and complain about me to the governor of Medina, Marwan ibn al-Hakam.
So he said to her,
"Do not harm a Companion of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
for he would never wrong you nor take away any of your rights."
So she left
and went to 'Umarah ibn 'Amr and 'Abdullah ibn Salam,
saying to them the same thing she had told the first man:
that if I did not comply,
she would cry out against me in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and complain about me to the governor of Medina.
So they set out and came to me at my land in al-'Aqiq.
I asked them, "What brings you both here?"
They said,
"Arwa bint Uways came to us
claiming that you built a wall on her property,
and she swore by Allah that if you do not tear it down,
she will cry out against you in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and complain about you to the governor of Medina.
So we wanted to come to you and bring this to your attention."
I said,
"I would never take anything of her land,
for I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say,
'Whoever takes a handspan of land unjustly,
it will be tied around his neck like a collar from seven earths on the Day of Resurrection.'
Let her come and take whatever right she claims."
Then I said,
"O Allah, if she has lied against me,
do not cause her to die until You blind her sight
and make her death occur on her own land."
"Go back and inform her of that."
Arwa bint Uways then came to my land,
demolished the wall, and built a house.
Then Allah answered my supplication against her:
it was not long before she went blind.
She used to get up at night to relieve herself,
accompanied by a servant-girl who would guide her.
One night, she got up without waking the servant-girl,
fell into a well on her land,
and died.
So, who am I?
The answer: Sa'id ibn Zayd ibn 'Amr ibn Nufayl,
may Allah be pleased with them both.
Pause
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
A new challenge: Who am I?
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
from the people of Himyar in Yemen.
I am also of Persian descent (the Abna'),
whom Chosroes dispatched to Yemen;
they drove out the Abyssinians and took control of it.
I was the nephew of the Negus (al-Najashi),
and I am the slayer of al-Aswad al-'Ansi,
who claimed prophethood in Yemen.
After the Farewell Pilgrimage,
the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, fell ill,
and the news spread across the Arabian Peninsula.
Consequently, some whose faith was weak apostatized,
and several impostors claimed prophethood,
among whom was al-Aswad al-'Ansi in Yemen.
He was a sorcerer of eloquent tongue,
able to convince the common folk
with his sweet words
and sleight of hand,
until a great many people followed him.
When word of him reached the Prophet, peace be upon him,
he sent a letter to us in Yemen,
urging us to nip this sedition in the bud
and commanding us to rid the land of al-Aswad al-'Ansi.
I hastened to carry out the command of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
I conspired with my cousin Azad to kill him;
Azad was the wife of al-Aswad al-'Ansi,
for that wicked man had forcibly married her after slaying her husband,
and she loathed him.
I infiltrated the palace of al-Aswad al-'Ansi,
and Azad opened the doors for me.
When darkness fell, I entered the palace
and found my cousin waiting for me at the door of his chamber.
She pointed out the sleeping place of the enemy of Allah, al-Aswad al-'Ansi.
I entered the chamber, approached his bed,
and struck his neck with my sword.
He began to make a sound like the bellowing of a bull.
When the guards heard the noise, they rushed toward the chamber
and asked, "What is this?"
My cousin said to them, "Go away!
The prophet of Allah is receiving divine revelation."
So they left.
I remained inside the palace until dawn broke.
Then I headed to the palace wall,
stood atop it, and called the adhan,
until I reached: "I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,"
after which I called out: "I bear witness that al-Aswad al-'Ansi is a liar!"
When the Muslims heard the call,
they converged from every direction.
The guards tried to confront them,
so I threw down the severed head of al-Aswad al-'Ansi to them,
whereupon they retreated.
Back in Medina,
the news reached the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
from heaven.
He came out giving glad tidings to the people,
saying,
"Al-Aswad al-'Ansi was killed last night;
he was slain by a blessed man
from a blessed household."
So, who am I?
The answer:
Fayruz al-Daylami,
may Allah be pleased with him.
Pause
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
A new challenge:
Who am I?
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, from the Ansar.
I witnessed the Second Pledge of al-'Aqabah
when I was twenty years old,
and I took part in Badr and all the other battles alongside the Prophet, peace be upon him.
In the Great Battle of Badr,
I wrested the standard of the polytheists from their hands
and captured al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib.
I was a short man,
while al-'Abbas was large and tall.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to me,
"A noble angel aided you against him."
A man owed me a debt,
so I sought him at his house.
He delayed coming out to meet me
and told his servant-girl,
"Tell him he is not here."
But I heard his voice,
so I said, "Come out!
I have already heard your voice."
He came out to me,
and I asked, "What made you do what you did?"
He replied, "I was ashamed before you;
you came to me while I am in hardship."
I asked, "By Allah, are you in hardship?"
He said, "By Allah, I am in hardship."
I said, "Young boy, show me the debt-sheet."
I took it and erased it,
then said to the man, "Go,
for you are absolved of your debt.
Indeed, I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say:
'Whoever grants respite to a debtor in hardship or waives it for him,
will be under the shade of Allah on the Day of Resurrection,'
or 'under the shelter of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.'"
One day,
a woman came to buy dates from me,
and she appealed to me.
So I said to her,
"Inside the house are dates better than these."
She entered the house with me,
and I leaned toward her and kissed her.
Then I felt deep remorse,
so I came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and mentioned that to him.
He reproached me, peace be upon him,
saying, "Did you betray a fighter in the cause of Allah regarding his family like this?"
until I wished I had not embraced Islam until that very hour,
and thought I was destined for the Fire.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, lowered his head in silence,
until Allah revealed to him:
"And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds.
“Establish worship at the two ends of the day and in some watches of the night. Lo! good deeds annul ill-deeds. This is reminder for the mindful.” (11:114)
That is a reminder for those who remember."
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, summoned me
and recited it to me,
and I rejoiced at it with immense joy.
I asked,
"O Messenger of Allah,
is this specifically for me, or for the people in general?"
He said,
"Rather, for the people in general."
I lived a long life
and witnessed the Battle of Siffin alongside 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him.
I was the last of the Companions who fought at Badr to pass away.
So, who am I?
The answer: Abu al-Yusr,
Ka'b ibn 'Amr al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him.
Pause
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
A new challenge:
Who am I?
I am one of the Companions from the Ansar.
I embraced Islam when I was eighteen years old.
I was present at the Second Pledge of al-'Aqabah,
as a beardless youth,
with not a single hair on my face.
I witnessed all the major battles alongside the Prophet (peace be upon him).
I became a jurist, a memorizer, and a meticulous scholar of the Qur'an,
so much so that the Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed his Companions to learn the Qur'an from me.
He described me as the most knowledgeable person in the Ummah regarding the lawful and the prohibited,
and he also said of me
that I will come on the Day of Resurrection leading the scholars,
ahead of them by a *ratwah*—
that is, a bowshot's distance.
The Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to liken me to Abraham (peace be upon him),
because Abraham, the Intimate Friend (peace be upon him), was an entire nation, devoutly obedient to Allah—
meaning obedient to Allah and a teacher of goodness to the people—
and I was just like that.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) once took me by the hand and said:
"By Allah, I surely love you."
I replied: "And by Allah, I surely love you, O Messenger of Allah!"
He said: "I advise you never to fail to say at the end of every prayer:
'O Allah, help me to remember You, thank You, and worship You in the finest manner.'"
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) conquered Mecca,
he left me behind there
to recite the Qur'an to the people and instruct them in the religion.
Before his death (peace be upon him), he sent me to Yemen.
He walked out with me to bid me farewell and give me counsel while I was riding,
and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was walking beneath my mount.
When he finished, he said: "It may be that you will not meet me again after this year of mine,
and perhaps you will pass by my mosque and my grave."
So I wept in grief over parting from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
When Abu 'Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) was afflicted in the Plague of 'Amwas,
while we were engaged in the conquests of the Levant
during the caliphate of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him),
he appointed me to succeed him over the people.
The people said to me:
"Supplicate Allah to lift this calamity from us!"
But I said: "It is not a divine wrath;
rather, it is the prayer of your Prophet,
the death of the righteous who came before you,
and a martyrdom through which Allah singles out whom He wills among His servants from you."
Then I prayed:
"O Allah, grant my family the amplest share of it!"
So my two wives and my son were stricken,
and they all passed away.
Then I was stricken in my thumb,
and I began to say:
"I would not exchange it for the finest red camels!
O Allah, it is a small thing, so bless it!"
And Allah answered my prayer,
and my death was brought about through it.
As I was dying,
I began looking up at the sky, saying:
"O Allah, I used to fear You,
but today I place my hope in You.
O Allah, You know that I did not love the world nor long for a long life in it to plant trees
or cause rivers to flow,
but rather to endure the thirst of intense midday heat, spend the nights in prayer,
and crowd alongside the scholars in circles of remembrance.
O Allah, accept my soul with the best acceptance You grant a believing soul!"
Then my soul passed away, far from home and family,
calling people to Allah,
striving in His cause.
So, who am I?
The answer:
Mu'adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him).
Pause,
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and notable figures!
A new challenge: Who am I?
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
from the Ansar.
I embraced Islam
and witnessed all the major battles alongside the Prophet (peace be upon him).
On the day of Badr,
I set out with the Muslims,
but on the way, a stone struck me,
breaking my leg.
So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent me back to Medina,
yet he allotted a share of the spoils for me,
making me as one who had witnessed the battle.
My brother was 'Abdullah ibn Jubayr (may Allah be pleased with him),
the commander of the archers on the day of Uhud.
Before my Islam, I was an eloquent, fluent poet
who enjoyed flirting with women and sitting in their company.
After I embraced Islam,
I set out with the Prophet (peace be upon him) on a journey,
and we stopped at a camping place.
I stepped out of my tent,
and suddenly saw a group of women chatting together.
The sight delighted me,
so I went back to the tent,
took my belongings,
pulled out a beautiful, fine garment,
put it on,
and came and sat with them.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came out of his tent,
saw me, recognized me,
and said to me:
"O Abu 'Abdillah, what keeps you sitting with them?"
When I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
I was awed by him and flustered,
so I blurted out:
"O Messenger of Allah,
I have a camel that ran away,
and I am looking for it!"
The Prophet (peace be upon him) then moved on,
and I followed him.
He relieved himself and performed ablution,
then returned with water dripping from his beard onto his chest,
and said:
"O Abu 'Abdillah,
what became of your stray camel?"
I lowered my head out of embarrassment before him.
Then we resumed our journey,
and whenever he saw me along the way, he would say:
"Peace be upon you, O Abu 'Abdillah!
What became of that stray camel?"
When I saw that from him (peace be upon him),
shyness completely overwhelmed me,
so I hurried ahead to Medina
and avoided the mosque and sitting with the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Since he kept saying that,
I waited for a moment when the mosque would be empty,
came in, and stood up to pray.
Suddenly, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came out from one of his apartments,
entered the mosque,
and performed two light units of prayer.
So I prolonged my prayer,
hoping he would leave and leave me alone.
But he said:
"Prolong it as long as you wish, O Abu 'Abdillah,
for I am not standing up until you finish!"
So I said to myself:
"By Allah, I will surely apologize to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
and set his heart at ease!"
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Peace be upon you, O Abu 'Abdillah!
What became of that stray camel?"
I said: "By the One Who sent you with the truth,
no camel of mine has ever run away since I embraced Islam!"
The Prophet (peace be upon him) smiled at me
and said: "May Allah have mercy on you."
After that, I never returned to anything involving women.
So, who am I?
The answer:
Khawwat ibn Jubayr
(may Allah be pleased with him).
Pause!
Pause,
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and notable figures!
A new challenge:
Who am I?
I am one of the noble Companions
and a son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
for I was the husband of his daughter Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her),
and I am the father of Umamah,
whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to carry during his prayers.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) praised me warmly for my conduct as a son-in-law.
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was commissioned with his message,
I delayed in following him
and remained upon the religion of Quraysh.
My people said to me:
"Separate from your wife, the daughter of Muhammad,
and we will marry you to whichever woman of Quraysh you wish!"
But I said to them:
"No, by Allah! I will not separate from my wife,
and I would not exchange her for any woman of Quraysh!"
I fought on the side of the polytheists at the Battle of Badr
and fell as a captive into the hands of the Muslims.
The people of Mecca sent ransoms to free their captives,
and my wife Zaynab, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
sent wealth to ransom me,
sending along with it a necklace of hers
that her mother Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her)
had given her upon her marriage to me.
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saw the necklace,
he was moved with profound tenderness for her
and said:
"Zaynab has sent this wealth to ransom her husband.
If you see fit to release her captive for her
and return her wealth to her,
then do so."
The Companions said:
"Yes, most gladly, O Messenger of Allah!"
The Prophet (peace be upon him) stipulated that I
send his daughter Zaynab to him without delay,
and I gave him my word to do so.
No sooner had I reached Mecca
than I hastened to fulfill my covenant with him.
I instructed Zaynab to prepare to join her father,
and I parted from her despite my intense love for her.
Regarding this, he (peace be upon him) said:
"He spoke to me and proved truthful,
and he made me a promise and fulfilled it."
Shortly before the Conquest of Mecca,
I set out on a trade caravan to the Levant with wealth of my own and substantial wealth belonging to Quraysh.
When I was returning,
an expedition of the Muslims intercepted me
and seized everything I had in the caravan.
However, I managed to escape from them,
so they brought what they had captured to Medina,
while I arrived under the cover of night
until I reached Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her).
I sought her protection, and she granted it to me.
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) learned of this,
he sent for the raiding party who had taken my wealth,
and he said to them:
"This man is one of us, as you already know,
and you have taken wealth belonging to him.
If you show kindness and return it to him,
we would certainly appreciate that;
but if you refuse..."
They replied,
"Rather, we will return it, O Messenger of Allah!"
So they returned every bit of it,
and I took it and traveled with it to Mecca.
I paid every person with a right their rightful share,
and then I said,
"O people of Quraysh!
Does any one of you still have anything due from me?"
They answered, "No,
we have truly found you to be faithful and noble."
I said,
"Then I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
and that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger.
By Allah, nothing prevented me from accepting Islam in his presence
except the fear that you might think
I only intended to consume your wealth."
Then I went back to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
and he was overjoyed by my accepting Islam,
and he reunited me with Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her)
under our original marriage.
So, who am I?
The answer:
Abu al-'As ibn al-Rabi'
(may Allah be pleased with him).
Pause.
Pause and learn about the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
A new challenge:
Who am I?
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
from the tribe of Ghifar.
I embraced Islam after the arrival of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in Medina,
and I was present with him at Uhud,
where on that day I was struck by an arrow in my throat.
So I came to the Prophet (peace be upon him),
and he spat upon the wound where the arrow struck,
and I was healed,
so I was called "Al-Manhur" (the one wounded in the throat).
The Prophet (peace be upon him) appointed me as his deputy over Medina twice:
once during the Compensatory 'Umrah ('Umrat al-Qada')
and once in the year of the Conquest of Mecca.
I witnessed the Pledge of Ridwan
and pledged allegiance under the tree.
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) intended to set out for Tabuk,
he sent me to my people, Banu Ghifar,
to mobilize them to join him
and meet their enemy at Tabuk.
So I went to them in their homelands,
conveyed the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to them,
and mobilized them to march out;
so they set out with me,
and a large group of them witnessed Tabuk.
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was on his journey back,
he traveled with us through the night,
and I was riding close to him.
Drowsiness overcame me,
and I began to doze off while atop my riding beast,
and then I would wake up
to find that my mount had drawn dangerously close to his (peace be upon him).
Its proximity to him would startle me,
out of fear that I might bump into him (peace be upon him),
so I would steer my mount away from him,
until sleep overpowered my eyes at a point during the night.
I was wearing thick sandals,
and my she-camel pressed closely against the she-camel of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
so the edge of my sandal struck the shin of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
causing him pain.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) exclaimed,
"Ouch! You have hurt me; pull your foot back!"
and struck my foot with his whip.
I said,
"Ask forgiveness for me, O Messenger of Allah!"
What I had done grieved me deeply,
and I feared that verses of the Qur'an might be revealed concerning me
due to the gravity of what I had done.
When morning came,
the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent for me,
so I came to him, trembling with fear.
He (peace be upon him) said to me:
"You hurt me with your foot last night,
and I struck you with the whip and caused you pain,
so take these sheep
in compensation for my striking you."
I saw satisfaction on his face (peace be upon him),
and by Allah, his being pleased with me
was dearer to me than this worldly life and everything in it.
So, who am I?
The answer:
Abu Ruhm al-Ghifari,
Kulthum ibn al-Husayn
(may Allah be pleased with him).
Pause.
Pause,
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
A new challenge:
Who am I?
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
I embraced Islam after the Conquest of Mecca.
I was an eloquent poet of fluent tongue,
a courageous knight,
one of the fiercest, strongest warriors,
and a lover of battle.
The mere mention of my name on the battlefield was enough
to strike terror into the hearts of the enemy.
I was an eminent nobleman among my people,
possessing vast wealth,
for I owned a thousand camels
and a steed of the finest Arabian horses
named Al-Muhabbar.
Yet I left all of that behind
and joined the companionship of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
so he prayed for me:
"May this transaction of yours never suffer a loss!"
When Tulayhah ibn Khuwaylid apostatized
and the common folk of my tribe, Banu Asad, followed him,
the Prophet (peace be upon him) dispatched me against him
to confront him and extinguish his discord.
So I prepared to march out against him,
but as I was about to engage Tulayhah in battle,
news of the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him) reached me.
I and those with me returned to Medina,
and when the Caliph Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) prepared
the armies to fight the apostates,
he tied the banner for Khalid ibn al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him)
and commanded him to march to Buzakhah
to confront the apostates from Asad and Ghatafan.
I was one of the commanders of the forces in this army,
and I fought against the apostates of my own people
until Tulayhah was defeated
and Asad and Ghatafan accepted Islam.
Khalid ibn al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him)
relied heavily upon me in his conquests throughout the Levant,
to the extent that I became the second-in-command of the army after Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him).
At the Battle of Ajnadayn,
the number of the Romans was triple that of the Muslims,
as they numbered ninety thousand warriors,
while the number of the Muslims
was close to thirty thousand fighters.
I displayed rare valor in this battle
and inflicted a massive slaughter among the Roman ranks,
turning the tides of battle in favor of the Muslims.
In the midst of the battle,
I stripped off my armor and my shirt
so that I could move with agility.
No sooner did the enemy see me bare-chested
than they grew eager to kill me and rid themselves of me.
Thirty soldiers surrounded me,
but I killed several of them, and the rest fled,
so they gave me the title "The Bare-Chested Demon."
Then I charged at the Roman commander, Wardan,
and when he saw me heading toward him,
he realized that I was the Bare-Chested Demon,
having already heard of me.
A fierce duel broke out between us,
and I struck him with my spear,
my spear piercing his chest,
and I finished him off until I severed his head.
I returned with his head to the Muslims,
and at that moment, there rang out from the Muslim camp
the resounding shouts of Takbir:
"Allahu Akbar!
Allahu Akbar!"
and the enemy was defeated.
In the Battle of Marj al-Suffar,
I encountered one of the Roman commanders named Paul,
who wanted to avenge his comrade Wardan.
The duel between us began,
and I struck him down until he fell.
I raised my sword to slay him,
at which point Paul called out to Khalid ibn al-Walid,
saying:
"O Khalid, you kill me!
Do not let this man kill me!"
Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him) replied to him:
"Rather, he is your slayer and the slayer of the Romans!"
So, who am I?
The answer:
Dirar ibn al-Azwar (may Allah be pleased with him).
Pause,
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
A new challenge: Who am I?
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
counted among the people of the Hijaz.
I was the emissary of Banu Sa'd and their chief.
I was known to be the most outstanding Bedouin who ever came as an envoy to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
I was a strong, robust man,
hairy, with two long braids.
I came as an emissary to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and made my camel kneel at the door of the mosque,
then hobbled it.
Then I entered the mosque while the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was sitting with his Companions.
I approached them and said,
"Which of you is the son of 'Abd al-Muttalib?"
The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied,
"I am the son of 'Abd al-Muttalib."
I said,
"O son of 'Abd al-Muttalib,
I am going to question you and be blunt in my questioning,
so do not take offense."
He said,
"I take no offense,
so ask whatever comes to your mind."
I said,
"I adjure you by Allah—your God,
the God of those before you,
and the God of those after you—
has Allah truly sent you to us as a messenger?"
He (peace be upon him) replied,
"By Allah, yes."
I said,
"Then I adjure you by Allah—your God,
the God of those before you,
and the God of those after you—
has Allah truly commanded you to order us to worship Him alone and associate nothing with Him,
and to renounce these idols that our forefathers used to worship alongside Him?"
He said,
"By Allah, yes."
I said,
"Then I adjure you by Allah—your God,
the God of those before you,
and the God of those after you—
has Allah truly commanded you that we perform these five daily prayers?"
He said,
"By Allah, yes."
Then I began mentioning the obligatory rites of Islam one by one:
zakat, fasting, Hajj,
and all the laws of Islam,
adjuring him at every obligation just as I had adjured him regarding the ones before.
When I finished, I said,
"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
and I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah.
I shall perform these obligations
and avoid what you have forbidden me,
adding nothing and subtracting nothing."
Then I turned and went back to my camel.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
"If the man with the two braids speaks the truth, he will enter Paradise."
Then I came to my people,
and they gathered around me.
The first thing I uttered was to say,
"How evil are al-Lat and al-'Uzza!"
They said, "Stop! What are you saying?
Beware of leprosy and leukoderma!
Beware of madness!"
I said, "Woe to you!
By Allah, they are mere idols that can neither harm nor benefit.
Indeed, Allah has sent a messenger
and revealed a Book to him,
rescuing you through it from the state you were in.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner,
and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
I have brought you from him that which he commands you to do and that which he forbids you from."
So I began telling them what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had taught me.
By Allah, before that day had ended,
there was not a single man or woman in my settlement who had not embraced Islam.
So, who am I?
The answer:
Dhimam Ibn Tha'labah al-Sa'di (may Allah be pleased with him).
Pause...
and get to know the Companions, the scholars, and the notable figures.
A new challenge:
Who am I?
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
from among the poor Emigrants (Muhajirun).
I was one of the prominent members of Ahl al-Suffah,
and one of the tearful ones (al-Bakka'un) whom Allah excused in His saying:
“Nor unto those whom, when they came to thee (asking) that thou shouldst mount them, thou didst tell: I cannot find whereon to mount you. They turned back with eyes flowing with tears, for sorrow that they could not find the means to spend.” (9:92)
“Nor unto those whom, when they came to thee (asking) that thou shouldst mount them, thou didst tell: I cannot find whereon to mount you. They turned back with eyes flowing with tears, for sorrow that they could not find the means to spend.” (9:92)
“Nor unto those whom, when they came to thee (asking) that thou shouldst mount them, thou didst tell: I cannot find whereon to mount you. They turned back with eyes flowing with tears, for sorrow that they could not find the means to spend.” (9:92)
“Nor unto those whom, when they came to thee (asking) that thou shouldst mount them, thou didst tell: I cannot find whereon to mount you. They turned back with eyes flowing with tears, for sorrow that they could not find the means to spend.” (9:92)
I used to stick closely to the door of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
whether he was at home or traveling.
When we were at Tabuk,
I went off for a need of mine.
When I returned to the campsite of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
I found that he had eaten supper along with his guests.
When I appeared before him, he said,
"Where have you been all night?"
So I informed him.
Two other men joined me,
making us three, and all of us were hungry.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) entered his house
and looked for something for us to eat,
but found nothing.
So he came out to us
and called Bilal:
"O Bilal, is there any supper for these men?"
He said, "No, by Him Who sent you with the truth."
He said, "Look around; perhaps you will find something."
So he began taking leather pouches and shaking them out one by one,
and a date or two would fall out,
until I saw before him (peace be upon him)
seven dates.
Then he called for a platter and placed the dates in it.
He placed his hand over the dates, mentioned Allah's name,
and said,
"Eat in the name of Allah."
So we ate.
I counted fifty-four dates that I ate myself,
counting them while holding their pits in my other hand,
and my two companions were doing the same as I did.
We ate our fill
and raised our hands,
and lo and behold, the seven dates remained just as they were!
After the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
I set out for the Levant
as a fighter in the cause of Allah,
ascetic in this world and turning away from it.
Were it not that people would say,
"Abu Najih did such-and-such,"
and take this as a path to follow,
I would have spent all my wealth in the cause of Allah,
then joined one of the valleys of Lebanon
and worshipped Allah until I died.
Some of the Tabi'un came to me and said,
"We have come to visit you, care for you, and seek knowledge from you;
so relate to us a hadith you heard from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
I said to them,
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) led us in the morning prayer one day,
then turned to face us
and delivered an eloquent, deeply moving sermon
that caused eyes to overflow with tears
and hearts to be filled with awe.
Someone said,
'O Messenger of Allah,
this sounds like a farewell sermon,
so what do you counsel us?'
He said,
'I counsel you to fear Allah,
and to listen and obey,
even if an Abyssinian slave were placed in command over you.
For indeed, whoever among you lives after me
will see much conflict.
So adhere to my Sunnah
and the Sunnah of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs;
hold fast to it
and bite onto it with your molar teeth.
Beware of newly invented matters,
for every newly invented matter is an innovation,
and every innovation is misguidance.' "
One of the commanders gave a man a donkey from the spoils of war before it was distributed.
So I said to the man,
"You had no right to take it,
and he had no right to give it to you.
It is as though I can see you in the Hellfire carrying it upon your neck!"
So the man grew terrified
and returned the donkey to the commander.
When I saw how people's condition had changed
and how light they made of people's rights,
I wished for Allah to take my soul unto Himself,
so I used to supplicate:
"O Allah, I have grown old and my bones have weakened,
so take me unto Yourself."
Then, while I was praying in the Mosque of Damascus one day,
asking to be taken,
I suddenly saw a young man of striking beauty,
wearing a fresh green cloak.
He said to me,
"What is this prayer you are making?"
I said,
"How should I pray, O son of my brother?"
He said,
"Say:
'O Allah, grant me good deeds
and bring me peacefully to my appointed time.'"
I said,
"How beautiful this is!"
Then I turned around,
but I saw no one.
So, who am I?
The answer:
Al-'Irbad Ibn Sariyah
(may Allah be pleased with him).