Pause and reflect upon the Companions, the scholars, and the prominent figures of our history.
A new challenge: Who am I?
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
I am a Qurayshi from the people of Makkah.
I was born in the same year the Prophet, peace be upon him, was born.
My mother is Arwa bint al-Harith ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib.
She is the cousin of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
I was among the distinguished men of Makkah.
I was a man of wealth and commerce.
I embraced Islam on the day of the conquest of Makkah.
I was known for my intelligence, sagacity, and sound judgment.
I narrated several hadiths from the Prophet, peace be upon him.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, praised me before I even embraced Islam.
He described me as having sagacity and intelligence.
This occurred when my father was taken prisoner by the Muslims at the Battle of Badr.
The Quraysh were hesitant to pay the ransom for the prisoners.
They did not want the Muslims to feel emboldened against them.
When the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw my father,
He said, "He has a son in Makkah who is intelligent,"
"And a wealthy merchant."
During that time,
I secretly left Makkah and came to Madinah.
I ransomed my father for four thousand dirhams.
When I brought him back to Makkah,
They blamed me for acting in such haste.
I told them, "I could not leave my father as a prisoner."
By doing so, I was the first from Quraysh to ransom a prisoner on the day of Badr.
Among the proofs of my sagacity:
During the pre-Islamic era, I feared that some event might occur,
That would change the position of the Maqam Ibrahim (the Station of Abraham), peace be upon him.
Within the Sacred Mosque.
So, as a precaution, I brought some ropes.
I measured the distance between the Maqam and the wall of the Ka'bah.
I recorded that measurement on the first rope.
Then, I measured the distance between the Maqam and the Black Stone.
I recorded that on the second rope.
Then, I measured the distance between the Maqam and the well of Zamzam.
And I recorded it on the third rope.
I then kept the ropes in a chest inside my house.
Years passed until a powerful flood struck Makkah,
In the seventeenth year of the Hijrah.
It became known as the flood of Umm Nahshal.
It uprooted the Maqam from its place,
And cast it far away into the lower part of Makkah.
It was buried under the sand.
People could not find it after they had exhausted their search.
The Caliph of the Muslims, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, was distressed by this.
He was deeply troubled.
Then, a man went out to attend to his needs in the lower part of Makkah,
And he found the stone.
He sent word to the people,
They came and retrieved it, rejoicing.
They sent word to 'Umar in Madinah.
He ordered them not to do anything until he arrived.
He left Madinah to perform 'Umrah,
Accompanied by the elders of the Muhajirun and the Ansar.
I went out with them.
When he arrived at the House,
He said,
"I adjure you by Allah, O Muslims,"
"Who knows the original and exact position of the Maqam before the flood?"
I stepped forward and said,
"I do, O Commander of the Faithful."
"I had measured it and determined its location."
He ordered me to return it to its place.
I requested the chest from my house in Makkah,
And I brought out the ropes before the people.
I took the measurements of the distances,
And I placed the Maqam in its original position where it had been.
'Umar and the Muslims were pleased with that.
So, who am I?
The answer will be in the next episode, if Allah wills.