Pause
and get to know the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
A serious challenge: Who am I?
I am one of the Emigrant Companions (Muhajirun),
the foster brother of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) through nursing,
and the son of his paternal aunt, Barrah bint Abd al-Muttalib.
I was among the very first foremost pioneers in embracing Islam,
and I was the first to emigrate to Abyssinia, and later to Medina.
When I resolved to emigrate to Medina,
I prepared two mounts for myself, my wife, and our nursing infant son,
then set out toward Medina.
But when the men of Banu al-Mughirah saw me,
they confronted me and said:
"As for yourself, you have prevailed over us,
but look at this woman of ours;
why should we let you take her roaming through the land?"
So they snatched the halter of my wife's camel from my hand,
taking her and my son away.
Thus, I emigrated all alone and heart-stricken.
I fought at Badr and Uhud alongside the Prophet (peace be upon him).
In the Battle of Uhud, I suffered a deep, penetrating wound to my upper arm,
which I spent a whole month treating after the battle.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) dispatched me
to lead an expedition against Banu Asad,
tying for me a banner and rallying under it
a raiding squad of one hundred and fifty men
drawn from the Emigrants and the Ansar.
We captured herds of their livestock and then returned
to Medina. Soon after, the wound
I had suffered at Uhud reopened,
and I passed away as a result of it.
When death was approaching me,
my wife, Umm Salamah—
Hind bint Abi Umayyah al-Makhzumiyyah—supplicated:
"O Allah, with You alone I seek reward for my calamity;
so reward me for it,
and grant me in exchange someone better than him."
Then she wondered to herself:
"And who could possibly be better than my husband?"
But when her waiting period ended,
'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) proposed to her,
and she declined his proposal as well.
Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) sent for her,
proposing marriage to her, to which she said:
"Welcome to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)!"
So Allah granted her in exchange
someone far better than me.
Who am I?
The answer:
Abu Salamah,
'Abdullah ibn 'Abd al-Asad al-Makhzumi
(may Allah be pleased with him).
Pause
and get to know the Companions,
scholars, and prominent figures.
A serious challenge:
Who am I?
I am a Companion from the Ansar, of the Khazraj tribe,
renowned for horsemanship, bravery,
and valor in combat.
My acceptance of Islam was delayed until the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) set out for Badr.
Then I thought to myself:
"I would feel utterly ashamed for my people to witness a momentous battle
that I do not witness alongside them."
So I and another man from my tribe caught up with the Prophet (peace be upon him),
though neither of us had embraced Islam yet.
We reached him while he was at Harrah al-Wabarah.
When the people saw me,
knowing full well my daring and resourcefulness, they welcomed my presence.
I said, "O Muhammad,
I have come to follow you and take part in the spoils with you."
But the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked me:
"Do you believe in Allah and His Messenger?"
I answered, "No."
He said, "Then turn back,
for we never seek the aid of a polytheist."
I caught up with him again at al-Shajarah,
and he said the very same thing.
Then I overtook him at al-Bayda',
and he asked, "Do you believe in Allah and His Messenger?"
I replied, "Yes!"
He said, "Then march along with us."
Thus, I fought at Badr alongside the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
During the battle,
I encountered a fierce warrior from the polytheists,
formidable in his might.
He struck down at my shoulder,
and I struck him back and killed him.
My side was severed by his blow,
so I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him);
he applied some saliva to it,
joined it together, and restored it in place,
so my shoulder healed back as it was,
although the scar of the blow remained upon it.
Later on, I married that very man's daughter,
and she used to say to me playfully:
"May I never lose the man who adorned you with this sash!"
meaning the distinct scar across my shoulder
from her father's strike.
And I would reply to her:
"May I never lose the man who hastened your father to the Fire!"
Who am I?
The answer:
Khubayb ibn Isaf al-Ansari
(may Allah be pleased with him).
Pause
and get to know the Companions, scholars,
and prominent figures.
A serious challenge:
Who am I?
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
from the land of Tayy',
and I was a celebrated chieftain of the Pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah).
I was an accomplished horseman
and a first-rate archer,
renowned for chivalry, courage,
and boundless generosity.
Among the stories told of me during the Jahiliyyah before Islam
was that a man from Banu Shayban set out
with his daughters in a year of severe drought;
he left them near al-Hirah, close
to its king, hoping they might receive
something of his bounty,
and swore never to return to them
until he acquired good provision for them
or died trying.
He packed some provisions and walked for seven days,
until he arrived at our massive tent.
He thought to himself:
"I will wait by this tent;
perhaps I may gain something from its owners."
So he sat behind the tent.
As the sun was about to set,
he saw me arriving on horseback,
driving a hundred camels with their stud stallion.
The stallion kneeled down,
and the camels kneeled all around it.
He waited until we ate, drank, and fell asleep;
then the man crept up to the stallion,
untied its hobble, and mounted it.
The stallion bolted off with him, and the camels followed in its wake.
He rode all night through until morning came.
When the day was well advanced,
I overtook him. The man dismounted
from his camel, hobbled it,
and shouted out to me loudly:
"I have left little daughters behind me,
and I swore never to return to them
until I acquired good provision for them or died!"
I said to him, "Then you are as good as dead!"
as I shot an arrow from afar right through the camel's hobble,
piercing it cleanly.
When the man witnessed such marksmanship from me,
he surrendered unconditionally. So I took
his sword and his bow, seated him behind me
on my horse, and then told him:
"By Allah, had these camels been mine,
I would have handed them over to you, but they belong
to the chieftain's daughter. So stay with me,
for I am about to launch a raid."
He stayed for a few days; then I launched a raid
against an enemy tribe and captured from them
one hundred camels. I gave every single one of them
to him, and he returned safely to his family.
When I heard of Islam,
I traveled to Medina and found
the Prophet (peace be upon him) delivering a sermon
from the pulpit. I entered the mosque
and pronounced the two testimonies of faith.
He (peace be upon him) asked:
"Who are you?" I replied:
"I am Zayd al-Khayl (Zayd of the Steeds)."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied:
"Rather, you are Zayd al-Khayr (Zayd of Goodness)!
Praise be to Allah Who brought you
from your plains and your mountains,
and softened your heart to Islam."
Then he (peace be upon him) took me
to his home and offered me
a cushion to recline on, but I felt too shy
to recline before him, so I pushed it back
to him, but he pushed it back to me.
I returned it to him and he returned it
to me three times.
Then he said, "No man has ever been described to me
whom I later saw in person
except that he fell short of his description, save you; for you
are truly above all that was said of you."
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
give me three hundred horsemen,
and I guarantee you that I will raid
the lands of the Byzantines and take spoils from them."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) deeply admired
this high resolve of mine,
and said, "May Allah bless your excellence!"
I stayed in Medina after embracing Islam
for seven days, but then I was afflicted
from fever, so I longed to meet
my people and hoped that Allah would grant them
Islam at my hands. So I set out
toward them, but
my appointed time overtook me,
and my soul departed while I was on the road.
So, who am I?
The answer:
Zayd al-Khayr,
Zayd ibn Muhalhil al-Ta'i,
may Allah be pleased with him.
Pause,
and learn about the Companions, the scholars,
and the eminent figures.
A new challenge: Who am I?
I am one of the senior Companions,
from among the Emigrants (Muhajirun).
I was a nobleman in Mecca before Islam,
severe against the Muslims.
But when I embraced Islam,
Allah strengthened Islam and the Muslims through me,
and endowed me with an awe-inspiring presence
that made Satan flee from the path
along which I walked.
I was the companion of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
throughout his life, his vizier,
and his counselor in his private and public affairs;
the successor of his successor after his death,
and his neighbor in his resting place.
During the era of my caliphate,
the administrative registries were established,
the armies were dispatched,
vast lands were conquered,
and the two greatest empires in the world were defeated:
Persia and Rome.
In my time, the call to prayer resonated across most of the earth.
I was the first to be called 'Commander of the Faithful'.
Yet despite that,
I walked among the people without any guard,
slept in the mosque just as ordinary people slept,
and walked through the marketplace
holding my whip in hand to deter
anyone who cheated the Muslims.
One day, a Zoroastrian slave came to me,
who manufactured millstones for al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah,
may Allah be pleased with him.
Al-Mughirah used to collect from him daily
four dirhams.
He said, "Al-Mughirah has overburdened me,
so speak to him to lighten my burden."
I said to him, "Treat your master well,"
while intending to speak to al-Mughirah on his behalf.
But the Zoroastrian slave became enraged
and harbored an intention to kill me.
So he procured a dagger,
sharpened it, and poisoned it.
When I came out for the Fajr prayer,
that wicked slave crept between the rows,
and before I could pronounce the opening takbir,
he came and struck me in my shoulder
and in my flank,
so I fell to the ground.
The Zoroastrian fled, striking anyone in his path,
until he had stabbed thirteen men,
six of whom died.
Then one of the Muslims threw a cloak over him;
when the disbeliever realized he was captured,
he took his own life with his dagger.
As for me, I was carried to my house,
while the sun was close to rising.
'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf, may Allah be pleased with him, led
the people in prayer reciting the two shortest surahs.
I too prayed Fajr
while my wound was gushing blood.
Milk was brought to me and I drank it,
but it came out white from my wound.
Thus I knew, and the people knew, that I was dying.
The people began to praise me
and say,
"Glad tidings to you of martyrdom!
You were a companion of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and you did such and such..."
But I said, "By Allah, I truly wish
that I depart from this world just breaking even,
with nothing against me and nothing for me." So, who am I?
The answer: 'Umar ibn al-Khattab,
may Allah be pleased with him.
They departed, leaving in the conscience
a question: Did ever the like of them
shine and gleam as a heavenly star?
They filled life
with glories through their deeds,
and the world of mankind flourished through them
in splendor.
Pause,
and learn about the Companions, the scholars,
and the eminent figures.
A new challenge:
Who am I?
I am one of the prominent Companions,
one of the paternal uncles of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and among the Emigrants.
I was a chieftain among the chieftains of Mecca,
raised there alongside my nephew
and foster brother through nursing,
Muhammad, peace be upon him.
I was known for courage and generosity,
and was among the fiercest youths of Quraysh
and the most unyielding in resolve.
Once, I approached carrying my bow,
returning from a hunt,
and passed by a freed-maidservant of 'Abdullah ibn Jud'an.
She said to me,
"O Abu 'Umarah,
if only you had seen what your nephew suffered from Abu Jahl!
He found him right here, insulted and reviled him,
and subjected him to terrible abuse,
then walked away while Muhammad did not utter a word to him."
When I heard that,
protective zeal for my nephew seized me,
and anger overtook me.
I rushed out without stopping to talk to anyone as I usually did.
When I entered the Council House (Dar al-Nadwah),
I saw Abu Jahl sitting among the people.
I strode toward him
until I stood right above his head;
I raised my bow and struck him with it,
then said to him,
"Do you revile him while I follow his religion,
saying what he says?
Retaliate against me if you can!"
Men from Banu Makhzum rose against me,
but Abu Jahl said, "Leave Abu 'Umarah alone,
for by Allah, I reviled
his nephew with vile abuse."
I departed from their gathering
and embraced Islam at that moment,
and through my Islam the strength of the Muslims was fortified.
I migrated to Medina
and took part in Badr alongside the Prophet, peace be upon him.
I killed the very first casualty
among the polytheists in that battle,
which occurred when al-Aswad
ibn 'Abd al-Asad al-Makhzumi stepped forward,
having vowed to Allah that he would drink from our water basin,
destroy it, or die trying.
So I went out to face him,
and when we clashed, I struck him with my sword,
cutting off his foot along with half his shin.
He fell on his back with his leg
spurting blood, then he crawled toward the basin,
intent on fulfilling his oath.
So I struck him again and killed him
before he could reach the basin.
When the duel was called,
the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, commanded me,
along with 'Ubaydah ibn al-Harith
and 'Ali ibn Abi Talib,
to go out against them.
We engaged them in single combat and killed them all,
and that was the first duel in Islam.
Regarding us, Allah's words were revealed:
"These are two adversaries who have disputed regarding their Lord."
Then the general battle began;
I placed an ostrich feather on my chest
and fought the polytheists,
striking down their champions
and driving them from their positions,
until Allah routed them.
After the battle, Umayyah ibn Khalaf asked,
while he was a captive,
"Who was the man wearing the ostrich feather on his chest?"
The Muslims gave me the title 'the Lion of Allah'
and 'the Lion of His Messenger', peace be upon him.
So, who am I?
The answer: Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib,
may Allah be pleased with him.
A star that rose and shone brightly;
they filled life with glories
through their deeds,
and the world of mankind flourished through them
in radiant grace;
the best of generations in stances
and exemplary models.
I am one of the younger Companions;
my father was the disciple of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
my mother was 'She of the Two Waistbands',
my maternal aunt was the Mother of the Believers,
and I was the very first newborn
born to the Emigrants in Medina.
At my birth, the Muslims rejoiced
and proclaimed the takbir so loudly that Medina shook
with their cries of 'Allahu Akbar'.
I lived during the lifetime of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
for eight years and four months,
and I used to visit him frequently,
regularly dropping by
the house of my aunt 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
I came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
one day while he was undergoing cupping.
When he had finished, he said to me,
"Take this blood
and pour it away where no one can see you."
When I left his presence,
I drank the blood. When I returned,
he asked, "What did you do with the blood?"
I replied, "I took it to the most hidden
place I could find and put it there."
He said, "Perhaps you drank it?"
I said, "Yes." He said,
"Woe to the people because of you!"
My father instructed me, when I was seven years old,
to pledge allegiance to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
So I came to him,
and when he saw me approaching,
he smiled, peace and blessings be upon him,
and then took my pledge of allegiance.
I did not participate with him in battles due to my young age,
but during the era of the Caliphs after him,
I was the knight of my time.
I had renowned feats
recorded by history,
among which was what occurred during the conquests of Africa,
when the Berber commander attacked us
with one hundred and twenty thousand warriors,
and they surrounded us while we were only twenty thousand,
led by our commander, 'Abdullah Ibn Abi al-Sarh,
may Allah be pleased with him.
The situation became dire for us,
when I spotted the Berber commander
behind his troops on a grey workhorse,
accompanied by two maidservants who shaded
him with peacock feathers,
with open ground separating him from his army.
So I went to the commander, Ibn Abi al-Sarh,
and asked his permission to attack their commander.
He granted me permission
and assigned men to support me.
I said to the rest of the army,
"Hold your battle lines."
Then I surged forward, cutting through the ranks,
and told those with me, "Cover my back."
I breached the lines toward the Berber commander
and emerged before him resolutely,
while neither he nor his companions thought anything
except that I was an emissary sent to him.
When I drew close to him, he realized death had come,
so he sprang onto his horse to flee,
but I caught up with him and struck him with my spear,
and he fell dead.
Then I severed his head,
mounted it on my spear, and proclaimed the takbir.
The Muslims then charged the enemy,
throwing them into disarray,
and Allah granted us victory over them,
so we struck them down as we wished.
Along with my renowned bravery,
I was equally known for knowledge and devotion:
I spent my nights standing in prayer,
my days fasting, and was like a dwelling dove in the mosque.
There was no act of worship
that people found too difficult except that I took it upon myself.
Once, a flood came
and submerged the area around the Ka'bah,
so people halted their circumambulation,
but I circumambulated the House by swimming.
Who am I?
The answer: 'Abdullah Ibn al-Zubayr Ibn al-'Awwam,
may Allah be pleased with them both.
Proud deeds of glory shone through their actions,
and the world of mankind was brightened by them.
Splendidly!
Pause and discover
the Companions, the scholars, and the prominent figures:
the best of generations in character and example.
A new challenge:
Who am I?
I am one of the Companions, from the leaders of the Ansar.
I was one of the delegates on the Night of 'Aqabah,
and the first to pledge allegiance to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
on that night,
when I said to him:
"By Allah, you have our pledge, O Messenger of Allah,
to conceal what you wish us to conceal,
to declare what you wish us to declare,
to sacrifice our very souls,
seeking the pleasure of our Lord with us;
and we are a people of strength and honor.
We were upholding this
even while we were upon what we were upon, worshiping
idols and stones;
so how about us today,
when Allah has granted us insight into what He blinded others to,
and has supported us through you?
Stretch forth your hand."
So he stretched forth his hand, peace and blessings be upon him.
I was the first to pray facing the Ka'bah
before the qiblah was formally decreed toward it,
and my people differed with me.
So we asked the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
about that,
and he said to me, "You were upon a valid qiblah,
had you remained patient upon it."
So I reverted to their qiblah toward Bayt al-Maqdis.
Death approached me
one month before the migration of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
to Madinah,
so I willed one-third of my wealth to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
one-third in the cause of Allah,
and one-third for the heirs.
But the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, returned
the one-third designated for him to the heirs,
and supplicated for good for me.
Who am I?
The answer:
Al-Bara' Ibn Ma'rur,
may Allah be pleased with him.
Pause
and discover the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
A new challenge:
Who am I?
I am a Companion of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and the first muezzin of Islam.
I was born in Makkah
and was an Abyssinian slave belonging to Banu Jumah.
When I heard about Islam,
I embraced it, whereupon my masters seized me
and tortured me, casting me onto the scorching ground
and placing heavy boulders upon my chest
so that I would renounce my religion.
They would hand me over to the boys,
who paraded me through the mountain paths of Makkah,
beating me and saying to me,
"You will remain like this until you die,
or disbelieve in Muhammad and worship al-Lat and al-'Uzza."
Yet while enduring that
severe trial and torment, I would say,
"Ahad! Ahad! [He is One! He is One!]"
Then Abu Bakr al-Siddiq,
may Allah be pleased with him, passed by me one day,
bought me from them, and set me free.
Thus 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, used to say,
"Abu Bakr is our master,
and he freed our master."
I migrated to Madinah
and lived there near the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
When the adhan was ordained,
the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, chose me
to be his first muezzin,
so I called the adhan for him throughout his life.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, asked me
one day, saying,
"Tell me about the most hopeful deed you have performed in Islam,
for I heard the sound of your footsteps
before me in Paradise."
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
I have not performed any deed more hopeful to me
than that I have never purified myself with full ablution
at any hour of the night or day
except that I prayed with that purification
whatever was decreed for me to pray."
When the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed away,
I ceased calling the adhan
and set out for jihad and ribat in the cause of Allah.
Later, I came to Madinah during the caliphate of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
and the Muslims requested me
to call the adhan in the Mosque of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The Commander of the Faithful,
'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
insisted upon that,
so I complied and climbed onto the roof of the mosque to call the adhan.
No sooner had I begun with the takbir,
"Allahu Akbar,"
than Madinah shook with weeping,
as if the people were reminded of
their days with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
When I reached
"I bear witness that Muhammad
is the Messenger of Allah," I was overcome
with weeping,
and the sound of people's sobbing rose.
Never was a day seen with more weeping,
after the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
than that day.
After that memorable, tearful night,
I packed my belongings and returned to the Levant,
remaining stationed there in ribat
until death came to me.
As I was dying,
my wife cried, "Oh, what grief!"
But I said, "Rather, what joy!
Tomorrow we shall meet our beloved ones:
Muhammad and his Companions."
Who am I?
The best of generations in character and example,
following the Messenger in his striving
or giving them drink.
The answer is Bilal Ibn Rabah, may Allah be pleased with him.
They departed, leaving in the conscience
a searching question:
Is there a star that rose and shone like them?
They filled life
with glories through their deeds,
and through them, the world of mankind flourished
in splendid beauty.
Pause and get to know
the Companions, the scholars, and the foremost:
the best of generations in their stands
and exemplary character.
Who am I?
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
I embraced Islam early on
because of an animal that guided me to Islam
and to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
in Medina; so I migrated to him
and accepted Islam before him.
I prayed with him toward both Qiblahs,
and I pledged allegiance to him on the Day of al-Hudaybiyyah beneath the tree.
One day, while I was tending
sheep in al-Harrah,
a wolf suddenly attacked an ewe from the flock
and seized it, so I ran after it
until I rescued the sheep from it.
Thereupon, the wolf sat on its haunches,
spoke to me in human speech,
and said, "Do you not fear Allah?
You come between me and a provision that Allah has driven to me!"
I exclaimed, "How astonishing!
A wolf sitting on its haunches,
speaking in human speech!"
The wolf said, "Shall I not tell you
of something even more astonishing than that?
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
is in Medina between the two lava fields,
informing people of the news of what has passed before."
So when I heard the wolf's words,
I headed straight for Medina,
herding my flock into one of its corners.
Then I entered upon the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and embraced Islam,
and I related to him the story of the wolf.
So the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, went out
to the people and said to me,
"Stand up and inform them of your news."
So I informed them of what had occurred between me and the wolf,
and the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said,
"The shepherd has spoken the truth."
So who am I?
They followed the Messenger wherever he strove,
or gave drink.
The answer is Uhban Ibn Aws al-Aslami,
may Allah be pleased with him.
They departed, leaving in the conscience a searching question:
Is there anyone like them,
among those who rose and shone?
They filled life with glories
through their deeds,
and through them, the world of mankind flourished
in splendid beauty.
Pause and get to know the Companions,
the scholars, and the foremost:
the best of generations in their stands
and exemplary character.
Who am I?
I am one of the Companions, from the tribe of Ghifar.
I was a monotheist during the Jahiliyyah,
so I never worshipped idols,
and I was known for courage and valor.
I forbade upon myself wine, intoxication, and divining arrows,
and I possessed a discerning mind
and engaged in deep reflection.
News reached me that a man had emerged in Mecca,
so I said to my brother Unays,
"Go to this man
and bring me news of him."
So he went, met him, and then returned.
I asked, "What news do you have?"
He said, "By Allah, I saw a man
enjoining good and forbidding evil."
I said to him,
"You have not satisfied my curiosity with this report."
I did not know the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and I disliked asking about him openly.
Then 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, passed by me
and said, "It seems the man is a stranger."
I replied, "Yes."
He said, "Then come along to my home."
So I went with him,
while he asked me nothing, nor did I ask him anything.
When morning came, I went out
to ask about him,
but there was no one to tell me anything about him.
Then 'Ali passed by me in the evening
and said, "Has the time not come for the man
to know where his lodging is yet?"
I said, "No." He said,
"Then come with me."
Then he said, "What is your business,
and what brought you to this town?"
I said, "If you promise to keep my secret, I will tell you." He agreed,
so I said to him,
"Word has reached me that here has emerged
a man claiming to be a prophet,
so I wished to meet him."
He said to me, "Indeed, you have found true guidance!
This is my way to him,
so follow me."
So I went with him until we entered upon him.
I spoke to him,
and he presented Islam to me,
so I embraced Islam on the spot.
He said to me, "Keep this matter concealed
and return to your people,
so that Allah may benefit them through you;
and when word reaches you that we have prevailed, then come forward."
So I set out, returning to my people,
until I reached my brother.
I said, "I have embraced Islam and believed."
He replied, "I have no
aversion to your religion;
indeed, I too have embraced Islam alongside you and believed."
Then we came to our mother and informed her
of our news, and she said,
"I have no aversion to the religion of you two;
indeed, I have embraced Islam and believed alongside both of you."
Then I called my tribe, Ghifar, to Islam,
and half of them accepted Islam,
while the rest said,
"When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, arrives,
we shall embrace Islam."
So when the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, arrived in
Medina, I emigrated to him,
and the remainder of my tribe embraced Islam.
I brought them to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
and the tribe of Aslam came as well,
who were our allies, and said,
"We submit to that which our brothers have submitted to."
Thereupon the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said,
"Ghifar—may Allah forgive them;
and Aslam—may Allah grant them peace and safety."
So who am I?
The best of generations in their stands and exemplary character,
following the Messenger wherever he strove,
or gave drink.
Abu Dharr al-Ghifari,
may Allah be pleased with him.