WEBVTT

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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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The Mawaddah Association is pleased

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to present to you

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"Portraits from the Lives of the Female Companions,"

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by Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,

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may Allah have mercy on him.

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Ramlah,

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daughter of Abu Sufyan,

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may Allah be pleased with them both.

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It had never crossed the mind of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb

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that anyone among Quraysh possessed the audacity

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to defy his authority

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or oppose him in any matter of consequence.

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For he was the undisputed, obeyed master of Makkah

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and its leader to whom total allegiance was pledged.

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Yet his own daughter, Ramlah,

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known by the kunya Umm Habibah,

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shattered this illusion,

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when she renounced the idols of her father

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and believed, alongside her husband, Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh,

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in Allah alone, having no partner,

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and affirmed the message of His Prophet, Muhammad ibn Abdillah.

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Abu Sufyan strove

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with all the power and might at his command

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to turn his daughter and her husband back

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to his religion and the religion of their forefathers,

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but he failed completely.

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For the faith deeply rooted in Ramlah’s heart

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was too profound to be uprooted

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by the tempests of Abu Sufyan,

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and far too steadfast to be shaken by his wrath.

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Abu Sufyan was consumed with grief and anxiety over Ramlah’s Islam,

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for he no longer knew how to face Quraysh

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after proving powerless to bend his own daughter to his will

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or prevent her from following Muhammad.

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When Quraysh realized that Abu Sufyan

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was deeply incensed with Ramlah and her husband,

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they grew emboldened against them,

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and began tightening the noose around them,

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subjecting them to the harshest forms of persecution,

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until life in Makkah became utterly unbearable for the couple.

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When the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, permitted

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the Muslims to emigrate to Abyssinia,

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Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan,

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her young daughter Habibah,

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and her husband Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh

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were at the forefront of those migrating to Allah for their faith,

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fleeing with their religion to the sanctuary of the Negus.

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However, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb

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and the leaders of Quraysh who accompanied him

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could not bear to let

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that group of Muslims slip through their fingers

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and taste the sweet relief of peace in the land of Abyssinia.

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So they dispatched their emissaries to the Negus,

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inciting him against the emigrants,

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demanding that he surrender them back,

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and claiming that they uttered disparaging words

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concerning the Messiah and his mother, Mary.

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Thereupon, the Negus summoned the leaders of the emigrants

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and questioned them about the reality of their religion,

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and what they said regarding Jesus, the son of Mary, and his mother,

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asking them to recite something of the Qur'an

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that was revealed to the heart of their Prophet.

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When they explained to him the reality of Islam

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and recited some verses of the Qur'an to him,

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he wept until his beard was drenched,

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and said to them, "Indeed, this which

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has been revealed to your Prophet Muhammad,

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and that which Jesus, son of Mary, brought,

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emanate from the very same niche of light."

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Then he proclaimed his faith in Allah alone, without partner,

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affirmed his belief in the prophethood of Muhammad,

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peace and blessings be upon him,

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and pledged his protection to the Muslims who had emigrated to his land,

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even though his own bishops refused to accept Islam

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and remained upon their Christian faith.

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Following this, Umm Habibah thought

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that life had finally smiled upon her after a long frown of adversity,

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and that her arduous journey

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through the corridor of pain had at last led her

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to an oasis of peace and security.

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Little did she know what destiny had concealed in store for her,

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for Allah, blessed be His wisdom, willed

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to test Umm Habibah with a severe trial—

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one that would baffle the minds of the wisest of men,

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and shatter the resolve of people of understanding—

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only to bring her forth from that

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momentous tribulation

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victorious, seated at the pinnacle of triumph.

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For one night, Umm Habibah retired

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to her bed,

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and saw in a dream that her husband, Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh,

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was flailing in the depths of a fathomless ocean,

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engulfed in layers of darkness, one upon another,

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in the most wretched condition.

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She awoke from her sleep terrified and deeply distressed,

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but chose not to mention to him or to anyone else

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anything of what she had seen.

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Yet her vision was soon to come to pass,

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for before the day following that night had ended,

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her husband apostatized and threw himself into taverns,

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indulging in the mother of all vices, wine,

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unable to quench his thirst or satisfy his craving.

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He then gave her a choice between two options,

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the sweeter of which was exceedingly bitter:

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either to be divorced or to convert to Christianity.

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Umm Habibah suddenly found herself

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facing three agonizing paths:

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she could either yield to her husband

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and thereby apostatize from her faith—

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Allah forbid!—incurring the disgrace of this world

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and the torment of the Hereafter, which was something

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she would never do, even if her flesh were raked from her bones

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with iron combs;

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or she could return to her father’s home in Makkah,

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which remained a bastion of polytheism,

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where she would live subjugated and forced to abandon her religion;

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or she could remain in the land of Abyssinia,

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without family, homeland, or supporter.

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So she chose that which brought the pleasure of Allah, Mighty and Majestic,

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above all else,

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and resolved to remain in Abyssinia

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until Allah brought forth relief from Him.

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Umm Habibah’s wait did not last long,

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for no sooner had her waiting period ended following the death of her husband—

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who lived only a short time after embracing Christianity—

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than divine relief arrived,

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and happiness descended upon her,

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flapping its vibrant green, emerald wings

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over her sorrowful home unexpectedly.

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On a bright, luminous morning,

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pleasant and cheerful, there came a knock at her door.

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When she opened it, she was surprised to find Abrahah,

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the maidservant of the Negus, King of Abyssinia.

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She greeted her with utmost courtesy and joy,

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asked permission to enter, and said,

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"The King conveys his greetings to you and says:

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'Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, has sought your hand in marriage,

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and has sent him a letter appointing him as his proxy

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to conduct the marriage contract with you;

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so appoint whomever you wish as your guardian.'"

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Umm Habibah was overjoyed and exclaimed,

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"May Allah bring you glad tidings of good!

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May Allah bring you glad tidings of good!"

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She immediately began taking off her jewelry:

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she gave her two bracelets to Abrahah,

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followed by her anklets,

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and then added her earrings and rings;

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had she possessed all the treasures of the world,

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she would have given them to her at that moment.

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Then she said to her, "I have appointed as my guardian

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Khalid ibn Sa'id ibn al-'As,

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for he is the closest of people to me."

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In the palace of the Negus, perched atop a hill

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overlooking one of the lush, blooming meadows of Abyssinia,

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and within one of its spacious halls,

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adorned with vibrant carvings,

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illuminated by gleaming brass lamps,

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and furnished with the most luxurious furnishings,

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the prominent Companions residing in Abyssinia assembled.

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Foremost among them were Ja'far ibn Abi Talib,

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Khalid ibn Sa'id ibn al-'As,

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and Abdullah ibn Hudhafah al-Sahmi,

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among others, to witness the marriage contract of Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan

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to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.

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When the gathering was complete,

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the Negus presided over the assembly and delivered a sermon,

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saying: "All praise is due to Allah, the Sovereign, the Holy,

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the Source of Peace, the Omnipotent.

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I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,

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and that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger,

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and that he is the one whom Jesus, the son of Mary, foretold.

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To proceed:

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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him,

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has requested me to marry him to Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan,

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and I have consented to his request,

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granting her on his behalf a mahr

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of four hundred gold dinars,

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in accordance with the Sunnah of Allah and His Messenger."

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Then he poured the gold dinars before Khalid ibn Sa'id ibn al-'As.

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At this, Khalid stood up and said,

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"Praise be to Allah, I praise Him, seek His aid,

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ask His forgiveness, and repent to Him.

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I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger,

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whom He sent with guidance and the religion of truth,

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that He may make it prevail over all religions,

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even if the disbelievers detest it. To proceed:

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I have agreed to the request of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him,

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and have given in marriage my ward,

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Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan.

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May Allah bless His Messenger with his wife,

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and congratulations to Umm Habibah for the abundant good

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that Allah has decreed for her."

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Then Khalid took the money and intended to take it to her,

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and his companions stood up with him

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intending to leave as well.

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But the Negus said to them, "Sit down,

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for it is the Sunnah of the Prophets, whenever they marry,

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that they share a meal.

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Umm Habibah said:

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"When the wealth reached me,

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I sent to Abrahah, the maidservant who had brought me the glad tidings,

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fifty mithqals of gold.

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I told her: 'I gave you what I gave you when you brought me the good news

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only because I possessed no money at the time.'

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But before long,

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Abrahah came back to me and returned the gold,

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and she brought out a small casket containing the jewelry

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and returned that to me as well.

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She said: 'The King has strictly bidden me

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not to accept anything from you,

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and he has instructed his wives to send you

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all the perfume they possess.'

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The next day, she brought me yellow scent (wars),

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agarwood, and ambergris, and then said to me:

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'I have a favor to ask of you.'

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I asked: 'And what is that?'

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She said: 'I have embraced the religion of Muhammad;

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so convey my greetings of peace to the Prophet,

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and inform him that I have believed in Allah and His Messenger,

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and do not forget this.'

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Then she helped prepare me for my journey.

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Later, when I was brought to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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and met him, I told him all about the marriage proposal

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and how I had interacted with Abrahah,

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and I conveyed her greetings of peace to him.

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He said: 'And upon her be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.'

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Umm Habibah

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prioritized Allah and His Messenger above all else,

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and hated to return to disbelief

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just as one would hate to be cast into the Fire.

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The historians