WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:15.259 --> 00:00:18.260 Mawaddah Association is pleased 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:22.260 to present to you vignettes from the lives of the Companions 00:00:22.260 --> 00:00:25.260 by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 00:00:25.260 --> 00:00:27.289 may Allah have mercy on him. 00:00:27.289 --> 00:00:33.049 Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him. 00:00:45.460 --> 00:00:51.570 Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud possessed a sharp, vigilant heart, 00:00:51.570 --> 00:00:53.570 brilliant intellect, 00:00:53.570 --> 00:00:55.570 and exceptional resourcefulness—entering and exiting tricky situations with ease. 00:00:55.570 --> 00:00:58.570 No dilemma could impede him, nor could any problem defeat him. 00:00:58.570 --> 00:01:03.570 He exemplified the desert bedouin with all the sound intuition Allah had bestowed upon him, 00:01:03.570 --> 00:01:06.569 alongside quick wit and deep cunning. 00:01:06.569 --> 00:01:10.569 However, he was a man given to youthful indiscretions and a companion of pleasure, 00:01:10.569 --> 00:01:14.569 both of which drew him most strongly to the Jews of Yathrib. 00:01:14.569 --> 00:01:20.569 Whenever his soul yearned for a songstress or his ear craved the sound of a lute, 00:01:20.569 --> 00:01:23.569 he would pack his saddlebags and set out from his people's dwellings in Najd, 00:01:23.569 --> 00:01:26.569 heading straight toward Medina, 00:01:26.569 --> 00:01:29.569 where he spent his wealth generously upon its Jewish inhabitants 00:01:29.569 --> 00:01:32.569 so that they, in turn, would lavish pleasure upon him even more generously. 00:01:32.569 --> 00:01:37.569 Consequently, Nu'aym frequented Yathrib often 00:01:37.569 --> 00:01:40.569 and maintained close ties with its inhabitants, 00:01:40.569 --> 00:01:42.569 particularly Banu Qurayzah. 00:01:42.569 --> 00:01:48.599 When Allah honored humanity by sending His Messenger with the religion of guidance and truth, 00:01:48.599 --> 00:01:51.599 and the mountain passes of Mecca shone with the light of Islam, 00:01:52.599 --> 00:01:56.599 Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud was still giving free rein to his desires. 00:01:56.599 --> 00:02:00.599 Thus, he turned away from the new faith with utter aversion, 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:04.599 fearing it would come between him and his pleasures and delights. 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:10.599 Soon, however, he found himself driven to join the fiercest enemies of Islam, 00:02:10.599 --> 00:02:14.599 compelled to unsheathe his sword against it. 00:02:14.599 --> 00:02:16.819 Yet Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud 00:02:16.819 --> 00:02:22.819 opened a new chapter for himself in the history of the Islamic da'wah on the Day of the Trench (al-Ahzab). 00:02:22.819 --> 00:02:28.819 Upon this page, he penned one of the most marvelous stories of stratagem in war— 00:02:28.819 --> 00:02:34.819 a story that history continues to recount with immense awe at its tightly woven chapters 00:02:34.819 --> 00:02:37.819 and admiration for its sharp, intelligent hero. 00:02:37.819 --> 00:02:40.819 To grasp the full story of Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud, 00:02:40.819 --> 00:02:44.819 you must step back a little in time. 00:02:44.819 --> 00:02:47.819 Shortly before the Battle of the Trench, 00:02:47.819 --> 00:02:51.819 a faction from the Jewish tribe of Banu al-Nadir in Yathrib rose up, 00:02:51.819 --> 00:02:58.819 and their leaders began mobilizing the confederate factions to wage war against the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and eliminate his religion. 00:02:58.819 --> 00:03:01.819 They came to Quraysh in Mecca, 00:03:01.819 --> 00:03:04.819 inciting them to fight the Muslims 00:03:04.819 --> 00:03:08.819 and pledging to join forces with them upon their arrival in Medina, 00:03:08.819 --> 00:03:11.819 setting a firm, unalterable appointment for that purpose. 00:03:12.819 --> 00:03:15.819 They then left them and set out for Ghatafan in Najd, 00:03:15.819 --> 00:03:18.819 stirring them up against Islam and its Prophet 00:03:18.819 --> 00:03:22.819 and calling on them to eradicate the new religion from its roots. 00:03:22.819 --> 00:03:26.819 They disclosed to them what had been agreed upon between themselves and Quraysh, 00:03:26.819 --> 00:03:29.819 pledged to them the same commitments, 00:03:29.819 --> 00:03:32.819 and informed them of the agreed-upon date. 00:03:32.819 --> 00:03:36.819 Quraysh thereupon marched out from Mecca in their entirety, 00:03:36.819 --> 00:03:38.819 with all their cavalry and infantry, 00:03:38.819 --> 00:03:41.819 led by their chieftain Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, 00:03:41.819 --> 00:03:43.819 heading toward Medina. 00:03:43.819 --> 00:03:47.860 Likewise, Ghatafan set forth from Najd with all their equipment and numbers, 00:03:47.860 --> 00:03:51.860 led by 'Uyaynah ibn Hisn al-Ghatafani. 00:03:51.860 --> 00:03:54.860 At the forefront of Ghatafan's men 00:03:54.860 --> 00:03:57.860 was the hero of our story, Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud. 00:03:57.860 --> 00:04:00.949 When the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, received 00:04:00.949 --> 00:04:02.949 news of their mobilization, 00:04:02.949 --> 00:04:05.949 he gathered his Companions and consulted them on the matter. 00:04:05.949 --> 00:04:09.949 Their decision settled upon digging a trench around Medina 00:04:09.949 --> 00:04:12.949 to repel this massive invasion 00:04:12.949 --> 00:04:14.949 which they lacked the strength to face head-on, 00:04:14.949 --> 00:04:18.949 allowing the trench to stand against the dense invading army. 00:04:18.949 --> 00:04:23.269 Scarcely had the two invading armies from Mecca and Najd 00:04:23.269 --> 00:04:25.269 drawn near the outskirts of Medina 00:04:25.269 --> 00:04:28.269 when the leaders of the Jewish tribe of Banu al-Nadir went 00:04:28.269 --> 00:04:32.269 to the leaders of Banu Qurayzah residing inside Medina, 00:04:33.269 --> 00:04:36.269 inciting them to enter the war against the Prophet 00:04:36.269 --> 00:04:41.269 and urging them to support the two armies coming from Mecca and Najd. 00:04:41.269 --> 00:04:44.269 The leaders of Banu Qurayzah said to them, 00:04:44.269 --> 00:04:47.269 "You have called us to that which we love and desire, 00:04:47.269 --> 00:04:51.269 but you know that between us and Muhammad 00:04:51.269 --> 00:04:54.269 is a covenant to maintain peace and non-aggression with him, 00:04:54.269 --> 00:04:58.269 in exchange for living in Medina safe and secure. 00:04:58.269 --> 00:05:03.269 You know that the ink on our covenant with him has not yet dried, 00:05:03.269 --> 00:05:06.269 and we fear that if Muhammad emerges victorious in this war, 00:05:06.269 --> 00:05:09.269 he will strike us with a mighty blow 00:05:09.269 --> 00:05:14.269 and eradicate us completely from Medina as punishment for our treachery toward him." 00:05:14.269 --> 00:05:19.269 However, the leaders of Banu al-Nadir kept enticing them to break the pact, 00:05:19.269 --> 00:05:22.269 embellishing for them the act of betraying Muhammad, 00:05:22.269 --> 00:05:28.269 assuring them that the tide would inevitably turn against him this time, 00:05:28.269 --> 00:05:32.269 and bolstering their resolve with the arrival of the two grand armies. 00:05:32.269 --> 00:05:36.269 Before long, the Jews of Banu Qurayzah yielded to them, 00:05:36.269 --> 00:05:40.269 broke their covenant with the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:05:40.269 --> 00:05:43.269 tore up the document that existed between them and him, 00:05:43.269 --> 00:05:46.269 and declared their alignment with the Confederates in waging war against him. 00:05:46.269 --> 00:05:50.269 The news fell upon the Muslims like a thunderbolt. 00:05:50.269 --> 00:05:53.399 The armies of the Confederates besieged Medina, 00:05:53.399 --> 00:05:56.399 cutting off supplies and provisions from its people. 00:05:56.399 --> 00:06:00.399 The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, felt 00:06:00.399 --> 00:06:03.399 that he was caught between the jaws of the enemy: 00:06:03.399 --> 00:06:08.399 Quraysh and Ghatafan were encamped opposite the Muslims outside Medina, 00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:14.399 while Banu Qurayzah lay in wait, poised behind the Muslims inside Medina. 00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:18.459 Furthermore, the hypocrites and those in whose hearts was a disease 00:06:18.459 --> 00:06:22.459 began to reveal what was hidden in their souls, saying, 00:06:22.459 --> 00:06:26.459 "Muhammad used to promise us that we would possess the treasures of Chosroes and Caesar, 00:06:26.459 --> 00:06:31.459 yet today, not one of us feels secure enough 00:06:31.459 --> 00:06:34.459 even to go relieve himself!" 00:06:34.459 --> 00:06:38.459 Then they began defecting from the Prophet group after group, 00:06:38.459 --> 00:06:42.459 under the pretext of fearing for their women, children, and homes 00:06:42.459 --> 00:06:47.459 against an attack that Banu Qurayzah might launch upon them if fighting broke out, 00:06:47.459 --> 00:06:52.459 until none remained with the Messenger except a few hundred sincere believers. 00:06:52.459 --> 00:06:55.529 On one of the nights of the siege, 00:06:55.529 --> 00:06:58.529 which lasted nearly twenty days, 00:06:58.529 --> 00:07:02.529 the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, turned to his Lord, 00:07:02.529 --> 00:07:05.529 supplicating Him with the prayer of one in desperate distress, 00:07:05.529 --> 00:07:08.529 repeating in his supplication the words: 00:07:08.529 --> 00:07:11.529 "O Allah, I beseech You for Your covenant and Your promise! 00:07:11.529 --> 00:07:14.529 O Allah, I beseech You for Your covenant and Your promise!" 00:07:15.529 --> 00:07:18.529 On that very night, Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud 00:07:18.529 --> 00:07:21.529 was tossing sleeplessly upon his bed, 00:07:21.529 --> 00:07:25.529 as though his eyelids had been nailed open, unable to close for sleep. 00:07:25.529 --> 00:07:31.529 He began gazing at the stars floating across the clear expanse of the sky, 00:07:31.529 --> 00:07:33.529 lost in deep reflection. 00:07:33.529 --> 00:07:37.529 Suddenly, he found his inner self questioning him, saying: 00:07:37.529 --> 00:07:39.529 "Woe to you, O Nu'aym! 00:07:39.529 --> 00:07:43.529 What brought you from those distant lands in Najd 00:07:43.529 --> 00:07:46.529 to fight this man and those with him? 00:07:46.529 --> 00:07:49.529 You are not fighting him to champion a stolen right, 00:07:49.529 --> 00:07:52.529 nor out of honor for a violated sanctity; 00:07:52.529 --> 00:07:56.529 you have only come to fight him for no known reason! 00:07:56.529 --> 00:07:59.529 Is it fitting for a man endowed with a mind like yours 00:07:59.529 --> 00:08:03.529 to fight and be killed, or kill, for no cause? 00:08:03.529 --> 00:08:05.529 Woe to you, O Nu'aym! 00:08:05.529 --> 00:08:09.529 What makes you unsheathe your sword against this righteous man 00:08:09.529 --> 00:08:12.529 who commands his followers to observe justice, benevolence, 00:08:12.529 --> 00:08:14.529 and charity to kinsfolk? 00:08:14.529 --> 00:08:18.529 What drives you to plunge your spear into the blood of his companions, 00:08:18.529 --> 00:08:22.529 who have merely followed the guidance and truth he brought them?" 00:08:22.529 --> 00:08:26.589 This fierce inner dialogue within Nu'aym was resolved only 00:08:26.589 --> 00:08:30.589 by a firm resolve that he immediately rose to execute. 00:08:30.589 --> 00:08:35.590 Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud slipped out from his people's camp under the cover of darkness 00:08:36.590 --> 00:08:41.590 and hastened his steps toward the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:08:41.590 --> 00:08:46.620 When the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw him standing before him, he said, 00:08:46.620 --> 00:08:48.620 "Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud?" 00:08:48.620 --> 00:08:50.620 He replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." 00:08:50.620 --> 00:08:52.620 He asked, 00:08:52.620 --> 00:08:55.620 "What brings you at this hour?" 00:08:55.620 --> 00:08:56.620 He said, 00:08:56.620 --> 00:08:59.620 "I have come to bear witness that there is no god but Allah, 00:08:59.620 --> 00:09:02.620 that you are the servant of Allah and His Messenger, 00:09:02.620 --> 00:09:04.620 and that what you have brought is the truth." 00:09:04.620 --> 00:09:06.620 He then added, saying, 00:09:06.620 --> 00:09:08.620 "I have embraced Islam, O Messenger of Allah, 00:09:08.620 --> 00:09:11.620 and my people do not know of my Islam. 00:09:11.620 --> 00:09:13.620 So command me as you wish." 00:09:13.620 --> 00:09:16.620 The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 00:09:16.620 --> 00:09:18.620 "You are but a single man among us. 00:09:18.620 --> 00:09:22.620 Go back to your people and undermine them if you can, 00:09:22.620 --> 00:09:24.620 for war is deceit." 00:09:24.620 --> 00:09:27.659 He replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah, 00:09:27.659 --> 00:09:30.659 and you shall see what pleases you, Allah willing." 00:09:30.659 --> 00:09:34.750 Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud went immediately to Banu Qurayzah, 00:09:34.750 --> 00:09:37.750 having been an old friend and companion of theirs, 00:09:37.750 --> 00:09:38.750 and said to them, 00:09:38.750 --> 00:09:40.750 "O Banu Qurayzah, 00:09:40.750 --> 00:09:44.750 you know my affection for you and the sincerity of my counsel to you." 00:09:44.750 --> 00:09:45.750 They said, "Yes, 00:09:45.750 --> 00:09:48.750 you are not suspected of any ill intent among us." 00:09:48.750 --> 00:09:49.750 He said, 00:09:49.750 --> 00:09:54.750 "Quraysh and Ghatafan have a position in this war different from yours." 00:09:54.750 --> 00:09:56.750 They asked, "How so?" 00:09:56.750 --> 00:09:57.750 He said, 00:09:57.750 --> 00:10:00.750 "This town is your town, 00:10:00.750 --> 00:10:03.750 wherein lie your property, your children, and your wives, 00:10:03.750 --> 00:10:06.750 and you cannot abandon it for anywhere else. 00:10:06.750 --> 00:10:09.750 As for Quraysh and Ghatafan, 00:10:09.750 --> 00:10:14.750 their land, property, children, and wives are elsewhere. 00:10:14.750 --> 00:10:17.750 They came to fight Muhammad 00:10:17.750 --> 00:10:20.750 and called upon you to break his covenant and assist them against him, 00:10:20.750 --> 00:10:22.750 and you complied. 00:10:22.750 --> 00:10:25.750 If they achieve success in fighting him, they will seize the spoils; 00:10:25.750 --> 00:10:27.750 but if they fail to overcome him, 00:10:27.750 --> 00:10:30.750 they will return to their lands safely, 00:10:30.750 --> 00:10:31.750 leaving you at his mercy, 00:10:31.750 --> 00:10:34.750 and he will exact the worst vengeance upon you. 00:10:34.750 --> 00:10:39.750 You know well that you have no power against him if you are left alone with him." 00:10:39.750 --> 00:10:41.750 They said, "You have spoken the truth. 00:10:41.750 --> 00:10:43.750 What, then, is your advice?" 00:10:43.750 --> 00:10:44.750 He said, 00:10:44.750 --> 00:10:46.750 "My advice to you 00:10:46.750 --> 00:10:50.750 is not to fight alongside them until you take a group of their nobles 00:10:50.750 --> 00:10:53.750 and hold them as hostages in your custody. 00:10:53.750 --> 00:10:57.750 In doing so, you will compel them to fight Muhammad alongside you 00:10:57.750 --> 00:10:59.750 until you prevail over him, 00:10:59.750 --> 00:11:02.750 or until the last man among you and them perishes." 00:11:02.750 --> 00:11:05.750 They said, "You have given sound counsel and advice." 00:11:05.750 --> 00:11:07.850 He then departed from them 00:11:07.850 --> 00:11:10.850 and went to Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, the leader of Quraysh, 00:11:10.850 --> 00:11:12.850 and said to him and those with him, 00:11:12.850 --> 00:11:14.850 "O people of Quraysh, 00:11:14.850 --> 00:11:18.850 you know my affection for you and my enmity toward Muhammad. 00:11:18.850 --> 00:11:20.850 A matter has reached my knowledge, 00:11:20.850 --> 00:11:23.850 and I felt it my duty to disclose it to you 00:11:23.850 --> 00:11:24.850 as sincere advice, 00:11:24.850 --> 00:11:28.850 provided you keep it secret and do not attribute it to me." 00:11:28.850 --> 00:11:31.850 They said, "You have our word on that." 00:11:31.850 --> 00:11:32.850 So he said: 00:11:32.850 --> 00:11:36.850 "Banu Qurayzah have repented for opposing Muhammad, 00:11:36.850 --> 00:11:38.850 and they have sent word to him saying, 00:11:38.850 --> 00:11:41.850 'We deeply regret what we have done, 00:11:41.850 --> 00:11:45.850 and we are resolved to return to our treaty and peaceful relations with you. 00:11:45.850 --> 00:11:48.850 Would it satisfy you if we were to seize for you from Quraysh, 00:11:48.850 --> 00:11:51.850 and then from Ghatafan, many men from among their nobles, 00:11:51.850 --> 00:11:54.850 and hand them over to you so that you may strike off their necks, 00:11:54.850 --> 00:11:59.850 and then join forces with you to fight them until you annihilate them?' 00:11:59.850 --> 00:12:01.850 So he sent back word to them saying, 00:12:01.850 --> 00:12:02.850 'Yes.' 00:12:02.850 --> 00:12:06.850 Therefore, if the Jews send word asking you for hostages from among your men, 00:12:06.850 --> 00:12:09.850 do not hand over a single person to them!" 00:12:09.850 --> 00:12:10.850 Abu Sufyan replied, 00:12:10.850 --> 00:12:12.850 "What an excellent ally you are! 00:12:12.850 --> 00:12:14.850 May you be rewarded with goodness." 00:12:14.850 --> 00:12:17.850 Nu'aym then departed from Abu Sufyan 00:12:17.850 --> 00:12:20.850 and proceeded until he reached his own people, Ghatafan. 00:12:20.850 --> 00:12:23.850 He related to them the exact same thing he had told Abu Sufyan, 00:12:23.850 --> 00:12:26.850 and warned them against the very thing he had warned him about. 00:12:26.850 --> 00:12:29.850 Abu Sufyan wanted to test Banu Qurayzah, 00:12:29.850 --> 00:12:32.850 so he sent his son to them, saying to them: 00:12:32.850 --> 00:12:35.850 "My father sends you greetings of peace and says to you: 00:12:35.850 --> 00:12:40.850 'Our siege of Muhammad and his companions has dragged on until we have grown weary, 00:12:40.850 --> 00:12:45.850 and we are now determined to fight Muhammad and finish him off. 00:12:45.850 --> 00:12:50.850 My father has sent me to invite you to engage him in battle tomorrow.'" 00:12:50.850 --> 00:12:53.850 They said to him, "Today is the Sabbath, 00:12:53.850 --> 00:12:56.850 and we do not engage in any work on it. 00:12:56.850 --> 00:12:58.850 Furthermore, we will not fight alongside you 00:12:58.850 --> 00:13:02.850 until you give us seventy of your nobles and the nobles of Ghatafan 00:13:02.850 --> 00:13:05.850 to be held as hostages in our possession. 00:13:05.850 --> 00:13:08.850 For we fear that if the fighting becomes fierce for you, 00:13:08.850 --> 00:13:12.850 you will hasten back to your homelands and leave us alone to face Muhammad, 00:13:12.850 --> 00:13:16.850 and you well know that we have no power to withstand him." 00:13:16.850 --> 00:13:19.850 When the son of Abu Sufyan returned to his people 00:13:19.850 --> 00:13:22.850 and informed them of what he had heard from Banu Qurayzah, 00:13:22.850 --> 00:13:24.850 they all exclaimed with one voice: 00:13:24.850 --> 00:13:27.850 "May the offspring of apes and swine be disgraced! 00:13:27.850 --> 00:13:30.850 By Allah, even if they requested a single sheep as a hostage, 00:13:30.850 --> 00:13:32.850 we would not hand it over to them!" 00:13:32.850 --> 00:13:37.009 Thus Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud succeeded in shattering the ranks of the Confederates 00:13:37.009 --> 00:13:39.009 and splintering their unity. 00:13:39.009 --> 00:13:42.009 And Allah unleashed upon Quraysh and its allies 00:13:42.009 --> 00:13:44.009 a howling, tempestuous wind 00:13:44.009 --> 00:13:46.009 that began uprooting their tents, 00:13:46.009 --> 00:13:48.009 overturning their cooking pots, 00:13:48.009 --> 00:13:50.009 extinguishing their fires, 00:13:50.009 --> 00:13:52.009 striking their faces, 00:13:52.009 --> 00:13:54.009 and filling their eyes with dust. 00:13:54.009 --> 00:13:57.009 Finding no alternative but to depart, 00:13:57.009 --> 00:14:00.009 they retreated under the cover of darkness. 00:14:00.009 --> 00:14:02.039 When morning came upon the Muslims 00:14:02.039 --> 00:14:05.039 and they found that the enemies of Allah had turned back in retreat, 00:14:05.039 --> 00:14:07.039 they began proclaiming: 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:10.039 "Praise be to Allah, Who aided His servant, 00:14:10.039 --> 00:14:12.039 granted victory to His soldiers, 00:14:12.039 --> 00:14:14.039 and routed the Confederates alone!" 00:14:14.039 --> 00:14:16.230 Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud remained 00:14:16.230 --> 00:14:18.230 after that day 00:14:18.230 --> 00:14:22.230 a trusted confidant of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:14:22.230 --> 00:14:24.230 He entrusted him with important tasks, 00:14:24.230 --> 00:14:26.230 charged him with heavy burdens, 00:14:26.230 --> 00:14:28.230 and he carried the banners before him. 00:14:28.230 --> 00:14:31.230 On the day of the Conquest of Mecca, 00:14:31.230 --> 00:14:33.230 Abu Sufyan ibn Harb stood 00:14:33.230 --> 00:14:35.230 reviewing the armies of the Muslims, 00:14:35.230 --> 00:14:38.230 when he saw a man carrying the banner of Ghatafan. 00:14:38.230 --> 00:14:41.230 He asked those with him, "Who is this?" 00:14:41.230 --> 00:14:44.230 They replied, "Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud." 00:14:44.230 --> 00:14:48.230 He said, "How terrible was what he did to us on the Day of the Trench! 00:14:48.230 --> 00:14:51.230 By Allah, he used to be among the most severe of people 00:14:51.230 --> 00:14:53.230 in enmity toward Muhammad, 00:14:53.230 --> 00:14:56.230 yet here he is, carrying the banner of his people before him, 00:14:56.230 --> 00:14:59.230 marching to wage war against us under his standard!" 00:14:59.230 --> 00:15:04.019 Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud— 00:15:04.019 --> 00:15:08.019 a man who understood that war is deceit. 00:15:08.019 --> 00:15:10.720 He departed alongside his companions, 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:13.720 having laid firm foundations for a lofty edifice. 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:16.460 O poetry, assist me 00:15:16.460 --> 00:15:18.460 in praising them—does it not adorn them?