WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:15.539 --> 00:00:17.539 The Mawaddah Association is pleased 00:00:17.539 --> 00:00:22.539 to present to you glimpses from the lives of the Companions, 00:00:22.539 --> 00:00:25.539 by Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 00:00:25.539 --> 00:00:30.550 may Allah have mercy upon him. 00:00:30.550 --> 00:00:32.549 Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, 00:00:32.549 --> 00:00:34.649 may Allah be pleased with him. 00:00:34.649 --> 00:00:39.609 Leaders of the world—who led, and who did not transgress? 00:00:39.609 --> 00:00:45.729 The harshness of man in the eras and the trials. 00:00:45.729 --> 00:00:47.729 No, that is not what we seek. 00:00:47.729 --> 00:00:55.420 Who is this knight who cleaved through the ranks of men in Makkah with his sword, 00:00:55.420 --> 00:00:59.420 out of protective zeal for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him? 00:00:59.420 --> 00:01:03.420 He was the first to unsheathe a blade in Islam. 00:01:03.420 --> 00:01:08.420 Who is this champion whom the Faruq (Umar ibn al-Khattab) sent as reinforcements to the Muslims in Egypt, 00:01:08.420 --> 00:01:10.420 and counted him as equivalent to a thousand men? 00:01:10.420 --> 00:01:13.420 He was indeed better for them than thousands. 00:01:13.420 --> 00:01:17.450 Who is this fedayeen (heroic fighter) whose history has never known 00:01:17.450 --> 00:01:19.450 anyone braver than him, 00:01:19.450 --> 00:01:21.450 nor more magnificent in sacrifice, 00:01:21.450 --> 00:01:23.450 nor nobler in purpose, 00:01:23.450 --> 00:01:26.450 nor more blessed for Islam? 00:01:26.450 --> 00:01:28.450 He is al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, 00:01:28.450 --> 00:01:32.450 the disciple (hawari) of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:01:32.450 --> 00:01:36.609 Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam was among the elite of the Quraysh, 00:01:36.609 --> 00:01:41.609 for his lineage meets with the lineage of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:01:41.609 --> 00:01:43.609 at Qusayy ibn Kilab. 00:01:43.609 --> 00:01:46.609 His mother was Safiyyah bint Abd al-Muttalib, 00:01:46.609 --> 00:01:50.609 the paternal aunt of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:01:50.609 --> 00:01:54.609 His maternal aunt was Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, 00:01:54.609 --> 00:01:59.609 the most righteous and noble of the wives of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:01:59.609 --> 00:02:01.700 Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam was born 00:02:01.700 --> 00:02:04.700 about fifteen years before the Prophetic mission. 00:02:04.700 --> 00:02:07.700 Yet, he had barely opened his eyes to the world 00:02:07.700 --> 00:02:10.699 when he found himself an orphan, 00:02:10.699 --> 00:02:13.699 for his father had been killed on the fields of battle, 00:02:13.699 --> 00:02:16.900 just as his grandfather had been killed before him. 00:02:16.900 --> 00:02:20.900 His mother, Safiyyah bint Abd al-Muttalib, took charge of his upbringing, 00:02:20.900 --> 00:02:23.900 raising him in toughness and fortitude. 00:02:23.900 --> 00:02:27.900 She was a firm and strict woman, 00:02:27.900 --> 00:02:30.900 who would cast him into every fearful situation 00:02:30.900 --> 00:02:33.900 and thrust him into every danger. 00:02:33.900 --> 00:02:36.900 If he ever held back, hesitated, or fell short, 00:02:36.900 --> 00:02:39.900 she would beat him severely. 00:02:39.900 --> 00:02:42.900 So much so that his uncle, Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid, 00:02:42.900 --> 00:02:45.900 used to reproach her for her harshness toward him, saying, 00:02:45.900 --> 00:02:48.900 "This is not how a child is beaten." 00:02:48.900 --> 00:02:51.900 "You are beating him with the beating of one who hates him." 00:02:51.900 --> 00:02:54.900 She would then recite verses, saying: 00:02:54.900 --> 00:02:57.900 "Whoever says I hate him has lied; 00:02:57.900 --> 00:03:00.900 I only beat him so that he may become intelligent, 00:03:00.900 --> 00:03:04.090 defeat armies, and bring back spoils." 00:03:04.090 --> 00:03:07.090 When the Arabian Peninsula was illuminated by the light of Islam, 00:03:07.090 --> 00:03:10.090 al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam was 00:03:10.090 --> 00:03:13.090 among the first to embrace it. 00:03:13.090 --> 00:03:16.090 He accepted Islam on the second day 00:03:16.090 --> 00:03:19.090 after the conversion of al-Siddiq (Abu Bakr), may Allah be pleased with him, 00:03:19.090 --> 00:03:22.120 and he was fifteen years old at the time. 00:03:22.120 --> 00:03:25.120 He was the brave one who gave the Quraysh a taste 00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:28.120 of what the strongest men’s resolve could inflict. 00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:31.120 He did not falter, nor did he weaken. 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:34.120 His uncle, Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid, 00:03:34.120 --> 00:03:37.120 would devise ways to torture him, 00:03:37.120 --> 00:03:40.120 even wrapping him in a mat 00:03:40.120 --> 00:03:43.120 and lighting a fire around its edges, 00:03:43.120 --> 00:03:46.120 so that the smoke would rise into his face 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:49.120 and the heat would permeate his body, 00:03:50.120 --> 00:03:53.120 until he was on the verge of suffocating to death. 00:03:53.120 --> 00:03:56.120 His uncle would watch him calmly, 00:03:56.120 --> 00:03:59.120 and when the distress became too great for him, 00:03:59.120 --> 00:04:02.120 he would say, "Return to your religion." 00:04:02.120 --> 00:04:05.120 And he would reply, "I will never disbelieve." 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:08.180 When the first Muslims migrated 00:04:08.180 --> 00:04:11.180 to Abyssinia, al-Zubayr was at the forefront 00:04:11.180 --> 00:04:14.180 of the emigrants. He and his brothers found 00:04:14.180 --> 00:04:17.180 refuge under the protection of its righteous king, 00:04:18.180 --> 00:04:21.180 and they began to worship Allah, fearing no one. 00:04:21.180 --> 00:04:24.180 While they were in that state, 00:04:24.180 --> 00:04:27.250 a man from the king's own people rose up against the Negus, 00:04:27.250 --> 00:04:30.250 disputing his rule. 00:04:30.250 --> 00:04:33.250 The Negus went out to meet him, 00:04:33.250 --> 00:04:36.250 crossing the Nile to encounter him and his forces. 00:04:36.250 --> 00:04:39.250 The Muslims were filled with extreme anxiety. 00:04:39.250 --> 00:04:42.250 Umm Salamah, who was with them, said: 00:04:42.250 --> 00:04:45.250 "By Allah, I do not know that we 00:04:45.250 --> 00:04:48.250 ever felt a sadness 00:04:48.250 --> 00:04:51.250 greater than what afflicted us that day, 00:04:51.250 --> 00:04:54.250 fearing that the man would prevail 00:04:54.250 --> 00:04:57.250 over the Negus and hand us over to 00:04:57.250 --> 00:05:00.250 our people who were searching for us." 00:05:00.250 --> 00:05:03.250 The Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, asked, 00:05:03.250 --> 00:05:06.250 "Who is a man who will cross the Nile 00:05:06.250 --> 00:05:09.250 and bring us news of the people?" 00:05:09.250 --> 00:05:12.250 Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam said, "I will." 00:05:12.250 --> 00:05:15.279 He was the youngest of the group. 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:18.279 Umm Salamah said: "They inflated a waterskin for him, 00:05:18.279 --> 00:05:21.279 which he placed against his chest, 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:24.279 and he set off swimming among the waves and the sea creatures, 00:05:24.279 --> 00:05:27.279 until he crossed the Nile from one bank to 00:05:27.279 --> 00:05:30.339 the other and reached the battlefield." 00:05:30.339 --> 00:05:33.339 While we were gathered and waiting, 00:05:33.339 --> 00:05:36.339 praying to Allah for the Negus to prevail over 00:05:36.339 --> 00:05:39.339 his enemy, al-Zubayr appeared to us, 00:05:39.339 --> 00:05:42.339 waving his garment from afar and saying, 00:05:42.339 --> 00:05:45.339 "Rejoice, for the Negus has triumphed 00:05:45.339 --> 00:05:48.339 and Allah has destroyed his enemy." 00:05:48.339 --> 00:05:51.339 Umm Salamah said: "By Allah, I have never known us 00:05:51.339 --> 00:05:54.339 to feel a joy like that ever before." 00:05:54.339 --> 00:05:57.439 When al-Zubayr returned to Makkah 00:05:57.439 --> 00:06:00.439 from Abyssinia, he dedicated his youth, 00:06:00.439 --> 00:06:03.439 his strength, and his boldness to the cause of Allah 00:06:03.439 --> 00:06:06.439 and His Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:06:06.439 --> 00:06:09.439 The polytheists spread rumors about the Messenger of Allah, 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:12.439 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, saying 00:06:12.439 --> 00:06:15.439 that he had been captured to be killed. 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:18.439 The brave youth unsheathed his sword 00:06:18.439 --> 00:06:21.439 and began to cleave through the ranks of the people, 00:06:21.439 --> 00:06:24.439 until he reached the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:06:24.439 --> 00:06:27.439 in the upper part of Makkah. 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:30.439 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, asked him, 00:06:30.439 --> 00:06:33.439 "What is the matter, O Zubayr?" 00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:36.629 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, then prayed for him 00:06:36.629 --> 00:06:39.629 and for his sword. 00:06:39.629 --> 00:06:42.629 Thus, his sword was the first sword 00:06:42.629 --> 00:06:45.860 ever unsheathed in Islam. 00:06:45.860 --> 00:06:48.860 When Allah gave permission to His Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:06:48.860 --> 00:06:51.860 to migrate to Madinah, 00:06:51.860 --> 00:06:54.860 the Muslims began to leave in groups, 00:06:54.860 --> 00:06:57.860 so that they might support one another. 00:06:57.860 --> 00:07:00.860 They were careful to leave in secret, except 00:07:00.860 --> 00:07:03.860 for three of the stalwarts of the Muslims, 00:07:03.860 --> 00:07:06.860 who left individually 00:07:06.860 --> 00:07:09.860 and in the open view of the Quraysh. 00:07:09.860 --> 00:07:12.860 Each one of them would circumambulate the Ka'bah, 00:07:12.860 --> 00:07:15.860 announce his departure to the Quraysh, 00:07:15.860 --> 00:07:18.860 and challenge them to stop him or follow him. 00:07:18.860 --> 00:07:21.860 These three were: 00:07:21.860 --> 00:07:24.860 Umar ibn al-Khattab, 00:07:24.860 --> 00:07:27.860 the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:07:27.860 --> 00:07:30.860 (and) the uncle of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:07:30.860 --> 00:07:33.860 and al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, 00:07:33.860 --> 00:07:36.860 the disciple of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:07:36.860 --> 00:07:40.079 On the day of Badr, 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:43.079 the Muslims had only two horses. 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:46.079 One of them belonged to al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam. 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:49.079 He mounted his horse 00:07:49.079 --> 00:07:52.079 and wrapped a yellow turban around his head. 00:07:52.079 --> 00:07:55.079 When Allah aided His Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:07:55.079 --> 00:07:58.079 with the angels, 00:07:58.079 --> 00:08:01.079 they were wearing yellow turbans. 00:08:01.079 --> 00:08:04.079 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:07.079 "The angels have descended in the likeness of al-Zubayr," 00:08:07.079 --> 00:08:10.209 meaning in his form and appearance. 00:08:10.209 --> 00:08:13.209 Al-Zubayr performed valiantly at Badr, a performance 00:08:13.209 --> 00:08:16.209 befitting a champion knight like him. 00:08:16.209 --> 00:08:19.209 He encountered a group of the leaders of the polytheists, 00:08:19.209 --> 00:08:22.269 and they met their end at his hands. 00:08:22.269 --> 00:08:25.269 You will be astonished to know that one of those he slew 00:08:25.269 --> 00:08:28.269 was his own uncle, Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid, 00:08:28.269 --> 00:08:31.459 the owner of the mat. 00:08:31.459 --> 00:08:34.460 On the day of Uhud, 00:08:34.460 --> 00:08:37.460 al-Zubayr pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:08:37.460 --> 00:08:40.460 to fight to the death in that battle. 00:08:40.460 --> 00:08:43.460 When the distress intensified for the Muslims 00:08:43.460 --> 00:08:46.460 and they began to retreat in every direction, 00:08:46.460 --> 00:08:49.460 he saw the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:08:49.460 --> 00:08:52.460 being attacked severely by the polytheists, 00:08:52.460 --> 00:08:55.460 who were killing their men in the most violent manner. 00:08:55.460 --> 00:08:58.460 He turned to al-Zubayr and said, 00:08:58.460 --> 00:09:01.460 "To him, O Zubayr!" The words of the 00:09:01.460 --> 00:09:04.460 Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had barely touched 00:09:04.460 --> 00:09:07.460 his ears when he sprang like a lion, charging, 00:09:07.460 --> 00:09:10.460 ascended to a place above the people, 00:09:10.460 --> 00:09:13.460 leaped upon him while he was on his mount, 00:09:13.460 --> 00:09:16.460 embraced him, and brought him down to the ground, 00:09:16.460 --> 00:09:19.460 until he was on top of his chest, 00:09:19.460 --> 00:09:22.500 and killed him. 00:09:22.500 --> 00:09:25.500 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, then 00:09:25.500 --> 00:09:28.750 sacrificed his own father and mother for him. 00:09:28.750 --> 00:09:31.750 On the day of Hunayn, the polytheists were about 00:09:31.750 --> 00:09:34.750 to surround the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:09:34.750 --> 00:09:37.750 He continued to fight them 00:09:37.750 --> 00:09:40.750 until he drove them from their positions. 00:09:40.750 --> 00:09:43.750 The polytheists complained to one of their leaders about a knight 00:09:43.750 --> 00:09:46.750 who carried his spear on his shoulder 00:09:46.750 --> 00:09:49.750 and wrapped his head with a yellow cloth. 00:09:49.750 --> 00:09:52.750 They sought his help against him 00:09:52.750 --> 00:09:55.750 and asked him about him, and he said, 00:09:55.750 --> 00:09:58.750 "This is al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam." 00:09:58.750 --> 00:10:01.750 "I swear by Allah and al-Uzza, 00:10:01.750 --> 00:10:04.820 he will break through your ranks, 00:10:04.820 --> 00:10:07.820 and he will mix with your lines, so stand firm against him." 00:10:07.820 --> 00:10:10.820 Al-Zubayr did not prove his assumption wrong; 00:10:10.820 --> 00:10:13.820 he began to fight them until he entered their ranks 00:10:13.820 --> 00:10:17.139 and drove them away. 00:10:17.139 --> 00:10:20.139 The sword of al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam remained 00:10:20.139 --> 00:10:23.139 unsheathed throughout the life of the Messenger of Allah, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him. 00:10:23.139 --> 00:10:26.139 He never missed 00:10:26.139 --> 00:10:29.139 a single battle that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, fought, 00:10:29.139 --> 00:10:32.200 He endured for the sake of that 00:10:32.200 --> 00:10:35.200 whatever Allah willed for him to endure, 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:38.200 to the point that there was not a single limb of his body 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:42.200 that had not been wounded alongside the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:45.299 If we were to set out to examine 00:10:45.299 --> 00:10:48.299 the heroic exploits of al-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwam 00:10:48.299 --> 00:10:51.299 after the passing of the Prophet, peace be upon him, 00:10:51.299 --> 00:10:54.299 we would find them no less brilliant or extraordinary 00:10:54.299 --> 00:10:57.299 than they were during the era 00:10:57.299 --> 00:11:00.299 of the noble Messenger, peace be upon him. 00:11:00.299 --> 00:11:03.299 It suffices us, among these bright and 00:11:03.299 --> 00:11:06.299 luminous accounts, to recall what he did on the day of 00:11:06.299 --> 00:11:09.490 the conquest of Egypt. 00:11:09.490 --> 00:11:12.490 'Amr ibn al-'As set out for Egypt to conquer it 00:11:12.490 --> 00:11:15.490 with three thousand five hundred men 00:11:15.490 --> 00:11:18.490 from the Muslim army. 00:11:18.490 --> 00:11:21.490 No sooner had he penetrated deep into the land of Egypt 00:11:21.490 --> 00:11:24.490 than he felt the need for reinforcements. 00:11:24.490 --> 00:11:27.490 He wrote to al-Faruq [Umar ibn al-Khattab] requesting 00:11:27.490 --> 00:11:30.490 whatever surplus troops he could spare. 00:11:30.490 --> 00:11:33.490 Al-Faruq looked around him, 00:11:34.490 --> 00:11:37.490 and al-Zubayr was at that time 00:11:37.490 --> 00:11:40.490 determined to invade Antioch. 00:11:40.490 --> 00:11:43.490 So 'Umar said to him, 00:11:43.490 --> 00:11:46.490 "O Abu 'Abd Allah, would you like the governorship of Egypt?" 00:11:46.490 --> 00:11:49.490 He replied, "I have no need for that, 00:11:49.490 --> 00:11:52.490 but I will go out as a mujahid for the sake of Allah, 00:11:52.490 --> 00:11:55.490 assisting the Muslims. 00:11:55.490 --> 00:11:58.490 If I find that 'Amr has already conquered it, 00:11:58.490 --> 00:12:01.490 I will not interfere with his work and will head elsewhere, 00:12:02.490 --> 00:12:05.490 and if I find him still in battle, I will be with him." 00:12:05.490 --> 00:12:08.519 So al-Faruq prepared four thousand 00:12:08.519 --> 00:12:11.519 of the Muslim soldiers 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:14.519 and placed them under the command of al-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwam, 00:12:14.519 --> 00:12:17.519 al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad, 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit, 00:12:17.519 --> 00:12:20.519 and Maslamah ibn Mukhallad. 00:12:20.519 --> 00:12:23.519 He wrote to 'Amr ibn al-'As saying, 00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:26.519 "I have reinforced you with four thousand men, 00:12:26.519 --> 00:12:29.519 each thousand of whom is worth a thousand men." 00:12:29.519 --> 00:12:32.899 When al-Zubayr arrived to join 'Amr, 00:12:32.899 --> 00:12:35.899 he found him besieging the fortress of Babylon 00:12:35.899 --> 00:12:38.899 in Fustat, so he mounted his horse 00:12:38.899 --> 00:12:41.899 and circled the walls of the fortress. 00:12:41.899 --> 00:12:45.159 Then he designated the positions for his men. 00:12:45.159 --> 00:12:48.159 The siege of the Babylon fortress dragged on, 00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:51.159 and people began to say that there was 00:12:51.159 --> 00:12:54.159 a plague inside the fortress. Al-Zubayr replied, 00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:57.190 "We have come for the thrust of the spear and the plague." 00:12:57.190 --> 00:13:00.190 When the conquest was delayed, 00:13:00.190 --> 00:13:03.190 and boredom and weariness began to affect the Muslims, 00:13:03.190 --> 00:13:06.190 al-Zubayr said, "I offer my soul to Allah, 00:13:06.190 --> 00:13:09.190 and I hope that Allah will grant victory 00:13:09.190 --> 00:13:12.220 to the Muslims through it." 00:13:12.220 --> 00:13:15.220 Al-Zubayr prepared a sturdy, strong ladder 00:13:15.220 --> 00:13:18.220 and leaned it against one of the fortress walls. 00:13:18.220 --> 00:13:21.220 He commanded his men that when they heard his takbir, 00:13:21.220 --> 00:13:24.220 they should all respond with one voice. 00:13:25.220 --> 00:13:28.220 It was only a short while 00:13:28.220 --> 00:13:31.220 before al-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwam drew his sword, 00:13:31.220 --> 00:13:34.220 climbed the rungs of the ladder in the blink of an eye, 00:13:34.220 --> 00:13:37.220 scaled the fortress wall, and shouted, 00:13:37.220 --> 00:13:40.220 "Allah is the Greatest! Allah is the Greatest!" 00:13:40.220 --> 00:13:43.220 Thousands of throats erupted behind him 00:13:43.220 --> 00:13:46.220 to echo, "Allah is the Greatest!" 00:13:46.220 --> 00:13:49.220 "Allah is the Greatest!" 00:13:49.220 --> 00:13:52.220 The sound shook the hearts of the polytheists. 00:13:52.220 --> 00:13:55.220 Al-Zubayr threw himself 00:13:55.220 --> 00:13:58.220 inside the fortress, and the Muslim soldiers followed 00:13:58.220 --> 00:14:01.220 by throwing themselves in after him. 00:14:01.220 --> 00:14:04.220 They set their swords upon the necks of the Romans, 00:14:04.220 --> 00:14:07.220 who were stunned by the surprise. 00:14:07.220 --> 00:14:10.220 Al-Zubayr and his companions made for the fortress gate, 00:14:10.220 --> 00:14:13.220 opened it, and the masses of the 00:14:13.220 --> 00:14:16.220 Muslims stormed in and descended upon their enemy 00:14:16.220 --> 00:14:19.220 like a thunderbolt. 00:14:20.220 --> 00:14:23.220 Allah decreed victory for His soldiers, 00:14:23.220 --> 00:14:26.220 and it was said, "Destruction to the wrongdoers." 00:14:26.220 --> 00:14:31.139 "The angels descended in the likeness of al-Zubayr." 00:14:31.139 --> 00:14:34.460 The Messenger, peace be upon him, said this 00:14:34.460 --> 00:14:37.460 on the day of Badr.