WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:15.669 --> 00:00:17.670 Mawaddah Association is pleased 00:00:17.670 --> 00:00:21.670 to present to you snapshots from the lives of the Companions 00:00:21.670 --> 00:00:25.699 by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 00:00:25.699 --> 00:00:30.300 may Allah have mercy on him. 00:00:30.300 --> 00:00:32.299 'Abdullah ibn 'Atik, 00:00:32.299 --> 00:00:34.359 may Allah be pleased with him. 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:54.820 “Or think ye that ye will enter paradise while yet there hath not come unto you the like of (that which came to) those who passed away before you? Affliction and adversity befell them, they were shaken as with earthquake, till the messenger (of Allah) and those who believed along with him said: When cometh Allah's help? Now surely Allah's help is nigh.” (2:214) 00:00:54.820 --> 00:00:56.820 Just as they endured severe suffering at the hands of the Jews, 00:00:56.820 --> 00:01:00.820 no one among the Jews was more detrimental to the religion of Allah, 00:01:00.820 --> 00:01:04.819 nor more harmful to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), 00:01:04.819 --> 00:01:08.819 than Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf and Sallam ibn Abi al-Huqayq. 00:01:08.819 --> 00:01:14.879 Indeed, within these two tyrants was combined an amount of evil that was otherwise scattered among all the wicked. 00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:19.879 In them met a degree of malice that surpassed all other vile traits. 00:01:19.879 --> 00:01:24.939 They made it their sole concern to plot against the religion of Allah 00:01:24.939 --> 00:01:29.939 and to harbor hostility toward Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). 00:01:29.939 --> 00:01:36.170 Whenever the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) concluded a treaty with anyone, 00:01:36.170 --> 00:01:39.170 they immediately incited them to break it 00:01:39.170 --> 00:01:42.170 and urged them to renounce it. 00:01:42.170 --> 00:01:45.230 Nor did they find an enemy of Islam residing peacefully 00:01:45.230 --> 00:01:48.230 without rising up to incite them to wage war against it. 00:01:48.230 --> 00:01:51.420 The first of the two was a poet, 00:01:51.420 --> 00:01:56.420 who unleashed his tongue against the honor of the chaste and devout Muslim women, 00:01:57.420 --> 00:02:01.420 slandering them with falsehoods and fabrications. 00:02:01.420 --> 00:02:04.420 The second was a corruptor, 00:02:04.420 --> 00:02:07.420 who set about mobilizing confederate tribes against the Muslims, 00:02:07.420 --> 00:02:10.419 stoking the passions of the idolaters against them, 00:02:10.419 --> 00:02:13.419 and devising plans to trepanning the Noble Messenger— 00:02:13.419 --> 00:02:16.419 upon him be the best of blessings and the purest of greetings— 00:02:16.419 --> 00:02:20.419 to the point of nearly killing him by dropping a boulder upon him, 00:02:20.419 --> 00:02:23.419 had Gabriel (peace be upon him) not alerted him 00:02:23.419 --> 00:02:26.490 to the imminent danger surrounding him. 00:02:26.490 --> 00:02:30.490 Thus, the Noble Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and those with him became certain 00:02:30.490 --> 00:02:34.490 that this germ of evil could not be eradicated 00:02:34.490 --> 00:02:37.490 except by uprooting these two tyrants, 00:02:37.490 --> 00:02:40.490 and that the blood of the people could not be preserved 00:02:40.490 --> 00:02:43.490 except by shedding the blood of these two. 00:02:43.490 --> 00:02:48.780 Among the blessings Allah granted His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) 00:02:48.780 --> 00:02:51.780 was supporting him with the tribes of the Aws and the Khazraj. 00:02:51.780 --> 00:02:54.810 These two clans of the Ansar 00:02:54.810 --> 00:02:57.810 used to compete in doing good works, 00:02:57.810 --> 00:03:00.810 racing one another to perform acts of righteousness, 00:03:00.810 --> 00:03:03.810 and clashing like two horned rams 00:03:03.810 --> 00:03:06.810 in noble deeds and glorious exploits. 00:03:06.810 --> 00:03:09.939 The Aws would not do anything pleasing to Allah 00:03:09.939 --> 00:03:12.939 and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) 00:03:12.939 --> 00:03:14.939 without the Khazraj saying: 00:03:14.939 --> 00:03:19.939 "No, by Allah, we will not let them surpass us in this virtue 00:03:19.939 --> 00:03:22.939 or outstrip us in this good deed!" 00:03:22.939 --> 00:03:26.939 So they would continuously watch for opportunities until they matched it 00:03:26.939 --> 00:03:29.969 or perhaps even surpassed it. 00:03:29.969 --> 00:03:33.969 Nor would the Khazraj do anything beneficial to Islam and its people 00:03:33.969 --> 00:03:36.969 without the Aws making the same pledge 00:03:36.969 --> 00:03:38.969 and performing a similar deed. 00:03:38.969 --> 00:03:45.060 Thus, this rivalry of theirs brought blessing to Islam and good to the Muslims. 00:03:45.060 --> 00:03:47.349 Allah had honored the Aws 00:03:47.349 --> 00:03:54.349 by placing the death of Allah's enemy, Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf, at the hands of a group of their young men. 00:03:54.349 --> 00:03:56.349 So the Khazraj said: 00:03:56.349 --> 00:04:00.349 "No, by Allah, we will not let them outweigh us in this honor 00:04:00.349 --> 00:04:03.449 and gain precedence over us through it! 00:04:03.449 --> 00:04:06.449 If they have dispatched Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf, 00:04:06.449 --> 00:04:09.449 one of the two arch-enemies of Islam, 00:04:09.449 --> 00:04:13.449 then the other enemy of Islam, Sallam ibn Abi al-Huqayq, 00:04:13.449 --> 00:04:15.449 is still alive, 00:04:15.449 --> 00:04:20.449 and his elimination shall be our achievement, Allah willing, with His aid!" 00:04:20.449 --> 00:04:24.740 The Khazraj sought permission from the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) 00:04:24.740 --> 00:04:30.740 to assign five of their young men to kill the enemy of Allah, Sallam ibn Abi al-Huqayq, 00:04:30.740 --> 00:04:32.740 and he granted them permission. 00:04:32.740 --> 00:04:36.740 He then appointed one of them as commander over these noble and righteous young men: 00:04:36.740 --> 00:04:39.740 'Abdullah ibn 'Atik (may Allah be pleased with him). 00:04:39.740 --> 00:04:42.769 He instructed them not to kill a woman or a child, 00:04:42.769 --> 00:04:45.769 and not to inflict any harm upon either of them. 00:04:45.769 --> 00:04:48.800 So they bade farewell to the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) 00:04:48.800 --> 00:04:53.800 and departed to carry out one of the most daring adventures known in the history of self-sacrifice. 00:04:53.800 --> 00:04:56.860 Now let us leave the floor to the commander of the unit 00:04:56.860 --> 00:04:59.860 to recount to us their thrilling story. 00:04:59.860 --> 00:05:02.019 'Abdullah ibn 'Atik said: 00:05:02.019 --> 00:05:06.019 "As soon as the Messenger (peace be upon him) gave us permission 00:05:06.019 --> 00:05:09.019 to proceed with the task we had volunteered for, 00:05:09.019 --> 00:05:13.019 we set off toward the central region of the Hijaz, 00:05:13.019 --> 00:05:18.019 where Sallam ibn Abi al-Huqayq and his people resided in a fortress of theirs. 00:05:18.019 --> 00:05:21.149 When we drew near the fortress, 00:05:21.149 --> 00:05:26.149 we lay low in our position until the sun neared its setting, 00:05:27.149 --> 00:05:31.149 and the inhabitants of the fortress began returning with their livestock from the pastures. 00:05:31.149 --> 00:05:33.149 So I said to my companions: 00:05:33.149 --> 00:05:35.149 'Stay in your place, 00:05:35.149 --> 00:05:38.149 for I am going to head toward the gate of the fortress, 00:05:38.149 --> 00:05:42.149 hoping I might manage to enter alongside those going in.' 00:05:42.149 --> 00:05:44.149 I then blended in with the people 00:05:44.149 --> 00:05:47.149 and walked with them as though I were one of them, 00:05:47.149 --> 00:05:49.149 and no one paid any attention to me. 00:05:49.149 --> 00:05:51.149 When I drew near the gate, 00:05:51.149 --> 00:05:53.149 I wrapped my garment over my head 00:05:53.149 --> 00:05:56.149 so that the gatekeeper of the fortress would not spot me, 00:05:56.149 --> 00:05:59.149 and I sat down as if answering the call of nature. 00:05:59.149 --> 00:06:02.180 When the people entered and no one remained except me, 00:06:02.180 --> 00:06:04.180 the gatekeeper called out to me, saying: 00:06:04.180 --> 00:06:06.180 'O servant of Allah! 00:06:06.180 --> 00:06:08.180 If you wish to come in, enter now, 00:06:08.180 --> 00:06:11.180 for I want to lock the gate.' 00:06:11.180 --> 00:06:14.180 So I entered and concealed myself not far from him, 00:06:14.180 --> 00:06:16.180 hidden under the cover of darkness. 00:06:16.180 --> 00:06:20.339 When he felt certain that no one remained outside the fortress, 00:06:20.339 --> 00:06:22.339 he locked the gate 00:06:22.339 --> 00:06:27.339 and hung the ring of keys on a peg attached to a wooden beam. 00:06:27.339 --> 00:06:28.379 As for me, 00:06:28.379 --> 00:06:30.379 I remained in my hiding place 00:06:30.379 --> 00:06:33.379 and began inspecting the fortress, 00:06:33.379 --> 00:06:35.379 familiarizing myself with its pathways, 00:06:35.379 --> 00:06:39.379 and casting my eyes about in search of the man's upper chamber 00:06:39.379 --> 00:06:43.379 to locate the route leading to it. 00:06:43.379 --> 00:06:46.470 It was not long before I confirmed its location, 00:06:46.470 --> 00:06:49.470 and by the dim light of a lamp, I recognized 00:06:50.470 --> 00:06:53.470 that a group of his companions were spending the evening talking with him. 00:06:53.470 --> 00:06:57.540 When the night-talkers dispersed, the lamp was extinguished, 00:06:57.540 --> 00:07:01.540 and I was sure he had retired to his bed and fallen asleep, 00:07:01.540 --> 00:07:04.540 I took the keys from the peg 00:07:04.540 --> 00:07:08.540 and proceeded in the dark of night to the outer door of his mansion. 00:07:08.540 --> 00:07:11.540 I opened it gently, 00:07:11.540 --> 00:07:13.600 and once I was inside the mansion, 00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:16.600 I locked it behind me from the inside, 00:07:16.600 --> 00:07:18.600 so that no one could enter. 00:07:18.600 --> 00:07:21.699 Then I proceeded to the second door 00:07:21.699 --> 00:07:25.699 and did with it as I had done with the first door. 00:07:25.699 --> 00:07:27.699 I continued doing this; 00:07:27.699 --> 00:07:31.699 whenever I passed through a door, I locked it behind me. 00:07:31.699 --> 00:07:33.699 What prompted me to do this 00:07:33.699 --> 00:07:36.699 was my calculation that if the people became aware of my presence 00:07:36.699 --> 00:07:38.699 or an alarm was raised among them, 00:07:38.699 --> 00:07:41.699 they would not be able to reach me 00:07:41.699 --> 00:07:44.699 until after I had killed him. 00:07:44.699 --> 00:07:47.980 When I reached the upper chamber of the mansion, 00:07:47.980 --> 00:07:49.980 I found it dark, 00:07:49.980 --> 00:07:52.980 and I found him lying among his family and children. 00:07:52.980 --> 00:07:55.980 I could not tell where he was located among them, 00:07:55.980 --> 00:07:59.980 and I feared that if I struck out on mere suspicion, I might hit someone else 00:07:59.980 --> 00:08:03.980 and thereby violate the instruction of the Messenger (peace be upon him) 00:08:03.980 --> 00:08:06.980 not to kill a woman or a child, 00:08:06.980 --> 00:08:10.980 exposing myself to destruction to no avail. 00:08:10.980 --> 00:08:16.180 So I took the initiative and called him by the agnomen (kunya) his close associates used for him, 00:08:16.180 --> 00:08:19.180 saying: 'Abu Rafi'!' 00:08:19.180 --> 00:08:21.180 He asked: 'Who is this?' 00:08:21.180 --> 00:08:25.180 Thus I knew his location and brought my sword down toward the source of the voice. 00:08:25.180 --> 00:08:27.180 I was agitated, 00:08:27.180 --> 00:08:30.180 so my blow accomplished nothing against him. 00:08:30.180 --> 00:08:32.179 He screamed at the top of his voice, 00:08:32.179 --> 00:08:35.179 so I stepped out of the room and tripped over the lamp. 00:08:35.179 --> 00:08:39.179 I picked it up in my hand and cast it far away from its place, 00:08:39.179 --> 00:08:42.179 so that no one would go to it and light it. 00:08:43.179 --> 00:08:46.179 Then I returned to him, altered my voice, and said: 00:08:46.179 --> 00:08:49.179 'What is this screaming, O Abu Rafi'?' 00:08:49.179 --> 00:08:51.179 He said: 'Woe to your mother! 00:08:51.179 --> 00:08:55.179 Indeed, there is a man in the house who struck me with a sword and then hid!' 00:08:55.179 --> 00:08:57.179 So I approached him 00:08:57.179 --> 00:09:01.179 and dealt him a strike firmer and more precise than the previous one, 00:09:01.179 --> 00:09:03.179 inflicting a severe wound upon him, 00:09:03.179 --> 00:09:05.179 though he did not die. 00:09:05.179 --> 00:09:08.179 So I plunged my sword into his belly 00:09:08.179 --> 00:09:11.179 and pressed down on it with all my weight 00:09:11.179 --> 00:09:14.179 until he let out a scream that awakened his wife. 00:09:14.179 --> 00:09:18.179 I then pulled my sword from his body while he lay motionless. 00:09:18.179 --> 00:09:21.370 The woman woke up to the sound of her husband, 00:09:21.370 --> 00:09:25.370 jumping up terrified and calling out for help. 00:09:25.370 --> 00:09:28.370 I considered bringing the sword down upon her, 00:09:28.370 --> 00:09:32.370 were it not that I remembered that the Messenger (peace be upon him) 00:09:32.370 --> 00:09:35.370 had forbidden us from killing women and children, 00:09:35.370 --> 00:09:37.370 so I refrained from harming her. 00:09:37.370 --> 00:09:39.500 Within moments, 00:09:39.500 --> 00:09:42.500 the people awoke to her screaming, 00:09:42.500 --> 00:09:44.500 and commotion spread through the fortress. 00:09:44.500 --> 00:09:48.500 I had no choice but to go out shouting alongside the people, 00:09:48.500 --> 00:09:50.500 saying: 'Help! Help! 00:09:50.500 --> 00:09:52.500 To the rescue! To the rescue!' 00:09:52.500 --> 00:09:55.500 So they began pouring toward the upper chamber 00:09:55.500 --> 00:09:57.500 while I made my way outward, 00:09:57.500 --> 00:10:01.500 until I reached the very last step of the fortress stairs. 00:10:01.500 --> 00:10:03.500 I had weak eyesight, 00:10:03.500 --> 00:10:05.500 so I thought I had reached the ground, 00:10:05.500 --> 00:10:08.500 but I fell and broke my leg. 00:10:08.500 --> 00:10:11.500 I bandaged my broken leg with my turban 00:10:11.500 --> 00:10:17.500 and dragged it along until I joined my companions outside the fortress. 00:10:17.500 --> 00:10:20.750 The people of the fortress lit fires in every direction 00:10:20.750 --> 00:10:23.750 and rose en masse from their sleeping quarters, 00:10:23.750 --> 00:10:28.750 rushing out of the fortress in search of those who had raided them. 00:10:28.750 --> 00:10:30.820 As for us, 00:10:30.820 --> 00:10:34.820 we were hiding in a water channel below the fortress. 00:10:34.820 --> 00:10:37.820 When the people despaired of finding us, 00:10:37.820 --> 00:10:41.820 they returned to their leader to see what had become of him. 00:10:41.820 --> 00:10:44.850 My companions said: 'Let us escape! Let us escape! 00:10:44.850 --> 00:10:47.850 For the people have stopped searching for us 00:10:47.850 --> 00:10:50.850 and are occupied with their master instead of us.' 00:10:50.850 --> 00:10:52.850 I replied: 'No, by Allah! 00:10:52.850 --> 00:10:56.850 I will not leave this spot until I know for certain that I have killed him.' 00:10:56.850 --> 00:10:58.879 One of my companions said: 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:01.879 'I will go and bring you news of him.' 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:05.980 He went until he mingled with the people and approached the man, 00:11:05.980 --> 00:11:09.980 seeing his wife moving toward him with a lamp in her hand, 00:11:09.980 --> 00:11:13.980 while the Jewish elders followed behind her, asking her about what had happened 00:11:13.980 --> 00:11:17.980 and about the strange man who had breached their fortress and what he had done. 00:11:17.980 --> 00:11:20.980 She said, "By Allah, I do not know, 00:11:20.980 --> 00:11:24.980 but I heard a voice that sounded remarkably familiar. 00:11:24.980 --> 00:11:26.980 When I listened closely, I said to myself, 00:11:26.980 --> 00:11:28.980 'This is the voice of Ibn 'Atik!' 00:11:28.980 --> 00:11:31.980 However, I second-guessed myself and thought, 00:11:31.980 --> 00:11:34.980 'Where would Ibn 'Atik be in this land?'" 00:11:34.980 --> 00:11:38.070 She then approached her husband and raised the lamp, 00:11:38.070 --> 00:11:40.070 staring intently at his face. 00:11:40.070 --> 00:11:43.070 Then she recoiled from him, crying out, 00:11:43.070 --> 00:11:47.070 "By my God, Yahud has died! He has died!" 00:11:47.070 --> 00:11:50.299 When he heard her say that, his heart was at ease, 00:11:50.299 --> 00:11:53.299 so he returned to us and gave us the good news. 00:11:53.299 --> 00:11:56.299 At that point, my companions carried me, 00:11:56.299 --> 00:12:01.299 and they traveled with me until we reached the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:12:02.299 --> 00:12:06.299 We found him upon the pulpit, delivering a sermon to the people. 00:12:06.299 --> 00:12:10.299 When he saw us, he said, "May these faces prosper!" 00:12:10.299 --> 00:12:12.299 "May these faces prosper!" 00:12:12.299 --> 00:12:16.299 We replied, "May your face prosper, O Messenger of Allah!" 00:12:16.299 --> 00:12:19.299 And we gave him the good news of the death of Allah's enemy. 00:12:19.299 --> 00:12:22.299 When he descended from the pulpit, he saw my condition. 00:12:22.299 --> 00:12:25.299 He said, "No harm shall come upon you, O Ibn 'Atik." 00:12:25.299 --> 00:12:28.299 Then he said, "Extend your leg." 00:12:28.299 --> 00:12:30.299 So I extended it, and he wiped over it, 00:12:30.299 --> 00:12:32.299 and I stood upon it 00:12:32.299 --> 00:12:35.299 as though I had never suffered any pain in it at all. 00:12:35.299 --> 00:12:41.049 'Abdullah ibn 'Atik remained 00:12:41.049 --> 00:12:43.110 a striver in the cause of Allah, 00:12:43.110 --> 00:12:48.139 until he passed away to his Lord as a martyr on the Day of al-Yamamah. 00:12:48.139 --> 00:12:52.200 — Ibn 'Abd al-Barr