Pause and identify this Companion, scholar, and eminent figure.
A new challenge: who am I?
I am one of the senior Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
I am among the foremost of the early Muslims.
I am one of the ten promised Paradise.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, titled me "The Trustworthy of the Ummah."
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, nominated me for the Caliphate after the passing of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
I migrated to Abyssinia and then to Medina.
I witnessed all the battles alongside the Prophet, peace be upon him.
I stood firm with him at the Battle of Uhud and fought against the apostates.
I led the armies for the conquest of the Levant (al-Sham).
The Prophet, peace be upon him, would appoint me to lead certain expeditions and detachments.
Once, the Prophet, peace be upon him, sent a detachment toward the coast.
We were three hundred men, and he placed me in command.
We set out, but while on the road, our provisions ran low.
I ordered that the remaining food of the army be collected.
I would give them a small amount each day.
Eventually, I was giving each man only one date per day.
Until the food ran out and hunger overtook us.
We ate tree leaves until our lips became ulcerated.
When we reached the sea, we found a massive whale, like a small mountain.
It was dead on the shore, so I said to my companions:
"This whale is dead, do not eat from it."
Then I said to them, "No, we are the messengers of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him."
"We are in the path of Allah, and you are in a state of necessity, so eat."
We stayed there for a month, eating from it and using its oil.
Until we grew stout and our bodies regained their health.
I took thirteen men,
and seated them inside the socket of the whale's eye.
I took one of its ribs and stood it upright.
Then I led the largest camel we had, and it passed underneath it.
We took supplies of its dried meat with us.
When we arrived in Medina,
we came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and told him about that.
He said, "It is a provision that Allah brought forth for you."
"Do you have any of its meat left to feed us?"
So we sent some to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and he ate it.
I was the governor of the people in the Levant during the era of Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him.
The plague struck there, harvesting the people like a scythe.
When the Commander of the Faithful heard of this,
he feared for me, so he wrote to me saying:
"A need for you has arisen in me, and I cannot do without you."
"If my letter reaches you at night,"
"I resolve that you do not wait until morning before you ride to me."
"And if my letter reaches you during the day,"
"I resolve that you do not wait until evening before you ride to me."
I said to myself,
"I know the need the Commander of the Faithful has mentioned."
"He wishes to keep someone who is not destined to remain."
So I wrote back to him:
"O Commander of the Faithful,"
"I have understood your need for me."
"I am among the soldiers of the Muslims,"
"and I find in myself no desire to be apart from them."
"I do not wish to leave them until Allah executes His command and decree regarding me and them."
"So release me from your resolve, O Commander of the Faithful."
"And leave me with my soldiers."
When the Caliph read my letter,
his eyes overflowed and he wept.
Those with him asked,
"O Commander of the Faithful,"
"Has the governor of the Levant died?"
He said, "No, but it is as if he has."
Meaning, he is on the verge of death.
Then, not long after,
the plague struck me,
and my soul departed.
When I passed away,
Mu'adh ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, stood up,
led the people in prayer,
and then addressed them, saying:
"O people,"
"you have been afflicted by the loss of a man,"
"by Allah, you have never seen among the servants of Allah,"
"anyone less resentful, or with a purer heart,"
"or more free from malice,"
"or more concerned for the Hereafter,"
"or more sincere to the common people than him."
"So pray for mercy upon him."
"Then come out to pray over him."
"For by Allah, you will never have anyone like him to lead you again."
Then he stepped forward and led the funeral prayer for me.
When they placed me in my grave,
and cast the earth over me,
Mu'adh, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"I will praise you,"
"and I will not speak falsehood,"
"for I fear that if I did, the wrath of Allah would befall me."
"You were, by Allah, as far as I knew,"
"among those who remember Allah frequently,"
"and among those who walk upon the earth humbly,"
"and when the ignorant address them,"
"they say words of peace."
"And among those who, when they spend,"
“And those who, when they spend, are neither prodigal nor grudging; and there is ever a firm station between the two;” (25:67)
“And those who, when they spend, are neither prodigal nor grudging; and there is ever a firm station between the two;” (25:67)
"And you were, by Allah, among the humble,"
"the modest,"
"and among those who show mercy to the orphan and the needy,"
"and who despise the treacherous and the arrogant."
"May Allah have mercy upon you."
So, who am I?