WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:15.580 --> 00:00:17.579 The Mawaddah Association is pleased 00:00:17.579 --> 00:00:22.579 to present to you glimpses from the lives of the Companions. 00:00:22.579 --> 00:00:25.579 By Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 00:00:25.579 --> 00:00:30.390 may Allah have mercy upon him. 00:00:30.390 --> 00:00:35.390 Abu 'Aqil al-Aniqi, may Allah be pleased with him. 00:00:50.750 --> 00:00:54.750 The affair of Musaylimah the Liar grew grave and intensified. 00:00:54.750 --> 00:00:58.750 Forty thousand of his people, the Banu Hanifah, had gathered for him, 00:00:58.750 --> 00:01:02.750 and they were supported by about twenty thousand from their allies. 00:01:02.750 --> 00:01:07.750 His army was the greatest army the Arabs had known up to that day, 00:01:07.750 --> 00:01:14.750 and at the same time, it was many times larger than the army of the Caliph of the Muslims, 00:01:14.750 --> 00:01:17.750 Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him. 00:01:17.750 --> 00:01:22.819 The imminent danger that had befallen the Muslims at that time 00:01:22.819 --> 00:01:25.819 was not limited to Musaylimah the Liar 00:01:25.819 --> 00:01:28.819 and his massive, unified, and cohesive army; 00:01:28.819 --> 00:01:33.819 rather, this danger also manifested in the other apostates 00:01:33.819 --> 00:01:37.819 who, in their entirety, believed in Allah, 00:01:37.819 --> 00:01:40.819 testified that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, 00:01:40.819 --> 00:01:43.819 and did not dispute the establishment of prayer. 00:01:43.819 --> 00:01:49.819 However, they demanded that the Caliph cease requiring them to pay the zakat. 00:01:49.819 --> 00:01:52.939 As for Musaylimah the Liar and those with him, 00:01:52.939 --> 00:01:58.939 they denied the prophethood of Muhammad, may the best of prayers and purest of peace be upon him, 00:01:58.939 --> 00:02:02.939 disbelieved in the Noble Book that Allah had revealed to him, 00:02:02.939 --> 00:02:06.939 and believed in a prophet who fabricated lies against Allah. 00:02:06.939 --> 00:02:10.939 If this immense force were destined to be victorious, 00:02:10.939 --> 00:02:15.939 it would lead to the eradication of Islam and its people, 00:02:15.939 --> 00:02:19.939 and Allah would not be worshipped in the Arabian Peninsula after that day. 00:02:19.939 --> 00:02:24.039 Al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, dispatched against Musaylimah the Liar 00:02:24.039 --> 00:02:28.039 an army led by 'Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl. 00:02:28.039 --> 00:02:32.039 'Ikrimah, if you do not know, was a knight of the battlefield, 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:35.039 a hero of conflicts, and a son of wars. 00:02:35.039 --> 00:02:39.169 Furthermore, he placed under his banner heroic, formidable men, 00:02:39.169 --> 00:02:43.169 brave warriors whose swords were accustomed to victory. 00:02:43.169 --> 00:02:48.259 But Musaylimah dealt them a blow that shook the Muslims' composure 00:02:48.259 --> 00:02:52.259 and stirred the anger of their Caliph, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. 00:02:52.259 --> 00:02:56.259 He quickly sent a messenger to prevent the defeated army 00:02:56.259 --> 00:03:01.259 from returning to Medina, so as not to weaken the resolve of the Muslims, 00:03:01.259 --> 00:03:04.259 and ordered him to remain where he was. 00:03:04.259 --> 00:03:09.259 Then he wrote him a letter blaming him for his haste 00:03:09.259 --> 00:03:12.259 before completing his numbers and equipment, 00:03:12.259 --> 00:03:15.259 telling him, "Do not let me see you, and do not let me see you, 00:03:15.259 --> 00:03:18.259 and do not return to Medina, 00:03:18.259 --> 00:03:21.259 lest you weaken the resolve of the Muslims 00:03:21.259 --> 00:03:23.259 and break their spirit." 00:03:23.259 --> 00:03:27.620 The defeat of 'Ikrimah shook the consciences of the Muslims deeply, 00:03:27.620 --> 00:03:32.620 and opened their eyes more than ever before to the impending disaster. 00:03:32.620 --> 00:03:36.620 The Caliph rose to save Islam and the Muslims 00:03:36.620 --> 00:03:38.620 from this surrounding danger. 00:03:38.620 --> 00:03:41.620 He cleared some fronts of the Muslim soldiers 00:03:41.620 --> 00:03:46.620 and temporarily overlooked the apostates who refused to pay the zakat, 00:03:46.620 --> 00:03:51.620 all to mobilize for Musaylimah the largest army he could muster, 00:03:51.620 --> 00:03:57.620 and to provide this army with the greatest power to ensure victory, by the permission of Allah. 00:03:57.620 --> 00:04:01.680 Al-Siddiq formed his army from three legions: 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:04.680 The first was the legion of the Muhajirun (Emigrants), 00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:10.680 who had endured what they endured for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him. 00:04:10.680 --> 00:04:13.680 They suffered for the sake of the call what they suffered, 00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:17.680 and built with their own hands the edifice of Islam, brick by brick, 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:20.680 mixing its soil with their sweat and tears. 00:04:20.680 --> 00:04:24.680 The second was the legion of the righteous Ansar, 00:04:24.680 --> 00:04:28.680 who supported the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 00:04:28.680 --> 00:04:33.680 aided him, protected him, and fought the enemies of Allah alongside him, 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:36.680 as the wars bore witness to them. 00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:40.709 The third was the legion of the sons of the desert, 00:04:40.709 --> 00:04:43.709 the people of strength, might, and courage. 00:04:43.709 --> 00:04:46.709 He then placed in the army a group of the Qur'an reciters 00:04:46.709 --> 00:04:49.709 who carried the Book of Allah, 00:04:49.709 --> 00:04:52.709 and he was protective of them and cherished them. 00:04:52.709 --> 00:04:55.709 Then he added to them the veterans of Badr, 00:04:55.709 --> 00:04:58.709 even though he used to say about them: 00:04:58.709 --> 00:05:04.709 "I do not employ this elite group of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in war; 00:05:04.709 --> 00:05:07.709 rather, I keep them for righteous deeds, 00:05:07.709 --> 00:05:10.709 for Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, 00:05:10.709 --> 00:05:12.709 may avert calamity through them 00:05:12.709 --> 00:05:16.709 more than the victory that comes by their hands." 00:05:16.709 --> 00:05:19.709 Then he entrusted the banner of the army to the Drawn Sword of Allah, 00:05:19.709 --> 00:05:21.709 Khalid ibn al-Walid. 00:05:21.709 --> 00:05:24.709 The two hosts met on the land of Yamamah. 00:05:24.709 --> 00:05:28.709 Musaylimah arrayed his soldiers at 'Aqraba, 00:05:28.709 --> 00:05:32.709 and placed the women, children, and wealth behind the army. 00:05:32.709 --> 00:05:36.740 Khalid arrayed his soldiers opposite his enemy's army, 00:05:36.740 --> 00:05:41.740 and the two armies stood waiting for the moment of the crushing attack. 00:05:41.740 --> 00:05:46.740 Each of the two parties saw with the certainty of faith that this battle 00:05:46.740 --> 00:05:49.740 was a battle of annihilation or survival. 00:05:49.740 --> 00:05:54.060 Sharhabil ibn Musaylimah the Liar stood, 00:05:54.060 --> 00:05:58.060 stirring the feelings of pride and tribal zeal among his people. 00:05:58.060 --> 00:05:59.060 He said: 00:05:59.060 --> 00:06:01.060 "O Banu Hanifah, 00:06:01.060 --> 00:06:04.060 this day is a day of jealousy and defense of honor. 00:06:04.060 --> 00:06:06.060 If you are defeated, 00:06:06.060 --> 00:06:10.060 you will see the women who sought protection with you taken as captives. 00:06:10.060 --> 00:06:13.060 So defend your women and children, 00:06:13.060 --> 00:06:16.060 fight for your lineage and ancestry, 00:06:16.060 --> 00:06:19.060 and charge at your enemy." 00:06:19.060 --> 00:06:21.060 He had barely finished his words 00:06:21.060 --> 00:06:24.060 when his people poured onto the ranks of the Muslims 00:06:24.060 --> 00:06:26.060 like the falling of rocks, 00:06:26.060 --> 00:06:29.060 and flowed upon them like a torrent. 00:06:29.060 --> 00:06:32.060 The rank of the Muslims bent in defeat, 00:06:32.060 --> 00:06:35.060 and Khalid ibn al-Walid was displaced from his tent, 00:06:35.060 --> 00:06:39.060 and his wife, Umm Tamim, fell into their grasp. 00:06:39.060 --> 00:06:41.060 They intended to kill her, 00:06:41.060 --> 00:06:45.129 were it not for a man among them who granted her protection, so she was spared. 00:06:45.129 --> 00:06:49.129 Khalid received the shock with a steady heart and firm resolve, 00:06:49.129 --> 00:06:53.129 because no doubt had entered his heart regarding the victory of Allah, 00:06:53.129 --> 00:06:56.129 nor had any despair touched him regarding His support. 00:06:56.129 --> 00:06:58.129 So he thought and consulted, 00:06:58.129 --> 00:07:02.129 and his thinking and consultation led him to realize that the cause of the defeat 00:07:02.129 --> 00:07:07.129 was the three legions of the Muslims relying upon one another. 00:07:07.129 --> 00:07:09.259 So he shouted to the army: 00:07:09.259 --> 00:07:11.259 "Separate, O soldiers! 00:07:11.259 --> 00:07:15.259 Separate, so that the valor of each group among you may be known, 00:07:15.259 --> 00:07:18.259 and so the Muslims may know from where they were attacked." 00:07:18.259 --> 00:07:24.259 The shout of Khalid ibn al-Walid stirred the Muslims' zeal for the religion of Allah, 00:07:24.259 --> 00:07:28.259 ignited their longing for martyrdom in the way of Allah, 00:07:28.259 --> 00:07:31.259 and lifted the veils from their eyes, 00:07:31.259 --> 00:07:36.259 so they saw the palaces of Paradise with their doors open to receive the martyrs. 00:07:36.259 --> 00:07:40.259 At that moment, there emerged in the ranks of the Muslims acts of heroism 00:07:40.259 --> 00:07:44.259 that the hand of history has never recorded anything more magnificent or greater. 00:07:44.259 --> 00:07:47.259 There appeared among the soldiers of Allah acts of manhood 00:07:47.259 --> 00:07:51.259 that the annals of history have never known anything more noble or honorable. 00:07:51.259 --> 00:07:54.259 At the forefront of these heroes 00:07:54.259 --> 00:07:56.259 was the hero of this story of ours, 00:07:56.259 --> 00:08:00.259 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Tha'labah al-Ansari, 00:08:00.259 --> 00:08:03.259 known by the kunya Abu 'Aqil al-Aniqi. 00:08:03.259 --> 00:08:07.420 Let us listen to 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, 00:08:07.420 --> 00:08:11.420 for he is the one who will narrate to us his wonderful story. 00:08:11.420 --> 00:08:13.639 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said: 00:08:13.639 --> 00:08:17.639 "When the Muslims lined up for battle on the day of Yamamah, 00:08:17.639 --> 00:08:21.639 Abu 'Aqil al-Aniqi was boiling like a cauldron, 00:08:21.639 --> 00:08:23.639 and leaping like a lion. 00:08:23.639 --> 00:08:25.639 No sooner had the fighting broken out 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:29.639 than he placed his own neck before the necks of the Muslims, 00:08:29.639 --> 00:08:32.639 and held his chest before their chests. 00:08:32.639 --> 00:08:36.700 He was the first to be struck by an arrow that day. 00:08:36.700 --> 00:08:40.700 The arrow entered the chest of Abu 'Aqil al-Aniqi 00:08:40.700 --> 00:08:42.700 and lodged between his shoulders, 00:08:42.700 --> 00:08:44.700 without touching his heart; 00:08:44.700 --> 00:08:47.700 had it touched it, he would have died instantly. 00:08:47.700 --> 00:08:49.700 He reached his hand toward the arrow, 00:08:49.700 --> 00:08:51.700 pulled it out from between his shoulders, 00:08:51.700 --> 00:08:53.700 and stood fighting, 00:08:53.700 --> 00:08:56.700 until the wound weakened his left side. 00:08:56.700 --> 00:08:59.700 Then, it was not long before his strength failed, 00:08:59.700 --> 00:09:02.700 and he fell in his place, advancing and not retreating. 00:09:02.700 --> 00:09:06.740 We carried him to his tent and placed him inside it, 00:09:06.740 --> 00:09:09.769 and he was not far from us. 00:09:09.769 --> 00:09:11.769 When the heat of the battle intensified, 00:09:11.769 --> 00:09:13.769 and the Muslims were hard-pressed, 00:09:13.769 --> 00:09:17.769 Abu 'Aqil heard al-Bara' ibn Malik al-Ansari calling out: 00:09:17.769 --> 00:09:20.769 'Where are you, O company of the Ansar? 00:09:20.769 --> 00:09:22.769 Where are you? 00:09:22.769 --> 00:09:24.769 I am al-Bara' ibn Malik al-Ansari! 00:09:24.769 --> 00:09:27.769 Come to me, O company of the Ansar!' 00:09:27.769 --> 00:09:30.799 Then he saw Ma'n ibn 'Adi al-Ansari 00:09:30.799 --> 00:09:32.799 breaking the scabbard of his sword, 00:09:32.799 --> 00:09:34.799 leaping to the front, 00:09:34.799 --> 00:09:37.799 climbing a rise of land, and shouting: 00:09:37.799 --> 00:09:40.799 'For the sake of Allah, O company of the Ansar! 00:09:40.799 --> 00:09:43.799 Charge! Charge at your enemy! 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:47.799 O you who supported the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him!'" 00:09:47.799 --> 00:09:49.860 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said: 00:09:49.860 --> 00:09:51.860 "I looked at Abu 'Aqil, 00:09:51.860 --> 00:09:54.860 and I saw him rising to his feet. 00:09:54.860 --> 00:09:56.860 I approached him and said: 00:09:56.860 --> 00:09:58.860 'What do you want, O uncle?' 00:09:58.860 --> 00:09:59.860 He said: 00:09:59.860 --> 00:10:02.860 'Did you not hear al-Bara' ibn Malik al-Ansari 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:05.860 and Ma'n ibn 'Adi calling me?' 00:10:05.860 --> 00:10:08.860 I said: 'They did not call you, 00:10:08.860 --> 00:10:11.860 nor did they name anyone specifically. 00:10:11.860 --> 00:10:14.860 Besides, they do not mean the wounded.' 00:10:14.860 --> 00:10:15.860 He said: 00:10:15.860 --> 00:10:17.860 'They are calling the Ansar, 00:10:17.860 --> 00:10:20.860 and I am one of them, 00:10:20.860 --> 00:10:23.860 and it is upon me to answer them, even if by crawling.' 00:10:23.860 --> 00:10:25.860 Then he girded himself, 00:10:25.860 --> 00:10:27.860 took the sword in his right hand, 00:10:27.860 --> 00:10:29.860 and began to call out: 00:10:29.860 --> 00:10:32.860 'O Ansar! Charge! Charge like the day of Hunayn!' 00:10:32.860 --> 00:10:36.860 'O Ansar! Charge! Charge like the day of Hunayn!' 00:10:36.860 --> 00:10:39.860 The Ansar gathered and aligned, 00:10:39.860 --> 00:10:42.860 advanced before the Muslims, and fought selflessly, 00:10:42.860 --> 00:10:46.860 until they forced Musaylimah and those with him into the Garden of Death. 00:10:46.860 --> 00:10:49.860 We, the Muhajirun, mingled with them, 00:10:49.860 --> 00:10:52.860 and our swords joined their swords. 00:10:52.860 --> 00:10:54.860 Then, I caught a glimpse, 00:10:54.860 --> 00:10:58.860 and there was Abu 'Aqil at the gate of the Garden of Death, 00:10:58.860 --> 00:11:01.860 his arm having been severed from the shoulder 00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:03.860 and fallen to the ground, 00:11:03.860 --> 00:11:08.860 and he had fourteen mortal wounds upon him. 00:11:08.860 --> 00:11:12.860 I stood over him while he was dying, in his last breath, and said: 00:11:12.860 --> 00:11:14.860 'Abu 'Aqil!' 00:11:14.860 --> 00:11:18.860 He said with a slurred tongue: 'Labbayk (At your service).' 00:11:18.860 --> 00:11:20.860 'Who won?' 00:11:20.860 --> 00:11:22.860 'Tell me, who won?' 00:11:22.860 --> 00:11:24.860 I said: 'Rejoice! 00:11:24.860 --> 00:11:29.860 For the enemy of Allah and the enemy of His Messenger, peace be upon him, has been killed.' 00:11:29.860 --> 00:11:32.860 He raised his finger to the sky, 00:11:32.860 --> 00:11:35.860 I said, "Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, is praising him." 00:11:35.860 --> 00:11:39.019 Then he breathed his last. 00:11:39.019 --> 00:11:41.019 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar said: 00:11:41.019 --> 00:11:43.019 "When I returned to Medina, 00:11:43.019 --> 00:11:47.019 I informed the Faruq of the entire story of Abu 'Aqil. 00:11:47.019 --> 00:11:50.019 His eyes welled with tears, and he said: 00:11:50.019 --> 00:11:54.019 'May Allah have vast mercy upon Abu 'Aqil. 00:11:54.019 --> 00:11:59.019 For he never ceased asking Allah for martyrdom and persisted in seeking it, 00:11:59.019 --> 00:12:01.149 until he attained it. 00:12:01.149 --> 00:12:08.149 He was, to my knowledge, among the best of the Companions of our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:12:08.149 --> 00:12:13.259 and the elite among his followers.' 00:12:13.259 --> 00:12:17.259 Abu 'Aqil never ceased asking Allah for martyrdom, 00:12:17.259 --> 00:12:21.419 and seeking it from Him, until he attained it. 00:12:21.419 --> 00:12:27.860 And he was indeed among the best of the Companions of our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:12:27.860 --> 00:12:30.379 [as testified by] 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab, 00:12:35.379 --> 00:12:39.330 in these words of praise."