In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Mawaddah Association is pleased
to present to you "Portraits from the Lives of the Companions"
by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
may Allah have mercy on him.
Suhayb al-Rumi, may Allah be pleased with him.
Suhayb al-Rumi.
Who among us, O assembly of Muslims, does not know Suhayb al-Rumi,
or is not acquainted with some of his accounts and fragments of his biography?
Yet what many of us do not know
is that Suhayb was not originally a Roman (Byzantine);
rather, he was of pure Arab descent,
with a Numayri father and a Tamimi mother.
The attribution of Suhayb to the Romans (Byzantines)
is a story that the memory of history still preserves
and its chronicles recount.
About two decades before the advent of the Prophetic mission,
the governor of al-Uballah—
an ancient city that was later incorporated into Basra—
was Sinan ibn Malik al-Numayri,
appointed by Khosrow, King of Persia.
His most beloved child to him
was a little boy not yet past five years of age,
whom he had named Suhayb.
Suhayb was fair-faced,
red-haired, and bursting with energy,
with two eyes radiating wit and brilliance.
Moreover, he was cheerful and of delightful spirit,
bringing immense joy to his father's heart
and dispelling from him all the heavy burdens of governance.
Suhayb’s mother set out with her young son
and a retinue of her attendants and servants
to the village of al-Thani in the land of Iraq,
seeking rest and recreation.
There, a raiding party from the Roman (Byzantine) army raided the village,
killed its guards, looted its wealth,
and captured its women and children.
Among those taken captive was young Suhayb.
Suhayb was sold in the slave markets of the Roman Empire,
passing from hand to hand,
moving from the service of one master to that of another,
just like the thousands upon thousands of enslaved people
who filled the palaces of the Roman lands.
This circumstance afforded Suhayb the opportunity
to penetrate deep into the Roman society
and examine it from within.
With his own eyes, he saw the vices that nested in its palaces,
full of depravities and ruinous sins,
and he heard with his own ears the injustices and transgressions committed therein.
Consequently, he despised and disdained that society,
often saying to himself,
"Nothing can purify such a society except a deluge!"
Even though Suhayb grew up in the Roman lands,
spending his youth on their soil and among their people,
and despite having nearly or entirely forgotten his Arabic,
it never slipped from his mind
that he was an Arab, a son of the desert.
His yearning never waned for a single moment
for the day he would be emancipated from his bondage
and rejoin his own people.
His longing for the land of the Arabs grew even stronger
when he heard a Christian priest
saying to one of his masters:
"The time has drawn near
for a prophet to emerge from Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula,
confirming the message of Jesus, son of Mary,
and leading people out of darkness and into light."
Later, an opportunity presented itself to Suhayb,
so he fled from the bondage of his masters
and set his face toward Mecca, the Mother of Cities,
the sanctuary of the Arabs and the birthplace of the awaited Prophet.
When he settled there,
the people called him "Suhayb al-Rumi" (Suhayb the Roman)
because of his foreign accent and his reddish hair.
Suhayb allied himself with one of the chieftains of Mecca,
'Abdullah ibn Jud'an,
and engaged in trade,
which brought him abundant fortune and vast wealth.
Yet Suhayb’s business and profits did not make him forget
the Christian priest’s prediction.
Whenever those words crossed his mind,
he would eagerly ask himself,
"When will that be?"
It was not long
before the answer arrived.
One day, Suhayb returned to Mecca
from one of his journeys,
and was told that Muhammad ibn 'Abdillah had been commissioned as a prophet,
and had arisen calling people to faith in Allah alone,
urging them to justice and benevolence,
and forbidding them from indecency and wickedness.
He asked, "Is he not the one they call al-Amin (the Trustworthy)?"
They replied, "Yes, indeed."
He asked, "And where can he be found?"
They told him, "In the house of al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam,
near al-Safa.
But beware lest anyone from Quraysh see you!
For if they see you, they will inflict terrible harm upon you,
since you are a foreigner
with no tribal allegiance to shield you,
nor any clan to come to your defense."
Suhayb set off toward the house of al-Arqam,
cautious and looking around warily.
When he reached it,
he found 'Ammar ibn Yasir at the door,
whom he had known previously.
He hesitated for a moment,
then approached him and asked,
"What do you want, 'Ammar?"
'Ammar replied,
"Rather, what do you want?"
Suhayb said,
"I wish to go in to this man
and hear what he has to say."
'Ammar said,
"That is precisely what I want as well."
Suhayb said,
"Then let us enter together, with the blessing of Allah."
Suhayb ibn Sinan al-Rumi
and 'Ammar ibn Yasir entered
upon the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and listened to his words.
The light of faith shone brilliantly in their hearts,
and they competed to extend their hands in allegiance to him,
testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,
and that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger.
They spent the remainder of their day in his presence,
drawing from his guidance and delighting in his companionship.
When night fell
and movement subsided,
they slipped out from his presence under cover of darkness,
each carrying in his heart such radiant light
as would suffice to illuminate the entire world.
Suhayb bore his full share of persecution by Quraysh,
alongside Bilal, 'Ammar,
Sumayyah, Khabbab,
and dozens of other believers.
He endured such torment at the hands of Quraysh
that had it been cast upon a mountain, it would have crushed it.
Yet he met all of it
with a serene and patient soul,
knowing full well that the path to Paradise
is surrounded by hardships.
When the Prophet permitted his Companions
to emigrate to Medina,
Suhayb resolved to go
in the company of the Prophet and Abu Bakr.
However, Quraysh
sensed his determination to emigrate,
so they thwarted his plans
and placed surveillance over him
to prevent him from slipping out of their hands
and taking with him all the wealth
of silver and gold that his trading had brought him.
Following the emigration
of the Prophet and his companion, Suhayb remained behind,
watching for an opportunity to join them,
but to no avail,
for the eyes of the watchmen
stayed alert and vigilant over him.
Finding no way out,
he saw no alternative but to resort to a ruse.
One cold night,
Suhayb went out repeatedly
to the open ground
as if he were relieving himself.
No sooner would he return from answering the call of nature
than he would head right back out again.
So some of his watchmen said to one another,
"Rest easy,
for al-Lat and al-'Uzza
have afflicted him with an upset stomach!"
Then they retired to their beds
and surrendered their eyes to sleep.
Thereupon, Suhayb slipped away from among them
and set his face
toward Medina.
Shortly after Suhayb had departed,
his guards realized
what had happened.
They leaped up from their sleep in alarm,
mounted their swiftest steeds,
and gave them full rein in hot pursuit of him
until they overtook him.
When he sensed their presence,
he climbed up to an elevated position,
drew his arrows from his quiver,
strung his bow, and called out:
"O people of Quraysh!
By Allah, you well know
that I am one of the best archers among men,
and the most accurate in aim.
By Allah, you will not reach me
until I have killed with every arrow I possess
a man from among you!
Then I will strike you with my sword as long as
any part of it remains in my hand."
One of them replied,
"By Allah, we will not let you escape
from us with both yourself and your wealth!
You came to Mecca as a destitute pauper,
poor and penniless, but here you grew rich
and attained the status you have reached."
So he asked, "What do you say:
if I leave you all my wealth,
will you let me go on my way?"
They replied, "Yes."
So he directed them to the location of his wealth in his house
in Mecca, and they went off to it
and took it from him.
Suhayb then hastened
his pace toward Medina,
fleeing with his religion unto Allah,
without a single regret over the wealth
for whose accumulation he had spent the prime
of his life. And whenever
exhaustion overcame him
and fatigue wore him down,
his longing for the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) spurred him on,
restoring his vigor
so that he pressed on with his journey.
And when he reached Quba',
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw him,
beamed with joy, welcomed him warmly,
and said:
"The transaction has been profitable, O Abu Yahya!
The transaction has been profitable!"
repeating it three times.
Joy illuminated the face of Suhayb,
and he said, "By Allah,
no one could have preceded me to you,
O Messenger of Allah;
none could have informed you of this but Gabriel!"
Indeed, profitable was
the trade, confirmed
by revelation from the heavens,
and testified to by Gabriel,
as in the words of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic:
"And among the people
is he who sells himself,
seeking
the pleasure of Allah;
and Allah
is full of kindness
to His servants."
Blessed indeed
is Suhayb ibn Sinan ar-Rumi,
and excellent is his final abode!
"The transaction has been profitable,
O Abu Yahya!
The transaction has been profitable!"
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.