WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:15.220 --> 00:00:18.219 The Mawaddah Association is pleased 00:00:18.219 --> 00:00:22.219 to present to you glimpses from the lives of the Companions, 00:00:22.219 --> 00:00:25.219 by Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 00:00:25.219 --> 00:00:27.260 may Allah have mercy upon him. 00:00:27.260 --> 00:00:33.060 Al-Bara' ibn Malik al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him. 00:00:45.020 --> 00:00:50.490 He was disheveled, dusty, slight of frame, and lean of bone; 00:00:50.490 --> 00:00:52.490 one might overlook him at first glance, 00:00:52.490 --> 00:00:54.490 and turn away from him in disdain. 00:00:54.490 --> 00:00:56.490 Yet, despite this, 00:00:56.490 --> 00:00:58.490 he killed one hundred of the polytheists 00:00:59.490 --> 00:01:01.490 in single combat, 00:01:01.490 --> 00:01:05.489 not counting those he slew in the heat of battle alongside the warriors. 00:01:05.489 --> 00:01:08.489 He was a brave, daring, and intrepid knight, 00:01:08.489 --> 00:01:12.489 concerning whom the Faruq (Umar ibn al-Khattab) wrote to his governors in the provinces, 00:01:12.489 --> 00:01:16.489 instructing them never to appoint him as a commander over any Muslim army, 00:01:16.489 --> 00:01:19.489 for fear that his reckless bravery might lead them to destruction. 00:01:19.489 --> 00:01:22.489 He is al-Bara' ibn Malik al-Ansari, 00:01:22.489 --> 00:01:24.489 the brother of Anas ibn Malik, 00:01:24.489 --> 00:01:27.489 the servant of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:01:27.489 --> 00:01:31.489 If I were to set out to recount for you the tales of al-Bara' ibn Malik’s heroism, 00:01:31.489 --> 00:01:34.489 the discourse would be long and the time insufficient. 00:01:34.489 --> 00:01:40.489 Therefore, I have chosen to present to you one story from his heroic exploits, 00:01:40.489 --> 00:01:43.489 which will inform you of the rest. 00:01:43.489 --> 00:01:46.489 This story begins in the early hours 00:01:46.489 --> 00:01:50.489 following the death of the noble Prophet and his joining the Highest Companion. 00:01:50.489 --> 00:01:55.489 At that time, the Arab tribes began to leave the religion of Allah in droves, 00:01:55.489 --> 00:01:58.489 just as they had entered it in droves, 00:01:58.489 --> 00:02:03.489 until none remained upon Islam except the people of Makkah, Madinah, and Ta'if, 00:02:03.489 --> 00:02:06.489 and scattered groups here and there 00:02:06.489 --> 00:02:10.490 whose hearts Allah had made firm in faith. 00:02:10.490 --> 00:02:13.490 The Siddiq (Abu Bakr), may Allah be pleased with him, stood firm 00:02:13.490 --> 00:02:16.490 against this destructive, blind tribulation, 00:02:16.490 --> 00:02:18.490 with the steadfastness of immovable mountains. 00:02:18.490 --> 00:02:22.490 He prepared eleven armies from the Muhajirun and the Ansar, 00:02:22.490 --> 00:02:26.490 bestowed eleven banners upon their commanders, 00:02:26.490 --> 00:02:29.490 and dispatched them across the Arabian Peninsula 00:02:29.490 --> 00:02:33.490 to return the apostates to the path of guidance and truth, 00:02:33.490 --> 00:02:37.520 and to bring the wayward back to the straight path by the edge of the sword. 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:41.520 The most formidable and numerous of the apostates 00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:45.520 were the Banu Hanifah, the followers of Musaylimah the Liar. 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:50.520 For Musaylimah had gathered from his people and their allies forty thousand 00:02:50.520 --> 00:02:53.520 fierce warriors. 00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:57.520 Most of them followed him out of tribal partisanship, 00:02:57.520 --> 00:02:59.520 not out of belief in him. 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:01.520 Indeed, some of them would say, 00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:05.520 "I bear witness that Musaylimah is a liar and Muhammad is truthful, 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:10.520 but the liar of Rabi'ah is dearer to us than the truthful one of Mudar." 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:15.520 Musaylimah defeated the first army sent against him from the Muslim forces, 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:17.520 led by 'Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl, 00:03:17.520 --> 00:03:19.520 and drove them back. 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:22.520 So the Siddiq sent him a second army, 00:03:22.520 --> 00:03:24.520 led by Khalid ibn al-Walid, 00:03:24.520 --> 00:03:28.520 in which he gathered the elite of the Companions from the Ansar and the Muhajirun. 00:03:28.520 --> 00:03:31.520 And in the vanguard of them all 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:34.520 was al-Bara' ibn Malik al-Ansari, 00:03:34.520 --> 00:03:37.520 along with a group of the bravest Muslim warriors. 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:40.520 The two armies met on the land of al-Yamamah in Najd. 00:03:40.520 --> 00:03:42.520 It was but a short time 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:45.520 before the tide turned in favor of Musaylimah and his companions, 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:50.520 and the earth shook beneath the feet of the Muslim soldiers. 00:03:50.520 --> 00:03:53.520 They began to retreat from their positions, 00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:57.520 until Musaylimah’s men stormed the tent of Khalid ibn al-Walid, 00:03:57.520 --> 00:03:59.520 uprooted it from its foundations, 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:01.520 and nearly killed his wife, 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:04.520 had one of them not granted her protection. 00:04:04.520 --> 00:04:08.520 At that moment, the Muslims felt the imminent danger, 00:04:08.520 --> 00:04:11.520 and realized that if they were defeated by Musaylimah, 00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:14.520 Islam would never rise again after this day. 00:04:14.520 --> 00:04:16.519 Khalid rushed to his army, 00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:18.519 reorganized it, 00:04:18.519 --> 00:04:21.519 distinguished the Muhajirun from the Ansar, 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:25.519 and distinguished the Bedouins from both groups. 00:04:25.519 --> 00:04:29.519 He gathered the men of each lineage under the banner of one of their own, 00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:32.519 to see the performance of each group in battle, 00:04:32.519 --> 00:04:35.519 and to know from where the Muslims were being attacked. 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:39.519 A fierce battle raged between the two sides, 00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:42.519 the likes of which the Muslim wars had never seen before. 00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:45.519 Musaylimah’s people stood firm on the battlefield 00:04:45.519 --> 00:04:48.519 with the steadfastness of immovable mountains, 00:04:48.519 --> 00:04:51.519 unconcerned by the heavy casualties they sustained. 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:54.519 The Muslims displayed such extraordinary heroism 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:59.519 that, if gathered, it would form an epic among the greatest epics. 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:01.519 There was Thabit ibn Qays, 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:03.519 the standard-bearer of the Ansar, 00:05:03.519 --> 00:05:05.519 who perfumed and shrouded himself, 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:08.519 dug a pit in the ground for himself, 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:11.519 stood in it up to his shins, 00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:13.519 and remained firm in his position, 00:05:13.519 --> 00:05:18.519 defending his people’s banner until he fell as a martyr. 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:20.519 And there was Zayd ibn al-Khattab, 00:05:20.519 --> 00:05:23.519 the brother of Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with them both, 00:05:23.519 --> 00:05:25.519 calling out to the Muslims, 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:29.519 "O people, bite down on your molars, 00:05:29.519 --> 00:05:32.519 strike at your enemy, and press forward! 00:05:32.519 --> 00:05:38.519 O people, by Allah, I shall never speak again after these words 00:05:38.519 --> 00:05:40.519 until Musaylimah is defeated, 00:05:40.519 --> 00:05:43.519 or I meet Allah and present my plea to Him." 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:48.519 Then he charged the enemy and continued fighting until he was killed. 00:05:48.519 --> 00:05:51.519 And there was Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:53.519 carrying the banner of the Muhajirun. 00:05:53.519 --> 00:05:57.519 His people feared he might weaken or falter, 00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:01.519 so they said to him, "We fear that we might be attacked from your side." 00:06:01.519 --> 00:06:04.519 He replied, "If you are attacked from my side, 00:06:04.519 --> 00:06:06.519 then I would be a wretched bearer of the Qur'an." 00:06:06.519 --> 00:06:12.519 Then he charged the enemies of Allah with heroic intensity until he was struck down. 00:06:12.519 --> 00:06:15.649 Yet the heroism of all these men 00:06:15.649 --> 00:06:19.649 pales in comparison to the heroism of al-Bara' ibn Malik, 00:06:19.649 --> 00:06:22.649 may Allah be pleased with him and with them all. 00:06:22.649 --> 00:06:27.649 For when Khalid saw the heat of battle intensifying, 00:06:27.649 --> 00:06:30.649 he turned to al-Bara' ibn Malik and said, 00:06:30.649 --> 00:06:32.649 "Charge them, O youth of the Ansar!" 00:06:32.649 --> 00:06:35.649 Al-Bara' turned to his people and said, 00:06:35.649 --> 00:06:37.649 "O company of the Ansar, 00:06:37.649 --> 00:06:41.649 let none of you think of returning to Madinah; 00:06:41.649 --> 00:06:43.649 there is no Madinah for you after today, 00:06:43.649 --> 00:06:47.649 there is only Allah alone, then Paradise!" 00:06:47.649 --> 00:06:50.649 Then he charged the polytheists, and they charged with him, 00:06:50.649 --> 00:06:52.649 and he began to cleave through the ranks, 00:06:52.649 --> 00:06:55.649 wielding his sword against the necks of the enemies of Allah, 00:06:55.649 --> 00:06:59.649 until the feet of Musaylimah and his companions faltered. 00:06:59.649 --> 00:07:01.649 They retreated into the garden, 00:07:01.649 --> 00:07:05.649 which became known in history thereafter as the Garden of Death, 00:07:05.649 --> 00:07:08.649 due to the number of those killed there that day. 00:07:08.649 --> 00:07:12.649 This Garden of Death was vast in its expanse, 00:07:12.649 --> 00:07:14.649 with towering walls. 00:07:14.649 --> 00:07:19.649 Musaylimah and thousands of his soldiers locked themselves inside, 00:07:19.649 --> 00:07:22.649 fortified by its high walls, 00:07:22.649 --> 00:07:26.649 and began raining arrows down upon the Muslims from within, 00:07:26.649 --> 00:07:29.649 falling upon them like rain. 00:07:29.649 --> 00:07:33.649 At that point, the brave Muslim warrior stepped forward, 00:07:33.649 --> 00:07:35.649 al-Bara' ibn Malik, and said, 00:07:35.649 --> 00:07:37.649 "O people, 00:07:37.649 --> 00:07:39.649 place me on a shield, 00:07:39.649 --> 00:07:41.649 raise the shield on your spears, 00:07:41.649 --> 00:07:44.649 and toss me into the garden near its gate. 00:07:44.649 --> 00:07:46.649 Either I shall be martyred, 00:07:46.649 --> 00:07:48.649 or I shall open the gate for you." 00:07:48.649 --> 00:07:50.649 In the blink of an eye, 00:07:50.649 --> 00:07:53.649 al-Bara' ibn Malik sat on a shield— 00:07:53.649 --> 00:07:56.649 for he was slight and lean of body— 00:07:56.649 --> 00:07:58.649 and dozens of spears lifted him up, 00:07:58.649 --> 00:08:01.649 and cast him into the Garden of Death, 00:08:01.649 --> 00:08:04.649 among the thousands of Musaylimah’s soldiers. 00:08:04.649 --> 00:08:07.649 He descended upon them like a thunderbolt, 00:08:07.649 --> 00:08:10.649 and continued to fight them before the garden gate, 00:08:10.649 --> 00:08:12.649 wielding his sword against their necks, 00:08:12.649 --> 00:08:16.649 until he killed ten of them and opened the gate. 00:08:16.649 --> 00:08:19.649 He bore over eighty wounds, 00:08:19.649 --> 00:08:21.649 from arrow shots 00:08:21.649 --> 00:08:23.649 or sword strikes. 00:08:23.649 --> 00:08:26.649 The Muslims then flooded into the Garden of Death 00:08:26.649 --> 00:08:28.649 over its walls and through its gates, 00:08:28.649 --> 00:08:31.649 and set their swords upon the necks of the apostates, 00:08:31.649 --> 00:08:33.649 leaving none within its walls, 00:08:33.649 --> 00:08:36.649 until they had killed nearly twenty thousand of them, 00:08:36.649 --> 00:08:38.649 and reached Musaylimah, 00:08:38.649 --> 00:08:40.649 and struck him down. 00:08:40.649 --> 00:08:42.679 Al-Bara' ibn Malik was carried 00:08:42.679 --> 00:08:44.679 to his tent to be treated, 00:08:44.679 --> 00:08:47.679 and Khalid ibn al-Walid stayed by him 00:08:47.679 --> 00:08:49.679 for a month, tending to his wounds, 00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:52.809 until Allah granted him recovery. 00:08:52.809 --> 00:08:54.809 And it was by his hands 00:08:54.809 --> 00:08:56.809 that victory was written for the Muslim army. 00:08:56.809 --> 00:08:58.809 Al-Bara' ibn Malik al-Ansari remained 00:08:58.809 --> 00:09:01.809 yearning for the martyrdom that had eluded him 00:09:01.809 --> 00:09:03.809 on the day of the Garden of Death. 00:09:03.809 --> 00:09:05.809 He continued to engage in battles, 00:09:05.809 --> 00:09:07.809 one after another, 00:09:07.809 --> 00:09:10.809 longing to achieve his greatest wish, 00:09:10.809 --> 00:09:13.809 and yearning to join his noble Prophet. 00:09:13.809 --> 00:09:16.809 Until the day of the conquest of Tustar 00:09:16.809 --> 00:09:18.809 in the lands of Persia. 00:09:18.809 --> 00:09:21.809 The Persians had fortified themselves in one of the impregnable fortresses, 00:09:21.809 --> 00:09:23.809 so the Muslims besieged them, 00:09:23.809 --> 00:09:26.809 surrounding them like a bracelet around a wrist. 00:09:26.809 --> 00:09:28.940 When the siege dragged on, 00:09:28.940 --> 00:09:30.940 and the hardship intensified for the Persians, 00:09:30.940 --> 00:09:33.940 they began to lower from the fortress walls 00:09:33.940 --> 00:09:35.940 iron chains, 00:09:35.940 --> 00:09:38.940 to which were attached steel hooks 00:09:38.940 --> 00:09:40.940 heated in the fire, 00:09:40.940 --> 00:09:43.940 until they glowed brighter than embers. 00:09:43.940 --> 00:09:46.940 They would snag the bodies of the Muslims, 00:09:46.940 --> 00:09:48.940 and hook onto them, 00:09:48.940 --> 00:09:50.940 and they would hoist them up, either dead 00:09:50.940 --> 00:09:52.940 or on the verge of death. 00:09:52.940 --> 00:09:55.940 One of these hooks caught Anas ibn Malik, 00:09:55.940 --> 00:09:57.940 the brother of al-Bara' ibn Malik. 00:09:57.940 --> 00:09:59.940 As soon as al-Bara' saw him, 00:09:59.940 --> 00:10:01.940 he leaped onto the fortress wall, 00:10:01.940 --> 00:10:04.940 grabbed the chain holding his brother, 00:10:04.940 --> 00:10:06.940 and began to work the hook 00:10:06.940 --> 00:10:08.940 to extract it from his body. 00:10:08.940 --> 00:10:11.940 His hand began to burn and smoke, 00:10:11.940 --> 00:10:13.940 yet he paid it no mind, 00:10:13.940 --> 00:10:15.940 until he saved his brother, 00:10:15.940 --> 00:10:17.940 He descended to the earth 00:10:17.940 --> 00:10:21.940 after his hand had been reduced to bone, stripped of all flesh. 00:10:21.940 --> 00:10:23.940 During this battle, 00:10:23.940 --> 00:10:25.940 Al-Bara' Ibn Malik 00:10:25.940 --> 00:10:28.940 al-Ansari prayed to Allah to grant him martyrdom, 00:10:28.940 --> 00:10:30.940 and Allah answered his prayer, 00:10:30.940 --> 00:10:34.000 for he fell as a martyr, 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:36.000 rejoicing in his meeting with Allah. 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:39.000 May Allah brighten the face of Al-Bara' Ibn Malik 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:41.000 in Paradise, 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:43.000 and gladden his eyes with the companionship of His Prophet, 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:46.000 Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:48.000 and may He be pleased with him and grant him contentment. 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:50.379 Do not appoint Al-Bara' 00:10:50.379 --> 00:10:53.379 to lead any of the Muslim armies, 00:10:53.379 --> 00:10:56.450 for fear that his boldness might lead his soldiers to their destruction, 00:10:56.450 --> 00:10:59.019 said 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab.