1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:15,289 --> 00:00:18,289 Mawaddah Association is pleased 3 00:00:18,289 --> 00:00:22,289 to present to you portraits from the lives of the Companions, 4 00:00:22,289 --> 00:00:25,289 by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 5 00:00:25,289 --> 00:00:27,320 may Allah have mercy on him. 6 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:33,240 Wahshi ibn Harb, may Allah be pleased with him. 7 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:51,700 Who was this man who broke the heart of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 8 00:00:51,700 --> 00:00:55,700 when he killed his uncle Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib on the day of Uhud, 9 00:00:55,700 --> 00:00:57,700 and then brought solace to the hearts of the Muslims 10 00:00:57,700 --> 00:01:01,700 when he killed Musaylimah the Liar on the day of al-Yamamah? 11 00:01:01,700 --> 00:01:04,859 He was Wahshi ibn Harb the Abyssinian, 12 00:01:04,859 --> 00:01:06,859 whose agnomen was Abu Dasmah. 13 00:01:06,859 --> 00:01:10,920 He had a dramatic, tragic, and bloody story, 14 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:15,920 so lend him your ear that he may tell you his tragedy himself. 15 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:18,180 Wahshi said: 16 00:01:18,180 --> 00:01:21,180 I was an Abyssinian slave belonging to Jubayr ibn Mut'im, 17 00:01:21,180 --> 00:01:23,180 one of the chieftains of Quraysh. 18 00:01:23,180 --> 00:01:25,180 His uncle, Tu'aymah, 19 00:01:25,180 --> 00:01:29,180 had been killed on the day of Badr at the hands of Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, 20 00:01:29,180 --> 00:01:32,180 and Jubayr grieved over him with the utmost sorrow. 21 00:01:32,180 --> 00:01:36,180 He swore by Allah and al-'Uzza that he would surely avenge his uncle 22 00:01:36,180 --> 00:01:38,180 and kill his killer, 23 00:01:38,180 --> 00:01:41,180 so he began seeking an opportunity to lay in wait for Hamzah. 24 00:01:41,180 --> 00:01:44,370 Not much time had passed after that 25 00:01:44,370 --> 00:01:48,370 before Quraysh resolved to march to Uhud 26 00:01:48,370 --> 00:01:51,370 to eliminate Muhammad ibn 'Abdillah 27 00:01:51,370 --> 00:01:54,370 and avenge those slain at Badr. 28 00:01:54,370 --> 00:01:59,370 They mobilized their forces, gathered their allies, and prepared their equipment, 29 00:01:59,370 --> 00:02:03,370 then entrusted leadership to Abu Sufyan ibn Harb. 30 00:02:03,370 --> 00:02:05,370 Abu Sufyan deemed it best 31 00:02:05,370 --> 00:02:09,370 to include with the army a group of the noble women of Quraysh— 32 00:02:09,370 --> 00:02:13,370 those whose fathers, sons, brothers, 33 00:02:13,370 --> 00:02:16,370 or relatives had been killed at Badr— 34 00:02:16,370 --> 00:02:19,370 in order to incite the army to fight 35 00:02:19,370 --> 00:02:22,370 and prevent the men from fleeing. 36 00:02:22,370 --> 00:02:25,370 Among the foremost women who went out with him 37 00:02:25,370 --> 00:02:28,370 was his wife, Hind bint 'Utbah, 38 00:02:28,370 --> 00:02:31,370 whose father, uncle, and brother 39 00:02:31,370 --> 00:02:34,430 had all been killed at Badr. 40 00:02:34,430 --> 00:02:37,430 When the army was about to depart, 41 00:02:37,430 --> 00:02:40,430 Jubayr ibn Mut'im turned to me and said: 42 00:02:40,430 --> 00:02:44,430 "O Abu Dasmah, would you like to free yourself from slavery?" 43 00:02:44,430 --> 00:02:47,530 I asked, "And who could secure that for me?" 44 00:02:47,530 --> 00:02:50,530 He replied, "I guarantee it for you." 45 00:02:50,530 --> 00:02:53,530 I asked, "How?" 46 00:02:53,530 --> 00:02:56,530 He said, "If you kill Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, 47 00:02:56,530 --> 00:02:59,530 the uncle of Muhammad, in revenge for my uncle Tu'aymah ibn 'Adi, 48 00:02:59,530 --> 00:03:02,530 you are a free man." 49 00:03:02,530 --> 00:03:05,530 I said, "And who will guarantee to fulfill that for me?" 50 00:03:05,530 --> 00:03:08,530 He said, "Whomever you wish; 51 00:03:08,530 --> 00:03:11,530 and I shall take all the people as witnesses to that." 52 00:03:11,530 --> 00:03:14,560 I said, "I will do it, and I am equal to the task." 53 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:17,560 Wahshi continued: I was an Abyssinian man 54 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:20,560 who hurled the javelin in the Abyssinian manner, 55 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,620 seldom missing anything I aimed at with it. 56 00:03:23,620 --> 00:03:26,620 So I took my javelin and set out with the army, 57 00:03:26,620 --> 00:03:29,620 walking near the rear 58 00:03:29,620 --> 00:03:32,620 close to the women, 59 00:03:32,620 --> 00:03:35,620 for I had no interest in the fighting itself. 60 00:03:35,620 --> 00:03:38,620 Whenever I passed by Hind, 61 00:03:38,620 --> 00:03:41,620 the wife of Abu Sufyan, or whenever she passed by me 62 00:03:41,620 --> 00:03:44,620 and saw the javelin glinting in my hand under the glare of the sun, she would say: 63 00:03:44,620 --> 00:03:47,620 "Heal our hearts, O Abu Dasmah, and heal your own!" 64 00:03:47,620 --> 00:03:50,620 When we reached Uhud and the two forces met, 65 00:03:50,620 --> 00:03:53,620 I went out searching for Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib. 66 00:03:53,620 --> 00:03:56,620 I already knew him beforehand, 67 00:03:56,620 --> 00:03:59,620 and indeed, Hamzah was not hidden from anyone, 68 00:03:59,620 --> 00:04:02,620 for he used to place an ostrich feather on his head 69 00:04:02,620 --> 00:04:05,620 to invite champions to single combat, 70 00:04:05,620 --> 00:04:08,620 as was the custom of the valiant Arabic warriors. 71 00:04:08,620 --> 00:04:11,620 It was not long 72 00:04:11,620 --> 00:04:14,620 before I saw Hamzah roaring among the crowds like a light-gray camel, 73 00:04:14,620 --> 00:04:17,620 cleaving through men with his sword, 74 00:04:17,620 --> 00:04:20,620 such that none could stand against him 75 00:04:20,620 --> 00:04:23,819 nor withstand his strike. 76 00:04:23,819 --> 00:04:26,819 While I was preparing myself to attack him, 77 00:04:26,819 --> 00:04:29,819 taking cover from him behind a tree or a boulder, 78 00:04:29,819 --> 00:04:32,819 lying in wait for him to draw near me, 79 00:04:32,819 --> 00:04:35,819 a horseman from Quraysh named Siba' ibn 'Abd al-'Uzza stepped ahead of me toward him, 80 00:04:35,819 --> 00:04:38,819 shouting, "Duel me, O Hamzah! Duel me!" 81 00:04:38,819 --> 00:04:41,819 Hamzah stepped forward to face him, saying, 82 00:04:41,819 --> 00:04:44,819 "Come at me, son of an uncircumcised woman! Come at me!" 83 00:04:44,819 --> 00:04:47,819 Then, in the blink of an eye, Hamzah struck him 84 00:04:47,819 --> 00:04:50,819 with his sword, and Siba' fell slain, 85 00:04:50,819 --> 00:04:53,819 thrashing in his own blood before him. 86 00:04:53,819 --> 00:04:56,850 At that moment, I maneuvered into a position relative to Hamzah 87 00:04:56,850 --> 00:04:59,850 that pleased me, and I began shaking my javelin 88 00:04:59,850 --> 00:05:02,850 until I felt confident in my aim, 89 00:05:02,850 --> 00:05:05,850 then threw it, and it struck him in the lower abdomen 90 00:05:06,850 --> 00:05:08,850 and emerged from between his legs. 91 00:05:08,850 --> 00:05:11,980 He took two heavy steps toward me, 92 00:05:11,980 --> 00:05:14,980 then collapsed, with the javelin still 93 00:05:14,980 --> 00:05:17,980 embedded in his body. I left it in him 94 00:05:17,980 --> 00:05:20,980 until I was certain that he had died. 95 00:05:20,980 --> 00:05:23,980 Then I went to him, pulled the javelin out of him, 96 00:05:23,980 --> 00:05:26,980 and returned to the camp, where I sat down, 97 00:05:26,980 --> 00:05:29,980 as I had no further need for anything else. 98 00:05:29,980 --> 00:05:32,980 Then the heat of the battle intensified, 99 00:05:33,980 --> 00:05:37,069 with much charging and retreating. 100 00:05:37,069 --> 00:05:40,069 Soon, however, the tide turned 101 00:05:40,069 --> 00:05:43,069 against the companions of Muhammad, and slaughter increased among them. 102 00:05:43,069 --> 00:05:46,069 At that point, Hind bint 'Utbah rushed 103 00:05:46,069 --> 00:05:49,199 toward the slain Muslims, 104 00:05:49,199 --> 00:05:52,199 with a group of women behind her, 105 00:05:52,199 --> 00:05:55,199 and began mutilating them, 106 00:05:55,199 --> 00:05:58,199 ripping open their bellies, gouging out their eyes, 107 00:05:58,199 --> 00:06:01,199 and cutting off their ears. 108 00:06:02,199 --> 00:06:05,199 She then made a necklace and earrings from their noses and ears, 109 00:06:05,199 --> 00:06:09,199 adorned herself with them, and handed her original golden necklace 110 00:06:09,199 --> 00:06:12,199 and earrings to me, 111 00:06:12,199 --> 00:06:15,199 saying, "They are yours, O Abu Dasmah! 112 00:06:15,199 --> 00:06:18,199 Keep them, for they are precious." 113 00:06:18,199 --> 00:06:21,199 When the war laid down its burdens, 114 00:06:21,199 --> 00:06:24,329 I returned with the army to Makkah. 115 00:06:24,329 --> 00:06:27,329 Jubayr ibn Mut'im fulfilled his promise to me 116 00:06:27,329 --> 00:06:30,329 and emancipated me, 117 00:06:30,329 --> 00:06:33,329 so I became a free man. 118 00:06:33,329 --> 00:06:36,329 But the cause of Muhammad continued to grow day after day, 119 00:06:36,329 --> 00:06:39,329 and the Muslims increased in strength hour by hour. 120 00:06:39,329 --> 00:06:42,329 Thus, whenever Muhammad's cause grew greater, 121 00:06:42,329 --> 00:06:45,389 my distress deepened, 122 00:06:45,389 --> 00:06:48,389 and panic and fear took hold of my soul. 123 00:06:48,389 --> 00:06:51,389 I remained in this state 124 00:06:51,389 --> 00:06:54,389 until Muhammad entered Makkah with his massive army as a conqueror. 125 00:06:54,389 --> 00:06:57,389 At that moment, 126 00:06:57,389 --> 00:07:00,490 I fled frantically to al-Ta'if, 127 00:07:00,490 --> 00:07:03,490 seeking safety there. 128 00:07:03,490 --> 00:07:06,550 But the people of al-Ta'if were not long 129 00:07:06,550 --> 00:07:09,550 in inclining toward Islam, 130 00:07:09,550 --> 00:07:12,550 and they prepared a delegation to meet Muhammad 131 00:07:12,550 --> 00:07:15,550 and declare their entry into his religion. 132 00:07:15,550 --> 00:07:18,550 At that, despair overwhelmed me; 133 00:07:18,550 --> 00:07:21,550 the vast earth felt narrow around me, and I was at a loss as to where to go. 134 00:07:21,550 --> 00:07:24,550 I said, "I shall flee to al-Sham, or Yemen, 135 00:07:25,550 --> 00:07:28,550 or to some other land." 136 00:07:28,550 --> 00:07:31,550 By Allah, while I was immersed in this grief of mine, 137 00:07:31,550 --> 00:07:34,550 a well-wishing man felt pity for me and said: 138 00:07:34,550 --> 00:07:37,550 "Woe to you, O Wahshi! 139 00:07:37,550 --> 00:07:40,550 By Allah, Muhammad does not kill anyone 140 00:07:40,550 --> 00:07:43,550 who enters his religion and bears the testimony of truth." 141 00:07:43,550 --> 00:07:46,870 No sooner had I heard his words 142 00:07:46,870 --> 00:07:49,870 than I headed straight toward Yathrib 143 00:07:49,870 --> 00:07:52,870 seeking Muhammad. 144 00:07:52,870 --> 00:07:55,870 When I reached it, I inquired about his whereabouts 145 00:07:55,870 --> 00:07:58,870 and learned that he was in the mosque. 146 00:07:58,870 --> 00:08:01,870 I entered upon him stealthily and cautiously, 147 00:08:01,870 --> 00:08:04,870 advancing toward him until I was standing 148 00:08:04,870 --> 00:08:07,870 directly over his head, and I said: 149 00:08:07,870 --> 00:08:10,870 "I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, 150 00:08:10,870 --> 00:08:13,899 and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger." 151 00:08:13,899 --> 00:08:16,899 When he heard the two testimonies of faith, he raised his eyes to me, 152 00:08:16,899 --> 00:08:19,899 and upon recognizing me, he turned his gaze away from me and said: 153 00:08:19,899 --> 00:08:22,899 "Are you Wahshi?" 154 00:08:22,899 --> 00:08:25,899 I replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." 155 00:08:25,899 --> 00:08:28,899 He said, "Sit down and tell me how you killed Hamzah." 156 00:08:28,899 --> 00:08:31,970 So I sat down and told him the story. 157 00:08:31,970 --> 00:08:34,970 When I finished my account, 158 00:08:34,970 --> 00:08:37,970 he turned his face away from me and said: 159 00:08:37,970 --> 00:08:40,970 "Woe to you, O Wahshi! 160 00:08:40,970 --> 00:08:44,100 Conceal your face from me, and do not let me see you after today." 161 00:08:44,100 --> 00:08:47,100 From that day onward, 162 00:08:47,100 --> 00:08:50,100 I avoided letting the noble Prophet's gaze fall upon me. 163 00:08:50,100 --> 00:08:53,100 Whenever the Companions sat in front of him, 164 00:08:53,100 --> 00:08:56,100 I would take my place behind him. 165 00:08:56,100 --> 00:08:59,100 I remained in that state until the Messenger of Allah, 166 00:08:59,100 --> 00:09:02,100 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed away to be near his Lord. 167 00:09:02,100 --> 00:09:05,320 Wahshi then added, saying: 168 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:08,320 Despite my knowing that 169 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:11,320 Islam wipes away whatever came before it, 170 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:14,320 I continued to feel the gravity of the deed 171 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,320 and the enormity of the calamity 172 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:20,320 with which I had afflicted Islam and the Muslims. 173 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:23,320 I began looking for an opportunity to expiate 174 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:26,480 for what I had done in the past. 175 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:29,480 So when the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, joined the Highest Companion, and the Caliphate 176 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:32,480 over the Muslims passed to his companion Abu Bakr, 177 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:35,480 Banu Hanifah—the followers of 178 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,480 Musaylimah the Liar—apostatized along with the other apostates. 179 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:41,480 Thereupon, Abu Bakr dispatched an army 180 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:44,480 to fight Musaylimah and bring his people, 181 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:47,480 Banu Hanifah, back to the religion of Allah. 182 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:50,580 I said to myself, "By Allah, this is 183 00:09:50,580 --> 00:09:53,580 your opportunity, O Wahshi, so seize it 184 00:09:53,580 --> 00:09:56,580 and do not let it slip from your hands!" 185 00:09:56,580 --> 00:09:59,700 Then I set out with the Muslim armies, 186 00:09:59,700 --> 00:10:02,700 taking with me the very javelin with which I had killed 187 00:10:02,700 --> 00:10:05,700 the Master of Martyrs, Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, 188 00:10:05,700 --> 00:10:08,700 hoping to kill Musaylimah with it or attain 189 00:10:09,700 --> 00:10:12,700 martyrdom. When the Muslims stormed 190 00:10:12,700 --> 00:10:15,990 the Garden of Death against Musaylimah and his army 191 00:10:15,990 --> 00:10:18,990 and engaged the enemies of Allah in close combat, 192 00:10:18,990 --> 00:10:21,990 I began stalking Musaylimah. I saw him 193 00:10:21,990 --> 00:10:24,990 standing with a sword in his hand, and I also saw 194 00:10:24,990 --> 00:10:27,990 a man from the Ansar lying in wait for him just as 195 00:10:27,990 --> 00:10:30,990 I was lying in wait for him, both of us seeking 196 00:10:30,990 --> 00:10:33,990 to kill him. When I positioned myself relative to him, 197 00:10:33,990 --> 00:10:37,090 I shook my javelin until, once it was steady 198 00:10:38,090 --> 00:10:41,090 in my hand, I hurled it at him, 199 00:10:41,090 --> 00:10:44,090 "was in my hand, I hurled it toward him, 200 00:10:44,090 --> 00:10:47,090 and it struck him. At the very same moment 201 00:10:47,090 --> 00:10:50,090 that I released my javelin at Musaylimah, 202 00:10:50,090 --> 00:10:53,090 one of the Ansar lunged at him, dealing him 203 00:10:53,090 --> 00:10:56,220 a blow with his sword. Thus, your Lord 204 00:10:56,220 --> 00:10:59,250 knows which of us truly killed him. If it was 205 00:10:59,250 --> 00:11:02,250 I who killed him, then I have killed 206 00:11:02,250 --> 00:11:05,250 the best of people after Muhammad, and I have also killed 207 00:11:05,250 --> 00:11:10,200 the worst of people." 208 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:13,389 He killed the best of people after Muhammad, 209 00:11:13,389 --> 00:11:16,679 and he also killed the worst of people. 210 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:20,740 Historians