WEBVTT

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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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The Mawaddah Association is pleased

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to present to you

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"Portraits from the Lives of the Companions"

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by Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,

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may Allah have mercy on him.

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Sa'id Ibn al-'As, may Allah be pleased with him.

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Sa'id Ibn al-'As al-Umawi al-Qurashi

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was a Companion deeply rooted in glory,

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of illustrious nobility.

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His grandfather, Sa'id,

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used to be called "Dhu al-Taj" (The Crowned One),

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because whenever he wore a turban,

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no one from Quraysh would wear

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a turban of the same color as his

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until he took it off,

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out of deep respect for him and veneration

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of his stature.

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His father, al-'As Ibn Sa'id,

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was a chieftain among the chieftains of Quraysh,

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and one of their foremost leaders.

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He fought alongside the polytheists

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in the Battle of Badr,

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together with his brother 'Utbah,

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and both were killed there.

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Al-'As met his death

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at the hands of 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib,

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may Allah be pleased with him.

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When his father and uncle were slain at Badr,

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Sa'id

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was only two years of age.

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Thereupon, 'Uthman Ibn 'Affan took him under his guardianship,

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may Allah be pleased with him,

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owing to the close bonds of kinship

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that tied him to the young boy.

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Thus, Sa'id Ibn al-'As grew up

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under the care of the generous, devout,

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constantly prostrating Possessor of the Two Lights,

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'Uthman Ibn 'Affan,

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and was raised under the watchful eyes of 'Uthman's wives,

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Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum,

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the daughters of the Master of the Messengers,

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Muhammad Ibn 'Abdullah,

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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

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Thus he inherited glory from generation

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to generation,

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and imbibed noble Prophetic characteristics

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and magnificent morals

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from their sweetest

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and purest springs,

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drawing Islam from its most abundant

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and robust sources.

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He recited the Qur'an alongside the close companion

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of the Book of Allah, 'Uthman Ibn 'Affan,

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and received it fresh

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and tender from the mouth of the Prophet,

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peace be upon him.

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He was among the people whose dialect was most similar

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to that of the Messenger of Allah,

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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

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He was also among the twelve

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men who transcribed

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the Qur'an during the era of 'Uthman

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and taught it to the people.

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Marks of leadership appeared upon Sa'id Ibn al-'As

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ever since

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he was a young youth.

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It is related that a woman once vowed

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to give a precious cloak

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she owned to the most noble of the Arabs;

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they said, "Give it to this boy,"

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meaning Sa'id Ibn al-'As.

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Thereafter, luxurious garments

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were named

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"al-Sa'idiyyah" after him.

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And indeed,

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they were completely right

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when they foresaw for Sa'id Ibn al-'As

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that eminent leadership

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and unmatched generosity.

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For Sa'id Ibn al-'As governed

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provinces for the Muslims,

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led armies on their behalf,

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and achieved great conquests for them;

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Allah conquered Tabaristan and Jurjan at his hands.

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He remained

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a governor appointed by 'Uthman

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over the city of the Messenger,

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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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until the wronged Caliph fell as a martyr,

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may Allah be pleased with him.

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Yet the trait that predominated

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in Sa'id Ibn al-'As

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was magnanimity and generosity,

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to the extent that Mu'awiyah Ibn Abi

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Sufyan nicknamed him "The Generous Man

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of Quraysh."

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For Allah bestowed abundance upon Sa'id Ibn al-'As

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without measure,

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and Sa'id bestowed it upon the servants of Allah

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without measure as well.

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Many splendid accounts

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have been related about him

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in this regard,

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and extraordinary, captivating stories

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have been told of him that filled the pages of history

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with praise and radiance.

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Among these is

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that Sa'id Ibn al-'As used to tie up

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purses of money every Friday

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and place them before

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the needy worshippers,

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so that when they finished their prayer,

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they would take them, rejoicing

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in them without having to beg.

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A man from among the reciters

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used to attend his gathering

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and learn the Book of Allah from him.

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He fell into poverty and suffered severe

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destitution.

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His wife said to him,

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"Our governor, Sa'id Ibn al-'As,

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is renowned for generosity.

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If only you would mention your condition to him,

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perhaps he might grant you something."

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He replied, "Woe to you!

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Do you want me to strip away my dignity?

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By Allah, I will not do so!"

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Yet his need continued to grow dire,

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and his wife persisted

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in urging him to ask,

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until he came to the gathering of Sa'id

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Ibn al-'As as he was

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accustomed to doing every time.

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When the people departed,

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the man remained sitting in his place.

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Sa'id turned to him

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and said, "I presume you remain seated

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for a need?"

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The man remained silent.

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Sa'id said to his servants,

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"Leave us."

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When they left, he said to him,

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"None remains except you and me,

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so state your need."

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The man remained silent.

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So he extinguished the lamp and said to him,

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"May Allah have mercy on you,

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you cannot see my face now,

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so state your need."

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He said, "May Allah rectify the affairs of the governor!

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Destitution has afflicted us,

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and I wanted to mention it to you,

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but I felt too ashamed."

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Sa'id said, "Take it easy!

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When morning comes, go meet my agent, so-and-so."

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In the morning,

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the man met the agent of

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Sa'id Ibn al-'As,

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who said to him, "The governor

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has ordered something for you,

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so bring someone to help you carry it."

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He replied, "I have no one to carry it."

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He then went back to

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his wife, blamed her, and said,

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"You drove me to forfeit

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my self-respect before Sa'id Ibn al-'As,

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and he only ordered something for me

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that requires someone to carry it!

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I do not see that he ordered for me

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anything other than flour or food;

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had it been money,

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it would not have required someone to carry it,

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and he would have handed it directly to me!"

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The woman said,

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"Whatever he gives you, we are

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in dire need of it, so go take it!"

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The man returned to the agent,

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and the agent said,

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"I informed the governor that

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you have no one to carry

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his gift to you,

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so he ordered these three servants

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to carry it with you."

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The man walked ahead of them,

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and when they reached the house,

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upon the head of each

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of them was ten thousand dirhams!

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He said to the servants,

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"Put down what you are carrying and depart."

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But they said,

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"The governor has gifted us to you as well;

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for he never sends a servant

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with a gift to anyone

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except that the servant himself becomes part of

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the gift!"

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A Bedouin once came to Sa'id Ibn al-'As,

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so he ordered five hundred for him.

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So his agent asked him,

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"Five hundred dirhams,

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or dinars?"

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He replied, "I had intended to give you

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five hundred dirhams;

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but since the thought crossed your mind

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that they might be dinars,

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then give him five hundred dinars."

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When he received the money,

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the Bedouin sat down and began to weep.

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Sa'id asked him,

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"What is the matter with you? Did you not receive it?"

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He said,

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"Yes, by Allah!

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Rather, I weep for the earth:

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how can it bury a man like you?"

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Sa'id used to advise his son 'Amr,

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"O my son,

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offer your kindness spontaneously

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without being asked.

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For if a man comes to you,

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you can almost see the blood draining from his face

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out of modesty and shame;

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or he comes taking a great risk,

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not knowing whether you will grant his request or turn him away.

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By Allah, even if you were to give him all you possess,

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you would still not fully compensate him for that."

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And when death approached Sa'id ibn al-'As,

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he gathered his sons

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and said to them:

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"O my sons, let not

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my companions lose anything by my death except the sight of my face.

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Maintain ties with them just as I used to

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maintain ties with them; continue

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their stipends just as I used to grant them;

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and spare them the hardship

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of asking. For indeed, when a man

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asks for his need,

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his limbs tremble

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and his heart quivers with dread.

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By Allah, a man tossing and turning restlessly

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on his bed,

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seeing you as worthy of fulfilling his need,

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bestows a greater favor

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upon you than anything you could ever give him."

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When he passed away,

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his son, 'Amr ibn Sa'id—

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known as al-Ashdaq—

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went to Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan

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in Damascus to inform him

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of his father's death.

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Mu'awiyah wept and recited the verse of returning to Allah,

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and asked, "Did

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your father leave behind any debt?"

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He replied, "Yes."

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He asked, "And how much is it?"

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He said, "Three hundred thousand dirhams."

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Mu'awiyah said,

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"It is upon me to pay it."

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'Amr replied, "He instructed me

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not to settle his debt except from the proceeds

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of his own lands."

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So Mu'awiyah purchased a land from him

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equal to the amount of the debt.

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'Amr ibn Sa'id then returned

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to Medina

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and instructed a herald to announce among the people:

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"Whoever is owed a debt,

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let him come to his son 'Amr to collect it."

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A young man came to him

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carrying a piece of leather

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on which was written in his favor:

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"Twenty thousand."

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'Amr asked, "How did this debt become due

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against my father?"

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The young man replied,

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"Your father was leaving the governor's

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residence after having been dismissed from office,

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so I followed him, walking alongside him.

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When he saw me, he asked,

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'Do you have a need?'

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I replied, 'No,

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but I simply wished to be with you

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at this hour.'

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He said,

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'May Allah be with you.'

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Then he said, 'O my nephew,

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bring me an inkpot and a piece of leather.'

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So I brought them to him,

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and he wrote down twenty thousand for me,

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and said,

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'O my nephew, when our

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harvest comes, we will pay that to you.'"

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So 'Amr paid him

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the money and added to it

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a generous extra amount.

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Whoever leaves behind the likes of 'Amr ibn Sa'id

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has not truly died.

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May Allah be pleased with the generous and noble soul,

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the memorizer of the Book of Allah,

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Sa'id ibn al-'As,

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and may Allah illuminate his grave.

00:10:38.929 --> 00:10:44.190
Sa'id ibn al-'As was

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the most similar among the people

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in his manner of speech to the Messenger of Allah,

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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

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Let us proceed to the next account.