In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Mawaddah Association is pleased
To present to you pictures from the lives of the Companions
By Abd al-Rahman Rafat al-Basha
May God have mercy on him
Rafi bin Omair Al-Tai
May God be pleased with him
Have you heard the news of Rafi bin Umair Al-Tai?
Desert shrewd
Your great death
Islam came to Rafi
He did not pay attention to him
He paid no attention to him
This is because he was too busy raiding Arab neighborhoods
And stealing the camels of their camels
Do not think that Rafi’ was the leader of an Arab tribe
Or he had a secret to invade
Or a band that holds me tight
Rafi was nothing like that, not even close to that
Rather, he was a Bedouin from the desert
He created an army of himself
He launched his raids on Arab homes alone and alone
People cherish what they hold dearest
Then he returns safe and sound
You might say: Wasn't it in these neighborhoods that Rafi' was raiding?
Angad's heroes are able to hunt down this mortal
And save their camels from him and eliminate him
Indeed, he was among the sons of the desert
Who are no less courageous, bold and courageous than Rafi
But there was no one among them who was equal to him in knowing the secrets of this desert
And the ability to influence its depths
It was even known among the Arabs
He gifted a Bedouin with desert sand
He showed people its ways
It was Rafi's business
If he decides to invade a people
To bring a large number of ostrich eggs
And fill it with water
And to bury him in remote places that no foot can set foot in, in the middle of the desert
Then he launches his raid on whomever he wants from the Arab neighborhoods
He drives the camels that he captures in front of him
He takes her to those places whose secrets were not given to anyone but him
If he enters it and gets immersed in its labyrinth
The owners stopped chasing him
And they turned back
For fear of dying from thirst or loss
In the ninth year of the Hijra
The Messenger, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, sent Omar bin Al-Aas
At the head of one of the Muslim companies heading to the country of Tai
He ordered him to mobilize any of the Arabs who converted to Islam
To go with him to the Levant to fight the Romans
And to seek friendship with those of them who were not safe so that they would not join his enemies
In the company were Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq and Omar bin Al-Khattab
And a group of the great companions of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace
So they set off until they reached Mount Tai
The roads blinded them
They feared loss and destruction for themselves
Omar bin Al-Khattab said
Bring us an experienced man to be our guide in these victories
It was said to him: “You have none other than Rafi’ bin Umair Al-Tai.”
For he is the most knowledgeable of the people about this desert and the most knowledgeable of its paths
So they called Rafi and took him as their guide
Rafi bin Umair spent time with this chosen elite
One of the companions of the Messenger, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him
Days and nights until they accomplished what they were ordered to do
Rafi saw that their noble qualities were noble and their characteristics were noble
Their guidance was sublime when their love was planted in his heart
He found them to be servants by night and knights by day
Ascetics of this world, desiring the good reward from God
He had an affair with them that Rafi’ narrates to you himself, saying:
While I was with the people, I was looking at them all
I looked out for Abu Bakr in particular, admired him, and favored him
With my concern for all his companions and for all good things
When we returned to the houses from which we left
As they were about to leave us, I felt that they would be with them in my heart
So I came to Abu Bakr and said, “O good companion.”
I marked you and chose you from among your friends
So mention something to me that if I memorize it, I will be one of you and like you
He said: Do you remember your five fingers?
I said yes and he said count on it
It bears witness that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger
And perform prayers and pay zakat if you have money
You fast Ramadan and perform Hajj to the House if you can find a way to it
Then he said: Have you memorized it? I said yes and listen to me
I bear witness that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger
As for prayer, I will never abandon it
As for zakat, I have enough money to pay it
As for Ramadan, I will fast it as long as I live
As for Hajj, if I am able, I will perform Hajj, God willing
Since that day, the desert thief Rafi bin Umair
That black page of his life and he opened the other page
The page shining with the light of faith and sparkling with the light of the Qur’an
This was the news of Rafi’ bin Umair in his pre-Islamic era
Here are some of the stories about him after his conversion to Islam
The life of the Caliph of the Muslims, Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq
An army consisting of four divisions to invade the Romans in the Levant
The invading army rushed in the name of God, liberating the country and guiding the people
The call to prayer is raised in every land on which his feet set foot
To announce to the people that the era of slavery to the Caesars has ended
And servitude to God is one until he reached the outskirts of Damascus
Then he set off for the city of Homs in central Syria
The Romans did not take into consideration the Muslim army or care about it
When they saw him inflicting defeat on them, defeat followed defeat
Threatening their soldiers with annihilation, they mobilized their armies in Antioch
He brought help from the parties of the Byzantine state
Until two hundred and fifty thousand warriors gathered for them
Then they pushed this massive army from Labjab against the Muslims
So he went on to recover the country that the Romans had lost
He threatens the Muslim army with extinction
The Muslims sent messengers from them to Medina
They describe the situation to the Caliph and say relief, relief
And the calf is the calf
Khalid bin Al-Walid was then in Iraq
At the head of his large, conquering army
So the friend sent him orders to go immediately to the Levant
To help the army threatened with extinction
He sees the catastrophe that is about to befall the Muslims
Khaled responded to the Caliph’s order
He went with ten thousand Muslim soldiers
Among them is Rafi’ bin Umair Al-Tai
To be supplies for the Muslim army in the Levant
It was Ali Khalid bin Al-Walid
To get his army to Syria in the shortest time
And to follow a path in which he avoids confronting the Romans
So as not to prevent him or him from meeting with Muslims
So he started consulting his companions and said:
Bored me in such a way
So Rafi’ bin Umair Al-Tai rose to him
He said, “I am yours to do, O Prince.”
He said, "How?"
He said we will cross the desert starting from Qaraqir
And pass by and see you
And ending with Palmyra
So we are behind Hamas in the middle of the Levant
Where Muslim armies are stationed
They surprised Ibn Rum
They do not know if we descended on them from the sky
Or We sourced for them from the earth
Khaled said
How can we get water in this forgiving desert?
We have twenty thousand people, both human and horse
He said as long as God is with us
I am yours with it
Khaled consulted opinion-makers from the army lieutenant colonel
They said, "Don't do it, Prince."
The distance between Qaraqar and Sawa
Don't cut it for less than five nights
It is a desert area with no water or paths
Passing it is up to the individual passenger
It's almost impossible
So what about this large army?
Do not expose yourself and the souls of Muslims to destruction
Khaled said
O Muslims!
Your guidance is no different
And do not weaken your certainty
They knew that help came from God
It comes with intention
The reward is commensurate with the hardship
And a Muslim should not care about anything
As long as he waits for his Lord's help
Then Rafi bin Umair is with us
There is no one among you who is ignorant of Rafi, the son of the desert
Then he said, “By God, this is necessary.”
I was determined to implement the order of the successor of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace
And saving the Muslim army from the clutches of the Romans
All they had to do was respond to him obediently
They said: You are a man whom God has brought goodness to you
So do what you want
He said, may God reward you well
Then he turned to Rafi and said
Do what you want, Rafi
Rafi said, “Take care, Prince.”
With twenty bone-headed camels, two fat animals
Any old woman
So he brought them to him
So Rafi approached them
So I made them live
When they were exhausted by thirst
Give them water
So they drank until they were full
Then he cut off their blades
That is, their lips
And tie their mouths so that they do not chew the rumour
Then these camels carried as much water as they could carry
Water became in their bellies and on their backs
The mighty army set off
He began to fuel the march with his horses and burdens
So it was every time he came down to a house
Rafi rose to the camel
He slaughtered four of them
So he took the water in her stomach
He mixed it with her milk and gave it to the horses
The army was given water on its backs
When the army completed the fifth stage of its march
He used up all his water
Rafi' had to show the soldiers his sources
God willing, Rafi’ would suffer from ophthalmia until his eyes became swollen
Tomorrow does not promise anything
Khaled came to him and said
Woe to you, Rafi, we have slaughtered all the camels
The water was all gone
The army was on the verge of destruction
And he said
Look, perhaps you will see two mountains in the shape of breasts
Khaled looked in every direction
Then he said
Yes, yes, Rafi
Rafi said, “Rejoice.”
Arise, seek a bramble tree between them
Her description is such and such
They searched for it but did not find it
Rafi said, “And he will judge.”
Shake off the ground, shake it off, it's here
And they knew that if you did not find it
You perished and I perished with you
They went looking for the bramble tree in every spot
They soon found it
It was uprooted and its roots remained in the ground
So they grew up and Rafi’ grew up with them
Then he said
Dig into its origin
So they dug
A spring of fresh water, Namir, gushed out from beneath it
They increased their cheering and glorification
They came to Rafi’ with joy, joy and congratulations
He said to them, “Praise be to God.”
By God, I passed through this land with my father thirty years ago
My eyes never saw her after that
The army continued its march until it reached the hills overlooking Ghouta of Damascus
So Khalid handed over the banner of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, to Rafi’ bin Umair
He ordered him to focus it there
So focus it
It was called punishment
Then Khalid's army met the four Muslim armies
Who was waiting for his arrival
They fought the Battle of Yarmouk
In which God humiliated the sins of polytheism
He raised the banner of Islam
It was one of the great decisive battles in history
And after
Did you know that Rafi bin Umair?
Who was nicknamed, until recently, the desert thief
He became called the raiser of goodness
Do you know that this is the reason why this title was given to him?
He is due to his abundance of kindness to the poor
His great compassion for those in need
He used to feed the people of three mosques
He who earns his right hand and the sweat of his brow
He is content with the world in one garment
He wears it at home
He takes him out to pray
Don't be surprised by that
Rafi bin Umair may spend an hour studying
In the school of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him
A spark of the light of faith shone in his chest
Rafi bin Omair guided Badawi with desert sand
Historians showed people its methods
With Muhammad and his companions
The edifice was built by Goths
O Sheyar, help me better
In their praise, is there anyone better than you?