1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:15,189 --> 00:00:18,190 The Mawaddah Association is pleased 3 00:00:18,190 --> 00:00:22,190 to present to you "Portraits from the Lives of the Companions" 4 00:00:22,190 --> 00:00:25,190 by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 5 00:00:25,190 --> 00:00:27,219 may Allah have mercy on him. 6 00:00:27,219 --> 00:00:33,659 Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith, may Allah be pleased with him. 7 00:00:47,060 --> 00:00:50,060 Seldom have ties connected two individuals 8 00:00:50,060 --> 00:00:52,060 or bonds united two people 9 00:00:52,060 --> 00:00:58,060 as closely and firmly as they did between Muhammad ibn 'Abdillah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 10 00:00:58,060 --> 00:01:01,060 and Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith. 11 00:01:01,060 --> 00:01:06,060 For Abu Sufyan was a peer of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 12 00:01:06,060 --> 00:01:08,060 and an equal in age; 13 00:01:08,060 --> 00:01:11,060 they were born at nearly the same time, 14 00:01:11,060 --> 00:01:13,060 raised within the same family, 15 00:01:13,060 --> 00:01:16,129 and he was a close first cousin of the Prophet. 16 00:01:16,129 --> 00:01:22,129 His father, al-Harith, and 'Abdullah, the father of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 17 00:01:22,129 --> 00:01:25,129 were brothers who both sprang from the loins of 'Abd al-Muttalib. 18 00:01:26,159 --> 00:01:29,159 Moreover, he was a foster brother to the Prophet through nursing, 19 00:01:29,159 --> 00:01:34,159 for Lady Halimah al-Sa'diyyah nursed them both together at her breast. 20 00:01:34,159 --> 00:01:36,159 Furthermore, above all this, 21 00:01:36,159 --> 00:01:42,159 he was an intimate friend of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, before prophethood, 22 00:01:42,159 --> 00:01:44,159 and one of the people who resembled him most closely. 23 00:01:44,159 --> 00:01:47,159 Have you ever seen or heard of a closer kinship, 24 00:01:47,159 --> 00:01:54,159 or firmer ties than those that existed between Muhammad ibn 'Abdillah and Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith? 25 00:01:54,159 --> 00:01:58,260 Thus, it was naturally expected of Abu Sufyan 26 00:01:58,260 --> 00:02:04,260 that he would be the foremost of people to answer the call of the Messenger, peace be upon him, 27 00:02:04,260 --> 00:02:07,260 and the swiftest to step forward and follow him. 28 00:02:07,260 --> 00:02:12,259 But the matter turned out entirely contrary to all expectations. 29 00:02:12,259 --> 00:02:16,259 For scarcely had the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, openly proclaimed his call 30 00:02:16,259 --> 00:02:18,259 and warned his kinsfolk, 31 00:02:18,259 --> 00:02:25,259 than the fire of hatred flared up within Abu Sufyan against the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 32 00:02:25,259 --> 00:02:28,259 Friendship turned into enmity, 33 00:02:28,259 --> 00:02:30,259 ties of kinship into estrangement, 34 00:02:30,259 --> 00:02:33,259 and brotherhood into rejection and aversion. 35 00:02:33,259 --> 00:02:38,449 On the day the Messenger openly proclaimed his Lord's command, Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith was 36 00:02:38,449 --> 00:02:41,449 one of the most prominent, renowned horsemen of Quraysh, 37 00:02:41,449 --> 00:02:45,449 and one of their foremost, towering poets. 38 00:02:45,449 --> 00:02:50,449 So he devoted his spear and his tongue to fighting the Messenger and opposing his call, 39 00:02:50,449 --> 00:02:55,449 mobilizing all his energies to inflict harm upon Islam and the Muslims. 40 00:02:55,449 --> 00:02:58,539 Quraysh never waged a war against the Prophet 41 00:02:58,539 --> 00:03:00,539 without him being the one to kindle its flames, 42 00:03:00,539 --> 00:03:03,539 nor did they inflict any harm upon the Muslims 43 00:03:03,539 --> 00:03:06,539 without him having a major hand in it. 44 00:03:06,539 --> 00:03:09,580 Abu Sufyan awakened the muse of his satirical poetry, 45 00:03:09,580 --> 00:03:14,580 giving free rein to his tongue in lampooning the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 46 00:03:14,580 --> 00:03:18,580 composing scurrilous, obscene, and deeply hurtful verses against him. 47 00:03:18,580 --> 00:03:23,770 Abu Sufyan's hostility toward the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, dragged on 48 00:03:23,770 --> 00:03:26,770 for nearly twenty years, 49 00:03:26,770 --> 00:03:31,770 during which he left no scheme against the Messenger unexecuted, 50 00:03:31,770 --> 00:03:34,770 and spared no variety of affliction upon the Muslims 51 00:03:34,770 --> 00:03:37,770 without committing it and shouldering its sin. 52 00:03:37,770 --> 00:03:41,020 Then, shortly before the conquest of Mecca, 53 00:03:41,020 --> 00:03:43,020 it was decreed that Abu Sufyan would embrace Islam. 54 00:03:43,020 --> 00:03:46,020 The story of his acceptance of Islam is an extraordinary one, 55 00:03:46,020 --> 00:03:51,020 recorded in the books of Seerah and chronicled in historical texts. 56 00:03:51,020 --> 00:03:55,060 Let us leave the man himself to recount the tale of his conversion, 57 00:03:55,060 --> 00:03:57,060 for his personal feeling of it is deeper, 58 00:03:57,060 --> 00:04:00,060 and his description of it is more accurate and truthful. 59 00:04:00,060 --> 00:04:05,310 He said: "When the cause of Islam triumphed and became firmly established, 60 00:04:05,310 --> 00:04:09,310 and news spread that the Messenger was marching toward Mecca to conquer it, 61 00:04:09,310 --> 00:04:12,310 the vast earth seemed narrow to me. 62 00:04:12,310 --> 00:04:15,310 I wondered, 'Where shall I go? 63 00:04:15,310 --> 00:04:18,310 Whom shall I accompany, and with whom shall I cast my lot?' 64 00:04:18,310 --> 00:04:21,379 Then I went to my wife and children and said, 65 00:04:21,379 --> 00:04:24,379 'Prepare to leave Mecca, 66 00:04:24,379 --> 00:04:27,379 for the arrival of Muhammad is imminent, 67 00:04:27,379 --> 00:04:31,379 and I will inevitably be killed if the Muslims overtake me.' 68 00:04:31,379 --> 00:04:33,569 They replied to me: 69 00:04:33,569 --> 00:04:36,569 'Is it not time for you to see that the Arabs and non-Arabs alike 70 00:04:36,569 --> 00:04:39,569 have submitted in obedience to Muhammad 71 00:04:39,569 --> 00:04:41,569 and embraced his religion, 72 00:04:41,569 --> 00:04:44,569 while you still persist in your enmity toward him, 73 00:04:44,569 --> 00:04:47,569 though you were the most duty-bound of all people to support and aid him?' 74 00:04:47,569 --> 00:04:51,569 They kept softening my heart toward the religion of Muhammad 75 00:04:51,569 --> 00:04:53,569 and making it desirable to me, 76 00:04:53,569 --> 00:04:56,569 until Allah expanded my breast to Islam. 77 00:04:56,569 --> 00:04:58,889 I stood up immediately 78 00:04:58,889 --> 00:05:00,889 and said to my servant, Madhkur: 79 00:05:00,889 --> 00:05:03,889 'Prepare a she-camel and a horse for us.' 80 00:05:03,889 --> 00:05:05,889 I took along my son Ja'far, 81 00:05:05,889 --> 00:05:08,889 and we rode swiftly toward al-Abwa', 82 00:05:08,889 --> 00:05:10,889 situated between Mecca and Medina, 83 00:05:10,889 --> 00:05:13,889 for word had reached me that Muhammad had camped there. 84 00:05:13,889 --> 00:05:15,980 When I drew near to it, 85 00:05:15,980 --> 00:05:18,980 I disguised myself so that no one would recognize me 86 00:05:18,980 --> 00:05:21,980 and kill me before I could reach the Prophet 87 00:05:21,980 --> 00:05:23,980 and declare my Islam in his presence. 88 00:05:23,980 --> 00:05:27,980 I proceeded on foot for about a mile, 89 00:05:27,980 --> 00:05:30,980 while the vanguards of the Muslims were marching forward, 90 00:05:30,980 --> 00:05:33,980 heading toward Mecca group after group. 91 00:05:33,980 --> 00:05:37,980 I would step aside from their path out of fear of them, 92 00:05:37,980 --> 00:05:39,980 dreading that someone might recognize me 93 00:05:39,980 --> 00:05:41,980 from among the companions of Muhammad. 94 00:05:41,980 --> 00:05:44,019 While I was in that state, 95 00:05:44,019 --> 00:05:47,139 the Messenger suddenly appeared in his procession. 96 00:05:47,139 --> 00:05:50,139 I stepped forward into his path and stood directly before him, 97 00:05:50,139 --> 00:05:52,139 and I uncovered my face. 98 00:05:52,139 --> 00:05:55,139 No sooner had he caught sight of me and recognized me 99 00:05:55,139 --> 00:05:58,139 than he turned his face away to the other side. 100 00:05:58,139 --> 00:06:01,139 I moved around to face him again, 101 00:06:01,139 --> 00:06:04,139 but he turned his face away from me once more. 102 00:06:04,139 --> 00:06:06,139 So I shifted again to face him, 103 00:06:06,139 --> 00:06:09,139 and he repeated this several times. 104 00:06:09,139 --> 00:06:12,370 As I had set out to meet the Prophet, I had had no doubt 105 00:06:12,370 --> 00:06:15,370 that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 106 00:06:15,370 --> 00:06:17,370 would rejoice at my embracing Islam, 107 00:06:17,370 --> 00:06:20,370 and that his companions would rejoice at his joy. 108 00:06:20,370 --> 00:06:22,370 But when the Muslims saw 109 00:06:22,370 --> 00:06:25,370 the aversion of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 110 00:06:25,370 --> 00:06:28,370 toward me, their faces hardened against me, 111 00:06:28,370 --> 00:06:30,370 and they all turned away from me. 112 00:06:30,370 --> 00:06:32,430 Abu Bakr met me 113 00:06:32,430 --> 00:06:35,430 and turned away from me most sternly. 114 00:06:35,430 --> 00:06:37,459 I looked at 'Umar ibn al-Khattab 115 00:06:37,459 --> 00:06:40,459 with a look by which I sought to soften his heart, 116 00:06:40,459 --> 00:06:43,459 but I found him even more averse than his companion; 117 00:06:43,459 --> 00:06:46,459 in fact, he incited one of the Ansar against me. 118 00:06:46,459 --> 00:06:48,459 The Ansari said to me: 119 00:06:48,459 --> 00:06:50,459 'O enemy of Allah! 120 00:06:50,459 --> 00:06:54,459 Are you the one who used to torment the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 121 00:06:54,459 --> 00:06:56,459 and torment his companions, 122 00:06:56,459 --> 00:06:58,459 and whose hostility toward the Prophet reached 123 00:06:58,459 --> 00:07:01,459 the east and the west of the earth?' 124 00:07:01,459 --> 00:07:05,459 The Ansari kept berating me harshly and raising his voice, 125 00:07:05,459 --> 00:07:08,459 while the Muslims glared at me with piercing eyes, 126 00:07:08,459 --> 00:07:11,560 pleased with the ordeal I was facing. 127 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:12,560 At that point, 128 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:14,560 I caught sight of my uncle al-'Abbas, 129 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:15,560 so I sought refuge with him 130 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:17,560 and said: 'O uncle! 131 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:21,560 I had hoped that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, would rejoice 132 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:24,560 at my embracing Islam due to my kinship with him 133 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:26,560 and my standing among my people, 134 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:28,560 but you have seen how he treated me. 135 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:31,560 Speak to him on my behalf so that he may be pleased with me.' 136 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:33,560 He replied: 'No, by Allah! 137 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:36,560 I will never utter a single word to him 138 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:39,560 after seeing how he turned away from you, 139 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:41,560 unless a fitting opportunity presents itself; 140 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:46,560 for I hold the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in the utmost awe and reverence.' 141 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:48,689 I said: 'O uncle! 142 00:07:48,689 --> 00:07:50,689 To whom, then, do you leave me?' 143 00:07:50,689 --> 00:07:52,689 He replied: 144 00:07:52,689 --> 00:07:54,689 'I have nothing more for you than what you have heard.' 145 00:07:54,689 --> 00:07:57,720 Then distress overtook me and grief overwhelmed me. 146 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:00,720 Soon after, I saw my cousin 147 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:02,720 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, 148 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:04,720 so I spoke to him about my situation, 149 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:08,720 but he replied with the same words our uncle al-'Abbas had spoken. 150 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:09,720 At that point, 151 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:13,720 I returned to my uncle al-'Abbas and said: 'O uncle! 152 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:17,720 If you cannot soften the heart of the Messenger toward me, 153 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:22,720 then at least restrain that man who insults me and incites others to insult me.' 154 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:23,720 He said: 155 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:24,720 'Describe him to me.' 156 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:26,720 So I described him to him, 157 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:27,720 and he said: 158 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:31,720 'That is Nu'ayman ibn al-Harith al-Najjari.' 159 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:33,720 He went to him and said: 160 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:35,720 'O Nu'ayman! 161 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:36,720 Abu Sufyan 162 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:40,720 is the cousin of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him; 163 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:43,720 and even if the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 164 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:45,720 is displeased with him today, 165 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:47,720 he will surely be pleased with him one day, 166 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:49,720 so desist from him.' 167 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:53,720 Al-'Abbas persisted with him until he agreed to leave me alone, 168 00:08:53,720 --> 00:08:54,720 saying: 169 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,750 'I shall not confront him after this hour.' 170 00:08:57,750 --> 00:09:01,750 When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, halted at al-Juhfah, 171 00:09:01,750 --> 00:09:03,750 I sat at the door of his tent, 172 00:09:03,750 --> 00:09:06,750 with my son Ja'far standing beside me. 173 00:09:06,750 --> 00:09:09,750 When he saw me as he emerged from his lodging, 174 00:09:09,750 --> 00:09:11,750 he averted his face from me. 175 00:09:11,750 --> 00:09:13,750 Yet I did not despair of gaining his favor; 176 00:09:13,750 --> 00:09:17,750 whenever he halted at a campsite, I would sit at his door, 177 00:09:17,750 --> 00:09:21,750 keeping my son Ja'far standing beside me. 178 00:09:21,750 --> 00:09:24,750 Whenever he saw me, he would turn away from me, 179 00:09:24,750 --> 00:09:27,750 and I remained in that state for some time. 180 00:09:27,750 --> 00:09:30,750 When the matter became unbearable and the distress deepened, 181 00:09:30,750 --> 00:09:32,750 I said to my wife: 182 00:09:32,750 --> 00:09:36,750 'By Allah, either the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, shall be pleased with me, 183 00:09:36,750 --> 00:09:39,750 or I will take this son of mine by the hand 184 00:09:39,750 --> 00:09:43,750 and we shall wander aimlessly across the land 185 00:09:43,750 --> 00:09:46,750 until we perish of hunger and thirst.' 186 00:09:46,750 --> 00:09:50,750 When word of that reached the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 187 00:09:50,750 --> 00:09:52,750 his heart softened toward me. 188 00:09:52,750 --> 00:09:54,750 When he came out of his tent, 189 00:09:54,750 --> 00:09:58,750 he looked at me with a gentler gaze than before, 190 00:09:58,750 --> 00:10:00,750 and I hoped he would smile. 191 00:10:00,750 --> 00:10:04,850 Then the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, entered Mecca, 192 00:10:04,850 --> 00:10:06,980 and I entered alongside his retinue. 193 00:10:06,980 --> 00:10:08,980 He proceeded out to the Mosque, 194 00:10:08,980 --> 00:10:12,980 and I went out hastening in front of him, never parting from him under any circumstance. 195 00:10:12,980 --> 00:10:15,070 When the Day of Hunayn arrived, 196 00:10:15,070 --> 00:10:19,070 the Arabs assembled to fight the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, 197 00:10:19,070 --> 00:10:21,070 in numbers they had never assembled before, 198 00:10:21,070 --> 00:10:25,070 preparing for the encounter as they had never prepared previously, 199 00:10:25,070 --> 00:10:30,070 and resolved to deal a fatal, decisive blow to Islam and the Muslims. 200 00:10:30,070 --> 00:10:33,070 The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, marched out 201 00:10:33,070 --> 00:10:36,070 to meet them amidst a multitude of his Companions, 202 00:10:36,070 --> 00:10:38,070 and I marched out with him. 203 00:10:38,070 --> 00:10:41,070 When I saw the massive hordes of the polytheists, 204 00:10:41,070 --> 00:10:44,070 I said, "By Allah, today I shall surely expiate 205 00:10:44,070 --> 00:10:49,070 all my past enmity toward the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 206 00:10:49,070 --> 00:10:53,070 and the Prophet shall witness from my deeds that which pleases Allah and pleases him." 207 00:10:53,070 --> 00:10:55,169 When the two armies clashed, 208 00:10:55,169 --> 00:10:58,169 the onslaught of the polytheists pressed fiercely upon the Muslims, 209 00:10:58,169 --> 00:11:01,169 so weakness and disarray crept into their ranks, 210 00:11:01,169 --> 00:11:04,169 and the men began to scatter away from the Prophet, 211 00:11:04,169 --> 00:11:08,169 until an ignominious defeat was about to befall us. 212 00:11:08,169 --> 00:11:11,230 Yet suddenly, there was the Messenger—may my father and mother be ransomed for him— 213 00:11:11,230 --> 00:11:15,230 standing firm in the heart of the battlefield upon his gray mule, 214 00:11:15,230 --> 00:11:18,230 like an immovable mountain, 215 00:11:18,230 --> 00:11:20,230 drawing his sword, 216 00:11:20,230 --> 00:11:25,230 defending himself and those around him like a charging lion. 217 00:11:25,230 --> 00:11:27,360 At that moment, 218 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:29,360 I leaped down from my horse 219 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:31,360 and shattered the scabbard of my sword, 220 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:35,519 while Allah knows that my sole desire was to die defending the Messenger of Allah. 221 00:11:35,519 --> 00:11:39,519 My uncle Al-Abbas seized the bridle of the Prophet's mule 222 00:11:39,519 --> 00:11:41,519 and stood at his side, 223 00:11:41,519 --> 00:11:44,519 while I took up my position on the other side, 224 00:11:44,519 --> 00:11:47,519 with my sword in my right hand, defending the Messenger of Allah, 225 00:11:47,519 --> 00:11:50,519 while my left hand held firmly to his stirrup. 226 00:11:50,519 --> 00:11:53,519 When the Prophet observed my valorous fighting, 227 00:11:53,519 --> 00:11:56,519 he said to my uncle Al-Abbas, "Who is this?" 228 00:11:56,519 --> 00:11:59,519 He replied, "This is your brother and cousin, 229 00:11:59,519 --> 00:12:01,519 Abu Sufyan Ibn al-Harith; 230 00:12:01,519 --> 00:12:04,519 so be pleased with him, O Messenger of Allah!" 231 00:12:04,519 --> 00:12:06,519 He said, "I am indeed pleased with him, 232 00:12:06,519 --> 00:12:10,519 and may Allah forgive him every enmity he ever bore against me." 233 00:12:10,519 --> 00:12:14,519 My heart soared with joy at the pleasure of the Messenger of Allah with me, 234 00:12:15,519 --> 00:12:18,519 and I kissed his foot in the stirrup. 235 00:12:18,519 --> 00:12:20,519 Then he turned to me and said, 236 00:12:20,519 --> 00:12:23,519 "My brother, by my life, advance and strike!" 237 00:12:23,519 --> 00:12:28,580 The words of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, inflamed my fervor, 238 00:12:28,580 --> 00:12:32,580 and I launched an assault upon the polytheists that dislodged them from their positions; 239 00:12:32,580 --> 00:12:36,580 the Muslims charged alongside me until we drove them back a league, 240 00:12:36,580 --> 00:12:39,580 scattering them in every direction. 241 00:12:39,580 --> 00:12:43,620 From the day of Hunayn onward, Abu Sufyan Ibn al-Harith 242 00:12:43,620 --> 00:12:46,620 basked in the Prophet's gracious pleasure, 243 00:12:46,620 --> 00:12:48,620 rejoicing in the honor of his companionship. 244 00:12:48,620 --> 00:12:52,620 Yet he never raised his eyes to look at him, 245 00:12:52,620 --> 00:12:56,620 nor did he ever fix his gaze upon his face, out of deference to him 246 00:12:56,620 --> 00:12:58,620 and shame over his past conduct toward him. 247 00:12:58,620 --> 00:13:02,620 Abu Sufyan would bite his fingers in deep remorse 248 00:13:02,620 --> 00:13:07,620 over the dark days he had spent in the pre-Islamic Jahiliyyah, veiled from the light of Allah, 249 00:13:07,620 --> 00:13:10,620 and deprived of His Book. 250 00:13:10,620 --> 00:13:14,620 He devoted himself entirely to the Qur'an night and day, reciting its verses, 251 00:13:14,620 --> 00:13:19,620 acquiring deep understanding of its rulings, and absorbing its admonitions. 252 00:13:19,620 --> 00:13:22,620 He turned away from the worldly life and its fleeting splendor, 253 00:13:22,620 --> 00:13:26,620 and turned toward Allah with every fiber of his being. 254 00:13:26,620 --> 00:13:32,620 The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, even saw him once entering the mosque, 255 00:13:32,620 --> 00:13:35,620 and said to 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her: 256 00:13:35,620 --> 00:13:38,620 "Do you know who this is, O 'A'ishah?" 257 00:13:38,620 --> 00:13:40,620 She replied, "No, O Messenger of Allah." 258 00:13:40,620 --> 00:13:45,620 He said, "He is my cousin, Abu Sufyan Ibn al-Harith. 259 00:13:45,620 --> 00:13:48,620 Look at him: he is the first to enter the mosque 260 00:13:48,620 --> 00:13:50,620 and the last to leave it, 261 00:13:50,620 --> 00:13:53,620 and his gaze never leaves the strap of his sandal." 262 00:13:53,620 --> 00:13:59,710 When the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed away to the Highest Companion, 263 00:13:59,710 --> 00:14:04,710 Abu Sufyan Ibn al-Harith grieved for him as a mother grieves for her only child, 264 00:14:04,710 --> 00:14:07,710 weeping over him as a beloved weeps over his beloved. 265 00:14:07,710 --> 00:14:11,710 He eulogized him in one of the most exquisite elegies, 266 00:14:11,710 --> 00:14:13,710 overflowing with anguish and sorrow, 267 00:14:13,710 --> 00:14:16,710 dissolving into profound heartbreak and lamentation. 268 00:14:16,710 --> 00:14:19,840 During the caliphate of Al-Faruq, may Allah be pleased with him, 269 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:22,840 Abu Sufyan sensed that his own death was drawing near, 270 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:25,840 so he dug his grave with his own hands. 271 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:29,840 No more than three days had passed thereafter 272 00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:31,840 before death came upon him, 273 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:34,840 as though he had an appointed meeting with death. 274 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:38,840 He turned to his wife, his children, and his family, 275 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:41,840 and said, "Do not weep over me, 276 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:45,840 for by Allah, I have not been tainted by a single sin since I embraced Islam." 277 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:49,059 Then his pure soul departed, 278 00:14:49,059 --> 00:14:52,059 and Al-Faruq, may Allah be pleased with him, led the funeral prayer over him. 279 00:14:52,059 --> 00:14:56,059 He and the noble Companions mourned his passing deeply, 280 00:14:56,059 --> 00:15:01,059 counting his death as a grave calamity that had struck Islam and its people. 281 00:15:01,059 --> 00:15:07,860 Abu Sufyan Ibn al-Harith, a master among the noble youth of Paradise. 282 00:15:07,860 --> 00:15:11,110 Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.