In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Mawaddah Association is pleased
to present to you snapshots from the lives of the Companions,
written by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
may Allah have mercy on him.
Dhu al-Bijadayn,
may Allah be pleased with him.
To the right of the traveler going from Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah
to Makkah al-Mukarramah
stands a mountain with lush green slopes,
fresh, glowing peaks,
and expansive shade,
called Mount Warqan.
Living on this mountain
was a clan from the tribe of Muzaynah.
In one of the mountain passes of that peak,
close to Yathrib,
'Abd al-'Uzza
ibn 'Abd Nuham al-Muzani was born
to poor parents.
His birth occurred shortly
before the dawn of light in Makkah al-Mukarramah
by a brief period.
However, the hand of death
was quick to snatch away
the young Muzani boy's father
before he had even begun to walk,
leaving him trapped between orphanhood and poverty.
Yet, the poor orphaned child had
an uncle who enjoyed a great deal
of abundant wealth and a comfortable lifestyle.
This uncle had no
child to brighten his life
or offspring to inherit his wealth,
so he became deeply attached to his young nephew.
He accorded him, in terms of affection and fortune,
the status of a son to his father.
The Muzani youth grew up in the embrace of Mount
Warqan, delightfully lush and leafy.
The verdant mountain bestowed upon him
a portion of its tenderness
and showered him with its serenity,
so he grew up deeply sensitive,
pure of soul, and wholesome of innate nature.
This served as yet another reason
for his uncle to become increasingly
doting upon him and favoring him.
Although the Muzani youth
had reached manhood,
he had not yet heard of the new religion,
nor had any news reached his knowledge
regarding its proponent,
Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
This state of affairs persisted
until Yathrib was blessed with its
radiant, auspicious day
on which the Great Messenger,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
arrived as an emigrant.
Thereupon, the Muzani youth began
diligently following the news of the Noble Messenger,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and actively seeking out details about his affairs.
He would frequently
spend the better part of his day
beside the road leading
to Al-Madinah,
asking those traveling to it
and returning from it,
inquiring with the eagerness of a seeker about the new religion,
its supporters,
and the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and his news—
until Allah expanded his pure chest to Islam
and opened his tender heart
to the lights of faith.
Thus, he bore witness that there is no god but Allah
and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,
and that was before his eyes
had been blessed with the sight of the Messenger,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
or his ears delighted
by listening to his speech.
He was the first person to embrace Islam
among his people on Mount Warqan.
The Muzani youth concealed his Islam
from his people in general,
and from his uncle in particular,
and began going out to distant mountain passes
to worship Allah, Almighty and Glorious,
in their seclusion,
far from the eyes of the people.
He kept waiting
with eager anticipation for the day
his uncle would accept Islam,
so that he could openly declare his own faith
and travel in his company
to the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
especially after his longing
to meet the Prophet, peace be upon him,
had completely consumed his heart
and occupied his mind.
When the young believer realized
that his patience had been drawn out too long,
that his uncle remained far from Islam,
and that the major events alongside the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
were passing him by one after another,
he made up his mind, fully aware
of the consequences of the step he was about to take.
He approached his uncle and said:
"O uncle,
I have waited a long time for you to accept Islam,
until my patience has worn out.
If you wish to embrace Islam
so that Allah decrees happiness for you,
then how wonderful that would be!
But if it is to be otherwise,
then permit me to declare
my Islam publicly among the people."
No sooner had the youth's words
touched his uncle's ears
than he flew into a rage and exclaimed:
"I swear by Allah and Al-'Uzza,
if you embrace Islam,
I will strip from your hands everything
I ever gave you,
hand you over to absolute poverty,
and leave you a prey to destitute want and hunger!"
Yet this threat did not stir
any fear in the young believer,
nor did it weaken his resolve in the slightest.
His uncle then enlisted his people against him,
and they rushed to intimidate him and entice him,
threatening and warning him.
But he would say to them:
"Do whatever you wish!
By Allah, I am following Muhammad
and abandoning the worship of stones,
turning instead to the worship of the One, the Subduer!
So let happen whatever may come from you and my uncle!"
Thereupon, his uncle did nothing less
than strip him of everything he had given him,
cut off his financial support,
deprived him of any assistance,
and left him with nothing but a single coarse garment (*bijad*) to cover his body.
So the Muzani youth set out, emigrating
with his religion to Allah and His Messenger,
leaving behind the abodes
of childhood and the haunts of youth,
turning away from the wealth and comfort
in his uncle's hands,
desiring only the reward and recompense
that lie with Allah.
He began quickening his steps toward Al-Madinah,
driven by a longing
that tore at his very heartstrings throughout the night.
When he drew near to Yathrib,
he tore his coarse garment into two halves:
he used one half as a waist-wrapper
and draped the other over his upper body as a cloak.
Then he proceeded to the Mosque of the Messenger,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and spent that night there.
When dawn broke,
he stood near the door of the Prophet's room,
peace and blessings be upon him,
waiting with eager anticipation
for the appearance of the Great Messenger,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
from his chamber.
The moment his eyes fell upon him,
tears of joy began streaming
down his cheeks,
and he felt as though his heart wanted
to leap from between his ribs
to greet him and bid him peace.
When the prayer was completed,
the Noble Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
stood up and scanned the faces of the people.
He looked at the Muzani youth
and asked: "Where are you from, young man?"
So he stated his lineage to him.
The Prophet then asked him: "What is your name?"
He replied: "'Abd al-'Uzza."
The Prophet said to him: "Rather, you are 'Abdullah."
Then he drew close to him and said:
"Stay near us
and be among our guests."
From that day on, people
called him 'Abdullah,
and the noble Companions gave him the honorific title
*Dhu al-Bijadayn* (The One of the Two Coarse Garments)
after they saw his two-piece garment
and learned his story.
Thus, he became known in history
He was the one most frequently known by this title.
Do not ask, dear listener,
about the immense bliss of Dhu al-Bijadayn
when he came to live
under the care of the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
attending his gatherings,
praying behind him,
drinking deeply from his guidance,
and filling his heart with his noble characteristics.
The worldly life had summoned him,
yet he turned a deaf ear
to its enticing calls,
turning wholeheartedly toward the Hereafter,
seeking it by every possible path.
He sought it through supplication,
crying out to Allah
in deep fear and humble devotion,
until the Companions dubbed him "the tender-hearted, frequent suppliant."
He sought it through the Qur'an,
constantly filling and perfuming
with the fragrance of its verses—
the clear, manifest proofs—
the corners of the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
He sought it through jihad,
never missing a single
military expedition undertaken by the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
During the Expedition of Tabuk,
Dhu al-Bijadayn asked
the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him, to pray for him
to attain martyrdom.
But the Prophet prayed that Allah preserve his blood
from the swords of the disbelievers.
He said to him, "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you,
O Messenger of Allah!
This is not what I intended!"
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, replied to him,
"If you set out to fight
in the cause of Allah,
and you fall ill and die,
then you are a martyr!
And if your mount throws you
and you fall and are killed,
then you are a martyr!"
No more than a day and a night
had passed after this conversation
before the young man from the Muzaynah tribe
fell sick and passed away.
He died as an emigrant for the sake of Allah,
a striver in the cause of Allah,
far away from family
and kinsmen,
a stranger to his homeland and his home.
Yet Allah compensated him for all of that
with the finest of rewards.
For the noble Companions
dug his grave with their own pure hands,
arms working together,
and the noble Messenger,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
personally descended into his grave and prepared it
with his own blessed hands.
Lowering him down into the grave
were the two venerable leaders, Abu Bakr
and 'Umar, to whom
the Messenger, peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him, said,
"Bring your brother close to me,
and lower him down to me."
So he received him from their hands
and settled him gently in his niche.
'Abdullah
Ibn Mas'ud was standing by, witnessing
all of this,
and he said, "How I wish
I were the dweller of this grave!
By Allah, I wished that I had been in his place,
even though I had embraced Islam
fifteen years before him."
The worldly life had indeed summoned
Dhu al-Bijadayn,
yet he turned a deaf ear to
its call,
and turned wholeheartedly toward the Hereafter, seeking it
by every possible path.