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 glimpses 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 upon him.

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Umayr ibn Wahb, may Allah be pleased with you.

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Umayr ibn Wahb al-Jumahi returned

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from Badr, having barely escaped with his life,

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yet he left behind his son, Wahb,

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as a captive in the hands of the Muslims.

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Umayr feared

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that the Muslims might hold the young man accountable

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for the crimes of his father,

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and that they would subject him to severe torment

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as retribution for the harm he used to inflict

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upon the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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and for the suffering he caused,

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and for the devastation he brought

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upon his companions.

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One morning,

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Umayr headed to the Mosque

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to circumambulate the Kaaba

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and seek blessings from its idols.

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He found Safwan ibn Umayyah

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sitting beside the Hijr,

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so he approached him and said,

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"Good morning, O master of Quraysh."

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Safwan replied,

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"Good morning, O Abu Wahb.

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Sit, let us talk

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for a while, for time

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is best passed in conversation."

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Umayr sat down beside

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Safwan ibn Umayyah,

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and the two men began to discuss

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Badr and its great tragedy,

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counting the captives

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who had fallen into the hands of

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Muhammad and his companions,

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and lamenting the great men of Quraysh

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whom they had killed,

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and whom the pit had hidden in its depths.

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Safwan ibn Umayyah sighed

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and said,

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"By Allah, there is no joy

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in life after them."

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Umayr replied,

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"You speak the truth, by Allah."

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Then he fell silent for a moment

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and said, "By the Lord of the Kaaba,

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were it not for debts I owe that I have

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no means to repay,

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and children I fear would be

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lost after me,

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I would have gone to Muhammad and killed him,

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put an end to his affair,

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and stopped his evil."

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Then he added in a low voice,

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"And the fact that my son Wahb is in their hands

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makes my going

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to Yathrib a matter that would raise no suspicions."

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Safwan ibn Umayyah seized upon

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the words of Umayr ibn Wahb,

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and he did not want to miss

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this opportunity.

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He turned to him and said,

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"O Umayr,

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leave all your debts to me;

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I will pay them on your behalf, no matter how much they amount to.

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As for your children,

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I will take them in with my own children

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for as long as I and they shall live.

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My wealth is vast enough

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to provide for them all

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and ensure them a comfortable life."

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Umayr said,

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"Then keep this conversation of ours secret,

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and do not let anyone know of it."

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Safwan replied,

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"I shall do so."

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Umayr rose from the Mosque,

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with the fires of hatred raging

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in his heart against Muhammad,

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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

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He began to make preparations

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to carry out what he had resolved to do.

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He did not arouse

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anyone's suspicion during his journey,

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because the relatives of the Qurayshi captives

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were frequently traveling

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to Yathrib, seeking

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to ransom their prisoners.

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Umayr ibn Wahb ordered his sword

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to be sharpened and coated with poison,

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and he called for his mount,

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which was prepared and brought to him.

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He mounted it,

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and then directed it toward Medina,

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his heart filled with malice

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and evil.

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Umayr reached Medina

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and headed toward the Mosque, seeking

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the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

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When he arrived

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near its door,

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he made his mount kneel and dismounted.

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Umar ibn al-Khattab,

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may Allah be pleased with him, was at that time

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sitting with some of the Companions

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near the door of the Mosque,

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discussing Badr,

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the captives of Quraysh,

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and their dead,

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recalling the images of the Muslims' heroism,

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both the Muhajirun and the Ansar,

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and remembering how Allah had honored them

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with victory,

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and what He had shown them regarding their enemy

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in terms of defeat and humiliation.

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Umar happened to glance up

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and saw Umayr ibn Wahb dismounting

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from his mount

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and walking toward the Mosque, girded

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with his sword. He jumped up in alarm

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and said, "This dog is an enemy,

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Umayr ibn Wahb!

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By Allah, he has come for nothing but evil.

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He incited the polytheists against us

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in Mecca and was

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a spy for them against us before Badr."

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Then he said to those sitting with him,

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"Go to the Messenger of Allah,

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stay around him,

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and warn him against the treachery of this wicked,

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cunning man." Then Umar hastened

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to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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and said, "O Messenger of Allah,

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this is the enemy of Allah, Umayr

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ibn Wahb, who has come

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girded with his sword,

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and I suspect he intends nothing but evil."

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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,

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"Bring him to me."

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The Faruq (Umar) approached Umayr

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ibn Wahb,

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grabbed him by his garments,

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and looped his sword belt around his neck,

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and led him toward the Messenger of Allah,

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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

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When the Prophet, peace and

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blessings of Allah be upon him, saw him in this state,

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he said to Umar,

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"Release him, O Umar."

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Then he said to him,

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"Step back from him."

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So he stepped back.

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Then he turned to Umayr ibn Wahb

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and said, "Come near, O Umayr."

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He drew close and said,

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"An'im sabahan" (Good morning),

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which was the greeting of the Arabs in the Jahiliyyah.

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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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said,

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"Allah has honored us with a greeting

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better than your greeting, O Umayr.

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Allah has honored us

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with 'Salam' (peace), which is

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the greeting of the people of Paradise."

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Umayr said,

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"By Allah, you are not far from our greeting,

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and you are quite familiar with it."

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The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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said to him,

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"And what has brought you here,

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O Umayr?"

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He said, "I have come hoping

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for the release of this captive who is in your hands,

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so treat him kindly for my sake."

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He said,

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"Then what about the sword that is around your neck?"

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He said,

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"May Allah curse these swords;

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did they avail us anything on the day of Badr?"

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He said,

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"Tell me the truth:

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what have you really come for, O Umayr?"

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He said, "I have come for nothing but that."

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He said,

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"Rather, you and Safwan ibn Umayyah sat

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by the Hijr,

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and you discussed the companions of the pit

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among the slain of Quraysh.

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Then you said, 'Were it not for debts I owe

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and children I have,

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I would have gone out to kill Muhammad.'

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So Safwan ibn Umayyah undertook

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your debts and your children

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on the condition that you kill me,

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And Allah stands between you and

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that; then 'Umayr was stunned

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for a moment, then he did not hesitate

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to say, "I bear witness

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that you are the Messenger of Allah."

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Then he added, saying, "We

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used to, O Messenger of Allah, call you a liar

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regarding what you brought us

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of the news of the heavens and what

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was revealed to you of the revelation.

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But my conversation with Safwan Ibn Umayyah

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was known to no one

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except me and him.

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And by Allah, I have become certain that

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no one brought you that except Allah.

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So praise be to Allah who

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drove me to you

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to guide me to Islam."

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Then he testified that there is no god

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but Allah and that

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Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,

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and he embraced Islam.

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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said

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to his Companions, "Teach your brother

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his religion and instruct him in

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the Qur'an, and release

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his captive." The Muslims rejoiced

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at the conversion of 'Umayr Ibn

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Wahb with immense joy,

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to the point that 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him,

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said, "A pig

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was more beloved to me than 'Umayr

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Ibn Wahb when he came to

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the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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yet today he is

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more beloved to me than some of my own children."

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While 'Umayr was

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purifying his soul with the teachings

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of Islam and being nurtured,

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guided by the light of the Qur'an,

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and living the most wonderful days

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of his life and the richest,

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which made him forget Makkah

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and those in Makkah,

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Safwan Ibn Umayyah was promising

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himself security and passing

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by the gatherings of Quraysh, saying,

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"Rejoice at great news

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that will come to you soon,

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which will make you forget the disaster of Badr."

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Then, when the

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wait became long for Safwan Ibn Umayyah,

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anxiety began to seep into

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his soul little by little,

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until he began tossing and turning

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as if on hot coals.

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He began asking travelers

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about 'Umayr Ibn Wahb,

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but found no answer from anyone

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that would satisfy him, until a

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rider came and said, "Indeed,

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'Umayr has embraced Islam."

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The news struck him like

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a thunderbolt, for he had

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thought that 'Umayr Ibn Wahb would never embrace Islam,

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even if everyone

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on the face of the earth did.

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As for 'Umayr Ibn Wahb,

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no sooner had he learned his religion

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and memorized what was easy for him

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of the words of his Lord,

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than he came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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and said,

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"O Messenger of Allah,

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a time has passed over me

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while I was diligent in extinguishing

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the light of Allah and severely harming

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those who were of the religion of Islam.

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I would like you to permit me

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to go to Makkah

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to call Quraysh to Allah.

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If they accept from me,

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then how excellent is what they have done;

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and if they turn away from me,

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I will harm them in their religion just as I used to

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harm the Companions of the Messenger of Allah,

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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."

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So the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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gave him permission.

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He arrived in Makkah

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and came to the house of Safwan Ibn Umayyah

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and said, "O Safwan,

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you are a leader among the leaders of Makkah

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and a wise man among the wise men

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of Quraysh.

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Do you think that this which you are upon,

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of worshipping stones and sacrificing to them,

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is reasonable

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to be a religion?

00:10:29.240 --> 00:10:31.240
As for me,

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I bear witness that there is no god but Allah

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and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."

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Then 'Umayr

00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:39.240
began calling to Allah

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in Makkah until many people

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embraced Islam at his hands.

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May Allah increase

00:10:45.240 --> 00:10:47.240
the reward of 'Umayr Ibn Wahb

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and illuminate his grave for him.

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And 'Umayr Ibn Wahb had become

00:10:52.200 --> 00:10:54.360
more beloved to me than some of my own children,

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[said] 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab.