1 00:00:00,430 --> 00:00:03,430 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:03,430 --> 00:00:08,429 The best of generations in stances and exemplary conduct, 3 00:00:08,429 --> 00:00:13,429 following the Messenger whenever he strove or journeyed afar. 4 00:00:13,429 --> 00:00:15,429 Mawaddah Association 5 00:00:15,429 --> 00:00:17,429 presents: 6 00:00:17,429 --> 00:00:21,429 "Portraits from the Lives of the Tabi'un," 7 00:00:21,429 --> 00:00:25,879 by Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 8 00:00:25,879 --> 00:00:27,879 may Allah have mercy upon him. 9 00:00:27,879 --> 00:00:32,539 Rabi'ah al-Ra'y, 10 00:00:33,539 --> 00:00:35,820 may Allah have mercy upon him. 11 00:00:41,820 --> 00:00:45,820 On a certain moonlit summer evening, 12 00:00:45,820 --> 00:00:51,820 a knight in his late fifties arrived in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah. 13 00:00:51,820 --> 00:00:56,820 He made his way through its alleys, riding his horse toward his home, 14 00:00:56,820 --> 00:01:02,820 not knowing whether his house still stood as he had last known it, 15 00:01:02,820 --> 00:01:06,819 or whether the passing of time had taken its toll upon it. 16 00:01:06,819 --> 00:01:12,819 For nearly thirty years, or thereabouts, had elapsed during his absence from it. 17 00:01:12,819 --> 00:01:18,920 He kept wondering about his young wife whom he had left behind in that house: 18 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:20,920 what had become of her? 19 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:24,920 And about her unborn child whom she was carrying in her womb: 20 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:27,920 had she given birth to a boy or a girl? 21 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:29,920 Was the child alive or dead? 22 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,920 And if alive, what had become of him? 23 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:38,920 He also wondered about that large sum of money he had gathered from the spoils of jihad, 24 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:43,920 which he had left in her trust when he set out striving in the cause of Allah 25 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:51,920 alongside the Muslim armies heading to conquer Bukhara, Samarqand, and the surrounding regions. 26 00:01:51,920 --> 00:02:00,019 The alleys and streets of the city were still bustling with people coming and going, 27 00:02:00,019 --> 00:02:05,019 for the people had only recently concluded the Isha prayer. 28 00:02:05,019 --> 00:02:12,020 Yet none of those he passed recognized him or paid him any heed, 29 00:02:12,020 --> 00:02:15,020 nor did anyone look toward his noble steed, 30 00:02:15,020 --> 00:02:19,020 or to his sword slung over his shoulder. 31 00:02:19,020 --> 00:02:29,020 For the residents of the Islamic cities had grown accustomed to the sight of fighters setting out for combat in the cause of Allah or returning from it. 32 00:02:29,020 --> 00:02:36,240 However, that only stirred the knight's sorrow and heightened his uneasy thoughts. 33 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:40,240 While the knight was immersed in these reflections, 34 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:46,240 continuing to feel his way through those changed alleys, 35 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:52,240 he suddenly found himself before his house and saw its door ajar. 36 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:56,240 Overcome by joy, he rushed in without seeking permission from its occupants, 37 00:02:56,240 --> 00:03:00,240 stepped through the door, and advanced deep into the courtyard. 38 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:06,900 The master of the house heard the creak of the door and looked out from his upper chamber, 39 00:03:06,900 --> 00:03:12,900 seeing in the moonlight a man girded with his sword and bearing his spear, 40 00:03:12,900 --> 00:03:15,900 breaking into his house under cover of night. 41 00:03:15,900 --> 00:03:21,900 His young wife was standing not far from the stranger’s line of sight, 42 00:03:21,900 --> 00:03:26,900 so he sprang up in anger, came down barefoot toward him, and said, 43 00:03:26,900 --> 00:03:30,900 "Do you cloak yourself in the darkness of night, O enemy of Allah, 44 00:03:30,900 --> 00:03:34,900 breaking into my home and assaulting my family?!" 45 00:03:34,900 --> 00:03:40,900 He lunged at him like a ferocious lion defending its lair from harm, 46 00:03:40,900 --> 00:03:43,900 giving him no chance to speak. 47 00:03:44,900 --> 00:03:47,900 The two men wrestled and grappled with one another, 48 00:03:47,900 --> 00:03:51,900 their shouts grew loud, and their clamor arose. 49 00:03:51,900 --> 00:03:55,900 Neighbors rushed to the house from every direction, 50 00:03:55,900 --> 00:03:59,900 surrounding the stranger as closely as an iron collar clings to the neck, 51 00:03:59,900 --> 00:04:02,900 and aiding their neighbor against him. 52 00:04:02,900 --> 00:04:04,900 The master of the house seized him, 53 00:04:04,900 --> 00:04:08,900 tightened his grip upon his throat, and said, 54 00:04:08,900 --> 00:04:13,900 "By Allah, I will not release you, O enemy of Allah, except before the governor!" 55 00:04:13,900 --> 00:04:15,900 The man replied, 56 00:04:15,900 --> 00:04:19,899 "I am no enemy of Allah, nor have I committed any sin! 57 00:04:19,899 --> 00:04:22,899 Rather, this is my house and my rightful property. 58 00:04:22,899 --> 00:04:25,899 I found its door open, so I entered." 59 00:04:25,899 --> 00:04:28,899 Then he turned to the people and said, 60 00:04:28,899 --> 00:04:31,899 "O people, listen to me! 61 00:04:31,899 --> 00:04:35,899 This house is my house; I purchased it with my own wealth! 62 00:04:35,899 --> 00:04:38,899 O people, I am Farrukh! 63 00:04:38,899 --> 00:04:42,899 Is there no one left among the neighbors who remembers Farrukh, 64 00:04:42,899 --> 00:04:47,899 who departed thirty years ago to strive in the cause of Allah?!" 65 00:04:47,899 --> 00:04:50,899 The mother of the master of the house had been asleep, 66 00:04:50,899 --> 00:04:52,899 but she awoke to the commotion, 67 00:04:52,899 --> 00:04:56,899 looked out from the window of her upper chamber, 68 00:04:56,899 --> 00:04:59,899 and saw her husband in the flesh. 69 00:04:59,899 --> 00:05:02,899 Astonishment almost tied her tongue, 70 00:05:02,899 --> 00:05:05,899 but she soon called out, 71 00:05:05,899 --> 00:05:08,899 "Leave him! Let him go, Rabi'ah! 72 00:05:08,899 --> 00:05:11,899 Let him go, my son; he is your father! 73 00:05:11,899 --> 00:05:15,899 Disperse from him, O people, may Allah bless you! 74 00:05:15,899 --> 00:05:18,899 Beware, O Abu Abd al-Rahman! 75 00:05:18,899 --> 00:05:21,899 For the one you are confronting 76 00:05:21,899 --> 00:05:24,970 is your son and the darling of your heart!" 77 00:05:24,970 --> 00:05:27,970 No sooner had her words reached their ears 78 00:05:27,970 --> 00:05:30,970 than Farrukh turned toward Rabi'ah, 79 00:05:30,970 --> 00:05:33,970 embracing and holding him tightly. 80 00:05:33,970 --> 00:05:36,970 And Rabi'ah turned toward Farrukh, 81 00:05:36,970 --> 00:05:39,970 kissing his hands, his neck, and his head. 82 00:05:39,970 --> 00:05:42,970 The crowd dispersed from around them, 83 00:05:42,970 --> 00:05:45,970 and the mother of Rabi'ah came down to greet her husband, 84 00:05:45,970 --> 00:05:48,970 whom she had never imagined 85 00:05:48,970 --> 00:05:51,970 she would ever meet again in this world, 86 00:05:51,970 --> 00:05:54,970 after news of him had ceased 87 00:05:54,970 --> 00:05:57,970 for nearly a third of a century. 88 00:05:58,970 --> 00:06:03,089 Farrukh sat with his wife 89 00:06:03,089 --> 00:06:06,089 and began telling her of his circumstances, 90 00:06:06,089 --> 00:06:09,089 explaining why news of him had been cut off. 91 00:06:09,089 --> 00:06:12,089 Yet she was too preoccupied 92 00:06:12,089 --> 00:06:15,089 to absorb much of what he said; 93 00:06:15,089 --> 00:06:18,089 for her joy at reuniting with him 94 00:06:18,089 --> 00:06:21,089 and seeing him united with his son was marred 95 00:06:21,089 --> 00:06:24,089 by her fear of his anger over the loss 96 00:06:24,089 --> 00:06:27,089 of all the wealth he had entrusted to her care. 97 00:06:27,180 --> 00:06:30,180 She kept saying to herself: 98 00:06:30,180 --> 00:06:33,180 "What if he asks me now about that large sum of money 99 00:06:33,180 --> 00:06:36,180 that he left in my trust, 100 00:06:36,180 --> 00:06:39,180 instructing me to spend from it reasonably? 101 00:06:39,180 --> 00:06:42,180 What will his reaction be 102 00:06:42,180 --> 00:06:45,180 if I tell him that nothing of it remains? 103 00:06:45,180 --> 00:06:48,180 Will it satisfy him if I say 104 00:06:48,180 --> 00:06:51,180 that I spent what he left with me 105 00:06:51,180 --> 00:06:54,180 on his son's upbringing and education? 106 00:06:55,180 --> 00:06:58,180 Will he believe that his son's hand 107 00:06:58,180 --> 00:07:01,180 is more generous than rain-bearing clouds, 108 00:07:01,180 --> 00:07:04,180 that he keeps neither dinar nor dirham, 109 00:07:04,180 --> 00:07:07,180 and that the entire city 110 00:07:07,180 --> 00:07:10,180 knows he has spent upon his brethren 111 00:07:10,180 --> 00:07:13,180 thousands upon thousands?" 112 00:07:13,180 --> 00:07:16,180 While the mother of Rabi'ah was lost 113 00:07:16,180 --> 00:07:19,180 in these anxious thoughts, 114 00:07:19,180 --> 00:07:22,180 her husband turned to her and said, 115 00:07:23,180 --> 00:07:26,180 "Bring out the wealth I entrusted 116 00:07:26,180 --> 00:07:29,180 to you, so that we may add this to it 117 00:07:29,180 --> 00:07:32,180 and purchase with all of it an orchard or real estate, 118 00:07:32,180 --> 00:07:35,180 living off its yield 119 00:07:35,180 --> 00:07:38,279 for as long as our lives may last." 120 00:07:38,279 --> 00:07:41,279 She feigned distraction and gave him no answer, 121 00:07:41,279 --> 00:07:44,279 so he repeated his request, saying, 122 00:07:44,279 --> 00:07:47,279 "Come now, where is the money, 123 00:07:47,279 --> 00:07:50,279 so that I may add to it what I have with me?" 124 00:07:50,279 --> 00:07:53,279 "I have placed it where it ought to be placed, 125 00:07:53,279 --> 00:07:56,279 and I will bring it out for you after a few 126 00:07:56,279 --> 00:07:59,279 days, if Allah wills." 127 00:07:59,279 --> 00:08:02,279 The voice of the muezzin interrupted their conversation, 128 00:08:02,279 --> 00:08:05,279 so Farrukh hurried to his water pitcher, 129 00:08:05,279 --> 00:08:08,279 then hastened toward the door, 130 00:08:08,279 --> 00:08:11,279 saying, "Where is Rabi'ah?" 131 00:08:11,279 --> 00:08:14,279 They told him, "He preceded you to the mosque 132 00:08:14,279 --> 00:08:17,279 at the very first call, 133 00:08:17,279 --> 00:08:22,040 so that you may catch the congregational prayer." 134 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:25,040 Farrukh reached the mosque 135 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:28,040 and found that the imam had just finished the prayer, 136 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:31,040 so he performed the obligatory prayer alone. 137 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:34,039 Then he proceeded toward the Noble Tomb 138 00:08:34,039 --> 00:08:37,039 and conveyed greetings of peace upon the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 139 00:08:37,039 --> 00:08:40,039 Next, he turned toward the purified Rawdah, 140 00:08:40,039 --> 00:08:43,039 for his heart held deep yearnings for it 141 00:08:43,039 --> 00:08:46,039 and a longing to pray therein. 142 00:08:47,039 --> 00:08:50,039 He chose a spot for himself within its luminous expanse, 143 00:08:50,039 --> 00:08:53,039 and began offering voluntary prayers, 144 00:08:53,039 --> 00:08:56,039 praying whatever Allah willed him to pray, 145 00:08:56,039 --> 00:08:59,039 and then supplicating with whatever he was inspired to ask. 146 00:08:59,039 --> 00:09:02,039 When he intended to leave the mosque, 147 00:09:02,039 --> 00:09:05,039 he found its vast courtyard overflowing 148 00:09:05,039 --> 00:09:08,039 with a gathering of sacred knowledge 149 00:09:08,039 --> 00:09:11,039 the likes of which he had never witnessed before. 150 00:09:11,039 --> 00:09:14,039 He saw the people encircling the scholar leading the gathering, 151 00:09:14,039 --> 00:09:17,039 circle after circle, 152 00:09:17,039 --> 00:09:20,039 leaving not a single foothold in the courtyard. 153 00:09:20,039 --> 00:09:23,039 He scanned the crowd 154 00:09:23,039 --> 00:09:26,039 and saw turbaned elders 155 00:09:26,039 --> 00:09:29,039 advanced in age and dignified men, 156 00:09:29,039 --> 00:09:32,039 whose bearing showed they were men of high standing, 157 00:09:32,039 --> 00:09:35,039 as well as many young men 158 00:09:35,039 --> 00:09:38,039 kneeling upon their knees, 159 00:09:38,039 --> 00:09:41,039 pens in hand, 160 00:09:41,039 --> 00:09:44,039 eagerly recording whatever the shaykh spoke 161 00:09:44,039 --> 00:09:47,039 as pearls are gathered, 162 00:09:47,039 --> 00:09:50,039 preserving it in their notebooks 163 00:09:50,039 --> 00:09:53,039 as precious treasures are preserved. 164 00:09:53,039 --> 00:09:56,039 The people were directing their gazes 165 00:09:56,039 --> 00:09:59,039 toward where the shaykh sat, 166 00:09:59,039 --> 00:10:02,039 listening intently to every word he uttered, 167 00:10:02,039 --> 00:10:05,039 as if birds were perched upon their heads. 168 00:10:05,039 --> 00:10:08,039 Transmitters relayed what the shaykh said, 169 00:10:09,039 --> 00:10:12,039 so that not a single word escaped anyone, 170 00:10:12,039 --> 00:10:15,039 no matter how far away they were. 171 00:10:15,039 --> 00:10:18,039 Farrukh tried to make out the shaykh's features, 172 00:10:18,039 --> 00:10:21,039 but could not due to his vantage point 173 00:10:21,039 --> 00:10:24,039 and his distance from him. 174 00:10:24,039 --> 00:10:27,039 He was awestruck by his brilliant eloquence, 175 00:10:27,039 --> 00:10:30,039 his overflowing knowledge, 176 00:10:30,039 --> 00:10:33,039 his remarkable memory, 177 00:10:33,039 --> 00:10:36,200 and the deference of the people before him, 178 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:39,200 until the shaykh concluded his gathering and stood up. 179 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:42,200 The people rushed toward him, 180 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:45,200 crowding around and encircling him, 181 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:48,200 following him to escort him 182 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:51,200 out of the mosque. 183 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:54,200 Thereupon, Farrukh turned to a man 184 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:57,200 who was sitting beside him and said, 185 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:00,299 "Tell me, for Allah's sake, who is this shaykh?" 186 00:11:00,299 --> 00:11:03,299 The man replied in astonishment, 187 00:11:04,299 --> 00:11:07,299 and Farrukh said, "Yes, indeed." 188 00:11:07,299 --> 00:11:10,299 The man said, "Is there in all of the city 189 00:11:10,299 --> 00:11:13,299 a single person who does not know the shaykh?!" 190 00:11:13,299 --> 00:11:16,299 Farrukh said, "Pardon me 191 00:11:16,299 --> 00:11:19,299 if I do not know him, 192 00:11:19,299 --> 00:11:22,299 for I have spent nearly thirty years 193 00:11:22,299 --> 00:11:25,299 away from the city, 194 00:11:25,299 --> 00:11:28,299 and returned to it only yesterday." 195 00:11:28,299 --> 00:11:31,299 The man replied, "No harm then." 196 00:11:32,299 --> 00:11:35,299 Then he said, "The shaykh to whom you listened 197 00:11:35,299 --> 00:11:38,299 is one of the leading masters of the Tabi'un 198 00:11:38,299 --> 00:11:41,299 and an eminent figure among the Muslims; 199 00:11:41,299 --> 00:11:44,299 He is the hadith master of Medina, its jurist, 200 00:11:44,299 --> 00:11:47,299 and its leading imam, despite his young 201 00:11:47,299 --> 00:11:50,299 age." Farrukh then said— 202 00:11:50,299 --> 00:11:53,299 “If only, when thou enteredst thy garden, thou hadst said: That which Allah willeth (will come to pass)! There is no strength save in Allah! Though thou seest me as less than thee in wealth and children,” (18:39) 203 00:11:53,299 --> 00:11:56,299 but the man continued, saying: 204 00:11:56,299 --> 00:11:59,299 "Indeed, his gathering includes, as you saw, 205 00:11:59,299 --> 00:12:02,299 Malik ibn Anas, 206 00:12:02,299 --> 00:12:05,299 Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man, 207 00:12:05,299 --> 00:12:08,299 Yahya ibn Sa'id al-Ansari, 208 00:12:08,299 --> 00:12:11,299 Sufyan al-Thawri, 209 00:12:11,299 --> 00:12:14,299 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Amr al-Awza'i, 210 00:12:14,299 --> 00:12:17,299 al-Layth ibn Sa'd, 211 00:12:17,299 --> 00:12:20,299 and countless others." 212 00:12:20,299 --> 00:12:23,299 Farrukh said, "Yet you..." 213 00:12:23,299 --> 00:12:26,299 but the man did not give him a chance to finish his sentence: 214 00:12:27,299 --> 00:12:30,299 "He is gentle, approachable, and generous of hand; 215 00:12:30,299 --> 00:12:33,299 the people of Medina have never known anyone 216 00:12:33,299 --> 00:12:36,299 more bountiful toward friends and their children, 217 00:12:36,299 --> 00:12:39,299 nor more detached from worldly pleasures, 218 00:12:39,299 --> 00:12:42,299 nor more yearning for that which is with Allah." 219 00:12:42,299 --> 00:12:45,299 Farrukh then asked, 220 00:12:45,299 --> 00:12:48,299 "Yet you have not mentioned his name to me." 221 00:12:48,299 --> 00:12:51,299 The man replied, "He is Rabi'ah al-Ra'y." 222 00:12:51,299 --> 00:12:54,299 Farrukh asked, "Rabi'ah al-Ra'y?" 223 00:12:55,299 --> 00:12:58,299 The man answered, "Yes, his name is Rabi'ah, 224 00:12:58,299 --> 00:13:01,299 but the scholars and elders of Medina 225 00:13:01,299 --> 00:13:04,299 called him 'Rabi'ah al-Ra'y' 226 00:13:04,299 --> 00:13:07,299 because whenever they could not find 227 00:13:07,299 --> 00:13:10,299 a direct text in the Book of Allah 228 00:13:10,299 --> 00:13:13,299 or a hadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 229 00:13:13,299 --> 00:13:16,299 they would turn to him. 230 00:13:16,299 --> 00:13:19,299 He would then exercise reasoned judgment (ijtihad) and draw an analogy 231 00:13:19,299 --> 00:13:22,299 between that which lacked a text and that which had one, 232 00:13:22,299 --> 00:13:25,299 resolving whatever was obscure to them 233 00:13:25,299 --> 00:13:28,299 in a way that put minds at ease 234 00:13:28,299 --> 00:13:31,360 and brought reassurance to hearts." 235 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:34,360 Farrukh asked eagerly, 236 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:37,360 "Yet you have not told me his lineage!" 237 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:40,360 The man replied, "He is Rabi'ah ibn Farrukh, 238 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:43,360 with the kunya Abu 'Abd al-Rahman. 239 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:46,360 He was born after his father left Medina 240 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:49,360 to strive in the cause of Allah, 241 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:52,360 so his mother undertook his upbringing and education. 242 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:55,360 And just before the prayer, I heard people 243 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:58,360 saying that his father returned last night." 244 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:01,419 At that moment, 245 00:14:01,419 --> 00:14:04,419 there rolled down from Farrukh's eyes 246 00:14:04,419 --> 00:14:07,419 two great tears, 247 00:14:07,419 --> 00:14:10,419 for which the man could discern no reason. 248 00:14:10,419 --> 00:14:13,419 Farrukh then hurried his steps toward his home, 249 00:14:13,419 --> 00:14:16,419 and when Rabi'ah's mother saw him, she asked, 250 00:14:16,419 --> 00:14:19,419 "What is the matter, Abu Rabi'ah?" 251 00:14:19,419 --> 00:14:22,419 He said, "Nothing but good! 252 00:14:22,419 --> 00:14:25,419 I have just seen our son, Rabi'ah, 253 00:14:25,419 --> 00:14:28,419 in a station of knowledge, honor, and glory 254 00:14:28,419 --> 00:14:31,419 the likes of which I have never seen for anyone before." 255 00:14:31,419 --> 00:14:34,419 Rabi'ah's mother seized the opportunity and said, 256 00:14:34,419 --> 00:14:37,419 "Which is dearer to you: 257 00:14:37,419 --> 00:14:40,419 thirty thousand dinars, or this 258 00:14:40,419 --> 00:14:43,419 immense knowledge and honor your son has attained?" 259 00:14:43,419 --> 00:14:46,419 He said, "Nay, by Allah, this is far dearer to me 260 00:14:46,419 --> 00:14:49,419 and more precious than all the wealth of this world 261 00:14:49,419 --> 00:14:52,419 entirely!" She said, 262 00:14:52,419 --> 00:14:55,419 "I have spent all that you left with me upon him; 263 00:14:55,419 --> 00:14:58,419 are you truly pleased with what I have done?" 264 00:14:58,419 --> 00:15:01,419 He said, "Yes, and may you be rewarded 265 00:15:01,419 --> 00:15:04,419 on my behalf, on his behalf, and on behalf of the Muslims 266 00:15:04,419 --> 00:15:14,460 with the best of rewards!" 267 00:15:20,460 --> 00:15:23,460 They were once here, 268 00:15:23,460 --> 00:15:26,460 showering our lives like clouds, 269 00:15:26,460 --> 00:15:29,460 and ever among us, 270 00:15:29,460 --> 00:15:32,460 their memory soars high. 271 00:15:32,460 --> 00:15:35,460 They departed, leaving in the conscience 272 00:15:35,460 --> 00:15:38,460 a profound question: 273 00:15:38,460 --> 00:15:41,460 Did ever a star like them ascend and shine so brightly? 274 00:15:41,460 --> 00:15:44,460 They filled this life 275 00:15:44,460 --> 00:15:47,460 with proud accomplishments through their deeds, 276 00:15:47,460 --> 00:15:50,500 and the world of mankind flourished through them.