WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:15.220 --> 00:00:18.219 The Mawaddah Association is pleased 00:00:18.219 --> 00:00:22.219 to present to you *Portraits from the Lives of the Companions*, 00:00:22.219 --> 00:00:25.219 by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 00:00:25.219 --> 00:00:27.260 may Allah have mercy on him. 00:00:27.260 --> 00:00:30.760 'Amr ibn al-Jamuh, 00:00:30.760 --> 00:00:32.950 may Allah be pleased with him. 00:00:45.140 --> 00:00:47.140 'Amr ibn al-Jamuh 00:00:47.140 --> 00:00:50.140 was one of the pre-eminent chieftains of Yathrib during the Jahiliyyah, 00:00:50.140 --> 00:00:53.140 the undisputed leader of Banu Salimah, 00:00:53.140 --> 00:00:56.140 and one of the most generous men of the city, 00:00:56.140 --> 00:00:58.140 renowned for his chivalry and nobility. 00:00:58.140 --> 00:01:01.270 It was customary for the nobles during the Jahiliyyah 00:01:01.270 --> 00:01:06.269 to keep an idol in their private homes, 00:01:06.269 --> 00:01:09.269 seeking its blessing day and night, 00:01:09.269 --> 00:01:12.269 offering sacrifices to it on festive occasions, 00:01:12.269 --> 00:01:15.269 and turning to it for help in times of adversity. 00:01:15.269 --> 00:01:19.269 The idol of 'Amr ibn al-Jamuh was named Manat. 00:01:19.269 --> 00:01:22.269 He had fashioned it from the finest and most precious wood, 00:01:22.269 --> 00:01:25.269 and went to great lengths in tending to it, 00:01:25.269 --> 00:01:29.269 caring for it, and perfuming it with the most exquisite scents. 00:01:29.269 --> 00:01:33.269 'Amr ibn al-Jamuh had already passed sixty years of age 00:01:33.269 --> 00:01:38.269 when the rays of faith began illuminating the homes of Yathrib, house by house, 00:01:38.269 --> 00:01:42.269 through the efforts of the first emissary of Islam, Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr. 00:01:42.269 --> 00:01:45.269 At his hands, 'Amr's three sons embraced the faith: 00:01:45.269 --> 00:01:48.269 Mu'awwadh, Mu'adh, and Khallad, 00:01:48.269 --> 00:01:52.269 along with a companion of theirs of the same age, Mu'adh ibn Jabal. 00:01:52.269 --> 00:01:56.269 And alongside his three sons, their mother, Hind, also embraced Islam, 00:01:56.269 --> 00:02:00.269 while 'Amr remained completely unaware of their faith. 00:02:00.269 --> 00:02:03.299 Hind, the wife of 'Amr ibn al-Jamuh, saw 00:02:03.299 --> 00:02:06.299 that Islam had gained sway over most of the people of Yathrib, 00:02:06.299 --> 00:02:10.300 and that none of its prominent nobles remained in idolatry 00:02:10.300 --> 00:02:13.300 except her husband and a small band alongside him. 00:02:13.300 --> 00:02:16.300 She truly loved and respected him, 00:02:16.300 --> 00:02:19.300 and feared that he might die in disbelief, 00:02:19.300 --> 00:02:22.300 thus ending up in the Fire. 00:02:22.300 --> 00:02:25.300 At the same time, 00:02:25.300 --> 00:02:29.300 he himself feared that his sons might abandon the religion of their forefathers 00:02:29.300 --> 00:02:33.300 to follow this missionary, Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr, 00:02:33.300 --> 00:02:36.300 who had managed in a very short time 00:02:36.300 --> 00:02:39.300 to turn many people away from their ancestral religion 00:02:39.300 --> 00:02:42.300 and bring them into the religion of Muhammad. 00:02:42.300 --> 00:02:45.300 So he said to his wife, "O Hind, 00:02:45.300 --> 00:02:48.300 beware lest your sons meet with this man," 00:02:48.300 --> 00:02:51.300 meaning Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr, 00:02:51.300 --> 00:02:54.300 "until we can form our own judgment about him." 00:02:54.300 --> 00:02:57.300 She replied, "I hear and obey. 00:02:57.300 --> 00:03:00.300 But would you be willing to listen to your son Mu'adh 00:03:00.300 --> 00:03:03.300 recount what he has heard from this man?" 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:06.300 He said, "Woe to you! Has Mu'adh turned away from his religion 00:03:06.300 --> 00:03:09.300 without my knowledge?" 00:03:09.300 --> 00:03:12.300 The righteous woman felt pity for the old man, 00:03:12.300 --> 00:03:15.300 and said, "No, not at all; 00:03:16.300 --> 00:03:19.300 but he has merely memorized some of the words he says." 00:03:19.300 --> 00:03:22.300 He said, "Call him to me." 00:03:22.300 --> 00:03:25.300 When the boy came before him, he said, 00:03:25.300 --> 00:03:28.300 "Let me hear something of what this man says." 00:03:28.300 --> 00:03:31.300 So he recited, 00:03:31.300 --> 00:03:35.389 and 'Amr remarked, "How excellent this 00:03:35.389 --> 00:03:38.389 speech is, and how beautiful! 00:03:38.389 --> 00:03:41.389 Is all of his speech like this?" 00:03:41.389 --> 00:03:44.389 Mu'adh replied, "Even better than this, father! 00:03:44.389 --> 00:03:47.389 Will you not pledge allegiance to him, 00:03:47.389 --> 00:03:50.389 for your people have all pledged allegiance to him?" 00:03:50.389 --> 00:03:53.389 The old man was silent for a moment, then said, 00:03:53.389 --> 00:03:56.389 "I shall not do so until I consult Manat 00:03:56.389 --> 00:03:59.389 and see what he has to say." 00:03:59.389 --> 00:04:02.389 The youth said to him, 00:04:02.389 --> 00:04:05.389 "And what could Manat possibly say, father? 00:04:05.389 --> 00:04:08.389 It is merely mute wood that can neither comprehend nor speak!" 00:04:08.389 --> 00:04:11.389 The old man retorted sharply, 00:04:11.389 --> 00:04:14.389 then 'Amr ibn al-Jamuh stood up and went to Manat. 00:04:14.389 --> 00:04:17.389 Whenever they wished to speak to the idol, 00:04:17.389 --> 00:04:20.389 they would place an old woman behind it, 00:04:20.389 --> 00:04:23.389 who would answer on its behalf based on what it allegedly inspired her to say, 00:04:23.389 --> 00:04:26.389 or so they claimed. He stood before it, 00:04:26.389 --> 00:04:29.389 tall in stature, leaning upon 00:04:29.389 --> 00:04:32.389 his sound leg, for his other leg 00:04:32.389 --> 00:04:35.389 was severely lame, 00:04:35.389 --> 00:04:38.389 and praised it with the highest praise, then said: 00:04:38.389 --> 00:04:41.389 "O Manat, you no doubt 00:04:41.389 --> 00:04:44.389 know that this preacher who has 00:04:44.389 --> 00:04:47.389 arrived among us from Mecca intends 00:04:47.389 --> 00:04:50.389 no harm to anyone other than you, and that 00:04:50.389 --> 00:04:53.389 he has only come to forbid us from worshipping you. 00:04:53.389 --> 00:04:56.389 I was reluctant to pledge allegiance to him—despite 00:04:56.389 --> 00:04:59.389 the beauty of the words I heard—until 00:04:59.389 --> 00:05:02.389 I had consulted you, so advise me." 00:05:02.389 --> 00:05:05.389 But Manat did not give him any answer. 00:05:05.389 --> 00:05:08.389 He said, "Perhaps you are angry, though I have not done 00:05:08.389 --> 00:05:11.389 anything to displease you yet. But 00:05:11.389 --> 00:05:14.389 no matter; I will leave you for a few days 00:05:14.389 --> 00:05:17.459 until your anger subsides." 00:05:17.459 --> 00:05:20.459 The sons of 'Amr ibn al-Jamuh knew 00:05:20.459 --> 00:05:23.459 the depth of their father's devotion to his idol, Manat, 00:05:23.459 --> 00:05:26.459 and how, with time, it had become almost an inseparable part 00:05:26.459 --> 00:05:29.459 of him. Yet they realized that 00:05:29.459 --> 00:05:32.459 its standing had begun to waver in his heart, 00:05:32.459 --> 00:05:35.459 and that they had to uproot it completely from his soul, 00:05:35.459 --> 00:05:38.459 as that was his only path to 00:05:38.459 --> 00:05:41.459 faith. Under the cover of night, the sons of 'Amr ibn al-Jamuh set out 00:05:41.459 --> 00:05:44.459 with their friend Mu'adh ibn Jabal to where 00:05:44.459 --> 00:05:47.459 Manat stood. They carried it away 00:05:47.459 --> 00:05:50.459 and took it to a pit belonging to Banu Salimah 00:05:50.459 --> 00:05:53.459 where they used to dump their filth. 00:05:53.459 --> 00:05:56.459 They threw it in and returned to 00:05:56.459 --> 00:05:59.459 their homes without anyone noticing them. 00:05:59.459 --> 00:06:02.459 When morning came, 'Amr went to his idol 00:06:02.459 --> 00:06:05.459 to greet it, but could not find it. 00:06:05.459 --> 00:06:08.459 He cried, "Woe to you! Who has violated 00:06:08.459 --> 00:06:11.459 our god this night?" 00:06:11.459 --> 00:06:14.459 But no one answered him. 00:06:14.459 --> 00:06:17.459 So he began searching for it inside the house and outside, 00:06:17.459 --> 00:06:20.459 fuming, raging, and issuing threats 00:06:20.459 --> 00:06:23.459 and warnings, until he found it 00:06:23.459 --> 00:06:26.459 lying head down in the cesspit. 00:06:26.459 --> 00:06:29.459 He washed it, perfumed it, 00:06:29.459 --> 00:06:32.459 and restored it to its place, 00:06:32.459 --> 00:06:35.459 saying to it, "By Allah, if I only knew 00:06:35.459 --> 00:06:38.459 who did this to you, I would surely disgrace him!" 00:06:38.459 --> 00:06:41.459 When the second night came, 00:06:41.459 --> 00:06:44.459 the youths crept up on Manat again and did to it 00:06:44.459 --> 00:06:47.459 just as they had done the day before. 00:06:47.459 --> 00:06:50.459 When morning came, the old man looked for it 00:06:50.459 --> 00:06:53.459 and found it in the pit, soiled with filth. 00:06:54.459 --> 00:06:57.459 The youths continued to do the same 00:06:57.459 --> 00:07:00.459 to the idol night after night. 00:07:00.459 --> 00:07:03.459 When he finally ran out of patience, 00:07:03.459 --> 00:07:06.459 he went to it before going to sleep, took his sword, 00:07:06.459 --> 00:07:09.459 hung it around its neck, and said to it, 00:07:09.459 --> 00:07:12.459 "O Manat, by Allah, I do not know 00:07:12.459 --> 00:07:15.459 who is doing this to you, as you can see. 00:07:15.459 --> 00:07:18.459 If there is any good in you, then defend yourself; 00:07:18.459 --> 00:07:21.459 here is the sword with you!" 00:07:22.459 --> 00:07:25.459 As soon as the youths were certain that the old man 00:07:25.459 --> 00:07:28.459 had fallen into a deep slumber, they sprang 00:07:28.459 --> 00:07:31.459 upon the idol, took the sword from its neck, 00:07:31.459 --> 00:07:34.459 carried it outside the house, 00:07:34.459 --> 00:07:37.459 tied it to a dead dog with a rope, 00:07:37.459 --> 00:07:40.459 and threw both into an abandoned well belonging to Banu Salimah, 00:07:40.459 --> 00:07:43.459 into which impurities drained and collected. 00:07:43.459 --> 00:07:46.459 When the old man awoke and did not find 00:07:46.459 --> 00:07:49.459 the idol, he went out searching for it, 00:07:49.459 --> 00:07:52.459 only to find it cast face down in the well, 00:07:52.459 --> 00:07:55.459 tied to a dead dog, 00:07:55.459 --> 00:07:58.459 with its sword stripped away. He did not pull it out 00:07:58.459 --> 00:08:01.459 this time from the pit; rather, he left it 00:08:01.459 --> 00:08:04.459 right where they had cast it, and began reciting: 00:08:04.459 --> 00:08:07.459 "By Allah, had you truly been a god, 00:08:07.459 --> 00:08:10.459 you and a dog would not be bound together in a pit!" 00:08:10.459 --> 00:08:13.459 Soon after, he embraced the religion of Allah. 00:08:13.459 --> 00:08:16.519 'Amr ibn al-Jamuh tasted the sweetness of faith, 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:20.519 which filled him with profound remorse 00:08:20.519 --> 00:08:23.519 for every moment he had spent in polytheism. 00:08:23.519 --> 00:08:26.519 He devoted himself to the new religion with body and soul, 00:08:26.519 --> 00:08:29.519 placing himself, his wealth, and his children 00:08:29.519 --> 00:08:32.519 in obedience to Allah and His Messenger. 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:35.519 Before long, the Battle of Uhud arrived. 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:38.519 'Amr ibn al-Jamuh saw 00:08:38.519 --> 00:08:41.519 his three sons preparing 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:44.519 to meet the enemies of Allah, 00:08:44.519 --> 00:08:47.519 pacing back and forth like ferocious lions, 00:08:47.519 --> 00:08:50.519 glowing with a fervent yearning to attain martyrdom 00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:53.519 and achieve the good pleasure of Allah. 00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:56.519 This scene stirred his own zeal, 00:08:56.519 --> 00:08:59.519 and he resolved to march with them to jihad 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:02.519 under the banner of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:09:02.519 --> 00:09:05.519 But the young men were united 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:08.549 in preventing their father from carrying out his resolve, 00:09:08.549 --> 00:09:11.549 for he was an elderly, advanced in years, 00:09:11.549 --> 00:09:14.549 and was, moreover, severely lame, 00:09:14.549 --> 00:09:17.549 and Allah, Exalted and Glorious, had excused him 00:09:17.549 --> 00:09:20.549 among those whom He excused. 00:09:20.549 --> 00:09:23.549 So they said to him, "O our father, 00:09:23.549 --> 00:09:26.549 Allah has excused you, 00:09:26.549 --> 00:09:29.710 so why burden yourself with that from which Allah has exempted you?" 00:09:29.710 --> 00:09:32.710 The old man became exceedingly furious at their words 00:09:32.710 --> 00:09:35.710 and went straight to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:09:35.710 --> 00:09:38.710 to complain about them, saying: 00:09:38.710 --> 00:09:40.710 "O Prophet of Allah, 00:09:40.710 --> 00:09:43.710 these sons of mine want 00:09:43.710 --> 00:09:46.710 to hold me back from this great good, 00:09:46.710 --> 00:09:49.710 using the pretext that I am lame! 00:09:49.710 --> 00:09:51.710 Yet, by Allah, I truly hope to step 00:09:51.710 --> 00:09:54.870 into Paradise with this very limp of mine!" 00:09:54.870 --> 00:09:57.870 The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said 00:09:57.870 --> 00:10:00.870 to his sons, "Let him go; perhaps 00:10:00.870 --> 00:10:03.899 Allah, Exalted and Glorious, will grant him martyrdom." 00:10:03.899 --> 00:10:07.059 So they yielded, submitting to the command of the Messenger of Allah. 00:10:07.059 --> 00:10:10.059 When the time to march drew near, 00:10:10.059 --> 00:10:13.059 'Amr ibn al-Jamuh bid farewell to his wife, 00:10:13.059 --> 00:10:16.159 the farewell of one who would never return. 00:10:16.159 --> 00:10:19.159 He then turned toward the Qiblah, 00:10:19.159 --> 00:10:22.159 raised his hands to the heavens, and prayed: 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:25.159 "O Allah, grant me martyrdom, 00:10:25.159 --> 00:10:28.159 and do not send me back to my family disappointed!" 00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:31.159 He then set out, surrounded by his three sons 00:10:31.159 --> 00:10:34.159 and a large contingent of his people, Banu Salimah. 00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:37.159 And when the heat of battle intensified 00:10:37.159 --> 00:10:40.159 and people scattered away from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:43.159 'Amr Ibn al-Jamuh was seen 00:10:43.159 --> 00:10:46.159 charging forward in the vanguard, 00:10:46.159 --> 00:10:49.159 leaping vigorously upon his sound leg, 00:10:49.159 --> 00:10:52.159 crying out, "Indeed, I yearn for Paradise! 00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:55.159 Indeed, I yearn for Paradise!" 00:10:55.159 --> 00:10:58.220 Behind him was his son Khallad, 00:10:58.220 --> 00:11:01.220 and the elder and his young son continued to fight fiercely 00:11:02.220 --> 00:11:05.220 until both fell dead as martyrs 00:11:05.220 --> 00:11:08.220 upon the battlefield, 00:11:08.220 --> 00:11:11.220 separated in death by only a few moments. 00:11:11.220 --> 00:11:14.220 No sooner had the war laid down its burdens 00:11:14.220 --> 00:11:17.220 than the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) went 00:11:17.220 --> 00:11:20.220 to the martyrs of Uhud 00:11:20.220 --> 00:11:23.220 to lay them to rest in their graves. 00:11:23.220 --> 00:11:26.220 He said to his Companions, 00:11:26.220 --> 00:11:29.220 "Leave them shrouded in their blood and wounds, 00:11:29.220 --> 00:11:32.220 for I am a witness over them." 00:11:32.220 --> 00:11:35.220 Then he said, "No Muslim is wounded in the cause of Allah 00:11:35.220 --> 00:11:38.220 but that he will come on the Day of Resurrection bleeding, 00:11:38.220 --> 00:11:41.220 its color the color of saffron, 00:11:41.220 --> 00:11:44.220 and its scent the scent of musk." 00:11:44.220 --> 00:11:47.350 Then he said, "Bury 'Amr Ibn al-Jamuh 00:11:47.350 --> 00:11:50.350 alongside 'Abdullah Ibn 'Amr, 00:11:50.350 --> 00:11:53.350 for they loved one another 00:11:53.350 --> 00:11:56.580 with pure devotion in this world." 00:11:56.580 --> 00:11:58.580 May Allah be pleased with 'Amr Ibn al-Jamuh 00:11:58.580 --> 00:12:01.580 and his companions among the martyrs of Uhud, 00:12:01.580 --> 00:12:04.580 and may He illuminate their graves for them. 00:12:04.580 --> 00:12:08.120 'Amr Ibn al-Jamuh was 00:12:08.120 --> 00:12:11.120 an elderly man who was determined to tread 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:14.860 with his limp in Paradise.