WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:15.259 --> 00:00:18.260 The Mawaddah Association is pleased 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:22.260 to present to you portraits from the lives of the Companions 00:00:22.260 --> 00:00:25.260 by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 00:00:25.260 --> 00:00:27.320 may Allah have mercy on him. 00:00:27.320 --> 00:00:33.789 Usamah ibn Zayd, may Allah be pleased with him. 00:00:47.229 --> 00:00:51.229 We are now in the seventh year before the Hijrah in Mecca, 00:00:51.229 --> 00:00:59.229 and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was enduring relentless persecution from Quraysh against himself and his Companions, 00:00:59.229 --> 00:01:02.229 bearing from them and from the burdens of the call 00:01:02.229 --> 00:01:08.230 what turned his life into an unbroken succession of sorrows and afflictions. 00:01:08.230 --> 00:01:10.459 Amidst all of this, 00:01:10.459 --> 00:01:13.459 a gleaming ray of joy illuminated his life: 00:01:13.459 --> 00:01:16.549 a bearer of good tidings came to him 00:01:16.549 --> 00:01:19.549 with the news that Umm Ayman had given birth to a boy. 00:01:19.549 --> 00:01:24.549 The features of his face, peace and blessings be upon him, beamed with delight, 00:01:24.549 --> 00:01:27.549 and his noble countenance glowed with joy. 00:01:27.549 --> 00:01:30.549 So who was this fortunate boy 00:01:30.549 --> 00:01:36.650 who brought so much happiness to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him? 00:01:36.650 --> 00:01:39.709 It was Usamah ibn Zayd. 00:01:39.709 --> 00:01:44.709 None of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was surprised 00:01:44.709 --> 00:01:46.709 by his profound joy over the newborn, 00:01:46.709 --> 00:01:51.709 owing to the dear place his parents held with him and their esteemed standing in his heart. 00:01:51.709 --> 00:01:54.000 The boy's mother 00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:56.000 was Barakah the Abyssinian, 00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:58.000 known by the kunyah Umm Ayman. 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:02.159 She had been the bondwoman of Aminah bint Wahb, 00:02:02.159 --> 00:02:05.159 mother of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. 00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:07.189 She had nurtured him during Aminah's lifetime 00:02:07.189 --> 00:02:10.189 and took him into her maternal care after her death, 00:02:10.259 --> 00:02:12.259 so that he opened his eyes to this world 00:02:12.259 --> 00:02:16.259 knowing no other mother than her. 00:02:16.259 --> 00:02:19.259 He loved her with the deepest and most sincere affection, 00:02:19.259 --> 00:02:21.259 and he would often say: 00:02:21.259 --> 00:02:23.259 "She is my mother after my mother, 00:02:24.259 --> 00:02:26.259 and the last remaining member of my household." 00:02:26.259 --> 00:02:29.419 Such was the mother of this blessed boy. 00:02:29.419 --> 00:02:31.419 As for his father, 00:02:31.419 --> 00:02:34.419 he was the beloved of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him: 00:02:34.419 --> 00:02:36.419 Zayd ibn Harithah, 00:02:36.419 --> 00:02:39.419 his adopted son before Islam, 00:02:39.419 --> 00:02:42.419 his closest companion and confidant, 00:02:42.419 --> 00:02:47.419 one of his household, and the most beloved of people to him in Islam. 00:02:47.419 --> 00:02:51.610 The Muslims rejoiced at the birth of Usamah ibn Zayd 00:02:51.610 --> 00:02:54.610 as they had never rejoiced at the birth of any child, 00:02:54.610 --> 00:02:58.610 for whatever brought joy to the Prophet brought joy to them, 00:02:58.610 --> 00:03:02.610 and whatever pleased his heart delighted theirs. 00:03:02.610 --> 00:03:06.610 Thus, they bestowed upon the fortunate boy the title: 00:03:06.610 --> 00:03:08.610 "The Beloved, Son of the Beloved." 00:03:08.610 --> 00:03:11.740 Nor were the Muslims exaggerating 00:03:11.740 --> 00:03:15.740 when they gave this title to the young boy, Usamah, 00:03:15.740 --> 00:03:19.860 for the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, loved him 00:03:19.860 --> 00:03:23.860 with a love that the entire world would envy. 00:03:23.860 --> 00:03:30.060 Usamah was close in age to his grandson, al-Hasan ibn Fatimah al-Zahra'. 00:03:30.060 --> 00:03:35.180 Al-Hasan was fair-skinned, radiant, and strikingly handsome, 00:03:35.180 --> 00:03:39.219 bearing a profound resemblance to his grandfather, the Messenger of Allah; 00:03:39.219 --> 00:03:43.219 while Usamah was dark-skinned and flat-nosed, 00:03:43.219 --> 00:03:47.409 closely resembling his Abyssinian mother. 00:03:47.409 --> 00:03:51.409 Yet the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, 00:03:51.409 --> 00:03:54.500 made no distinction between the two in love. 00:03:54.500 --> 00:03:56.500 He would take Usamah 00:03:56.500 --> 00:03:58.500 and seat him on one of his thighs, 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:00.500 then take al-Hasan 00:04:00.500 --> 00:04:02.500 and seat him on the other thigh, 00:04:02.500 --> 00:04:06.500 then draw them both to his chest and say: 00:04:06.500 --> 00:04:10.729 "O Allah, I love them both, so love them." 00:04:10.729 --> 00:04:13.729 So great was the Prophet's love for Usamah 00:04:13.729 --> 00:04:16.730 that once, when the boy tripped over the doorstep 00:04:16.730 --> 00:04:20.730 and cut his forehead, causing blood to flow from his wound, 00:04:20.730 --> 00:04:23.730 the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, signaled 00:04:23.730 --> 00:04:26.730 to 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, 00:04:26.730 --> 00:04:28.730 to wipe the blood from his wound. 00:04:28.730 --> 00:04:30.730 When she felt reluctant to do so, 00:04:30.730 --> 00:04:34.730 the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, got up and went to him himself, 00:04:34.730 --> 00:04:38.730 gently sucking the cut, spitting out the blood, 00:04:38.730 --> 00:04:43.730 and comforting him with words overflowing with sweetness and tenderness. 00:04:43.730 --> 00:04:47.920 Just as the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, loved 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:49.920 Usamah in his childhood, 00:04:49.920 --> 00:04:51.920 he loved him equally in his youth. 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:54.920 Hakim ibn Hizam, 00:04:54.920 --> 00:04:56.920 one of the notables of Quraysh, once presented 00:04:56.920 --> 00:04:59.920 to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:01.920 a precious robe 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:04.920 he had purchased in Yemen for fifty gold dinars, 00:05:04.920 --> 00:05:07.920 which had belonged to Dhu Yazan, one of their kings. 00:05:07.920 --> 00:05:10.920 But the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, refused 00:05:10.920 --> 00:05:12.920 to accept it as a gift, 00:05:12.920 --> 00:05:15.920 because Hakim was an idolater at the time, 00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:17.920 and instead purchased it from him for its price. 00:05:17.920 --> 00:05:22.920 The noble Prophet wore it only once, on a Friday, 00:05:22.920 --> 00:05:25.920 and then bestowed it upon Usamah ibn Zayd, 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:31.920 who would go out wearing it, walking proudly among his peers from the young men of the Muhajirun and the Ansar. 00:05:31.920 --> 00:05:34.920 When Usamah ibn Zayd reached maturity, 00:05:34.920 --> 00:05:39.920 he displayed such noble characteristics and splendid traits 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:44.920 as made him truly worthy of the love of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:48.949 He was exceptionally intelligent and sharp-witted, 00:05:48.949 --> 00:05:50.949 remarkably courageous, 00:05:50.949 --> 00:05:54.949 wise and discerning in putting things in their proper place, 00:05:54.949 --> 00:05:57.949 chaste, despising all baseness, 00:05:57.949 --> 00:06:00.949 sociable and easy to love, endeared to the people, 00:06:00.949 --> 00:06:03.949 and pious and devout, beloved to Allah. 00:06:03.949 --> 00:06:06.050 On the day of Uhud, 00:06:06.050 --> 00:06:10.050 Usamah ibn Zayd came along with a group of young boys from among the Companions, 00:06:10.050 --> 00:06:13.050 wishing to fight in the cause of Allah. 00:06:13.050 --> 00:06:16.050 The Messenger accepted some of them 00:06:16.050 --> 00:06:19.050 and turned back others because of their tender age, 00:06:19.050 --> 00:06:23.050 and among those turned back was Usamah ibn Zayd. 00:06:23.050 --> 00:06:28.050 He departed with his young eyes brimming with tears of sorrow 00:06:28.050 --> 00:06:32.050 that he could not fight beneath the banner of the Messenger of Allah. 00:06:32.050 --> 00:06:34.050 At the Battle of the Trench, 00:06:34.050 --> 00:06:37.050 Usamah ibn Zayd came once again, 00:06:37.050 --> 00:06:40.050 accompanied by a group of youths from among the Companions, 00:06:40.050 --> 00:06:43.050 and he began stretching himself upward 00:06:43.050 --> 00:06:45.050 so that the Messenger of Allah would accept him. 00:06:45.050 --> 00:06:49.050 The Prophet, peace be upon him, took pity on him and allowed him, 00:06:49.050 --> 00:06:52.050 so he bore the sword in jihad for the cause of Allah 00:06:52.050 --> 00:06:55.050 when he was only fifteen years old. 00:06:55.050 --> 00:06:58.050 On the day of Hunayn, when the Muslims were thrown into disarray, 00:06:58.050 --> 00:07:02.050 Usamah ibn Zayd stood firm alongside al-'Abbas, the Prophet's uncle, 00:07:02.050 --> 00:07:05.050 Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith, his cousin, 00:07:05.050 --> 00:07:09.050 and six other noble Companions. 00:07:09.050 --> 00:07:12.050 With this small, faithful, and valiant band, 00:07:12.050 --> 00:07:15.050 the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, was able 00:07:15.050 --> 00:07:19.050 to turn the defeat of his companions into victory, 00:07:19.050 --> 00:07:22.050 and to shield the retreating Muslims 00:07:22.050 --> 00:07:25.050 from being slaughtered by the polytheists. 00:07:25.050 --> 00:07:27.050 On the day of Mu'tah, 00:07:27.050 --> 00:07:31.050 Usamah fought beneath the banner of his father, Zayd ibn Harithah, 00:07:31.050 --> 00:07:34.050 while not yet eighteen years of age. 00:07:34.050 --> 00:07:37.050 He saw with his own eyes the martyrdom of his father, 00:07:37.050 --> 00:07:40.050 yet he neither faltered nor wavered; 00:07:40.050 --> 00:07:44.050 rather, he fought on beneath the banner of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib 00:07:44.050 --> 00:07:47.050 until Ja'far fell slain before his very eyes, 00:07:47.050 --> 00:07:50.050 then beneath the banner of 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah 00:07:50.050 --> 00:07:53.050 until he too joined his two companions, 00:07:53.050 --> 00:07:56.050 and finally beneath the banner of Khalid ibn al-Walid, 00:07:56.050 --> 00:08:00.139 until he rescued the small army from the clutches of the Byzantines. 00:08:00.139 --> 00:08:03.139 Usamah returned to Medina, 00:08:03.139 --> 00:08:06.139 surrendering his father to Allah's reward, 00:08:06.139 --> 00:08:09.139 leaving his pure body on the frontiers of the Levant, 00:08:09.139 --> 00:08:12.139 and riding the very steed upon which his father had been martyred. 00:08:12.139 --> 00:08:15.139 In the eleventh year of the Hijrah, 00:08:15.139 --> 00:08:18.139 the noble Messenger ordered the preparation of an army to invade the Byzantines, 00:08:18.139 --> 00:08:21.139 enlisting in it Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 00:08:21.139 --> 00:08:24.139 Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, 00:08:24.139 --> 00:08:27.139 Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, 00:08:27.139 --> 00:08:30.139 and other senior Companions. 00:08:30.139 --> 00:08:33.139 He placed Usamah ibn Zayd in command of the army, 00:08:33.139 --> 00:08:36.139 though he had not yet reached twenty years of age, 00:08:36.139 --> 00:08:39.139 and ordered him to lead the cavalry into the territory of al-Balqa' 00:08:39.139 --> 00:08:42.139 and the fortress of al-Darum near Gaza, 00:08:42.139 --> 00:08:45.139 in the lands of the Byzantines. 00:08:45.139 --> 00:08:48.139 While the army was making ready, 00:08:48.139 --> 00:08:51.139 the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, fell ill. 00:08:51.139 --> 00:08:54.139 When his illness worsened, the army halted 00:08:54.139 --> 00:08:59.139 waiting to see the outcome of the condition of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. 00:08:59.139 --> 00:09:01.139 Usamah said: 00:09:01.139 --> 00:09:04.139 "When the illness bore heavily upon the Prophet of Allah, 00:09:04.139 --> 00:09:07.139 I went to him, and the people entered with me. 00:09:07.139 --> 00:09:09.139 I walked in to see him 00:09:09.139 --> 00:09:11.139 and found that he had fallen silent, 00:09:11.139 --> 00:09:14.139 unable to speak under the weight of the affliction. 00:09:14.139 --> 00:09:17.139 He began raising his hands to the sky 00:09:17.139 --> 00:09:19.139 and then placing them upon me, 00:09:19.139 --> 00:09:22.299 and I knew that he was supplicating for me." 00:09:22.299 --> 00:09:25.299 Shortly thereafter, the Messenger departed this life, 00:09:25.299 --> 00:09:28.299 and the oath of allegiance was given to Abu Bakr, 00:09:28.299 --> 00:09:31.299 who immediately ordered the dispatch of Usamah's expedition. 00:09:31.299 --> 00:09:35.299 However, a faction of the Ansar felt the expedition should be delayed, 00:09:35.299 --> 00:09:39.299 and they asked 'Umar ibn al-Khattab to speak to Abu Bakr about it, 00:09:39.299 --> 00:09:41.299 saying to him: 00:09:41.299 --> 00:09:43.299 "If he insists on proceeding, 00:09:43.299 --> 00:09:46.299 then convey to him on our behalf that he should appoint over us a man 00:09:46.299 --> 00:09:48.370 older in years than Usamah." 00:09:48.370 --> 00:09:52.370 No sooner had al-Siddiq heard the message of the Ansar from 'Umar 00:09:52.370 --> 00:09:55.370 than he sprang to his feet from where he sat, 00:09:55.370 --> 00:09:57.370 seized al-Faruq by his beard, 00:09:57.370 --> 00:09:59.370 and said in anger: 00:09:59.370 --> 00:10:02.370 "May your mother be bereft of you and lose you, O son of al-Khattab! 00:10:02.370 --> 00:10:06.370 The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, appointed him, 00:10:06.370 --> 00:10:08.370 and you command me to dismiss him?! 00:10:08.370 --> 00:10:10.370 By Allah, that shall never be!" 00:10:10.370 --> 00:10:13.370 When 'Umar returned to the people, 00:10:13.370 --> 00:10:15.370 they asked him what he had accomplished, 00:10:15.370 --> 00:10:16.370 and he said: 00:10:16.370 --> 00:10:18.370 "Move forward, may your mothers be bereft of you! 00:10:18.370 --> 00:10:23.370 I have suffered what I suffered from the successor of the Messenger of Allah on your account!" 00:10:23.370 --> 00:10:27.370 When the army set forth under the command of its youthful leader, 00:10:27.370 --> 00:10:32.370 the successor of the Messenger of Allah walked alongside him to see him off, while Usamah rode. 00:10:32.370 --> 00:10:34.370 Usamah said: 00:10:34.370 --> 00:10:36.370 "O successor of the Messenger of Allah, 00:10:36.370 --> 00:10:39.370 by Allah, you must ride or I shall dismount!" 00:10:39.370 --> 00:10:41.370 Abu Bakr replied: 00:10:41.370 --> 00:10:43.370 "By Allah, you shall not dismount, 00:10:43.370 --> 00:10:45.370 and by Allah, I shall not ride! 00:10:45.370 --> 00:10:49.370 What harm is there in dusting my feet in the cause of Allah for an hour?" 00:10:49.370 --> 00:10:51.620 Then he said to Usamah: 00:10:51.620 --> 00:10:56.620 "I entrust to Allah your religion, your trust, and the end of your deeds, 00:10:56.620 --> 00:11:00.620 and I charge you to execute that which the Messenger of Allah commanded you." 00:11:00.620 --> 00:11:02.620 Then he leaned toward him and said, 00:11:02.620 --> 00:11:05.620 "If you see fit, assist me by letting ‘Umar stay." 00:11:05.620 --> 00:11:08.620 So he permitted him to remain with me. 00:11:08.620 --> 00:11:11.720 Thus, Usamah permitted ‘Umar to remain. 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:14.720 Usamah ibn Zayd proceeded with the army, 00:11:14.720 --> 00:11:17.720 and he carried out everything the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, had commanded him to do. 00:11:17.720 --> 00:11:20.720 He led the Muslim cavalry to the borders of al-Balqa’, 00:11:20.720 --> 00:11:23.720 and the fortress of al-Darum in the land of Palestine. 00:11:23.720 --> 00:11:27.720 He stripped away the awe of the Romans from the hearts of the Muslims, 00:11:27.720 --> 00:11:32.720 and paved the way before them for the conquest of the lands of the Levant, Egypt, 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:36.750 and the entire North African coast, all the way to the Sea of Darkness. 00:11:36.750 --> 00:11:38.750 Then Usamah returned, 00:11:38.750 --> 00:11:42.750 riding the very horse upon which his father had been martyred, 00:11:42.750 --> 00:11:46.750 carrying spoils of war that exceeded the estimates of those who appraised them, 00:11:46.750 --> 00:11:53.750 to the point that it was said no army had ever been safer or more laden with spoils than the army of Usamah ibn Zayd. 00:11:53.750 --> 00:11:57.940 Usamah ibn Zayd lived on, 00:11:57.940 --> 00:12:00.940 a figure held in high esteem and affection by the Muslims, 00:12:00.940 --> 00:12:04.940 out of loyalty to the Messenger of Allah and in honor of his own person. 00:12:04.940 --> 00:12:07.980 For the Faruq (the Caliph ‘Umar) had allotted him a stipend, 00:12:07.980 --> 00:12:11.980 greater than what he had allotted to his own son, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar. 00:12:11.980 --> 00:12:15.980 ‘Abdullah said to his father, "O my father, 00:12:15.980 --> 00:12:20.980 you have allotted four thousand to Usamah, while you allotted three thousand to me, 00:12:20.980 --> 00:12:24.980 yet his father did not possess more merit than you, 00:12:24.980 --> 00:12:28.980 nor does he possess more merit than I." 00:12:28.980 --> 00:12:31.980 The Faruq replied, "Far from it! 00:12:31.980 --> 00:12:35.980 His father was more beloved to the Messenger of Allah than your father, 00:12:35.980 --> 00:12:39.980 and he himself was more beloved to the Messenger of Allah than you." 00:12:39.980 --> 00:12:43.980 So ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar was satisfied with the stipend allotted to him. 00:12:43.980 --> 00:12:48.139 Whenever ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab would meet Usamah ibn Zayd, 00:12:48.139 --> 00:12:51.139 he would say, "Welcome, my commander." 00:12:51.139 --> 00:12:54.139 And if he saw anyone expressing surprise at this, he would say, 00:12:54.139 --> 00:12:59.139 "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, appointed him as my commander." 00:12:59.139 --> 00:13:03.200 May Allah have mercy on those great souls. 00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:09.200 For history has never known anyone greater, more perfect, or more noble than the Companions of the Messenger of Allah. 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:15.799 Indeed, the father of Usamah was more beloved to the Messenger of Allah than your father, 00:13:15.799 --> 00:13:20.179 and he himself was more beloved to the Messenger of Allah than you. 00:13:20.179 --> 00:13:26.549 From the words of the Faruq to his son.