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,
authored by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
may Allah have mercy on him.
The Family of Yasir,
may Allah be pleased with them.
On a dewy, cool morning,
fragrant with fresh air,
one of the caravans arriving from Yemen reached
the outskirts of Mecca.
As Yasir ibn 'Amir
al-Kinani looked upon the Venerable Ka'bah,
its brilliance dazzled him,
and his heart fluttered with joy at the sight of it,
for his eyes had never enjoyed the pleasure of beholding it before.
Yasir's arrival in Mecca was not for trade,
as was the case with the men of the caravan;
rather, he had come alongside his brothers, al-Harith and Malik,
to search for a brother of theirs who had gone missing years ago,
leaving behind no trace.
The three young men set out searching for their brother everywhere
and asking every group about him,
until, despairing of ever finding him,
their paths diverged.
As for al-Harith and Malik,
they returned to the haunts of their childhood
and the pastures of their youth in happy Yemen.
As for Yasir,
Mecca captivated him
and enticed him to make it his home and settled abode.
Yasir ibn 'Amir al-Kinani did not know,
when he made this decision,
what glory was destined for him,
nor did he realize that he was entering history through its widest gates,
and that from his loin would come a youth who would adorn the brow of the world
whenever it wished to bedeck itself before humanity.
However, Yasir had no tribal allies in Mecca to protect him,
nor a family to shield him,
so a stranger like him had no choice but to ally himself with one of the town's chief nobles,
so that he could live safely and securely in a society that had no place for the weak.
Thus, he entered into an alliance with Abu Hudhayfah ibn al-Mughirah al-Makhzumi.
Abu Hudhayfah saw in Yasir such noble traits and honorable character as endeared him to his heart,
so he married him to a bondwoman of his named Sumayyah bint Khabbat.
The first fruit of this marriage was a boy in whom both parents rejoiced exceedingly,
and whom they named 'Ammar.
Their joy in him multiplied when Abu Hudhayfah manumitted him and set him free.
The family lived under the care and protection of Banu Makhzum, enjoying a pleasant and content life.
As the days rolled on and the years passed,
Yasir and Sumayyah grew into aged, elderly people,
while 'Ammar became a young man who commanded the admiration of all who saw and heard him.
Then the earth shone with the light of its Lord,
and from the valleys of Mecca burst forth a light that flooded the universe with goodness and blessing,
filling it with justice and benevolence.
For the Unlettered Prophet arose, proclaiming the message of his Lord,
warning his people and giving them glad tidings,
inviting them to that which brings honor in this world and happiness in the Hereafter.
'Ammar ibn Yasir heard news of the new call from the mouths of the people,
and he opened his ears, heart, and mind to it.
But when he found that what reached him about it was scant and meager,
and unreliable news that did not quench his thirst,
he said to himself: "Woe to you, 'Ammar!
What makes you suffer from thirst when the spring is so near?
Hasten to the bearer of the Message!
Hasten to Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah,
for with him and his companions lies the certain truth."
'Ammar ibn Yasir went at once to the house of al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam,
and there he was blessed with meeting the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
He heard words from him that stirred his heart profoundly,
and he absorbed from his guidance that which filled his heart with wisdom and light.
So he extended his hand to him and said:
"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
and I bear witness that you are His servant and His Messenger."
'Ammar ibn Yasir turned to his mother, Sumayyah,
and invited her to Islam,
and how swiftly she responded to his call,
as though she had been waiting for a prior appointment with him!
Then he turned to his father, Yasir,
and invited him to that which he had invited his mother,
and his father was no less responsive than his mother.
Thus, with the conversion of this blessed family, there joined the procession of light
three shining stars
whose radiance continues to flood the hearts of the believers to this day,
and will remain so, by Allah's leave,
until Allah inherits the earth and all who are upon it.
News of the three individuals' conversion to Islam flew to Banu Makhzum,
and they flew into a rage, consumed with fury,
swearing to turn them back from their Islam
or else send them to their ruin.
So they began taking the parents and their young son out to the open desert of Mecca,
dressing them in iron suits of armor,
scorching them under the burning rays of the sun,
depriving them of water,
and taking turns beating them,
until, when their throats went dry, their veins withered,
their skins cracked, and their blood flowed,
they left them for that day,
only to repeat the ordeal with them on the morning of the very next day.
The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed by them one day
while they were being subjected to that excruciating torment,
and it grieved him deeply that he possessed no power or means to succor them.
He stood over them and said:
"Patience, O family of Yasir,
for your promised appointment is Paradise!"
Thereupon, the tormented souls found tranquility,
the fixed eyes settled in relief,
and upon the exhausted faces appeared a contented smile.
The two elderly parents did not last much longer under this state.
As for Sumayyah,
Abu Jahl passed by her while she was being tortured
and hurled the vilest insults at her,
raining biting words upon her ears,
but she paid him no heed.
So he unsheathed his spear
and stabbed her with it in her lower abdomen,
the spear's point piercing through her back.
Thus, she became the first martyr in Islam,
and sufficient glory and honor is that for her!
As for Yasir,
he died under torture
while bearing witness that there is no god but Allah,
and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
The persecution intensified against 'Ammar after the martyrdom of his parents,
and his tormentors exceeded all bounds in torturing him.
One day, he came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
crestfallen, sorrowful, and ashamed.
He tried to look at the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and fill his eyes with his sight,
but he could not raise his gaze to him.
So the Messenger, peace be upon him, said to him:
"What is behind you, O 'Ammar?"
'Ammar replied:
"A terrible evil, O Messenger of Allah!"
He asked: "And what is that?"
'Ammar said: "I was tortured yesterday
until I suffered such hardship and distress
as would have split a mountain asunder had it descended upon it.
Moreover, the enemies of Allah were not satisfied with exposing me to the midday heat,
but burned my body with fire
and kept forcing me to revile you
and speak well of their gods until I did so."
Then he began to sob with heart-wrenching weeping.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to him:
"How do you find your heart, O 'Ammar?"
He replied: "I find it firmly at peace in faith, O Messenger of Allah."
He said: "There is no blame upon you.
If they return to the like of it, then return to saying what you said."
Then Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, honored 'Ammar
and revealed Qur'an concerning him,
as the Almighty said: ﴿ Except for one who is forced while his heart is secure in faith ﴾.
When the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, permitted his Companions to migrate to Medina,
'Ammar ibn Yasir was in the vanguard of those who migrated there, fleeing to preserve his religion.
No sooner had he reached Quba', where the emigrants were alighting,
than he called upon them to build a mosque in which they could establish the prayer.
They responded to his request,
and thus the mosque erected by 'Ammar ibn Yasir
was the very first mosque built in Islam—
a sufficient precedence and virtue for him!
When the Supreme Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, migrated to Medina,
'Ammar's eyes were delighted by his presence,
and he rejoiced over him as a beloved rejoices over his beloved.
He adhered to him as a close friend adheres to his bosom companion,
hardly ever parting from him by night or by day.
The noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, reciprocated his love,
and whenever 'Ammar approached him, he would say:
"Welcome to the good and purified one!"
On the day of Badr,
'Ammar fought under the banner of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
with the valor of the bravest heroes.
He was the only Muslim who fought in this battle
whose parents were both believing martyrs.
When the Messenger, peace be upon him, passed away to the proximity of his Lord
and most of the Arabs apostatized from Islam,
'Ammar had a famous and noble stance on the Day of al-Yamamah.
For when slaughter intensified among the Companions of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and death began snatching away the memorizers of the Qur'an,
shaking the ground beneath the feet of the Muslims,
at that critical moment,
'Ammar ibn Yasir stood upon a prominent rock,
with his ear severed
and dangling from his head,
and called out:
"O assembly of Muslims!
Is it from Paradise that you are fleeing?
To me! To me, O assembly of Muslims!"
Then he charged ahead of them,
his ear swaying against the side of his cheek,
and the army launched an assault following his charge
until Musaylimah the Liar was killed,
and people began returning to the religion of Allah in crowds,
just as they had exited from it in crowds.
When the Caliphate passed to al-Faruq,
he appointed him governor over Kufa,
placing 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud alongside him,
and wrote to its people saying:
"To proceed:
I have sent 'Ammar to you as a governor,
and 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud as a teacher and advisor.
Both of them are among the noble Companions of your Prophet, Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
So listen to them,
and follow their example.
Later, a different judgment occurred to 'Umar,
so he relieved him of his governorship.
When he met him afterward, he asked him,
"Did what I did distress you, O 'Ammar?"
He replied,
"By Allah, holding office distressed me far more
than being relieved of it."
May Allah be pleased with 'Ammar Ibn Yasir,
for he was filled with faith from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet.
And may Allah be pleased with his father, Yasir,
and his mother, Sumayyah;
for theirs was truly a household of faith.
"Be patient, O family of Yasir,
for your destination is Paradise."
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
Inspire me, O poetry!
Assist me, so I may pour forth;
is there any praise left unsaid in their honor?