WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:15.449 --> 00:00:18.449 Mawaddah Association is pleased 00:00:18.449 --> 00:00:22.449 to present to you snapshots from the lives of the Companions, 00:00:22.449 --> 00:00:25.449 authored by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 00:00:25.449 --> 00:00:30.260 may Allah have mercy on him. 00:00:30.260 --> 00:00:32.259 The Family of Yasir, 00:00:32.259 --> 00:00:36.189 may Allah be pleased with them. 00:00:47.979 --> 00:00:53.509 On a dewy, cool morning, 00:00:53.509 --> 00:00:55.509 fragrant with fresh air, 00:00:55.509 --> 00:00:58.509 one of the caravans arriving from Yemen reached 00:00:58.509 --> 00:01:00.509 the outskirts of Mecca. 00:01:00.509 --> 00:01:02.509 As Yasir ibn 'Amir 00:01:02.509 --> 00:01:05.510 al-Kinani looked upon the Venerable Ka'bah, 00:01:05.510 --> 00:01:07.510 its brilliance dazzled him, 00:01:07.510 --> 00:01:10.510 and his heart fluttered with joy at the sight of it, 00:01:10.510 --> 00:01:15.510 for his eyes had never enjoyed the pleasure of beholding it before. 00:01:15.510 --> 00:01:19.579 Yasir's arrival in Mecca was not for trade, 00:01:19.579 --> 00:01:22.579 as was the case with the men of the caravan; 00:01:22.579 --> 00:01:26.579 rather, he had come alongside his brothers, al-Harith and Malik, 00:01:26.579 --> 00:01:30.579 to search for a brother of theirs who had gone missing years ago, 00:01:30.579 --> 00:01:33.769 leaving behind no trace. 00:01:33.769 --> 00:01:38.769 The three young men set out searching for their brother everywhere 00:01:38.769 --> 00:01:41.769 and asking every group about him, 00:01:41.769 --> 00:01:44.769 until, despairing of ever finding him, 00:01:44.769 --> 00:01:46.989 their paths diverged. 00:01:46.989 --> 00:01:48.989 As for al-Harith and Malik, 00:01:48.989 --> 00:01:50.989 they returned to the haunts of their childhood 00:01:50.989 --> 00:01:53.989 and the pastures of their youth in happy Yemen. 00:01:53.989 --> 00:01:55.989 As for Yasir, 00:01:55.989 --> 00:01:57.989 Mecca captivated him 00:01:57.989 --> 00:02:03.120 and enticed him to make it his home and settled abode. 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:06.120 Yasir ibn 'Amir al-Kinani did not know, 00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:09.120 when he made this decision, 00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:11.120 what glory was destined for him, 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:16.120 nor did he realize that he was entering history through its widest gates, 00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:21.120 and that from his loin would come a youth who would adorn the brow of the world 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:25.120 whenever it wished to bedeck itself before humanity. 00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:30.280 However, Yasir had no tribal allies in Mecca to protect him, 00:02:30.280 --> 00:02:32.280 nor a family to shield him, 00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:38.340 so a stranger like him had no choice but to ally himself with one of the town's chief nobles, 00:02:38.340 --> 00:02:45.340 so that he could live safely and securely in a society that had no place for the weak. 00:02:45.340 --> 00:02:51.379 Thus, he entered into an alliance with Abu Hudhayfah ibn al-Mughirah al-Makhzumi. 00:02:51.379 --> 00:02:58.569 Abu Hudhayfah saw in Yasir such noble traits and honorable character as endeared him to his heart, 00:02:58.569 --> 00:03:03.569 so he married him to a bondwoman of his named Sumayyah bint Khabbat. 00:03:03.569 --> 00:03:09.659 The first fruit of this marriage was a boy in whom both parents rejoiced exceedingly, 00:03:09.659 --> 00:03:12.659 and whom they named 'Ammar. 00:03:12.659 --> 00:03:18.659 Their joy in him multiplied when Abu Hudhayfah manumitted him and set him free. 00:03:18.659 --> 00:03:24.949 The family lived under the care and protection of Banu Makhzum, enjoying a pleasant and content life. 00:03:24.949 --> 00:03:28.949 As the days rolled on and the years passed, 00:03:28.949 --> 00:03:33.949 Yasir and Sumayyah grew into aged, elderly people, 00:03:33.949 --> 00:03:39.139 while 'Ammar became a young man who commanded the admiration of all who saw and heard him. 00:03:39.139 --> 00:03:42.139 Then the earth shone with the light of its Lord, 00:03:42.139 --> 00:03:48.139 and from the valleys of Mecca burst forth a light that flooded the universe with goodness and blessing, 00:03:48.139 --> 00:03:51.240 filling it with justice and benevolence. 00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:56.240 For the Unlettered Prophet arose, proclaiming the message of his Lord, 00:03:56.240 --> 00:03:59.240 warning his people and giving them glad tidings, 00:03:59.240 --> 00:04:04.270 inviting them to that which brings honor in this world and happiness in the Hereafter. 00:04:04.270 --> 00:04:09.270 'Ammar ibn Yasir heard news of the new call from the mouths of the people, 00:04:09.270 --> 00:04:13.270 and he opened his ears, heart, and mind to it. 00:04:13.270 --> 00:04:18.269 But when he found that what reached him about it was scant and meager, 00:04:18.269 --> 00:04:21.300 and unreliable news that did not quench his thirst, 00:04:21.300 --> 00:04:24.300 he said to himself: "Woe to you, 'Ammar! 00:04:24.300 --> 00:04:29.300 What makes you suffer from thirst when the spring is so near? 00:04:29.300 --> 00:04:31.300 Hasten to the bearer of the Message! 00:04:31.300 --> 00:04:34.300 Hasten to Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah, 00:04:34.300 --> 00:04:38.300 for with him and his companions lies the certain truth." 00:04:38.300 --> 00:04:44.560 'Ammar ibn Yasir went at once to the house of al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam, 00:04:44.660 --> 00:04:50.660 and there he was blessed with meeting the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:04:50.660 --> 00:04:54.660 He heard words from him that stirred his heart profoundly, 00:04:54.660 --> 00:04:59.660 and he absorbed from his guidance that which filled his heart with wisdom and light. 00:04:59.660 --> 00:05:02.660 So he extended his hand to him and said: 00:05:02.660 --> 00:05:05.660 "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, 00:05:05.660 --> 00:05:08.660 and I bear witness that you are His servant and His Messenger." 00:05:08.660 --> 00:05:12.819 'Ammar ibn Yasir turned to his mother, Sumayyah, 00:05:13.819 --> 00:05:15.819 and invited her to Islam, 00:05:15.819 --> 00:05:18.819 and how swiftly she responded to his call, 00:05:18.819 --> 00:05:21.819 as though she had been waiting for a prior appointment with him! 00:05:21.819 --> 00:05:25.009 Then he turned to his father, Yasir, 00:05:25.009 --> 00:05:28.009 and invited him to that which he had invited his mother, 00:05:28.009 --> 00:05:32.009 and his father was no less responsive than his mother. 00:05:32.009 --> 00:05:37.009 Thus, with the conversion of this blessed family, there joined the procession of light 00:05:37.009 --> 00:05:39.009 three shining stars 00:05:39.009 --> 00:05:44.009 whose radiance continues to flood the hearts of the believers to this day, 00:05:44.009 --> 00:05:47.009 and will remain so, by Allah's leave, 00:05:47.009 --> 00:05:51.009 until Allah inherits the earth and all who are upon it. 00:05:51.009 --> 00:05:55.389 News of the three individuals' conversion to Islam flew to Banu Makhzum, 00:05:55.389 --> 00:05:59.389 and they flew into a rage, consumed with fury, 00:05:59.389 --> 00:06:02.389 swearing to turn them back from their Islam 00:06:02.389 --> 00:06:05.389 or else send them to their ruin. 00:06:06.420 --> 00:06:10.420 So they began taking the parents and their young son out to the open desert of Mecca, 00:06:10.420 --> 00:06:13.420 dressing them in iron suits of armor, 00:06:13.420 --> 00:06:16.420 scorching them under the burning rays of the sun, 00:06:16.420 --> 00:06:18.420 depriving them of water, 00:06:18.420 --> 00:06:21.420 and taking turns beating them, 00:06:21.420 --> 00:06:25.420 until, when their throats went dry, their veins withered, 00:06:25.420 --> 00:06:29.420 their skins cracked, and their blood flowed, 00:06:29.420 --> 00:06:31.420 they left them for that day, 00:06:31.420 --> 00:06:35.420 only to repeat the ordeal with them on the morning of the very next day. 00:06:35.420 --> 00:06:40.620 The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed by them one day 00:06:40.620 --> 00:06:43.620 while they were being subjected to that excruciating torment, 00:06:43.620 --> 00:06:48.680 and it grieved him deeply that he possessed no power or means to succor them. 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:51.680 He stood over them and said: 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:53.680 "Patience, O family of Yasir, 00:06:53.680 --> 00:06:56.680 for your promised appointment is Paradise!" 00:06:56.680 --> 00:06:58.839 Thereupon, the tormented souls found tranquility, 00:06:58.839 --> 00:07:01.839 the fixed eyes settled in relief, 00:07:01.839 --> 00:07:05.839 and upon the exhausted faces appeared a contented smile. 00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:10.189 The two elderly parents did not last much longer under this state. 00:07:10.189 --> 00:07:12.319 As for Sumayyah, 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:15.319 Abu Jahl passed by her while she was being tortured 00:07:15.319 --> 00:07:17.319 and hurled the vilest insults at her, 00:07:17.319 --> 00:07:20.319 raining biting words upon her ears, 00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:22.319 but she paid him no heed. 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:23.319 So he unsheathed his spear 00:07:23.319 --> 00:07:26.319 and stabbed her with it in her lower abdomen, 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:29.319 the spear's point piercing through her back. 00:07:29.319 --> 00:07:33.319 Thus, she became the first martyr in Islam, 00:07:33.319 --> 00:07:36.319 and sufficient glory and honor is that for her! 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:38.480 As for Yasir, 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:40.480 he died under torture 00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:43.480 while bearing witness that there is no god but Allah, 00:07:43.480 --> 00:07:46.480 and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:51.800 The persecution intensified against 'Ammar after the martyrdom of his parents, 00:07:51.800 --> 00:07:55.800 and his tormentors exceeded all bounds in torturing him. 00:07:55.800 --> 00:08:02.019 One day, he came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:08:02.019 --> 00:08:04.019 crestfallen, sorrowful, and ashamed. 00:08:04.019 --> 00:08:09.019 He tried to look at the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:08:09.019 --> 00:08:11.019 and fill his eyes with his sight, 00:08:11.019 --> 00:08:15.019 but he could not raise his gaze to him. 00:08:15.019 --> 00:08:18.279 So the Messenger, peace be upon him, said to him: 00:08:18.279 --> 00:08:21.279 "What is behind you, O 'Ammar?" 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:23.500 'Ammar replied: 00:08:23.500 --> 00:08:26.500 "A terrible evil, O Messenger of Allah!" 00:08:26.500 --> 00:08:29.569 He asked: "And what is that?" 00:08:29.569 --> 00:08:32.570 'Ammar said: "I was tortured yesterday 00:08:32.570 --> 00:08:35.570 until I suffered such hardship and distress 00:08:35.570 --> 00:08:38.570 as would have split a mountain asunder had it descended upon it. 00:08:38.570 --> 00:08:43.600 Moreover, the enemies of Allah were not satisfied with exposing me to the midday heat, 00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:46.600 but burned my body with fire 00:08:46.600 --> 00:08:49.629 and kept forcing me to revile you 00:08:49.629 --> 00:08:52.629 and speak well of their gods until I did so." 00:08:52.629 --> 00:08:56.629 Then he began to sob with heart-wrenching weeping. 00:08:56.629 --> 00:09:00.889 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to him: 00:09:00.889 --> 00:09:03.889 "How do you find your heart, O 'Ammar?" 00:09:03.889 --> 00:09:08.950 He replied: "I find it firmly at peace in faith, O Messenger of Allah." 00:09:08.950 --> 00:09:12.080 He said: "There is no blame upon you. 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:16.080 If they return to the like of it, then return to saying what you said." 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:19.080 Then Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, honored 'Ammar 00:09:19.080 --> 00:09:21.080 and revealed Qur'an concerning him, 00:09:21.080 --> 00:09:23.080 as the Almighty said: ﴿ Except for one who is forced while his heart is secure in faith ﴾. 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:28.080 When the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, permitted his Companions to migrate to Medina, 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:34.080 'Ammar ibn Yasir was in the vanguard of those who migrated there, fleeing to preserve his religion. 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:38.179 No sooner had he reached Quba', where the emigrants were alighting, 00:09:38.179 --> 00:09:43.179 than he called upon them to build a mosque in which they could establish the prayer. 00:09:43.179 --> 00:09:45.179 They responded to his request, 00:09:45.179 --> 00:09:49.399 and thus the mosque erected by 'Ammar ibn Yasir 00:09:49.399 --> 00:09:52.399 was the very first mosque built in Islam— 00:09:52.399 --> 00:09:56.399 a sufficient precedence and virtue for him! 00:09:56.399 --> 00:10:01.529 When the Supreme Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, migrated to Medina, 00:10:01.529 --> 00:10:03.529 'Ammar's eyes were delighted by his presence, 00:10:03.529 --> 00:10:06.529 and he rejoiced over him as a beloved rejoices over his beloved. 00:10:06.529 --> 00:10:10.529 He adhered to him as a close friend adheres to his bosom companion, 00:10:10.529 --> 00:10:14.529 hardly ever parting from him by night or by day. 00:10:14.529 --> 00:10:20.590 The noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, reciprocated his love, 00:10:20.590 --> 00:10:23.659 and whenever 'Ammar approached him, he would say: 00:10:23.659 --> 00:10:26.659 "Welcome to the good and purified one!" 00:10:26.659 --> 00:10:28.779 On the day of Badr, 00:10:28.779 --> 00:10:32.779 'Ammar fought under the banner of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:10:32.779 --> 00:10:34.779 with the valor of the bravest heroes. 00:10:34.779 --> 00:10:38.779 He was the only Muslim who fought in this battle 00:10:38.779 --> 00:10:41.779 whose parents were both believing martyrs. 00:10:41.779 --> 00:10:47.200 When the Messenger, peace be upon him, passed away to the proximity of his Lord 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:50.200 and most of the Arabs apostatized from Islam, 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:55.200 'Ammar had a famous and noble stance on the Day of al-Yamamah. 00:10:55.200 --> 00:11:01.200 For when slaughter intensified among the Companions of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:05.200 and death began snatching away the memorizers of the Qur'an, 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:09.200 shaking the ground beneath the feet of the Muslims, 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:11.200 at that critical moment, 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:14.200 'Ammar ibn Yasir stood upon a prominent rock, 00:11:14.200 --> 00:11:16.200 with his ear severed 00:11:16.200 --> 00:11:18.200 and dangling from his head, 00:11:18.200 --> 00:11:20.200 and called out: 00:11:20.200 --> 00:11:22.200 "O assembly of Muslims! 00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:24.200 Is it from Paradise that you are fleeing? 00:11:24.200 --> 00:11:28.200 To me! To me, O assembly of Muslims!" 00:11:28.200 --> 00:11:30.200 Then he charged ahead of them, 00:11:30.200 --> 00:11:33.200 his ear swaying against the side of his cheek, 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:35.200 and the army launched an assault following his charge 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:38.200 until Musaylimah the Liar was killed, 00:11:38.200 --> 00:11:42.200 and people began returning to the religion of Allah in crowds, 00:11:42.200 --> 00:11:45.200 just as they had exited from it in crowds. 00:11:45.200 --> 00:11:48.389 When the Caliphate passed to al-Faruq, 00:11:48.389 --> 00:11:50.389 he appointed him governor over Kufa, 00:11:50.389 --> 00:11:53.389 placing 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud alongside him, 00:11:53.389 --> 00:11:56.389 and wrote to its people saying: 00:11:56.389 --> 00:11:58.389 "To proceed: 00:11:58.389 --> 00:12:01.389 I have sent 'Ammar to you as a governor, 00:12:01.389 --> 00:12:05.389 and 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud as a teacher and advisor. 00:12:05.389 --> 00:12:11.389 Both of them are among the noble Companions of your Prophet, Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:12:11.389 --> 00:12:13.389 So listen to them, 00:12:13.389 --> 00:12:15.389 and follow their example. 00:12:15.389 --> 00:12:17.419 Later, a different judgment occurred to 'Umar, 00:12:17.419 --> 00:12:19.419 so he relieved him of his governorship. 00:12:19.419 --> 00:12:22.419 When he met him afterward, he asked him, 00:12:22.419 --> 00:12:25.419 "Did what I did distress you, O 'Ammar?" 00:12:25.419 --> 00:12:27.419 He replied, 00:12:27.419 --> 00:12:29.419 "By Allah, holding office distressed me far more 00:12:29.419 --> 00:12:33.419 than being relieved of it." 00:12:33.419 --> 00:12:36.580 May Allah be pleased with 'Ammar Ibn Yasir, 00:12:36.580 --> 00:12:41.580 for he was filled with faith from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. 00:12:41.580 --> 00:12:44.580 And may Allah be pleased with his father, Yasir, 00:12:44.580 --> 00:12:46.580 and his mother, Sumayyah; 00:12:46.580 --> 00:12:50.580 for theirs was truly a household of faith. 00:12:50.580 --> 00:12:56.330 "Be patient, O family of Yasir, 00:12:56.330 --> 00:12:59.389 for your destination is Paradise." 00:12:59.389 --> 00:13:02.740 Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. 00:13:07.740 --> 00:13:09.740 Inspire me, O poetry! 00:13:09.740 --> 00:13:11.740 Assist me, so I may pour forth; 00:13:11.740 --> 00:13:13.740 is there any praise left unsaid in their honor?