WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:15.609 --> 00:00:17.609 The Mawaddah Association is pleased 00:00:17.609 --> 00:00:21.609 to present to you glimpses from the lives of the Companions, 00:00:21.609 --> 00:00:25.640 by Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:30.100 may Allah have mercy upon him. 00:00:30.100 --> 00:00:34.100 Al-'Ala' Ibn al-Hadrami, may Allah be pleased with him. 00:00:51.450 --> 00:00:56.450 The grieving, bereaved city of Medina lay resting its wounds that night, 00:00:56.450 --> 00:01:01.450 for it had lost the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:01:01.450 --> 00:01:05.450 It was in a state of the deepest attachment to him and the most desperate need for him. 00:01:05.450 --> 00:01:11.450 Yet, the Caliph of the Muslims, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, could not find a taste of sleep; 00:01:11.450 --> 00:01:17.579 it was as if his bed had been stuffed with thorns or his eyes smeared with embers. 00:01:17.579 --> 00:01:20.579 How could the heart of al-Siddiq find peace 00:01:20.579 --> 00:01:26.579 when most of the Arabs had exited the religion of Allah in droves and apostatized from Islam? 00:01:26.579 --> 00:01:28.579 And how could he close his eyes 00:01:28.579 --> 00:01:32.579 when the great state of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:01:32.579 --> 00:01:37.579 which had been built over twenty-three years of effort and struggle, 00:01:37.579 --> 00:01:40.579 and constructed through sorrows and heartaches, 00:01:40.579 --> 00:01:47.579 until it encompassed the Arabian Peninsula from end to end, had shrunk today? 00:01:47.579 --> 00:01:51.579 It had become confined to a small triangle, 00:01:51.579 --> 00:01:56.579 its apex in Medina, the capital of the Islamic state, 00:01:56.579 --> 00:02:00.670 and its base extending between Mecca and Ta'if. 00:02:00.670 --> 00:02:07.670 From this small remnant that remained with him in faith, al-Siddiq mobilized ten armies, 00:02:07.670 --> 00:02:11.669 and chose for them ten exceptional commanders 00:02:11.669 --> 00:02:17.800 with whom the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was well-pleased when he passed away. 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:21.800 He dispatched them in every direction to fight the apostates. 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:24.800 What troubled him most that night 00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:31.800 was choosing the eleventh commander for the army he would send to fight the apostates in Bahrain 00:02:31.800 --> 00:02:35.800 and the surrounding lands in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. 00:02:35.800 --> 00:02:39.800 The mission of this army was fraught with dangers, 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:43.800 and its path was paved with thorns and hardship. 00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:48.800 Al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, continued to toss and turn on his bed, 00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:53.800 until Bilal Ibn Rabah pierced the silence of the night with his melodious, tender voice. 00:02:53.800 --> 00:03:00.800 The eyes of al-Siddiq welled with tears upon hearing the voice of the muezzin of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:04.800 At the same time, an idea flashed into his mind 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:08.800 that illuminated the path for him to choose the desired commander. 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:11.800 His gentle features relaxed, 00:03:11.800 --> 00:03:15.800 and across his refined, sorrow-stricken face appeared 00:03:15.800 --> 00:03:19.800 a transparent veil of contentment and tranquility. 00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:24.900 When the obligatory prayer was finished, he called for parchment and an inkwell and wrote: 00:03:24.900 --> 00:03:27.900 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:03:27.900 --> 00:03:33.900 This is a covenant from Abu Bakr, the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 00:03:33.900 --> 00:03:35.900 to al-'Ala' Ibn al-Hadrami, 00:03:35.900 --> 00:03:40.900 when he sent him to fight the apostates in Bahrain and its vicinity. 00:03:40.900 --> 00:03:45.900 He charged him to fear Allah as much as he could, in private and in public, 00:03:45.900 --> 00:03:48.900 and commanded him to be diligent in the cause of Allah, 00:03:48.900 --> 00:03:50.900 and to struggle against those who turned away from their religion 00:03:50.900 --> 00:03:54.900 and retreated from Islam to the delusions of Satan. 00:03:54.900 --> 00:03:57.900 The selection of al-'Ala' Ibn al-Hadrami 00:03:57.900 --> 00:04:01.900 as commander of the army heading to fight the apostates in Bahrain 00:04:01.900 --> 00:04:04.900 met with great satisfaction among the leaders of the Muslims. 00:04:04.900 --> 00:04:08.900 For al-'Ala' was a Companion of long standing, 00:04:08.900 --> 00:04:12.900 with a close bond to the Messenger, peace be upon him, 00:04:12.900 --> 00:04:15.900 and one of the scribes of the Revelation and those entrusted with it. 00:04:15.900 --> 00:04:20.899 Furthermore, he was the one who had brought Islam to Bahrain 00:04:20.899 --> 00:04:24.899 without shedding a drop of blood or harming anyone with a wound. 00:04:24.899 --> 00:04:29.899 This was when the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, sent him 00:04:29.899 --> 00:04:31.899 to al-Mundhir Ibn Sawa 00:04:31.899 --> 00:04:34.899 with a letter inviting him to Islam. 00:04:34.899 --> 00:04:36.899 He continued to treat him with gentleness 00:04:36.899 --> 00:04:39.899 and exercised wisdom in presenting Islam to him, 00:04:39.899 --> 00:04:42.899 until he and his people announced their Islam. 00:04:43.899 --> 00:04:47.899 The Prophet, peace be upon him, confirmed him in his rule, 00:04:47.899 --> 00:04:50.899 and appointed al-'Ala' Ibn al-Hadrami over the collection of alms (zakat). 00:04:50.899 --> 00:04:53.899 He commanded him to take the zakat from the wealthy 00:04:53.899 --> 00:04:55.899 and distribute it among the poor. 00:04:55.899 --> 00:04:58.899 Al-'Ala' remained in this work 00:04:58.899 --> 00:05:02.899 until the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, passed away. 00:05:02.899 --> 00:05:06.899 The king, al-Mundhir Ibn Sawa, followed him in the same month, 00:05:06.899 --> 00:05:08.899 may the mercy of Allah be upon him. 00:05:08.899 --> 00:05:12.019 There was no path before al-'Ala' Ibn al-Hadrami 00:05:12.019 --> 00:05:14.019 and his army, fighting in the way of Allah, 00:05:14.019 --> 00:05:17.019 to reach Bahrain 00:05:17.019 --> 00:05:19.019 except for the Dahna' desert, 00:05:19.019 --> 00:05:23.019 that desert which was fearsome at that time, 00:05:23.019 --> 00:05:26.019 and remains fearsome to this day, 00:05:26.019 --> 00:05:29.019 and which is known now as the Empty Quarter (al-Rub' al-Khali). 00:05:29.019 --> 00:05:33.019 The blessed, faithful army set out, crossing the vast wilderness, 00:05:33.019 --> 00:05:37.019 engaged in a fierce war with the sweeping winds, 00:05:37.019 --> 00:05:40.019 a bitter struggle with the raging sands, 00:05:40.019 --> 00:05:44.019 and a terrifying conflict with the harsh nature, 00:05:44.019 --> 00:05:47.019 where there was no water, no trees, and no life. 00:05:47.019 --> 00:05:50.089 While the people were in this state, 00:05:50.089 --> 00:05:54.089 they were struck by what no one could have anticipated, 00:05:54.089 --> 00:05:57.089 nor could the imagination of any dreamer have conceived. 00:05:57.089 --> 00:06:00.089 On the evening of a night with no stars, 00:06:00.089 --> 00:06:02.089 shrouded in darkness, 00:06:02.089 --> 00:06:05.089 the army dismounted from their camels in search of rest 00:06:05.089 --> 00:06:08.089 and in anticipation of the breaking of the dawn. 00:06:08.089 --> 00:06:11.089 For they were unable to travel at night 00:06:11.089 --> 00:06:14.089 for fear of getting lost in these deserts, 00:06:14.089 --> 00:06:17.089 where no foot had ever traced a path, 00:06:17.089 --> 00:06:20.089 and even if it had, the sweeping sands 00:06:20.089 --> 00:06:23.089 would have obliterated it in a few moments. 00:06:23.089 --> 00:06:26.089 No sooner had they settled on the ground 00:06:26.089 --> 00:06:29.089 than one of their camels rose up in a panic, 00:06:29.089 --> 00:06:31.089 for a reason they did not know, 00:06:31.089 --> 00:06:33.089 and began to run like a madman 00:06:33.089 --> 00:06:36.089 into those dark, vast plains. 00:06:36.089 --> 00:06:39.089 Its panic stirred all the other camels, 00:06:39.089 --> 00:06:41.089 and they rushed after it 00:06:41.089 --> 00:06:44.089 as if a thousand demons were riding them, 00:06:44.089 --> 00:06:47.089 or as if each one had been stung by a thousand snakes. 00:06:47.089 --> 00:06:50.089 The hardy men, 00:06:50.089 --> 00:06:52.089 the veterans of the desert, 00:06:52.089 --> 00:06:54.089 tried to stop these agitated, 00:06:54.089 --> 00:06:56.089 stampeding animals, 00:06:56.089 --> 00:06:58.089 or to catch up with them, 00:06:58.089 --> 00:07:01.089 but they soon lost them, and were themselves lost, 00:07:01.089 --> 00:07:03.089 and the desert swallowed them up. 00:07:03.089 --> 00:07:05.089 In a few moments, 00:07:05.089 --> 00:07:09.089 the army found itself in those deadly wastes, 00:07:09.089 --> 00:07:11.089 without water, without provisions, 00:07:11.089 --> 00:07:14.089 without a mount, and without hope. 00:07:14.089 --> 00:07:17.120 You may imagine, noble listener, 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:20.120 the anguish that overwhelmed their souls, 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:24.120 and you may conceive of the agony that shattered their hearts. 00:07:24.120 --> 00:07:27.120 You may give free rein to your soaring imagination 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:31.120 to see what was surging in the depths of those chests. 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:35.120 They became certain that they were inevitably doomed, 00:07:35.120 --> 00:07:37.120 and that this desert 00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:39.120 would fold them into its vast interior, 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:44.120 just as the ocean folds a handful of sand into its depths, 00:07:44.120 --> 00:07:49.120 and that they would remain a secret of these terrifying wastes, 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:51.120 which would never be revealed to anyone. 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:54.120 Some began to leave their final testaments to others, 00:07:54.120 --> 00:08:00.120 certain that no one would emerge alive from the jaws of this death trap. 00:08:00.120 --> 00:08:03.120 But such is the way of life. 00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:07.250 At that moment, the inspired commander, 00:08:07.250 --> 00:08:12.250 the student of the unique and peerless Prophetic school, approached his soldiers 00:08:12.250 --> 00:08:15.250 and said to them in a tone of reassurance and confidence: 00:08:15.250 --> 00:08:20.250 "What is this panic, terror, and distress that has overcome you?" 00:08:20.250 --> 00:08:23.250 They replied, "How can you blame us? 00:08:23.250 --> 00:08:27.250 If we remain until tomorrow and the night gives way to the day, 00:08:27.250 --> 00:08:31.250 the sun will soon destroy us with thirst 00:08:31.250 --> 00:08:34.250 before its disc even rises to the zenith of the sky." 00:08:34.250 --> 00:08:41.309 He said to them, "I am confident that you will never be harmed, 00:08:41.309 --> 00:08:45.309 for you are those who have submitted to Allah and believe in Him. 00:08:45.309 --> 00:08:47.309 You set out in His cause, 00:08:47.309 --> 00:08:49.309 and you rose up to support His religion. 00:08:49.309 --> 00:08:52.309 So rejoice in a relief from Him, 00:08:52.309 --> 00:08:55.309 and by Allah, you will not be forsaken, 00:08:55.309 --> 00:08:58.309 nor will you be afflicted by anything that harms you. 00:08:58.309 --> 00:09:02.309 The relief of Allah is closer to you than you think." 00:09:02.309 --> 00:09:06.309 The words of the faithful commander descended into the hearts of his men 00:09:06.309 --> 00:09:11.309 like cool, sweet water to a thirsty soul. 00:09:11.309 --> 00:09:15.309 Their spirits calmed and their hearts found peace, 00:09:15.309 --> 00:09:18.379 and they surrendered their eyes to sleep. 00:09:18.379 --> 00:09:22.379 When the dawn broke, they performed dry ablution (tayammum) with clean earth, 00:09:22.379 --> 00:09:26.379 and stood before their Lord, humble and submissive. 00:09:26.379 --> 00:09:31.379 When the prayer ended, 'Ala' turned his face toward them, 00:09:31.379 --> 00:09:34.379 raised his palms toward the sky, 00:09:34.379 --> 00:09:38.379 and began to call upon Allah, the Almighty, with a pleading heart, 00:09:38.379 --> 00:09:42.379 tearful eyes, and a hopeful, expectant soul. 00:09:42.379 --> 00:09:46.379 They joined in his supplication, saying "Amen" to his hopes. 00:09:46.379 --> 00:09:51.379 He had not finished his private prayer to his Lord before water appeared to them from afar, 00:09:51.379 --> 00:09:56.379 its silver surface shimmering under the first light of morning. 00:09:56.379 --> 00:10:00.379 At first, the soldiers thought it was a mirage, 00:10:00.379 --> 00:10:03.379 like that which a person sees in the desert. 00:10:03.379 --> 00:10:06.379 But when they approached it, they found it was water. 00:10:06.379 --> 00:10:09.379 They began to praise and glorify Allah, 00:10:09.379 --> 00:10:12.379 and started to drink and wash themselves. 00:10:12.379 --> 00:10:16.379 They stayed there, waiting for the rest of Allah's relief. 00:10:16.379 --> 00:10:19.379 No sooner had the day reached its midpoint 00:10:19.379 --> 00:10:23.379 than they saw shadows in the distance heading toward them. 00:10:23.379 --> 00:10:25.379 They focused their gaze upon them, 00:10:25.379 --> 00:10:28.379 and they drew closer to them little by little. 00:10:28.379 --> 00:10:30.379 It was only a short while 00:10:30.379 --> 00:10:34.379 before they were certain that it was their camels coming toward them, 00:10:34.379 --> 00:10:38.379 as if a driver were herding them toward them. 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:41.379 Through tears of joy at the relief of Allah, the Almighty, 00:10:41.379 --> 00:10:43.379 and hope in His victory, 00:10:43.379 --> 00:10:46.379 they saw their camels all arriving at the water, 00:10:46.379 --> 00:10:48.379 just as they had all departed, 00:10:48.379 --> 00:10:51.379 with their saddles and blankets still on them, 00:10:51.379 --> 00:10:53.379 and the provisions and supplies intact.