Stop.
Learn about the Companions, the scholars, and the prominent figures.
A new challenge: Who am I?
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
I am an Ansari of the Aws tribe.
I embraced Islam before Sa‘d ibn Mu‘adh, may Allah be pleased with him, the leader of the Aws.
I was honored with the title "Guard of the Prophet," peace be upon him.
I used to guard him and carry out the tasks he entrusted to me.
Among these was the assassination of Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf.
He was the Jewish poet who used to harm the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
He would lampoon the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.
He would compose erotic poetry about the Muslim women.
He would incite the disbelievers against the Muslims.
When the Prophet, peace be upon him, arrived in Medina,
he established treaties and covenants between himself and its inhabitants, both Jews and polytheists.
However, some of these fools
did not respond to this noble treatment.
Instead, they showed hostility toward the people of faith.
Among them was Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf the Jew.
He persisted in his transgression,
and no moral restraint or covenant could deter him.
This hostility increased
when he saw the polytheist captives at Badr bound in chains.
He began to openly display his enmity toward the Muslims,
mourning the polytheists killed at Badr.
Then, he went to Mecca to console the polytheists with his poetry,
urging them to fight the Muslims.
Afterward, he returned to Medina.
When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, learned of his return,
he asked, "Who will deal with Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf for me?"
"For he has harmed me."
I said, "I will, O Messenger of Allah."
"I will kill him."
He said, "Then do so."
Then, I was overcome with anxiety.
I spent days without eating.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, called for me,
and said to me,
"Why have you abandoned food and drink?"
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
I gave you a promise,
and I do not know if I will be able to fulfill it or not."
He, peace be upon him, replied,
"You are only responsible for your best effort and what you are capable of."
He had consulted Sa‘d ibn Mu‘adh regarding the matter,
and I had consulted him as well.
Then, I gathered with a group of the Aws,
among them ‘Abbad ibn Bishr
and Abu Na’ilah.
We agreed upon a plan to get to the Jew, Ka‘b.
Then we came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and said, "O Messenger of Allah,
we will kill him,
so permit us to speak disparagingly of the Muslims and their Prophet,
for we have no other way to reach him."
He, peace be upon him, said,
"Say what you must; there is no blame upon you."
So Abu Na’ilah went out to him.
Abu Na’ilah and I were Ka‘b’s foster brothers.
When Ka‘b saw him, he was suspicious of his intentions.
Abu Na’ilah said to him,
"We have a need for you."
Ka‘b asked, "And what is it?"
Abu Na’ilah said,
"The arrival of this man among us has been a calamity."
"The Arabs have fought us,"
"and they have united against us like a single bow."
"The paths have been cut off from us,"
"until lives have been exhausted and our families are lost."
"We have been forced to seek charity,"
"and we find nothing to eat."
Ka‘b said,
"By Allah, I told you this would happen before."
Abu Na’ilah said,
"I have men with me who share my opinion,"
"and I wanted to bring them to you,"
"so that we might buy food or dates from you,"
"and you would show us kindness in that."
"We will pledge to you whatever you find trustworthy."
Ka‘b said,
"By Allah, I would never have liked, O Abu Na’ilah,"
"to see you in such poverty,"
"even though you are among the dearest of people to me."
"You are my brother, we shared the same breast."
Abu Na’ilah said,
"Keep secret from us what I told you regarding Muhammad."
Ka‘b said,
"I will not mention a word of it."
Then Ka‘b said,
"O Abu Na’ilah,"
"tell me the truth,"
"what do you intend to do regarding Muhammad?"
He said,
"To abandon him and turn away from him,"
"and to overcome him if we are able."
He said,
"You have pleased me, O Abu Na’ilah."
"So what will you pledge to me in exchange for the food?"
"Your sons and your women?"
Abu Na’ilah said,
"You want to disgrace us and expose our affairs?"
"No,"
"but we will pledge to you whatever weapons you are satisfied with."
Ka‘b agreed.
We intended by pledging the weapons
that he would not suspect our intentions when we returned to him carrying arms.
Abu Na’ilah left him,
having agreed that we would all come to him in the evening.
We came to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
and informed him of our plan.
He said to us,
"Proceed with the blessing of Allah."
Then we prayed the Isha prayer with him,
and he walked with us until the Baqi‘.
We came to Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf as promised.
Abu Na’ilah called out to him.
Ka‘b had recently married.
His bride said,
"Where are you going?"
"I seem to hear a voice from which blood is dripping."
He said,
"It is only my brother Abu Na’ilah,"
"and I have an appointment with him."
Then he came down and met us.
We spoke for a little while,
then we walked along,
until an opportunity presented itself.
We struck him with our swords.
Then I finished him off with a dagger I had with me.
I placed it in his belly,
and pressed down until it reached his flank.
The enemy of Allah fell dead.
He had let out a cry that alerted the Jews,
and they lit fires in their fortresses.
We hurried away from among them,
until we reached the Baqi‘.
We cried "Allahu Akbar."
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, heard our takbir,
and knew that we had killed him.
When we reached him,
he said, "May these faces be successful."
We said,
"And yours, O Messenger of Allah."
So who am I?
The answer is Muhammad ibn Maslamah,
may Allah be pleased with him.
Stop.
Learn about the Companions, the scholars, and the prominent figures.
A new challenge.
Who am I?
I am a female Companion, one of the noble women of Quraysh,
and one of the Arab women
who was famous both before and after Islam.
I was a woman of chivalry and pride,
of sound opinion and intellect.
My husband was a leader of Quraysh,
and my son was a king among the kings of Islam,
and the founder of the Umayyad dynasty.
My conversion to Islam was delayed until the year of the Conquest.
In the Battle of Badr, I lost
my father, my brother, and my uncle,
as they were all killed in the battle.
My hostility toward the Muslims increased,
and I began to circulate through the gatherings and clubs of Quraysh,
fanning the flames of vengeance,
and igniting the fuse of war in their souls.
When I heard the news that Zaynab, daughter of the Prophet, peace be upon him, was preparing
to leave and join her father,
I went to her and said,
"O daughter of Muhammad,"
"I have heard that you intend to join your father."
"O cousin,"
"if you have need of any supplies"
"that might help you on your journey,"
"or money to reach your father,"
"then I have what you need."
"Do not be shy with me,"
"for what happens between men does not enter into the affairs of women."
Zaynab, may Allah be pleased with her, narrates this about me and says,
"By Allah, I do not think she said that except to do it."
On the day Zaynab, may Allah be pleased with her, departed,
men from Quraysh confronted her, wanting to force her back.
She fell from her camel, and she was pregnant,
and she began to bleed.
When I heard of that,
I went out quickly to her and said to my people,
"You are a brave lot!"
"Where was your courage on the day of Badr?"
I stood between them and Zaynab,
I took her into my care,
I wiped away what was on her,
and I tended to her needs,
until she resumed her journey to her father in safety and security.
Despite my intense hatred for her father
and for the Muslims at that time,
that did not prevent me from helping people
and fulfilling their needs.
On the day of the Conquest of Mecca,
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had declared my blood forfeit,
due to what I had done at the Battle of Uhud by mutilating the slain Muslims.
So I came to him along with some women,
and declared my Islam before him,
and he pardoned me.
When he (peace be upon him) finished receiving the pledge of allegiance from the men,
he took the pledge from the women without shaking hands.
He pledged us and made us covenant that we would not associate anything with Allah,
nor steal, nor commit adultery.
So I said in astonishment,
"Does a free woman commit adultery?"
And we pledged not to kill our children,
so I said, "We raised them when they were small,
and you killed them when they grew up!"
'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) laughed so hard that he fell onto his back,
and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) smiled.
After I embraced Islam and gave my pledge,
I returned to my home,
and began smashing an idol I had,
saying,
"We were in delusion because of you."
Then I presented a young goat as a gift to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
apologizing to him for the poor yield of my sheep.
So he prayed for blessings upon my sheep,
and they multiplied greatly.
I used to give charity from them and say,
"This is from the blessing of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)."
So, who am I?
Answer:
Hind bint 'Utbah (may Allah be pleased with her).
Pause,
and get to know the Companions, scholars, and notable figures.
A new challenge:
Who am I?
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
I was renowned for my courage, bravery, horsemanship, and skill in single combat,
so much so that I never feared death.
I killed one hundred knights in single duels,
besides those I killed during the heat of battles.
My name came to strike terror into the hearts of the enemies,
while inspiring honor and pride in the chests of the Muslims.
Allah granted the conquest of the Persian city of Tustar at my hands—
that fortified, splendid, and ancient city
in which Hormuzan, the commander of the Persians, had entrenched himself.
The Muslim armies had encamped around the trench of Tustar
and remained for eighteen months unable to cross it,
fighting eighty battles against the Persian armies during that period.
Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him)
wished to breach the wall of Tustar to reach the city,
for the siege had dragged on and exhaustion had overcome the Muslims.
Suddenly, a man from the Persian nobles came seeking protection from him,
so he granted him safety.
The Persian man informed him of a hidden passageway through which they could reach the inside of the fortress,
and asked him for a strong man who was an expert swimmer to guide along the way.
So I said to Abu Musa, "Make me that man, O commander."
Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) agreed.
I set out under the cover of darkness with that Persian man,
and he led me into an underground tunnel connecting the river to the city.
I moved along, sometimes walking, sometimes crawling, sometimes slithering, and at other times swimming,
until I reached the exit, and then I returned after inspecting the route.
Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) had prepared 300 horsemen from the bravest and most skilled swimmers among the Muslim soldiers,
and he sent them with me.
He made our uttering of "Allahu Akbar" the signal to summon the Muslim army to storm the city.
So I led them under the cover of darkness,
and when we reached the passageway leading into the city,
I found that only 80 men of my companions remained with me along the way, while the rest had perished.
As soon as we reached the ground of the city, we drew our swords
and attacked the defenders of the fortress, plunging our blades into their chests.
Then we opened the gates while shouting "Allahu Akbar,"
and the Muslim army poured into the city.
A fierce battle broke out between us and the enemies of Allah,
the likes of which has rarely been witnessed in the history of warfare.
While the battle was raging,
I spotted Hormuzan on the battlefield.
I headed straight for him, and we engaged in sword combat.
Each of us dealt the other a decisive blow;
my sword glanced off him, while his sword struck me down.
I fell to the ground, slain as a martyr on the battlefield,
and Allah granted the Muslims victory and the conquest of Tustar,
while Hormuzan was taken prisoner by my Muslim brothers.
So, who am I?
Answer: Majza'ah ibn Thawr al-Sadusi (may Allah be pleased with him).
Pause, and get to know the Companions, scholars, and notable figures.
A new challenge: Who am I?
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) from the Ansar,
and I am among the people of the Pledge of Ridwan.
My embrace of Islam was delayed,
but I then accepted Islam and witnessed all the major events with the Prophet (peace be upon him).
I used to have an idol in my house that I honored, wiping the dust off it
and clothing it with a garment.
The people of Medina used to talk to me about Islam, but I refused.
'Ubadah ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) was a close friend of mine,
so one day he lay in wait for me.
When I left my house, 'Ubadah entered carrying an axe,
while my wife was away with her family,
and he began smashing the idol piece by piece.
Then he went out and closed the door behind him.
When I returned home,
I looked and saw that the idol had been shattered,
so I said, "This is the work of 'Ubadah!"
I left in anger, intending to confront 'Ubadah,
but along the way, I thought to myself and said,
"There is no good in this idol;
if there were any good in it, it would have defended itself."
So I went on until I knocked on 'Ubadah's door.
He was wary of me, but when I entered upon him,
I said, "I have realized that if there were any good in the idol,
it would not have let you do to it what I saw.
And I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,
and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."
I was with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
at al-Hudaybiyyah while we were in a state of ihram,
after the idolaters had prevented us from performing 'Umrah
and entering the Sacred House.
I had thick hair,
and lice began falling onto my face.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) passed by me
and said, "Are the vermin on your head bothering you?"
I replied, "Yes."
So he commanded me to shave my head,
and the verse regarding the compensation (fidyah) was revealed concerning me.
One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me,
"I seek refuge for you with Allah from the rule of the foolish."
I asked, "O Messenger of Allah,
what is the rule of the foolish?"
He replied,
"Rulers who will come after me:
whoever enters upon them and confirms their lies
and assists them in their oppression,
he is not of me, nor am I of him,
and he shall not come to me at the Basin."
So, who am I?
Answer:
Ka'b ibn 'Ujrah al-Ansari
(may Allah be pleased with him).
Pause,
and get to know the Companions, scholars,
and notable figures.
A new challenge:
Who am I?
I am one of the Companions
from the Ansar.
I witnessed Uhud and all subsequent major events
with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
I stayed behind from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
during the Expedition of Tabuk at first,
but then I caught up with him while he was at Tabuk,
and he prayed for good for me.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) set out
to fight the Romans in Rajab
of the ninth year after Hijrah,
in a battle called the Expedition of Tabuk,
which was also known as the Campaign of Hardship (Ghazwat al-'Usrah)
due to the extreme difficulty of the circumstances in which it occurred—
intense heat, scarcity of water,
long distance,
and a lack of funds and riding mounts.
Yet despite the harshness and severity of this expedition,
the Companions responded to the Prophet (peace be upon him)
and mobilized swiftly for jihad,
marching through the vast desert
amid scorching heat and rugged terrain.
As for me,
I had lagged behind in accompanying the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions.
Whenever I walked through the streets of Medina,
I saw no one left behind except a known hypocrite
or someone excused among those Allah had excused.
So I returned to my family on a hot day
and found my two wives
in their shaded arbors in our garden.
Each of them had sprinkled water over her arbor,
cooled water for me,
and prepared food for me.
When I stood at the door of the arbor,
I looked at my wives
and what they had prepared for me,
and I said,
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
is out in the sun, wind, and heat,
while I am in cool shade,
with prepared food
and a beautiful woman?
This is not fair!
By Allah, I will not enter the arbor of either of you
until I join the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
So prepare provisions for me!"
And so they did.
Then I mounted my riding camel
and set out in pursuit of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
Along the way,
I met 'Umayr ibn Wahb (may Allah be pleased with him),
who was also seeking the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
so we traveled together.
When we drew near Tabuk,
I said to 'Umayr ibn Wahb,
"I have committed a sin,
so do not hesitate to fall behind me
until I reach the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)."
He did so.
When he drew near to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
while he was encamped at Tabuk,
the people said,
"Here is a rider approaching on the road."
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said,
"Be Abu Fulān [a father of so-and-so]."
He meant me.
They said,
"O Messenger of Allah,
by Allah, it is indeed Abu Fulān."
When I made my camel kneel,
I approached and greeted the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
He said to me,
"Woe to you,
what a calamity has nearly destroyed you!"
I informed the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
of my situation,
and he spoke well to me,
and prayed for my well-being.
So, who am I?
The answer:
Abu Khaythama,
Malik Ibn Qays,
may Allah be pleased with him.
Pause.
Learn about the Companions, the scholars, and the prominent figures.
A new challenge.
Who am I?
I am one of the younger Companions,
and a cousin of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
I am one of those who narrated the most hadiths.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, would let me ride behind him on his mount.
I am the scholar of the Ummah,
the jurist of the era,
the leader of Tafsir,
and the interpreter of the Qur'an.
I was born in the ravine of Banu Hashim
during the days of the siege,
three years before the Hijrah.
I grew up in Islam while I was young,
and I migrated with my father, and we were among the last to migrate.
Then, I was keen to keep the company of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
to observe his states, his worship, and to emulate him.
Once, I came to him late at night,
and I intended to pray behind him.
He took my hand,
pulled me, and placed me beside him.
When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, turned to his prayer,
I stepped back and prayed behind him.
When he finished,
he said to me,
"What is the matter with me placing you beside me, and you stepping back?"
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
is it appropriate for anyone to pray beside you when you are the Messenger of Allah?"
This pleased him.
He, peace be upon him, used to pray for me, saying,
"O Allah, grant him deep understanding of the religion,
and teach him the interpretation."
When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, passed away,
I said to a young man from the Ansar,
"Let us go and ask the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and acquire knowledge from them,
for they are many today."
He said,
"How strange of you!
Do you think people need us
when among them are the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, that there are?"
So he abandoned that,
but I set out to ask the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and seek knowledge.
If a hadith reached me about a man,
I would come to his door while he was sleeping during the afternoon,
and I would use my cloak as a pillow at his door,
while the wind blew dust upon me.
The man would come out and see me,
and say,
"O cousin of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
what brings you here?
Could you not have sent for me so I could come to you?"
I would say,
"No,
I am more deserving to come to you."
Then I would ask him about the hadith.
That young Ansari remained,
until he saw me with people gathered around me,
and he said,
"This young man is wiser than I."
Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, used to include me with the elders of Badr.
Some of them said,
"Why do you bring this young man in with us when we have sons like him?"
He said,
"He is whom you know."
One day, he called them and called me with them,
and said,
"What do you say about ﴾When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest...﴿?"
until he finished the surah.
Some of them said,
"We were told to praise Allah and seek His forgiveness when He grants us victory and conquest."
Others said, "We do not know."
Then he said to me,
"And you, what do you say?"
I said,
"It is the term of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, which He informed him of."
Umar said,
"I know nothing of it other than what you know."
Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said one day about me,
"That is a youth of the elders;
he has a questioning tongue,
and an understanding heart."
I had a large assembly in Medina,
where people would come to me to seek knowledge.
I would divide my assembly into days and lessons:
I would set a day for fiqh,
a day for the Tafsir of the Qur'an,
a day for the military expeditions (Maghazi),
a day for poetry,
and a day for the history of the Arabs.
So, who am I?
The answer:
Abdullah Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both.
Pause.
Pause.
Learn about the Companions, the scholars, and the prominent figures.
A new challenge.
Who am I?
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
and an ally of the Ansar,
and one of the knights of Islam.
I was among those who hastened to do good deeds,
and competed in the lasting righteous deeds,
and sacrificed their lives and wealth in the way of Allah.
I embraced Islam when Mus'ab Ibn Umayr, may Allah be pleased with him, came to Medina.
We were sitting with the Prophet, peace be upon him, one day,
when a man came and said,
"O Messenger of Allah,
so-and-so has a date palm tree.
I want to build a wall around my orchard,
and the wall would pass over his date palm tree.
So order him to give me the date palm tree,
so that I may complete the wall of my orchard with it."
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to the man who owned the date palm,
"Give it to him,
and you shall have a date palm in Paradise for it."
The man refused,
then he stood up and left.
I stood up behind him and said to him,
"Sell me your date palm for my entire orchard."
I had a large orchard,
containing six hundred date palms.
The man agreed.
I came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and said,
"O Messenger of Allah,
I have bought the date palm for my orchard,
so grant it to him."
The Prophet, peace be upon him, was pleased,
and gave me glad tidings of a heavy-laden date cluster in Paradise.
The heavy-laden cluster
is the branch of the date palm
that is heavy with its load due to the abundance of its fruit.
I came to my wife while she was in the orchard,
and I said to her,
"Leave the orchard,
and take the children out,
for I have sold it for a date palm in Paradise."
She said,
"The trade has profited."
Then she turned to our children,
taking what was in their mouths of dates,
and shaking what was in their sleeves.
I witnessed the Battle of Uhud with the Prophet, peace be upon him.
When the Muslims were defeated,
and it was rumored that the Prophet, peace be upon him, had been killed,
I began to shout at the top of my voice,
"O company of the Ansar,
if Muhammad has been killed,
then Allah is Ever-Living and does not die.
So fight for your religion,
for Allah will grant you victory and support you."
A group of the Ansar rose up with me,
and we attacked the polytheists.
A fierce battalion stood against us,
and we fought them,
until I was struck and fell on the battlefield wounded.
Then I recovered from my wounds,
and I died after Hudaybiyyah.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed over me,
then a horse was brought, and he mounted it,
and followed my funeral procession,
with the Companions rushing behind him.
He, peace be upon him, said,
"How many a heavy-laden date cluster he has in Paradise!"
So, who am I?
The answer: Abu al-Dahdah,
Thabit Ibn al-Dahdah, may Allah be pleased with him.
Pause.
Learn about the Companions, the scholars, and the prominent figures.
A new challenge: Who am I?
I am one of the female Companions who migrated,
I am of Hashimite and Qurayshi descent.
I married a Hashimite Qurayshi man.
He is Abu Talib.
The uncle of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
I bore him Ali Ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him.
And his siblings.
I was the first Hashimite woman to give birth to a Hashimite.
And the first Hashimite woman to give birth to a Caliph.
I was a righteous and noble woman.
Possessing good character.
I was among the patient, believing women.
I held a great place in the heart of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
When Abd al-Muttalib, the grandfather of the Prophet, peace be upon him, passed away.
My husband, Abu Talib, took charge.
Of the guardianship of Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Abu Talib brought him into our home with our own children.
Thus, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was raised in my house.
I took care of him alongside my own children.
I was to him like a mother and a nurturer.
The tender hand that embraced him along with her own children.
I sheltered him for nearly two decades of his life.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, considered me a mother to him.
He would call me, "My mother."
I loved him as I loved my own sons.
Indeed, I took pride in his virtuous character.
When the Prophet, peace be upon him, chose my son Ali.
To live with him in his house.
That brought me joy.
I advised my son to be influenced by the character of Muhammad, peace be upon him.
And to follow in his footsteps.
This was before the Prophetic mission.
I embraced Islam after the death of my husband, Abu Talib.
Then I migrated to Medina.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would visit me.
And would take a midday nap in my house.
And upon my death.
He, peace be upon him, shrouded me in his own shirt.
He entered my grave and leveled it with his own hands.
So, who am I?
The answer is Fatima bint Asad, may Allah be pleased with her.
Pause.
And learn about the Companions, the scholars, and the prominent figures.
A new challenge.
Who am I?
I am one of the Companions.
One of the Ansar of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
I embraced Islam before the Prophet, peace be upon him, entered Medina.
I lived in Islam for a short time.
And I was killed in the Battle of Badr.
The first of the immortal battles of Islam.
On the seventeenth day of Ramadan.
In the second year of the Hijra.
News reached the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Of a Quraysh caravan coming from the Levant.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to his Companions:
"Whoever has his mount ready,"
"Let him ride with us."
Men began to ask his permission.
To fetch their mounts from the upper parts of Medina.
He would say, "No."
"Only those whose mounts are ready."
So the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, set out.
And we set out with him.
Until we reached Badr before the polytheists.
Then the polytheists arrived.
The two ranks met without a prior appointment.
Both camps prepared for battle.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"By the One in whose hand is my soul,"
"No man fights them today,"
"And is killed while patient and seeking reward,"
"Advancing and not retreating,"
"But that Allah will admit him to Paradise."
"Rise to a Paradise whose width is the heavens and the earth."
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,"
“And vie one with another for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who ward off (evil);” (3:133)
He said, "Yes."
I said, "Bakh, bakh!" (An expression of amazement and joy).
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"What prompted you to say 'bakh, bakh'?"
I said, "No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah,"
"Except for the hope that I might be among its people."
He, peace be upon him, said:
"You are indeed among its people."
I took out some dates I had with me.
And began to eat them.
Then I said:
"If I were to live until I finish eating these dates of mine,"
"That would be a long life."
So I threw them away.
And I began to fight, saying:
"Rushing to Allah without provisions,"
"Except for piety and the deeds of the hereafter,"
"And patience for the sake of Allah in Jihad,"
"Every provision is subject to depletion,"
"Except for piety, righteousness, and guidance."
Then I fought the polytheists until I was killed.
I was the first of the Ansar to be killed in Islam.
So, who am I?
The answer is Umayr ibn al-Humam al-Ansari.
May Allah be pleased with him.
Pause.
And learn about the Companions, the scholars, and the prominent figures.
A new challenge.
Who am I?
I am one of the young Companions.
I embraced Islam in Mecca early on.
I was among the virtuous Companions.
And one of the witnesses to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.
I defected from the ranks of the polytheists at Badr.
And sought refuge with the Muslims.
I witnessed it with them.
And I am counted among the Badr veterans.
I did not miss any event with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Since I embraced Islam.
My brother is the noble Companion.
Abu Jandal, may Allah be pleased with him.
Whom the Muslims returned after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.
My father was one of the leaders of Mecca.
And he was fiercely hostile to the Muslims.
He intensified my torture after he learned of my Islam.
So I migrated to Abyssinia in secret from him.
Then I returned to Mecca with those who returned.
After rumors spread about the Quraysh embracing Islam.
When I entered upon my father.
He seized me and bound me.
And tortured me more severely than before.
Which drove me to show him.
That I had abandoned the religion of Islam.
So that he would be reassured.
But my heart was firm in faith.
And when Quraysh gathered their forces.
For the battle at Badr.
I stood with my father.
Pretending to be enthusiastic about fighting the Muslims.
And I was in charge of the Quraysh provisions.
Which they would take with them to the battle.
Which increased my father's admiration for me.
Then I went out with them to Badr.
When the two groups met.
And I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Among the Muslims.
I rejoiced with the greatest joy.
Then I ran toward them.
While I was shouting:
"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,"
"And that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."
And I fled from my father.
To the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
And I witnessed Badr with him.
And on the day of the Conquest.
I sought safety for my father.
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,"
"Will you grant my father safety?"
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"Yes."
"He is safe under the protection of Allah."
"So let him appear."
Then the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said.
To those around him:
"Whoever sees Suhayl ibn Amr,"
"Let him not stare at him."
"For by my life,"
"Suhayl possesses intellect and nobility."
"And a man like Suhayl cannot be ignorant of Islam."
So I went out to my father.
And I told him what the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, had said.
My father said:
"By Allah, he was always righteous,"
"In his youth and in his adulthood."
So my father embraced Islam, and his Islam was sincere.
And after the death of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
I participated in the Wars of Apostasy.
And I was killed in the Battle of Yamama.
So, who am I?
The answer:
Abdullah ibn Suhayl ibn Amr.
May Allah be pleased with him.