WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:15.580 --> 00:00:17.579 The Mawaddah Association is pleased 00:00:17.579 --> 00:00:22.579 to present to you portraits from the lives of the Companions, 00:00:22.579 --> 00:00:25.579 by Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 00:00:25.579 --> 00:00:30.489 may Allah have mercy upon him. 00:00:30.489 --> 00:00:33.490 Abu Ubayd Ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi, 00:00:33.490 --> 00:00:36.740 may Allah be pleased with him. 00:00:52.259 --> 00:00:54.259 There he was, the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah, 00:00:54.259 --> 00:00:56.259 Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, 00:00:56.259 --> 00:00:58.259 lying upon his bed, 00:00:58.259 --> 00:01:00.259 awaiting the decree of Allah concerning him, 00:01:00.259 --> 00:01:03.259 after the burden of illness had weighed heavily upon him. 00:01:03.259 --> 00:01:05.260 And there were the people of Medina, 00:01:05.260 --> 00:01:08.260 visiting the house of the Caliph of the Muslims, 00:01:08.260 --> 00:01:10.260 anxious and deeply concerned. 00:01:10.260 --> 00:01:14.299 While al-Siddiq was in this state, 00:01:14.299 --> 00:01:17.299 he summoned his successor and said, 00:01:17.299 --> 00:01:18.299 "O Umar, 00:01:18.299 --> 00:01:22.299 I truly hope to pass away this very day. 00:01:22.299 --> 00:01:24.299 So, when I die, 00:01:24.299 --> 00:01:29.299 do not let the morning come before you call the people to fight the Persians. 00:01:29.299 --> 00:01:31.299 Then, send those among them who respond to you 00:01:31.299 --> 00:01:35.299 as reinforcements for the Muslim army fighting there. 00:01:35.299 --> 00:01:40.299 And let no calamity, however great, distract you from the affairs of your religion." 00:01:40.299 --> 00:01:45.299 Shortly thereafter, he surrendered his soul before the sun set that day. 00:01:45.299 --> 00:01:49.459 The Faruq (Umar) buried his companion in the earth that night. 00:01:49.459 --> 00:01:51.459 And no sooner had the morning dawned 00:01:51.459 --> 00:01:54.459 than the first task Umar undertook 00:01:54.459 --> 00:01:57.459 was to call the people to fight the Persians, 00:01:57.459 --> 00:02:00.459 encouraging them to do so with the utmost fervor. 00:02:00.459 --> 00:02:04.459 Yet he was surprised that no one responded to him, 00:02:04.459 --> 00:02:07.459 due to their intense fear of the Persians 00:02:07.459 --> 00:02:11.460 and the many stories they had heard of their might and brutality. 00:02:11.460 --> 00:02:13.520 When the next day came, 00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:15.520 he called the people once again, 00:02:15.520 --> 00:02:18.520 but no one answered his call. 00:02:18.520 --> 00:02:20.520 When the third day came, 00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:23.520 he called them a third time, 00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:26.520 but no one volunteered. 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:28.520 When the fourth day came, 00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:33.520 he went out to the people, heavy-hearted and distressed, 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:36.520 and called them to fight the Persians. 00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:39.520 Then Abu Ubayd Ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi stood up before him 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:41.520 and said, 00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:43.520 "O Commander of the Faithful, 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:45.520 we have heard your call 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:47.520 and have obeyed your command. 00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:49.520 I am the first to respond to you, 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:52.520 along with my children, my family, and my kin." 00:02:52.520 --> 00:02:56.520 Umar’s face brightened with joy, 00:02:56.520 --> 00:02:59.520 and a spirit of zeal stirred in the hearts of the men, 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:02.520 so they flocked to join the invading army 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:04.780 in the cause of Allah. 00:03:04.780 --> 00:03:06.780 When the gathering of the Muslims was complete, 00:03:06.780 --> 00:03:09.780 one of them said to Umar Ibn al-Khattab, 00:03:09.780 --> 00:03:12.780 "Appoint over the army one of the early converts 00:03:12.780 --> 00:03:15.780 to Islam from the Muhajirun or the Ansar, 00:03:15.780 --> 00:03:17.780 for they are the people of highest standing 00:03:17.780 --> 00:03:19.780 and greatest stature." 00:03:19.780 --> 00:03:21.780 He replied, "No, by Allah! 00:03:21.780 --> 00:03:24.780 Their standing was raised and their stature made great 00:03:24.780 --> 00:03:26.780 only by their precedence in good deeds 00:03:26.780 --> 00:03:30.780 and their haste to meet the enemies of Allah. 00:03:30.780 --> 00:03:33.780 If they become sluggish in Jihad in the cause of Allah, 00:03:33.780 --> 00:03:36.780 and someone else rushes to it before them, 00:03:36.780 --> 00:03:38.780 then he is the one who has precedence over them 00:03:38.780 --> 00:03:41.780 and is more worthy of leadership." 00:03:41.780 --> 00:03:43.840 "By Allah, I will not appoint over them 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:47.840 anyone but the first of the Muslims to respond to the call of Jihad." 00:03:47.840 --> 00:03:51.840 Then he summoned Abu Ubayd Ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:54.840 and entrusted him with the banner of the Muslim army 00:03:54.840 --> 00:03:56.840 heading to war against the Persians. 00:03:56.840 --> 00:03:59.939 Abu Ubayd set out with his army, numbering 00:03:59.939 --> 00:04:01.939 five thousand mujahidin, 00:04:01.939 --> 00:04:05.939 accompanied by his brother, his three sons, and his wife. 00:04:05.939 --> 00:04:09.939 Whenever he passed by a tribe of the Arabs, 00:04:09.939 --> 00:04:11.939 he would urge them to Jihad 00:04:11.939 --> 00:04:13.939 and encourage them toward martyrdom. 00:04:13.939 --> 00:04:16.939 The army continued to grow and expand 00:04:16.939 --> 00:04:19.939 until it reached ten thousand mujahidin. 00:04:19.939 --> 00:04:22.939 News of the approaching Muslim army, 00:04:22.939 --> 00:04:26.939 led by Abu Ubayd, reached the ears of the Persians, 00:04:26.939 --> 00:04:29.939 so they mobilized their soldiers and prepared their forces, 00:04:29.939 --> 00:04:33.939 resolving to strike the Muslims a decisive blow 00:04:33.939 --> 00:04:36.939 from which they would never recover. 00:04:36.939 --> 00:04:41.939 They placed in command of their army one of their great leaders, 00:04:41.939 --> 00:04:43.939 called Jaban, 00:04:43.939 --> 00:04:47.939 and placed on his right flank a knight from among their most famous, 00:04:47.939 --> 00:04:49.939 known as Mardan. 00:04:49.939 --> 00:04:53.060 The two hosts met at al-Nariq, 00:04:53.060 --> 00:04:56.060 and a fierce, grinding battle ensued between them, 00:04:56.060 --> 00:04:59.060 in which the Muslim army, 00:04:59.060 --> 00:05:01.060 led by Abu Ubayd, 00:05:01.060 --> 00:05:03.060 displayed such valor and sacrifice 00:05:03.060 --> 00:05:05.060 that it shook the footing of the Persians, 00:05:05.060 --> 00:05:08.060 inflicted upon them a crushing defeat, 00:05:08.060 --> 00:05:11.060 and scattered them completely. 00:05:11.060 --> 00:05:14.160 Jaban, the commander of the army, fell 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:17.160 into the captivity of a Muslim soldier 00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:20.160 named Matar Ibn Fadda al-Taymi, 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:23.160 and Mardan fell into the captivity of another soldier 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:26.160 named Aktal Ibn Shammakh al-Ikli. 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:29.160 Aktal killed his captive, 00:05:29.160 --> 00:05:30.160 but as for Jaban, 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:33.160 he realized that his captor did not recognize him, 00:05:33.160 --> 00:05:35.160 so he began to humble himself before him, 00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:39.160 showing him weakness, helplessness, and his advanced age, 00:05:39.160 --> 00:05:42.160 and asked him to grant him safety for his life, 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:45.160 promising him whatever reward he wished. 00:05:45.160 --> 00:05:49.160 Matar felt pity for him, granted him safety, and set him free. 00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:54.160 But no sooner had Jaban escaped from his captor 00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:58.160 than the Muslim soldiers recognized him and seized him, 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:01.160 bringing him to the army commander, Abu Ubayd, 00:06:01.160 --> 00:06:05.160 and saying, "This is Jaban, the commander of the Persian army. 00:06:05.160 --> 00:06:08.160 One of the Muslim soldiers granted him safety, 00:06:08.160 --> 00:06:10.160 not knowing who he was." 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:12.160 Then they suggested he be executed. 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:16.160 He replied, "By Allah, I will not kill him after he has been granted safety, 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:19.160 for the Muslims are like one body; 00:06:19.160 --> 00:06:23.160 what binds one of them binds them all." 00:06:23.160 --> 00:06:25.160 And he set him free. 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:28.160 The defeated soldiers surrendered to Abu Ubayd 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:31.160 and made peace with him on the condition that they pay the jizya. 00:06:31.160 --> 00:06:35.160 They brought him delicacies of food and al-akhbisa— 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:38.160 al-akhbisa being a type of sweet. 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:41.290 When they placed it before him, 00:06:41.290 --> 00:06:43.290 he turned away from it and said, 00:06:43.290 --> 00:06:46.290 "Have you honored all the Muslim soldiers 00:06:46.290 --> 00:06:49.290 with the same as you honor me?" 00:06:49.290 --> 00:06:53.290 They replied, "That was not possible for us today, 00:06:53.290 --> 00:06:55.290 but we will do so tomorrow." 00:06:55.290 --> 00:06:59.290 He said, "Take it away, for we have no need of it." 00:06:59.290 --> 00:07:02.290 Then his eyes welled with tears and he said, 00:07:02.290 --> 00:07:04.290 "Wretched is the man Abu Ubayd is, 00:07:04.290 --> 00:07:08.290 if he leads the Muslim soldiers from their homes, 00:07:08.290 --> 00:07:11.290 and tears them away from their families and children, 00:07:11.290 --> 00:07:14.290 then takes for himself something they do not have. 00:07:14.290 --> 00:07:19.290 No, by Allah, I will not eat anything of what you have brought, 00:07:19.290 --> 00:07:23.290 nor of the spoils of war that Allah has bestowed upon us, 00:07:23.290 --> 00:07:27.290 except what the average Muslim soldier eats." 00:07:27.290 --> 00:07:29.290 So they took it away. 00:07:29.290 --> 00:07:32.480 Abu Ubayd gathered the spoils, 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:34.480 and among what he had captured 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:36.480 was a type of fine date 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:38.480 called al-Narsiyan, 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:40.480 named after Narsi, 00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:42.480 the cousin of the King. 00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:44.480 It was attributed to him 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:46.480 because he had monopolized its cultivation 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:49.480 and restricted it to himself, away from other people. 00:07:49.480 --> 00:07:51.480 The King of Persia used to reserve 00:07:51.480 --> 00:07:55.480 this unique type of date for himself, 00:07:55.480 --> 00:07:58.480 so that no one ate it except him and his family, 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:02.480 or those he wished to honor with a gift. 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:04.480 Abu Ubayd distributed it 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:06.480 among the Persian farmers 00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:09.480 who used to plant and harvest it, 00:08:09.480 --> 00:08:11.480 yet never tasted it. 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:15.480 He sent one-fifth of it to the Muslim treasury in Medina 00:08:15.480 --> 00:08:18.480 and wrote to Umar Ibn al-Khattab, saying, 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:23.480 "Allah has provided us with food that the Chosroes used to protect 00:08:23.480 --> 00:08:26.480 and reserve for themselves, away from their subjects. 00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:30.480 We wanted you to see it, O Commander of the Faithful, 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:33.480 so that you may thank Allah the Exalted for His bounty and grace." 00:08:33.480 --> 00:08:38.539 News of the crushing defeat that befell the Persians 00:08:38.539 --> 00:08:40.539 reached the ears of their leader, Rustam, 00:08:40.539 --> 00:08:44.539 and he learned what had happened to Jaban and his right-flank commander. 00:08:44.539 --> 00:08:46.539 He was filled with rage, 00:08:46.539 --> 00:08:50.539 and it was unbearable for him that the victorious Persian armies 00:08:50.539 --> 00:08:55.539 should be defeated by this small number of barefoot, naked Arabs. 00:08:55.539 --> 00:08:58.539 He gathered his inner circle and said to them, 00:08:58.539 --> 00:09:02.539 "Which of the Persians, in your view, is most formidable against the Arabs?" 00:09:02.539 --> 00:09:06.539 They replied, "It is Bahman Dhu al-Hajib." 00:09:06.539 --> 00:09:08.539 He said, "You have spoken correctly." 00:09:08.539 --> 00:09:10.539 Then he summoned Bahman 00:09:10.539 --> 00:09:15.539 and entrusted him with the banner over eighty thousand fierce fighters, 00:09:15.539 --> 00:09:18.539 and included in his army twenty elephants, 00:09:18.539 --> 00:09:22.539 the likes of which the eye had never seen for size or strength. 00:09:22.539 --> 00:09:25.539 Bahman marched with this massive army 00:09:25.539 --> 00:09:28.539 until he encamped on the eastern bank of the Euphrates, 00:09:28.539 --> 00:09:31.539 near the site of Kufa. 00:09:31.539 --> 00:09:34.639 As for Abu Ubayd, he headed with his soldiers 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:39.639 and encamped on the bank of the river opposite the Persian camp. 00:09:39.639 --> 00:09:43.639 Bahman wrote to Abu Ubayd, saying, 00:09:43.639 --> 00:09:45.639 "Either you cross over to us, 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:49.639 and we will not raise a hand against you in harm as you cross, 00:09:49.639 --> 00:09:52.639 or we shall cross over to you." 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:55.639 Abu Ubayd said to those around him, 00:09:55.639 --> 00:09:58.639 "The Persians shall not be bolder than us in the face of death." 00:09:59.639 --> 00:10:01.639 And he resolved to cross, 00:10:01.639 --> 00:10:04.639 despite the opposition of many of his men 00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:06.639 to what he had decided, 00:10:06.639 --> 00:10:08.639 and he informed the Persians of that. 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:12.019 On the night before the crossing, 00:10:12.019 --> 00:10:16.019 the wife of Abu Ubayd saw in a dream 00:10:16.019 --> 00:10:19.019 that a man descended from the sky 00:10:19.019 --> 00:10:22.019 with a pitcher containing a drink, 00:10:22.019 --> 00:10:26.059 and he gave her husband, his brother, and his three sons to drink from it. 00:10:26.059 --> 00:10:29.059 When she recounted her vision to Abu 'Ubayd, 00:10:29.059 --> 00:10:31.059 he said to her, "Glad tidings to you, 00:10:31.059 --> 00:10:35.059 for martyrdom has been decreed for me, my brother, and my sons." 00:10:35.059 --> 00:10:38.120 Then he stood before his troops and said, 00:10:38.120 --> 00:10:40.120 "O people, 00:10:40.120 --> 00:10:44.120 if I am killed, appoint my brother al-Hakam as your commander. 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:48.120 If he is killed, appoint my son Wahb. 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:52.120 If he is killed, appoint his brother Malik. 00:10:52.120 --> 00:10:55.120 If he is killed, appoint his brother Jabr. 00:10:55.120 --> 00:11:00.120 If he is killed, appoint al-Muthanna ibn Harithah al-Shaybani." 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:03.120 Then he ordered the Muslims to cross. 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:05.120 They obeyed the command, 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:11.120 and began to pour toward the eastern bank of the river like a rushing torrent. 00:11:11.120 --> 00:11:14.120 They crossed over a bridge they had erected there. 00:11:14.120 --> 00:11:18.279 When the two armies met on the battlefield, 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:22.279 the Muslims were taken by surprise by the elephants advancing with the Persian army. 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:29.279 Thick branches of palm fronds had been fastened to their backs and necks, 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:33.279 and large, clanging bells were hung upon them. 00:11:33.279 --> 00:11:39.279 Each elephant appeared like a wooded mountain walking upon the earth. 00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:44.279 The Muslim soldiers, who had never encountered such things before, were awestruck, 00:11:44.279 --> 00:11:47.279 and their horses shied away in fear. 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:53.279 Abu 'Ubayd realized that he had to eliminate the elephants and their riders 00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:56.279 in order to secure victory for his army. 00:11:56.279 --> 00:12:02.379 He called out to the Muslim soldiers, "Advance upon the elephants, cut their girths, 00:12:02.379 --> 00:12:07.379 throw the men from their backs, and strike them in their vital spots. 00:12:07.379 --> 00:12:10.379 I am advancing before you." 00:12:10.379 --> 00:12:15.379 No sooner had he finished speaking than he approached the largest elephant, 00:12:15.379 --> 00:12:19.379 cut its girth, and brought down the rider on its back. 00:12:19.379 --> 00:12:25.440 However, the elephant immediately struck him with its trunk, throwing him to the ground, 00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:29.500 then trampled him and killed him. 00:12:29.500 --> 00:12:33.500 Command passed after Abu 'Ubayd to his brother al-Hakam, 00:12:33.500 --> 00:12:36.500 who fell as a martyr. 00:12:36.500 --> 00:12:38.500 He was succeeded by his eldest son, 00:12:38.500 --> 00:12:40.500 who joined his father and uncle in martyrdom. 00:12:40.500 --> 00:12:42.500 He was succeeded by his second son, 00:12:42.500 --> 00:12:44.500 who also joined them. 00:12:44.500 --> 00:12:46.500 He was succeeded by his third son, 00:12:46.500 --> 00:12:50.500 who met the same fate as his father, his brothers, and his uncle. 00:12:50.500 --> 00:12:54.500 Thus, the vision of Abu 'Ubayd's wife was fulfilled, 00:12:54.500 --> 00:12:56.500 and his interpretation of it proved correct, 00:12:56.500 --> 00:12:59.500 as martyrdom was decreed for them all. 00:12:59.500 --> 00:13:03.759 The Muslims did not achieve in this battle, 00:13:03.759 --> 00:13:05.759 which was called the Battle of the Bridge, 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:08.759 the victory they had hoped for. 00:13:08.759 --> 00:13:11.759 Nevertheless, they filled the hearts of their enemies with terror, 00:13:12.759 --> 00:13:15.759 and instilled deep dread and fear within them. 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:18.919 Indeed, the Battle of the Bridge 00:13:18.919 --> 00:13:21.919 was a grave and momentous event with significant consequences. 00:13:21.919 --> 00:13:25.919 For the bright and glorious day of al-Qadisiyyah 00:13:25.919 --> 00:13:28.919 was not far removed from the day of the Bridge.