WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:15.220 --> 00:00:18.219 Mawaddah Association is pleased 00:00:18.219 --> 00:00:22.219 to present to you snapshots from the lives of the Companions, 00:00:22.219 --> 00:00:25.219 by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 00:00:25.219 --> 00:00:27.260 may Allah have mercy upon him. 00:00:27.260 --> 00:00:33.659 Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, may Allah be pleased with him. 00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:46.939 He was radiant of face, 00:00:46.939 --> 00:00:49.939 splendid of appearance, and slender of build, 00:00:49.939 --> 00:00:50.939 tall in stature, 00:00:50.939 --> 00:00:52.939 with light cheeks. 00:00:52.939 --> 00:00:54.939 The eye found comfort in looking at him, 00:00:54.939 --> 00:00:57.939 the soul felt at ease upon meeting him, 00:00:57.939 --> 00:01:01.229 and the heart felt tranquil in his presence. 00:01:01.229 --> 00:01:04.230 Moreover, he was gentle-natured, 00:01:04.230 --> 00:01:06.230 immensely humble, 00:01:06.230 --> 00:01:07.230 and exceedingly modest. 00:01:07.230 --> 00:01:11.230 Yet, whenever crisis struck and matters grew grave, 00:01:11.230 --> 00:01:14.230 he would become like an attacking lion. 00:01:14.230 --> 00:01:18.230 He resembled the blade of a sword in its luster and splendor, 00:01:18.230 --> 00:01:21.230 and matched it in sharpness and decisiveness. 00:01:21.230 --> 00:01:24.230 Such was the trustworthy custodian of the Ummah of Muhammad: 00:01:24.230 --> 00:01:28.230 'Amir ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Jarrah al-Fihri al-Qurashi, 00:01:28.230 --> 00:01:31.230 kunya-named Abu 'Ubaydah. 00:01:31.230 --> 00:01:35.299 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, described him saying: 00:01:35.299 --> 00:01:39.299 "Three men of Quraysh are the most radiant of face, 00:01:39.299 --> 00:01:43.299 the best in character, and the most steadfast in modesty: 00:01:43.299 --> 00:01:46.299 if they speak to you, they do not lie to you, 00:01:46.299 --> 00:01:49.299 and if you speak to them, they do not belie you: 00:01:49.299 --> 00:01:51.329 Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, 00:01:51.329 --> 00:01:53.329 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, 00:01:53.329 --> 00:01:55.329 and Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah." 00:01:55.329 --> 00:01:59.519 Abu 'Ubaydah was among the foremost early converts to Islam, 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:03.519 having embraced Islam the day after Abu Bakr embraced it. 00:02:03.519 --> 00:02:07.519 His acceptance of Islam was at the hands of al-Siddiq himself, 00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:10.520 who went with him, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf, 00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:12.520 'Uthman ibn Maz'un, 00:02:12.520 --> 00:02:14.520 and al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam 00:02:14.520 --> 00:02:17.520 to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:20.520 and they declared the word of truth before him. 00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:23.520 Thus, they were the first foundations upon which was erected 00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:25.520 the magnificent edifice of Islam. 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:29.520 Abu 'Ubaydah lived through the harsh ordeal of the Muslims 00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:32.520 in Makkah from its beginning to its end, 00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:35.520 enduring along with the early Muslims 00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:39.520 its violence, ferocity, pain, and grief, 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:43.520 the likes of which followers of no other religion on the face of the earth had endured. 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:45.580 Yet he remained steadfast through the trial, 00:02:45.580 --> 00:02:48.580 true to Allah and His Messenger in every situation. 00:02:48.580 --> 00:02:51.580 However, Abu 'Ubaydah's ordeal on the day of Badr 00:02:51.580 --> 00:02:54.580 exceeded in its intensity the calculations of any reckoner 00:02:54.580 --> 00:02:57.580 and surpassed the imagination of any imaginer. 00:02:57.580 --> 00:03:00.580 On the day of Badr, Abu 'Ubaydah set out, 00:03:00.580 --> 00:03:02.580 charging through the ranks 00:03:02.580 --> 00:03:04.580 with the charge of one who fears not death, 00:03:04.580 --> 00:03:06.580 so the polytheists dreaded him. 00:03:06.580 --> 00:03:09.580 He maneuvered with the maneuver of one who takes no caution of death, 00:03:09.580 --> 00:03:12.580 so the horsemen of Quraysh wary of him. 00:03:12.580 --> 00:03:15.580 Whenever they faced him, they turned away from his path. 00:03:15.580 --> 00:03:18.580 But one man among them 00:03:18.580 --> 00:03:21.580 kept confronting Abu 'Ubaydah at every turn. 00:03:21.580 --> 00:03:25.580 Abu 'Ubaydah kept swerving away from his path 00:03:25.580 --> 00:03:27.580 and avoiding an encounter with him, 00:03:27.580 --> 00:03:29.580 yet the man persisted in his attack. 00:03:29.580 --> 00:03:32.580 Abu 'Ubaydah stepped aside repeatedly, 00:03:32.580 --> 00:03:35.580 but the man blocked Abu 'Ubaydah's paths 00:03:35.580 --> 00:03:39.580 and stood as an obstacle between him and fighting the enemies of Allah. 00:03:39.580 --> 00:03:41.580 When Abu 'Ubaydah could endure it no longer, 00:03:41.580 --> 00:03:44.580 he struck his head with a blow of his sword, 00:03:44.580 --> 00:03:46.580 splitting his skull into two pieces, 00:03:46.580 --> 00:03:49.580 and the man fell dead before him. 00:03:49.580 --> 00:03:52.650 Do not try, noble listener, 00:03:52.650 --> 00:03:55.650 to guess who the slain man was. 00:03:55.650 --> 00:03:57.650 Did I not tell you 00:03:57.650 --> 00:04:00.650 that the severity of the ordeal exceeded the calculations of any reckoner 00:04:00.650 --> 00:04:03.650 and surpassed the imagination of any imaginer? 00:04:03.650 --> 00:04:06.680 Your head might split with shock 00:04:06.680 --> 00:04:08.680 when you learn that the slain man 00:04:08.680 --> 00:04:10.680 was 'Abd Allah ibn al-Jarrah, 00:04:10.680 --> 00:04:13.939 Abu 'Ubaydah's own father. 00:04:13.939 --> 00:04:16.939 Abu 'Ubaydah did not kill his father; 00:04:16.939 --> 00:04:19.939 he only killed polytheism in the person of his father. 00:04:19.939 --> 00:04:21.939 Thereupon, Allah, glorified be He, revealed 00:04:21.939 --> 00:04:23.939 concerning Abu 'Ubaydah 00:04:23.939 --> 00:04:25.939 and concerning his father verses of the Qur'an, 00:04:25.939 --> 00:04:27.939 saying, Exalted be He: ◁ You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day loving those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred. ▷ 00:04:27.939 --> 00:04:30.939 This was not surprising coming from Abu 'Ubaydah, 00:04:30.939 --> 00:04:33.939 for the strength of his faith in Allah, 00:04:33.939 --> 00:04:35.939 his sincerity to His religion, 00:04:35.939 --> 00:04:37.939 and his trustworthiness over the Ummah of Muhammad 00:04:37.939 --> 00:04:41.939 had reached a pinnacle to which great souls aspired in the sight of Allah. 00:04:41.939 --> 00:04:43.939 Muhammad ibn Ja'far narrated, 00:04:43.939 --> 00:04:45.939 saying: A delegation of Christians came 00:04:45.939 --> 00:04:48.939 to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:04:48.939 --> 00:04:51.939 and said, "O Abu al-Qasim, 00:04:51.939 --> 00:04:53.939 send with us a man from among your Companions 00:04:53.939 --> 00:04:55.939 whom you approve for us, to judge between us 00:04:55.939 --> 00:04:57.939 regarding some property matters 00:04:57.939 --> 00:04:59.939 over which we have differed. 00:04:59.939 --> 00:05:01.939 For, in our view, you—the community of Muslims— 00:05:01.939 --> 00:05:03.939 are trustworthy and acceptable." 00:05:03.939 --> 00:05:06.939 The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, 00:05:06.939 --> 00:05:08.939 "Come to me this evening, and I shall send with you 00:05:08.939 --> 00:05:10.939 one who is strong and trustworthy." 00:05:10.939 --> 00:05:12.939 'Umar ibn al-Khattab said, 00:05:12.939 --> 00:05:15.939 "I went to the Zuhr prayer early, 00:05:15.939 --> 00:05:17.939 and I never desired leadership 00:05:17.939 --> 00:05:19.939 as much as I desired it that day, 00:05:19.939 --> 00:05:22.939 in the hope that I might be the one so described. 00:05:22.939 --> 00:05:27.939 When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, led us in the Zuhr prayer, 00:05:27.939 --> 00:05:30.939 he began looking to his right and to his left. 00:05:30.939 --> 00:05:33.939 I stretched my neck so that he might see me, 00:05:33.939 --> 00:05:36.939 but he continued turning his gaze among us 00:05:36.939 --> 00:05:39.939 until he saw Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah. 00:05:39.939 --> 00:05:41.939 He called him and said, 00:05:41.939 --> 00:05:45.939 'Go forth with them, and judge between them with the truth concerning that wherein they differ.' 00:05:45.939 --> 00:05:47.939 I said to myself, 00:05:47.939 --> 00:05:50.060 'Abu 'Ubaydah has attained it.'" 00:05:50.060 --> 00:05:54.060 Abu 'Ubaydah was not merely trustworthy; 00:05:54.060 --> 00:05:57.060 rather, he combined strength with trustworthiness. 00:05:57.060 --> 00:06:01.060 This strength manifested on more than one occasion. 00:06:01.060 --> 00:06:05.060 It manifested on the day the Messenger sent a group of his Companions 00:06:05.060 --> 00:06:07.060 to intercept a caravan belonging to Quraysh, 00:06:07.060 --> 00:06:11.060 appointing Abu 'Ubaydah as their commander, may Allah be pleased with them and with him. 00:06:11.060 --> 00:06:14.060 He provided them with a leather bag of dates, 00:06:14.060 --> 00:06:16.060 finding nothing else for them. 00:06:16.060 --> 00:06:18.060 Abu 'Ubaydah would 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:21.060 give each man among his companions one date a day. 00:06:21.060 --> 00:06:25.060 Each of them would suck it just as a child sucks his mother's breast, 00:06:25.060 --> 00:06:28.060 then drink water over it, 00:06:28.060 --> 00:06:31.129 and it would suffice him for the day until nightfall. 00:06:31.129 --> 00:06:33.129 On the day of Uhud, 00:06:33.129 --> 00:06:35.129 when the Muslims were routed 00:06:35.129 --> 00:06:38.129 and a caller among the polytheists began shouting, 00:06:38.129 --> 00:06:40.129 "Show me Muhammad! 00:06:40.129 --> 00:06:42.129 Show me Muhammad!" 00:06:42.129 --> 00:06:45.129 Abu 'Ubaydah was one of the ten men 00:06:45.129 --> 00:06:49.129 who surrounded the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:06:49.129 --> 00:06:53.129 to shield him with their chests from the spears of the polytheists. 00:06:53.129 --> 00:06:55.129 When the battle ended, 00:06:55.129 --> 00:06:58.129 the Messenger, peace be upon him, 00:06:58.129 --> 00:07:00.129 had had his incisor tooth broken 00:07:00.129 --> 00:07:02.129 and his forehead wounded, 00:07:03.129 --> 00:07:05.129 with two rings from his helmet's visor driven into his cheek. 00:07:05.129 --> 00:07:09.129 Abu Bakr approached him, wanting to extract them from his cheek, 00:07:09.129 --> 00:07:11.129 but Abu 'Ubaydah said to him, 00:07:11.129 --> 00:07:14.129 "I adjure you by Allah to leave that to me!" 00:07:14.129 --> 00:07:15.129 So Abu Bakr stepped aside. 00:07:15.129 --> 00:07:17.129 Abu 'Ubaydah feared that 00:07:17.129 --> 00:07:19.129 if he pulled them out with his hand, 00:07:19.129 --> 00:07:21.129 he would cause pain to the Messenger of Allah. 00:07:21.129 --> 00:07:23.129 So he bit down on the first ring with his central incisor 00:07:23.129 --> 00:07:25.129 with a firm, strong grip 00:07:25.129 --> 00:07:27.129 and extracted it, 00:07:27.129 --> 00:07:29.129 but his own central incisor fell out. 00:07:29.129 --> 00:07:32.129 Then he bit down on the other ring with his second central incisor 00:07:32.129 --> 00:07:34.129 and pulled it out, 00:07:34.129 --> 00:07:36.129 and his second central incisor fell out. 00:07:36.129 --> 00:07:38.129 Abu Bakr said, 00:07:38.129 --> 00:07:42.129 "Abu 'Ubaydah was among the most handsome of men despite his lost teeth." 00:07:42.129 --> 00:07:48.129 Abu 'Ubaydah was present with the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, in all the major campaigns, 00:07:48.129 --> 00:07:50.129 from the time he accompanied him 00:07:50.129 --> 00:07:52.129 until certainty came to him upon the Prophet's passing. 00:07:52.129 --> 00:07:55.129 On the day of Saqifah, 00:07:55.129 --> 00:07:58.129 'Umar ibn al-Khattab said to Abu 'Ubaydah, 00:07:58.129 --> 00:08:00.129 "Stretch out your hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you, 00:08:00.129 --> 00:08:04.129 for I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say: 00:08:04.129 --> 00:08:07.129 'Indeed, every nation has a trustworthy custodian, 00:08:07.129 --> 00:08:09.129 and you are the trustworthy custodian of this nation.'" 00:08:09.129 --> 00:08:11.129 But Abu 'Ubaydah replied, 00:08:11.129 --> 00:08:14.129 "I would never step ahead of a man 00:08:14.129 --> 00:08:17.129 whom the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, commanded 00:08:17.129 --> 00:08:19.129 to lead us in prayer, 00:08:19.129 --> 00:08:21.129 so he led us in prayer until he passed away." 00:08:21.129 --> 00:08:25.189 Allegiance was then pledged to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, 00:08:25.189 --> 00:08:29.189 and Abu 'Ubaydah was his best counselor in truth 00:08:29.189 --> 00:08:32.190 and his most noble helper in good. 00:08:32.190 --> 00:08:37.190 Then Abu Bakr entrusted the Caliphate after him to al-Faruq 'Umar, 00:08:37.190 --> 00:08:40.190 to whom Abu 'Ubaydah rendered obedience, 00:08:40.190 --> 00:08:42.190 never disobeying him in any matter 00:08:42.190 --> 00:08:44.190 except on a single occasion. 00:08:44.190 --> 00:08:50.190 Do you know what matter it was in which Abu 'Ubaydah disobeyed the order of the Caliph of the Muslims? 00:08:50.190 --> 00:08:55.190 That occurred when Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah was in the region of al-Sham, 00:08:55.190 --> 00:08:59.190 leading the Muslim armies from victory to victory, 00:08:59.190 --> 00:09:04.190 until Allah granted conquest at his hands over the entire Syrian lands, 00:09:04.190 --> 00:09:06.190 reaching the Euphrates in the east 00:09:06.190 --> 00:09:08.190 and Asia Minor in the north. 00:09:08.190 --> 00:09:10.220 At that juncture, 00:09:10.220 --> 00:09:14.220 the land of al-Sham was struck by a plague the likes of which people had never known. 00:09:14.220 --> 00:09:17.289 It began harvesting people relentlessly. 00:09:17.289 --> 00:09:19.289 Thereupon, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab 00:09:19.289 --> 00:09:23.289 dispatched an envoy to Abu 'Ubaydah with a letter 00:09:23.289 --> 00:09:25.289 in which he wrote: 00:09:25.289 --> 00:09:29.289 "An urgent need for you has arisen for me from which I cannot be free. 00:09:29.289 --> 00:09:31.289 If my letter reaches you at night, 00:09:31.289 --> 00:09:36.289 I adjure you not to wait until morning before riding to me. 00:09:36.289 --> 00:09:38.289 And if it reaches you by day, 00:09:38.289 --> 00:09:42.289 I adjure you not to wait until evening before riding to me." 00:09:42.289 --> 00:09:46.379 When Abu 'Ubaydah took al-Faruq's letter, he said, 00:09:46.379 --> 00:09:49.379 "I have understood the Commander of the Faithful's need for me, 00:09:49.379 --> 00:09:53.379 yet he wishes to preserve someone who is not bound to remain." 00:09:53.379 --> 00:09:55.379 Then he wrote back to him, saying: 00:09:55.379 --> 00:09:57.379 "O Commander of the Faithful, 00:09:57.379 --> 00:10:00.379 I have understood your need for me, 00:10:00.379 --> 00:10:03.379 but I am currently among an army of the Muslims, 00:10:03.379 --> 00:10:07.379 and I have no desire to spare myself from what afflicts them, 00:10:07.379 --> 00:10:09.379 nor do I wish to leave them 00:10:09.379 --> 00:10:13.379 until Allah executes His decree concerning us all. 00:10:13.379 --> 00:10:15.379 So when this letter of mine reaches you, 00:10:15.379 --> 00:10:17.379 release me from your order 00:10:17.379 --> 00:10:19.379 and grant me permission to remain." 00:10:19.379 --> 00:10:21.379 When Umar read the letter, 00:10:21.379 --> 00:10:24.379 he wept until his eyes overflowed with tears. 00:10:24.379 --> 00:10:26.419 Those present with him asked, 00:10:26.419 --> 00:10:29.419 seeing the intensity of his weeping: 00:10:29.419 --> 00:10:32.419 "Has Abu Ubaydah died, O Commander of the Faithful?" 00:10:32.419 --> 00:10:34.419 He replied, "No, 00:10:34.419 --> 00:10:37.419 but death is near to him." 00:10:37.419 --> 00:10:39.419 And Al-Faruq’s intuition was not wrong, 00:10:39.419 --> 00:10:43.419 for it was not long before Abu Ubaydah was stricken with the plague. 00:10:43.419 --> 00:10:45.419 When death approached him, 00:10:45.419 --> 00:10:47.419 he exhorted his army, saying: 00:10:47.419 --> 00:10:50.419 "I leave you with a counsel; 00:10:50.419 --> 00:10:53.419 if you accept it, you will never cease to be in good standing: 00:10:53.419 --> 00:10:55.419 Establish prayer, 00:10:55.419 --> 00:10:57.419 fast the month of Ramadan, 00:10:57.419 --> 00:10:59.419 give charity, 00:10:59.419 --> 00:11:01.419 perform Hajj and 'Umrah, 00:11:01.419 --> 00:11:02.419 encourage one another to good, 00:11:02.419 --> 00:11:04.419 offer sincere advice to your leaders, 00:11:04.419 --> 00:11:06.419 do not act deceitfully toward them, 00:11:06.419 --> 00:11:08.419 and do not let the worldly life distract you. 00:11:08.419 --> 00:11:11.419 For even if a person were to live a thousand years, 00:11:11.419 --> 00:11:17.419 he would inevitably come to this very end that you now see. 00:11:17.419 --> 00:11:20.509 May peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah." 00:11:20.509 --> 00:11:22.509 Then he turned to Mu'adh Ibn Jabal 00:11:22.509 --> 00:11:24.509 and said: 00:11:24.509 --> 00:11:25.509 "O Mu'adh, 00:11:25.509 --> 00:11:27.509 lead the people in prayer." 00:11:27.509 --> 00:11:31.639 Shortly thereafter, his pure soul departed. 00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:33.639 Thereupon Mu'adh stood up and said: 00:11:33.639 --> 00:11:35.639 "O people, 00:11:35.639 --> 00:11:38.639 you have been afflicted by the loss of a man— 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:42.639 by Allah, I do not know that I have ever seen a man with a purer heart, 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:44.639 further removed from malice, 00:11:44.639 --> 00:11:47.639 more deeply concerned for the Hereafter, 00:11:47.639 --> 00:11:49.639 or more sincerely devoted to the common people than him. 00:11:49.639 --> 00:11:53.639 So ask Allah to show mercy upon him, may Allah have mercy upon you." 00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:56.179 Every nation has a trustworthy guardian, 00:11:56.179 --> 00:11:58.179 and the trustworthy guardian of this Ummah 00:11:58.179 --> 00:12:00.179 is Abu Ubaydah. 00:12:00.179 --> 00:12:03.759 Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. 00:12:10.139 --> 00:12:12.269 O poetry, flow in praise of their virtues; 00:12:12.269 --> 00:12:15.269 in praising them, are they not the most adorned?