Pause and reflect upon the Companions, the scholars, and the eminent figures.
A new challenge: Who am I?
I am one of the Ansar from the Banu al-Najjar.
I am the paternal uncle of Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him.
He was the servant of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
I hold a noble status in the sight of Allah the Exalted,
And in the hearts of the Muslims.
When my sister, al-Rubayyi', broke the front tooth of a young girl from the Ansar—
And the 'thaniyyah' refers to the front teeth—
Her family demanded retribution (qisas) and would not accept compensation.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, ordered the retribution.
I exclaimed, "Shall the tooth of al-Rubayyi' be broken?"
"O Messenger of Allah, no! By the One who sent you with the truth,"
"Her tooth shall not be broken."
The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied,
"The law of Allah is retribution."
Then Allah opened the hearts of the girl's family,
And they accepted the compensation and waived the retribution.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, then said,
"Indeed, among the servants of Allah,"
"Are those who, if they were to swear by Allah, He would fulfill their oath."
I missed the first battle of the Muslims at Badr,
Because the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Did not explicitly command us to go out.
When I saw the goodness I had missed in that battle,
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,"
"I missed the first battle in which you fought the polytheists."
"By Allah, if Allah allows me to witness a battle against the polytheists,"
"Allah will surely see what I shall do."
When the day of Uhud arrived,
And the Muslims were overwhelmed,
I said,
"O Allah, I apologize to You for what these people have done,"
Meaning the Muslims,
"And I disassociate myself from what these people have brought,"
Meaning the polytheists.
I advanced toward the battlefield,
And I saw Umar ibn al-Khattab and Talhah ibn Ubaydullah, may Allah be pleased with them,
Among a group of the Muhajirun and the Ansar,
Who had laid down their weapons and were sitting.
I asked,
"What makes you sit?"
They replied,
"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, has been killed."
I said,
"Then what is the point of living after him?"
"Rise and die for what the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, died for."
Then I faced the enemy.
I met Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, may Allah be pleased with him,
And he asked me,
"Where are you going?"
I replied to him,
"Oh, the scent of Paradise, O Sa'd!"
"By Allah, I can smell its fragrance from before Uhud."
Sa'd said,
"I could not do what you did, O Messenger of Allah."
I fought the enemy until I fell as a martyr.
After the battle ended,
My people began searching for me among the fallen.
They found me with over eighty wounds on my body,
Ranging from sword strikes,
Or spear thrusts,
Or arrow shots.
Furthermore,
The polytheists had mutilated my body,
So no one recognized me,
Except for my sister, al-Rubayyi'.
She recognized me by my fingertips.
They believed that this verse was revealed regarding me and those like me:
The words of the Exalted,
"Among the believers are men,"
“Of the believers are men who are true to that which they covenanted with Allah. Some of them have paid their vow by death (in battle), and some of them still are waiting; and they have not altered in the least;” (33:23)
“Of the believers are men who are true to that which they covenanted with Allah. Some of them have paid their vow by death (in battle), and some of them still are waiting; and they have not altered in the least;” (33:23)
"And among them is he who awaits,"
"And they did not alter [the terms of their commitment] by any alteration."
Until the next episode,
If Allah wills.