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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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Mawaddah Association is pleased

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to present to you snapshots from the lives of the Companions,

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by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,

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may Allah have mercy upon him.

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Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him.

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Thubaytah bint Ya'ar emancipated her youth, Salim,

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when he was a growing young man approaching puberty.

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What prompted her to set him free was her observation of his refined character,

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noble traits, signs of distinction,

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and the early indications of goodness and righteousness apparent in his behavior.

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However, it was hard for her young husband, Abu Hudhayfah ibn 'Utbah,

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one of the notables of Banu 'Abd Shams,

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to let Salim go at such an early age

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and leave him to fend for himself.

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So he took him by the hand, proceeded with him to the Sanctuary,

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stood up amidst the crowds of Quraysh gathered around the Ka'bah, and said:

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"Bear witness, O people of Quraysh,

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that I have adopted this Salim,

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after my wife Thubaytah emancipated him,

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and that henceforth he stands in the position of a son to his father."

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The Quraysh responded:

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"How excellent is what you have done, O Ibn 'Utbah!"

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From that day onward,

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the youth came to be called Salim ibn Abi Hudhayfah.

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This remained so until a ray of divine light burst forth from the valley of Makkah,

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and Allah sent His Prophet with the religion of guidance and truth.

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Thus, Abu Hudhayfah and his adopted son Salim

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were among the very first whose souls were illuminated by this holy light,

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and whose hearts were enlightened by its guidance.

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The father and his son went to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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and declared their Islam before him,

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testifying together that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner,

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and that Muhammad is His servant and the Seal of His Messengers.

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Shortly after Abu Hudhayfah and his adopted son Salim entered the religion of Allah,

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Islam abolished the practice of adoption,

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ordering people to attribute sons to their biological fathers,

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in order to preserve lineage

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and eradicate one of the customs of Pre-Islamic Ignorance.

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Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, revealed concerning adopted sons:

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﴿Call them by [the names of] their fathers; that is more just in the sight of Allah.﴾

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The Muslims complied with the command of their Lord

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and set out to search for the lineage of those they had adopted,

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seeking to identify their biological fathers and restore their names to them.

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However, Abu Hudhayfah could not find Salim's father,

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despite extensive search and inquiry.

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That was because Salim had been taken captive as a young boy,

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brought to Makkah,

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and sold in the slave market

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at an age that did not enable him to know his father or mother.

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So people called him Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah,

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and he remained known as such throughout his life.

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Nevertheless, the relationship between Abu Hudhayfah and Salim

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was not merely that of a master and his freed slave;

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rather, it was the bond of a brother to his brother,

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after Islam united their hearts

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and faith established brotherhood between their souls,

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filling both their hearts with the love of Allah and His Messenger.

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Abu Hudhayfah wished to make his bond with Salim even firmer and deeper,

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and to eradicate every trace of tribal fanaticism that Islam had buried.

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Thus, he married Salim to his niece, a Qurayshi woman from Banu 'Abd Shams,

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possessing high lineage and noble stature.

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Thus, Salim became his brother in faith and one of his close kin.

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Not long after,

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momentous events separated the two brothers—

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hardship that the early Muslims endured severely,

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suffering greatly from its cruelty.

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Abu Hudhayfah migrated to Abyssinia, fleeing for the sake of Allah with his faith,

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safeguarding his belief from the persecution of Quraysh.

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As for Salim,

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he preferred to remain in Makkah with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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and to devote himself to the Book of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,

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acquiring it fresh and pure as it was revealed to the Prophet, peace be upon him.

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He set about reciting its clear verses with humility

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and memorizing its revealed chapters with understanding and reflection,

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until he became one of the primary carriers of the Qur'an during the lifetime of the Prophet, peace be upon him.

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Indeed, he became the fourth of four individuals whom the noble Prophet, peace be upon him, recommended

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that the Qur'an be learned from.

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He said: "Learn the Qur'an from four: 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, Salim the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, Ubayy ibn Ka'b, and Mu'adh ibn Jabal."

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The noble Companions recognized Salim's excellence over them in his memorization of the Book of Allah,

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his mastery of it, his contemplation of its meanings, and his grasp of its objectives.

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Thus, when the Muslims migrated from Makkah to Madinah,

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they called upon Salim to lead them in prayer,

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and he continued to lead them until the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, arrived,

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even though 'Umar ibn al-Khattab and a large group of eminent Companions were among them.

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Then Allah willed that Salim and his brother in faith, Abu Hudhayfah, be reunited after the Migration,

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and that they march to Badr side by side with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

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While the Muslims were preparing to engage the polytheists,

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Salim said to his brother Abu Hudhayfah:

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"Look, O Abu Hudhayfah!

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There is your father, 'Utbah ibn Rabi'ah,

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stepping forward in the ranks, preparing to eliminate Islam and the Muslims."

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Abu Hudhayfah replied:

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"Yes, I see him.

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And those two enemies of Allah—

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my uncle Shaybah ibn Rabi'ah

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and my brother al-Walid ibn 'Utbah—

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are flanking him.

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Were the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, to grant me permission,

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I would duel them one after the other

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and dispatch them to a fatal end,

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or I would depart to the presence of my Lord, well-pleased and pleasing unto Him."

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When the battle ended,

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Salim and Abu Hudhayfah stood looking at the slain,

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and there was 'Utbah, the father of Abu Hudhayfah,

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Shaybah his uncle,

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and al-Walid his brother,

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all slain on the battlefield.

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Abu Hudhayfah said:

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"Praise be to Allah, who comforted the heart of His Prophet

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through the death of them all."

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Thereafter, the two brothers in faith continued

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to strive together in jihad under the banner of the Supreme Messenger,

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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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in every military expedition he fought during his lifetime,

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fulfilling their duty to Allah and His Messenger,

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until the Day of al-Yamamah came during the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq.

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On that great day among the days of Allah,

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Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, rose

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to fight Musaylimah the Liar

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and rallied the Muslims everywhere

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to stamp out his blind strife,

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which had almost devastated Islam

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and destroyed its followers.

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So Salim and Abu Hudhayfah hastened to defend

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the religion of Allah

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and set out to fight Musaylimah, the enemy of Allah.

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The two hosts met on the land of al-Yamamah,

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and two fierce battles broke out between them,

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the likes of which have rarely been witnessed in the history of warfare.

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The Muslims displayed therein,

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under the leadership of 'Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl

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and Khalid ibn al-Walid, may Allah be pleased with them both,

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such feats of bravery that observers fail

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to find words to describe.

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Likewise, the apostates displayed,

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under the leadership of Musaylimah,

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no less than that

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in valor, audacity, and sacrifice.

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However, victory in these two battles

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was initially allied with Musaylimah the Liar,

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to the extent that his men stormed the tent of Khalid ibn al-Walid

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and almost took his wife captive,

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had a man among them not granted her protection.

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At that point,

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protective zeal surged in the breasts of the Muslims,

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and illustrious, noble heroes stepped forward from among them—

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men who sold to Allah souls

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that would die today or tomorrow

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in exchange for souls that shall never die.

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Khalid ibn al-Walid reorganized his army,

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entrusting the banner of the Muhajirun

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to Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah,

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and entrusting the banner of the Ansar

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to Thabit ibn Qays.

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Zayd ibn al-Khattab stood

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inciting the Muslims to fight,

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saying: "O people!

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Clench your teeth,

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strike at your enemy,

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and press forward!

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O people!

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By Allah, I shall not utter a word after this statement

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until Allah defeats Musaylimah the Liar and those with him,

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or I am slain

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and meet Allah with my plea."

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Then he charged forward, cutting through the ranks,

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and continued to fight until he was killed.

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He was followed by Abu Hudhayfah, who called out:

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"O people of the Qur'an!

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Adorn the Qur'an with your deeds!"

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Then he rushed into battle, fighting valiantly until he was martyred, advancing and never retreating.

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As for Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah,

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he turned to the Muhajirun and said:

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"What a miserable bearer of the Qur'an I would be

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if the Muslims were breached from my direction!"

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Then he rushed forward, fighting fiercely to defend the banner of his people,

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until his right hand was severed.

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So he took the banner in his left hand

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and defended it until his left hand was severed.

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He then clasped the banner with the stumps of his arms

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and stood firm with it until he was weighed down by wounds

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and fell to the ground, drenched in his blood.

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When the battle came to an end,

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Khalid ibn al-Walid stood over Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah,

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while a spark of life still remained in him.

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Salim asked him: "What have the Muslims done, O Khalid?"

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He replied:

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"Allah has decreed victory for them,

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Musaylimah the Liar has been killed,

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and his army and followers have been defeated."

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Salim then asked:

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"And what has become of my brother Abu Hudhayfah?"

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Khalid replied:

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"He has passed on to his Lord, advancing and never turning back,

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slain as a martyr."

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Salim said:

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"Lay me down beside him."

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He said,

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"Here he is, resting his head at your feet."

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He then closed his eyes, saying,

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"Together here, O Abu Hudhayfah,

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and together there, Allah willing."

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And he breathed his last breath.

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"If Salim were alive,

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I would have appointed him as my successor."

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— 'Umar ibn al-Khattab