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Get to know the Companions, the scholars, and the distinguished figures.
Here is a new challenge: who am I?
I am the companion of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and the first muezzin of Islam.
I was born in Makkah
and was an Abyssinian slave belonging to the tribe of Banu Jumah.
When I heard of Islam, I accepted it,
whereupon my masters seized me and tortured me.
They cast me onto the sun-baked sand of Makkah,
placing heavy boulders upon my chest so that I might renounce my religion.
They used to hand me over to the children,
who would drag me through the mountain passes of Makkah while beating me,
saying to me: "You will remain like this until you die,
or until you disbelieve in Muhammad and worship al-Lat and al-'Uzza."
Yet amidst that severe affliction and excruciating torment, I would say:
"He is One, He is One; He is One, He is One."
Then one day, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, passed by me;
he purchased me from them and set me free.
Thus 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, used to say:
"Abu Bakr is our master, and he set free our master."
I migrated to Madinah
and lived there by the side of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
and in his service.
When the call to prayer was instituted,
the Prophet, peace be upon him, chose me
to be his first muezzin.
So I called the adhan for him throughout his lifetime.
One day, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, asked me,
saying: "Tell me of the most hopeful deed you have performed in Islam,
for I heard the rustle of your footsteps before me in Paradise."
I replied: "O Messenger of Allah,
I have not performed any deed that is more hopeful to me
than that whenever I purify myself at any hour of the night or day,
I pray with that purification whatever prayer has been prescribed for me to perform."
When the Prophet, peace be upon him, passed away,
I stopped calling the adhan
and set out for jihad and garrison duty for the cause of Allah in the Levant.
Later, I came to Madinah during the caliphate of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
and the Muslims requested that I raise the call to prayer in the Mosque of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
The Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, urged me persistently to do so,
so I granted their request.
I ascended the roof of the Mosque to call the adhan,
but no sooner had I begun with the takbir—
"Allah is the Greatest,
Allah is the Greatest"—
than Madinah shook with weeping,
as if the people remembered their days with the Prophet, peace be upon him.
And when I reached:
"I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,"
weeping overcame me,
and the voices of the people rose in sobbing.
No day was ever seen in Madinah with more weeping after the death of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
than that day.
After that memorable and tearful night,
I packed my riding mounts and returned to the Levant,
remaining stationed there
until my death came to me.
As I was on my deathbed,
my wife exclaimed:
"O what a tragedy!"
But I said:
"Rather, what joy!
Tomorrow we shall meet our beloved ones—
Muhammad and his companions!"
So, who am I?
Share your answers with us in the comments below the video,
and we will pin the correct answer in the comments section
upon the release of the next episode,
Allah willing.
They were the best of generations in stance and example,
following the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke.
They were here,
quenching the clouds of our lives,
and so our stands—
their remembrance rises high.
They departed, leaving a question in our conscience:
Has a star like them ever risen and shone in the sky?
They filled life with proud glories by their deeds,
and the world of mankind flourished through them.