Learn about the companions, scholars, and notables | Who am I?

0:01 Pause

0:04 and get to know the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.

0:12 A new challenge: Who am I?

0:16 I am one of the Companions from the tribe of Tayy.

0:23 I grew up in the desert, raised amidst its sands and mountains,

0:28 until I memorized its trails and barren lands,

0:31 as if I were one of its very children.

0:34 I heard of Islam

0:36 and of the delegations coming to Medina to pledge allegiance to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

0:42 but I paid no heed to that,

0:45 being preoccupied with raiding homes and tribes,

0:48 stealing their livestock and wealth,

0:51 and fleeing with it into the labyrinth of the desert,

0:54 relying on my mastery of its conditions and pathways.

1:00 Thus, horsemen feared pursuing me,

1:02 dreading destruction in the desert from getting lost and dying of thirst.

1:06 As for me,

1:08 I used to drink from water I stored inside ostrich eggs,

1:12 which I buried in scattered locations throughout the vast wilderness.

1:17 Because of this, I became known among the people as the "Thief of the Desert."

1:21 The Prophet, peace be upon him, dispatched an expedition toward the land of Tayy,

1:28 which included Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and senior figures among the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.

1:33 When they reached the mountains of Tayy, they lost their way

1:37 and feared perishing in those perilous wastes.

1:40 So they sought an expert guide familiar with those deserts,

1:44 and they found none better than me.

1:47 They summoned me and took me as their guide,

1:50 and I accompanied them on that journey for days and nights.

1:55 I witnessed things about their conduct that made me pause and reflect upon their state:

2:00 they were devoted worshipers by night,

2:03 valiant knights by day,

2:05 ascetic regarding this worldly life,

2:07 yearning for Allah and the Hereafter.

2:10 The one who caught my attention most among them was Abu Bakr;

2:14 I stayed close to him,

2:16 observing him without his noticing.

2:19 When my mission with them came to an end,

2:21 I came to al-Siddiq and said to him,

2:24 "What should I do if I wish to become one of you and like you?"

2:28 So he guided me to Islam,

2:30 and I embraced Islam.

2:32 After that dark past,

2:35 I became a soldier among the soldiers of the Muslims.

2:38 During the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him,

2:43 he sent word to Khalid ibn al-Walid,

2:46 instructing him to march swiftly toward Damascus

2:49 to aid the Muslim army there,

2:52 which was on the verge of defeat and annihilation.

2:55 Khalid sought a skilled, expert guide of the desert routes

2:59 to show him the shortest path leading to the Levant.

3:03 So I went to him

3:05 and mentioned a shortcut to him,

3:07 though there was no water along it

3:10 until after a five-day march.

3:13 I asked Khalid to bring twenty camels,

3:16 take them to drink water

3:18 until their bellies were full,

3:21 and carry as much water on their backs as possible.

3:24 They did so.

3:26 Then I led them through that desert,

3:29 and each day we would slaughter four camels;

3:32 the beasts would drink from what was in their bellies,

3:35 and the men would drink from what was carried on their backs.

3:39 On the morning of the sixth day,

3:42 I was afflicted with ophthalmia in my eyes,

3:44 and I could no longer see a thing,

3:47 while our water supply had run out.

3:50 The men were overcome with exhaustion and thirst,

3:53 so Khalid came to me and said,

3:56 "Where is the water?"

3:58 I said to him,

3:59 "Do you see two hills resembling two breasts?"

4:02 Khalid looked and said,

4:04 "Yes."

4:05 I said to him,

4:07 "Search for a boxthorn tree in this vicinity."

4:11 They searched, but could not find it.

4:14 So I told them,

4:15 "Scour the ground thoroughly for it."

4:18 They searched diligently

4:21 and found it uprooted from its place,

4:24 with only its root remaining.

4:26 I told them,

4:28 "Dig beneath it."

4:30 Sweet water gushed forth from it,

4:32 with which Allah quenched the thirst of that army.

4:35 The Muslims praised Allah for that,

4:38 and I told them,

4:40 "I last passed by this place thirty years ago;

4:44 that was my knowledge of it."

4:46 People forgot the "Thief of the Desert"

4:50 and came to know me for goodness and generosity.

4:53 I used to give abundant charity to the poor,

4:56 and I would feed the congregations of three mosques

4:59 from the labor of my own hands and the sweat of my brow.

5:02 Yet despite that,

5:04 I possessed only a single garment,

5:07 which I wore at home

5:09 and went out in for prayer.

5:11 So, who am I?

5:21 We will pin the correct answer in the comments

5:25 upon the release of the next episode,

5:28 if Allah wills.

Learn about the companions, scholars, and notables | Who am I? | Episode No. (294)

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