Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 91 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (106) - Al-Miqdad bin Amr, may God be pleased with him
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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The Mawaddah Association is pleased
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to present to you vignettes from the lives of the Companions,
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authored by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
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may Allah have mercy upon him.
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Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr, may Allah be pleased with him.
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'Amr ibn Tha'labah committed a manslaughter among his people,
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leaving him with no choice but to leave the homelands of his tribe, Bahra',
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or else expose himself to blood vengeance.
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He preferred the former over the latter
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and fled to Hadhramaut.
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There he established a home for himself,
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and it was not long before he married a local woman of Hadhramaut,
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who bore him a boy whom he named Al-Miqdad.
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Al-Miqdad inherited most of his physical and character traits from his father:
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he was exceptionally tall,
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dark-complexioned—so dark
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that he could rightfully be described as black—
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and broadly built, inspiring awe and grandeur in the eyes of any who beheld him.
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In addition, he was fiercely resolute and strong-willed,
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full of zeal, magnanimity, and sharp fervor.
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One day,
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Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr got into a dispute with one of the noble chieftains of Hadhramaut,
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Abu Shamir ibn Hajar.
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A harsh word slipped from the Hadhrami elder,
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which wounded the youth's pride and stirred his rage.
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He drew his sword and brought it down upon the Hadhrami elder,
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severing his leg.
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Thereupon, Al-Miqdad realized he had to depart from Hadhramaut,
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just as his father had departed before him from the dwellings of his tribe, Bahra'.
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So he set his face toward Mecca.
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From the moment his feet stepped into Mecca, Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr realized
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that no one could live in this Qurayshite society in safety and tranquility
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unless he had a tribe to protect him or a tribal alliance to defend him.
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As for strangers like himself, they had no choice but to choose between two options:
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either ally themselves with one of the noble chieftains,
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thereby living under his care and finding safety in his protection,
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or expose themselves to humiliation and disgrace.
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Thus, he allied himself with one of the chieftains of Quraysh,
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Al-Aswad ibn 'Abd Yaghuth al-Zuhri.
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But Al-Aswad ibn 'Abd Yaghuth
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soon saw in the Hadhrami youth such marks of manhood, noble character,
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and traits of courage and chivalry
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that his heart was filled with love for him.
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He took him by the hand and went with him to the gatherings of Quraysh near the Ka'bah.
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Standing before them, he announced his adoption of him, saying,
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"Bear witness, O assembly of Quraysh,
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that this is my son: I shall inherit from him, and he shall inherit from me."
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From that day forward, people called him Al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad.
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Although Islam later abolished adoption,
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most people continued to call him by that name,
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owing to how frequently it rolled off their tongues
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and how widely they had used it among themselves.
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Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr—or Al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad, as they used to call him—was not
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comfortable in that pre-Islamic society,
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in which blood was shed unjustly and aggressively,
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sacred rights were violated through transgression and wrongdoing,
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the strong oppressed the weak,
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and blind fanatical allegiances prevailed.
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For despite having been adopted by one of the nobles of Quraysh,
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he remained, in the eyes of the people, an outcast stranger
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who could not marry into any of their families,
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because in their custom he was not an equal match for any of their daughters,
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no matter how modest her standing.
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Al-Miqdad used to hear what was being said by the fortune-tellers
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and narrated by the Jewish rabbis:
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that a prophet whose time was at hand
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would fill the world with righteousness, goodness, and justice.
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So he would say to himself, "Perhaps it will be soon."
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Only a short time passed after that
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before Allah sent His Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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with the religion of guidance and truth.
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No sooner did Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr hear of him
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than he hastened to him, placed his hand in his hands,
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and bore witness that there is no god but Allah,
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and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.
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He then proceeded to the gatherings of Quraysh near the Ka'bah
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and announced his Islam openly before the assembly of the people.
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Thus, he became the seventh person to declare his acceptance of Islam
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on the face of the earth.
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When Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr set out
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for the gatherings of Quraysh to declare his entry
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into the religion of Allah openly and publicly,
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he was not ignorant of how Quraysh would react,
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nor was he unaware of the harm and severe punishment
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they would inflict upon him.
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But he also knew
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that a message like the message of Islam
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inevitably required sacrifices,
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and he was determined to be one of its witnesses and martyrs.
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Quraysh poured out upon Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr
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such brutal force and torment as would shake mountains,
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yet he did not waver nor falter.
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The torture served only to increase
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his steadfastness in his religion
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and the firmness of his faith and conviction.
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When the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, permitted
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his Companions to migrate to Medina,
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Quraysh refused to allow Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr
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to leave their great prison,
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for their hatred toward him
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matched his defiance of them.
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For this reason, he was among the last of the Muslims to make the migration,
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and he was unable to break free from Quraysh
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except through a clever stratagem.
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When he arrived in Medina,
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the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, rejoiced
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at his arrival,
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for he loved him with immense love
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and used to say:
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"Indeed, Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He, has commanded me to love four people,
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and He informed me that He loves them:
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'Ali, Al-Miqdad,
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Abu Dharr, and Salman."
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, divided
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the Emigrants among his Companions into groups of ten,
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placing every ten in a house.
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Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr was among the ten
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who were blessed to reside in the household of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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blessed to experience his noble character,
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and recipient of much of his benevolence and compassion.
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Al-Miqdad narrated, saying:
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"I was among the ten whom the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, chose
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to be with him in his home.
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The family of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, had three female goats
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which we would milk, distributing their milk among ourselves.
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We used to set aside for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, his share.
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One night, I came along with two companions of mine,
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hunger having so exhausted us that we were on the verge of not being able to see or hear.
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As for my two companions, they drank their shares and went to sleep.
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As for me, what I drank was not enough for me,
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and I remained empty-stomached, unable to sleep due to severe hunger.
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Satan whispered to me, 'What harm would it do if you drank this draught that was saved for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him?
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For the Prophet, peace be upon him, receives visits from the Ansar,
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who present him with similar gifts whenever he wishes.'
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He kept enticing me with it until I drank it.
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When I drank it, Satan came to make me regret what I had done, saying,
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'What have you done to yourself?
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Now Muhammad will come and find no drink,
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so he will pray against you, and you will perish!'
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It was a cold night,
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and I had on a small cloak: if I placed it over my head, my feet remained exposed,
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and if I covered my feet with it, my head was uncovered.
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Whenever the Messenger, peace be upon him, arrived at night,
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he would offer a greeting in a tone audible to one who was awake,
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yet without waking one who was asleep.
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It was not long before he arrived and gave the greeting,
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then prayed as much as Allah willed for him to pray,
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while I watched him from beneath the cloak.
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Then he checked his drink and found nothing,
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so he raised his hands.
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I said to myself, 'Now he will invoke against me, and I shall perish!'
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But he said:
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'O Allah, feed him who feeds me,
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and give drink to him who gives me drink!'
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So I said to myself:
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'I shall feed the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and gain the blessing of his supplication!'
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So I slipped away from my place, took my knife,
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and said, 'I will slaughter one of the goats for him,
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and let happen whatever may happen after that.'
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Then I went to the goats
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and began feeling them to see which of them was the fattest,
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only to find that their udders were overflowing with milk,
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even though they had been milked just a short while before.
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So I took a vessel and milked one of them
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until it was full and topped with froth.
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Then I brought it to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and he drank.
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Then he handed it to me, and I drank.
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Then I handed it to him, and he drank.
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Then he handed it to me, and I drank,
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whereupon I laughed.
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He said to me:
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'This is one of your antics, O Miqdad!
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What makes you laugh?'
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So I told him what I had done,
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and he said:
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'This was nothing less than a mercy from Allah Almighty!
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If only you had awakened your two companions,
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they could have shared in the milk we drank.'
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I said:
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'By Him Who sent you with the truth,
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as long as you have drunk from it
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and I have drunk from your leftovers, I do not care
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if no one else drinks!'"
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Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr settled in Medina,
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having not yet married.
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While he was sitting with 'Abd al-Rahman—
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'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Auf, may Allah be pleased with them both—
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'Abd al-Rahman said to him:
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"Why do you not marry, O Miqdad?"
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Al-Miqdad replied:
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"Marry me to your daughter."
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'Abd al-Rahman said:
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"My daughter? I will not marry my daughter to you,"
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and he uttered a harsh word to him that displeased him.
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Al-Miqdad stood up, saying:
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Is there still a remnant of the pre-Islamic Jahiliyyah remaining within us?
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Has Islam not leveled all distinctions among its adherents,
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making the most honorable among them in the sight of Allah the most God-fearing?
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He then went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
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and related to him what had occurred with 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf.
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him,
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"Would it not satisfy you, O Miqdad, to become an in-law of the Messenger of Allah?"
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Al-Miqdad could hardly believe his ears,
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and exclaimed, "Indeed, O Messenger of Allah!
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But who would grant me such an honor?"
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He replied, "I guarantee it for you."
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So he married him to his own cousin,
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Duba'ah bint al-Zubayr ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib.
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Thus he became an in-law of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
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and that alone was a sufficient source of nobility and pride for him.
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Then came the Battle of Badr,
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when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) set out
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with three hundred and some odd men from among his Companions,
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without intending to engage in an all-out war.
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But when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) found
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himself compelled to fight,
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it was essential for him to secure the endorsement of his men.
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So he laid the matter before them.
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Abu Bakr spoke and spoke well,
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'Umar spoke and spoke well,
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yet the situation still demanded a decisive, resolute statement
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to dispel hesitation and bolster resolve.
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The honor of delivering this statement fell to Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr,
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who turned to the Prophet (peace be upon him)
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with his towering stature and booming voice,
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and said, "O Messenger of Allah,
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proceed to whatever Allah has shown you, for we are with you!
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By Allah, we will not say to you as the Children of Israel said to Moses,
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“They said: O Moses! We will never enter (the land) while they are in it. So go thou and thy Lord and fight! We will sit here.” (5:24)
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'We are sitting right here!'
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Rather, we say to you,
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“They said: O Moses! We will never enter (the land) while they are in it. So go thou and thy Lord and fight! We will sit here.” (5:24)
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'We will fight alongside you both!'
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By Him Who has sent you with the truth,
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even if you were to lead us to the distant shores of Birk al-Ghimad,
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we would fight by your side against anyone standing in your way until you reach it!"
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The noble face of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) beamed
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with joy,
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and he spoke words of goodness to him and prayed for his well-being.
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On that day, Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr was
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the only warrior who fought at Badr on horseback,
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while the rest were either on foot or riding camels.
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Thus, the history of jihad in Islam recorded for him
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that he was the first to charge on horseback in the cause of Allah.
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Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr tasted the sweetness of striving in the cause of Allah on the day of Badr,
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and he took an oath upon himself to remain a warrior exalting the word of Allah
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as long as his sword remained gripped in his hand.
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And he indeed fulfilled his oath.
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For during the caliphate of 'Uthman ibn 'Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), he was seen
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sitting on a money-changer's chest
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in one of the markets of Homs,
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advanced in years and approaching the age of seventy,
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his body having become heavy and overflowing the chest,
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while his sword lay across his lap.
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A man from among the people asked him,
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"What are you doing here, O Companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)?"
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He replied, "I am waiting for the combatants to set out for the front lines so that I may join them."
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The man said to him, "Why do you not return home?
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Surely Allah has excused you,
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surely Allah has excused you,
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after reaching the advanced age that you have reached."
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He replied, "Far from it, my son!
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Surat al-Ba'uth has forbidden us from staying behind"—
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meaning Surat al-Anfal—
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"Have you not heard the saying of Allah Almighty:
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'Go forth, light and heavy'?
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Do you find anywhere in it that Allah has exempted me?"
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Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr lived until he reached seventy-three years of age,
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striving in the cause of Allah, entirely indifferent to positions of authority.
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When death came to him,
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the remaining remnant of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) laid him to rest in his grave,
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saying as they did so:
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"A sword from among the swords of Allah has returned to its sheath,
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after a long journey of toil and heroic service,
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striving in the cause of Allah."