Part of Who am I (bundled with answers)
· Lesson 5 of 31
Learn about the companions, scholars, and notables | Who am I? | Collected episodes from (41) to (50) with answers
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Transcript
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0:00
Pause,
0:03
and learn about the Companions, the scholars, and noble figures.
0:12
A new challenge: Who am I?
0:20
I am one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
0:25
I embraced Islam in the Year of Delegations, in the ninth year of the Hijrah.
0:30
I was the very first person to light an oil lamp in the Prophet's Mosque.
0:34
And I am the only person from whom the Prophet, peace be upon him, narrated a hadith,
0:40
when he related from me the account of al-Jassasah.
0:45
That account was that I once set out to sea with thirty men,
0:51
and the waves tossed us about for a whole month.
0:54
Then we took shelter on an island.
0:56
Later, I recounted our story to the Prophet, peace be upon him.
1:01
Thereupon, he arose in haste,
1:05
mounted the pulpit, and the call was made among the people: "Assemble for prayer!"
1:11
When the people had gathered, he said:
1:14
"O people,
1:16
I did not summon you out of desire or fear,
1:20
but because this man informed me
1:22
that a group of people from Palestine set out to sea,
1:26
and the wind drove them to an island among the islands of the sea.
1:31
There they encountered a beast covered with thick hair,
1:34
so much so that they could not tell if it was male or female
1:37
because of its abundant hair.
1:39
They asked, 'Who are you?'
1:41
It replied,
1:43
'I am al-Jassasah.'
1:45
They said,
1:46
'Tell us then!'
1:48
It said,
1:49
'I will neither tell you anything nor ask anything of you,
1:53
but in this monastery is a man eager to inform you and inquire of you.'
2:00
So they entered the monastery,
2:02
and behold, there was a one-eyed man,
2:04
shackled in iron chains.
2:06
He said,
2:08
'Who are you?'
2:10
They replied,
2:11
'We are Arabs.'
2:12
He asked,
2:14
'Has the Prophet been sent among you?'
2:16
They replied, 'Yes.'
2:18
He asked,
2:19
'Have the Arabs followed him?'
2:21
They replied, 'Yes.'
2:23
He said,
2:24
'That is indeed better for them.'
2:26
He asked,
2:27
'What has Persia done?
2:29
Has he prevailed over it?'
2:31
They replied, 'No.'
2:33
He said,
2:34
'Indeed, he soon will prevail over it.'
2:37
Then he asked,
2:39
'What has become of the spring of Zughar?'
2:41
They replied,
2:42
'It flows abundantly.'
2:45
He asked,
2:46
'What has become of the date palms of Baysan?
2:48
Have they borne fruit?'
2:50
They replied,
2:51
'Yes,
2:52
their earliest harvest.'
2:55
He said..."
2:56
Tamim recounted: "Then he leaped with such a jolt
2:58
that we thought he would break free!
3:01
So we asked, 'Who are you?'
3:03
He replied,
3:05
'I am the Dajjal (the Antichrist).
3:07
Behold, I shall tread upon the entire earth,
3:10
except for Mecca and Taybah (Medina).'
3:12
Then the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
3:16
'Rejoice, O gathering of Muslims!
3:19
This is Taybah,
3:21
which he shall never enter.'"
3:23
And after embracing Islam,
3:25
I became renowned for abundant worship,
3:27
standing in night prayer,
3:28
and reciting the Qur'an.
3:30
One night,
3:33
I stood in the mosque
3:34
after the 'Isha' prayer
3:36
engaged in prayer.
3:38
Then I came upon this verse:
3:40
"The Fire will scorch their faces,
3:43
and they will therein
3:44
grin with displaced lips."
3:47
And I kept repeating it continuously
3:49
until I heard the Fajr call to prayer.
3:52
So, who am I?
4:08
The answer:
4:11
Tamim al-Dari,
4:13
may Allah be pleased with him.
4:26
They filled life
4:28
with glorious deeds in their prime,
4:31
and turned away in ascetic detachment
4:33
from the worldly life of mankind.
4:43
Pause,
4:46
and learn about the Companions,
4:48
the scholars, and the eminent.
4:55
A new challenge:
4:57
Who am I?
5:02
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet,
5:04
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
5:06
and one of the chieftains of the Arabs
5:08
and leaders of my people,
5:10
both in the Pre-Islamic Era of Ignorance and in Islam.
5:12
I came to the Prophet,
5:14
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
5:16
in the ninth year of the Hijrah
5:18
among the delegation of Banu Tamim.
5:20
He honored me and said:
5:22
"This is the chief of the desert dwellers."
5:24
I was known for forbearance,
5:26
wisdom, and generosity;
5:28
and I was a poet,
5:30
a brave warrior,
5:32
frequent in launching raids,
5:34
and victorious in my expeditions.
5:36
I had forbidden intoxicants
5:38
to myself even before Islam.
5:40
Yet, I was among those who
5:42
buried their infant daughters alive
5:44
during the Pre-Islamic Era.
5:47
The reason for that was
5:49
that some people raided us,
5:51
capturing our women
5:53
and seizing our wealth.
5:55
The man who had raided me
5:57
took my daughter for himself.
5:59
When we later made peace,
6:01
I wanted to take my daughter back.
6:03
So the man who had taken her
6:05
gave her the choice
6:07
between returning to me
6:09
or remaining as his wife;
6:11
and she chose to remain his wife.
6:13
Thereupon, I swore
6:15
that never would a daughter be born to me
6:17
after that,
6:19
except that I would bury her alive,
6:21
because of what had transpired.
6:23
So, before Islam, I buried alive
6:25
eight infant daughters.
6:27
When I accepted Islam,
6:29
I mentioned that to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
6:33
and he said to me:
6:35
"Free a slave on behalf of each one
6:37
of them."
6:39
And so I did.
6:42
One day, I was sitting
6:44
in the courtyard of my home,
6:46
wrapping my knees with the strap of my sword,
6:48
conversing with my people.
6:50
While I was doing so,
6:52
a man was brought to me,
6:54
tightly bound,
6:56
along with another who had been slain.
6:58
It was said to me:
7:00
"This nephew of yours
7:02
has killed your son."
7:04
By Allah, I neither unfastened my posture
7:06
nor interrupted my speech.
7:08
When I finished speaking,
7:10
I turned toward my nephew
7:12
and said to him:
7:14
"O my nephew,
7:16
wretched is what you have done!
7:18
You severed your kinship,
7:20
shot yourself with your own arrow,
7:22
and killed your own cousin."
7:24
Then I said to another son of mine:
7:26
"Stand up, my son,
7:28
untie the bonds of your cousin,
7:30
bury your brother,
7:32
and drive to his mother
7:34
one hundred camels as blood money,
7:36
for she is a stranger among us."
7:38
So, who am I?
7:57
The answer:
7:59
[Qays Ibn 'Asim,] may Allah be pleased with him.
8:30
Pause, and learn about
8:32
the scholars and the eminent.
8:38
A new challenge:
8:40
Who am I?
8:42
I am one of the younger
8:48
Companions.
8:50
My father was the cousin of
8:52
the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
8:54
famously known as "the Possessor of
8:56
Two Wings, the Flying One."
8:58
I was born in the land of Abyssinia,
9:00
and I was the very first child
9:02
born into Islam there.
9:04
And I was the last person to see
9:06
the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
9:08
from among the Banu Hashim.
9:10
My father was martyred
9:12
on the Day of Mu'tah,
9:14
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came
9:16
to visit my mother
9:18
and broke the news of my father's death to her.
9:20
I was watching
9:22
him as he stroked
9:24
my head, his eyes
9:26
overflowing with tears.
9:29
Then he returned to us after three
9:31
nights and said,
9:33
"Do not weep over my brother
9:35
after today."
9:37
Then he said,
9:39
"Bring my brother's sons to me."
9:41
So we were brought like little,
9:43
helpless chicks.
9:45
Then he said,
9:47
"Call a barber for me."
9:49
He ordered him, and he shaved our heads.
9:51
Then he pointed to me
9:53
and said,
9:55
"As for this one,
9:57
he resembles me in both appearance and character."
9:59
Then our mother came
10:01
and mentioned our orphaned state,
10:03
so he (peace be upon him) said to her,
10:05
"Do you fear
10:07
poverty for them
10:09
when I am their guardian
10:11
in this worldly life and the Hereafter?"
10:13
Then the Prophet
10:15
(peace be upon him) took custody of us,
10:17
and I grew up under his care.
10:19
Later, I wished to give him my pledge of allegiance
10:21
when I was only seven years old.
10:23
When he saw me,
10:25
he smiled
10:27
and extended his hand, accepting my pledge.
10:29
The Messenger of Allah
10:32
(peace be upon him)
10:34
once mounted me behind him on his mount,
10:36
and he entered a garden
10:38
wherein was a camel.
10:40
When the camel saw the Prophet
10:42
(peace be upon him),
10:44
it yearned and its eyes brimmed with tears.
10:46
The Prophet
10:48
(peace be upon him) walked over to it
10:50
and stroked its hump
10:52
and behind its ears,
10:54
and it calmed down.
10:56
He asked, "Who owns this camel?"
10:58
A young man from the Ansar replied,
11:00
"It is mine, O Messenger of Allah."
11:02
He
11:04
(peace be upon him) said,
11:06
"Do you not fear Allah
11:08
concerning this beast
11:10
that Allah has placed in your possession?
11:12
For it has complained
11:14
to me that you starve it
11:16
and overwork it."
11:19
People used to call me
11:21
"the Ocean of Generosity,"
11:23
and there was no one in Islam
11:25
more generous than me.
11:27
I would grant lavish,
11:29
immense gifts,
11:31
yet regard them as trifling.
11:33
Once, I gave in charity
11:35
two million dirhams;
11:37
at another time, I gave a man
11:39
sixty thousand;
11:41
and on another occasion, I gave a man
11:43
four thousand dinars.
11:45
It was once mentioned to me
11:47
that a merchant had brought sugar
11:49
to Medina,
11:51
but his goods found no market and nobody bought them.
11:53
none at all.
11:55
So he asked me to buy it all
11:57
and gift it to the people.
11:59
Ibn 'Umar
12:01
(may Allah be pleased with him and his father)
12:03
used to greet me, saying:
12:05
"Peace be upon you,
12:07
O son of the Possessor of the Two Wings!"
12:09
So who am I?
12:12
He was praised in verse: the best of men,
12:16
following the Messenger
12:18
in all his striving
12:20
or words;
12:23
they were here,
12:25
watering my life—
12:27
'Abdullah ibn Ja'far
12:29
ibn Abi Talib,
12:31
may Allah be pleased with him and his father.
12:53
Let us pause
13:01
with the Companions and scholars
13:03
and the prominent figures.
13:09
A new challenge:
13:11
Who am I?
13:13
I am a Companion
13:18
from the tribe of Muzaynah.
13:20
I was renowned for courage,
13:22
valor, determination,
13:24
and sound judgment.
13:26
I witnessed the Battle of the Trench (al-Ahzab)
13:28
and subsequent events alongside the Prophet
13:30
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
13:32
I had enduring,
13:34
monumental stands in Islam.
13:36
One day, I said
13:39
to my people: "By Allah,
13:41
we have known nothing of Muhammad
13:43
except good,
13:45
nor have we heard from his call
13:47
anything but mercy, benevolence,
13:49
and justice.
13:51
Why then do we hold back from him
13:53
while people are hastening toward him?"
13:55
Then I said,
13:57
"As for me,
13:59
I am resolved to set out for him
14:01
in the morning.
14:03
So whoever among you wishes
14:05
to accompany me,
14:07
let him get ready."
14:09
Thus, I came before the Prophet (peace be upon him)
14:11
alongside my people,
14:13
bringing gifts with us,
14:15
and declaring our Islam
14:17
together.
14:19
The people of Medina rejoiced over us
14:21
with the greatest joy,
14:23
for never before in any Arab household
14:25
had eleven
14:27
brothers from a single father embraced Islam together,
14:29
accompanied by four hundred horsemen.
14:34
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said
14:36
concerning us:
14:38
"Faith belongs to certain households,
14:40
and hypocrisy belongs to certain households."
14:42
And he declared that our households
14:44
were among the households of faith.
14:46
Concerning us, the words of Allah
14:48
the Exalted were revealed:
14:50
"And of the bedouins are some who
14:52
believe in Allah
14:54
and the Last Day,
14:56
and look upon what they spend
14:58
as means of nearness
15:00
to Allah and blessings from
15:02
the Messenger.
15:04
Indeed,
15:06
they are a means of nearness
15:08
for them. Allah will admit
15:10
them into His mercy.
15:12
Indeed,
15:14
Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."
15:16
I took part in the Ridda (Apostasy)
15:20
Wars during the caliphate of
15:22
al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him),
15:24
and then in the Islamic conquests
15:26
during the caliphate of 'Umar
15:28
(may Allah be pleased with him),
15:30
until the great Battle
15:32
of Nihawand arrived—
15:34
known as the "Conquest of Conquests."
15:36
There, the Caliph appointed me commander
15:38
over the Muslim army
15:40
marching to fight the Persians.
15:42
I marched with them
15:44
to where the two armies met,
15:46
and I commanded the Muslim army
15:48
not to fight until
15:50
I gave them leave.
15:52
I addressed them, saying:
15:54
"I shall proclaim the takbir three times.
15:56
When I make the third takbir,
15:58
I will charge
16:00
against the enemy,
16:02
so charge along with me!"
16:04
Then I supplicated Allah, saying:
16:06
"O Allah, grant glory to Your religion,
16:08
grant victory to Your servants,
16:10
and make me the first
16:12
martyr today!
16:14
O Allah, I ask You
16:16
to delight my eyes with a victory
16:18
that brings glory to
16:20
Islam,
16:22
and to take my soul as a martyr!"
16:24
The people wept out of deep
16:26
emotion.
16:28
The battle raged on the outskirts
16:30
of Nihawand,
16:32
and I led the battle with rare
16:34
bravery, until
16:36
I attained the martyrdom that
16:38
I had long yearned for,
16:40
and the great victory was achieved
16:42
which I had implored of Allah.
16:44
Then a man came to me
16:47
with water in a vessel,
16:49
and he poured it over my face
16:51
to wash away the dust.
16:53
I asked, "Who is this?"
16:55
and he replied,
16:57
"Ma'qil Ibn Yasar."
16:59
I asked, "How did the people fare?"
17:01
He answered,
17:03
"Allah has granted them victory."
17:05
So I said,
17:07
"Praise be to Allah!
17:09
Write to 'Umar and inform him of this."
17:11
Then departed
17:13
my soul.
17:15
The bearer of glad tidings went with the news
17:17
to the Commander of the Faithful, may Allah be pleased with him,
17:19
saying to him,
17:21
"Allah has granted you victory,
17:23
the greatest of triumphs,
17:25
and the commander has been martyred."
17:27
Thereupon, 'Umar exclaimed,
17:29
"Truly, to Allah we belong, and truly,
17:31
to Him we shall return!"
17:33
And he placed his hands over his face,
17:35
weeping over me,
17:37
until his voice rose
17:39
in lamentation.
17:42
So, who am I?
17:44
He was righteous and rewarded,
17:49
following the Messenger
17:51
whenever he strove.
17:57
The answer:
18:00
Al-Nu'man Ibn Muqarrin
18:02
al-Muzani,
18:04
may Allah be pleased with him.
18:06
Cast a question into the conscience:
18:10
Has any star like them
18:12
ever ascended and shone bright?
18:14
They filled
18:16
this life
18:18
with glorious deeds
18:20
through their actions,
18:22
and the world of mankind flourished through them
18:24
with grace.
18:30
Pause
18:33
and get to know
18:35
the Companions, the scholars,
18:37
and the noble figures,
18:39
in their stances and shining examples.
18:42
A new challenge: Who am I?
18:46
I am one of the female Companions;
18:51
Allah revealed concerning me Qur'anic verses that are recited.
18:55
That was because my husband, Aws Ibn al-Samit, may Allah be pleased with him,
19:00
grew angry with me one day and said,
19:03
"You are to me like the back of my mother."
19:06
Later, he wished to resume marital relations with me,
19:09
but I said to him,
19:11
"No! By the One in Whose hand is my soul,
19:14
you shall not touch me after saying what you said,
19:17
until Allah delivers His judgment concerning us."
19:21
Then I came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
19:25
and sat before him,
19:27
mentioning to him what I had suffered from my husband.
19:31
I began complaining to him of his ill-temper,
19:34
and then I related the pronouncement of zihar he had made against me.
19:38
So the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
19:41
"I see you as nothing other than unlawful to him."
19:46
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
19:48
I have grown advanced in years,
19:50
my bones have weakened,
19:52
and I have children by him;
19:54
if I leave them to him, they will be neglected,
19:57
and if I keep them with me, they will starve."
20:00
Yet the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, kept saying,
20:05
"I see you as nothing other than unlawful to him."
20:08
And I continued to plead with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
20:13
and by Allah, I did not leave my spot
20:16
until the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was overcome
20:20
by that which used to overcome him of revelation.
20:23
Then it lifted from him,
20:25
and he said to me,
20:27
"Allah has revealed Qur'an concerning you and your companion."
20:31
Then he recited to me the opening of Surah al-Mujadilah.
20:35
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, then said to me,
20:39
"Tell him to emancipate a slave."
20:42
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
20:44
he possesses nothing to emancipate."
20:47
He said,
20:48
"Then let him fast for two consecutive months."
20:51
I replied,
20:53
"By Allah, he is an old man;
20:56
he has no endurance for fasting."
20:58
He said,
20:59
"Then let him feed sixty poor persons."
21:02
I replied,
21:04
"By Allah, O Messenger of Allah,
21:06
he does not possess that either."
21:08
Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, gave me some dates
21:13
and said,
21:14
"Go and give this in charity on his behalf,
21:17
and then treat your cousin kindly."
21:21
And so I did.
21:24
Then, one day,
21:26
the Caliph 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, came out of the mosque
21:30
accompanied by al-Jarud al-'Abdi,
21:33
who was among the Arab nobility.
21:35
'Umar saw me on the road,
21:38
so he greeted me with peace,
21:40
and I returned the greeting.
21:42
Then I said,
21:44
"Gently, O 'Umar!
21:46
I remember you when you were called 'Umayr in the marketplace of 'Ukaz,
21:50
startling boys with your stick.
21:53
Days did not long pass before you were named 'Umar,
21:57
and not long after that, you were named Commander of the Faithful.
22:02
So fear Allah regarding your subjects,
22:05
and know that whoever fears the threat of punishment
22:08
finds what was distant drawn near,
22:10
and whoever fears death
22:12
dreads missing his chance to do good."
22:14
Al-Jarud said to me,
22:17
"You have spoken too harshly and excessively to the Commander of the Faithful!"
22:21
But 'Umar said to him,
22:23
"Leave her!
22:24
Do you not know who she is?
22:26
This is the woman whose plea Allah heard from above the seven heavens;
22:31
by Allah, 'Umar is all the more duty-bound to listen to her."
22:35
So, who am I?
22:51
The answer:
22:54
Khawlah bint Tha'labah, may Allah be pleased with her.
23:09
They filled this life with glorious deeds through their actions,
23:14
and the world of mankind flourished through them with grace.
23:19
Pause,
23:27
pause
23:28
and get to know the Companions, the scholars, and the noble figures,
23:32
the best of generations in stances and shining examples.
23:36
A new challenge:
23:39
Who am I?
23:45
I am the cousin of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
23:48
and his foster brother through nursing.
23:50
I was his close companion prior to his prophetic mission,
23:54
and one of the people who resembled him most in appearance.
23:58
However, when the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
24:01
was sent with the Message
24:03
and called his people to Islam,
24:06
I despised him and showed him hostility,
24:09
lampooning him and his Companions in my poetry.
24:12
When the Prophet, peace be upon him, migrated
24:16
to Madinah,
24:18
I did not miss a single battle that Quraysh waged against the Muslims.
24:25
Consequently, the Prophet, peace be upon him, became angry with me
24:29
and declared my blood forfeit.
24:32
I remained in Makkah until the Conquest came,
24:36
and then I realized that I had no escape except to embrace Islam
24:40
and place my hand in the hand of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
24:45
So I went out to him before he reached Makkah with his army,
24:49
accompanied by my son and a man from our kin.
24:53
We met the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
24:57
at Thaniyyat al-'Uqab between Makkah and Madinah,
25:01
and we requested permission to enter his presence.
25:04
Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, interceded with him on our behalf,
25:08
but he, peace be upon him, said,
25:11
"I have no need of them."
25:14
When we learned of that, I said,
25:17
"By Allah, either the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, grants me permission,
25:23
or I will take this son of mine by the hand,
25:26
and we will wander the earth until we die of thirst or hunger."
25:32
When that reached the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
25:38
his heart softened toward us and he granted us permission.
25:41
So we entered his presence and embraced Islam.
25:44
From the very first moments of my Islam,
25:48
I set out to make up for all the good that had passed me by,
25:51
becoming a devoted worshipper, frequently prostrating, and a warrior striving in Allah's cause.
25:55
I went out with the Messenger, peace be upon him, during the Conquest of Makkah
26:00
and the expeditions that followed it.
26:03
On the day of Hunayn, I was among those who stood firm beside the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him;
26:09
I stayed by his side and did not leave him for a single moment,
26:13
holding the reins of the mule of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, with my left hand,
26:19
while striking at the necks of the polytheists with my right.
26:24
This continued until the Muslims rallied back to the battlefield around their Prophet, peace be upon him,
26:31
and Allah decreed for them a manifest victory.
26:35
When the dust of battle cleared,
26:38
the Messenger, peace be upon him, turned to me and said,
26:43
"Who is this? My brother?"
26:46
No sooner did I hear the word "my brother" from him, peace be upon him,
26:51
than my heart soared with joy;
26:55
I threw myself at his feet, kissing them.
26:59
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, praised me
27:03
and bore witness that I was destined for Paradise,
27:06
declaring that I would be among the masters of the youth of the people of Paradise.
27:11
So, who am I?
27:28
The answer: Abu Sufyan Ibn al-Harith, may Allah be pleased with him.
27:40
Pause and get to know the Companions, the scholars, and the noble figures.
27:49
A new challenge: Who am I?
28:00
A new challenge: Who am I?
28:05
A new challenge: Who am I?
28:10
I am one of the Companions, from the noblemen of Yemen and a chieftain among the lords of Hadramawt,
28:20
and a son of its kings.
28:22
I embraced Islam out of genuine longing for the faith,
28:25
so the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, honored me,
28:30
bestowed gifts upon me as kings are given, and praised me generously.
28:36
While we were in Hadramawt,
28:38
word reached us of the emergence of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
28:43
So I set out to him as an envoy on behalf of my people,
28:47
until I arrived in Medina.
28:50
I met his Companions before meeting him,
28:53
and they said to me,
28:55
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) gave us glad tidings of your coming
28:59
three days before you arrived among us."
29:03
Then I met him favorably;
29:07
then I met him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
29:10
and he welcomed me warmly, drew my seating place close to him,
29:14
spread out his cloak for me,
29:16
and seated me upon it.
29:19
Then he called the people, and they gathered around him.
29:22
He then ascended the pulpit, took me up with him, and seated me just below him.
29:27
Then he praised and glorified Allah,
29:30
and said,
29:32
"O people!
29:34
This man has come to you from a distant land,
29:38
from the land of Hadramawt,
29:40
neither out of fear nor out of worldly desire;
29:44
he came solely out of love for Allah and His Messenger.
29:47
Treat him gently,
29:49
for he is accustomed to royalty."
29:52
Then he said to me,
29:54
"You are among the remnant of the sons of kings;
29:57
may Allah bless you, and your children,
30:00
and your children's children."
30:02
Then he stepped down from the pulpit, and I stepped down with him.
30:06
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
30:08
my people have dispossessed me of a right that belongs to me."
30:12
He replied,
30:14
"I shall grant you double its worth."
30:16
And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered
30:20
a residence in Medina for me,
30:22
and commanded Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him)
30:26
to guide me to my residence.
30:29
So I set out riding my mount,
30:31
while Mu'awiyah walked on foot.
30:34
When we were part of the way there,
30:37
Mu'awiyah said to me,
30:39
"Let me ride behind you."
30:41
I said,
30:42
"You are not of those who ride behind kings."
30:45
He said,
30:46
"Then give me your sandals."
30:49
I replied,
30:51
"Protect your feet in the shadow of the camel."
30:54
It was not out of miserliness that I withheld letting him ride behind me
30:57
or giving him my sandals,
30:59
but rather I disliked being reproached for it,
31:02
as I was newly accustomed to Islam at the time.
31:06
Later, when Mu'awiyah became the ruler of the Levant,
31:09
I came before him as a visitor,
31:11
and he seated me beside him on the royal couch,
31:14
reminding me of my encounter with him.
31:16
I felt ashamed before him,
31:18
and wished that I had carried him before me.
31:23
So, who am I?
31:26
The best of followers and exemplars,
31:31
following the Messenger whenever he strove
31:34
or walked.
31:41
The answer:
31:42
Wa'il ibn Hujr al-Hadrami,
31:45
may Allah be pleased with him.
31:47
They departed, leaving in the conscience a question:
31:52
Has ever a star ascended and shone like them?
31:57
They filled life with glories;
32:01
pause and get to know the Companions, the scholars, and the notables.
32:16
A new challenge: Who am I?
32:23
I am one of the Companions, from the Ansar,
32:27
and one of the eight who met the Prophet (peace be upon him)
32:36
in Mecca,
32:38
where he presented Islam to us,
32:40
and we accepted Islam
32:42
and paved the way for Islam in Medina.
32:45
Then we came to him the following year,
32:48
and pledged allegiance to him at the First Pledge of al-Aqabah,
32:52
and in the year that followed,
32:54
we pledged allegiance to him at the Second Pledge of al-Aqabah.
32:58
I was among those most diligent in cleansing with water after relieving oneself,
33:02
and regarding my companions, the words of Allah the Exalted were revealed:
33:08
“Never stand (to pray) there. A place of worship which was found upon duty (to Allah) from the first day is more worthy that thou shouldst stand (to pray) therein, wherein are men who love to purify themselves. Allah loveth the purifiers.” (9:108)
33:13
"And Allah loves those who purify themselves."
33:17
After the passing of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
33:21
the Ansar gathered at the Saqifah of Banu Sa'idah
33:25
to select the Caliph.
33:27
I stepped out from among them,
33:29
and we encountered Abu Bakr al-Siddiq
33:32
and Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with them both,
33:36
as they were heading toward the Saqifah of Banu Sa'idah.
33:40
We informed them of the consensus the people were leaning toward,
33:44
and we asked them, "Where do you intend to go?"
33:47
They said, "We seek our brothers from among the Ansar."
33:52
So we said to them...
33:55
I lived until the caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful,
33:58
Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him),
34:01
and when I passed away,
34:03
Umar stood over my grave and said,
34:09
"No one among the inhabitants of the earth can say
34:13
that he is better than his companion—
34:16
none shall be able to say
34:18
that he is better than his companion—
34:20
none shall be able to say
34:22
that he is better than the dweller of this grave.
34:26
Never did the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) hoist
34:30
a banner except that he was beneath its shade."
34:34
So, who am I?
34:37
The best of followers and exemplars,
34:44
following the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke;
34:49
they were here pouring forth reviving rain.
34:53
The answer: Uwaym ibn Sa'idah al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him.
34:59
They departed, leaving in the conscience a question:
35:04
Has ever a star ascended and shone like them?
35:09
They filled life with glories through their deeds,
35:14
and the world of mankind flourished through them.
35:20
Pause
35:26
and get to know the Companions, the scholars, and the notables,
35:30
the best of generations in stances and exemplars.
35:34
A new challenge:
35:37
Who am I?
35:39
I am one of the Emigrant Companions,
35:45
and one of the ten promised Paradise.
35:49
I embraced Islam early on in Mecca,
35:51
witnessed all the battles alongside the Prophet (peace be upon him),
35:57
and was among the champions and commanders in warfare.
36:01
As a young man, I was dutiful to my mother,
36:05
possessing intense love for her,
36:07
and she felt the same toward me.
36:09
When I embraced Islam,
36:10
she said to me,
36:12
"What is this religion you have newly invented?
36:15
You must abandon this religion of yours,
36:17
or else I will neither eat nor drink until I die,
36:21
so that you will be shamed on my account,
36:23
and it will be said,
36:24
'O killer of his own mother!'"
36:26
So I said to her,
36:28
"Do not do so, dear mother,
36:30
for I will never abandon my religion, whatever you may do."
36:34
She went on for a day and a night without eating,
36:38
until morning came and she was completely exhausted.
36:41
I then said,
36:42
"By Allah, dear mother,
36:44
if you possessed a hundred souls
36:47
and they departed one by one,
36:49
I would never abandon this religion of mine for anything;
36:53
so eat if you wish, or do not eat."
36:56
When she saw that,
36:58
she ate and drank.
37:00
And Allah revealed concerning me His words, the Exalted:
37:04
"But if they strive to make you associate with Me
37:09
that of which you have no knowledge,
37:12
do not obey them..."
37:15
“But if they strive with thee to make thee ascribe unto Me as partner that of which thou hast no knowledge, then obey them not. Consort with them in the world kindly, and follow the path of him who repenteth unto Me. Then unto Me will be your return, and I shall tell you what ye used to do -” (31:15)
37:19
“But if they strive with thee to make thee ascribe unto Me as partner that of which thou hast no knowledge, then obey them not. Consort with them in the world kindly, and follow the path of him who repenteth unto Me. Then unto Me will be your return, and I shall tell you what ye used to do -” (31:15)
37:22
"...then unto Me is your return,
37:25
and I will inform you of what you used to
37:29
do."
37:31
I was also the first to shed
37:34
blood in the cause of Allah.
37:36
In Mecca, whenever we wished to pray,
37:40
we would go out to the mountain passes
37:42
and conceal our prayer from our people.
37:47
While I was with a group of Muslims
37:50
in one of the ravines of Mecca,
37:52
a band of Quraysh suddenly came upon us
37:55
and reviled our religion,
37:58
so we clashed in a fight.
38:00
I struck Abdullah ibn Khatal
38:02
with a camel's jawbone
38:04
and split his head open;
38:06
that was the very first blood shed in Islam.
38:12
I was also the first to shoot an arrow
38:15
in the cause of Allah,
38:17
and I was among the most skilled archers.
38:20
At the Battle of Uhud,
38:22
the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, emptied
38:25
his quiver for me,
38:27
and said, "Shoot,
38:29
may my father and mother be ransomed for you!"
38:31
So I shot at the polytheists
38:33
and repelled them from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
38:38
I saw one of them wreaking havoc among the Muslims,
38:42
so I drew an arrow that had no broadhead,
38:45
struck his forehead,
38:47
and he fell on his back
38:49
with his private parts exposed,
38:51
whereat the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) laughed
38:55
until his molar teeth showed.
38:58
So, who am I?
39:01
The best of generations in character and exemplars,
39:06
following the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke,
39:10
they water.
39:16
The answer is:
39:17
Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas,
39:19
may Allah be pleased with him.
39:21
They departed, leaving in the conscience a question:
39:26
Did ever a star like them rise high and glisten?
39:31
They filled life with proud deeds of their own making,
39:36
and the world of mankind flourished in grace through them.
39:41
Pause,
39:49
and get to know the Companions, the scholars, and the noble figures—
39:53
the best of generations in stances and examples.
39:57
A new challenge:
40:00
Who am I?
40:02
I am one of the Companions,
40:08
from the Ansar.
40:10
I was the foremost authority among the Qur'an reciters and scholars of inheritance,
40:13
and the mufti of Medina.
40:16
I embraced Islam as soon as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) arrived in Medina,
40:21
when I was only eleven years old.
40:26
My people from Banu al-Najjar brought me to the Prophet (peace be upon him)
40:31
and said to him,
40:33
"This boy has memorized seventeen surahs of the Qur'an,
40:38
so listen to him."
40:40
He listened to me and was delighted with my recitation.
40:43
Then he said to me:
40:45
"Learn for me the writing of the Jews,
40:48
for indeed, I do not trust them with my correspondence."
40:51
So I learned the Hebrew script
40:54
until I mastered reading and writing it
40:57
in just fifteen days.
41:00
Then he said to me:
41:02
"Learn Syriac."
41:04
So I learned it in seventeen days.
41:08
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was deeply impressed by that,
41:12
and after that I came to be known as
41:15
the translator of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
41:19
I also mastered the laws of inheritance,
41:22
until the Prophet (peace be upon him) testified of me
41:26
that I was the most knowledgeable of this Ummah in the laws of inheritance.
41:30
During the Wars of Apostasy after the passing of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
41:35
and after a great number of the reciters of the Qur'an were martyred at the Battle of al-Yamamah,
41:40
'Umar Ibn al-Khattab came to the Caliph of the Muslims, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them both),
41:47
and advised him to compile the Mus-haf
41:50
before death claimed the rest of the reciters.
41:53
This matter weighed heavily on Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him),
41:57
so he prayed the istikharah prayer to his Lord and consulted the Companions.
42:01
Then, when he resolved to compile the Mus-haf,
42:05
he summoned me and said: "You are an intelligent young man whom we do not suspect of any fault,
42:11
and you used to record the divine revelation for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him);
42:16
so track down the Qur'an and collect it."
42:19
I said: "How can you do something that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not do?"
42:26
He replied: "By Allah, it is good."
42:30
Abu Bakr kept urging me
42:33
until Allah opened my heart to it.
42:36
So I undertook the compilation of the Mus-haf.
42:39
By Allah, had they tasked me with moving a mountain from its place,
42:43
it would not have been heavier upon me than what they commanded me to do.
42:47
I began tracing its verses from pieces of parchment, shoulder blades, and the hearts of men,
42:55
until I completed the mission.
42:58
Later, following the expansion of the Islamic conquests during the caliphate of 'Uthman Ibn 'Affan (may Allah be pleased with him),
43:05
when people began to dispute over the modes of recitation,
43:08
the Caliph commanded me to compile the Qur'an once more into a single standardized recitation.
43:14
It was the final recitation that I had heard from the Prophet (peace be upon him)
43:20
during the final review with Jibril (peace be upon him).
43:24
I did so, and attained the honor of compiling it once again. So, who am I?
43:34
The best of generations in stances and examples,
43:39
following the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke.
43:44
They were like clouds watering our lives.
43:55
They departed, leaving in the conscience a question:
44:00
Did ever a star like them rise high and glisten?
44:05
They filled life with proud deeds of their own making,
44:10
and the world of mankind flourished in grace through them.