Part of Who am I (bundled with answers)
· Lesson 19 of 31
Learn about the companions, scholars, and notables | Who am I? | Collected episodes from (161) to (170) with answers
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0:01
Pause
0:04
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
0:12
A new challenge: Who am I?
0:16
I am one of the senior Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
0:23
and one of the ten promised Paradise.
0:27
My supplications were always answered.
0:30
My father was one of the few who adhered to monotheism (Tawhid) before the Prophet's mission, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
0:38
and he is among those who will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection as an entire nation unto himself.
0:43
I was the first governor of Damascus in Islam,
0:47
as I took part in its siege alongside Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, may Allah be pleased with him.
0:54
When he conquered it,
0:56
he appointed me over it on his behalf.
0:59
I owned a piece of land in Medina,
1:04
adjacent to a plot belonging to Arwa bint Uways.
1:08
Arwa went to Muhammad ibn 'Amr ibn Hazm,
1:12
claiming that I had built a wall on her land,
1:16
and asked him to come speak to me so I would restore her right to her.
1:22
And if I did not,
1:24
she threatened to cry out against me in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
1:29
and complain about me to the governor of Medina, Marwan ibn al-Hakam.
1:34
So he said to her,
1:36
"Do not harm a Companion of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
1:41
for he would never wrong you nor take away any of your rights."
1:46
So she left
1:48
and went to 'Umarah ibn 'Amr and 'Abdullah ibn Salam,
1:52
saying to them the same thing she had told the first man:
1:56
that if I did not comply,
1:58
she would cry out against me in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
2:03
and complain about me to the governor of Medina.
2:07
So they set out and came to me at my land in al-'Aqiq.
2:12
I asked them, "What brings you both here?"
2:16
They said,
2:17
"Arwa bint Uways came to us
2:20
claiming that you built a wall on her property,
2:24
and she swore by Allah that if you do not tear it down,
2:27
she will cry out against you in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
2:32
and complain about you to the governor of Medina.
2:36
So we wanted to come to you and bring this to your attention."
2:40
I said,
2:42
"I would never take anything of her land,
2:45
for I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say,
2:50
'Whoever takes a handspan of land unjustly,
2:54
it will be tied around his neck like a collar from seven earths on the Day of Resurrection.'
2:58
Let her come and take whatever right she claims."
3:03
Then I said,
3:05
"O Allah, if she has lied against me,
3:08
do not cause her to die until You blind her sight
3:12
and make her death occur on her own land."
3:15
"Go back and inform her of that."
3:18
Arwa bint Uways then came to my land,
3:23
demolished the wall, and built a house.
3:27
Then Allah answered my supplication against her:
3:30
it was not long before she went blind.
3:34
She used to get up at night to relieve herself,
3:38
accompanied by a servant-girl who would guide her.
3:41
One night, she got up without waking the servant-girl,
3:45
fell into a well on her land,
3:49
and died.
3:51
So, who am I?
4:00
The answer: Sa'id ibn Zayd ibn 'Amr ibn Nufayl,
4:05
may Allah be pleased with them both.
4:07
Pause
4:17
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
4:25
A new challenge: Who am I?
4:29
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
4:36
from the people of Himyar in Yemen.
4:39
I am also of Persian descent (the Abna'),
4:41
whom Chosroes dispatched to Yemen;
4:44
they drove out the Abyssinians and took control of it.
4:48
I was the nephew of the Negus (al-Najashi),
4:50
and I am the slayer of al-Aswad al-'Ansi,
4:53
who claimed prophethood in Yemen.
4:56
After the Farewell Pilgrimage,
4:59
the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, fell ill,
5:03
and the news spread across the Arabian Peninsula.
5:06
Consequently, some whose faith was weak apostatized,
5:09
and several impostors claimed prophethood,
5:12
among whom was al-Aswad al-'Ansi in Yemen.
5:15
He was a sorcerer of eloquent tongue,
5:19
able to convince the common folk
5:21
with his sweet words
5:23
and sleight of hand,
5:25
until a great many people followed him.
5:28
When word of him reached the Prophet, peace be upon him,
5:33
he sent a letter to us in Yemen,
5:36
urging us to nip this sedition in the bud
5:41
and commanding us to rid the land of al-Aswad al-'Ansi.
5:45
I hastened to carry out the command of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
5:50
I conspired with my cousin Azad to kill him;
5:55
Azad was the wife of al-Aswad al-'Ansi,
5:59
for that wicked man had forcibly married her after slaying her husband,
6:02
and she loathed him.
6:05
I infiltrated the palace of al-Aswad al-'Ansi,
6:08
and Azad opened the doors for me.
6:11
When darkness fell, I entered the palace
6:15
and found my cousin waiting for me at the door of his chamber.
6:20
She pointed out the sleeping place of the enemy of Allah, al-Aswad al-'Ansi.
6:25
I entered the chamber, approached his bed,
6:30
and struck his neck with my sword.
6:33
He began to make a sound like the bellowing of a bull.
6:37
When the guards heard the noise, they rushed toward the chamber
6:42
and asked, "What is this?"
6:44
My cousin said to them, "Go away!
6:48
The prophet of Allah is receiving divine revelation."
6:52
So they left.
6:55
I remained inside the palace until dawn broke.
6:58
Then I headed to the palace wall,
7:01
stood atop it, and called the adhan,
7:04
until I reached: "I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,"
7:09
after which I called out: "I bear witness that al-Aswad al-'Ansi is a liar!"
7:15
When the Muslims heard the call,
7:18
they converged from every direction.
7:20
The guards tried to confront them,
7:23
so I threw down the severed head of al-Aswad al-'Ansi to them,
7:26
whereupon they retreated.
7:28
Back in Medina,
7:31
the news reached the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
7:35
from heaven.
7:37
He came out giving glad tidings to the people,
7:39
saying,
7:41
"Al-Aswad al-'Ansi was killed last night;
7:44
he was slain by a blessed man
7:46
from a blessed household."
7:49
So, who am I?
7:51
The answer:
8:00
Fayruz al-Daylami,
8:02
may Allah be pleased with him.
8:04
Pause
8:15
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
8:20
A new challenge:
8:26
Who am I?
8:31
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, from the Ansar.
8:36
I witnessed the Second Pledge of al-'Aqabah
8:39
when I was twenty years old,
8:41
and I took part in Badr and all the other battles alongside the Prophet, peace be upon him.
8:47
In the Great Battle of Badr,
8:50
I wrested the standard of the polytheists from their hands
8:54
and captured al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib.
8:57
I was a short man,
8:59
while al-'Abbas was large and tall.
9:03
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to me,
9:07
"A noble angel aided you against him."
9:11
A man owed me a debt,
9:13
so I sought him at his house.
9:15
He delayed coming out to meet me
9:18
and told his servant-girl,
9:20
"Tell him he is not here."
9:23
But I heard his voice,
9:25
so I said, "Come out!
9:27
I have already heard your voice."
9:29
He came out to me,
9:31
and I asked, "What made you do what you did?"
9:35
He replied, "I was ashamed before you;
9:38
you came to me while I am in hardship."
9:41
I asked, "By Allah, are you in hardship?"
9:46
He said, "By Allah, I am in hardship."
9:50
I said, "Young boy, show me the debt-sheet."
9:55
I took it and erased it,
9:58
then said to the man, "Go,
10:01
for you are absolved of your debt.
10:04
Indeed, I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say:
10:09
'Whoever grants respite to a debtor in hardship or waives it for him,
10:12
will be under the shade of Allah on the Day of Resurrection,'
10:16
or 'under the shelter of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.'"
10:19
One day,
10:22
a woman came to buy dates from me,
10:25
and she appealed to me.
10:27
So I said to her,
10:29
"Inside the house are dates better than these."
10:32
She entered the house with me,
10:34
and I leaned toward her and kissed her.
10:37
Then I felt deep remorse,
10:39
so I came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
10:43
and mentioned that to him.
10:45
He reproached me, peace be upon him,
10:48
saying, "Did you betray a fighter in the cause of Allah regarding his family like this?"
10:56
until I wished I had not embraced Islam until that very hour,
11:01
and thought I was destined for the Fire.
11:05
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, lowered his head in silence,
11:10
until Allah revealed to him:
11:12
"And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds.
11:20
“Establish worship at the two ends of the day and in some watches of the night. Lo! good deeds annul ill-deeds. This is reminder for the mindful.” (11:114)
11:26
That is a reminder for those who remember."
11:31
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, summoned me
11:35
and recited it to me,
11:37
and I rejoiced at it with immense joy.
11:40
I asked,
11:41
"O Messenger of Allah,
11:43
is this specifically for me, or for the people in general?"
11:47
He said,
11:48
"Rather, for the people in general."
11:51
I lived a long life
11:55
and witnessed the Battle of Siffin alongside 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him.
12:00
I was the last of the Companions who fought at Badr to pass away.
12:05
So, who am I?
12:07
The answer: Abu al-Yusr,
12:17
Ka'b ibn 'Amr al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him.
12:21
Pause
12:30
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
12:34
A new challenge:
12:40
Who am I?
12:42
I am one of the Companions from the Ansar.
12:48
I embraced Islam when I was eighteen years old.
12:51
I was present at the Second Pledge of al-'Aqabah,
12:54
as a beardless youth,
12:56
with not a single hair on my face.
13:00
I witnessed all the major battles alongside the Prophet (peace be upon him).
13:05
I became a jurist, a memorizer, and a meticulous scholar of the Qur'an,
13:10
so much so that the Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed his Companions to learn the Qur'an from me.
13:17
He described me as the most knowledgeable person in the Ummah regarding the lawful and the prohibited,
13:22
and he also said of me
13:24
that I will come on the Day of Resurrection leading the scholars,
13:28
ahead of them by a *ratwah*—
13:31
that is, a bowshot's distance.
13:33
The Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to liken me to Abraham (peace be upon him),
13:40
because Abraham, the Intimate Friend (peace be upon him), was an entire nation, devoutly obedient to Allah—
13:46
meaning obedient to Allah and a teacher of goodness to the people—
13:51
and I was just like that.
13:53
The Prophet (peace be upon him) once took me by the hand and said:
14:00
"By Allah, I surely love you."
14:03
I replied: "And by Allah, I surely love you, O Messenger of Allah!"
14:08
He said: "I advise you never to fail to say at the end of every prayer:
14:15
'O Allah, help me to remember You, thank You, and worship You in the finest manner.'"
14:21
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) conquered Mecca,
14:26
he left me behind there
14:28
to recite the Qur'an to the people and instruct them in the religion.
14:32
Before his death (peace be upon him), he sent me to Yemen.
14:38
He walked out with me to bid me farewell and give me counsel while I was riding,
14:43
and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was walking beneath my mount.
14:49
When he finished, he said: "It may be that you will not meet me again after this year of mine,
14:56
and perhaps you will pass by my mosque and my grave."
15:00
So I wept in grief over parting from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
15:06
When Abu 'Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) was afflicted in the Plague of 'Amwas,
15:13
while we were engaged in the conquests of the Levant
15:15
during the caliphate of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him),
15:19
he appointed me to succeed him over the people.
15:22
The people said to me:
15:24
"Supplicate Allah to lift this calamity from us!"
15:28
But I said: "It is not a divine wrath;
15:32
rather, it is the prayer of your Prophet,
15:35
the death of the righteous who came before you,
15:38
and a martyrdom through which Allah singles out whom He wills among His servants from you."
15:44
Then I prayed:
15:47
"O Allah, grant my family the amplest share of it!"
15:52
So my two wives and my son were stricken,
15:54
and they all passed away.
15:57
Then I was stricken in my thumb,
15:59
and I began to say:
16:01
"I would not exchange it for the finest red camels!
16:05
O Allah, it is a small thing, so bless it!"
16:10
And Allah answered my prayer,
16:12
and my death was brought about through it.
16:15
As I was dying,
16:18
I began looking up at the sky, saying:
16:22
"O Allah, I used to fear You,
16:25
but today I place my hope in You.
16:28
O Allah, You know that I did not love the world nor long for a long life in it to plant trees
16:36
or cause rivers to flow,
16:39
but rather to endure the thirst of intense midday heat, spend the nights in prayer,
16:43
and crowd alongside the scholars in circles of remembrance.
16:47
O Allah, accept my soul with the best acceptance You grant a believing soul!"
16:54
Then my soul passed away, far from home and family,
16:59
calling people to Allah,
17:01
striving in His cause.
17:04
So, who am I?
17:13
The answer:
17:14
Mu'adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him).
17:18
Pause,
17:29
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and notable figures!
17:33
A new challenge: Who am I?
17:44
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
17:48
from the Ansar.
17:50
I embraced Islam
17:51
and witnessed all the major battles alongside the Prophet (peace be upon him).
17:56
On the day of Badr,
17:58
I set out with the Muslims,
18:00
but on the way, a stone struck me,
18:03
breaking my leg.
18:05
So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent me back to Medina,
18:09
yet he allotted a share of the spoils for me,
18:11
making me as one who had witnessed the battle.
18:14
My brother was 'Abdullah ibn Jubayr (may Allah be pleased with him),
18:18
the commander of the archers on the day of Uhud.
18:23
Before my Islam, I was an eloquent, fluent poet
18:27
who enjoyed flirting with women and sitting in their company.
18:31
After I embraced Islam,
18:33
I set out with the Prophet (peace be upon him) on a journey,
18:37
and we stopped at a camping place.
18:40
I stepped out of my tent,
18:42
and suddenly saw a group of women chatting together.
18:45
The sight delighted me,
18:47
so I went back to the tent,
18:49
took my belongings,
18:51
pulled out a beautiful, fine garment,
18:54
put it on,
18:56
and came and sat with them.
18:59
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came out of his tent,
19:03
saw me, recognized me,
19:06
and said to me:
19:08
"O Abu 'Abdillah, what keeps you sitting with them?"
19:12
When I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
19:16
I was awed by him and flustered,
19:18
so I blurted out:
19:20
"O Messenger of Allah,
19:22
I have a camel that ran away,
19:24
and I am looking for it!"
19:26
The Prophet (peace be upon him) then moved on,
19:29
and I followed him.
19:31
He relieved himself and performed ablution,
19:34
then returned with water dripping from his beard onto his chest,
19:38
and said:
19:41
"O Abu 'Abdillah,
19:43
what became of your stray camel?"
19:46
I lowered my head out of embarrassment before him.
19:49
Then we resumed our journey,
19:51
and whenever he saw me along the way, he would say:
19:55
"Peace be upon you, O Abu 'Abdillah!
19:58
What became of that stray camel?"
20:01
When I saw that from him (peace be upon him),
20:06
shyness completely overwhelmed me,
20:08
so I hurried ahead to Medina
20:11
and avoided the mosque and sitting with the Prophet (peace be upon him).
20:17
Since he kept saying that,
20:19
I waited for a moment when the mosque would be empty,
20:22
came in, and stood up to pray.
20:25
Suddenly, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came out from one of his apartments,
20:31
entered the mosque,
20:33
and performed two light units of prayer.
20:36
So I prolonged my prayer,
20:38
hoping he would leave and leave me alone.
20:42
But he said:
20:43
"Prolong it as long as you wish, O Abu 'Abdillah,
20:47
for I am not standing up until you finish!"
20:51
So I said to myself:
20:53
"By Allah, I will surely apologize to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
20:58
and set his heart at ease!"
21:01
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
21:05
"Peace be upon you, O Abu 'Abdillah!
21:08
What became of that stray camel?"
21:11
I said: "By the One Who sent you with the truth,
21:16
no camel of mine has ever run away since I embraced Islam!"
21:20
The Prophet (peace be upon him) smiled at me
21:25
and said: "May Allah have mercy on you."
21:29
After that, I never returned to anything involving women.
21:34
So, who am I?
21:36
The answer:
21:45
Khawwat ibn Jubayr
21:47
(may Allah be pleased with him).
21:49
Pause!
21:59
Pause,
22:00
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and notable figures!
22:05
A new challenge:
22:10
Who am I?
22:12
I am one of the noble Companions
22:17
and a son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
22:21
for I was the husband of his daughter Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her),
22:25
and I am the father of Umamah,
22:28
whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to carry during his prayers.
22:33
The Prophet (peace be upon him) praised me warmly for my conduct as a son-in-law.
22:40
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was commissioned with his message,
22:44
I delayed in following him
22:47
and remained upon the religion of Quraysh.
22:50
My people said to me:
22:52
"Separate from your wife, the daughter of Muhammad,
22:55
and we will marry you to whichever woman of Quraysh you wish!"
23:00
But I said to them:
23:02
"No, by Allah! I will not separate from my wife,
23:06
and I would not exchange her for any woman of Quraysh!"
23:12
I fought on the side of the polytheists at the Battle of Badr
23:16
and fell as a captive into the hands of the Muslims.
23:19
The people of Mecca sent ransoms to free their captives,
23:23
and my wife Zaynab, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
23:28
sent wealth to ransom me,
23:31
sending along with it a necklace of hers
23:34
that her mother Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her)
23:37
had given her upon her marriage to me.
23:39
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saw the necklace,
23:44
he was moved with profound tenderness for her
23:47
and said:
23:49
"Zaynab has sent this wealth to ransom her husband.
23:54
If you see fit to release her captive for her
23:58
and return her wealth to her,
24:00
then do so."
24:02
The Companions said:
24:04
"Yes, most gladly, O Messenger of Allah!"
24:08
The Prophet (peace be upon him) stipulated that I
24:12
send his daughter Zaynab to him without delay,
24:17
and I gave him my word to do so.
24:19
No sooner had I reached Mecca
24:21
than I hastened to fulfill my covenant with him.
24:25
I instructed Zaynab to prepare to join her father,
24:29
and I parted from her despite my intense love for her.
24:33
Regarding this, he (peace be upon him) said:
24:37
"He spoke to me and proved truthful,
24:40
and he made me a promise and fulfilled it."
24:43
Shortly before the Conquest of Mecca,
24:46
I set out on a trade caravan to the Levant with wealth of my own and substantial wealth belonging to Quraysh.
24:52
When I was returning,
24:54
an expedition of the Muslims intercepted me
24:57
and seized everything I had in the caravan.
25:00
However, I managed to escape from them,
25:02
so they brought what they had captured to Medina,
25:06
while I arrived under the cover of night
25:09
until I reached Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her).
25:13
I sought her protection, and she granted it to me.
25:16
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) learned of this,
25:21
he sent for the raiding party who had taken my wealth,
25:25
and he said to them:
25:27
"This man is one of us, as you already know,
25:31
and you have taken wealth belonging to him.
25:34
If you show kindness and return it to him,
25:37
we would certainly appreciate that;
25:39
but if you refuse..."
25:42
They replied,
25:44
"Rather, we will return it, O Messenger of Allah!"
25:48
So they returned every bit of it,
25:50
and I took it and traveled with it to Mecca.
25:54
I paid every person with a right their rightful share,
25:57
and then I said,
25:59
"O people of Quraysh!
26:01
Does any one of you still have anything due from me?"
26:05
They answered, "No,
26:07
we have truly found you to be faithful and noble."
26:11
I said,
26:13
"Then I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
26:17
and that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger.
26:21
By Allah, nothing prevented me from accepting Islam in his presence
26:24
except the fear that you might think
26:26
I only intended to consume your wealth."
26:30
Then I went back to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
26:35
and he was overjoyed by my accepting Islam,
26:38
and he reunited me with Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her)
26:41
under our original marriage.
26:44
So, who am I?
26:46
The answer:
26:55
Abu al-'As ibn al-Rabi'
26:57
(may Allah be pleased with him).
26:59
Pause.
27:10
Pause and learn about the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
27:15
A new challenge:
27:21
Who am I?
27:23
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
27:30
from the tribe of Ghifar.
27:32
I embraced Islam after the arrival of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in Medina,
27:37
and I was present with him at Uhud,
27:40
where on that day I was struck by an arrow in my throat.
27:43
So I came to the Prophet (peace be upon him),
27:47
and he spat upon the wound where the arrow struck,
27:50
and I was healed,
27:51
so I was called "Al-Manhur" (the one wounded in the throat).
27:54
The Prophet (peace be upon him) appointed me as his deputy over Medina twice:
27:59
once during the Compensatory 'Umrah ('Umrat al-Qada')
28:02
and once in the year of the Conquest of Mecca.
28:05
I witnessed the Pledge of Ridwan
28:07
and pledged allegiance under the tree.
28:11
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) intended to set out for Tabuk,
28:16
he sent me to my people, Banu Ghifar,
28:18
to mobilize them to join him
28:21
and meet their enemy at Tabuk.
28:24
So I went to them in their homelands,
28:26
conveyed the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to them,
28:31
and mobilized them to march out;
28:33
so they set out with me,
28:35
and a large group of them witnessed Tabuk.
28:39
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was on his journey back,
28:44
he traveled with us through the night,
28:46
and I was riding close to him.
28:49
Drowsiness overcame me,
28:51
and I began to doze off while atop my riding beast,
28:55
and then I would wake up
28:57
to find that my mount had drawn dangerously close to his (peace be upon him).
29:02
Its proximity to him would startle me,
29:04
out of fear that I might bump into him (peace be upon him),
29:08
so I would steer my mount away from him,
29:11
until sleep overpowered my eyes at a point during the night.
29:15
I was wearing thick sandals,
29:18
and my she-camel pressed closely against the she-camel of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
29:23
so the edge of my sandal struck the shin of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
29:29
causing him pain.
29:31
The Prophet (peace be upon him) exclaimed,
29:34
"Ouch! You have hurt me; pull your foot back!"
29:38
and struck my foot with his whip.
29:40
I said,
29:42
"Ask forgiveness for me, O Messenger of Allah!"
29:45
What I had done grieved me deeply,
29:47
and I feared that verses of the Qur'an might be revealed concerning me
29:50
due to the gravity of what I had done.
29:53
When morning came,
29:55
the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent for me,
29:59
so I came to him, trembling with fear.
30:03
He (peace be upon him) said to me:
30:06
"You hurt me with your foot last night,
30:10
and I struck you with the whip and caused you pain,
30:13
so take these sheep
30:15
in compensation for my striking you."
30:17
I saw satisfaction on his face (peace be upon him),
30:23
and by Allah, his being pleased with me
30:26
was dearer to me than this worldly life and everything in it.
30:30
So, who am I?
30:32
The answer:
30:41
Abu Ruhm al-Ghifari,
30:43
Kulthum ibn al-Husayn
30:45
(may Allah be pleased with him).
30:47
Pause.
30:54
Pause,
30:56
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
31:00
A new challenge:
31:06
Who am I?
31:10
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
31:14
I embraced Islam after the Conquest of Mecca.
31:18
I was an eloquent poet of fluent tongue,
31:21
a courageous knight,
31:23
one of the fiercest, strongest warriors,
31:26
and a lover of battle.
31:29
The mere mention of my name on the battlefield was enough
31:32
to strike terror into the hearts of the enemy.
31:36
I was an eminent nobleman among my people,
31:39
possessing vast wealth,
31:41
for I owned a thousand camels
31:43
and a steed of the finest Arabian horses
31:46
named Al-Muhabbar.
31:48
Yet I left all of that behind
31:51
and joined the companionship of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
31:55
so he prayed for me:
31:57
"May this transaction of yours never suffer a loss!"
32:01
When Tulayhah ibn Khuwaylid apostatized
32:04
and the common folk of my tribe, Banu Asad, followed him,
32:07
the Prophet (peace be upon him) dispatched me against him
32:11
to confront him and extinguish his discord.
32:14
So I prepared to march out against him,
32:17
but as I was about to engage Tulayhah in battle,
32:20
news of the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him) reached me.
32:25
I and those with me returned to Medina,
32:28
and when the Caliph Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) prepared
32:32
the armies to fight the apostates,
32:34
he tied the banner for Khalid ibn al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him)
32:39
and commanded him to march to Buzakhah
32:42
to confront the apostates from Asad and Ghatafan.
32:46
I was one of the commanders of the forces in this army,
32:50
and I fought against the apostates of my own people
32:53
until Tulayhah was defeated
32:55
and Asad and Ghatafan accepted Islam.
32:58
Khalid ibn al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him)
33:02
relied heavily upon me in his conquests throughout the Levant,
33:07
to the extent that I became the second-in-command of the army after Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him).
33:14
At the Battle of Ajnadayn,
33:17
the number of the Romans was triple that of the Muslims,
33:22
as they numbered ninety thousand warriors,
33:25
while the number of the Muslims
33:28
was close to thirty thousand fighters.
33:31
I displayed rare valor in this battle
33:35
and inflicted a massive slaughter among the Roman ranks,
33:39
turning the tides of battle in favor of the Muslims.
33:44
In the midst of the battle,
33:47
I stripped off my armor and my shirt
33:50
so that I could move with agility.
33:53
No sooner did the enemy see me bare-chested
33:56
than they grew eager to kill me and rid themselves of me.
34:00
Thirty soldiers surrounded me,
34:04
but I killed several of them, and the rest fled,
34:08
so they gave me the title "The Bare-Chested Demon."
34:13
Then I charged at the Roman commander, Wardan,
34:17
and when he saw me heading toward him,
34:20
he realized that I was the Bare-Chested Demon,
34:23
having already heard of me.
34:26
A fierce duel broke out between us,
34:29
and I struck him with my spear,
34:31
my spear piercing his chest,
34:33
and I finished him off until I severed his head.
34:37
I returned with his head to the Muslims,
34:40
and at that moment, there rang out from the Muslim camp
34:43
the resounding shouts of Takbir:
34:45
"Allahu Akbar!
34:47
Allahu Akbar!"
34:49
and the enemy was defeated.
34:52
In the Battle of Marj al-Suffar,
34:55
I encountered one of the Roman commanders named Paul,
34:59
who wanted to avenge his comrade Wardan.
35:03
The duel between us began,
35:05
and I struck him down until he fell.
35:08
I raised my sword to slay him,
35:11
at which point Paul called out to Khalid ibn al-Walid,
35:14
saying:
35:16
"O Khalid, you kill me!
35:19
Do not let this man kill me!"
35:22
Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him) replied to him:
35:25
"Rather, he is your slayer and the slayer of the Romans!"
35:30
So, who am I?
35:38
The answer:
35:40
Dirar ibn al-Azwar (may Allah be pleased with him).
35:51
Pause,
35:54
and learn about the Companions, scholars, and prominent figures.
36:02
A new challenge: Who am I?
36:06
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
36:13
counted among the people of the Hijaz.
36:16
I was the emissary of Banu Sa'd and their chief.
36:20
I was known to be the most outstanding Bedouin who ever came as an envoy to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
36:27
I was a strong, robust man,
36:29
hairy, with two long braids.
36:32
I came as an emissary to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
36:38
and made my camel kneel at the door of the mosque,
36:41
then hobbled it.
36:43
Then I entered the mosque while the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was sitting with his Companions.
36:50
I approached them and said,
36:52
"Which of you is the son of 'Abd al-Muttalib?"
36:55
The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied,
36:59
"I am the son of 'Abd al-Muttalib."
37:02
I said,
37:03
"O son of 'Abd al-Muttalib,
37:05
I am going to question you and be blunt in my questioning,
37:09
so do not take offense."
37:12
He said,
37:13
"I take no offense,
37:15
so ask whatever comes to your mind."
37:18
I said,
37:19
"I adjure you by Allah—your God,
37:21
the God of those before you,
37:24
and the God of those after you—
37:27
has Allah truly sent you to us as a messenger?"
37:31
He (peace be upon him) replied,
37:35
"By Allah, yes."
37:37
I said,
37:38
"Then I adjure you by Allah—your God,
37:41
the God of those before you,
37:43
and the God of those after you—
37:47
has Allah truly commanded you to order us to worship Him alone and associate nothing with Him,
37:54
and to renounce these idols that our forefathers used to worship alongside Him?"
38:00
He said,
38:01
"By Allah, yes."
38:03
I said,
38:04
"Then I adjure you by Allah—your God,
38:07
the God of those before you,
38:09
and the God of those after you—
38:13
has Allah truly commanded you that we perform these five daily prayers?"
38:18
He said,
38:19
"By Allah, yes."
38:22
Then I began mentioning the obligatory rites of Islam one by one:
38:26
zakat, fasting, Hajj,
38:29
and all the laws of Islam,
38:32
adjuring him at every obligation just as I had adjured him regarding the ones before.
38:38
When I finished, I said,
38:41
"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
38:45
and I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah.
38:48
I shall perform these obligations
38:51
and avoid what you have forbidden me,
38:54
adding nothing and subtracting nothing."
38:57
Then I turned and went back to my camel.
39:02
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
39:06
"If the man with the two braids speaks the truth, he will enter Paradise."
39:12
Then I came to my people,
39:14
and they gathered around me.
39:16
The first thing I uttered was to say,
39:20
"How evil are al-Lat and al-'Uzza!"
39:23
They said, "Stop! What are you saying?
39:26
Beware of leprosy and leukoderma!
39:29
Beware of madness!"
39:31
I said, "Woe to you!
39:34
By Allah, they are mere idols that can neither harm nor benefit.
39:39
Indeed, Allah has sent a messenger
39:42
and revealed a Book to him,
39:44
rescuing you through it from the state you were in.
39:48
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner,
39:54
and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
39:58
I have brought you from him that which he commands you to do and that which he forbids you from."
40:04
So I began telling them what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had taught me.
40:10
By Allah, before that day had ended,
40:14
there was not a single man or woman in my settlement who had not embraced Islam.
40:20
So, who am I?
40:29
The answer:
40:31
Dhimam Ibn Tha'labah al-Sa'di (may Allah be pleased with him).
40:42
Pause...
40:46
and get to know the Companions, the scholars, and the notable figures.
40:53
A new challenge:
40:56
Who am I?
41:00
I am one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
41:03
from among the poor Emigrants (Muhajirun).
41:06
I was one of the prominent members of Ahl al-Suffah,
41:09
and one of the tearful ones (al-Bakka'un) whom Allah excused in His saying:
41:13
“Nor unto those whom, when they came to thee (asking) that thou shouldst mount them, thou didst tell: I cannot find whereon to mount you. They turned back with eyes flowing with tears, for sorrow that they could not find the means to spend.” (9:92)
41:18
“Nor unto those whom, when they came to thee (asking) that thou shouldst mount them, thou didst tell: I cannot find whereon to mount you. They turned back with eyes flowing with tears, for sorrow that they could not find the means to spend.” (9:92)
41:23
“Nor unto those whom, when they came to thee (asking) that thou shouldst mount them, thou didst tell: I cannot find whereon to mount you. They turned back with eyes flowing with tears, for sorrow that they could not find the means to spend.” (9:92)
41:28
“Nor unto those whom, when they came to thee (asking) that thou shouldst mount them, thou didst tell: I cannot find whereon to mount you. They turned back with eyes flowing with tears, for sorrow that they could not find the means to spend.” (9:92)
41:32
I used to stick closely to the door of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
41:38
whether he was at home or traveling.
41:40
When we were at Tabuk,
41:42
I went off for a need of mine.
41:45
When I returned to the campsite of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
41:50
I found that he had eaten supper along with his guests.
41:55
When I appeared before him, he said,
41:58
"Where have you been all night?"
42:00
So I informed him.
42:02
Two other men joined me,
42:05
making us three, and all of us were hungry.
42:09
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) entered his house
42:13
and looked for something for us to eat,
42:15
but found nothing.
42:17
So he came out to us
42:19
and called Bilal:
42:21
"O Bilal, is there any supper for these men?"
42:26
He said, "No, by Him Who sent you with the truth."
42:30
He said, "Look around; perhaps you will find something."
42:36
So he began taking leather pouches and shaking them out one by one,
42:40
and a date or two would fall out,
42:43
until I saw before him (peace be upon him)
42:47
seven dates.
42:49
Then he called for a platter and placed the dates in it.
42:53
He placed his hand over the dates, mentioned Allah's name,
42:57
and said,
42:58
"Eat in the name of Allah."
43:00
So we ate.
43:02
I counted fifty-four dates that I ate myself,
43:06
counting them while holding their pits in my other hand,
43:10
and my two companions were doing the same as I did.
43:13
We ate our fill
43:15
and raised our hands,
43:17
and lo and behold, the seven dates remained just as they were!
43:22
After the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
43:26
I set out for the Levant
43:28
as a fighter in the cause of Allah,
43:30
ascetic in this world and turning away from it.
43:34
Were it not that people would say,
43:36
"Abu Najih did such-and-such,"
43:38
and take this as a path to follow,
43:41
I would have spent all my wealth in the cause of Allah,
43:45
then joined one of the valleys of Lebanon
43:49
and worshipped Allah until I died.
43:52
Some of the Tabi'un came to me and said,
43:55
"We have come to visit you, care for you, and seek knowledge from you;
44:00
so relate to us a hadith you heard from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
44:06
I said to them,
44:08
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) led us in the morning prayer one day,
44:14
then turned to face us
44:16
and delivered an eloquent, deeply moving sermon
44:19
that caused eyes to overflow with tears
44:21
and hearts to be filled with awe.
44:24
Someone said,
44:25
'O Messenger of Allah,
44:27
this sounds like a farewell sermon,
44:30
so what do you counsel us?'
44:33
He said,
44:34
'I counsel you to fear Allah,
44:37
and to listen and obey,
44:39
even if an Abyssinian slave were placed in command over you.
44:43
For indeed, whoever among you lives after me
44:46
will see much conflict.
44:49
So adhere to my Sunnah
44:51
and the Sunnah of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs;
44:56
hold fast to it
44:58
and bite onto it with your molar teeth.
45:01
Beware of newly invented matters,
45:04
for every newly invented matter is an innovation,
45:07
and every innovation is misguidance.' "
45:11
One of the commanders gave a man a donkey from the spoils of war before it was distributed.
45:17
So I said to the man,
45:19
"You had no right to take it,
45:21
and he had no right to give it to you.
45:24
It is as though I can see you in the Hellfire carrying it upon your neck!"
45:28
So the man grew terrified
45:30
and returned the donkey to the commander.
45:33
When I saw how people's condition had changed
45:36
and how light they made of people's rights,
45:39
I wished for Allah to take my soul unto Himself,
45:42
so I used to supplicate:
45:44
"O Allah, I have grown old and my bones have weakened,
45:48
so take me unto Yourself."
45:50
Then, while I was praying in the Mosque of Damascus one day,
45:55
asking to be taken,
45:57
I suddenly saw a young man of striking beauty,
46:01
wearing a fresh green cloak.
46:04
He said to me,
46:06
"What is this prayer you are making?"
46:08
I said,
46:11
"How should I pray, O son of my brother?"
46:13
He said,
46:15
"Say:
46:16
'O Allah, grant me good deeds
46:18
and bring me peacefully to my appointed time.'"
46:20
I said,
46:22
"How beautiful this is!"
46:24
Then I turned around,
46:26
but I saw no one.
46:28
So, who am I?
46:30
The answer:
46:39
Al-'Irbad Ibn Sariyah
46:41
(may Allah be pleased with him).