Part of The Ten Given Glad Tidings of Paradise (series completed)
· Lesson 26 of 30
The ten promised Paradise | Episode (26) | Abdul Rahman bin Awf, 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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Mawaddah Association
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Presents:
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The Ten Promised Paradise
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'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf
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May Allah be pleased with him.
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"Love for the Companions and the Prophet's kin is an established Sunnah,
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With which I shall meet my Lord as long as I live."
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Love for the Companions and the Prophet's kin.
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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, set out for the Expedition of Tabuk,
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Accompanied by the noble Companions,
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During a period of intense hardship.
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As they marched, night overtook them,
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So they halted to get some rest after arduous effort and long travel.
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At dawn,
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The Muslims prepared to perform the obligatory prayer prescribed by Allah.
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) went away to relieve himself,
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And he took longer than usual.
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When he returned,
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He found his Companions standing in straight rows before their Lord,
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Praying in congregation,
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Having put 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf forward to lead them.
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) joined the row with them
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And completed the second rak'ah of the prayer behind him.
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When the Companions around him realized he had joined,
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They were deeply alarmed,
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And began repeating tasbih profusely.
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Once the prayer was concluded,
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) stood up and completed the rak'ah he had missed.
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Then he turned to his Companions and said:
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"You have done well."
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Meaning, you did well by offering the prayer promptly at its prescribed time.
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Who, then, is this eminent Companion
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Behind whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed,
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Thereby attaining an immense, unmatched honor,
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And a supreme virtue that none can rival?
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Let us get to know him closely.
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He is Abu Muhammad, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf
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Ibn 'Abd 'Awf ibn 'Abd al-Harith,
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The Qurayshi, from the clan of Zuhrah.
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His name in the Pre-Islamic Era of Ignorance was 'Abd 'Amr,
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But the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) renamed him 'Abd al-Rahman.
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He was born in Mecca ten years after the Year of the Elephant,
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Making him ten years younger than the Prophet (peace be upon him).
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May Allah be pleased with him, he was a tall man,
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Handsome of face, with fair and delicate skin,
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Bright white in complexion,
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With thick hair falling below his earlobes,
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And broad shoulders.
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He had lost his two front teeth, giving him a slight lisp,
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Due to injuries he sustained on the Day of Uhud,
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Where his front teeth were knocked out.
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He also walked with a limp,
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Having suffered twenty wounds that day,
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Some of which were in his leg,
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Permanently affecting his gait.
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'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) embraced Islam early on,
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Being counted among the first eight individuals who preceded others in accepting the faith.
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He was also among those who embraced Islam at the hands of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him).
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When the persecution of the early Muslims intensified,
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) permitted them to migrate to Abyssinia,
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And 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) was among those who migrated there.
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He later returned to Mecca
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When rumors spread that its people had embraced Islam.
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He remained there until he made the second migration to the City of the Prophet (Madinah),
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Thus earning the honor and reward of both migrations.
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When the Prophet (peace be upon him) arrived in Madinah,
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He established bonds of brotherhood between the Emigrants (Muhajirun) and the Helpers (Ansar).
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He paired 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf and Sa'd ibn al-Rabi' (may Allah be pleased with both of them),
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Forming one of the greatest pairs of brothers whose bond became legendary.
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Sa'd offered to share half of his family and wealth with his brother 'Abd al-Rahman,
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Saying: "I am the wealthiest among the Ansar,
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So I will divide my wealth into two halves between you and me.
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I also have two wives,
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So see which of them pleases you more,
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Name her to me and I shall divorce her,
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And once her waiting period ends, you may marry her."
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'Abd al-Rahman replied to him:
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"May Allah bless you in your family and your wealth.
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Just direct me to the market."
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So he directed him to the market of Banu Qaynuqa'.
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'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) began trading,
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Buying and selling,
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And earned a modest profit on his very first day.
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He continued his trade in this manner
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Until he accumulated some wealth.
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He then married a woman from the Ansar.
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A few days later, he came to the Prophet bearing traces of yellow perfume (sufrah).
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him:
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"What is this, O 'Abd al-Rahman?"
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Inquiring about his news.
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He replied:
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"O Messenger of Allah,
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I have married a woman from the Ansar."
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He asked:
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"And what did you drive to her as a dowry?"
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Meaning, what was her bridal gift?
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He answered:
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"Gold equal to the weight of a date stone."
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him:
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"Offer a wedding feast, even if only with a single sheep."
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And he (peace be upon him) prayed for Allah to bless him.
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'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say:
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"I saw myself in such a state that if I were to lift a stone,
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I would expect to find gold or silver beneath it."
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'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) witnessed all the military expeditions alongside the Prophet (peace be upon him),
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Ever in the front line during battles,
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And standing behind him in prayers.
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He was among those who strived with their lives and wealth in the cause of Allah.
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On one occasion, he gave half of his entire fortune in charity,
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Then later donated forty thousand dinars,
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Then provided five hundred horses and five hundred mounts for the cause of Allah.
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He stood firm alongside the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the Day of Uhud when many people turned away,
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And the Prophet (peace be upon him) dispatched him at the head of an expedition to Dumat al-Jandal,
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Where Allah granted him victory.
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He continued his jihad and support for Islam under the Caliphs who came after the Prophet.
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He held a place of high esteem and was constantly consulted by them.
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An instance of this was when 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) intended to travel to the Levant (al-Sham).
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When he reached the region of Saragh,
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News reached him that a plague had broken out in the Levant.
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'Umar consulted those who were with him;
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Some advised him to proceed to his destination,
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While others advised him to return to Madinah.
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However, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) advised him, saying:
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"I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say:
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'If you hear of an outbreak of plague in a land,
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Do not enter it;
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And if it breaks out in a land while you are in it,
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Do not leave it fleeing from it.'"
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So 'Umar took his advice
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And returned with those accompanying him to Madinah.
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When 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was mortally wounded,
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He entrusted the matter of succession to a council of six Companions,
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Those with whom the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was pleased
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At the time of his death,
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Among whom was 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf.
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'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) managed
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The transitional process with exceptional wisdom and competence,
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Until Allah united the hearts of the people
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Upon giving allegiance to 'Uthman ibn 'Affan (may Allah be pleased with him).
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'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) was renowned
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For his immense wealth.
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Most of his wealth came from trade,
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Through which he earned vast sums of money.
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He owned one thousand camels in Madinah,
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Three thousand sheep,
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And one hundred horses grazing at al-Baqi'.
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He also farmed at al-Jurf using twenty water-drawing camels.
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Likewise, he (may Allah be pleased with him) was famous for his abundant spending in the cause of Allah,
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Upon the poor among the Muslims,
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And for emancipating his slaves—
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With numerous accounts recording these deeds.
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Among them is that he once sold a piece of land for forty thousand dinars
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And distributed all of it among his relatives from Banu Zuhrah
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And the poor Muslims.
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On a single day, he manumitted thirty slaves.
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Talhah ibn 'Ubayd Allah used to say:
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"The people of Madinah were dependents upon 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf:
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One third he provided loans from his wealth,
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One third whose debts he paid off,
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And one third to whom he maintained charitable ties."
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At the time of his passing (may Allah be pleased with him),
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He bequeathed fifty thousand dinars in the cause of Allah,
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From which individual men were given a thousand dinars each.
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He also bequeathed to every surviving veteran of the Battle of Badr
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Four hundred dinars per man;
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They numbered one hundred men, and all of them received it.
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Furthermore, he bequeathed one thousand horses in the cause of Allah.
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'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him)
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Used to provide for the Mothers of the Believers after the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
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This was among his great merits highlighted in the Prophetic hadiths.
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For he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to his wives one day:
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"The one who will show compassion to you after me is the truthful and righteous one.
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O Allah, give 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf to drink from the Salsabil of Paradise!"
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Such was the extent of his dutiful care for them
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That he bequeathed to them an orchard that was sold for four hundred thousand dinars,
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And he used to guard them whenever they went out for the Hajj pilgrimage.
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Al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar said:
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"'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf was the trustee of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) over his wives."
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Despite all this immense wealth that 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) possessed,
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He felt intense fear regarding this wealth,
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And his affluence only increased him in humility before Allah.
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He could not be distinguished from among his servants and young slaves.
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One day, food was brought to him to break his fast while he was fasting;
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When his eyes fell upon it, he lost his appetite and wept,
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Saying: "Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr was martyred, and he was better than me,
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Yet he was shrouded in a single garment—if his head was covered, his feet showed,
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And if his feet were covered, his head showed.
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And Hamzah was martyred, and he was better than me,
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Yet nothing could be found to shroud him in except a single garment.
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Then the worldly life was expanded for us as it was expanded,
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And we were given of it what we were given.
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I truly fear that our good things have been brought forward for us in our worldly life."
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On another day, a dish containing bread and meat was placed before him,
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So he wept and said:
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"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) passed away
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Without ever having eaten his fill of barley bread, he or his household.
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I do not see that our delay [in death] has been kept for anything better for us."
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Then he stood up without eating anything from it.
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'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) passed away
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in the year 32 AH,
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during the caliphate of 'Uthman ibn 'Affan (may Allah be pleased with him),
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at the age of seventy-five.
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'Uthman ibn 'Affan led his funeral prayer,
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and 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said as he carried his bier:
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"Go forth, O Ibn 'Awf,
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for you attained its purity
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and outran its vanity."
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In the eternal Paradise, two text passages increased their honor:
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They are Talhah,
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Ibn 'Awf, al-Zubayr,
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Abu 'Ubaydah,
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the two Sa'ds, and the Caliphs.