Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 61 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (76) - Shaddad bin Aws Al-Ansari, 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 is pleased
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to present to you vignettes from the lives of the Companions,
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by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
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may Allah have mercy on him.
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Shaddad ibn Aws al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him.
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This noble Companion
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was a vessel of knowledge and forbearance,
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a devout worshipper among the Companions,
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and an ascetic among the Ansar.
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He was thoroughly imbued with the love of Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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quenched his thirst from Allah's upright religion,
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and adhered steadfastly to His straight path.
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He is Shaddad ibn Aws ibn Thabit al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him and grant him contentment.
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Shaddad ibn Aws grew up
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in a family that offered the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, every form of support and assistance within its power,
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and dedicated to him all the strength and aid it possessed.
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His father, Aws ibn Thabit,
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was one of the seventy men
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who pledged allegiance to the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, on the night of al-'Aqabah,
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covenanting to defend him and those with him
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just as they defended their own women and children.
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Thus, Aws ibn Thabit, Shaddad's father, proved true to his pledge
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“Lo! those who swear allegiance unto thee (Muhammad), swear allegiance only unto Allah. The Hand of Allah is above their hands. So whosoever breaketh his oath, breaketh it only to his soul's hurt; while whosoever keepeth his covenant with Allah, on him will He bestow immense reward.” (48:10)
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and sacrificed in the cause of Islam
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everything within his power.
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He continued to strive in jihad alongside the Noble Messenger, peace be upon him,
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until he was martyred on the day of Uhud,
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advancing bravely without ever turning his back,
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passing into the presence of his Lord, well-pleased and well-pleasing.
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His paternal uncle was Hassan ibn Thabit,
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the poet of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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who defended him with a tongue
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sharper against the polytheists than unsheathed swords,
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and championed his cause with an eloquence
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more piercing to the disbelievers than the strike of arrows in the twilight gloom.
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Beyond this, Shaddad ibn Aws was granted an honor
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denied to other youths of Medina:
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his household was destined to enjoy the distinction of hosting Ruqayyah,
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the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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along with her husband,
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the God-fearing, pure, and righteous
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'Uthman ibn 'Affan—
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Possessor of the Two Lights, husband of the two daughters,
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and veteran of the two migrations.
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For when the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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established brotherhood between the Emigrants and the Ansar,
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he chose Shaddad ibn Aws's father
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to be a brother to his son-in-law, 'Uthman ibn 'Affan,
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just as he chose Shaddad's mother
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to receive his daughter Ruqayyah under her care.
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Thus 'Uthman and his wife found, under the roof of this faithful household,
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such generous hospitality and magnificent care
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as befitted their high standing with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
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It was made easy for Shaddad ibn Aws,
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owing to his close connection with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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to drink knowledge from its purest springs and most abundant sources,
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so much so that Abu al-Darda', may Allah be pleased with him, said of him:
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"Every nation has a jurist,
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and the jurist of this Ummah
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is Shaddad ibn Aws al-Ansari."
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Furthermore, his bond with 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, afforded him
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the opportunity to train in worship and asceticism
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at the hands of a paragon of piety and righteousness.
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Consequently, he reached an eminence in this domain
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attained by only a select few among the noble Companions,
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a distinction granted solely to the foremost and brought-near.
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It is related that whenever he retired to his bed
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to take a measure of rest,
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he would toss and turn upon his couch
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as though lying on red-hot copper, saying:
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"O Allah, the Hellfire has banished my sleep,
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so I am unable to slumber;
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it has driven sleep from my eyes,
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so I cannot doze."
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He would then rise and pray until the break of dawn.
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Shaddad ibn Aws was also among the rare few
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who combined profound knowledge with deep forbearance.
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His fellow Companions who knew him well used to say:
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"Among people are those granted knowledge but not forbearance,
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and among them are those granted forbearance but not knowledge.
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But Shaddad ibn Aws
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was granted both knowledge and forbearance together."
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Al-Faruq, may Allah be pleased with him, recognized
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the noble qualities and exalted virtues
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with which Shaddad ibn Aws was adorned,
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so he appointed him governor over Homs
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after Sa'id ibn 'Amir stepped down from its governorship.
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Its people grew fond of him,
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though they rarely warmed to anyone.
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He continued to manage their affairs until the martyrdom of
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'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him,
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whereupon he resigned from the post entrusted to him.
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Shaddad ibn Aws felt,
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following the tragic assassination of the martyred Caliph,
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that tribulation had reared its head among the Muslims,
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and he feared for himself lest he be drawn
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forcefully into participating in it.
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He therefore gathered his family and children
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and departed with them from the City of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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neither harboring malice toward it nor disliking it,
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and settled in Palestine—
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the holy land,
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the site of the Night Journey of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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He took up residence in the precincts of the First of the Two Qiblahs
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and the Third of the Two Sanctuaries,
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until he grew old and advanced in age.
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Nevertheless, he remained
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deeply longing for Mecca, the fountainhead of light,
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and ardent in his yearning for Medina,
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the place of emigration of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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A narrator related:
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"I set out from the land of the Levant,
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accompanied by some companions, heading for the Sacred House.
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Suddenly, we came upon encampments containing a large pavilion tent.
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I said to my companions:
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'You should seek out the master of this pavilion,
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for he must be a chief among the noble folk.'
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When we reached the pavilion, we extended greetings of peace,
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and a man standing there returned our greeting.
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Before long,
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an august, dignified old man came out to us,
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a person of immense stature.
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When we saw him,
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we were awed by his presence with a reverence we had never felt
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for any parent or ruler.
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He greeted us, and we returned his greeting with an even better one.
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He asked, 'Who are you?'
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We replied, 'We are a group of youths.'
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He looked at us affectionately,
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as though our words had touched his heartstrings, and said:
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'I too have been prompting myself
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to journey to the Sacred House,
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and I shall accompany you, Allah willing and aiding.'
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Then he called out, and there emerged from those
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encampments many young men,
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as radiant as shining stars.
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He gathered them, delivered a sermon, exhorted them, and then said:
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'O my sons, you have seen only the outer fringes of good,
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and you have seen only the outer fringes of evil
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as well. Do not forget that all good,
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in its entirety, lies in Paradise,
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and that all evil, in its entirety, lies in the Fire.
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Know that this world is an immediate commodity
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from which both the righteous and the wicked eat,
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while the Hereafter is a true promise
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in which a Just King shall judge.
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Both this world and the Hereafter have children,
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so be children of the Hereafter,
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and do not be children of this world.'
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He then announced to them his intention to travel with us
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to the Sacred House of Allah,
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whereupon they began to weep bitterly over his departure,
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asking for his blessing and his prayers for them.
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The young man Mujashi' said:
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"I asked those standing around me, 'Who is this?'
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They replied, 'This is Shaddad ibn Aws,
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the Companion of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and the son of his Companion.'
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Only a few moments passed
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before he called for some barley gruel (sawiq);
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he began moistening and mixing it for us with his own hand,
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feeding us and giving us drink.
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When the time to depart arrived,
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we set out with him and proceeded on our way until we reached
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an elevated piece of land
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where we unloaded our mounts to rest.
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He said to one of his servants:
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'Prepare some food for us so that we may pass the time with it.'
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We were surprised by his choice of words,
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and a young man among us expressed disapproval at his saying 'pass the time with it.'
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He immediately felt regret for uttering that word and said:
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'May Allah reward you with good on my behalf.'
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Then he added, as sorrow clouded his face:
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'By Allah, I have not uttered a single word
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ever since I pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, upon him be the best
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of blessings and the purest peace,
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without carefully weighing it before letting it escape my lips,
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except for this one word!
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So do not hold it against me, nor spread it on my authority,
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but rather memorize from me what I report to you.
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For I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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say: "When people hoard gold and silver,
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hoard these words:
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'O Allah, I ask You for steadfastness in all affairs,
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and the resolve to follow the right path.
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I ask You for gratitude for Your favors and excellence in Your worship.
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I ask You for truthful certainty
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and a sound heart.
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I ask You for the best of what You know,
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I seek refuge in You from the evil of what You know,
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and I ask Your forgiveness for what You know.'"'"
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May Allah be pleased with Shaddad ibn Aws and grant him contentment,
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and may He make the Gardens of Eternity his final abode.
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For he was ever repentant and turning to Allah,
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devoted to good, far removed from evil,
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and prioritizing that which pleases Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him.
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Truly, among people are those granted knowledge
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but not forbearance,
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Indeed, among them are those who are granted forbearance but not knowledge.
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Yet Shaddad Ibn 'Aws
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was blessed with both knowledge and forbearance together.
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Those among the Companions who knew him...