Learn about the companions, scholars, and notables | Who am I?

0:01 Pause and identify this Companion, scholar, and eminent figure.

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 I am among the foremost of the early Muslims.

0:27 I am one of the ten promised Paradise.

0:30 The Prophet, peace be upon him, titled me "The Trustworthy of the Ummah."

0:35 Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, nominated me for the Caliphate after the passing of the Prophet, peace be upon him.

0:43 I migrated to Abyssinia and then to Medina.

0:47 I witnessed all the battles alongside the Prophet, peace be upon him.

0:52 I stood firm with him at the Battle of Uhud and fought against the apostates.

0:57 I led the armies for the conquest of the Levant (al-Sham).

1:03 The Prophet, peace be upon him, would appoint me to lead certain expeditions and detachments.

1:09 Once, the Prophet, peace be upon him, sent a detachment toward the coast.

1:16 We were three hundred men, and he placed me in command.

1:21 We set out, but while on the road, our provisions ran low.

1:27 I ordered that the remaining food of the army be collected.

1:31 I would give them a small amount each day.

1:35 Eventually, I was giving each man only one date per day.

1:40 Until the food ran out and hunger overtook us.

1:44 We ate tree leaves until our lips became ulcerated.

1:50 When we reached the sea, we found a massive whale, like a small mountain.

1:56 It was dead on the shore, so I said to my companions:

2:00 "This whale is dead, do not eat from it."

2:04 Then I said to them, "No, we are the messengers of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him."

2:11 "We are in the path of Allah, and you are in a state of necessity, so eat."

2:16 We stayed there for a month, eating from it and using its oil.

2:20 Until we grew stout and our bodies regained their health.

2:24 I took thirteen men,

2:28 and seated them inside the socket of the whale's eye.

2:31 I took one of its ribs and stood it upright.

2:35 Then I led the largest camel we had, and it passed underneath it.

2:41 We took supplies of its dried meat with us.

2:44 When we arrived in Medina,

2:47 we came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,

2:50 and told him about that.

2:53 He said, "It is a provision that Allah brought forth for you."

2:57 "Do you have any of its meat left to feed us?"

3:01 So we sent some to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and he ate it.

3:07 I was the governor of the people in the Levant during the era of Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him.

3:14 The plague struck there, harvesting the people like a scythe.

3:19 When the Commander of the Faithful heard of this,

3:22 he feared for me, so he wrote to me saying:

3:26 "A need for you has arisen in me, and I cannot do without you."

3:31 "If my letter reaches you at night,"

3:34 "I resolve that you do not wait until morning before you ride to me."

3:39 "And if my letter reaches you during the day,"

3:42 "I resolve that you do not wait until evening before you ride to me."

3:47 I said to myself,

3:49 "I know the need the Commander of the Faithful has mentioned."

3:53 "He wishes to keep someone who is not destined to remain."

3:58 So I wrote back to him:

4:00 "O Commander of the Faithful,"

4:02 "I have understood your need for me."

4:05 "I am among the soldiers of the Muslims,"

4:08 "and I find in myself no desire to be apart from them."

4:11 "I do not wish to leave them until Allah executes His command and decree regarding me and them."

4:18 "So release me from your resolve, O Commander of the Faithful."

4:22 "And leave me with my soldiers."

4:24 When the Caliph read my letter,

4:28 his eyes overflowed and he wept.

4:31 Those with him asked,

4:33 "O Commander of the Faithful,"

4:35 "Has the governor of the Levant died?"

4:37 He said, "No, but it is as if he has."

4:41 Meaning, he is on the verge of death.

4:44 Then, not long after,

4:46 the plague struck me,

4:49 and my soul departed.

4:52 When I passed away,

4:54 Mu'adh ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, stood up,

4:57 led the people in prayer,

4:59 and then addressed them, saying:

5:01 "O people,"

5:03 "you have been afflicted by the loss of a man,"

5:05 "by Allah, you have never seen among the servants of Allah,"

5:09 "anyone less resentful, or with a purer heart,"

5:12 "or more free from malice,"

5:14 "or more concerned for the Hereafter,"

5:17 "or more sincere to the common people than him."

5:20 "So pray for mercy upon him."

5:22 "Then come out to pray over him."

5:25 "For by Allah, you will never have anyone like him to lead you again."

5:29 Then he stepped forward and led the funeral prayer for me.

5:32 When they placed me in my grave,

5:35 and cast the earth over me,

5:37 Mu'adh, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

5:40 "I will praise you,"

5:42 "and I will not speak falsehood,"

5:44 "for I fear that if I did, the wrath of Allah would befall me."

5:48 "You were, by Allah, as far as I knew,"

5:50 "among those who remember Allah frequently,"

5:53 "and among those who walk upon the earth humbly,"

5:56 "and when the ignorant address them,"

5:59 "they say words of peace."

6:01 "And among those who, when they spend,"

6:03 “And those who, when they spend, are neither prodigal nor grudging; and there is ever a firm station between the two;” (25:67)

6:06 “And those who, when they spend, are neither prodigal nor grudging; and there is ever a firm station between the two;” (25:67)

6:09 "And you were, by Allah, among the humble,"

6:12 "the modest,"

6:14 "and among those who show mercy to the orphan and the needy,"

6:17 "and who despise the treacherous and the arrogant."

6:21 "May Allah have mercy upon you."

6:23 So, who am I?

Learn about the companions, scholars, and notables | Who am I? | Episode No. (250)

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