Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 5 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (20) - Usayd bin Al-Hudayr, 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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The Mawaddah Association is pleased
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to present to you portraits 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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Usayd ibn al-Hudayr, may Allah be pleased with him.
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The young Makkan envoy, Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr, arrived in Yathrib
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on the very first missionary journey known to the history of Islam.
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He stayed with As'ad ibn Zurarah,
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one of the noble leaders of the Khazraj,
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making his home a residence for himself
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and a launching point to propagate the call to Allah
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and to preach about His Prophet, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.
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The people of Yathrib began flocking to the gatherings of the young caller,
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Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr,
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in great numbers.
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They were captivated by the sweetness of his speech,
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the clarity of his arguments, the gentleness of his noble character,
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and the radiance of faith that shone from his remarkably handsome face.
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Yet something else drew them to him even more than all of that:
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it was this Qur'an,
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which he would recite to them from time to time—some of its clear verses—
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in his deep, resonant, and melodious voice,
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with its sweet and captivating tones.
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Through it, hardened hearts were softened,
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and stubborn tears were made to flow,
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so that not a single gathering of his would disperse
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except that people had embraced Islam
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and joined the ranks of faith.
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One day,
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As'ad ibn Zurarah went out with his guest, the caller Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr,
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to meet a group from Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal
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and present Islam to them.
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He entered an orchard belonging to Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal
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and sat by its fresh well beneath the shade of date palms.
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A group who had already embraced Islam gathered around Mus'ab,
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along with others who wished to listen.
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He set out calling and preaching,
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while the people listened attentively to him,
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spellbound by the splendor of his words.
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Then someone came and informed Usayd ibn al-Hudayr
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and Sa'd ibn Mu'adh—
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the two chieftains of the Aws—
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that the Makkan missionary had settled near their dwellings,
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and that the one who had emboldened him to do so
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was As'ad ibn Zurarah.
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Sa'd ibn Mu'adh said to Usayd ibn al-Hudayr:
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"May you lose your mother, O Usayd!
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Go to this Makkan youth
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who has entered our quarters
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to seduce our weak-minded folk
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and insult our gods;
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rebuke him,
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and warn him never to set foot in our lands after today."
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He then added:
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"Were it not that he is a guest of my maternal cousin,
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As'ad ibn Zurarah,
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and that he moves under his protection,
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I would have spared you that task."
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Usayd took his short spear
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and headed toward the orchard.
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When As'ad ibn Zurarah saw him
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approaching, he said to Mus'ab:
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"Woe to you, Mus'ab!
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This is the master of his people,
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the most discerning in intellect among them,
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and the most consummate in character:
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Usayd ibn al-Hudayr.
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If he embraces Islam, there will follow him into Islam
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a multitude of people.
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So be sincere with Allah concerning him,
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and approach him with utmost tact."
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Usayd ibn al-Hudayr stood before the gathering,
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turned toward Mus'ab
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and his companion, and said:
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"What brought you two to our quarters
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to seduce our vulnerable folk?
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Leave this neighborhood,
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if you have for your lives
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any need!"
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Mus'ab turned to Usayd
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with his face glowing with the light of faith,
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and addressed him in his tone
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of captivating sincerity,
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saying to him:
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"O master of his people,
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would you consider something better than that?"
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He asked: "And what is that?"
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He replied: "Sit with us;
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if you are pleased with what we say,
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you may accept it,
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and if you dislike it,
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we will depart from you and never return."
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Usayd replied:
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"You have spoken fairly."
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He planted his spear into the ground and sat down.
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Mus'ab then turned his attention to him,
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explaining to him the reality of Islam,
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and reciting to him
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verses from the Qur'an.
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Usayd's features relaxed,
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his face lit up,
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and he said: "How fine is this!
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How excellent is what you say,
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and how sublime is that which you recite!
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What do you do
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when you wish to enter Islam?"
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Mus'ab said to him:
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"You perform ritual bathing, purify
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your garments, testify
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that there is no god but Allah
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and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,
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and pray
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two rak'ahs."
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He stood up, went to the well, purified himself with its water,
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and testified that there is no god
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but Allah and that Muhammad
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is His servant and His Messenger,
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and then prayed two rak'ahs.
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On that very day, there joined
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the ranks of Islam
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an eminent Arabian knight
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of great distinction, and a nobleman
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among the prominent chieftains of the Aws.
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He was called
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'al-Kamil' (the Perfect One) by his people
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because of his sound judgment,
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the nobility of his lineage,
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and because he mastered both the sword and the pen;
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for alongside
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his horsemanship and marksmanship,
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he was literate in a society
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in which those who could read
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and write were exceedingly rare.
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His conversion was the catalyst for
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the Islam of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh,
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and the conversion of the two together
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was the cause for vast multitudes
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of the Aws to embrace Islam,
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and for Madinah to subsequently become
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the place of emigration for the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and the sanctuary and base
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for the great Islamic state.
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Usayd became utterly enamored of the Qur'an
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from the moment he heard it from
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Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr,
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with the devotion of an ardent lover for his beloved;
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he turned to it
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like a parched man rushing to a sweet spring
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on a scorching day,
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and made it his singular preoccupation.
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Thus he was never seen except
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as a warrior striving in the cause of Allah,
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or in devoted seclusion reciting
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the Book of Allah.
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He possessed a resonant, melodious voice,
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clear in articulation,
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and radiant in delivery—
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sweetest and most delightful
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when the night grew still,
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eyes fell asleep,
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and souls became serene.
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The noble Companions
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would eagerly await his recitations
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and vie with one another
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to listen to him recite.
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Blessed indeed was anyone privileged
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to hear the Qur'an from him fresh and tender,
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just as it was revealed to Muhammad.
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Indeed, the inhabitants of heaven
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savored his recitation,
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just as the inhabitants of earth savored it.
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For in the middle of one night,
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Usayd ibn al-Hudayr
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was sitting in his walled enclosure,
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while his son Yahya slept
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beside him,
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and his mare, which he had prepared for jihad
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in the cause of Allah, was tethered
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not far from him.
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The night was peaceful and tranquil,
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the canopy of the sky
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pristine and clear,
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and the eyes of the stars gazed down upon
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the resting earth with tenderness
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and affection.
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Usayd longed to perfume
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this fresh night air with the fragrant scents
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of the Qur'an.
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So he began reciting in his voice,
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so melodious and tender.
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Suddenly, he heard his horse
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rearing and circling agitatedly,
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nearly snapping its tether.
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So he fell silent,
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and the horse calmed down and grew still.
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But when he resumed, the horse bolted again,
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even more violently and intensely.
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So he fell silent, and she calmed down.
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This happened repeatedly:
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whenever he recited,
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the mare bolted and reared,
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and whenever he fell silent, she calmed down
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and stood still.
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Fearing that she might trample his son Yahya,
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he went over to wake him up.
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Just then, he happened
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to glance up at the sky,
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and saw a cloud resembling a canopy,
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more magnificent
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and radiant than any eye had ever seen.
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Suspended within it
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were what looked like glowing lamps,
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filling the horizon with brilliant light,
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ascending higher and higher
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until it disappeared from his sight.
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When morning came,
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he went to the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and recounted what he had witnessed.
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The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him,
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said to him:
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"Those were the angels
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listening to you, O Usayd!
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Had you continued reciting,
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the people would have seen them,
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and they would not have been hidden from their sight."
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And just as Usayd
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ibn al-Hudayr was enraptured by the Book of Allah,
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he was equally devoted to the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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As he himself related,
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he felt at his utmost purity
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and deepest state
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of spiritual lucidity and faith
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whenever he recited or listened to the Qur'an,
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and whenever he looked upon
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the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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delivering a sermon or speaking.
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He frequently
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longed to feel
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his own body touch the body of the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and to lean over him, kissing
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and embracing him.
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He was granted that very wish on one occasion.
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One day,
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while Usayd was entertaining the people
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with his humor, the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah
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be upon him, poked him in the ribs with his hand,
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as though expressing amusement
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at what he was saying.
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Usayd said, "You have hurt me,
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O Messenger of Allah!"
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He, peace and blessings be upon him, replied,
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"Take your retribution from me, O Usayd."
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Usayd said,
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"You are wearing a shirt,
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but I was not wearing one
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when you poked me."
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So the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, raised
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his shirt from his torso,
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whereupon Usayd embraced him
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and began kissing the area between
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his armpit and flank, saying:
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"May my father and mother be sacrificed for you,
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O Messenger of Allah!
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This has been a cherished wish of mine
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ever since I came to know you,
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and now I have fulfilled it."
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And the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah
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be upon him, fully reciprocated
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Usayd's love with love,
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honoring his early precedence
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in Islam and his valiant defense
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of him on the day of Uhud, where
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he sustained seven mortal
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stab wounds.
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He also recognized his high esteem
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and standing among his people;
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whenever Usayd interceded on behalf of any
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of them, the Prophet accepted his intercession.
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Usayd related:
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"I came to the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and mentioned to him a household
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from the Ansar who were in dire need,
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most of the members of that
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household being women.
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He, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
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'You have come to us, O Usayd,
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after we have already spent all that was in our hands.
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Whenever you hear of anything
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arriving to us, remind us
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of that household.'
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Sometime later,
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wealth arrived from Khaybar, and he distributed it
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among the Muslims;
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he gave generously to the Ansar,
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and he gave exceedingly generously to that household.
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So I said to him,
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'May Allah reward you on their behalf, O Prophet
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of Allah, with all good!'
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He replied, 'And you, O people of
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the Ansar, may Allah reward you
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with the finest reward!
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For indeed, as far as I have known you,
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you are chaste and patient.
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Yet you will surely face preferential treatment after me,
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so be patient until you meet me,
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and your appointed rendezvous is at the Basin (Hawd).'"
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Usayd said:
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"When the caliphate passed
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to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him,
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he distributed
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wealth and garments among the Muslims.
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He sent me a robe,
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but I found it quite small.
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While I was in the mosque,
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a young man from Quraysh passed by me,
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wearing an ample, flowing garment
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from those very robes
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that 'Umar had distributed,
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trailing it along the ground.
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So I remarked to those with me,
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'True indeed was the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
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"You will surely face
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preferential treatment after me."'
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And I repeated,
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'True indeed was the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him!'
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A man went off
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to 'Umar
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and informed him of what I had said.
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'Umar rushed to me while I was praying
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and said, 'Continue your prayer, O Usayd.'
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When I finished
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my prayer, he turned to me and asked,
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'What was it that you said?'
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So I told him what I had seen,
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and I told him what I had said.
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He replied, 'May Allah pardon you!
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That was a robe
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I had sent to so-and-so,
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an Ansari who participated in 'Aqabah,
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Badr, and Uhud.
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This Qurayshi youth
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then bought it from him and wore it.
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Did you really think that what
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the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, foretold
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would come to pass during my time?'
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Usayd replied,
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'By Allah, O Commander of the Believers,
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I certainly thought that it would not happen
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in your time!'"
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Usayd ibn al-Hudayr did not live
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long after that;
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Allah chose him to be by His side
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during the caliphate of 'Umar,
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may Allah be pleased with him and with 'Umar.
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It was found that he had left a debt
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amounting to four thousand
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dirhams,
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and his heirs intended to sell
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a piece of his land to settle his debts.
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When 'Umar learned of this,
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he said, "I will not leave
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the family of my brother Usayd dependent upon people."
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He then spoke to
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the creditors, and they agreed
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to purchase the yield of the land
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for four years,
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at one thousand dirhams each year.
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"Those were the angels
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listening to you, O Usayd!"
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Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.