Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 78 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (93) - Al-Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib, 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 upon him.
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Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, may Allah be pleased with him.
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It reached the leader of Quraysh, Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim,
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that there was a woman of intellect and beauty
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among the daughters of the kings of Rabi'ah, named Nutaylah.
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He sought her out, proposed to her, and married her.
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She bore him a child who was handsome and fair,
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of radiant appearance.
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He rejoiced greatly at his birth, then named him al-Abbas.
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Not two years had passed since the joy of the elder of Makkah,
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when his household was graced with joy once again.
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For his son, Abdullah, had been blessed
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with a newborn who rivaled al-Abbas in facial radiance and splendor.
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When he saw him, his eyes welled with tears,
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for he wished his father were still alive
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to share in the joy of him, and he named him Muhammad.
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Muhammad and al-Abbas grew up under the care of Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim,
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knowing nothing other than that they were brothers.
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They would go out together and return together,
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eat from the same platter,
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and play in the same playground.
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When al-Abbas reached the age of ten,
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his father, Abd al-Muttalib, passed away.
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All of Makkah was struck with grief,
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and its people mourned him deeply.
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Yet the two boys, al-Abbas and Muhammad,
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were the most grief-stricken of all,
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for they had tasted the bitterness of orphanhood with his loss.
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When the positions held by
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Abd al-Muttalib were distributed among his sons,
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Quraysh assigned to his son al-Abbas
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the duty of providing water to the pilgrims (Siqayah), despite his youth,
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because of what they perceived
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in him of nobility
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and what they anticipated for him of leadership.
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The two youths, al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib
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and Muhammad ibn Abdullah, continued to grow,
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until they were both men in the prime of their youth,
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and the age difference between them seemed to vanish,
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to the point that one looking at them would think they were twins.
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Someone once asked al-Abbas after he had embraced Islam:
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"Are you older, or is the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him?"
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He replied, "He is older than me,
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but I am two years his senior."
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At the age of forty,
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Allah, the Almighty, honored Muhammad ibn Abdullah with the Message,
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and sent him with the religion of guidance and truth,
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commanding him to warn his closest kinsmen.
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And who was closer to him than al-Abbas?
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He was his cherished peer, his intimate friend,
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and his paternal uncle, his father's brother.
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However, al-Abbas, who had inherited leadership among his people from his father,
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and to whom the Siqayah of the pilgrims was entrusted—
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a position for which rivals competed—
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disliked the idea of turning against his people,
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and was keen to maintain his leadership among them.
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Thus, he did not respond to the call of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
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Yet, he continued to hold Muhammad, peace be upon him, in his heart
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as a brother holds a brother,
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and an intimate friend holds his companion.
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He would ward off harm from him,
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and protect him with the utmost vigilance.
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For instance, when the Messenger, peace be upon him, met
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with the delegations of the Ansar on the night of al-Aqabah,
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his uncle al-Abbas was with him,
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even though he was still in a state of polytheism.
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Al-Abbas was the first to speak, saying:
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"O people of Khazraj,
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Muhammad is one of us, as you know.
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We have protected him from our own people
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who share our opinion of him.
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He is in honor and protection among his people and in his land.
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Yet he has insisted on joining you and coming to you.
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If you believe you can fulfill what you have invited him to,
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then you are responsible for what you have undertaken.
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But if you think you will betray him or abandon him after he comes to you,
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then leave him now,
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for he is in honor and protection among his people and in his land."
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The Ansar replied:
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"We have heard what you said, O Abu al-Fadl."
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Then they turned to the Messenger, peace be upon him, and said:
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"O Messenger of Allah,
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take for yourself and for your Lord whatever pledge you wish."
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When the pledge was completed,
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the Messenger, peace be upon him, returned with his uncle al-Abbas to Makkah under the cover of darkness.
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When Quraysh resolved to march to the Battle of Badr,
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al-Abbas disliked participating in the fight against his nephew.
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But his leadership among his people compelled him to join them,
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and made him one of the twelve men
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who took responsibility for feeding the polytheist army during the campaign.
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However, the Messenger, peace be upon him,
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did not forget his uncle al-Abbas's support and assistance to him,
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so he said to his Companions:
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"Whoever meets Abu al-Bakhtari ibn Hisham, do not kill him,
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and whoever meets al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, do not kill him,
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for they were brought out against their will."
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When Allah granted victory to His Prophet, peace be upon him, at Badr,
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and those of the polytheists who were killed were killed,
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and those who were captured were captured,
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al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib was among the prisoners who fell into the hands of the Muslims.
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The one who captured him was a man of slight build and weak frame,
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known as Abu al-Yusr.
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As for al-Abbas, he was large and tall, like a grey camel.
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When al-Abbas returned to Makkah, his children were amazed at his capture,
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and they asked him, saying:
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"O our father, how did Abu al-Yusr capture you,
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when you could have easily put him in your sleeve?"
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He replied, "By Allah, my sons, when he leaped upon me, he appeared to me as large as an elephant.
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When he gripped my arm with his small, sinewy hand,
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I thought the blood would drip from my fingertips.
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Then he twisted my hand behind my back,
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and took the other and bound it to the first,
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and tied them with a rope,
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while I was submissive, neither defending myself nor resisting him."
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Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib spent his first night in the prisoners' camp
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near the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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and he began to moan with a deep, continuous sound.
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When his moaning reached the ears of the Prophet, peace be upon him, he could not sleep,
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and signs of sadness appeared on his face.
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His Companions asked him:
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"What makes you sad, O Messenger of Allah? May we be sacrificed for you."
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He replied, "The moaning of al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib."
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At that, a man from the Muslims went to him,
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and finding that his bonds were tied very tightly,
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he loosened them for him, and he became silent.
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His silence aroused the concerns of the Messenger, peace be upon him,
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and he asked, "Why do I not hear the moaning of al-Abbas?"
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The man said, "I loosened his bonds."
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The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
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"Do the same for all the prisoners."
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Then the Messenger, peace be upon him,
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began to accept ransoms from the prisoners.
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When his uncle was brought to him,
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al-Abbas began to apologize, claiming he had no wealth.
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The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
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"Where is the wealth you left with your wife, Umm al-Fadl,
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and said to her, 'If I am killed, then for al-Fadl is such and such,
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and for Abdullah is such and such,
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and for Ubaydullah is such and such'?"
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Al-Abbas was stunned, for that was a matter no one had ever known except Allah.
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On the day of Uhud,
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al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib refused to go out with the polytheists
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to fight the Prophet, peace be upon him.
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Instead, he sent word to inform him of Quraysh's intention to march against him,
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which had a great impact on the preparation of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his Companions,
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and their readiness to meet the enemy.
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Twenty years had passed since the call of the Messenger, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him,
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and his uncle al-Abbas remained in a state of polytheism.
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One day, al-Abbas sat with his wife, Umm al-Fadl,
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recounting the noble characteristics of the Messenger, peace be upon him,
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mentioning his virtuous qualities,
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and recalling the story of his knowledge of the wealth he had entrusted to her,
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in total secrecy from all people.
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He soon found himself saying to his wife:
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"What is the matter with us, O Umm al-Fadl?
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Why do we not embrace Islam?"
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Umm al-Fadl was overjoyed at his words,
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as if she had been waiting for him to say that.
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Within a few hours,
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al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib had prepared two mounts for himself and his wife,
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and they set off together toward Madinah,
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migrating to Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him.
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When al-Abbas and his wife reached al-Juhfah,
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they were surprised by the Messenger of Allah, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him,
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leading a massive army to conquer Makkah.
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The Messenger, peace be upon him, was also surprised by them,
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for it was an unexpected meeting.
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The Messenger, peace be upon him, initiated the conversation with his uncle, saying:
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"What has brought you here, uncle?"
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He replied, "The desire for Allah and His Messenger."
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He and his wife declared the word of truth,
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and he entered the religion of Allah after long resistance.
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As soon as the Messenger, peace be upon him, heard
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his uncle testify that there is no god but Allah
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and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,
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tears of joy overflowed from his eyes, and he said:
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"Your migration, uncle, is the final migration,
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just as my prophethood is the final prophethood."
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From that moment, al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib resolved
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to make up for the goodness and reward he had missed,
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so he placed himself and his wealth in the obedience of Allah
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and the pleasure of His Messenger, peace be upon him.
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On the day of Hunayn, when the Muslims were defeated
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and had abandoned the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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he stood by his side like a fierce lion.
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He drew his sword with his right hand,
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and held the reins of the Messenger of Allah's mule with his left,
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and continued to defend him with a small group of his Companions,
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until Allah granted victory at their hands.
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And on the day the Messenger, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him,
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resolved to equip the Army of Hardship, he called upon his Companions to give and spend,
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and al-Abbas came and poured his wealth before him.
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When the Prophet, peace be upon him, joined the Highest Companion,
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and the matter fell to his two successors, Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them,
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Al-'Abbas was a source of sound counsel and support for them both.
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They would shade him with their respect and hold him in high esteem.
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This was in recognition of his merit and out of loyalty to the Prophet, upon whom be the best of prayers and the purest of peace.
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An example of this is when drought intensified upon the Muslims during the Year of Ashes.
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The udders dried up and the crops withered.
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The sky appeared as if it had been forged from copper.
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'Umar Ibn al-Khattab went out with the Muslims.
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He prayed for rain for them, but they were not granted any.
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He repeated this several times, yet there was no response.
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So he said to a group of his Companions:
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"Tomorrow, I shall seek rain through the one by whom Allah grants us rain if He wills."
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When morning came, he went to al-'Abbas Ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib.
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He had become a very old man, so he said to him:
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"O Uncle, come out with us, perhaps Allah will grant us rain through your hands."
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Al-'Abbas Ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib went out among the multitude of Muslims.
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He was humble, submissive, and devoted to Allah.
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Before him was 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib.
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To his right was al-Hasan, and to his left was al-Husayn.
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And behind him were the throngs of Muslims.
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They prayed two rak'ahs.
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Then 'Umar took the hands of the uncle of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
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His tears moistened his beard, and he said:
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"Pray for us, O uncle of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him."
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Al-'Abbas raised his palms to the sky.
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His eyes were overflowing with the fear of Allah.
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He began to cry out to Allah with righteous supplication and sincere hope.
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The people behind him were saying "Amin," pleading and weeping.
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He had barely finished his supplication,
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when the atmosphere became overcast with dark clouds.
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The sky sent down abundant rain upon the earth.
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Allah removed the distress from the Muslims.
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He relieved them of their hardship.
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The people were given water through the hands of the provider of the pilgrims.
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May Allah be pleased with him and grant him satisfaction.
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This is al-'Abbas Ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib.
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The most generous of the Quraysh in his giving.
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And the one who maintained family ties the best.
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Muhammad Ibn 'Abd Allah.
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Through Muhammad and his Companions.
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The lofty edifice has been aided.
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O poet, assist me and pour forth.
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In their praise, are they to assist me?