Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 29 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (44) - Dhul-Bajadin, 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 snapshots from the lives of the Companions,
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written by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
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may Allah have mercy on him.
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Dhu al-Bijadayn,
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may Allah be pleased with him.
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To the right of the traveler going from Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah
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to Makkah al-Mukarramah
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stands a mountain with lush green slopes,
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fresh, glowing peaks,
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and expansive shade,
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called Mount Warqan.
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Living on this mountain
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was a clan from the tribe of Muzaynah.
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In one of the mountain passes of that peak,
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close to Yathrib,
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'Abd al-'Uzza
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ibn 'Abd Nuham al-Muzani was born
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to poor parents.
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His birth occurred shortly
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before the dawn of light in Makkah al-Mukarramah
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by a brief period.
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However, the hand of death
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was quick to snatch away
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the young Muzani boy's father
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before he had even begun to walk,
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leaving him trapped between orphanhood and poverty.
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Yet, the poor orphaned child had
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an uncle who enjoyed a great deal
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of abundant wealth and a comfortable lifestyle.
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This uncle had no
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child to brighten his life
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or offspring to inherit his wealth,
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so he became deeply attached to his young nephew.
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He accorded him, in terms of affection and fortune,
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the status of a son to his father.
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The Muzani youth grew up in the embrace of Mount
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Warqan, delightfully lush and leafy.
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The verdant mountain bestowed upon him
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a portion of its tenderness
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and showered him with its serenity,
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so he grew up deeply sensitive,
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pure of soul, and wholesome of innate nature.
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This served as yet another reason
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for his uncle to become increasingly
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doting upon him and favoring him.
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Although the Muzani youth
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had reached manhood,
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he had not yet heard of the new religion,
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nor had any news reached his knowledge
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regarding its proponent,
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Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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This state of affairs persisted
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until Yathrib was blessed with its
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radiant, auspicious day
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on which the Great Messenger,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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arrived as an emigrant.
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Thereupon, the Muzani youth began
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diligently following the news of the Noble Messenger,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and actively seeking out details about his affairs.
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He would frequently
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spend the better part of his day
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beside the road leading
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to Al-Madinah,
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asking those traveling to it
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and returning from it,
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inquiring with the eagerness of a seeker about the new religion,
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its supporters,
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and the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and his news—
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until Allah expanded his pure chest to Islam
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and opened his tender heart
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to the lights of faith.
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Thus, he bore witness that there is no god but Allah
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and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,
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and that was before his eyes
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had been blessed with the sight of the Messenger,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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or his ears delighted
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by listening to his speech.
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He was the first person to embrace Islam
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among his people on Mount Warqan.
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The Muzani youth concealed his Islam
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from his people in general,
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and from his uncle in particular,
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and began going out to distant mountain passes
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to worship Allah, Almighty and Glorious,
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in their seclusion,
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far from the eyes of the people.
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He kept waiting
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with eager anticipation for the day
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his uncle would accept Islam,
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so that he could openly declare his own faith
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and travel in his company
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to the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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especially after his longing
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to meet the Prophet, peace be upon him,
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had completely consumed his heart
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and occupied his mind.
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When the young believer realized
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that his patience had been drawn out too long,
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that his uncle remained far from Islam,
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and that the major events alongside the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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were passing him by one after another,
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he made up his mind, fully aware
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of the consequences of the step he was about to take.
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He approached his uncle and said:
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"O uncle,
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I have waited a long time for you to accept Islam,
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until my patience has worn out.
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If you wish to embrace Islam
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so that Allah decrees happiness for you,
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then how wonderful that would be!
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But if it is to be otherwise,
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then permit me to declare
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my Islam publicly among the people."
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No sooner had the youth's words
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touched his uncle's ears
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than he flew into a rage and exclaimed:
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"I swear by Allah and Al-'Uzza,
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if you embrace Islam,
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I will strip from your hands everything
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I ever gave you,
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hand you over to absolute poverty,
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and leave you a prey to destitute want and hunger!"
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Yet this threat did not stir
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any fear in the young believer,
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nor did it weaken his resolve in the slightest.
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His uncle then enlisted his people against him,
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and they rushed to intimidate him and entice him,
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threatening and warning him.
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But he would say to them:
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"Do whatever you wish!
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By Allah, I am following Muhammad
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and abandoning the worship of stones,
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turning instead to the worship of the One, the Subduer!
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So let happen whatever may come from you and my uncle!"
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Thereupon, his uncle did nothing less
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than strip him of everything he had given him,
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cut off his financial support,
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deprived him of any assistance,
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and left him with nothing but a single coarse garment (*bijad*) to cover his body.
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So the Muzani youth set out, emigrating
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with his religion to Allah and His Messenger,
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leaving behind the abodes
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of childhood and the haunts of youth,
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turning away from the wealth and comfort
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in his uncle's hands,
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desiring only the reward and recompense
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that lie with Allah.
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He began quickening his steps toward Al-Madinah,
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driven by a longing
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that tore at his very heartstrings throughout the night.
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When he drew near to Yathrib,
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he tore his coarse garment into two halves:
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he used one half as a waist-wrapper
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and draped the other over his upper body as a cloak.
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Then he proceeded to the Mosque of the Messenger,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and spent that night there.
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When dawn broke,
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he stood near the door of the Prophet's room,
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peace and blessings be upon him,
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waiting with eager anticipation
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for the appearance of the Great Messenger,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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from his chamber.
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The moment his eyes fell upon him,
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tears of joy began streaming
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down his cheeks,
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and he felt as though his heart wanted
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to leap from between his ribs
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to greet him and bid him peace.
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When the prayer was completed,
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the Noble Prophet,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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stood up and scanned the faces of the people.
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He looked at the Muzani youth
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and asked: "Where are you from, young man?"
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So he stated his lineage to him.
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The Prophet then asked him: "What is your name?"
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He replied: "'Abd al-'Uzza."
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The Prophet said to him: "Rather, you are 'Abdullah."
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Then he drew close to him and said:
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"Stay near us
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and be among our guests."
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From that day on, people
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called him 'Abdullah,
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and the noble Companions gave him the honorific title
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*Dhu al-Bijadayn* (The One of the Two Coarse Garments)
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after they saw his two-piece garment
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and learned his story.
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Thus, he became known in history
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He was the one most frequently known by this title.
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Do not ask, dear listener,
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about the immense bliss of Dhu al-Bijadayn
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when he came to live
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under the care of the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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attending his gatherings,
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praying behind him,
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drinking deeply from his guidance,
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and filling his heart with his noble characteristics.
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The worldly life had summoned him,
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yet he turned a deaf ear
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to its enticing calls,
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turning wholeheartedly toward the Hereafter,
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seeking it by every possible path.
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He sought it through supplication,
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crying out to Allah
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in deep fear and humble devotion,
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until the Companions dubbed him "the tender-hearted, frequent suppliant."
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He sought it through the Qur'an,
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constantly filling and perfuming
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with the fragrance of its verses—
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the clear, manifest proofs—
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the corners of the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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He sought it through jihad,
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never missing a single
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military expedition undertaken by the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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During the Expedition of Tabuk,
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Dhu al-Bijadayn asked
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the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah
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be upon him, to pray for him
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to attain martyrdom.
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But the Prophet prayed that Allah preserve his blood
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from the swords of the disbelievers.
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He said to him, "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you,
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O Messenger of Allah!
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This is not what I intended!"
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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, replied to him,
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"If you set out to fight
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in the cause of Allah,
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and you fall ill and die,
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then you are a martyr!
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And if your mount throws you
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and you fall and are killed,
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then you are a martyr!"
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No more than a day and a night
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had passed after this conversation
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before the young man from the Muzaynah tribe
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fell sick and passed away.
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He died as an emigrant for the sake of Allah,
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a striver in the cause of Allah,
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far away from family
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and kinsmen,
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a stranger to his homeland and his home.
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Yet Allah compensated him for all of that
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with the finest of rewards.
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For the noble Companions
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dug his grave with their own pure hands,
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arms working together,
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and the noble Messenger,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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personally descended into his grave and prepared it
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with his own blessed hands.
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Lowering him down into the grave
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were the two venerable leaders, Abu Bakr
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and 'Umar, to whom
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the Messenger, peace and blessings
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of Allah be upon him, said,
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"Bring your brother close to me,
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and lower him down to me."
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So he received him from their hands
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and settled him gently in his niche.
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'Abdullah
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Ibn Mas'ud was standing by, witnessing
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all of this,
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and he said, "How I wish
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I were the dweller of this grave!
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By Allah, I wished that I had been in his place,
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even though I had embraced Islam
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fifteen years before him."
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The worldly life had indeed summoned
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Dhu al-Bijadayn,
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yet he turned a deaf ear to
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its call,
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and turned wholeheartedly toward the Hereafter, seeking it
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by every possible path.