Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 22 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (37) - Habib bin Zaid 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 snapshots 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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Habib Ibn Zayd al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him.
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In a home whose every corner radiated the fragrant breeze of faith,
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and across the foreheads of whose every inhabitant shone images of sacrifice and devotion,
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Habib Ibn Zayd al-Ansari grew up and took his first steps.
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His father was Zayd Ibn 'Asim, among the vanguard of Muslims in Yathrib
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and one of the seventy who attended the Pledge of 'Aqabah,
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clasping the hands of the Messenger of Allah in allegiance;
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accompanying him were his wife and his two sons.
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His mother was Umm 'Umarah, Nusaybah al-Maziniyyah,
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the first woman to take up arms in defense of Allah's religion
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and in protection of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.
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His brother was 'Abd Allah Ibn Zayd,
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who shielded the Prophet's throat with his own
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and protected the Prophet's chest with his own on the Day of Uhud,
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until the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said regarding them:
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"May Allah bless you as a household!
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May Allah have mercy on you as a household!"
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Divine light penetrated the heart of Habib Ibn Zayd
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while he was still young and tender,
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settling firmly within him and taking complete hold of him.
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It was decreed that he would travel with his mother, father, maternal aunt, and brother to Makkah,
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to join that noble, blessed group of seventy
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in shaping the history of Islam,
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where he extended his small hand
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and pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah under the cover of night in the Pledge of 'Aqabah.
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From that day forward,
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the Messenger of Allah became dearer to him than his own father and mother,
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and Islam became more precious to him than his own soul.
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Habib Ibn Zayd did not witness the Battle of Badr,
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because he was too young at the time,
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nor was he granted the honor of participating in Uhud,
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for he was still too young to bear arms.
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Yet after that, he witnessed all the major campaigns alongside the Messenger of Allah;
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in every one of them he earned a banner of honor,
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a record of glory,
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and a stance of supreme devotion.
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However, all these events, despite their grandeur and brilliance,
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were in truth nothing
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but a grand preparation for the monumental trial
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whose story we are about to relate to you—
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a trial that will shake your conscience violently,
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just as it shook the consciences of millions of Muslims from the era of prophethood
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down to this very day of ours,
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and whose narrative will awe you
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just as it awed them throughout the ages.
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Come, let us listen to this intense story from its beginning.
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In the ninth year after the Hijrah,
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Islam had grown strong and firmly established,
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its power formidable and its foundations secure.
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Delegations of Arabs began journeying from all corners of the Peninsula to Yathrib
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to meet the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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to declare their Islam before him,
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and to pledge allegiance to him in listening and obedience.
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Among these delegations
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was the delegation of Banu Hanifah, arriving from the highlands of Najd.
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The delegation halted their camels at the outskirts of the city of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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leaving behind to guard their baggage a man from among them
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named Musaylimah Ibn Habib al-Hanafi.
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They proceeded to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
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and declared their submission and the submission of their people before him.
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The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, honored their delegation,
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ordering a gift for each of them,
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and ordering for their companion left behind with the baggage
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the same portion he ordered for them.
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Yet no sooner had the delegation reached their homes in Najd
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than Musaylimah Ibn Habib apostatized from Islam.
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He stood among the people announcing that he was a sent prophet,
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sent by Allah to Banu Hanifah
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just as Muhammad Ibn 'Abd Allah had been sent to Quraysh.
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His people began rallying around him,
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driven by various motives,
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chief among which was tribal fanatical zeal—
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to the extent that one of their prominent men said:
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"I bear witness that Muhammad is truthful
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and that Musaylimah is a liar,
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but the liar of Rabi'ah is dearer to me than the truthful one of Mudar!"
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When Musaylimah gained strength,
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he wrote a letter to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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in which he said:
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"From Musaylimah, the Messenger of Allah,
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to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.
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Peace be upon you.
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To proceed:
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I have been made a partner with you in this matter.
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Half the earth belongs to us,
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and half the earth belongs to Quraysh,
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but Quraysh are a transgressing people."
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He dispatched the letter with two of his men.
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When the letter was read to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him,
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he asked the two men:
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"And what do you two say?"
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They replied:
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"We say as he says."
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He said to them:
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"By Allah, were it not that envoys are not killed,
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I would have had your heads struck off!"
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Then he wrote a reply to Musaylimah, stating:
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"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah,
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to Musaylimah the Liar.
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“So go ye unto him and say: Lo! we are two messengers of thy Lord. So let the children of Israel go with us, and torment them not. We bring thee a token from thy Lord. And peace will be for him who followeth right guidance.” (20:47)
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To proceed: ﴿Indeed, the earth belongs to Allah. He causes to inherit it whom He wills of His servants. And the [good] end is for the righteous.﴾"
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“And Moses said unto his people: Seek help in Allah and endure. Lo! the earth is Allah's. He giveth it for an inheritance to whom He will. And lo! the sequel is for those who keep their duty (unto Him).” (7:128)
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"And the final outcome belongs to the righteous."
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He sent the letter back with the two envoys.
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Musaylimah the Liar grew ever worse in evil,
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and his corrupting influence spread rampantly.
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The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, resolved
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to send him a letter rebuking him for his transgression,
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and he selected the hero of our story, Habib Ibn Zayd, to carry the message.
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At that time, Habib was a vibrant young man in the bloom of youth,
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possessing full vigor,
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a believer from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet.
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Habib Ibn Zayd set out to fulfill the command of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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without hesitation or delay,
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traversing high plateaus and descending into deep valleys,
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until he reached the lands of Banu Hanifah in the highlands of Najd.
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He delivered the letter to Musaylimah.
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No sooner had Musaylimah comprehended its contents
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than his chest swelled with malice and hatred,
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and evil and treachery showed on the features of his hideous, sallow face.
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He ordered that Habib Ibn Zayd be bound in chains
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and brought before him the following morning at forenoon.
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When the next day came,
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Musaylimah presided over his assembly,
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placing on his right and left the tyrants among his chief followers,
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and granted permission for the general public to enter upon him.
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Then he ordered that Habib Ibn Zayd be brought,
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and he was brought in, dragging his chains.
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Habib Ibn Zayd stood in the midst of this vast, hostile crowd,
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erect of stature, head held high, full of dignity,
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standing firm among them like a sturdy spear
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that expert craftsmen had straightened to perfection.
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Musaylimah turned to him and said:
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"Do you bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah?"
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He replied: "Yes, I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."
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Musaylimah boiled with rage and said:
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"And do you bear witness that I am the messenger of Allah?"
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Habib replied with biting sarcasm:
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"Indeed, my ears are too deaf to hear what you are saying!"
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Musaylimah's face turned pale,
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and his lips trembled with fury. He said to his executioner:
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"Cut off a piece of his body!"
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The executioner struck Habib with his sword,
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severing a limb from his body,
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which rolled to the ground.
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Then Musaylimah repeated the same question to him:
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"Do you bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah?"
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He replied: "Yes, I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."
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Musaylimah asked: "And do you bear witness that I am the messenger of Allah?"
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He said: "I told you, my ears are too deaf to hear what you are saying!"
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Musaylimah ordered another piece to be cut from his body,
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so it was severed and rolled onto the ground,
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coming to rest beside its counterpart.
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The people stared at him, eyes wide,
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stunned by his resolve and unwavering firmness.
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Musaylimah kept asking,
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the executioner kept cutting,
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and Habib kept declaring:
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"I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,"
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until nearly half of his body became severed pieces scattered on the ground,
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while the remaining half was a single mass that spoke,
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until his soul departed,
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while upon his pure lips
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was the name of the Prophet to whom he had pledged allegiance on the Night of 'Aqabah—
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the name of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.
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The announcer of death brought the news of Habib Ibn Zayd to his mother, Nusaybah al-Maziniyyah,
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and she said no more than:
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"For such a moment as this I prepared him,
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and to Allah I entrust him.
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He pledged allegiance to the Messenger, peace be upon him, on the Night of 'Aqabah as a boy,
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and he fulfilled his pledge to him today as a man.
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If Allah grants me power over Musaylimah,
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I shall surely make his daughters strike their cheeks in grief over him!"
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The day Nusaybah longed for was not long in coming,
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when Abu Bakr's caller summoned the people in Madinah:
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"March forth to fight the false claimant to prophethood, Musaylimah!"
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The Muslims set out, quickening their pace to meet him,
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and among the army were Nusaybah al-Maziniyyah
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and her son 'Abd Allah Ibn Zayd.
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On the glorious Day of Yamamah,
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Nusaybah was seen tearing through the ranks like an enraged lioness,
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shouting:
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"Where is the enemy of Allah?
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Direct me to the enemy of Allah!"
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When she finally reached him, she found him felled upon the ground,
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with the swords of the Muslims drinking from his blood.
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Her heart was comforted and her eyes were cooled.
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And why should they not be, when Allah, Glorious and Majestic, took vengeance
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for her righteous, God-fearing youth
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upon his wretched, tyrannical killer?
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Indeed!
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Both of them passed on to their Lord,
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but
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one group is in Paradise,
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and a group will be in the Blaze.