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

0:01 Pause and reflect on the Companions, the scholars, and the prominent figures.

0:12 A new challenge: Who am I?

0:16 I am one of the Muhajirun (Emigrant) Companions.

0:21 I came to Mecca before the advent of Islam.

0:24 And when the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was sent,

0:28 I followed him and embraced Islam.

0:31 Then I returned to my people in Yemen,

0:34 calling them to Allah the Exalted.

0:37 I remained in that state until I heard of the migration of the Prophet, peace be upon him,

0:43 to Medina.

0:45 So I set out toward him, accompanied by some fifty-odd men of my people.

0:50 We boarded a ship,

0:52 but we were driven off course,

0:54 and our ship cast us upon the land of the Negus, may Allah be pleased with him, in Abyssinia.

1:00 There, we met Ja'far Ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him.

1:04 We stayed with him,

1:06 until we arrived in Medina in the seventh year of the Hijra.

1:11 We reached the Prophet, peace be upon him, just as he was conquering Khaybar.

1:16 He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to us:

1:20 "You, the people of the ship, have two migrations."

1:24 I possessed a beautiful voice for reciting the Qur'an,

1:29 and the Prophet, peace be upon him, once said to me:

1:33 "You have been given a flute from the flutes of the family of David."

1:38 One night, I stood praying in the mosque,

1:41 and the wives of the Prophet, peace be upon him, heard my voice,

1:46 so they stood listening to my recitation.

1:49 When morning came,

1:51 it was said to me that the Mothers of the Believers had been listening to my recitation during the night.

1:57 I replied, "Had I known, I would have embellished my recitation even more,"

2:02 "and made it even more moving."

2:05 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, used to say to me:

2:10 "Remind us of our Lord, the Exalted,"

2:13 so I would recite the Qur'an in their presence.

2:16 I would sometimes lead the people in prayer,

2:20 and because of the beauty of my voice, they would wish I had recited Surah al-Baqarah.

2:26 After the passing of the Prophet, peace be upon him,

2:30 the Commander of the Believers, 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, sent me to Basra

2:36 to teach the people the Qur'an.

2:39 The people said,

2:41 "No rider has come to Basra who is better for its people than he."

2:45 Later, a delegation from the people of Basra came to 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,

2:50 and he asked them about me.

2:52 They said, "We left him teaching the people the Qur'an."

2:57 He, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

3:00 "Indeed, he is a man of great intellect."

3:04 I gathered those who had learned the Qur'an from me in Basra,

3:08 and they numbered nearly three hundred.

3:11 I instilled in them a deep reverence for the Qur'an,

3:14 and said, "This Qur'an will either be a reward for you,"

3:19 "or a burden against you."

3:22 "So follow the Qur'an,"

3:24 "and do not let the Qur'an follow you,"

3:27 "for whoever follows the Qur'an,"

3:30 "it will lead him to the gardens of Paradise."

3:33 "But whoever is followed by the Qur'an,"

3:36 "it will seize him by the nape of his neck,"

3:38 "and cast him into the Fire."

3:40 Before my death,

3:42 I exerted myself intensely in worship.

3:45 It was said to me,

3:47 "If only you would pause and be gentle with yourself."

3:50 I replied,

3:51 "When a racehorse is released,"

3:54 "and it nears the finish line,"

3:56 "it exerts all that it has."

3:59 "And what remains of my life is even less than that."

4:03 So, who am I?

4:06 Share your answers with us in the comments below the video.

4:14 We will pin the correct answer in the comments

4:18 when the next episode is released,

4:21 if Allah wills.

Learn about the companions, scholars, and notables | Who am I? | Episode No. (154)

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