Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 45 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (60) - Al Yasser, may God be pleased with them
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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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authored by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
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may Allah have mercy on him.
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The Family of Yasir,
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may Allah be pleased with them.
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On a dewy, cool morning,
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fragrant with fresh air,
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one of the caravans arriving from Yemen reached
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the outskirts of Mecca.
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As Yasir ibn 'Amir
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al-Kinani looked upon the Venerable Ka'bah,
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its brilliance dazzled him,
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and his heart fluttered with joy at the sight of it,
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for his eyes had never enjoyed the pleasure of beholding it before.
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Yasir's arrival in Mecca was not for trade,
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as was the case with the men of the caravan;
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rather, he had come alongside his brothers, al-Harith and Malik,
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to search for a brother of theirs who had gone missing years ago,
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leaving behind no trace.
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The three young men set out searching for their brother everywhere
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and asking every group about him,
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until, despairing of ever finding him,
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their paths diverged.
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As for al-Harith and Malik,
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they returned to the haunts of their childhood
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and the pastures of their youth in happy Yemen.
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As for Yasir,
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Mecca captivated him
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and enticed him to make it his home and settled abode.
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Yasir ibn 'Amir al-Kinani did not know,
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when he made this decision,
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what glory was destined for him,
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nor did he realize that he was entering history through its widest gates,
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and that from his loin would come a youth who would adorn the brow of the world
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whenever it wished to bedeck itself before humanity.
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However, Yasir had no tribal allies in Mecca to protect him,
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nor a family to shield him,
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so a stranger like him had no choice but to ally himself with one of the town's chief nobles,
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so that he could live safely and securely in a society that had no place for the weak.
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Thus, he entered into an alliance with Abu Hudhayfah ibn al-Mughirah al-Makhzumi.
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Abu Hudhayfah saw in Yasir such noble traits and honorable character as endeared him to his heart,
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so he married him to a bondwoman of his named Sumayyah bint Khabbat.
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The first fruit of this marriage was a boy in whom both parents rejoiced exceedingly,
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and whom they named 'Ammar.
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Their joy in him multiplied when Abu Hudhayfah manumitted him and set him free.
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The family lived under the care and protection of Banu Makhzum, enjoying a pleasant and content life.
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As the days rolled on and the years passed,
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Yasir and Sumayyah grew into aged, elderly people,
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while 'Ammar became a young man who commanded the admiration of all who saw and heard him.
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Then the earth shone with the light of its Lord,
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and from the valleys of Mecca burst forth a light that flooded the universe with goodness and blessing,
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filling it with justice and benevolence.
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For the Unlettered Prophet arose, proclaiming the message of his Lord,
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warning his people and giving them glad tidings,
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inviting them to that which brings honor in this world and happiness in the Hereafter.
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'Ammar ibn Yasir heard news of the new call from the mouths of the people,
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and he opened his ears, heart, and mind to it.
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But when he found that what reached him about it was scant and meager,
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and unreliable news that did not quench his thirst,
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he said to himself: "Woe to you, 'Ammar!
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What makes you suffer from thirst when the spring is so near?
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Hasten to the bearer of the Message!
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Hasten to Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah,
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for with him and his companions lies the certain truth."
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'Ammar ibn Yasir went at once to the house of al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam,
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and there he was blessed with meeting the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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He heard words from him that stirred his heart profoundly,
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and he absorbed from his guidance that which filled his heart with wisdom and light.
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So he extended his hand to him and said:
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"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
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and I bear witness that you are His servant and His Messenger."
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'Ammar ibn Yasir turned to his mother, Sumayyah,
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and invited her to Islam,
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and how swiftly she responded to his call,
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as though she had been waiting for a prior appointment with him!
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Then he turned to his father, Yasir,
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and invited him to that which he had invited his mother,
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and his father was no less responsive than his mother.
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Thus, with the conversion of this blessed family, there joined the procession of light
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three shining stars
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whose radiance continues to flood the hearts of the believers to this day,
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and will remain so, by Allah's leave,
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until Allah inherits the earth and all who are upon it.
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News of the three individuals' conversion to Islam flew to Banu Makhzum,
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and they flew into a rage, consumed with fury,
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swearing to turn them back from their Islam
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or else send them to their ruin.
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So they began taking the parents and their young son out to the open desert of Mecca,
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dressing them in iron suits of armor,
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scorching them under the burning rays of the sun,
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depriving them of water,
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and taking turns beating them,
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until, when their throats went dry, their veins withered,
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their skins cracked, and their blood flowed,
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they left them for that day,
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only to repeat the ordeal with them on the morning of the very next day.
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The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed by them one day
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while they were being subjected to that excruciating torment,
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and it grieved him deeply that he possessed no power or means to succor them.
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He stood over them and said:
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"Patience, O family of Yasir,
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for your promised appointment is Paradise!"
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Thereupon, the tormented souls found tranquility,
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the fixed eyes settled in relief,
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and upon the exhausted faces appeared a contented smile.
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The two elderly parents did not last much longer under this state.
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As for Sumayyah,
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Abu Jahl passed by her while she was being tortured
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and hurled the vilest insults at her,
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raining biting words upon her ears,
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but she paid him no heed.
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So he unsheathed his spear
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and stabbed her with it in her lower abdomen,
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the spear's point piercing through her back.
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Thus, she became the first martyr in Islam,
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and sufficient glory and honor is that for her!
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As for Yasir,
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he died under torture
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while bearing witness that there is no god but Allah,
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and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
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The persecution intensified against 'Ammar after the martyrdom of his parents,
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and his tormentors exceeded all bounds in torturing him.
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One day, he came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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crestfallen, sorrowful, and ashamed.
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He tried to look at the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and fill his eyes with his sight,
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but he could not raise his gaze to him.
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So the Messenger, peace be upon him, said to him:
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"What is behind you, O 'Ammar?"
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'Ammar replied:
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"A terrible evil, O Messenger of Allah!"
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He asked: "And what is that?"
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'Ammar said: "I was tortured yesterday
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until I suffered such hardship and distress
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as would have split a mountain asunder had it descended upon it.
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Moreover, the enemies of Allah were not satisfied with exposing me to the midday heat,
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but burned my body with fire
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and kept forcing me to revile you
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and speak well of their gods until I did so."
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Then he began to sob with heart-wrenching weeping.
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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to him:
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"How do you find your heart, O 'Ammar?"
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He replied: "I find it firmly at peace in faith, O Messenger of Allah."
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He said: "There is no blame upon you.
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If they return to the like of it, then return to saying what you said."
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Then Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, honored 'Ammar
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and revealed Qur'an concerning him,
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as the Almighty said: ﴿ Except for one who is forced while his heart is secure in faith ﴾.
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When the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, permitted his Companions to migrate to Medina,
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'Ammar ibn Yasir was in the vanguard of those who migrated there, fleeing to preserve his religion.
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No sooner had he reached Quba', where the emigrants were alighting,
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than he called upon them to build a mosque in which they could establish the prayer.
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They responded to his request,
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and thus the mosque erected by 'Ammar ibn Yasir
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was the very first mosque built in Islam—
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a sufficient precedence and virtue for him!
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When the Supreme Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, migrated to Medina,
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'Ammar's eyes were delighted by his presence,
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and he rejoiced over him as a beloved rejoices over his beloved.
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He adhered to him as a close friend adheres to his bosom companion,
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hardly ever parting from him by night or by day.
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The noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, reciprocated his love,
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and whenever 'Ammar approached him, he would say:
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"Welcome to the good and purified one!"
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On the day of Badr,
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'Ammar fought under the banner of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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with the valor of the bravest heroes.
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He was the only Muslim who fought in this battle
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whose parents were both believing martyrs.
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When the Messenger, peace be upon him, passed away to the proximity of his Lord
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and most of the Arabs apostatized from Islam,
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'Ammar had a famous and noble stance on the Day of al-Yamamah.
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For when slaughter intensified among the Companions of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and death began snatching away the memorizers of the Qur'an,
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shaking the ground beneath the feet of the Muslims,
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at that critical moment,
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'Ammar ibn Yasir stood upon a prominent rock,
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with his ear severed
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and dangling from his head,
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and called out:
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"O assembly of Muslims!
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Is it from Paradise that you are fleeing?
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To me! To me, O assembly of Muslims!"
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Then he charged ahead of them,
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his ear swaying against the side of his cheek,
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and the army launched an assault following his charge
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until Musaylimah the Liar was killed,
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and people began returning to the religion of Allah in crowds,
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just as they had exited from it in crowds.
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When the Caliphate passed to al-Faruq,
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he appointed him governor over Kufa,
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placing 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud alongside him,
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and wrote to its people saying:
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"To proceed:
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I have sent 'Ammar to you as a governor,
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and 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud as a teacher and advisor.
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Both of them are among the noble Companions of your Prophet, Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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So listen to them,
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and follow their example.
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Later, a different judgment occurred to 'Umar,
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so he relieved him of his governorship.
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When he met him afterward, he asked him,
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"Did what I did distress you, O 'Ammar?"
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He replied,
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"By Allah, holding office distressed me far more
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than being relieved of it."
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May Allah be pleased with 'Ammar Ibn Yasir,
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for he was filled with faith from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet.
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And may Allah be pleased with his father, Yasir,
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and his mother, Sumayyah;
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for theirs was truly a household of faith.
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"Be patient, O family of Yasir,
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for your destination is Paradise."
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Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
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Inspire me, O poetry!
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Assist me, so I may pour forth;
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is there any praise left unsaid in their honor?