Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 26 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (41) - Abbad bin Bishr, 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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'Abbad ibn Bishr,
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may Allah be pleased with him.
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'Abbad ibn Bishr:
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a bright and radiant name in the history of the Prophetic call.
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If you sought him among the worshippers,
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you would find him devout and pure,
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standing in night prayer reciting portions of the Qur'an.
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If you looked for him among the heroes,
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you would find him a formidable, protective warrior,
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plunging into battles to exalt the word of Allah.
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And if you searched for him among the governors,
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you would see him strong and trustworthy over the wealth of the Muslims,
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to the extent that 'A'ishah said regarding him and two other men from his tribe:
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"Three among the Ansar—
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none surpassed them in virtue,
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all of them from Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal:
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Sa'd ibn Mu'adh,
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Usayd ibn al-Hudayr,
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and 'Abbad ibn Bishr."
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'Abbad ibn Bishr al-Ashhali was,
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when the first ray of the light of Prophetic guidance dawned over the horizons of Yathrib,
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a young man in the prime of his youth,
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fresh and radiant,
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in whose face you could recognize the brightness of chastity and purity,
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and in whose actions you could discern the gravity of mature men,
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despite the fact that he had not yet exceeded twenty-five years of his blessed life at that time.
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He met with the young Meccan preacher, Mus'ib ibn 'Umayr,
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and the bonds of faith quickly united their hearts,
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while noble Shama'il and honorable traits joined their souls as one.
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He listened to Mus'ib reciting the Qur'an in his silvery, warm voice
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and captivating, poignant tone,
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whereupon he became captivated by love for the speech of Allah,
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reserving a spacious place for it in the depths of his heart.
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He made it his sole concern,
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reciting it night and day,
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whether settled or traveling,
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until he became known among the Companions as the Imam
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and the companion of the Qur'an.
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was praying night prayers one night
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in 'A'ishah's room adjacent to the mosque,
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when he heard the voice of 'Abbad ibn Bishr reciting the Qur'an, fresh and tender,
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just as Gabriel had brought it down upon his heart.
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He said, "O 'A'ishah, is this the voice of 'Abbad ibn Bishr?"
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She said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah."
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He said, "O Allah, forgive him."
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'Abbad ibn Bishr witnessed all the battles alongside the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and in each of them he held a stance worthy of a bearer of the Qur'an.
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Among these instances:
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when the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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was returning from the Expedition of Dhat al-Riqa',
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he brought the Muslims to a halt in a mountain pass to spend the night there.
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One of the Muslims had captured a woman from among the polytheists during the expedition,
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in the absence of her husband.
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When the husband returned and did not find his wife,
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he swore by Allah and al-'Uzza that he would pursue the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions,
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and that he would not return until he had shed blood from them.
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No sooner had the Muslims unloaded their riding beasts in the mountain pass
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than the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to them,
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"Who will guard us tonight?"
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Thereupon, 'Abbad ibn Bishr and 'Ammar ibn Yasir stood up to him
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and said, "We will, O Messenger of Allah."
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The Prophet had established brotherhood between the two when the Emigrants came to Medina.
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When they went out to the mouth of the pass,
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'Abbad ibn Bishr said to his brother 'Ammar ibn Yasir,
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"Which portion of the night do you prefer to sleep during?
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The first part or the last part?"
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'Ammar replied,
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"Rather, I will sleep during the first part."
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So he lay down to sleep not far from him.
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The night was tranquil, quiet, and serene,
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while the stars, trees, and stones
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were glorifying the praise of their Lord and sanctifying Him.
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'Abbad ibn Bishr's soul yearned for worship,
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and his heart longed for the Qur'an.
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The sweetest thing to him was the Qur'an
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when he recited it while standing in prayer,
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combining the delight of prayer with the delight of recitation.
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So he turned toward the Qiblah and entered into prayer,
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beginning to recite from Surah al-Kahf
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in his melodious, tender, and sweet voice.
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While he was immersed in this sublime divine light,
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submerged in its brilliant radiance,
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the man approached with hurried steps.
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When he saw 'Abbad from afar,
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standing upright at the mouth of the pass,
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he knew that the Prophet and his Companions were inside it
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and that this was the guard of the people.
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He notched his bow,
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drew an arrow from his quiver, and shot him with it,
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striking him firmly.
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'Abbad pulled it out from his body
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and continued flowing in his recitation,
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immersed in his prayer.
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So the man shot him with another,
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striking him again.
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He pulled it out just as he had pulled out the previous one.
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Then he shot him with a third,
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and he pulled it out as he had pulled it out before.
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Then he crawled until he was close to his companion
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and woke him up, saying,
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"Get up, for I have been severely wounded!"
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When the man saw the two of them,
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he turned and fled.
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'Ammar turned to look at 'Abbad
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and saw blood pouring profusely from his three wounds.
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He said to him,
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"Glory be to Allah!
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Why did you not wake me at the very first arrow he shot you with?"
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'Abbad replied,
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"I was reciting a surah,
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and I did not wish to interrupt it until I had finished it.
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By Allah,
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were it not for my fear of losing an outpost
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that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, ordered me to guard,
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my life being cut short would have been dearer to me than interrupting it."
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When the Wars of Apostasy broke out during the era of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him,
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al-Siddiq equipped a massive army to eliminate the tribulation of Musaylimah the Liar,
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subdue the apostates who supported him,
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and bring them back into the fold of Islam.
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'Abbad ibn Bishr was at the forefront of that army.
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During the battles in which the Muslims had not achieved any significant victory, 'Abbad noticed
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the reliance of the Ansar upon the Emigrants
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and the reliance of the Emigrants upon the Ansar,
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which filled his chest with grief and anger.
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He heard from their mutual taunts that which filled his ears with hot coals and thorns.
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He realized that there would be no success for the Muslims in these crushing battles
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unless each of the two groups was distinguished from the other,
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so that each would bear its responsibility alone,
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and the truly patient mujahidin would become known.
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On the night preceding the decisive battle,
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'Abbad ibn Bishr saw in a dream
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that the sky had opened up for him,
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and when he entered it, it embraced him,
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and closed its door upon him.
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When morning came, he related his vision to Abu Sa'id al-Khudri
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and said, "By Allah, it is martyrdom, O Abu Sa'id."
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When daylight broke and the fighting resumed,
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'Abbad ibn Bishr ascended an elevated piece of land
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and began shouting, "O assembly of the Ansar!
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Separate yourselves from the rest of the people, break the scabbards of your swords,
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and do not let Islam be attacked from your direction!"
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He kept repeating that call
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until about four hundred of them gathered around him,
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led by Thabit ibn Qays,
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al-Bara' ibn Malik,
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and Abu Dujanah, the bearer of the sword of the Messenger of Allah.
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'Abbad ibn Bishr advanced with those who were with him,
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cleaving through the ranks with his sword
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and confronting death with his chest,
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until the power of Musaylimah the Liar and those with him was broken,
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and they were driven into the Garden of Death.
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There, at the walls of the garden,
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'Abbad ibn Bishr fell as a martyr,
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drenched in his blood,
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bearing countless sword strikes,
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spear thrusts, and arrow impacts,
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to the extent that they could not identify him
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except by a distinctive mark on his body.
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"Three among the Ansar—
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none surpassed them in virtue:
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Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, Usayd ibn al-Hudayr,
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and 'Abbad ibn Bishr." — 'A'ishah, Mother of the Believers.