Part of Who am I (bundled with answers) · Lesson 10 of 31

Learn about the companions, scholars, and notables | Who am I? | Collected episodes from (91) to (100) with answers

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0:00 Pause,
0:03 and learn about the Companions, the scholars, and noble figures.
0:12 A new challenge: Who am I?
0:19 I am one of the young Companions and the son of one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
0:24 My sister is one of the Mothers of the Believers.
0:28 I embraced Islam while I was a child,
0:30 then I migrated to Medina with my father before reaching puberty.
0:35 The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) deemed me too young on the day of Uhud and sent me back,
0:41 and my first military expedition with the Prophet (peace be upon him)
0:46 was the Battle of the Trench (Khandaq).
0:48 I was among those who pledged allegiance beneath the tree.
0:51 I was renowned for worship and knowledge,
0:54 as well as my strict adherence to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and following his guidance.
1:01 I was an unmarried youth,
1:03 so I used to sleep in the mosque.
1:06 In a dream, I saw two angels approach me and take me to the Fire,
1:12 where I saw people I recognized.
1:16 I began saying: "I seek refuge with Allah from the Fire!
1:20 I seek refuge with Allah from the Fire!"
1:23 Then an angel met us and said: "Do not be afraid."
1:28 I recounted this dream to my sister, the Mother of the Believers, Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her),
1:34 and she narrated it to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
1:38 He said: "What an excellent man your brother would be if only he prayed at night!"
1:45 After that, I would only sleep a little at night.
1:50 I also used to spend the time between the Dhuhr and Asr prayers in prayer.
1:55 I was among the most diligent people in following the guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and emulating him.
2:02 I was eager to spread the greeting of peace (salam),
2:05 to the point that I would go out to the marketplace
2:08 with no need other than to greet people with salam and have them return it.
2:14 I never met a young person or an elder without offering them salam.
2:19 One day, I set out for Mecca,
2:24 and on the way, a shepherd came down to us from the mountain.
2:29 I said to him: "Sell me a sheep from your flock."
2:33 He replied: "I am an enslaved servant."
2:36 I said to him: "Tell your master that a wolf ate it."
2:41 The shepherd said: "Then where is Allah?"
2:44 I said to myself: "By Allah, he has spoken the truth;
2:48 where is Allah?"
2:50 And I wept.
2:51 Then I bought the shepherd from his master,
2:54 emancipated him,
2:56 and bought the flock for him.
2:58 During my lifetime, I freed more than a thousand people.
3:03 A man wrote to me asking me to write all of knowledge down for him.
3:10 So I wrote back to him:
3:12 "Knowledge is vast;
3:14 however, if you can meet Allah with your back light from the blood of people,
3:20 your stomach empty of their wealth,
3:23 your tongue restrained from their honor,
3:26 and adhering steadfastly to their main body (jama'ah),
3:29 then do so."
3:30 So, who am I?
3:32 I am 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him).
3:55 They departed, leaving a question echoing in the conscience:
4:00 Has a star ever risen and shone brightly like them?
4:05 Through their deeds, they filled life with glorious achievements,
4:10 and through them, the mortal world flourished in grace.
4:15 Pause,
4:22 and learn about the Companions, the scholars, and the exalted ones:
4:26 the best of generations in stances and example.
4:30 A new challenge:
4:33 Who am I?
4:39 I am a woman from the tribe of Khuza'ah,
4:42 known for eloquence, chivalry, and generosity.
4:46 I was an elderly woman,
4:49 dignified, strong, and composed.
4:51 I had a tent situated on the route of travelers to Medina,
4:56 sitting in its courtyard
4:58 to provide water and food to whoever passed by me.
5:01 One day,
5:03 the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed by me
5:06 along with his companions,
5:08 while on their migration route to Medina.
5:11 I did not recognize them.
5:13 They asked to purchase some meat or dates from me,
5:17 but they found nothing of the sort with me.
5:21 The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) looked at a ewe at the side of the tent
5:28 and said:
5:30 "What is this ewe?"
5:32 I replied:
5:33 "Weakness kept it behind from the flock."
5:35 He asked:
5:37 "Does it have any milk?"
5:39 I said:
5:40 "It is far too exhausted for that."
5:42 He (peace be upon him) said:
5:45 "Do you permit me to milk it?"
5:48 I said: "Yes,
5:50 if you see any milk in it, then milk it."
5:53 So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) called for the ewe,
5:57 stroked its udder,
5:59 mentioned the name of Allah,
6:01 and said:
6:02 "O Allah, bless her in her ewe."
6:06 It spread its hind legs,
6:08 its milk flowed abundantly, and it began to chew the cud.
6:10 He (peace be upon him) called for a vessel large enough to satisfy a group of people,
6:16 and milked into it until the froth rose copiously.
6:18 He gave me to drink until I was fully quenched,
6:21 then he milked again and gave his companions to drink,
6:24 and finally drank himself as the last of them,
6:26 saying:
6:28 "The one who serves the people is the last to drink."
6:31 Then he milked into it once more,
6:34 and they drank.
6:35 Then he milked into it yet again,
6:37 left the vessel with me,
6:40 and they mounted their riding beasts and departed.
6:42 Soon after, my husband returned,
6:46 driving emaciated goats.
6:48 When he saw the milk,
6:50 he was astonished and said:
6:52 "From where did you get this,
6:53 when this ewe produces no milk?"
6:56 I said:
6:57 "A blessed man passed by us."
7:00 He said:
7:01 "Describe him to me."
7:03 So I described him with the most beautiful and precise description;
7:06 no one ever described him (peace be upon him) quite as I did.
7:10 My husband said:
7:12 "By Allah, this is the companion of Quraysh,
7:15 about whom we were told what was told in Mecca.
7:19 I had resolved to accompany him,
7:22 and I will certainly do so if I find a way."
7:26 Later, I traveled with my husband to Medina,
7:30 where we met the Prophet (peace be upon him),
7:33 embraced Islam before him, and pledged allegiance.
7:37 So, who am I?
7:53 The answer:
7:54 Umm Ma'bad, 'Atikah bint Khalid al-Khuza'iyyah
7:59 (may Allah be pleased with her).
8:12 Through their deeds, they bestowed life with glorious achievements,
8:17 and through them, the mortal world flourished in grace.
8:26 Pause,
8:28 and learn about the Companions, the scholars, and the exalted ones:
8:33 the best of generations in stances and example.
8:37 A new challenge:
8:39 Who am I?
8:41 I am one of the Companions,
8:46 from among the early Emigrants (Muhajirun) of the people of Mecca.
8:50 I was blind,
8:52 and I was a mu'adhdhin for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
8:56 I used to teach people the Qur'an in Medina
8:59 alongside Mus'ab Ibn 'Umayr (may Allah be pleased with him),
9:02 prior to the migration of the Prophet (peace be upon him) there.
9:06 The Prophet (peace be upon him) held me in high regard
9:10 and would appoint me as his deputy over Medina whenever he traveled,
9:14 so I would lead the remaining Companions in prayer.
9:18 Once in Mecca,
9:22 the Prophet (peace be upon him) was seated with prominent leaders of Quraysh,
9:28 hoping for their conversion to Islam.
9:30 I came asking him about a matter of religion,
9:33 but he turned away from me and attended to the people.
9:37 So Allah Almighty revealed verses gently admonishing the Prophet (peace be upon him):
9:42 "He frowned and turned away
9:44 because the blind man came to him."
9:47 I used to call the adhan for prayer during the era of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
9:53 and Bilal also called the adhan.
9:56 Bilal's adhan was before dawn
9:59 so that the sleeper would awaken and the fasting person could eat suhur,
10:03 and when I called the adhan, the people would stop eating and attend the prayer.
10:08 I once stayed as a guest with a Jewish woman in Medina,
10:12 and she used to treat me kindly and take care of me;
10:15 however, she used to revile the Prophet (peace be upon him) and slander him.
10:21 So I struck her and killed her.
10:24 That matter was brought before the Prophet (peace be upon him),
10:28 and he summoned me, so I said:
10:31 "O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, she used to treat me kindly,
10:36 but she offended me regarding Allah and His Messenger."
10:40 The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
10:43 "May Allah cast her away; I have declared her blood forfeit."
10:49 When the saying of Allah Almighty was revealed:
10:52 "Not equal are those of the believers who sit [at home] and those who strive
10:56 in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives,"
11:00 I said: "O Lord, reveal my excuse!"
11:04 So Allah Almighty revealed:
11:06 “Those of the believers who sit still, other than those who have a (disabling) hurt, are not on an equality with those who strive in the way of Allah with their wealth and lives. Allah hath conferred on those who strive with their wealth and lives a rank above the sedentary. Unto each Allah hath promised good, but He hath bestowed on those who strive a great reward above the sedentary;” (4:95)
11:09 “Those of the believers who sit still, other than those who have a (disabling) hurt, are not on an equality with those who strive in the way of Allah with their wealth and lives. Allah hath conferred on those who strive with their wealth and lives a rank above the sedentary. Unto each Allah hath promised good, but He hath bestowed on those who strive a great reward above the sedentary;” (4:95)
11:15 "except for those who are disabled."
11:20 After that, I strove to go out with the people on military campaigns,
11:24 telling them: "Hand me the banner,
11:27 for I am blind and cannot flee,
11:30 and position me between the two battle lines."
11:34 They would do so for me every time,
11:38 until I fell as a martyr in the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah.
11:55 Who am I?
12:13 The answer: 'Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktum (may Allah be pleased with him).
12:18 Through their deeds, they filled life with glorious achievements,
12:23 and through them, the mortal world flourished in grace.
12:30 Pause,
12:34 and learn about the Companions, the scholars, and the exalted ones:
12:39 the best of generations in stances and example.
12:43 A new challenge: Who am I?
12:48 I am one of the female Companions,
12:51 among the foremost in embracing Islam,
12:54 and among the earliest to believe in the message.
12:57 I was among the oppressed who were tortured
13:00 and assaulted by the disbelievers of Quraysh in Mecca
13:03 because of their Islam.
13:07 Abu Jahl used to torture me severely,
13:10 to the point where I could barely retain consciousness.
13:15 One day, the disbelievers of Quraysh seized me
13:18 and tortured me intensely,
13:21 refusing to release me until I renounced
13:24 the religion of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
13:27 But I did not yield to them, so they struck me
13:30 on the head until I lost my sight.
13:33 The polytheists said: "Al-Lat and al-'Uzza
13:36 have blinded her because of her disbelief in them."
13:39 I said to them: "What do al-Lat
13:42 and al-'Uzza know of who worships them?
13:45 They are merely two idols that can neither benefit nor harm!
13:49 This is solely by the decree of Allah,
13:52 and my Lord is able to restore my sight if He wills."
13:56 The following morning, I awoke
13:59 and found that Allah had restored my sight to me.
14:02 Quraysh were astonished and said:
14:05 "This is of the sorcery of Muhammad."
14:09 One day, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, passed by me
14:12 and saw the torture I was enduring
14:15 at the hands of the polytheists.
14:18 So he purchased me from them and set me free.
14:21 Who am I?
14:27 The best of followers and a model,
14:30 following the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke;
14:33 they were here, quenching the thirst of others.
14:38 The answer: Zannirah al-Rumiyyah,
14:41 may Allah be pleased with her.
14:44 They departed, leaving in the conscience
14:47 Stop!
14:50 Stop and get to know
14:53 the Companions and the scholars
14:56 and the eminent figures.
14:59 A new challenge.
15:02 A new challenge.
15:10 A new challenge.
15:13 A new challenge.
15:16 A new challenge.
15:20 A new challenge.
15:23 Who am I?
15:29 I am one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
15:32 I embraced Islam early on
15:35 and took part in the Battle of the Trench (al-Khandaq)
15:38 and the subsequent expeditions alongside the Prophet (peace be upon him).
15:41 I used to march at the rear of the army
15:44 during military expeditions,
15:47 picking up whatever provisions or belongings fell from the troops.
15:51 When we returned from the Expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq,
15:54 the Mother of the Believers 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, was accompanying us.
15:57 We stopped to rest at a stage along the way,
16:00 and the Mother of the Believers 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) went off
16:03 in search of a necklace she had lost.
16:06 Meanwhile,
16:09 the people prepared to depart
16:12 and lifted her howdah onto the camel, assuming she was inside,
16:15 as she was light and young,
16:18 being only twelve years of age.
16:21 They fastened the howdah onto the camel and set off.
16:24 As for her, she found her necklace,
16:27 but when she returned,
16:30 she found that the army had already departed.
16:33 So she sat down in her place and thought:
16:36 "They will surely miss me and return for me."
16:39 While she was sitting there,
16:42 sleep overcame her and she fell asleep.
16:45 As for me,
16:48 as was my custom, I was trailing behind the army.
16:51 I passed by their campsite and noticed
16:54 the silhouette of a sleeping person, so I approached,
16:57 only to find that it was the Mother of the Believers 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
17:00 I had seen her before
17:03 the revelation of the hijab, so I exclaimed: "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un!"
17:06 “Who say, when a misfortune striketh them: Lo! we are Allah's and lo! unto Him we are returning.” (2:156)
17:09 I did not utter a single word besides it.
17:12 She awoke upon hearing my recitation of the verse of return,
17:15 and immediately covered her face with her outer garment (jilbab).
17:18 By Allah, we did not exchange a single word.
17:21 I made my camel kneel for her so she could mount,
17:24 and I set off leading the camel by its halter
17:27 until we caught up with the army while they had halted at midday.
17:30 When the hypocrites saw us,
17:33 they fabricated the slander (al-Ifk)
17:36 and accused us falsely.
17:39 By Allah, neither was she spared their slander, nor was I.
17:42 The Messenger of Allah,
17:46 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, defended me,
17:49 repelling the accusation from me and praising me for my goodness.
17:52 He stood upon the pulpit to deliver a sermon,
17:55 praised Allah and extolled Him as He deserves,
17:58 and then said: "To proceed:
18:01 Advise me, O people, concerning those
18:04 who have slandered my family!
18:07 By Allah, I have never known anything of my family but good,
18:10 and they have accused them in connection with a man
18:13 concerning whom, by Allah, I have never known anything but good.
18:16 He has never entered my home except in my presence,
18:19 nor was I ever absent on a journey
18:22 without him accompanying me."
18:25 The people began to argue and dispute among themselves,
18:28 so the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, fell silent
18:31 and quieted them.
18:34 We remained in this distressing state for a month,
18:37 while the perpetrators of the slander defamed our honor,
18:40 until Allah revealed our innocence
18:43 in His Noble Book,
18:46 through verses of Surah an-Nur
18:49 that shall be recited until the Day of Judgment.
18:52 Who am I?
18:58 The answer:
19:02 Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal,
19:07 may Allah be pleased with him.
19:11 They departed, leaving in the conscience
19:14 a question:
19:17 "Did ever a star like them
19:20 rise and shine so bright?"
19:23 They filled life
19:26 with glory through their deeds,
19:29 and by them flourished
19:32 the world of mankind.
19:35 Stop and get to know
19:43 the Companions, the scholars, and the eminent figures.
19:50 A new challenge.
19:53 Who am I?
19:59 I am one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
20:02 from among the Ansar.
20:05 I was exceptionally fond of women,
20:08 and had a desire for them
20:11 unmatched by others.
20:14 When the month of Ramadan began,
20:17 I feared approaching my wife intimately at night
20:20 and being unable to restrain myself until morning came,
20:23 so I made a declaration of zihar against her until the end of
20:26 the month of Ramadan.
20:30 While she was attending to me one night,
20:33 I could not restrain myself and leaped upon her,
20:36 having intercourse with her.
20:39 When morning came,
20:42 I went out to my people and informed them of what had happened,
20:45 saying to them:
20:48 "Come with me to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
20:51 so that I may tell him what I have committed."
20:54 They replied: "No, by Allah, we will not!
20:57 We fear that a Qur'anic revelation might descend concerning us,
21:00 or that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, might utter
21:03 a statement whose shame would cling to us forever.
21:06 Rather, go on your own
21:09 and do as you see fit."
21:12 So I went to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
21:15 and informed him of what I had done.
21:18 He said: "Were you the one who did that?"
21:21 I said: "I am the one, O Messenger of Allah,
21:24 and I am patient with whatever judgment Allah decrees,
21:27 so judge regarding me according to what Allah shows you."
21:30 He (peace be upon him) said to me:
21:33 "Free a slave."
21:37 I slapped the side of my neck and said:
21:40 "By the One Who sent you with the truth,
21:43 I possess no neck other than my own!"
21:46 He said: "Then fast for two consecutive months."
21:49 I replied: "And did I fall into what I fell into
21:52 except on account of fasting?"
21:55 I added: "By the One Who sent you with the truth,
21:58 we spent our night starving,
22:01 having no food at all."
22:04 The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
22:07 "Go to the collector of zakat from your people,
22:10 and let him give it to you;
22:13 then feed sixty poor people
22:16 a wasq of dates,
22:19 and you and your family may eat the rest."
22:23 So I said to my people: "I found with you
22:26 only hardship and poor counsel,
22:29 while I found with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
22:32 ease and gracious counsel!
22:35 He has ordered that your zakat be given to me,
22:38 so hand it over to me."
22:41 And they handed it over to me.
22:46 Who am I?
22:51 The answer:
22:59 Salamah ibn Sakhr al-Ansari,
23:02 may Allah be pleased with him.
23:15 Stop!
23:24 And get to know the Companions, the scholars,
23:27 and the eminent figures.
23:31 A new challenge.
23:34 Who am I?
23:40 I am one of the Companions from the people of Mecca.
23:43 I was the orator and spokesperson of Quraysh,
23:46 and one of their noble leaders before Islam.
23:49 I fought in the ranks of Quraysh at the Battle of Badr
23:52 and was taken prisoner,
23:55 but later ransomed myself.
23:59 When the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, intended
24:02 to perform 'Umrah in the sixth year after the Hijrah,
24:05 he set out for Mecca, but Quraysh prevented him.
24:08 So he encamped at al-Hudaybiyyah,
24:11 exchanging emissaries and messages with Quraysh,
24:14 seeking permission for himself and the Muslims to perform 'Umrah
24:17 and visiting the Sacred House.
24:20 Then Quraysh sent me to negotiate an agreement with the Prophet,
24:23 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to postpone the Umrah
24:26 and conclude a peace treaty between Quraysh
24:29 and the Muslims.
24:32 When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saw me,
24:35 he said, "Your matter has become easy (sahul)."
24:39 And when the Muslims advanced to conquer Mecca,
24:42 I feared for my life,
24:45 so my son secured a guarantee of safety for me from the Prophet (peace be upon him).
24:48 So I came to him
24:51 and embraced Islam before him.
24:54 Afterward, I went out alongside the Muslims,
24:58 and on that day, the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave me
25:01 one hundred camels from the spoils of the battle
25:04 to reconcile my heart to the faith.
25:07 Thereupon, my practice of Islam became excellent,
25:10 and thereafter I engaged extensively in prayer, fasting, and charity,
25:13 to the point that my complexion grew pale and altered,
25:16 and I used to weep profusely
25:19 whenever I heard the Qur'an.
25:22 After the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
25:26 the Arabian Peninsula was thrown into turmoil,
25:29 chaos spread across its regions,
25:32 and many apostatized from the religion of Islam.
25:35 Mecca was not immune to this,
25:38 so what I did
25:41 was to stand up and deliver a sermon to the people of Mecca—
25:44 an eloquent sermon
25:47 whose content resembled that of Abu Bakr
25:50 as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him,
25:53 when he delivered it to the Ansar on the day of Saqifah.
25:56 As a result, Quraysh remained steadfast upon Islam.
25:59 With the beginning of the Islamic conquests,
26:04 I set out with my entire family
26:07 to participate in the Islamic conquest of the Levant (ash-Sham).
26:10 On the day of Yarmuk,
26:13 I was the commander of one of the Muslim battalions in the battle.
26:16 I remained in the Levant
26:19 until death came to me during the Plague of 'Amwas
26:22 in the eighteenth year of the Hijrah.
26:25 So, who am I?
26:45 The answer: Suhayl Ibn 'Amr,
26:48 may Allah be pleased with him.
26:58 Shining brightly, filling life
27:01 with glories through their deeds,
27:04 and through them the world of humanity flourished.
27:07 [Poetic interlude]
27:10 Pause and get to know the Companions,
27:18 the scholars, and the prominent figures—
27:21 the best of generations in stances and exemplary conduct.
27:24 A new challenge:
27:27 Who am I?
27:33 The freed slave of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
27:36 one of the closest people to him,
27:39 and one who remained constantly by his side.
27:42 I was originally from the people of Yemen;
27:45 a tribe raided us and took me among the captives,
27:48 and they sold me in the market.
27:51 Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) bought me
27:54 and freed me,
27:57 saying, "If you wish, you may rejoin your people,
28:00 or if you wish, you may remain among us, the Ahl al-Bayt."
28:03 So I chose to remain with him.
28:06 I accompanied him in travel and in residence,
28:09 never parting from him until the day of his passing,
28:12 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
28:17 I loved the Prophet (peace be upon him) intensely
28:20 and could scarcely bear being away from him.
28:23 One day, I came to him
28:26 while my complexion had changed and my body had grown lean.
28:30 The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked me,
28:33 "What has changed your color?
28:36 What has happened to you?"
28:39 I replied, "O Messenger of Allah,
28:42 I have no ailment or physical pain,
28:45 except that whenever I do not see you,
28:48 I miss you intensely
28:51 and feel severe loneliness until I meet you.
28:54 Then I remembered the Hereafter;
28:58 for I know you will be raised with the Prophets,
29:01 whereas I, even if I enter Paradise,
29:04 will be in a station lower than yours,
29:07 and if I do not enter Paradise,
29:10 then I will never see you at all."
29:13 Thereupon, Allah Almighty revealed His words:
29:16 “Whoso obeyeth Allah and the messenger, they are with those unto whom Allah hath shown favour, of the prophets and the saints and the martyrs and the righteous. The best of company are they!” (4:69)
29:19 {they will be with those}
29:22 {upon whom Allah has bestowed favor—}
29:25 {of the prophets,}
29:28 {the steadfast affirmers of truth,}
29:31 {the martyrs, and the righteous.}
29:34 {And excellent are those}
29:37 {as companions!}
29:40 So I rejoiced over this verse,
29:44 and my heart was put at ease.
29:47 And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) once said,
29:50 "Whoever guarantees for me [that he will not beg from anyone],
29:54 I will guarantee Paradise for him."
29:57 I said, "I do, O Messenger of Allah."
30:00 Thereafter, I never asked anyone for anything,
30:03 to the extent that even if my whip fell from my hand
30:06 while I was riding,
30:09 I would dismount, pick it up, and remount,
30:12 never saying to anyone, "Hand it to me,"
30:15 out of fulfilling my pledge to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
30:18 So, who am I?
30:24 [Poetic verse]
30:28 Following the Messenger
30:31 wherever he strove,
30:38 [Poetic verse]
30:41 Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him,
30:44 the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
30:49 Is there any like them—
30:52 a star that ascended and shone bright?
30:55 They filled life with glorious deeds.
30:58 Pause,
31:01 and get to know the Companions, the scholars,
31:04 and the prominent figures.
31:14 A new challenge:
31:17 Who am I?
31:20 I am one of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
31:23 from among the Bedouins of the desert.
31:29 I used to visit the Prophet
31:32 and bring him gifts from the desert,
31:35 and he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
31:38 would provide me with provisions and necessities from Medina
31:41 whenever I wished to return.
31:44 He used to say, "You are our desert,
31:47 and we are your city."
31:50 I was an unattractive man in appearance,
31:53 but known for frequent jesting and humor,
31:57 and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—
32:00 and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
32:03 used to be delighted by my wit
32:06 and my humor, and he would joke
32:09 with me whenever I came to him in Medina.
32:12 No one was able
32:15 to make the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) laugh
32:18 as much as I could. One day,
32:22 I came to the Prophet (peace be upon him)
32:25 with gifts from the desert,
32:29 left the gifts for him,
32:32 and went to the marketplace.
32:35 When the Prophet (peace be upon him) returned
32:38 to his home and saw the gifts,
32:41 he knew that I had arrived in Medina,
32:44 so he came to the market looking for me.
32:47 He found me while I was buying some goods for myself,
32:50 and he embraced me from behind while I could not see him.
32:53 I said, "Let me go! Who is this?"
32:56 while the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
32:59 did not answer me.
33:02 So I turned around sharply and realized that he was
33:05 the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
33:08 I then began pressing my back against his chest,
33:11 seeking his blessing.
33:14 The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then began
33:17 calling out to the people,
33:20 "Who will buy this slave from me?"
33:23 I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
33:26 then, by Allah, you will find me unsellable!"
33:29 But the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
33:32 "However,
33:35 in the sight of Allah, you are precious,
33:38 and you are not unsellable." So, who am I?
33:52 The answer:
34:00 Zahir Ibn Haram, may Allah be pleased with him.
34:24 Pause and get to know the Companions,
34:33 the scholars, and the prominent figures.
34:39 A new challenge:
34:42 Who am I?
34:49 I am one of the Companions from the leaders of the Ansar,
34:52 and one of their representatives (nuqaba') at the Pledge of al-'Aqabah.
34:55 I was proficient in writing during the pre-Islamic period (Jahiliyyah),
34:58 and skilled in swimming and archery;
35:01 for this reason, they used to nickname me
35:04 "al-Kamil" (the Complete One).
35:08 I was the only one among the Ansar
35:11 who suffered the same persecution as that suffered by
35:14 the Emigrants (Muhajirun) in Mecca.
35:17 That was because Quraysh dispatched their horsemen
35:20 to pursue the delegation from Medina after the Hajj season
35:23 in which we pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
35:26 They caught no one except me;
35:29 they seized me, tied my hands to my neck,
35:32 and brought me back to Mecca,
35:35 where they gathered around me, beating me
35:38 and inflicting whatever torture they wished upon me.
35:41 Then a man from among them drew me aside,
35:44 as though he took pity on me,
35:47 and said, "Woe to you! Do you not have anyone in Mecca
35:50 whose protection you can claim?"
35:53 I said, "No, except that al-'As Ibn Wa'il
35:56 used to visit us in Medina, and we would honor and host him."
35:59 Then a man from the group said,
36:02 "He has mentioned my cousin, so he is under my protection;
36:05 by Allah, none of you shall touch him!"
36:08 So they ceased tormenting me.
36:12 In Medina, I placed all my wealth
36:15 at the service of Islam and in honoring the Muslims.
36:18 A man from among the Ansar
36:21 would typically take home one of the Emigrants (Muhajirun),
36:24 or two, or three,
36:27 whereas I would take all the People of the Suffah to my home
36:30 and host them generously,
36:33 and they numbered between seventy and eighty men.
36:36 I used to prepare meat broth (tharid)
36:39 in a large serving dish
36:42 and send it to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
36:45 My dish would follow the Prophet, peace be upon him,
36:48 wherever he was among the homes of all his wives.
36:51 For this reason,
36:54 I would constantly ask my Lord for an increase
36:57 in His bounty and provision,
37:00 praying:
37:03 "O Allah, grant me nobility and honor,
37:06 for there is no nobility without generous deeds,
37:09 and no deeds can be done without wealth.
37:12 O Allah, little wealth does not suffice me,
37:15 nor am I suited for it."
37:19 I was also a man of intense protective jealousy (ghayrah):
37:22 I never married any woman
37:25 except that she was a virgin,
37:28 and if I ever divorced a woman,
37:31 no one would dare to marry her afterward.
37:36 I likewise placed my horsemanship and military expertise
37:39 at the service of Islam.
37:42 In battles, the banner of the Emigrants was held
37:45 by 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him,
37:48 while the banner of the Ansar was with me.
37:51 When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, realized
37:54 that the caravan of Abu Sufyan had escaped,
37:57 he said, "Advise me, O people."
38:00 Al-Miqdad and Abu Bakr spoke,
38:03 may Allah be pleased with them,
38:06 yet the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
38:09 kept saying, "Advise me, O people."
38:12 So I stood up and said,
38:15 "By Allah, it is as though you mean us, O Messenger of Allah!
38:18 March on, O Messenger of Allah, to whatever you wish,
38:21 for we are with you.
38:24 By Allah, if you ordered us to plunge
38:27 our horses into the sea, we would plunge them in,
38:30 and if you ordered us to spur them on
38:33 to Bark al-Ghimad, we would surely do so."
38:36 Thereupon, the face of the Prophet, peace be upon him, beamed with joy.
38:39 And when the battle raged fiercely,
38:42 I stood guard at the entrance of the shaded pavilion of
38:45 the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
38:48 out of fear that the polytheists might reach him.
38:51 So who am I?
38:55 The best of generations in their stances and ideals,
38:58 following the Messenger
39:01 whenever he strove or spoke.
39:04 They were the ones who watered
39:08 the barren clouds of our lives.
39:11 The answer is: Sa'd Ibn 'Ubadah,
39:14 may Allah be pleased with him.
39:17 They departed, leaving in our conscience
39:20 a burning question:
39:23 Has any star ever risen and shone as brightly as they did?
39:26 They filled this life
39:29 with glorious deeds,
39:32 and the world of mankind flourished through them
39:35 in beauty and grace.