Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 30 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (45) - Abu Al-Aas bin Al-Rabi’, 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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The Mawaddah Association is pleased
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to present to you "Portraits 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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Abu al-'As ibn al-Rabi',
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may Allah be pleased with him.
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Abu al-'As ibn al-Rabi'
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al-'Abshami al-Qurashi was
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a young man in the prime of his youth,
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resplendent in grace,
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striking in appearance and presence.
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Affluence cast its gentle shade over him,
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and noble lineage wrapped him in its mantle,
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so he became a quintessential exemplar of Arab chivalry,
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possessing all its noble traits:
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dignity, pride,
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signs of chivalry, loyalty,
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and the cherished virtues of honoring
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the heritage of his fathers and grandfathers.
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Abu al-'As inherited
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the love of trade from Quraysh,
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the people of the two seasonal caravans:
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the winter caravan and the summer caravan.
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Thus his transport beasts were
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constantly going
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and returning between Mecca and the Levant.
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His caravan would comprise
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a hundred camels
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and two hundred men.
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People would entrust
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him with their wealth to trade
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on their behalf alongside his own capital,
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having tested his consummate skill,
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honesty, and trustworthiness.
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His maternal aunt, Khadijah
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bint Khuwaylid, the wife of
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Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah,
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regarded him with the affection
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of a mother for her son,
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and reserved for him in her heart and home
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an esteemed place
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where he was always welcomed with warmth and love.
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Nor was the love of Muhammad
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ibn 'Abdullah for Abu al-'As
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any less than
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Khadijah's love for him.
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The years passed
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swiftly and fleetly over the household
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of Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah.
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Zaynab, the eldest of his daughters, grew up
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and blossomed just as
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a fragrant, sweet-scented
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flower unfolds its splendid beauty.
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The aspirations of the noble youth
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and the sons of the eminent chieftains
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among the nobility of Mecca turned toward her.
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And how could they not,
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when she was among the purest daughters of Quraysh
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in ancestral honor and lineage,
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the noblest in mother and father,
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and the most refined in character and deportment?
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But
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how could they ever win her,
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when standing ahead of them all was
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her maternal cousin, Abu al-'As
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ibn al-Rabi', the pride of Mecca's youth?
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Not many years had passed
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following the marriage of Zaynab bint Muhammad
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to Abu al-'As—only a few
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numbered years—when
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the valleys of Mecca were illuminated
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with the most radiant divine light.
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Allah sent His Prophet Muhammad
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with the religion of guidance and truth,
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and commanded him to warn
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his nearest kinsfolk.
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The first to believe in him
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among women was his wife,
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Khadijah bint Khuwaylid,
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and his daughters Zaynab, Ruqayyah,
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Umm Kulthum,
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and Fatimah, even though
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Fatimah was very young
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at that time. However,
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his son-in-law, Abu al-'As,
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disliked abandoning the religion of his fathers
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and grandfathers, and refused
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to embrace what his wife Zaynab had embraced,
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despite the fact
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that he held her in the purest,
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most sincere love, and gave her
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unblemished devotion.
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When the conflict intensified between
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the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
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and Quraysh,
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they said to one another,
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"You have relieved
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Muhammad of his burdens
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by marrying your young men to his daughters.
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If you were to send them back
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to him, he would be too preoccupied with them to bother with you."
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So they said, "What an excellent
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idea you have proposed!"
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They went to Abu al-'As
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and said to him, "Separate from
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your wife, Abu al-'As,
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and return her to her father's house,
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and we will marry you to
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whichever woman you desire from the noblest
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and most distinguished ladies of Quraysh."
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He replied, "No, by Allah!
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I will never separate from
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my companion, and I would not exchange her
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for all the women of the world
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combined." As for
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his daughters Ruqayyah and Umm
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Kulthum, they were divorced
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and brought back to his house.
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The Messenger (peace be upon him) was pleased with their return
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to him, and wished
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that Abu al-'As
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had done as his two companions had done;
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however, he had
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no authority to compel him,
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and the prohibition of a believing woman marrying
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a polytheist
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had not yet been legislated.
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When the Messenger
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(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) migrated
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to Medina,
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and his cause grew strong there,
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Quraysh marched out to fight him at Badr.
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Abu al-'As was compelled
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to go out with them reluctantly,
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for he had no desire
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to fight the Muslims,
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nor any wish to harm them.
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Yet his standing among his people
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forced him to go along with them
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against his will.
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The Battle of Badr concluded with a crushing
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defeat for Quraysh,
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which humbled the pride of polytheism
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and broke the backs of its tyrants.
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One group was killed,
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another was captured,
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and another was saved only by flight.
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Among the ranks of the captives was
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Abu al-'As,
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the husband of Zaynab bint Muhammad
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(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) imposed
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on the captives
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a ransom to redeem themselves
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from captivity,
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setting it between
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one thousand and four thousand dirhams,
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according to the captive's social standing
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and wealth.
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Envoys began traveling back and forth
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between Mecca and Medina,
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carrying the funds to ransom
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their captives.
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Zaynab sent her emissary
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to Medina carrying the ransom of
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her husband, Abu al-'As: a necklace
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that her mother, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid,
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had gifted to her
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on the day of her wedding to him.
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When the Messenger saw the necklace,
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his noble face was overcome by
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a sheer veil
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of deep sorrow,
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and he was moved with profound tenderness for his daughter.
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Then he turned to his companions
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and said,
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"Zaynab has sent this property
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to ransom Abu al-'As;
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if you see fit to release
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her captive for her and return
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her property to her, then do so."
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They said, "Yes,
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most gladly and willingly, O Messenger of Allah!"
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However, the Prophet
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(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
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made it a condition upon Abu al-'As before
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setting him free
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that he send his daughter Zaynab to him
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without delay.
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No sooner had Abu al-'As reached Mecca
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than he hastened to fulfill
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his pledge.
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He instructed his wife to prepare for the journey
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and informed her that the emissaries of her father
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were waiting for her not far
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from Mecca.
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He prepared her provisions and mount for her,
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He charged his brother, 'Amr ibn al-Rabi',
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to accompany her
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and hand her over to her escorts,
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hand to hand.
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'Amr ibn al-Rabi' slung his bow over his shoulder
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and carried his quiver.
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He placed Zaynab in her litter
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and set out with her from Mecca openly
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in broad daylight, right before the eyes of Quraysh.
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The people were agitated
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and surged in commotion,
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until they overtook the two of them not far away.
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They terrified Zaynab
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and alarmed her.
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At that moment,
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'Amr readied his bow
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and scattered his quiver before him,
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saying, "By Allah, no man shall approach
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her except that I will
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drive an arrow into his throat!"
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He was an archer who never missed a
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shot.
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Thereupon, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb approached him,
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having caught up with the crowd,
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and said to him, "O son of my brother,
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withhold your arrows from us so that we may speak to you."
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So he held back from them,
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and Abu Sufyan said to him,
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"You have not acted wisely in what you did.
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You took Zaynab out
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publicly before the eyes of the people,
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while our eyes were watching.
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Yet all the Arabs know
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of our setback at Badr
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and what befell us at the hands of
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her father, Muhammad.
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If you leave openly with his daughter
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as you have done,
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the tribes will accuse us of cowardice
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and describe us as humiliated and disgraced.
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So take her back
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and keep her in her husband's house
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for a few days,
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until the people talk about us having
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turned her back.
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Then slip her out secretly from among us
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and send her to join her father,
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for we have no need to keep her from him."
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'Amr agreed to that
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and brought Zaynab back to Mecca.
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Shortly thereafter,
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he took her out by night,
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after a few days,
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and handed her over to her father's emissaries
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hand to hand,
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just as his brother had instructed him.
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Abu al-'As remained in Mecca
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for a time after parting from his wife,
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until shortly before the Conquest
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of Mecca,
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when he set out for the Levant on a trading journey of his.
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When he was returning to Mecca,
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accompanied by his caravan
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which numbered one hundred camels,
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and his men who exceeded
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one hundred and seventy,
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a raid unit crossed his path—
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one of the raid units of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—
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near Medina.
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They seized the caravan
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and took the men captive,
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but Abu al-'As escaped from them
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and they could not capture him.
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When night fell,
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Abu al-'As took cover
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under the mantle of darkness
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and entered Medina fearful and vigilant.
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He went on until
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he reached Zaynab
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and sought her protection,
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so she granted him protection.
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, stood up
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for the Dawn prayer,
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aligned himself standing in the prayer niche,
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and pronounced the opening Takbir.
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The people pronounced Takbir following his Takbir,
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whereupon Zaynab called out from the row
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of women, saying:
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"O people!
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I am Zaynab, daughter of Muhammad,
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and I have granted protection to Abu al-'As,
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so grant him protection!"
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When the Prophet concluded the prayer with taslim,
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he turned to the people and said,
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"Did you hear what I heard?"
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They replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah."
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He said,
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"By Him in Whose hand is my soul,
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I knew nothing of this
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until I heard what you heard.
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Indeed, the lowest in status among the Muslims
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may grant protection binding on them all."
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Then he departed to his home
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and said to his daughter,
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"Treat Abu al-'As hospitably,
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but know that you are not lawful for him."
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Then he summoned the men of the raid unit
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that had seized the caravan
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and taken the men captive, and said:
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"This man is connected to us
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as you well know,
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and you have taken his property.
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If you act charitably and return to him
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what belongs to him, that would be pleasing to us.
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But if you refuse,
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then it is Allah's spoils of war
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which He has bestowed upon you,
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and you have the most right to it."
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They said, "Rather, we will return
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his property to him, O Messenger of Allah."
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When he came to take it,
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they said to him, "O Abu al-'As,
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you hold a noble standing
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among Quraysh,
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and you are the cousin of the Messenger of Allah and his son-in-law.
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Will you not embrace Islam?
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We will relinquish to you
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all of this wealth,
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so you may enjoy all the wealth you have of
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the people of Mecca and remain with us
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in Medina."
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He replied, "How wretched is that to which you invite me—
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that I should begin my new religion
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with treachery!"
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Abu al-'As proceeded with the caravan
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and everything on it to Mecca.
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When he reached it,
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he said,
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"O people of Quraysh!
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Does anyone among you have any wealth remaining
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with me that he has not reclaimed?"
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They said, "No,
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and may Allah reward you with good on our behalf,
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for we have found you faithful to your trust and generous."
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He said,
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"Now that I have fulfilled to you
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your rights, I
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bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
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and that Muhammad is
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the Messenger of Allah.
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By Allah, nothing prevented me from accepting Islam
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with Muhammad in Medina
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except my fear that you would think I
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only intended to misappropriate your wealth.
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So when Allah delivered it
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to you and my obligation
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was cleared of it, I embraced Islam."
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Then he set out until he came
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to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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The Prophet received him
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warmly and reunited him with his wife.
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And he used to say of him,
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"He spoke to me and proved truthful,
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and he made me a promise and fulfilled it."
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[Inaudible poetic verse segment]
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[Inaudible poetic verse segment]