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

0:00 Stop,

0:03 and get to know the Companions, the scholars, and the foremost figures.

0:12 A new challenge: Who am I?

0:16 I am one of the senior Companions among the Emigrants (Muhajirun).

0:25 I was a nobleman in Mecca before Islam,

0:28 and fierce against the Muslims.

0:31 But when I embraced Islam,

0:33 Allah granted power and honor through me to Islam and the Muslims.

0:37 He endowed me with such an awe-inspiring presence

0:39 that Satan would flee from the very path I walked.

0:44 I was a companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) during his lifetime,

0:50 his vizier and counselor in his private and public affairs,

0:55 the successor to his successor after his death,

0:58 and his neighbor in his grave.

1:01 During my caliphate,

1:03 I established the Hijri calendar,

1:06 instituted the administrative registries (Diwans),

1:08 dispatched the armies,

1:10 conquered vast lands,

1:13 and defeated the two greatest empires in the world:

1:17 Persia and Rome.

1:19 During my reign, the call to prayer resonated across most of the known earth.

1:23 I was the first to be called the Commander of the Faithful (Amir al-Mu'minin).

1:28 And yet,

1:30 I used to walk among the people without guards,

1:33 sleep in the mosque just as ordinary people slept,

1:37 and walk through the marketplace

1:39 holding my whip in hand,

1:41 deterring anyone who cheated the Muslims.

1:46 One day, a Zoroastrian slave came to me;

1:50 he used to make millstones for al-Mughirah Ibn Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him).

1:55 Al-Mughirah used to take four dirhams from him every day,

2:00 so the Zoroastrian said to me,

2:02 "Al-Mughirah has burdened me excessively,

2:05 so speak to him that he may lighten my burden."

2:08 I told him, "Be good to your master,"

2:12 while intending in my heart to speak to al-Mughirah on his behalf.

2:16 But the Zoroastrian slave grew enraged and harbored the intention to murder me.

2:20 He prepared a dagger, sharpened it, and coated it with poison.

2:24 When I went out for the Fajr prayer,

2:27 that wicked slave lay in ambush for me between the rows.

2:31 Before I could pronounce the opening takbir,

2:33 he stepped forward and struck me in my shoulder and flank,

2:38 so I fell to the ground.

2:40 The Zoroastrian fled,

2:42 stabbing anyone who stood in his path,

2:45 wounding thirteen men,

2:49 six of whom died.

2:51 Then one of the Muslims threw his cloak over him;

2:55 when the disbeliever realized he was captured,

2:58 he took his own life with his dagger.

3:01 As for me,

3:03 I was carried to my home.

3:05 The sun was about to rise,

3:08 so 'Abd al-Rahman Ibn 'Awf led the people in prayer,

3:12 reciting the two shortest surahs.

3:14 I then prayed Fajr while my wound was gushing with blood.

3:19 Milk was brought to me,

3:21 but when I drank it, it came out of my wound,

3:24 and so I and the people knew that I was dying.

3:28 The people began to praise me, saying,

3:33 "Glad tidings to you of martyrdom!

3:36 You were a companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),

3:40 and you accomplished so much..."

3:42 But I said,

3:44 "By Allah, I only wish that I leave this world breaking even—

3:49 neither having anything against me, nor anything for me."

3:52 So, who am I?

4:01 We will pin the correct answer in the comments

4:04 when the next episode is released, if Allah wills.

4:09 The best of generations in stance and paragon,

4:15 following the Messenger in whatever he pursued or spoke.

4:20 They were here, quenching our lives like rain clouds,

4:25 and though they passed, their legacy continues to rise among us.

4:30 They departed, leaving a question in the conscience:

4:35 Did ever a star rise and shine brightly like them?

4:40 They filled life with glorious deeds of their own making,

4:45 and the world of mankind flourished through them.

Learn about the companions, scholars, and notables | Who am I? | Episode No. (74)

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