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

0:00 Pause.

0:03 Get to know the Companions, the scholars, and the distinguished figures.

0:12 Here is a new challenge: who am I?

0:16 I am the companion of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

0:23 and the first muezzin of Islam.

0:26 I was born in Makkah

0:28 and was an Abyssinian slave belonging to the tribe of Banu Jumah.

0:33 When I heard of Islam, I accepted it,

0:36 whereupon my masters seized me and tortured me.

0:39 They cast me onto the sun-baked sand of Makkah,

0:43 placing heavy boulders upon my chest so that I might renounce my religion.

0:47 They used to hand me over to the children,

0:50 who would drag me through the mountain passes of Makkah while beating me,

0:55 saying to me: "You will remain like this until you die,

1:00 or until you disbelieve in Muhammad and worship al-Lat and al-'Uzza."

1:05 Yet amidst that severe affliction and excruciating torment, I would say:

1:10 "He is One, He is One; He is One, He is One."

1:14 Then one day, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, passed by me;

1:18 he purchased me from them and set me free.

1:22 Thus 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, used to say:

1:25 "Abu Bakr is our master, and he set free our master."

1:29 I migrated to Madinah

1:32 and lived there by the side of the Prophet, peace be upon him,

1:36 and in his service.

1:38 When the call to prayer was instituted,

1:40 the Prophet, peace be upon him, chose me

1:43 to be his first muezzin.

1:46 So I called the adhan for him throughout his lifetime.

1:49 One day, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, asked me,

1:54 saying: "Tell me of the most hopeful deed you have performed in Islam,

1:59 for I heard the rustle of your footsteps before me in Paradise."

2:04 I replied: "O Messenger of Allah,

2:07 I have not performed any deed that is more hopeful to me

2:10 than that whenever I purify myself at any hour of the night or day,

2:15 I pray with that purification whatever prayer has been prescribed for me to perform."

2:21 When the Prophet, peace be upon him, passed away,

2:27 I stopped calling the adhan

2:29 and set out for jihad and garrison duty for the cause of Allah in the Levant.

2:34 Later, I came to Madinah during the caliphate of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,

2:39 and the Muslims requested that I raise the call to prayer in the Mosque of the Prophet, peace be upon him.

2:46 The Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, urged me persistently to do so,

2:51 so I granted their request.

2:53 I ascended the roof of the Mosque to call the adhan,

2:56 but no sooner had I begun with the takbir—

2:58 "Allah is the Greatest,

3:00 Allah is the Greatest"—

3:02 than Madinah shook with weeping,

3:06 as if the people remembered their days with the Prophet, peace be upon him.

3:12 And when I reached:

3:15 "I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,"

3:19 weeping overcame me,

3:21 and the voices of the people rose in sobbing.

3:25 No day was ever seen in Madinah with more weeping after the death of the Prophet, peace be upon him,

3:33 than that day.

3:35 After that memorable and tearful night,

3:39 I packed my riding mounts and returned to the Levant,

3:42 remaining stationed there

3:44 until my death came to me.

3:47 As I was on my deathbed,

3:49 my wife exclaimed:

3:51 "O what a tragedy!"

3:53 But I said:

3:54 "Rather, what joy!

3:56 Tomorrow we shall meet our beloved ones—

3:58 Muhammad and his companions!"

4:01 So, who am I?

4:05 Share your answers with us in the comments below the video,

4:09 and we will pin the correct answer in the comments section

4:13 upon the release of the next episode,

4:15 Allah willing.

4:17 They were the best of generations in stance and example,

4:23 following the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke.

4:28 They were here,

4:30 quenching the clouds of our lives,

4:33 and so our stands—

4:35 their remembrance rises high.

4:38 They departed, leaving a question in our conscience:

4:44 Has a star like them ever risen and shone in the sky?

4:49 They filled life with proud glories by their deeds,

4:54 and the world of mankind flourished through them.

Learn about the companions, scholars, and notables | Who am I? | Episode No. (78)

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