Part of Glimpses from the Lives of the Tabi‘un (the Successors) (series completed)
· Lesson 3 of 37
Pictures from the lives of the followers | D. Abdul Rahman Raafat Al-Basha | Episode (3) | Urwa bin Al-Zubair, may God have mercy on 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 finest of generations in stature and example,
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following the Messenger in all his endeavors and speech.
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Mawaddah Association
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presents:
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"Portraits from the Lives of the Tabi'un"
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by Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
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may Allah have mercy upon him.
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'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr,
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may Allah have mercy upon him.
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Scarcely had the late afternoon sun gathered its golden threads
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from the Sacred House of Allah,
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signaling the cool breezes
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to drift through its pure courtyards,
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when those performing tawaf around the House began to gather—
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among the remaining Companions of the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and the senior Tabi'un—
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perfuming the air with declarations of Allah's oneness and greatness,
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filling the surroundings with righteous supplications,
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until people began gathering in circle after circle
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around the Venerated Ka'bah,
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resting in the heart of the Sacred Mosque with majesty and awe,
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filling their eyes with its radiant splendor,
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and conversing among themselves.
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“There they pass from hand to hand a cup wherein is neither vanity nor cause of sin.” (52:23)
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Near the Yemeni Corner,
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sat four bright-faced young men
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of noble lineage,
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fragrant in attire,
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as though they were doves of the two Sacred Mosques:
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pure in garments and united in heart.
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They were 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr,
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his brother Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr,
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his brother 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr,
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and 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan.
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Lighthearted conversation flowed easily among these righteous youths,
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until one of them soon said:
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"Let each of us express his fondest wish to Allah."
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Their imaginations took flight in the vast world of the unseen,
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and their dreams roamed through green gardens of aspiration.
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'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr said:
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"My wish is to rule the Hijaz
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and to attain the Caliphate."
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His brother Mus'ab said:
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"As for me,
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I wish to rule the two Iraqs,
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without anyone disputing my rule over them."
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'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan said:
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"If you two are content with that,
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I am not content unless I rule the entire earth
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and attain the Caliphate after Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan."
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But 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr remained silent and said nothing.
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So they turned to him and said:
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"And you, 'Urwah, what do you wish for?"
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He replied:
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"May Allah bless you in what you have wished for regarding your worldly affairs.
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As for me,
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I wish to be a scholar who acts upon his knowledge,
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from whom people learn the Book of their Lord, the Sunnah of their Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
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and the rulings of their religion;
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and that I attain Allah's pleasure in the Hereafter
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and gain entry into His Paradise."
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Then time took its course,
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and 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr
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was pledged allegiance as Caliph following the death of Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah,
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ruling over the Hijaz, Egypt, Yemen,
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Khurasan, and Iraq,
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before he was slain near the Ka'bah not long after.
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Then Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr
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assumed the governorship of Iraq on behalf of his brother 'Abdullah,
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and he too was killed while holding his post.
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As for 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan,
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the Caliphate devolved to him after the death of his father,
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and the Muslims united under his leadership following the killing of 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr
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and his brother Mus'ab at the hands of his troops;
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he thus became the greatest monarch on earth in his time.
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What, then, became of 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr?
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Let us begin his story from the very beginning.
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'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr was born when only one year
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remained of the Caliphate of al-Faruq 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
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in one of the most noble households among the Muslims in status
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and highest in prestige.
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His father was al-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwam,
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the disciple of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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the first to unsheathe a sword in Islam,
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and one of the ten promised Paradise.
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His mother was Asma' bint Abi Bakr,
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known as "She of the Two Girdles."
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His maternal grandfather was Abu Bakr al-Siddiq,
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the successor of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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and his companion in the cave.
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His paternal grandmother was Safiyyah bint 'Abd al-Muttalib,
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the paternal aunt of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
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His maternal aunt was the Mother of the Believers, 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her;
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he personally descended into her grave when she was buried
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and smoothed the earth over her niche with his own two hands.
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Do you think there is any lineage grander than this,
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or any honor above this honor, save the honor of faith and the dignity of Islam?
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In order to fulfill the wish he had expressed to Allah at the Venerated Ka'bah,
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'Urwah devoted himself entirely to the pursuit of knowledge, turning away from all else,
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and seized the opportunity to learn from the remaining Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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He began frequenting their homes,
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praying behind them,
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and attending their gatherings, until he narrated from 'Ali ibn Abi Talib,
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'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf,
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Zayd ibn Thabit,
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Abu Ayyub al-Ansari,
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Usamah ibn Zayd,
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Sa'id ibn Zayd,
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Abu Hurayrah,
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'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas,
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and al-Nu'man ibn Bashir,
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may Allah be pleased with them all.
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He learned extensively from his aunt 'A'ishah, the Mother of the Believers,
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until he became one of the seven jurists of Madinah
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to whom the Muslims turned for guidance in their religion,
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and whose counsel righteous governors sought
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regarding the affairs of the people and the land entrusted to them by Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.
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Among such instances was when 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz
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arrived in Madinah as governor on behalf of al-Walid ibn 'Abd al-Malik;
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the people came and greeted him.
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After performing the Dhuhr prayer,
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he summoned ten of Madinah's jurists,
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foremost among them 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr.
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When they joined him, he welcomed them warmly,
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showed them great hospitality,
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praised Allah, the Mighty and Majestic,
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and extolled Him as He deserves.
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He then said:
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"I have invited you for a matter for which you will be rewarded,
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and in which you will be my helpers upon the truth.
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I do not wish to decide any matter except with your counsel,
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or the counsel of those present among you.
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If you see anyone committing an injustice against another,
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or if you hear of any grievance regarding one of my officials,
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I adjure you by Allah to report it to me."
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'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr then prayed for his well-being
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and asked Allah to grant him success and guidance.
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'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr combined sacred knowledge with righteous action.
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He frequently fasted during the intense heat of midday
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and stood in prayer during the dark hours of the night,
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his tongue ever moist with the remembrance of Allah Almighty.
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In addition, he was a constant companion to the Book of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic,
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devoted to its recitation.
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He would read a quarter of the Qur'an every day by looking into the Mus-haf,
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and then stand in prayer at night reciting it from memory.
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He was never known to have abandoned this practice
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from his early youth until the day he died,
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except once due to a grave calamity that befell him,
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news of which will reach you shortly.
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'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr
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found in prayer the comfort of his soul,
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the delight of his eyes, and his paradise on earth.
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He performed it with utmost perfection,
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fulfilling its rituals with total precision,
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and lengthening it to the utmost degree.
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It is reported that he once saw a man praying hastily;
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when the man finished his prayer, 'Urwah called him over and said:
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"O son of my brother, did you not have any need from your Lord, the Mighty and Majestic?
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By Allah, I ask Allah, the Blessed and Exalted,
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for everything in my prayer, even salt."
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'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him,
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was generous-handed, openhearted, and munificent.
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Among the recorded instances of his generosity
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was that he owned one of the finest orchards in Madinah,
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with sweet water, abundant shade, and tall date palms.
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He would fence his orchard throughout the year
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to protect its trees from damage by livestock and playful children.
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But when the season for fresh dates arrived,
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and the fruits ripened, sweetened, and became desirable,
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he would breach the wall of his orchard in several places
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to allow people free entry.
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They would come and go as they pleased,
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eating whichever fruits delighted them
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and carrying away whatever they wished.
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Whenever he entered this orchard of his,
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he would repeat the words of the Mighty and Majestic:
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“If only, when thou enteredst thy garden, thou hadst said: That which Allah willeth (will come to pass)! There is no strength save in Allah! Though thou seest me as less than thee in wealth and children,” (18:39)
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In a certain year during the Caliphate of al-Walid ibn 'Abd al-Malik,
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Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, willed to test 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr with a trial
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through which none could remain steadfast except those whose hearts were filled with faith and overflowing with certainty.
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The Caliph of the Muslims invited 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr to visit him in Damascus,
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so he accepted the invitation, taking his eldest son along with him.
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When he arrived before the Caliph, the latter welcomed his arrival with the utmost warmth,
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honored his visit with full hospitality, and showed him great reverence.
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Then Allah, Glorified be He, willed that events take an unforeseen turn;
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'Urwah's son entered al-Walid's stables
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to look at his noble thoroughbred horses,
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whereupon a beast kicked him a fatal blow that ended his life.
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Scarcely had the grief-stricken father dusted his hands of the earth of his son's grave
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when gangrene struck one of his feet;
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his leg swelled, and the swelling began to spread with alarming speed.
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The Caliph summoned physicians for his guest from all directions,
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urging them to treat him by any means possible.
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However, the physicians unanimously agreed that there was no alternative to amputating 'Urwah's leg
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before the swelling spread throughout his entire body
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and caused his death.
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He had no choice but to submit to the procedure.
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When the surgeon arrived to amputate the leg,
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He brought with him his scalpels to cut the flesh,
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and his saws to saw the bone.
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The physician said to 'Urwah,
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"I think we should give you a draft of an intoxicant,
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so that you will not feel the excruciating pain of the amputation."
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He replied, "Far from it!
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I will not seek help through what is unlawful to attain the well-being I hope for."
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So the physician said to him,
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"Then let us give you an anesthetic."
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He replied,
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"I would not like to be deprived of one of my limbs without feeling its pain,
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and anticipating the reward for that with Allah."
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When the surgeon prepared to cut the leg,
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a group of men stepped forward toward 'Urwah.
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He asked,
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"Who are these?"
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He was told,
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"They have been brought to hold you down,
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for the pain may become so intense
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that you might jerk your foot, causing yourself harm."
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He said,
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"Send them back;
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I have no need of them.
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Indeed, I hope to suffice you of that through remembrance and glorification of Allah."
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Then the physician approached him,
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and cut the flesh with the scalpel.
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When he reached the bone,
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he placed the saw upon it
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and began sawing through it,
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while 'Urwah was saying,
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"There is no god but Allah,
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and Allah is the Greatest."
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The surgeon kept on sawing,
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while 'Urwah continued proclaiming Allah's oneness and greatness,
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until the leg was completely severed.
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Then oil was boiled in iron ladles,
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and 'Urwah's leg was dipped into it
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to stop the flow of blood
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and cauterize the wound.
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He then fell into a deep, prolonged swoon,
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which prevented him from reciting his daily portion
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of the Book of Allah on that day—
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and that was the only time he missed that noble devotion
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since his early youth.
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When 'Urwah regained consciousness,
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he asked for his severed foot,
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and they handed it to him.
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He began turning it over in his hand, saying,
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"By the One who carried me upon you in the darkness of the night to the mosques,
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He knows that I never walked with you toward anything unlawful."
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Then he recited lines of poetry by Ma'n ibn Aws,
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in which he says:
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"By your life, I never stretched out my hand toward suspicion,
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nor did my feet carry me toward an indecency;
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Nor did my hearing or sight lead me to it,
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nor did my judgment or intellect direct me toward it.
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And I know that no calamity has ever stricken me
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from time, except that it had stricken a young man before me."
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This weighed heavily upon Al-Walid ibn 'Abd al-Malik,
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for 'Urwah had lost his son and lost his leg within a matter of days;
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so he began seeking ways to console him and give him patience over his loss.
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It happened that a group from the tribe of Banu 'Abs stayed at the Caliph's residence,
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among whom was a blind man.
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Al-Walid asked him about the cause of his blindness,
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and he replied:
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"O Commander of the Faithful,
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there was no man in Banu 'Abs who possessed more wealth than I,
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nor more family and children.
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I settled with my wealth and family in the belly of a valley among the dwellings of my tribe,
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when a flash flood struck us, the likes of which we had never seen.
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The flood swept away all my wealth, family, and children,
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leaving me with nothing except a single camel
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and a newborn baby.
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The camel was wild and bolted from me,
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so I set the infant on the ground
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and ran after the camel.
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I had gone only a short distance when I heard the child's cry;
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I turned around
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and saw his head in the mouth of a wolf, which was devouring him.
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I rushed toward him,
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but I could not save him,
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for the wolf had already finished him off.
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So I went back after the camel,
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and as I drew near it,
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it kicked me in the face with such force
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that it crushed my forehead and destroyed my sight.
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Thus, I found myself transformed in a single night
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into a man with no family, no child, no wealth, and no sight."
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Al-Walid then said to his chamberlain,
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"Take this man to our guest, 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr,
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and let him relate his story to him,
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so that he may know that among the people are those afflicted with greater trials than his."
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When 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr was carried back to Medina
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and entered upon his family,
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he initiated the conversation by saying to them,
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"Let not what you see dismay you.
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Indeed, Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He, granted me four sons,
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then took one of them
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and left me three;
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so to Him belongs all praise.
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And He granted me four limbs,
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then took one of them
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and left me three;
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so to Him belongs all praise.
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And by Allah,
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if Allah took a little from me,
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He has surely left me much;
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and if He tested me once,
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He has surely granted me well-being many times."
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When the people of Medina learned of the arrival of their leader and scholar, 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr,
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they poured into his house to offer solace and condolences.
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Among the finest consolations offered to him
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were the words of Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Talhah,
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when he said to him:
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"Glad tidings, O Abu 'Abdillah!
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For a part of your body
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and one of your children
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have preceded you to Paradise,
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and the whole shall follow the part, if Allah Almighty wills.
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Allah has preserved for us that part of you of which we stand in dire need—
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and without which we cannot do—
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namely your knowledge, your fiqh, and your counsel.
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May Allah benefit you and us thereby;
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Allah is the Master of your reward,
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and the Guarantor of your gracious reckoning."
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'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr remained for the Muslims a beacon of guidance,
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a guide to success,
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and a caller to goodness throughout his life.
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He gave his utmost attention to the upbringing of his own children in particular,
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and the rest of the Muslim youth in general.
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He never missed an opportunity to guide them without seizing it,
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nor did he leave a chance to advise them without benefiting from it.
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Among his habits was his constant encouragement of his sons to seek knowledge,
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as he used to say to them:
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"O my sons, acquire knowledge and give it its due right,
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for if you are today the small ones of a people,
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Allah may well make you through knowledge their leaders tomorrow."
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Then he would say:
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"What a disgrace!
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Is there anything in the world more hideous than an ignorant old man?"
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He also used to urge them to regard charity as a gift offered to Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He,
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saying:
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"O my sons, let none of you offer as a gift to his Lord
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that which he would be ashamed to offer as a gift to a noble figure of his tribe;
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for Allah Almighty is the Most Noble of the noble,
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the Most Generous of the generous,
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and the Most Deserving of having the finest chosen for Him."
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He used to grant them insight into people,
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penetrating to their true essence, saying:
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"O my sons,
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if you see a man perform a splendid good deed,
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expect good of him,
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even if he appears to people to be an evil man,
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for that deed has sister-deeds in his character.
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And if you see a man perform a terrible evil deed,
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beware of him,
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even if he appears to people to be a good man,
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for that deed also has sister-deeds in his character.
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Know that a good deed points to its sisters,
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and an evil deed likewise points to its sisters."
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He would advise them to be gentle in demeanor,
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pleasant in speech, and cheerful of countenance,
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saying:
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"O my sons, it is written in wisdom:
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'Let your speech be pleasant
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and your face be cheerful,
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and you will be more beloved to people than one who bestows gifts upon them.'"
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Whenever he saw people inclining toward luxury
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and savoring ease,
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he would remind them of how the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, lived—
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with austerity and hardship.
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Among such instances is what Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir related, saying:
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"'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr met me,
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took me by the hand, and said,
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'O Abu 'Abdillah!'
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I said, 'At your service.'
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He said,
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'I entered upon my mother, 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
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and she said,
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"O my son!"
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I said, "At your service."
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She said,
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"By Allah, forty nights would pass
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without a fire being lit in the house of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
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neither for a lamp nor for anything else."
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I asked, "O mother,
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on what did you live?"
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She replied,
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"On the two black items:
21:38
dates and water."'"
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To conclude,
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'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr lived seventy-one years,
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brimming with goodness,
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abundant in righteousness,
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and crowned with piety.
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When his appointed time came,
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it reached him while he was fasting.
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His family urged him to break his fast, but he refused—
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For he refused,
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hoping that his breaking of the fast would be with a drink from the River of Kawthar,
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in vessels of silver,
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served by the hands of the houris with beautiful, wide eyes.
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"Whoever would be pleased to look at a man from the people of Paradise,
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let him look at 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr."
22:27
'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan—
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They water our lives like rain clouds,
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so they have not truly died among us,
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for their memory continues to rise high.
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They departed, leaving a question echoing in the conscience:
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Has any star like them ever ascended into the heavens and shone bright?
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They filled life with glorious deeds through their actions,
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and through them, our horizons shone with splendour.