Loving, brave and ruthless – My sister’s namesake :)

“I swear by Allah, I will fight in the path of Allah and I will follow those people that turn to Allah. My Lord will never see me turn my back and flee from fighting. If I turn back then I will be disobeying Allah and then I will be from the sinful.”

With this, Diraar bin al Azwar radiy Allah `anh, saying the takbeer, jumped into the midst of the Roman soldiers and attacked. Hearing the takbeer, the other Muslims followed suit, and the takbeer echoed on the battlefield and tore the hearts of the Kuffar with fear and ru`b. Diraar radiy Allah `anhu was fighting with such fervour and passion that he struck dead all that came in his way until he came to an enclosure at which the main soldiers were standing around.He understood that this meant that Darwaan (the general of the Roman army) was going to be here. Knowing this, he charged at the group of soldiers. First he attacked the flag bearer and pierced him with such a blow that he fell there and then. Suddenly his eyes fell on Darwaan. He went towards him. Near Darwaan was a soldier who was holding a prized ornamental cross. Diraar radiy Allah `anh struck him with a lance which tore his side apart and the cross fell on the floor. Darwaan on seeing this, sensed his last. He could not but interpret the falling of the cross as a sign of the destruction of him and his army.

He got up from his horse, intending to pick the cross up but instantly some Muslims who were nearby got down from their horses to pick it up and encircled Darwaan. Diraar radiy Allah `anh was still occupied in fighting but when he saw the happenings he said, ‘O group of Muslims, nor is the cross my right, or your right. Hence have no desire of picking it up. When I finish with this Roman dog and his army, I myself will pick it up’.

Darwaan understood Arabic, and when he heard these words he thought of fleeing the battle but his main army officials saw him escaping and said angrily, “Where are you fleeing?” He replied, “I am fleeing from the fear of this Shaytaan (indicating towards Diraar radiy Allah `anh). He is such a frightful person, why have you ever seen such a repulsive fear-provoking person?” Diraar radiy Allah `anh sensing that Darwaan was attempting to flee immediately called upon the Muslims. He straightened his spear and with his horse went directly towards him. The Romans also heard his cry and all turned their horses towards him in order to enclose him.

At that moment he was saying: “Death is real, where can I flee from it? Jannah is better than Jahannam. This is my shahaadah, O those who are present, be my witness, and all my efforts and work is only to please my Lord.”

With these words he attacked the Romans that were coming towards him. He finished them and then went further into the enemy lines to find Darwaan. Some of the Roman soldiers came behind him and slowly slowly they surrounded him from all four sides. He resisted attacks from all sides and whichever soldier his sword fell on, it decreed the death for him. In this way he put to sword many of the bravest and courageous warriors from the Roman army. Then he called to the Muslims, “Surely Allah loves those who fight in His path in ranks, as if they were a solid structure.” Until now the Muslims had not been aware that Diraar radiy Allah `anh was surrounded by the Romans, and now they went towards him quickly. Hamraan bn Wardaan reached him and struck him with a spear. It struck Diraar radiy Allah `anh on the right arm. His hand fell to his side, numb in pain. Like an injured lion, he sprang up again, regaining his composure, he attacked with his spear. Diraar radiy Allah `anh struck at the chest and cleaved his body into two. When he tried to takeout the spear, as the blade of the spear had gone right through the bone, it came out without the blade. When the Romans saw that his spear was bladeless, they quickly surrounded him, and imprisoned the lion of Islam. When the Sahaaba radiy Allah `anhum saw this, their grief knew no bounds. They attempted another attack to try and free him but it was of no avail. Now, some of the Muslims lost heart and tried to flee but Raafi` bn `Umayrah Al Taa’ee radiy Allah `anh stopped them saying,

“Where are you going? Do you not know that whosoever flees from the enemies of Allah he will be under the wrath of Allah. Many if the doors of Jannah are opened for the Mujaahideen and for those who are patient. O elevators of the deen, be patient and remember that if one of your soldier, or your leader gets captured, Allah is still alive and He is watching.” 

With this, the Muslims rose to fight eagerly and put to sword many of the leaders of the Roman army. When Khaalid bn al Waleed radiy Allah `anh, found out about Diraar radiy Allah `anh and the shahaadah of the many Muslims, he was very remorseful. He asked, “How many Romans are there?”, “Twelve thousand” was the answer. He replied, “By Allah, I did not know that the number of the enemy was so large, or else I would never have sent the people to their destruction to fight them.” He further asked, “Who is the commander of the army?” It was answered, “Darwaan, the governor of Hims, and Diraar (radiy Allah `anh) had killed his son Hamdaan,” Khaalid radiy Allah `anh said, “There is no might or strength, except of Allah’s, the High and the Great.” They sought the advice of Abu `Ubaydah ibn al Jarraah radiy Allah `anh, who told him that he should carry on fighting the Romans. His advice was to keep part of the army with a trustworthy commander whilst Khaalid radiy Allah `anh should go with the rest of the army to fight the Romans. He took heed of the advice and made Maysarah ibn Masrooq radiy Allah `anh, the commander with a thousand soldiers under him and told him not to move from where his contingent was positioned. Thereafter, addressing his army he said,

“Leave your reins free and sharpen your arrows and when you attack the enemy then attack jointly together. It is likely that we will free Diraar radiy Allah `anh if he is alive and then we will be successful. However, if it so happens that the enemy act in haste and make him a shaheed, then inshaa’aAllah al `Azeez, we will surely take revenge and I am sure that Allah Ta`aalaa will not give us grief in regards to him (i.e. they would find him alive). Today is the day when truth will reach its goal. When death comes then one does not fear it. I will quench the thirst of my spear with the blood of the eye. Helmet and shield, I will tear apart all. What those that have passed before have achieved, I too will achieve tomorrow.”

Saying this, Khaalid radiy Allah `anh pressed forward when suddenly he saw a rider dressed in black, face covered, on a short necked chestnut brown horse of tall stature. In the rider’s hand was a long glistening spear, and the style and behaviour indicated towards bravery and valour, and this was apparent from every part of the rider. The rider had on a green `imaamah whose ends were wrapped round from the back and positioned around the chest and was spurring onwards at the forefront of the army.

 When Khaalid radiy Allah `anh saw this rider, he said, “O that I knew who this rider was, I swear by Allah, it looks like a brave and valiant person.”

As the rider was going on forward ahead of everyone else, towards the army of the non believers, the Muslim army followed behind. Raafi` ibn `Umar Al Taa’ee was fighting with the enemies with great perseverance and was confronting them with immense bravery, when he saw Khaalid radiy Allah `anh bringing in his reinforcement and join in the attack. Then suddenly his eyes fell on the rider. The rider was falling upon the Romans as a falcon would a sparrow and was creating unprecedented panic amongst the Romans. Any soldier that came in the way was slain and in this way the rider advanced more and more inside the core of the Roman army. Like a flash of lightening was the rider, and in an instant a couple of heads would be put to the sword. A number of soldiers were reduced to ashes and fell on an already large number of fallen Romans and due to this the place stood out from the rest of the battlefield.

When the riders sword would come out from its usage in the army, it was dripping in blood, which caused great anguish and uneasiness in the hearts of the Kuffar and the distress and hopelessness felt by them was obvious. As the rider was in a difficult position, the rider turned and then came back again with a daring attack. The rider struck and slew the Romans and caused great commotion in the ranks of the most brave of the Roman warriors. Thereafter the rider retreated from the Romans and then went out of sight but the anguish and distress was still felt by the Romans and the attack of the rider had evidently left a mark on the Romans.

Raafi` ibn `Umayrah Al Taa’ee and his soldiers thought that this was Khaalid as who could fight with more valour and courage than him? They were all sure of this until in front of them appeared Khaalid bn Waleed radiy Allah `anh. Raafi` radiy Allah `anh exclaimed loudly,

“Then who is this person who is giving his life in the way of Allah without fear and is killing the Kuffar in such numbers?” Khaalid radiy Allah `anh replied, “I swear by Allah, I myself am amazed by the bravery that this person exhibits.” Diraar (not ibn al Azwar) said, “O Ameer, this is surely a strange person who goes right in the midst of the roman army and from right and left kills the soldiers.” Then Khaalid radiy Allah `anh said, “O Muslims, come together and prepare for another attack.”

All the Muslims got their weapons ready and put their spears in place and straightened their rows. Khaalid radiy Allah `anh was in the vanguard. His intention was to make an attack on the Romans when suddenly the rider who was drenched in blood and whose horse was drowning in sweat, appeared going in the direction of the Roman army. If any Roman soldier got anywhere near the rider then the rider would fight with such bravery that resulted in the death of the Roman. The rider alone and single handedly was fighting with a number of the soldiers. Seeing this, Khaalid radiy Allah `anh and the rest of the soldiers launched an attack and saved the rider from the Roman soldiers who were attacking ‘him’ and this was how the Muslim army and the rider met.
The Muslim army looked at the rider pensively as if ’it’ was a red petal of a rose which was coloured in blood.

Khaalid radiy Allah `anh spoke loudly and said, “O person, you have given your life in the way of Allah, and have vented out your anger on our enemies, may Allah give you your due reward. It would be better if you opened up your face so that we may know who you are.” 

The rider took no notice of these words of Khaalid radiy Allah `anh and before he had even finished his statement was trying to get away from him. The Muslim army surrounded the rider and said, “O slave of Allah, the ameer of the Islamic army is talking to you and you are not taking heed and ignoring him and fleeing from him. With all due respect you should go to him and tell him your name and lineage so that your status can be raised.” But the rider gave no answer. When Khaalid radiy Allah `anh could get no information from this rider, he himself went close to the rider. He said, “It is with great remorse that all the Muslims and I are restless to know more about you and you are totally unconcerned. Who are you?”

At this the rider spoke.It was a female voice that spoke. “O Ameer, I was not intending to disobey you, when I did not answer you, but I was too shy to answer as I am of those who wear hijaab and live life in hijaab. However, I came here because of the pain in my heart and the grief which rose to the point that it brought me here.”

Khaalid radiy Allah `anh said,‘Who are you?’ She replied, “I am the sister of the imprisoned Diraar: Khawlah bint al Azwar. I was sitting amongst some women from the tribe of Mazhaj when I found out about the imprisonment of my brother, Diraar. Instantly, I got on to my horse and I reached this place and whatever I have done, you have seen it.”

Listening to this, Khaalid bn Waleed’s heart rose. He started weeping and said, ‘We should all do a joint attack and I am hopeful, Allah willing, that we will reach to where your brother is and we will free him, and we will surely be successful. Khawlah answered, “I too will participate in the attack, Insha’aAllah.” 

Khalid ordered his army to chase the fleeing Roman Army, with Khawla leading the attack, looking in all directions for her brother, but in vain. By noontime, the victory was decisive. Most of the Roman soldiers were killed. Knowing that the prisoners had to be somewhere, Khalid sent Khawla with a number of knights to find them. After a hot chase, they managed to catch up with a Roman detachment that was taking the prisoners to their headquarters. Another fight took place, the Roman guards were all killed and the prisoners saved including Dhiraar.

In another battle in Ajnadin, Khawla’s spear broke, and her mare was killed, and she found herself a prisoner. But she was astonished to find that the Romans attacked the women’s camp and captured several of them. Their leader gave the prisoners to his commanders, and ordered Khawla to be moved into his tent. She was furious, and decided that to die is more honourable than living in disgrace.

She stood among the other women, and called them to fight for their freedom and honour or die. The others were enthusiastic to her plan. They took the tents’ poles and pegs and attacked the Roman guards, keeping a formation of a tight circle, as she told them. Khawla led the attack, killed the first guard with her pole, with the other women following her. According to Al Waqidi, they managed to kill 30 Roman knights, while Khawla was encouraging them with her verses, which in fact cause the blood to boil.
The Roman Leader was infuriated by what happened, and led a detachment of his knights against the women, though he tried first to tempt them with many promises. He told Khawla that he planned to marry her and make her the first lady of Damascus. But she answered him calmly and with great contempt:

“I wouldn’t even accept you to be a shepherd of my camels! How do you expect me to degrade myself and live with you? I swear that I’ll be the one to cut off your head for your insolence.”

In the ensuing battle, the ladies proved their mettle, kept their grounds for some time, encouraging each other and driving off the attackers with their long poles. Suddenly, Khalid and the army reached the battlefield. In the ensuing fight, over 3.000 Romans were killed. The women who took part in the fighting were proud to say that Khawla killed five knights, including the leader that insulted her.

In another battle (Yarmouk), the Muslims were overwhelmed by a much bigger Roman army. Many soldiers fled away, but not for long. Khawla and the other women met the fleeing soldiers, questioning their claims of bravery and forced them to return to the battle. The men were stunned when they saw Khawla drawing her sword and leading a counter-attack. They turned their horses and joined the battle, which was eventually won.

One of the knights present that day said: “Our women were much harsher with us than the Romans. We felt that going back to fight and die was much easier than facing the fury of our women later on”.

Khawla became a legend during her life and remains a legend till this day. She set an example to men and women alike that one should fight for what he or she believes in, and never accept defeat.

(Adapted and translated from Futooh al Shaam by `Allamah Muhammed Al Waqidee)

 

[The Great Debates] A 7th Century War on Terror

This is an outstanding academic piece compiled by Brother Adnan Rashid (HafidUllah) with respect to the colloquial question in connatation to the amplification of the Islamic sovereignty after the bereavement of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and prememinently under the tutelege of the meritoriously guided Chaliphs and the Ummayad Dynasty. Very articulate with a strong historical evidence base. Taken from The Great Debates (iERA) website which can be found by clicking here!

A 7th Century War on Terror

By Adnan Rashid

‘What is there now, I ask of delight in this world? Everywhere we observe strife; fields are depopulated, the land has returned to solitude…And yet the blows of Divine justice have no end, because among the blows those guilty of evil acts are not corrected…’ [1]

These are the words of Pope Gregory the Great (c. 594) who was a contemporary of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). He was clearly wishing for divine justice to emerge in order to correct the evildoers i.e. the Lombard tyrants in this case. The Divine intervention was at hand:

“And We have sent you (O Muhammad [SA]) not but as a mercy to mankind”[2]

And mercy he was. The Messenger of Allah received the above revelation not long after the disturbing plea of the Pope and this revelation was a signal for the Prophet to initiate a war against terror and tyranny. Islam emerged as a power and in a very short period of time took over large portions of land from the surrounding establishments. Prophet Muhammad died in 632 CE and exactly a century later in 732 CE the Muslims had reached as far as Southern France and Northern China. This was the largest and the fastest expansion the world had ever known and it was made possible only by the justice and mercy the Muslims had to offer, as will be amply demonstrated in the following paragraphs.

It may be puzzling to some who may question how the Muslims were able to conquer such a large portion of land so rapidly without much difficulty? A Muslim believer would give an easy and simple answer to this question by quoting the Qur’an:

“Allah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous good deeds, that he will certainly grant them succession (to the present rulers) in the land, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them authority to practise their religion which he has chosen for them(Islam).”[3]

History testifies that this is precisely what occurred and here one must note that the Arabs, at the time, were the least able people to achieve this, primarily, due to the lack of military equipment and resources. Carole Hillenbrand, a leading Arabist/historian from the University of Edinburgh, confirms this:

‘Much ink has been spilt on the phenomenon of the Islamic conquest, but few firm conclusions can be drawn…It seems unlikely that the Arabs possessed military superiority over their opponents. Certainly, they had no secret weapon, no new techniques. Indeed, in some military spheres they were inexperienced; they allegedly learned siege warfare, for example, from the Persians. They were also unfamiliar with how to fight naval engagements.’[4]

Even the contemporary Christian writers could not offer a reasonable explanation and attributed this rapid expansion of the Islamic governance to Divine intervention. John Bar Penkaye (690 CE), a contemporary of the early Islamic conquest, had this to say:

‘We should not think of the advent (of the children of Hagar) as something ordinary, but as due to divine working. Before calling them, (God) had prepared them beforehand to hold Christians in honour; thus they also had a special commandment from God concerning our monastic station, that they should hold it in honour. Now when these people came, at God’s command, and took over as it were both kingdoms, not with any war or battle, but in a menial fashion, such as when a brand is rescued out of the fire, not using weapons of war or human means, God put victory into their hands in such a way that the words written them might be fulfilled, namely, “One man chased a thousand and two routed ten thousand.” How otherwise, could naked men, riding without armour or shield, have been able to win, apart from divine aid, God having called them from the ends of the earth so as to destroy, by them “a sinful kingdom” and to bring low, through them, the proud spirit of the Persians.’[5]

Byzantines and the Persians were utterly uprooted by these ill-equipped nomads. European scholarship is still perplexed about the causes that led to the early Islamic conquest. To a sceptical historian or a conditioned rationalist, Divine intervention could never be entertained as a logical or even a scientific hypothesis. Such people require a historical justification, which is based upon political and socio-economic factors.

Tolerance or Terror

In light of this there is a very reasonable explanation: The Muslims, when expanding, treated the non-Muslim inhabitants of vanquished nations with a previously uncharted level of tolerance, which in consequence encouraged the non-Muslim societies to embrace the approaching armies with open arms. Professor Thomas Walker Arnold gives an interesting account of such an occurrence. He states:

‘When the Muslim army reached the valley of the Jordan and Abu Ubaydah pitched his camp at Fihl, the Christian inhabitants of the country wrote to the Arabs, saying: “O Muslims, we prefer you to the Byzantines, though they are of our own faith, because you keep better faith with us and are more merciful to us and refrain from doing us injustice and your rule over us is better than theirs, for they have robbed us of our goods and our homes.” The people of Emessa closed the gates of their city against the army of Heraclius and told the Muslims that they preferred their government and justice to the injustice and oppression of the Greeks…The fear of religious compulsion on the part of the heretical emperor made the promise of Muslim toleration appear more attractive than the connection with the Roman Empire and a Christian government…’[6]

Perhaps, it was these facts, which persuaded Thomas Arnold to conclude:

‘Of forced conversion or anything like persecution in the early days of the Arab conquest, we hear nothing. Indeed, it was probably in a great measure their tolerant attitude towards the Christian religion that facilitated their rapid acquisition of the country.’[7]

So the Muslims were in fact seen as liberators from the Roman/Byzantine tyranny. As far as the Syrian Christians were concerned, the Muslims were carrying out a noble war on terror.

Syria rescued from the Byzantine terror

Dionysius of Tel-Mahre, a Jacobite (or a Syrian Orthodox Christian) patriarch from 818 to 845 CE, also gave some reasons of this preference of the Muslims over Romans by the people of Syria. He stated in his chronicle, which covers the period from 582 to 842 CE, that Heraclius mustered 300,000 troops from Armenia, Syria and the Roman heartlands to expel the Muslims out of Syria. Muslims decided to withdraw to reform their war strategy. However, whilst withdrawing, the Muslims decided, out of fairness, to refund the money, which they had taken as tribute from the Syrian Christians to protect them from any form of oppression:

‘Abu Ubaydah, whom Umar had put in command of the Arabs, ordered Habib b. Maslama to return to the Emesenes the tribute which he had exacted from them with this message: “We are both bound by our mutual oaths. Now we are going to do battle with the Romans. If we return, this tribute is ours; but if we 

are defeated and do not return, we are absolved of our oaths.” So they left Emessa for Damascus; and the emir Abu Ubaydah ordered Saeed b. Kulthum to return the tribute to the Damascenes likewise…To them he said: “ If we return victorious we shall take it back. But if we are defeated and prove powerless to save you from the Romans, here is your tribute, keep it. We for our part shall be absolved of the oaths which we have sworn to you.”’[8]

One must note that this was taking place in 7th century Syria where plunder, robbery and injustice were a common occurrence and what is mentioned above is quoted from a mid 9th century Christian source (which testifies that the Muslims did not abuse power and they did not betray the trust Christians bestowed upon them). Thomas Arnold adds, from an Islamic source (Abu Yusuf, Kitabul Khiraj [The Book of Taxes]), that

‘In accordance with this order, enormous sums were paid back out of the state treasury, and the Christians called down blessings on the heads of the Muslims, saying, “May God give you rule over us again and make you victorious over the Romans; had it been they, they would not have given us back anything, but would have taken all that remained with us”’[9]

It would be fair to assert here that those Muslims acted in accordance with the teachings of the Qur’an:

‘Verily, Allah commands that you should render back the trusts to those, to whom they are due; and that when you judge between men, you judge with justice. Verily, how excellent is the teaching, which He gives you! Truly, Allah is ever all- Hearer, all-Seer.’[10]

Dionysius of Tel-Mahre confirms the accuracy of Abu Yusuf:

‘So the Arabs left Damascus and pitched camp by the river Yarmuk. As the Romans marched towards the Arab camp every city and village on their way which had surrendered to the Arabs shouted threats at them. As for crimes the Romans committed on their passage, they are unspeakable, and 

their unseemliness ought not even to be brought to mind…The Arabs returned, elated with their great victory, to Damascus; and the Damascenes greeted them outside the city and welcomed them joyfully in, and all treaties and assurances were reaffirmed. ’[11]

It is very clear from Dionysius’ testimony that the Romans were extremely oppressive towards the non-Chalcedonian Christian population of Syria, which caused this population to prefer the Muslim tolerance over the Byzantine terror. Muslims, in most, cases treated the minor Christian sects of Syria with maximum justice and sympathy, which enabled all parties to live in peace for the first time for a long time. For most of the Jacobite and Nestorian Christians in Syria, Muslim arrival was a God sent retribution against the Byzantine terrorist establishment.

Egypt saved from the Chalcedonian persecution

The same seems to have taken place in Egypt where, according to Dionysius, the Coptic Patriarch submitted Egypt voluntarily to the Muslims:

‘We have found in the tales and stories of Egyptians that Benjamin, the Patriarch of the Orthodox in Egypt at the time, delivered the country to the Arab general Amr b. al-As out of antipathy, that is enmity, towards Cyrus, the Chalcedonian (Byzantine) Patriarch in Egypt.’[12]

This enmity, however, was due to the persecution of the Orthodox Church in Egypt at the hands of the Byzantine Church. John of Nikiou (690 CE), who was a Coptic bishop in Nikiu (Egypt), confirmed the testimony of Dionysius:

‘When Muslims saw the weakness of the Romans and the hostility of the people to the emperor Heraclius because of the persecution wherewith he had visited all the land of Egypt in regard to the orthodox faith at the instigation of Cyrus the Chalcedonian Patriarch [in office 631/2-41], they became bolder and stronger in the war…And people began to help the Muslims.’[13]

And in some cases the Egyptians refused to fight the Muslims at all [14]. One must keep in mind that these are contemporary Christian sources testifying that the Muslims were actually being helped by the Egyptian Orthodox Coptic Christians to put the Chalcedonian Byzantine Christian persecution to rest. Alfred J. Butler, a leading authority on the history of Egypt, believed that the Muslim arrival benefited both Christian factions by enabling them to live in peace together under the Islamic protection:

‘After all that the Copts had suffered at the hands of the Romans and the Patriarch Cyrus, it would not have been unnatural if they had desired to retaliate upon the Melkites [the Romans]. But any such design, if they cherished it, was sternly discountenanced by ‘Amr, [the Muslim conqueror of Egypt] whose government was wisely tolerant but perfectly impartial between the two forms of religion. Many facts might be cited in proof of this contention…So that the two forms of Christianity must be imagined as subsisting side by side under the equal protection of the conquerors.’[15]

It is evident from the testimonies cited above that the Muslims came as a mercy for the wider Egyptian population. The Coptic Christians in Egypt were also a target for the Byzantine terror and it was this terror which caused the Copts to join the Muslims against their co-religionists. ‘Amr bin al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) had established a peaceful abode for all parties and this he did by implementing the Shariah Law in Egypt. Thus the real operation “Enduring Freedom” was accomplished successfully in the land of Pharaohs.

Spain liberated from the Visigothic tyranny

Muslims landed in Spain in 711 CE and many sources testify that they were welcomed by the population, as their reputation preceded them. This was due to the severe persecution afflicted upon certain communities by the Visigothic Kings. Under these kings’ rule (following their conversion to Catholicism from Arianism), the Jewish community, in particular, was severely oppressed. The Catholic hierarchy in Spain held many ecumenical councils to solve political and religious disputes and in these councils (many held in Toledo), severe edicts were issued against the Jews of Spain. One of the clauses in the text of the proceedings of the 4th Council of Toledo (633 CE) states,

‘We decree that the sons and daughters of the Jews should be separated from the company of their parents in order that they should not become further entangled in their deviation, and entrusted either to monasteries or to Christian, God fearing men and women, in order that they should learn from their way of life to venerate the faith and, educated on better things, progress in their morals as well as their faith.’[16]

Zion Zohar, an American Jewish historian, confirms the Jewish appreciation of the Muslim arrival in this way:

‘Thus, when Muslims crossed the straits of Gibraltar from North Africa in 711 CE and invaded the Iberian Peninsula, Jews welcomed them as liberators from Christian Persecution’. [17]

And what did this liberty bring for the Jews in the subsequent centuries? Was this liberty similar to the one the U.S government has delivered to the Iraqis, resulting in mass murder and abuse of prisoners, or was it a freedom that was deeply ingrained in Islamic values such as justice and tolerance? Zion Zohar has an answer:

‘Born during this era of Islamic rule, the famous Golden Age of Spanish Jewry (circa 900-1200) produced such luminaries as: statesman and diplomat Hasdai ibn Shaprut, vizier and army commander Shmuel ha-Nagid, poet-philosophers Solomon Ibn Gabriol and Judah Halevi, and at the apex of them all, Moses Ben Maimon, also known among the Spaniards as Maimonides [who is Known as the second Moses among the Jews].’[18]

Thus the Jews were treated with fairness and Justice in Islamic Spain unlike the rest of Europe and it was this fair treatment which produced the famous Golden Age for the House of Jacob, which they appreciate to this day.

Heinrich Graetz, a 19th century Jewish historian expressed similar sentiments regarding Muslims in Spain:

‘It was in these favourable circumstances that the Spanish Jews came under the rule of Mahometans, as whose allies they esteemed themselves the equals of their co-religionists in Babylonia and Persia. They were kindly treated, obtained religious liberty, of which they had so long been deprived, were permitted to exercise jurisdiction over their co-religionists, and were only obliged, like the conquered Christians, to pay poll tax (Dsimma)’[19]…Jewish Spain became “the place of civilization and of spiritual activity- a garden of fragrant, joyous, and happy poetry, as well as the seat of earnest research and clear thought.” Like the Arabian Christians (the Christians who lived amongst the Mahometans) the Jews made themselves acquainted with the language and literature of their conquerors, and often got precedence over them. But whilst Arabian Christians gave up their own individuality, forgot their own language- Gothic Latin- and could not even read the creeds, and were ashamed of Christianity, the Jews of Spain were so little affected through this contact with Arabs, that it only served to increase their love and enthusiasm for their mother tongue, their holy law, and their religion. Through favourable circumstances Jewish Spain was in a position at first to rival Babylonia, then to supersede it, and finally to maintain its superiority for nearly five hundred years.’[20]

In Islamic Spain, even the Christians preferred Islamic government (based upon Shariah Law) over that of the Franks. This assertion appears to be quite reasonable when the views of Reinhart Dozy, an authority on the early Islamic Spain, are taken into consideration:

‘The unbounded tolerance of the Arabs must also be taken into account. In religious matters they put pressure on no man…Christians preferred their rule to that of the Franks.’[21]

Ulick R. Burke, a prominent historian specializing in the history of Spain, reached a similar conclusion:

‘Christians did not suffer in any way, on account of their religion, at the hands of Moors…not only perfect toleration but nominal equality was the rule of the Arabs in Spain.’[22]

This tolerance had an immense impact on the Christian population of Spain, many of them converted to Islam and those who did not adopted the Islamic culture in regards to literature and lifestyle. This is emphatically substantiated by the 9th century Spanish Christian writer, Paul Alvarus (who was writing in the 850’s at Cordova):

‘The Christians love to read the poems and romances of the Arabs; they study the Arab theologians and philosophers, not to refute them but to form a correct and elegant Arabic. Where is the layman who now reads the Latin commentaries on the Holy Scriptures, or who studies the Gospels, prophets or apostles? Alas! All talented young Christians read and study with enthusiasm the Arab books; they gather immense libraries at great expense; they despise the Christian literature as unworthy of attention. They have forgotten their own language. For every one who can write a letter in Latin to a friend, there are a thousand who can express themselves in Arabic with elegance, and write better poems in his language then the Arabs themselves.’[23]

Most of the aforementioned opinions indicate that the Muslim arrival in Spain liberated the masses from a deep slumber of ignorance and oppression. Prior to the Islamic emergence, the Catholic Spanish establishment was known for persecuting the Jews and minor Christian sects. The Muslims changed all of that and what followed was the appearance of a true renaissance that enabled Jews, Muslims and Christians to live in peace for centuries. Maria Rosa Menocal, one of the authorities on medieval European literature, decided to title her work (which describes how the Abrahamic faiths co-existed peacefully during the Islamic era) the “Ornament of the world”[24]; the phrase was used by Hroswitha (a 10th century German nun) to describe Islamic Spain[25]. Thus, Islam came as a mercy for the people of Iberian Peninsula, who welcomed the new rulers as liberators for the tyranny of the Visigoths.

A 7th century War on Terror

One may question as to why was it that the Muslims were invading these lands and removing the already existing governments from power? It must be recognized that most of the 7th/8th century powers were guilty of oppression against their own subjects. The Qur’an provides one of the reasons, which caused the early Muslims to intervene:

‘And what is wrong with you that you fight not in the cause of Allah, and for those weak, ill-treated and oppressed among men, women and children, whose cry is: “Our Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from You one who will help”’[26]

The Muslims were thus charged to carry out a war on terror in order to liberate the weak and oppressed and they duly fulfilled the Qur’anic injunction (it has been substantiated above that the populations of some of the countries Muslims took were severely oppressed by their rulers and it was due to this reason that they welcomed the Muslims as liberators). However, in this 7th century war against terror there was no oil or re-construction/destruction contracts involved. An objective approach to the subject will lead to similar findings. Perhaps the views of the Nestorian Patriarch of Khurasan in the 7th century, Ishoyabh III, will help elucidate upon this more. He addressed a letter to Simeon, the Primate of Persia, where he wrote:

‘and the Arabs, to whom God at this time has given the empire of the world, behold, they are among you, as ye know well: and yet they attack not the Christian faith, but, on the contrary, they favour our religion, do honour to our priests and the saints of the Lord, and confer benefits on churches and monasteries.’[27]

Usually exploitation and plunder of resources follows an invasion, as can clearly be seen in the case of the colonial period and modern day Iraq (Iraq’s most precious Baghdad museum was plundered following the US invasion (2003) and the 7000 years history of Mesopotamian civilisation was lost). Did Muslims follow the same precedence? Adam Smith, the 18th century founding father of modern capitalism (whose portrait is illustrated on the back of the current £20 note), did not think so:

‘The ruin of the empire of the Romans, and, along with it the subversion of all law and order, which happened a few centuries afterwards, produced the entire neglect of that study of the connecting principles of nature, to which leisure and security can alone give occasion. After the fall of those great conquerors and the civilisers of mankind, the empire of the Caliphs seems to have been the first state under which the world enjoyed that degree of tranquillity, which the cultivation of the sciences requires. It was under the protection of those generous and magnificent princes, that the ancient philosophy and astronomy of the Greeks were restored and established in the East; that tranquillity, which their mild, just and religious government diffused over their vast empire, revived the curiosity of mankind, to inquire into the connecting principles of nature.’[28]

Adam Smith (1723-1790) was one of the most outstandingly intelligent economists of his time. His works such as “The Theory of Moral Sentiments” and “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations” are thought to be among the cornerstones of Western literature. The latter work (which is the most popular work in the field of economics to this day) seems to be very much concerned with an inquiry into how certain nations acquire prosperity. Some of the ways of acquiring prosperity and scientific advancement, which he expressed in the aforementioned quote, are security, the sense of tranquillity and justice; and Adam Smith believed that the mild, just and religious government of the Muslim Caliphs (who governed with Shariah Law) revived the curiosity of mankind to attain all kind of benefits from nature. The critics and the so called modern reformers of Islam need to pay heed to Adam Smith’s words and see whether he was reasonable in his conclusion in this regard. If Islam enabled mankind to achieve a high level of prosperity in those days, it still contains the potential to repeat the same today. One has to observe, in the light of history and contemporary reports, whether the present war on terror really is a war on terror or the 7th century Islamic war on terror better qualifies to be called “a war on terror”. If one was to examine objectively, one will find the 7th century war on terror to be a better choice, as today we do not see any positive outcome of the so called “21st century war on terror” but in the 7th century Muslims weakened the Byzantine, Persian and Visigothic terror to replace it by what, in the case of Spain, Adam Smith describes as scientific enlightenment for Europe:

“The victorious arms of the Saracens [Latin synonym for a Muslim] carried into Spain the learning as well as the gallantry, of the East; and along with it, the tables of Almamon, and the Arabian translations of Ptolemy and Aristotle; and thus Europe received a second time, from Babylon, the rudiments of the sciences of the heavens. The writings of Ptolemy were translated from Arabic into Latin; and the Peripatetic philosophy was studied  in Averroes [Ibn Rushd] and Avicenna [Ibn Sina] with as much eagerness and as much submission to its doctrines in the West, as it had been in the East.”[29]

[1] Pope Gregory I quoted by Mohammad Farooq Kemal, The Crescent vs The Cross, Lahore, 1997, P. 7.
[2] The Quran, Surah AL-Anbiya 21, verse 107.
[3] The Quran, Surah an-Noor 24, verse 55.
[4] Carole Hillenbrand, Muhammad and the rise of Islam, The New Cambridge Medieval History, 2005, vol 1, p. 340.
[5] John Bar Penkaye, quoted by Walter E. Kaegi, Byzantium and the Early Islamic Conquest, Cambirdge, 2000, p. 216.
[6] T. W. Arnold, Preaching of Islam, London, 1913, p. 55.
[7] Ibid, p. 132-4.
[8] Dionysius of Tel-Mahre, The Seventh Century in the West-Syrian Chronicles, tr by Palmer, Liverpool, 1993, p. 156-7.
[9] T. W. Arnold, Preaching of Islam, London, 1913, p. 61.
[10] The Quran, Surah 4 An-Nisa, Verse 58.
[11] Dionysius of Tel-Mahre, The Seventh Century in the West-Syrian Chronicles, tr by Palmer, Liverpool, 1993, p. 157.
[12] Ibid, p. 158
[13] John of Nikiou, quoted by Petra M. Sijpesteijn, Egypt in the Byzantine World, Cambridge, 2007, p. 442.
[14] Ibid, see footnote 28.
[15] Alfred J. Butler, The Arab Conquest of Egypt and the Last Thirty Years of the Roman Dominion, 1902, Oxford, p. 447-8.
[16] The Jews in the Legal Sources of the Early Middle Ages, edited by Amnon Linder, New York, 1997, p.488.
[17] Zion Zohar, Sephardic & Mizrahi Jewry, New York, 2005, p. 8-9.
[18]  Ibid, p. 9.
[19] H. Graetz, History of the Jews, London, 1892, Vol 3, p. 112.
[20] Ibid, p. 220.
[21] Reinhart Dozy, A History of Muslims in Spain, 1861 (reprinted 1913, 2002), Delhi, p.235.
[22] Ulick R. Burke, A History of Spain, London, 1900, vol I, p. 129.
[23] Paul Alvarus quoted by Maria Rosa Menocal, Ornament of the world, New York, 2003, p.66.
[24] Maria Rosa Menocal, Ornament of the world, New York, 2003.
[25] Stanley Lane-Poole, The Moors in Spain, London, 1920, p. 144.
[26] The Quran, Surah An-Nisa 4, verse 75.
[27] Ishoyabh III quoted by T. W. Arnold, Preaching of Islam, London, 1913, p. 81-82.
[28] The Essays of Adam Smith, London, 1869, p. 353.
[29] Ibid, p. 354.

 

Clash of the Titans – Ali vs. the Giant of Arabia!

“I am the one whose mother name me Haiydar, Like the Lion of the jungle, frightful to gaze upon. I return their (enemies) attacks with ones more ferocious!”

Ali ibn Ai Talib

This story is one of the most remarkable duels in history took place during the Battle of Ahzaab (The conferderates : also known as the ditch) between Ali bin Abi Taalib and Amr bin Abdu Wud. Amr (We shall call him the Giant!) was a huge man of a tremendous height and bulk, and while on his feet would tower above his fellow men. Sitting on his great horse, he looked positively unreal. Big, strong and fearless, he had a fierce countenance–an aspect which thrilled his comrades and dismayed his enemies. He had just jumped across the ditch on horseback with other members from the confederates army like Khalid bin Al-Waleed, Ikramah ibn Abi Jahl (who were not a Muslim at the time)!

Amr stood motionless as he let his gaze wander scornfully over the ranks of the Muslims. Suddenly the Giant raised his head and roared, “I am Amr bin Abdu Wud. I am the greatest warrior in Arabia. I am invincible. Is there anyone among you who has the courage to meet me in personal combat?” The challenge was received by the Muslims in silence. They looked at one another. They looked at the Holy Prophet. But no one moved, for the Giant was famous for his strength and skill, and though wounded several times, had never yet lost a duel, nor spared an opponent. It was said that he was equal to 500 horsemen; that he could lift a horse bodily and hurl it to the ground; that he could pick up a calf with his left hand and use it as a shield in combat. The vivid Arab imagination had created around this formidable warrior a legend of invincibility.

So the Muslims remained silent, and the Giant laughed with contempt–a laugh in which the Quraish also joined, for they stood quite close to the ditch and could see and hear all that went on. “So is there none among you who has the courage of a man? And what of your Islam? And your Prophet?” At this blasphemous taunt, Ali left his position in the front rank of the Muslims, approached the Holy Prophet and sought permission to engage the challenger and silence his insolent tongue once and for all. The Prophet replied, “Sit down. This is Amr!” Ali returned to his position. There was another burst of scornful laughter, more taunts, another challenge. Again Ali went up to the Prophet. Again the Prophet declined permission. More laughter, more taunts. Again the challenge from Amr, and this time more insulting than before. “Where is your paradise?” He shouted, “Of which you say that those who lose in battle will enter it? Can you not send a man to fight me?”

When for the third time Ali moved towards the Prophet, the Prophet saw in Ali’s eyes a look which he knew well; and he knew that Ali could no longer be restrained. He looked at Ali fondly, for Ali was someone who was so close to him that he gave him his most precious child in marriage: Fatima Az-Zahra. He took off his turban and wound it around Ali’s head. He next took off his sword and girded it at Ali’s waist. And he prayed: “O Lord! Help him!? Now in Ali’s hand, was the sword to become the most famous in Islam, killing more men in fair combat than any sword in history. This was the Zulfiqar. Ali hastily collected a small group of Muslims and strode out towards the unbelievers.

The group stopped at some distance from the Giant, and Ali stepped forward and got to within duelling distance of the challenger. The Giant knew Ali well. He had been a friend of Ali’s father, Abu Taalib. He now smiled indulgently at Ali as a man might smile at a boy. “O Amr!” called Ali. “It is believed that if any man of the Quraish offers you two proposals, you always accept at least one of them.” “True.” “Then I have two proposals to offer you. The first is: accept Allah and His Messenger and Islam.” “I have no need of them.” “Then dismount from your horse and fight me.” “Why, O son of my brother? I have no desire to kill you.” “But I”, replied Ali, “Have a great desire to kill you!” The Giant’s face flushed with anger. With a cry of rage he sprang off his horse, displaying a degree of agility surprising in so huge a monster.

He hamstrung his horse, drew his sword and rushed at Ali. The fight was on. Amr struck at Ali many times, but Ali remained unharmed. He would parry the blow with his sword or shield or nimbly step aside to let the Giant’s sword whistle past him harmlessly. At last the Giant stood back, panting and baffled. He wondered how this could be. Never before had any man survived so long in personal combat against him. And now this boy was looking at him as if he was playing a game! Then things happened so fast that no one could quite follow the sequence. Ali dropped his sword and shield to the ground; his body shot through the air like a missile and his hands grasped the Giant’s throat; with a wrestler’s kick he knocked the Giant off balance, and the Giant came crashing to the ground-all in a matter of seconds. Now the Giant lay on his back with Ali sitting astride his chest.

The two armies gasped and murmured, then held their breath. The bewilderment on the Giant’s face changed to fury. At last he had been thrown, and by this young upstart who was less than half his size! But although he was down, he was not finished. He would still win the battle and re-establish his position as the greatest warrior in Arabia. He would toss this youngster into the air as a leaf is tossed by the wind. The Giant’s face went purple, the veins stood out on his neck and his huge biceps and forearms trembled as he strained to break Ali’s grip. But he could not move it an inch. There was the quality of steel in the muscles of Ali. “Know, O Amr”, said Ali gently, “that victory and defeat depend upon the will of Allah. Accept Islam! Thus not only will your life be spared, but you will also enjoy the blessings of Allah in this life and the next.” Ali drew a sharp dagger from his waistband and held it close to Amr’s throat. But this was more than the Giant could take. Was he whom Arabia considered her greatest champion to live the rest of his life under the shadow of defeat and disgrace? Was it to be said of him that he saved his life in personal combat by submitting to the conditions of his opponent? No! He, Amr bin Abdu Wud, had lived by the sword. He would perish by the sword. A life spent in violence must end with violence. He gathered the spittle in his mouth and spat into the face of Ali! He knew what would happen. He knew that there would be a sharp intake of breath, that Ali’s right arm would shoot into the air and then plunge the dagger into his throat.

Amr was a brave man and could face death without flinching. He arched his back and raised his chin to offer his throat to Ali, for he knew what was to come. But what happened next left him even more bewildered. Ali rose calmly from Amr’s chest, wiped his face, and stood a few paces away, gazing solemnly at his adversary. “Know, O Amr, I only kill in the way of Allah and not for any private motive. Since you spat in my face, my killing you now may be from a desire for personal vengeance. So I spare your life. Rise and return to your people!” The Giant rose. But there was no question of his returning to his people a loser. He would live a victor, or not at all. Intending to make one last attempt at victory, he picked up his sword and rushed at Ali. Perhaps he would catch Ali unaware.

Ali had just enough time to pick up his sword and shield and prepare for the fresh assault. The blow which the Giant now delivered in furious desperation was the most savage blow of the encounter. His sword shattered Ali’s shield, but in doing so lost its force and impetus, and could then do no more than inflict a shallow cut on Ali’s temple. The wound was too slight to worry Ali. Before the Giant could raise his sword again, the Zulfiqar flashed in the sunlight, and it’s tip slashed open the Giant’s throat. The blood of the Giant gushed forth like a fountain. For a moment the Giant stood motionless. Then his body began to sway as if he was drunk. And then he fell on his face with a crash and lay still. The earth did not shake with the impact of that colossal body. The earth is too big. But the hill of Sil’a shook with the cry of Allah-o-Akbar that thundered from 2,000 Muslim throats. The triumphant cry echoed through the length and breadth of the valley before it faded away into the stillness of the desert.

Source of the story: Taken from “The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin Al-Waleed: His Life and Campaigns.” by Lieutenant-General A.I. Akram. The complete online book can be found at www.swordofallah.com

Note: The above story is true however some of the details preceeding the duel might not be fully correct historically speaking but the above book by Dr. Ali Muhammad Sallabi is one that is historically & academically accredited because he sives through all historical accounts and derives factual historical information in a very critical evidensed based manner.

 

Umar’s Naseehah

 

The Lady of the Two Belts

The Lady of the Two Belts

Asma’ bint Abu Bakar

“The best Jihad is a speech of truth in the presence of a tyrant ruler.” [Abu Dawud]

When we study and analyse Islamic history we commonly come across the acronym AH (After Hijrah) which tells us the date in which a momentous event had occurred. Al-Hijrah (migration) of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) from Makkah to Madinah was chosen by the 2^nd righteous Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab as the beginning of the Islamic calendar because it signified the birth of a new era in the history of mankind in which a group of persecuted Muslims became an independent state.

Among the men and women who contributed to this was a young girl who was the daughter of the best of men after the Prophets of Allah (Peace be upon them all), The sister of the most beloved individual to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) i.e. Aish’ah bint Abu Bakar and the wife of one of the ten champions promised paradise Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam. She was Dhatun-Nita’qain Asma’ bint Abu Bakar (May Allah SWT be please with her).

She was one of the early witnesses of Rasullah’s (Peace be upon him) commissioning in all aspects. During the migration of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) alongside his companion Abu Bakar As-Saddique, Abu Jahl became infuriated and lost complete track of his mental faculties when he found out that the Prophet (Muhammad) had escaped. Abu Jahl hurried to the house of Abu Bakar enquired the whereabouts of Abu Bakar, Asma’ replied with full confidence and courage in the face of this tyrant ‘I don’t know’. Losing all control he (Abu Jahl) slapped her so hard on her face that her earrings flew off. But she stood solid in front of that tyrant.

Her most honorable act of bravery in a high-risk situation, which made her among those righteous believers who strove in the path of Allah Subhnata’ala, was when the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was about to move from the Thawr to Madinah. Asma’ prepared food for their long journey, But forgot to include the ribbon for tying the food container and water skin to the camel. She removed her belt and tore it in two, one to tie the food container and the other for water skin. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said: ‘Indeed, Allah has given you, in exchange for this belt, two belts in paradise”. This is a great source of honor and pride for one to be praised by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

Asma’ married one of the greatest knights of this great deen Az-Zubair ibn Al-Awwam. Az-Zubair was not a wealthy individual, in fact he only had a horse that he would ride during the time of war. On the contrary Abu Bakar As-Saddique was oen of the wealthiest of the sahabahs but married his daughter Asma’ using righteousness and nobility as the standard and not wealth. From this blessed marriage came one of the child companions around the Prophet (Peace be upon him). Even the story of their childs birth is thought provoking, Asma’ made hijrah during the 3^rd trimester of her pregnancy and upon arriving in Madinah she gave birth to the 7^th Caliph of Islam Abdullah ibn Zubair.

“The virtue of the scholar to a worshipper is similar to the virtue of the moon when it is full to the rest of the stars”

She was one of the first and most brilliant female students who studied under the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). If we study the lives of the early pious generations of the past we come across many individuals who were taught and trained by women, Imam Malik & Imam Ahmad were given tarbiyah at a young age by their respective mothers.

The great muhaddith Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani once said: “Whatever knowledge I have is due to my Wife”

One of the greatest scholars of this deen, Shaykh-ul Islam ibn Taymiyyah was taught by more than 200 teachers including 3 women, one of which was his auntie. So we ask Allah Subhanata’ala to bring among us a generation that will be educated under righteous & knowledgeable parents so that they do not fear the blame of the blamers.

Her greatest act of patience, resilience and courage, which is truly unmatched in the history of the womanhood, was standing up to tyranny for the 2^nd time in her life. When Abdullah ibn Zubair was given the pledge by various parts of the Muslim world, The Ummayads in Damascus sent Hajjaj bin Yusuf to wrestle the power from Ibn Zubair. Overwhelmed by his army, Ibn Zubair was being attacked in Makkah whereupon he sought refuge. In these critical circumstances, Ibn Zubair went to seek advice from mother Asma’ bint Abu Bakar who was blind & nearly a 100 years old. They engaged in a dialogue that is remembered in the history of humanity as one of the most emotional conversations ever to be recorded.

Abdullah bin Zubair (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: ”I am afraid that after killing me they have my body trampled by horsemen and hang it on the scaffold.”

Asma bint Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: ”My son! When the goat is slaughtered, it does not care whether it is skinned.Whatever you are doing, keep doing it with insight and keep asking for Allah’s help.”

Abdullah bin Zubair (may Allaah be pleased with him) kissed his mother’s head and said: ”I am also of the same view. I never wished for the world or desired a worldly kingdom.I took this work because the commandments of Allah were not being obeyed and the people did not shun the forbidden things.As long as I breathe, I shall continue to fight for the right. I thought it necessary to take counsel from you and it has strengthened my will . Mother! I am sure I shall be killed today .Don’t be sad. Surrender me to Allah.I never intended to do anything unlawful. I never committed a breach of trust nor did I perpetrate an atrocity on anyone nor did I support any oppressor. I never did anything against the Divine wish .O Allah! I haven’t said all these things out of pride but for the consolation and satisfaction of my mother.“

Asma (may Allaah be pleased with her) said, “I hope Allah will reward you for it. Go and attack the enemy with Allah’s name.”

When Asma (may Allaah be pleased with her) embraced her son at the time of bidding him good-bye, her hands happened to touch his armor.
She asked, “Why have you put on this armor?” He said,”For satisfaction and strength.”

Asma (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: ”Take it off and fight against the enemy in your ordinary clothes.”

Ibn Zubair (may Allaah be pleased with him) took the armor off and threw it away.He lifted up the end of his shirt and tied it to his waist.

I would like to take the time for us to contemplate on the enormity of the sacrifice that Asma took in this subhan’Allah, Brothers & Sisters both her husband & son fought in the path of Allah SWT: The earlier generations would give everything up in this life just to please Allah, just to earn jannah at its highest level and safeguard agaisnt the depths of jahannam. But we need to ask ourselves what are we doing to atleast come up as justifications on the day of judgement? Is our life & dunya so narrow that we neglect digging treasure for the hereafter. May Allah The Most High make us amongst those who strive in His path and yearn for His Pleasure & Paradise (Al-Firdous).

Abdullah ibn Zubair fought a courageous battle in Makkah that is truly unparalleled in the illuminating pages of Islamic history. After his defeat, Hajjaj ordered Ibn Zubair to be crucified and exclaimed that he would only be brought down until his mother interceded upon his behalf. Asma’ refused and Hajjaj threatened to drag her by her hair if she refused. She remained solid and firm upon her decision thereby causing Hajjaj to go to her. He asked how she felt with the way he handled ‘the enemy of Allah’.

She swiftly replied “You may have ruined him in this life, but he has ruined your hereafter” and is swift is reminding Hajjaj of a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) that from Taif there would be born a liar and a great murderer, She said, “As for the liar we have seen, and as for the murderer is concerned, I do not find anyone else besides you”. This statement silenced Hajjaj and he brought down the corpse of the great warrior Abdullah ibn Zubair.

Asma’ bint Abu Bakar died shortly afterwards, She is among the believing, truthful and persevering women of all time. May Allah Subhanata’ala be pleased with her.

We as Muslims need to teach our families about the great examples of the past so that they take them as role models Insh’Allah. We should attend events & seminars that discuss and reflect their exemplarily lives and virtues so that our future generations can follow their ways. May Allah SWT grant us the tawfiq in raising the future generations of righteous believers who will bring victory to the ummah.

 

Martyr of the Mihrab – Umar ibn Al-Khattab

As for then;

Today, I would like to share with you the story of a great leader, from the pupils of Muhammad, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, And all the companions (sahaabah) are great leaders for us. Today, we would like to remember Umar, radia Allahu anhu.

And who of us does not know Umar? Who of us hasn’t heard of Umar?

Peace be upon you O Umar ibnul Khattab on this Jumu’ah day!

As-Salaam alaika O Umar ibnul Khattab in this blessed hour!

Peace be on you the day you became Muslim.

Peace be on you the day you became the khaleefah

Peace be on you the day you were killed, and on you the day you are resurrected.

The Messenger, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, interprets three visions in sleep for Abu Hafs, and they are all correct.

The first: He, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, said, “While I was asleep, I saw peopled coming to me and they were wearing dresses. Of these dresses, some reached the breast, and others lower than that. And Umar ibnul Khattab came and he was pulling his dress on the floor.” They said, “So what is your interpretation O messenger of Allah!” He said, “Ad-Deen!” [1]

The Second: Ibnu Umar said, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, say, “While I was asleep, I was given a cup of milk, so I drank, until I saw it coming out of nails. Then I gave the leftover to Umar ibnul Khattab.” They said, “What is your interpretation O messenger of Allah!” He said, “Al-‘Ilm (knowledge)”.’ [2]

Subhaana Allah, a man who has been given Deen and Ilm.

The third: Abu Hurrairah narrates saying, ‘While we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, he said, “While I was asleep, I saw myself in Al-Jannah. So there was a women making wudu next to a mansion. So I asked, ‘To whom belongs this mansion?’ She said, ‘To Umar ibnul Khattab.’ So I remembered Umar’s jealousy, so I went away.” So Umar cried and said, “Am I jealous with regards to you, O Messenger of Allah”.’ [3]

How can Umar be jealous from the Prophet, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, and he is a student among his students, and he is a good deed from the vast good deeds of the Prophet, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam.

This man was killed while he was praying in Al-Mihraab. And the great people are nearly always killed, so the Ummah knows they are great, that they will live by their guidance, and to write from their blood passages which will live on. And so that it will build from their skulls pillars which wouldn’t have otherwise been built, and so that it makes from their bodies ornaments which defy history.

Umar, radia Allahu anhu, lived with the Messenger, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, helping him and aiding him. He submitted to Allah after hearing the verses from “Ta- Ha”. And he was more beautiful than the Sun in its morning rise, and brighter than the Moon when it is full; he took the responsibility of the Ummah and looked after it, and he lead the Muslims to greatness, So peace be upon O Umar.

He believed when he heard:

“Ta Ha. We have not sent down on you the Qur’an that you may become sad. Save a remembrance for he who fears. Sent down from He who created the Earth and the High Heavens. The Merciful on His Throne…”

And is there a person who hears these verses with an open heart and not believe after that? Is there a person who understands the Words of the Lord of mankind, then these Word do not enter into his blood.

He believed, and he places his hand in the hand of the Prophet, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, and he promised him. What did he promise? Was it that he will rob the wealth of people? Was it to construct the houses and mansions? Was it to build beautiful gardens? Or was it use people and dictate them? No, he gave him allegiance on truth, justice and balance. He gave his allegiance on La illaha illa Allah. So Umar was a powerful sword in the hand of the Prophet, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, against all falsehood.

Al-Aqqad says, “The difference between Abu Bakr and Umar is that Abu Bakr knew Muhammad the Prophet, whereas Umar knew the Prophet Muhammad. Abu Bakr knew the Messenger, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, in his time of ignorance and after his Islam. But Umar didn’t know the Messenger, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, until he was born on the day he became a Muslim. So every time he saw a transgressor, or a munafiq (hypocrite) or someone opposing the Messenger, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, he would ask the Prophet, “Give me permission, I will cut his head off.” And had the Prophet, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, allowed him, he would have done so without any delay, because of his obedience to the Messenger, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam.

And the Prophet, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, dies like the rest of humanity, but Umar doesn’t accept this fact, because it hadn’t been confirmed. So, he gets up lifting his sword, and declaring: “Whoever says that Muhammad has died I will cut off his head.” But the news is verified by Abu Bakr, “Whoever worships Muhammad, then let him know that Muhammad has died. But whoever worships Allah, then Allah is alive and will never die.”

So, Umar falls unconscious on his face. Umar, who is a mighty stature of a person, strong in build, and great in body. Why? Because of his love for the Messenger, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam.

Abu Bakr takes the leadership after the Prophet, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, so Umar stands by him, obeying him and helping him like he used to be with the Messenger, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam. When the time of Abu Bakr has lapsed, he writes to Umar the succession after him. In his letter, he says, “In the Name of Allah, Ar-Rahmaan, Ar-Raheem. From Abu Bakr to Umar ibnul Khattab. And I am in the first day of the Day of Judgment, and the last of the days of ad-Dunya. As for then, I am leaving you in charge of the affairs of the Ummah of the Muhammad, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam. So if you are good and just, so this is my suspicion of you. And if you follow your desire, then acknowledge that Allah looks to the hidden matters, and I am not anxious to accompany people. O Umar, Fear Allah, that you may avoid the pains I am experiencing now.”

And then Umar took the khilaafah after Abu Bakr, and looks for the inheritance of Abu Bakr, so he found that his inheritance was two dresses and a mule. So he cried, and said, “You have tired the khulafa’ after you O Aba Bakr.”

Umar took charge and gave a great speech, in which he made clear his politics, and explained in it his duties towards the Ummah. The people would sleep in Al-Madeenah, and he would not sleep. The people would eat their full and Umar remains hungry. The people rest and Umar doesn’t.

When the eyes rested, and the stars shone, he would take his stick and stroll in the paths of Al-Madeenah, may be he would find a needy person that he can help, or a poor man whom he can give or a criminal who he can discipline.

While he was walking one night, he found a woman in her house with her children who were crying, and they were sitting around a pot which was boiling. So Umar approached the door, and said, “O slave of Allah, why are these children crying?” She said, “They are crying because of hunger.” He said, “What is in the pot?” She said, “I have put water in it, so they think the food is on its way, until they fall asleep.” So Umar cried and went to the house of charity and took a container and placed in it some wheat, fat, dates, and some clothes and money until the container was filled. Then he said to his freed slave Aslam, “Carry it on me.” Aslam said, “O Ameer of the believers, I will carry it instead of you.” Umar said, “I will carry it O Aslam, because you will not carry my burdens in the Aakhiraah.” So he carried it to the woman and her children, and put some of the wheat and dates in the pot and cooked it for them by blowing on the Fire. Aslam said, “I saw the smoke going through his beard.” He cooked for them, and he fed them until they were full.

Amr ibnul A’as was the governor of Egypt in the time of Umar, radia Allahu anhu. A man came from Egypt to Umar. He said, “O Ameer of the believers, I request protection of you from oppression.” Umar said, “Your request is answered!”

He said, “I raced the son of Amr ibnul A’as, so I beat him. So he hit me with the whip while saying, “I am the son of the honorable.”.

So, Umar wrote to Amr, radia Allahu anhu, ordering him to come with his son. So he came. Umar said, “Where is the Egyptian?” He came. Umar said, “Take the whip and hit him!”

So the Egyptian started to hit the son of Amr with the whip. Anas narrates, “That he hit him, and didn’t stop until we wished that he would stop. Then Umar said to Amr, “Since when have you enslaved people, and their mothers have given birth to them as free-men!?” Amr said, “I am not aware of the situation, and he didn’t come to me.”

This was the justice of Umar, and that was his living statement, “When did you enslave people, and their mothers have given birth to them as free-men!?”

And Umar’s life continues, and the year of hunger falls on the Muslims, the eighteenth after the Hijrah. This year which destroys the green and the yellow. People die from hunger, so Umar swears that no obese man shall eat until this tragedy is uplifted from the Muslims. He put up a tent with the people and started to distribute the food among the Muslim while crying and saying, “By Allah O Umar, how many people have you killed?”

And did Umar kill anyone? No, by Allah, He gave them life, by Allah’s permission.

He stands on the minbar one day wearing his torn cloak. And By Allah, had he wanted to build his house from gold he would have been able to. And had he wanted to walk to the Masjid on the silk, he would have been able to. And had he wanted to make Al-Madeenah with barracks from brass he would have been able to. But he stands on the Minbar, and his tummy grumbles. He says to his tummy, “Grumble or do not grumble! By Allah you will not have your full until the Muslim children eat their full.”

This is the History of Umar. He prays the prayer for asking Allah for rain. And no one can understand his dua’a because of the amount of crying, and asks Allah that He doesn’t cause the Ummah to be destroyed in his time, so the rain comes down like mountains, and life is restored to Madeenah.

Al-Hurmazaan – the advisor to Kirsra – comes to Madeenah, wearing the best of clothes made of silk and gold. He enters Madeenah, and asks for the palace of the khaleefa. They said, “He has no palace.” He said, “Where is his house then?” They showed him a house made of mud, and pointed to it. He asked, “so where are his guards?” They said, “There are no guards.”

Al-Hurmazaan knocks on the door, and Umar’s son answers.

“Where is the khaleefah?”

“Look for him in the Masjid.” came the reply.

So they looked for him in the Masjid, but he wasn’t there. So they searched for him, and found him sleeping under a tree. He had placed his stick next to him, and his sandals are his pillows, wearing his wragged clothes, sleeping the best a leader can sleep.

Al-Hurmazaan was astonished by this appearance of Umar. Is this Umar? Is this the man who has conquered the World? Is this the man who has given the kings headaches? Is this the man who has stepped on the heads of the criminals? Sleeping under a tree?

So Al-Hurmazaan was baffled, saying, “You ruled, so you were just, so you were secure, so you slept.”

And when the end of his life approached near, he presented himself for trial. He announced among the people that if he has tricked anyone, or cheated them, or has spilled blood unlawfully then let them come and take their rights from him. So when he said that, the whole Masjid shook with the crying of the people. And the people felt that he was saying his farewell to them. Then he descended the minbar, and bid farewell to the Ummah. And this was indeed the last khutbah that he made, because there was a meeting with Abu Lu’lu’a Al-Majoosy may Allah curse him.

May Allah have mercy on you, O Umar!

May Allah be pleased with you, O Umar!

[1] Sahih: Narrated by Al-Bukhaari
[2] Sahih: Narrated by Al-Bukhaari
[3] Sahih: Narrated by Al-Bukhaari

 

Diagnostic Letter From Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (RA) To Sa`d Ibn Abi Waqqas

The leader of the Mu’mineen speaks to us again through the thought-provoking letter written to the leader of the Muslim army in Persia. This letter details exactly what this Ummah needs for success. This tells us how we, as Muslims can bring ourselves back from the pitfall we’re in, and for the rest of the world to see us as being worth more than the oil we sell. Please don’t underestimate its importance and significance.

Diagnostic Letter From Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (RA): State of the Ummah To Sa`d Ibn Abi Waqqas Commander of the Muslim Army in Persia.

“…Then after, I order you and all troops that are along with you to be obedient to allah in all circumstances, as this (being obedient to Allah) is better than the weapons against the enemy and a strong strategem (device) in the war.

I order you and the soldiers who are with you to be more cautious and afraid of your won crimes and sins (and do not commit them) than your enemy, as the crimes and sins of the soldiers are more dangerous to them than their enemy.

The Muslims are victorious only because their enemies are disobedient to Allah, and had it not been so, we have no power over them, because neither our numbers is equal to their number, nor are our weapons like theirs.

If we commit crimes and sins as they do, then they (our enemies) will have superiority over us in power and we will not gain victory over them. We do not overpower them in strength.

And you should also know that in this marching of yours (for Allah’s Cause), there are guards (angels) upon you from Allah (to watch you) and they all know what you do.

So be shy from them and do not commit disobedience (crimes and sins) while you are going in Allah’s Cause and do not say: ‘Our enemy is worse than us, so they will not overpower us.’ Perhaps some people who are worse than the others may overpower the others as the (disbelievers) Magians overpowered the Children of Israel when they (the Latter) involved themselves with Allah’s disobedience (crimes and sins).

So they (disbelievers, Magians) entered the very innermost parts of their homes and it was a promise (completely) fulfilled. And ask Allah the asssisstance over your ownselves, (to save you from the crimes and sins) just as you ask Allah for the victory over your enemies.

I ask Allah that both for you and for us.”

 

“Bread, Meat, Busr and Rutab”- Generosity of Abu Ayyoub Al-Ansari

One day, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, left his house in the burning heat of the midday sun and went to the mosque. ‘Umar saw him and asked, “Abu Bakr, what has brought you out at this hour?” Abu Bakr said he had left his house because he was terribly hungry and ‘Umar said that he had left his house for the same reason. The Prophet came up to them and asked, “What has brought the two of you out at this hour?” They told him and he said, “By Him in Whose hands is my soul, only hunger has caused me to come out also. But come with me.” ..

They went to the house of Abu Ayyub Al Ansari. His wife opened the door and said, “Welcome to the Prophet and whoever is with him.” “Where is Abu Ayyub?” asked the Prophet. Abu Ayyub, who was working in a nearby palm grove, heard the Prophet’s voice and came hurriedly. “Welcome to the Prophet and whoever is with him,” he said and went on, “O Prophet of Allah, this is not the time that you usually come.” (Abu Ayyub used to keep some food for the Prophet every day. When the Prophet did not come for it by a certain time, Abu Ayyub would give it to his family.) “You are right,” the Prophet agreed. Abu Ayyub went out and cut a cluster of dates in which there were ripe and half-ripe dates. “I did not want you to cut this,” said the Prophet. “Could you not have brought only the ripe dates?” “O Prophet of Allah, please eat from both the ripe dates (rutab) and the half ripe (busr). I shall slaughter an animal for you also.” “If you are going to, then do not kill one that gives milk,” cautioned the Prophet. Abu Ayyub killed a young goat, cooked half and grilled the other half. He also asked his wife to bake, because she baked better, he said. When the food was ready, it was placed before the Prophet and his two companions. The Prophet took a piece of meat and placed it in a loaf and said, “Abu Ayyub, take this to Fatimah. She has not tasted the like of this for days.” When they had eaten and were satisfied, the Prophet said reflectively:
“Bread and meat and busr and rutab!” Tears began to flow from his eyes as he continued:
“This is a bountiful blessing about which you will be asked on the Day of Judgment. If such comes your way, put your hands to it and say, ‘Bismillah’ (In the name of Allah) and when you have finished say, ‘Al hamdu lillah alladhee huwa ashba’na wa an’ama ‘alayna (Praise be to Allah Who has given us enough and Who has bestowed his bounty on us). This is best.”

 

When I Grow Up I Wanna Be Abu Bakr!

When I Grow Up I Wanna Be Abu Bakr!

by Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef [Al-Maghrib Institute & DiscoverUlife]

After groups of people had become Muslim, Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu insisted to RasulAllah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam that they, the Muslims, declare their Islam publicly and not hide. RasulAllah finally agreed and as a group they entered the courtyard of the Ka’bah, each taking a corner, and called out to the people about Islam. Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu was the first khateeb to invite to Allah and His Messenger.

When the mob sitting there heard Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu and the others speaking about Allah and Islam, they ignited in anger and began stoning and beating the Muslims. Utbah pounced on Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu with his leather sandals, slapping him repeatedly in the face until Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu was knocked down. He then fell on top of Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu punching him in the stomach and continued the facial blows. Abu Bakr’s tribe finally peeled Utbah off of him and swore that if Abu Bakr died, they were going to chop off Utbah’s head in revenge. Abu Bakr laid in blood, his face indiscernible, unconscious.

It was only upon nightfall that Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu began to show signs of life. Do you know what the first words he spoke were? “What happened to RasulAllah? What happened to RasulAllah?” His mother offered him food but he refused. “I shall not touch food until I am taken to RasulAllah and am reassured that he is alright.”

They carried him to Daar Al-Arqam and when he entered, RasulAllah cried at the state that Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu was in and hugged him. He held the hug as the Muslims gathered around.

Role Models. In his book Risaalat Al-Mu’allim, Jamal Abideen tells us that at the age of 2 – perhaps earlier – the boy or girl begins habitually imitating all that they see. At the age of 5 or 6 – when the child is in kindergarten and grade 1 – they reach a climax in imitating anything that they see, good or bad. Then this habit of imitating smoothes out but continues to play the most vital role in the child’s upbringing.

Ibn Khaldoon writes in his Muqaddimah about this issue: “Children are influenced most by a role model. In their early years, children think that everything that adults do is correct and good and that their parents are the best amongst the adults and the most perfect.”

Children do not learn by being told, they learn by example. How much weight does a commandment to a child to fast have when the parent or teacher himself is eating a sandwich? For this reason, it is something hated and despised by Allah that a person should command good and he himself do other than what he commands. For indeed, his words will have little worth when the two – his actions and commandments – are contradictory.

Whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth glorifies Allah. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise / O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? / Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not do (Al-Saff 61/1-3).

And in Saheeh Muslim, the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said:

“A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and be thrown into Hellfire. The inhabitants of Hellfire shall gather around him and say, ‘O so and so! What is wrong? Were you not the one that would tell people to do good and tell them to stay away from doing bad?’ He shall say, ‘Yes, I used to command people to do good but I would not do it myself, and I would command people to stay away from bad and I myself would commit it.’”

The severity of this warning stems from the harmful scars that cut into a child’s personality when he sees his role models doing wrong and not doing what’s right. By us not following what we claim to believe in, we could be causing the destruction of dozens of lives on the Day of Resurrection.

It is in this search for our role models that we turn to the shining light, Abu Bakr as Siddeeq radi Allahu anhu. When the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam received the first revelations, the first man he approached was his best friend, Abu Bakr. When Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu heard that Muhammad had been chosen as a Prophet, he immediately announced, “I’ve never tasted a lie from you. I testify that there is no God but Allah, and you are the Messenger of Allah.” RasulAllah later said, “There is no one that I have spoken to about Islam that did not debate the issue with me except Abu Bakr.”

With the few verses that he knew, Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu set off to invite to this deen of Al-Islam. Soon, he was escorting by the hand the likes of Uthman, Az-Zubayr, Abd ArRahmaan ibn ‘Owf, Sa’d, Abu ‘Ubaidah, and Talha – six of the ten people who were promised Jannah during their time on earth. And on the Day of Resurrection they shall all be written in the book of Abu Bakr’s good works.

In the early days of Islam, Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu would walk around the markets and homes observing all the Muslim slaves that were being tortured. He would watch as Umayyah dragged Bilal out to the grilling desert at noontime, the hottest moments of the day. Umayyah would press Bilal to the scalding ground and place a boulder on top of his chest to increase the torture. Bilal would say nothing but, “Ahad, Ahad (One, only One).” Abu Bakr would watch and whisper to Bilal, “YunJeeka AlWaahidul Ahad (The One [Allah] shall save you).”

Abu Bakr went to Umayyah and requested that he sell Bilal to him for 5 uwqiyyah of gold. Umayyah was astonished at that amount and hurriedly agreed. “Take Bilal. There is no good in him.”

After the deal was done, Umayyah snickered, “Had you refused to pay more than 1 uwqiyyah I still would have sold him to you.”

And Abu Bakr announced, “And had you refused to sell him for no less than 100 uwqiyyah I still would have bought him!”

Evil wishers – like always – spread rumors about Abu Bakr’s freeing of Bilal, saying that he did it only because of a favor he owed him. In the Qur’an, in verses to be recited till the end of time, Allah lay clear the intentions of Abu Bakr:

He who spends his wealth for increase in self-purification, / And have in his mind no favor from anyone for which a reward is expected in return, / Except only the desire to seek the Countenance of his Lord, the Most High; / He surely will be pleased [when he will enter Paradise] (Al-Layl 92/18-21).

Read that last verse again. Allah is telling Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu that he is going to make him satisfied. Allahu Akbar! Imagine if Allah told you that. Would anything in the world be more valuable to you than that one ayah?

This was Abu Bakr; this was Khaleefatu Rasulillaah. When ‘Amr ibn Al- Aas became Muslim, RasulAllah appointed him as a leader for one of the Muslim armies. ‘Amr believed that this could only be so because RasulAllah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam loved him the most. So after the army had returned, ‘Amr went and sat by RasulAllah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam and asked him a question out loud so that everyone would hear the answer. He asked, “Who do you love the most?”

RasulAllah replied, “Aisha,” his wife.

Startled, ‘Amr asked, “No, no, from the men who?”

He said, “Her father!” Abu Bakr, radi Allahu anhu.

Ask yourself brothers & sisters, Who are our Role Models? Who are our childrens role models?

Have you ever sat with your children or some Muslim neighbor’s children? Give them a basketball and lower the rim for them and listen to what they say. All – with a few exceptions – will call out the name of a kafir basketball player as they take the shot. You’ll hear the name of Michael Jordan shouted out and others, a name that comes from their heart as they slam the ball in glee.

Listen carefully; they are innocently calling to the world, “I wanna be a kafir basketball player, just like that kafir Jordan.” Don’t be surprised when they reach university, after they’ve lost their precious youth, that they can spit a ball into a basket with unbelievable precision, yet they cannot read Al-Fatiha without fumbling like a baby. On the Day of Resurrection, these entertainment idols shall disown all those that took them as role models and imitated their sins. Interestingly, Reebok advertised one of these entertainment idols dunking a ball and at the end of the commercial he walks to the camera and says, “Just because I dunk a ball doesn’t mean I have to raise your kids.” Subhan Allah, if children and parents only understood what he said.

Look at the real models and the children that took them as their models. Aisha narrates that RasulAllah used to visit them in the mornings and in the evenings. But one day he came at noon time – a time that signified something different was happening. Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu opened the door and RasulAllah announced that Allah had given him permission to do Hijrah to Madinah. Abu Bakr bounced out, “Together, Yaa RasulAllah, together!”

And Rasul Allah replied, “Together.”

Abu Bakr began to cry. Aisha comments, “I never believed that someone could cry from happiness until I saw my father that day cry when he found out he would be doing Hijrah with RasulAllah.”

Look at the Hijrah incident and you shall see that all the characters involved other than Abu Bakr were children. Aisha and her brother Abd ArRahmaan. Asmaa was slapped in the face by Abu Jahl when she refused to tell him where her father was. The guide that took them to Madinah was also a young boy. Subhan Allah, these children grew up to be amongst the greatest humans to ever walk this earth. How not when they had the greatest role models – RasulAllah and Abu Bakr.

After over 10 years of da’wah and jihaad in Madinah, when RasulAllah passed away, ‘Umar called all the people, sharpened his sword and spoke. “Muhammad is not dead. He went to his Lord as Musa went to his Lord and he shall come back as Musa did. When he does, he shall kill all those who said he was dead.”

News reached Abu Bakr of the Prophet’s death. He prepared himself and galloped on his horse to RasulAllah’s home. There, RasulAllah lay covered in a cloth. Abu Bakr raised the cloth and kissed RasulAllah saying, “Tibta Hayyan wa Mayyitan (You are blessed in life and in death).” He then stepped outside as ‘Umar was addressing the people. “Sit down ‘Umar,” said Abu Bakr. He then praised Allah and began, “Whoever worships Muhammad let him know that Muhammad is dead, and whoever Allah let him know that Allah is alive and never dies.” He then recited the verse:

Muhammad is nothing more than a Messenger. Messengers came and went before him. If he dies or is killed shall you turn on your heels?

‘Umar said, “When I heard that verse, my knees became soft as I fell. I knew that RasulAllah had died.”

Soon after that, Abu Bakr sent out the army of Usama. Usama was 18 at that time, the age of one of our youth in grade 12. He led an entire Muslim army, fought the Romans and came home victorious, breeding fear in all those that wanted to attack the Muslims in Madinah.

As Usama was leaving Madinah, Abu Bakr was escorting his horse as he walked along side it. Usama said, “You shall ride with me or I shall come down and walk.”

But Abu Bakr refused saying, “You shall not come down and I shall not ride. What harm does it bring me that I should dust my feet in the cause of Allah for an hour of the day.” Indeed, Usama reached this position because he had role models like Abu Bakr.

Muslims understood the seriousness of the role models their children had. ‘Amr ibn Utbah rahimahullah advised his son’s teacher, “Let the first correction you do to my son be the correction of yourself. Verily, their eyes are locked into yours. Good to them is what you do, even if it is bad. And bad to them is what you do not do, even if it is good.”

Many parents have understood this issue of finding the correct role models for their children. Here is an example that we conclude with: In a kindergarten classroom, a non-Muslim teacher sat with the students and asked each one what they want to be when they grow up. One said, “I want to be a policeman.” The other announced, “I want to be a fireman.” Then a Muslim boy in the crowd spoke up, “I want to be a Sahaabee!” A what?

When parent teacher conferences came up, the teacher asked the parents about this Sahaabee that their son wanted to be when he grew up. They said, “Whenever we have the chance we read stories of the Prophet’s companions to him. They have become his role models. And when he becomes older he wants to be just like the Sahaabaa.”

Isn’t that what we want for our kids too?

 

The Sahabah: Role Models for every time & place

In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful
May Allah send His peace and blessings upon His final Messenger, and upon his family and companions.

The Sahaba were the greatest generation to ever exist in human history. The comprehensive culmination of their unique, distinct, yet united and coexistent personalities brought forth the greatest single generation that ever existed at one time. Certainly, it is true that there were people who were better than them – namely the Prophets and Messengers of Allah, all of whom we ask Allah to send His peace and blessings upon. However, they did not all live during the same time period in the same location, but rather stretched across every nation of the earth. Therefore, although the Prophets were better people, more beloved to Allah, higher ranking in Jannah, and more pure in their Iman, they did not culminate in one era and location to form a single generation. However, the Companions of Muhammad, Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam, who are the highest caliber believers after the Prophets, did live together in the same area during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam, and this enabled them to be the greatest of generations with no rival.

“The best people are those living in my generation, and then those who will follow them, and then those who will follow the latter…” Sahih Bukhari

But they were not all identical to one another. They did not all have the same exact personalities, backgrounds, mindsets, outlooks, and tastes. They were all unique in their own ways, but were united upon Islam and its implementation. The fact that they were different was a mercy of Allah to this Ummah, and the reason is simple. Had all of the Sahaba been identical, or even remarkably similar, then there would be no point in taking them all as role models. Rather, taking any of them would suffice, and no need would even exist to study them individually. However, when we see how they differed, we are able to take distinct lessons from each of them which we could not find in others. We learn from the experiences of some and acquire their different understandings of the areas of the religion in which flexibility and creativity is allowed, and in which each of them specialized more than others.

But most importantly, their individuality is critical to our Ummah because we as Muslims are all individuals – we are not all the same. We can find different Sahaba whose personalities matched our own more closely than others did, and it is they who should be made our role models. Allah and His Messenger Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam have declared their pleasure and satisfaction with the Sahaba, and in order to attain our highest objective, there is no generation more deserving of our admiration and humility towards than them.

The Prophet Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam was ideally smooth, and balanced in every way, but the Sahaba were not the Prophet Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam, so they typically had elements of their personalities which were accentuated, or which stood out and identified them, characterized them, and marked their individuality. These were the areas which they were most known for, and were specialists in.

For example, Abu Bakr was known for being the most well-rounded of the Sahaba. He had the most Iman, and was the first grown man to believe. He earned the title of “As-Siddeeq” when he stood up and believed the Prophet Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam in the miracle of Al-Israa’ Wal-Mi’raaj. The Prophet Muhammad Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam said that if weighed, the Iman of Abu Bakr would outweigh the rest of the Ummah. He was the most knowledgeable, and was the closest companion of the Messenger of Allah Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam. He excelled in every form of worship, and was therefore known as “As-Sabbaaq” – meaning the one who wins in every competition. Umar Ibn Al-Khattab one time famously donated half of his wealth to fund the Battle of Tabuk, hoping to outdo Abu Bakr, only to find that Abu Bakr donated his entire fortune. When asked by the Prophet Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam what he left for his family, he replied, “I left for them Allah and His Messenger!”

Umar was known for his power, and praiseworthy might. He used his vigorous strength, bold intellect, and far-sighted wisdom for the sake of Islam and for the empowerment of Muslims. He was therefore titled by the Messenger of Allah Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam, “Al-Faruq” – the Criterion between good and evil. If there was anyone known for bringing strength to the Ummah, it had to be Umar. When the Muslims were making Hijrah (migration) from Mecca to Medina out of oppression, they would do it in secret, except Umar. When his time came, he strapped his sword around his neck, marched to the Ka’aba in broad daylight, and performed Tawaf. He then stood up and announced, “I am about to make Hijrah to Medina. Whoever wants their mothers to be bereft of their son, their wives to be widowed, and their children to be orphaned, then meet me behind this mountain at such time.” The Sahaba said that no one dared to meet Umar except some of the fools of Mecca, and he taught them all very valuable lessons before he sent them back home.

A’isha was known for her scholarly mind, and her well-developed wisdom driven by her youthful curiosity. She was the young wife of Rasul Allah Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam, and daughter of his best companion Abu Bakr. Out of her curiosity, she would ask a plethora of questions, which allowed her to develop into a priceless  resource for knowledge and rulings. More than 2,000 hadith narrations trace back to her, ranking her amongst the highest hadith narrators. Due to her vast knowledge, she was a primary source for Ijtihad, or determining what is Halal or Haram based on evidences from Qur’an and Sunnah. Since she lived long after the death of the Prophet Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam, she was able to teach the Muslims their religion for many long years before she returned to Allah.

When it came to business, and making money, the first to come to mind is Abdur-Rahman ibn Auf. He was known as the man of golden fingers. Everything he touched seemed to turn to gold, as money poured in from any business he did. He would spend vast fortunes in the way of Allah. One time, the people of Medina felt the ground shaking, so they saw that Abdur-Rahman ibn Auf brought an entire caravan of wealth from Syria, and all of it was donated in way of Allah. At the time of his death, he owned an astonishing 1 Billion Dinar of purely Halal wealth. It was so much that part of it was divided amongst every living Sahabi who participated in the Battle of Badr.

If we speak of warriors, then few Sahaba could compete with Az-Zubair Ibn Al-Awwam. There were only two men from among the Sahaba who were known for being able to fight with two swords in both hands at the same time equally well, while steering their mount with their feet. They were Az-Zubair Ibn Al-Awwam and Khalid Ibn Waleed. One time, Abdullah, the son of Az-Zubair was trying to encourage his father to return to the Battle of the Camel, and challenged his bravery. Az-Zubair replied, “By Allah, there is not a hand-span on my body except that there is a wound there attained fighting in the sake of Allah next to the Messenger of Allah (Sal-Allahu Aklayhi wa Sallam)…even my private.”

These are just a fraction of the examples of greatness manifested in every positive attribute, highlighting every positive characteristic, which we can learn from the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam. One may just say that our example is the Messenger of Allah, Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam, so why should we look beyond him to the Sahaba as role models? The answer is that the Messenger of Allah Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam was the greatest of all examples for us to follow, and no Muslim can deny this. However, that does not mean that we cannot follow those who he taught directly as well.

In fact, by following the Sahaba, we are following the Prophet Muhammad Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam, because they did not learn or understand the religion from anyone other than him. They would not say anything about the religion except that he was the one who taught it to them. Both the Qur’an and the Sunnah arrived at our hands through their transmission, so they were the foremost eyewitnesses to both sources of primary revelation, and they were the ones who most deeply understood them after Allah and His Messenger Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam. The Sahaba were present at the exact times of revelation, and were often the triggers for why parts of Islam were revealed when they were. Not only that, but if there were any questions, they would turn directly to the Messenger of Allah Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam to clarify any element of Islam, whatsoever. The Sahaba therefore had a greater, and more complete depth of understanding of the Deen than anyone who came after them. For these reasons, among many others, we take them as our role models.