Dr. Arafat K. E l-Ashi

Muslim World LeagueCanadian Office

191 The West Mall, Suite #1018Etobicoke, OntarioCanada M9C 5K8

Tel:(416) 622-2184Fax:(416) 622-2618

By Luminaries of Islam I mean the great men and women whofollowed the path of Islam and gave their lives to its cause. These peoplemade Islam something alive for all others to see. It is true, for instance,that Islam is the religion of mercy and love to all humanity. This is clearlystated in the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet peace be upon him.But this is not sufficient to convince others about this truth. The real proofof these virtues is only manifested by men and women who put them intopractice.

This series of Luminaries of Islam is written with that spirit, to showothers the light of Islam through the practical lives and examples of men.May God reward those who did their best to live up to the principles ofthis faith and may God forgive them for any of their human weaknesses.May the Almighty also guide us in their footsteps to achieve happinesshere and in the Hereafter.

The Author

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Preface

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful:

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“Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah; and those who are with him arestrong against unbelievers, but compassionate among each other. You willsee them bow and prostrate themselves in prayer, seeking Grace fromAllah and His good pleasure. On their faces are their marks, being thetraces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Torah; and theirsimilitude in the Gospel is like a seed which sends forth its blade, thenmakes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem fillingthe sower with wonder and delight. As a result it fills the unbelievers withrage at them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and dorighteous deeds forgiveness and a great reward. “

The Holy Quran (chap. 48/v.29)

1 . NUH ( NOAH ) 29. AL MUGHEERAH IBN2 . IBRAHIM ( ABRAHAM ) (1,2) SHU’BA3 . MUSA ( MOSES ) (1,3) 30. AL HASAN IBN ALI IBN4 . ISA IBN MARYAM ABI TALEB

( JESUS CHRIST ) (1,2) 31. QAYS IBN SAAD5 . MUHAMMAD (1,2) 32. MUAWIYAH IBN ABI6 . KHADIJA BINT SUFIYAN

KHUWAYLED 33. UWAYS IBN AMER AL7 . FATIMAH BINT QARANI (1,2)

MUHAMMAD 34. SAEED IBN JUBAYR8 . AISHA SIDDIQA 35. URWA IBN AL ZUBAYR9 . NUSAIBAH BINT KAAB 36. AL ABBAS IBN ABDEL10. KAAB IBN MALEK MUTTALEB (1,2)

AL ANSARI 37. UBAY IBN KAAB11. SAWDAH BINT ZAMAA 38. AL AHNAF IBN QAYS12. HAFSAH BINT UMER 39. SAAD IBN UBADAH13. AL NAJASHI 40. SAEED IBN AL MUSAYYAB

( THE NEGUS ) (1,2) 41. TAMEEM AL DARI14. KHAWLAH BINT 42. SALEM IBN ABDULLAH

THAALABAH IBN UMER15. RUQAYYAH BINT 43. ABDULLAH IBN AL

MUHAMMAD MUBARAK16. ABU MOOSA AL ASHARI 44. ABU QILABAH17. AMMAR IBN YASER ABDULLAH IBN ZAYD18. ABDULLAH IBN RUWAHAH 45. ABU SULAIMAN AL19. ABU DUJANAH AL ANSARI DARANI20. HASSAN IBN THABET 46. AL SHAABI21. UBADAH IBN AL SAMET 47. MUHAMMAD IBN SEEREEN22. SHADDAD IBN AWS 48. WAHB IBN MUNABBIH23. AL ASHAATH IBN QAYS 49. AL HASAN AL BASRI24. SALAMAH IBN DINAR 50. MUTTARRIF IBN25. ALI IBN AL HUSAIN IBN ALI ABDULLAH26. JAAFAR IBN MUHAMMAD 51. MUHAMMAD IBN AL27. AL FUDDAYL IBN IYADD HANAFIYAH28. ABDULLAH IBN AMR 52. CONCLUSION

IBN AL AASS 53. BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Table of Contents

T his series will not be limited to the traditional sons of Islam who followedProphet Muhammad peace be upon him and distinguished themselves in oneway or another. It will also include two other categories of great personalities:One is the Prophets of Allah who preceded Muhammad, the last Prophet ofIslam, and whom Muhammad peace be upon him, followed, imitated, believedin and loved so much so that he described his relationship with them to be thatof one family, one brotherhood. That is why also Islam is not simply the religionof Muhammad and his followers but it is the one and only religion of all previousprophets starting from Adam and ending with Jesus Christ peace and blessingsof Allah be upon them all.

The second category of Islamic luminaries that will be highlighted, Allahwilling, in this series is that of outstanding Muslim women. This is again becausegreatness in the sight of Islam is not the monopoly of men alone, there has alwaysbeen an equal chance for women to distinguish themselves and rise to the highestdegrees of honor and prestige. This again will include great women who excelledin certain virtues that raised them to the peak of honor and love. This does notmean that we shall exclude the great luminaries whom Islam presented tohumanity and who got the torch from their greatest leader Prophet Muhammadpeace be upon him. So the present series will include the three said categories.

To start with let us now talk about the first category, namely that of theProphets who preceded Muhammad and in whom Muslims believe along withthis Last Prophet of Allah. The Holy Quran refers to the fact that not a singlenation but had a prophet whom Allah Almighty sent to them carrying Hisrevelation. Twenty five prophets, however, are mentioned in the Quran in name.Out of them five are the greatest. These are: Noah, Abraham or Ibrahim as he iscalled in the Quran, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.

Noah or Nuh, as the Quran calls him, was a great son of Islam, the onereligion of Allah to all humanity. He was sent to his people to invite them to theway of righteousness and belief in Allah. Describing this the Quran says: “Wesent Noah to his people with the command: Do warn your people before therecomes to them a grievous penalty. He said: O my people! I am to you a warner,clear and open; that you should worship Allah, fear Him, and obey me. So He mayforgive you your sins and give you respite for a stated term. For when the termgiven by Allah is accomplished, it cannot be delayed if you only knew.” (71-1-4)

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NOAH

That was the message of Noah to his people; it is exactly the basic messageof his brother in prophethood Muhammad, as it is the same message of otherprophets from their Lord. But what sort of response did Noah receive from hispeople? This is what he tells Allah in the following complaint: He said: O myLord! I have invited my people, night and day; but my call only increased theirflight (from the truth); and every time I have called them, so that You mightforgive them, they have only thrust their fingers into their ears, coveredthemselves up with their garments, grown obstinate, and given themselves up toarrogance. ( 71-5-7 )

Despite all this rejection of Noah’s call on the part of his people, he did notgive up, neither did he lose hope of their conversion to the truth, but he changedhis strategy. About this the Holy Quran says: “ So I have called to them aloud;further I have spoken to them in public and secretly in private, saying: Askforgiveness from your Lord, for He is oft-forgiving; He will send rain to you inabundance; give you increase in wealth and sons; and bestow on you gardens andbestow on you rivers of flowing water.” ( 71-8-12 )

Prophet Noah, peace be upon him, was not desperate at all despite thedisbelief of the great majority of his people. He said: What is the matter with you,that you place not your hope for kindness and long suffering in Allah, seeing thatit is He who created you in diverse stages? See you not how Allah has created theseven heavens one above another, and made the moon a light in their midst andmade the sun a glorious lamp? And Allah has produced you from the earth,growing gradually, and in the end He will return you into it, and raise you forthagain at the Resurrection? (71-13-18 )

“ And Allah has made the earth for you as a carpet spread out, says Noah, sothat you may go about therein in spacious roads! “( 71-19 ) Despite all theseinjunctions and eye openers, the people of Noah insisted on their disbelief. Notonly this, but they started to mock him and make each other laugh at him and hisso-called absurdity! He was one of the most patient prophets history of mankindhas ever witnessed. His call continued for almost one thousand years and stillgeneration after generation he received nothing but rejection and disbelief.

So what did Noah do? At last he cursed his mockers and disbelievers andstarted to complain again to Allah Almighty in the following words of the HolyQuran: “ Noah said: O my Lord! They have disobeyed me. But they followedmen whose wealth and children gave them nothing but increasing loss. And theyhave devised a tremendous plot. And they have said to each other! “ Abandon

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not your gods, abandon neither Wadd nor Suwa’, neither Yaguth nor Ya’ooq norNasr. They have already misled many; and grant you no increase to thewrongdoers but in straying from the straight path. ( 71-21-24 )

So what happened to the people of Noah who rejected Allah’s message tothem? In chapter 71 of the Quran their punishment is described very briefly inthe following words: Because of their sins they were drowned in the flood andwere made to enter the Fire and they found in lieu of Allah none to help them.( 71-25 ) In chapter Hud we have more details about Noah and his people.There we are told that it was only few poor people who followed him while thegreat majority of the wealthy ones rejected and disowned him.

When there was no hope of their belief “ It was revealed to Noah that: Noneof your people will believe except those who have already believed. So grieve nolonger over their evil deeds. And construct the Ark under Our eyes and Ourinspiration, and address Me not on behalf of those who are in sin; for they areabout to be overwhelmed in the flood. ( 11-36-37 )

As for those who believed in his message, Noah was commanded to say tothem: Embark you on the Ark in the name of Allah, whether it moves or be atrest. So the Ark floated with them on the waves towering like mountains, andNoah called out to his son, who had separated himself from the rest: O my son!Embark with us and be not with the Unbelievers! The son replied: I will betakemyself to some mountain which will save me from the water. Noah said: Thisday nothing can save from the command of Allah, any but those on whom Hehas mercy. The waves separated them and the son was among those whodrowned. ( 11-41-43 )

When Noah pleaded to Allah saying: O my Lord! Surely my son is of myfamily, Allah Almighty taught him a lesson saying that an unbelieving son is astranger to his faithful parents. Noah quickly complied and asked forgiveness.Thus when Noah’s wife was also a supporter of the unbelievers against her ownhusband, she was doomed and entered Fire as the Quran tells.

This then is the story of Noah, that great luminary of Islam whose story hasbeen narrated by the Quran to teach Muslims many lessons.

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T he second luminary of Islam in the wider sense of the word is thePatriarch of the Prophets, Ibrahim or Abraham as he is called in the sacred booksbefore the Holy Quran. This last book of Allah highlights the story of Ibrahim insuch a way that honors him beyond description. Despite the fact that Ibrahimmay peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, lived thousands of years ago hisimage in the Quran is so vivid and alive that Muslims today feel as if they are thecontemporaries of the father of all prophets as he is rightly called. Let us now seewhat the Holy Quran has to say about Ibrahim.

The first image about Ibrahim in the Holy Quran is that of a restless soulwho does not accept the traditional idol-worship cult of his people. He findshimself in an extremely awkward position. His father, Aazar, was an idolsculptor and naturally an idol-worshipper like the rest of his people. So we readthe following verses from chapter six which say: Lo! Ibrahim said to his fatherAazar: Do you take idols for gods. I see that you and your people are in manifesterror. Thus also We show Ibrahim the power and the laws of the heavens and theearth that he might, with understanding, have certitude. ( 6-74-75 )

The Quran then tells us how Ibrahim was guided to the truth and to worshipthe One God (Allah). This is clear from the following verses: When nightcovered him over, he saw a planet, he said: This is my Lord. But when it set, hesaid: I love not those that set. When he saw the moon rising in splendor, he said:This is my Lord. But when the moon (also) set, he said: Unless my Lord guidesme, I shall surely be among those who go astray. When he saw the sun rising insplendor, he said: This is my Lord. This is the greatest of all. But when the sunset, he said: O my people! I am indeed free from your guilt of giving partners toAllah. For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him who created theheavens and the earth, and never shall I give any partners (to Allah). ( 6-76-79 )

This is how Ibrahim arrived at the truth through sound reasoning. He didthis in the open, challenging all his people who started to face him with theircounter challenge. “ His people disputed with him. He said: Come you todispute with me, about Allah, when He Himself has guided me? I fear not thebeings you associate with Allah unless my Lord wills something else. My Lordcomprehends in His knowledge all things. Will you not yourselves beadmonished. And how should I fear the beings you associate with Allah, when

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IBRAHIMPART 1

you fear not to give partners to Allah without any warrant having been given toyou? Which of us two parties has more right to security? Tell me if you know. Itis those who believe and confuse not their faith with wrong that are truly insecurity, for they are on right guidance. ( 6-77-82 )

This is how Prophet Ibrahim emerged as a mighty messenger of Allah. Inthe words of the Quran we read: That was the reasoning about Us which We gaveto Ibrahim to use against his people.( 6-83 )

From then on Ibrahim started his mission which was one of the heaviestundertakings in human history. His first confrontation was with his ownfather, Aazar, the idol maker and worshipper. Describing this the Holy Quransays: Mention in the book the story of Ibrahim; he was a man of truth, aprophet. Behold! He said to his father: O my father! Why worship that whichhears not, sees not and can profit you nothing. O my father! To me has comeknowledge which has not reached you; so follow me, I will guide you to a waythat is even and straight. O my father! Worship not the Devil; for the Devil isa rebel against Allah the Most Gracious. O my father! I fear lest a penaltyshould afflict you from Allah Most Gracious, so that you become to the Devila friend. ( 19-41-45 )

But what was the answer of the arrogant father? Unfortunately, he could notovercome his petty worldly gains and be guided to the truth. He rather rejectedit in the following words: He replied: Do you hate my gods, O Ibrahim? If youforbear not, I will indeed stone you. Now get away from me for a good long while.( 19-46 )

Did Ibrahim forbear and stop his message? Never. He became stronger andall that he said to his father was the following: Peace be on you. I will pray to myLord for your forgiveness, for He is to me Most Gracious. ( 19-47 ) Then comesthe following comment: And I will turn away from you and from those whomyou invoke besides Allah; I will call on my Lord. For sure, through my prayer tomy Lord I shall be not unblessed. ( 1-48 )

With this firm belief Ibrahim, peace be upon him, started his secondchallenge. This time it was against the King of his country. The Holy Quranconveys this scene in the following verse: Have you not turned your vision to onewho disputed with Ibrahim about his Lord, because Allah had granted himpower? Ibrahim said: My Lord is He who gives life and death. He said: I give lifeand death. Said Ibrahim: But it is Allah who causes the sun to rise from the East,

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cause it to rise from the West. Thus was he confounded who in arrogance rejectedfaith. Nor does Allah give guidance to a people unjust. ( 2-258 )

Thus Prophet Ibrahim continued his message to his people. He usedpermissible tricks to do so. One day after he warned them against those idols oftheirs and his inviting them to worship the true God Allah, they said: Have youbrought us the Truth or are you one of those who jest? This they said mockingly.“ He said no. Your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. He Who createdthem from nothing, and I am a witness to this truth.” When they turned deaf earsto his call Ibrahim said: And by Allah! I have a plan for your idols after you goaway and turn your backs.

Then he turned to their idols and said: Will you not eat of the offeringsbefore you? What is the matter with you that you speak not at all.” So he brokethem to pieces, all but the biggest of them, that they might turn and addressthemselves to it. They said: Who has done this to our gods? He must indeed besome man of impiety. They said: We heard a youth talk of them; he is calledIbrahim. They said: Then bring him before the eyes of the people so that theymay bear witness.

When they got hold of Ibrahim the Prophet of Allah, they said: Are you theone who did this with our gods, O Ibrahim? He said: Nay - this was done bythis, their biggest one. Ask them, if they can utter at all. So they turned tothemselves and said: Surely you are the ones in the wrong. Then they wereconfounded with shame. They said: You know full well that these do not speak.Ibrahim said: Do you then worship, besides Allah things that can neither be ofany good to you nor can do you any harm? Fie upon you and upon the thingsthat you worship besides Allah! Have you no sense. They said: burn him andsupport your gods, if you would do anything at all. They made a huge fire andthrew Ibrahim in its midst. But Allah Almighty came to his assistance. And inthe words of the Quran again: We said: O Fire! Be you cool and a means ofsafety for Ibrahim. Then they sought a stratagem against him, but We madethem the ones that lost most.

In these verses about Prophet Ibrahim a few points should be clarified.When his people asked him if it was he who broke the idols to pieces, his replywas this: Nay, this was done by this their biggest. Ibrahim, in fact, did not lie tothem here. As he signaled to the biggest idol, with his big finger, he meant thatit was done by his said finger as well as his right hand. The unbelieversunderstood the opposite and it was an eye-opener to them for a few minutes. So

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Ibrahim did not lie.

Again when his people were confounded with shame and acknowledged thatthey were in the wrong, they, however, refused to believe in the manifest truthbefore them and insisted on disbelief. So they deserved the curse from ‘ Ibrahimwhen he said: Fie upon you and upon the things that you worship besides Allah.Have you no sense?

A third point in this context about this most outstanding luminary of Islamis that when he was thrown in the fire, all the attending people imagined thatthey would get rid of him and his call. But what happened; instead of finishinghim and eating him up, the great fire was made cool and a means of safety forIbrahim. What a strange miracle! But nothing is strange once it is done by Allah,the Creator of the universe. In fact, compared to numerous other miracles ofAllah around us, this will only be a minor miracle. The very fire that theythought will burn him up was transformed into a source of safety for Ibrahim thegreat luminary of Islam. More will follow about him.

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T his is a continuation of the story of Ibrahim the father of prophets whoindeed deserved a lot of attention in the Holy Quran. Here he is described insome verses as “ummah” meaning a model, an example and a pattern forimitation. Not only this but he is also an “ummah” which literally means a nationto imply that he is equivalent to a whole nation in the sight of Allah simplybecause he stood alone as a believer and a prophet of Allah against the wholeworld of his time. In this context the Quran says: “ Ibrahim was indeed a model,devoutly obedient to Allah, true in faith, and he joined not gods with Allah. Heshowed his gratitude for the favors of Allah who chose him and guided him to astraight way. We gave him good in this world, and he will be, in the Hereafter, inthe ranks of the righteous. “ ( 16-120-122 )

Not only this but Ibrahim is repeatedly described as the founder of Islam.That is why Muslims are asked to follow the religion of Ibrahim. Thus the HolyQuran describes him as an “imam” a leader: And remember that Ibrahim wastried by his Lord with certain commands which he fulfilled. Allah said: I shallmake you an imam (a leader ) to people. He pleaded: And also from my offspring.Allah answered But My promise is not within the reach of evil doers.

Ibrahim again is the prophet who rebuilt the Kaaba the first house andmosque on earth. The Quran says: And remember when Ibrahim and Ismailraised the foundations of the House with this prayer: Our Lord accept this fromus, for You are the All-Hearing the All-Knowing. Our Lord! Make us Muslimsbowing to You, and of our progeny a Muslim people, to you, and show us ourplaces for the celebration of due rites and turn unto us in mercy. For You are theOft-Returning, Most Merciful.

Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h is reported to have said: I am the answer of Myfather Ibrahim’s appeal. This appeal of Ibrahim is recorded in the Quran in thefollowing words: Our Lord! Send among them an apostle of their own, who shallrehearse Your Signs to them and instruct them in Scripture and Wisdom, andsanctify them; for You are the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

That is why the Holy Quran regards anyone a disbeliever if he does notfollow the religion of Ibrahim. It says: And whoever turns away from the religion

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IBRAHIMPART 2

of Ibrahim will only debase his soul with folly. We chose him and rendered himpure in this world, and he will be in the Hereafter among the Righteous. Behold!His Lord said to him: Be a Muslim. He said: I submit as a Muslim to the Lordand Cherisher of the universe. ( 2-130-131 )

Not only this but Ibrahim asked his sons to follow the religion of Islamrepresented in the belief in the One God and in the Hereafter. Here the Quransays: And this was the legacy that Ibrahim left to his sons, and so did Jacob: Omy sons! Allah has chosen the faith for you, then die not except in the faith ofIslam. ( 2-132 )

That is why the Holy Quran rejects the claim that Ibrahim was a Jew or aChristian. In a clear and decisive logic it says: Ibrahim was not a Jew nor yet aChristian but he was true in faith, a Muslim who joined not gods with Allah.Without doubt, among men, the nearest of kin to Ibrahim are those whofollowed him, as are also this Apostle and those who believe; and Allah is theProtector of those who have faith. ( 3-67-68 )

In his personal life Ibrahim was married to Sarah a pure and sincere believer,but she was sterile and could not give birth to any children. When the twoimmigrated to Egypt Sarah asked Ibrahim to get married to her maid Hagar whogot pregnant and gave birth to Ishmael, Ibrahim’s first born child. Despite herpurity Sarah became jealous but as a pure worshipper of Allah she addressedherself to Him alone. So what happened? First of all, she was given the gladtidings of a gift from Allah a son: despite her sterility and the senility of herhusband. In the words of the Quran we read: There came Our Messengers toIbrahim with glad tidings ... His wife was standing there, and she laughed. ButWe gave her glad news of Isaac and after Isaac Jacob. She said alas for me! ShallI bear a child, seeing that I am an old woman and my husband here is an old man?That would indeed be a wonderful thing.

The celestial Messengers said: Do you wonder at Allah’s decree? The graceof Allah and His blessings be on you O you people of the house! For He is indeedworthy of all praise full of all glory. ( 11-69-71-72 )

Going back to Ibrahim’s first born Ishmael son of Hagar, Allah Almightycommanded Ibrahim to take him and his mother to Makkah and leave them nearthe House of Allah, the Kaabah which was in a dilapidated condition. Not onlythis but part of the test was that he should leave them alone in the desert and joinhis wife Sarah who was still in Egypt. Knowing this Hagar came to Ibrahim and

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said: Is it Allah who commanded you to do so? He said: Yes indeed. She said:Then He will not surrender us!

Before leaving them Ibrahim said: Our Lord! I have made some of myoffspring to dwell in a valley without cultivation, by your Sacred House, in order,Our Lord, that they may establish regular prayer, so incline the hearts of peoplewith love towards them, and feed them with fruits, so that they may give thanks.O our Lord! Truly You know what we conceal and what we reveal, for nothingwhatever is hidden from Allah, whether on earth or in heaven. (14-37-38)

With tears in his eyes but faith filling his heart and that of Hagar, Ibrahimleft them behind and went away. What on earth happened to Hagar and herbaby? The new born became thirsty and his mother started to look for water. Nowater was however in sight. So Allah came to their help. A spring of sweet watergushed forth under the feet of Ishmael. What a great miracle! But it was only ananswer to a sincere prayer of the faithful. So Hagar and Ishmael survived.

But Ibrahim, that great luminary of Islam and the world had to face othertests from Allah Almighty. After a number of years he returned to Makkah tofind Hagar and Ishmael in an excellent condition. Ishmael became a strongyouth. He was in fact the centre of the pleasure of his parents. One day Ibrahimwoke up and in the words of the Quran: He said: O my son! I see in a vision thatI offer you in sacrifice. Now see what is your view.

Facing this most difficult situation what did the son say: He said: O myfather! Do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah so wills, onepractising patience and constancy. So when they had both submitted their will toAllah and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead for sacrifice, We called outto him: O Ibrahim! You have already fulfilled the vision - thus indeed do Wereward those who do right. For this was obviously a trial. And We replaced himwith a momentous sacrifice ... Peace and salutation to Ibrahim... For he was oneof Our believing servants. (37-102-111)

For the second time, then, Ibrahim emerged victorious. He succeeded in thetrial and was rewarded by another son, Isaac, the father of all succeedingProphets of Israel. Ishmael, on the other hand, was the father of the seal and thelast of all the Prophets of Allah Muhammad peace be upon him and upon all theProphets of Allah until the Day of Judgement.

What now remains is to contemplate the bases of the strong belief of

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Ibrahim. In the previous part we showed how he could arrive at the true belief inAllah after he looked around him. Again we are told in the Quran that: Ibrahimsaid: My Lord! Show me how You give life to the dead. He said: Don’t youbelieve? He said: Yea, but to satisfy my own faith and understanding. He said:Take four birds, tame them to turn to you, cut them to pieces and put a portionof them on every hill, and call to them. They will come to you flying with speed.Then know that Allah is Exalted in power, Wise. When Ibrahim did this the fourbirds came running in speed unto him. (2-260-261) Ibrahim was thus a greatbeliever in Allah and that is the basis of his great honor and prestige.

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P rophet Moses or Mousa as he is referred to in the Holy Quran is the thirdpersonality in this series of luminaries of Islam. It may be asked here: But Mosesis the Messenger of Allah to Jews, himself a Jew, so how can he be a luminary ofIslam? As we said earlier, this is because we Muslims believe that all the Prophetsand Messengers of Allah were Muslims. In other words Islam has always beenthe same religion of Allah conveyed through different Prophets and apostles tovarious peoples. The one Allah has sent the same religion to all peoples. ThusMoses fits in properly as a luminary of Islam.

Again Muslims can only deserve the name when they believe in all theMessengers of Allah Almighty. One article of faith in Islam is, thus, the belief inall Prophets of Allah. Accordingly does there remain any doubt that Moses isalso a Prophet of Islam? As a matter of fact, the following prophecy in chapter 18verse 18 of Deuteronomy carries the promise of Allah to Moses that AllahAlmighty will send Prophet Muhammad among the Arabs who are the brothersof the Israelites as the former are the descendants of Ishmael the elder son ofIbrahim father of Isaac who again is the father of the Israelites. The prophecysays: “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee,and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shallcommand him”. Muslim scholars give sufficient proof here to show that thepromised Prophet is Muhammad peace be upon him.

To come now to Moses, who was this mighty Prophet of Allah? What washis call? What does the Holy Quran tell us about him? There are numerousdetails in this last Book of Allah about Prophet Moses, more than any otherMessenger of Allah. These details cover many stages in the life of Moses, his calland his people. First of all the Quran establishes the fact that Moses is onedescendant of Ibrahim the father of Prophets. In chapter 3 verse 33 we read thefollowing: “Allah did choose Adam. Noah, the family of Ibrahim and the familyof Imran above all creation, offspring one of the other; and Allah hears andknows all things”. So Moses here is implied as he is a member of the family ofImran. These people have been chosen to be Prophets of Allah thanks to theirpiety and not for anything else.

Now to come closer. The childhood of Moses is referred to at the beginning

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MOSESPART 1

of chapter 28 verse 7 where the Quran says: So We sent this inspiration to themother of Moses: Suckle him, but when you have fears about him, cast him intothe river, but fear not nor grieve, for We shall restore him to you and We shallmake him one of the apostles.

It may be asked here: How can that be? In case Moses’s mother is afraid sheis commanded here to throw her baby in the river? The answer is that Allah isimplying here that He will save him and return him to her. Another point is thatsuckling her child in fear and grief is more dangerous to him than even throwinghim in the river, because the milk in this state becomes poisonous and evenkilling.

Now what happened when the baby was thrown in the river? “ The peopleof Pharaoh picked him up (unknowing) that he would be to them an adversaryand a cause of sorrow. Pharaoh and Haman and all their hosts were indeed wrong- doers. “ ( 28-8 )

Seeing the baby Pharaoh wanted to kill him as he used to kill all the new bornsof the Israelites but: “ the wife of Pharaoh said: Here is a joy of the eye, for me andfor you; slay him not. It may be that he will be of use to us, or we may adopt himas a son.” And they perceived not what they were (really) doing. ( 28-9 )

Taking us back to Moses’ mother the Holy Quran says: On the morrow,however, an aching void grew up in the heart of the mother of Moses, and shewould indeed have disclosed all about him had We not endowed her heart withenough strength to keep alive her faith in Our promise. And so she said to hissister: Trace him, and the girl watched him in the character of a stranger whilethey were not aware of it. Now from the very beginning We caused him to refusethe breast of (other) nurses; and (his sister) said shall I guide you to a family thatmight rear him and look after him for you with good will? Thus did We restorehim to his mother so that her eye might be gladdened, and that she might grieveno longer and that she might know for sure that Allah’s promise always comestrue even though most of them know it not. ( 28-10-13 )

From the cradle of childhood the Holy Quran does not tell us anythingabout Moses’s affairs during boyhood. All that we have is the followingdescribing his puberty: “Now when he reached manhood and had becomemature of mind We bestowed on him wisdom and knowledge, for thus do Wereward those who do good”. ( 28-14 )

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We come now to the first problem in Moses’ life. “One day”, he entered thecity at a time when its people were (resting) unaware of what was going on (in thestreets). He found there two men fighting with each other - one of his ownpeople, while the other of his enemies. Now the man of his own people appealedto him against his foe - so Moses struck him with his fist and made an end of him.But then he said to himself: “ This is a work of the Devil, for indeed he is anenemy that manifestly misleads. He prayed: “ O my Lord! I have indeedwronged myself. Do please forgive me. “ So (Allah) forgave him, for He is theOft - forgiving, Most Merciful. Said he: O my Lord! For all that You havebestowed on me (of your graces) never shall I be a help to those who are lost insin. ( 28-15-17 )

The Holy Quran continues to describe the minute details of Moses’ life inthis juncture so much so that one feels as if he is accompanying him. TheQuranic description runs as follows: Next morning he found himself in the citylooking fearfully about him, when, behold! The man who had, the day before,sought his help called aloud for his support once again. Moses said to him: Youare indeed, most clearly, a quarrelsome fellow! Even then when he decided to fallupon the man who was their common foe, he said: O Moses! Do you want to killme as you killed a person yesterday? Your sole aim is to become a tyrant in theland and would not at all be of the reformers. ( 28-18-19 )

Here the situation became extremely critical. Moses found himself in anawkward position. Everybody now knew of his crime the day before. He stoodamazed, not knowing what to do. In the words of the Quran “ Then a man camerunning from the farthest end of the city. He said: O Moses! The chiefs aredeliberating upon your case with a view to killing you. Be gone then. Verily I amof those who wish you well.

The Holy Quran then continues: So he went forth from there, lookingfearfully about him, and prayed: O my Lord! Save me from all evil - doing folk.And as he turned his face towards Madyan he said to himself: I do hope that myLord will show me the smooth and straight path. And when he arrived at thewatering place in Madyan, he found there a group of men watering their flocks,and besides them he came upon two women who were keeping back their flock.He said: What is the matter with you? They said: We cannot water our flocksuntil the shepherds drive theirs home ( For we are weak) and - our father is a veryold man. So he watered their flocks for them and then he withdrew into the shadeand prayed: O my Lord, Verily in dire need do I stand of any good which Youmay bestow upon me. “ ( 28-21-24 )

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Here is the beginning of a story of pure and innocent love between Mosesthe would-be- Prophet of Allah and one of the two damsels for whom he wateredthe flocks. Once he saw them his heart was moved towards either of them and hewished her to be his wife. So he addressed himself to Allah Almighty. Whathappened? Allah’s answer was instant. This is described in the followingQuranic verses: Shortly afterwards one of the damsels came back to him, walkingbashfully. She said: My father invites you so that he may reward you for havingwatered our flocks for us. So when he came to him and narrated the story, he said:Fear you not. You are now safe from those evil-doing folks. Said one of the twodaughters: O my father! Hire him, for the best man you can hire is the one whois as strong and worthy of trust as he is. ( 28-25-26 )

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W e already witnessed the love story starting between Moses and one of thetwo damsels for whom he watered the flocks. She expressed her admiration ofMoses to her father in the purest and most beautiful style. She said: O my fatherhire him. For indeed the best man that you can hire is the one who is as strongand as trustworthy as he is - referring to Moses. So the father got the message.But in order not to hurt the bashfulness of his daughter who fell in love withMoses he said: I am willing to let you wed one of these two daughters of mine, oncondition that you serve me for eight years; but if you complete ten years, it willbe grace from you. I intend not, however, to place you under any difficulty. Youwill find me, indeed, Allah willing, one of the righteous.

And Moses peace be upon him got the message. The love in the damsel’sheart was reciprocated. It occupied a spot in his heart from the very beginningwhen he prayed to Allah after the departure of the two sisters asking Allah tobestow on him part of this good He sent to him. The marriage took place andMoses now wanted to go back to his country and people taking along with himhis pregnant wife. He did not know what was in store for him, neither did heaspire for anything beyond his daily needs. But Allah Almighty chooses hisprophets from among the best people on earth. Moses was of those chosen onesthanks to his excellent nature and good deeds. But how did his prophethood takeplace?

The Holy Quran comes to our assistance. The Divine word runs as follows:Now when Moses had fulfilled the term, and was travelling with his family, heperceived a fire in the direction of Mount Toor. He said to his family: Wait here.Behold. I perceive a fire; I hope to bring you from there some information or aburning firebrand so that you may warm yourselves.

So Moses proceeded to catch a firebrand to warm his family. But instead hegot the fire and the light of prophethood. It is indeed the most beloved warmthof faith in Allah Almighty, which has been granted to Moses, the chosen one ofAllah, whom Muslims love and respect and also regard as one of their greatestluminaries although Jews consider him as their Jewish leader and prophet. But asIslam is the religion of the whole world, it is only natural that it should take allthe prophets of Allah as one brotherhood that should be believed in by all the

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faithful men on earth.

Here is the Quranic presentation of one example of prophethood: But whenhe came to the Fire, a voice was heard from the right-side bank of the valley, outof the tree (burning) on blessed ground: “ O Moses! Verily, I am Allah, the Lordof the worlds. And throw down your staff! “ But as soon as he saw it moverapidly, as if it were a snake, he drew back in terror, and retraced not his steps.”O Moses! “ it was said: Draw near and fear not. For you are of those who aresecure. Move your hand into your bosom it will come forth white without stain,or harm, and hold your arm close to yourself, to guard against fear. Those are thetwo credentials from your Lord to Pharaoh and his chiefs; for truly they are apeople rebellious and wicked. ( 28-30-32 )

What was the human response on the part of Moses who was taken bysurprise to receive this Divine message? “ He said, O my Lord! I have slain a manamong them, and I fear lest they should slay me. And my brother Aaron - He ismore eloquent in speech than 1; so send him with me as a helper, to confirm andstrengthen me; for I fear that they may accuse me of falsehood. “Allah” said: Wewill certainly strengthen you through your brother, and shall invest you bothwith authority so they shall not be able to touch you; with Our signs shall youtriumph - you two as well as those who follow you. (28-33-35 )

Carrying this Message Moses joined his brother Aaron and conveyed to himthe mutual mission. Again Allah addressed both of them saying: Go, both of youto Pharaoh, for he has indeed transgressed all bounds; but speak to him mildly,perchance he may take warning or fear Allah. They said: Our Lord! We fear lesthe should hasten with insolence against us, or transgress all bounds. He (Allah)said: Fear not, for I am with you: I hear and see everything. So go you both to himand say: Verily we are apostles sent by your Lord; send forth, therefore, thechildren of Israel with us, and afflict them not, with a sign, indeed, have we comefrom your Lord! And peace be to all who follow guidance. Verily, it has beenrevealed to us that the penalty awaits those who reject and turn away. ( 20-43-48)

We are not told that Moses and Aaron conveyed the aforementionedmessage of Allah to Pharaoh; as if the style stealthily creeps and we findourselves face to face with that tyrant. “ Pharaoh said: Who, then, is the Lord ofyou two, O Moses? He said: Our Lord is He who gave to each created thing itsform and nature, and further gave it guidance. (Pharaoh) said: What aboutprevious generations? (Moses) replied: The knowledge of that is with my Lord,duly recorded, my Lord never errs nor forgets. He who has made for you the

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earth like a carpet spread out; has enabled you to go about therein by roads andchannels; and has sent down water from the sky. With it have We produceddivers pairs of plants each separate from the others. Eat and pasture your cattle;verily in this are Signs for men endued with understanding. From (the earth) didWe create you and into it shall We return you and out of it shall We bring youonce again. ( 20-49-55 )

Then Allah Almighty gives the following comment: And We showedPharaoh all Our Signs, but he did reject and refuse. He said: Have you come todrive us out of our land with your magic, O Moses? But we can surely producemagic to match yours! So make a tryst between us and you, which we shall notfail to keep - neither we nor you - in a place where both shall have even chances.Moses said: Your tryst is the Day of the Festival, and let the people be assembledwhen the sun is well up. ( 20-56-59 )

In another chapter of the Quran we are given more details about theencounter between Moses and Pharaoh. We are not told here how Mosesshowed the two Divine Signs to Pharaoh. In chapter 26 we read: Pharaoh said:Truly your apostle who has been sent to you is a veritable madman! Moses said:Lord of the East and the West and all between! If you only had sense. Pharaohsaid: If you put forward any god other than me, I will certainly put you inprison. Moses said: Even if I showed you something clear and convincing?Pharaoh said: Show it then, if you tell the truth. So Moses threw his rod andbehold, it was a serpent, plain for all to see. And he drew out his hand, andbehold, it was white to all beholders! ( 26-27-33)

Instead of believing the clear signs and accepting the Divine messageconveyed by Moses (Pharaoh) said to the chiefs around him: This is indeed asorcerer well-versed; his plan is to drive you out of your land by his sorcery; thenwhat is it that you counsel? They said: Keep him and his brother in suspense anddespatch to the cities heralds to collect and bring up to you all our magicianswell-versed. So the sorcerers were got together for the appointment of a day well-known. And the people were told: Are you now assembled that we may followthe sorcerers in religion if they win? When the sorcerers arrived, they said toPharaoh: Shall we have a suitable reward if we win? He said: Yea and you will inthat case be raised to posts nearest to my person. ( 26-34-42 )

Before starting the challenge Moses conveyed the following warning to thesorcerers. He said to them: Woe to you! Forge not a lie against Allah, lest Hedestroy you at once utterly by chastisement. For forgerers will indeed suffer

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frustration! They disputed one with another, over their affair, but they kept theirtalk secret. They repeated what their master claimed namely that Moses wasnothing but a magician. So the challenge was inevitable. Then behold, their ropesand rods, so it seems to him, to be in lively motion on account of their magic.Then Moses threw his rod, when behold, it immediately swallowed up all thefalsehoods which they faked.

So the magicians were thrown down to prostration: They said: “ We believein the Lord of Aaron and Moses “. Pharaoh said: Believe you in him before I giveyou permission? Surely this must be your leader, who has taught you magic! Iwill cut off your hands and feet on opposite sides and will have you crucified ontrunks of palm-trees. Facing this threat the men were firm believers and did notwaiver an inch. They declared: Never shall we regard you as more than the clearSigns that have come to us. By Him who created us! So fulfill what you want. Youonly control this worldly life. We believe in Allah so that He might forgive us oursins and the sorcery you forced us to perform; but Allah is better and moreenduring. There is indeed more to say about Moses and Pharaoh which will benarrated in the next part.

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In the previous part we highlighted the great challenge between Moseswho conveyed the message of Allah, Islam and Pharaoh. The result of the saidchallenge was that the magicians whom Pharaoh gathered from all over hisempire fell to their faces in prostration to Allah and declared their belief in theOne Allah of Aaron and Moses. Pharaoh’s threat to them did not change theirattitude and they said: We have believed in our Lord: May He forgive us our sins,and the magic to which you did compel us. For Allah is best and Most Abiding.They added: He who comes to his Lord as a sinner for him is Hell, therein shallhe neither die nor live, while those who come to Him as believers who haveworked righteous deeds, for them are ranks exalted, gardens of eternity beneathwhich rivers flow; they will dwell there in for ever; such is the reward of thosewho purify themselves from evil. ( 20-73-76 )

Moses is described as Kaleemullah, or the one who talks Allah, in the HolyQuran. This is beautifully described in the following verses: When Moses cameto the place appointed by Us, and His Lord addressed him, he said: O my Lord!Show thyself to me, that I may look upon Thee! Allah said: By no means can yousee Me! But look upon the mountain if it stays in its place, then shall you see Me.When His Lord manifested His glory on the mountain He made it as crusheddust, and Moses fell down in a swoon. When he awoke he said: Glory be to Thee!To You I turn in repentance and I am the first to believe. Allah said: O Moses! Ihave chosen you above other men by the mission I have given you and the wordsI have spoken to you. Take then what I gave you and be of those who give thanks.( 7-143-144 )

When the magicians believed in the One Allah, Moses and the Children ofIsrael were let alone by Pharaoh; but after some time “the chiefs of Pharaoh’speople said: Will you leave Moses and his people to spread mischief in the land,and to abandon you and your gods? He said: We will slay their male children, andonly their female children will we save alive; and we have over them irresistiblepower “. ( 7-127 )

In the spirit of a staunch believer and a great Prophet of Allah “Moses saidto his people: Pray for help from Allah, and wait in patience and constancy; forthe earth is Allah’s; He gives it as a heritage to such of his servants as He

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pleases; and the end is best for the righteous.( 7-128 ) But what was theresponse on the part of the Children of Israel? They were impatient and gotextremely embarrassed “. He said: It may be that your Lord will destroy yourenemy and make you inheritors in the earth, so that He may try you by yourdeeds. ( 7-129 )

And the help of Allah Almighty started to come, represented in thepunishment He inflicted on Pharaoh and his people. “ We punished the peopleof Pharaoh with years of drought and shortness of crops; that they might receiveadmonition ... So We sent plagues on them: the flood, locusts, lice, frogs, andblood. Signs openly self-explained; but they were steeped in arrogance, a peoplegiven to sin. Everytime the penalty fell on them, they said: “ O Moses, on ourbehalf call on your Lord in virtue of His promise to you, if you will remove thepenalty from us, we shall truly believe in you, and we shall send away with youthe Children of Israel. ( 7-130-133-134 )

But what happened? Did they really believe and send away the Children ofIsrael with Moses? Not in the least. They, in fact, intensified their campaignagainst Moses and his fellow-men. So Allah Almighty had the most horrible endin store for the oppressors.

“ By inspiration We told Moses: Travel by night with my servants; for surelyyou will be pursued. Then Pharaoh sent heralds to all the cities, saying: These(Israelites) are but a small band, and they are raging furiously against us, but weare a multitude amply fore-warned.” ( 26-53 57 )

“ So they pursued them at sunrise”, Allah says in the Holy Quran. “ Andwhen the two bodies saw each other, the people of Moses said: We are sure to beovertaken.” (Moses) said: By no means! My Lord is with me! Soon will He guideme!” What a staunch believer in Allah Almighty! The mighty Pharaoh and hishosts were about to catch Moses and his group. Every one around him wasextremely afraid; not so Moses. He relied fully on the help of Allah which indeedcame at the decisive time. He never knew, however, how Allah’s help will come,but he left everything to his Lord. “ Then We told Moses by inspiration: Strikethe sea with your rod”. So the rod again was the means through which Allah’sgreat help was implemented. What on earth could a humble stick, used to tendthe sheep, do for a huge sea? Nay it could do one of the greatest miracles by thewill of Allah. So the sea divided and each separate part became like the huge, firmmass of a mountain”. ( 26-63-64 )

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It is narrated that twelve solid paths were made in the sea so that each ofthe twelve tribes of the Children of Israel could pass to the other side safely.Then the hosts of Pharaoh came closer. Moses was about to strike the rod againso that the sea would return and become a safe barrier between the two sides.But Allah willed something different. He ordered Moses to leave the seadivided. “ And leave the sea as a furrow (divided); for they are a host destinedto be drowned. ( 44-24 )

So what happened to Pharaoh? Did he drown like his hosts? The HolyQuran tells us about them saying: “ We took the Children of Israel across the sea:Pharaoh and his hosts followed them in insolence and spite. At length, when hewas about to drown he said: I believe that there is no god except Him whom theChildren of Israel believe in. I am of those who submit to Allah in Islam. It wassaid to him: Ah-now! But a little while before you were in rebellion and you didmischief and violence. This day shall We save you in your body, so that you maybe a Sign to those who come after you. But verily, many among mankind areheedless of Our Signs! ( 10-90-92 )

It may be asked here: Why did not Allah accept the repentance of Pharaohalthough He is the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful? The answer comes from theProphet Muhammad peace be upon him who said: A man is forgiven until themoment of his death, once he is dying it becomes too late. So Pharaoh was notaccepted at that particular moment when belief will not avail any who declares it.There is always a chance of repentance before the actual moment of death whichwas missed by Pharaoh.

Now Moses and the Children of Israel were saved. What happened to themnext? The Holy Quran says: We divided them into twelve tribes or nations. Werevealed to Moses when his thirsty people asked him for water: Strike the rockwith your staff. “ Out of it gushed forth twelve springs: Each group knew its ownplace for water. We gave them the shade of clouds, and sent down to them“manna” and quails saying: Eat of the good things We have provided for you.”But they rebelled; to Us they did no harm, but they harmed their own souls.( 7-160 )

So the same staff by which Moses showed a great sign to Pharaoh, and whichdivided the sea, Moses could get sweet water for drinking. Not only this hispeople were granted the best food and shade. But instead of thanking their Lordthey rebelled and imitated some idol-worshippers and so they were led astray.

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Again they rebelled against that lofty food and said: O Moses! We cannot endureone kind of food always; so beseech your Lord for us to produce for us of whatthe earth grows its pot-herbs, cucumbers, its garlic, lentils and onions. He said:Will you change the better for the worse? Go down to any town where you shallfind what you want. ( 2-61 )

Describing how the Children of Israel asked Moses to make idols for themthe Holy Quran says: They came upon a people devoted entirely to some idolsthey had. They said: O Moses! Fashion for us a god like the gods they have. Hesaid: Surely you are a people without knowledge. As to these folk, the cult they arein is but a fragment of ruin and vain is the worship they practise. ( 7-138-139 )

Thus Moses warned them against idol-worship, but once he left them toreceive more revelation from his Lord they made an idol of gold and started toworship it. Moses was told about this by his Lord. So he returned angry andcondemned their rebellion against the established belief in the One Allah.Despite all these attempts the Children of Israel were always cowards and mostembarrassing to Moses. Their cowardice was reflected in their attitude whenMoses asked them to wage war against disbelievers in Palestine. They refusedand said: Go you and your Lord. Fight both of you we are sitting here waiting.This attitude brought about the diaspora which continued for forty long yearsduring which time Moses died and was buried in Sinia. Thus ended the story ofMoses, that great luminary of Islam who conveyed the call to the One Allah buthe faced lots of hardships not only at the hands of his opponents but even at thehands of his own people.

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T he fourth luminary of Islam we are going to highlight in this series isProphet Jesus Christ peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. As a matter offact, no other personality in human history has been so much maligned and hisimage is so much distorted as is the case with Jesus Christ. While the Jews drophis name from their scriptures and claim that he was a fake prophet, theproduct of adultery and a rebel against their faith so he deserved thepunishment he received and will go to Hell, the Christians or the supposedfollowers of Jesus exaggerated and went to the other extreme. They claimedthat Jesus was God incarnate, or that he was the son of God ... So both extremeswere far from the truth.

It was only the Holy Quran, the last pure word of Allah, that established thetrue image of Jesus. So what does the Quran say about Jesus Christ? There are infact two main places where the story of Jesus is given in some detail. One is thatof chapter three which starts as follows: Allah did choose Adam, and Noah, thefamily of Ibrahim and the family of Imran above all the worlds,- offspring one ofthe other, and Allah hears and knows all things. ( 3-33-34 )

After this introduction we have a little talk about the family of Jesus fromhis mother’s side. “ Behold! The wife of Imran said: O my Lord, I do dedicateto you what is in my womb for Your special service; so accept this of me, for Youare the All-Hearer All-Knower. When she delivered the baby she said: O myLord! I am delivered of a female child “ - and Allah knows best what shebrought forth - and in no wise is the male like the female. I have named herMary, and I commend her and her offspring to your protection from the EvilOne, the Rejected. ( 3-35-36 )

This is how virgin Mary was born. A testimony is then given in favour of thepurest virgin the world has ever known: “ Right graciously did her Lord accepther; He made her grow in purity and beauty; to the care of Zakariya was sheassigned. Every time he entered the altar to see her, he found her supplied withsustenance. He said: “ O Mary! “ Whence comes this to you? “ She said: FromAllah; for Allah indeed provides sustenance to whom He pleases withoutmeasure. ( 3-37 )

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That was an important lesson to Prophet Zakariya who was a weak old manand his wife was sterile. Seeing this miracle the Quran says: There did Zakariyapray to his Lord: Saying: O my Lord! Grant me from You a progeny that is pure,for You are He that hears prayer. While he was standing in prayer in the altar, theangels called unto him: “ Allah does give you glad tidings of Yahya, witnessingthe truth of a word from Allah and be, besides, noble, chaste and a prophet of thegoodly company of the righteous.

It may be said here, why is this digression from the story of Mary and Jesus?The clear answer is that this is not a digression at all, but rather a preparationand an introduction to the actual biography of Jesus. It is even part of thatbiography. We shall see that as Yahya was born through a miracle by the will ofAllah Almighty so also Jesus was born without a father. The presence of weakold and sterile parents in the case of Yahya is- as miraculous as the presence of avirgin mother only in the case of Jesus. It was not the parents that created theoffspring in those cases but Allah Almighty is the only creator, neither can anyparent claim to be the creator of his or her children simply because some couplesare sterile.

Now back to Zakariya. What was his response towards this glad tidings ofhaving a child in his weak old age? “ He said: O my Lord! How shall I have a son,seeing I am very old, and my wife is barren? “Thus”, was the answer, does Allahaccomplish what He wills.” He said: O my Lord! Give me a sign! Thy sign, wasthe answer, shall be that you shall speak to no man for three days but withsignals. Then celebrate the praises of your Lord again and again, and glorify Himin the evening and in the morrow. ( 3-40-41 )

“ So Zakariya came out to his people from the altar, he told them by signsto celebrate Allah’s praises in the morning and the evening. To his son came thecommand: “ O Yahya! Take hold of the Book with might “ and We gave himwisdom even as a youth, and pity for all creatures, as from Us, and purity. Hewas devout and kind to his parents, and he was not over bearing or rebellious.So peace on him, the day he was born, the day that he dies and the day that hewill be raised up to life again! ( 19-11-15 )

If we remember that Yahya was later on unjustly massacred at the handsof an oppressing ruler to satisfy a prostitute as we read the story in the Bible,we shall see how great was the crime o,f denying him as well as Jesus Christafter him.

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Now to come closer. Behold! The angels said: O Mary! Allah has chosen youand purified you and chosen you above the women of all nations. O Mary!Worship your Lord devoutly, prostrate yourself and bow down with those whobow down. ( 3-42-43 )

After this preparation of Virgin Mary we have the actual story of the birth ofJesus: Relate in the Book the story of Mary, when she withdrew from her family,to a place in the East. She screened herself from them; then We sent to her Ourspirit (angel Gabriel) and he appeared before her as a man in all respects. Shesaid: I seek refuge from you in Allah Most Gracious (come not near) if you dofear Allah. He said: Nay, I am only a messenger from your Lord, to announce toyou the gift of a pure son. She said: How shall I have a son, when no man has evertouched me, and I am not unchaste? He said: So it will be, your Lord says: “ Thatis easy for Me; and We wish to appoint him as a sign unto men and a Mercy fromUs’: It was a matter so decreed. ( 19-16-21 )

In another chapter the angels said: O Mary! Allah gives you glad tidings ofa Word from Him, his name will be Christ Jesus, son of Mary, held in honour inthis world and the Hereafter and of those nearest to Allah. He shall speak topeople in childhood and in maturity, and he shall be of the righteous. ( 3-45-46 )

Mary, however, did not submit to this extra-ordinary event. She said: O myLord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me? He said: Even so.Allah creates what He wills; when He has decreed a plan, He but says to it, “Be”and it is. ( 3-47 )

Then the Holy Quran tells us what kind of message Jesus has been entrustedwith. “ And Allah will teach him the Book and Wisdom, the law and the Gospel,and appoint him an apostle to the Children of Israel (with this message): “ I havecome to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as itwere, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird with the leaveof Allah, and I heal those born blind and the lepers, and I quicken the dead byAllah’s leave; and I declare to you what you eat, and what you store in yourhouses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if you did believe. (3-48-49)

Confirming the previous message of Allah Jesus said: I have come to you toattest the law which was before me, and to make lawful to you part of what wasbefore forbidden to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear Allah and obey me.Allah is indeed my Lord and your Lord! Then worship Him. This is a way thatis straight. ( 3-50-5 1 )

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Further details are given in chapter 19 about the circumstances attendingand preceding Jesus’s birth. “ So she conceived him, and then she retired withhim to a remote place. The pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree. She cried (in her anguish) Ah! Would that I had died before this! Would thatI had been a thing forgotten and out of sight. But a voice cried to her frombeneath her: “ Grieve not! For your Lord has provided a revulet beneath you - Soshake towards yourself the trunk of the palm-tree, it will let fall fresh ripe datesupon you. So eat and drink and cool your eye. And if you do see any man, say, “I have vowed a fast to Allah, Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talkwith any human being. ( 19-22-26 )

What happened next after this miraculous birth of Jesus from Virgin Mary?“ At length she brought the baby to her people, carrying him in her arms. Theysaid: O Mary! Truly an amazing thing have you brought! O sister of Aaron! Yourfather was not a man of evil, nor your mother a woman unchaste! “ But shepointed to him. they said: How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle? Hesaid: I am indeed a servant of Allah: He has given me Revelation and made me aprophet; and He has made me blessed wheresoever I be; and has enjoined on meprayer and charity as long as I live. He has made me kind to my mother, and notoverbearing or miserable. So peace is on me, the day I was born, the day that Idie, and the day that I shall be raised up to life again. ( 19-27-33 )

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H ow wonderful and amazing indeed is the story of Jesus Christ in the HolyQuran! It leaves us sure of a number of things, one is the chastity and theabsolute purity of Virgin Mary who is at the same time shown as a weak mortal;that is why the details about her child-birth are given and her need for food anddrink like any other mortal. This is, in fact, an indirect but a conclusive answerto those who claim her to be the mother of God.

The second thing in the Quranic story of Jesus is that the first thing hedeclared was that he was nothing but the slave and servant of God. As a matterof fact, even in the New Testament, never has Jesus claimed to be God or son ofGod. All he said was that he was son of man who came as a prophet from God:Nothing more nothing less.

As for his miraculous birth without a father, this does not make him son ofGod, but simply the creation of God like any other creation. His seeminglyunique birth was only intended as an eye-opener to the Children of Israel wholed a purely materialistic life. Again he was not the first man to be born withouta father. Adam had no father or mother; Eve had no mother and Yahya or Johnthe Baptist, as he is referred to in the New Testament, was born of barrenparents. This is to show that it is Allah who creates and not the parents who areonly humble means in the process.

Mary, again, is referred to as the sister of Aaron. Some people, especiallyopponents of the Quran, said: How can she be sister of Aaron and Moses whenhundreds of years and several generations separate the two? These people areunaware of the fact that the name Aaron is a common name among Jews, so he isnot necessarily the same Aaron, the brother of Moses. Again there was atradition among the Jews to call themselves after their pious personalities. So it isnot at all strange to call Mary here sister of Aaron to remind her that she comesfrom a righteous family, so how could she do this thing?

After that wonderful scene of Jesus Christ defending his mother while still inthe cradle we have this comment from Allah in the Holy Quran: “ Such was Jesus,the son of Mary; it is a statement of truth, about which they vainly dispute. It isnot befitting to the majesty of Allah, that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him!

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When He determines a matter, He only says to it, be and it is “. ( 19-34-35 )

Then Jesus is made to testify that “ verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord;Him alone, therefore, you should worship. This is a way that is straight “. ( 19-36 )

Once this call of Jesus was launched which was only a confirmation of thecalls of previous prophets, his contemporaries differed and were divided intoseveral sects. Very few among them believed in the real message of Jesus. Theseare called the Supporters by the Quran and we shall talk about them towards theend. But the great majority of the Jews of the time rejected his message, notbecause they could not understand it, but in defence of their vested interests. Sothey started to spread rumours against Jesus and began to trace him and ask himseveral questions in order to instigate both the masses and the rulers against him.It is claimed in other scriptures that he was captured and dragged to the rulerwho ordered him to be crucified, and thus he and his call were finished.

But the Holy Quran has something different to confirm; and as it correctedthe story of Jesus’s birth as well as his call, so it also corrected the tale of his endon earth. The Quran clearly states that Allah has saved him from the cross andsomeone else was crucified in his place. Here are the words of the Quran: Thatthey said (in boast) “ We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Apostle ofAllah “. This they said in mockery, because if they believed him to be themessenger of Allah, they would not have boasted to be his killers. But AllahAlmighty says: “ But they killed him not, nor crucified him. So it was made toappear to them. And those who differ concerning him are full of doubts, with nocertain knowledge, but only conjecture to follow. For of surety they killed himnot, but Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in power, Wise.( 4-157-158 )

Muslims also believe that Jesus Christ will come back to earth before theDay of Judgement and will declare his belief in Islam and follow the teachings ofthe Quran and Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and upon all theProphets of Allah. This is clear from a number of Prophetic traditions thatconfirm Christ’s return to earth.

Not only this, but the Holy Quran also states that all the People of the Book,both Jews and Christians, will testify their belief in Jesus as a slave and a prophetof Allah before their actual death, that is on their death bed and on the Day ofJudgement they will give testimony to this effect. The Quran says: “ And thereis none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and

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on the Day of Resurrection will be a witness against them “. ( 4-159 ) But thistestimony will not avail those who declare it, because they did it when it was toolate.

But how does the Holy Quran correct the belief in Jesus? This is mentionedin many chapters of the Holy Book. The Quran for example addresses both Jewsand Christians saying: O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in yourreligion: Nor say of Allah anything but the truth. Christ Jesus, son of Mary, wasno more than an apostle of Allah, and His word, which He delivered to Mary,and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His apostles; say not Trinity;desist, it will be better for you; for Allah is One God, glory be to Him; far exaltedis He above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth.And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs. ( 4-171 )

The Holy Quran then says: Christ disdains not to serve and worship Allah,nor do the angels, those nearest to Allah. Those who disdain His worship and arearrogant, He will gather them all together unto Himself to answer. ( 4-172 )

In chapter five verse seventy five we read the following: They do blasphemewho say “ Allah is Christ, son of Mary “ But said Christ: O Children of Israel!Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord “. Whoever joins other gods with Allah,Allah will forbid him Paradise, and the Fire will be his abode. There will be noone to help for the wrong-doers. They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one ofthree in a Trinity; for there is no god except One God. If they desist not fromtheir word of blasphemy, verily a grievous penalty will then befall thedisbelievers among them. ( 5-75-76 )

Calling them back to the right belief in Allah the Quran says: Why turn theynot to Allah, and seek His forgiveness? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, MostMerciful. Christ, son of Mary was no more than an apostle; many were theapostles that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. Theyhad both to eat their daily food. See how We make the Signs clear to them, yet seein what ways they are deluded away from the truth. ( 5-77-78 )

Again the Holy Quran compares Jesus Christ to Adam, the father of allhumanity who has been created without a father or a mother. In astraightforward logic the Quran says: The similitude of Jesus before Allah is asthat of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him “Be” and he was. Thetruth comes from your Lord, so be not of those who doubt. ( 3-59-60 )

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Two things remain to be mentioned before we conclude the story of thisgreat luminary of Islam - Jesus Christ in whom all Muslims believe and who ishonoured and respected by the Quran. The first thing is that miraculous table offood which his supporters asked to be sent to them from Allah when Jesuswarned them to fear Allah if they had faith they said: We only wish to eat thereofand satisfy our hearts, and to know that you have indeed told us the truth; andthat we ourselves may be witnesses to the miracle. ( 5-116 ) So the table camedown as they asked.

The second thing that has to be mentioned here is that the Holy Qurantells us about what will happen on the Day of Judgement and how He will callJesus to court and ask him about the falsehoods ascribed to him. “ Allah willsay: O Jesus, son of Mary! Did you say to men worship me and my mother asgods in derogation of Allah. He will say: Glory to You! Never could I say whatI had no right to say. Had I said such a thing, You would indeed have knownit ... Never said I to them except what You did command me to say, to wit:Worship Allah my Lord and your Lord; and I was a witness over them whileI dwelt among them. When You took me up, You were the Watcher over them;and You are a Witness to all things. If you do punish them, they are yourslaves, and if You forgive them You indeed You, are the Exalted in power, theWise. ( 5-1 119-20-121 )

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H aving highlighted the four greatest Prophets who preceded Muhammadpeace and blessings of Allah be upon them all, we come now to the greatest of allthe offspring of Adam. This is not an exaggeration at all. For not only friends andfollowers loved him most so much so that one of his staunch opponents, havingseen part of this love on behalf of his followers, gave the following comment: Ihave never seen anybody loving another as I saw the love of the followers ofMuhammad to Muhammad. Not only this but even foes, past and present couldnot but acknowledge this last Prophet’s astounding greatness.

Here are some of these acknowledgements which come from different scholarsand world personalities. About him Mahatma Ghandi said: “ Muhammad was agreat prophet ... and feared no man but Allah alone. He was never found to say onething and do another “.

Lamartine, the great French orientalist said: If greatness of purpose,smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of humangenius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history withMuhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. Theyfounded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbledaway before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empirespeoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then-inhabitedworld; and more than that, he moved the altars, the deities, the religions, theideas, the beliefs and souls.

Continuing his glowing tribute to Prophet Muhammad Lamartine says: Hisforbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea andin no manner, striving for an empire, his endless prayers, his mysticconversations with Allah, his death and his triumph after death, all these attestnot to an imposture but to a firm conviction which gave him the power to restorea dogma. This dogma was twofold, the unity of Allah and the immateriality ofAllah, the former telling what Allah is, the one overthrowing false gods with thesword, the other starting an idea with the words.

Acknowledging Muhammad’s all-embracing personality Lamartine says:Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of

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rational dogmas, of a cult without images, the founder of twenty terrestrialempires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standardsby which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any mangreater than he?

Lamartine, Histoire de la TurquieParis 1834 Vol. 11 .pp. 276-277

In their book called History of the Saracen Empire, Edward Gibbon andSimon Ocklay write: It is not the propagation but the permanency of his religionthat deserves our wonder; the same pure and perfect impression which heengraved at Mecca and Madina is preserved, after the revolution of twelvecenturies by the Indian, the African and the Turkish proselytes of the Koran. TheMahometans have uniformly withstood the temptation of reducing the object oftheir faith and devotion to a level with the senses and imagination of man. “ Ibelieve in one Allah and Mahomet is the Apostle of Allah “ is the simple andinvariable profession of Islam.

The two Western authors then say: The intellectual image of the Deity hasnever been degraded by any visible idol; the honours of the Prophet have nevertransgressed the measure of human virtue; and his living precepts haverestrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds of reason and religion.

History of the Saracen EmpireLondon, 1878, P. 54

Again in his book Mohammad and Mohammadanism Bosworth Smith says:He was Caesar and Pope in one, but he was Pope without Pope’s pretentions,Caesar without the legions of Caesar; without a standing army, without abodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue. If ever any man had theright to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Mohammad, for he had allthe power without its instruments and without its supports.

London, 1874, P. 92

These were mostly testimonies from the West. Here is one testimony fromthe East. In “The Life and Teachings of Muhammad” by Annie Besant, Madras1932 we read the following: It is impossible for anyone who studies the life andcharacter of the great prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he

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lived, to feel anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of the greatmessengers of the Supreme. And although in what I put to you I shall say manythings which may be familiar to many, yet I myself feel whenever I re-read thema new way of admiration, a new sense of reverence for that mighty Arabianteacher.

Here is again another tribute from the famous English orientalist W.Montgomery who in his book “Mohammad at Mecca” writes: His readiness toundergo persecution for his beliefs, the high moral character of the men whobelieved in him and looked up to him as a leader, and the greatness of his ultimateachievement - all argue his fundamental integrity. To suppose Muhammad animposter raises more problems than it solves. Moreover, none of the great figuresof history is so poorly appreciated in the West as Muhammad.

Oxford,1953,P.52In the American edition of the Reader’s Digest James A. Michener wrote an

article under the title “Islam the Misunderstood Religion” where he says:Muhammad, the inspired man who founded Islam, was born about A.D. 570into an Arabian tribe that worshipped idols. Orphaned at birth, he was alwaysparticularly solicitous of the poor and needy, the widow and the orphan, the slaveand the down trodden. At twenty he was already a successful businessman, andsoon became director of camel caravans for a wealthy widow. When he becametwenty five his employer, recognizing his merit, proposed marriage. Eventhough she was fifteen years older, he married her, and as long as she livedremained a devoted husband.

Then the American writer James A. Michener says: Like almost every majorprophet before him, Muhammad fought shy of serving as the transmitter ofAllah’s word, sensing his own inadequacy, but the angel commanded “Read”. Sofar as we know, Muhammad was unable to read or write, but he began to dictatethose inspired words which would soon revolutionize a large segment of the earth“There is One Allah”.

In all things, Mr. Michener continues, Muhammad was profoundlypractical. When his beloved son Ibrahim died, an eclipse occurred, and rumoursof Allah’s personal condolence quickly arose. Whereupon Muhammad is said tohave announced: An eclipse is a phenomenon of nature. It is foolish to attributesuch things to the death or birth of a human being. “ At Muhammad’s own deathan attempt was made to deify him, but the man who was to become his

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administrative successor killed the hysteria with one of the noblest speeches inreligious history: If there are any among you who worshipped Muhammad, he isdead. But if it is Allah you worshipped he lives for ever “. ( May 1955 pp. 68-70 )

To justify his selection of Muhammad as the first in the 100 topmostpersonalities in human history Michael H. Hart says: My choice of Muhammadto lead the list of the world’s most influential persons may surprise some readersand may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who wassupremely successful on both the religious and secular levels.

George Bernard Shaw, the famous Irish author and philosopher, alsocontributed to these testimonies of Western non-Muslim scholars concerningProphet Muhammad. He said: If any religion has the chance of ruling overEngland, nay, Europe, within the next hundred years, it can only be Islam. I havealways held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of itswonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess theassimilating capability to the changing face of existence which can make itsappeal to every age. I believe that if a man like Muhammad were to assume thedictatorship of the Modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in away that would bring it much needed peace and happiness.

A well-known Christian priest Rev. R. Mazwell King says: I have read inMuslim writings such deep and tender expressions of respect and reverence forJesus that for the time I almost forgot I was not reading the words of a Christianwriter. How different, it is sad to say, has been the way in which Christians havespoken and written of Muhammad. Let us put it down to its true cause,ignorance.

To conclude these tributes of non-Muslim writers we may quote G. W.Leitner who said: “ The Prophet Muhammad who disclosed in the 6th centurywhat the labours of hundreds of scholars have discovered in the 20th century,must have been speaking with Divine authority. In fact, he appeared to reviveand complete true religion of nations on earth. Islam is the final restatement ofthe religion of all prophets “.

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In the previous part we quoted a number of non-Muslim scholars to showhow this last prophet of Allah is seen by some objective scholars who are not hisown followers. Here are some more tributes given by the same category because,as they say, virtue is best testified by foes rather than friends. In the words of Rev.Bosworth Smith we read the following: “ Illiterate himself, scarcely able to reador write, he was yet the author of a book which is a Poem, a code of Laws, a bookof Common Prayers and a Bible all in one; and is reverenced to this day by a sixthof the whole human race as a miracle of purity of style, of wisdom, and of truth.It is the miracle claimed by Muhammad, his standing miracle, he called it, and amiracle indeed it is “.

Despite this glowing tribute on the part of Rev. Bosworth Smith, it is sad toremark here that he claimed that Muhammad, peace be upon him, was theauthor of the Holy Quran. In this he reflects the old prejudice against Islamwhich made the great majority of Western scholars, one century ago, to insistthat Muahammadanism is the name of the religion and not Islam. What a clearignorance of the reality of prophethood! Muhammad was not the first or the onlyprophet who spoke under the Divine inspiration, what they misunderstood anddistorted in the case of Jesus, they also rejected in the case of Muhammad; butthe time is not far when the whole world will acknowledge this Truth.

Thomas Carlyle, the well-known English man of letters was however anexception to this phenomenon. He resorted to simple logic to prove thetruthfulness of Prophet Muhammad. He said: A false man found a religion! Whya false man cannot build a brick house? If he does not know and follow truly theproperties of mortar, burnt clay and whatever else he works with, it is no housethat he builds, but a rubbish heap. It will not stand for twelve, (now fifteen)centuries, to lodge a 180 million (now 1200 million); it will fall straightway.

What a beautiful similitude given by Thomas Carlyle about Muhammad,the Prophet of Islam. It reminds me of a much older similitude given by theProphet Muhammad himself when he likened what he did in relation to otherprevious prophets of Allah to a beautiful house with one brick missing in animportant angle. Prophet Muhammad said that when one man saw such a house,he said: What a nice house with only one missing brick! Then Prophet

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Muhammad commented: I am that brick and I am the last of all Prophets.

Washington Irving, the famous American writer refers to another aspect ofMuhammad’s towering character when he says: Muhammad in his privatedealings was just. He treated friends and strangers, the rich and the poor, thepowerful and the weak with equity and was beloved of the common people forthe affability with which he received them, and listened to their complaints.

What a true description of that part of the great character of the Prophet ofIslam. It is in tune with all the well-known incidents that tell us about this sideof his life which reflect not only his kindness to men but even to birds andanimals. Once he saw a bird flying overhead and looking for something. Thekind hearted Prophet at once asked: Who has taken away the young ones of thisbird? Give her back her little ones: Again even in slaughtering animals for food,the Prophet always instructed his followers to do it properly without causing anypanic to the slaughtered animal or paining it more than what is inevitable. Thatis why it is not strange at all that the Quran describes the behaviour of theProphet in the following verse: And you stand on an exalted standard ofcharacter. ( 68-4 ) His wife Aisha was once asked about the behaviour of theProphet. Her answer was the following: His character was the Quran. What anice description of the Prophet’s character.

Describing his piety and righteousness Major A. Leonard says the followingabout Prophet Muhammad. He says: “ If ever a man on this earth found Allah,if ever a man devoted his life to Allah’s service with a good and a great motive, itis certain that the Prophet of Arabia is that man “. How then can there still bepeople who do not acknowledge the piety, the righteousness and theprophethood of Muahmmad? This is not less than denying Truth itself.

In his book “ On Heroes & Heroe - worship and the Heroic “ ThomasCarlyle says: These Arabs, the man Mahomet, and that one century; is it not asif a spark had fallen, one spark on a world of what seemed black unnoticeablesand, but lo, the sand proves explosive powder, blazes heaven high from Delhi toGranada; I said: The Great Man was always as lightning out of heaven; the restof the men waited for him, like fuel, and then they too would flame.

Everyman’s Library, London, 1918, p. 311

In the same book also T. Carlyle quotes the German philosopher Geothe tohave exclaimed: “ If this be Islam, do we not all live in Islam “? P. 291 Again the

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only man who could solve the sex problem was Muhammad. This is not only thebelief of Muslims but the opinion of Havelock Ellis, a well-known Westernscholar who said: “ The only Teacher who faced the problem of sex honestly andsquarely was the Prophet of Islam “.

This is also the view of another famous scholar. In her book “The Life andTeachings of Muhammad” Annie Besant writes: I often think that woman ismore free in Islam than in Christianity. Woman is more protected by Islam thanby the faith which preaches monogamy. In al-Quran the law about woman ismore just and liberal. It is only in the last twenty years that Christian Englandhas recognized the right of woman to property, while Islam has allowed thisright from all times. It is slander to say that Islam preaches that women have nosoul. P. 3

Another Western tribute in favour of Prophet Muahmmad, peace be uponhim, comes from Napoleon Bonaparte who once thought seriously to embraceIslam. In his book “Bonaparte et l’lslam”, Cherfils, a French writer quotes thelatter as saying: Moses has revealed the existence of Allah to his nation, JesusChrist to the Roman world and Mohammad to the old continent ... Arabia wasidolatrous when, six centuries after Jesus Muhammad introduced the worship ofthe God of Abraham, of Ishmael, of Moses and of Jesus. The Arians and someother sects had disturbed the tranquility of the East by agitating the question ofthe nature of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Mohammad declared thatthere was none but One Allah who had no father, no son and that the trinityimported the idea of idolatry ...

Napoleon Bonaparte then adds: I hope the time is not far off when I shall beable to unite all the wise and educated men of all the countries and establish auniform regime based on the principles of the Quran which alone are true andwhich alone can lead men to happiness.

Paris - France. PP. 105-125

Acknowledging the great achievement of the message of Islam at the handsof Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, Bertrand Russell the well-knownEnglish philosopher says: Our use of the phrase “The Dark Ages” to cover theperiod from 699 to 1,000 A.D. marks our undue concentration on WesternEurope ... From India to Spain, the brilliant civilization of Islam flourished.What was lost to Christendom at this time was not lost to civilization but quite

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the contrary ... To us it seems that West European civilization is civilization, butthis is a narrow view.

From History of Western Philosophy,London, 1948, P. 419

Here are finally two prophecies from two Eastern old scriptures. One is theprophecy in the Hindu scriptures originally in Sanskrit which can be translated asfollows: “ O people, listen to this emphatically! The man of praise will be raisedfrom among the people. We take the emigrant in our shelter from sixty thousandand ninety enemies whose loftiness of position touches the heaven and lowers it “.

The second prophecy is to be found in the Pharsee scripture. Its original textis in Pahlavic which means: “ When the Persians should sink so low in morality,a man will be born in Arabia whose followers will upset their throne, religion andeverything. The mighty, stiff-necked ones of Persia will be over-powered. TheHouse which was built and in which many idols have been placed will be purgedof idols, and people will say their prayers facing towards it. His followers willcapture the towns of the Pharisees and Taus and Balkh and other big placesround about. People will embroil with one another. The wise men of Persia andothers will join/his followers.

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T hus far, we have reviewed samples of the first category of the luminariesof Islam composed of the five major prophets of Allah namely Noah, Ibrahim,Moses, Jesus and Muhammad may peace and blessings of Allah be upon themall. It is true, as we said, that four of them preceded the Prophet of Islam, butIslam has always been the religion of Allah since the very first day man ever setfoot on earth. This is simply because Allah is One and His religion to allhumanity is also one.

We come now to the second category of the luminaries of Islam, namely thatof Muslim women who distinguished themselves as full-fledged human beings.This is to prove that Islam treats both sexes on an equal level, and that it neversegregates against women. To start with we shall talk here about Khadija bintKhuwayled, the first mother of the Faithful. It may be asked here: Who was thislady? And why is she called the first mother of the Faithful? And who are themothers of the Faithful?

The mothers of the Faithful are in fact the wives of Prophet Muhammadpeace be upon him. This is only a spiritual motherhood which implies respectand honour to the members of the family of the Prophet. Not only this, as theyknew the details of the Prophet’s life, they were in the position of teachers to allthe followers of the Prophet. Hence this degree. Another point is that theFaithful were not allowed to remarry any of the Prophet’s wives after him. Thisis clearly stated in the Quran which stipulates that no harm should be done to theProphet peace be upon him. ( chap. 33, v.S3 )

Once we call the Prophet’s wives the mothers of the Faithful, itautomatically means that he is their father, again spiritually speaking. This isonly natural, because humanly speaking the Prophet is the founder of thereligion. It was through him that revelation has been conveyed to others. His wasthe perfect example to be imitated by all his followers. Not only this but this titleis, in fact, a sign of solidarity because the Prophet is reported to have said:Whoever leaves behind any property, it is for his legal heirs, but whoever leavesdebts or dependants then this is my responsibility.

Again these two titles of father and mother refer to the great love the Faithfulshould have for the Prophet and his wives. “ That is why the Holy Quran says:The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own selves, and his wives are

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their mothers “. ( 33-6 ) So in the spiritual relationship the Prophet is entitled tomore respect and love and consideration than all blood-relations. The believersshould follow him rather than their fathers or mothers or brothers where there isconflict of duties. He is even nearer and closer to our real interests than our ownselves.

Going back to Hazrat Khadija bint Khuwayled she is described as the firstmother of the Faithful because of two things: One is that she was the first wifewhom the Prophet married, and continued to be his only partner for about 28long years. From her he got all his children except one called Ibrahim from Marythe Copt. The second reason why we call her the first mother of the Faithful isthat she was the first woman on earth to declare her belief in Muhammad’sprophethood. She supported him morally and materially all through her life somuch so that, even after her death, he used to mention her until the end of his life.

It is narrated that Aisha, his second wife once got jealous of Khadija and saida few words against her. Hearing this the Prophet got extremely angry and said:To me she was the best human being; she believed in me when all others rejectedmy mission, she consoled me with her moral and material support and I had allmy children but one from her.

Khadija bint Khuwayled was thus the most important person in the life ofProphet Muhammad. She was fifteen year his senior. When he got married toher at the age of 25 she was 40 years old and was known as the mosthonourable wealthy lady of Makkah. Many were the young men who askedher hand in marriage, but she refused until her right partner was available. ForProphet Muhammad, who lived as an orphan, Khadija was much more thanan ordinary wife.

Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, comes from a respectable house ofQuraish. She was a distant relation to the Prophet. The story of her marriage toMuhammad is worth mentioning. It is narrated in the authentic books of theProphet’s biography that Khadija used to engage Quraish merchants in her tradeto Syria. When she heard much about the honesty of Muhammad, she offeredhim to work for her. He accepted this and went to Syria along with a servant ofhers called Maysarah. This servant saw much that he admired in the youngmerchant’s character; so he communicated it to his master. He told her about hisexcellent behaviour and his honesty. Not only this, but he also conveyed to hersome miracles he saw about Muhammad.

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Hearing this, Khadija whose hand was coveted by all the young men ofMakkah, preferred Muhammad to them all. This is despite his poverty. She senthim her friend Nafisa to convey Khadija’s desire to have him as her husband.Due to his early orphanhood Muhammad was in need of more than an ordinarywife. So he accepted the offer of that beautiful, loving and wealthy partner of his.He asked his uncle Abu Taleb to act on his behalf and so the marriage took place.

This marriage proved to be the happiest marriage in the Prophet’s life. Thisis not only because Hazrat Khadija was a young beautiful well-to-do wife, whogave birth to Muhammad’s six children, (two sons and four daughters); butbecause of her great moral and material support. She treated him in such a lovingand sincere manner that he remembered her all through the rest of his life.

Let us mention one example of the innumerable circumstances whereinKhadija’s support was invaluable. When the Prophet received his firstrevelation, he returned home shivering and trembling due to that firstexperience. At home Khadija was waiting for him. She overwhelmed him with allthe care, the love and the moral support he needed. As he entered his house inthat state he said: I was extremely afraid that something might happen to me.Khadija said: Nay. By Allah, He will not let you down. You are kind to your kin,your speech is always true, you rescue the weary, entertain the guest and help thetruth to prevail.

Not only this but Hazrat Khadija also said: Joy to my cousin! By him whodominates Khadija’s soul, I pray and hope that you will be the Prophet of thisnation. She then took her prophet husband and rushed to a cousin of hers calledWaraqa Ibn Nawfal who was a Christian convert and translated parts of the Bibleinto Arabic. Hearing what happened to Muhammad, Waraqa broke into thesewords: Holy, Holy! By Him who dominates Waraqa’s soul, if your report is truethis must be the great spirit that spoke to Moses. Muhammad you must be theProphet of this nation. If I were young, I would have supported you.

Addressing Muhammad Waraqa Ibn Nawfal continued: You will bedenied and hurt; you will be abused and pursued. Waraqa then approachedMuhammad, kissed his forehead and went away. Muhammad realized thefaithfulness of Waraqa, and at the same time felt the great burden weighing onhis shoulders; but Khadija stood by him always encouraging him and believingin all that he received. She consoled and pacified him as best as she could andassured him of success. She was indeed the great woman behind that greatestof men.

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What shows Khadija’s piety is that when once one of her two sons died shewas sad but patient. After a few hours the time of suckling the dead baby cameand her breast was full of milk so her tears flowed from her eyes. Seeing this theProphet was moved and said: If you so wish I shall ask Allah to make you hearhis voice in Paradise. Any ordinary mother would have been keen to hear herdear one; but Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her said: “ No but I believe inAllah and his apostle “. She was sure of the truthfulness of the Prophet and wassatisfied with what he told her. It is not strange that the Prophet should once say:Four are the greatest women in the world: Khadija bint Khuwaylid, Asia wife ofPharaoh, Mary the mother of Jesus and Fatima bint Muhammad “.

To conclude this report about Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, wemay mention how one day angel Gabriel came down and told the Prophet toconvey peace and blessings of Allah to Khadija. Hearing this, the first mother ofthe Faithful exclaimed: Did Allah Almighty mention my name O Prophet ofAllah? “ Yes indeed “ was the Prophet’s answer. Khadija then said: And untoAllah be all the blessings and peace.

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H ere is the story of the second luminary of Islam among women, namelyFatimah daughter of Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings of Allah be uponhim. Fatimah was the fourth daughter of the Prophet after Zaynab, Ruqaya andUmmu-Kulthoom the three other daughters of the Prophet of Allah. Contrary tothe prevailing custom of the pre-Islamic Arabs who used to hate havingdaughters and even buried them alive, the Prophet of Islam taught his followersto love their daughters and to treat them lovingly and justly as they treated theirsons. To establish this he said: Whoever has four daughters and he brings themup well and educates and helps them have successful marriage, they will be abarrier for him from Hell-Fire. The Prophet himself had four most beloveddaughters one of whom was his youngest and most beloved Fatimah.

Fatimah was his daughter from his dearest wife Khadijah. She gathered thewisdom and piety of her father as well as the sincerity and perseverence of hermother Khadijah. Thus she deserved to be one of the four greatest women inthe world. This greatness of Fatimah was not, however, on account of herexceeding beauty or wealth, although she enjoyed a good share of prettiness,but her pride is best reflected in her piety and righteousness which is themeasure of greatness in Islam.

Once a woman from the tribe of Makhzoum stole something and was provedto be a thief. So the Prophet decided to cut her hand according to Islamic law. Butas she was of the mighty Makhzoum tribe, her relatives used the good offices ofOsama ibn Zayd who was dear to the Prophet peace be upon him. Upon Osama’sintercession the Prophet exclaimed: Do you intercede in stopping the law ofAllah. By Allah, had Fatimah, daughter of, Muhammad, stolen Muhammadwould have indeed cut her hand; and the hand of the Makhzoumi woman wasthen cut.

Not only this, but lest Fatimah should pride herself of being the daughter ofthe Prophet so be less active in doing good deeds, the Prophet warned her saying:O Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad, take care of yourself, for I can avail younothing in connection with Allah. Can there be in all human history such anobjective attitude and such justice in applying the law of Allah? Not in the least.

Fatimah was only five years old when her father received Divine revelation.Being the youngest child in the family of the Prophet, she in fact lived mostly a

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life of suffering and adversity sharing her father all that he faced in his missionfor the new religion. Her three other sisters got married and left the house of theirfather. Two of them, however, had an unsuccessful marriage which ended indivorce. Fatimah was sharing all this even the siege imposed on her family hadits deep effect on her until before too long her mother Khadija died leaving her asa half orphan. Then one after another her dear sisters also started to depart. Whata pity that her young heart should face all these adversities!

As a matter of fact, Fatimah did not get married except after the rise of herfather as a Prophet of Allah. When in Yathreb, now Madina Munawwarah, shebecame eighteen years old Abu Bakr al Siddiq proposed to marry her, but herfather gently turned him down. He was then followed by Umer Ibn al Khattab,the second dearest companion of the Prophet but again he was refused. This hasbeen done because the Messenger of Allah had someone else in mind as a futurepartner to his dearest and youngest daughter. Thus when his cousin Ali Ibn AbiTaleb came forward to ask her hand, he was immediately accepted.

Ali was only four years older than Fatimah. He lived in the same house withthe Prophet since his early childhood. The Prophet regarded him as his brotherin Islam, for he was the first boy to embrace Islam and was the youngest fighterfor the new faith. Describing him to his daughter Fatimah the Prophet said: Heis a master in this world and in the Hereafter; he will be of the righteous, the mostknowledgeable of all the companions, and the most brilliant one. Ali, theProphet added, was the first of them to embrace Islam. Thus Ali believed in theProphet from the very beginning and accompanied him all through his life. Heparticipated in all the battles of the Prophet.

Thus Fatimah got married to her poor cousin Ali whom she treated as abrother and a friend. She liked him very much and admired his bravery andmanhood. He was always nearest to her heart despite his poverty which wascaused by his engagement in the holy wars and could not spare anytime for trade.

Once accepted as Fatimah’s fiance Ali sold the only piece of armour he hadand gave the money as a dowry to Fatimah. Their marriage took place through asimple party in which the Prophet presented a few dates to those invited. ButHamza, Ali’s uncle, gave an auspicious party which those present enjoyed.Directly after dinner the Prophet accompanied the couple to their new house. Heasked for some water and recited on it some chapters of the Quran and then askedAli and Fatimah to drink it. He then made ablution with the remaining water andsprinkled some drops of water over the heads of the couple and said the following

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prayers: O Allah bless them both over and above, and bless their offspring.

In Ali’s house Fatimah had a lot of hard work to do. Her body was weak andthin since the early days of her childhood especially when she rode a camel withher sister Ummu Kulthoom to travel from Makkah to Madinah. But thedisbelievers did not leave them alone. They hit their camel and caused them tofall from its back which caused a lot of harm to Fatimah in particular. This crimepained the Prophet so much so that he never forgot it. When he conqueredMakkah he pardoned everybody except very few people one of whom was thatcamel-strangler who was killed by Ali Ibn Abi Taleb.

As for Fatimah’s children, she gave birth to al Hasan and al Husain in thethird and the fourth years after Hijrah. This great event took place when theProphet was 57 years old. So he was the happiest for the birth of these two deargrandsons who came after about 17 years of the death of their grandmotherKhadija during which time the Prophet had five marriages but none of them gavehim any offspring. Thus the Prophet treated these two dear ones as his own kids.He used to call them by that title. Usama Ibn Zayd narrates that the Prophetonce said: These are my two kids, the sons of my daughter. O Allah love thosewho love them. I love them so shower your love on them O Allah!

In the fifth year of Hijrah Fatimah again gave birth to a third child who thistime was a daughter called Zaynab after the name of her aunt. Two years laterFatimah had her fourth and last child Ummu Kulthoom after the name of hersecond aunt. And thus the only line that kept the posterity of the Prophet wasthat of Fatimah may Allah be pleased with her.

One day the Prophet heard that Ali wanted to have another wife in additionto Fatimah and that second wife was the daughter of the worst enemy of Islam atthat time. So the Prophet got extremely angry. He climbed his pulpit and said: “Why do some people want to hurt me in my family “. He condemned the ideaand so Ali turned it down and returned to Fatimah.

The following incident shows the great piety of Ali and Fatimah: One daythe two were doing a voluntary fast. Minutes before breaking their fast a needyperson knocked at the door asking for food. The only food they two had was a loafof barley. Hearing the knock of the needy person they gave him their loaf andcontinued their fast. At about the same time of the next day an orphan knockedat their door and again they gave him their simple food. On the third day awayfarer who was a prisoner of war took their food for break fast. Allah Almighty

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was pleased with this and He revealed the following verses in their praise to theProphet:

“ And they feed for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan and thecaptive, saying: We feed you for the sake of Allah alone; no reward do we desirefrom you, or thanks. We only fear a Day of distressful wrath from the side of ourLord. But Allah will deliver them from the evil of that Day, and will shed overthem a Light of Beauty and a Blissful joy “. ( 76-8-11 )

To conclude this segment about the blissful Fatimah we may mention thatshe was the last member of the Prophet’s family to die after him. One day he toldher a secret for which she wept. Then he told her another for which she laughed.Later on she was asked to explain; she said first he told me about his death andthen he told me that I shall be the first to overtake him.

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H azrat Aisha Siddiqa bint al Siddiq is the second most beloved wife of theProphet Muhmmad peace be upon him after his first wife Khadija may Allah bepleased with her. As her nickname implies, she was the daughter of Abu Bakr alSiddiq the closest friend of the Prophet and his first successor or caliph. She isgiven the title “Siddiqa” because of an incident after which Allah Almightytestified to her honesty, trustworthiness and purity. Books of Seerah tell us aboutit the following:

When the Prophet returned victorious from the battle of Bani al Mustaliq,Aisha was accompanying him. On its way back to Madinah, not very far awayfrom it the army stopped part of the night; then it was allowed to continue thejourney which the army did until it entered Madinah. The camel of Aisha wasled to her house with her small cabin on its back. To the astonishment of allonlookers Aisha was not there. So the news spread like fire; and the Prophet andhis companions started to search everywhere; after a short while, however,Aisha was seen riding another camel led by a companion called Safwan IbnMuattil al Salami.

Naturally the pure wife of the Prophet was asked about the reason of herdelay. She said: I went to answer the call of nature some time before departure. Ihad on a valuable necklace which fell from my neck without being aware of it.When I returned to my camel I discovered that it was missing. So I returned tothe same place where I went before. At that time people were starting to leave.When I found my lost necklace and went back I found the caravan was no morethere. They took my camel thinking that I was inside the cabin on its back.

As I returned to the camp, Hazrat Aisha continues, no one was in sight so Iwrapped up myself and lay down in the same place feeling that this is the best Ican do. For sure, I thought, they will soon discover my absence and come back tome. As I was in that condition Safwan Ibn Muattil passed by me. Seeing me herecognized me and said sadly: How could it be that the Prophet’s wife is here!What made you lag behind the caravan? I kept silent so he brought his camelnear me, thus I rode on its back and he led the camel to Madinah.

The Prophet heard this account which Aisha thought to be simple truth; butpeople spread an evil rumour, especially the hypocrites who started to concoctstories against Aisha the pure. Thus what is called Hadith al Ifk spread

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everywhere (a sinister talk against this dear wife of the Prophet). The Prophetkept silent and when Aisha was told about what was going on against her she gotangry and tried to explain things to the Prophet who said nothing. So Aishajoined her parents who tried to verify the rumours from her.

It was indeed an extremely hard time not only for Aisha and her father AbuBakr al Siddiq but for the Prophet as well who approached Aisha and said: If youcommitted anything, then confess it and repent to Allah who will forgive you.These statements only increased the sufferings of Aisha so much so that she fellseriously ill. It was only the Divine revelation that acquitted her and declared herinnocence and purity. This took place after a whole month of adversity andhardship. That is why Aisha deserved the title of Siddiqa, the truthful, becauseAllah Almighty testified to her honesty.

Aisha was only eight years old before the emigration of the Prophet fromMakkah to Madinah. The Prophet had proposed to her two years earlier becauseshe was the daughter of his closest friend and companion. So the Prophet gotmarried to her when she was only nine years old. But Aisha was already a grown-up woman despite her tender years. She was not just an ordinary wife but shecould fill the gap caused by the death of Khadija, the first mother of the Faithful.

Aisha was a beautiful wife, with a light body. She had a reddish face so theProphet used to praise her saying: Take one half of your religion from thisreddish young lady. This was because Aisha was the most knowledgeableMuslim woman of her time. She used to teach many things related to women tothe senior companions of the Prophet. She also transmitted quite a large numberof the Prophet’s traditions.

If Hazrat Khadija played a great role in the formative part of the Prophet’slife, Aisha took care of him the rest of his life, especially in his old age despite thepresence of other wives along with her. This does not mean that the Prophet didnot treat them with equal justice, but rather that Aisha Siddiqa was his mostbeloved wife during this period. As a result of this she was an extremely jealouswife in the sense that she wanted him all for herself. It is narrated that one daythe Prophet ate some honey in the house of Mary, the Copt. Aisha got jealousand plotted with Hafsa, another wife of the Prophet to tell him as soon as hewould approach any one of the two, that he smelt of Maghafeer, a bad smellingdrink in Arabia.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, did approach these two wives each of

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whom told him the same thing, so he swore not to eat honey any more. But AllahAlmighty revealed the following lesson which was directed to the two plottingwives as well as to the Prophet himself. For how could he make somethingprohibited which has been made permissible by Allah. A separate chapter in theHoly Quran deals with this important theme. It starts as follows:

O Prophet! Why hold you to be forbidden that which Allah has made lawfulfor you? You seek to please your wives; but Allah is Oft-Forgiving, MostMerciful. Allah had ordained for you (O Muslims) the dissolution of your oaths(in some cases); and Allah is your Protector, and He is full of Knowledge, andWisdom. When the Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his wives,and she then divulged it to another, and Allah made it known to him, heconfirmed part of it and dropped a part. Then when he told her thereof she said:Who told you this? He said: He told me who Knows and is well-acquainted withall things.

Then the Quran addresses Aisha and Hafsa in the following words: If youtwo turn in repentance to Allah, your hearts are indeed so inclined; but if youback each other against him, truly Allah is his Protector, Gabriel and everyrighteous one among the believers, and furthermore, the angels will back Him.( 66-1-4 ) It was indeed a decisive lesson which was, in fact, nothing but aprelude to another more important one. One day the wives of the Prophetincluding Aisha, held a meeting and decided to ask the Prophet to entertainthem in the pleasures of this world, no more could they bear the life ofasceticism the Prophet used to lead in favour of seeking the After-life andpreferring others to himself. For indeed the Prophet led a poor life despite hisbeing the head of the first Islamic state.

This was a critical plot against the Prophet. All his wives agreed to demanda more entertaining and a pleasurable life from the Prophet. He, however, couldnot at all change his course being the best example for others to follow. When theProphet came to know this, he boycotted all his wives including Aisha. Theboycott continued for one whole month until the following verses were revealed:O Prophet! Tell your wives: “ If it be that you desire the life of this world and itsglitter, then come! I will provide for you enjoyment and set you free in ahandsome manner. But if you seek Allah and His Apostle and the Home of theHere-after, verily Allah has prepared for the well-doers among you a greatreward “. ( 33-28-29 ) So the Prophet asked Aisha to consult her parents to makeup her mind either to stay with him or leave him in a handsome way. This he didwith the rest of his wives as well most of whom preferred to keep matrimony with

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the Prophet. When he asked Aisha to get her parent’s opinion she said: How canI consult them concerning you? Never. I do choose Allah and His Apostle.

We cannot cover the extensive biography of Aisha Siddiqa in these few pages;but suffice it to say that she was the most devoted wife of the Prophet, the mostlearned and brilliant one and the most pious. Once she was fasting. During thesame day she had a sheep. Her servant slaughtered it for her,but she asked herservant to distribute the greater part of it. At sunset Aisha asked the servant: Whathave you left behind of that sheep? The servant replied: Nothing is left but its arm.All the rest has gone But Aisha’s comment here was this: “ All is kept but its arm“. She meant to say that all that has been given to the poor and needy will berewarded by Allah, while the remaining arm will go. See how pious this young wifeof the Prophet was.

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T his is to continue our review of great women in Islam to prove that womenalso had a good share of greatness in Islam side by side with men. Nusaibah bintKaab comes from Bani Awf, a well known tribe of Madinah. Thus she was oneof al Ansar or the Supporters of the Prophet, a name given to the originalinhabitants of Madinah who were the real helpers of the Prophet. Nusaibahdeserved that title indeed, for she took part in a number of decisive battles ofIslam. She was one of the early converts to Islam from Yathreb, now called, alMadinah al Munawwarah after the Prophet of Islam. She thus attended BayatulAqabah, the solemn oath taken by a number of those early Medinite reverts whoundertook to protect the Messenger of Allah as they would protect their ownchildren. So Nusaibah took part in that oath.

When she returned to Madinah after the said oath, she started to spread thecall of Islam among the women of that city. Many women embraced Islam at thehands of this sincere follower of the new religion. Nusaibah’s activity was not,however, restricted to words, she also took part in the battles of Islam andparticipated in the holy war against disbelievers. Thus when the Quraishitesattacked Madinah, Nusaibah was one of the few women who came out with theProphet to defend Islam and the sacred city of the Messenger of Allah. Not onlydid she provide drink and treatment to the wounded Muslim soldiers, but alsoshe participated in the actual fighting itself.

As a matter of fact, Ummu-Imarah, as Nusaibah was nicknamed,distinguished herself particularly in the battle of Uhud, the second decisivebattle of Islam. For, after the disbelievers were vanquished in the battle of Badr,they gathered huge forces and attacked Madinah to kill the Prophet and nipIslam in the bud. But the Muslims rose to the challenge, and Nusaibah wasallowed to participate along with two sons of hers and her husband. So shestarted her customary mission of supplying the water to the wounded andtreating them and guarding their provisions. Not only this but she alsoencouraged the Muslim fighters to distinguish themselves in the battle.

All went well in the beginning of the battle of Uhud. The disbelieving armyof Quraish started to retreat in front of the staunch fighters of the Muslimssupported morally by outstanding women like Nusaibah. Seeing this, andcontrary to the orders of the Prophet, a number of Muslim fighters posted on ahill to defend the back of the Islamic army left their positions and started to

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collect the spoils of war imagining that the battle has been settled in favour ofIslam and Muslims. No sooner than they left their places a segment of the armyof disbelievers attacked them from behind their backs. A fierce fighting ensuedand a number of Muslim warriors fell as martyrs and very few soldiers stayedaround the Prophet to defend him; they were ready to give their lives defendingtheir beloved Messenger of Allah. Among these few was Ummu Imarah,Nusaibah, her husband and her two sons. They were indeed in the forefront ofthose defenders of the Prophet peace be upon him.

In the middle of the battle the Quraishites were encouraged and decided tokill the Prophet and put an end to Islam and Muslims. Seeing this UmmuImarah, the blessed Nusaibah speeded up, carrying her sword and arrow andstarted to defend the Prophet. Other Companions were around her, but hereffect was greatest in the folds of the enemy. She was as strong and firm as amountain.

Then came Ibn Qamieah, one of the soldiers of the disbelievers, crying: guideme to Muhammad, my life will be threatened if he is saved, he said. With thatspirit he attacked the warriors gathering around the Prophet, but the defenders ofthe Messenger of Allah, including Nusaibah intercepted. They forbade him tocome closer. Musab Ibn Umayr was martyred in this clash and Nusaibah directedseveral steady blows to the attacker but he had heavily fortified himself. So he wasnot hurt. Nusaibah, however, continued to defend the Prophet striking the enemywith her sword and arrow until the Prophet praised her saying: Wherever I turnedmy face, to the right or to the left I found Nusaibah defending me.

Then the Prophet looked around him and saw Nusaibah’s son fighting withhis left arm bleeding as a result of a hard blow he received. The Prophet calledhim saying: Bind your wound. Hearing this Nusaibah ran to her son to bind hiswound and said: My son rise and fight in defense of Islam and in the cause ofAllah. “ As she continued her struggle the Prophet called to her saying: Here isthe enemy who hit your son O Ummu Imarah! Thus she intercepted his way andgave him a strong blow on his leg which caused his immediate death. Seeing thisthe Prophet said: Praise be to Allah that you retaliated O Ummu Imarah “. Asthe battle grew stronger and the fighting fiercer, Ummu Imarah becamestauncher and her belief was firmer. Thus the Prophet said: Who can bear whatyou bear O Ummu Imarah?

Nusaibah used to fight without anything to protect herself. When theProphet saw a warrior running away without fighting, he cried: Leave your

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armour to those who fight which the man did. So Nusaibah took part of it andstarted to keep the blows away from the Prophet. Then an enemy came anddirected a blow to Nusaibah, when he missed her she hit and threw him off hishorse. He fell to the ground on his back. So the Prophet cried to Nusaibah’s sonto come to the help of his mother which he did until the enemy was killed.

Once again Ibn Qameeah and his group of enemies made a fresh attacktrying to kill the Prophet. But Nusaibah intercepted offering to give away herlife in defense of the Messenger of Allah. She received thirteen wounds in theattempt and thus she started bleeding; so the Prophet called to her son askinghim to bind her wounds. He asked Allah to bless this family. Hearing thisNusaibah said: “ O Prophet of Allah! Ask Allah to make us your companions inParadise “. Then came the Prophet’s prayer: O Allah! Make them my comradesin Paradise. “ Nusaibah’s comment on this was: After this prayer I don’t carewhat happens to me in this world “.

At the end of the battle of Uhud the leaders of Quraish cried: “ We have theUzza and no Uzza is there for you “. The Uzza was an idol worshipped byQuraish. The Prophet ordered his Companions to answer them saying: Allah isour patron and you have no such patron. Thinking that the Prophet was killedthe Quraish said: This is a day in retaliation of Badr. Then they retreated. But theProphet ordered his army to chase them and resume fighting. Nusaibah wantedto join them but her wounds prevented her from doing so. She bound them withher clothes but could not stand on her feet to follow the Prophet due to her toomuch bleeding. So she stayed with her family who started to treat her.

As soon as the Prophet, peace be upon him, returned back to Madinah, thefirst thing he did was that he sent Abdullah Ibn Kaab al Mazini to ask about herhealth. The Messenger was told of her safety which pleased him a lot. He went tovisit her in her illness and share with her a loaf of barley. As a matter of fact,Nusaibah suffered from the blow she received from Ibn Qameeah for one wholeyear. The Prophet used to describe her bravery saying: Her attitude is better thanthat of many other warriors.

As we mentioned earlier, Nusaibah witnessed the oath of Ridwan where thenew converts of Madinah pledged full support to the Prophet. We have alreadyseen how she fulfilled her pledge. She also participated in the fighting againstMusaylama the liar of Yamamah, who claimed to be another prophet. Thus afterthe death of Prophet Muhammad many half-hearted Muslims joinedMusaylama. So Abu Bakr al Siddiq launched the wars of apostacy. He sent an

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army led by Khaled Ibn al Waleed to fight Musaylama. Nusaibah went with thatarmy.

At Yamamah she fought with great courage. Her hand was cut and her sonwas martyred. It is narrated that she swore to witness the killing of Musaylamawhich took place in front of her. This indeed is an excellent example of the greatbravery and sincerity of Muslim women. May Allah bless Nusaibah and all thosewho defended Islam.

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F rom Nusaibah, the woman champion of Islam in the lifetime of ProphetMuhammad, peace be upon him, we move now to one of the great poets of Islamnamely Kaab Ibn Malek al Ansari. As his title implies, he was one of the Ansar,the Supporters or the Helpers of the Prophet who were his host in Madinah andwho pledged allegiance to Islam until the Prophet peace be upon him prayed forthem and praised them much.

The Prophet, in fact, used to have four poets who undertook what is calledin modern terminology the psychological war. Kaab thus defended Islam byword of mouth, through poetry as well as by sword. but he failed to attend thelatest battle of the Prophet, namely Tabouk Battle. So why did Kaab Ibn Malekabsent himself from Tabouk? Was he one of the numerous hypocrites whoslipped away and claimed to have excuses which prevented them from fighting?Was Kaab the only person who faced this severe test? And what was the end ofthis interesting story of Kaab Ibn Malek al Ansari?

Tabouk Battle was the last battle fought by the Prophet of Islam. It was nota real battle as no actual fighting took place between the Muslims and theirenemies the Romans. It was a test for the hypocrites in particular which tookplace in the ninth year of Hijra. The Prophet’s habit in most of his battles was tokeep his intended direction as top secret. This time, however, he declared hismission to all Muslims to get themselves ready for fighting the Romans. Peoplehad little means at their disposal, the weather was extremely hot, and it was thefruit season during which people normally prefer to stay at home rather thantravel or fight for that matter. To fight the Romans meant to face a huge army. Soit was a test in the real sense of the word.

It is reported that the Prophet on this occasion asked Jad Ibn Qays saying:Will you participate, O Jad, this year in fighting the Romans? Jad, who was ahypocrite said: O Messenger of Allah, excuse me and do not test me, because allmy people know that no one admires the Roman women more than I do. So I fearto fall in sin once I see them. The Prophet turned away from him and said: I allowyou to stay. Then the following verse was revealed: “ Among them is many a manwho says: Grant me exemption and draw me not into trial. They have indeedalready fallen into trial. And Hell will surely surround the Unbelievers on allsides “. ( 9-49 ) Another group of hypocrites said: Don’t go out for battle in sucha hot weather. This they did due to their doubt in Islam and in an attempt to

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persuade the Muslims not to go on this battle. But the Quran again declaredthem traitors. It said: “ Those who were left behind rejoiced in their inactionbehind the back of the Apostle of Allah; they hated to strive and fight, with theirgoods and their persons, in the cause of Allah; they said: Go not forth in the heat“ Say: The fire of Hell is fiercer in heat “. If only they could understand. ( 9-81 )

Against this background what was the attitude of Kaab Ibn Malek al Ansari?Before we let him tell us about his story let us see what was the attitude of otherMuslims? Ibn Ishaq narrates that Ibn Umayr al Nadri met two other Muslimswho were crying. He asked: What makes you cry? They said: We approached theMessenger of Allah to carry us with him to Tabouk Battle, but we could not findanything to ride around him. We don’t have our own means of travel. So theirfriend Ibn Umayr gave them his she-camel which they rode and came out withthe Prophet.

Another Companion called Abu Khaythama returned to his house a fewdays after the departure of the Prophet. It was a hot day and he found his twowives preparing a nice shade and cold water for him. Seeing this he exclaimed:“ The Apostle of Allah suffers the heat of the day while I am with my family.This is not justice at all “. So he quickly prepared himself and overtook theProphet for Tabouk.

Kaab Ibn Malek says: Never before did I stay behind the Prophet except thistime as well as in the Battle of Badr where the Prophet did not blame anybody ashis original intention was not fighting in that battle. All he sought was theQuraish caravan. So he let the Muslims make their free choice. All other battleshave been witnessed by Kaab who adds: On that occasion I had no excusewhatsoever. Never before was I stronger nor having such abundance of means asI had on that battle. This time two camels were at my disposal.

On the battle of Tabouk Muslims were many - whoever wanted to absenthimself could do so easily. As for Kaab Ibn Malek he was reluctant to fight. Sohe stayed idle doing nothing while the Prophet and his Companions preparedeverything for travel. Kaab remembers: I said to myself: I shall be ready one ortwo days after him. But I never had the intention to go. Every time I wanted totravel I just failed to make up my mind. Would that I did. So I stayed in Madinahand whenever I toured the streets I could meet either hypocrites or excused weakMuslims. The Prophet did not mention me until he reached Tabouk: As he wassitting there among the Muslims he asked: What did Kaab Ibn Malek do? A manfrom Bani Salama replied: He is left behind contemplating his gown and

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admiring his shape. But Muaz Ibn Jabal retorted: Nothing is worse than whatyou said: “ By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, we know nothing about him but allthat is good “. The Prophet however kept silent.

Kaab Ibn Malek continues his report saying: I then learnt later that theProphet came back from Tabouk. So I started to remember a lie to present to himto get rid of his anger. For this I sought the advice of all my family. Then theProphet arrived, so falsehood disappeared and I decided to tell him nothing butthe truth. On his arrival the Prophet first went to the mosque, so those leftbehind started to come to him and swear that they were excused. These weremore than eighty men. The Prophet accepted from them and left their realintentions to Allah. I then came up to him and saluted him. He smiled angrilyand said: come forward. I came closer until I was just in front of him. He said:What kept you behind? Could you not buy your back (means of travel)? I said:O Messenger of Allah: Were I to face anyone other than you I would have beenable to save myself and get rid of his anger by a certain excuse For I am endowedwith an eloquent logic. But I know for sure that if I do so Allah will disclose it toyou and make you angry with me. But if I tell you the truth I pray Allah toforgive me.

Addressing the Prophet Kaab Ibn Malek continued: “ No. Messenger ofAllah. I had no real excuse. For never before was I more able nor stronger than Iwas when I stayed behind. Hearing this the Prophet said: As for this man, he saidthe truth. Rise, he said, until Allah decides in your case. So I went away followedby some people from Bani Salama who said: “ By Allah! We know that you nevercommitted any sin before. You could have used the same apology like others. TheProphet would have asked Allah’s forgiveness for you “. These people continuedto say this to me until I wanted to return to the Prophet and belie myself. Butthen I asked them: Did anyone else meet the same fate like I did? They replied:Yes. Two other men said as you did and were given the same reply. “ Who arethey? “ I asked. Murarah Ibn al Rabee and Hilal Ibn Umaya, “ was the reply.These were two pious men whom I could imitate “ I said to myself and keptsilent.

The Prophet forbade anyone to talk to any of the three of us, Kaabcontinues, unlike all the others who stayed behind him. So people boycotted usand changed their treatment until my own self and even the earth itself waschanged. As if I was living in a totally foreign land. We stayed like that for fiftylong days. My two colleagues surrendered and stayed at home, while being theyoungest of the three I used to go out, attend congregational prayers with the

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Prophet and tour the streets. No one wanted to talk to me. I even used toapproach the Prophet and salute him after prayer. I would then ask myself: Didhe move his lips with the answer or not? He would not even look at me face toface. Even my dearest friend Abu Qatada who was also my immediateneighbour, he also boycotted me.

Kaab Ibn Malek mentions a further part of this hard test. He says: One dayas I was walking in the market an envoy of the King of Ghassan of Syria came upto me and gave me a letter from his master in which he said: We came to knowthat your friend has boycotted you, so join us and we shall entertain you. I saidto myself: This is also part of the trial and I threw the King’s letter in a nearbyoven.

Finally Kaab’s long expected salvation took place. Allah Almighty declaredhis innocence as well as that of his two other comrades in the following wordsrevealed to Prophet Muhammad in the Holy Quran which Muslims read inchapter nine verse 117-118 of the Holy Book:

“ Allah has forgiven the Prophet, the Refugees (who emigrated with himfrom Makkah) and the Ansar (the Supporters), who followed him at the time ofcrisis, after the hearts of some of them were about to swerve; but then He forgavethem; for He is to them Most Kind, Most Merciful.

“ (He also forgave) the three (men) who were left behind; (they felt guilty) tosuch an extent that the very earth seemed constrained to them despite itsspaciousness; and their (very) souls seemed strained to them; and they perceivedthat there is no refuge from Allah except to Himself. Then He turned to them sothat they might repent; for Allah is He who is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful “.

When Kaab was declared innocent, he resumed his role as a staunchdefender of Islam and the Prophet.

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T his is a continuation of our review of a number of women luminaries ofIslam. We have shown how greatness is not limited to men in Islam, but womenhave their rightful share in it. A number of women folk in the ProphetMuhammad’s house have been already reviewed and we come now to SawdahBint Zamaa, another pious mother of the Faithful. So who was this lady? Andwhat were her characteristics and what qualities distinguished her from otherwomen?

As a matter of fact, Sawdah Bint Zamaa can be regarded as the second wifeof the Prophet after Hazrat Khadijah may Allah be pleased with both of them.She can best be cited as an example to show that the Prophet did not have thosenumerous wives just for the pleasure of it or because he was a licensious man, asis claimed by some opponents of Islam. For when the Prophet peace be uponhim asked her hand in marriage, Sawdah had five children from her firsthusband al Sakran Ibn Amr. She was then a middle aged woman. Not only thisbut nothing was attractive in her except her nice manners and excellent piety.She was no doubt a truthful and a generous lady who was one of the early peoplewho embraced Islam. Her husband al Sakran Ibn Amr was also one of thoseearly Muslims. These were the main reasons that made the Prophet ask herhand in recognition of her piety. There was, however, a personal motive on thepart of the Prophet peace be upon him. For he was not an angel but a full fledgedhuman being.

It is reported that after the sad demise of the first mother of the Faithfulthere was a certain emotional vacuum in the Prophet’s life. Khadijah, who filledhis life with love and was the best wife and mother of his children, nowdisappeared from the scene. He still remembered her role in supporting himmorally and materially for she gave him everything. No one could replaceKhadijah neither a kith nor a kin. He needed, however, a partner that wouldlessen his feeling of isolation and loneliness and would share with him hisenormous burden. The Companions felt great pity for the Prophet during thisjuncture. They could appreciate the necessity of a partner for him, but how andwho. How could the Prophet forget the loving memories with Khadijah whichcontinued for more than a quarter of a century? And who could replace Khadijahin the Prophet’s life? No, none could do any of these and the Prophet’s dayscontinued to be sad and gloomy, until one day a sincere Companion of theProphet, called Khawlah Bint Hakim, approached him gently and started to

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remind him of his dear deceased one. She then suggested that he should getmarried sooner or later.

Hearing this the Prophet kept silent for a long while during which time hemust have reviewed his previous memories. He remembered how he returnedwith Khadijah’s trade from Syria, how Nafeesa Bint Munabbih approached himto convey Khadijah’s proposal, how the latter opened up for him not only herheart but her property and her house and everything she had, how she pacifiedhim when he first received Divine revelation in an isolated cave and returnedtrembling home. So he raised his head and asked Khawlah the followingquestion: He said: And who will replace Khadijah? Khawlah had a ready answer.She said: Aisha, the daughter of your best friend and Companion. Anotherperiod of silence ensued. The Prophet’s heart seemed to open up for Aisha whomhe knew full well as long as he was with her father, his closest friend Abu Bakrwho also made great sacrifices for him and for the new religion. He was the firstman to believe in him and his new message same as Khadijah did.

The Prophet could not refuse the suggestion made by Khawlah Bint Hakim.Aisha, however, was too young for marriage. She was only nine years old. But itwas from this fact that Khawlah embarked on the project of marriage withSawdah Bint Zamaa. So Khawlah suggested that the Prophet should ask the handof Aisha from her father and wait a few years until she would grow up which willneed a period of two or three years at least, but in the meantime Khawlah saidthat the Prophet would marry the widowed Sawdah who would take care of hishouse, and bring up his children who needed a step-mother.

It was a wise opinion indeed which the Prophet approved. So he gave hispermission to Khawlah to take the first step, namely to ask the hand of Sawdahin marriage. When people, however, heard about this proposed marriage theycould not believe their ears. They said: How could the Messenger of Allah getmarried to such an old woman who had no beauty to be proud of? Not only this,but she had a number of orphans from her dead husband. But this is exactly whythe Prophet accepted such an idea. For in addition to his need of some one to takecare of his minors he had such a big heart full of love and mercy towards all otherMuslims especially those who sacrificed their lives for the new faith.

Thus the Prophet wanted also to condole Sawdah and to compensate her ofthe loss of her husband who emigrated with her to Ethiopia for the sake of Islam.He died and left her a widow with a number of orphans to take care of. ThusKhawlah approached Sawdah and said: I have glad tidings for you O Sawdah for

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which I congratulate you. Having no idea about what was going on, Sawdahasked: What is it Khawlah? The latter quickly replied: I am sent by theMessenger of Allah to ask for your hand. “ My hand “ Sawdah said taken bysurprise. She could not imagine that one like her could be asked for marriage toanybody else having such a large number of dependants. She,did not think for asecond that the Messenger wanted her to be his wife. For it was the habit of theProphet to recommend numerous marriages among Muslims. So until thismoment Sawdah did not understand that she had an offer from the Prophethimself. So she asked: To whom? Khawlah quickly answered: To the Prophethimself O Sawdah!

Hearing this Sawdah was overcome by a feeling of surprise andbewilderment. For how could she take the place of Khadijah, the First mother ofthe Faithful? It was no doubt an unthinkable honour which she never dreamt of.Awakening from her surprise and bewilderment she said to Khawlah: I wouldthat ... ! Go to my father and tell him about it. It was indeed a great honour forany Muslim woman to be the wife of the Prophet. This was the general feeling inthat Islamic society which witnessed the call of the Messenger to the new faith.Thus Sawdah found herself one of the wives of the Prophet As a matter of fact,for some time she was his only wife after Khadijah. She knew, however, that shecould not compete with Khadijah and fill the Prophet’s heart with love as thelatter did. So from the very first moment Sawdah knew this and thus when theProphet got married to Aisha it was his habit to divide his days between the twoon a just basis; but Sawdah gave her night to Aisha. Even when the Prophet hadother wives Sawdah continued to give her portion to Aisha in particular. She feltthat she had the honour of the title only - the title of being the wife of theMessenger of Allah and the mother of the Faithful.

Sawdah Bint Zamaa, may Allah be pleased with her, was of an extremelygood nature. She had an exceptional love for the daughters of the Prophet whomshe served and took care of. But when the Prophet found that she was only hiswife in name, he decided to divorce her to get rid of any feeling of injustice on hispart towards any of his wives or followers. But as soon as she knew this she wasvery sad and pleaded that she should keep on having that title for as she said: Ipray that Allah would resurrect me on the Day of Judgement as one of yourwives. I don’t aspire to have any share in your life now, she said.

The Prophet was impressed by this deep faith and love on the part ofSawdah. He agreed to keep her as one of his wives. So she continued to live in theProphet’s house even after his death until she died in Madina Munawwara in the

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month of Shawwal the 54th year of Hijrah. That was during the reign ofMuawiyah Ibn Abi Sufiyan.

Sawdah Bint Zamaa was an extremely respectable wife of the Prophet. Sheplayed an important role in bringing up his children who regarded her as theirsecond loving mother. She transmitted five sayings of the Prophet. About heralso was revealed the verse that made the veil compulsory on Muslim womenespecially the Prophet’s wives. Through her nice and wonderful manners Sawdahcould win the hearts of all. Even Aisha used to praise her much. May Allah bepleased with her.

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A s her name implies, Hafsah Bint Umer was in fact the daughter of UmerIbn al Khattab the second most beloved Companion of the Prophet Muhammadpeace be upon him. Whenever Hazrat Hafsah is mentioned Muslims rememberthe great prestige she enjoyed namely that of her keeping the first complete copyof the Holy Quran. She was the only one among the wives of the Prophet to havebeen entrusted with this honour. This was in fact due to the fact that it was herfather Umer Ibn al Khattab who suggested the compilation of the Quran in bookform. This took place during the caliphate of Abu Bakr al Siddique the firstcaliph after the Prophet peace be upon him. So Hafsah kept that complete copyof the Quran until Othman Ibn Affan, the third caliph, came to power and heordered several copies to be made of that single original copy.

Hafsah was, in fact, the fourth wife of the Prophet peace be upon him; thisis as far as time is concerned. She was preceded by Khadijah, Sawdah and Aisha.Biography books describe her as a charming woman of extremely refinedmanners and coming from a family of great honour and prestige namely theArabic tribe of Makhzoum, a branch of Quraish. Her father al Farouq Umer wasno doubt one of the main founders of Islam during whose reign Islam spread farand wide.

When Hafsah entered the Prophet’s house-hold, she already knew her statusand one salient quality of this great luminary of Islam was that she was of anexceedingly independent character, brave and honourable. Thus she sometimesexpressed her objection to certain attitudes of the Prophet in his daily life ofcourse. For how could a follower object to the Divine commands? And as we saidearlier, the Prophet got married to Hafsah after Aisha, his most beloved one. Sothe latter was extremely shocked by this marriage. The important question hereis this: Why should the Prophet get married to the fourth wife? Is not this a signof his attachment to women and sex?

To answer this question which is raised by the opponents of Islam we mustremember that the Prophet was not an angel nor a god, or a semi-god as somepeople claim their prophets to be. He was a full fledged human being. So he hadto marry and get children, which he did. When he got married to Hafsah he didnot have three wives at the time. There was only Aisha and Sawdah who was hiswife in name only. So practically speaking when the Prophet married Hafsah hehad only one other wife.

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But he did not marry her for the pleasure of it. For before the Prophet,Hafsah was the wife of Khunays Ibn Huthafa, an honourable Companion whoemigrated twice for the sake of his religion, once to Ethiopia and the second timeto al Madina al Munawwara. He participated in the first decisive battle of Islam,the Battle of Badr and in the Battle of Uhud he received severe wounds whichcaused his death. He thus left behind him a widow not more than eighteen yearsold. So the Prophet asked Hafsah to join his house-hold out of gratitude to thedeceased warrior and as a sign of solidarity with the bereaved widow.

Added to the above was that when Hafsah lost her husband, her fatherUmer Ibn al Khattab was extremely sad. So he decided to find a new husband forher. This he did because it is not good in Islam that a young widow should staywithout a husband. Umer looked around and he thought of his close friend AbuBakr al Siddique. So he offered her to him in marriage after getting Hafsah’sapproval. But Abu Bakr declined and kept silent. This attitude raised Umer’sanger. He did not expect it from his close friend and companion. So he went toOthman Ibn Affan who had recently lost his wife and was no doubt in need ofanother one instead. But again Umer faced the same attitude. Othman was alsosilent because he looked for something else. His deceased wife was in fact thedaughter of the Prophet who had a second daughter. So may be Othman aspiredto get married to that second daughter of the Prophet; for this is exactly whathappened later on.

Facing these attitudes on the part of his two friends Umer Ibn al Khattabproceeded to the Prophet to complain to him concerning what happened.Hearing this the Prophet smiled and said: “ Hafsah will marry a better husbandthan Othman and Othman will get married to a better wife than Hafsah “. So theProphet married Hafsah in these circumstances and gave his second daughter inmarriage to Othman Ibn Affan may Allah be pleased with him.

On his way back to his house Umer met Abu Bakr who told him that heknew already of the Prophet’s intention and that is why he kept silent. Thissatisfied Umer who felt that the Prophet was thinking of the well-being of hisfollowers exactly in the same degree they cared for themselves. So Hafsah wasmarried to the Prophet and soon she was engaged in the troubles taking placeamong his different wives. In the beginning she stood against Aisha who she feltwas the closest to the Prophet’s heart. But as the Prophet took new wives Aishaand Hafsah formed one camp together and started to plot against other wives ofthe Prophet.

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One day, it is narrated that Hafsah and Aisha knew that the Prophet hadintercourse with his concubine Maria the Copt. This he did in the room ofHafsah which enraged her anger beyond description. She said to him: “ I haveseen who was with you. This hurt me a great deal. It shows how little you respectand appreciate me “. Then she started crying. To pacify her and to relieve thehurt she felt, the Prophet told her something which he asked her to keep as asecret and never tell anybody about it. He said he had sworn not to touch Mariathe Copt any longer. It is true that this pacified Hafsah and made her happy, buthow could she keep it a secret when the rest of the Prophet’s wives knew aboutthe original incident of Maria the Copt. Thus Hafsah told Aisha about it andthey both claimed to keep it secret, although they conveyed it to every one else.

The Holy Quran, however, was revealed and a separate chapter calledProhibition refers to this incident and teaches the Prophet’s wives as well as allMuslim women an important lesson. The said chapter says: “ O Prophet! Whyban you that which Allah has made lawful for you, seeking to please your wives?And Allah is forgiving, Merciful. Allah has made lawful for you (Mulims)absolution from your oaths of such a kind and Allah is your Protector, He is theKnower, the Wise. When the Prophet confided a fact to some of his wives, andwhen she afterward divulged it and Allah apprised him of it, he made known toher part thereof and passed over part. When he told it to her she said: Who hastold you this? He said: The Knower, the Aware has told me. If you twain turnunto Allah repentant, for your hearts are inclined other wise; and if you aid oneanother against him (Muhammad) then lo! Allah, even He, is his protectingfriend, and Gabriel and the Righteous among the believers; and furthermore theangels are his helpers.

The Quran continues to talk about this incident in the Prophet’s life whichwas started by Hafsah and Aisha who forgot that they were the wives of aProphet of Allah and not of an ordinary husband. In this context the Holy Quransays: It may happen that his Lord, if he should divorce you, will give him in yourplace wives better than you, submissive to Allah, believing, pious, penitent,inclined to voluntary fasting, widows and virgins. ( 66-1-5 )

This may look to be an ordinary incident, but it was not so in relation to aProphet of Allah; for how could two of his wives conspire and plot against himas the other version of the same incident shows where Hafsah and Aisha plottedto make the Prophet boycott Mary the Copt his concubine. When they claimedthat he had a bad smell. When he told them that he ate honey with Mary theCopt, they insisted that he smelt badly. Accordingly he swore not to eat honey at

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all. Thus they were taught here that anything they did was of necessity conveyedto the Prophet by Allah, the Knower of all things.

One word is here necessary about concubines. Why should the Prophet havea concubine, in other words a mistress? The concubines were the young womenof the disbelievers who took part in battles against Muslims. They were prisonersof war. No one was ready to marry them among the Muslims. And this is a liketreatment as other opponents of Islam did. So Islam legislated the permissibilityof their master’s sexual intercourse with these young girls. They were treatednicely and once any of them had a son she would automatically become a freewoman and no more a prisoner of war. So Islam in fact helped liberate thesewomen and eliminate this institution of concubines.

To conclude this segment about Hafsah we may say that the Prophetdivorced her but he was ordered by Angel Gabriel to join her once again as shewas destined to be one of his wives in Paradise. Hafsah died in the reign ofMuawiyah, may Allah be pleased with her.

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T he Negus or al Najashi as he is famous in Islamic history books, was theKing of Abyssinia present day Ethiopia during the time of the ProphetMuhammad peace be upon him. This Christian King had an interesting storyboth concerning his coming to the throne and his attitude towards the newmessage until he was finally led to the fold of Islam. The Arabs, in fact, had avery old relationship with East Africa particularly Ethiopia with whom they hadstrong commercial relations for many centuries. This relationship was increasedand improved by the emigration of numerous followers of the final Prophet. Butwhy did the new Muslims make their first emigration to Ethiopia and not toYemen, Syria or any where else?

This is, in fact, explained by the Prophet himself who described the Negusby the following words: “ Abyssinia is a country whose King does not doinjustice to any people around him “. It is interesting to mention how the Neguscame to power which shows how he was a just and a sincere emperor. Aisha,wife of the Prophet said that his father was the King of his people. He had onlyone son, the Negus, who had an uncle with twelve children. The Ethiopiansubjects plotted against the King and killed him. They appointed his brother ashis successor.

The Negus thus lived with his uncle, the new King. He distinguishedhimself as an intelligent and a serious man. This gave him some influence in theKingdom. The Ethiopian plotters convened and said: This young man’sinfluence has become more than his uncle's. “ It may be that if he becomes Kingafter his uncle, he would kill us all, because he knows for sure that we are thekillers of his father “. So they went to the King and said: Either you kill this youthor you expel him from among us for we are afraid of him.

Hearing this the uncle said: Woe to you. I have already killed his father theother day, and now you want me to kill him! No. I may allow you to drive himout of the country. So they took him to the market and sold him as a slave to oneof the merchants. The price was not more than six hundred Dirhams. The buyerput the youth in a ship and went away with him. But on the same day an autumncloud was available, so his uncle the King came out under it to refresh himself.Instead a thunder storm struck him and he was killed on the spot.

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Aisha continues this interesting story in the following words: TheAbyssinians were extremely horrified at this devastating end of their King. Theysaid: Let us choose one of his sons and make him King on us. But to their greatsurprise they found all his sons to be good for nothing. They were all mad withoutany exception. So they convened again and said: You know for sure that your onlyKing is the one you have sold in that treacherous manner. So if you need a Kingthat will save your Kingdom, then get him now before it is too late. They thussearched for him everywhere until they found him. They crowned him and madehim their new King.

The man who bought him came up to them and said: Either you give me backmy money or I will talk to him about it. They said angrily: We are not going to giveyou anything. He said: Then I shall speak to him. The Ethiopians said: Do whatyou like to do. The man came to the young king and told him the story. As a wiseand just ruler he got angry and said to the Ethiopians: Give him back his moneyor his slave will be returned to him, meaning himself. So the Ethiopians had noother choice but to return back the money they received. The King then made thefollowing comment: Allah did not take any bribe from me when He restored myKingdom, so how can I allow any bribe that would displease Him. He did notsurrender me to the plotters, so how can I disobey Him to satisfy them “.

This story of the Negus shows his great justice and piety. We come now to amore important story that led to his conversion to Islam. History tells us thatwhen the good people in Makkah started to embrace the new faith the viciousleaders of Quraish began to inflict severe punishment on many of them to forcethem back to idol-worship. So the Prophet, peace be upon him, allowed hisfollowers to emigrate to Ethiopia because, as we mentioned, its King was knownfor his justice and mercy. Thus a large number of Muslims joined him and theyreceived the best treatment from the Negus. This however, did not pleaseQuraish. Its leaders sent a delegation of two cunning men to negotiate with theNegus concerning the return and the surrender of their compatriots They choseAmr Ibn al Aass and Abdullah Ibn Abi Rabiah and supplied them with a hugeamount of valuable food stuffs available in Makkah but rare in Ethiopia. Theytold them to distribute the gifts among the King and his priests before talking tohim about the emigrants. They asked them to take every possible step to preventany chance of meeting between the Ethiopian King and the Muslim migrants tohis land.

The said delegation thus travelled to Ethiopia. They found the Muslimmigrants enjoying the best alternative home there. They distributed the gifts

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among the different bishops and priests telling each one of them how a numberof fleeing Arabs resorted to their country. They described them as evil elementswho left the religion of their people and did not enter Christianity either, butinvented a perverted religion unknown before by either party. “ The Arableaders, the delegation continued, have sent us to your King to surrender them tous. So when we talk to him advise him to hand them over to us without eventalking to them. This is simply because we know them better than you do “. Theysaid: All the bishops and priests complied with the delegation’s opinion andexpressed their readiness to support it in the presence of the Negus.

Thus paving the way for themselves in such an excellent manner the twocunning men presented their gifts to the Negus; and when they were in hispresence along with his priests and bishops they said: O King! Some evilelements from our country have fled to yours after defecting from their people’sreligion. They did not embrace yours either, but concocted a false religion whichneither you nor we know anything about. Their nobles have delegated us toapproach you, among whom are their fathers, uncles and other relations, so thatyou may hand them over to us; for as you know, their kins know them better thanyou do; and they are fully aware of their weaknesses and drawbacks. Thus theyrejected them and their false religion.

Aisha, wife of the Prophet, who transmitted this story says: Nothing wasmore repugnant to the Negus than hearing this version of the story fromAbdullah Ibn Abi Rabiah and Amr Ibn al Aass. The bishops around him said:They are indeed honest and are telling you the truth O King, because theirpeople know them better than we do. So we request you to hand them over tothem so that they may take them back to their country.

The Negus was, however, extremely angry. He said: No by Allah. I won’tsurrender them to you. For how can I do so to some people who resorted to meand settled in my land and preferred me to all others? I will not do that until I callthem and ask them about the reality of what these two men claim about them. Ifit proves to be true then I shall hand them over to them, and they can return themto their people. But if it is otherwise I am going to defend them and continue totreat them nicely as long as they are in my country.

Such an attitude, no doubt, befits a just King like the Negus. He invitedthem to his palace to listen to the other side of the story. Led by Jaafer Ibn AbiTaleb the Muslim emigrants came to the King who had his bishops around himwith their copies of the Bible open in front of them. The Arab delegation was also

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there. The Negus asked them the following question. He said: What is thatreligion by which you left your people and did not enter my religion neither thatof any others? Jaafer Ibn Abi Taleb stood up and said: O King! We were peopleof ignorance, who worshipped idols, ate dead carcasses, committed crimes, cutour relations and behaved badly towards our neighbours. The powerful amongus used to devour the rights of the weak, until Allah Almighty sent us amessenger from among ourselves whose lineage and honesty we are sure of aswell as his truth and chastity. He invited us to worship Allah Almighty alone andleave idol worship.

O King! Jaafer continued, the new messenger instructed us to speak the truth,fulfill our trusts, do good to our relatives and neighbours and avoid all prohibitedthings and blood. He enjoined us to eschew evil and avoid falsehood, stopdevouring the orphan’s property and calumnising pure women. On the otherhand he commanded us to worship the One Allah, establish prayer, give Zakatand observe fasting Ramadan. We believed in his message and followed him. Ourpeople who rejected his message started to punish us trying to force us back to idolworship. We refused and emigrated to your land hoping not to be unjustly treated.

The Negus requested Jaafer to recite to him part of the new message. So herecited a major part of the chapter called Mary; an interpreter was all the timeconveying the meanings. Thus the Negus and his bishops wept until the Biblesin front of them were wet with tears. He at last said: “ By Allah, what you recitedand what Jesus conveyed come from the same source. By Allah I am not going tosurrender them to you “ he told the Arab delegation.

The Negus, in fact, embraced Islam and treated the Muslims nicely untilthey willingly left his country. When he died the Prophet ordered a specialfuneral prayer be performed for his sake. May his soul rest in peace.

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W e have already seen how Jaafer Ibn Abi Taleb was called by the Negusalong with other Muslim migrants to speak for themselves and explain theirpoint of view; how the Negus refused to surrender those emigrants to Quraishexcept after interviewing them and making sure of the validity of the claims ofQuraish. Jaafer explained how Prophet Muhammad, whose lineage every bodyknew, called the Arabs to worship the One Allah and only; how he invited themto stop worshipping idols and to do all that is good and avoid evil. Quraish’sresponse, however, was absolute rejection of the new faith. Not only this but theArab leaders started to make a severe campaign against the followers of Islam,the majority of whom were poor and weak individuals from among the laity. Sothe Prophet permitted them to emigrate to Ethiopia.

Said Jaafer: Thus we have chosen you king and preferred you to all othersthanks to your justice and mercy. Now the Negus heard from both sides. Oneclaimed that a group of so-called perverted criminals have escaped from theircountry and that their people have thus sent a delegation for their restoration; theother side, however, told the Negus a completely different story; it was the storyof the rise of a new prophet whose description is to be found in the Bible andwhose time had come. But the Negus did not give his final judgement, neither didhe utter his decision. He wanted to know something more about the content of thenew message. So he asked Jaafer: Do you remember any part of the newrevelation?

Jaafer Ibn Abi Taleb, the leader of the Muslim emigrants to Ethiopia and,for that matter, the first ambassador of Islam to the outside world chose thefollowing verse which he recited to the Negus. He read in front of him the firstpart of the chapter called Mary. While everybody was looking forward to whatJaafer had to say, and while the Muslim migrants were afraid lest the Negusshould surrender them to their enemies, Jaafer’s voice flowed with these verses:Kaf, Ha, Ya, Ayn Sad. This is a mention of the mercy of your Lord unto Hisservant Zakariah, when he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret saying: My Lord!Lo! The bones of me wax feeble and my head is shining with grey hair, and I havenever been unblessed in prayer to You, my Lord. Lo! I fear my kinsfolk after me,since my wife is barren, Oh, give me from Your bounty a successor who shallinherit of me and inherit also of the house of Jacob. And make him my Lord,

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acceptable unto You.

Hearing this part, conveyed to him after Jaafer’s recitation by an attendinginterpreter the Negus looked at his priests and bishops as if asking them silentlywhether they have the same account of the story or not. They nodded in silenceimplying an answer in the affirmative. Then the Quranic words flowed onceagain on Jaafer’s lips throbbing with the beat of his heart and the hearts of theMuslim migrants who stood in great humbleness and modesty.

O Zakariah! We bring you tidings of a son whose name is Yahya (John). Wehave given the same name to none before him. He said: My Lord! How can I havea son when my wife is barren and I have reached infirm old age? He said: So it be.Your Lord says it is easy for Me, even as I created you before when you werenothing. He said: My Lord! Appoint for me some token. He said your token isthat you, with no bodily defect, shall not speak unto mankind three nightsconsecutively.

Again the Negus and the priests exchanged looks, but then the approvingnods also came. Then Jaafer’s voice continued with the words of the Quran: Thenhe came forth unto his people from his sanctuary and signified to them: Glorifyyour Lord at day break as well as at night fall. O Yahya! Hold fast the Scripture,and We gave him wisdom while still a child, and compassion from Our presence,purity and he was devout and dutiful towards his parents. He was not arrogant,rebellious. Peace be on him the day he was born, the day he dies and the day heshall be raised alive.

Then Jaafer’s voice trembled with the following part of Divine revelationconcerning the story of Virgin Mary and her miracle-son Jesus, which is the mostproblematic issue between Christians themselves. He, however, recited it withdeep conviction regardless of any reaction on the part of the Negus, the priestsand other attendants. This, no doubt, should be the attitude of any one who hasthe honour of conveying the truth, how about one who conveys Divine truth?Thus Jaafer continued.

And make mention in the Divine Scripture of Mary when she hadwithdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East. She had chosen seclusionfrom them. Then We sent to her Our Spirit and it assumed for her the likeness ofa perfect man. She said: I seek refuge in the Beneficent One from you, if you areAllah-fearing. He said: I am only the Messenger of your Lord that I may bestowon you a sinless son. She said: How can I have a son when no mortal has touched

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me, neither have I been unchaste? He said: So it will be. Your Lord says: It is easyfor Me, And that We may make him a miracle for mankind and a mercy from Us,and it is a thing ordained.

Here tears started to roll from the eyes of the Negus and his priests andbishops. Their humble looks encouraged Jaafer to continue his recitation of thispart of chapter 19 wherein Allah says: She (Mary) conceived him and thenwithdrew with him to a far place. Then the pangs of childbirth drove her to thetrunk of a palm tree. She said: Oh! Would that I had died ere this and had becomea thing of naught, forgotten. Then one cried unto her from below her, saying:Grieve not! Your Lord has placed a revulet beneath you. So shake the trunk of thepalm-tree towards you and it will send down to you ripe dates. So eat and drinkand be consoled. And if you meet any mortal then say: I have vowed a fast untothe Beneficent, and will not speak this day to any human.

As Jaafer continued his recitation more tears flowed from the eyes of theNegus and his priests, until their books in front of them were wet. Their eyesimplied their appeal to him to continue which he did: She brought him to herown folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! You have committed an astoundingsin. O sister of Aaron! Your father was not a wicked man nor was your mother aharlot. Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is in thecradle; a little child? He said: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He has given me theScripture and has appointed me a prophet. He has made me blessed wheresoeverI may be and has enjoined upon me prayer and charity so long as I remain alive,and has made me dutiful towards my mother and has not made me arrogant orunblessed. Peace be on me the day I was born, the day I die and the day I shall beraised alive.

Then came the Quranic comment which greatly impressed the Negus andhis priests: Such was jesus, son of Mary, a statement of the truth concerningwhich they doubt. It befits not the majesty of Allah that He should take untoHimself a son. Glory be to Him! When He decrees a thing, He says unto it onlyBe and it is. And Lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord so worship Him! This isindeed the right path.

Here the Negus exclaimed: By Allah, I testify that this and what Jesus saidcome from the same Divine source. But the cunning delegation of Quraish posedthe following question: They said: Ask the Muslims what they say about JesusChrist? When the said question was addressed to Jaafer, he said: He is the spiritof Allah and His word which He delivered to Mary the Virgin and the Chaste

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one. Then the Negus angrily said to the Quraish delegation: Go away and leavemy land. I am not going to surrender these people to you. Turning to his priestshe said: Give them back all their presents. And as for you emigrants feel free tosettle here without any intervention.

That was the great scene between the Negus who embraced Islam and JaaferIbn Abi Taleb. It is also narrated that the Negus sent a delegation to the Prophetwhose members also listened to the Quran and converted to the last faith. Fromtime to time the Negus sent presents to the Prophet assuring him of his belief inhis message. The Muslim emigrants continued to live in Ethiopia under his careuntil they were ordered to join the Prophet in Madina. Thus the Negusrepresented the best example and response of a sincere Christian to Islam.

One day the Prophet declared the death of the Negus. He ordered hiscompanions to establish prayer for him. May his soul rest in peace. Amen.

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T his is the story of another great woman of Islam Khawlah Bint Thaalabah,daughter of Thaalabah, a lady from Quraish about whom Allah Almighty sentsome revelations. She was an ordinary poor but respectable woman married to anold man called Aws Ibn al Samit. In her as well as in her husband was revealedthe first part of the chapter called Mujadalah which is chapter 58 of the HolyQuran. But why should this take place and what did Khawlah and her husbanddo so that Allah Almighty should send Divine revelation about them? These areindeed important questions that require answers.

As for the occasion we are told through authentic reports that Aws Ibn alSamit, Khawlah’s husband was one day angry with her. Under this hot temper hesaid to her: To me you are now as prohibited as the back of my mother. He didnot, however, mean that he wanted to divorce her. But as this first generation ofMuslims was always committed to the dictates of the Holy Quran, thus no oneever dared to do anything except after consulting the Prophet about it especiallyif it was an important affair. So as soon as Khawlah heard this statement from herhusband, she immediately went to the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.She told him about that incident between her and her husband and repeated hisstatement to the Messenger of Allah. But the Prophet did not issue hisjudgement until he sent for her husband Aws Ibn al Samit. When the latter camethe Prophet asked him the following question: What do you have to say about thestatement conveyed to me by your wife?

Aws exchanged a deep love with his wife who however preferred her love forAllah and his Messenger to everything else including her love for her dearhusband. He acknowledged the truth of what his wife said and added: So what isyour decision O Messenger of Allah? This question on the part of Aws Ibn alSamit sprang from his full readiness to comply with the command of Allah andhis Prophet, same as his wife did. This was, in fact, the attitude of all members ofthat first generation whenever they learnt a few verses of the Quran they nevermoved to other verses until they learnt them by heart and put them into practice.So Aws Ibn al Samit was serious when he asked the guidance and the instructionsof the Prophet which he was ready to be committed to regardless of whether heliked them or not.

What was the answer of the Prophet peace be upon him? Was he a virtualdictator as some of his opponents like to describe him? Had he been that type of

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ruler, he would have immediately given his instructions to Aws, and his wife. Butthat was not the case. The Prophet did not act from himself. He also waited theguidance of Allah. So the Prophet said to Aws: Don’t touch her nor approach orenter upon her until I allow you to do so, implying that until he receives someDivine revelation in the case.

One report puts it as follows: Khawlah entered the house of Aisha where shemet the Prophet and said: O Messenger of Allah, as you know Aws is the fatherof my children and my cousin; he is the most beloved one to me. You must beaware of his minor sins, his incapacity to do anything, his weakness and his faultytongue. Both of us are in dire need of each other. By Him Who Has revealed theBook to you he did not mention divorce. All that he said was: You are to me likethe back of my mother. So the Prophet said: The only thing I can say is that youhave become prohibited for him. But Khawlah did not surrender; not becauseshe wanted to disobey the commands of the Prophet, but out of her love for herhusband and her great pity for him she tried her best to receive a better decision.So she argued again and again with the Prophet.

She finally prayed to Allah in the following words: O Allah I complain to youof my great sadness and the unbearable pain of leaving my husband. O Allah senddown on the tongue of your Prophet all that consoles and relieves us. Aisha says:We actually cried to hear this from Khawlah out of mercy and pity for her. But asshe was in front of the Messenger talking to him we could see a change in theappearance of the Prophet. For, as a matter of fact, his countenace used to reddenand his forehead would perspire whenever he used to receive Divine revelation. SoI said to Khawlah: The verses he is now receiving must be about you, said Aisha.The latter had the following comment to say: O Allah! I pray You to send what isgood for we only wished all that is good to Your Prophet! Looking at KhawlahAisha says: She was about to die due to fear of separation from her husband.

But what happened. As a matter of fact, as soon as the Prophet was relievedof the burden of revelation he smiled and said: O Khawlah! Rising quickly to himthe latter said: Here I am. She aspired for good news due to the Prophet’s smile.And this is exactly what happened. The Prophet then said: Allah has revealed thefollowing about you and your husband:

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Allah has heard thesaying of her that disputes with you concerning her husband, and complains toAllah. And Allah hears your dialogue. Lo! Allah is Hearer, Knower. Such of youwho put away their wives (by saying that they are like their mothers) they are not

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actually their mothers; none are their mothers except those who gave them birth.They indeed utter an ill-word and a lie. But lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.Those who put away their wives and afterwards would go back on that whichthey have said, the expiation in that case is the freeing of a slave before they touchone another. Unto this you are exhorted and Allah is Informed of what you do.But he who finds not the wherewithal, let him fast for two successive monthsbefore they touch one another; and for him who is unable to do so the penance isthe feeding of sixty needy ones. This is that you may put trust in Allah and HisMessenger. Such are the limits imposed by Allah; and for disbelievers there is apainful doom. ( 58-1-4 )

After the Prophet had recited these verses he said: Ask him to free a slave.But knowing the great poverty of her husband Khawlah again said: What slave?By Allah he can’t find a slave to free. He has no other servant but me Then theProphet said: Ask him then to fast two successive months. But Khawlahdefended her frailed husband and said: By Allah O Messenger of Allah, hecannot do it. He has to drink water several times everyday; his eyesight is lost andhis body is weakened. Smilingly as well as pitifully the Prophet then said: Lethim go to Ummul Munthir Bint Qays and take from her half a wasq (a bigamount) of dates and distribute it among sixty needy persons.

One version has this. That Khawlah again said to the Prophet: By Allah! Noone in Madinah is as poor as we are! So the Prophet laughed and allowed thecouple to take the dates home and resume their normal life. In another version,however, Khawlah speeded back home where she found her husband waiting forher sitting at the doorstep. Once he saw her, he said: What news do you have OKhawlah? She said: Good news, but you are blameworthy. The Messenger ofAllah orders you to go to Ummil Munthir Bint Qays and take from her a goodamount of dates (half a wasq) to distribute it among the needy.

Despite his frailty and great weakness Aws ran quickly. Within a few minuteshe came back carrying the dates on his back and started to give every needy personhe passed by. His love for his wife and his great happiness for his re-union withher made him as strong as young people. Whenever he used to recite those verses,afterwards he would say: I would have perished had it not been for Khawlah!

This incident shows and clearly proves one fundamental fact concerning theQuran and Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. For those who claim thatthe Quran is the word of Muhammad here is a clear proof that it is not. TheDivine spoke here and interfered to correct one initial decision of the Prophet.

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This is what we mean when one says he is Divinely inspired Notice the greatmercy of the Prophet. He did not insist on what is hard for his followers butallowed them to receive charity, nay, it was he who helped them get it anddistribute it according to one version or take it home according to the other. Thisis Islam, and this is the practical lesson it teaches to its followers.

A final word about Khawlah is that she was a genius in rhetoric and fearedno one except Allah Almighty. It is reported that one day she met Caliph UmerIbn al Khattab as he was going out of the Mosque. al Jaroud al Abdi was withhim. Umer saluted Khawlah as he saw her. She returned his salutation and saidsomething very hard to Umer. She advised him to fear Allah in dealing withpeople, and reminded him of death and accountability. When al Jaroud wantedto stop her Umer said: Leave her alone. She is Khawlah whose talk AllahAlmighty has heard from above seven heavens why should not Umer listen toher? He should.

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T his is the story of Ruqayyah the second oldest daughter of ProphetMuhammad peace be upon him. She was one of those few who had the honour ofmaking two migrations for the sake of Islam, one to Abyssinia along with herhusband Uthman Ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, and the second toMadinah the first capital of Islam.

If we go back to the early life of the family of Prophet Muhammad we findthe four daughters Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Ummu Kulthoom and Fatima. Zaynabused to take care of her little sister Fatimah especially after the death of theirmother Khadijah. So she became a second mother for Fatimah; while Ruqayyahand Ummu Kulthoom, who were nearly of the same age, were always attached toeach other like close friends.

As a matter of fact, Allah Almighty willed, it seems, that these two sistersshould have many things in common and that they should share almost the sameidentical situations. Not only were they close friends before marriage but thisrelationship between Ruqayyah and Ummu Kulthoom continued even afterwedlock where they were engaged and married to two brothers, namely Utbahand Utaybah, sons of their father’s uncle Abdel Uzza famous as Abu Lahab.They lived the same circumstances under one ceiling until they were bothdivorced from their husbands under the instigation of their mother in law UmmuJamil who ordered her two sons to divorce them due to her hatred to the Prophetand his call. Then Ruqayyah got married to Uthman Ibn Affan and UmmuKulthoom stayed with her father and so the two twin-like sisters were separatedfor some time and in fact for the first time. We shall, however, see how theyshared the same husband in the end, one after another which makes their lifealmost identical.

This phenomenon between Ruqayyah and Ummu Kulthoom deserves moreof our attention. For in addition to their sharing the same parents, they lived theirchildhood together, were engaged in marriage together and married two brothersin the same house, under the same family name. They suffered the samecircumstances, entered Islam on the same day and after long years they had thesame husband, namely Uthman Ibn Affan who was the only Companion to havethe honour of marrying two daughters of the Prophet one after the decease of theother. Thus he was called Thu-Noorayn, meaning the man of two lights.

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On three occasions only the two sisters were temporarily separated as somebiographers beautifully put it. The first occasion was when Ruqayyah migratedwith her husband Uthman to Abyssinia; thus leaving behind her dearest sisterUmmu Kulthoom for the first time in Makkah where the latter faced with therest of the family the siege imposed on them in Abu Taleb’s lane. The secondoccasion whereon the two sisters were separated took place when their motherKhadijah died in the absence of Ruqayyah. The third occasion was the death ofRuqayyah six years before Ummu Kulthoom who continued to feel the presenceof her sister, and never forgot her dear memories for the rest of her life.

Let us now go into further details concerning these two pure gems and lightsof Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. As soon as Zaynab the oldestdaughter of the Prophet got married to her cousin Abul Aas Ibn al Rabee, thefamily of Abdel Muttalib got together and approached Muhammad to ask thehands of his other daughters for their children. Thus both Ruqayyah and UmmuKulthoom were given in marriage to Utbah and Utaybah sons of Abdel UzzahIbn Abdel Muttaleb, nicknamed later on as Abu Lahab. The two marriages tookplace, as we said, on the same night.

But despite the fact that marriage inside the same family was an acceptedcustom in Makkah, Khadijah may Allah be pleased with her, was not at allsatisfied with it. This was due to what she knew of the bad character of UmmuJameel, wife of Abu Lahab. The said woman was indeed an extremely hard-hearted, jealous and envious woman. Thus Khadijah was afraid that her two dearones should be subject to that harsh and merciless woman. It was not long whenKhadijah’s feeling and expectation was fulfilled. For, as a matter of fact, thesuffering the two sisters faced in the said household was beyond all expectations.

Despite the fact that Abdel Uzzah was a close uncle of the Prophet, he washis staunchest enemy after prophethood. He was the only member of BaniHashem and Abdel Muttaleb who surrendered the Prophet and never gave himany kind of help or support. Not only this but whenever the Prophet used toapproach pilgrims to invite them to Islam, Abu Lahab used to come forward andask the pilgrims not to listen to him or believe him and would accuse him of beinga liar, a mad man or a magician. And when the Prophet peace be upon himemerged to live in the lane of Abu Taleb, Abu Lahab instigated all merchants ofMakkah against them and he, in fact, led what is called the war of hunger againstthe Muslims.

Ummu Jamil, wife of Abu Lahab was no less fierce in her enmity to Islam

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and the Muslims, particularly the Prophet and his family. She used to placethorns in the path of the Prophet and inflict every possible harm on him and hisfamily just because she rejected Islam. She thus deserved the curse of the Quranin which Allah revealed a separate chapter about her and her husband In the saidchapter Allah Almighty says: The power of Abu Lahab will indeed perish and hewill also perish. His wealth and gains will not exempt him. He will be plunged inflaming fire, and his wife, the wood carrier, will have upon her neck a halter ofpalm tree. ( 111-1-5 )

Ummu Jamil, the embodiment of hatred and disbelief was full of rancouragainst all the family of Hashem, the clan of the Prophet. She only sought themarriage of her two sons to Ruqayyah and Ummu Kulthoom to humiliate BaniHashem and fight back against Khadijah of whom she was extremely jealous,even before she married Muhammad peace be upon him. So when the saidchapter against her and her husband was revealed and made known to everybodyin Makkah Ummu Jamil carried a huge stone and looked for the Prophet tostruck him with. She, however, could not do so. Then she swore not to stay underone ceiling with the Prophet’s two daughters who were immediately divorcedand returned to their parents.

Thus the two twin-like sisters joined their parents once again despite thebitterness they both entertained after their tragic separation from their husbandsone of whom used to inflict punishment on the Prophet’s daughter. Andalthough Muhammad peace be upon him very rarely cursed anybody, he didcurse Utaybah and asked Allah to send him a fierce dog to kill him. So, as he wasreturning from a journey, one day, a lion jumped on him and ate him up out of allhis companions. The private tragedy of the Prophet’s family was forgottenagainst the public tragedy of their siege in Abu Taleb’s lane. Ruqayyah andUmmu Kulthoom thus joined their parents and embraced Islam which grantedthem solace and great consolation.

But no sooner Ruqayyah left her first husband than Uthman Ibn Affan theclose friend of the Prophet came forward asking for her hand. This he did in thespirit of love and solidary with the Prophet. The two sisters were thus separated.Not only this, but Uthman emigrated with Ruqayyah leaving behind their dearones in Makkah. Ruqayyah did not know that it was the last time she wasdestined to see her mother, for after a while Khadijah died and manydevelopments took place in Makkah. Thus when Ruqayyah and Uthmanreturned to Makkah, Ruqayyah was shocked to discover the loss of her motherbut she bore it in good faith.

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After a short while Ruqayyah and Uthman were advised by the Prophet toleave Makkah and emigrate this time to Madinah joining other Muslims there.Some time after their arrival in Madinah Ruqayyah lost another dear one. Herson Abdullah died at the age of six. Despite her sincere faith and her belief in thereward Allah promised patient Muslims in times of adversity, her sensitive heartcould not stand the shock. So she fell ill and got severe fever. It was then that thebattle of Badr was called for. But despite its great importance the Prophet peacebe upon him ordered Uthman to stay with Ruqayyah, and despite this hardsituation the Prophet emerged to confront the disbelievers but his heart was fullof pity and mercy for Ruqayyah.

And as it is the way with this world of ours, misfortunes go hand in handwith happiness and victory. Thus no sooner the Muslims received the pleasingnews of victory in the Battle of Badr than they knew of the sad demise ofRuqayyah. The two sentiments were present in the heart of the Prophet who ledthe funeral prayer on Ruqayyah and bade farewell to another member of hisfamily after his wife Khadijah. May Allah shower His mercy on them all.

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Less known as Abdullah Ibn Qays Ibn Saleem, Abu Moosa al Ashariembraced Islam early in Makkah. He emigrated to Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) inthe company of other emigrants and came back with those who returned toArabia in two ships and found the Prophet beseigning the jews of Khayber. Somereporters, however ignore his migration to that East African country. One of theearly missions Abu Moosa al Ashari was entrusted with, was that the Prophetpeace be upon him sent him and Muaz Ibn Jabal to Yemen to teach people theHoly Quran. This is reported by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad.

One feature of Abu Moosa al Ashari is that the Prophet liked his voice whilereciting the Quran. In Sahih al Bukhari we read the following tradition. TheMessenger of Allah once said to Abu Moosa al Ashari: If only you had seen meyesterday listening to your recitation. You have indeed a nice voice partly similarto that of Prophet Dawood (David). Hearing this Abu Moosa said: Had I knownthat you were listening to my reading, I would have beautified it for you.

In the two books of Sahih by Imam Bukhari and Muslim we read thefollowing story narrated by Abu Moosa himself who said: One day we travelledwith the Messenger of Allah for a battle. Six of us had one camel which we rodeone after another, thus our naked feet were full of wounds. This happened to myfeet as well; even my nails were torn and fell. So we started to wrap our legs withold pieces of cloth. Thus the said battle was called Ghazwat That al Riqaa,meaning the battle of the old pieces of cloth. After narrating this story AbuMoosa told one attendant that he wished he had not mentioned anything aboutit lest he should have committed hypocrisy.

Concerning the beautiful voice of Abu Moosa in reciting the Quran, notonly the Prophet acknowledged it but other Companions did so. Thus HazratUmer Ibn al Khattab used to say to Abu Moosa: Remind us of our Lord, so hewould recite the Holy Quran. Another Companion called Abu Uthman al Nahdisaid: One day Abu Moosa al Ashari led us in the dawn prayer; I never heard anymusical instrument as nice as his voice. This of course shows that not only theProphet liked his voice, but also other people liked to hear it as well.

As a close disciple of the Prophet, Abu Moosa al Ashari used to givesermons in which he would mention some traditions of the Prophet but in hisown words. Abu Kabsha al Sadousi said: Abu Moosa al Ashari delivered a

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speech to us one day in which he said: A good companion is better thanloneliness, but loneliness is better than a bad companion; the former is like onewho has perfumes. Either he gives you or you get a nice smelling from him, whilethe evil comrade is similar to a blacksmith who will either burn your clothes withhis fire or you will find a bad smell from him.

The heart, Abu Moosa al Ashari adds, is called al Qalb in Arabic fromqalaba meaning it changes, because it does not remain in one condition. A man’sheart is like a single feather carried by wind in a desert and turning it upsidedown. You will face numerous tests as black as the pitch of a dark night duringwhich people are believers in the morning and disbelievers at night. The bestthing is to avoid company and stay at home, he said.

One day Abu Moosa al Ashari, may Allah be pleased with him, invitedthose who used to recite the Quran. They were almost three hundred people.Abu Moosa started to praise the Holy Quran in front of them and then he said:This Quran is either a source of reward or a cause of punishment for you. Sofollow the Quran and don’t put it behind your backs, for he who follows theQuran, it will lead him to Paradise, while he who neglects it, it will drive him tohell fire.

Imam Ahmad reports in his Musnad that Abu Moosa al Ashari used towash his body in a pitch dark house, and would immediately cover himself withhis clothes out of bashfulness and respect to his Lord. In another tradition ImamAhmad also reports on the authority of Qasama Ibn Zuhair who said: Once AbuMoosa made a sermon to us in which he said: O people. Cry! If you don’t crythen attempt crying, because the owners of Hell are going to shed tears until theydon’t have any more tears; then they will shed blood tears which overflow to suchan extent that ships would run in their streams.

In the context of mentioning ships Abu Burda reports from Abu Moosa alAshari who said: As we travelled on a journey by ship, and as the winds were inour direction and as our sail was raised we heard a voice saying: O people of theship! Stop so that I may talk to you. The voice repeated this for seven timescontinuously. Abu Moosa says: So I stood at the front of the ship and said: Whoand where are you from? Don’t you see where we are and that we cannot stop?The voice replied: Shall I tell you something about a judgement taken by Allahand a decision made by Him? When Abu Moosa encouraged him to do so, thevoice said: Allah has decided that whoever causes himself to be thirsty for thesake of Allah on a hot day, Allah will quench his thirst on the Day of Judgement.

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From that day on Abu Moosa used to choose the hottest days and fast them,despite the great suffering entailed. This he did to please Allah Almighty.

Again Abu Idris says: Abu Moosa continued to make voluntary fasts untilhe became as thin as a tooth stick. When he was advised to stop it for the sake ofhis body, he said: It is only the thin horses that win the race. He may go out of hishouse and would say to his wife: Be ready for the travel for on the bridge of Hellthere are no facilities.

al Dahhak Ibn Abdul Rahman Ibn Urzub reports the following story: Onhis death bed Abu Moosa called his servants and said: Go and dig, widen anddeepen the grave. When they came back after doing as he ordered them they said:We have dug, widened and deepened. Hearing this Abu Moosa said: By Allah,it will be either one of two degrees: my grave will either be 40 yards wide fromeach angle, and a gate to Paradise will be open on it so that I can see my place,wives and what Allah has kept in store for me, even its nice and fragrant smellwill reach me until resurrection; or my grave will be narrowed on me so thatAllah forbid, I may be pressed in a narrow channel, then a door to Hell will beopen wherefrom I can see my chains and locks and those of my peers. I shall thenfeel its poisonous winds and hot water until the day I am brought back to life.

This is how Abu Moosa al Ashari was sure of the account on the Day ofJudgement and the reward or punishment in the graves which is one of the basicprinciples of Islam. His fear of this and his looking forward for the pleasures didnot stop at lip service but he and his companions prepared themselves for it andcompeted in doing good and avoiding evil.

Another story narrated about Abu Moosa al Ashari while he was on his deathbed is the following one reported by Abu Burda who said: When Abu Moosa wasabout to die he said: O my sons remember the man of the loaf Before they askedhim about that man he said: A man used to worship Allah in his temple forseventy years. He never stopped from doing this, not even for one day until he wastested by Satan who induced him to like a woman with whom he stayed for sevendays or seven nights. Then he repented and travelled across the land.

As the man walked, the reporter quotes Abu Moosa as saying, he used topray and prostrate in humbleness to Allah until one night he entered a shopwhere he found twelve needy people. As he was tired, he threw himself amongthem and slept. It was the habit of a monk to send loaves to be distributed amongthose needy men. The said loaves were distributed and our man got one of them

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while one of the needy people was deprived of his share. When he asked for it thedistributor refused to give him a loaf because he was out of stock. Then he askedall the others whether he had given any one of them two loaves or not? They saidwe received one loaf each. Despite the great hunger of the repentent, who got thepoor man’s loaf, he at once gave it to him. In the morning the repenting man wasfound dead.

Do you know what happened my dear sons? Abu Moosa al Ashari said to hischildren. The seventy years of worship were weighed against the seven nights ofsin, the latter outweighed the former; then the loaf was weighed against the sevensinful nights and it outweighed them. O my sons! Said Abu Moosa. Rememberthe man of the loaf!

This great lesson taught by Abu Moosa al Ashari to his sons is according tothe spirit of Islam which considers the best people in the sight of Allah to be theones who are most useful and charitable to other men. Abu Moosa al Ashari diedin Makkah according to one report or in Thawiyah near Kufa according toanother. This took place 44 years after Hijrah. May his soul rest in peace.

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A mmar Ibn Yaser son of Yaser Ibn Ammar Ibn Malek was one of the fewearly Muslims of Makkah whose parents were also staunch Muslims. He and hisparents, in fact, composed a poor and a weak family whom the Quraishdisbelievers punished and persecuted due to their belief. One importantdifference between Ammar and his parents was that while both of them - theparents remained patient and perseverent in bearing the sufferings from theQuraish Ammar could not do so. This was because he was burned with fire untilhe said something against the Prophet and praised the idols of Quraish.

Ammar’s mother Sumayah was the first martyr in Islam. She was one of theearly believers in the new religion which angered her master to such an extentthat he killed her in the attempt to force her to leave Islam and return to idolworship. Despite her weakness as a woman she refused to do so until the lastminute of her life. A special story of this series will be set for this first martyr ofIslam.

To go back to her son Ammar Ibn Yaser. He was, as we said, one of the groupof weak and poor people who were persecuted and punished by the Quraish fortheir belief. He was molested and burnt with fire. Amr Ibn Maymoon says thatthe polytheists of Makkah burnt Ammar with fire. The Messenger of Allah usedto pass by and see him. He would put his blessed hand on Ammar’s head and say:O fire be cool and peaceful on Ammar as you were on Ibrahim peace be upon him.

In another tradition Uthman Ibn Affan may Allah be pleased with him said:I was walking hand in hand with the Messenger of Allah in al Bat-ha valley ofMakkah until we came to Abu Ammar, Ammar and his mother while they werepersecuted and punished. Yaser, father of Ammar said: Time is like this. Hearingthis the Prophet said: Be patient O family of Yaser, I promise you Paradise. OAllah forgive the family of Yaser. Pleased with the Prophet’s prayer despite thesevere punishment he was facing, Yaser said: I have done, meaning that he wasready to be patient until the end of it.

But the lot of Ammar was a little bit different from that of his parentsAlthough he attended all the battles of the Prophet, particularly the first twoBadr and Uhud, he was forced earlier on to curse the Prophet and praise the idolsof Quraish. This he did under the great pressure of punishment. His heart,however, was sound with belief so the Prophet called him the good and the

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praised one.

Abu Ubaidah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ammar says: The polytheists tookAmmar Ibn Yaser and did not leave him until he cursed the Messenger of Allahpeace be upon him and praised their idols. When he met the Prophet, who askedhim about any news he had, Ammar said: I have bad and evil news. I was not leftalone until I said something against you and praised their idols. The Prophetthen asked: Ho do you find your heart? Ammar said: Secure in belief. TheProphet then said: If they do it again then repeat what you were forced to say.Then the following verses were revealed to the Prophet concerning Ammar andany Muslim who would face similar conditions.

In this context the Holy Quran says: Anyone who disbelieves after acceptingfaith in Allah, except under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in faith - butsuch as open their breast to unbelief, on them is wrath from Allah, and theirs willbe a dreadful penalty. ( 16-106 )

This attitude of Ammar Ibn Yaser reminds me of several other situations inwhich a sincere Muslim is forced to say or do something against his belief. Hedoes it to get rid of a horrible punishment while his heart remains firm in belief.If this is the case, the Prophet allows such a Muslim to do so. This is, no doubt,part of his mercy towards other believers.

I remember here how Abdullah Ibn Huthafa, a Muslim youth was takenprisoner in the Caliphate of Umer Ibn al Khattab. The Romans took him alongwith a good number of Muslim warriors. Punishment was set against him toforce him reveal some secrets about the Islamic army. He refused and remainedfirm. Then the Roman King asked him to kiss his head in return for setting freeall Muslim warriors. Abdullah Ibn Huthafa, thought for a little while and thenhe accepted the King’s offer. So he was released along with the other warriorsWhen they arrived in Madinah Umer Ibn al Khattab came out to receive themHe kissed the head of Abdullah Ibn Huthafa and said: It is the duty of everyMuslim to do so.

This does not mean, however, that he who chooses to be firm in his beliefeven if he dies for it as a martyr, that he is not approved of by Islam. On thecontrary he is indeed the best of martyrs who does so. The position of AmmarIbn Yaser suits those who cannot bear the bodily torment and are in danger ofchanging to disbelief if such torment continues. So they have their excuse and arestill regarded as good Muslims.

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Ibn Abbas reports the Prophet as saying: Ammar is full of faith from headto foot. Thus he was always honoured and welcomed by the Prophet. Ali Ibn AbiTaleb may Allah be pleased with him says: Ammar once asked permission toenter the house of the Prophet to meet him. The Prophet said: Let him in:Welcome on good and honoured terms. On the other hand Anas Ibn Malek said:The Messenger of Allah peace be upon him said: Paradise looks forward to threepeople. Ali Ibn Abi Taleb, Ammar Ibn Yaser and Salman al Farisi. Despite thecomment of some traditionalists that this is a strange hadith, it does notcontradict the great honour Ammar was granted by the Prophet.

Another quality of Ammar Ibn Yaser is that he used to keep silent for longperiods of time. This is what one reporter says about him. He was full of sadnessfor days on end and most of his talk was prayer to Allah to keep him safe fromtests and mischief. Ammar, however, faced severe situations even towards theend of his life. This was in fulfillment of what the Prophet once told him.Looking at Ammar one day with love mixed with sadness the Prophet said: Theoppressive faction will kill you.

But what exactly happened? Who was that oppressive faction referred toby the Prophet? As time passed, one day Ammar found himself in the army ofAli Ibn Abi Taleb against the forces of Muawiyah. That was in the battle ofSiffin where Ammar was killed indeed. So the Muslims declared in one voice:We bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Here is a newproof of it. Many a thing he foretold came to be true. Not a single promise waswrong. They said.

Ammar did not like to participate in a war between two Muslim armies, butit was the mischief referred to by the Prophet. Said Ibn Abdullah quotes hisfather as saying: While Ammar was proceeding to Siffin along the Euphrates hesaid: O Allah if I know that it is more pleasing to you that I should throw myselffrom the top of this mountain, I would surely do it. He then looked at the hugeriver, the Euphrates and said: If I know, O Allah, that it is more pleasing for Youthat I should throw myself in the water and drown, I would not hesitate to do so.O Allah! I fight only to please you hoping that You will not disappoint me seeingthat I seek your pleasure.

Abdullah Ibn Salamah reports the following: I saw Ammar Ibn Yaser on theday of Siffin. He was an old dark - complexioned man with a spear in his hand.He looked at Amr Ibn al Aas holding the standard in the army of Muawiyah andsaid: I have fought against this flag with the Messenger of Allah three times and

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this is the fourth. By Allah if they beat us until they drive us to the boundaries ofHajar, still I shall be sure that our leader (Ali) is on the right path and that theyare astray. This is a reference to that Battle of Siffin which took place between theforces of Ali Ibn Abi Taleb the then Caliph of the Muslims and the army ofMuawiya, then ruler of Syria who refused to accept Ali as caliph and asked for aninvestigation in the murder of Uthman, the previous caliph. Ammar Ibn Yasersupported Ali and was killed in this battle. Those were days of mischief amongthe Muslims and that is why Ammar made the afore mentioned prayer where heshowed his readiness to kill himself and avoid fighting against other Muslims. Itis true he was sure of Ali’s right to be caliph, but he did not like to fight otherMuslims. What a hard test for him as it was for many others.

Abu Sinan al Duali, the Companion of the Prophet says: I saw Ammar IbnYaser (on the day of Siffin) when he asked for a glass of milk which he drank andthen said: Allah and His Apostle indeed said the truth. Today I shall meet mybeloved ones, Muhammad and his party. The Messenger of Allah said: The lastthing Ammar will take in this world is a glass of milk. He then repeated what hehad already said: By Allah if they beat us until they drive us to the borders ofHajar, we will still believe that we are on the right path and that they are thewrong-doers. Then Ammar was killed. He was then 93 years old.

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A bdullah Ibn Ruwahah Ibn Thaalaba Ibn Imru-ul-Qays was a grand sonof the famous Arab king and poet before Islam called Imru-ul-Qays. He was oneof the Supporters of the Prophet in Madinah as his tribe is called al Khazraj; hewitnessed Badr, the first battle of Islam and like his grand father, he was also afamous poet. He reported traditions of the Prophet and transmitted from BilalIbn Rabah. A good number of Companions and their disciples quoted him intheir chains of transmitters when they narrated some sayings of the Prophet.

As we said earlier, he participated in the first decisive battle of Islam whichis regarded as a great honour among Muslims. This is because the Prophet saidone day that it may be that Allah Almighty has addressed the Muslim fighters inBadr and said: Do what you want, I have forgiven all your sins. This does notmean, of course, that Allah Almighty favours some of his creatures at theexpense of others; it only shows the great importance of that battle on the onehand and the reward Allah has kept for those participating in it. We shouldmention here how the Prophet made the following prayer only seconds before thebattle. He said: O Allah! Should this group perish, you will not be worshippedon earth anymore after this day. Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah was one of the saidgroup of early Muslims referred to by the Prophet.

But Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah had also the earlier honour of attendingBay’atul Aqaba, or the Aqaba Oath of Loyalty where a number of new Muslimsfrom Madinah gave a solemn oath to the Prophet to defend him and the newreligion as they would defend their own selves and families. Hearing this oath alAbbas, uncle of the Prophet stood up and said: If you know you can fulfill youroath, then take my nephew and go ahead with what you want to do; but if you feelthat you can’t do so or that you are weaker than to undertake this responsibility,then leave him now on the spot, for he has his own family members who candefend him better than anybody else. But the Ansar rose to the challenge andfulfilled their oath; and Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah was one of those who gave theirlives for that noblest of causes.

To come closer Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah was nicknamed Abu Muhammadalthough he had no children. He took that name out of great love to ProphetMuhammad peace be upon him. As a matter of fact, although the nameMuhammad was not common in Arabia before Islam, it is the commonest namenow in the world; no other name can compete with this name as millions of people

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today have that name these days. So Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah was one of the firstpeople who were nicknamed Abu Muhammad after the Prophet of Islam. He wasthe uncle of al Nu’man Ibn Basheer, another great Companion of the Prophet.

Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah was one of the scribes of the Prophet from theAnsar; he was one of the famous poets of Islam who defended it against thecalumnies of its foes and opponents. He distinguished himself also as a militaryleader. Thus the Prophet nominated him more than once to undertake somemilitary missions. It is said by some reporters that Ibn Ruwahah and AbulDarda, were half brothers on the mother’s side only.

On the authority of Anas Imam Ahmad in his great Musnad says:Whenever Ibn Ruwahah used to meet another Muslim friend he would say tohim: Come, let us believe for an hour. One day when he said this to one man, hegot angry and complained to the Prophet saying: O Messenger of Allah! Are youaware that Ibn Ruwahah leaves believing in you and prefers to believe for onehour? The Prophet’s answer was the following: May Allah have mercy on IbnRuwahah; he likes the meetings which the angels of Allah are proud of. Thistradition refers to the value of learning in Islam. In another tradition we read thefollowing: A session of learning is better than worshipping Allah for seventyyears. This is because Islam encourages knowledge in general, and religiousknowledge in particular. Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah was one of those keen onIslamic learning.

Hammad Ibn Zayd says that one day Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah came to theProphet. He found him giving a sermon where he said: Sit down please. So IbnRuwahah sat while he was outside the mosque until the Prophet finished hissermon. When the Prophet was told about it he said to him: May Allah increaseyour care to obey Allah and his apostle.

Another reporter says that one day Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah fainted. TheProphet came to him and said: O Allah! If it is the hour of his death, then makeit easy for him, otherwise heal him. Ibn Ruwahah immediately improved andwhen he restored consciousness he said: O Messenger of Allah! My mother said:O my mountain, my back, referring to her son. I saw an angel raising a rod of ironto beat me with it. He said: Are you her mountain, her back? Had I said yes, hewould have beaten me with it.

His half brother Abul Darda said: We used to be on a trip with the Prophet.Whenever there was a hot day no one of us could fast it except the Messenger of

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Allah and Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah. This does not at all mean that Islam is areligion of hardship and difficulty; on the contrary, the slogan of Islam is ratherease and facility. But when some people choose to make a voluntary fast or prayerthat proves to be hard on them they will be rewarded accordingly. In that spiritAbdullah Ibn Ruwahah imitated Allah’s messenger.

We shall see that Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah fell as a martyr defending Islam inthe battle of Mu’tah. After his death, says one reporter, his wife got married toanother Muslim who said to her one day: Do you know why I married you? Shesaid: No. He said: This is to ask you about the behaviour of Abdullah in hishouse. Accordingly the bereaved woman told her second husband numerousthings which the reporter could not remember. Then she said: Whenever hewanted to go out of his house, he used to make two voluntary prostrations and hewould do the same thing on his coming back. He never missed this, his wife said.

Urwah, another reporter says: Islam came and found Arabia full ofhypocrite poets. So the Quran said: And the poets; it is those straying in evil whofollow them; don’t you see that they wander distracted down every valley, andthat they say what they practise not? Except those who believe, workrighteousness, engage much in the remembrance of Allah, and defendthemselves only after they are unjustly attacked. And soon will the unjustassailants know what vicissitudes their affairs will take! ( 26-224-227 )

When Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah heard the first part of this Quranic revelationhe said I am indeed one of them. Then Allah revealed the remaining part praisingthose who are believing poets. So Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah was pleased andcontinued to compose poetry in defense of Islam, for he was one of three poetsaround the Prophet as Ibn Sirin said. The other two were Hassan Ibn Thabet andKaab Ibn Malek al Ansari. Thus when the poets of disbelievers criticised Islamthe Prophet would encourage his poets and say: Attack them. Allah is pleasedwith what you say.

When the Prophet prepared the Islamic army for the Battle of Mu’tah hesaid, the leader is Zayd Ibn Haritha; if he is hit then Jaafer Ibn Abi Taleb; but ifhe falls then Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah. Thus the army marched to the said battleunder Zayd. It consisted of 3,000 warriors. To their surprise they discoveredtheir opponents, the Romans, to be not less than 200,000 strong. However theMuslim army stood firm and they started the battle. Zayd fell a martyr, so Jaafertook the lead and fought until he was killed after losing his two arms. TheProphet said: Jaafer will have two wings in Paradise in compensation for the two

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arms he lost in fighting.

Then came the turn of Ibn Ruwahah who at first hesitated and hated to bekilled like his two comrades. But then he started to encourage himself by sayingtwo lines of poetry which mean: I swear O myself that you must embark onfighting. Whether you like it or not, you have to fight. You always looked forthis chance, why then do I see that you hate Paradise. He then fought until hetoo fell a martyr. It is reported that when the three leaders fell, the Prophet toldhis Companions about it. He promised them Paradise, but he commented thatthe position of Ibn Ruwahah was a little bit lower than those of his twoCompanions. This was because he showed some reluctance in the beginning aswe have already seen.

Al Zuhri reports Sulaiman Ibn Yasar as saying that the Prophet peace beupon him once sent Ibn Ruwahah to Khayber to conclude an agreement betweenthe Prophet and the Jews. As a matter of fact, the latter collected some goldenornaments from their women and presented them to ibn Ruwahah saying: Thisis for you provided that you make conditions. Getting angry Ibn Ruwahah said:O Jews! By Allah! You are the most hateful people to me, and yet I am not goingto do you any injustice. Bribery is a pernicious evil in the sight of Islam and herefused to take anything from them. Seeing this the Jews backed up andcommented: This is the basis of heaven and earth. In other words theyacknowledged that justice is the basis of the universe although a few minutesearlier they tried to give a bribe to Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah. May Allah havemercy on Ibn Ruwahah and all other children of Islam who lived and died for itscause. Amen.

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A bu Dujanah al Ansari, as his name implies was one of the Ansar, the Helpers or the Supporters of the Prophet. These people were, in fact, theinhabitants of Madinah who supported the call of Islam after embracing it andpropagating it among other people. They deserved the honour given to them bythe Messenger of Allah who once said: He is a believer who loves the Ansar, andhe is a disbeliever and a hypocrite who hates al Ansar. Abu Dujanah was astaunch member of this group.

But what was the real name of Abu Dujanah? His real name was Simak IbnKharshah Ibn Zayd al Sa’idi. In the battle of Uhud he had on his forehead a redband. When the Prophet established Islamic brotherhood between every twoMuslims in Madinah, one from al Ansar and the other from al Muhajireen, AbuDujanah became the brother of Utbah Ibn Ghazwan. This strategy ofbrotherhood was useful for the first Islamic state. It put into practice theprinciples of Islam in this respect. As the Ansar were the original inhabitants ofMadinah, each one of them offered his brother of al Muhajireen, the emigrants, todivorce which ever he chose of his own wives so that he might marry her, and toshare with him his wealth.

But the Supporters’ sacrifice was not limited to money and wives; itextended to their readiness to shed their blood and give their lives for the sake ofIslam. Abu Dujanah is reported to have defended the Prophet with his ownbody. This he did in the Battle of Uhud where he received several arrows directedto the Prophet. He made an oath of allegiance to die for the sake of Islam. Thushe continued to fight in the way of Allah even after the death of the Prophet.When Musaylama al Kaththab (the Liar)claimed prophethood, Abu Dujanahwas one of the first fighters who took up arms and marched under the leadershipof Khaled Ibn al Waleed where they fought the decisive battle of Yamamah. AbuDujanah took part in killing Musaylamah but he also laid his life in the samebattle. Thus another great martyr fell for the sake of Islam.

In his encyclopedia called Tabaqat, Muhammad Ibn Saad says that AbuDujanah still has offspring in Madinah and Baghdad even to this day. This ofcourse is a reference to the days of Ibn Saad who wrote his reference bookcenturies after the death of Abu Dujanah. On the other hand Zayd Ibn Aslamgives the following report: Some people entered the room of Abu Dujanah whenhe was ill. His face was twinkling with light. He was asked: Why does your face

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twinkle with all this light? He said: I am not sure of anything I did except of twothings: one is that I never talked about anything that did not concern me; two isthat my heart was always pure and sound towards other Muslims.

This reminds me of another Companion of the Prophet. The Muslimbiographers mention his story, sometimes without mentioning his name. Oneday the Prophet peace be upon him looked at a man and said: Whoever likes tolook at a man who will enter Paradise, let him look at this man. Abdullah IbnAbbas, who was present and heard this comment, followed the man who wasfavoured with this promise. He asked his permission to be his guest which theman accepted. After observing him for three consecutive-nights, withoutseeing anything extraordinary about him, Abdullah Ibn Abbas said: I don’t seeanything about you which qualifies you to enter Paradise more than the rest ofus. Can you remember one special thing you do of which I may not be aware.After thinking for sometime the man said: Nothing is outstanding in my lifeexcept one thing, may be, that I go to bed with a pure and a sound hearttowards my friends. Then Ibn Abbas exclaimed: This is exactly what qualifiesyou to enter Paradise. Abu Dujanah, may Allah be pleased with him, was ofthe same category.

Anas Ibn Malek says: On the day of Yamamah Abu Dujanah threw himselfinto a garden where his leg was broken. He started to fight the apostates until hefell a martyr. Again on the day of Uhud the Prophet offered a sword to hisCompanions and said: Who can take this sword provided that he pays its due?Seeing the silence of other Companions Abu Dujanah said: What is its cost, OMessenger of Allah? The Prophet said: That you should fight in the way of Allahuntil you conquer or be killed.

Thus Abu Dujanah took the sword from the Prophet according to thatcondition. Before the first round of Uhud he emerged, sword in hand and walkedarrogantly, wearing a shirt and a red turban on his head. Seeing him the Prophetsaid: Allah and his Apostle hate this gait except in this place. We are told byanother reporter that Abu Dujanah did well with that sword as the Prophetwanted him to do.

There is yet another story that claims that Abu Dujanah was secure fromany harm. This was achieved, according to the said narration by a letter given tohim by the Prophet. Let us hear what the story says and make the necessarycomment on it. In the book called “Pearls” we read the following on the authorityof Moosa al Ansari: One day Abu Dujanah made the following complaint to the

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Prophet. He said: O Messenger of Allah! As I was asleep yesterday I opened myeyes and found near my head a devil who started to rise higher and higher and togrow longer and longer. I extended my hand to touch him and found his skin likethat of a hedgehog.

Hearing this the Prophet said: I wonder if one like you can be hurt AbuDujanah! Yours is an evil visitor! By the Lord of Kaabah. Call Ali Ibn Abi Taleb,he said. When Ali may Allah be pleased with him came, the Prophet said: Writea letter for Abu Dujanah, O Abul Hasan, so that nothing can hurt himafterwards. Ali asked, but what should I write? The Prophet said: write in thename of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. This is a letter from Muhammadthe Arab unlettered Prophet, of Tihamah, Battha, Makkah, Madinah, theQuraishite, the Hashemite, the owner of the throne and the stick, the rod and theshe-camel, the Quran and the Qiblah; the bringer of There is no other deityexcept Allah. This letter is against all those evil visitors except the good visitors.

We and you, the Prophet is claimed to have said, have to abide by the truthwhich is sufficient for us. So if the Devil is an attracted lover, a harmful intruder,a vicious aggressor or a truthful or a false claimant, this is the Book of Allah todecide between us and Allah’s Messenger write down what you plot. Leave themen bearing the Quran and go to idol worshippers, to those who have ascribedpartners to Allah, there is no god but He, the Lord of the Glorious Throne. Onyou will be sent O you evil ones a flame of fire and a smoke to choke; no defencewill you have. When the sky is rent asunder and it becomes red like ointment. Onthat Day no question will be asked of man or Jinn as to his sin.

The report says that the Prophet folded this letter and said to Abu Dujanah:put it near your head when you go to sleep. When he did so he heard the devilscrying: Fire, fire, you have burnt us with fire. By Allah we did not mean to hurtyou; neither sought to do so; it was only an evil visitor that came to us, so take andremove the letter. Abu Dujanah said; By Him in whose hand is the soul ofMuhammad I am not going to remove it until I ask his permission. In the morningAbu Dujanah told the Prophet the story who said to him: Remove the letter, but ifthey return to hurt you then bring back punishment to them. By Him in whosehands is my soul, never have these names entered a house or a place but the deviland his forces and offspring ran away from it. The same applies to the evil mongers.

The well-known Muslim scholar al Zahabi makes the following commenton this report. He says: This is a fabricated tradition, its chain of reports isbroken and most of its transmitters are unknown people. No one among the

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Prophet’s Companions is called Moosa. But I would like to make the followingcomments on this decision. First of all the basic issue itself of a man beinginfluenced and hurt by the devils is not an unfounded thing according to Islam.On the contrary, the Quran itself establishes this effect when it says in thechapter called al Jinn. “ True, there were persons among mankind who tookshelter with persons among the Jinns, but they increased them in folly “.

In chapter two verse 102 we read the following: “ They learned from themthe means to sow discord between man and his wife. But they could not thusharm anyone except by Allah’s permission “. So in principle the influence isthere and in practice we learn from the authentic traditions that the Prophethimself was put under the vicious spell of magicians. He suffered for some timeuntil angel Gabriel peace be upon him was sent down to him to nullify the effectof magic which he did and he was immediately relieved. It is not also againstIslam to recite some verses from the Quran to get rid of any ailment whetherphysical or psychological. This is no doubt part of the blessings of the HolyQuran which in addition to bringing guidance and light to the believers, it alsocures them with the will of Allah of any evil things.

It remains to say here as far as Abu Dujanah is concerned that he was asincere and an extremely brave believer in Islam. He fought many battles indefence of the new faith until he fell a martyr in the Battle of Yamamah. He wasthus one of that great generation of the Prophet’s Companions who were greatfighters of evil during the day and humble worshippers of Allah all night long.What a unique generation in the history of mankind. Suffice it to say that theProphet himself praised it saying: The best of all generations is my generationthen the one that comes after then the one that follows.

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H assan Ibn Thabet Ibn Hiram Ibn al Najjar was, in fact, the master and senior of all believing poets; he was supported by the Holy Spirit. His nicknamewas Abul Waleed. He comes from al Ansar, the Prophet’s supporters ofMadinah. Hassan was the best poet of the Prophet as well as his closecompanion.

It may be said here: Why should the Prophet have a number of poets? Whatrole did they play and how can we coordinate between this and the fact that theQuran itself condemns poets in the following verse which says: “ And poets, it isthose straying in evil who follow them. Don’t you see that they wander distractedin every valley? And that they say what they practise not? “ ( 26-224-226 )

As a matter of fact, the Prophet kept a number of poets most prominentamong whom was Hassan Ibn Thabet, not to make them organs of falsehood andlies as the afore mentioned verses describe poets. It is true before Islam poetswere hypocrites, liars and arrogant braggers who did more evil than good. ButMuhammad, being the Prophet of transformation and change, in fact,revolutionised the content of poetry and raised it to a high degree.

Under the Prophet a poet became the spokesman of truth, the defender ofIslam. He played the role played by mass media today. Not only this but poetswere also important in raising the morale of the Muslim armies. Enemies ofIslam used opposing poets to discourage Muslims, curse them and their religionand spread false rumours against the truth of Islam. The Prophet used poets asupholders of truth and defenders of virtue. The Holy Quran itself made anexception of this category of poets when it said directly after the above verses: “Except those who believe, work righteousness, engage much in the remembranceof Allah, and defend themselves only after they are unjustly attacked. And soonwill the unjust assailants know what vicissitudes their affairs will take. “

Thus the institution of poetry and its role in life has been completelytransformed and Hassan Ibn Thabet was the leading poet of this Propheticschool of poets. An interesting thing about Hassan, may Allah be pleased withhim, is that he had a long life of 120 years divided equally between Islam and thepre-lslamic period. In other words one report says: he lived sixty years in Islamand sixty years before it. Thus he was one of the few Companions who had sucha long span of life.

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Once Hassan was in a circle of friends, one of them was Abu Hurairah, thefamous Companion of the Prophet who transmitted the largest number oftraditions. Hassan said: I ask you in the name of Allah O Abu Hurairah, haveyou heard the Messenger of Allah say: Answer them on my behalf? May Allahsupport you with the Holy Spirit? Abu Hurairah said: By Allah Almighty thisis indeed the truth. Again al Bara said: The Prophet once said to Hassan:Defame the enemies and answer their defamation in poetry and angel Gabrielwill be with you.

Saeed Ibn al Musayyab, the well-known successor of the Companions said:Umer Ibn al Khattab once passed across the mosque where he met Hassan. Hefound him saying poetry in the mosque of the Prophet. When Umer stared atHassan as a sign of his dislike of what he was doing, Hassan said: I used to saypoetry in this mosque in the presence of the Prophet who is better than you. Theonly reaction on the part of Umer was that he said: Indeed you tell the truth.

In another report transmitted by Aisha we know the following: TheProphet used to make a pulpit in the mosque for Hassan so that the latter maystand on it and defend the Messenger of Allah; and the Messenger used toencourage him and say: The Holy Spirit will support Hassan as long as hedefends Allah’s Apostle.

It has been claimed by some sources that Hassan never attended any of theProphet’s battles. These sources attribute this to his so-called extreme cowardice.The following report, however, is one proof against this claim. Jaber says: On theday of Ahzab, one of the major battles of Islam the Prophet asked: Who willdefend Muslim women and children? Kaab Ibn Malek said: I will. Abdullah IbnRuwahah also said I will and the same thing was said by Hassan. Turning toHassan the Prophet said: You defame them and the Holy Spirit will help youagainst them.

Another point in favour of Hassan is that he was an old man of more thansixty years when the Prophet emigrated to Madinah. So even if the accusationsof his cowardice are true, he is to be excused for his old age. He was, however,respected by the Companions of the Prophet. Urwah says: Once I cursed Hassanin front of Aisha. She said: I swear that you stop it. He used to defend theMessenger of Allah peace be upon him.

Aisha, wife of the Prophet, continued to respect and honour Hassan evenafter his participation in the calumny propagated against her. Atta Ibn Abi

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Rabah said: One day Hassan entered upon Aisha after he became blind. Shepresented a pillow for him to sit on. When her brother Abder Rahman came inhe said: How can you make him sit on a pillow, after he had said what he said?Aisha said: Suffice it that he used to reply in defense of the Messenger of Allah’and to please him against his enemies; he became blind as you see, and I hopethat he will not be punished in the Hereafter.

In another tradition Aisha said: When the Messenger of Allah arrived inMadinah Quraish defamed him along with al Ansar. He then said to Hassan:Defame them, but I fear that you would also defame me when you attack myrelatives. This tradition shows that poetry was the main means of expressing thepublic opinion. It represented in those days, the press, the T.V. and the radiostations. This shows the great and decisive role played by poets like Hassan whowas as we said in the beginning, master of all believing poets.

In the previous tradition, when the Prophet warned Hassan to take care indefaming Quraish lest he should attack the Prophet in the attempt, Hassan said:I shall take care not to affect you, for I have an organ that is more effective than aspear. (meaning his tongue)

Barakah, mother of Muhammad Ibn al Saib, said that she was walking withAisha who had some women with her. They cursed Hassan, but Aisha said:Don’t curse him for Allah has punished him with what you see - blindness. Butby Allah I hope that he will enter Paradise thanks to the verses he said inconfronting Abu Sufyan Ibn al Harith who defamed the Messenger of Allah Hiswords spread like proverbs among the Arabs. That is why Abu Salamah quotesthe Prophet as saying to Hassan on the authority of Aisha. He said: DefameQuraish, for it hurts them more than arrows do. When Hassan did as he wasordered the Prophet was pleased with his poetry.

Abu Sufyan Ibn al Harith whom Hassan defamed was, in fact, the cousin ofthe Prophet and his brother in breast-milk; he used to like the Prophet beforeIslam, but once he received revelation Abu Sufyan expressed enmity towards theProphet. He composed poetry to defame him. Thus Hassan was asked to answerback. Then Abu Sufyan embraced Islam in the year of the conquest of Makkah.He attended the Battle of Hunayn in support of the Prophet.

Hamzah Ibn Abdellah Ibn Umer heard Aisha say: I heard the Messenger ofAllah say: Hassan is a barrier between believers and hypocrites. No hypocritewill like him and no believer will hate him. Again Saeed Ibn Jubayr said:

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Someone said to Ibn Abbas: The accursed Hassan has arrived. Ibn Abbas,however, said: He is not an accursed one, for he fought with the Messenger ofAllah using his body and his tongue. The testimony of Ibn Abbas proves thatHassan participated in actual fighting with the Prophet.

Ibn al Kalbi reports that Hassan Ibn Thabet was an outstanding poet and acourageous fighter, had it not been for an evil experience which made himcoward. al Zubayer Ibn al Awwam says: When the Messenger of Allah leftbehind his wives on the day of Uhud he left them in a castle with Hassan.Among them was Safiyah Bint Abdel Muttaleb, aunt of the Prophet. Hassanwas their guard. Then a disbeliever came and tried to enter the castle and rushupon them. Then Safiyah said to Hassan confront the man and face him. He,however, showed his cowardice and refused to do so. So Safiyah picked up asword and hit with it the disbeliever until she killed him. When the Prophet wastold about it he was pleased and gave her a share in the spoils of war. al Farawiadded that when Hassan refused to fight against the aggressor he said: If I cando this I would be with the Messenger of Allah. Safiyah then said: I’ll cut thehead of the attacker and you Hassan: Rise and throw it on the Jews who areunder the castle. Still Hassan refused and said: By Allah I cannot do it. ThenSafiyah threw the head upon them. When the Jews saw it they said: We knewthat Muhammad would not leave his family alone without somebody to guardthem behind him. So the Jews were dispersed.

Another version adds that Safiyah said to Hassan: Rise and take his armour.I am but a woman while he is a man. Hassan, however, said: I am not in need ofhis armour O daughter of Abdel Muttaleb. Be that as it may Hassan washonoured by the Prophet and many of his Companions. He defended Islam withhis excellent poetry and participated in many battles with the Prophet. It wasonly when he was a weak old man that he showed this frailty of cowardice whichwas overlooked by the Prophet and many of his companions. May Allah havemercy on Hassan Ibn Thabet. Amen.

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U badah Ibn al Samet Ibn Qays Ibn al Khazraj was an exemplary leaderamong the Companions of the Prophet peace be upon him. Although a blackman he received the greatest honour and prestige in Islam thanks to his greatpiety and virtuous work. He was one of the leaders of Ansar in Madinah, and wasnicknamed Abul Waleed. On the occasion of al Aqabah oath of Allegiance hewas a distinguished participant who swore to support the Prophet as he wouldsupport his own family. Ubadah also participated in the first great battle of Badrwhich has a special place among the Muslims. He lived in the holy city ofJerusalem.

As a matter of fact, quite a good number of companions and their disciplestransmitted traditions from Ubadah Ibn al Samet, may Allah be pleased withhim. Ibn Ishaq, the great biographer, says: Ubadah attended al Aqabah as wellas all the Prophet’s major battles along side the Messenger of Allah which is nodoubt a great honour for him.

Whenever Ubadah Ibn al Samet is mentioned Muslim historians as well asothers cannot resist the temptation of remembering his wonderful interview withthe Coptic ruler of Egypt at the head of a Muslim delegation to negotiate peacewith him on behalf of Amr Ibn al Aass the Muslim chief of staff. As soon asUbadah met that ruler he started to give him a very strong sermon, inviting himto Islam and to leave the perverted religion he was following. Looking at his darkblack face the Egyptian ruler said: Are all the Arabs as black as he is? On hearingthis Ubadah got angry and said: The Muslims do not differentiate, like you do,between people on account of the colour of their face. It is only on the basis ofpiety and righteous deeds that men differ in Islam.

The Egyptian ruler then said: Don’t you have, O Arabs, a white-facedperson with whom I can negotiate? When Amr Ibn al Aass heard this, he insistedthat either Ubadah is accepted as the chief negotiator or the whole delegation willbe withdrawn. So the other side accepted him and Ubadah was asked in thecourse of discussions with the Egyptians: Are there many people like you amongthe Muslims? Ubadah said: “ There are thousands of men better than me and Iam only the lowest among them “. There is no doubt that the Prophetic schoolpresented to the world quite a huge number of people both better and likeUbadah Ibn al Samet. The measure of preference is as he said according to pietyand right conduct.

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Muhammad Ibn Kaab al Qurazi said: Among the Ansars of Madinah fivescholars gathered the Quran in the lifetime of the Prophet peace be upon him.These are Muaz Ibn Jabal, Ubadah Ibn al Samet, Ubay Ibn Kaab, Abu Ayooband Abul Darda. In the caliphate of Umer Ibn al Khattab Yazeed Ibn Abi Sufyanwrote to the caliph saying: The people of Syria are too many. They need somescholars to teach them the Quran and the fundamentals of religion. So help mewith three Muslim scholars. Out of the afore-mentioned five Companions thecaliph was told that Abu Ayoob was old, and Ubay Ibn Kaab was weak. So hesent the other three to Syria. They were distributed among the different cities ofSyria: One in Homs, the other in Damascus and the third in Palestine.

Duayb reports the following incident: While in Syria Ubadah Ibn al Sametcondemned something which Muawyah the ruler of Syria did. In his angerUbadah said: Never shall I live with you in one and the same country. So hereturned to Madinah the capital of the Islamic state. When Umer met him, hesaid: What made you come back? Ubadah told him what Muawyah did. ThenUmer said to him: Go back to your place in Syria, vile indeed is the land thatlacks you and those like you. He does not have any authority on you. So Ubadahwent back to Syria and Muawyah could not interfere in his activities there allthrough the reign of Umer.

Ubadah Ibn al Waleed transmits the following interesting story. He says:One day Ubadah Ibn al Samet was with Muawyah. He called for prayer, then apublic speaker stood up and praised Muawyah and lauded him too much.Ubadah took a handful of dust and filled with it the mouth of the speaker.Muawyah got angry, but Ubadah said to him: You were not with us when weswore allegiance to the Messenger of Allah at Aqabah to obey him in allcircumstances, and not to compete with the legal rulers but to support truthwherever we may be, not fearing any one for the sake of Allah. The Messenger ofAllah peace be upon him said: If you see those who exaggerate in praise, fill theirmouths with dust.

This tradition may sound strange. But if we remember the great harmcommitted by those who exaggerate in praising rulers, we can easily justify whatUbadah Ibn al Samet, may Allah be pleased with him, did. When any ruler hearsonly exaggerated praise, he will become a dictator and not accept any criticism.Thus he becomes a despot to the great harm and detriment of other people. Thatis why when a man said one day to Umer Ibn al Khattab: fear Allah, and acompanion of his said to the man: Who are you to say this to the ruler of thefaithful? Umer got angry with his comrade and said: Leave him. There will be no

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good in you if you don’t say it; and we become evil - and wrong-doers if we don’thear it.

On the other hand those who exaggerate in praising rulers are, in fact,parasites who usually make a living out of this trade. They do not say the truththus they deceive the one who is praised and make him arrogant and lead himastray. But should any sincere man praise a good deed or virtue in a ruler and heis honest and truthful, he is not one of this category. Again those who meet theother bad praisers, it is not required of them to do literally what Ubadah did byfilling the false praisers’ mouths with dust, but they should condemn what theysaid and advise the praised one not to listen to nor believe such people. Not onlythis he should drive them out of his court and should not give them anything. Sodust here may signify depriving them of any prize or reward so that such an evilis eliminated.

Malek Ibn Shurahbeel said: Ubadah Ibn al Samet once said after he becamea very old man: Don’t you see that I cannot rise unless I am helped, and that I eatonly what suits old people, and that I no more need to approach women so thatit makes no difference for me to be alone with any woman. It makes no differenceto me even if I own all that is on earth lest I should be tested by Satan.

In this statement made by Ubadah Ibn al Samet we see what kind of man hewas. According to one tradition the Prophet said: When a man gets old twoqualities grow with him; namely miserliness and extensive hopes and ambitions.Here Ubadah has exactly the opposite. As a pious believer all that he wished wasto achieve the pleasure of Allah with him, unlike other people.

Ubadah Ibn al Samet continued to live in Syria throughout most of thecaliphate of Umer Ibn al Khattab. When Uthman became caliph, Muawyah, stillthe ruler of Syria wrote to the new caliph saying: Ubadah Ibn al Samet has donea lot of harm for Syria and its people. So either you withdraw him and call himback to Madinah or I am going to drive him out of Syria. When Uthman receivedthis message he asked Muawyah to send Ubadah back to his house in Madinah.Ubadah thus returned to Madinah and instead of going to his own house hesurprised caliph Uthman and was with him in the latter’s rooms. Uthman said:Why do you do all this to us O Ubadah? Then Ubadah kept silent. When he wasin the middle of the masses he stood up and said: I have heard the Messenger ofAllah saying: After me you will have rulers who will make the prohibited lawfulto you, and will prohibit all that is permitted among you. There should be noobedience to those who disobey and do not stray from the path of your Lord.

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This incident, in fact, shows how the caliphate became weak after caliphUmer, so that Muawyah could behave in that manner towards Uthman. It wasthis particular weakness of Uthman and his support of his relatives in his old agethat brought about the great troubles that led to the massacre of Uthman. Hadhe listened to the advice of people like Ubadah as his predecessors did, great evilswould have been avoided.

The following incident shows how Ubadah was a strong believer. While stillin Syria a caravan passed near Ubadah. He asked about the goods it carried.When he knew that it brought wine, he took a knife from the market and emptiedall the wine containers which were leather bags. People complained to AbuHurairah who was also in Syria at that time. They said: Why don’t you stop yourfriend Ubadah? In the mornings he goes to the market and destroys the goods ofthe Christians and the Jews, and in the evenings all that he does is to curse peopleand expose their secrets. When Abu Hurairah tried to stop him Ubadahreminded him how they were ordered to enjoin good and forbid evil. So AbuHurairah kept silent.

It was, in fact, when people like Ubadah disappeared that the Muslimaffairs deteriorated. He died in Palestine in the year 34 after Hijrah. May hissoul rest in peace.

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S haddad Ibn Aws was son of Thabet, from al Ansar of Madinah. He wasthe nephew of the senior poet of the Prophet, Hassan Ibn Thabet. Shaddad wasalso one of the honourable companions of the Prophet; he was one of theirscholars as well. He later lived in Jerusalem in Palestine.

A number of disciples transmitted authentic traditions from Shaddad whichhe heard from the Messenger of Allah. Abdul Rahman Ibn Ghanam says: Whenwe entered the mosque of al Jabiyah, near Damascus, I and Abul Darda, UbadahIbn al Samet met us. He held my right hand and with his other hand he held theleft hand of Abul Darda. Then he said: if any one of you should live long or bothof you live long you will see a Muslim from among the masses who will read theQuran, from beginning to end and will repeat it over and over again withoutunderstanding any of its meanings.

The reporter of this tradition says: as we were in that company Shaddad IbnAws appeared along with Awf Ibn Malek. They sat with us. Then Shaddad said:The worst thing I fear lest it should happen to you O people is what I heard fromthe Messenger of Allah who referred to secret sex and polytheism. Ubadah andAbul Darda then said: O Allah! We seek your forgiveness. Has not theMessenger of Allah told us that the Devil is disappointed from being worshippedin the Arabian peninsula? As for the secret sex, we know it. It represents all thepleasures of this life, with women and other things, but what about thatpolytheism you are warning us against O Shaddad?

To answer this question addressed to him from two Companions ShaddadIbn Aws said: Suppose that you see a man praying to another man or that he fastsfor him or gives alms and charity to please him, do you believe that he hasascribed partners to Allah Almighty or not? The two companions said: Yesindeed. Then Shaddad said: I have heard the Messenger of Allah say: Whoeverprays to show that he prays has taken partners with Allah. Whoever fasts formere show has also ascribed partners to Allah and the same thing applies toanyone who gives charity for mere show in front of others.

Awf Ibn Malek then said: Does this mean that Allah will review all that I didfor His sake and will only accept what has been sincerely done for Him and willleave the rest in which I ascribed other partners to Him? Shaddad said: I haveheard the Messenger of Allah say quoting Allah Almighty. Who said: I am free

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from all partners. Whoever does anything in which he ascribes partners to Me, Ileave him to his partners.

Shaddad Ibn Aws here concentrates on the importance of sincerity andpurity of intention. Allah Almighty is One Allah and Only. He does not acceptany partners with Him. This is not merely in the material sense, namely toimagine that others might compete with Allah in overlordship. For this is easilyrejected and condemned by every Muslim once he testifies that there is no God,no deity except Allah. But the more dangerous polytheism as reported byShaddad Ibn Aws, may Allah be pleased with him, is to establish all the rites ofIslam which to all appearances qualify a man to be a good Muslim, and yet he isnot sincere in his intention, but has others in his mind in addition to Allah. Allhis deeds and worships are rejected. That is why the first tradition in Bukkari isabout intention; which decides the result of any deed or action.

Shaddad Ibn Aws was nick-named Abu Ya’la. He had five children, one ofthem was a daughter called Khazraj who got married in the tribe of Azd. Theposterity of Shaddad lived until the year 130 of Hijrah. During that year anearthquake took place in Syria, it was strongest in Jerusalem. A large number ofAnsar, living there died along with many others. The house of Shaddad fell andhis son Muhammad came out safe. He broke his leg under the falling walls.

The following interesting story is reported about Shaddad and his family.One of the few things Shaddad Ibn Aws was proud of was a pair of slippers of theProphet peace be upon him. When Shaddad died he left it in the custody of hisson Muhammad. When his sister Khazraj saw what befell her brother, after helost one leg she came to him and said: You have no offspring while I have and thispair of slippers is a sign of honour from the Prophet, so give me one of the twopieces so that I may share this honour with you. Thus she took one and left theother piece with her brother Muhammad. It stayed with her and her childrenafter her. The Abbasid caliph al Mahdi came to Jerusalem. People brought thatpiece of the slippers of the Prophet to him. They told him about it and presentedit to him. He gave one thousand dinars to each one of the sons of Khazraj, as wellas his daughter; and granted each of them a garden. Then he sent to MuhammadIbn Shaddad, who was brought carrying along the other piece. When al Mahdiasked him about it, he confirmed what has already been said about it. Then alMahdi claimed the other piece, but Muhammad, son of Shaddad started to cryand this made al Mahdi pity him and leave him alone along with the said piece.

Abul Darda said: Shaddad Ibn Aws has been endowed with a lot of

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knowledge and wisdom. Again Saeed Ibn Abdel Aziz confirms the same thing.He says; Shaddad Ibn Aws of al Ansar has two main qualities: a wonderfulrhetoric when he talks and wisdom with patience when he gets angry. In additionto these great characteristics Shaddad was a sincere worshipper of Allah and anoutstanding scholar. In one report we are told that Shaddad’s father Aws IbnThabet was one of the Companions who participated in Badr, the first majorbattle of Islam. He was martyred in the battle of Uhud, the second battle of theProphet. This is mentioned in al Isabah, the most outstanding reference on theProphet’s biography and that of his Companions.

Khaled Ibn Maadan says: No one in Syria was more knowledgeable in Islamand more pious than Ubadah Ibn al Samet and Shaddad Ibn Aws. Again alMufaddal al Ghalabi says: The hermits of al Ansar or the Supporters are three:Abul Darda, Umayr Ibn Saad and Shaddad Ibn Aws.

Ali Ibn al Madeeni, the well-known transmitter and scholar of traditionsreports the following story: A man from Bani Mujashi said: We travelled one daywith the intention to visit the Holy shrine of Kaaba in Makkah. All of a suddenwe came across a number of tents with a big one in the middle. I said to mycompanion: Let us approach the owner of this big tent, he must be the master ofthese people. As we came to the entrance of the tent and greeted whoever wasinside, we heard the answer of our greeting then there came out from the tent anold man. When we saw him we felt such awe which we never experienced beforeeven to our own parents or towards any ruler we had the chance to meet. The oldman said: What are you? We replied: Two young men who want to visit the HolyShrine in Makkah. He said: This is also what myself inclined me to do. I shallaccompany you, he said.

Then the old man called to others, so a number of young men came out to himfrom the other tents. He gathered them and then gave them a short sermon. Hesaid: I remembered the House of my Lord; and I feel sure that I am going to visitHim, meaning that he was going to die afterwards. The young men started to cry.

The narrator of this story says: I turned to one of the youth around me andasked: Who is this old man? He said: Shaddad Ibn Aws. He was a prince and aruler, but when Uthman Ibn Affan was killed he kept himself in isolation anddeserted other people and avoided meeting with them. The old man orderedsome light food for us and started to feed us and serve us with drink. Then wetravelled with him, the narrator of this story continues: When we climbed up amountain Shaddad said to his servant: Make food for us that eliminates our

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hunger. When we laughed, says the narrator, Shaddad Ibn Aws said: I must leaveyou. We said: As a matter of fact you kept silent all the time then when you talkedyou made us laugh. Then Shaddad said: I shall provide you with a traditionwhich the Messenger of Allah used to teach us both on our travels and at home.He dictated the following tradition to us and we wrote it. It says:

O Allah! I ask you to grant me stability in all my affairs. I request You togrant me seriousness in my wisdom, and that I should thank You for all Yourblessings on me, and that I should have the honour of worshipping You well. I askYou to give me a deep and sincere faith, a sound heart and ask You the best ofwhat You know and seek refuge in You from all the evils You know. I seek Yourforgiveness for what You know. You are indeed Knower of all that is unseen.

It is also reported that whenever Shaddad went to sleep he would not be ableto sleep. He would say: O Allah. Hell fire has caused sleep to go away. He wouldthen rise until dawn. Once he gave the following sermon. He said: This world isavailable for the good and the bad, while the Hereafter is delayed to be decidedby the All-Powerful Allah. All good is in Paradise and all evil is in Hell. Shaddaddied in the year 85 after Hijrah.

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A l Ashaath Ibn Qays of the tribe of Kindah was a strange Companion ofthe Prophet. He was unique among them for two main things. al Ashaath, whichmeans the man whose hair is not combed, was not his real name. His name wasMaadi Karib. But he never combed his hair, so his appearance and the scene ofhis hair replaced his name. This nick-name, however, reminds me of aninteresting saying of the Prophet wherein he says: It may be that a man with anuncombed hair covered all over his body with dust, but he swears and prays toAllah to grant him something and Allah responds to his prayer and answers hisrequest and fulfills it. This means that Islam does not concentrate on outwardappearance of a man. It rather relies on the inward intentions, feelings and deeds.

The second unique thing about al Ashaath is that he was one of the very fewCompanions of the Prophet who returned to apostacy after he embraced Islamwhich is no doubt a rare incident in the biography of the Prophet. TheCompanions of the Prophet, as we have seen from numerous examples in theprevious stories, were the staunchest believers in the new faith. They were readyto surrender their lives for the sake of Islam. Various examples can be cited herewhich was the rule. People loved the new Prophet and preferred him toeverything in life so much so that when some Arab leaders, who were still non-believers, observed this they said: We have seen many kings in their courts butwe never saw people love their own leader as we find the comrades ofMuhammad love Muhammad. al Ashaath was, however, an exception to thisrule. He was of that type of Arab leaders who were very sensitive and who wouldgo to extremes. His grandfather was called Kindah because he rejected to obeyhis own father. So the same attitude was in the family long before al Ashaath. Butwho among men, can have no faults or frailties? Very few no doubt. From theIslamic point of view only Prophets are faultless, and to err is human as theEnglish proverb goes.

Al Ashaath Ibn Qays, may Allah be pleased with him, came to the Prophetto embrace Islam at the head of seventy other members of Kindah. al Ashaathsays: When I came to the Messenger of Allah leading the delegation of Kindahhe asked me: Do you have any children? I said: Yes a small one who was bornwhen I came to meet you. al Ashaath then added: I would that, in his place, manypeople should have their fill and get what they need. When the Prophet heardthis, he said: Don’t say this. The pleasure of our eyes is in our children and weshall be rewarded abundantly if they die in our life, provided that we are patient

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believers. But if you say this, it can’t be the real expression of your feelings,because children are, by nature, a cause of cowardice, sadness and miserliness fortheir parents.

In this tradition we see the type of man al Ashaath Ibn Qays was. He wastelling the Prophet that he was ready to sacrifice his own son for the sake of hispeople, which is against the nature of things. This is what the Prophet told him.He said how can you say that when we, as parents, love our children more thananything else in life. Not only this, but for their sake we usually become cowards,sad if anything should happen to them and misers to save something for them.

Al Ashaath reported a number of traditions. One of them is reported by AbuWa’l who said: al Ashaath told us that the following was revealed about me. Itsays: As for those who sell the faith they owe to Allah and their own plightedword for a small price, they shall have no portion in the Hereafter; nor will Allahdeign to speak to them or look at them on the Day of Judgment; nor will Hecleanse them of sin; they shall have a grievous penalty. ( 3-77 )

Al Ashaath adds: I had a dispute with a man so we went to the Messenger ofAllah to judge between us. He asked me: Do you have a clear proof? I said: No.He said: Should he swear? I replied: Let him swear. Then the Prophet said:Whoever swears upon a false oath so that he may snatch money that is not his,will meet Allah Who will be angry with him. A beautiful comment on this is thefollowing: All our duties to our fellow creatures are referred to the service andfaith we owe to Allah. But in the matter of truth an appeal is made to our ownself-respect as responsible beings: is it becoming that we should be false to ourown word, to ourselves? Falsifying Allah’s word or being untrue to ourselves isbut a miserable price. We get at best something very paltry as the price for sellingour souls.

Ibrahim al Nakhee says: al Ashaath returned to apostacy along with a groupof his tribe Kindah. He was beseiged by Muslim warriors and taken prisoneralong with seventy others. They were all given safety and security when theysurrendered except al Ashaath, he did not ask security for himself. Thus he wastaken to Abu Bakr al Siddiq who was then Caliph of the Muslims Abu Bakr said:We are going to kill you. You have no security. al Ashaath pleaded: Will you grantme freedom if I embrace Islam once again? Abu Bakr said yes. So al Ashaathreturned to the faith once again and Abu Bakr gave him his sister in marriage. Itwas al Ashaath who asked for her hand as another version puts it. He said: Letme marry your sister. So Abu Bakr gave him his sister Farwah Bint Abi Quhafah

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in marriage.

More interesting details about this story are the following: When al Ashaathwas brought to Abu Bakr as a prisoner of war he was tied in chains. So Abu Bakrat once untied his chains and gave him his sister in marriage. al Ashaath carriedhis sword, entered the market of camels and whenever he saw a camel male orfemale, he struck it with his sword. The people cried: al Ashaath returned todisbelief! Then he threw his sword and said: By Allah! I did not return todisbelief, but this man has given me his sister in marriage, and had I been in mycountry we would have a better party than this. O people of the city! Slaughterthe camels and eat! And you owners of the camels! Come and take their price.Thus al Ashaath celebrated his marriage in his own unique way.

Al Ashaath Ibn Qays never forgot that he committed a grave sin when hereturned to apostacy. He was always sorry for it. Qays says: I attended a funeralin which al Ashaath was present along with Jareer. To lead the prayer al Ashaathintroduced Jareer and said: He did not return to disbelief, but I did. Thus alAshaath tried to compensate for this sin all through his life.

In the battle of Siffeen al Ashaath was on the right hand of Ali. He supportedAli against Muawiyah and his troops. It is reported that the latter came at thehead of ninety thousand warriors. He preceded Ali and camped near theEuphrates. Then Ali Ibn Abi Taleb came with his troops, but Muwayiyahforbade them to approach the water or touch it. Ali sent al Ashaath with twothousand men. Muawiyah had on the water Abul Aawar with a force of fivethousand. The two sides fought very toughly until al Ashaath overcame hisenemies and seized the position on the water.

Hayyan Abu Saeed al Taymi says: al Ashaath was warned against mischief.He was asked: How can you march to the war with Ali? He said: Where can youget a leader like Ali Ibn Abi Taleb? And yet on account of his strange personalityit is reported that al Ashaath once entered upon Ali to ask him something. In thecourse of the discussion he threatened to kill Ali, who was called by the Prophetthe lion of Allah and His Apostle thanks to his great bravery. Against alAshaath’s threatening Ali said: Do you threaten me with death? I do not fear it atall. Then he asked for chains and signaled to his comrades to kill him. When alAshaath saw Ali’s firmness he repented and retreated.

Abul Salt al Hadrami says: We deprived the people of Iraq from water. Thena riding warrior came to us. When he showed his face, he was al Ashaath Ibn

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Qays. He said: Fear Allah! Fear Allah! O Muawiyah in treating the nation ofMuhammad peace be upon him. Suppose that you killed the people of Iraq, whowill take care of the emissaries and the children? Or suppose that we could killyou who will remain to defend the emissaries and the children. Allah Almightysays: If two parties among the believers fall into a quarrel, make peace betweenthem. ( 49-9 ) When Muawiyah heard this he asked: What do you want? alAshaath said: Leave us to approach water. Then Muawiyah ordered his men tolet other Muslims take their need of water.

During the caliphate of Uthman al Ashaath Ibn Qays was made ruler ofAzerbayjan in central Asia. One day he swore on something and his oath was notfulfilled. So he paid 15,000 dirhams to make amends for it. In another version hedespised all the money he had and said: By Allah I swore only on what is true.Then he paid thirty thousand dirhams.

Abu Ishaq said: I prayed dawn once in the mosque of al Ashaath. When theimam finished prayer I discovered in front of me a bag of money and a pair ofslippers. I looked around me and found the same thing in front of every man whoprayed with us. I asked: What is this? The people around me replied: al Ashaathcame tonight and said: Look! Any man who attends dawn prayer in our mosqueput in front of him a bag full of money and a pair of slippers. In another versionthe gift is said to be a suit and two slippers.

Maymoon Ibn Mahran says: The first rider with whom numerous menwalked was al Ashaath Ibn Qays. When al Ashaath died al Hassan Ibn Ali said:Make ablution for him with Kafoor. As a matter of fact, al Hassan was the son-in-law of al Ashaath Ibn Qays. He died in al Kufah 40 nights after Ali and livedfor 63 years. His son Muhammad was one of the prominent leaders after him.May his soul rest in peace, and may we benefit from this short biography of his.

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A bu Hazem Salamah Ibn Dinar al A’raj is our personality in this segmentin this series of luminaries of Islam. Abder Rahman Ibn Zayd Ibn Aslam said:No one have I ever seen wisdom is closer to him than Salamah Ibn Dinar. AbuHazem, which is his nickname, was once asked: What is your property? He said:My trust is in Allah Almighty and I have no ambition in what exists in people’shands. Describing this worldly life of ours in a few words Abu Hazem once said:What has already passed of this life is nothing but a dream, and what remains isno more than flimsy hopes and aspirations.

Another reporter says: Abu Hazem said: No slave improves his relation withAllah but Allah will surely improve his relationship with him; but if he shoulddestroy all channels of contact with Allah, Allah will surely destroy his contactswith him. It is easier to please one face (meaning Allah’s) than to satisfy all faces.If you please this face all other faces will be inclined towards you; but if youdestroy what is between you and this face all other faces will frown on you.

Again Abu Hazem said: If you notice that Allah Almighty continues Hisblessings on you while you disobey Him then beware of His punishment. Everyblessing of this world that does not bring you nearer to Allah then it is a test anda misfortune in disguise. Abu Maashar says: I saw Abu Hazem crying in themosque and wiping his tears. He was avoiding story-telling which others used todo. I said: Why do you do this O Abu Hazem? He said: I learnt that Hell fire willnot touch any place which is covered by the tears of fear from Allah. Again AbuHazem said: A believer should be more careful concerning his tongue than he isconcerning the movement of his feet.

Abu Hazem was thus a great wise believer whose words spread far and wide.In a few words he could say what carried volumes of valuable meanings. He saidonce: If we are immune from the evil of what we have, we don’t care about whatwe have not. Again he once addressed a young man in the following words: If youare satisfied with what keeps you alive then the lowest standard of living willplease you, but if you are not satisfied with what covers your needs then nothingin the world will satisfy you.

Abu Hazem was not a man who just paid lip service to wise sayings; he wasrather a real hermit, a remnant of the disciples of the Companions of the Prophet.Here is a story that reveals his real personality. The well-known Umayyad caliph

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Sulayman Ibn Abdel Malek once sent to Abu Hazem who was, in fact, living ina simple tent outside Madinah. He refused to come to meet him and said: I don’tneed anything from the caliph. But when Sulayman insisted that Abu Hazemshould come, he was brought to his court. Then the following dialogue took placebetween the two men.

Sulayman said: Tell me Abu Hazem: Why do we hate death? Abu Hazemreplied: Because you have destroyed your hereafter and constructed this life ofyours. So you hate to move from construction to destruction. When Sulaymanheard this he said: You said the truth. Then he asked Abu Hazem: How will bethe approach to Allah Almighty? Abu Hazem replied: As for the one who isvirtuous he will be like an absent man coming back to his family and dear ones;but the wrong-doer will be like the runaway slave from his master.

Here Sulayman wept and said: O Abu Hazem. I wish I know what will be ourlot with Allah? Abu Hazem said: Present your self to the Book of Allah Almighty.You will then know what your lot will be. Then Sulayman said: But where can Ifind this? Abu Hazem said: In the verse that says: As for the Righteous, they willbe in bliss, while the wicked will be surely in the Fire. ( 82-13-14 ) Then Sulaymanasked: But where is the mercy of Allah? “ Near to the benefactors “ said AbuHazem. The caliph then said: How would you describe our present situation?Abu Hazem declined to say anything, but the Umayyad caliph (Sulayman)insisted on him and said: It is only an advice that you give.

Abu Hazem then said: Some people have usurped the authority by forcewithout any consultation or concensus of opinion on behalf of the Muslims. Inthe attempt they shed too much blood aspiring only for this worldly life. Thenthey departed. Woe to what they said and what has been said about them! Thensome courtiers said: How bad is what you say old man? But Abu Hazem said:You lie. Allah Almighty has made a covenant with the scholars to convey thetruth to people and not to conceal anything. Then Sulayman said: Why don’t youaccompany us Abu Hazem; we shall then exchange benefits? Abu Hazem said: Iseek refuge in Allah from this, meaning that he refuses. But the caliph asked him:Why? He said: Lest I should be inclined to what you do then Allah will make metaste double the punishment of this life and death. Then Sulayman said: Adviceme please! He said: Fear Allah. Let Him not see you where He forbade you to beand let Him not miss you where He enjoined-you to be. Then he asked AbuHazem to pray for him. Abu Hazem then said: O Allah if Sulayman is loyal toYou then make it easy for him to do all that is good, but if he is your enemy thendirect him to do good. Sulayman then ordered his servant to give one hundred

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dinars to Abu Hazem who apologized to take it and said: I don’t need it, lest itshould be in return of what I said to you.

When Sulayman the caliph showed all this respect and admiration to AbuHazem, al Zuhri, an attending scholar said: He is my neighbour whom I have nottalked to for the last thirty years. Abu Hazem said: This is because you forgotAllah so you forgot me; but had you loved Allah you would have loved me. alZuhri said: Do you call me bad names? Sulayman interfered and said: It was youwho cursed yourself. Don’t you know the rights of neighbours? Then AbuHazem said: When the children of Israel were on the right path, the princes usedto resort to the scholars while the latter used to run away with their religion fromthe princes. But when some lowly people saw this they acquired that knowledgeand approached the princes who took this distorted knowledge and left the realscholars. Thus people gathered on sins and fell into vices and evil. Had ourscholars kept their knowledge, princes would have continued to feel awe andrespect towards them. al Zuhri said: As if you mean me and accuse me. AbuHazem said: The situation is as you hear it.

This was not, however, the only argument between Abu Hazem and alZuhri. In a famous letter which Abu Hazem sent to his colleague al Zuhri headvised him not to support the unjust rulers, and not to humiliate religion andmake it a humble means for their vicious ends. He reminded him of the verse ofthe Quran addressed to scholars clarifying their duties which are to reveal thetruth to people and not to conceal it. He also warned him against defending theserulers despite their oppression of other Muslims. How can you be silentconcerning the bad things committed in your presence and with you connivance?Abu Hazem wondered.

He also reminded him of the Hereafter and that he would inevitably leavethis life sooner or later; and warned that by this he did not mean to curse himor call him bad names but it is the binding advice from one Muslim scholar toanother. And it is only the believers who benefit from the reminders, AbuHazem added. In the concluding part of his letter to al Zuhri Abu Hazem said:There may be many pleasures in this life which may attract us and make usforget the end, but a time will come soon when we have no pleasure and theresponsibility remains. So how miserable is the one who is happy about thegains of others! You are dealing with Allah who knows everything and forgetsnothing. How can this world drown a man of so much knowledge and learninglike you, and in such an old age? What about ignorant young men? AbuHazem concluded.

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As a matter of fact, although Abu Hazem was not one of the Prophet’sCompanions, he conveyed their living message to his contemporaries. He wasthus a remnant of that first and best generation of Muslims. Describing the workfor the After life he says: Nowadays the goods of the Hereafter are not easily sold,so buy much of them now, before time comes when they become too expensiveso that you will not be able to have them.

Although Abu Hazem was a hermit who isolated himself from others toavoid committing many sins, he always felt the magnitude of his sins. This is theattitude of all pious Muslims while ordinary people don’t care about their sinseven if they were as big as mountains. He was always afraid of the Day ofJudgment when all deeds are reviewed. But he had good hopes. He said: As longas a man intends seriously to leave sins he will receive the spiritual blessings.When he was one day asked about this life he said: If anything should please youin this life, along with it you will have something that annoys and displeases you.

Warning against arrogance in the case of those who do good but losehumility, Abu Hazem says: It may be that one may do good but the effect itleaves in his heart is pride which eliminates it’s value. But may be a sinner maycommit a sin but he repents and asks forgiveness. So the effect in this case isbetter than that of pride and arrogance. No one will enter Paradise by virtue ofhis deeds, unless Allah overwhelms him with mercy as the Prophet peace beupon him puts it.

As a hermit one day Abu Hazem passed by a butcher who said: O AbuHazem! Why don’t you take some of this fresh and fat meat? Abu Hazem said: Ihave no money. The butcher said encouraging him: I am ready to wait until youpay me later. Abu Hazem smiled and said: I prefer to wait until I have the moneyto buy your meat.

Once Abu Hazem exclaimed: How surprising human beings are! They giveall their efforts to a life which everyday they come closer to its end, while theyneglect a life which they approach everyday!

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A li Ibn al Husain Ibn Ali was the grandson of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb,cousin of the Prophet peace be upon him. As a matter of fact, Muslims honour,love and respect members of the family of the Prophet not just because they arehis relatives and close kins. It is true that Ali Ibn Abi Taleb was the cousin of theProphet and his son in law, husband of his daughter Fatimah. But what qualifiesAli and his family to love, greatness and honour is not just his relation to theProphet. There were other members of the Prophet’s relation who werecondemned and were declared opponents to Islam. The Holy Quran hascondemned the uncle of the Prophet called Abu Lahab. A separate chapter talksabout him and his wife and says that he will go to Hell.

Again the Prophet declared it on more than one occasion that it will be of noavail for his relatives if they do no good and rely on their relation to him only.Once the Prophet said to his daughter Fatimah: O Fatimah daughter ofMuhammad be careful of yourself. I can be of no use to you before Allah. This isa basic principle of Islam. Even today those who claim to be the descendents ofthe Prophet peace be upon him cannot guarantee any special position with Allahjust because of this. The most beloved ones in the sight of Allah are only the mostpious. It is only in this light that we present the members of the Prophet’s familyas great luminaries of Islam. Their greatness springs basically from their pietyand righteous deeds.

As for the present personality, Ali Ibn al Husain was the son of an ex-slavewoman called Ghazalah. She was granted freedom after her slavery when shegave birth to a son. This was one method for eliminating slavery. Ali Ibn alHusain was called Ali the junior. As for Ali the senior, he was killed with hisfather al Husain may Allah be pleased with him; this took place in Karbala whenal Husain was killed along with many of his family members. Ali the junior waswith his father al Husain, and was 23 years old; but he was ill and could not leavehis bed. That is why he was not killed on that day. His nickname was AbulHusain, or Abu Muhammad.

Abdul Rahman Ibn Hafs al Qurashi says: Whenever Ali Ibn al Husain usedto make ablution his face would become pale? His family members would askhim about it, he would say: Do you know in front of whom I am going to stand?In another version we are told that every time Ali Ibn al Husain stood for prayerhis body would shake and tremble. He would be asked: What is wrong with you?

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He would say: Don’t you know in whose presence I stand and to whom I appeal?

In another story narrated by Abu Nooh al Ansari we read the following: Afire broke out in a house where Ali Ibn al Husain was prostrating himself inprayer. People around him started to scream and say: O son of the Messenger ofAllah! the fire, the fire. Ali Ibn al Husain continued in his prostration and didnot raise his head until the fire was put out. He was asked: What is it thatpreoccupied you so that you neglected the fire? He said: The Other Hell firepreoccupied me!

Sufyan says: A man came to Ali Ibn al Husain may Allah be pleased withhim and said: Such a man hurt and cursed you. He said: Take me to him. So theconveyor of the bad news took him to the attacker thinking that Ali Ibn al Husainwould fight back and revenge. But when he met the concerned man he said: Ifwhat you say is true, may Allah forgive me; and if what you say is not true mayAllah Almighty forgive you. This does not mean that Ali Ibn al Husain could notavenge himself from the man. It only means that he could but he preferred toforgive him which is of course greatly rewarded by Allah Almighty.

In a similar story Abu Yacoob al Madani says: A dispute arose betweenHasan Ibn Hasan and Ali Ibn al Husain. The former came upon the latter whenhe was with his friends in the mosque. He did not leave any curse or bad thingbut said it to him while Ali Ibn al Husain was silent all the time. Then Hasandeparted. After night fall he came to Ali in his house and knocked at his door. Alicame out to him and said: My brother if what you said to me is true then mayAllah forgive me, and if you lie may Allah forgive you. Peace be upon you. Hethen turned away. But Hasan followed and embraced him from behind him andstarted to cry until Ali felt pity towards him. Then Hasan said: To be sure I shallnever do again what you hate. Then Ali said: You are absolved of what you saidagainst me.

Jaafar Ibn Muhammad transmitted the following from his father. He said:Ali Ibn al Husain said: The loss of the dear ones gives a sense of estrangement.He used to say: O Allah! I seek refuge in You not to make my outward appearancelook bright in others eyes while my real inner state is evil and bad. O Allah! Asyou always do good to me and forgive me whenever I make a sin, so alsowhenever I return to sin return on me with your forgiveness. Another wonderfulsaying of Ali Ibn al Husain is the following one: Some people worship Allah outof fear of Him. This is the worship of slaves. Others worship Him driven by adesire and an ambition and this is the worship of traders; while a third category

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of people worship Allah to give thanks and express their gratitude to Him andthis is the worship of freedom.

Again Ali Ibn al Husain did not like that anyone should help him in hisablution. He used to get water for it and cover it before he would go to sleep.When he would wake up by night he would make ablution and start his prayer.He would make up for any voluntary prayer he might have missed by day. Hewould then say to his children: This is not obligatory on you but I like to continuedoing this habit of mine. He never neglected voluntary prayer at night neither ontravel nor at home. He used to say: I am surprised of the proud and arrogant onewho was only a sperm yesterday and will be a dead carcase tomorrow. I amindeed astonished of one who ignores the second life while he sees with his owneyes the first creation. I am indeed astounded of one who works for the house ofmortality and leaves and neglects the home of eternity.

Once a man came to ask something from Ali Ibn al Husain. He welcomedhim and said: Hail and the best greetings are to one who carries my needs to theHereafter. Another man spoke to him and said some falsehoods against him. Aswas his habit he said to the man: If I am as you say then may Allah forgive me,but if I am not as you say then may Allah forgive you. The man rose and kissedhis head. May I be a sacrifice in defence of you. Ali Ibn al Husain said: MayAllah forgive you. The man then commented: Allah knows best where to placeHis message!

Shaybah Ibn Na’amah said: Ali Ibn al Husain used to lead a seeminglymiserly life. But when he died they discovered that he was supporting onehundred poor families in Madinah. Muhammad Ibn Ishaq said: Some people ofMadinah used to live not knowing where from they got their livelihood. WhenAli Ibn al Husain died they lost what used to be sent to them by night. As amatter of fact, Ali Ibn al Husain used to carry a bag of bread by night on his backand distribute it as charity. He would say: “ The secret charity puts out the angerof Allah “. When Ali Ibn al Husain died and people washed his body, they foundsome black traces on his back. They said: What is this? Then the answer was thathe used to carry bags of flour on it by night and would give them to the poorpeople of Madinah. That is why when he died people of Madinah said: We onlylost the secret charity when Ali Ibn al Husain died.

Saeed Ibn Murjanah said I heard Abu Hurairah say: The Messenger ofAllah said: Whoever liberates a believing slave, Allah will liberate him from Fireeach member for each member. When Ali Ibn al Husain heard this tradtion he

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asked the transmitter: Did you really hear it from Abu Hurairah? The man said:Yes indeed. Then Ali Ibn al Husain called the best slave he had and said: You arefree for the sake of Allah Almighty. As a matter of fact, Abdullah Ibn Jaafar onceoffered one thousand dinars for this slave whom Ali liberated later on.

One day a faction of the people of Iraq came to Ali Ibn al Husain and startedto criticise Abu Bakr, Umer and Uthman may Allah be pleased with them.When they finished their attack on the three rightly guided caliphs Ali Ibn alHusain asked: Tell me. Are you the first emigrants who were driven out of theirhomes and properties seeking the bounty of Allah and His satisfaction andsupporting Allah and His messenger? Those indeed are the truthful? They said:No. Are you those who lived in Madinah before them and had adopted the faith,and showed their affection to such as came to them for refuge, and entertained nodesire in their hearts for things given to the latter, but gave them preference overthemselves even though poverty was their own lot? The Iraqi faction said: No.

When they said this Ali Ibn al Husain said: Then I testify that you are notof those who came after them and say: Our Lord! Forgive us and our brotherswho came before us into the Faith, and leave not in our hearts rancour againstthose who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full of kindness, MostMerciful. He then said to the Iraqi group: Go out from here.

Ali Ibn al Husain used to go to Zayd Ibn Aslam, a liberated slave, and wouldlearn from him Islam. A man once came to him and said: You are a master andthe best of people. How come that you go to this slave and sit with him? He said:Islamic knowledge should be followed wherever it may be.

A final word about Ali Ibn Husain is that his contemporaries testifiedthat they never saw any one more pious and more knowledgeable in religionthan he was.

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J aafar Ibn Muhammad was the grandson of Ali Ibn al Husain son of AliIbn Abi Taleb may Allah be pleased with him. His mother was Umm Farwahdaughter of Muhammad son of Abu Bakr al Siddiq. He thus gathered togetherthe honour of being the great grandson of Ali Ibn Abi Taleb and also the greatgrandson of Abu Bakr al Siddiq may Allah be pleased with them both. Jaafarwas more pre-occupied with worship than with leadership. As Amr Ibn AbilMiqdam said: Whenever I looked at Jaafar Ibn Muhammad I knew that he wasone of the offspring of the Prophet peace be upon him.

Anas Ibn Malek said: Once Jaafar Ibn Muhammad said to Sufiyan alThawri: O Sufiyan. When Allah grants you a blessing and you like to keep it withyou then celebrate the praises of Allah very often and thank Allah Almightymany times for it; because Allah says in the Holy Quran: “ If you are grateful, Iwill add more favours unto you; but if you show ingratitude, truly mypunishment is terrible indeed “. ( 14-7 )

Jaafar Ibn Muhammad then said to Sufiyan al Thawri: If you requiresustenance from Allah then ask his forgiveness very often for Allah says in HisBook: Ask forgiveness from your Lord. For He is Oft-forgiving; He will sendrain to you in abundance; give you increase in wealth and sons; and bestow onyou gardens and bestow on you rivers of flowing water. ( 71-10-12 ) O Sufiyan,he continued, if you face any problem from a ruler or any body else then repeatvery often: “ There is no power or authority except with the help and support ofAllah “. This indeed is the key to all good things and it is one valuable treasureof Paradise.

This advice reminds me of a story about al Hasan Ibn Ali. Three peopleapproached him one after another. The first one complained of the scarcity ofrain, for he was a shepherd and his sheep could not have any pasture to eat, norwater to drink; the second man was sterile and poor and had no children and thethird asked for a garden with a stream of water flowing in it. The grandson ofthe Prophet told each of the three men to ask Allah’s forgiveness. When theywere surprised of this answer he said: Have you not recited Noah’s advice to hispeople? The men said: May be we have but we don’t know which advice you aretalking about? He then recited the above mentioned verses which makeforgiveness the key to all worldly blessings.

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Ibn Abi Hazem says: I was one day with Jaafar Ibn Muhammad when hisservant told him that Sufiyan al Thawri wanted to see him. When the latter camein Jaafar said: O Sufiyan! You are a man whom the rulers always call to theircourts, and I am a man who avoid rulers, so please go out and don’t think that Iam expelling you. Then Sufiyan said: Before I go tell me something. Jaafar thensaid: The Messenger of Allah said: Whoever enjoys a blessing let him thankAllah and whoever wants provision let him ask Allah’s forgiveness and whoeverfaces a problem let him say: There is no power or might except with the help ofAllah. When Sufiyan wanted to leave Jaafar said: Take them Sufiyan. These arethe best three things.

Al Hajjaj Ibn Bastam says: Jaafar Ibn Muhammad may Allah be pleasedwith him, used to feed the poor and the needy until nothing would remain for hisfamily. He used to tell Sufiyan al Thawri, who was a friend of his, the followingvaluable saying: Right is not fulfilled except if we do three things: When onemakes haste with it, and when he covers it and does not mention it. Again somepeople once asked him: Why has Allah forbidden usury? Jaafar Ibn Muhammadsaid: So that people do not forbid what is good and right.

Jaafar al Sadeq says: I entered once the house of Jaafar when I found himsitting with his son Moosa and giving him the following advice. He said: O sonif you learn my advice you will lead a happy life and die an honourable death.Whoever is satisfied with what Allah has given him, will become rich andwealthy, and whoever extends his eyes to what others have will die a poor person.Whoever does not accept what Allah has decided for him, will, in fact, accuseAllah of injustice in predestination. O my son! Whoever makes scandals toothers will fall in scandal and whoever raises the sword of oppression will bekilled by it. He who digs a hole for his brother will only fall in it; and he who joinsbad people will be despised while he who mingles with respected scholars will behonoured. My son say the truth whether it is for or against you, and avoid talkingagainst people in their absence for this cultivates hatred among men.

Ahmad Ibn al Razi says: Flies fell on caliph al Mansoor, he drove themaway, but they came back to him until he was embarrassed. Then Jaafar IbnMuhammad entered. al Mansoor asked him the following question: Tell meAbu Abdullah! Why has Allah created flies? Jaafar replied: So that He mayhumiliate the oppressors. Again it was the habit of a layman to accompanyJaafar and be with him. The man then disappeared so Jaafar asked about him.Somebody said: He is but a Nabatti. Jaafar said: The origin of a man is his mind,his dignity lies in his religion and his respect rests in his piety. Men are equal in

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their relation to Adam.

Abu Jaafar al Mansoor, the abbasid caliph performed Hajj one year. Heasked his officers to bring Jaafar for him to kill him. When Jaafar IbnMuhammad arrived al Mansoor cursed him and threatened to kill him; butJaafar was patient and said: O leader of the Faithful! When Sulaiman was grantedworldly blessings, he thanked Allah and when Job was tested with illness, he waspatient and when Joseph was dealt with unjustly he forgave his oppressors. andyou are of this type O caliph. When al Mansoor heard this he was pleased andsaid: May Allah bless you and have mercy on you. He then shared with him hisseat and gave him some of the nicest perfumes. He also ordered his men to sendafter Jaafar a becoming reward and clothes and prayed for him.

When Jaafar Ibn Muhammad wanted to leave a man followed him andasked: O Abu Abdullah! What made you so firm in your meeting with alMansoor? Jaafar said: I said the following prayer: O Allah! Keep me under Youreye, which never sleeps, and preserve me with Your care which no one canapproach with harm, and forgive me. O Allah! You are far greater than the one Ifear and I seek refuge in You against him. Never shall I perish as long as You aremy hope and supporter.

When Jaafar Ibn Muhammad said this he forgot fear and in its place hisheart was full of peace and security. This was because he believed in thesovereignty and greatest power of Allah Almighty who is greater than any oneelse. This is not, in fact, a rare incident in Islamic history. Many times a dictatorand an oppressive ruler would send word to a Muslim scholar threatening to killhim, like al Mansoor did to Jaafar, as soon as he would see him; but the piousone’s trust in Allah Almighty the All-Powerful, the Omni-potent would makethe oppressor oppressed and, transform the weak and the threatened into animmune and safe person. Let us cite a few examples.

Ibn Taymiyah was a great scholar of the seventh century of Hijrah. He wasin Damascus when the Tartars launched their wholesale onslaught against theArab world. They destroyed Baghdad and killed millions of its inhabitants anddestroyed everything in that capital of Islam at that time. So they struck terrorand horror in the hearts of men wherever they marched. When they came toDamascus Ibn Taymiyah came out at the head of a delegation of Muslim scholarsof Damascus. The said delegation met the fearful leader of the Tartars. IbnTaymiyah started to advise him to stop killing Muslims, and not to commit anylooting or arson. He said: You say you are a Muslim, but your father was better

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than you although he was a disbeliever. The leader looked at Ibn Taymiyah withgreat respect. The accompanying delegation expected the massacre of IbnTaymiyah any minute. But Ibn Taymiyah never cared and continued to give astrong sermon to the Tartar leader who said at the end of the sermon: This is theonly scholar you have. He then invited the whole delegation to an auspiciousparty, but Ibn Taymiyah refused to eat.

When the Tartar leader asked him about the reason Ibn Taymiyah said: Thisis not a permissible food. You have taken it illegally from Muslims. Again othermembers of the delegation shivered with fear. But instead of killing IbnTaymiyah the Tartar chief honoured him and asked his troops to escorte himback to his house. He was led on his horse safely to the doorstep of his home. Asfor other members, who were afraid of the Tartar chief, they returned to theirhomes on foot scarcely saved from death. the Tartar troops took their clothes onthe way and they entered their homes almost naked.

Another incident of a helpless Muslim scholar who could confront the mostpowerful and terrifying emperor of his time is that of Sheikh Ahmad al Sirhindithe well-known scholar of India under the Mongol emperor Akbar who claimedto be the greatest so that when Muslims say Allah Akbar, which means Allah isthe greatest,he wanted them to mean him and not God Almighty.

Ahmad al Sirhindi launched a scholarly campaign against that emperor andall his false claims. He asked people not to prostrate themselves to the king butto Allah Almighty. When Akbar knew this he sent for Sirhindi and alsothreatened to finish him. The latter, however, came feeling secure. He advisedAkbar without prostrating himself in front of him. This he did in the presence ofall his powerful troops heavy with armour. When Sirhindi was asked about it hesaid: I remembered the greatness of Allah Almighty so this ruler seemed to melike a helpless cat. Thus when Jaafar Ibn Muhammad met al Mansoor and couldchange him from a threatening enemy into a sympathetic friend, he was onlyfollowing the same path of remembering Allah and depending upon him alone.

One final story about Jaafar is that when he performed Hajj in the year 113of Hijrah he was seen sitting on top of Abu Qubays mountain in Makkah. Heprayed to Allah very humbly until all of a sudden a basket was seen in front ofhim full of grapes and clothes. The narrator of the story shared with Jaafar thegrapes which was not available in Makkah then. He says that this must be one ofthe miracles granted to Jaafar.

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Such an incident is not, however strange. In the Holy Quran we read thatvirgin Mary used to eat food granted to her from Allah. As long as we believethat Allah can do anything, this incident is not a strange thing.

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A l Fuddayl Ibn Iyadd was originally from Khorasan in central Asia. Hecomes from Yarboo tribe and was nicknamed Abu Ali. He travelled to Kufahwhere he learnt the Prophet’s traditions. Afterwards he went to Makkah andconcentrated all his efforts on worship until he died in that holy city of Islam.Ibrahim al Khuzaee said: Were all the world made my legal property I would stillfeel its dirt. He thus used to say: The best condition for me is to be the poorest ofthe poor; when I disobey Allah I find its effect in the behaviour of my donkey andmy servant.

Describing al Fuddayl’s worship Ishaq Ibn al Rabee says: His recital of theQuran was sad, attractive and slow, as if he was addressing someone with itsverses. Whenever he came across a verse that mentioned Paradise, he wouldrepeat it over and over again. At night he would sleep for some time on a simplemat. He would then rise and pray until he becomes drowsy. Then he would sleepon the mat and rise and so on until day break. He used to say: If you cannot praymost of the night and fast your days then you must know that you are deprivedand bound up with you sins.

Mansoor Ibn Ammar said: One day I gave a sermon in the Holy Mosque ofMakkah. I mentioned Hell fire and noticed that al Fuddayl Ibn Iyadd all of asudden cried and fainted. He fell to the ground. Again al Fuddayl shows howmuch he feared the Day of Judgement when he says: If I had a choice betweeneither I live and die as a dog and not see the Day of Judgement or attend thathorrible day, I would choose the first condition.

Mahran al Asadi says: On the night of Arafa, during pilgrimage, I noticedthat al Fuddayl could not make his supplications to Allah on account of his tears.All that he said was: How bad I am! What a scandal will it be even if You shouldforgive me O Allah! In another incident Ahmad Ibn Sahl told us that he was atthe door of al Fuddayl Ibn Iyadd. When he asked permission to see him, he wastold that al Fuddayl would not come out unless he heard the Holy Quran. Thenarrator says: I had with me a man whose voice was beautiful in reciting theQuran. So he read a small chapter that referred to the grievous punishment in thegraves. As he recited al Fuddayl appeared with his beard covered with tears.

People like al Fuddayl Ibn Iyadd did not make a show of their piety. Theywere so humble that they imagined themselves to be the worst people on earth.

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This is what al Fuddayl once told Sufiyan Ibn Uyaynah. He said: If you thinkthat there is any one on earth who is worse than us you are extremely mistaken.The famous poet Jareer wanted to visit al Fuddayl one day. When al Fuddaylknew this he put a lock for the door from outside. When Jareer came and foundthe lock he returned home. When al Fuddayl was asked about it he said: Whatwill he do for me? He will show me the best of his talk and I shall be forced to dothe same. I thus preferred not to meet him.

A famous statement of al Fuddayl is the following: When one is told that helikes to show off, he becomes angry, although this is exactly what he might bedoing. Take care not to be a liar while you don’t know. You show people the bestbehaviour until they say: he is a pious man. So they begin to be kind to you andsatisfy your needs. They make room for you in their meetings and conventions.They give you all this honour for the sake of Allah; had it not been for that youwould not be honoured by others.

Younus Ibn Muhammad al Makki said al Fuddayl once told a man thefollowing: I shall teach you a few words which are better for you than this worldand all that it contains: Once Allah knows that there is no place in your heart foranyone else other than Him, He will surely grant you all what you ask for. AgainIbrahim Ibn al Ashaath said: I heard al Fuddayl say: It may be that you havedone something for which Allah Almighty hates you. So He has closed the gatesof forgiveness in front of you and yet you laugh. But how will be your lot in theHereafter? Again Abdel Samad Ibn Yazeed says: I heard al Fuddayl say: I metpeople who are so shy of Allah that they would not sleep one whole night. Theywould sleep for a little while and then say to themselves: This is not for you. Riseand take your share in the Hereafter.

Al Fuddayl Ibn Iyadd used to criticise the scholars who humiliatedthemselves to the rulers and exploited their religious knowledge for worldlygains. Once al Fuddayl met Sufiyan Ibn Uyaynah. al Fuddayl said: You scholarsused to be like lamps illuminating other people’s lives. Then you became unjust.You were like stars to guide those astray then you are now leading people astray.Are you not shy to take the money of those oppressive rulers, then each one ofyou would sit and talk to people about the Prophet’s traditions. Sufiyan said: ifwe are not righteous at least we love the righteous. Again al Fuddayl Ibn Iyaddsaid: For me to seek this world through a drum and a flute is much better than toseek it through worship.

Here is another story about al Fuddayl Ibn Iyadd which shows how he

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avoided rulers and when he was forced to meet anyone of them, he would givethem a strong advice. Thus it is reported that once caliph Haroun al Rashidperformed Hajj. He wanted to meet some pious scholars of the time. For threetimes he met three famous scholars who expressed their readiness to come tohim. Each one of them asked him to settle his debts; but the caliph still lookedforward to meet a more pious scholar whose advice he wanted to seek . Until hisassistant took him to the house of al Fuddayl Ibn Iyadd whom they foundpraying and reciting a verse of the Holy Quran which he was repeating.

The assistant knocked at the door of al Fuddayl who asked: Who is it? Theman said: Answer the call of the caliph. al Fuddayl said: I have nothing to dowith him. The assistant, however, said: How strange you are! Shouldn’t you obeythe caliph when he asks you to do something? al Fuddayl said: Is it not reportedthat the Prophet said: A believer should not humiliate himself?

Al Fuddayl then came down, opened the door, quickly went up to an upperroom, put down the lamp and hid in one of its angles. The caliph and his assistantentered the said room and extended their hands to search for him. The caliph’shand touched al Fuddayl’s body first. The latter held the caliph’s hand and said:What a soft hand if only it would be saved from the punishment of AllahAlmighty tomorrow. The assistant then said to himself: He will give him a puresermon from a pious heart. al Fuddayl then said: When Umer Ibn Abdel Azizbecame caliph he called three pious scholars of his time and said: I am tired ofthis affliction so advise me please. So Umer Ibn Abdel Aziz considered thecaliphate as an affliction while you and your friends regard it as a blessing. Thefirst pious scholar said to Umer Ibn Abdel Aziz: If you wish to be saved from thepunishment of Allah tomorrow then you should fast all your life and let death bethe break of you fasting. The second scholar then said: If you want to be savedtreat old men among the Muslims as your fathers, the middle aged ones as yourbrothers and the young ones as your sons. So respect your father, do good to yourbrother and be loving to your son.

Al Fuddayl Ibn Iyadd continued this advice to Haroun al Rasheed in thefollowing words: The third pious scholar said the following to Umer Ibn AbdelAziz: If you want to be saved from Allah’s punishment tomorrow you must lovefor the Muslims what you love for yourself, and hate for them what you hate foryourself. I fear, O caliph, that when you die you will have no one to tell you this.

When Haroun al Rasheed heard this he cried too much until he fainted. Hisassistant then said to al Fuddayl: Have mercy on the caliph. But al Fuddayl

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replied: It is you and your friends who cause him to perish. When Haroun alRasheed awoke he said: Advise me more. May Allah have mercy on you. alFuddayl accordingly said: Once an agent of Umer Ibn Abdel Aziz complained tohim concerning some problems. Umer sent him a letter in which he said: Mydear brother! I would like to remind you of the long vigil the owners of Hell firewill have along with permanent stay in Hell. I warn you not to be one of thosewho lose hope after they are taken away from the presence of Allah.

When Umer’s agent read his letter he folded it and speeded to him. Whenthe two men met the agent said: You horrified me with your letter. I shall nevergo back to this agency until I meet Allah Almighty. Again Haroun al Rasheedwept too much and asked al Fuddayl to give him more advice. He said: Once alAbbas, the uncle of the Prophet peace be upon him, came to the Prophet andsaid: Make me a ruler. The Prophet, however, said: O my uncle! To be a ruler willgive you nothing but disappointment and lament on the Day of Judgement. Soavoid being a ruler if you can do so.

Haroun al Rasheed again wept too much, but still he asked for more advicefrom al Fuddayl Ibn Iyadd who said: You have such a nice looking face. Allah willask you about this creation on the Day of Judgement. So if you can keep this facefrom Hell fire then do it. Never have any cheating in your heart towards anyoneof your subjects; for the Prophet peace be upon him said: He will not even smellthe breeze of Paradise who cheats his own subjects.

Again Haroun al Rasheed wept for a long time then he asked al Fuddayl: Doyou have any debts? The latter said: Yes. A debt to my Lord who will ask meabout it. Woe to me if He should ask me; woe to me if He should discuss it withme; and woe to me if I am not inspired with the right answer. Haroun al Rasheed,however, said: I only mean people’s debts. al Fuddayl said: Allah did not orderme to do anything about this. He commanded me to worship Him alone and toobey His orders.

Before Haroun al Rasheed, the then caliph of Muslims, left al Fuddayl’shouse he gave him 1,000 dinars to spend on his family, and to support himself inworshipping Allah. al Fuddayl, however, said: I show you the way to safety whileyou reward me with this! He kept silent. His wife then came to him, after thedeparture of his guests and asked him to give her some money to spend on theirkids. He refused and spent it all on the poor. al Fuddayl Ibn Iyadd died in theyear 187 after Hijrah. May Allah be pleased with him.

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A bdullah Ibn Amr was the son of the famous Companion of the ProphetAmr Ibn al Aass. He was also a Companion of the Prophet. He comes from thefamily of Luay Ibn Ghaleb of the tribe of Quraish. As a matter of fact, AbdullahIbn Amr was a great spiritual leader and a leading scholar. He was nicknamedAbu Muhammad. His mother was Raittah bint al Hajjaj, and his father was onlyeleven years his senior. Abdullah Ibn Amr embraced Islam before his father. Itis said that his name before Islam was al Aass, which in Arabic means thedisobedient, so the Prophet changed it into Abdullah.

Abdullah Ibn Amr may Allah be pleased with him had numerous virtues.He enjoyed a great deal of knowledge and thus it is reported that he transmittedabout 700 traditions. He was also famous for his righteous deeds. The Prophetpeace be upon him allowed him to write down traditions after he hated that hisCompanions should write anything else from him except the Quran. TheProphet, however, then allowed Abdullah Ibn Amr to write. Then theCompanions agreed on the value of recording traditions lest they should be lostor forgotten. It seems that the Prophet forbade writing his traditions was only inthe beginning so that people would concentrate on the Holy Quran, and lest itshould mix with the Prophet’s sayings. Once the Quran was immune from anymixture, the Prophet then allowed recording his traditions.

Abdullah Ibn Amr actually reported traditions from a number of seniorcompanions like Abu Bakr, Umer, Muath Ibn Jabal, Suraqa Ibn Malek, AbderRahman Ibn Awf and others. He also reported stories from the People of theBook - Jews and Christians and spent lots of time studying their books andquoting them to others. Tens of scholars transmitted traditions from AbdullahIbn Amr. The Scholars of traditions so much cared about the accuracy of thepersonalities of the Prophet’s Companions and their various qualities that theyeven described how they looked like. Hammad Ibn Salama says: Abdullah IbnAmr was a very tall, fat man with a huge belly and red skin.

Talha Ibn Ubaidullah said: Blessed be the family of Abdullah, AbuAbdullah and Umm Abdullah. This is what the Messenger of Allah said. Igathered the Quran and recited it all in one night. The Messenger of Allah said:Recite it in one month. I said: O Messenger of Allah: Let me use my strength andyouth. He said: Read it in twenty days. I said: Let me enjoy. He said: Then readit in seven nights. I repeated the same request, but he said: No. It is transmitted,

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however, that the Prophet allowed him to read the Quran in three nights and notless than that. This was in what had until then been revealed of the Holy Quran.Then the rest of it was inspired so it is not good to recite the Quran in less thanthree nights. For in that case a person will not be able to understand orcontemplate what he reads. If he would recite the Quran regularly on a weeklybasis, that would be much better indeed. For Islam is the religion of facility, anda Muslim has many worships to do, so that if he should read the Quran in a fewdays he would not be able to establish those other duties; he would notunderstand its meanings either.

When Abdullah Ibn Amr became an old man, he used to say: O I wish I hadaccepted the permission given to me by the Messenger of Allah who also allowedhim the same easy permission in fasting despite his insistence to fast more untilthe Prophet said: Fast a day and break your fast the next day like the fasting ofmy brother David which is the best fasting in the sight of Allah. The Prophetforbade perpetual fasting. He also ordered us to sleep part of the night and said:I pray at night and sleep, fast and breadfast, marry women, and eat meat.Whoever does not like my way of life is not of me. It has been proved in severalcases that a person will repent if he does not commit himself to the mode of theProphet’s worship.

In the Musnad of Ahmad we read the following tradition where AbdullahIbn Amr said: I saw in one dream that on one of my fingers I had ghee on and onthe other honey, and that I was licking them both. When I told the Prophet aboutthis the next morning he said: You read the two Holy Books: the Torah and theQuran. So Abdullah Ibn Amr used to read both of them. But the scholar whomentioned this tradition said that it is a weak one and that the story is false,because it is not allowed for anyone to recite the Torah after the revelation of theQuran or to memorise it simply because it is changed and abrogated, where truthis mixed with falsehood. So avoid this, he says. As for studying the Torah tocontemplate and answer what the Jews claim, this is permitted for scholarsalthough to avoid it is better.

As for the claim that the Messenger of Allah allowed Abdullah Ibn Amr torecite the Quran one night and the Torah the next night, this is absolutely false.Again Abdullah Ibn Amr said: I learnt from the Messenger of Allah onethousand parables. He also said: We used to write what the Messenger of Allahwould say. Once a Companion asked the Prophet: Can I write down what I hearfrom you? The Prophet said: Yes. The Companion asked: In the state ofsatisfaction and that of anger? The Prophet said: Yes indeed, for I say nothing

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but the truth.

Mujahid says: I entered upon Abdullah Ibn Amr and tried to take a sheetof paper from under his head, he however, refused. When I said: Do yourefuse to show me a sheet of your books, he said: This true sheet contains whatI heard from the Messenger of Allah without the presence of anyone else. If Ihave the Book of Allah, this sheet and my garden I don’t care if I loseeverything else in life.

For Abdullah Ibn Amr to love a garden of his does not mean, however, thathe cared much about the pleasures of this world. He is reported to have said: If Iwere the tenth of the needy people on the Day of Judgement, it would be morebeloved for me than to be one of ten wealthy people, because those who haveplenty of means here will be the fewest of the few and the poorest on the Day ofJudgement in terms of reward from Allah Almighty except those who spendmuch in His way.

Here is an interesting story about Abdullah Ibn Amr who said: My fathermade me marry a woman from the tribe of Quraish; when she entered my room,I did not approach her due to my engagement in worship and prayer. Then myfather came to his daughter in law and asked her: How is your husband? She saidthe best man of the best people. He never approached her bed. She said. Then myfather came to me and hit me with his tongue and said: I made you marry awoman from a respectable family, but you neglected her and did this and that.He then went and complained to the Prophet against me. The Prophet asked meto come and when I arrived he said: Do you fast during the day and pray allnight? I said: Yes. He said: But I fast and break my fast, I pray and sleep at nightand marry women. Whoever avoids my way and hates it is not of me.

Writers of Abdullah Ibn Amr’s biography mention that he inherited fromhis father a large amount of Egyptian gold. Thus he became one of the richestCompanions of the Prophet, this despite the fact that he used to spend too muchin the way of Allah. This story reminds me how Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn al Aass,despite all this gold he had used to put out his lamp by night and cry until hiseyes became dry.

Abdullah Ibn Amr says: Once the Messenger of Allah entered my houseand said: Is it true that you pray all night and fast your days? I said: Indeed I dothis. He said: Suffice it that you fast three days every month, for they will betenfold in reward, thus as if you fast all your life. I said: But I can fast more and

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I like that you increase my share. He said: Then five days. I continued to ask himmore until he made it one half of my days. The Prophet then said: Your familyhave a right upon you, your servant, and so do your guests. When Abdullah IbnAmr became old he used to say: Would that I have listened to the advice of theMessenger of Allah.

As a matter of fact, Abdullah Ibn Amr embraced Islam in the seventh yearafter Hijrah and he participated in some battles with the Prophet. In the battle ofSiffeen between Ali and Muawiyah he was leading part of Muawiyah’s army.Hanzalah al Anbari says: As I was with Muawiyah one day, two men came to himand disputed concerning the head of Ammar Ibn Yasser. One of them said: Ikilled him. Abdullah Ibn Amr then said: Let one of you surrender this to theother, for I heard the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him say: You will bekilled by the vicious faction and the mischievous one. Muawiyah then said: OAmr! Why don’t you stop your mad son? Abdullah Ibn Amr says: Once myfather complained to the Prophet against me. The Prophet said: Obey yourfather as long as you live. So I am with you, but I am not going to fight. Thisshows the attitude of Abdullah Ibn Amr on the battle of Siffeen.

He is reported to have said on that unfortunate day of Siffeen: What do I dowith Siffeen? Why should I fight against Muslims? I would that I had diedtwenty years before it. By Allah I did not use a sword nor threw any arrow on thisbaneful battle. This despite the fact that he had the flag of the army in his hands.

Whenever Abdullah Ibn Amr used to perform Hajj he used to have 300camels. Other people would ask in surprise: Why should a companion of theProphet keep all these camels? The answer was, however, that he put them underthe disposal of his friends and poor Muslims, for he was a rich companion.

Abdullah Ibn Amr died in Ta’if in the year 63 after Hijrah. May his soul restin peace.

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A l Mugheera Ibn Shu’ba, also named the prince Abu Isa or AbuMuhammad was one of the senior companions of the Prophet. He was famousfor his bravery and intelligent tricks. He attended the great oath of allegiance atAqabah. al Mugheera was a tall man, he lost his eye on the day of Yarmouk, or alQadisiyah battle as other reporters say. In still a third version Aisha, wife of theProphet, says: the moon was eclipsed during the life time of the Prophet peace beupon him. al Mugheera went and looked at it for a long time until he lost one ofhis eyes. al Mugheera was so cunning that he was called Mugheeratul Rai(Mugheera of the cunning plots). He walked from Damascus to Kufa five timessays al Shaabi. Quite a large number of the Companions’ disciples transmittedtraditions from him including his own sons.

Younus Ibn Maysara says that he heard Abu Idris say: al Mugheera IbnShu’ba came to Damascus and said: I have helped the Messenger of Allah tomake ablution for prayer in the battle of Tabouk. He rubbed his socks. al Zuhrisays: The most shrewd and cunning people in the famous mischief between Aliand Muawiyah were five: Amr Ibn al Aass and Muawiyah from Quraish, QaysIbn Saad from al Ansar, al Mugheerah Ibn Shu’ba from Thaqeef and AbdullahIbn Buthayl al Khuzaee from the emigrants, Qays and Ibn Buthayl supportedAli against Amr and Muawiyah while al Mugheera stood aloof and did not takeany part.

Al Mugheera says: the Prophet peace be upon him nicknamed me Abu Isa.Again Umer Ibn al Khattab once asked his son: Who is Abu Isa? The son said:O leader of the faithful! This is the nickname of Ibn Shu’ba in the lifetime of theMessenger of Allah; Zayd Ibn Aslam has a different report. He says: Umer Ibnal Khattab changed the nickname of al Mugheera from Abu Isa to AbuAbdullah. He made the following question: Did Isa (Jesus) have any father? Bythis he meant that Isa had no father. For this story to be true, we must not acceptthe version that says that the Prophet named him Abu Isa, because it is justunthinkable that Umer would change a nickname given by the Prophet toanyone of his Companions.

In al Waqidee, the well-known Islamic biographer we have the followingstory narrated by al Mugheera Ibn Shu’ba where he says: We were committed toour religion and were servants of al Lat idol. I imagined then that even if mypeople should embrace Islam, I would not follow them. A number of Bani Malek

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decided to travel to al Muqawqis, ruler of Egypt and take some presents for him.I also decided to travel with them. When I asked the advice of my uncle Urwa IbnMasood he said: don’t go with them. You have no one with you of your ownrelatives; but I refused and marched with them to Egypt. They had no otherstranger except me. We travelled until we entered Alexandria where we found alMuqawqis in a council on the sea. I took a boat until I came parallel to hismeeting place. He, however, neglected me. Then he asked some one of hisfollowers to question me. Thus I told him about our affair and our arrival.

Al Muqawqis ordered that we should stay in a church and was, in fact,hospitable to us. He then allowed us to meet him. The Egyptian ruler looked atthe chief of the tribe of Malek, and brought him closer and made him sit withhim. He then asked him: Are you all from the tribe of Malek? The chief said: Yesexcept one man and he signalled to me. So I was the most humiliated person inhis eyes. He was pleased with their gifts and gave them rewards while he gaveme next to nothing.

We then went out. The people from Malek tribe started to buy presents fortheir relatives. None of them even offered me any consolation. They wanted totravel back to their country, and carried their wine with them. So we started todrink. Then I decided to kill them. So I claimed to be sick and put a band on myhead. They put their wine. I said: My head aches but I am ready to serve wine toyou. They agreed and so I began to give them wine and fill the glass for them.They continued to drink unknowingly until they slept because of getting drunk.I jumped on them and killed them all. I took all that they had and came to theProphet peace be upon him. He was sitting in the mosque with his companions.I had the clothes of travel on me. I greeted them and Abu Bakr recognised me.The Prophet said: Praise be to Allah who guided you to Islam.

Abu Bakr said: Have you arrived from Egypt? Yes! I said. He asked: Whathave the people of Malek done? I killed them and brought their booty and camewith it to the Messenger of Allah so that he may divide it. The Prophet said: Asfor your conversion we accept it, but I am not going to take anything of theirproperty, because this is cheating and there is no good in cheating. I wasoverwhelmed and then said: I killed them while I was still on the religion of mypeople. Then I embraced Islam just now. The Prophet said: Islam cancels all thatwas before it. It is reported that al Mugheera killed thirteen men on that night.When their tribe knew about it they called each other for war. Then peaceprevailed provided that Urwa Ibn Masoud, al Mugheera’s uncle should pay theblood money of the massacred men which he did.

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Al Mugheera says: I stayed with the Prophet until the truce of Hudaybiawhich was the first trip I made with him. I used to stay with Abu Bakr al Siddiqin the company of the Prophet peace be upon him. Quraish then sent in the yearof Hudaybia my uncle Urwa Ibn Masoud to negotiate peace with the Messengerof Allah. When he came and started to talk to him, he touched his beard in theattempt to bring about peace. I was standing then at the head of the Messengerof Allah dressed in full armour, says al Mugheera who addressed his uncle Urwaand said: Keep your hand away from the beard of the Prophet or it will not returnback to you. Urwa asked: Who is this O Muhammad! How tough and rough heis! The Prophet said: Your nephew! Urwa said: O you faithless person. By AllahI have not washed away your evil deed except yesterday.

Al Mugheera Ibn Shu’ba reports: I was the last one who left the Messengerof Allah peace be upon him. When he was buried Ali Ibn Abi Taleb came out ofthe grave, then I threw my ring and said: My ring Abul Hasan! He said: Go downand take it. Then I rubbed the coffin with my hand and went out.

Zayd Ibn Aslam transmits the following tradition from his father who says:Omer employed al Mugheera Ibn Shu'ba as his agent on Bahrain; but the peoplethere hated him so Omer deposed him. The Bahrainis, however, were afraid lestOmer should return him to his post. Their leader said: He will not return him toyou if you do what I order you to do. They said: Go ahead and give us your orders.He said: Collect 100,000 so that I take it to Omer and tell him that al Mugheerastole this amount, and gave it to me. The Bahrainis did what their leader asked andcollected the said amount for him. He approached Omer and told him about it.

When Omer heard this he called al Mugheera and asked him. The lattersaid: He lies! May Allah perfect your deeds. It was, in fact, 200,000. Omer asked:What made you do this? al Mugheera replied: Poverty and my dependants. ThenOmer turned to the liar and asked: What do you say? The man, however, replied:By Allah I shall tell you the truth. He paid me nothing. Then Omer asked alMugheera: What did you mean by what you said? al Mugheera replied: Thetreacherous man lied against me so I wanted to humiliate him.

Abu Raja al Attaridi reports that al Abullah city was opened at the hands ofUtba Ibn Ghazwan. When Omer marched to him he asked al Mugheera to leadprayer. Then when Utba died, Omer asked al Mugheera to be the ruler of alBasra where he stayed for three years.

To err is human says the English proverb. al Mugheera was seen by three

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men of his friends committing adultery. This took place during the caliphate ofUmer. A fourth witness was needed to castigate al Mugheera. There was indeeda fourth man who also attended but he declined to give his testimony against alMugheera so Omer punished the other three witnesses and regarded them liarswhile he liberated al Mugheera. It is said that the product of this sin was Ziyadlbn Abeeh.

Al Mugheera once said to Ali after the massacre of Uthman Ibn Affan, thethird caliph of Islam: stay home and don’t make any propaganda for yourself. Forwere you in a secret hole in Makkah people will not give their allegiance exceptto you. If you don’t obey me I shall leave you alone. Send to Muawiyah an orderof appointment then remove him. Ali, however, did not obey Al Mugheera. Sohe went to Yemen when both of Ali and Muawiyah were engaged in fighting theydid not send anyone to lead the pilgrimage season. Thus al Mugheera led men inprayer and prayed in favour of Muawiyah.

Al Mugheera was indeed wise when he avoided the great mischief betweenAli and Muawiyah. He used to call others to avoid it. Once he met Ammar in thestreets of Madinah who was wearing his sword. Ammar called to him. alMugheera asked him what he wanted. Ammar invited him to participate in thewar describing it as a holy war. Then al Mugheera said: I wish I knew that it isindeed as you say; but I believe that Uthman was wrong. So why don’t youAmmar enter your house and put down your sword until darkness ends. Ammardid not listen to him and was killed.

Al Mugheera was so cunning that one of his friends says: I accompanied alMugheera Ibn Shu’ba, Had there been a city with eight doors, out of which noone can go except by using a trick, al Mugheera would then be able to come outof them all.

Al Mugheera died as a ruler of Kufa in Iraq in the year 50 after Hijra. He wasthen 70 years old.

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A l Hasan Ibn Ali was the senior grandson of the Prophet Muhammadfrom his daughter Fatima and her husband Ali Ibn Abi Taleb, the dearest cousinof the Prophet. He was given the title the imam, the master, the nice smellingflower of the Messenger of Allah and the master of the young men of Paradise.He was nicknamed Abu Muhammad after his grandfather the Prophet and hefell as the most honourable martyr of Islam.

Al Hasan was born in Shaaban in the third year after Hijrah; his grandfatherslaughtered a big male sheep for his sake called Aqeeqah according to Islamictraditions which he heard from the Prophet, from his own father Ali and from hismother Fatima.

Abul Hawra said: I asked al Hasan: what particularly do you remember fromthe Messenger of Allah? He said: I remember to have taken once a date out of thedates of charity. I put it in my mouth, but the Messenger of Allah peace be uponhim took it away and threw it back to its place. When he was asked: O Messengerof Allah! Why not leave that date for this boy? He said: We, the family ofMuhammad should not eat from charity.

Ali Ibn Abi Taleb says: When al Hasan was born, the Messenger of Allahcame and said: Show me my son. What have you called him? Ali replied: I calledhim Harb (meaning war). The Prophet, however, said: no. He is Hasan, and sohe was called al Hasan. Then when al Husain, the second son of Ali, was born,Ali again wanted to call him Harb, but the Prophet called him al Husain. TheProphet then said: I have called these two sons of mine after the names of the twosons of Aaron, brother of Moses peace be upon him.

Uqbah Ibn al Harith says: One day Abu Bakr al Siddiq led the afternoonprayer. Then he went out of the mosque of Madinah walking with Ali Ibn AbiTaleb may Allah be pleased with him. When he saw al Hasan playing withother boys Abu Bakr carried him on his shoulder and said: By Allah you lookmore like the Prophet than like your father Ali. Ali was looking with love anda smile on his face.

Again Abdullah Ibn al Zubair says: Once I saw the Prophet prostratinghimself in prayer. al Hasan was riding on his back. Then when the Prophetbowed he would open his two legs and al Hasan would enter between them and

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go out from the other side. In another transmission al Zuhri says: al Hasan IbnAli was the most identical man to the Prophet especially in the upper part of hisbody, while al Husain looked like the Prophet in the lower part. Usama Ibn Zaydsays: The Prophet peace be upon him used to carry me and al Hasan and wouldsay: O Allah I love them, so shower Your love on them. Abu Huraira says:Whenever I saw al Hasan after that my eyes would overflow with tears.

Abu Badra says: I saw the Messenger of Allah starting on the pulpit and alHasan was beside him. He said: This son of mine is a master; and may Allahachieve peace at his hands between two great factions of the Muslims And this isexactly what happened which is in fact one of the numerous miracles of theProphet. Many a time he told about things and promised that they would happenin future, and they happened exactly as he said and promised. As for theProphet’s present saying that may Allah achieve peace at the hands of al Hasanbetween two great regiments of the Muslims, as a matter of fact, as if the Prophetwas describing what actually came to pass.

When Ali Ibn Abi Taleb was killed al Hasan was chosen as his successor tolead the army against Muawiyah and his troops. The two armies confronted eachother and were about to endulge in fierce fighting, but al Hasan may Allah bepleased with him disembarked from his horse, stood between the two lines of thearmies and declared his abdication in favour of Muawiyah. Instead of fightingeach other the two sides started to embrace one another and the Muslims becameone united force as they were before. That year was called the year of gatheringand unity.

Jaber says: I entered the house of the Prophet peace be upon him and foundhim walking on four. He had al Hasan and his brother al Husain on his back. TheProphet said: You have indeed the best camel and you are the best burden. Thisand other traditions show the way the Prophet treated his grandsons. It is nodoubt a lesson for other Muslims to follow. That is why when the Prophet oncekissed one of his grand children a man said: I have ten children, but I never kissedanyone of them, the Prophet said: What can I do for you if Allah has taken awaymercy from your heart.

When al Hasan used to go to bed he would recite the Quranic Chapter called“The Cave”. Again when al Hasan once heard a man asking Allah to grant him15,000 dirhams, he went home and sent the said money to the man. It is alsoreported that al Hasan once gathered a good sum of money and wanted todistribute it among the people, but he gave the poorer sections only.

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Al Hasan was told once that Abu Thar Al Ghifari, may Allah be pleasedwith him, says: Poverty is dearer to me than wealth, and illness is preferred byme than health. When al Hasan heard this he said: May Allah have mercy onAbu Thar. As for me I say: Whoever accepts what Allah has chosen for him, willnot wish anything. This is the position of being satisfied with pre-determination.

Amr Ibn Dinar says: Muawiyah knew that al Hasan hated mischief andabhorred fighting between Muslims; so after his father’s death Muawiyah sent toal Hasan and made a secret peace agreement with him. He gave him a solemnoath that he will be his heir apparent and rule after him if anything happened toMuawiyah while al Hasan was still alive.

Ali Ibn Judaan says: al Hasan performed Haj fifteen times on foot. He,however, had the best horses in front of him on each one of them, but he refusedto ride. He surrendered all his property two times in his life and gave it to thepoor and the needy; and three times he spent half of his property in the cause ofAllah.

When al Hasan was on his death bed he said to his brother al Husain: O mybrother! Remember this. When the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him diedyour father looked forward to be a ruler, but Allah did not make him one. WhenAbu Bakr died, he again anticipated to have the Sceptre of government but it wasgiven to Umer. Then when Umer died, on his death bed he made a council sothat the new caliph would be chosen, and your father was a member of thatcouncil and a would be caliph. He felt sure to be chosen, but Uthman became thenew caliph. When Uthman was killed your father was declared caliph. Thenothers competed with him for this position so he took up arms and sought it. Buthe could not have it peacefully. By Allah! I don’t think that Allah should give us,the family of Muhammad, both prophethood and caliphate. So don’t be movedto fight instigated by the evil elements of Kufa.

Al Hasan continued his will to his brother al Husain in the following words.He said: I requested Aisha to allow me to be buried in her room, she agreed. Maybe she only did this out of shyness. So when I die ask it again from her; but Iexpect that the people will not allow you. If they prevent you to do so then buryme in the general cemetry of Baqee.

When al Hasan died Aisha approved that he would be buried in her roomalong the side of the Prophet, Abu Bakr and Umer. But Marwan the ruler ofMadinah, refused to allow this to pass. He said: He will not be buried there at all.

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Why should they refuse this honour to Uthman and give it to al Hasan? This willnot be at all as long as I live, Marwan said.

Seeing this al Husain put on his armour and wanted to fight and force thewill of his deceased brother to be implemented. But Abu Hurairah, may Allah bepleased with him interfered and stopped war between the two sides. Thus alHasan was buried near his mother Fatimah in al Baqee public cemetry.

May Allah keep away mischief from the Muslims, and may He be pleasedwith all the Companions of the Prophet. In fact, those were hard times for Islamand Muslims. Most of what happened was not the fault of either side but as aresult of the plotting, the machination and the conspiracies of enemies of Islamwho put on the names of Muslims but who did their level best to destroy Islamand Muslims.

The best lesson Muslims today can learn from this part of their history is toforget about the past and leave it to Allah Almighty to decide between thedisputers. He is the best Judge. And as al Hasan Ibn Ali did, according to thepromise of the Prophet we should come together to spread the light of Islamrather than help our enemies put it out Allah forbid.

Al Hasan was great not just because he was one product of the Prophet’sfamily, but he had the qualities of greatness in his own person which made evenhis enemies and opponents acknowledge them. His selflessness and wisdomprevented the shedding of a lot of blood of Muslims.

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Qays Ibn Saad was son of Saad Ibn Ubadah son of Kaab chief of al Khazrajtribe of Madinah. He was called the fighting prince, leader and son of the leaderof this famous tribe of the city of the Prophet. His nickname was Abu Abdullahof al Ansar or the supporters of the Prophet and of the family of Saidah. He andhis father Saad were close companions of the Prophet.

Qays reported a good number of the Prophet’s traditions. His chain oftransmitters consisted of reliable scholars like Abdullah Ibn Malek, AbdurRahman Ibn Abi Layla, Abu Ammar al Hamadani, al Waleed Ibn Abdah andseveral others. Qays visited Muawiyah while he was caliph and was honouredand given a grant by him. He reported traditions from Kufa in Iraq, Syria andEgypt. al Waqidee says: He continued to support Ali Ibn Abi Taleb until hisdeath. When Ali died Qays returned to Madinah.

Ahmad Ibn al Barqi says: He held the Prophet’s flag in some of his battlesand was the agent of Ali as ruler of Egypt. Ibn Younus says: Qays participated inconquering Egypt and had a house in it. He was appointed as Egypt’s ruler in thesixth year of Hijrah then he was deposed in the seventh year.

Amr Ibn Dinar says: Qays Ibn Saad was a huge man with an extremely fatbody, a small head, without any beard; whenever he rode his donkey his legswould touch the ground. This description of his is not given for its own sake, butto prove that the people we are talking about in this series were real people? exactlylike others. What distinguished them, however, was their faith and behaviour.

As a matter of fact, Qays tells us that he accompanied the Prophet for tenyears. Anas Ibn Malek reports that Qays Ibn Saad was in the position similar tothat of the police officer with the ruler. This was the kind of relationship he hadwith the Prophet peace be upon him. His father talked to the Prophet about himlest he should commit any injustice against others through exploiting his post. Sothe Prophet releaved him of that appointment.

Al Waqidee narrates the following story about Qays which shows his greathospitality. The Messenger of Allah sent an expedition of Ansar and Muhajireen(supporters and emigrants). They were three hundred men. Their destinationwas a locality of Juhaina near the sea coast. They suffered severe hunger. AbuUbaidah, who was their leader, ordered that the remaining food should be

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brought before him. People shared even one date which they would divide intotwo. Seeing this Qays Ibn Saad said: Who likes to buy dates from me againstcamels? provided that he gives me the camels here and now and I supply thedates in Madinah. Umer Ibn al Khattab said: What a strange boy. How can youtrade in the property of others.

Qays Ibn Saad, however, came across a man from Juhaina with whom hestarted to negotiate a deal. The man said: But I don’t know you. Qays said: I amQays son of Saad Ibn Ubadah son of Dulaym. The man then said: I do indeedknow your lineage. I have a friendship with Saad, the chief of the people ofYathreb (Madinah’s name before Islam). Thus Qays bought five camels from theman of Juhaina, each camel against a large amount of dates. He broughtwitnesses to confirm the transaction. Umer, however, said: I don’t testify. Thisyoung chap makes a debt without having any funds, the property is his father’s.But al juhani said: By Allah! It is just unthinkable that Saad would wash hishands of his son simply for a quantity of dates. In addition to this I see a nice facehere, referring to Qays. The man from Juhaina thus delivered the camels to Saadwho slaughtered them for the men of the expedition in three places. On thefourth day, as he wanted to slaughter more camels his leader said: Don’t do this.Do you want to destroy your honesty while you have no money.

Rafi’ Ibn Khudaij gives more details about this story. He says: When SaadIbn Ubadah knew what happened to the expedition and how they suffered ofsuch severe hunger, he said: If Qays is as I know him to be, he will slaughter forthe men. When Qays came back and told his father what happened and how hewas forbidden to slaughter the rest of the camels, his father gave him fourgardens the smallest of which produced 50 huge containers of dates each year.Then the Prophet came to know the story of Qays and his father. He said: It isindeed a house of hospitality.

In another report transmitted by Abu Aassem we are told the following:Qays used to undergo debts in order that he might give food to other people. AbuBakr and Umer said: If we leave this chap to do what he likes, he will exhaust hisfather’s property. They walked among the people and told them about this. SaadIbn Ubadah, however, marched to the Prophet and said: Who will stop Ibn AbiQuhafa and Ibn al Khattab, and make them apologize for what they did? Theywant my son to be a miser. So if I punish them for this, no one should blame me.Thus the father was as generous as his son Qays.

It is also reported that an old woman stood in front of Qays Ibn Saad and

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said: I complain to you the scarcity of big mice? Qays was pleased with this andsaid: What a nice metaphor. Fill her house with bread, meat, ghee and dates.Yahya Ibn Saeed says: Qays used to feed people on his trips with the Prophetpeace be upon him. When he would exhaust what he had, he would take fromothers on debt. Everyday he would call: O men! Come to meat and soap. IbnSireen says: Saad used to call: Let him come who likes fat and meat. His son alsoused to do the same.

Hisham Ibn Urwa transmits the following story from his father. He says:Qays sold goods to Muawiyah and got ninety thousand. He ordered a servant ofhis to announce in Madinah the following: Whoever wants a loan, let him come.He gave 40,000 in loans and distributed the rest. He recorded his loans. Whenafter a while, he became ill, very few people came to visit him. He said to his wifeQurayba sister of al Siddiq: Why were my visitors few? She said: On account ofthe loans. Thus he sent to each man his letter acknowledging the loan, in otherwords he cancelled all his loans and said: O Allah! Grant me money and gooddeeds, for the good actions are useless without money!

Another story that shows the great generosity of Qays is the following: Hisfather Saad divided his property among his children and then travelled to Syriawhere he died. Then a son was born after his death. So Abu Bakr and Umer cameto his son Qays and said: We think that you better return something to your newborn brother. Qays said: I am not going to change anything in my father’s willbut I give all my share to him. Again Qays was always raising his finger prayingto Allah most of his time.

In the same way that Qays’s generosity was proverbial so was his shrewdnessalso. Abu Rafi’ says: Qays Ibn Saad said: I would have been the most cunningperson of this nation had it not been that I heard the Messenger of Allah saying:Tricks and deceit are in Hell fire. In another version Qays says: Had it not beenfor Islam, I would have made so much tricks which Arabs would not bear.

Al Zuhri says Qays was regarded as one of the cunning men among theArabs. It was said: The most shrewd of all Arabs when mischief arose were thefollowing five men: Muawiyah, Amr, Qays, al Mugheera and Abdullah IbnBudayl. al Mugheera and Ibn Budayl were with Ali, Amr supported Muawiyahand Qays stood aloof and isolated himself in Taif.

Awf Ibn Muhammad reports: Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr and MuhammadIbn Abi Utba were the most violent critics of Uthman. Ali Ibn Abi Taleb

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appointed Qays ruler of Egypt, where he proved to be tough and serious. Heused to say: Deceit is vicious, or I would hatch tricks that would put all thepeople of Syria in trouble. Muawiyah and Amr wrote him letters asking him tobe loyal to them. He, however, wrote them a violent letter. They responded in thesame way. He then answered in a diplomatic way. When they read his letter theyknew that they could not deceive him. So they announced in Syria that he hadfollowed them.

When Ali knew this plot of Muawiyah and Amr his companions said tohim: Save Egypt before it is too late, for Qays has paid homage and expressedhis loyalty to Muawiyah. Thus Ali sent Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr and Ibn AbiHuthayfah to Egypt and he appointed the former. When they came to Qays toreplace him he discovered that Ali had been deceived. So he said toMuhammad: O my nephew beware and be on the alert. For these people willsurrender you, meaning the Egyptians and you will then be killed. And this isexactly what happened.

Al Zuhri says: When Qays arrived in Madinah two agents of Muawiyahplotted to kill him. He, however, discovered their plot. He said: How viciousthis is indeed! I shall never leave Ali even after he had deposed me. By Allah Iam going to join him. Thus he joined Ali and told him about what happened inEgypt. So Ali came to know that Qays was only maneouvering by usingshrewdness and tricks. So Ali obeyed Qays in all his affairs and put him at thelead of his army. Muawiyah criticised his agents of Madinah who plotted to killQays and said: You have provided Ali with Qays. By Allah had you given him100,000 warriors, I would not have been as angry as I am now by dismissing andlosing Qays.

Very few people could have the two virtues of bravery and generosity asQays had. Qays was at the head of 5,000 men with Ali, all of whom shaved theirheads after Ali’s death. When Al Hassan expressed his loyalty to MuawiyahQays refused to do so and asked security for his followers, but not for himself.When he travelled to Madinah he slaughtered a camel everyday to feed hisfriends. May Qays be rewarded for all his bravery, shrewdness and generosity.

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Muawiyah son of Abu Sufiyan Sakhr Ibn Harb of Bani Umayyah was one of the most problematic figures of early Islam. His supporters exaggerated hispraise while his opponents damned him and considered him as a hypocrite and adisbeliever. But what is the objective view about this ruler who governedMuslims for about forty years? How should we look at him? Should we condemnhim or exaggerate his love and support?

As a matter of fact, the following tradition of the Prophet should be theguiding torch that should lead us in our treatment of the biographies of theProphet’s Companions. The Messenger of Allah peace be upon him said: Don’tcurse my Companions. If anyone of you should spend what is equivalent to themount of Uhud in gold he would not at all compare with any of my companions.Let us then study the personality of Muawiyah in the light of this tradition andwithout the least bias.

Muawiyah comes from the powerful Arab tribe of Bani Umayyah; his fatherAbu Sufiyan Sakhr Ibn Harb was one of the great leaders of Arabia before Islam.His mother Hind daughter of Utbah was a distant relative of the Prophethimself. The whole family were in the beginning staunch opponents to Islam,then they became influential leaders of Muslims following their conversion tothis final faith. Reporters say that Muawiyah became a Muslim before his father,but he kept it secret until the conquest of Makkah. He transmitted traditionsfrom the Prophet, was one of the scribes of revelation and reported traditions onthe authority of his sister Ummu Habibah wife of the Prophet. So he was also thebrother-in-law of the Messenger of Allah.

Aban Ibn Uthman says: While Muawiyah was still a boy, he fell down as hewas walking with his mother Hind. She said: Rise, may Allah not raise you! Abedowin was watching this. He said: Why do you say this to him? By Allah Iguess that he will be the master of his people. Hind said: May he not rise if hewere to dominate his people only.

Referring to his conversion story Muawiyah says: In the year of Hudaybiah,the Prophet was refused to visit the Sacred mosque of Makkah. Quraish made atruce with him. Islam filled my heart there and then. When I mentioned it to mymother she said: Don’t oppose your father. Thus I kept my belief secret. ByAllah! The Messenger of Allah left Hudaybiah while I was a believer; so when he

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entered Makkah later on I was a Muslim. My father said: Your brother is betterthan you, for he is still following my religion. In the conquest of Makkah Ideclared my conversion and the Prophet welcomed me. al waqidee says: Heattended the battle of Hunayn with the Prophet who gave him one hundredcamels and forty ounces as his share in the booty.

More than one reporter confirm that Muawiyah was one of the scribes ofrevelation. As an unlettered Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him used tohave a number of scribes to dictate to them the Quranic revelations he receivedpiece meal. Muawiyah was one of them. He also helped the Prophet in writinghis famous letters and messages to the kings and emperors of his time.

In Musnad Ahmad we read the following tradition narrated by Ibn Abbaswho said: I was playing with other boys when the Prophet called me and said:Call Muawiyah. Ibn Abbas comments: He used to write revelation. I called himbut was told three times that he was eating. Then the Prophet said: May hisstomach be never satisfied. In another saying, however, the Prophet says: OAllah! Anyone I curse or call bad names of this nation, make it a mercy on him.Thus this curse became a mercy on Muawiyah may Allah be pleased with him.

A number of traditions report that the Prophet once prayed for Muawiyahsaying: O Allah! Teach him the Book, make him prominent in the lands and savehim from punishment. Another version says: O Allah! Make him guided, let himguide others to all that is good. These and other traditions were, in fact, reportedby reliable Companions like Umer Ibn al Khattab and Umayr Ibn Saad andothers. In one more tradition Abdel Aziz Ibn Sulaiman says: I heard my fathersay: Umer appointed Muawiyah as his agent; people then said: Umer appointedhim although he was still young; Umer said: You blame me although I heard theProphet say: O Allah! Make him guided and guide through him. Onetraditionalist says, however, that this is not a reliable tradition.

Be that as it may, there is no doubt that Muawiyah had numerous supporterswho loved him and preferred him to other contemporary leaders. This wasbecause he could win them over by his generosity, wisdom and gifts. Some ofthem were born in Syria; their sons loved no other but him. Thus these foughtwith him in Iraq. Others, however, preferred and loved Ali and fought andsupported him except a group called “al Khawarij”, the deserters who were themain cause of the latter’s defeat. Both sides were biased and were moved bysentiments during that great mischief of the Muslim world. Thank Allah we cannowadays easily see mistakes of both parties and all that we say is to ask Allah to

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forgive them; we thus find excuse for them and love them all. Our slogan in thiscontext is the verse that says: Our Lord! Forgive us, and our brothers whopreceded us in the Faith, and leave not in our hearts any rancour against thosewho have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed Full of Kindness, Most Merciful.( 59-l0 )

To do justice to all parties involved in the mischief between Ali andMuawiyah, may Allah be pleased with them both and may He forgive theirhuman weaknesses as mortals, we should also find excuse for thoseCompanions who stood aloof and did not support either side. As for thoseelements who did their best to increase the fire and inflict too much killingamong the Muslims, their account will not be missed by Allah. It was thiscategory of so called Muslims who brought about the tragedy and aggravatedthings to the extent we know.

Ibn Shihab says: Umer arrived in Jabiyah. He left on Syria two rulers,namely Abu Ubaida and Yazeed Ibn Abi Sufiyan, the elder brother ofMuawiyah. Then Yazeed died and Umer conveyed this to his father who askedhim: Whom have you appointed in his place? Umer said: Muawiyah. The fathersaid: O leader of the faithful! May Allah reward you for it. But Umer afterwardsmade the whole of Syria under Muawiyah and when Uthman became caliph heconfirmed his post.

As objective observers we have to accept the reliability of one whom Umerappointed and Uthman confirmed on one of the most important regions of theIslamic empire. He administered it with acumen and satisfied people by hiswisdom and generosity. If some of them were pained and suffered at his hands,well this is only the nature of things in such situations: There were othercompanions who were much better than Muawiyah and more pious andrighteous. He, however, ruled and prevailed thanks to his intelligent mind andextreme wisdom in administration. He had, no doubt, his weaknesses whichAllah Almighty will judge and decide. But Muawiyah was loved by his subjects.He was agent of the caliph on Syria for twenty years. Then he became caliph foranother twenty years. He ruled a huge empire comprised of the two holiestshrines of Islam in Makkah and Madinah, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Khurasan, Persia,the Arab peninsula, Yemen, North Africa and other lands.

It is reported that when Umer marched to Syria Muawiyah welcomed himin an auspicious and great parade. When Umer came close to him he said: Areyou the one who organised this great parade? Muawiyah said: Yes. Umer said:

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This is despite the fact I heard about you that long lines of needy people wait atyour door! Muawiyah said: Yes. Umer then asked: Why do you do this?Muawiyah said: We are here in a land where the enemies’ spies are numerous. Sowe must show them the greatness of the Muslim governor. But if you order meto stop it I will. Umer replied: If what you say is true, it is indeed a good opinion;but if otherwise it is the trick of a polite man. Muawiyah then said: Your ordersthen. Umer replied: I don’t order you nor forbid you. For your goodqualifications we gave you this responsibility.

Aslam, servant of Umer says: Muawiyah came and accompanied Umer toperform pilgrimage. Umer used to look at him with wonder and surprise and say:Good! Good! We are then the best people if we have the best in this life and in theHereafter. Muawiyah then said: O leader of the faithful! I shall tell yousomething. We are in the land of baths and countryside. Umer then said: All thatyou suffer from is that you supply yourself with the best food while the needystand behind your door. As the two approached a place closer to Makkah,Muawiyah took out a suit and wore it. It was full of perfume. Again Umerobjected to this severely and said: You come with this to perform Haj. ThenMuawiyah said: I only wore that suit to meet my relatives. Then he took it off andwore the two sheets of Ihram.

As a matter of fact, Umer Ibn al Khattab used to admire Muawiyah and say:This is the Chosree of the Arabs, by which he compared him to the emperor ofPersia. In another version Umer is reported to have said: You wonder at theshrewdness of Hercules and Chosree while you forget Muawiyah. To concludethis talk about Muawiyah we quote what Abul Darda once said: No one’s prayeris similar to that of the Messenger of Allah as is the prayer of Muawiyah. MayAllah forgive him.

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U ways Ibn Amer al Qarani was a contemporary of the Prophet. He cannot be considered as a Companion of the Prophet because he never met theMessenger of Allah nor heard from him anything. As a matter of fact, Uwaysrepresents that category of pious men who achieved piety mainly thanks to theirobedience to their parents, particularly to their mothers.

Usayr Ibn Jaber says: Whenever Umer Ibn al Khattab received newdelegations from Yemen, especially during the pilgrimage season he would askthem: Is Uways Ibn Amer among you? They would say no. Until one year hecame upon Uways and asked him: Are you Uways Ibn Amer? The man said: Yes.Umer asked: From Murad then from Qaran? Uways said: Yes. Exactly. Umerthen asked: Were you suffering from leprosy and then you were cured except forthe size of a coin? Uways said: Yes. Umer then asked: Do you have a mother?Uways answered: Yes I have. Then Umer said at last: I have heard the Messengerof Allah say: There will come to you Uways Ibn Amer with a delegation fromYemen. He comes from Murad and then from Qaran. He had leprosy but washealed from it except in what is equivalent to a coin. He had a mother to whomhe is obedient, if he should call upon Allah to achieve something for him, Allahwill fulfill his desire. If you can make him ask forgiveness for you, O Umer, lethim do it. Umer then came closer to Uways and pleaded: Will you please askforgiveness for me? Uways nodded and did as he was requested.

Umer Ibn al Khattab then asked: Where are you going O Uways? The latterreplied: To Kufah. Should I recommend you to its governor so that he may takecare of you? Said Umer. Uways replied: To be among the dusty people is muchmore dearer to me. In the following year a notable man from Yemen attended theHajj season. He met Umer by coincidence, who asked him about Uways. Hesaid: I left him a humble dress with few worldly needs. When the Yemenese chieftravelled to Kufah he met Uways and requested him to seek Allah’s forgivenessfor him. Uways asked the man: Did you meet Umer? When the man answered inthe affirmative Uways slipped away and disappeared.

What made Uways have such a degree of piety that even Umer Ibn alKhattab requested him to seek Allah’s forgiveness for him? Is it because he wasobedient to his mother? Is that all? There is no doubt that obedience to parents,and especially to mothers, is extremely appreciated in the sight of Allah. But

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many people obey their parents without achieving the degree of Uways IbnAmer al Qarani. This will be clear from the following tradition that explains whyUways was mentioned by the Prophet and why the second caliph of Islam soughtto meet him to request him seek Allah’s forgiveness on his behalf.

Abu Huraira says: The Messenger of Allah peace be upon him said: AllahAlmighty loves from among his creatures the purest, the unknown and theinnocent ones; those whose heads are not combed, whose faces are dusty, andwhose stomachs are empty; those who are not allowed to enter the courts of theleaders and the kings; and are rejected if they should ask the hand of wealthygirls. If they are absent no body would ask about them and once they appear noone is pleased to see them; when these people become sick no one visits them andonce they die none attend their funerals.

The Prophet was then asked: How can we meet one of them O Messenger ofAllah? He said: One such person is Uways al Qarani. The Companions asked:And who is Uways al Qarani? He said: A wide eyed white person, broadshouldered, with a straight built body. He always has his beard close to hisbosom, with his eyes fixed on the place of his prostration, putting his right handon his left hand, reciting the Quran and weeping upon himself. He has dirtyclothes and no one cares for him. He is unknown on earth but well known inheaven. If he swears upon Allah, Allah will surely fulfill his oath. Under his leftshoulder he has a white brilliant spot. On the Day of Judgement it will be said tothe slaves of Allah: Enter Paradise, and Uways will be told: Stop here to makeintercession. Then Allah will make him intercede in favour of a large number ofpeople, equivalent to the tribes of Rabiah and Muddar. O Umer and you Ali, ifyou should meet him ask him to seek forgiveness of Allah for you; for Allah willsurely forgive you.

What a wonderful description of greatness in Islam. Great men in Islam arenot merely those who distinguish themselves in any particular field of this world.These no doubt are great, but greater still are those slaves of Allah who aresincere and worship Allah secretly but continuously until they become famous inHeaven though neglected and despised on earth. It is not strange then that theProphet should say once the following prayer: O Allah make me lead the life of aneedy person, and live and die and be raised from the dead as one of the needy.

Now to go back to the great son of Islam Uways Ibn Amer al Qarani and seewhat happened to him. Abu Huraira says when Umer and Ali heard this fromthe Prophet they spent ten years looking for Uways, but could not meet him.

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Then in the last year of Umer’s life he stood on top of Abu Qubays, a hugemountain in Makkah, and called loudly: O pilgrims from Yemen! Is Uwaysamong you? He repeated this several times in all directions until an old man witha long beard came up to Umer and said: We don’t know what is Uways, but anephew of mine called Uways does not deserve to be brought here in yourpresence, for he is no body and extremely poor. He is tending our camels and isdespised among us.

Umer did not show the old man any sign of interest still he asked: Where isthis nephew of yours? Is he inside our sacred land around Makkah? The old mansaid: Yes indeed. Umer asked: Where can we find him? The old man replied:Amidst the Arak trees in Arafat!

No sooner Umer and Ali heard this than they quickly rode their donkeysand speeded to mount Arafat. They did find Uways praying facing a tree andcamels were grazing around him. They tied their donkeys and came to him. Theysaid: Peace be upon you. Uways finished his prayer quickly and answered backtheir greeting. They asked: Who is the gentleman? He said: a camel sheperd anda servant for some people. They said: We don’t ask you about your work butrather about your name? He said: Abdullah. They said: All creatures in heavenand earth are the slaves of Allah, Abdullah in Arabic means a slave of Allah.What is the name given to you by your mother?

At this point Uways got angry and said: You men! What do you want of me?Umer and Ali said gently: Muhammad peace be upon him described for usUways al Qarani. We can easily see that his description applies to you. He alsosaid that you have a brilliant white spot under your left shoulder so show it to usplease. If it is there then you are Uways. The man showed them his shoulder anduncovered the white brilliant spot. Quickly Ali and Umer started to kiss him andsaid: We testify that you are Uways al Qarani. So please seek forgiveness of Allahfor us, may Allah forgive you. He said I don’t mention any particular creature inmy prayer to Allah to forgive anyone, not even myself; but I make it a general oneon land and sea, for believing men and women.

O men! he said Allah has made known to you my affair and uncovered toyou my state, so who are you? Ali said: As for this man he is the leader of thefaithful and I am Ali Ibn Abi Taleb. When Uways heard the names he stood upand said: Peace be on you O leader of the faithful and the mercy and the blessingsof Allah; and you too Ali Ibn Abi Taleb. May Allah reward you abundantly forall the good you do for this nation. The two said: And you too may Allah reward

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you for your good self. Umer then said: Please stay here and wait for me until Ienter Makkah and bring you part of my salary and what is more than I need ofclothes. This place is where we shall meet again.

Uways, however, said: There will be no appointment between us and I shallnot see you again after this day. What should I do with the salary or the clothes?Don’t you see the woolen clothes I have on. When do you think I shall wear themout? Do you think me the foolest of the three of us. I have good slippers. Whenshall I wear them out. I have four dirhams in my pocket when shall I eat theirvalue? O leader of the faithful! There exists in front of us a most difficult barrierwhich only the light, slim one can overcome. So lighten your burden may Allahhave mercy on you.

When Umer heard this he said: Would that Umer’s mother had not givenbirth to him. I wish she were sterile and was never pregnant with me. Who isready to take the caliphate with all that it inculcates. Uways said: O leader of thefaithful! You take this side and I take that side. Then Umer retreated to Makkahwhile Uways led his camels, delivered them to their owners and deserted all workexcept worship of Allah until he died.

Alqama Ibn Murthid said the most outstanding Muslim hermits were eight;one of them was Uways al Qarani. His family thought him to be mad so theybuilt a room for him in front of their house and years passed without anyonecould see him.

We shall mention more about this humble son of Islam whose sincerityand purity Allah knew and accepted and conveyed to His Messenger peace beupon him.

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T his is the second part of the thrilling story of Uways Ibn Amer al Qarani,who was one of those slaves of Allah whom nobody cared for, but had greatprestige in the sight of Allah. He may have looked ugly, having apparentlynothing to draw one’s attention to, but he had such a sincere and a pure heart thatmade great men like Umer Ibn al Khattab and Ali Ibn Abi Taleb ask him to seekAllah’s forgiveness on their behalf.

We have already reviewed the interview and the dialogue that took placebetween Umer and Uways. In another version we read that when Umer spoke inthe Hajj season he said: O men! Stand up. So all people stood up. He then said:Sit down except those from Yemen. Everybody sat down except the delegationfrom Yemen. Sit down except those from the tribe of Murad. More people satdown. Umer again said to the standing ones: Sit down except those of you fromthe family of Qaran. Thus everybody sat down except one man who happened tobe the uncle of Uways al Qarani. Umer said: Are you Qarani? The man said yesI am. Then Umer asked: Do you know Uways? The uncle said: Why do you askabout my nephew. No one is more mad, and poor than he is. This answer madeUmer cry. Then he said: I have heard the Messenger of Allah say: Through hisintercession numerous people will enter Paradise as large and as many as thehuge tribes of Muddar and Rabiah.

Harem Ibn Hayyan, a great hermit of Islam says: When I heard this aboutUways I travelled to Kufah and had nothing in my mind but to seek him until Ifell upon him sitting at the shore of the Euphrates. It was noon time and he wasmaking ablution for prayer. I could recognise him through the description I gotabout him. He was, however, much thinner and awe inspiring. I said peace beupon you, and he said the same to me but when I wanted to shake hands withhim, he refused. I said: May Allah have mercy on you Uways and may Heforgive you. How are you? Then tears overcame me due to my love for him andpity for his state. We both wept.

Uways then said: And you are welcome O Harem Ibn Hayyan. How are youmy brother? Who told you and guided you to me? I said: Allah Almighty. Hesaid: There is no God except Allah. Glory be to my Lord. He does what He wills.I asked: How did you know my name? and that of my father? although we neversaw each other before? He said: The Omni-Scient, the All-Knowledgeable told

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me. My soul recognised yours when I talked to you. Believers know each otherand exchange love for the sake of Allah, even if they don’t meet one another andtheir lands and homes are far from each other.

Harem Ibn Hayyan, once again met Uways, then he said to him: Tell meabout the Messenger of Allah please? He said: I could not have the chance tomeet him, neither did I have any company with him; but I have seen men whosaw him and don’t want to be a reporter or a scholar or a judge. I am morepreoccupied with myself than with others. Harem then said: My brother! Recitefor me some verses from the Holy Quran, for I would like to hear them from you.And grant me a piece of advice so that I can keep it.

Uways said: I seek refuge in Allah Almighty; Allah said and what he says isthe most authentic truth: We created not the heavens, the earth, and all betweenthem merely in idle sport. We created them not except for just ends; but most ofthem do not understand. Verily the Day of Sorting Out is the time appointed forall of them; the Day when no protector can avail his client in anything, and nohelp can they receive, except such as receive Allah’s Mercy; for He is Exalted inMight, Most Merciful. ( 44-38-41 )

After reciting these verses Uways looked like fainting; he however said toHarem Ibn Hayyan: O Harem Ibn Hayyan! Your father Hayyan died and you areabout to die; either you will go to Paradise or to Hell. Your father Adam and yourmother Eve died; the same thing happened to Noah, the Messenger of Allah, toIbrahim the close friend of Allah, to Moses the one who spoke to Allah, to Davidthe worshipper of Allah, to Muhammad peace be upon him, to Abu Bakr and tomy brother and friend Umer Ibn al Khattab.

Harem Ibn Hayyan, however, said: Umer is still alive. He did not die;Uways then said: I feel that he is now dead and I and you are also among thedead. He then said peace be upon Prophet Muhammad, and made a short prayerand commented: This is my advice to you. Be close to the Book of Allah, andremember the death of the Apostles and don’t forget death. Never let it leaveyour heart for a second, as long as you live, and advise your people if you returnto them. Don’t keep away from the congregation of Muslims, for by this youleave your religion without being aware of it and so you enter Hell fire. Pleasepray for me and for yourself.

Uways then said: O Allah! This man claims that he loves me for your sakeand that he visited me for your love. So make him known to me in Paradise and

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allow him to enter the house of Peace (Paradise). Protect him as long as he livesand let him be satisfied with what is little in this world and make him thankful toyour blessings and reward him abundantly.

He then said to Harem Ibn Hayyan: Peace be on you. Let me see you nomore after this day, for I hate fame. Isolation is dearer to me than company. Sodon’t ask about me neither seek me. Thus the two were separated and never metafterwards. Usayr Ibn Jaber says: Whenever Uways used to talk to us; hisspeech would leave a great impression on our hearts unlike other speakers. OnceI missed him and was guided to his room. When I saw him I asked: What keptyou away from us? Nakedness, he said. I gave him my dress, but when heappeared some people started to mock at him. I defended him and spoke to themvery strongly. When some people from Kufah came to Umer Ibn al Khattab hetold them to ask Uways seek Allah’s forgiveness for them. Thus Uways leftKufah for good.

Al Shaabi says: A man from Murad, the tribe of Uways passed by him andasked: How are you this morning? Uways said: This morning I praise Allah andthank Him. How is time with you? the man asked. Uways said: How is time witha man who does not think he will live until the evening, and in the evening hedoes not expect to live until the next morning. All of us are either promisedParadise or warned against Hell. O relative from Murad! Death and itsremembrance does not leave any sense of happiness for any believer; his sense ofAllah’s rights has left him without any silver or gold. The believer’s fulfillmentof Allah’s rights has not left for him any friend.

Ammar Ibn Sayf said: A man followed Uways and heard him say thefollowing: O Allah! I apologise to You for every hungry stomach, for all that Ihave of food is what is in my belly, and all that I have of clothes is what is on myback. He had a torn piece of cloth only. A man then came to him and said: Howare you this morning or evening? Uways said: This morning I feel great love toAllah. In the evening I feel thankful to Him. Why should you ask about a manfor whom enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong did not leave anyfriend. Whenever I enjoin what is right people curse me and they find supportersto do so. They have even accused me of great major sins. Allah forbid.

Mugheerah says: Uways used to give his own clothes in charity so that hewould sit completely naked. Bishr Ibn Amr says: I gave Uways al Qarani twopieces of clothes so that he may cover his naked body. Again Asbagh Ibn Zaydsays: As a matter of fact, it was Uways’s obedience to his mother that prevented

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him from travelling to meet the Prophet peace be upon him. The same reportersays: Whenever Uways was in the evening he would say: This is the night ofprostration and so he would prostrate himself in prayer until the morning.Sometimes in the evening he would give all that is in his house as charity until nofood or clothes remain. He would then say: O Allah! Excuse me for any one whodies of hunger or nakedness.

Harem Ibn Hayyan once said to Uways: Advise me please. Uways said: Letdeath be like your pillow and always remember it. When you rise pray to Allahto reform your heart and intention; for nothing is more difficult for you thanthese two. Don’t look at the smallness of your sin but remember the greatness ofthe One whom you disobeyed. Again Harem once visited Uways and said: OUways! Visit me. Uways said: I did for you what is more beneficial than visitsand meetings, namely to pray for you in your absence. For on visits and meetingsa lot of show and hypocrisy takes place.

As a matter of fact, Uways was more engaged in worship than in narratingfrom the Prophet, and yet he reported some traditions. Hameed Ibn Saleh said: Iheard Uways say: The Messenger of Allah said: Keep respect of myCompanions, for among the signs of the Hour is that the late generations ofMuslims should curse the first ones. Then Allah’s condemnation falls on earthand its inhabitants due to this.

As for Uways’s death it was as unique as his life. He was participating inconquering Azerbeijan when he fell ill and died. His companions found a readygrave for him with a coffin and perfume. When he was buried, his friends cameback to visit his grave in the place they buried him, they found no grave there.May Allah bless Uways and all those unknown and sincere sons of Islam.

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S aeed Ibn Jubayr was not only a sincere pious scholar and one of theoutstanding scholars of his time; but added to all this is that he was one of thecategory of scholars who fell martyrs because they stood up against tyrants andadvised them to do good. Instead of listening to them and applying their advicethe said tyrants killed those pure souls. Their only crime was that they did notkeep silent when they saw the perversion of those vicious rulers. The Prophetcalls this category masters of all martyrs. He said: The master of all martyrs isHamza and a man who confronts an oppressive ruler. He orders him to do goodand forbids him from doing evil. But the tyrant kills him. This is exactly whathappened to Saeed Ibn Jubayr may Allah be pleased with him.

Saeed Ibn Jubayr was nicknamed Abu Abdullah. He lived in the firstcentury of Hijrah and was killed by al Hajjaj, the small dictator and ruler of Iraqon behalf of the Umayyads. He was one of the few agents who killed many peopleand shed much blood in order to establish the Umayyad regime. One of thepurest souls he killed was Saeed Ibn Jubayr. Abdullah Ibn Muslim says: whenSaeed used to establish prayer he would stand like a peg. He used to cry at nightout of fear of Allah until his eyesight was weakened. al Qasem Ibn Abi Ayyoubsays: I heard Saeed repeat the following verse in his prayer more than twentytimes on one occasion: And fear the Day when you shall be brought back toAllah. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned, and none shall be dealt withunjustly. (2-281)

Yazeed Ibn Haroon quotes Saeed Ibn Jubayr as saying that he completes therecitation of the Quran every two nights. He used to travel twice each year, onceto make the smaller pilgrimage and the other to perform Hajj. A scorpion oncebit him. His mother swore that he should go to a man to recite something on thebitten place. To obey her, he went and did what she wanted.

Atta Ibn Dinar quotes Saeed Ibn Jubayr as saying: Piety is to fear Allah insuch a way that prevents you from disobeying Him. This is true piety; as forremembrance of Allah it means His obedience; so whoever obeys Allah, he hasindeed remembered Him, while he who does not obey Allah, is not among thosewho remember Him even if he should very often recite the Quran and glorify thename of Allah. What a real interpretation of remembrance of Allah for it is notmerely an act of the tongue but that of the heart, the mind and all the organs.

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Khasseef says: I saw Saeed praying two Rakaas behind Ibrahim’s standaround the Kaabah. This he did before dawn prayer. I approached him, prayednear him and asked him about one verse in the Quran; but he did not answer myquestion. When he finished dawn prayer he said: In the early morning hoursdon’t talk except in the remembrance of Allah until you perform dawn prayer.Saeed is reported to have repeated the following verse in his voluntary prayersover and over until the morning. The verse says: And O you in sin! Get you apartthis Day.

What shows Saeed Ibn Jubayr’s preoccupation with the recitation of theQuran are the following quotations. Muawiyah Ibn Ishaq says: I met Saeed nearthe place of ablution and found his tongue heavy. He said: I read the Quran twoand a half times yesterday. Not only this but in another transmission byHammad we learn that Saeed Ibn Jubayr read the whole Quran in one rakaa(Prostration) inside the Kaabah. In the second rakaa he recited chapter 112 calledPurity of faith. Saeed was asked once: Who is the best worshipper of Allah? Hesaid: He is the man who committed sins, and whenever he remembers them hedespises his good deeds.

We come now to the story of Saeed’s martyrdom. Reliable biographers tellus that he was among the Muslim scholars who rebelled against al Hajjaj, one ofthe worst tyrants, in support of Abder Rahman Ibn al Ashaath. When the latterwas defeated the governor of Makkah captured Saeed and sent him to al Hajjaj.As a matter of fact, Saeed surrendered without trying to escape. When he wasasked about it he said: I became shy of Allah to escape from death. He added: Iasked martyrdom along with two friends of mine who got it and I am nowwaiting for it.

Al Hasan says: when Saeed was brought to al Hajjaj, the latter said insarcasm: You are the miserable son of the broken one (opposite to the meaning ofhis name which is the happy son of the sound one). But Saeed said: My motherknew my name better than you do. Then al Hajjaj said: What do you think ofMuhammad? Saeed replied: Do you mean the Prophet peace be upon him? alHajjaj said: Yes. Then Saeed answered: The Master of all children of Adam, thebest of all creatures past, present and future. al Hajjaj then said: What about AbuBakr al Siddiq? Saeed said: the successor of the Messenger of Allah peace be uponhim; he led a praiseworthy life and lived happily. He followed the path of theProphet and neither changed nor altered anything.

Al Hajjaj then asked: What do you think of Umer? Saeed replied: Umer al

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Farook, the best of all people and the chosen one by the Messenger of Allah. Heneither changed nor altered. Then the vicious tyrant al Hajjaj asked Saeed aboutUthman Ibn Affan who said: He was the unjustly killed caliph, the benefactorwho gave provisions to the army of adversity, and who donated a famous well inMadina to the Muslim masses to drink from. He thus bought his house inParadise; he was twice the son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah in his twodaughters. His marriage was decided by Divine revelation.

Al Hajjaj then asked Saeed Ibn Jubayr about Ali Ibn Abi Taleb? He said:The cousin of the Prophet and the first youth to embrace Islam, the husband ofFatimah and father of al Hasan and al Husain. Then al Hajjaj asked: What doyou think of me? Saeed said: You know yourself better, al Hajjaj, however,insisted: Tell me exactly what you think of me? Saeed said: In that case I shall notat all please you. Against al Hajjaj’s insistence Saeed said: I know that you havedeviated from the Book of Allah, and you claim things to be feared by others, butthis will lead to your destruction. Tomorrow you will leave this world and knowyour destiny.

Al Hajjaj got angry and said: By Allah I shall kill you in such a way by whichI have killed no one else before or after you. Saeed then said: It is true you will bythis spoil this worldly life of mine, but I shall be the cause of spoiling your nextlife. al Hajjaj then asked his assistant to bring his sword. Saeed then laughedwhich increased the anger of al Hajjaj who asked: What makes you laugh? Hesaid: Because I am surprised of your audacity towards Allah; and I am astonishedof Allah’s patience towards you. al Hajjaj then said: Kill him boy! Thus Saeedturned his face to the direction of the Kaabah (the Qiblah) and said: I have set myface, firmly and truly towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, andnever shall I ascribe partners to Allah.

When the boy turned Saeed’s face from that direction he said: Whereveryou turn there is the Face of Allah. Then al Hajjaj said: Beat him to the ground.Saeed then said: From it did We create you and into it We shall return you, andfrom it shall We bring you out once again. Finally al Hajjaj said: Kill him, howclever he is in quoting the verses of the Quran! Thus Saeed was slaughtered bythat vicious tyrant.

Another version has more details. Ibn Thakwan says: When al Hajjaj chasedSaeed, his man got him in Makkah. He led him for three days and found Saeedfasting by day and praying all night. The man then said: By Allah I know for surethat I am taking you to one who will kill you. So go wherever you like. Saeed,

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however, said: al Hajjaj will then know that you have caught me; and so if yourelease me I fear that he will kill you instead. So take me to him. Thus the mantook him to that sinister tyrant who asked him about his name. When Saeed toldhim who he was, al Hajjaj said: You will be miserable, but Saeed said: It is Allahalone who knows the Unseen. al Hajjaj then threatened: By Allah I shall turnyour life into fire that burns. Saeed said sarcastically: If I knew that this is in yourability, I would not have taken as Allah other than you.

Again there are other details in the dialogue between the two men. al Hajjajasked: What do you think of Muawiyah? Saeed said: The scribe of the Messengerof Allah. Then al Hajjaj said: What about the caliphs since the time of theProphet until now? Saeed said: They will be treated according to their deeds. Iam not their agent. Then al Hajjaj asked Saeed about Abdel Malek Ibn Marwan,the then caliph: Saeed replied: His reward is with Allah if he does good, andAllah will not fail to punish him if he is an evil doer.

When al Hajjaj insisted to know Saeed’s impression about him, the lattersaid: You show injustice towards the laws of Allah and audacity in disobeyingHim and committing the grave sin of killing the virtuous ones who obey Allah.Then al Hajjaj slaughtered Saeed in the back side of his neck. When anotherpious man learnt this he said: O Allah finish al Hajjaj and destroy him.Biographers assert that al Hajjaj lived for three days only after Saeed Ibn Jubayr.Not only this but al Hajjaj had bad dreams afterwards in which he saw Saeed IbnJubayr catching his leg. On Saeed’s death one Muslim scholar said: He died at atime when every Muslim was in need of his learning. May Allah reward this slaveof his abundantly and may He have mercy on him for his sincerity and bravery.Amen.

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U rwa Ibn al Zubayr comes from one of the most dignified families ofArabia. His father al Zubayr Ibn al Awwam was the cousin of the Prophet. Hismother was Safiyah bint Abdel Muttalib, the Prophet’s aunt. al Zubayrembraced Islam along with his mother and all members of his family. He wascalled the disciple “Hawari” of the Prophet. Urwa’s mother was Asma bint AbiBakr al Siddiq, the elder sister of Aisha wife of the Prophet. It was Asma, Urwa’smother who played a decisive role in the great incident of emigration toMadinah. She used to bring food to the Prophet and his companion Abu Bakrwhile they hid for three days in a cave near Makkah before they emigrated toMadinah. This then is the family of Urwa Ibn al Zubayr who distinguishedhimself later on as the leading scholar of jurisprudence in Madinah. He was oneof the seven outstanding scholars of that city of lights.

Urwa Ibn al Zubayr was nicknamed Abu Abdullah. He transmitted a goodnumber of the Prophet’s traditions on the authority of his mother Asma, his auntAisha, whom he accompanied for a long time and learnt much from her. He alsoquoted Saeed Ibn Zayd, Ali Ibn Abi Taleb to mention only a few. A large numberof his sons and grandsons also transmitted traditions from him. There isdifference of opinion concerning the date of Urwa’s birth; some say that he wasborn in the 23rd year of Hijra; others put it in the 29th year while still others saythat his birth was six years after the beginning of Uthman’s caliphate. The threedates are, however, very close to each other especially the last two. Be that as itmay, Urwa was born after the death of the Prophet. So he is not a companion buta successor of the companions and an outstanding one.

Urwa tries to recall some memories of his early life. He says: As a young boyI stood looking at the criminals who beseiged Uthman. One of them walked on apiece of wood to force enter his house. My brother Abdullah confronted him andgave him a blow that caused his immediate death. I said to my boy friends: Mybrother killed this man. The beseigers jumped on me and did not leave me untilthey made sure that I was still a boy.

Qabeessa Ibn Thuayb says: Throughout the caliphate of Muawiyah we usedto gather in the mosque at night. We were three chaps: myself, Mussaab andUrwa sons of al Zubayr, in addition to sons of other notables. By day we woulddisperse. I would sit to Zayd Ibn Thabet, the chief judge of Madinah. We wouldalso learn from Abu Huraira; but Urwa surpassed us by entering on his aunt

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Aisha and acquiring a lot of knowledge from her. Thus Urwa says: I did not leavemy aunt Aisha and did not stop from learning from her until three years onlybefore her death.

The following transmission quoted by Hisham son of Urwa shows how keenUrwa was to acquire all he could lay his hands on of the Prophet’s traditions.Hisham recollects how his father Urwa used to say to him and his brothers whowere in their tender years: Why don’t you learn? If you are young now, soon youwill be old; and what is the use of an old man who is ignorant? Four years beforethe death of Aisha I used to say: should she die today I would have memorisedevery tradition I learnt from her. I used to hear a tradition reported by onecompanion who was still alive, and I would go to him and wait at his door until Iwould ask him about it.

Umer Ibn Abdel Aziz, the fifth rightly guided caliph, said: No one is morelearned than Urwa Ibn al Zubayr. I am not, however, ignorant of anything heknows. Abu al Zinad said: Madinah’s outstanding scholars of Jurisprudence arefour: Saeed, Urwa, Qabeessa and Abdel Malek Ibn Marwan. al Zuhri alsoacknowledged and admitted the deep knowledge of Urwa Ibn al Zubayr. That iswhy his son Hisham said: By Allah! I could not learn one thousandth part of theknowledge of my father.

Abder Rahman Ibn Humayd says: I entered the mosque with my father oneday and saw the people gathering around one man. My father said: Try to findout who the man is. I looked and found that it was Urwa. I told my father andexpressed my astonishment to him. He, however, said: Don’t be surprised. Ihave seen the companions of Allah’s Messenger ask him.

Urwa also used to quote much poetry. Abu al Zinad says: I never met anyone who quoted poetry as much as Urwa did. When Urwa was told about this hesaid: I am nothing in this respect compared to my aunt Aisha. Wheneveranything befell her she would at once say poetry. Ibn Shawthab says: Urwa usedto read one fourth of the Quran everyday and would recite the same portion inhis voluntary prayer at night. He continued to do this all his life except when hisleg was cut. Everytime his dates were ripe, he would collect the fruit and allowpeople into his garden to eat and carry with them.

Urwa once visited Abdel Malek Ibn Marwan, who was both caliph and afellow scholar; the caliph made him sit with him on the same bed. Some peopleof Syria came in and started to condemn Abdullah Ibn al Zubayr, Urwa’s

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brother. The latter went out and said to the guard at the door of the caliph:Abdullah is my brother, if you want to attack him don’t allow me enter yourcouncils. Abdel Malek was told about this. He said to Urwa: They conveyed tome what you said. We did not kill your brother out of enmity, but he competedwith us in asking something so we killed him; and the people of Syria areaccustomed to curse any one whom they kill.

Hisham son of Urwa mentions how it was necessary to cut the leg of hisfather due to some illness. They asked Urwa: Shall we call doctors for you? Hesaid: If you like. They said: We shall give you a drink that would cover your mindand relieve you of pain. Urwa said: Cut my leg; he refused to have any suchdrink. So they put the saw on his leg and started to cut it while he began to recitehis daily portion of the Quran. All that he said was this prayer: O Allah! If youhave taken something, You have left more for me; and if You have tested me, Youhave given me sound health. So Urwa was an outstanding example in patience.He looked at his separated leg and said: Allah knows that I never used you tocommit any sin and I know too. On the day in which Urwa died he was fasting;when people around asked him to break his fast he refused.

Abul Zinad says: Mussaab, Abdullah and Urwa, sons of Zubayr met nearthe Kaabah one day with Ibn Umer. They said: let us pray so that our wishes maybe fulfilled. Abdullah said: I wish to be caliph, Urwa said: I wish that Islamicknowledge may be learnt from me, Mussaab said: as for me I wish to be ruler ofIraq and to get married to Aisha bint Talha and Sukayna bint al Husain. IbnUmer said: I wish Allah’s forgiveness. The transmitter comments: They gotwhat they wished and Ibn Umer has hopefully been forgiven.

Urwa Ibn al Zubayr mentions how he got married to Sawda, daughter of IbnUmer. He says: While we were circumambulating the Kaabah I asked from IbnUmer the hand of his daughter Sawda, but he did not answer me. When I enteredMadinah after him, I went to see him. He said: Did you mention Sawda? I said:Yes. He asked: You mentioned her to me while we were around the Kaabah andAllah was engaging all our attention. Do you still desire to marry her? I said:More than ever before. Ibn Umer called his nearest of kin and said: Urwa isasking the hand of Sawda; I hold you witnesses that I have agreed to give her inmarriage to him. My conditions are those which Allah Almighty has granted toMuslim women: he should either hold her in virtue or leave her with kindness.Do you accept Urwa? Urwa agreed and Ibn Umer prayed for both to be blessed.

Hisham Ibn Urwa says: My brother Muhammad fell from the roof of a

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stable. He died on the spot; this took place when Urwa’s leg was separated fromthe rest of his body. When people came to express their condolences to him heprayed: O Allah! You have taken one organ of my body but have left severalothers; You have taken one son, but left for me many others. When he arrived inMadinah some friends came to him and asked: How was your trip. He said:Truly we have suffered much fatigue at this stage of our journey.

When a friend of Urwa came to see him after the amputation of his leg,Urwa said to his son: Show your uncle my leg; but the friend said: O AbuAbdullah! We have not prepared you for wrestling or racing. Allah has kept forus of you what we need: your opinion and knowledge. When Urwa heard this hesaid in satisfaction: No one presented condolences better than you did. Anotherversion says: One of your organs as well as one of your sons have alreadypreceded you to Paradise, the rest will no doubt follow. Allah has kept for us ofyou what we are in dire need of, your knowledge and opinion. May Allah rewardyou abundantly.

As a matter of fact, Urwa died at the age of 67 in the year 93 after Hijrah.May Allah bless him.

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T his luminary of Islam was another uncle of the Prophet after Abu Lahabwhose name was Abdul Uzza who lived and died as one of the bitterest enemiesof the Prophet, Islam and Muslims. When we say, you will sometimes find thebitterest enmity from the closest relatives, Abu Lahab immediately comes tomind as a clear example. But al Abbas, three years the Prophet’s senior, was adear friend of the Prophet even while he was a non-believer. He never caused anypersonal harm to the Prophet. To all appearances it is true he was with the dis-believers, but in his heart of hearts he was a moral supporter and lover of theProphet peace be upon him. It is said by some reliable biographers that al Abbasembraced Islam before the Prophet’s migration to Madinah.

In the battle of Badr, al Abbas was taken prisoner by the Muslims. Heclaimed to be a Muslim. Thus he cannot be regarded as one of those who wereconverted to Islam after the conquest of Makkah. It is narrated by somebiographers that he came to the Prophet in Madinah before that day, and that iswhy he pleaded to save Abu Sufiyan Ibn Harb and was given this privilege onthat occasion. al Abbas reported a number of traditions 35 of which are in oneauthentic collection, and a few others in Bukhari and Muslim. A number ofreliable Companions and their students transmitted his narrated traditions.Among these are his two sons Abdullah and Kuthayr, al Ahnaf Ibn Qays,Abdullah Ibn al Harith, Jaber Ibn Abdel-lah and many others.

An interesting incident about al Abbas is the following one. He actuallyaccompanied Umer Ibn al Khattab when he went to Syria to receive the keys ofJerusalem from its priests and patriarchs who refused to surrender that holyshrine to anyone else except to Umer Ibn al Khattab himself. Aslam, the servantof Umer says: When Umer, may Allah be pleased with him came close to Syriahe stood aside for a little while. His servant was with him. He rode the camel ofhis servant which had a cover of fur turned upside down. He made his servantride on his camel. al Abbas was in front of him riding a beautiful original horse.He was a nice looking man. So the patriarchs started to greet him and he beganto signal them to Umer saying: I am not he, he is the one there. al Kalbi says: alAbbas was a noble, most respectable man. He was endowed with wisdom,physical beauty - an extremely white face and body with two curls of hairhanging from his head and a straight gait. He was born three years before the

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year of the Elephant in which the Prophet was born. He was one of the tall menwhose appearance inspires love and awe. He had a loud voice and a wise mindand honour. Ibn Razeen says: al Abbas was once asked: Who is older, you or theProphet peace be upon him? He said: He is my senior but I was born before him.What a humble modesty on his part!

Al Zubayr Ibn Bakkar said: al Abbas was, in fact, a source of clothing for thenaked ones of Bani Hashem; he provided food for their hungry ones and acted asan instrument of punishment for the evil fellows of his people. He used to dogood to neighbours, and to protect them against all harm and aggression, tospend money in charity and to pay generously on days of adversity. His closefriend before Islam was Abu Sufyan Ibn Harb.

In the Tabaqat of Ibn Saad we are told by Ibn Abbas that al Abbas embracedIslam before the Messenger of Allah migrated to Madinah, but the transmissionof this saying is unreliable. Abul Yasar al Salami says: I looked at al Abbas on theday of Badr. He was standing still like an idol, his eyes overflowing with tears. Isaid: May Allah reward you with evil for doing bad things to your nephew. Doyou fight against him in support of his enemies? al Abbas asked: What happenedto him? Was he killed? Abul Yasar said: Allah kept and protected him much morethan you expect. al Abbas then asked: What do you want from me? Abul Yasarreplied: Captivity. The Messenger of Allah forbade us to kill you. al Abbas saidbitterly: This is not the first of his good deeds to his relatives.

Abul Yasar says: I took him as a captive and drove him to the Messenger ofAllah. al Bara reports: A man from al Ansar brought al Abbas to the Prophet. Hehad taken him as a prisoner. al Abbas said: It is not this man who took me as acaptive. The Prophet commented addressing the captor: Allah has supportedyou with an honourable angel. That is why Ibn Abbas says: Abul Yasar capturedal Abbas. The Prophet then asked him: how could you take him? Abul Yasar said:A man whom I have never seen before nor after helped me. He looks like so andso. Then the Prophet said: An honourable angel helped you against him.

The Prophet then turned to his uncle al Abbas and said: Get a ransom foryourself, your nephew Aqeel, Nawfal Ibn al Harith and Utbah Ibn Jahdam yourfriend. al Abbas refused and said: I was a Muslim before that, they only forcedme not to declare it. The Prophet said: Allah knows best your real affair. If whatyou say is true Allah will reward you for it, but the outward side of your attitudewas against us. So ransom yourself.

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The Prophet came to know before that al Abbas had taken with him twentyounces of gold. It was all taken from him. So al Abbas said: O Messenger of Allahcount it part of my ransom. But consider the Prophet refused and said: That issomething Allah has given us from you. al Abbas pleaded: I have no funds. TheMessenger of Allah asked: Where is the money you left in Makkah with UmmulFaddl (his wife) and no one else was with you two. You said to her: if I am hit inmy travel then give my son al Faddl so and so, to Qatham so and so and toAbdullah so and so. Here al Abbas said in astonishment: By Him who sent youwith the truth no one else was with us. I know for sure that you are the Messengerof Allah.

In his famous biography Ibn Ishaq reports the following on the authority ofIbn Abbas who said: Quraish sent to the Messenger of Allah money to ransomits captives. Each family paid ransom for their captive and al Abbas said: OMessenger of Allah! I was already a Muslim. Then the following verse wasrevealed: O Apostle! Say to those who are captives in your hands: if Allah findsany good in your hearts, He will give you something better than what has beentaken from you, and He will forgive you; and Allah is Oft-forgiving, MostMerciful. ( 8-70 )

Al Abbas said when he recited the above verse and remembered the twentyounces ransom of gold that has been taken from him: Allah has given me in theirplace twenty slaves each one of whom had money in his hand in addition to theforgiveness of Allah I am looking for. Ibn Ishaq says: al Abbas paid the highestransom in the battle of Badr. He paid one hundred ounces of gold.

Ibn Abbas then mentions the following story that shows the great mercy ofthe Prophet in addition to his justice that made him not prefer his relatives overothers. The Messenger of Allah came to know in the evening of the Battle of Badrthat the captives were tied with chains. He could not sleep at the beginning ofthat night. He was asked: Why cannot you sleep O Messenger of Allah? He said:I heard the groaning of my chained uncle. The Muslims quickly set him free.When he stopped groaning the Prophet could go to sleep. In another report weare informed that al Ansar wanted to kill al Abbas when he was in captivity. TheProphet said: I could not sleep tonight for the sake of al Abbas. al Ansar claimedthey wanted to kill him. Then Umer went to them after getting the permission ofthe prophet and asked them to release al Abbas which they did and said: If theProphet so wished then take him.

Ibn Abbas reports the following: After the Prophet finished the Battle of

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Badr it was said to him: O Messenger of Allah! You can take the caravan,nothing stands in your way to it. al Abbas who was still tied to his chains as acaptive said: This is not appropriate. The Prophet then inquired: why. He said:because Allah Almighty has promised you one of two good things: victory orthe caravan and you have the former. This shows the deep understanding andknowledge of al Abbas.

Whenever the oath of allegiance of al Aqabah is mentioned one cannot resistto remember the role played by al Abbas before it. The participants of that greatoath on which the first state of Islam was established in Madinah narrate thefollowing: We came to the Prophet’s house but we were told that he was in thehouse of his uncle al Abbas. So we met him there, greeted him, and said: whenshall we meet? al Abbas interfered and said: You have among you members ofyour people who are against you. So hide your affair until the season of pilgrimscomes to an end and then we can meet each other; and we would clarify thematter to you so that you enter it knowingly. Acknowledging what his uncle alAbbas said the Prophet agreed with his followers from Madinah to meet them onthe last night of the season at the end of al Aqabah valley. He ordered them notto awaken any sleeping person nor wait for any absent one.

The Muslim pilgrims from Madinah emerged after the absolute calmness ofthat night. The Prophet preceded them to the place along with his uncle alAbbas. The first speaker was al Abbas. He said: O people of Khazraj! You haveinvited Muhammad to what you invited him to. He is the most honourable oneof his clan. All of us defend him, whether following him or not. All other peoplerejected Muhammad except you. If you are powerful, patient and knowledgeableof war and are ready to be enemies of all Arabs who will unite against you thenthink about it and make up your mind. For as you know the best of talks is themost truthful one.

The Madinites kept silent for a while then Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Hiramsaid: We are people of war, who inherited this from father to son. We are expertsin throwing with the arrows, and we are good at spear hitting until they arebroken. We march with our swords until death.

More will follow about this argument which was the prelude to the spread ofIslam in the whole of Arabia. al Abbas, though still a non-believer, played animportant role in it as we shall see.

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W e are still with al Abbas Ibn Abdel Muttaleb the dear uncle of theProphet, who in his heart was a believer but he did not declare it until he was takena captive in the Battle of Badr. When the Muslims of Madinah came to the Prophetto swear allegiance to him al Abbas was the first speaker. He told them that theProphet was already a most honourable person defended by all his clan. If theMadinites were powerful enough to defend him against all Arabia then let themtake him. But if not then al Abbas told them to leave him there and then.

Al Bara Ibn Ma’roor, one of the leaders of the Madinite Muslims was the firstspeaker on behalf of his people. He thanked Allah and said: Praise be to Allah whohonoured us with Muhammad and granted us the privilege of believing in him andso with the blessing of Allah we were the first to accept his call and obeyed Allahand his Apostle. He then encouraged his people to hurry up to the oath ofallegiance at all costs. He concluded his talk by undertaking to lay his life and thatof his people cheap in defending the Messenger of Allah. Convinced of theirtruthfulness and sincerity the Prophet accepted their oath and al Abbas washolding the Prophet’s hand to confirm the oath.

More details follow about this decisive oath given by seventy MadiniteMuslims to the Prophet. When al Abbas asked them to speak briefly lest theyshould be discovered Asaad Ibn Zurarah, one prominent leader of al Ansar said: OMessenger of Allah! Ask for your Lord what you wish and ask for yourself andyour companions then tell us what Allah and you will give us. In response to thisthe greatest of orators (the Prophet) said: For my Lord I ask you to worship Himand ascribe no partner to Him. For myself and my comrades I ask you to give usshelter, defend us and support us as you do to your own selves and families. Theysaid: what will be our reward if we do this? The Prophet said: Paradise. They said:That is for you.

Abu Rafi’ says: I was a young servant of al Abbas when Islam entered hishouse. He became a Muslim, and as he feared his people, he kept it secret.Thus he marched with them to the Battle of Badr with Islam in his heart. Thisconfirms what he told the Prophet when al Abbas was taken a captive in thesaid battle.

After the Prophet opened the Jewish castle of Khayber al Abbas was pleased

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to know this. He was in Makkah. Then he travelled to Madinah after a short while,When he joined the Prophet peace be upon him he granted him an annual share ofdates from Khayber. So al Abbas stayed with the Prophet until he accompaniedhim to the Conquest of Makkah. This no doubt shows the great love exchangedbetween the Prophet and his uncle al Abbas. Another incident confirms this. alMuttalib Ibn Rabiah says the Prophet once condemned those who criticised alAbbas and regarded any harm to al Abbas a personal hurt to himself. He said: Aman’s uncle is like his father and whoever hurts al Abbas has, in fact, hurt me.

What shows the position of al Abbas and his great prestige are the followingtraditions. We are told by authentic traditions that on the Day of Hunayn, one ofthe battles of the Prophet where Muslims were too many, but they fled from thebattlefield and were defeated in the beginning. But al Abbas was one of the fewwho stood firm along side the Prophet. He was catching hold of the bridle of theProphet’s mule and did not move from his place until victory was achieved. Againal Abbas himself says: We used to meet some people of Quraish talking. As wedrew near, they would stop their talk to each other. When we mentioned this to theMessenger of Allah he said: By Allah, belief in Islam will never enter the heart ofany one unless he loves you for the sake of Allah and because you are my relative.

In a third tradition we read the following: Ibn Abbas says: One day a manfrom al Ansar cursed al Abbas’s father who lived before Islam. Getting angry alAbbas slapped him on his face; but the man’s people gathered together and said:By Allah we will slap him. They wore their armour, when the Messenger of Allahknew it, he climbed the pulpit and said: O men! Which of all people is the mosthonourable in the sight of Allah? They said: You are. He said: I am of al Abbasand he is part of me. Don’t curse our dead, for by this you hurt our living ones.Then the people came and said: We seek refuge in Allah from your anger OMessenger of Allah.

Again the Prophet one day granted al Abbas and his children some clothes.He then said: O Allah forgive al Abbas and his children both outwardly andinwardly; leaving no sin. In still another tradition Sahl says: We accompanied theMessenger of Allah one day at noon time when it was hot. He responded to the callof nature. al Abbas covered him. Then the Prophet said: O Allah keep al Abbasand his offspring away from Hell fire.

Once Ibn al Hadrami sent to the Messenger of Allah 80,000 dirhams fromBahrain. When the Prophet started to distribute them al Abbas came, like otherMuslims, and took a great amount of money which he could not carry. Smiling at

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him the Prophet said: Return some and take away what you can bear. al Abbas didas he was ordered and said: This is one of the two good things Allah has promisedus; but we don’t know what He is going to do with us in the other.

Saeed Ibn al Musayyab reported the following tradition transmitted by Saadwho said: we were accompanying the Prophet at a place called Naqee’ al Khaylthen al Abbas came. The Prophet said: This is al Abbas, uncle of your Prophet,the most hospitable and merciful of Quraish. Thus when Umer Ibn al Khattab,during his caliphate wanted to establish the special prayer for getting rain he said:O Allah, whenever we had no rain during the life time of your Prophet we askedyou through him; now we plead to You to get rain through al Abbas the uncle ofYour Prophet. Then rain started to fall at once.

Abdullah Ibn Amr said: The Messenger of Allah said: Allah has made me hisbeloved one, as He did to Ibrahim. So we have two parallel places in Paradise andal Abbas will be among us; a believer between two beloved ones.

The Prophet was always showing respect and love to every Muslim, but heshowed the greatest love and respect to al Abbas. He treated him as a son wouldtreat his father. Thus whenever al Abbas would pass by Umer, or Uthman ontheir horses, they would come down until he passes. This they did as a sign ofrespect to the Prophet’s uncle.

When Umer Ibn al Khattab was caliph, his armies conquered manycountries and too much money was sent to him. He started to distribute it amongthe Muslims. He gave those who witnessed the Battle of Badr 5,000 each; but hegave al Abbas 12,000.

As we have seen earlier, al Abbas always loved the Prophet and supported himeven before his conversion to Islam. He marched against his own will to the Battle ofBadr and was taken captive. But he stayed in Makkah and did not participate in anyother battle until he joined the Prophet a short while before the conquest of Makkah.He was the last emigrant to Madinah as the Prophet told him.

One day Umer Ibn al Khattab wanted to buy a house from al Abbas, near theProphet’s mosque in Madinah to include it in the mosque. al Abbas refused to sellit; they resorted to Ubay Ibn Kaab. Then al Abbas gave his house free. On anotheroccasion al Abbas’s house had a spout overlooking people’s passage. Umerremoved it from its place. Then al Abbas said: I bear witness that the Messenger ofAllah himself put it here. So Umer swore that al Abbas must rise on his back to

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restore it back to its place, which he did.

Despite his great dignity and status in Islam, Ali Ibn Abi Taleb yet used tokiss the hand and feet of al Abbas and would say to him: O uncle, please besatisfied with me. Saeed Ibn al Musayyab, on the other hand said: al Abbas is thebest man of this nation. He is the inheritor of the Prophet peace be upon him. Bythis he means in wisdom and character.

One further quality of al Abbas is that he had an extremely loud voice.Whenever he needed something from his servants who would be in the forest, hewould stand on Sil’ mountain, by the end of the night and would call them. Theywould hear him although the forest is about nine miles away. Thus on the day ofHunayn the Prophet asked him to call on those who made a solemn oath under thetree, which he did. Again al Abbas had a sheperd working for him. Whenever heneeded something from his sheperd he would call to him and the sheperd wouldhear what he wanted although he might be at a distance of not less than three miles.

When al Abbas was on his death bed he set free seventy slaves for the sake ofAllah. He lived for eighty eight years. He died in the thirty sixth year after Hijrah.Utman Ibn Affan may Allah be pleased with him, performed the funeral prayeron his body. He was buried in al Baqee.

When al Abbas was in Makkah he embraced Islam before Badr battle; hiswife Ummul Fadl joined him soon after. As long as he was in Makkah he used towrite to the Prophet about anything that would take place among the Makkans.The believers of Makkah used to receive support from al Abbas and would oftenget his help. In one report it is mentioned that he once asked the Prophet to allowhim to emigrate, but the Prophet wrote to him saying: Yours is that of a goodMujahid. So he stayed in Makkah according to the instructions of the Prophet.

This report may look contradictory to the other one where we knew that alAbbas was taken captive in the Battle of Badr and that he paid a big ransom to freehimself. To coordinate between the two we may say that the behaviour andtreatment of the Prophet to his own uncle in the Battle of Badr was only to teachother Muslims that justice should be established regardless of any otherconsideration. Some reporters, however, assert that al Abbas did not participate inany battle against the Prophet and that he stayed in Makkah until he was the lastemigrant. May Allah be pleased with him.

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U bay Ibn Kaab’s full name was this short one of his. He was the grandsonof Qays, son of Ubayd from al Najjar, a famous family of Madinah, whosemembers were the relatives of Prophet Muhammad on his mother’s side. Ubaywas called the master of Quranic recitors. He was nicknamed Abul Tufail andhad the great privilege of participating in Badr, the first decisive battle of Islam.He also attended al Aqaba oath of allegiance given by the Supporters of Madinahto the Prophet.

Ubay Ibn Kaab collected the Holy Quran during the life time of theProphet. He offered it to the Prophet for the sake of revision and acquired a greatdeal of blessed learning from the last Messenger of Allah. Ubay Ibn Kaab mayAllah be pleased with him, was not only a leader in Islamic knowledge but inIslamic practice too. Several students of the Prophet’s Companions transmittedtraditions on the authority of Ubay. Ibn Abbas Ibn Sahl describes the appearanceof Ubay Ibn Kaab in the following words: He had white hair and beard.

Anas Ibn Malek says: the Prophet once said to Ubay: Allah Almightyordered me to recite the Quran to you. Hearing this Ubay asked: Did Allah nameme to you? The Prophet said: Yes indeed. Then Ubay said: So I was mentionedby the Lord of the Worlds? Yes, the Prophet assured Ubay whose eyesoverflowed with tears. When the Prophet one day asked Ubay Ibn Kaab: whichis the greatest verse of the Quran? Ubay answered: It is the verse that says: Allah!There is no god but He; the Living, the Self-Subsisting, the Eternal. When Ubaysaid this the Prophet congratulated him for this valuable knowledge.

Again Anas Ibn Malek once said: Four people gathered the Quran in the lifetime of the Prophet, all of them were from the Supporters of the Messenger ofAllah in Madinah. They were: Ubay Ibn Kaab, Muaz Ibn Jabal, Zayd IbnThabet and Abu Zayd. Ibn Abbas says: Ubay said to Umer Ibn Al Khattab: Ihave received the Quran from the Apostle who received it through Gabriel peacebe upon him. It was still fresh. On another occasion Ibn Abbas said: Umer oncegave the following statement: Our greatest judge is Ali Ibn Abi Taleb and ourgreatest Quranic reciter is Ubay Ibn Kaab. The same testimony is given by theProphet himself where he is reported to have said: Ubay is the greatest Quranicreciter in my nation.

Like other Companions of the Prophet, Ubay Ibn Kaab preferred the

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second life to this worldly life. Thus Abu Sa’id said: Ubay one day asked theMessenger of Allah. He said: What is the reward of fever? The Prophet said: Itcauses great rewards from Allah to be given to the one smitten with it. Hearingthis Ubay said: O Allah I ask you a fever that does not prevent me from going outin your way. The same evening Ubay had the requested fever.

Abu Nadrah al Abdi reported that a man called Jaber said: One day I askedsomething from Umer Ibn al Khattab. On his right hand there sat a man withwhite hair and dress. He said: This worldly life is only a path to the Hereafter.Here we have to work so that we may be rewarded there. The said man asked:Who is this O Commander of the Faithful (meaning Umer Ibn al Khattab). Thelatter said: This is Ubay Ibn Kaab, master of all Muslims.

Mugheerah Ibn Muslim says that one day a man asked the advice of Ubaywho said: Make the Book of Allah your leader; accept it as your judge and arbiter.It is the book left by your Messenger, an obeyed intercessor, a witness neveraccused; in it you find the record of those before you as well as your own record;it decides your issues; your own news and that of those before are to be found inthis Holy Book of Allah.

Anas Ibn Malek transmits the following tradition from the Prophet who said:Abu Bakr is the most merciful member of my nation to my nation, Umer is themost powerful in applying the commands of Allah, Uthman is the most bashful,Ubay Ibn Kaab is the best Quranic reciter, Muaz Ibn Jabal is the mostknowledgeable in what is prohibited and permissible. For every nation there is atrustworthy figure, and Abu Ubayda is the most trust worthy member of mynation.

What shows the depth of Ubay’s understanding of the Quran is thefollowing incident reported by al Rubayyi Ibn Anas from Abul Aliyah whoquoted Ubay as saying: The verse that says: Say. He has power to sendcalamities on you, from above you and below you, or to cover you withconfusion in party strife, giving you a taste of mutual vengeance - each from theother. About this verse Ubay has the following comment: They are four thingsall of which are punishments which are sure to take place. Two of them cametrue 25 years after the Messenger of Allah, they have been covered withconfusion in party strife and have been given a taste of mutual vengeance. Theother two punishments remain and will surely come to pass namely the twocalamities from above and below.

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But Ubay Ibn Kaab’s understanding was not limited to the verses of theQuran but to the sayings of the Prophet peace be upon him. Abdullah Ibn alHarith Ibn Nawfal says: I was standing with Ubay Ibn Kaab near a shade;there was a fruit market that day. Ubay said: Don’t you see people having theirnecks intermingling in pursuance of this worldly life? I said: Yes indeed. Hesaid: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: The Euphrates is about to beuncovered and a mountain of gold will emerge from it. Once people hearabout it they will all march to it. Those around it will say: If we let people takefrom it they will leave nothing for us. So people will fight so fiercely that 99%of them will be killed.

Umer Ibn al Khattab once gave a sermon in Jabiyah in which he said:Whoever wants to ask about the Quran let him go to Ubay Ibn Kaab, andwhoever wants to ask about rules of inheritance let him approach Zayd, as forjurisprudence the main source is Muaz, but as for finance let people come to me.This is because Allah has made me secretary of finance and a distributor.Aassem Ibn Zir says: Ubay Ibn Kaab said: The Messenger of Allah said to me: Ihave been commanded to recite the Quran to you. Ubay-asked: O Messenger ofAllah was I mentioned to you in name? He said: Yes. The reporter then askedUbay: Were you happy for this? He said: Why not when I see that AllahAlmighty says in the Quran: Say: in the bounty of Allah, and in His mercy, inthat let them rejoice. That is better than the wealth they gather. ( 10-58 )

Abdullah Ibn Amr said referring the following tradition to the Prophet whosaid: Learn the Quran from four people: Ibn Masood, Ubay, Muaz and SalemMawla Abi Huzayfah. Thus it is not strange that even the Messenger of Allahshould one Eid day say: Call for me the master of Ansar meaning the Musliminhabitants of Madinah who supported the Prophet. He was referring to UbayIbn Kaab may Allah be pleased with him. When he came he ordered him tosweep the prayer hall called Baqee al Mussalla which he immediately did.

Al Hasan says: I was told by Ubay Ibn Damrah who said: I saw the peopleof Madinah rushing across the lanes of that city. I asked: What is the matter withthem? Some of them replied; Are you not an inhabitant of the city? I said yes Iam not. They said: Today the master of Muslims died, Ubay Ibn Kaab. But hewas not master by virtue of his physical power. He rather got this honour thanksto his knowledge of the Quran which he used to complete its recitation everyeight days as one report puts it.

Another incident shows the prestige of Ubay Ibn Kaab. Saeed Ibn Jubayr

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says on the authority of Ibn Abbas who quoted Umer as saying: Let us go to theland of our people. I was with Ubay Ibn Kaab behind the other people. As wewalked a cloud covered us, so Ubay said: O Allah help us get rid of its harm. Aswe overtook the others their backs were wet with rain water. A man asked themsaying: You did not have what we had, meaning rain. Umer said: Abul Munzirsaid O Allah help us get rid of its harmful effect. Then a man commented: Whyhaven’t you prayed for us as well?

The famous Abdullah Ibn Abbas well-known as the Tarjuman of theQuran, or the interpreter of the Quran received his knowledge from three mainteachers. These were: Umer, Ali and Ubay Ibn Kaab. One day Masrooq, astudent of the Companions asked Ubay about one issue. Ubay asked: Has itcome to pass? Masrooq said: No not yet. Then Ubay said: Leave it until it takesplace. When it happens we shall persevere and give you our opinion. Thus Ubaydid not like people to ask questions about things before they actually happened.In this he was, in fact, following the way of the Prophet.

But Ubay was not simply a reciter of the Quran and an isolated worshipper;he was in addition to this a benevolent charitable Companion. Abul Aaliyahsays: Ubay was committed to worship Allah. When people needed his help heleft worship and attended to the needs of other people. This again is the spirit ofIslam as he received it from his beloved Prophet who said: Whoever attends tothe needs of other Muslims, it is better in the sight of Allah than worshippingAllah for seventy years.

A final favour and honour attributed to Ubay Ibn Kaab is that he was amember of the 12 man committee formed by Uthman Ibn Affan to collect theQuran in book form. This is reported by some reliable sources, although otherreporters say that Ubay died before the caliphate of Uthman. Had he been alivehe would have been the most famous name before Zayd Ibn Thabet to whomgoes the tribute of collecting the Quran. May his soul est in peace.

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A l Ahnaf Ibn Qays was proverbial in his wisdom and patience. He was called the major prince, the noble scholar and his real name was Sakhr or Dahhakson of Qays son of Muawiyah son of Hussayn but his nick name al Ahnaf wasmore famous. He was given that nick name due to his curved legs. He was thechief of the tribe of Tamim and he embraced Islam in the lifetime of the Prophetpeace be upon him, although he may have not seen him but he came to see UmerIbn al Khattab.

al Ahnaf, in fact, transmitted traditions from Umer, Ali, Abu Tharr, al Abbas,Ibn Masood, Uthman Ibn Affan and several other Companions. He represented areliable reporter for the disciples of the Companions like Urwa Ibn al Zubayr, alHasan al Basri and others although his transmissions were comparatively few. Onthe other hand al Ahnaf Ibn Qays was one of the leaders in the battle of Siffeensupporting Ali Ibn Abi Taleb. Ibn Saad, the well-known biographer says: He wastrust-worthy, with few speeches, and was the close friend of Musab Ibn al Zubayr,ruler of Iraq whom he visited in Kufah until he died there.

It is reported that when Muawiyah wanted to make his son Yazeed heir-apparent and crown prince after him, he set up a red tent for him and askedpeople to express their loyalty to him and to approve his appointment, al Ahnafcame and was silent. Then he met Muawiyah. When the latter asked his opinionhe said: If I say yes I fear Allah Almighty, and if I say no I fear you. Muawiyahaccepted this from him. In the presence of Al Ahnaf, however, a man came andsaid to Muawiyah: Why have you not nominated your son since a very long time?We were waiting for this good initiative ...etc ..etc. Then it so happened that thesame man came out with al Ahnaf. He started to apologize to him for what hestated and said: What to do. I hate them more than anything else, but I had to saythis. al Ahnaf said: Go away man! He who has two faces will never be honouredin the sight of Allah.

Despite his curved legs and the fact that he had only one eye, as reporterssay, al Ahnaf was an outstanding military leader. It was he who conqueredMarwo al Rawd in Khorasan. al Hasan and Ibn Sireen, the two well knownstudents of the Prophet were in his army, although other reporters doubt this asthey were much younger than that.

Al Hasan quotes al Ahnaf as telling the following story. He said: As I was

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circumambulating the Kaabah during the caliphate of Uthman, a man from thetribe of Layth met me, held my hand and said: Shall I give you glad tidings. Isaid: Yes. The man said: Don’t you remember when the Messenger of Allahpeace be upon him sent me to your people Banu Saad to invite them to Islam, soI started to tell them and offer them the new religion. You said: He calls to all thatis good, and I hear nothing but good things. When I mentioned this to theProphet he said: O Allah! Forgive al Ahnaf. After hearing this al Ahnaf used tosay: Nothing is more pleasant for me than this prayer.

Another story that shows the reliability of al Ahnaf Ibn Qays is thefollowing report transmitted by Urwa who quoted al Ahnaf as saying that hecame to Umer Ibn al Khattab on the occasion of conquering the city of Tustar.He said: Allah has enabled you to conquer Tustar, a suburb of al Basrah city,a man from the emigrants stood up and said: O leader of the Faithful! Thisman, meaning al Ahnaf, saved us from the harm of the tribe of Murrah whowanted to attack us when the Messenger of Allah sent us to them to collecttheir Zakat funds.

Al Ahnaf says: When Umer heard this he kept me with him for a whole yearduring which he would come to me every day and night, to ask about me. He,however, heard nothing but what pleased him. He then called me and said: “ OAhnaf! Do you know why I kept you here? I said: No! O leader of the Faithful.He said: The Messenger of Allah said: Beware of every knowledgeable hypocrite.I feared lest you be one of them; but you should thank Allah O Ahnaf “. Inanother version Umer said to Ahnaf: I have tested the apparent side of yourpersonality and I hope that your inner side is as good. We used to say: This nationwill be destroyed by every knowledgeable hypocrite. Umer, however,commented: This is indeed a senior master, referring to al Ahnaf.

Qatada says: Once al Ahnaf came to Umer and made a speech which Umerliked. He then said: I was afraid lest you be a learned hypocrite. But now go toyour country. I hope that you are a believer.

Al Shaabi says: Abu Moosa once sent a delegation from Basrah to Umer Ibnal Khattab. Each member of the said delegation stood up and spoke about hisown affairs. al Ahnaf, who was a member of the said group was the last one tospeak. After thanking Allah and praising Him he said: O leader of the Faithful!The people of Egypt seized the land of Pharaoh and his men, the Syrians caughtthat of Caesar and his comrades, the Kufans held the places of Chosroe and hisconstructions of rivers and gardens. They get their fruits easily while the people

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of Basrah have gone to a salty land whose soil is dry and dusty, its pasture doesnot grow; one extreme of it is a salty sea, the other is a desert. We receive next tonothing from outside. So relieve our sufferings and increase our allowances.When Umer heard this,he said to the others: have you failed to be like this man.He is indeed a master.

Muhammad says: I heard that Umer mentioned the tribe of Tamim andcondemned them. This he did in the presence of Al Ahnaf, one of their leaders.Thus al Ahnaf stood up and said: Allow me to speak O leader of the Faithful.Umer said: Speak. al Ahnaf then said: You have mentioned the tribe of Tamimand generalized your condemnation against them. This is although they are likeother people among whom you will find the good and the bad. Umer said: Yousaid the truth. Then al Hutat, an opponent of al Ahnaf wanted to speak, butUmer said: Sit down! Your master al Ahnaf said what is sufficient on your behalf.That is why Umer wrote to Abu Moosa al Ashaari, governor of Basrah saying:Let al Ahnaf enter your council, ask his advice and hear what he says.

Al Hasan said: I never saw a noble leader of any people like al Ahnaf Ibn alMubarak said: al Ahnaf was asked: How did your people make you their master?He replied: If people should criticise water, I would not drink it. It was also said:the tribe of Tamim lived under the patience and wisdom of al Ahnaf for fortylong years. Khaled Ibn Safwan used to say: If al Ahnaf flies away from honourhonour will follow him. al Ahnaf was told one day: You are old and fastingweakens you. He said: I save it for a long journey. He used to pray at night veryoften. He used to pray to Allah and say: O Allah if You forgive me, You arequalified to do so, but if You punish me I deserve it. Again al Ahnaf once said: Itis astonishing how can one be proud when he passed twice through the passageof urine. Another beautiful saying of al Ahanf is this He said: There are threethings which I would mention to him who wants to learn a lesson: I neverapproached the door of a king unless he called me, neither did I ever interferebetween two persons until they ask me to do so, nor have I ever mentionedanyone after he leaves me except with what is good.

Take the attitude of al Ahnaf towards disputes with others. He said:Everytime I quarrel with anyone I behave with him according to the following: ifhe is higher than me I acknowledge that for him; while if he is my inferior I raisemyself and avoid him, but if he is like me I do him a favour. That is why he oncesaid: I am not patient by nature but I try to be patient. Again a man quarrelledwith al Ahnaf one day and said: If you say one word, you will hear ten. al Ahnafsaid: But if you say ten words you will hear none. Another man asked al Ahnaf:

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How did you become prominent? He said: This was when I left what concernedme not, unlike what you did by poking your nose in other people’s affairs.Hisham Ibn Uqba said: I witnessed al Ahnaf when he approached some peopleconcerning blood-money. After he spoke for some time he said: Ask what youwant. They said: We want a doubled blood money. al Ahnaf then said: I am goingto give you what you asked, but hear this from me: Allah Almighty has judgedone blood money and not two, the same thing did the Prophet peace be uponhim; so do the Arabs, but now you ask for two. May be tomorrow you willrequire to pay and not take, so people will accept only what you are going to start.When the people heard this they said: Make it one then.

Here are some of his wise sayings which spread among people like proverbs.al Ahnaf said: Three men do not settle their accounts with three: a noble manfrom a lowly one, a good from a bad man and a wise from a stupid one. He alsosaid: Whoever speeds to people with what they hate, they will say about himwhat they know not. Once he was asked about nobility. He said: To keep thesecret and to avoid evil. Thus he said: The perfect one is he whose mistakes arecounted, and there is no use in talk without action. And this is the prestige of alAhnaf he put in action what he said in words.

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Saad Ibn Ubadah Ibn Dulaym Ibn Abi Khuzayma Ibn Thaalaba Ibn al Khazraj was, in fact, the honourable leader of al Khazraj tribe of Madinah. He isnicknamed Abu Qays al Sa’idi. He transmitted a small number of traditions. Hewas one of those Madinites who attended al Aqaba oath of allegiance. Ibn Saadsays: Saad Ibn Ubadah was preparing himself to go out to the Battle of Badr, andstarted to go around the houses of al Ansar to encourage them to overtake theProphet in that Battle, but he was suddenly bitten and so he was forced to stayback in Madinah when the Prophet knew it he said: If Saad did not attend Badr,he was careful to come. By this the Prophet meant that as if Saad participated inBadr and will thus have his reward from Allah for it.

As for his conversion to Islam, he embraced it at the hands of Mussaab IbnUmayr, the first ambassador of Islam to Madinah. It is reported that a shortwhile after Mussaab arrived in Madinah, the inhabitants of that city started tobelieve in Islam. This they did as a result of the activities of the Muslimambassador. When the two leaders of Aws and Khazraj, the two main tribes ofYathreb, the previous name of Madinah, when the two Saads knew about Islam,they approached Mussaab Ibn Umayr and heard from him, they both embracedIslam. A little while after this, Islam as reliable reporters say, entered every housein Madinah. Saad Ibn Ubadah and Saad Ibn Muaz, the two great leaders of thatcity of light were instrumental in achieving this.

Saad Ibn Ubadah, for that matter, was in fact an extremely hospitableleader. Not only this but he was obedient and loyal to his relatives. One day hecame to the Prophet and said: My mother died with an oath which was pending.He asked the Prophet about it and said: Should I do it on her behalf, he said. TheProphet answered: Yes indeed you should.

Abul Tufayl reported that Saad Ibn Ubadah was negotiating along with alMunzir Ibn Amr after al Aqabah oath of loyalty. The people of Makkah tried tocatch them and take them prisoners. al Munzir escaped and Saad was taken. Heremembers the incident and says: They beat me so strongly that I became as redas blood. One of them, however, talked to me in isolation; he said: Don’t youhave any one to support you in Makkah? Saad says: The man may have said thisout of mercy on me. I tried to recollect until I said: No. But al Aass Ibn Wail usedto come to us in Madinah where we used to be hospitable to him. Hearing thisone of the Makkans stood up and said: He has mentioned my cousin. By Allah

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no one of you is allowed to approach or hurt.him. So they left him alone.

Another sign of honour was that while Ali Ibn Abi Taleb carried the bannerof the Messenger of Allah whenever any Muslim army marched to battle, SaadIbn Ubadah carried the banner of al Ansar, the Supporters about whom theProphet said: This neighbourhood of Ansar keeps people safe from all harms, tolove them is a sign of faith and to hate them is a symptom of hypocrisy.

In the report that says that Saad witnessed the battle of Badr we are told byAnas the following: when the Messenger of Allah knew about the retreat of AbuSufyan he said: Advise me O people. Then Abu Bakr stood up but the Prophetordered him to sit down because he wanted to hear the viewpoint of Ansar one ofwhose leaders is Saad Ibn Ubadah. Thus the latter immediately stood up andsaid: I feel that you mean us O Messenger of Allah. By Him who sent you if youwould command us to drive our horses into the sea we would all of us do it. Nota single man would hesitate; and if you order us to travel to Bark al Ghimad, adistant place in the heart of the Arabian desert, we will surely do it.

The Companions of the Prophet regarded with respect and honour anyoneof them, man or woman, on whose account verses of the Quran were revealed.Saad Ibn Ubadah had a good share in this respect. Ibn Abbas reports that theProphet said in the battle of Badr: He who brings a prisoner of war, will have hisweapons and his personal belongings. One man called Abul Yasar brought twoprisoners. When Saad learnt about it he said: O Messenger of Allah! We wereyour own guards, because we were afraid lest you should be hit. Then thefollowing verses were revealed organising the distribution of the booty of war:

They ask you concerning spoils of war; say: Such spoils are at the disposal ofAllah and the Apostle; so fear Allah and keep straight the relation between yourselves; obey Allah and His Apostle if you do believe. For, believers are thosewho, when Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts, and when they hearHis Signs rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put all their trust in theirLord; who establish regular prayers, and spend freely out of the gifts We havegiven them for sustenance; such in truth are the believers; they have grades ofdignity with their Lord, and forgiveness and generous sustenance. ( 8-1-3 )

But this was not the only occasion on which verses of the Quran wererevealed about Saad Ibn Ubadah or because of some events related to him. Therewas a more important occasion where the following verses were revealed: Andthose who launch a charge against chaste women and produce not four witnesses

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to support their allegations, flog them with eighty stripes; and reject theirevidence ever after; for such men are wicked transgressors. ( 24-4 )

When this verse was revealed Saad Ibn Ubadah, the leader of Ansar said:Was it revealed like that O Messenger of Allah? Without answering him theProphet looked at al Ansar and said: O Ansar! Hear what your leader says. Theysaid: Excuse him O Apostle of Allah! He is jealous. By Allah he never marriedexcept virgin women, and whenever he should divorce a woman, no man daredto marry her after him. Then Saad said: O Messenger! By Allah I know that it isthe truth and that it is from Allah but I wondered how could I find an adulteressin the company of a man, then I should be ordered not to interfere with him untilI bring four witnesses. For in my attempt to do so he would have finished whathe wanted and gone. By Him who has sent you with truth I shall immediately hithim with my sword on the spot. Hearing this the Prophet said: O Ansar! Yourleader is jealous indeed; I am more jealous than him and Allah Almighty is morejealous than me. Then the following verse was revealed:

And for those who launch a charge against their spouses, and have insupport no evidence but their own, their solitary evidence can be received if theybear witness four times with an oath by Allah that they are solemnly telling thetruth; and the fifth oath should be that they solemnly invoke the curse of Allahon themselves if they tell a lie. But it would avert the punishment from the wife,if she bears witness four times with an oath by Allah, that her husband is tellinga lie; and the fifth should be that she solemnly invokes the wrath of Allah onherself if her husband is telling the truth.

Jealousy which characterised Saad, and which Islam accepts and encouragessprings from the fact that Islam prohibits any sexual relationship outsidemarriage. This because Islam considers marriage as the most sacred relationship.There is no sex allowed in Islam before marriage or outside wedlock. Once theymake the marriage contract a husband and a wife should not have any kind of sexwith any one else. The great majority of Muslims abide by this even today. Thatis why Saad’s jealousy is encouraged by the Messenger of Allah who told himthat he was more jealous and Allah Almighty is the most jealous in this respect.This is simply because to allow sex outside marriage will destroy the family,which is the corner stone of social life in Islam.

Going back to Saad Ibn Ubadah, the leader of Ansar we find him anextremely generous and a most hospitable Muslim. Ibn Sireen says that everynight Saad used to bring to his house eighty poor Muslims of Ahl al Suffah to

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have dinner with him. Ahl al Suffah were the poor and needy Companions of theProphet who were giving their whole lives to Jehad and worship of Allah. Theyhad no families, no relatives, no money and so they attracted the mercy and loveof other Muslims. Saad Ibn Ubadah was foremost in this respect. For many yearshe provided such a large number of people with dinner.

No one is, however, a faultless person. To err is human. This reflects theslogan of Islam, but again Islam does not believe in original sin. It believes thatman is forgiven so long as he repents. Saad Ibn Ubadah had his faults and minorsins like anybody else. As he was treated by his people Al Ansar as an honourableking when the Prophet of Allah died Saad’s followers gathered around him toswear allegiance to him. This took place while he ,was ill. Then Abu Bakr alSiddiq came along with other Muslims and they stopped al Ansar from doing it.The majority of Muslims had already chosen Abu Bakr as their caliph. Saad gotangry but after a while he accepted and obeyed.

Al Waqidi narrates the following story: Abu Bakr sent one day the followingmessage to Saad Ibn Ubadah. He asked him to come and swear allegiance. Allother Muslims did the same. He said. But Saad refused and said: by Allah I amnot going to do it until I fight you with all those who are with me. Then his soncame to Abu Bakr and said: O successor of the Messenger of Allah! My fatherwill not express his loyalty to you until he is killed. So leave him alone, he willkeep quiet. And this is what exactly Abu Bakr did. When Umer became caliphand met Saad he asked him to express his loyalty but again Saad refused and aftera short while he moved to Syria where he died in Houran.

This is the point of weakness in great men. They refuse to accept theleadership of others simply because they think themselves to be more deserversof it. This was the case with Saad despite all his other traits of greatness.

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S aeed Ibn al Musayyab of the tribe of Makhzoom was an outstandingdisciple of the Companions of the Prophet. He was the greatest scholar ofMadinah of his time. He was born two years after the beginning of the caliphateof Umer Ibn al Khattab. He heard hadith from a number of Companions likeUthman, Ali, Zayd Ibn Thabet and some others. Ibn al Musayyab was, in fact,the son in law of Abu Hurairah, the greatest authority in the Prophet’s traditions.Innumerable people quoted Ibn al Musayyab. He was one of those who gatheredtogether both knowledge and good deeds.

Saeed Ibn al Musayyab transmitted from Abu Hurairah who said that theMessenger of Allah said: When three qualities are present in any person, then heis a hypocrite even if he should fast and pray and claim to be a Muslim: he wholies in his talk, does not fulfill his promise and is a traitor to his trust. Saeed Ibnal Musayyab also says that his grandfather Hazn came to the Prophet who askedhim about his name. When he said Hazn (which means difficult) the Prophetsaid: You are rather Easy. My grandfather, however said: O Messenger of Allah.That is a name given to me by my parents, by which I am known among people.The Prophet kept silent and so the name remained.

Saeed was a pious scholar indeed. He is reported to have said: I never missedprayer in congregation for the last forty years. Again he says: Since 30 years neverhas a caller to prayer announced the time but found me in the mosque. He usedto fast continuously. Saeed was also a learned Islamic judge. He says: No oneknows the decisions of the Messenger of Allah like me, not even Abu Bakr andUmer. That is why Qatada says: I never saw anyone who is more learned thanSaeed Ibn al Musayyab. The same thing is asserted by the great scholar Ali Ibnal Madeeni. Saeed also said once that he performed Hajj forty times.

Saeed Ibn al Musayyab, made a lot of effort to be a great scholar. He says: Iused to travel for many days and nights to get one tradition of the Prophet. Hesaid once: I heard from Umer a statement which no one alive heard from him. Iheard him once say on the pulpit: I shall punish anyone who does not take ashower after he has intercourse with his wife. But who were the main teachers ofSaeed? As a matter of fact, he learnt from Zayd Ibn Thabet, Saad, Ibn Abbas, IbnUmer among others and used to meet Aisha and Ummu Salama the two wives ofthe Prophet. He also heard from several other Companions. He was so learnedthat he used to give religious judgments in the life time of the Companions. That

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is why he was called Faqeeh al Fuqahaa which means the most learned of allreligious scholars.

Malek says: when Umer Ibn Abdel Aziz was governor of Madinah he usedto consult Saeed Ibn al Musayyab. One day he sent him a man to ask him aquestion. Instead the man brought him to Umer who apologised to him politelyand said: The messenger made a mistake. We only sent him to ask you while youare in your council. That is why Umer used to say: Every scholar of Madinahused to come to me except Saeed Ibn al Musayyab whose knowledge only usedto come to me.

Ali Ibn Zayd says: I asked Saeed Ibn al Musayyab one day the followingquestion: Your people claim that what prevented you from Hajj is only that youtook an oath by Allah that whenever you see the Kaabah you will curse IbnMarwan. Saeed said: No. But I performed Hajj and Umrah more than twentytimes. I notice that some of your people accumulate debts, perform Hajj andUmrah then they die before paying back their debts. In that case I believe aFriday prayer is better for me than a voluntary pilgrimage with debts. al Hasan,however, did not approve of what Saeed said and commented: Had it been so noCompanion of the Prophet would have performed Hajj or Umrah.

Saeed Ibn Musayyab was asked: Why doesn’t al Hajjaj send to you, neitherdoes he try to embarrass or harm you? He said: I don’t know but I remember thatone day he entered the mosque with his father. He prayed quickly without givinghis prayer the appropriate time. When I saw him do this I took a handful of smallstones and threw it at him. al Hajjaj used to say afterwards: from then on Iperformed prayer in the best possible way.

Maymoon Ibn Mahran says once Abdel Malek Ibn Marwan came toMadinah. When he could not sleep one afternoon he sent his servant to theMosque to get him a scholar to talk to him. The servant found Saeed Ibn alMusayyab in his study circle. He signalled to him but Saeed did not move, thenthe servant came closer and said: Answer the call of the caliph. Saeed said: Didhe send you to me? He said: No. But he asked me to find out some one to talk tohim. Saeed said: Go to him and say that I am not one of this category. Theservant went out and said this man must be mad; when he, however, told thecaliph about this the latter said: Leave him alone. On another occasion AbdelMalek asked Saeed to come to him but he refused. This was done three timesand he refused to go to the caliph who finally said: May Allah have mercy onSaeed. He insisted on his position.

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When al Waleed became caliph after his father Abdel Malek he travelled tomadinah and entered the mosque where he saw an old man surrounded by anumber of people. He asked: Who is this man? They said: Saeed Ibn alMusayyab. When al Waleed sat down he sent to Saeed. Thus the servant came tohim and said: Answer the call of the caliph? Saeed said: May be you made amistake in my name, or may be he sent you to some one else. So Saeed rejectedthe call and al Waleed got angry and was about to punish Saeed, but peoplearound him said: O leader of the Faithful! This is the great scholar of Madinah,the old man of Quraish and the friend of your father. Never has any king beforeyou expected him to come to him. At last al Waleed left him alone.

Not only was Saeed dignified in refusing to approach the caliphs, but hewas also adamant in rejecting to give his loyalty to the new ones whom he didnot accept. Thus he was beaten on several occasions to force him to pay homageto the caliph; he was also imprisoned but to no avail. Despite thesepunishments he refused to curse the family of Umayah who did all this againsthim. All that he said was this: O Allah! Honour your religion, and supportyour worshippers and humiliate your enemies for the sake of the nation ofMuhammad peace be upon him.

Whenever Saeed Ibn al Musayyab is mentioned Muslim biographers atonce remember the story of his giving his daughter in marriage to a very poorstudent of his whom he preferred to sons of the caliph of the time Katheer IbnAbi Wadaah was the name of the poor student who became the son in law ofSaeed. He tells us how this took place and says I used to sit with Saeed Ibn alMusayyab, then I stopped to go to him for a few days. When I came back to himhe asked: Where have you been? I said: My wife died and I was busy withburying her body. Saeed said: Why haven’t you told us so that we may attend herfuneral. Then he added: Have you got another wife? I said: May Allah havemercy on you! Who will give me his daughter in marriage when I have no morethan two or three dirhams? Saeed said: I will. I said: Are you sure you will do it?He said: Yes. Then he thanked Allah and celebrated the praises of ProphetMuhammad and gave me his daughter in marriage against two dirhams. I stoodup amazed not knowing what to do: Then I walked to my house and started tothink of someone to get some loan from. I prayed sunset prayer in the mosqueand returned home for I was fasting that day.

The poor student Ibn Abi Wadaah continues this strange but interestingstory in the following words. He says: I put my food in front of me to eat, thenthere was a knock on the door. Who is it? I said. The answer was Saeed. I thought

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of everyone called Saeed except Saeed Ibn al Musayyab, for he was never seen forforty years except walking from his house to the mosque and back. When I wentout I found my teacher Saeed; I thought maybe he has changed his mindconcerning that marriage I said: O Abu Muhammad! You should have sent forme instead of coming yourself. He said: No. You deserve more to be visited. Youwere bachelor and got married. I hated that you should spend this night alone.This is your wife.

The poor student says: I looked and saw her standing behind him. He askedher to enter and closed the door. The woman fell on the ground due to shyness. Iclosed the door well and climbed to the roof of my house and started to throwstones on my neighbours who came to me. When I told them they quickly wentto her. My mother also came when she knew and swore that I should notapproach her for three days until she could prepare her for me. We got marriedafterwards. I found her one of the prettiest women; she was also well versed in theHoly Quran. I stayed one month away from the study circle of Saeed Ibn alMusayyab. When I came back to him he asked about his daughter. I said: Herstate pleases the friends and annoys the enemy. He said: If you don’t likeanything, use the stick. Then he gave me 20,000 dirhams.

Al Waqidi says: Saeed Ibn al Musayyab was also expert in interpretingdreams and visions. He learnt this from Asma Bint Abi Bakr al Siddiq who learntit from her father. Once a man told him that he dreamt as if he was urinating inhis hand. Saeed said: Fear Allah! Your wife is prohibited for you. The man thendiscovered his wife to be his sister in suckling. Another man told Saeed that hedreamt as if he was in the shadow then he went out to the sunshine. Saeed said:If you say the truth you will go out of the fold of Islam, which exactly happened.

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T ameem al Dari, nicknamed Abu Ruqayah, Tameem Ibn Aws al Lakhmiwas one of the few Palestinian Companions of the Prophet Muhammad peace beupon him. He is called al Dari in attribution to “Dar” one branch of the Arabtribe Lakhm of Palestine. His birth place is the well known city of Bethlehemnear Jerusalem. He embraced Islam in the ninth year after Hijrah when hetravelled to Madinah and converted to the new faith at the hands of the Prophet.Tameem al Dari reported a number of traditions from the Prophet, but he wasone of the few Companions on whose authority the Messenger of Allah oncenarrated one of the most thrilling stories which he delivered from his pulpit. Itwas the story of al Jassasah and the anti christ in Islam called al Dajjal.

Whenever the name of Tameem al Dari is mentioned Muslim scholarsautomatically remember that famous story which became part of his biography.Tameem al Dari told the Prophet that story once.

Tameem was, in fact, a very pious worshipper of Allah. He recited theQuran more often than the great majority of the Companions. Abu Muhallabsays that Tameem al Dari used to complete the recitation of the whole Quran inseven nights. In another tradition Tameem is reported to have recited the wholeQuran in one rakaa of his voluntary night prayers. This is very strange indeed,but it shows how Tameem al Dari loved always to recite the Holy QuranMasrooq again reports that Tameem spent one whole night praying andrepeating one and the same verse all the time. He would recite it and his eyeswould overflow with tears. The said verse is the following: What! Do those whoseek after evil ways think that We shall hold them equal with those who believeand do righteous deeds; that equal will be their life and their death? Evil is thejudgement that they make. ( 45-20 )

In another tradition that shows Tameem’s great piety we are told by alMunkader Ibn Muhammad on the authority of his father who said that Tameemonce slept the whole night without making any voluntary prayer. As an expiationof this he did not sleep at night for a whole year establishing voluntary prayersand seeking Allah’s forgiveness. Another honour in favour of Tameem al Dari isthat he is said to be one of the four people who gathered the Quran in the life timeof the Messenger of Allah. These Companions were: Ubay, Uthman, Zayd andTameem al Dari. It should be understood here that the first three were Ubay IbnKaab, Zayd Ibn Thabet and Uthman lbn Affan the third caliph after the

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Prophet. So Uthman Ibn Affan who ordered Zayd Ibn Thabet to preside over aspecial committee to gather a complete copy of the Quran was himself engagedin the same mission in the lifetime of the Prophet. Not only this but Zayd IbnThabet was three times entrusted with this noblest of missions; once during theProphet’s life, secondly in the caliphate of Abu Bakr and thirdly during the reignof Uthman Ibn Affan. So the same scholars including Tameem al Dari wereentrusted with the same mission.

Tameem al Dari, may Allah be pleased with him, continued to live inMadinah until Utman Ibn Affan was killed. Then Tameem moved to Syria. Inanother report, however, transmitted by Ibn Jurayj Ikrimah says: when Tameemembraced Islam he said: O Messenger of Allah! Allah Almighty will enable youto overcome the whole of the earth. So grant me my village Bethlehem. TheProphet said: It will be yours, and he wrote a letter for him to that effect. Whenthe Muslims conquered Palestine in the caliphate of Umer Ibn al KhattabTameem presented the Prophet’s message to Umer who exclaimed and said: Ibear witness that this is the truth, for I attended it. Then Umer granted it toTameem. al Layth says: Bethlehem is still in the hands of Tameem’s posterityuntil this day, the day of Layth the reporter of the tradition, which means thatBethlehem continued to be under Tameem’s family for many years. Al Waqidi,the well known Islamic historian and biographer, says: The Prophet did notgrant anything to anyone as far as villages are concerned, except Habrah and BeitEnon which he granted to Tameem and his brother Naeem al Dari.

Yaqoot al Hamawi says: Habrah or Hebron is the well known city in whichthe grave of Patriarch Abraham exists. Among Muslims it is more known as alKhaleel a reference to Khaleelur Rahman Ibrahim or Abraham as he is describedin the Bible. He is given that name because he was honoured by nearness orfriendliness to Allah Almighty; and Tameem and his brother still have offspringto this day in Hebron who are called al Tameemi in attribution to him.

When the verse in chapter thirteen called the Thunderbolt was revealedQatadah said: it refers to Companions of the Prophet who were well versed in theprevious scriptures like Salman al Farisee, Abdullah Ibn Salaam and Tameem alDari. The verse in question says: The unbelievers say: You are not an apostle.Say: Enough for a witness between me and you is Allah, and such as haveknowledge of the Book. ( 13-43 ) One commentator says: That is those who haveknowledge of revelation generally will recognise Allah’s revelation in the HolyQuran. An Alternative reading, however, is “minindihi” which is, in fact,written the same in Arabic, with only three vowel points different. If we adopt

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this reading the clause will mean “and from Him is all knowledge of the Book”as all knowledge of the sacred Book comes from Allah, the Quran also bearswitness to the truth of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.

The first version referring to Companions like Tameem, Salman and IbnSalam is, however, the famous one. These three Companions represented threeprevalent religions of the time of the Quran’s revelation. Tameem al Dari was aChristian, originally from the birth place of Jesus Christ as we mentioned earlier;Abdullah Ibn Salaam was a Jewish rabbi while Salman al Farisee was a Pharisee.They all testified to the truth of the Quran and embraced Islam.

A man once came to Tameem and reported that the latter gave a goodsermon. Then the man asked him: O Tameem! What is your daily portion whichyou recite of the Quran. Tameem said: You may be one of those people who readthe Quran tonight. By Him in whose hand is my soul for me to make three rakaas(prostrations) of prayer is dearer than to recite the Quran in one night. Then inthe morning I would tell other people about it.

The same man who made this dialogue with Tameem al Dari got angry andsaid: By Allah, those remaining Companions of the Prophet should keep silent,stop leaching people and talking severely to those who ask them. When Tameemsaw that the man got angry he said in a humble loving manner: O son of mybrother. Let me tell you one thing. Suppose that I am a strong believer while youare a weak one, if you adopt the strong methods of worship I do, your strengthwill be broken. The same thing would happen if it is the other way around. Sotreat religion gently and apply as much as you can of its teachings so that you canestablish the regular worship you are able to.

As a matter of fact, this advice given by Tameem al Dari reminds me of thethree Companions who came to the home of the Prophet to ask about hisworship. When they felt that it was less than it should be. At least this was whatthey imagined they said each in his turn the following: as for me I fast and neverbreak fasting, the second one said: I keep awake praying all night and don’t go tobed at all. The third one said: And I do not marry women.

When the Prophet came to know what each of them stated he said: By Allah!I am the most pious one among you; but I fast and break the fast, I keep awakepraying part of the night and sleep part of it; I also get married to women.Whoever hates my way and avoids it is not my follower. In the same wayTameem al Dari’s answer was gentle to the questioner.

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Muawiyah Ibn Harmal, brother in law of Musaylama al Kathaab, the falseprophet who led the campaign of apostacy against caliph Abu Bakr al Siddique,this man Muawiyah narrates the following story. He says: I arrived in Madinahand stayed three nights in the mosque without tasting any food. Then I came toUmer Ibn al Khattab and said: I am a repentant before you can catch me. Hesaid: who are you? I answered Muawiyah Ibn Harmal. Then Umer said: Go tothe best of all believers, and be his guest.

The same narrator, Muawiyah Ibn Harmal continues. It was the habit ofTameem al Dari that after each prayer he would take two men to his house andgive them food, one from each side. So I prayed next to him and thus he took meto his home and gave me food. As we were with him one night a fire broke out inthe valley adjoining Madinah so Umer came to Tameem and said: Go to this fire.But Tameem said: But who am I O leader of the Faithful? And what am I? WhenUmer insisted he went and I followed him. Tameem started to drive the fire withhis hand back into its source. He then entered after it, and it was put out. Seeingthis Umer commented: He who sees this is not like him who is told about it.Umer repeated this three times.

Humayd Ibn Abdel Rahman says: For years Tameem tried to get thepermission of Umer Ibn al Khattab to allow him to tell stories to the public, butUmer continued to refuse. When Tameem insisted Umer asked: What are yougoing to say? Tameem replied: I shall recite the Quran, enjoin what is good andforbid what is evil. Hearing this Umer said: That is the profit. He then added:Give your sermon before I come out for Friday prayer. Tameem started to do thisall through the regime of Umer. When Uthman became caliph Tameem askedfor another day. He was thus allowed to hold his lessons of narration twice aweek. He was one of the best interpretors of the Holy Quran and of the foremostnarrators of the biography of the Prophet. Not only this, he was also well versedin the stories of the previous scriptures especially those which are in agreementwith the Holy Quran. Tameem al Dari used to give further details to what isbriefly mentioned in the last Divine book.

A final attitude between Tameem al Dari and Umer Ibn al Khattab is thefollowing one reported by Wabrah who said: once Umer saw Tameem prayingafter the late afternoon prayer which is a hated time in the view of scholars. SoUmer hit Tameem with his stick. The latter said: O Umer, do you beat me onaccount of a prayer which I used to establish with the Messenger of Allah? Umersaid in an apologetic manner: O Tameem not all people know what you know.

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Tameem al Dari may Allah be pleased with him, died in the fortieth yearafter Hijrah. He transmitted 18 traditions from the Prophet. One of them is inSahih Muslim.

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Salem was the son of Abdullah Ibn Umer Ibn al Khattab; he was theprominant Islamic scholar of Madinah and its main judge. He was nicknamedAbu Abdullah or Abu Umer and was born during the caliphate of Uthman IbnAffan. Ibn al Musayyab says Ibn Umer once said to me: Do you know why Icalled my son Salem? I said: No. He said: In the name of Salem servant of AbuHuthayfah, one of the early believers in Islam, Ibn al Musayyab again says:Abdullah Ibn Umer was the most similar son to his father Umer Ibn al Khattab,and so was Salem to his father Ibn Umer.

Ibn Ishaq the famous Islamic biographer, says: I saw Salem wearing woollenclothes and working with his own hands. As a matter of fact, wearing wool refersto the simple and rough life he used to live, added to it is that he worked in orderto earn a living. Malek says: No one during the time of Salem was similar torighteous people in piety and virtue as Salem was. He used to buy clothes at avery cheap price, not more than two dirhams.

Sulaiman Ibn Abdel Malek noticed that Salem was nice looking; he askedhim: What do you eat? Salem said: Bread and olive oil, and if I find meat I eat it.Umer Ibn Abdel Aziz, who was present, said: Do you look forward to it? Salemsaid: If I don’t desire it I leave it until I do. Maymoon Ibn Mahran says: I enteredupon Ibn Umer and evaluated everything in his house, all was there was notworth more than one hundred dirhams. I also entered upon Salem, son of IbnUmer, after him and found him in the same state as his father.

Nafi’ says: Ibn Umer used to kiss his son Salem when both were old men. Hewould say: An old man kisses another old man. When Ibn Umer was onceblamed for his exaggerated love to Salem he said: how can they blame me for mylove to my son Salem when he is dearer to me than anything else? Ibn Abi alZinad says: The people of Madinah used to hate having wives from among theslave women until three great scholars, sons of such wives appeared among them.These were: Ali Ibn al Husain, al Qasem Ibn Muhammad and Salem IbnAbdullah Ibn Umer. The three men surpassed the people of Madinah in theirpiety, learning and worship. Hence people started to take slave women as wives.

Ibn al Mubarak says: The great scholars of jurisprudence in Madinah wereseven to whom all people would resort in any issue. These were: Ibn alMusayyab, Sulaiman Ibn Yasar, Salem Ibn Abdullah, al Qasem, Urwa,

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Ubaidullah, and Kharijah Ibn Zayd. Whenever they received a question theywould all discuss it and judges of Madinah would wait until they receive theanswer from those scholars.

Yazeed Ibn Rooman says: Salem Ibn Abdullah used to go to the market forhis needs. Once he bought a dress and took it with him to the mosque. There heleft it with a friend of his called Abdel Malek son of Umer Ibn Abdel Aziz, thethen caliph. When Salem came back to collect it his friend said: Why don’t yousend someone to carry it for you? Salem said: No. I prefer to carry it myself. As amatter of fact, Ibn Umer used to go to buy his things from the market and so didSalem although he was one of the greatest men of his time.

Salem Ibn Abdullah Ibn Umer was the uncle of the famous caliph Umer IbnAbdel Aziz. It is reported that Salem one day visited Sulaiman Ibn Abdel Malek,he had on very rough and old clothes. Sulaiman, the then caliph before Umer Ibnabdel Aziz, welcomed Salem so much that he made him sit with him on the samebed. Umer Ibn Abdel Aziz was present. A man near him said: Couldn’t youruncle wear excellent clothes better than these so that he may meet the caliph in ahandsome shape? The man who said this had nice clothes. Umer Ibn Abdel Aziz,however, said: But I don’t see that the rough and old clothes of my uncle have puthim in your place, nor do I see that your clothes raised you to the respectableposition of my uncle.

As for Salem’s degree as a scholar, this is clear from the following. Ahmad alIjly says: Salem Ibn Abdullah was a reliable student of the Companions. AhmadIbn Hanbal and Ishaq Ibn Rahawih, the two great traditionalists said: the truestchain of transmitters of tradition is this: what al Zuhri reported on the authorityof Salem from his father Ibn Umer. Again Yahya Ibn Maeen, another greattraditionalist says: Salem and al Qasem are similar in reliability, Saeed Ibn alMusayyab is also close to them. Abbas says: I asked Yahya: Who knew Ibn Umerbetter than the other Salem or Nafi’ the close student of Ibn Umer. Yahya said:Nafi’ did not transmit traditions until Salem died. al Bukhari said: Salem did nothear from Aisha, but his father did. Scholars noticed that Salem and Nafi’disagreed in three traditions, but they consider Salem the most reliable of the twomen, although Nafi’s traditions are more authentic.

Salem was a very modest and humble person. He used to ride an old uglydonkey. His sons wanted to make him leave riding it so they cut its tail, stillSalem continued to ride it, the sons then cut the donkey’s ear, but Salem rode thesame donkey; then they cut the other ear, and again Salem kept the same donkey

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and did not change it out of modesty and to avoid show or luxury.

Ashaab is the most proverbial greedy personality among the Arabs so muchso that he features well in Arabic literature due to this particular quality. He says:I visited Salem Ibn Abdullah who said to me: We have been granted a nice food,and I am fasting, why don’t you sit down and eat? I sat down and ate too muchuntil Salem said: Don’t eat the rest and you will take it with you. Then I returnedhome where my wife said: O ill-omened one! Abdullah Ibn amr Ibn Uthmanseeks you, and I told him that you are ill. Ashaab said: You did well! Then heentered a bath, covered his body with oil and a yellow material, tied his head witha band, took a stick to walk on and came to Ibn Amr who said in astonishment:Ashaab. The latter said: Yes. May I be sacrificed for your sake. I did not rise frommy bed since two months. Ashaab says: Salem was with him but I did not feel hispresence. He said: O Ashaab! What is it that you say? He became angry and wentout. Abdullah Ibn Amr said: My uncle must have got angry from something.Ashaab says: I confessed to him, so he laughed along with those around him. Hegave me something. As Ashaab was leaving he met Salem who said: O Ashaab,have you not eaten that food at my house today? Ashaaf said: Yes I did. Salemthen commented: By Allah you made me doubtful and he let him go.

Another story about Ashaab and Salem is the following: Once Ashaabpassed through a road. Some boys started to embarrass him. To get rid of themhe said: Look Salem is distributing nuts and dates. When the boys heard thisthey ran away quickly. Then Ashaab ran after them and said: May be he is indeeddistributing these things. Who knows.

Hisham Ibn Abdel Malek, the Umayyad caliph once performed pilgrimage.Then Salem Ibn Abdullah came to meet him. Hisham liked his complexion andsaid: What is it that you eat? Salem said: bread and oil. Suppose your appetitedoes not encourage you to take it what would you do? Asked Hisham. Salem said:I add yeast until I like it. Hisham looked at Salem with envy. After a little whilehe fell ill and died. So Hisham attended his funeral while people hated to do soand went away. When Hisham noticed this he said: People of Madinah are toomany. He forced some of them to come to him. They all died and no one of themreturned home. So the people of Madinah said: Hisham has looked with envy atour scholar and at the inhabitants of our city.

Ashaab whose greed made him ask people to give him something to eat tellsus the following. He says: Salem said to me: Don’t ask anything from anyoneexcept Allah Almighty. Salem died in the year 107 of Hijrah. As a matter of fact,

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Al Waqidi says: Salem came to Syria to convey his father’s loyalty to AbdelMalek Ibn Marwan, then he came to al Waleed and then to Umer Ibn Abdel Azizmay Allah be pleased with him.

Yahya Ibn Saeed says: I asked Salem about one tradition: Did you hear itfrom Ibn Umer? He said: Not only once but more than one hundred times.

Atta Ibn Al Saaib says: al Hajjaj once sent a man to Salem Ibn Abdullah tokill him. When the man approached Salem, he asked him: Are you a Muslim?The man said: Yes I am. Then Salem continued: Have you prayed dawn prayertoday? The man replied: Yes. He then returned to al Hajjaj and said: Salem saidhe is a Muslim and that he prayed dawn prayer. The Messenger of Allah peacebe upon him said: Whoever prays dawn, then he is in Allah’s security. al Hajjajsaid: We don’t want to kill him for his prayer, but because he helped others tomurder Uthman. Then the man said: You have here other people who canrevenge Uthman better than I can, and the man refused to kill Salem. When IbnUmer was told about the story he said: He is clever! He is clever indeed.

Hisham Ibn Abdel Malek once entered the Kaabah, where he saw Salem IbnAbdullah. The caliph said: Ask anything from me. Salem said: I feel shy fromAllah to ask anything in his house from other than Him. When they went outHisham said: Now ask me. Salem said: from the affairs of this world or those ofthe Hereafter? Hisham replied: From the needs of this world of course. Salemsaid: By Allah! I did not ask them from Allah who owns them, how can I askthem from one who owns them not?

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A bdullah Ibn al Mubarak represents that category of Muslim scholarswho were not Arabs by origin, but whose piety and great knowledge raised themfrom the condition of ex-slaves to the great status of guides and distinguishedpersonalities. To say that Islam is the religion of the Arabs or the Indians or thatof any other nationality is a great fallacy indeed. The Arabs received Islam in thebeginning there is no doubt about this; they were and still are the material ofIslam; for the Quran is Arabic, so was the Prophet, and so is the major part of thegreat legacy of Islamic literature; but this does not at all mean that Islam excludesother nationalities. Islam, for that matter, internationalised Arabs and the Arabiclanguage, so that any person who learnt this language became automatically anArab. The great majority of outstanding Muslim scholars were non-Arabs byorigin. One of them was Abdullah Ibn Al Mubarak, our present personality.

Abdullah Ibn al Mubarak comes from two Turkish parents; his father was aturkish slave working for a trader from the tribe of Bani Hanthala; while hismother was a turkish woman from Khawarism. He was born in the year 118 afterHijrah. al Hasan says: There was a great resemblance between Abdullah Ibn alMubarak and his mother. Some reporters claim that he never entered the publicbath in his life; this is, however, very strange. It is not a sign of piety to avoidwashing one self. On the contrary washing or taking a shower is the first stepbefore worshipping Allah in Islam. For what distinguishes this religion in onerespect is that it is the religion of cleanliness. One has to take a shower at leastevery Friday, which is strongly recommended, one has to wash himself on somany occasions that washing has become the slogan of Islam. How then can wesay that such a great person as Ibn al Mubarak never took a shower or entered thepublic bath, which was there for that purpose, in his life?

Ibn al Mubarak’s house in Maru was a very spacious one. It had a huge hallwhere almost all Muslim scholars, worshippers and pious men used to meeteveryday holding study circles so that when he came out, they would join him.When Ibn al Mubarak moved to Kufah, he lived in a small house from where heused to go out for prayer and return back home without meeting anybody,neither did many people come to him. He was asked about his feelings towardsthis change. He said: I only escaped from Maru and now I love what you hate forme. There people asked me about everything while here I am relieved of it all.

Ibn al Mubarak was a humble person who did not like fame. His biographers

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say that once he wanted to drink from a public source of water where many peoplewere crowded. He was pushed and driven before he could drink, but his commentwas this: The best life is this, where you are not known nor respected. Again,while he was in Kufah someone was reading for him the book of rites of worshipuntil the reader came to the following comment: Abdullah said we choose thisview. Ibn al Mubarak asked: Who wrote this about me? The reader said: It mustbe the author of the book. Ibn al Mubarak did not like it and he erased thestatement and said: And who am I so that my speech should be written?

Al Hasan says: We were once waiting at the door of Sufiyan Ibn Uyayna whohad with him some senior personalities with whom he was talking A man said inembarrassment: It is a pity that I can’t find any man, nowadays, who treatspeople equally when he conveys to them his learning. Another man said:Abdullah Ibn al Mubarak does what you say. The first man, however, said: O.K.but who else. Do you know anyone else who also does the same? The second manwas silent. When this conversation was conveyed to Ibn al Mubarak, he said: Nobut there is al Fuddayl Ibn Iyadd, why don’t people remember him?

The following incident shows the great piety of Ibn al Mubarak. al Hasansays: I saw in the house of Ibn al Mubarak some flying pigeons. He said: We usedto benefit from the small ones of these pigeons, but now we don’t. al Hasanasked: Why so? Ibn al Mubarak said: They mixed with other pigeons and pairedwith them, so we hate to eat any of their little ones for that reason. Again al Hasansays: I accompanied Ibn al Mubarak from Khurasan to Baghdad, I never saw himeating alone.

Atta Ibn Muslim says: O Ubaid! Have you seen Ibn al Mubarak? I said: yes.He commented: I never saw like him, and no one will ever see like Ibn alMubarak. That is why when his death was mentioned to al Fuddayl he said: MayAllah have mercy on him. He did not leave anyone behind like him. Again AbderRahman al Mahdi says: My eyes never saw anyone who is as sincere in his adviceto his nation as Abdullah Ibn al Mubarak was. He used to sit for long periodsalone in his house. When he was asked about this and whether he felt isolated ornot, he said: How can I feel loneliness when I am in the company of the Prophetpeace be upon him. By this he may have meant that he was studying thetraditions of the Prophet or that he was reciting the Quran which was revealed tothe Prophet peace be upon him.

Shaqeeq Ibn Ibrahim says: Ibn al Mubarak was asked: When you pray withus you don’t sit with us. Why? He said: I go to sit with the Companions and their

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disciples. He was asked: Where are the Companions and their disciples now? Hesaid: I read their legacy and work so I enjoy their company, while you backbiteothers. That is why I believe that to be away from people is to be closer to Allah.Ibn al Mubarak once advised a man saying: Don’t show your asceticism toothers, for they will praise you and you will not be accepted in the sight of Allah.

Shu’ba al Masseessi says: Caliph Haroon al Rashid once came to al Raqqah,a small town north of Syria. He found all people running after Abdullah Ibn alMubarak until their slippers were torn to pieces and they raised a great deal ofdust. A wife of the caliph looked from her tower. When she saw people in thatcondition she asked: what is this? People around her said: A scholar fromKhorasan came to al Raqqah called Abdullah Ibn al Mubarak The royal wifesaid: By Allah! This indeed is the real king, and not Haroon who used the policeand the agents to gather people around him.

Suwayd Ibn Saeed says: I saw Abdullah Ibn al Mubarak in Makkah when hecame to the well of Zamzam and drew some water to drink. He directed his faceto Kaabah and said: O Allah! Jaber quotes the Prophet as saying: Zamzam wateris good for what it is drunk for. Here I drink it to get rid of thirst on the Day ofJudgement; and then he drank it with that intention. When the Prophet said thishe meant the affairs of this life and people often asked for things of this world likeincrease in knowledge, better health and the like. But Abdullah Ibn al Mubarakwas more concerned and interested in the affairs of the second life.

Naeem Ibn Hammad says: Whenever Ibn al Mubarak read the chapter ofHadith called Riqaq which makes one’s heart tender, he becomes like aslaughtered cow due to his crying. No one of us dared to go close to him or askhim about anything. That is why Sufiyan says: I wish in all my life to be like Ibnal Mubarak for one year; I, however, can not be like him for three days.

Imran Ibn Moosa of Tarsoos says: A man came to Sufiyan al Thawri andasked him about something. Sufiyan said: Where are you from? The man said:from the East. Sufiyan then said: Don’t you have the most learned scholar in theEast? The man asked: Who is he? Sufiyan said: Abdullah Ibn al Mubarak who isthe most learned scholar of the East and the West. We must remember here thatknowledge in religion is, in fact, part of piety. The Quran says: And fear Allahand Allah will teach you. It is no wonder then that Ibn al Mubarak should be themost knowledgeable man of his time thanks to his great piety.

Sufiyan Ibn Uyayna says: I contemplated the affairs of the Companions and

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those of Ibn al Mubarak and found that they surpassed him in two things only:one is their company with the Prophet and secondly their marching with him inbattles. Once Ibn al Mubarak was blamed for distributing money in differentcountries, but not in his own land. He said: I know some people who are honestand true. They travelled abroad to seek knowledge and became in need of money.If we leave them alone, they will be lost but if we help them they will spreadknowledge among the nation of Muhammad peace be upon him. Nothing afterprophethood is better than disseminating knowledge.

A man one day heard Ibn al Mubarak say the following: People of this worldcame out from it before they could taste the best thing in it. People around himasked: What is the best thing in this world? He said: Knowledge of AllahAlmighty. As a matter of fact, Ibn al Mubarak used to observe continuous fast;henever slept his whole nights. When one day he was asked: what is modesty? Hesaid: To be proud in front of the wealthy people.

Ali Ibn al Hasan says: Nothing is more rewarded by Allah than earningmoney for the sake of one’s family, not even participation in the war for the causeof Allah. Thus spoke Ibn al Mubarak.

Once Ibn al Mubarak was asked: Who are the best people? He said: thescholars, then he was asked: who are the kings? He said: the hermits; and whenhe was asked about the worst people he said: Those who use religion to live by itin this world.

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A bu Qilabah is the nickname of the famous imam and sheikhul IslamAbdullah Ibn Zayd Ibn Amer al Basri from the tribe of Quddaah. He travelledto Syria and stayed in Darayya, a suburb of Damascus. His date of birth isunknown to biographers. As a matter of fact, he is mentioned as a transmitter oftraditions in all the famous authentic books. Thus he quoted Anas and MalekIbn al Huwayreth; he also quoted Huthayfah in Sunan Abi Dawood, Samura IbnJundab in Sunan al Nasaee, Abdullah Ibn Abbas in Sunan al Tirmithi, AnbasaIbn Saeed Ibn al Aass in Bokhari and Muslim, Abu Huraira and other reportersin Sunan al Nasaee. Abu Qilabah was one of the leaders of guidance.

Again quite a large number of people reported from him like his servantSalman, Yahya Ibn Abi Katheer, Thabet al Bunani, Qatada and several others.Ibn Saad says: Abu Qilabah was reliable; he transmitted numerous traditionsand his council was in Syria where he settled. Ali Ibn Abi Hamala says: MuslimIbn Yasar came to us in Damascus. We said to him: O Abu Abdellah! If Allahknows that there is in Iraq anyone who is better than you, He would send him tous. He said: How if you see Abdullah Ibn Zayd, Abu Qilabah al Jarmi! After anumber of years he also came to us, says the reporter.

Al Qadi Abdel Jabbar al Khawlani says when he talks about the history ofDarayya: Abu Qilabah’s birth was in Al Basra city of Iraq. He then travelled toDarayya in Syria where he lived with his cousin Bayhas Ibn Suhayb. Malek says:When Ibn al Masayyab and al Qasem died they left no books, but when AbuQilabah died he left behind the weight of a camel of books. On the other handMuslim Ibn Yasar says: Had Abu Qilabah been among the non-Arabs, he wouldhave been appointed chief judge. Hammad Ibn Zayd quotes Abu Khushayna assaying: Abu Qilabah was mentioned in front of Ibn Sireen who said: He is mybrother indeed.

Hammad says: I heard Ayoob mention Abu Qilabah. He said: AbuQilabah is in-sha-Allah, reliable and trustworthy, a righteous man, but itdepends whom Abu Qilabah mentioned. In other words in himself AbuQilabah was honest but in his quotations one has to be sure first about theirtrustworthiness. Another testimony in favour of Abu Qilabah is this one givenby Hammad also who said: By Allah! He was one of the intelligent scholars ofjurisprudence. I have discovered, by the way, that the most knowledgeablescholars in Islamic judgments are those who avoid being appointed as judges.

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They are extremely afraid of Allah to do so. This is because they remember thefearful saying and warning of the Prophet peace be upon him in which he said:One judge will go to Paradise and two judges will go to Hell. In other words therate of the judges who will go to Paradise is I to 2 compared to those going toHell. This of course shows the great importance of establishing justice at thehands of Islamic judges. So despite the fact that Abu Qilabah was the greatestjudge he tried to avoid this post.

Ayoob says, who was the judge of al Basra during the time of Shurayh:When Abder Rahman Ibn Uthayna died, Abu Qilabah was chosen to be judgein his place, but he escaped until he arrived in al Yamamah, which is at a verylong distance from al Basra. Ayoob says: then I met him afterwards andmentioned to him his appointment as a judge. He said: The similitude of theknowledgeable judge is like a man who fell in the sea, how long will he swim untilhe drowns. So Abu Qilabah was very sensitive. He felt the great responsibility ofnarrating traditions. Khaled al Hatha says: When Abu Qilabah would narrate tous three traditions he would say: I have transmitted too much.

Ali Ibn al Madeeni says: Abu Qilabah was an Arab from Jarm; he died inSyria and lived during the caliphate of Umer Ibn Abdel Aziz. His death was inthe year 104 after Hijrah. Abu Raja quotes his master Abu Qilabah as saying thefollowing: We were sitting with Umer Ibn Abdel Aziz when those presentmentioned “al Qasamah” which is the case of a killed person whose murder isdoubtful and a number of people may be accused to have shared and plotted toshed his blood. So Abu Qilabah told Umer Ibn Abdel Aziz about it and quotedfrom Anas Ibn Malek the story of the people of Urayna at the time of the Prophetwho also participated in killing some companions. They were killed. WhenUmer heard this explanation from Abu Qilabah he said: You will be in goodcondition as long as this man and those like him are among you, referring to AbuQilabah.

A word of comment is necessary here about al Qasamah which shows thegreat justice of Islam, and like which you will not find a similar legislation in anyother system or religion. To understand al Qasamah we must mention thefollowing verses from the Holy Quran: In chapter five verse 35 we read: Ifanyone slew a person, unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in theland, it would be as if he slew the whole humanity; and if anyone saved a life, itwould be as if he saved the life of the whole humanity.

In the same chapter verse 36 we read: The punishment of those who wage

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war against Allah and His Apostle, and strive with might and main for mischiefthrough the land is execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feetfrom opposite sides, or exile from the land; that is their disgrace in this world,and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter.

In these verses we see how Islam established public security and honouredhuman life at a time when killing human beings was cheaper than anything else.Islam, on the contrary, held human life as the most sacred and dearest treasure inlife. Thus any encroachment on one soul is equivalent in the sight of Islam, tokilling all men; and any attempt to save any soul is appreciated by Islam to beequal to saving the whole of humanity. Thus when some people in the lifetime ofthe Prophet, attacked some innocent men their punishment was according towhat the aforementioned verses clarified. They were executed, crucified andtheir hands and legs were cut off from opposite sides; they deserved this hardpunishment because they committed the major crime against public security.Abu Qilabah explained this to those who asked him about al Qasamah which isthe punishment shared by the accused even if they are a whole tribe or village.

Another comment concerning Abu Qilabah and his attempt to escape beingappointed as a judge of al Basra; is the following. As a matter of fact, Islam wasone of the earliest systems that established the independence of judges from theinfluence of the authorities. This reminds me how several Muslim judges used tobring rulers in their courts and treat them same as any other accused person. Iremember here how one of the Muslim judges of Iraq gave his decision in one ofthe cases against the ruler of Iraq. When the said ruler refused to implement theorders of the judge the latter resigned and wanted to leave the city. When thepeople heard this most of them followed him and the city was almost deserted.So the ruler had no other choice but to come to the judge and ask him forgivenessand the decision was passed upon him like anybody else. This was the position ofjudges in Islam. These were not isolated cases but a tradition was establishedwhich continued so long as Islam ruled. In other words it was practised for manycenturies in various parts of the world that came under the just rule of Islam.

To go back to Abu Qilabah, Ayoob al Sikhtiyani said: Abu Qilabah saw mebuy some bad dates, he said: Don’t you know that Allah Almighty has takenaway the blessing from all bad things. That is why Abu Qilabah is reported tohave said: Goodness of anything is like its spirit, once it is absent the thingbecomes a bad smelling carcass.

Ayoob, another reporter, says Abu Qilabah said: Don’t sit with the people

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of whims and don’t talk to them, for I fear that they may drown you with theirperversion or they may throw suspicion and doubt on what you know. Anotherfamous saying of Abu Qilabah is the following. He said: If you tell any manabout the Prophet’s way of life (the Sunnah) and should he tell you: Forget aboutthis and leave it, and give us the Quran; then know that such a man is led astray.

In another version he said: If you see the innovating person say: Let us leavethe Book and the traditions transmitted by one reporter only and let us usereason, then this man is the father of ignorance; if you meet a man who says:Forget about transmission and reason and give me taste and sentiment, thenknow that he is Satan personified in human form. If you fear him then fly away,but if you can then crush him and recite the verse called the Throne verse andchoke him.

Finally, it is reported that Abu Qilabah was once thirsty while he wasfasting. When he prayed to Allah a cloud overshadowed him and showered hisbody with water, so his thirst was gone. Abu Qilabah died in al Areesh the wellknown city in Sinai Egypt. Towards the end of his life he lost his hands, legs andeyes and yet he was always thankful to Allah until he passed away.

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A bu Sulaiman al Darani is attributed to a village near Damascus calledDarayya. Ahmad Ibn al Hawari says: I heard Abu Sulaiman Abder Rahman alAnasi say: The key to this world is to take your fill, while the key to the after lifeis hunger. The origin of all good in this world and in the Hereafter is fear ofAllah. Allah grants this world to those whom He loves as well as those whom Hedoes not love; but He gives the Hereafter only to those whom He loves.

Again the same transmitter quotes Abu Sulaiman as saying: Had it not beenfor the nights I would not have liked to remain in this world. I am not here justto make rivers run and to cultivate trees. He means to say that he is here toworship Allah Almighty. Everything else is just a humble means to this end.

Ahmad says: I heard Abu Sulaiman say: My work for Allah was better inIraq, while in Syria I became more learned. When I told this to his son Sulaimanhe said: My father’s knowledge of Allah in Syria is only the outcome of hisworship in Iraq. Had he increased his obedience to Allah in Syria, he would haveincreased his knowledge of Allah.

Ahmad Ibn Abi al Hawari said that he heard Abu Sulaiman saying: I heardAbu Jaafar al Mansoor, the Abbasid caliph, crying while he was giving theFriday sermon. I became angry and intended to rise and advise him after hefinishes the sermon concerning what I know of his deeds. I thought how I shallstand up and go to the caliph and advise him while other people are sittinglooking at me. I would then feel arrogant and the caliph would order me to bekilled without having corrected what I felt to be wrong. I then sat down and keptsilent.

As a matter of fact, this incident is very expressive of the spirit of the age inwhich Abu Sulaiman al Darani lived. First of all the caliph, who was the head ofthe Islamic state, used to be a scholar, and would give Friday sermons and leadmen in prayer as well. There was no separation of church and state, and this is thereal spirit of Islam. The ruler should be well versed in the teachings of Islam.That is why he is called the leader of the Faithful.

Another point we derive from this incident is that despite their weaknessesMuslim rulers had soft hearts. They used to repent and cry when theyremembered their sins. Many a time other scholars would counsel them and they

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would accept these counsels and return back to the right path. This, in fact,became a tradition between scholars and rulers. That is why Abu Sulaiman alDarani wanted to stand up and counsel caliph al Mansoor. This tradition was nota late development in Islam. It was there from the very beginning. The Prophethimself used to seek the counsel of his own Companions and would sometimesfollow their advice. When Abu Bakr became caliph the first thing he did was thathe said in his first sermon the following: O people! Obey me as long as I obeyAllah and his Apostle and if I disobey Allah I deserve no obedience from you.

Again Umer Ibn al Khattab followed the same policy. He also called onpeople to correct him whenever he made any mistake. A bedouin stood up andsaid to him: If we see any wrong in you we shall correct it with our swords. Notonly this but a woman once stood up and confronted Umer and made himchange the legislation he was about to promulgate concerning marriage dowry.So when Abu Sulaiman al Darani wanted to stand up and advise al Mansoor hewas following this Islamic tradition. We should not also forget when Umer said:O people hear and obey. A man, however, objected and said: We shall not hearnor obey you until you tell us where you got the dress you are wearing. He calledhis son Abdullah who explained everything. When the man was convinced hesaid: Now speak. We hear and obey.

But why Abu Sulaiman al Darani did not stand and confront al Mansoorwith his advice as he intended? He says he was ready to give his life in the attemptwhich means that Muslim rulers of the time were unfortunately dictators. Hewho dared to advise them would risk his life; Abu Sulaiman was ready to pay thisprice but he was afraid of show and hypocrisy. For if such feelings mix with anydeed it will not be accepted by Allah Almighty, so why lose one’s life then. Againal Mansoor would not listen to his advice and so the required correction wouldnot be effected.

Abu Sulaiman was an extremely pious scholar. He used to say: All thatpreoccupies you and turns you away from Allah Almighty is of ill omen to you,even if it is your family, property or children. In other words he is here warningother Muslims not to be preoccupied with the affairs of this world at the expenseof worshipping Allah, for in this case, all that is dear for us in this life becomesan undiscovered enemy to us simply because it engages us from our basic missionin life, namely, to worship Allah and ascribe no partners to Him.

Another wise saying of Abu Sulaiman al Darani is the following. He says:Those who disobey Allah and commit sins have been able to do so because they

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are humiliated and are low in the sight of Allah, for had they been dignified theywould avoid sins. That is why a Muslim is taught to make the following prayer:O Allah! Help us to avoid slipping away from the honour of obedience to thehumiliation of sin.

Once Abu Sulaiman asked a friend of his: From what angle has a believerforgiven those who did bad things to him? When the said friend looked forwardfor an appropriate answer, Abu Sulaiman said: Because he believes that it isAllah who is testing him with this. So he becomes patient and tolerant in thehope that he also will be forgiven.

One day Ahmad Al Hawari said: I heard Abu Sulaiman tell the followingexperience. He said: One cold night I was in the altar. My feeling of cold mademe hide one of my two hands while the other was extended. Then sleep overcameme and I felt someone talking to me and saying: O Abu Sulaiman we have putsomething good in the extended one and were your other hand in the sameposition we would have done the same thing. From then on I swore to extend mytwo hands in prayer.

Here is another interesting story about Abu Sulaiman al Darani which heasked Ahmad Ibn Abi al Hawari not to narrate until his death. He said: As I wasprostrating myself in prayer, sleep overcame me, then I saw her, that prettiestmaid who kicked me with her foot and said: Love! Do your eyes sleep while theRoyal King is awake observing those who worship Him by night? Misery to theeye that prefers the pleasure of sleep to the great pleasure of appealing to the AllPowerful. Rise because leisure time is coming closer. Do you lie down while I ambeing prepared for you since such and such a time. Abu Sulaiman says: I jumpedto my feet perspiring out of shyness due to her blame to me. Her beautiful voiceis still ringing in my ears and heart.

Another saying of Abu Sulaiman which may run as a proverb is thefollowing: There is no harm in what you strive for as long as you will have whatpleases you. Again he says: When one’s self becomes hungry and thirsty his heartwill become pure and tender; but when it is satisfied and its’ thirst is quenchedthen the heart becomes blind. He is reported to have also said: I would not like tohave all that is on earth while I neglect the remembrance of Allah for a twinklingof an eye. Another beautiful expression of his that shows his ultruism andselflessness is the following: Had the whole world and its pleasures become onemorsel and a brother would approach me, I would love to put it in his mouth.

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Again Abu Sulaiman teaches us great lessons in a few words. He says: Oncethe Hereafter is in your heart, this worldly life will try to compete with it in it,while if this worldly life fills one’s heart the Hereafter will not compete with it,because the Hereafter is honourable while this world is miserable and deceitful.He also said: Whoever says I have great hopes in Allah without fearing Allah isdeceived indeed.

In his prayers to Allah Abu Sulaiman al Darani says: O Allah! If You wouldpunish me because of my evils I would appeal to You in the name of Yourgenerosity; if You take me due to my sins I come to You with my belief in Yourunity; and if You would put me in Your Hell among Your enemies, I would tellthem of my love to You.

Abu Sulaiman’s love of Allah is expressed in the following words: A wiseman would not accept that this world is for him since its creation is to enjoy itspleasures while he is deprived from the blessing of feeling the presence of Allahnot even for one hour. How would then be the condition of the man who isdeprived of remembering Allah here and in the Hereafter.

Again Abu Sulaiman says: The people of obedience enjoy their piety morethan the people of this worldly pleasures taste their play. Had it not been for theexistence of the night 1, for one, would not like this world at all. He also said: Ifa wise man should cry for the pleasure of obedience which he lost, he should thencry the rest of his life.

Look also at Abu Sulaiman’s view of sins. He says: The most beneficialthing Prophet Dawood did was, in fact, his sins for he was all the time afraid andescaping from them until he joined his Lord. This was an example of piouspeople who lived in this world while their hearts and minds were concentrated onthe rememberance of Allah and were set wholly on the Hereafter.

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Aamer Ibn Shurahbeel al Shaabi was an outstanding scholar of his time. Hewas born in Yemen. His mother was an ex-slave from Jaloola, a village in Persia.This is then another example of a great scholar whose mother was a prisoner ofwar. This did not deprive him from greatness because the basis of greatness inIslam is piety and work, and not origin and lineage.

Al Shaabi was born six years after the beginning of the caliphate of UmerIbn al Khattab. Other reporters put it at the 21 st year. He met Ali Ibn Abi Taleband prayed behind him. He also heard traditions from a number of seniorCompanions of the Prophet peace be upon him. al Shaabi transmitted traditionsfrom a large spectrum of people. A lot of other scholars also quoted him. alShaabi was born as one of a twin so he used to say: Even in the womb I hadsomeone to push me. He stayed in Madinah where he learnt a lot from Ibn Umer.He used to learn everything by heart without writing anything at all.

Al Shaabi says I met almost five hundred companions of the Prophet peacebe upon him. Makhool says: I never saw any scholar more learned andknowledgeable than al Shaabi. Al Shaabi describes his personality in addition tohis great standard of learning in the following words. He says: No relative ofmine ever died but I paid back his debts; I never beat any of my slaves, and Inever satisfied myself from anything which people look for.

Abu Mijlaz says: I never saw anyone more learned than al Shaabi, not evenSaeed Ibn al Masayyab, Tawoos, Atta, Al Hasan nor Ibn Seereen; for I have seenthem all. Once a man asked al Shaabi the following question: Is the child bornthrough adultery the worst of the three parties concerned? al Shaabi said: Not inthe least. For had he been as you say his mother would be stoned to death whilehe is still in her womb. Of course this is not the case, but the woman is delayeduntil she gives birth to the child and then she receives her deserved punishment.

As a matter of fact, a scholar like Abu Huraira misunderstood this issue; forhe used to generalize and say that the born child of adultery is the worst of thethree parties concerned. When Aisha heard this she said: May Allah have mercyon Abu Huraira. He misheard and misunderstood. The tradition was about aman from among the hypocrites who used to harm the Prophet. When he wastold that the man was the product of adultery he said: He is indeed the worst ofthe three. The Prophet was not referring here to the natural process itself,

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because Islam does not hold anyone responsible for others’ sins, but each one isaccountable for his own sins; and the man proved to be the worst by his deedsand not by birth.

Ibn Uyayna says: the greatest scholars were three: Ibn Abbas, al Shaabi andal Thawri; each in his own time was the greatest scholar. Ibn Shubruma says: Iheard al Shaabi say: I never wrote black on white until this day of mine; and neverhas a man narrated to me any tradition but I knew it by heart. I never needed himto repeat it for me. This of course shows his great memory on the one hand andthat he was unlettered like the Prophet peace be upon him. Listen to him whenhe says: For the last twenty years I never heard a man reporting any tradition butI knew it better than he did. What I forgot of knowledge would no doubt qualifyany man if he knows it to be an excellent scholar.

Ibn Umer once passed by al Shaabi while he was narrating the stories of theBattles of the Prophet peace be upon him. He said: As if this man witnessed withus those battles. He is indeed more well versed in them and more learned than Iam. Compared to Ibrahim al Nakhee, another great scholar of the time, al Shaabiwas a supporter of conservativism while Ibrahim used reason. Whenever the twomet in any gathering al Shaabi would speak while Ibrahim would keep silent.

Al Shaabi used to say: Would that I never knew anything of this learning.This of course is because knowledge is a judgment against the scholar in case heknows something but does not put it into practice. He has first of all to applywhat he knows; then it is his duty to remind those who are unaware, enjoin themand forbid them. He may also not be sincere in his knowledge or he may bearrogant and argue with others for the sake of argument and to show his learningso that he may get leadership in this world which is coming to an end.

Al Shaabi was nicknamed Abu Amr. One day he was asked about somethingbut he did not give any answer. A man with him who did not know al Shaabi said:Abu Amr says so and so meaning al Shaabi himself. The latter was surprised andsaid: This lie takes place in my life, so in my death you will be a greater liar.

Abdel Malek Ibn Marwan once sent al Shaabi as a messenger from his sideto the emperor of the Romans. When al Shaabi conveyed the message andbrought with him the answer of the Roman king, Abdel Malek read it and said:O Shaabi! Do you know what he wrote to me? al Shaabi asked: what is it O leaderof the Faithful? Abdel Malek said: He wrote to me the following: I expressed myastonishment of your co-religionists! How they did not make your messenger

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their leader. al Shaabi said very humbly: This is because he only saw me and notyou, which was a compliment to Abdel Malek who said very frankly: As a matterof fact, he only meant to instigate me to kill you. When the Roman king came toknow this he said: He is indeed the son of his father! For this is exactly what I hadin mind.

Al Shaabi had a serious story with al Hajjaj the well known dictator on behalfof the Umayyads. He recollects this and says: When al Hajjaj came and met mehe asked me about a number of scholarly things and found me well versedtherein. Then he appointed me chief of my tribe and chief ruler of Hamadhanand decided a salary for me. I continued to be respected and honoured by himuntil the movement of Abder Rahman Ibn al Ashaath took place. When thelatter made his rebellion the Quranic reciters of Kufah came to me and said: OAbu Amr! You are our leader ... They pressed on me until I marched with themin support of that rebellion.

Al Shaabi continues his story and says: When I stood between the twoarmies I mentioned al Hajjaj badly and criticised him too much. As a matter offact, the Quranic reciters were pious and righteous people in Iraq. They rebelledagainst al Hajjaj on account of his oppression, and because he used to delayprayers and would establish two prayers together without being on travel. ThusAbder Rahman Ibn al Ashaath rebelled against him. He was an obeyed nobleleader and his grandmother was the sister of Abu Bakr al Siddiq. Thus about100,000 or more gathered around him. They defeated al Hajjaj several times andhe was about to surrender; but al Hajjaj stood firm until he conquered al Ashaathand killed many people.

When al Hajjaj knew that al Shaabi joined al Ashaath and attacked him hesaid: By Allah! If I catch him I shall make the world look very narrow in his eyes.Then when al Ashaath was defeated al Shaabi went to his house and closed it uponhimself. He stayed there for nine months. al Hajjaj then announced that whoeverjoins the army of Qutayba Ibn Muslim directed to conquer Khorasan, will besecure. Thus al Shaabi joined the said army. He was respected by its leader.

One day Qutayba wanted to write a letter to al Hajjaj. al Shaabi dictated iton him. al Hajjaj recognised the style of al Shaabi and asked Qutayba to sendhim to him. When al Shaabi met the fearful al Hajjaj, the latter wanted to punishhim, but he was so clever in his talk to al Hajjaj that the latter forgave him andlet him go.

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Al Shaabi once said: learning Islam used to be sought by scholars who hadtwo qualities. They were wise and pious. But today, al Shaabi says, I am afraidthat those who learn Islam are neither pious nor wise. Describing the injusticeand envy of other people towards him al Shaabi says: By Allah! If I prove to beright ninety nine times and make one mistake once, they will mention thatmistake only and ignore the rest.

Once al Shaabi said: The Muslim nation today is divided into four factions:those who like Ali but hate Uthman, those who hate Ali and like Uthman, thosewho like them both and those who hate them both. When an attendant asked alShaabi: of which one are you? al Shaabi said: I hate those who hate them.

Rabeeah Ibn Yazid said: I sat next to al Shaabi one day in Damascus duringthe caliphate of Abdel Malek. A man from among his companions quoted theMessenger of Allah as saying: Worship your Lord and don’t ascribe partners tohim, establish prayer, give charity and obey rulers. If it is good you will get it, butif it is evil it is on them and you will be absolved of it. al Shaabi said: You lie. Bythis al Shaabi meant that the man made a mistake.

To conclude this report on al Shaabi it is important to say that he qualifiedfor greatness not only because he was learned, but due to the fact that he wasclever, and pious. This was despite the fact that his mother was an ex-slave andprisoner of war as we mentioned earlier.

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I mam Muhammad Ibn Seereen, Shaikhul Islam was nicknamed Abu Bakral Ansari from Basra, south of Iraq. He was the servant of Anas Ibn Malek thewell known Companion and beloved servant of the Messenger of Allah. Hisfather was a prisoner of war from Jargaraya, near Wasett and Baghdad. Anas thusowned him as his slave then he liberated him after he imposed on him a lot ofmoney as a ransom. When Anas saw that his slave became very rich he wanted todelay the implementation of the emancipation contract, in order to inherit him;but Seereen complained to Umer Ibn al Khattab who ordered Anas to endSeereen’s slavery.

Anas Ibn Seereen says: My brother Muhammad was born two years beforethe end of Umer’s caliphate. Ibn Seereen heard from a number of seniorCompanions like Abu Huraira, Ibn Abbas, Adiy Ibn Hatem, Ibn Umer andseveral others. He was also quoted by many others like Qatada, Ayoub, Ibn Awnand several others. Thus he represented an important cycle in the chain oftradition transmitters.

There is difference of opinion concerning the birth of Ibn Seereen. Otherreporters put it in the caliphate of Uthman and not Umer Ibn al khattab which ismore acceptable. He died in the age of seventy eight.

Muhammad Ibn Seereen witnessed thirty Companions of the Prophet peacebe upon him. He used to transmit traditions literally while al Hasan used toconvey their meanings only. Amr Ibn Dinar once said: By Allah I never saw likeTawoos. A man who was present said: If you had seen Ibn Seereen, you wouldnot say this. He was a special character by himself. Ibn Awn said: My eyes neversaw better than three men: Ibn Seereen in Iraq, al Qasem Ibn Muhammad inHejaz and Raja Ibn Haywa in Syria.

Muhammad Ibn Jareer al Tabari says: Ibn Seereen was a great scholar, apious and a literary man. He transmitted numerous traditions; he was truthful.The great scholars testify that he was a man of learning and honour. Thus he wasa reliable source. Muhammad Ibn Saad says: I asked Muhammad al Ansari aboutthe debt which caused the imprisonment of Ibn Seereen. He said: He sold a slavegirl to a woman; after a little while the slave girl came back to him and complainedthat her mistress punishes her. Muhalmmad Ibn Seereen kept her and could notpay back the money because he had spent it. Thus he was imprisoned.

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Muhammad Ibn Seereen loved jokes too much. He used to laugh until histears would overflow, while al Hasan used to talk to people and cry. Ghaleb alQattan says: Take from the wisdom of Ibn Seereen and do not take from theanger of al Hasan. Again Ibn Awn says: Umer Ibn Abdel Aziz sent some moneyto al Hasan which the latter accepted, but when he sent a similar amount to IbnSeereen he apologised and refused to accept it. Raja also says: al Hasan used tovisit the rulers and criticise them while Ibn Seereen neither visited nor criticisedthem. That is why Hisham says: I never saw anyone as stiff as Ibn Seereen waswith the rulers.

When Ibn Seereen was put in prison the man in charge said to him: At nightyou may go home, and in the morning you can come back. But Ibn Seereen said:By Allah! Never shall I be a supporter of you to deceive the ruler. One report saysthat the reason behind his being jailed was that he bought food at the price offorty thousand. When he was told about its origin he left it or gave it all incharity. So he entered prison for the debts included.

Ibn al Maroozi says: I used to sit with Ibn Seereen. Then I left him andstarted to meet the Ibaddis. In one vision at night I saw as if I am with somepeople carrying the funeral of the Prophet peace be upon him. I came to IbnSeereen and mentioned my vision to him. He said: Why have you sat with peoplewho want to bury the teachings of the Prophet?

Another man came to Ibn Seereen and said: I saw in my dream as though Icarry a jug of glass in my hand full of water. The jug was broken but the waterremained. Ibn Seereen said: Fear Allah! You did not see anything. The maninsisted and claimed to have seen what he mentioned. If you lie, then it is notagainst me. Your so called dream means that your wife will give birth and then die.Her baby son will remain. When the man departed he said: By Allah I sawnothing; but his wife soon gave birth to a child who remained alive and the wifedied.

A third man asked lbn Seereen the following. He said: I dreamt that I eatwith a black slave woman from the pot of a fish. Ibn Seereen said: Will youprepare food and invite me? The man said: Yes. When the food was served a blackwoman appeared. Ibn Seereen asked the man: Did you make intercourse withher? The man said: No. Then Ibn Seeeen said: Enter the chamber with her. Theman did what he was asked. A few minutes later he cried from inside and said:By Allah! It is a man. Then Ibn Seereen said: He shared with you your wife.These and other instances show Ibn Seereen’s ability to explain dreams and

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visions. As if he had a glimpse of Divine light in this respect.

Hafsa Bit Seereen says: Muhammad’s mother was from Hejaz. She used tolike colouring clothes. So whenever Ibn Seereen bought a dress for his mother hewould bring the best. On the feast day he would colour it for her. I never saw himraise his voice in front of her, but he used to talk to his mother as if he waslistening to her. In this behaviour Muhammad Ibn Seereen was applying theinstructions of the Holy Quran which teach us to be kind to our parents and toavoid hurting their ears with any word that might displease them, not even asingle syllabus of rebellion should be uttered by children in the presence of theirparents. The Holy Quran very strongly concentrates on this issue, unlike otherreligions where we read that even prophets, Allah forbid, used to be impolite totheir mothers. One of them namely Jesus Christ is claimed to call his mothersimply “woman” which is not to be found anywhere in the Quran. The Quranicverses which Ibn Seereen was applying here are the following:

Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you bekind to parents; whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, say notto them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms ofhonour. And, out of kindness and mercy, lower to them the wing of humility,and say: My Lord! bestow on them Your Mercy as they cherished me inchildhood. ( 17-23-4-24 )

According to the above verses Muhammad Ibn Seereen, says Ibn Awn,should anyone see him in the company of his mother, he would think him to beill on account of his low voice in front of her. The same reporter also says thatwhenever other people would mention an evil deed of someone in his absence, hewould mention the best that he knows about the same person. Some people oncecame to him and said: We criticised you in front of others so please forgive us. Hesaid: How can I make lawful to you what Allah has forbidden. In other words, hewanted to teach them a lesson not to mention anybody with what he hates in hisabsence, for this is forbidden in Islam.

Ibn Seereen was not of that type of scholars who traded in their knowledgeand expected gifts from rulers or well to do people. On the contrary he was of thatrespectable category of learned men who spread Islamic knowledge for the sakeof Allah. To make a living he used to trade in cloth, particularly silk. MaymoonIbn Mahran says: I came once to Kufah to buy silk; so I came to Ibn Seereenthere. I negotiated with him the price; whenever he sold something to me hewould ask me: Are you pleased? I would say yes; but he would repeat this for

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three times to make sure about it. He would even call two witnesses. He neverused Al Hajjaj coins in his dealings. The reporter then adds: When I noticed hispiety I bought everything I could from him.

It was the habit in those days to falsify and make fake coins. Ibn Seereenused to discover them and keep them with him so that he may not deceive anyother Muslim. When he died, says one reporter, Ibn Seereen had 500 false coins.

When Muhammad Ibn Seereen wrote his will, for it is recommended that aMuslim should write his will, he first of all reminded his children to fear AllahAlmighty and to be on excellent terms with each other and never boycott oneanother. He recommended that they should obey Allah and his Apostle as longas they lived. He reminded them of the will of Ibrahim to his children not to dieexcept as Muslims. He concluded his will with these words: Purity and honestyare far better and more honourable and permanent than adultery and falsehood.

Muhammad Ibn Seereen died one hundred days after al Hasan al Basri onthe ninth day of Shawwal 110 after the Hijrah. It is reported that two men madean oath of brotherhood between them. When one of them died the other saw himin a dream and asked him about al Hasan al Basri. The deceased man replied: Heis an angel in Paradise who never disobeys Allah. What about Ibn Seereen, thedead brother said: He enjoys what he likes and desires, but there is a greatdifference between the two men. The dreamer asked: By what has al Hasanreached that degree? The answer was: by his greater fear of Allah and his sadness.May Allah help us to follow the steps of those great men of Islam.

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W ahb Ibn Munabbih was a famous imam and a great scholar, narrator anda story teller. His nickname was Abu Abdullah. He comes from Sanaa in Yemenand was the brother of Hammam Ibn Munabbih another famous scholar of thetime. He was born in the 34th year after Hijra during the caliphate of Uthman.He received his Islamic learning at the hands of Abu Huraira, Ibn Abbas, IbnUmer, Jaber and other great companions. A large number of reporters quotedWahb Ibn Munabbih.

Wahb was famous in his knowledge of the Israelite narrations; he was wellversed in the scriptures of the People of the Book, in other words the Jews and theChristians. He is thus a reliable disciple of the companions of the Prophet peacebe upon him. Maslama Ibn Hammam Ibn Munabbih tells us about hisforefathers. He says: Their origin is Khorasan, from Harat; Munabbih was acitizen of that city which he left in the days of Chosroe. He then embraced Islamin the lifetime of the Prophet. His place of living was, however, Yemen. That iswhy Wahb used to travel to Harat and Yemen.

As for Wahb’s knowledge of the Israelites it comes from his love to read asmany books as possible on the previous religions and prophets. It is reported thathe spent several years during which he read thirty books of thirty prophets.

Muslim al Zunji says: Wahb Ibn Munabbih spent forty years during whichhe never cursed any living creature; he also spent twenty years where he prayeddawn prayer with the ablution of night prayer. Wahb once said: I have read thirtyscriptures revealed to thirty prophets. The same reporter says that for forty yearsWahb never slept on a normal bed at night.

Hammam says: I heard Wahb say in his prayer: O Allah! Praise be to You forever, an innumerable praise as You deserve and as it is our duty towards You. alJaad Ibn Dirham says: I never spoke to any scholar but found him sometimesgive vent to his anger except Wahb Ibn Munabbih. This shows how great hispatience was. The Prophet says: A strong man is not he who conquers other menin wrestling, but a really strong man is he who controls his anger. Wahb IbnMunabbih was of this category.

This does not mean, however, that Wahb was always cool and careless at theexpense of everything else. Not in the least. He used to become extremely angry

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when other people should transgress the orders of Allah. It is reported that Wahbwas sitting with a Muslim governor called Urwa Ibn Muhammad. A group ofpeople came to him and complained against his agent among them. Theymentioned bad things about the agent who was also present and who kept silent.So Ibn Munabbih took a stick and beat the agent on his head until his blood wasshed. Urwa laughed and said: O Wahb! You criticise us when we get angry andnow you are doing it. Wahb said: How can’t I be angry when Allah the creator ofour brains becomes angry from such people and punishes them as the verse says:When at length they provoked Us, We exacted retribution from them, and Wedrowned them all. ( 43-55 )

Wahb Ibn Munabbih was appointed as a judge to decide among people Hewas forced to accept this post against his will. One day a man said to him: Youused to see a vision, and tell us about it, then it would come true. He said:Unfortunately it is gone! Since I undertook to be judge. In the year one hundredafter Hijra a great majority of Muslim scholars performed pilgrimage includingWahb Ibn Munabbih. When they prayed night prayer a group of them came tohim among whom were Atta and al Hasan who wanted to discuss with him theissue of predetermination concerning which they differed with him. Wahbengaged himself in talking about the praise of Allah until dawn time. So theydispersed without asking him about predetermination. As a matter of fact, hehad his own opinion on that issue which he revised and cancelled later on. Isa IbnSinan says: I heard Wahb say the following: I used to have a special view ofpredestination until I read more than seventy books of the Prophets. All of themsay that whoever gives himself a share in the will of Allah is indeed a disbeliever.So I abandoned my previous view.

Describing the status of scholars before and during his time Wahb IbnMunabbih told Atta the following: Muslim Scholars before us turned their fullattention to their learning and neglected the world of other people. Men of thisworld used to spend their money and put everything in their lives at the feet ofscholars, while now scholars offer their learning in return for worldly pleasures.So men of this world are no more interested in the scholars’ learning due to thedepravity of its position with the scholars.

Wahb Ibn Munabbih echoes here the traditions of the Prophet when hesays: Learn from me three things: Avoid a followed prejudice, an obeyedmiserliness and one’s admiration of himself. He also says: Leave empty disputesand argumentation, for people are divided into two kinds: Those who are morelearned and knowledgeable than you are so how do you seek the enmity of such

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respectable people; and those who are less knowledgeable and why at all shouldyou argue with one whom you are his superior in knowledge and he is not readyto obey you.

Abu Salaam, one of the comrades of Wahb Ibn Munabbih quotes him assaying: Knowledge is the closest friend of a believer, patience is his assistant,reason is his guide, action is his slogan, tenderness is his father and kindness ishis brother. He also says: A believer looks in order to learn, speaks in order tounderstand, keeps silent so that he may be secure and sits alone sometimes sothat he may win. Belief is naked, Wahb continues, its dress is piety, its ornamentis bashfulness and its capital is comprehension.

Wahb Ibn Munabbih was famous for his wise sayings. They were not,however, empty words which had no effect on his life; they were rather realexpressions of his personal experience. Here are a few more of these: He says: Heis a winner who has three things: generosity, patience on others’ hurt, andvirtuous talk. Again he says: Have as much friends as you can; if you don’t needthem, they will not harm you, while if you need them they will help you. Onanother occasion he said: If you hear one praising you for something you don’thave, then be sure he will accuse you of something you are innocent of.

A man once came to Wahb and said: I have decided not to mix with people.Wahb, however, said: Don’t do that: for you have no other choice but to dealwith people and they have to deal with you, but while among them be both deafand hearing, blind and seeing and silent and speaking. In other words, Wahb,here is advising the man to listen too much but talk a little, avoid vain talk andchoose only virtuous speech.

Wahb was also famous for his excellence in knowing previous books beforeIslam and thus he narrated many stories, sayings and news of other Prophets. Forexample he says that Noah was one of the most beautiful men of his time. Heused to wear a veil on his face. When once there was a famine on the Ark, Noahuncovered his veil, so people forgot their hunger and enjoyed looking at him.About Jesus Christ Wahb says: Jesus Christ said one day to his disciples: He is areal lover of this life who becomes desperate in times of adversity. He is alsoquoted to have said the following: Son of Adam! There is no use of learning whatyou know not unless you translate what you learn into practical actions. If notyou will be like a man who cuts some wood and makes it a bundle, he then triesto carry it but cannot then he cuts another bundle and so on.

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Wahb reported on the authority of Ibn Abbas who said: He becomes verytough who lives in the desert, and he becomes forgetful who follows hunting andhe will be perverted from his religion who frequents the courts of rulers. AgainWahb says: How fortunate is the one who is preoccupied with his sins andforgets those of others, who humiliates himself to Allah, who gives in charityfrom the money which he collected lawfully, who sits with the men of learningand wisdom, who follows their example and who is satisfied with the way of theProphet and does not exceed it.

Describing the stupid person Wahb says: The stupid is the one whose talkshows his stupidity, whose silence is a mark of his disability; if he works hedestroys things and when he leaves he loses valuable things; neither hisknowledge benefit him nor that of others. His mother wishes that she never gavebirth to him; his wife prays that she would get rid of him, his neighbour preferssolitude and his comrade feels loneliness.

As a matter of fact, Wahb Ibn Munabbih was tested by being put in jail andbeaten. Saleh Ibn Tareef says: When Yousuf Ibn Umer came to Iraq I wept andsaid: This is the man who beat Wahb Ibn Munabbih until he killed him. Here thereporter mentions the governor of Yemen who was transferred by Hisham IbnAbdel Malek to rule Iraq. But he was deposed and was killed later on.

There is only one tradition reported by Wahb Ibn Munabbih in the twobooks of Sahih (Sahih al Bukhari and Sahih Muslim). Wahb quotes his brotherwho transmits from Abu Huraira. He says: I heard Abu Huraira say: No onereports traditions from the Messenger of Allah as much as I do, except AbdullahIbn Amr who used to write while I did not.

Wahb died in the year 114th after Hijrah.

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A l Hasan al Basri, the leader of the disciples of the Companions of theProphet was, in fact, the son of Yasar the slave of Zayd Ibn Thabet al Ansari. Hismother Ummul Hasan was a slave woman of Ummu Salamah, the wife of theProphet peace be upon him. So he was born in the house of the Prophet, and hisfather’s master was one of the famous scribes who recorded Divine revelation forthe unlettered Prophet.

Yasar, father of al Hasan was a slave captured in Meesan between Basra andWaset in Iraq. He lived in Madinah where he was liberated from slavery. Then hegot married two years before the end of Uthman’s caliphate. al Hasan was broughtup in Wadi al Qura. Another report says that Ummul Hasan was captured andtaken prisoner of war when she was pregnant. She gave birth to al Hasan inMadinah. What is sure, however, is that al Hasan was the son of two ex-slaves.

Muhammad Ibn Sallam says that Ummu Salama used to send UmmulHasan to do anything for her. Al Hasan used to cry in his mother’s absence; soUmmu Salama would breast feed him for some time. She would also bring himout to the Companions of the Prophet while he was still young. They would prayfor him. Once Umer Ibn Al Khattab said: O Allah! Make him well versed inreligion and make people love him.

Al Hasan al Basri was as his name implies, the greatest scholar of Basra city.He met Uthman, Talha and a number of other senior Companions of the Prophetpeace be upon him. Abu Hilal says: I heard al Hasan say: Moses the Prophet ofAllah, used to cover his private parts whenever he took a bath. Ibn Buraydaasked al Hasan: Whom have you heard this from? From Abu Huraira, he said.

Al Hasan says: I used to enter the rooms of the Messenger of Allah duringthe caliphate of Uthman; I would touch their ceilings for I was a grown up boythen. I was 14 years old when Uthman was killed, al Hasan says. A beautifultradition reported by al Hasan al Basri on the authority of Anas Ibn Malek isthe following. He said: The Messenger of Allah peace be upon him used to givethe Friday sermon while standing near a piece of wood against which he wouldlean his back. When the number of people increased in the mosque he said:Make a pulpit of two steps for me, which they did. When the Prophet stood upto give the sermon on Friday the said piece of wood moaned as if it expressedits sad feeling of missing the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him. Anas

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comments: I was in the mosque and heard the piece moan. It continued tomoan until the Prophet descended to it and embraced it. Then it was silent. Asa matter of fact, whenever al Hasan narrated this tradition he would cry andsay: O slaves of Allah! A piece of wood misses the Messenger of Allah! It is youwho should do so.

It may sound strange how can a piece of wood moan and feel sorry and missthe absence of the Prophet. First of all there are other authentic traditions thatconfirm this incident. As Muslims we believe that everything in this worldglorifies the praises of Allah. Trees and stones used to greet the Messenger ofAllah, which is one of his minor miracles.

Rabeeah Ibn Kulthoom quotes al Hasan al Basri as saying: We learnt fromAbu Huraira the following: The Prophet ordered me to do three things: To take ashower every Friday, to finish my prayers nightly with one final prostration andto fast three days of every month. Muhammad Ibn Saad says in his famousencyclopedia called al Tabaqat that al Hasan al Basri was all embracing in hisknowledge, a real scholar of a high standard, one who excels in jurisprudence,reliable as a source, trustworthy, a sincere worshipper, overflowing with learning,outspoken, beautiful and handsome. He was also one of the bravest men. No onelooks like him except a prophet. That is why Ibn Burda says: No one is similar tothe Companions of the Prophet as he was. Thus Abu Qatada says: Keep close tothis old man, for I have seen no one whose opinion is like that of Umer as al Hasanis. So Anas Ibn Malek says: Ask al Hasan for he still remembers while we forgot.

Muath Ibn Muath says: I said to al Ashaath: You have met Atta and you hadquestions to ask why didn’t you ask him? He said: I have never met anyone afteral Hasan al Basri but was small in my eyes. Hammam says: It is said that theearth will never be lacking in seven men; through them people will get rain, andwith their blessing they will be defended and I hope that al Hasan is one of them.A man asked Atta about reciting the Quran on funerals. He said: We never learntor heard that they are recited upon. The man said: al Hasan says that we have torecite. Atta then said: Follow this, because al Hasan is a great scholar.

Abu Jaafar al Razi says: I remained a student of al Hasan for ten years duringwhich I always heard something new. Once al Hasan described the effect of theQuran on the believer. He said: Son of Adam! By Allah if you recite the Quranthen believe in it then your sadness will be long in this life, so will be your fearand your weeping. That is why one contemporary of al Hasan says: I never sawanyone who had such a long time of sadness as al Hasan al Basri. Everytime I met

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him I thought he had a new misfortune.

Imam al Qasseer says: Once I asked al Hasan about something. Then I said:Scholars of jurisprudence say so and so. He said: Have you ever seen a realscholar of this category. Such a scholar is he who is not interested in this life, whoknows his sins and who continuously worships his Lord. Khaled Ibn Safwan wasa close neighbour of al Hasan al Basri. Describing him once he said: I never sawa man like him. His outward appearance is identical to his inner reality, his wordsare identical to his deeds; if he enjoins what is right he is the first to do it, andwhen he forbids what is wrong he is the farthest one from it. I found him neverin need of other people, but people were in need of him.

Al Hasan al Basri once swore by Allah that he will be humiliated by Allahwho honours money. That is why he said: Two bad comrades are the dinar andthe dirham. They are useful to you only when they leave you.

Hajjaj al Aswad says: A man once expressed the following wish. He said:I wish I were a hermit like al Hasan, as pious as Ibn Seereen, as a goodworshipper as Ubadah Ibn Abd Qays and as understanding jurisprudence asSaeed Ibn al Musayyab. Those who heard these wishes said: All these arefound in al Hasan al Basri.

Iyas Ibn Abi Tameema says: I saw al Hasan in the funeral of Abu Raja. Hewas riding a mule and al Farazdaq, the famous poet, was along his side on acamel. The latter said to al Hasan: You and I are higher than all those attendingthe funeral. They will say: Look! The best and the worst are together alone. alHasan very humbly said: O Abu Firas. It may be that a bad looking person ismuch better than me; and you are better than many old men who are polytheists.What have you prepared for death? al Farazdaq said: The testimony that there isno deity except Allah. al Hasan said: It has its own conditions. Don’t attackchaste women in your poetry. al Farazdaq asked: Is there any chance forrepentence? al Hasan said: Of course there is.

Sahl Ibn Hussayn al Bahilee said: Once I sent to Abdullah son of al Hasan alBasri and asked him to send me all the books of his father. He wrote to Sahlsaying: When my father became seriously ill he asked me to collect them whichI did. Then al Hasan ordered his servant to burn them all except one paper whichhe sent to his son. When the latter came to his father al Hasan he asked him toread the contents of the paper which he did and al Hasan approved it.

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Here are a few wise sayings of al Hasan. Saleh al Murri says. al Hasan said:Son of Adam! You are nothing but a number of days, whenever each day passesthen part of you has gone. Mubarak Ibn Faddalah says: I heard al Hasan say thefollowing: Death has shown the reality of this worldly life. It did not leave anyhappiness for those who are wise. Thabet quotes al Hasan as saying: The laughterof a believer is a sign of the inadvertence of his heart. Talha Ibn Sabeeh says: AlHasan said: A believer believes in what Allah has said. He is the best of men in hisdeeds, but he fears Allah most, so that if he spends the size of a mountain ofmoney, he would not be sure of his reward until he sees this with his own eyes. Themore righteous and charitable the believer is, the more afraid of Allah he becomes.While the hypocrite says: Men are too many, I shall be forgiven. There is no harmon me. Thus he acts badly, but wishes many things from Allah. This wise sayingof al Hasan al Basri reminds me of another saying which describes real faithaccording to Islam. Faith is not mere wishes but what you have in your heartwhich is confirmed by your deeds. This means that deeds are the real test of faith.

Younus says: When death approached al Hasan he began to say: We are forAllah and to Him we will return. When he repeated this his son said: My fatheryou make us sad for your sake. Have you seen anything around you which youdon’t like? al Hasan said: It is only myself nothing is more heavy for me than itis. Hassan Ibn Hisham says: We were with Muhammad Ibn Seereen onThursday evening when a man told him about the death of al Hasan al Basri. Hewas so sad that he kept silent and the colour of his face was changed. He livedafter al hasan for one hundred days only. May Allah be pleased with them both.

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Muttarrif son of Abdullah Ibn al Shikheer was the famous imam, andauthority on religion. His nickname was Abu Abdullah al Aamiri al Basribrother of Yazid Ibn Abdullah. He transmitted traditions from his father, andquoted a good number of senior Companions of the Prophet like Ali Ibn AbiTaleb, Imran Ibn Hussayn, Ammar, Abu Tharr, Uthman, Aisha and severalothers. On the other hand those after him quoted him like al Hasan al Basri, hisbrother Yazid, Qattada, and many others.

Muttarrif Ibn Abdullah Ibn al Shikheer was thus the son of a Companion ofthe Prophet peace be upon him. He quotes his father who said: I came to theProphet while he was praying. He heard the sound of the Prophet crying inprayer and a sound similar to that of boiling water was heard from his breast dueto this. This tradition shows how weeping due to fear of Allah is allowed inprayer. It was Muttarrif’s father who transmitted it.

Ibn Saad in his Tabaqat mentioned Muttarrif and said: He is reliable, pious,wise and polite. In the mischief of Ibn al Ashaath it was only Muttarrif and IbnSeereen who were saved in the city of al Basra.

Al Ijlee says: He was reliable no one was saved from the tragedy of Ibn alAshaath in Basra except Muttarrif and Ibn Seereen. In Kufah two other scholarsonly did not take part in that tragic incident namely, Khaythama Ibn AbderRahman and Ibrahim al Nakhee.

Ghaylan Ibn Jareer says: Once a dispute took place between Muttarrif andanother man who lied to him. Muttarrif said: O Allah! If he is a liar then let himdie. The man died on the spot to the great surprise of those attending it. Whenthe case was mentioned to Zyad, the ruler of Basra, he said: you have killed theman. Muttarrif said: No. It was only a prayer that agreed and coincided with hisfate and nominated term.

Ghaylan again says: It is true that Muttarrif used to wear handsomeclothes, ride horses and go to rulers, but if you go to him you will achieve thepleasure of your eye. Muttarrif used to say: Increase in knowledge is better thanan increased worship. The best of one’s religion is his sensitive piety. Yazeed IbnAbdullah Ibn al Shikheer said: Muttarrif is ten years my senior and I am tenyears older than al hasan al Basri. This means that Muttarrif’s birth was in the

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year of the battle of Badr or that of Uhud, and so he must have heard from Umerand Ubay Ibn Kaab. Ibn Saad in his Tabaqat says: Muttarrif died at thebeginning of al Hajjaj’s take over which is incorrect because, as we said earlierhe attended the mischief caused by al Ashaath’s emergence. Tirmithi says hisdeath was in the 95th year after Hijrah.

Muttarrif Ibn Abdullah said: For me to sleep all night and wake uprepentent is better than to spend all night in prayer and awake arrogant; becausehe is a loser who is arrogant or who praises and admires himself. That is whyMuttarrif says: For Allah to ask me why haven’t you done this is much betterthan if he should ask me why have you done it. Again he is reported to have said:A slave is between Allah and Satan; if Allah saves him he will be secure, but ifAllah leaves him to Satan, he will take him away and go.

Referring to the fact that it is Allah only who helps man to do good,Muttarrif says: If my heart should be extracted and put in my left hand and gooddeeds were put in my right hand, I would not be able to put any good things inmy heart except with the help and will of Allah. Again he says: Death hasdestroyed all the pleasures of the well-to-do people. So seek happiness that hasno death.

Expressing the true Islamic concept of man’s free will Muttarrif says: Noone should ride a high mountain and throw himself from its top and then say:this is the will of Allah for me; but a man should take care, persevere and wardoff. If anything, however, should befall him, he should know that nothing willhappen to him except what Allah has written for him.

Muttarrif was a rich man. He paid a huge dowry for his wife; and he used towear nice and handsome clothes; this was because he remembered the saying ofthe Prophet wherein he said: Allah is beautiful and He likes everything that isbeautiful. In another tradition the Prophet said: Allah likes to see the reflectionof his Grace on his slaves. Thus in the Holy Quran we read: Say: Who hasforbidden the ornaments of Allah, which He has produced for His servants, andthe good provisions? Say: They are in the life of this world for those who believe,and purely for them on the Day of Judgment. ( 7-32 ) This does not mean thatMuttarrif was keen only to have the pleasures of this world. He was a real seekerand worker for the Hereafter. Thus his speech was always effective in the heartsof those who heard him.

Qatada says: When there was a mischief Muttarrif would forbid it and warn

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from indulging into it and would escape while al Hasan al Basri used to forbid itbut would not move from his place. Again Qatada narrates the followingincident. He says: Muttarrif was once walking with a friend of his on a pitch darknight. The end of the whip of one of them had a light in it. Another version says:The whip was heard glorifying Allah and celebrating His praises. Mutarrif’scomrade said: If we tell people about it they will not believe us. Muttarrif said:The liar is the one who refuses to believe this.

Another strange but true story about Muttarrif is the following: Muttarrifused to go to the desert. On each Friday night he would ride his horse and goaround. His whip would be lit like a torch for him. One night he entered acemetry and became drowsy while still riding his horse. He says; I saw as thoughthose buried in the graves each one sitting on his tomb. When they saw me theysaid: This is Muttarrif who comes on Friday. Muttarrif says: I asked: Do youknow about Friday in the graves? They said: Yes we know what the birds sayabout it. Muttarrif asked: What do birds say? They said: They say: Peace! Peace!What a day of righteousness!

A word of comment is necessary here. Miracles can take place at the handsof pious men. They, however, do not seek them nor are they arrogant when theyrefer to them. They attribute them to Allah Almighty as a sign of His Grace. Forbirds to say something that means a kind of glorification to Allah is confirmed bythe Holy Quran itself. Nothing in the universe but celebrates the praise and gloryof Allah. The following verse confirms this fact: Don’t you see that it is Allahwhose praises all beings in the heavens and on earth do celebrate, and the birdswith wings outspread? Each one knows its own mode of prayer and praise. AndAllah knows well all that they do. ( 24-41 )

Two men mention the following story: They entered upon Muttarrif andfound him fainting. Three lights shone from him brilliantly: one from his head,another from his waist and the third from his legs. The two men were surprisedto see this. When he awoke from his unconsciousness, they said: How are youAbu Abdullah? He said: Good. They told him what they saw upon which hesaid: These are the product of reciting the chapter of prostration which is 29verses; its beginning lit my head, its middle my waist and its end my feet. I feelthat it will intercede with Allah for me. Reciting it is a guard for me.

Muhammad Ibn Wasea says: Muttarrif used to say: O Allah! Be pleasedwith us. If not then forgive us. For the master may forgive his slave although heis dissatisfied with him. Muttarrif also used to say to his friends: O my friends!

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If anyone needs something, let him write it on something instead of talking aboutit to me, for I hate to see in your face the humiliation of begging. As a matter offact, Yazid Ibn Abdullah, Muttarrif’s brother once said: Muttarrif asked us notto tell anyone about his funeral. Yazid lived a few years after Muttarrif.

Qattada quotes Muttarrif as saying: I met Ali Ibn Abi Taleb may Allah bepleased with him. He said: O Abu Abdullah! What is it that delayed you fromcoming to me? Is it your love to Uthman? If you say yes, he deserves this, becausehe was the best one of us in doing good to his kins and was the most pious oneamong us. Mahdi Ibn Maymoon says Muttarrif said: My fear of Hell fire wasabout to forbid me to ask Paradise from Allah.

Ibn Uyayna says: Muttarrif Ibn Abdullah said: I would not like to commitone lie even if I have the whole world for it. This shows how keen he was to saythe truth and to avoid falsehood. Some perverted people during the times ofmischief came to Muttarrif and asked him to follow them. He said: Look here! IfI had two souls I would give you one and keep the other; if you are rightly guidedI would give you the second one; but if you are perverted I would save one of thetwo. But I only have one soul and so I am not ready to risk it.

Muttarrif said: For me to be in a blessing and thank Allah for it is better thanto be tested and be patient. When Muttarrif used to enter his house even theutensils would glorify Allah with him. Muttarrif died in the 86th year afterHijrah.

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I bn al Hanafiyah as he is well known, was the third son of Imam Ali IbnAbi Taleb. His mother was called al Hanafiyah, hence his nickname. Ibn alhanafiyah was born in the year in which Abu Bakr al Siddiq died. He thustransmitted from a number of companions of the Prophet. As a matter of fact,Ibn al Hanafiyah says: My name was approved by the Prophet. Once myfather(Ali) said: O Messenger of Allah! Should I have a son after you, can I givehim your name and your nick name? The Prophet said: yes.

Once Ali and Talha quarrelled with each other. Talha said: Your audacitydrove you to call your son after the Prophet’s name and nickname! Ali, however,said: The audacious is the one who transgresses against Allah and his Apostle.Then he called some people of Quraish and asked: What do you testify? Theysaid: We testify that the Prophet peace be upon him said: After me you will havea son to whom I have given my name and nickname; and this is not allowed toanyone else of my nation, meaning to have both. Ibn al hanafiyah was anextremely pious and a great scholar of his time. No one else transmittedtraditions from Ali as much as he did.

Abu Aassem says: Muhammad Ibn al-Hanafiyah overcame Marwan ibn alHakam on the day of the camel, the battle between Ali and Muawiya. He sat onhis chest. After some time, when Ibn al Hanafiyah visited Abdel Malek ibnMarwan the latter said: Do you remember when you sat on the chest of Marwan.Excuse me O leader of the Faithful. Ibn al Hanafiyah replied. Abdel Malek,however, said: I mention it to you while I intend to reward you, because I wantyou to know that I have been told about it.

Al Waqidee says: When ibn al hanafiyah moved to live in Madinah, andestablished a house for his family at al Baqee, he wrote to caliph Abdel Malekto get his permission to march to him. When the latter allowed him to come hearrived in Damascus in the year 78 after Hijrah. He stayed there for a wholemonth and then spoke to Abdel Malek alone, mentioned his relation to himand the debt he suffered from. Abdel Malek promised to settle his debt andgave him all that he owed due to the bad treatment he received from AbdullahIbn al Zubair.

Some people called Ibn al Hanafiyah “al Mahdi” or the guided one andclaimed that he did not die at all. This is of course contrary to the basic

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teachings of Islam.

Ibn al Hanafiyah was born during the caliphate of Abu Bakr, says Ibn Saadin his Tabaqat. Asma bint Abi Bakr says: I saw the mother of Muhammad Ibn alHanafiyah who was a black woman from Sind. She was a slave for Haneefa tribe.Yahya Ibn Saeed says: I asked Ibn al Musayyab: How old were you during thecaliphate of Umer? Ibn al Musayyab said: I was born in the last two years of hiscaliphate. When this was mentioned to Ibn Al Hanafiyah he said: That is mybirthday. This is of course contrary to what Ibn Saad mentioned.

Ibn al Hanafiyah says: As I was with my sister Ummu Kulthoom Umer Ibnal Khattab entered. He embraced me and said: Treat him kindly and give himsweets. This is mentioned by the reliable Ibn Asakir in his history. It clearlyshows the excellent relation between Umer and the family of Ali Ibn Abi Taleb.Ibrahim Ibn al Junaid says: No one ever quoted Ali as often and as much as Ibnal Hanafiyah. He was extremely pious and had much knowledge.

Munthir al Thawri says: I was with Muhammad Ibn al Hanafiyah when hesaid: I don’t testify that anyone is safe from Hell fire, neither that anyone is fromthe owners of Paradise after the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him, noteven my father Ali. This shows how pious and unbiased and humble Ibn alHanafiyah was.

Abdel Malek Ibn Marwan once wrote to Ibn al Hanafiya saying: FromAbdel Malek, leader of the Faithful to Muhammad Ibn Ali. When the latter readthe said letter he said: We shall all return to Allah. The freed slaves and those whowere cursed by the Messenger of Allah are now on the forums of leadership!What a strange turn of affairs. When Ibn al Zubair was killed, and the kingdomwas established for Abdel Malek, Ibn al Hanafiyah expressed his loyalty to him.

Al Zuhri says: A man once asked Ibn al Hanafiya: Why your father used tosend you on risky missions which he never asked al Hasan and al Husain to do?Ibn al Hanafiyah replied: Because my two brothers were his cheeks and I was hishands; so he used to keep danger away from his cheeks by his hands. Again Ibnal Hanafiyah said: He is not wise at all who does not treat gently those whom hehas to be kind to until Allah makes a way out for him. Another wise saying of Ibnal Hanafiyah is this: This life has no value for him who honours himself. Allahhas made Paradise the price of your souls, so don’t sell them for other things.

In the year 65 after Hijrah ibn al Zubair asked Ibn al Hanafiyah to express

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loyalty to him; but he refused and said: I won’t give you my support until youconquer the whole land. Ibn al Zubair, however, beseiged him and threatened tokill him. al Mukhtar, says: al Waqidee was the staunchest enemy of Ibn alZubair. He claimed that Ibn al Zubair used to ask power for Ibn al Hanafiyahand that he dealt with him unjustly. He then started to praise Ibn al Hanafiyahand ask people to make him caliph which many did secretly.

Some people, however, doubted in what al Mukhtar was doing. They said:We gave this man our oaths simply because he claimed that he is the agent of Ibnal Hanafiyah who is in Makkah, not very far from us. Some of them, accordingly,went to Ibn al Hanfiyah and told him about the affair of al Mukhtar. When heheard this he said: We are beseiged as you see. By Allah I don’t like to haveauthority over the whole world and kill one single believer. I pray to Allah tosupport us through the help of whom He pleases, but beware of liars.

Al Mukhtar was, however, very clever and cunning. He falsified a letter inthe name of Ibn al Hanafiyah to Ibrahim Ibn al Ashtar whom he visited to takehis leave. al Ashtar was told that al Mukhtar the agent of al Muhammad and theirmessenger is waiting at your door. al Ashtar allowed him and gave him anauspicious welcome. Then al Mukhtar spoke and could encourage al Ashtar tocome to his help. When the news came to Ibn al Zubair he felt bitterly againstIbn al Hanafiyah. The affair of al Mukhtar grew stronger and stronger. Hechased the killers of al Husain and killed them. He also gave Ibn al Ashtar 20,000warriors who marched against Ibn Ziyad, killed him and sent his head to AlMukhtar who in turn sent it to Ibn al Hanafiyah and to Ali Ibn al Husain.Despite all this Ibn al Hanafiyah never liked al Mukhtar.

Al Aswad Ibn Qays says: I once met a man from Anza who said: I reachedIbn al Hanafiyah and said: Peace be on you O Mahdi. He said: And on you bepeace. I said: I need something. When he wanted to depart I followed him. Wesuffered so much due to our love to you that our heads have been cut off, we werechased and harmed for your sake. I heard certain stories about you and so I cameto talk to you to make sure of their truth. Ibn al Hanafiyah said: Avoid thesestories. Stick to the Book of Allah. By it your predecessors have been guided andby it the rest of you will be guided. If you have been harmed those who weremuch better than you have also been hurt. The issue of the family of Muhammadis clearer than the rising of the sun.

Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn al Hanafiya says: I heard Abu Huraira may Allahbe pleased with him who said: There is no more critical situation than in

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shedding the blood of a Muslim. One of those present said to Ibn al Hanafiyah:This man attacks your father. He said: No. Those in charge granted him theirloyalty. So when some people repealed their oath of allegiance he fought them.Ibn al Zubair envies me for my position. He would that I should make acontravention in the Holy Shrine of Makkah as he did.

Again Ibn al Hanafiyah said: May Allah have mercy on every Muslim whois satisfied, who avoids evil either from his hand or from his tongue, and who sitsin his house. He will be rewarded according to his deeds and will be with thosewhom he loved. Doubtless that the deeds of the Umayyads will be quicker inthem than the swords of Muslims. Those on the right path will have their statewhich Allah will establish whenever He wills. Whoever lives until it is fulfilledwill have his honoured position; but those who die, what is with Allah is betterand more permanent.

Ibn Saad says: al Mukhtar was killed in the year 68 after Hijrah. In thefollowing year Ibn al Zubair sent his brother Urwa to Ibn al Hanafiyah with thefollowing message: I am not going to leave you until you are loyal to me, or I shallreturn you to your jail. The liar whom you claimed his support to you is nowkilled; and the people of Iraq are following me. So be loyal.

Ibn al Hanafiyah said: O Urwa! your brother is very swift in cutting offrelations with other relatives. He refused to give his loyalty to either Ibn alZubair or Abdel Malek who were competing for it until all people wouldfollow one of the two. Those around Ibn al Hanafiyah instigated him to killUrwa, he refused and said: A man has brought a message from his brother.Why kill him then.

One day Abdel Malek asked Ibn al Hanafiyah to give him the sword of theMessenger of Allah. He gave it to him and asked him to stop al Hajjaj from harminghim, which he did. May Allah have mercy on all those who follow His path.

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T his brings us to the end of “Luminaries of Islam”. Thus werethe followers of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him both men andwomen who lived up to the principles of this last religion of God and thusthey were examples for humanity at its best. None of them was, however,a monotonous repetition of any of the others but each had something greatthat made him unique. It only remains that humanity today should walkin their footsteps so that it may achieve success and happiness in this lifeand in the Hereafter.

The Author

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Conclusion

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al Najjar, Abdel Wahab,Qasasul Anbiya (Stories of Prophets) - Dar Ihya al Turathal Arabi. Beirut, Lebanon. Third Edition.

Besant, Annie,The Life & Teachings of Muhammad - Madras. 1932.

Carlyle, Thomas,On Heroes & Heroe Worship & The HeroicEveryman’s Library, London. 1918.

Cherfils,Bonaparte et L’lslam - Paris, France.

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