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Devoted Companion
Part-I
By
Ma'il Kahairabad
CCONTENTS
1.
Hadrat
Musab bin ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him)
2.
The
Great Martyr Hadrat Hamza (Allah be pleased with him)
3.
Hadrat Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib
(Allah be pleased with him)
4.
Hadrat Ja’afar Tayyar (Allah be
pleased with him)
5.
Hadrat ‘Ubaida bin
Al-Jarrah (Allah be pleased with him)
6.
Hadrat Saeed bin Zaid
(Allah be pleased with him)
7.
Hadrat Tufail bin
‘Amar Doosi (Allah be pleased with him)
MUS’AB BIN ‘UMAIR
(May Allah be pleased with him)
Hadrat Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair (May Allah be pleased with him) was a very handsome
young man. He was the son of ‘Umair’ a wealthy person. He brought up his
son in quite a luxurious fashion. Mus‘ab enjoyed the best of food, finest
dresses and the best perfumes. Whenever Mus‘ab passed through the streets,
dressed in precious clothes and profusely perfumed, the sweet smell scented
the atmosphere all around and the people gazed at him with amazement and
appreciation. His beauty and charm was the talk of the town. Every person
knew that Mus‘ab’s parents were bringing up their son with great affection
and care. Whenever the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) talked of him, he
said
“There is nobody more handsome in Mecca than Mus‘ab. There is no person in
the city better clothed and fed than Mus‘ab. There is no child brought up
with mote affection and love than him.”
Due to his charming personality and being a lovely son of wealthy parents,
every one- your or old- had a great regard for him. When he embraced Islam
he was given a respectable place in Muslim society. But it was not due to
his beauty, charm, good dress, good manners or wealth, but due to his piety
and fear of God.
When he
embraced Islam, he was put to severe hardships torture. The beauty and
charm of his person faded. He was also deprived of the affection and care
of his parents. But his virtues and piety won the appreciation of Allah and
His Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). In his pursuit for winning the favour
of Allah and his His Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), Mus‘ab cared neither
for good food, nor good dress. He was no more inclined towards costly
cosmetics and perfumes, instead he devoted himself whole heartedly to serve
the noble cause of Islam.
Mus‘ab accepted Islam at a time when life had been made unbearable for
Muslims. He was turned out of his home. Nobody talked to him. He was
social boycotted. He had to suffer countless miseries. This pampered young
man embraced Islam at a time when those who believed in Islam were refused
food and water and were thrown in dark prison cells. Many bloodthirsty
tyrants not satisfied with the infliction of pain and injury, often murdered
their Muslim victims. There were other hard-hearted fellows who had
invented various forms of torments, to inflict on poor Muslims. They
enjoyed the writhing and wriggling of their Muslim prisoners. A Muslim
thrown flat on the burning Arabian sand in the mid-day sun with very heavy
stones placed his breast, or forcibly stretched on red hot coals to the
enjoyment of the spectators, was an every day scene in Mecca.
Hadrat Mus‘ab accepted Islam during that difficult period. One day a non
believer saw him offering prayers. He at once informed his parents who
turned hostile to their son. All the affection of his mother vanished. Al
the love and care of his father changed into anger and grief. They
admonished him. But, when they knew that he was firm, they tied him with
ropes and threw him in a dark cell. He was kept in prison for a long time,
but his belief in Islam was so deep that the torment of prison did not
change his mind. He sacrificed everything and remained calm and quiet.
When the Muslims were ordered to migrate to Abyssinia, this Youngman,
brought up like a Prince, also went to Abyssinia, alongwith the other
devotees of Allah. When he returned from Abyssinia, people saw in him a
different person- all the luster and geity was gone. He who would have
scoffed at the most precious raiment, was wearing a dress made of coarse,
worn-out blanket. The spectacle inspired amazement, and awe among the
onlookers. His mother, too, pitied her son’s condition and repented of the
harsh treatment, she had shown to him.
Meanwhile, Hadrat Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair presented himself to the Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) in such a condition that he had only a piece of skin
with patches here and there to cover his body. When the Companions of the
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) saw this, they hung their heads in awe.
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) observed, “Al-hamd-o-Lillah ! Now the
condition of the world and worldly people should change. This is the young
man who had no equal in Mecca in the luxurious style in which he was brought
up. But the regard for virtue and love for Allah and his Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) have made him indifferent to all worldly pleasures.”
During this period many people of Medina had accepted Islam. They requested
the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) to send them a preacher for teaching
them the fundamentals of Islam. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)
selected Hadrat Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair for this purpose ; he gave him some
instructions and sent him to Medina. Later events showed that mus‘ab bin
‘Umair proved himself worthy of the confidence reposed in him.
On reaching Medina Hadrat Mus‘ab begant to perform the duty entrusted to him
with all the sagaci6ty necessary for a preacher. He went from door to door
to convince the people for the message of Islam. Initially he talked to
each person in terms which that person could understand, and then presented
to him the message of Islam at the right moment. He recited before the
people selected verses of the Holy Qur’an, which had a profound effect on
their minds. He treated his visitors very politely. He had a natural gift
for soft speech and people who approached him instantly became his friends.
An incident is related below, as an example:
One day Hadrat Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair was explaining some Islamic precepts to a
group of Muslims. By chance an elite of Medina, Sa ‘ad bin ma ‘az happened
to come there. He had heard about Mus‘ab bin “Umair’s preaching for Islam
and was very angry with him. He said to an influential person, Usaid bin
Huzair, “Turn this preacher of Islam out of your neighbourhood. He has
turned many persons away from the path of their ancestral faith. If I was
not a relation of SA‘ad ( with who Mus‘ab was staying), I would not have
asked you to do that, but would have done it myself.” Usaid at once took his
spear and went to Sa ‘ad’s house. He called both of them and said
furiously, “Who has called you here to lead the people astray? If your
lives are dear to you, go away from this place at once.”
To this Hadrat Mus‘ab replied very gently, “Please sit down and listen to us
calmly. If you like what we say, then you may accept it otherwise we shall
leave this place.” Us‘ad stuck his spear in the ground and sat down to
listen to what Mus ‘ab recited some verses of the Holy Qur‘an. He
explained to the audience the identity of Allah as the Creator, the Master
and the Merciful, in such an impressive manner that in a short time Usaid
was filled with the light of fidelity and he exclaimed, “What an excellent
faith, How can I embrace Islam? After that he recited the Kalima and
embraced Islam.
After some time Sa ‘ad bin Mu‘az also arrived there mad with rage. But, he
too was softened like wax by the sublime eloquence of Hadrath Mus‘ab, and
before he left he had already recited the Kalima about the Oneness of Allah
and become a Muslim. Soon after all the inhabitants of Medina except a few,
accepted Islam.
It was in Medina too that Hadrat Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair did a remarkable work
which shows his intelligence and tact in propagating the call of Islam.
When the number is Muslims increased in Medina, he organized them in a body
and requested permission of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to lay the
foundation of Friday prayers.
When the permission of Friday prayers was granted his first talks was to
deliver a very impressive address. Then he led the congregational Friday
prayers with great reverence. In this way Hadrat Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair had the
honour of founding the Friday prayers. True, when Allah is please with a
person. He entrusts him with such noble works. The successes which by the
grace of Allah Hadrat Mus‘ab achieved at Medina were constantly reported to
the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). When Mus‘ab’s mission had been fully
acomplished he led a group of Muslims to Mecca to bring the Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) to Medina. On arrival at Mecca the first thing which
Hadrat Mus‘ab did was to approach the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) to
give him a full report of the success of his mission. The Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) was very pleased with Mus‘ab’a account. A true Muslim (Momin)
does not require anything else but the pleasure of the Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him) of Allah.
Hadrat Mus‘ab’s mother learnt that her son had returned home at last ; and
that he was staying with someone else. She felt annoyed and sent him word :
“My son! You have returned to a town, in which I reside. But woe to me!
You have not come to see me!” The reply which Hadrat Mus‘ab sent to his
mother shows his sincere devotion to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
He said, “I will not see anybody before I have paid homage to the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him)".
The account of Hadrat Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair (peace be upon him) give above
presents before ‘us an exemplary proof of the great love he had for Islam
and the pains he took in presenting Islam to the non-believers. He
sacrificed everything he possessed for the sake of Islam-his charm and
beauty, his wealth and worldly belongings, his luxurious style of living and
shed his attachment to his parents, his home- land, his people and his own
country. In short everything which was dear to him, was sacrificed by him
for Islam. But this chapter of the history of Hadrat Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair
(Allah be pleased with him) will remain incomplete without an account of his
death.
It may be recollected that Hadrat Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair (Allah be pleased with
him) was not only very handsome, he did not only possess the qualities of
submission and sacrifice, and he was not only a master of high intelligence
and good eloquence, but he was also a gallant soldier, a fearless warrior
and an able General. It was because of his gallantry that the Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) had entrusted him with the charge of the highest banner
of war, in the battle of Badr. At the battle of Uhud also he got the rare
honour of holding the Muslim banner. The way in which the high office of
holding the war banner was discharged in the two battles by this great
devotee of Islam may be judged from the events of the Battle of Uhud.
In the battle of Uhud it so happened that the battle was lost for a while by
a casual mistake of the Muslims. The non-believers of Mecca attacked the
Muslims in the rear and thus disorganized the Muslim army. At that critical
time Hadrat Mus‘ab (Allah be pleased with him) kept the Islamic banner
flying high. He attacked the forces of the enemy all alone. He could not
think of acting against the order of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)
and making a retreat. At that time many non-believers attacked the Muslim
warrior simultaneously and surrounded him. There were countless attacks on
him by sword and spear.
With great valour he with stood the attack. He bore the cuts of the enemy
on his breast, but held the Islamic banner in his hands firmly. During this
attack one of the enemies stepped forward and cut off his right hand with
one stroke of the sword. The hand fell on the ground. The banner was about
to fall when he transferred it to his left hand. The enemy now took another
chance and struck a second blow of sword on his left hand. Still Hadrat
Mus‘ab did not lose courage; he did not allow the banner to fall down; he
held it by his breast, within the circle of his arms. The enemy was
irritated to see such intrepid devotion.
In savage fury, he threw the sword on the ground and flung a spear at the
breast of mus‘ab. The pointed end of the blade pierced the chest, broke and
remained embedded there.
The great hero, thus fell to the ground reciting the following Qur’anic
verse :
Quranic
Ayath (Aal Imran)
Wa ma
Muhammad-dun illa rasulun qad khalat min qablehil rusul).
Meaning : “And Muhammad (peace be upon him) is only a prophet of Allah.
Many other Prophets have passed away before him.
When the keeper of Islamic banner fell, the banner fluttered in the
air. Seing this Abul Room bin ‘Umair (Allah be pleased with him), brother
of the martyr, moved forward and took over the banner. He protected its
honour till the last.
When the battle came to an end the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) stood by
the dead body of Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umair (Allah be pleased with him) and recited
the verse :
AAyath
AhZaab
(Minal
momeneena rejalun sadqu ma ‘ahadullaha ‘ alaihe)
Meaning : “There are some persone
among the devoted Muslims (momeneen) who kept ther promise made to Allah.” |