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Musab Ibn Umayr
Musab ibn Umayr was born and grew up in the lap of affluence and
luxury. His rich parents lavished a great deal of care and attention on
him. He wore the most expensive clothes and the most stylish shoes of
his time. Yemeni shoes were then considered to be very elegant and it
was his privilege to have the very best of these.
As a youth he was admired by the Quraysh not only for his good looks
and style but for his intelligence. His elegant bearing and keen mind
endeared him to the Makkan nobility among whom he moved with ease.
Although still young, he had the privilege of attending Quraysh
meetings and gatherings. He was thus in a position to know the issues
which concerned the Makkans and what their attitudes and strategies
were.
Among Makkans there was a sudden outburst of excitement and concern as
Muhammad, known as al-Amin (the Trustworthy), emerged saying that God
had sent him as a bearer of good tidings and as a warner. He warned the
Quraysh of terrible chastisement if they did not turn to the worship
and obedience of God and he spoke of Divine rewards for the righteous.
The whole of Makkah buzzed with talk of these claims. The vulnerable
Quraysh leaders thought of ways of silencing Muhammad. When ridicule
and persuasion did not work, they embarked on a campaign of harassment
and persecution.
Musab learnt that Muhammad and those who believed in his message were
gathering in a house near the hill of as-Safa to evade Quraysh
harassment. This was the house of al-Arqam. To satisfy his curiosity,
Musab proceeded to the house undererred by the know ledge of Quraysh
hostility. There he met the Prophet teaching his small band of
companions, reciting the verses of the Quran to them and performing
Salat with them in submission to God, the Great, the Most High.
The Prophet welcomed him, and with his noble hand tenderly touched
Musab's heart as it throbbed with excitement. A deep feeling of
tranquility came over him.
Musab was totally overwhelmed by what he had seen and heard. The words
of the Quran had made a deep and immediate impression on him.
In this first meeting with the Prophet, the young and decisive Musab
declared his acceptance of Islam. It was a historic moment. The keen
mind of Musab, his tenacious will and determination, his eloquence and
his beautiful character were now in the service of Islam and would help
change the course of men's destinies and of history.
On accepting Islam Musab had one major concern his mother. Her name was
Khunnas bint Malik. She was a woman of extraordinary power. She had a
dominant personality and could easily arouse fear and terror. When
Musab became a Muslim, the only power on earth he might have feared was
his mother. All the powerful nobles of Makkah and their attachment to
pagan customs and traditions were of little consequence to him. Having
his mother as an opponent, however, could not be taken lightly.
Musab thought quickly. He decided that he should conceal his acceptance
of Islam until such time as a solution should come from God. He
continued to frequent the House of al-Arqam and sit in the company of
the Prophet. He felt serene in his new faith and by keeping all
indications of his acceptance of Islam away from her, he managed to
stave off his mother's wrath, but not for long.
It was difficult during those days to k eep anything secret in Makkah
for long. The eyes and ears of the Quraysh were on every road. Behind
every footstep imprinted in the soft and burning sand was a Quraysh
informer. Before long, Musab was seen as he quietly entered the House
of al-Arqam, by someone called Uthman ibn Talhah.
At another time, Uthman saw Musab praying in the same manner as
Muhammad prayed. The conclusion was obvious.
As winds in a storm, the devastating news of Musab's acceptance of
Islam spread among the Quraysh and eventually reached his mother.
Musab stood before his mother, his clan and the Quraysh nobility who
had all gathered to find out what he had done and what he had to say
for himself.
With a certain humility and calm confidence, Musab acknowledged that he
had become a Muslim and no doubt he explained his reasons for so doing.
He then recited some verses of the Quran - verses which had cleansed
the hearts of the believers and brought them back to the natural
religion of God. Though only few in number, their hearts were now
filled with wisdom, honor, justice and courage.
As Musab's mother listened to her son on whom she had lavished so much
care and affection, she became increasingly incensed. She felt like
silencing him with one terrible blow. But the hand which shot out like
an arrow staggered and faltered before the light which radiated from
Musab's serene face. Perhaps, it was her mother's love which restrained
her from actually beating him, but still she felt she had to do
something to avenge the gods which her son had forsaken. The solution
she decided upon was far worse for Musab than a few blows could ever
have been. She had Musab taken to a far corner of the house. There he
was firmly bound and tethered. He had become a prisoner in his own home.
For a long time, Musab remained tied and confined under the watchful
eyes of guards whom his mother had placed over him to prevent him from
any further contact with Muhammad and his faith. Despite his ordeal,
Musab did not waver. He must have had news of how other Muslims were
being harassed and tortured by the idolators. For him, as for many
other Muslims, life in Makkah was becoming more and more intolerable.
Eventually he heard that a group of Muslims were preparing secretly to
migrate to Abyssinia to seek refuge and relief. His immediate thoughts
were how to escape from his prison and join them. At the first
opportunity, when his mother and his warders were off-guard, he managed
to slip away quietly. Then with utmost haste he joined the other
refugee s and before long they sailed together across the Red Sea to
Africa.
Although the Muslims enjoyed peace and security in the land of the
Negus, they longed to be in Makkah in the company of the noble Prophet.
So when a report reached Abyssinia that the conditions of the Muslims
in Makkah had improved, Musab was among the fi rst to return to Makkah.
The report was in fact false and Musab once again left for Abyssinia.
Whether he was in Makkah or Abyssinia, Musab remained strong in his new
faith and his main concern was to make his life worthy of his Creator.
When Musab returned to Makkah again, his mother made a last attempt to
gain control of him and threatened to have him tied up again and
confined. Musab swore that if she were to do that, he would kill
everyone who helped her. She knew very well that he would carry out
this threat for she saw the iron determination he now had.
Separation was inevitable. When the moment came, it was sad for both
mother and son but it revealed a strong Persistence in kufr on the part
of the mother and an even greater persistence in iman on the part of
the son. As she threw him out of her house and cut him off from all the
material comforts she used to lavish on him, she said:
"Go to your own business. I am not prepared to be a mother to you."
Musab went up close to her and said:
"Mother, I advise you sincerely. I am concerned about you. Do testify
that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and His
Messenger."
"I swear by the shooting stars, I shall not enter your religion even if
my opinion is ridiculed and my mind becomes impotent," she insisted.
Musab thus left her home and the luxury and comforts he used to enjoy.
The elegant, well-dressed youth would henceforth be seen only in the
coursest of attire. He now had more important concerns. He was
determined to use his talents and energies in acquiring knowledge and
in serving God and His Prophet.
One day, several years later, Musab came upon a gathering of Muslims
sitting around the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. They
bowed their heads and lowered their gaze when they saw Musab, and some
were even moved to tears. This was because his jalbab was old and in
tatters and they were immediately taken back to the days before his
acceptance of Islam when he was a model of sartorial elegance. The
Prophet looked at Musab, smiled gracefully and said:
"I have seen this Musab with his parents in Makkah. They lavished care
and attention on him and gave him all comforts. There was no Quraysh
youth like him. Then he left all that seeking the pleasure of God and
devoting himself to the service of His Prophet." The Prophet then went
on to say:
"There will come a time when God will grant you victory over Persia and
Byzantium. You would have one dress in the morning and another in the
evening and you would eat out of one dish in the morning and another in
the evening."
In other words, the Prophet predicted that the Muslims would become
rich and powerful and that they would have material goods in plenty.
The companions sitting around asked the Prophet:
"O Messenger of Allah, are we in a better situation in these times or
would we be better off then?" He replied:
"You are rather better off now than you would be then. If you knew of
the world what I know you would certainly not be so much concerned with
it."
On another occasion, the Prophet talked in a similar vein to his
companions and asked them how they would be if they could have one suit
of clothes in the morning and another in the evening and even have
enough material to put curtains in their houses just as the Kabah was
fully covered. The companions replied that they would then be in a
better situation because they would then have sufficient sustenance and
would be free for ibadah (worship). The Prophet however told them that
they were indeed better o ff as they were.
After about ten years of inviting people to Islam, most of Makkah still
remained hostile. The noble Prophet then went to Taif seeking new
adherents to the faith. He was repulsed and chased out of the city. The
future of Islam looked bleak.
It was just after this that the Prophet chose Musab to be his
"ambassador" to Yathrib to teach a small group of believers who had
come to pledge allegiance to Islam and prepare Madinah for the day of
the great Hijrah.
Musab was chosen above companions who were older than he or were more
closely related to the Prophet or who appeared to possess greater
prestige. No doubt Musab was chosen for this task because of his noble
character, his fine manners and his sharp intellect. His knowledge of
the Quran and his ability to recite it beautifully and movingly was
also an important consideration.
Musab understood his mission well. He knew that he was on a sacred
mission. to invite people to God and the straight path of Islam and to
prepare what was to be the territorial base for the young and
struggling Muslim community.
He entered Madinah as a guest of Sad ibn Zurarah of the Khazraj tribe.
Together they went to people, to their homes and their gatherings,
telling them about the Prophet, explaining Islam to them and reciting
the Quran. Through the grace of God, many accepted Islam. This was
especially pleasing to Musab but profoundly alarming to many leaders of
Yathribite society.
Once Musab and Sad were sitting near a well in an orchard of the Zafar
clan. With them were a number of new Muslims and others who were
interested in Islam. A powerful notable of the city, Usayd ibn Khudayr,
came up brandishing a spear. He was livid with rage. Sad ibn Zararah
saw him and told Musab:
"This is a chieftain of his people. May God place truth in his heart."
"If he sits down, I will speak to him," replied Musab, displaying all
the calm and tact of a great daiy.
The angry Usayd shouted abuse and threatened Musab and his host. "Why
have you both come to us to corrupt the weak among us? Keep away from
us if you want to stay alive." Musab smiled a warm and friendly smile
and said to Usayd: "Won't you sit down and listen? If you are pleased
and satisfied with our mission. accept it and if you dislike it we
would stop telling you what you dislike and leave."
"That's reasonable," said Usayd and, sticking his spear in the ground,
sat down. Musab was not compelling him to do anything. He was not
denouncing him. He was merely inviting him to listen. If he was
satisfied, well and good. If not, then Musab would leave his district
and his clan without any fuss and go to another district.
Musab began telling him about Islam and recited the Quran to him. Even
before Usayd spoke, it was clear from his face, now radiant and
expectant, that faith had entered his heart. He said:
"How beautiful are these words and how true! What does a person do if
he wants to enter this religion?"
"Have a bath, purify yourself and your clothes. Then utter the
testimony of Truth (Shahadah), and perform Salat. Usayd left the
gathering and was absent for only a short while. He returned and
testified that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah. He then prayed two rakats and said:
"After me, there is a man who if he follows you, everyone of his people
will follow him. I shall send him to you now. He is 'Sad ibn Muadh."
Sad ibn Muadh came and listened to Musab. He was convinced and
satisfied and declared his submission to God. He was followed by
another important Yathribite, Sad ibn Ubadah. Before long, the people
of Yathrib were all in a flurry, asking one another.
"If Usayd ibn Khudayr, Sad ibn Muadh and Sad ibn Ubadah have accepted
the new religion, how can we not follow? Let's go to Musab and believe
with him. They say that truth emanates from his lips."
The first ambassador of the Prophet, peace be on him, was thus
supremely successful. The Prophet had chosen well. Men and women, the
young and the old, the powerful and the weak accepted Islam at his
hands. The course of Yathribite history had been changed forever. The
way was being prepared for the great Hijrah. Yathrib was soon to become
the center and the base for the Islamic state.
Less than a year after his arrival in Yathrib, Musab returned to
Makkah. It was again in the season of pilgrimage. With him was a group
of seventy-five Muslims from Madinah. Again at Aqabah, near Mina, they
met the Prophet. There they solemnly undertook to defend the Prophet at
all cost. Should they remain firm in their faith, their reward, said
the Prophet, would be nothing less than Paradise. This second bayah or
pledge which the Muslims of Yathrib made came to be called the Pledge
of War.
From then on events moved swiftly. Shortly after the Pledge, the
Prophet directed his persecuted followers to migrate to Yathrib where
the new Muslims or Ansar (Helpers) had shown their willingness to give
asylum and extend their protection to the afflic ted Muslims. The first
of the Prophet's companions to arrive in Madinah were Musab ibn Umayr
and the blind Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum. Abdullah also recited the Quran
beautifully and according to one of the Ansar, both Musab and Abdullah
recited the Quran for the people of Yathrib.
Musab continued to play a major role in the building of the new
community. The next momentous situation in which we meet him was during
the great Battle of Badr. After the battle was over, the Quraysh
prisoners of war were brought to the Prophet who assig ned them to the
custody of individual Muslims. "Treat them well," he instructed.
Among the prisoners was Abu Aziz ibn Umayr, the brother of Musab. Abu
Aziz related what happened: "I was among a group of Ansar...Whenever
they had lunch or dinner they would give me bread and dates to eat in
obedience to the Prophet's instructions to th em to treat us well.
"My brother, Musab ibn Umayr, passed by me and said to the man from the
Ansar who was holding me prisoner:
'Tie him firmly... His mother is a woman of great wealth and maybe she
would ransom him for you.'" Abu Aziz could not believe his ears.
Astonished, he turned to Musab and asked: "My brother, is this your
instruction concerning me?"
"He is my brother, not you," replied Musab thus affirming that in the
battle between iman and kufr, the bonds of faith were stronger than the
ties of kinship.
At the Battle of Uhud, the Prophet called upon Musab, now well-known as
Musab al-Khayr (the Good), to carry the Muslim standard. At the
beginning of th e battle, the Muslims seemed to be gaining the upper
hand. A group of Muslims then went against the orders of the Prophet
and deserted their positions. The mushrikin forces rallied again and
launched a counterattack. Their main objective, as they cut through the
Muslim forces, was to get to the noble Prophet.
Musab realized the great danger facing the Prophet. He raised the
standard high and shouted the takbir. With the standa rd in one hand
and his sword in the other, he plunged into the Quraysh forces. The
odds were against him. A Quraysh horseman moved in close and severed
his right hand. Musab was heard to repeat the words:
"Muhammad is only a Messenger. Messengers have passed away before him,"
showing that however great his attachment was to the Prophet himself,
his struggle above all was for the sake of God and for making His word
supreme. His left hand was then severed also and as he held the
standard between the stumps of his arms, to console himself he
repeated: "Muhammad is only a Messenger of God. Messengers have passed
away before him." Musab was then hit by a spear. He fell and the
standard fell. The words he repeated, every time he was struck were
later revealed to the Prophet and completed, and became part of the
Quran.
After the battle, the Prophet and his companions went through the
battlefield, bidding farewell to the martyrs. When they came to Musab's
body, tears flowed. Khabbah related that they could not find any cloth
with which to shroud Musab's body, except his own garment. When they
covered his head with it, his legs showed and when his legs were
covered, his head was exposed and the Prophet instructed:
"Place the garment over his head and cover his feet and legs with the
leaves of the idhkhir (rue) plant."
The Prophet felt deep pain and sorrow at the number of his companions
who were killed at the Battle of Uhud. These included his uncle Hamzah
whose body was horribly mutilated. But it was over the body of Musab
that the Prophet stood, with great emotion. He remembered Musab as he
first saw him in Makkah, stylish and elegant, and then looked at the
short burdah which was now the only garment he possessed and he recited
the verse of the Quran:
"Among the believers are men who have been true to what they have
pledged to God."
The Prophet then cast his tender eyes over the battle field on which
lay the dead companions of Musab and said: "The Messenger of God
testifies that you are martyrs in the sight of God on the day of
Qiyamah."
Then turning to the living companions around him he said: "O People!
Visit them, send peace on them for, by Him in whose hand is my soul,
any Muslim who sends peace on them until the day of Qiyamah, they would
return the salutation of peace."
As-salaamu alayka yaa Musab...
As-salaamu alaykum, ma'shar ash-shudhadaa.
As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu.
Peace be on you, O Musab...
Peace be on you all, O martyrs. .
Peace be on you and the mercy and blessings of God.
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Source: Companions of
the Prophet-Abdul Wahid Hamid
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