Part 74

chance had finally come, the chance of dying as a martyr in the cause of Allah, between the Prophet's hands.

He held the horse's bridle with one hand while cutting the throats of the polytheists with the other.

The Muslims regrouped around the Prophet (PBUH) and Allah blessed them with victory. Although the fight was over, when the Prophet (PBUH) looked around he could see a faithful believer still holding his horse's bridle. It was Abu Sufyaan, who had not left his place since the battle began. The Prophet (PBUH) glanced and asked, "Who is it? My brother Abu Si fyaan Ibn Al-Haarith?"

Immediately after hearing the word "brother" Abu Sufyaan's heart was filled with joy and dignity. He knelt down and kissed the Prophet's feet, crying. His poetic sensibility was so much moved that he began to describe his joy and happiness because Allah had blessed him with so much bravery and success.

Abu Sufyaan turned to worship and adore Allah very persistently. It was after the Prophet's death when his soul longed for its meeting with the Prophet. He had desired for a lou.g time to die soon, to the extent that people saw him digging out his grave at Al-Baqii*, a grave which he prepared and arranged in a very nice way. When people expressed their astonishment he just said, "I'm preparing my grave."

Three days later he was lying at home, when his relatives began to cry and weep. When he opened his eyes, he said in complete

tranquility, "Don't cry. I didn't commit a single sin since I converted to Islam."

Before his head fell upon his chest he said his last farewell to the world.

(51) “UMRAAN IBNHUSAIN The Angels’ Resemblance

It was in the year of Khaibar that he turned to the Prophet (PBUH), swearing to him the oath of allegiance. Since the moment he put his right hand into the Prophet's right hand, his hand became subject to respect. He promised himself to use it only in good and virtuous deeds, an attitude displaying how much sensitivity this person enjoyed.

“Umraan was a clear image of honesty, humility, piety, and devotion to Allah.

Although he was blessed with a great deal of divine success and guidance, he never stopped weeping and saying, "I wish I were ashes dispersed by the wind."

God-fearing men of this type did not fear Allah because of their sins. Sins were rarely committed by them, since the day of their conversion to Islam. The more they got acquainted with Allah's greatness, majesty, and sublimity, the more they recognized their inability to truly thank and worship Allah and the more God-fearing they became, no matter how much they prayed, praised Allah or submitted themselves to Him.

Once the Prophet's Companions asked him, "O Prophet of Allah, why when we are sitting with you do we feel calmness and tenderness in our hearts as an ascetic, seeing the Hereafter as if it were before us, but when we leave you to meet our wives, children, and our worldly affairs, we deny ourselves?" The Prophet (PBUH) responded, "By Allah, if you adhered strictly to your first state, the angels would have shaken your hands clearly. So it is natural for there to be a worshiping time followed by business.”

When ‘Umraan heard this Prophetic saying (hadith), his longing desire was moved; therefore, he promised himself never to abstain from striving to reach such a great goal, even if it cost him his whole life. He was never convinced to live dividing his time one hour for leisure and one hour for worship. He wanted instead his life to be a long chain of intimate prayer and total devotion towards the Lord of the Worlds.

During the caliphate of ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab, he was sent to Basra, to teach its inhabitants jurisprudence. He settled there and soon people turned to him to seek his blessing and the guiding light of his religiosity. Al-Hasan Al-Basriy and Ibn Siiriin said, "No one of the Prophet's Companions who entered Basra can be considered better than ~Umraan Ibn Husain.

~Umraan refused to occupy himself with anything but worship. He spent his whole time doing nothing but adoring Allah until it seemed as if he belonged to another world other than the one in which he lived among his people and walked on its ground. Yes, it is true. He became like an angel living among angels, listening to, talking to, and shaking hands with them.

When the great uprising between the parties of ~Aliy and Mu‘aawiyah took place, he did not just hold a neutral position, but appealed to people to abstain from joining the fight, adhering to the cause of peace. He went on saying, "I would prefer to be a shepherd on top of a mountain till I die rather than shoot an arrow at anyone in either party, right or wrong." Any Muslim he met, he advised saying, "Keep to your mosque. If it is broken into forcefully, then keep indoors. If the doors are broken into forcefully by someone who aims at taking your life and wealth, then fight him."

‘Umraan Ibn Husain's faith reached a very high level. For 30 years he suffered from severe disease. However, he never showed any sign of discontent nor did he grumble. Instead he adored and worshiped Allah persistently, all through his life. When his visitors

came to encourage him, he always replied, "The dearest things to my heart are those dearest to Allah."

When he felt that death was approaching, he said to his family and kin, "When you finish burying me, slaughter and feed the people."

Truly, they should slaughter and feed the people. The death of someone like ~Umraan should be considered a great and glorious wedding festival, wherein his soul is being wedded to a Paradise as wide as earth, heaven prepared for the pious.

(52) SALAMAH IBN AL-AKWA* The Infantry Hero

His son Iyaas summarized all his virtues in just one sentence: "My father never lied." To be described by this singular virtue makes a person elligible for a highly elevated position among the pious and virtuous. Salamah Ibn Al-Akwa* achieved such a position, one which he deserved. Salamah was one of the rare Arab spearmen, but he was also famous for his courage, generosity, and charitable deeds.

He sincerely submitted himself to Islam; then it was Islam that molded his personality according to its system.

Salamah was one of those who attended the Pledge of Radwaan.

In A.H. 6, the Prophet (PBUH) and his Companions aimed at visiting the Sacred House in Makkah, but the Quraish hindered them from doing so.

The Prophet (PBUH) sent ~Uthmaan Ibn “Affaan to tell them that he came as a visitor, not as a fighter. While they awaited “Uthmaan's return, a rumor spread that the Quraish had killed him. The Prophet (PBUH) sat under a shady tree to take the Companion's oath of allegiance, one by one. They gave him their word to be ready to die.

Salamah reported: I swore the oath of allegiance in front of the Prophet to be ready to die. Then I stepped aside. When the crowd of people nearly ended, the Prophet (PBUH) said, " O Salamah, aren't you going to swear your oath of allegiance?" I said, "I've already done that." He said, " Again." I swore the oath again.

Salamah had redeemed his oath long before that day. He redeemed it since the day he admitted that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger. He said, “I joined the Prophet (PBUH) in seven battles and joined Zaid Ibn Haarithah in nine battles.”

He was one of the most skillful warriors as an infantryman and one of the best to shoot arrows and throw spears. His tactics were similar to present day guerilla warfare : if an enemy approached, he retreated waiting for him to move backwards or to take a rest, in order to attack him by suprise. In this way he was able to chase alone the force led by “Uyainah Ibn Hisn Al-Fizaarii which raided the environs of Al-Madiinah in the Dhii Qarad Raid. Totally alone, he followed their traces, then continued fighting and pushing them away from AlMadiinah until the Prophet (PBUH) reached him with a great number of Companions. On that day the Prophet (PBUH) said to the Companions, "Our best infantryman is Salamah Ibn AlAkwa’.

Salamah never knew deep sorrow and anxiety except when his brother “Aamir Ibn Al-Akwa* died during the Battle of AlKhaibar.

‘Aamir was the one singing in front of the Muslim army:

Had it not been for You

We would not have been guided,

Nor prayed nor given ckarity.

Bless us with tranquility,

And let us be strong and firm-hearted when meeting our enemies.

In that battle ‘Aamir wanted to strike a polytheist with his sword. However, his sword bent and its edge injured him fatally. Some Muslims said, "Poor ~Aamir, he has been deprived of martyrdom."

Salamah's anxiety was severe because he thought, like others, that his brother, who had killed himself accidently, was deprived of the recompense of jihaad and the reward of martyrdom. But soon the Prophet (PBUH) put things in their right order when Salamah went to him saying. "O Messenger of Allah, is it true that by dying in this way ‘Aamir has been deprived of the reward of all his previous deeds?" The Messenger (PBUH) answered, "He has been killed as a mujaahid. He is to be granted two rewards. He is right now swimming in the rivers of Paradise."

Salamah was very generous. However, he was more so when asked to give something for the sake of Allah. If someone had asked him to give away his life for the sake of Allah, he would not have hesitated to do so. People knew this attitude of his, so when anyone needed something, he just asked him for the sake of Allah. He always said, "If someone would not give for the sake of Allah, for whose sake then would he give?"

On the day of ~Uthmaan's murder (May Allah be pleased with him) the great mujaahid realized that the gates of sedition had been opened. How could it be possible for him who had fought among his brethren all his life to turn into a warrior against his brethren? It

was not his right to use his fighting skill, which had been praised by the Prophet (PBUH), against believers and Muslims.

It was therefore more proper that he carry his belongings and leave Al-Madiinah for a place called Ar-Rabzah, the same place to

which Abu Dhar chose to emigrate and settle.

Salamah spent the rest of his life at Ar-Rabzah. In A.H. 74 his burning desire took him to Al-Madiinah, where he spent one or two days as a visitor, and on the third day he died. It was as if the dear, moist earth of Al-Madiinah appealed to him to offer his body a cool, safe shelter, as it had previously offered all the blessed Companions and pious and virtuous marytrs.