Part 79

So on the day when the news of the position of Suhail in Makkah and his dazzling speech which made the faith firm in the Muslims' hearts reached the Muslims in Al-Madiinah, ‘Umar Ibn AlKhattaab remembered the prophecy of his Messenger and laughed a long time, for the day had come in which Islam benefited from the two teeth of Suhail which “Umar had wanted to crush and tear out.

When Suhail accepted Islam on the Day of the Conquest of Makkah and after he had tasted the sweetness of faith, he imposed on himself a vow he summed up in these words: By Allah, I do not leave situations and battles with the polytheists except I support the Muslims equally and no wealth I spent with the polythcists but I spend an equal amount with the Muslims. Perhaps my support of the Muslims will be followed by an ever greater support. i stood a long time with the polytheists in front of their idols, so let us now stand for a long time with the believers in the presence of Allah, the One and Only.

Thus, he started praying and praying and fasting and praying. He would not let achance pass him by which would sharpen his

spirit and make him close to his Lord Most High but that he took from it a sufficient portion.

Thus in his past he stood with the polytheists in situations of oppression and war against Islam. So, now let him take his place in the Muslim army, fighting bravely to extinguish, with the battalion of truth, the fire of the Persian king who used to worship idols and false gods other than Allah, and fighting to burn the destinies of the peoples who participated in this false worship. So, let him fight also to destroy with the battalion of truth the darkness of Rome and its injustice and spread the word of monotheism and the fear of Allah to every place.

Thus, he went out with the Muslim army to Syria participating in its wars. On the Day of Yarmuuk, the Muslims courageously plunged into battle, encountering harm, violence, and danger. Suhail Ibn “Amr was almost flying out of joy when he found on this crucial day the rich opportunity to make the effort, from his soul, to annihilate the sins and mistakes of jaahiliyah before accepting Islam.

He used to love his house in Makkah greatly, so much so that it made him forget himself. Nevertheless, he refused to return to it after the Muslim victory over Syria, and so he said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah saying, ‘The rank and position of one of you who spends one hour in the cause of Allah is better for him than his work throughout his life." Therefore, I will strive in the path of Allah until death, and I shall not return to Makkah."

And Suhail died true to his vow and continued to strive for the remainder of his life committed to his religion until the appointed time of his demise. So his soul flew quickly to the Mercy of Allah and His pleasure.

(57) ABU MUUSAA AL-ASH ARIY Sincerity and Let Be What Will Be

When the Commander of the Faithful ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab sent him to Basra to become its commander and governor, he gathered its inhabitants and spoke to them saying, "Indeed the Commander of the Faithful “Umar sent me to you to instruct you in the Book of your Lord and the traditions of your Prophet and to purify your ways for you."

The people were overcome with astonishment and surprise at what he said when they came to understand that one of the incumbent duties of the commander and governor was to show them how to become people of culture and education and to give them understanding of their religion. Also among his obligations was the purifying of their ways, and that was something new for them — one could even say exciting and remarkable.

So, who was this ruler about whom such good is said: "No horseman ever came to Basra who was better for its people than him"? Indeed, he was “Abd Allah Ibn Qais, nicknamed Abu Muusaa Al-Ash“ariy.

He departed his country and homeland of Yemen for Makkah immediately upon hearing of the appearance of a Messenger there who was calling to monotheism and inviting to Allah with clear vision and ordering noble morals. In Makkah, he sat in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and received from him guidance and certainty. He then returned to his country carrying the word of Allah. Afterwards, he returned to the’ Messenger (PBUH) immediately after the victory over Khaibar. His arrival coincided with the arrival of Ja‘far Ibn Abi Taalib, returning with his companions from Abyssinia, so the Messenger gave all of them a share of the booty.

On this occasion, Abu Muusaa did not come alone, but with approximately 50 men from the people of Yemen, including his two brothers Abu Ruhm and Abu Burdah, to whom the Messenger

The Messenger (PBUH) named this delegation and its people the Ash*ariyiin. The Messenger (PBUH) described them as the people with the most delicate feelings and kind, gentle hearts. That which is most often mentioned about them as the highest example of his Companions is as follows: "If they exhausted their food in a military campaign or their food became diminished, they would gather what they possessed in one garment and divide it among themselves equally. So they are from me and I from them.”

From that day, Abu Muusaa took his permanent and high place among the Muslims and believers who were destined to be the Companions of the Messenger of Allah and his pupils, and to become the carriers of Islam to the world in every age and time.

Abu Muusaa was a wonderful combination of extraordinary attributes. He was a bold and daring fighter, a firm combatant when he was forced to fight, while at the same time he was peaceful, good, and gentle to the most extreme degree of goodness and kindness. He was a scholar who possessed comprehension, sound judgment, and judicious discrimination. He was intelligent, and his understanding excelled in the most complicated, abstruse and obscure issues which radiated in legal decisions and judgments, until it was said of him, "The judges of this nation are four: ‘Umar, “Aliy, Abu Muusaa and Zaid Ibn Thaabit."

In addition to that, he possessed an innocent nature. Whoever attempted to deceive him in matters of Allah was himself deceived. He possessed great loyalty and responsibility and great trust of the

people. If we wanted to choose a fact of his life as a slogan, it would be this expression: "Sincerity, and let be what will be.”

In the sphere of jihaad, Al-Ash‘ariy carried his responsibility in such a glorious and heroic manner that it made the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) call him, " Master of horsemen, Abu Muusaa." He shows us a picture of his life as a fighter when he says, "We went out with the Messenger of Allah on a military campaign and our feet were full of holes and my feet were also full of holes until I lost my toe

nails and we wrapped our feet with rags.”

His goodness and the peace of his real conviction and innermost thoughts were not provoked by an enemy in battle. He was in such a posture that he saw matters in complete clarity and he decided them with decisive willpower and determination. It happened that while the Muslims were conquering the kingdom of Persia, Al-Ash‘ariy came down with his army upon the people of Isfahan, who agreed to pay him the jizyah so he made a peace settlement with them.

However, it seems that they were not truthful in their agreement. They only wanted to make themselves ready for the opportunity to prepare a treacherous attack. Nevertheless, in the time of need the cleverness of Abu Muusaa was not oblivious to their secret plan. He perceived and saw through their scheme and the evil plans they were contriving, so when they began their attack the leader was not taken by surprise. Therefore, the war overwhelmed them, and the first half of the day was not over before he gained a decisive victory.

In the battles in which the Muslims engaged against Imperial Persia, the performance of Abu Muusaa (May Allah be pleased with him) was outstanding, and his fighting for the cause of Allah was noble.

In the Battle of Tustar particularly, in which Hurmuzan withdrew with his army to fortify his position and gathered massive

armies, Abu Muusaa was the hero. On that day, the Commander of the Faithful ‘Umar supplied him with a massive number of Muslims, at the head of which were *Ammaar Ibn Yaasir, Al-Baraa’ Ibn Maalik and Anas Ibn Maalik and Maja‘ah Al-Bakriy and Salamah Ibn Rajaa’. The two armies — the Muslims under the command of Abu Muusaa and the Persians under the command of Hurmuzan — met in the battle which was one of the fiercest in ruthlessness and violence. The Persians withdrew inside the fortified city of Tustar and the Muslims besieged it for many days until Abu Muusaa employed his skill and intelligence and sent 200 cavalry men with a Persian agent. Abu Muusaa instructed him to enter the fort in order to open the gate of the city in front of the advanced guard which he chose for the mission. The gates had hardly opened when the soldiers of the advanced guard charged on the fortified citadel until Abu Muusaa swooped down with his army in a massive attack.

He captured this important fortified position in only hours, and the Persian leader surrendered, after which Abu Muusaa sent them to Al-Madiinah to learn the Commander of the Faithful's judgment.

However, this fighter of great prowess did not leave the field of battle until he changed to a persistent worshiper with much weeping, and was mild-tempered, peaceable, and gentle-hearted as a sparrow.

He recited the Qur'aan with such a voice that made the inner heart of the one who listened to it tremble that the Messenger (PBUH) said about him, " Abu Muusaa was given a musical voice like the musical instruments of the people of Dawuud." Every time “Umar saw him he called him to recite to him from the Book of Allah saying to him, "Make us aspire to our Lord, O Abu Muusaa."

Also, Abu Muusaa did not participate in fighting except against the army of the polytheists or armies fighting against the religion, wanting to extinguish the light of Allah.

Whenever there was a fight between Muslims, he indeed ran away from it and never had any role in it. This position of his was clear in the dispute between *Aliy and Mu‘aawiyah and in the war which ignited between the Muslims, as we shall see.