Part 84

In this new, rightly-guided society, Abu Hudhaifah, who was only a slave yesterday, found for himself honor to be in charge, to have power and to govern. Moreover, he found honor for his family, to marry Saalim to his niece Faatimah Bint Al-Waliid Ibn “Utbah. And in this new, rightly-guided society, which destroyed the unjust class structure and outlawed false distinctions and privileges, Saalim found himself always in the first rank on account of his truthfulness, faith, and bravery.

Yes, he became an Imam for the Muhaajiruun of Makkah to AlMadiinah during their prayer in the Qubaa’ Mosque. There is proof in the Book of Allah, when the Prophet ordered the Muslims to learn from him. There were with him men of goodness and excellence, which made the Messenger say to him, "Praise be to Allah, Who made in my nation the like of you." His Muslim brothers called him “Saalim from among the Righteous.”

Indeed, the story of Saalim is like the story of Bilaal and the story of many tens of slaves and the poor from whom Islam shook off the factors of servitude and weakness and made them Imams and

commanders in a society of guidance, reason, integrity of conduct, and frankness.

Saalim was a receiver of all the rightly guided virtues of Islam. These virtues accumulated in him and around him, and his truthful,

deep faith arranged them in proper order in the most beautiful disposition. Among his most prominent virtues was his overt, public frankness about what he perceived as the truth. Indeed, he did not keep silent when he perceived something which he felt it was his duty to speak about. He did not betray life by maintaining silence when mistakes were made.

After Makkah was liberated by the Muslims, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) sent some detachments to villages and tribes around Makkah to inform them that whenever he sent someone to them, they were coming only as callers to the Faith, so not to harm them or kill them.

At the head of one of these companies was Khaalid Ibn AlWaliid. When Khaalid reached his distination, some incident led him to use the sword and shed blood. When the Prophet (PBUH) heard the news of these events, he apologized to his Lord a long time saying, "O Allah, indeed I absolve myself from all that Khaalid has done."

The Commander of the Faithful “Umar ever remained to recollect and assess him saying, "In the sword of Khaalid, indeed, is a

Saalim Mawlaa Abi Hudhaifah accompanied Khaalid on this expedition, along with other Companions. As soon as Saalim saw the actions of Khaalid, he confronted him with a sharp objection and went on enumerating to him the mistakes he had committed. Khaalid, the leader, the great hero in both jaahiliyah and Islam, listened the first time, defended himself the second time, and became more forceful in speech the third time while Saalim, holding on to his point of view, spoke without fear or evasion or circumvention in speech. Saalim at that time did not look at Khaalid as a nobleman from among the nobles of Makkah, while he was one who only yesterday was a slave. No, Islam had created equality between them. He did not look at him as a leader, venerating his errors, but as a partner in duty and responsibility. Moreover, his opposition to Khaalid did not originate from a selfish purpose or interest; it was advice, consecrated

by Islam, which was his right. What he heard all the time from his Prophet was a foundation and essence of the entire religion when he said, "Religion is sincere advice. Religion is sincere advice. Religion is sincere advice."

When the action of Khaalid reached the Messenger (PBUH), he asked , "Did anyone stand up to him?" He did not delay to question, and he was not alarmed. His anger was pacified when they said to him, "Yes, Saalim critically examined him and opposed him.”

Saalim lived with his Messenger (PBUH) and the believers. He did not stay behind from any battle, nor refrain from performing any worship, and his brotherliness with Abu Hudhaifah increased daily with mutual self-sacrifice and solidarity.

The Messsenger (PBUH) passed away to the Most Exalted Guardian and the caliphate of Abu Bakr was confronted with the conspiracies of the apostates. Then the Day of Al-Yamaamah came and it was a terrible war. Islam had not gone through anything like it. The Muslims went out to fight and Saalim and his brother Abu Hudhaifah went out to fight in the cause of Allah. At the start of the battle, the Muslims did not withstand the attack. However, each believer there felt that the battle was his own and the responsibility was his own. Khaalid Ibn Al-Waliid gathered them together again and reorganized the army with astonishing skill and genius.

The brothers Abu Hudhaifah and Saalim embraced and pledged martyrdom in the cause of the religion of truth which gave them the happiness of this world and the next. They threw themselves into the vast, terrible sea of battle. Abu Hudhaifah was calling, "O people of the Qur'aan, decorate the Qur'aan with your actions," and his sword was like a violent hurricane in the army of Musailamah the Liar. And Saalim was shouting, “What a bad carrier of the Qur'aan I would be if

Drive into a trap, O Saalim, but yes, you are our best carrier of the Qur'aan.

And Saalim's sword was forceful on the necks of the apostates who embarked upon celebrating the jaahiliyah of the Quraish and extinguishing the light of Islam. The swords of apostasy fell upon his right hand and cut it off, while he was carrying with it the standard of the Muhaajiruun after its bearer, Zaid Ibn Al-Khattaab, had fallen. When his right hand was cut off, he picked up the standard with his left and kept on waving it high while shouting the following noble Qur'aanic verses: < And how many of the Prophets have fought, and with them large troops of godly people? But they never lost heart when adversity befell them in GOD's cause, nor did they weaken, nor did they fail. And GOD loves those who show fortitude> (3:146).

Is not that the most magnificent slogan? That is the one he chose on the day of death.

A group of apostates circled around him, so the hero fell, but his spirit kept on repeating in his purified body, until the battle ended with the killing of Musailamah the Liar, the defeat of his army, and the triumph of the Muslim army.

When the Muslims were examining their sacrificed and martyrs, they found Saalim in the last agony of death. He asked them, "What has Abu Hudhaifah done?" They said, "He died a martyr." He said, “Lay me next to him." They said, "He is next to you, O Saalim." He had died a martyr in the same place.

He smiled his last smile and did not speak again. He and his companion had realized what they desired. Together they had become Muslims. Together they had lived and together they had died

. Oh, the magnificence of fortune and beauty of destiny! And he went to Allah, that great believer about whom ‘Umar Ibn Al-

Khattaab said while he was dying, “If Saalim were alive, I would have given him the command after me."

Now, while we bid farewell to the graceful company of the Companions of Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (May peace and blessings be upon him and upon them all), we may ask ourselves, have we given the matter what it deserves? Have we taken into account all such great men?

The answer is, No. We have been honored by their greatness through a close examination and have followed a blessed number of them during some bright moments, but we were not fortunate to accompany all of them.

Indeed, the sixty men introduced in this book stand for many thousands of others of their glorious brethren who saw the Messenger (PBUH), lived during his time, believed in him, and struggled with him. In the lives of these sixty righteous men we perceive the images of all the Companions. We see their faith, their steadfastness, their heroism, their sacrifices, and their loyalty. We see the effort they exerted and the victory they achieved. We also see the role they played in liberating all humanity from the paganism of conscience and the loss of destiny !

These sixty men, then, are a superb and magnificent example the significance of which we welcome and contemplate. We see in this example the heroes and soldiers of the greatest epoch of human struggle in general and of religious struggle in particular. It was an epoch when the ancient warld was destroyed by the new force of truth which came to announce the oneness of Allah and the unity of creation. There were no idols or images in the new era, no worshiped emperors or czars. There is only One God Who is Allah, while all

people are as equal as the teeth of a comb.

I desire not to repeat what I have already written about the causes that induced that amazing faith which filled the hearts of

Muhammad (PBUH) with his truth, steadfastness, purity, and eminence could not but reflect faith of a rare quality on the people around him. It was the faith of people who had known him well and had seen him in all his perfection and grace, saw his humanity and his devotion to Allah, saw his loftiness and modesty, saw all his superb qualities and his simplicity, saw him in his strength and his compassion.

They saw him and perceived the nobility of his motives and his undeviating and straight method. Therefore, doubt did not prevent them at all from believing in him. They did not even make use of their right to ask him for a miracle to ascertain his prophethood and his mission.

Every nation has asked its prophet for a miracle in order to believe in him, except Muhammad's Companions, the men round the Messenger. They never said, "Show us a miracle as proof of your truthfulness." This was because Muhammad himself was the miracle! Seeking another miracle outside of him, his personality, and his principles would have been a kind of naivete such intelligent people could not be involved in, especially after their hearts had been filled with the guidance of Allah and their perceptions had been illuminated with His light.

Indeed, the faith of that first generation of Muslims bestowed upon the whole of humanity — with its different religions, different ages and races — a great trust that revived its youth and its determination. After all, they were human beings. They lived during