‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr (RadiAllahu Anhu) came to visit the Khalîfah al-Walîd ibn ‘Abdu’l-Malik. With him was his son Muhammad, who was one of the most handsome of men. The young man had dressed up for the occasion in fine clothes, and had his hair in two plaits or braids. When al-Walîd saw him, he said, “This is how the young people of Quraysh look!” and by so saying, put the evil eye on him. Before he left, the young man fell ill. When he was in the stable (preparing for the journey) he fell down, and the horses trampled him to death.

Then ‘Urwah got gangrene in his leg, and al-Walîd sent doctors to him, who suggested that the leg should be amputated, otherwise the gangrene would spread to the rest of the body and kill him. ‘Urwah agreed, and the doctors began to remove his leg, using a saw.
When the saw reached the bone, ‘Urwah fainted, and when he came around, sweat was pouring down his face, and he was repeating,

“Lâ ilâh ill-Allâh, Allâhu akbar.”

When the operation was over, he picked up his leg and kissed it, then said,

“I swear by the One Who mounted me on you, I never used to walk to any place of wrong action or to any place where Allâh would not like me to be.”

Then he gave instructions that the leg should be washed, perfumed, wrapped in a cloth and buried in the Muslim graveyard.
When ‘Urwah left al-Walîd and returned to Madînah, his family and friends went to meet
him at the outskirts of the city and to offer condolences. The only reply he made was to
quote from the Qur’ân:

“…truly we have suffered much fatigue at our journey” (al- Kahf 18:62).

He did not say any more than that. Then he said,

“I will not enter Madînah, for people there either rejoice over the afflictions of others, or else feel envy for their blessings.”

So he went to stay in a place at al-‘Aqîq. ‘Îsâ ibn Talhah came to visit him there and said,

“May your enemies’ fathers perish!”

and asked him,

“Show me the affliction for which I have come to console you.”

‘Urwah uncovered his stump, and ‘Îsâ said,

“By Allâh, we were not preparing you to wrestle! Allâh has saved most of you: your sanity, your tongue, your eyesight, your two hands, and one of your two legs.”

‘Urwah told him,

“Nobody has consoled me as you have.”

When the doctors came to perform the amputation, they had asked ‘Urwah whether he
would drink intoxicants to ease the pain. He said,

“Allâh is testing me to see the extent of my patience. How could I go against His commands?”

During the blessed reign of the just Khalifah Umar Ibn Al Khattab (RadiAllahu Anhu), one of the many battles that ensued was the wars against the Persian Empire.

One of the great military commanders and heroes of the Muslim armies, Saad Ibn Abi Waqqas (RadiAllahu Anhu), sent one of his messengers to meet with Roostum, the leader of the Persian army. That man, was Rabi Ibn Aamir (RadiAllahu Anhu).

Rabi Ibn Aamir (RadiAllahu Anhu) was a very poor man, who came riding to see Roostum on a short legged, hairy horse. His sword, was wrapped in an old piece of cloth, as he could not even afford a proper sheath for it. His spear – the blade of it, was tied to the wooden shaft with a piece of cloth. His whole assortment of weapons was shabby to say the least. Add to this the fact that his attire was very modest, humble and inexpensive.

The Persians, having received word that a representative of the Muslim general was coming to meet them, prepared for this meeting as they would according to their custom. Rich and luxurious carpets were laid out. Heavily embellished cushions and rugs were spread, rich brocades and robes. Royal guards stood to attention in the court of Roostum, along with his advisors and delegates. It was indeed the proper preparation for such a high level meeting. It was customary for the Romans and the Persians.

What they envisioned from the representative of the Muslims was that he would come, accompanied by an entourage of guards, dressed in fine clothes on a fine stallion, dismount from his steed, enter the hall in a formal way and sit under the throne of Roostum and wait to be allowed to speak. What actually happened, was not what the Persians expected…

Rabi Ibn Aamir (RadiAllahu Anhu) comes straight into the hall, without permission, onto the rugs and carpets, without permission, still mounted on his horse! The delegates cry out to try and stop him, but he ignores them. He carries on. He tears apart two pillows and dismounts, with his weapons at which point the Persian guards try to stop him. They told him he is not to enter with his weapons. So he replies to them:

“Well, you are the ones who invited me. So you either let me in, with my arms, or I am going to leave.”

The guards are told by Roostum to allow him to enter, so Rabi Ibn Aamir (RadiAllahu Anhu) strides forward with confidence, with his weapon blades poking holes into the rugs as he walks over them, leaving gashes and marks upon them.

Roostum asked, “Why have you (The Muslims) come here (Persia)?”

There was a marked contrast, between how Rabi Ibn Aamir (RadiAllahu Anhu) appeared outwardly to people, to how he addressed the leader of the Persian empire. Rabi Ibn Aamir (RadiAllahu Anhu), this crude, poor Bedouin Muslim replied with the following, timeless and enthralling words:

“Allah the Most Glorious the Most High has sent us, to deliver you, from worshipping the creation, to worshipping the Creator of the creation; and deliver you from the constriction of this world, to the vastness of this world and the Afterlife; and from the oppression of religions to the justice of Islam.”

The effect of his words, on the laymen people surrounding Roostum, was deep and profound.

Rabi Ibn Aamir (RadiAllahu Anhu) was saying that we (The Muslims) have come to remove your people from being the slaves of each other to being the slaves of the Lord of the Universe and all Creation. To remove you from servitude of this human king (you are all sitting on the floor and he is sitting on a throne), to serving one whose Throne extends across the Heavens and the Earth. The Muslims were not there for worldly, power-hungry, material reasons.

Rabi’ah al-Aslami narrated:

I used to serve the Messenger of Allah. So, he gave me a piece of land, and gave Abu Bakr a piece of land. Then, the worldly life came and and we argued over a bunch of palm trees, and Abu Bakr said: “It is in my piece of land!” and I said: “It is in my piece of land!” Then, there was an exchange of words between Abu Bakr and myself. So, Abu Bakr said something to me that I disliked, and he regretted that.

So, he said to me: “O Rabi’ah! Say back to me what I said to you so that we would be equal.”

I said: “I will not do so!”

Abu Bakr said: “Say it, or I will call the Messenger of Allah on you!”

I said: “I will not do so.”

So, Abu Bakr – may Allaah be pleased with him – went to the Prophet and I followed him, so the people from (the tribe of) Aslam came and said: “May Allah have mercy on Abu Bakr! Why would he call the Messenger of Allah on you when he (the Prophet) has said to you what he has said?”

So, I said: “Do you know who that is? That is Abu Bakr as-Siddiq! He is the one who was in the Cave with the Prophet, and he is the elder of the Muslims! So, you had better not cause him to turn around and see you helping me against him, making him angry, causing the Messenger of Allah to come and become angry because of Abu Bakr’s anger, thereby causing Allah to become angry for both of their anger, thereby causing me to be destroyed!”

So, they said: “So, what do you want us to do?”

I said: “Go back to where you came from.”

So, Abu Bakr went to the Messenger of Allah and I followed him by myself and continued until he got to the Prophet and informed him of our conversation as it happened.

So, he (the Prophet) raised his head to me and said: “O Rabi’ah! What is going on between you and as-Siddiq?”

So, I said: “O Messenger of Allah, this happened and that happened, and he said something to me that I disliked, and he told me to say the same thing back to him so that we would be equal.”

So, the Messenger of Allah said: “Do not return his comment to him. Rather, say ‘May Allah forgive you, O Abu Bakr! May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!’”

So, Abu Bakr – may Allah have Mercy on him – turned his face and began to cry.

['as-Silsilah as-Sahihah'; # 3258]
[With thanks: Brotherhood in Islam, facebook fan page]

After Ali died , Mu`awiyah bin Abi Sufyan said to Dirar bin Damrah

“Describe ‘Ali to me.”

“Will you not excuse me from answering you,” said Dirar.

“No, describe him,” insisted Mu`awiyah.

“Please excuse me from doing so,” said Dirar.

“I will not,” said Mu`awiyah.

“I will do so, then” said Dirar with a sigh.

“By Allah, he was (far-sighted) and very strong. He spoke with a truthful finality, so that, through him, truth became distinguished from falsehood. He ruled justly, and knowledge gushed forth from him, as did wisdom. He felt an aversion to the world and its (pleasure). He was comfortable with the night and its darkness (meaning he prayed a lot). By Allah he would cry profusely ( from fear of Allah); long durations would he spend in contemplation, during which time he would converse with his soul. He showed a liking to coarse garments and lower-quality food. By Allah, it was as if – in his humbleness- he was one of us: when we asked him a question, he would answer us; when we would go to him, he would initiate (the salam); and when we would invite him (to our homes), he would come to us . Yet, in spite of his closeness to us, we would not speak (freely) with him, because of the dignity and honor that he exuded if he smiled, he revealed the likes of straight and regular pearls(his teeth). He honored religious people and loved the poor. The strong person could not hope to gain favors from him through falsehood. And the weak person never lost hope of his justness. I swear, by Allah, that on certain occasions, I saw him in his place of prayer when the night was dark and few stars could be seen; he would be holding his beard and crying the way a very sad person cries; and I would hear him saying, “O world, O world, are you offering yourself to me? Do you desire me? Never! Never! Deceive someone other than me, I have divorced you for the third time, so that you cannot return to me (metaphorically, of course; he is alluding to the fact that, in islam, the third divorce is final) your life is short, the existence you offer is base, and your danger is great. Alas for the scarcity of sustenance (good deeds), the great distance of the journey, and the loneliness of the road!”

Upon hearing this description, Mu`awiyah’s eyes swelled with tears, and not being able to hold them from gushing forth, he was forced to wipe them with his cuffs; and the same can be said for those who were present. Mu`awiyah then said,

“May Allah have mercy on the father of Al-Hasan, for he was, by Allah, just as you described him to be.”

He then said, “O Dirar, describe your sadness at having lost him.”

“My sadness” began Dirar “is like the sadness of a woman who cannot control her tears or allay her grief after her child , while in her lap, has just been slaughtered.”

Dirar then stood up and left.

[Sifatus-Safwah 1/66 by Ibn al- Jawziyy]
[With thanks: Brotherhood in Islam, facebook fan page]

May Allah be pleased with them both.

Umar (RadiAllahu Anhu) reached the house of his sister and heard words from behind her door. Both Fatima and her husband Saeed Ibn Zayd were reciting Qur’an under the tuition of Khabab Ibn Arat.

When Umar knocked on the door and they saw that it he was there, the immediately stopped reciting, Khabab Ibn Arat hid himself and Fatima hid the scroll of upon which Qur’an was written, under her thighs.

Umar came in and demanded what was the humming sound he had heard. They said it was nothing. He repeated his question and demanded to know if they had become Muslim and left the religion of their tribes. Saeed Ibn Zayd replied:

“Well what if Islam is better than your religion?”

At that point Umar (RadiAllahu Anhu) attacked Saeed Ibn Zayd. He threw him to the ground, sat on top of him and began to beat him. Fatima, seeing her husband being attacked in this way, tried to intervene in vain to help him, and was struck in her face by Umar (RadiAllahu Anhu). She began to bleed as a result and so she rebuked her brother:

“You enemy of Allah! You hit me just because I believe in Allah. Whether you like it or not, I bear witness that there is no God except Allah and Muhammed is His Messenger. Do whatever you like!”

Seeing the bleeding face of his own sister and hearing the strength and conviction in her voice, Umar (RadiAllahu Anhu) calmed down and became silent. He regretted his actions and felt sorry for her. He moved away from Saeed and sat down. He asked her to hand over the scrolls to him. Fatima refused. He told her that her words, had struck a cord in his heart and he promised that he would return them to her safely. She replied:

“No. You are a Mushrik (see glossary), you are in a state of impurity, so you have to go and make ghusl (see glossary) first.”

Umar (RadiAllahu Anhu) did so and took the scrolls from his sister, sat down and recite the verses of Qur’an written upon them. He recited the first verses of Surat TaHa from Qur’an which are translated as follows:

“Ta Ha. We have not revealed the Quran to you that you may be unsuccessful. Nay, it is a reminder to him who fears: A revelation from Him Who created the earth and the high heavens. The Beneficent Allah is firm in power. His is what is in the heavens and what is in the earth and what is between them two and what is beneath the ground. And if you utter the saying aloud, then surely He knows the secret, and what is yet more hidden. Allah – there is no god but He; His are the very best names.” – Surat TaHaa (1-8:20)

Umar was quiet and reflective. He said upon reading these verses:

“Is this what Quraish and the other tribes are fighting …? The one who has spoken these words (Allah, The Almighty) needs to be worshipped. Where is Muhammed?”

They told him the location where the Prophet Muhammed (SalAllahu Alayhi WaSallam) was meeting with his companions. So Umar left to meet with him, now… in a completely different frame of mind.

The following story is one of the most famous and well-loved narrations in the history of this Ummah. I personally find it both moving and exhilarating at how the likes of Umar Ibn Al Khattab (RadiAllahu Anhu) who was such a staunch enemy of Islam, turned from being an enemy to being one of it’s greatest figures and brightest stars. It demonstrates clearly that Hidayah (guidance) is only from Allah ‘azza wa jal. And we surely ask Allah ‘azza wa jal to guide us to His path.

The story of Umar’s Islam continues. Despite the numerous events that took place that began to soften his heart towards Islam, he was still very much an enemy to Islam and the Messenger of Allah (SalAllahu Alayhi Wasallam).

One day, while the Mushrikeen of Makkah were in discussion on how to deal with the ‘problem’ of Muhammed (SalAllahu Alayhi Wasallam), they asked each other who would volunteer to kill him. Umar said he would do it and they all agreed. This demonstrates how bold and decisive Umar was, even in his days of misguidance.

It was a hot day in Makkah. Umar took out his sword, and stalked down the streets of Makkah, resolved on his deadly mission: to kill, the Messenger of Allah (SalAllahu Alayhi Wasallam). There were few Muslims left in Makkah other than those close to the Prophet himself. Most had been ordered to migrate (make Hijrah) to Abyssinia. Umar was heading for the house of al-Arkham where it was known that the Prophet and his companions held their gatherings.

One of the companions of the Prophet (who was a Muslim in secret due to the persecution in Makkah) saw the stalking Umar striding with purpose down the street with a look of evil in his eyes. So he stopped Umar and asked him where he was going. Umar replied:

“To this man… who has disunited our people, and who has made fools out of us, and who has cursed our gods. I am going to kill him.”

So the companion replied:
“It seems that you are too confident of yourself. Do you think that the tribe of the Prophet are going to let you walk on the face of this earth after you have killed their man?”

Umar was upset so they started an arguement. Judging by the protective tone of voice of this man, Umar judged that he must be a Muslim so he told him the he would start by killing him first! The whole point of this companion’s attempt to divert Umar from his deadly mission was to save the life of the Prophet. So when he saw that there was no convincing Umar, the companion replied:

“Well perhaps you should start by sorting your household out first.”

Umar demanded what he meant by this, and the companion told him, that Umar’s own sister and her husband had become Muslim. It must be undstood that this companion only resorted to this when he saw that nothing else would stop Umar. The sister of Umar (Fatima) was Muslim in secret and so was her husband (Saeed Ibn Zayd). By telling Umar of their Islam he knew he was jepordising their lives by exposing their secret. But for the sake of saving the Prophet (SalAllahu Alayhi Wasallam), anything and everything is to be sacrificed for him.

Umar, at this point, changed his course and headed straight for the house of his sister, Fatima (RadiAllahu Anha).