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Allah
and Paradise!
He was one of two brothers who lived for
the cause of Allah and who pledged
allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (sollallahu
'alayhi wa sallam) and kept their pledge
in the course of time.
The first brother was Anas Ibn Maalik,
the servant of the Messenger of Allah (sollallahu
'alayhi wa sallam). His mother, Umm
Sulaim, took him to the Messenger at the
age of ten and said, “O Messenger of
Allah, this is Anas, your lad. He will
serve you; invoke Allah for him.” The
Messenger (sollallahu 'alayhi wa sallam)
kissed him between his eyes and invoked
a blessing upon him that led his long
life towards good and blessing. He said,
“O Allah, let him have plenty of money
and sons. Bless him and let him enter
Paradise.” So, he lived for 99 years,
and Allah bestowed upon him plenty of
sons and grandsons and provided him with
a spacious garden that gave fruits twice
a year!
The second of these brothers was Al-Baraa’
Ibn Maalik, who led a great brave life.
His motto was “Allah and Paradise!”
Whoever would see him fighting in the
cause of Allah would be totally amazed,
for when Al-Baraa’ was fighting
polytheists with his sword, he was not
one of those who was looking for victory
- although victory then was the greatest
end - but he was looking for martyrdom.
His utmost hope was to be a martyr and
to die on the field of a glorious battle
for the sake of the truth and Islam. For
this reason, he missed neither a battle
nor an expedition.
One day his brothers went to visit him.
He read their faces and said, “I guess
you’re afraid I will die in bed. No,
by Allah, He will not deprive me of
martyrdom.” Allah made his thoughts
come true, as Al-Baraa’ did not die in
bed, but was martyred in one of the most
glorious battles of Islam.
Al-Baraa’s bravery on the Day of Al-Yamaamah
revealed the personality of this hero
whom Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab forbade to
ever be a leader because his boldness,
courage, and search for death made it a
great risk for him to lead other
fighters.
On the Day of Al-Yamaamah, the Islamic
armies were preparing to fight under the
leadership of Khaalid. Al-Baraa’ stood
licking his lips while the seconds were
passing away as if they were years until
the leader gave his order to advance.
His sharp eyes were movinquickly all
over the battlefield as if searching for
the most suitable place for the hero to
be martyred. Yes, nothing preoccupied
him in the world but this aim. With the
edge of his striking sword, a great
harvest of the polytheists who called
for darkness and falsehood were cut
down. Then at the end of the battle, the
hand of a polytheist gave him a stroke
that made his body fall on the ground
while his soul found its way to the
angels among the group of martyrs and
the blessed.
Khaalid shouted, “Allahu Akbar (Allah
is the Greatest)!” So the close ranks
burst forth to their fate, and so did
the lover of death, Al-Baraa’ Ibn
Maalik. He started bringing down the
followers of Musailamah the Liar with
his sword, and they were falling like
autumn leaves because of his extreme
courage.
Musailamah’s army was not weak or
small, but was the most dangerous army
of the apostasy. With its numbers,
equipment, and the death-defiance of its
fighters, the army posed an extremely
serious challenge. They answered the
Muslims’ attack with such an
excessively aggressive defense that they
were about to gain the initiative and
transform their defense into an attack.
Just then, some sort of anxiety pervaded
the Muslim ranks. Their leaders and
orators started giving words of
encouragement from their horses, and
they were reminded of Allah’s promise.
Al-Baraa” had a nice loud voice. His
leader Khaalid called him saying,
“Speak, Baraa’!” So, Baraa’
shouted with very strong and meaningful
words, “O people of Al-Madinah! Today
you have no Madinah, but it’s Allah
and Paradise!” These words demonstrate
the spirit of their speaker and reveal
his characters. Yes, it is Allah and
Paradise. In this situation, thoughts
had to do with nothing but this. They
should not even have thought of Al-Madinah,
the capital of Islam, where they had
left their houses, women, and children,
because if they were defeated on that
day, there would not be any Madinah to
return to.
Al-Baraa’ s words spread like ... like
what? Any simile would be unfair in
comparison with its true effect. Let us
say only that Al-Baraa’ ‘s words
spread, and that is it.
It was a short time before the battle
returned to its former advantage. The
Muslims were proceeding towards a
certain victory and the polytheists were
falling in a shocking defeat, while Al-Baraa’
was walking along with his brothers
carrying the standard of Muhammad (sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam) to its great
appointment. The polytheists withdrew
and fled, seeking refuge within a big
garden which they entered. The
Muslims’ enthusiasm abated; it seemed
that it was now possible to change the
battle’s outcome by this trick that
Musailamah’s followers and army had
resorted to. Just then Al-Baraa’
ascended a high hill and cried, “0
Muslims, carry me and throw me over to
them in the garden.”
Did I not tell you? He was not looking
for victory but martyrdom, and this
plan, he thought, would be the best end
of his life and the best way to die. If
he was thrown into the garden, he would
open its gate to the Muslims, and at the
same time his body would be torn into
pieces by the polytheists’ swords. At
the same time, also, the doors of
Paradise would be preparing to receive a
new glorious groom.
However, Al-Baraa’ did not wait for
his people to carry and throw him. He
climbed the wall by himself, threw
himself inside the garden, opened the
gate, and the armies of Islam rushed in.
But Al-Baraa’s dream did not come
true: neither did the polytheists swords
kill him, nor did he die as he wished.
Abu Bakr (RA) spoke the truth when he
said, “Strive for death and you will
live!” On that day the hero received
from the polytheists’ swords over
eighty strikes, over eighty wounds that
caused Khaalid Ibn Al-Waliid to continue
supervising his nursing and care for an
entire month.
All
of this, however, was not what he
wished. But it did not make Al-Baraa’
hopeless. He waited for another battle.
The Messenger of Allah r had prophesied
that his supplication to Allah would be
answered. He only had to keep invoking
Allah to grant him martyrdom, and he did
not have to be in a hurry, for every
matter there is a decree.
After Al-Baraa’ was healed of the
wounds of Al-Yamaamah , he rushed with
the armies of Islam that went to escort
the powers of darkness to their final
resting place. Two evanescent empires
existed:
The Romans (Byzantines) and the Persians
occupied with their unjust armies the
countries of Allah and enslaved His
servants. Al-Baraa’ started fighting
with his sword, and in the place of each
strike was built a great wall in the
building of the new world that rapidly
grew under the standard of Islam like
the rising sun.
In one of the Iraqi wars, the Persians
in their fight resorted to every means
of barbarity. They used hooks fixed on
the ends of chains heated in fire and
threw them from their castles so that
they would hit any of the Muslims who
could not avoid them. Al-Baraa’ and
his great brother Anas Ibn Maalik were
assigned together with some of the
Muslims to deal with one of these
castles. But one of these hooks suddenly
fell and caught Anas, and he could not
touch the chain to save himself as it
was flaming hot.
When Al-Baraa’ saw the scene, he
hurried towards his brother while the
burning chain was taking him up the
castle wall. Al-Baraa’ grasped the
chain with his hands and started bravely
dealing with it till he broke it. Anas
was saved, but when Al-Baraa’ and
those who were with him took a look at
his hands, they did not find them in
their place. All the flesh on them was
gone; only their burned bones remained.
And the hero spent another period of
time in a slow treatment till he was
healed.
Is it not time for the lover of death to
reach his end? Yes, it is. Here comes
the Battle of Tustur where the Muslims
met the Persian armies. This was such a
feast for Al-Baraa’.
The people of Al-Ahwaaz and of Persia
gathered in a large army to fight the
Muslims. The Commander of the Faithful
Umar Ibn Al Khattaab wrote to Sa’d Ibn
Abi Waqaaa in Kufa and to Abu Muusaa Al-Ash’ariy
in Basra to each send an army to meet
Al-Ahwaaz. He told Abu Muusaa in his
message, “Make Suhail Ibn Adiy their
leader and send Al-Baraa’ Ibn Maalik
with him.”
Thus, those coming from Kufa met those
coming from Basra to face Al-Ahwaaz and
the Persian armies in a fierce battle.
The two great brothers Anas Ibn Maalik
and Al-Baraa’Ibn Maalik were among the
believing soldiers.
The war started with dueling, and Al-Baraa’
alone killed a hundred swordsmen of the
Persians. Then the armies joined in
battle, and the killed fell from both
sides in large numbers. During the fight
some of the Companions came near Al-Baraa’
and said, “Remember the Messenger’s
words about you, Baraa’: ‘Perhaps
there is a person with uncombed, dusty
hair that people will not look at, but
if he swears by Allah, He will fulfill
his prayer. Among them is Al-Baraa Ibn
Maalik.’ O Baraa’, swear by Allah,
entreat Him to defeat them and render us
victorious.”
Hence, Al-Baraa’ raised his arms
towards the sky and supplicated, “O
Allah, render them defeated and us
victorious, and let me catch Your
Prophet today.” He took a long look at
his brother Anas, who was fighting near
him, as if saying goodbye. Then the
fighting intensified and the Muslims
fought as nobody in the world had done,
and they were clearly victorious.
Among the martyrs of the battle was Al-Baraa’,
with a happy smile on his face and his
right hand grasping a handful of dust
soaked with his pure blood. His sword
was lying beside him. It was strong,
without notches, undamaged.
Finally, the traveler arrived at his
home. Together with his brother martyrs,
he ended the journey of a great noble
age. And it will be cried out to them,
“This is the Paradise which you have
inherited for what you did.”
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