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The
First Envoy of Islam
This man among the Companions of the
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), how good it is
for us to start with him. He was the
flower of the Quraish the most handsome
and youthful! Historians and narrators
describe him as "the most charming
of the Makkans".
He was bom and brought up in wealth, and
he grew up with its luxuries. Perhaps
there was no boy in Makkah who was
pampered by his parents like Musab Ibn 'Umair.
This mirthful youth, caressed and
pampered, the talk of the ladies of
Makkah, the jewel of its clubs and
assemblies: is it possible for him to be
one of the legends of faith?
By Allah, how interesting a tale, the
story of Mus'ab Ibn Umair or Mus'ab the
Good, as he was nicknamed among the
Muslims! He was one of those made by
Islam and fostered by the Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH).
But who was he? His story is a pride of
all mankind. The youth heard one day
what the people of Makkah had begun to
hear about Muhammad the Truthful, that;
Allah had sent him as bearer of glad
tidings and a Warner to call them to the
worship of Allah the One God. When
Makkah slept and awoke there was no
other talk but the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
and his religion, and this spoiled boy
was one of the most attentive listeners.
That was because, although he was young,
the flower of clubs and assemblies, the
outward appearance of wisdom and common
sense were among the traits of Mus'ab.
He heard that the Prophet (PBUH) and
those who believed in him were meeting
far away from the dignitaries and great
men of the Quraish atAs-Safaa in the
house of Al-Arqam Ibn Al-Arqam (Daar Al-Arqam).
He wasted no time. He went one night to
the Daar Al-Arqam, yearning and anxious.
There/ the Prophet (PBUH) was meeting
his Companions, reciting the Qur'aan to
them and praying with them to Allah the
Most Exalted. Mus'ab had hardly taken
his seat and contemplated the verses of
Qur'aan recited by the Prophet (PBUH)
when his heart became the promised heart
that night.
The pleasure almost flung him from his
seat as he was filled with a wild
ecstasy. But the Prophet (PBUH) patted
his throbbing heart with his blessed
right hand, and the silence of the
ocean's depth filled his heart. In the
twinkling of an eye, the youth who had
just become Muslim appeared to have more
wisdom than his age and a determination
that would change the course of time!
Mus'ab's mother was Khunaas Bint Maalik,
and people feared her almost to the
point of terror because she possessed a
strong personality. When Mus'ab became a
Muslim, he was neither careful before
nor afraid of anyone on the face of the
earth except his mother. Even if Makkah,
with all its idols, nobles, and deserts
were to challenge him, he would stand up
to it. As for a dispute with his mother,
this was an impossible horror, so he
thought quickly and decided to keep his
Islam secret until Allah willed. He
continued to frequent Daar Al-Arqam and
take lessons from the Prophet (PBUH). He
was satisfied with his faith and avoided
the anger of his mother, who had no
knowledge of his embracing Islam.
However, Makkah at that time kept no
secret, for the eyes and ears of the
Quraish were everywhere, very alert and
checking every footprint in its hot
sands. Once, "Uthmaan Ibn Talhah
saw him steadily entering Al-Arqam's
house, then he saw him a second time
praying the prayer like Muhammad. No
sooner had he seen him than he ran
quickly with the news to Mus'ab's
mother, who was astonished by it.
Mus.'ab stood before his mother, the
people, and the nobles of Makkah who
assembled around him, telling them the
irrefutable truth and reciting the
Qur'aan with which the Prophet (PBUH)
cleansed their hearts and filled them
with honour, wisdom, justice, and piety.
His mother aimed a heavy blow at him,
but the hand which was meant as an arrow
soon succumbed to the powerful light
which increased the radiance of his face
with innocent glory because it demanded
respect with its quiet confidence.
However, his mother, under the pressure
of her motherliness, spared him the
beating and the pain, although it was
within her power to avenge her gods whom
he had abandoned. Instead she took him
to a rough comer of her house and shut
him in it. She put shackles on him and
imprisoned him there until he heard the
news of the emigration (hijrah) of some
of the believers to Abyssinia. He
thought to himself and was able to
delude his mother and his guards, and so
escaped to Abyssinia.
There he stayed in Abyssinia with his
fellow emigrants and then returned with
them to Makkah. He also emigrated to
Abyssinia for the second time with the
Companions whom the Prophet (PBUH)
advised to emigrate and they obeyed. But
whether Mus'ab was in Abyssinia or
Makkah, the experience of his faith
proclaimed itself in all places and at
all times.
Mus'ab became confident that his life
had become good enough to be offered as
a sacrifice to the Supreme Originator
and great Creator. He went out one dry
t.'" some Muslims while they were
sitting around the Prophet (PBUH); and
no sooner did they see him than they
lowered their heads and shed some tears
because they saw him wearing worn-out
garments. They were accustomed to his
former appearance before he had become a
Muslim, when his clothes had been like
garden flowers, elegant and fragrant.
The Prophet (PBUH) saw him with the eyes
of wisdom, thankful and loving, and his
lips smiled gracefully as he said,
"I saw Mus'ab here, and there was
no youth in Makkah more petted by his
parents than he. Then he abandoned all
that for the love of Allah and His
Prophet!"
His mother had withheld from him all the
luxury he had been overwhelmed by, when
she could not return him to her
religion. She refused to let anyone who
had abandoned their gods eat of her
food, even if he was her son. Her last
connection with him was when she tried
to imprison him for a second time after
his return from Abyssinia, and he swore
that if she did that, he would kill all
those who came to her aid to lock him
up. She knew the truth of his
determination when he was intent and
decided to do something, and so she bade
him goodbye weeping.
The parting moment revealed a strange
adherence to infidelity on the part of
his mother, and the greater adherence to
faith on the part of her son. When she
said to him, while turning him out of
her house, "Go away, I am no longer
your mother," he went close to her
and said, "0 mother, I am advising
you and my heart is with you, please
bear witness that there is no god but
Allah and that Muhammad is His servant
and messenger." She replied to him,
angrily raging, "By the stars, I
will never enter your religion, to
degrade my status and weaken my
senses!"
So Mu&'ab left the great luxury in
which he had been living. He became
satisfied with a hard life he had never
seen before, wearing the roughest
clothes, eating one day and going hungry
another. This spirit, which was grounded
in the strongest faith, adorned with the
light of Allah, made him another man,
one who appeals to the eyes of other
great souls.
While he was in this state, the Prophet
(PBUH) commissioned him with the
greatest mission of his life, which was
to be his envoy to Al-Madiinah. His
mission was to instruct the Angaar who
believed in the Prophet (PBUH) and had
pledged their allegiance to him at qabah,
to call others to Islam, and to prepare
Al-Madiinah for the day of the great
Hijrah. There were among the Companions
of the Prophet (PBUH) at that time
others who were older than Mus'ab and
more prominent and nearer to the Prophet
(PBUH) by family relations. But the
Prophet (PBUH) chose Mus'ab the Good,
knowing that he was entrusting to him
the most important task of that time,
putting into his hands the destiny of
Islam at Al-Madinah. The radiant city of
Al-Madiinah was destined to be the home
of Hijrah, the springboard of Islamic
preachers and the liberators of the
future.
Mus'ab was equal to the task and trust
which Allah had given him and he was
equipped with an excellent mind and
noble character. He won the hearts of
the Madinites with his piety,
uprightness and sincerity. And so they
embraced the religion of Allah in
flocks. At the time the Prophet (PBUH)
sent him there, only twelve Muslims had
pledged allegiance to the Prophet (PBUH)
at the Pledge of 'Aqabah. He had hardly
completed a few months when they
answered to the call of Allah and the
Prophet (PBUH). During the next
pilgrimage season, the Madinite Muslims
sent a delegation of 70 believing men
and women to Makkah to meet the Prophet
(PBUH).
They came with their teacher and their
Prophet's envoy, Mus'ab Ibn'Umair.
Musfab had proven, by his good sense and
excellence, that the Prophet (PBUH) knew
well how to choose his envoys and
teachers.
Mus'ab had understood his mission well.
He knew that he was a caller to Allah
and preacher of His religion, which
calls people to right guidance and the
straight path. Like the Prophet (PBUH)
in whom he believed/ he was no more than
a deliverer of the message. There he
stood fast, with As'd Ibn Zoraarah as
host, and both of them used to visit the
tribes, dwellings, and assemblies,
reciting to the people what he had of
the Book of Allah, instilling in them
that Allah is no more than One God.
He had confronted certain instances,
which could have put an end to his life
and that of those with him but for his
active, intelligent, great mind. One
day, he was taken by surprise while
preaching to the people to find Usaid
Ibn Hud.air, leader of the 'Abd Al-Ashhal
tribe, at Al-Madinah confronting him
with a drawn arrow.
He was raging with anger and animosity
against the one who had come to corrupt
the religion of his people by telling
them to abandon their gods and talking
to them about the idea of only One God
Whom they did not know before and had
never heard of. Their gods were to them
the center of their worship. Whenever
any of them needed them, he knew their
places. They would invoke them for help.
That was how they thought and imagined!
As for the God of Muhammad, to whom this
envoy was calling, nobody knew His
place, nor could anybody see Him! When
the Muslims who were sitting around
Mus'ab, saw Usaid Ibn Hudair advancing
in his unbridled anger, they were
frightened, but Mus'ab the Good stood
firm. Usaid stood before him and As'ad
Ibn Zoraarah shouting, "What
brought you here? Are you coming to
corrupt our faith? Go away if you wish
to be saved !"
And like the calmness of the sea and its
force, Mus'ab started his fine speech
saying, "Won't you sit down and
listen? If you like our cause, you can
accept; and if you dislike it, we will
spare you of what you hate."
Allah is the Greatest! How grand an
opening whose ending would be pleasant!
Usaid was a thoughtful and clever man,
and here he saw Mus'ab inviting him to
listen and ni/more, If he was convinced
he would accept it/ and if he was not
convinced/ then Mu£"ab would leave
his neighbourhood and hig clan/ and move
to another neighbourhood without harm/
nor being harmed. There and then Usaid
answered him saying/ "Well, that is
fair," and he dropped his arrow to
the ground and sat down listening.
Mus'ab had hardly read the Qur'aan,
explaining the mission with which
Muhammad Ibn 'Abd Allah (PBUH) came/
when the conscience of Usaid began to
clear and brighten and change with the
effectiveness of the words. He became
overwhelmed by its beauty. When Mus'ab
finished speaking, Usaid Ibn Hudair
exclaimed to him and those with him/
"How beautiful is this speech, and
how true! How can one enter this
religion?" Mus'ab told him to
purify his body and clothes and say,
"I bear witness that there is no
god but Allah."
Usaid retired for some time and then
returned pouring clean water on his head
and standing there proclaiming, "I
bear witness that there is no god but
Allah/ and that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah."
The news spread like lightning and then
Sa'd Ibn Mu'aadh came and listened to
Mus'ab, and he was convinced and
embraced Islam. Then came Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah.
There and then blessings came with their
entering Islam. The people of Al-Madiinah
came together asking one another, 'If
Sa'd Ibn Mu'aadh and Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah
have embraced Islam, what are we waiting
for? Go straight to Mus'ab and believe.
By Allah, he is calling us to the truth
and the straight path!"
The first envoy of the Prophet (PBUH)
succeeded without comparison. It was a
success which he deserved and to which
he was equal.
The days and years passed by. The
Prophet (PBUH) and his Companions
emigrated to Al-Madinah, and the Quraish
were raging with envy and their ungodly
pursuit after the pious worshippers. So
the Battle of Badr took place, in which
they were taught a lesson and lost their
strong hold. After that they prepared
themselves for revenge, and thus came
the Battle of Uhud. The Muslims
mobilized themselves, and the Prophet (PBUH)
stood in their midst to sort out among
their faithful faces and to choose one
to bear the standard. He then called for
Mus'ab the Good, and he advanced and
carried the standard.
The terrible battle was raging, the
fighting furious. The archers
disregarded the orders of the Prophet (PBUH)
by leaving their positions on the
mountain when they saw the polytheists
withdrawing as if defeated. But this act
of theirs soon turned the victory of the
Muslims to defeat. The Muslims were
taken at unawares by the cavalry of the
Quraish at the mountain top, and many
Muslims were killed by the swords of the
polytheists as a consequence.
When they saw the confusion and horror
splitting the ranks of the Muslims, the
polytheists concentrated on the Prophet
of Allah to finish him off. Mus'ab saw
the impending threat, so he raised the
standard high, shouting, "Allahu
Akbar! Allah is the Greatest!" like
the roar of a lion. He turned and jumped
left and right, fighting and killing the
foe. All he wanted was to draw the
attention of the enemy to himself in
order to turn their attention away from
the Prophet (PBUH). He thus became as a
whole army in himself. Nay, Mus'ab went
alone to fight as if he were an army of
giants raising the standard in sanctity
with one hand, striking with his sword
with the other. But the enemies were
multiplying on him. They wanted to step
on his corpse so that they could find
the Prophet (PBUH).
Let us allow a living witness to
describe for us the last scene of Mus'ab
the Great. Ibn Sa'd said: Ibraahim Ibn
Muhammad Ibn Sharhabiil Al-'Abdriy
related from his father/ who said:
Mus'ab Ibn 'Umair carried the standard
on the Day of Uhud. When the Muslims
were scattered, he stood fast until he
met Ibn Qumaah who was a knight. He
struck him on his right hand and cut it
off/ but Mus'ab said/ "<and
Muhammad is but a Messenger. Messengers
have passed away before him >"
(3:144). He carried the standard with
his left hand and leaned on it. He
struck his left hand and cut it off/ and
so he leaned on the standard and held it
with his upper arms to his chest, all
the while saying/ "<And Muhammad
is but a Messenger. Messengers have
passed away before him >". Then
a third one struck him with his spear,
and the spear went through him. Mus'ab
fell and then the standard.
Nay/ the cream of martyrdom had fallen!
He fell after he had struggled for the
sake of Allah in the great battle of
sacrifice and faith. He had thought that
if he fell/ he would be a stepping stone
to the death of the Prophet (PBUH)
because he would be without defence and
protection. But he put himself in harm's
way for the sake of the Prophet (PBUH).
Overpowered by his fear for and love of
him/ he continued to say with every
sword stroke that fell on him from the
foe/ "<And Muhammad is but a
Messenger. Messengers have passed away
before him >"(3:144). This verse
was revealed later/ after he had spoken
it.
After the bitter battle/ they found the
corpse of the upright martyr lying with
his face in the dust/ as if he feared to
look while harm fell on the Prophet (PBUH).
So he hid his face so that he would
avoid the scene. Or perhaps, he was shy
when he fell as a martyr, before making
sure of the safety of the Prophet of
Allah, and before serving to the very
end, guarding and protecting him.
Allah is with you, 0 Mus'ab ! What a
great life story!
The Prophet (PBUH) and his Companions
came to inspect the scene of the battle
and bid farewell to its martyrs. Pausing
at Mus'ab's body, many tears dripped
from the Prophet's eyes.
Khabbaab Ibn Al-Arat narrated: We
emigrated with the Prophet (PBUH) for
Allah's cause, so our reward became due
with Allah. Some of us passed away
without enjoying anything in this life
of his reward, and one of them was
Mus'ab Ibn 'Umair, who was martyred on
the Day of Uhud. He did not leave behind
anything except a sheet of shredded
woollen cloth. If we covered his head
with it, his feet were uncovered, and if
we covered his feet with it, his head
was uncovered. The Prophet (PBUH) said
to us, "Cover his head with it and
put lemon grass over his feet."
Despite the deep, sad pain which the
Prophet (PBUH) suffered over the loss of
his uncle Hamzah and the mutilation of
his corpse by the polytheists in a
manner that drew tears from the Prophet
(PBUH) and broke his heart; despite the
fact that the field of battle was
littered with the corpses of his
Companions, all of whom represented the
peak of truth, piety and enlightenment;
despite all this, he stood at the corpse
of his first envoy, bidding him farewell
and weeping bitterly. Nay, the Prophet
(PBUH) stood at the remains of Mus'ab
Ibn 'Umair saying, while his eyes were
flowing with tears, love and loyalty,
"Among the believers are men who
have been true to their covenant with
Allah " (33:23).
Then he gave a sad look at the garment
in which he was shrouded and said/
"I saw you at Makkah, and there was
not a more precious jewel, nor more
distinguished one than you, and here you
are bare-headed in a garment!" Then
the Prophet (PBUH) looked at all the
martyrs in the battlefield and said,
"The Prophet of Allah witnesses
that you are martyrs to Allah on the Day
of Resurrection." Then he gathered
his living Companions around him and
said, "0 people, visit them, come
to them, and salute them. By Allah, no
Muslim will salute them but that they
will salute him in return."
Peace be on you, O Mus'ab. Peace be on
you, O Martyrs. Peace and blessings of
Allah be upon you!
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