Month: January 2009

Thabit Ibn Qays was a chieftain of the Khazraj and therefore a man of considerable influence in Yathrib. He was known for  the sharpness of his mind and the power of his oratory. It was because of this that he became the khatib or the spokesman  and orator of the Prophet and Islam. He became…

Returning to Makkah in haste after a trading trip to Syria, Talhah asked his family: “Did anything happen in Makkah since we  left?” “Yes,” they replied. “Muhammad ibn Abdullah emerged alleging that he is a Prophet and Abu Quhafah (Abu Bakr) has  followed him.” “I used to know Abu Bakr,” said Talhah. “He is an…

In giving advice to his companions, the noble Prophet, peace be on him, once said: “Learn the Quran from four persons:  Abdullah ibn Masud, Salim Mawla Abi Hudhayfah, Ubayy ibn Kab and Muadh ibn Jabal.” We have read about three of these companions before. But who was this fourth companion in whom the Prophet had…

We are now in a small town in a narrow valley. There is no vegetation, no livestock, no gardens, no rivers. Desert after  desert separates the town from the rest of the world. During the day the heat of the sun is unbearable and the nights are  still and lonely. Tribes flock to it like…

Muadh Bin Jabal was a young man growing up in Yathrib as the light of guidance and truth began to spread over the Arabian  peninsula. He was a handsome and imposing character with black eyes and curly hair and immediately impressed whoever  he met. He was already distinguished for the sharpness of his intelligence among…

If you wish you may consider yourself among the Muhajirin or, if you wish, you may consider yourself one of the Ansar.  Choose whichever is dearer to you.” With these words, the Prophet, peace be upon him, addressed Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman when he met him for the first time in  Makkah. How did Hudhayfah come…

Amr Ibn al-Jamuh was one of the leading men in Yathrib in the days of Jahiliyyah. He was the chief  of the Banu Salamah and was known to be one of the most generous and valiant persons in the  city. One of the privileges of the city’s leaders was having an idol to himself in…

Abul Aas belonged to the Abd ash-Shams clan of the Quraysh. He was in the prime of his youth, handsome and very impressive looking. He was the epitome of Arab chivalry and was endowed with all the characteristics of pride, manliness and generosity. He took great pride in the traditions of his ancestors. Abu-l Aas…

When he was still a youth, not yet past the age of puberty, he used to roam the mountain trails of  Makkah far away from people, tending the flocks of a Quraysh chieftain, Uqbah ibn Muayt. People  called him “Ibn Umm Abd”–the son of the mother of a slave. His real name was Abdullah and…

Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum was a cousin of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Mother of the Believers, may  God be pleased with her. His father was Qays ibn Said and his mother was Aatikah bint Abdullah.  She was called Umm Maktum (Mother of the Concealed One) because she gave birth to a blind  child. Abdullah witnessed the…