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Mus`ab’s
Journey to Islam:
Mus`ab
ibn `Umayr was born and grew up in the lap of affluence and luxury.
His rich parents lavished a great deal of care and attention on him.
He wore the most expensive clothes and the most stylish shoes of his
time.
Mus`ab
knew that Muhammad and those who believed in his message were
gathering in a house near the hill of As-Safa to evade Quraysh
harassment. Mus`ab went there and met the Prophet who welcomed him.
In
this first meeting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him), the young and decisive Mus`ab declared his acceptance of
Islam.
After
embracing Islam, Mus`ab’s concern was his mother who totally
opposed his Islam, tied and confined him under her watchful eyes so
as to prevent him from contacting Muhammad and his faith. Despite
his ordeal, Mus`ab did not waver.
His
Migration to Abyssinia:
Mus`ab
heard that a group of Muslims were preparing secretly to migrate to
Abyssinia to seek refuge and relief. His immediate thoughts were how
to escape from his prison and join them. At the first opportunity,
when his mother and his warders were off-guard, he managed to slip
away quietly. Then with utmost haste, he joined the other migrants,
and before long they sailed together across the Red Sea to Africa.
For him, as for many other Muslims, life in Makkah was becoming more
and more intolerable.
After
about ten years of inviting people to Islam, most of Makkah still
remained hostile. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then
went to At-Ta’if seeking new adherents to the faith. He was
repulsed and chased out of the city. At that time, the future of
Islam looked bleak.
Mus`ab
as an Ambassador to Yathrib:
It
was just after this that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) chose Mus`ab to be his "ambassador" to Yathrib to
teach a small group of believers who had come to pledge allegiance
to Islam and prepare Madinah for the day of the great Hijrah.
No
doubt that Mus`ab was chosen for this task because of his noble
character, his fine manners and his sharp intellect. His knowledge
of the Qur’an and his ability to recite it beautifully and
movingly was also an important consideration.
He
entered Madinah as a guest of Sa`d ibn Zurarah of the Khazraj tribe.
Together they went to people, to their homes and their gatherings,
telling them about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him),
explaining Islam to them and reciting the Qur’an.
Less
than a year after his arrival in Yathrib, Mus`ab returned to Makkah
in the season of pilgrimage with a group of seventy-five Muslims
from Madinah. Again at `Aqabah, near Mina, they met the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him). There they solemnly undertook to
defend the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at all cost.
Great
Mujahid:
Mus`ab
continued to play a major role in the building of the new community.
The next momentous situation in which we meet him was during the
great Battle of Badr.
Mus`ab
also participated in the battle of Uhud, and he fell a martyr in
that battle. After that battle was over, the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) then cast his tender eyes over the battle
field on which lay the dead Companions – including Mus`ab - and
said: “The Messenger of Allah testifies that you are martyrs in
the Sight of Allah on the Day of Judgment.”
Then
turning to the living Companions around him he said: “O People!
Visit them, send peace on them. By Him in whose hand is my soul, any
Muslim who sends peace on them until the Day of Judgment, they would
return the salutation of peace.”
Excerpted
with some modifications from: http://web.umr.edu/~msaumr/index.html
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