The Sahabas or Companions as they are known in English, struggled hard with the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (pbuh) in his Dawah. They put their lives on the line for the deen i.e. Islam and the Prophet (pbuh).

After the Prophet’s (pbuh) death they took Islam to the rest of humanity, it is why you will find their graves in various parts of the World from China to Turkey. The companions were amongst the best people to ever come across in the face of this Earth as they submitted completely to Islam and were in total obedience to the Prophet (pbuh).

I can go on forever about these exceptional humans (r.a) but I can’t, 1. because I will never do it any justice and 2. I don’t know enough to go on.

So here are some interesting facts that you may not have known about 5 different sahabas.

AbdAllah Ibn Al Zubair (RA)
Did you know he was the nephew of umm ul Mu’mineen A’isha (RA) and the grandson of the first Khaleefah, Abu Bakr Siddeeq (RA)? He was the son of Asma Bint Abu Bakr (RA) and Zubair Ibn Al Awwam (RA).

From a very young age, AbdAllah (RA) was known for his great courage and military skills. As a young man, he played an active role in the campaigns against the Sassanid and the Byzantines. He had marched to Sbeitla in Tunisia, which was the capital of the Exarch of Carthage – Gregory, who was later killed in the battle of Sufetula.

AbdAllah (RA) also was one of the Sahaba who had refused to give a forced baiyah (allegiance) to Yazid Ibn Mu’awiyah.

Umar Ibn al Khattab (ra)
Did you know he was in his 20s when he accepted Islam? His entering into Islam was seen as a turning point for the dawah of Prophet (saw) in the Makkan period. His conversion came at the time when he had himself set out to slay the holy prophet (saw). It is said that it were the first few verses of Surah Taha which made him change from someone who hated Islam to someone who loved it more than his life.

Umar (ra) was so devoted to Islam that he was made the second Khaleefah of the Muslim ummah with the title of ‘Ameer ul Mu’mineen’ (leader of the faithful). It was under Umar’s (ra) reign that the Muslim world saw its greatest expansion with major lands being liberated from dar ul kufr to dar ul Islam. Lands like Iran. Iraq, Syria and Palestine were liberated during his reign.

Prophet Muhammad (saw) said about Umar (ra), ‘There will be no Prophet after me and if there would have been one, it would have been Umar’.

Khaleed Bin Waleed (RA)
Did you know he won the battle of Uhud for the kuffar of Makkah? Later he embraced Islam and was given the title of Saifullah by our prophet (saw).

He is known for his great valour and remembered as the liberator of Bait Al Maqdis (Jerusalem) and the land of Ash-Shaam. He also liberated Iraq from the Sassanid Persians.

The Muslim ummah will never forget the great Battle of Yarmouk which decided the liberation of Damascus from the Byzantine rule. On his death bed, Khaleed (RA) had only one regret which wa that he was not martyred on the battlefield in the path of Allah (swt).

His friend told him, ‘how could you be slain in the battlefield when the prophet (saw) gave you the title of Saifullah (sword of Allah), and your being slain on the battlefield would mean that the sword of Allah (swt) has been broken when the sword of Allah (swt) can never be broken’.

Musab Bin Umair (RA)
Did you know he was born and brought up in the lap of luxury and affluence; was the most stylish man in his teens but on his martyrdom he owned only a short burdah (cloth) which could not even serve as his funeral shroud?

He had accepted Islam on his first meeting with the Prophet (saw). His mother was angered by his acceptance of Islam and had him bound with two guards keeping watch over him. He somehow managed to escape and immigrate to Abyssinia with other Muslims.

Besides his nobility, he is also remembered as the first missionary of Islam to Medina and also as a brave warrior and martyr. The prophet (saw) stood emotional besides the body of Musab (RA) after the battle of Uhud and recollected his early lifestyle in Makkah and his current state and recited this verse of the Qur’an: ‘Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah’ (TMQ 33:23)

Abdullah Ibn Abbas (RA)
Did you know he is considered one of the greatest authorities in tafseer of the Qur’an and Sunnah of our Prophet (saw)?

He was also the first cousin of the prophet (saw) and was quite attached to him (saw). It is said that he committed to memory about one thousand, six hundred and sixty sayings of the Prophet (pbuh) which are recorded and authenticated in the collections of Bukhari and Muslim.

Besides this, he is also known for his immense knowledge and wisdom. The second Khalifah of Muslims, Ameer ul Mu’mineen Umar Ibn Al Khattab (RA) would take his advise in matters of state affairs in the presence of veterans of Badr, even though he was just a teenager.

Ibn Abbas (RA) is also remembered for the role he played in averting a war between Ali (RA) and Mu’awiyah (RA).

 

Read Part Two of the Series here