The history of Islam is full of stories and opportunities to learn more about the Koran, the life of the Prophet ﷺ or even the lives of illustrious people who have marked Muslim history.
Introduction
Among these, we can obviously cite the Companions, these men endowed with unshakeable faith who knew how to demonstrate courage, patience, strength and loyalty to the Prophet ﷺ.
The events that took place in their lives constitute so many reminders and sources of inspiration for every Muslim, whether big or small. Because in fact, many of their stories are entirely suitable for children and can be transmitted from a very young age.
The history of the Companions, a heritage to be preserved
The Companions are those men endowed with many qualities and virtues whom Allah chose to be at the side of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ until his death. They accompanied him in the best way, protected him, supported him, defended him, assisted him and we ask Allah to accept them all.
In his introduction to the book Al Bidayah wa An Nihâyah, the author and scholar Ibn Kathîr, may Allah have mercy on him, explains about them:
“They were trained by the best educator that history has ever known: Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd Allah, the seal of the messengers of Allah. He taught them to speak the truth and put it into practice, to be patient and to endure successive trials and troubles with steadfastness. This is how they brought the community back to its former unity and righteousness."
He also says:
“The Muslim community is indebted to the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. Our duty of memory towards them must be maintained. Respecting them and asking Allah to accept them is respecting the rights that the Prophet ﷺ has towards us. […] Our duty is therefore to give importance to their history, to defend their honor against attacks. […] We must believe that they are the best of men after the prophets.”
Why is it important to know about the lives of the Companions?
There are many reasons to study the lives of Companions of the Prophet ﷺ. Here are some of them, cited, among others, by the scholar Ibn Kathir.
1st reason: By duty of memory
The first reason, as mentioned above, concerns the duty to remember. If we do not study their lives, if we do not read their biographies, if we do not transmit this knowledge to our children, the history of the Companions will be forgotten.
2nd reason: To take them as models
By traveling through their lives, the reader discovers the countless qualities with which they were endowed. Courageous, proud, honorable, generous, fraternal, heroic, patient, abandoning this world... They obeyed the Prophet ﷺ and sought the satisfaction of their Lord.
3rd reason: To know the history of Islam
As Ibn Kathîr points out in his introduction, the period of the Companions is a “unique generation of its kind in the history of humanity”. They have left their indelible mark on the history of Islam, so it is up to us, young or not, to set out to discover them.
Further read : The unique aspects of growing up as a Muslim child
4th reason: To ask Allah to accept them
Nothing is better than knowing people to love them better. This is also the case for our Companions. It is our duty to love them, respect them and ask Allah to please them. Ibn Kathîr says on this subject: “Respecting them and asking Allah to accept them is respecting the rights that the Prophet ﷺ has towards us.
Indeed, he praised them, forbade insulting them and ordered to preserve his honor through respect for his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. »
5th reason: To better defend them
It is by knowing their history and their many merits that the Muslim man and woman will be able to defend themselves, as Ibn Kathîr emphasizes: “Our duty is […] to defend their honor against the attacks launched by their detractors, who sully their image, or at least that of some of them. »
So let's go, together, young and old, to discover three anecdotes concerning 'Oumar Ibn Al-Khattâb, Sa'îd Ibn Zayd and Abou 'Oubayd, three illustrious Companions who are part of the 10 Companions promised to Paradise cited in one and the same hadith.
The invocation of the Prophet ﷺ and the conversion of 'Umar
‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattâb was one of the nobles among the Quraysh. They respected and appreciated him very much. He was even their emissary in the event of war or conflicts within their tribe or with others. ‘Oumar was therefore a trustworthy man whom everyone appreciated.
Despite his many qualities, 'Oumar was not immediately interested in Islam and, at the very beginning, he liked neither this beautiful religion nor Muslims. He was even very hostile towards the Prophet ﷺ!
But one day, the Prophet ﷺ invoked for him saying: “O Allah, strengthen Islam through the man most loved by You among these two men: Abu Jahl or ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattab! »
And soon after, 'Umar discovered a few verses of the Koran and embraced Islam! ‘Oumar’s conversion to Islam was very good news for Muslims! Moreover, Ibn Mas‘oud said one day: “We have not ceased to be glorious since the conversion of ‘Umar. »
Sa'id Ibn Zayd and the woman who fell into a well
Sa‘îd Ibn Zayd was also a great Companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He had many merits including one in particular: his invocations were answered by Allah!
One day, when Mu'âwiya, may Allah be pleased with him, was the caliph, the leader of the Muslims, a woman called Arwâ bint Ouways complained saying that Sa'îd Ibn Zayd had taken her land.
Sa‘îd then said: “Would you see me doing him injustice? » Then he invoked Allah, saying: “O Allah, if she lies, then do not put her to death before you have made her blind and made her well her grave! »
And that’s exactly what happened! Indeed, this woman one day became blind and, while she was walking in her home, she fell into her well which became her tomb. SubhanAllah!
The teeth of Abou 'Oubayda
Abou ‘Ubayda was a Companion and one of the most courageous men. He also witnessed the famous battle of Badr as well as all the battles alongside the Prophet ﷺ.
During the battle of Ouhud, the Prophet ﷺ was wounded in the head and blood began to flow down his face. One of his teeth broke and two rings from his helmet became embedded in his cheekbone.
It was then that Abu ‘Ubayda decided to remove these two rings that had entered the cheek of the Prophet ﷺ. But he did not want to do this haphazardly, because he did not want to make the Prophet ﷺ suffer! So he decided to grab the rings with his own teeth! He managed to remove one of the two rings but it caused him to lose a tooth!
Despite this, Abou 'Oubayda did not stop and wanted to remove the second stuck ring, which he did, and then lost a second tooth! He preferred to lose two teeth than to hurt the Prophet ﷺ by removing the rings with his hands.
Abu Bakr also said on this subject: “Of all those who were missing teeth, Abu ‘Ubayda was one of the most beautiful. »
Further read : CHILDREN AND THE QURAN: HOW TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THE WORD OF ALLAH?
