Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
When the month of Muharram dawns, we are reminded of the loyalty and sacrifices of the special servants of Allah Ta‘ala.
From the entire mankind, the servants who displayed the greatest loyalty before Allah Ta‘ala were the Ambiyaa (‘alaihimus salaam). Throughout their lives, the Ambiyaa (‘alaihimus salaam) demonstrated before their ummats, through their actions and lifestyle, how to fulfil the right of loyalty and faithfulness which a servant owes to Allah Ta‘ala. Hence, they sacrificed their entire lives and wealth to please Allah Ta‘ala and fulfil His commands.
After the Ambiyaa (‘alaihimus salaam), the servants who had shown the greatest loyalty to Allah Ta‘ala in the world were the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).
In the beginning of Islam, the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) had suffered severe hardships and difficulties at the hands of the kuffaar. Every coming day presented a new challenge in their lives as they were being relentlessly persecuted and mercilessly tortured by the kuffaar for merely embracing Islam and living as Muslims. Despite all the challenges, they remained steadfast upon Islam and bore all the hardships and difficulties with patience.
Then came the time when Allah Ta‘ala commanded them, for the sake of protecting their deen, to make hijrah to Madinah Munawwarah. Making hijrah to Madinah Munawwarah was extremely difficult for them, as the kuffaar were preventing them from leaving Makkah Mukarramah and even threatened to kill them.
Apart from this, leaving Makkah Mukarramah meant sacrificing everything, giving up their homeland where they were born and brought up, leaving behind their wealth and all their belongings. Despite this, they immediately obeyed, fulfilled the command of Allah Ta‘ala and made hijrah to Madinah Munawwarah.
Below is an incident of the first family of the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) who made hijrah to Madinah Munawwarah:
The First Family of the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) to Perform Hijrah to Madinah Munawwarah
Hazrat Abu Salamah (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) and his family were among the first people to accept Islam. They also suffered great persecution at the hands of the Quraish, just like many other Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum). Thus, to escape the torture and suffering, they participated in both migrations – the migration to Abyssinia and Madinah Munawwarah. (Usdul Ghaabah 6/148)
After Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) received wahi from Allah Ta‘ala commanding the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) to perform hijrah to Madinah Munawwarah, Hazrat Abu Salamah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was the first Sahaabi who prepared to leave Makkah Mukarramah with his wife and child. However, at the time when he fastened the saddle onto the camel, mounted his wife and child on the camel, and he was about to depart, then the people of Makkah Mukarramah heard about his migration.
The wife of Hazrat Abu Salamah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was Hazrat Ummu Salamah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) (who after the demise of her husband, was honoured by Allah Ta‘ala to come into the nikaah of Hazrat Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), thus becoming one of the Ummahaat-ul-Mu’mineen). As soon as her family heard that he was departing with her, they rushed up to him and said, “You can do whatever you want with your life, but you are not at liberty to take our daughter away.” Saying this, they grasped her hand and pulled her away.
On the other side, Hazrat Abu Salamah’s (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) relatives came up to him saying, “This child belongs to our family and nobody has the right to take him away.” They then snatched the child from the lap of Hazrat Ummu Salamah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) and took him away.
In this manner, the father, mother and child were all pitilessly separated from one another, and Hazrat Abu Salamah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) ultimately set out on his own for Madinah Munawwarah.
Hazrat Ummu Salamah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) mentions:
I would go to Abtah every morning thereafter, and remain there weeping until the evening. One entire year passed like this before one of my paternal cousins took pity upon me and said to my family, the Banul Mughirah, “Do you not feel any pity or compassion for this poor woman?” Upon this, the Banul Mughirah relented and allowed me to migrate to Madinah Munawwarah. The people of Banul Asad (my husband’s family) also returned my son to me. I thus took the child on my lap, mounted the camel and set out for Madinah Munawwarah all alone.
When I reached Tan’eem (a place on the outskirts of Makkah Mukarramah), I met Uthmaan bin Talhah ([radhiyallahu ‘anhu] who was not a Muslim at that time but later accepted Islam during the period of the Treaty of Hudaibiyah). On seeing me traveling alone with my child, he asked me where I was traveling to. I replied, “I am traveling to Madinah Munawwarah to meet my husband.” He asked, “Is there nobody accompanying you?” I replied, “No! I have nobody with me besides Allah and this infant son of mine.”
On hearing this, the heart of Uthmaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was affected and he was on the verge of weeping. He thus took hold of the reins of the camel and began walking ahead of us, leading the camel. Whenever we halted, he would make the camel sit and then move away (out of respect and shame). After I had dismounted, he would take the camel a distance away, tie it to a tree and lie down under its shade.
When it was time to continue the journey, he would bring the camel to me and then move away saying, “You may now mount the camel.” After I had mounted, he would take its reins and walk ahead. Whenever we broke our journey, he would maintain this conduct of modesty and respect, until we reached Madinah Munawwarah.
As we caught sight of the buildings of Qubaa from a distance, he said to me, “Your husband resides in this village. Enter this village with the barakah (blessings) of Allah Ta‘ala.” He then delivered me to my husband and returned to Makkah Mukarramah. By Allah! I have not come across another man more noble and gracious than Uthmaan bin Talhah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu)!”
(Extracted from Seeratul Mustafa 1/352-353)
