Hayatus Sahabah - The Lives of the Sahabah - Part 1 of 3

THE LIVES OF THE SAHABAH BGCu,= (VOI-I) 243
you people, fewer in number than you and experiencing as much internal strife
as you people, We have already handed over to you the regions around you so
that it may suffice for you from our side (so that you may be content with it and
not need to come to our principle lands). The Persians have never fought you so
do not think that you can stan4 in their way. If your numbers have increased, let
this never fool you about (thinking that you can overpower) us. If it is poverty
that has called you here, we shall provide relief for you until you become
prosperous. We shall also honour your leaders, provide clothing for you and
appoint for you a king who will be kind towards you."
The Sahabah &%&% remained silent until Hadhrat Mughiera bin Shu'ba ~,GZ%
stood and said, "0 King! These are all leaders of the Arabs and their aristocrats.
They are all respectable people and it is only respectable people who show
consideration for respectable people and who honour respectable people. Only
they give importance to the rights of respectable people. They have not yet told
you everything they were sent to tell you and have not replied to all of your
questions. They have done well to do this and it is only people like them who can
act this respectfully. You should rather be conversing with someone like me. I
shall convey the message to you and they will testify to what I say."
Hadhrat Mughiera bin Shu'ba BUw continued, "By the way in which you have
described us, it appears that you are unaware of our situation. Concrning the
statement you made about our poor condition, (it is true because) there was
none in a poorer cdndition than we had been. With regard to hunger, none
suffered the hunger we suffered. Regarding them to be food, we used to even eat
dung beetles, other insects, scorpions and snakes. As for our homes, it used to be
the bare earth and our clothing consisted of only what we wove from the skins of
camels and hairs of goats. Killing and oppressing each other was our way of life
and there were even th~se amongst us who would bury his infant daughter alive
because he disliked that she should share his food. Our condition in the past was
exactly as I have described."
"Al18ah then sent to us a man whom we knew and whose lineage we were well
aware of. We were well acquainted with his personality and his place of birth. His
land was the best of our lands, his lineage the best of our lineages, his family the
best of our families and his tribe the best of our tribes. Despite the terrible
conditions prevailing then, he was also the best person amongst us, the most
truthful and most forbearing. When he called us towards Islaam, none of us
accepted besides his childhood friend who became the Khalifah after him.
When he spoke, we said something else and when he told us the truth, we
regarded them as lies. However, his followers increased while ours decreased.
Whatever he said became reality and Allaah eventually inspired us to believe in
him and to follow him. He then became our link with Allaah. Whatever he told us
was actually from Allaah and whatever he commanded was actually Allaah's
commands."
''He told us, 'Your Rabb says, 'I am the One Allaah Who h.as no partner. I have