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

88 THE LIVES OF THE SAHABAH i4&?!&%> ~ol-lj
years before other people." ('I
Rasulullaah
Invites Hadhrat Amr bin Abasa
%%i&% to Islaam
Hadhrat Shaddaad bin Abdillaah narrates that Hadhrat Abu Umaama %$X%i once
asked Hadhrat Arnr bin Abasa $5$3&% why he claimed to be the fourth person to
accept Islaam. He replied, "Even during the Period of Ignorance, I realised that
people were astray and I had no regard for idols. When I heard about a person in
Makkah who was informing about many happenings and saying many things, I
rode to Makkah. Upon reaching Makkah, I realised that Rasulullaah @@ was in
hiding and that his people were unashamedly harassing him. I therefore
employed subtle tactics and finally managed to meet him."
"I asked, 'What are you?' Rasulullaah $%%% replied, 'I am the Nabi of Allaah.' I
asked further, 'What is a Nabi?' He said, 'A Rasul of Allaah.' 'Has Allaah sent you?' I
enquired. When he replied in the affirmative, I asked, 'What (message) has Allaah
sent you with?' Rasulullaah responded, 'That He should be accepted as One,
that no partners should be ascribed to Him, that the idols should be destroyed
and that family ties should be maintained.' I asked, 'Who is with you in this?' 'A
free man and a slave,' was the reply. I saw that Hadhrat Abu Bakr bin Abi Quhaafa
%E&j was with him along with his slave Bilaal. I then said, 'I shall follow you in
this.' Rasulullaah said, You cannot do so right now. Rather go home and
come to meet me when you hear that I 6ave become dominant.' 1 then returned
home as a Muslim."
"Rasulullaah @%@ laier migrated to Madinah and I kept making enquiries about
him until a caravan from Madinah arrived one day. I asked them, 'What is the
condition of the person from Makkah who has come to you people?' They
replied, 'His people tried to assassinate him but were unable to do so as AJaah's
help came between. As we left, people were flocking to him."'
Hadhrat Amr bin Abasa W3@!2i continues, "I immediately mounted my camel and
rode off. When I reached Madinah, I appeared before Rasulullaah and then
said, "0 Rasulullaah &%! Do you recognise me?" He replied, "Are you not the
person who met me in Makkah?" I said, "Yes, I am the same person" and I added
further, "0 Rasulullaah! Teach me something that Allaah has taught you and
which I do not know." There is still a considerable portion of this Hadith still to
be mentioned. (2)
Hadhrat Amr bin Abasa has narrated yet another Hadith. He says that he
once asked Rasulullaah m, "With what message did Allaah send you?" He
replied, "Allaah has sent me with the message that family ties should be joined,
human life should be preserved, roads should remain safe, idols should be
broken and that only one Allaah should be worshipped Who has no partner." I
(I) Ahmad. Haythami (Vo1.9 Pg.102) has mentioned that the narration has been reported by Ahmad
and Abu Ya'la in brief, as well as Bazzaar and Tabraani in his Awsat with a reliable chain of
narrators.
(2) Ahmad (Vol. 4 Pg. 112) as mentioned by Ibn Sa'd (Vol. 4 Pg. 158)