Salaamualaikum wa rehmatullah

ammu

New Member
Salaamualaikum all my Islami brothers and sisters from around the world. This is my first thread. I have been visiting this site for quite some time now and really loved it and decided to join it and here i am now posting my first thread hope you all will pray for me for this " World and Hereafter ". May Allah bless all Muslim around the world and make them steadfast and righteous. Inshaallah.

Just wanted to share some information about my favourite companion of Beloved Prophet Mohammad PBUH named Jafar ibn Abi Talib R.A


Jafar ibn Abi Talib

In spite of his noble standing among the Quraysh, Abu Talib, an uncle of the Prophet, was quite poor. He had a large family and

did not have enough means to support them adequately. His poverty-stricken situation became much worse when a severe

drought hit the Arabian peninsula. The drought destroyed vegetation and livestock and, it is said, people were driven to eat bones

in the struggle for survival. It was during this time of drought, before his call to prophethood, that Muhammad said to his uncle, al

Abbas: "Your brother, Abu Talib, has a large family. People as you see have been afflicted by this severe drought and are facing

starvation. Let us go to Abu Talib and take over responsibility for some of his family. It will take one of his sons and you can

taken another and we will look after them."

"What you suggest is certainly righteous and commendable," replied al-Abbas, and together they went to Abu Talib and said to

him: "We want to ease some of the burden of your family until such time as this distressing period has gone." Abu Talib agreed.

"If you allow me to keep Aqeel (one of his sons older than Ali), then you may do whatever you like ," he said. It was in this way

that Muhammad took Ali into his household and al-Abbas took Jafar into his. Jafar had a very close resemblance to the Prophet.

It is said there were five men from the Hashim clan who resembled the Prophet so much, they were often mistaken for him.

They were: Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith and Qutham ibn al-Abbas both of whom were cousins of his. As-Saib ibn Ubayd, the

grandfather of Imam ash Shafi: al-Hasan ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet, who resembled him most of all; and Jafar ibn Abi

Talib.

Jafar stayed with his uncle, al-Abbas, until he was a young man. Then he married Asma bint Umays, a sister of Maymunah who

was later to become a wife of the Prophet. After his marriage, Jafar went to live on his own. He and his wife were among the first

persons to accept Islam. He became a Muslim at the hands of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may God be pleased with him. The young

Jafar and his wife were devoted followers of Islam. They bore the harsh treatment and the persecution of the Quraysh with

patience and steadfastness because they both realized that the road to Paradise was strewn with. thorns and paved with pain and

hardship.

The Quraysh made life intolerable for them both and for their brethren in faith. They tried to obstruct them from observing or

performing the duties and rites of Islam. They prevented them from tasting the full sweetness of worship undisturbed. The

Quraysh waylaid them at every turn and severely restricted their freedom of movement. Jafar eventually went to the Prophet,

peace be upon him, and sought permission for himself and a small group of the Sahabah, including his wife, to make hijrah to the

land of Abyssinia. With great sadness, the Prophet gave his permission. It pained him that these pure and righteous souls should

be forced to leave their homes and the familiar and cherished scenes and memories of their childhood and youth, not for any

crime but only because they said, "Our Lord is One. Allah is our Lord."

The group of Muhajirin left Makkah bound for the land of Abyssinia. Leading them was Jafar ibn Abi Talib. Soon they settled

down in this new land under the care and protection of the Negus, the just and righteous ruler of Abyssinia. For the first time

since they became Muslims, they savoured the taste of freedom and security and enjoyed the sweetness of worship undisturbed.

When the Quraysh learnt of the departure of the small group of Muslims and the peaceful life they enjoyed under the protection

of the Negus, they made plans to secure their extradition and their return to the great prison that was Makkah. They sent two of

their most formidable men, Amr ibn al-Aas and Abdullah ibn Abi Rabiah, to accomplish this task and loaded them with valuable

and much sought after presents for the Negus and his bishops. In Abyssinia, the two Quraysh emissaries first presented their girls

to the bishops and to each of them they said: "There are some wicked young people moving about freely in the King's land. They

have attacked the religion of their forefathers and caused disunity among their people. When we speak to the King about them,

advise him to surrender them to us without his asking them about their religion. The respected leaders of their own people are

more aware of them and know better what they believe." The bishops agreed. Amr and Abdullah then went to the Negus himself

and presented him with gifts which he greatly admired. They said to him: "O King, there is a group of evil persons from among

our youth who have escaped to your kingdom. They practice a religion which neither we nor you know. They have forsaken our

religion and have not entered into your religion. The respected leaders of their people - from among their own parents and

uncles. and from their own clans - have sent us to you to request you to return them. They know best what trouble they have

caused."

The Negus looked towards his bishops who said: "They speak the truth, O King. Their own people know them better and are

better acquainted with what they have done. Send them back so that they themselves might judge them." The Negus was quite

angry with this suggestion and said: "No. By God, I won't surrender them to anyone until I myself call them and question them

about what they have been accused. If what these two men have said is true, then I will hand them over to you. If however it is not

so, then I shall protect them so long as they desire to remain under my protection."

The Negus then summoned the Muslims to meet him. Before going, they consulted with one another as a group and agreed that

Jafar ibn Abi Talib and no one else should speak on their behalf. In the court of the Negus, the bishops, dressed in green

surplises and impressive headgear, were seated on his right and on his left. The Quray*!*!*!*!e emissaries were also seated when the

Muslims entered and took their seats. The Negus turned to them and asked: "What is this religion which you have introduced for

yourself and which has served to cut you off from the religion of your people? You also did not enter my religion nor the religion

of any other community." Jafar ibn Abi Talib then advanced and made a speech that was moving and eloquent and which is still

one of the most compelling descriptions of Islam. the appeal of the noble Prophet and the condition of Makkan society at the

time. He said: "O King, we were a people in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols and eating the flesh of dead

animals, committing all sorts of abomination and shameful deeds. breaking the ties of kinship, treating guests badly and the strong

among us exploited the weak. "We remained in this state until Allah sent us a Prophet, one of our own people whose lineage,

truthfulness, trustworthiness and integrity were well-known to us. "He called us to worship Allah alone and to renounce the stones

and the idols which we and our ancestors used to worship besides Allah.

"He commanded us to speak the truth, to honor our promises, to be kind to our relations, to be helpful to our neighbors, to

cease all forbidden acts, to abstain from bloodshed. to avoid obscenities and false witness, not to appropriate an orphan's property

nor slander chaste women. "He ordered us to worship Allah alone and not to associate anything with him, to uphold Salat, to give

Zakat and fast in the month of Ramadan. "We believed in him and what he brought to us from Allah and we follow him in what

he has asked us to do and we keep away from what he forbade us from doing.

"Thereupon, O King, our people attacked us, visited the severest punishment on us to make us renounce our religion and take us

back to the old immorality and the worship of idols. "They oppressed us, made life intolerable for us and obstructed us from

observing our religion. So we left for your country, choosing you before anyone else, desiring your protection and hoping to live

in Justice and in peace m your midst." The Negus was impressed and was eager to hear more. He asked Jafar: "Do you have with

you something of what your Prophet brought concerning God?" "Yes," replied Jafar.

"Then read it to me," requested the Negus. Jafar, in his rich, melodious voice recited for him the first portion of Surah Maryam

which deals with the story of Jesus and his mother Mary. On hearing the words of the Quran, the Negus was moved to tears. To

the Muslims, he said: "The message of your Prophet and that of Jesus came from the same source..." To Amr and his companion,

he said:" Go. For, by God, I will never surrender them to you." That, however, was not the end of the matter. The wily Amr made

up his mind to go to the King the following day "to mention something about the Muslims belief which will certainly fill his heart

with anger and make him detest them" On the morrow, Amr went to the Negus and said: "O King. these people to whom you

have given refuge and whom you protect say something terrible about Jesus the son of Mary (that he is a slave). Send for them

and ask them what they say about him."

The Negus summoned the Muslims once more and Jafar acted as their spokesman. The Negus put the question: "What do you

say about Jesus, the son of Mary?" "Regarding him, we only say what has been revealed to our Prophet ," replied Jaffar. "And what

is that?" enquired the Negus. "Our Prophet says that Jesus is the servant of God and His Prophet. His spirit and His word which

He cast into Mary the Virgin." The Negus was obviously excited by this reply and exclaimed: "By God, Jesus the son of Mary was

exactly as your Prophet has described him"

The bishops around the Negus grunted in disgust at what they had heard and were reprimanded by the Negus. He turned to the

Muslims and said: "Go, for you are safe and secure. Whoever obstructs you will pay for it and whoever opposes you will be

punished. For, by God, I would rather not have a mountain of gold than that anyone of you should come to any harm." Turning

to Amr and his companion, he instructed his attendants: "Return their gifts to these two men. I have no need of them." Amr and

his companion left broken and frustrated. The Muslims stayed on in the land of the Negus who proved to be most generous and

kind to his guests.


Jafar and his wife Asma spent about ten years in Abyssinia which became a second home for them. There, Asma gave birth to

three children whom they named Abdullah, Muhammad and Awn. Their second child was possibly the first child in the history of

the Muslim Ummah to be given the name Muhammad after the noble Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. In the

seventh year of the hijrah, Jafar and his family left Abyssinia with a group of Muslims and headed for Madinah. When they arrived

the Prophet was just returning from the successful conquest of Khaybar. He was so overjoyed at meeting Jafar that he said: "I do

not know what fills me with more happiness, the conquest of Khaybar or the coming of Jafar." Muslims in general and the poor

among them especially were just as happy with the return of Jafar as the Prophet was. Jafar quickly became known as a person

who was much concerned for the welfare of the poor and indigent. For this he was nicknamed, the "Father of the Poor". Abu

Hurayrah said of him: "The best of men towards us indigent folk was Jafar ibn Abi Talib. He would pass by us on his way home

and give us whatever food he had. Even if his own food had run out, he would send us a pot in which he had placed some

butterfat and nothing more. We would open it and lick it clean..."

Jafar's stay in Madinah was not long. At the beginning of the eighth year of the hijrah, the Prophet mobilized an army to confront

Byzantine forces in Syria because one of his emissaries who had gone in peace had been treacherously killed by a Byzantine

governor. He appointed Zayd ibn Harithah as commander of the army and gave the following instructions: "If Zayd is wounded or

killed, Jafar ibn Abi Talib would take over the command. If Jafar is killed or wounded, then your commander would be Abdullah

ibn Rawahah. If Abdullah Moibn Rawahah is killed, then let the Muslims choose for themselves a commander."


The Prophet had never given such instructions to an army before and the Muslims took this as an indication that he expected the

battle to be tough and that they would even suffer major losses. When the Muslim army reached Mutah, a small village situated

among hills in Jordan, they discovered that the Byzantines had amassed a hundred thousand men backed up by a massive number

of Christian Arabs from the tribes of Lakhm, Judham, Qudaah and others. The Muslim army only numbered three thousand.

Despite the great odds against them, the Muslim forces engaged the Byzantines in battle. Zayd ibn al-Harithah, the beloved

companion of the Prophet, was among the first to fall. Jafar ibn Abi Talib then assumed command. Mounted on his

ruddy-complexioned horse, he penetrated deep into the Byzantine ranks. As he spurred his horse on, he called out: "How

wonderful is Paradise as it draws near! How pleasant and cool is its drink! Punishment for the Byzantines is not far away!" Jafar

continued to fight vigorously but was eventually slain. The third in command, Abdullah ibn Rawahah, also fell. Khalid ibn

al-Walid, the inveterate fighter who had recently accepted Islam, was then chosen as the commander. He made a tactical

withdrawal, redeployed the Muslims and renewed the attack from several directions. Eventually, the bulk of the Byzantine forces

fled in disarray.


The news of the death of his three commanders reached the Prophet in Madinah. The pain and grief he felt was intense. He went

to Jafar's house and met his wife Asma. She was getting ready to receive her absent husband. She had prepared dough and bathed

and clothed the children. Asma said: "When the Messenger of God approached us, I saw a veil of sadness shrouding his noble

face and I became very apprehensive. But I did not dare ask him about Jafar for fear that I would hear some unpleasant news. He

greeted and asked, 'Where are Jaffar's children?' I called them for him and they came and crowded around him happily, each one

wanting to claim him for himself. He leaned over and hugged them while tears flowed from his eyes.

'O Messenger of God,' I asked, 'why do you cry? Have you heard anything about Jafar and his two companions?' 'Yes,' he replied.

'They have attained martyrdom.' The smiles and the laughter vanished from the faces of the little children when they heard their

mother crying and wailing. Women came and gathered around Asma. "O Asma," said the Prophet, "don't say anything

objectionable and don't beat your breast." He then prayed to God to protect and sustain the family of Jafar and assured them that

he had attained Paradise. The Prophet left Asma's house and went to his daughter Fatimah who was also weeping. To her, he

said: "For such as Jafar, you can (easily) cry yourself to death. Prepare food for Jafar's family for today they are beside themselves

with grief.

Hope you all like it and please remember me in your prayers dear sweet islami brothers and sisters

Fiamaanillah
 

auroran

Junior Member
:salam2:

May Allah bless you in this life and in the next, may Allah bless you with Jannah Firdows. Ameen. Jazakallahu khair for the post. Insha'Allah you will learn a lot here.

:salam2:
 

hijabi_sis

Junior Member
Walykumuslaaam Warahmatullah warabaraktuhu!

Welcome to the website my dear sister..... InshAllah hope you find this site helpful in every way ameen :-D
 

Asja

Pearl of Islaam
Assalamu allaicum wa raahmatullah wa baarkatuhu

Ahlan wa Sahlan my dear sister. :hijabi:. It is nice to see your thread mashallah, and I make dua to Allah, that He make your staying here usefull for you and all of us.

You are most welcome on TTI my dear sister. May Allah increase your knowledge here,and write you as rewords your participation on TTI. Ameen summa ameen :tti_sister:

:wasalam:
 

mahaseeb

Junior Member
Asalamualikum sister...

Welcome to TTI.May allah bless you and reward you for this beautiful post.
Good to see that there are many hyderabadis joining TTI.
Jazakallah Hu kair
Abdul Haseeb
 

ammu

New Member
A Big Thankyou

Salaamualaikum,

Dear brothers and sisters thanks a lot for all the prays and welcome. I am already feeling part of this wonderful site.

May Allah make us all patient and steadfast. Inshaallah

Fiamaanillah
ammu
 
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