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Mus’ab bin ‘Umair ra had been
brought up with great love and affection by his wealthy parents.
Before embracing Islam, he lived in luxury and comfort. It is said
that he was the best dressed youth of Makkah. In fact his parents
would buy clothes worth two hundred dirhams for him. He embraced Islam in its early days, without
informing his parents. When they came to know of it, they tied him
with a rope and forced him to stay at home. He got a chance to escape
and left for Abyssinia. On return from Abyssinia, he went to Madinah.
Thus a person like him, brought up in
luxury and comfort, was now living a life of poverty and difficulty.
Once, Nabi SAW was sitting with the Sahabah when Mus’ab passed in
front of them. He had only one sheet of
cloth to cover his body. This sheet had a number of patches,
including one of skin. Nabi SAW with tears in his eyes mentioned
Mus’ab’s life of luxury before Islam.
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In the battle of Uhud, Mus’ab held the
flag of Islam. When the Muslims on being temporaily defeated were
scattered in confusion, he held the flag and stood at his post like a
rock. An enemy came and cut his hand with a sword, so that the
flagmight fall resulting in defeat being inflicted on the Muslims.
He at once took the flag in the other
hand. The enemy then cut the other hand also. He held the flag to his
chest with the help of his bleeding arms. The enemy at last pierced
his body with an arrow. He fell down dead and with him fell the flag
that he had not allowed to fall while he was alive. Another Muslim
ran and took over the flag.
At the time of his burial, he had only
one sheet to cover his body. This sheet was too short for his size.
When it was drawn to cover the head, the feet would be left open, and
when it was drawn to cover the feet, the head would become uncovered.
Nabi SAW said: “Cover his head with the sheet and his feet with ‘Azkhar’ leaves.”
Such was the
end of the youth who was brought up in luxury and comfort. The person
who used to wear clothes worth two hundred dirhams does not have
sufficient clothing to cover his dead body. Look! With what bravery
he tried to keep the flag up and did not allow it to fall till he was
dead. This is the miracle of Imaan. Once Imaan gets into a person, it
makes him forget
everything else, whether wealth, luxury
or life itself.
