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Mus'ab ibn 'Umair
The First Envoy of Islam

Historians and narrators describe Mus'ab ibn 'Umair (son of 'Umair) as the most charming of the Makkans, the most handsome and youthful, the flower of the Quraish!

He was born and brought up in wealth, grew up with its luxuries, pampered by his parents, the talk of the ladies of Makkah, the jewel of its clubs and assemblies.

One night, the youth went to the house of Al-Arqam Ibn Al-Arqam.
There, the Prophet was meeting his companions, reciting the Quran to them and praying with them to Allah the Most Exalted. He listens to the Prophet reciting the Quran attentively. In the twinkling of an eye, the youth who had just become a Muslim appeared to have more wisdom than his age and a determination that would change the course of time.

Mus'ab's mother was Khunaas Bint Maalik and people feared her because she possessed a strong personality. Mus'ab was satisfied with his faith and avoided the anger of his mother who had knowledge of his embracing Islam. He continued to frequent Daar Al-Arqam and take lessons from the Prophet. The news eventually reached his mother who was astonished by it. His mother took him to a rough corner of her house and shut him in it. She put shackles on him and imprisoned him there.

Mus'ab managed to delude his mother and her guards, and so he escaped and migrated to Abyssinia with his fellow emigrants.

Mus'ab became confident that his life had been good enough to be offered as a sacrifice to the Supreme Originator and great Creator. He went out one day to some Muslims while they were sitting around the Prophet, and no sooner did they see him than they lowered their heads and shed some tears because they saw him wearing wornout garments. They were accustomed to his former appearance before he had become a Muslim, when his clothes had been like garden flowers, elegant and fragrant.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, saw him with the eyes of wisdom, thankful and loving, and his lips smiled gracefully as he said, "I saw Mus'ab here, and there was no youth in Makkah more petted by his parents than he. Then he abandoned all that for the love of Allah and His Prophet!"

His mother had withheld from him all the luxury he had been overwhelmed by. Her last connection with him was when she tried to imprison him for a second time after his return from Abyssinia.She knew the truth of his determination when he was intent and decided to do something, and so she bade him goodbye weeping.

So Mus'ab left the great luxury in which he had been living. He became satisfied with a hard life he had never seen before, wearing the roughest clothes, eating one day and going hungry another.

The Prophet commissioned him to be his envoy to Al-Madinah.There were among the Companions of the Prophet at that time who older than Mus'ab and more prominent and nearer to the Prophet by family relations but the Prophet chose Mus'ab the Good.

Mus'ab Ibn 'Umair carried the standard on the Day of Uhud. When the Muslims were scattered, he stood fast until he met Ibn Quma'ah who was a knight. He struck him on his right hand and cut it off, but Mus'ab said, "And Muhammad is but a Messenger. Messengers have passed away before him" He carried the standard with his left hand and leaned on it. He struck his left hand and cut it off, and so he leaned on the standard and held it with his upper arms to his chest, all the while saying, "And Muhammad is but a Messenger. Messengers have passed away before him". Then a third one struck him with his spear, and the spear went through him.

Mus'ab fell and then the standard. He had thought that if he fell, he would be a stepping stone to the death of the Prophet because he would be without defence and protection. But he put himself in harm's way for the sake of the Prophet. Overpowered by his fear for and love of him, he continued to say with every sword stroke that fell on him from the foe, "And Muhammad is but a Messenger. Messengers have passed away before him" This verse was revealed later, after he had spoken it.

After the bitter battle, they found the corpse of the upright martyr lying with his face in the dust, as if he feared to look while harm fell to the Prophet. So he hid his face so that he would avoid the scene. Or perhaps, he was shy when he fell as a martyr, before making sure of the safety of the Prophet of Allah, and before serving to the very end, guarding and protecting him. The Prophet and his Companions came to inspect the scene of the battle and bid farewell to the martyrs. Pausing at Mus'ab's body, many tears dripped from the Prophet's eyes.

The Prophet stood at the remains of Mus'ab ibn 'Umair saying, while his eyes were flowing with tears, love and loyalty, "Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah" (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:23)

Then he gave a sad look at the garment in which he was shrouded and said, "I saw you at Makkah, and there was not a more precious jewel, nor more distinguished one than you, and here you are bare-headed in a garment!"

Then the Prophet looked at all the martyrs in the battlefield and said, "The Prophet of Allah witnesses that you are martyrs to Allah on the Day of Resurrection."

Then he gathered his living Companions around him and said, "O people, visit them, come to them, and salute them. By Allah, no Muslim will salute them but that they will salute him in return."

(Adapted from "Men around the Messenger" by Khalid Muhammed Khalid)

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