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Ammar bin Yasir - Part 1

The people in Makkah lived in ignorance and darkness. The strong persecuted the weak and deprived them of their rights. No one supported the weak.

The Quraishi leaders were traders. Each year, they had two trade journeys.

In summer, their caravans went to Shaam. In winter they went to Yemen.

The people in Makkah were of two classes: one class was rich, the other was poor. The rich persecuted the poor. Some poor people were slaves. They had nothing, not even their freedom.

Our Master Muhammad [s] lived in that time. He went to Mount Hira. There he thought of his people. He felt pain for them because they worshipped idols.

Our Master Muhammad [s] became forty years old.

One day, Jibreel came down from the sky. He told Muhammad [s] about Islam.

Our Master Muhammad [s] came down the mountain. He was carrying the Mission of Islam. He intended to spread it among people to live peacefully.

The poor and the persecuted listened to the Mission of Islam. They believed in it. So their hearts were filled with love for Islam.

The traders and the rich of Quraish heard about Islam. Thus, they had spite against our Master Muhammad [s]. in the meantime, they plotted against Islam and the Muslims.

Abu Jahal was the most spiteful polytheist. He mistreated our Master Muhammad [s] very much.

Al Arqam's House

Our Master Muhammad [s] met the believers secretly in al-Arqam's house. He wanted to keep his religion a secret so that Abu Jahal, Abu Sufyan and other polytheists would not hurt the Muslims.

One day Ammar bin Yasir came and saw a man standing at the door. The man's name was Suhaib. Ammar said to him:

Suhaib, what are you doing here?

Suhaib answered:

I've come to hear Muhammad's words. And what are you doing?

I've come to hear his words, too.

Then Ammar and Suhaib came into al-Arqam's house. They humbly began listening to Allah's words and to the Verses of the Holy Qur'an. Ammar's heart was full of belief as streams are full of rain water.

When Ammar and Suhaib wanted to leave al-Arqam's house, our Master Muhammad [s] said to them:

Stay here till evening.

Allah's Apostle [s] was afraid that Quraish would hurt them. Ammar waited until it got dark. Then he left al-Arqam's house and hurried towards his house. His mother and father were waiting for him anxiously.

When Ammar entered, the little house was full of happiness. He began telling his parents about Islam, Allah's religion.

Yasir's Family

Ammar belonged to Yemen's tribes, but how did he come to Makkah?

Yasir, Ammar's father, and his two brothers al-Harith and Malik looked for their missing brother everywhere. But they did not find him. Therefore, they decided to go to Makkah to look for him. They did not find him there, too.

Al-Harith and Malik wanted to come back to Yemen, but Yasir decided to stay in Makkah to live near Allah's Holy House.

Yasir joined the tribe of Bani Makhzoom. Then he became one of its members. He married a female slave. Her name was Summayya.

Days passed. Summayya gave birth to a baby. His father named him Ammar.

Ammar

Ammar was born four years before the year of the elephant. Our Master Muhammad [s] was born in that year.

When Ammar became a young man, he made friendship with our Master Muhammad [s]. then he became his companion.

Ammar loved our Master Muhammad [s] because of his good behaviour.

Ammar was twenty-nine years old. Meanwhile our Master Muhammad [s] was twenty-five years old.

One day, while Ammar was walking with our Master Muhammad [s] between al-Safa Mount and al-Marwah Mount, Hala, Khadijah bint Khuwailid's sister came.

Hala took Ammar aside and said to him:

Ask Muhammad to marry my sister, Khadijah.

Our Master Muhammad [s] accepted her. Then the blessed marriage took place.

When Allah appointed our Master Muhammad [s] as Prophet, Ammar, his father Yasir and his mother Summayya believed in him.

The Revenge

Abu Jahal heard that Ammar became a Muslim. So, he got crazy.

Abu Jahal led a group of polytheists and went to Yasir's house. Torches were in their hands. They burnt the house and took Yasir, Ammar and Summayya to a desert outside Makkah.

They chained and began torturing them. First, they whipped them till blood flowed out. Then they brought torches and began burning their bodies. But that small family went on their firm belief.

Abu Jahal brought rocks and put them on their chests. They were breathing hard. Still they were believers.

It was noon. The heat was intense. Abu Jahal and the polytheists came back to Makkah. They left Yasir's family in the intense heat of the sun.

In the meantime, our Master Muhammad [s] passed by the family. When he saw them he wept and said:

Yasir's family, be patient! Your reward will be Paradise!

Summayya said with belief:

I confess that you're Allah's Apostle. And your promise is true.

The criminals came back. Abu Jahal was in advance. There was a long spear in his hand. He began torturing them savagely.

Ammar, Yasir and Summayya were unconscious. So the criminals showered them with water. When they got well again, Abu Jahal shouted at Summayya stormily:

Praise our gods; dispraise Muhammad!

Summayya spat in his face and said:

How bad you and your gods are!

Abu Jahal boiled in anger. Thus, he raised his spear high and it Summayya on the belly. Then he began stabbing her body with his spear until she died. For this reason, Summayya became the first martyr in the history of Islam.

Then Abu Jahal began kicking Yasir on the belly savagely until he died.

Ammar saw what happened to his parents and he wept. Then Abu Jahal shouted angrily:

If you don't praise our gods, I'll kill you!

Ammar could not endure that cruel torture. So he reluctantly said:

Hubal (an idol) is great!

Ammar praised their idols to save himself from torture. So they unchained and left him.

The Belief in the Heart

Ammar went weeping to our Master Muhammad [s]. He did not weep for his parents or for himself or for the torture he had suffered - he wept because he praised the polytheists' idols.

Allah's Apostle consoled Ammar on his parents martyrdom. Ammar went on weeping. Then he said:

Allah's Apostle, the polytheists did not release me until they forced me to praise their gods!

Our Master Muhammad [s] said kindly:

Ammar, what about your heart?

Ammar answered:

Allah's Apostle, my heart's certain of faith.

The Prophet [s] said:

Don't worry! Allah sent down a verse concerning you:

"Not, he who is compelled while his heart is at rest because of his faith."

Adapted from the book: "The Companions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w)"

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