The efforts made by Mus’ab ibn Umayr to spread the message of Islam.
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- When the persecution of the Muslims in Makkah became intolerable, the Prophet ﷺ began searching for a place to make Hijrah to. Ta’if was considered, but proved to be inhospitable. A small group of people from Madinah, then known as Yathrib, accepted Islam on the occasion of the Bay’ah al-‘Aqabah al-Oola (Aqaba 1st Allegiance).
- In order to teach this small group of believers, the Prophet ﷺ chose Mus’ab to be his ‘ambassador’. Mus’ab was chosen for this task because of his noble character, good manners and his sharp intellect. His knowledge of the Qur’aan and his ability to recite it beautifully and with sincerity, also counted in his favor, Mus’ab understood that his mission was to invite people to Allah ﷻ and the straight path of Islam. Moreover, he also had to prepare the base for the young and struggling Muslim community.
- He entered Madinah as a guest of As’ad ibn Zurarah of the Khazraj tribe. Together they went to people’s homes and gatherings and told them about the Prophet ﷺ . The people were also told about Islam and Mus’ab recited sections of the Qur’aan to them. Many of the people accepted Islam and Mus’ab was pleased with this. However, many of the leaders of the Yathribite society were not happy with these occurrences.
- Mus’ab and As’ad were sitting near a well with a number of new Muslims and others who were interested in Islam. Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh did not like their preaching of Islam in his area. He thus sent Usayd ibn Hudhayr to warn them against it. Usayd moved towards them with his sword and angrily warned them against inviting people to Islam. Mus’ab told Usayd to sit down and listen to what was being said.
- Mus’ab also told Usayd that they would leave if Usayd did not like what he heard. Mus’ab began telling him about Islam and recited the Qur’aan to him. Even before Usayd spoke, it was clear from his face, that Islam had entered his heart.
- He said: “How beautiful are these words and how true! What does a person do if he wants to enter this religion?”
- Mus’ab instructed Usayd to take a bath, clean himself, recite the testimony of Faith (Shahaadah) and perform Salah. Usayd returned after taking a bath and testified that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah ﷻ .
Usayd ibn Hudhayr then said: “There is one man who, if he becomes of his people will follow him; he is Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh.”
Usayd then returned to Sa’d who was waiting for him.
“What did you say to them?” Sa’d inquired.
Usayd said, “They have promised not to do anything against your will, but a new incident took place there. A few men of Banoo Haarithah came in and they wanted to kill As’ad ibn Zurarah.” Thus Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh went to the spot, but he found both As’ad and Mus’absitting there peacefully. Sa’d fell in doubt about his being sent to them under false pretenses.
However Mus’ab said, “Please sit down and accept what I say or reject it outright.”
Sa’d, after hearing Mus’ab’s words, embraced Islam. On his return home, Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh assembled the people of his clan and said, “What is your opinion about me?”
They said as one, “You are our chief and your opinion has always been worth practicing.”
Sa’d then said, “I have nothing to do with you unless you all enter Islam.”
Having heard this, the entire Banoo Abdul-Ash-hal tribe accepted Islam.
- Islam spread among other tribes and clans of Al-Madinah. It was the thirteenth year of Prophethood. On one hand, Mus’ab ibn Umayr was achieving successes, one after another, and on the other hand the tortures of Quraish were on the increase. In Dhul- Hijjah, in the thirteenth year of Prophethood, Mus’ab ibn Umayr set out for Makkah with a caravan of 72 men and 2 women of Madinah. They were sent with the dual purpose of seeing the Prophet and to invite him to come to Madinah. The Prophet and his followers went to Yathrib and the first companions to arrive were Mus’ab and Abdullaah ibn Umm Makhtum.
- Mus’ab continued to play a major role in building the new community and spreading the message of Islam.
Learning from the lesson
- The Prophet ﷺ chose Mus’ab to be his ‘ambassador’ to Yathrib/Madinah.
- Mus’ab was chosen for this task because of his noble character, good manners and his sharp intellect.
- He entered Madinah as a guest of As’ad ibn Zurarah of the Khazraj tribe.
- He persuaded Usayd ibn Hudhayr to accept Islam.
- Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh also accepted Islam as did the entire Banoo Abdul-Ash-hal tribe.
- The Prophet ﷺ was invited to come to Madinah.
- Mus’ab played a major role in spreading Islam.
