Following the generation of Sahaba, Seerah was the primary tool to lay the foundation of the Ummah & understanding of ones religion. Quran is the blueprint of Islam, but one of the primary prerequisites of properly understanding the Quran is to know the historical context of the Quran1. E.g. if someone talked about taqwa (God-consciousness) for hours, talking about its theology, quoting some ayat & hadith, & giving the encyclopedic account of taqwa, you might gain in knowledge, but how would you apply all that information about taqwa in your life? You would need something human to illustrate the manifestation of taqwa2. Side note: A friend likened taqwa to imagining a police car driving behind you at all times. You might not be doing anything wrong or illegal, youre not speeding & your tailights work just fine, but you take extra care to pay good attention to your driving so that you dont mess up & give the cop a reason to give you a ticket. Similarly, taqwa is being conscious of the fact that Allah is always watching you, even if youre not doing anything wrong. You live life with the awareness that Allah & the angels on your shoulder are watching & recording everything, & you dont want to get a ticket or a bad deed recorded, so you monitor your actions so as not to commit any misdeeds Allah tells us that without a doubt, within the Prophet (saw), we have the most excellent role model In the early phase of Prophethood, there were about only a dozen Muslims, done through private dawah. In the 2nd phase of Prophethood, it was time to take the message public, but that didnt mean all at once. The public phase would occur in a gradual process, & it began with the ayah: Warn the closest of your tribespeople (your khandan, your ashira, extended family) & whoever follows you from the believers, then be humble to them. The Prophet told his cousin Ali bin Abi Talib (ra), I know that if I go & start with my family members, then what I know about them is that they wont like what I say, so I hestitate to talk to them about Islam. Jibril (as) came to the Prophet & told the Prophet, If you do not do what your Lord has commanded you, then He will punish you. Allah is holding the Prophet accountable for delivering the message The Prophet then told Ali, O Ali, prepare a goat for us. Prepare some other food along with it. Also, go bring a bowl of milk. Then go and call all the family of Abdul Mutallib. Ali did what he was told There were about 40 people who got together. Amongst them were the paternal uncles of the Prophet Abu Talib, Hamza, Abbas, & Abu Lahab Ali presented the food to them. Then Ali describes one of the early miracles of the Prophet. When he presented the food, the Prophet took a bite of the food, put it in a side of the plate, and said, Eat in the name of Allah. Everyone dug in & it was a feast, despite there being only one goat. There was one bowl of milk, which was enough only for one man, but 40 men were able to drink from it 40 people were able to eat & drink from a meal that would have served at most 2 people Once everyone ate their fill & Prophet was about to speak, Abu Lahab jumped in, This brother of yours, Saheb, has done magic to all of us. 40 people feed on one goat? 40 people drink from one bowl? Look, Muhammad is practicing his magic on us. People got nervous & start to leave, didnt give Prophet chance to address them. Another narration states that once Abu Lahab made his statement, he got up & left the Prophets house. Since hes a leader of the family, others follow suit & leave along with him The next day, the Prophet told Ali to make similar arrangments as before. Prepare one goat & one bowl of milk Everyone got together & everyone ate their fill even though food was prepared for one person As soon as the Prophet was about to speak, Abu Lahab jumps in again. He shows up to eat the food, but gets everyone to leave by claiming that the Prophet was doing magic On the third day, they do it again. Food is prepared, everyone gets together, & they eat. The Prophet spoke up & beat Abu Lahab to the punch Ya Bani Abdul Mutallib. This is a respectable address, because Abdul Mutallib wasnt just a leader of the people, he was a legendary leader who united & organized the Arabs under his leadership I swear to Allah, I dont know any man from the Arabs who has come to his people with something better than what I have come to you with today. I have come to you with something that will benefit you both in this world & in the Hereafter, and Allah has commanded me to call you to it. So who amongst you will aid me and be my brother in this cause? Ali bin Abi Talib describes that no one responded. Everyone was quiet. The Prophets uncles, Abbas & Hamza, who were not Muslim yet, were inclined to this truth, & Ali could see from their faces that they were inclined to Muhammads words, but were hesitant The Prophet presses them. Who will support me? Who will join this cause? Ali couldnt wait any longer. He was 12 or 13 years old at the time. He said, I will, O Messenger of Allah. Prophet, Anta? You? Ali said, Yes. Years later, Ali recalls, On that day, I was the least dignified of them all. I was of the least social standing out of all of them. They were the most powerful men in Arabia. I was the most fresh-eyed out of all of them; I was a child, a boy. The Prophet was so pleased at Ali standing up & showing his support, that he praised Ali at that time in front of everyone The Prophet says, Ali is my brother, and he is my aid. He will be a leader, after me as well. As this exchange happened, Abu Lahab, seeing the Prophet praise Ali, says to Abu Talib, who had inherited the leadership of Makkah after Abdul Mutallibs death, Look, look at what our nephew says. Our nephew says that he wants you to be submissive to your own 13-year-old boy. He tells the father that the son will be the leader. What does that make you? A follower of your own boy? I thought you were the big dog of Quraysh, the chief of Makkah. Your nephew humiliates you. Your nephew puts your own boy in a position of leadership. Abu Lahab basically twists the Prophets words to insult Abu Talib, who cared for Muhammad in his younger years. The Prophet had a strong bond with Abu Talib, like a father-son bond. After hearing Abu Lahab, the Prophet broke down into tears The Prophet said, Dear Uncle, Ya Ammi, I never wanted to harm you. I never meant insult to you. Once Abu Lahab said this & got up & walked away from the Prophets house, everyone else got up and dispersed This was the first time the Prophet went public with Islam. This was the first public address of Islam to Banu Hashim Sometime after this, all the speculation was over. Islam was out there now. The Prophet now took the publicity to the next level & gathered the Quraysh. He gathered only the tribe, not all of Makkah. First it was the family (Banu Hashim), now just the tribe The Prophet was a man of great respect. He was very measured with his words. Even in pre-Nabua (pre-Prophethood), Muhammad was quiet & didnt speak unnecessarily. So if he publically gathered people to address them, everyone took him very seriously The Prophet climbed up the mountain of Safa, & addressed the Quraysh, Ya Sabaha (emphatic address of listen, listen; Wa abah! means, O calamity of the morning! InArabia, this alarm was traditionally raised by anyone who noticed an enemy tribe advancing against his tribe at dawn The Prophet addresses each family of Quraysh, Brothers of mine, listen. Ya Bani Abdul Mutallib. Ya Bani Luway. Ya Bani Fihr. Ya Bani Hashim. If I said there was a cavalry, a battalion of the other side of this mountain that was about to attack us, would you believe me? The Quraysh respond, Yes, O Muhammad. Weve never found you to be a liar. Why wouldnt we believe you? The Prophet continues, Im here to tell you about a very serious punishment thats coming your way. O community of Quyash, save yourselves from the Fire of Hell. He addressed each family to save themselves from the Fire of Hell. In some narrations, the Prophet even says, Ya Fatima bint Muhammad, save yourself from the Fire of Hell. In another narration, the Prophet also addresses his aunt, Ya Safiya bint Abdul Mutallib, save yourself from the Fire of Hell. I dont control your fate. Most definitely, all of you here have a relationship with me. I will honor our family relationship with you to the best of my ability. But you have to realize what you have to do. You have to realize whats at stake. Ask me for my money as much as you want. I will literally stand here and give them away. I do this out of compassion. Please, just take this message from me. Bi-bilaliha: an expression in classical Arabic; it means Ill take care of this, regardless of what it takes. No matter how difficult it is, Ill take care of it. Basically, Ill bankrupt myself, giving to you. Im not here to take, Im here to give. The Prophet just didnt talk big game, he backed it up. He didnt just preach flowery things (Ill take care of you), but he did take care of them (whatever you need, take). When the Prophet passed away, he had very little in the way of material things to give away, because he spent most of his wealth on others For a moment, consider the amount of courage it took the Prophet to do this, to gather all of the families of Quraysh & to stand in front of them to deliver his message. He put all his cards on the table. It must have been difficult for him to pour his heart out like this at that moment. If you were to do the same, you would be hanging on, waiting with bated breath as to how your tribe will respond to you Once again, Abu Lahab speaks up, May be you damned. May you be wretched. May you be ruined all throughout the days (for the rest of your life). Did you not gather us here for any other reason but this garbage? As soon as Abu Lahab said this & walked away, everyone else also walked away with the Prophet still standing there. imagine how heavy & discouraging that must have been for the Prophet. You pour your heart out to your own family, to your own people, only to be dismissed & brushed aside due to the words of your own blood relative One might have the incorrect assumption that the Prophets message was only taken out of family loyalty & tribal affiliation, but thats not the case at all. His own family & his own people rejected him The Prophet was preaching something that was completely new to the lives of the people. For centuries they knew only of the type of worship their forefathers knew Still, the Prophet didnt quit preaching. He didnt stop when the going got tough. He had the resilience to continue to deliver Allahs Message. He took care of his responsibility, beginning with his family members

After news was out in the open about the new religion, the Prophet (saw) began preaching publically3. In the public gatherings, many people didnt speak up in defense of the Prophet, but no one spoke against him eitherThey were hesitant to attack the Prophet because they had no dirt on him. The Prophet was the man of the highest caliber; he was honest & trustworthy, so theres nothing bad to be said about himThe Prophets uncle, Abu Lahab, on the other hand, was very irrational. No one supported his attacks against the Prophet; theyd walk away usually What the Prophet was presenting to his people was a complete shift in ideology, theology, lifestyle, morals, ethics, & character The Prophet still consistently kept calling people toward AllahHed go to the town squares, marketplaces, anywhere public to talk about Allahs message & open with the line, O people. Say, La ilaha illalllah, and you will find success. Hed go at season of Hajj while all of Arabia were gathered together for festivitiesHed call people free people & slaves, rich & poor, weak & powerful no one got priority, they were all called upon Very powerful & wealthy people from the leaders of Quraysh, who were insistent upon their shirk (idol-worship), would oppose the Prophet & oppress anyone who would dare to follow the Prophet, particularly the weaker followers The most sever in opposition against the Prophet & his followers was Abu Lahab Abu Lahabs birth name was Abdul Uzza, named after one of the major 3 idols that used to be worshipped in Makkah Hes called Abu Lahab because of his complexion. Hes light in complexion, but his cheeks were very red. He was also a very intense individual; when hed speak, his face would get red Lahab is a burning coal, an ember. He was called Lahab because there was fire in his face red cheeks Hes very wealthy & a business leader. He was not a civil leader, like Abu Talib. He committed most of his energy in the business area; thats how he leveraged his power & influence Abu Lahabs wife is named Arwa Ummu Jamil bint Harb. She was the sister of Abu Sufyan, who is a political leader of Quraysh She was an influential woman, due to her familial collections through her husband, brother, & father Abu Lahab & his wife Arwa made it their life mission to oppose the Prophet & Islam Abu Lahab would publically slander the Prophet to humiliate him Arwa would throw trash on doorstep of Prophet (Abu Lahab was a neighbor of the Prophet). When shed see the Prophet in public, shed pick up dirt & throw it at him at Prophet A man named Rabia, who later accepted Islam, remembered seeing the Prophet in his days of Jahiliyah Rabia saw the Prophet in the marketplace. The Quraysh wouldnt let the Prophet preach in Makkah, so to protect his Sahaba from harm, the Prophet would go to the outerline of the marketplaces to preach Rabia recalls the Prophet urging people to accept monotheism & let go of idol worshipping. The people gathered around to listen to him Behind the Prophet, a man with a fair complexion & flaming cheeks would run behind the Prophet & scream, This man has abandoned the religion of our forefathers. This man is a liar. Do not let his man deceive you. He wants to remove you from the worship of Uzza and Ellaat. Abu Lahab constantly harassed the Prophet Abu Lahab would also throw dirt at the Prophet He would also follow the Prophet all over the marketplace & carry a sack of stones. The Prophet would engage in an intelligent conversation with someone, giving dawah & explaining the Quran, when Abu Lahab would take the stones & throw them at the back of the head of the ProphetAbu Lahab would scream & interrupt the Prophets conversations with people; Dont listen to him! I know him! Hes my nephew. I know him better than you do. Hes crazy, hes a liar, and hes a magician. Dont listen to him! Abu Lahab would follow around the Prophet all day long like this. He had become such a circus act that people were actually distracted by him. People would be curious, Who is this crazy old man? Who is this lunatic?He would disrupt both public & private gatherings wherever the Prophet was giving dawah Abu Lahabs wife also escalated her harassment of the Prophet She would throw trash on the doorstep of the Prophets house & she would also throw trash at the Prophet She would also make up poetry against the Prophet: Mudhamaman Qalayna We are tired of him (mudhamam) Wa Deenahu Abayna And his religion we have rejected Wa 7ukmahu 3asayna And his rule we will always disobeyo Mudhamaman Qalayna We are tired of him (mudhamam)o Wa Deenahu Abayna And his religion we have rejectedo Wa 7ukmahu 3asayna And his rule we will always disobey There are 2 different sequences mentioned in the narration First sequence (popular version) The Prophet would go about his business. He kept ignoring Abu Lahab Allah revealed Surah Lahab (111:1-5) May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he. His wealth will not avail him or that which he gained. He will [enter to] burn in a Fire of [blazing] flame. And his wife [as well] the carrier of firewood. Around her neck is a rope of [twisted] fiber (like a shackle made of fire) The Prophet recited this surah to his scribe. Word gets out of this surah. Abu Lahab & his wife hears about this surah, & they are enraged Second sequence At this time, Ummu Khultum and Ruqqaiyah, daughters of Prophet, were betrothed to the two sons of Abu Lahab, Uthba & Utayba Furious, Abu Lahab tells his sons, You will go immediately to Muhammad, and you will break it off with his daughters. You will humiliate him. One of the sons went to the Prophet & said its over, and he left The other son came to the Prophet, grabbed & ripped his shirt, spit on him, & said, Keep your daughter. Im done. *Note: Listen from 30:30 36:25. Some things from this podcast simply cannot be transcribed & capture the emotion behind the words. You need to hear it directly from Shaykh Abdul to truly sympathize with the Rasul (saw) and to have the Seerah have a greater impact on you. Its just 6 minutes, so take some time to listen to that specific section if not the whole episode. The Prophet was close to Abu Talib since birth The father of the Prophet, Abdullah, was extremely close to his older brother Abu Talib. Thats why Abu Talib had a lot of love for the only child of his brother who passed away very youngWhen both the Prophets mother Aminah and grandfather Abdul Mutallib pass away, Abu Talib raises Muhammad from the age of 8. Abu Talib also took over his father Abdul Mutallibs custodian duties of the Haram Even though Abu Talib didnt understand the message that the Prophet was preaching, he threw his whole weight & support behind his nephewIn the 3rd of the gatherings in which the Prophet hosted a feast for Banu Hashim, which Abu Lahab would interrupt the Prophet at the end of it, Abu Talib spoke up in defense of the Prophet This was part of the reason why Abu Lahab was so infuriated. While Abu Lahab was the most economically influential person in Makkah, the most civically & socially influential person (as well as the de facto leader of Banu Hashim) was Abu Talib Abu Talib was also the custodian of the Haram; he took care of the pilgrims to the Kabah. At the end of the day, Abu Talibs contribution to society was more visible & more influential amongst Banu Hashim, Quraysh, & all of Arabia Abu Talibs face & name is the one that all Arabs knew, so when he publically declared his support for his nephew, Abu Lahab felt very threatened. Thats why Abu Lahab was very aggressive in his opposition to the Prophet Abu Talib always showered the Prophet with affection. Muhammad was the most beloved of Allahs creations to Abu Talib. He would always do right by his nephew & defend him. Abu Talib was loyal to the Prophet & he would always oppose the people who would oppose the Prophet Even though Abu Talib still believed in the religion of the mushrikoon, he still defended the Prophet Abu Talib one day saw his own son Ali (ra) praying with his cousin Muhammad & Khadijah Ali was very nervous about his fathers reaction, but Abu Talib approved, knowing that his nephew Muhammad was a good man. Son, Muhammad is a good man. Hes honest. I raised him like my own, & I trusted him to raise you. You try to follow him & be like him. I may not understand your new religion, but I understand & know of his honesty. Hes a man of great integrity, so you follow him. Abu Talib supported the Islam of his son Ali The Prophet didnt take the support of Abu Talib for granted. The Prophet appreciated it & expressed to Abu Talib that he never intended to be a burden to his uncle Akil bin Abi Talib, who later accepted Islam, narrated, Quryash came to my father Abu Talib. The Quraysh said, This nephew of yours is causing a lot of nuisance to us. Hes at the marketplaces, hes at the Haram. Hes causing a lot of trouble. Tell him to stop. Abu Talib said, Ya Akil, go & get your cousin Muhammad. Akil brings Muhammad to Abu Talib. It was the hottest part of the day when the Prophet arrived at Abu Talibs home Abu Talib tells the Prophet, These cousins of yours say you cause them a lot of harm & difficulty. So please stop troubling them. The Prophet looked up at the sky. Do you see this sun? I am not capable of going to this sun and bringing you back a flame from this sun.Meaning: Im no more capable of stopping my preaching to you than I am capable of going to the sun & bringing a flame back to you Abu Talib responded, I swear by God, this nephew of mine has never lied, so go from there. Another narration says that when the Quraysh brought their complaints to Abu Talib about Muhammad & Abu Talib asked his nephew to stop the troublemaking, the Prophet said, O my dear beloved uncle. If the sun was put in my right hand, and the moon was put in my left hand, I would not stop preaching the true message of God until Allah has made His message apparent in the Earth or until I die trying to do so. The Prophet then teared up & turns to leave Abu Talibs houseThe Prophet was troubled by the thought that Abu Talib had turned his back on his nephew the man who had had his back & supported MuhammadHe was also bothered by the fact that his uncle is an old man and hes being badgered by others about Prophets preaching. The Prophet was hurt just by the thought that his uncle was hurt. The Prophet, who had such a strong tie to Abu Talib, wished that he did not bring so much difficulty to his uncle Abu Talib sees the Prophet saddened, & says, Dear beloved nephew! You keep doing what you have to do. You do whatever it is that you want to do, because I will never your side. I will never stop defending you.He then recites some poetry: Wallahi, all of them, if they get together, will not harm you unless I am laid to rest in my grave. You keep doing what you believe in doing. Be proud of what you do, and know that you bring people happiness. I know you have called me to believe in what you say. I know that you only want whats good for me. You have spoken the truth and you have always been truthful. You have presented a way of life to me and I have no doubt that this is the best life that can be found on Earth. But if it wasnt for my weakness for people insulting you I would have accepted your message. But I will continue to support you. You keep doing what you have to do.

Reaction to Prophets message was in 3 categories:4. Those who opposed him (Abu Lahab & his wife)5. Those who believed in him (Ali, Khadijah, Abu Bakr)6. Those in the middleThose who went about their business & were apathetic overallThose who didnt believe yet supported Prophet (Abu Talib)Az-Zubayr ibn Al-Awam (ra) He was one of the first few people to accept Islam under the dawah of Abu Bakr He was Khadijahs nephew & Muhammads paternal cousin He played a critical role even after the passing of the Prophet (saw)Abdur Rahman bin Awf (ra) He was very close to the Prophet. He was a leader of his & a very successful businessman. He migrated to Medina & was paired with an Ansari. His Ansari brother offered Abdur Rahman some money to get him on his feet, but Abdur Rahman respectfully declined. He just wanted to know where the marketplace was, where he sold his goods His mother was a good friend of the Prophets mother Aminah bint Wahab, & she was present at the birth of the Prophet He was also known for his taqwa (God-consciousness) Abdur Rahman is one of the 10 Sahaba who is guaranteed Jannah. However, when the Prophet was listing off the names of the 10 Sahaba who will enter Jannah, the Prophet said to Abdur Rahman bin Awf, You have guaranteed access to Jannah, but you will be lagging behind. Abdur Rahman asked why, & the Prophet replied, You will be busy giving accountability & answering for all the wealth you possess. This weighed heavily on Abdur Rahman During the Khilafa of Uthman (ra), a very huge trade caravan (business delivery) arrived in Medina. The caravan was so huge that it spanned from one end to the other end of the city The whole city was abuzz due to arrival of the giant caravan. Aisha (ra) comes out of her home & asks whats going on. Someone told her, These are Abdur Rahman bin Awfs delivery. Aisha then sends Abdur Rahman a message, Congratulations. May Allah bless your wealth. Remember what the Messenger of Allah told you. Aisha was looking out for Abdur Rahman When he received the message, Abdur Rahman broke down into tears. He then gave everything from the first caravan to the last caravan away as sadaqah (charity) Abdur Rahman was also a very strategic thinker This was displayed by the confidence both the Prophet & the rest of the Sahaba had in Abdur Rahman Before Umar ibn Al-Khattab (the 2nd Khalifah) passed away, he appointed a council to oversee the appointment of the next Khalifah. Umar elected 6 Sahaba as candidates for the council. He told them, You are to lock yourself in a room & not come out until you vote for the next the Khalifa. There are 6 candidates, so theres a possibility of being a tie. If theres a tie, then Umar ibn Al-Khattab offered the tiebreaker: Abdur Rahmans vote counted as 2 votes. If theres a tie, whichever side Abdur Rahman was on, then that side gets to be the KhalifahSaad bin Abi Waqas (ra) He was the cousin of the Prophets mother Amina. Hes also from the first dozen or so people to accept Islam Saad was only 17 years old when he accepted Islam Surat Luqman; 31:14-15 And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the [final] destination. But if they endeavor to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge [i.e. shirk], do not obey them but accompany them in [this] world with appropriate kindness and follow the way of those who turn back to Me [in repentance]. Then to Me will be your return, and I will inform you about what you used to do. Saad was very close to his mother. When his mother found out about his conversion to Islam, she was devastated. She tried to talk him out of it, Saad didnt budge At the time, his mother said, Im not going to eat or drink anything until you stop this foolishness. Saad of course tried to talk her out of it, but she was insistent. Saads mother didnt eat or drink anything for 4 days Saad still didnt give up his faith, but he stood by his mother holding bread & water crying & urging her to eat & drink, until she finally gave up the pursuit & ate. She later came to terms with his belief Saad is known for his bravery in battles. His life revolves around the theme of family At the time of Hujjat al-wada (the Farewell Hajj), when the Prophet & all the Sahaba performed Hajj, Saad became very sick, to the point he was deathly ill & there was uncertainty of his recovery Saad tells the Prophet, I have a significant amount of wealth, and I have only a daughter to pass my wealth to. My wealth is more than enough for my daughter, so is it okay if I give 2/3 of my wealth as sadaqah? The Prophet replied, No. Saad asked, How about half? The Prophet replied, No. Saad asked, One third? The Prophet said, Yes. Allah allows you to give 1/3 of your wealth as sadaqah. However, 1/3 is a lot. Rather than giving your money to sadaqah, its more beneficial to leave your family members well off so that they dont end up on the streets. At battle of Uhud, when the Prophet was under attack, Saad bin Abi Waqas stood in front of Prophet & just launched arrows, defending the Prophet The Prophet said, Keep shooting Saad. The Prophet also told Saad, May my mother and father be sacrificed for you, Saad. That was a phrase that the Sahaba would regularly tell the Prophet, but the Prophet rarely said this to any SahabiTalhah ibn Obaidullah (ra) Hes the cousin of Abu Bakr, who shared the message with Talhah. Talhah was a successful businessman & a man of great character Talhah was also one of the 10 Companions of Paradise He was a strong consultant to all the Khalifahs after the Prophets death Talhah was the brother-in-law of the Prophet. Talhahs wife Hamna bint Jahsh & the Prophets wife Zaynab bint Jahsh were sisters He narrated many Hadith from the Prophet On the day of Uhud, Talhah defended the Prophet very bravely. The Prophet later remarked, Whoever wants to see a living shahid, should look at Talhah. He earned the status of shahid without dying because of his devotion to the Prophet.Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah (ra) The Prophet referred to Abu Ubaidah as the Most Trustworthy Person in the Ummah He was well-known for his character before IslamThe Sahaba said that there were 3 people in the Pre-Islamic era who were known throughout Makkah for their honesty, trustworthiness, & their character. They were not people who indulged in any illicit behavior even though it was the norm during Jahiliya, such as drinking, adultery, or fornicationThose 3 people were: Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, Uthman ibn Affan, & Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah (ra) Abu Ubaidah was put in charge of the Bayt al-Mal (royal treasury that managed government expenditures) by the Khulifah He was an ethical businessman He accepted Islam the day after Abu Bakr didHe was from Banu Taym, but from a different family in Banu Taym. He was the only one to accept Islam from that family, & because of that, he suffered a lot of persecution from his familyHe joined the second group of Muslims that migrated to Abyssinia. He also joined the Prophet in his Hijra Abu Ubaidah would reject government positionsHe was appointed as governor of Syria without his consent. The people just appointed him, & then let him know, Oh, by the way, youre in charge of Syria now.He was so uncomfortable that he said, Im here to serve the people, but I cant accept this position.Said bin Zayd (ra) Hes Makkan by origin. His nickname is Abul Aawar He was from Banu Amir. Said was married to Fatima bint Khattab, the sister of Umar ibn al-Khattab Said & his wife Fatima married in their teens. They were around 20 years old when they accepted Islam Some of the Sahaba say that Said was one of the first scribes of divine revelation Before there was divine revelation, there were people of Hunafa, who practiced monotheism & didnt worship any idols Saids father, Zayd bin Amr bin Nufail, was a staunch Wahid (monotheist). When his family & tribespeople would have a feast where they would sacrifice an animal for one of their deities, Zayd would not partake in that food. He would not eat meat that was slaughtered in the name of the idols. Hed bring his own food Because of this, Zayd would get persecuted by his family & tribesmen Zayd represented tawhid during a time period where there was no tawhid in the world. Years later, the Prophet would praise him: On the Day of Judgment, Zayd bin Amr bin Nufai will be raised as an Ummah by himself. Said was always by the side of the Prophet. He was one of the men who stood in front & defended the Prophet in the Battle of Uhud He died in year 51 after Hijra (79 years old). Saad bin Waqas (ra) & Abdullah bin Amr (ra) oversaw Saids janaza The Sahaba mentioned above were some of the first people to congregate in Darul Arqam (House of Arqam), which was considered a safe place for the early Muslims to worship during a time when they were facing persecution. There were more Sahaba who would meet in Darul Arqam: Abu Salama Abdullah bin Abdul Asad Al-Arqam bin abil-Arqam Uthman bin Madhoon & his two sons, Qudama and Abdullah Ubaidah bin al-Harith Asma & Aisha, the daughters of Abu Bakr Khabbab bin al-Aratt (Read his Wiki page) He was a slave of Umm Anmar & he was tortured relentlessly when he accepted Islam. He would be dragged on his back on burning coals During the Khilafah of Umar ibn al-Khattab, whenever he would feel drained by the weight of his duties, Umar would sit with Khabbab & ask him about the latters sacrifices. Umar would ask to see Khabbabs back, which was scarred from those burning coals. Umar would say, When I would look at Khabbabs back, it would make me realize that that is what you would call sacrifice. Umair bin Abi Waqas He was one of the 14shuhada (martyrs) in Battle of Badr Abdullah bin Masood He was the young shepherd outside Makkah who accepted Islam at the hands of Muhammad & Abu Bakr He was one of the most knowledgeable Sahaba. He was called Muallim (teacher) by the other Sahaba Masud ibn al-Qari Salit bin Amr Ayash bin abi-Rabia & his wife Asma bint Salima Khulays bin Hudafa Amir bin Abi-Rabia Abdullah & Abu Ahmad, the sons Jhash ibn Riyah (ra), who was a major leader of his tribe Jaafar bin Abi Talib, the brother of Ali bin Abi Talib Ali was raised by his cousin Muhammad, while his brother Jaafar was raised by Abbas, another uncle of Muhammad Jaafar accepted Islam at the age of 22, at the dawah of his brother Ali Jaafars wife Asma bint Umays Hatim bin al-Hadith & his brothers Khattab & Muammar, and their wives As Said bin Uthman bin Madhun Al Mutallib ibn Azhar & his wife Ramlah bint Abu Sufyan The couple were early converts to Islam despite Ramlahs father initially being in opposition to Islam The couple migrated to Abyssinia to escape persecution. Al Mutallib became an alcoholic there, & he drank himself to death, leaving behind his pregnant wife. Ramlah eventually gave birth to a daughter Habiba The Prophet heard the news that the daughter of Abu Sufyan is alone in Abyssinia as a widow & a single mother. Of course, there were about a dozen other Muslims there with her, but she was still a widow, so the Prophet sent a marriage proposal to her. The King of Abyssinia, an-Najashi, himself facilitated this marriage & provided the wedding feast So Ramlah became a Mother of the Believers Naim bin Abdullah Amar bin Fuhaira, who was a servant of Abu Bakr Khalid bin Said & his wife Amina bint Khalif Hatib bin Amr Abu Hudaifa Waqid ibn Abdullah Khalid ibn al-Bakir ibn Abdul Yalil & his 3 brothers, Amir, Aqeel, & Eias Amr bin Yasir, & his parents Yasir & Sumaiyya Suhaib bin Sinan The above are the first 40 to accept Islam. Arqam bin Abil Arqams house was the first place that these Muslims would congregate in. This was the first community of the Prophet, a small congregation of 40 people The Prophet was the ultimate talent scout He specifically reached out to the talent who were available in the early days of Islam. The Prophet was cultivating these talented individuals & building the All Star Cast & dream team Part of the Prophets strategy & developing the All-Star Cast was targeting the younger people. Shaykh Abdul made a point to mention that our attitude toward the youth of today is very patronizing. Our concern for the youth is judgmental. We dont talk about what the youth have to bring to the table, but rather, we talk about them as they are a problem, as though they are a spiritual charity case The Prophet was different. He went after them & sought out the youth, You are the right man for the job. The early Sahaba who became notable leaders later in history accepted Islam when they were very young Age 10 Ali bin Abi Talib Age 13 Abdullah bin Umair and Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah Age 14 Uqbah bin Amir Age 15 Jabir bin Abdullah and Zayd bin Harithah Age 16 Abdullah bin Masood, Khabbab bin al-Aratt, and Az-Zubayr ibn Al-Awam Age 17 Talha ibn Obaidullah, Abdur Rahman bin Awf, Al-Arqam bin Abil Arqam, Saad bin Abi Waqas, Asma bint Abi Bakr Age 18 Muadh bin Jabal and Musab bin Umair Age 19 Abu Musa al Ashaari Age 22 Jaafar bin Abi TalibAges 25-31 Uthman bin Khuwaylid, Uthman bin Affan, Abu Huraira, Umar ibn Al-Khattab (all were the cream of the crop)