Mus'ab al-Khair

Mus'ab wore his best clothes, combed his hair, put perfume on his body, and went out. The perfume spread through the lane. Some women whispered about that rich young man. They hoped that Mus'ab would marry one of their daughters.

Mus'ab amused himself with his friends. One day he heard about a new event happening in Makkah

At that time, our Master Muhammad [s] began inviting people to Islam.

Mus'ab decided to meet our Master Muhammad [s] and to listen to his words. So, he went to al-Arqam's house. He intended to spend only a few minutes with our Master Muhammad [s] because he had promised his friends to go for amusement.

When Mus'ab sat down before our Master Muhammad [s] he realized something new. He realized mercy, true love and good manners. Thus, he listened to Muhammad's words. Immediately, he said:

I confess that there's no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his Apostle.

At that moment Mus'ab became a believing man. He began looking at the sky and feeling the pain of the poor. Then who was Mus'ab?

His full name was Mus'ab bin Umair bin Hashim bin Abd Munaf. He belonged to Abduldaar, who belonged to the Quraish. His epithet was Abdullah. He was one of the good companions.

He became a Muslim early. He kept his Islam a secret. When the polytheists knew about his Islam, they imprisoned him in his house. He immigrated to Habasha (Ethiopia) and came back to Makkah after the al-Akaba First Homage.

The Prophet [s] sent him to Madina to teach people the Holy Qur'an. So, he was the first immigrant. Allah's Apostle [s] named him Mus'ab al-Khair.

He took part in the Battle of Badr. He became a martyr in the Battle of Uhud and he was carrying the Prophet's banner.

Mus'ab becomes Muslim

In the evening, Mus'ab went home. He had his supper silently. He ate only one kind of food. His father was looking at him. His mother was astonished at his new behaviour. She asked him about that. "Nothing," he answered.

When it was time to sleep, Mus'ab lay on the bed and began looking at the starry sky. So, he was full of awe for Allah, the Creator of the skies and of the earth, the Lord of the worlds.

All slept. But Mus'ab stayed up. He got up and performed the ritual ablution carefully so as no one would see him. He came into his room and began praying to Allah, the Glorified.

On the following morning, Mus'ab's mother was astonished at his new behaviour. He did not stop before the mirror to comb his hair. He did not put perfume on his body. He did not dress up; he wore normal clothes. Besides, his mother saw him treating his parents politely.

One day, the mother heard about her son's frequent visits to al-Arqam's house. She got crazy. She waited for his return impatiently.

Mus'ab came back in the evening and greeted his mother. But the mother strongly slapped his cheek and shouted at him stormily:

Why have you left your ancestor's religion and followed Muhammad's?

Mother, because it's the best religion!

The mother was about to lose her mind because everyone obeyed her, even her husband. She did not control herself. Thus, she slapped his cheek again.

Mus'ab sadly sat down. The mother sat down, too. She began thinking about a way to return her son to his ancestor's religion.

The mother kindly said to her son:

Don't you see the Muslims suffering from torture? Islam is slaves religion! It suits Bilal, Suhaib and Ammar. You belong to the Quraish.

Mus'ab looked at his mother and said kindly:

No, mother! Islam is people's religion. There's no difference between a Quraishi and non-Quraishi, and between the black and the white. The difference between them is piety. Mother, please follow Allah's religion and leave the idols because they're useless!

The mother kept silent. She thought of another way to drive her son away from Muhammad's religion.

The sun rose in the morning. It filled Makkah's houses and mountains with its rays. The house was empty. Mus'ab said to himself:

"Where's my mother gone?"

Mus'ab wanted to go out. He headed for the door, tried to open it but found it locked. Mus'ab was waiting for his mother's return. An hour passed. The door was opened. His mother and a veiled man appeared from behind the door. The man was carrying a sword in one hand and chains in the other.

The Prison

The mother said to her son:

Do you want to go to al-Arqam's house?

Mus'ab kept silent. The mother went on:

This room will be your prison till you leave Muhammad's religion.

Mus'ab firmly said:

I prefer death to that!

The man chained Mus'ab, and his mother pushed him towards the room that became his prison.

Days passed.

Mus'ab suffered from hunger and loneliness in prison. He was always weeping.

The Prophet [s] and the Muslims heard about Mus'ab's sufferings. They took pity on him. They were filled with admiration because he preferred prison to all his amusements.