Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training – Friends are really cool in spreading Islam, you know. From inviting people secretly to openly, they have made Islam even more famous everywhere. It seems like the way we worship now is also very much influenced by their lifestyle. Alma Ata University can be a forum for deepening knowledge of Islamic religious education
The Prophet’s friends had their own styles which made them different. There are those who are very gentle like Abu Bakar, there are those who are firm and feared by everyone like ‘Umar, there are those who like to eat well like Shuhaib bin Sinan, there are also those who are very gentle like Uthman. Eh, there are also those who had a lot of debt when he died, like Zubair bin al-‘Awwam. It’s cool, their personalities really vary.
When the Prophet began to promote Islam in Mecca, many ordinary people followed the teachings he brought. They converted to Islam because the Prophet taught them in an inclusive way, without differentiating one person from another, as told in Fuad Jabali’s book. (Fuad Jabali, Companion of the Prophet, [Jakarta: Mizan, 2010], p. xiii).
Meanwhile, the Islamic da’wah movement from the beginning was also inseparable from the role of the Companions of the Prophet, most of whom were still young. The 4 Friends young men around the Prophet Muhammad during the Makkah period were around 10-30 years old. There were ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, Mush’ab bin ‘Umair, Zubair bin al-‘Awwam, and Muhammad bin Abu Bakr. In this context, the role of the Friends of the Prophet as described in Fuad Jabali’s book provides an illustration of how important it is to understand the religion of Islam. Alma ata University could be a suitable place to dig deeper into the diversity of religious understanding. The following are 4 young people around the Prophet Muhammad during the Makkah period:
‘Ali bin Abi Talib
‘Ali bin Abi Talib was the first to convert to Islam as a teenager, even at that time he was only 10 years old, as told by Jabir, Mujahid, and Ibnu Ishaq. At that time, ‘Ali saw the Prophet and Khadijah praying, so he became curious and asked.
The Prophet then explained that he had been sent by Allah to teach about a religion whose main principle is monotheism and the unity of Allah. ‘Ali was immediately amazed and stated that he had joined Islam, but the Prophet forbade him to tell his father and told ‘Ali to become a Muslim secretly, just like the other Companions. (‘Ali bin Muhammad al-Shalabi, Asnal Mathalib, [Maktabah al-Shahabah, 2004], volume I, p. 44).
‘Ali’s struggle to defend the Prophet’s teachings was enormous, one of which was when he protected the Prophet from a plot to kill the Quraish tribe. ‘Ali was willing to give up his life to look after the Prophet while lying in bed. When the Quraysh tried to invade the Prophet’s bed and wanted to kill the person sleeping there, it turned out that person was ‘Ali. Their plan ultimately failed because the Prophet managed to escape to Medina with Abu Bakr. (Abu Syahbah, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyah, [Damascus: Dar al-Qalam], volume I, p. 475)
Mus’ab bin ‘Umair
Mush’ab bin ‘Umair, he was one of the young friends who was very famous in the early days of Islamic preaching. He was very famous because he was very clever in understanding the teachings taught by the Prophet. He converted to Islam by directly coming to the Prophet while he was preaching in secret at Baitul Arqam.
Mush’ab bin ‘Umair has a very touching story. When he converted to Islam, he didn’t even tell his family, even his mother, who loved him very much, didn’t know that he had become a Muslim. Mush’ab was known as a handsome and cool young man from Makkah. He always looked beautiful, his clothes were always neat, and his mother gave him the best perfume in Mecca to smell good.
But when Uthman bin Talhah found out that Mush’ab was praying, his family planned to torture him, and his mother was very angry. His intention to give food and money to Mush’ab was withdrawn. As a result, Mush’ab’s life became very difficult, to the point that his health was also affected because of the torture he experienced. Mush’ab’s difficult condition made the Prophet very sad. But the Prophet comforted Mush’ab by saying that from Allah’s perspective, Mush’ab’s condition was now better than before.
Mus’ab also migrated with the Prophet to Medina. There, he was trusted to teach Islam to the people of Medina, and many people converted to Islam thanks to his teachings. Al-Mawardi in the book an-Nukat wal ‘Uyun, volume I, page 47, tells that Mush’ab’s struggle was not only in the field of education, but he also took part in the Badr and Uhud wars with the Muslims. In the battle of Uhud, he was trusted to carry the war banner, but unfortunately he was martyred in the middle of the battle.
After the battle, the Prophet came to Mush’ab’s body, said a prayer for him, and recited verse Al-Ahzab 23.
مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوْا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللّٰهَ عَلَيْهِۚ فَمِنْ namely نْتَظِرُۖ وَمَا بَدَّلُوْا تَبْدِيْلًاۙ
Meaning: “Among the believers there are those who keep what they have promised to Allah. Among them there are those who fall and among them there are (also) those who are waiting. They haven’t changed (their promises) one bit.”
Zubair bin al-‘Awwam
Zubair bin al-‘Awwam, he was a very loyal follower of the Prophet to the point where he received the title Hawari Rasulillah (loyal follower of the Prophet). Zubair converted to Islam when he was 15 years old, and he was one of the first 7 people to convert to Islam. He is also one of the ten Companions guaranteed to enter heaven. (Khalid Muhammad, Rijal Haula al-Rasul, [Beirut: Dar al-Fikr], p. 268).
Zubair was raised by his mother harshly and diligently, as if he would become a soldier and knight later. He also received education directly from the Prophet while at Baitul Arqam.
One day, he heard the news that the Prophet had been killed, he immediately took his sword and wanted to look for the person who killed the Prophet. He wanted revenge, even though the perpetrators would be Quraysh. It turned out that on the way, he met the Prophet directly and realized that the news of his death was a lie. (Khalid Muhammad, Rijal Haula al-Rasul, p. 268).
In the battle of Uhud, the Prophet ordered Zubair and Abu Bakr to lead a battalion consisting of seventy people, to pursue the victorious Quraysh army. Zubair died with Talha after negotiations in the Jamal war.
They both decided to go home, but on the way they were killed by people who were spreading slander and hatred among the Companions who were in a political frenzy. (Muhammad ‘Awidhah, Fashl al-Khithab, volume I, p. 555).
Abdullah bin Abu Bakr
Abu Bakr had three sons, one of whom was ‘Abdullah. He was Abu Bakr’s son from Qatilah bint al-‘Uzza, one of Abu Bakr’s wives. ‘Abdullah bin Abu Bakr had really good qualities, and that really helped the development of Islamic preaching in the early days of the prophethood.
One of his coolest qualities is his intelligence and expertise in anything. During the first emigration, he was very successful in helping the Muslims emigrate without the Quraysh realizing it. Physically, ‘Abdullah was a strong man, to the point that he could climb up and down Mount Tsur twice a day to become a Muslim spy among the Quraysh.
During the Mecca era, ‘Abdullah played a very important role as a Muslim spy who infiltrated the Quraish tribe to obtain information that would later be used as a strategy for the Muslim movement amidst the threat of the Quraish tribe. Apart from that, he also helped provide food for the Prophet and Abu Bakr at their hiding place.
‘Abdullah bin Abu Bakr died in 11 AH, not long after the Prophet died, because his old wounds from the war in Taif recurred. The wound was from an arrow Abu Mihjan threw at him. (Ibn ‘Abdil Barr, al-Isti’ab fi Ma’rifah al-Shahabah, p. 874).
So that’s the story of the young Companions around the Prophet who helped in the propagation and development of Islam in its early days. Their services will definitely not be forgotten by Muslims. Regardless of their humanity, the Friends were extraordinary in taking care of the affairs of the people. Alma ata University can be a place that enriches insight into the role of the younger generation in spreading and maintaining the Islamic religion. Wallahu a’lam.
Source:
- https://islam.nu.or.id/sirah-nabawiyah/4-pemuda-di-sekitar-nabi-muhammad-saat-periode-makkah-mtGLd
- https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/medium-shot-friends-holding-each-other_13704676.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=21&uuid=1d7f6165-54b5-4e69-9aa7-dcd417be0632
