Saudah bint Zamah RA
Saudah (may Allah be pleased with her) was one of the first few to accept Islam and become Muslim. When the persecution of Muslims intensified in Makkah, the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered the early Muslims to migrate to Abyssinia. Saudah RA and her husband were those who migrated.
Saudah RA once had a dream that the moon was descending on her lap. This meant that she would soon be marrying the Prophet (peace be upon him).
When the Prophet’s SAW first wife Khadija passed away, he was overcome with grief and loneliness. Saudah RA was a widow at that time, so the Prophet SAW sent her a proposal asking her hand in marriage.
The marriage took place, and Saudah RA entered the Prophet’s SAW household. She was very lively and had a great sense of humor which made the members of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) household yearn for her companionship and presence.
Saudah RA was known for her simplicity. When she first heard about Dajjal, she was overcome with fear. Aishah RA and Hafsah RA, the other wives of the Prophet SAW, would often make fun of her and scare her, having a hearty laugh in the process.
Saudah RA was known for being extremely generous and would often rush to help the poor and needy. She passed away at the age of 80 during the caliphate of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and is buried in Jannatul-Baqi.
Nuayman ibn Amr RA
Sayyid An-Nu’ayman ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) belonged to a tribe in Madinah. He was one of the early Muslims who became a Muslim in the famous Second Pledge of al-Aqabah.
An-Nu’ayman RA was an honest, fun, loving personality who enjoyed playing practical jokes on others, including the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Once, An-Nuayman RA went to the Suq and saw some food being sold which appeared to be tasty and delightful. He ordered some and sent it to Rasulullah ﷺ as if it were a gift from him. Rasulullah ﷺ was delighted with the food and he and his family ate of it. The vendor of the food then came to An-Nuayman RA to collect the price for it.
An-Nuayman RA said to him: “Go to the Messenger of God SAW, it was for him. Rasulullah ﷺ and his family ate it.”
The vendor went to Rasulullah ﷺ who in turn asked an-Nuayman RA: “Didn’t you give it to me?” “Yes,” said an-Nuayman RA. “I thought you would like it and I wanted you to eat some of it so I had it presented to you. But I don’t have any dirhams to pay the vendor for it. So, pay, O Messenger of God SAW!”
Rasulullah ﷺ had a good laugh and so did his companions.
On another occasion, Abu Bakr RA and some companions went on a trading expedition to Basra. An-Nuayman RA was a part of the group and on the way, he became hungry and asked Suwaybit ibn Harmalah RA for some food. Suwaybit ibn Harmalah RA (who was responsible for looking after food and provisions) refused to give him food. Nuayman RA tried to warn and threaten him, but to no avail.
Nuayman RA, then went to a group of Arabs in the Suq and said: “Would you like to have a strong and sturdy slave whom I can sell to you.” They said yes and An-Nuayman RA went on: “He has got a ready tongue and is very articulate. He would resist you and say: ‘I am free.’ But don’t listen to him”
The men paid the price of the slave and went to collect the slave. Pointing to Suwaybit ibn Harmalah RA, he said: “This is the slave whom I sold to you.”
The men took hold of Suwaybit ibn Harmalah RA even as he shouted, “I am free. I am Suwaybit ibn Harmalah…”
Their fellow travelers, realizing what was happening, rushed to Abu Bakr RA, the leader of the caravan. Abu Bakr RA explained to the purchasers what had happened. They released Suwaybit ibn Harmalah RA and had their money returned. Abu Bakr RA then laughed heartily and so did Suwaybit ibn Harmalah RA and An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA.
An-Nu’ayman RA enjoyed making someone smile. He brought laughter and fun around the Prophet SAW and his companions.
May Allah be pleased Sayyid An-Nu’ayman ibn ‘Amr RA.
Umm Ammarah RA
She climbed the mountain of Uhud to defend the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Her son defied Musaylamah the Liar, even as he cut off piece after piece of his body and martyred him. She received close to a dozen wounds in just one battle and, when fighting at the age of sixty, she lost her arm. She was one of the bravest female companions, about whom the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) famously asked, “From where can anyone get courage like you, O Umm Ammarah?”
She was Nusaybah bint Ka’b RA, also known as Umm Ammarah. She was a part of the delegation (over seventy men and two women) that came to Madinah to secretly meet the Prophet (peace be upon him) and pledge allegiance to the Prophet SAW.
The Battle of Uhud was the turning point in the life of Umm Ammarah RA and her whole family. Initially, the Muslims were winning, but the tide turned when the archers that the Prophet(peace be upon him) had placed strategically on the hill of Aynayn with instructions not to move under any circumstance, suddenly abandoned their posts. This gave an opportunity for the enemy to attack from the rear. The Muslim army was suddenly surrounded and chaos ensued.
Umm Ammarah RA, who had joined the army to serve water to the soldiers, suddenly saw the Prophet(peace be upon him) under attack with only a few of the Sahabah by his side. She seized the moment and, in the process etched her name in the scrolls of paradise. She rose to the occasion by grabbing a sword and a shield or a bow and rushed to his defence.
Umm Ammarah RA and her son Abdullah RA were both wounded in the fighting. When her son was injured and blood gushed out from his shoulder, she tied up his wound and asked him to keep fighting.
In the uproar of the battle, as swords clashed and the arrows flew overhead and men screamed in agony and fell to their death, this remarkable woman, wounded but determined, asked, “O’ Messenger of Allah SAW, invoke Allah to make us your Companions in Paradise!“
The Messenger SAW replies, “O’ Allah, make them my Companions in Paradise.”
Umar RA would mention later that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said to him, “Whenever I turned left or right on the day of the Battle of Uhud, I always saw her (Umm ‘Ammarah) fighting in my defence.“
At the time of Abu Bakr RA, when the Muslim army set out to fight Musaylamah, Umm Ammarah RA at the ripe old age of sixty requested the Khalifah and joined them. She lost her arm in the battle but had the satisfaction of seeing the dead body of the man who defied the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and tortured her son.
Umm Ammarah RA was a woman of exemplary courage and determination, who dedicated her life and her family to the cause of Islam.
Abu Dujana RA
In the Battle of Uhud, when the Muslim army was on the verge of victory, the archers left their positions in search of war booty. The polytheists saw this point of weakness and immediately attacked. Many Muslims were martyred and the battle swung in favor of the polytheists. There were about 14 companions who were with the Prophet (peace be upon him) at that time. They surrounded him and shielded him from the disbelievers who were ruthless in their attack. One of the companions was Abu Dujana RA.
He was determined not to leave the Prophet (peace be upon him) under any circumstances and was ready to sacrifice his life to save the Prophet (peace be upon him). Abu Dujana RA leaned over the Messenger of Allah SAW, protecting him from the arrows.
Meanwhile, Abdullah bin Humayd RA, one of the ferocious polytheists, saw that the Prophet SAW was alive and drove his horse in that direction to kill the Prophet SAW. He was wearing armor from head to toe and assumed that no Muslim would be able to face him. However, he was caught off guard when he saw Abu Dujana RA standing in front of him. Abu Dujana RA said, “Come on to me. I am using my body as a shield to defend the Messenger of Allah SAW.” Then, he swung his sword at Ibn Humayd’s horse. When the horse collapsed, he said, “Here! This is from the son of Harasha.” He killed Ibn Humayd with one blow of his sword. When the Prophet SAW saw this effort of Abu Dujana RA to protect him, he prayed for him as follows:
“O Allah! Be pleased with the son of Harasha as I am pleased with him.”
While partaking in battles, Abu Dujana RA would wrap a red turban around his head signaling that he was ready to be martyred in the cause of Islam. When the Ansar saw this, they would say, “Abu Dujana RA wrapped the turban of death again.”
In the Battle of Uhud, the Prophet SAW presented a sword and asked his companions, “Who is ready to take this sword and fulfil its right?” Many notable companions came forward but it was presented to Abu Dujana RA. He stood and inquired, “What is its price oh Messenger of Allah SAW?”
The Prophet SAW said, “It’s to strike the enemies until the sword breaks.”
Abu Dujana RA said, “ I will take it for its price” and walked proudly. Seeing this, the Prophet SAW said, “Allah does not like this kind of walking anywhere except in battlefields.”
Abu Dujana RA was known for his courage, heroism and having a clean heart. He would never waste his time on things that did not concern him and never harboured bad thoughts about anyone. Once when he was sick, there was no trace of illness on his face. When asked how his face was shining so brightly, he said, “There are two deeds of mine in which I can trust and which save me. One is not being busy with useless things; the other is not having any bad thoughts in my heart about any Muslims.”
Abu Dujana RA was martyred at the Battle of Yamama, which happened during the caliphate of Abu Bakr RA.
Khalid Ibn Walid RA
The battle of Mu’tah was one of the most dangerous battles Muslims encountered. The Prophet (peace be upon him) appointed Zayd ibn Harithah RA to lead the army and if martyred, then Jafar ibn Abi Talib RA would command. He further said that if Jafar ibn Abi Talib RA is martyred, then Abd Allah ibn Rawahah RA will take command and on his martyrdom, Muslims should appoint one among themselves.
When the Muslim army arrived at Mu’tah, they faced the enemy forces consisting of 100,000 men. The battle was so intense that all three Muslim commanders fell one after the other. Khalid ibn al-Walid RA was appointed as the leader and was handed the standard. He addressed the Muslims with zeal, bravery and enthusiasm. The Muslims were powered with a new found passion and rose to the occasion. They overpowered and defeated the enemy resulting in Khalid ibn Walid’s RA first victory with the help of Allah.
Khalid ibn al-Walid RA said, “On the day of (the battle of) Mu’tah, nine swords broke in my hand leaving only a Yemenite sword.” (Bukhari 4265, 4266)
Prophet Mohammed SAW blessed Khalid RA with the title of “Saifullah”, the Sword of Allah. Abu Hurairah RA narrates the hadith of the Prophet SAW, “What an excellent slave of Allah is Khalid bin Waleed RA, a sword among the swords of Allah.” (Tirmidhi 3846)
Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said: “Do not hurt Khalid because he is one of the swords of Allah against infidels.”
Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) admired Khalid RA even before he embraced Islam. His courage, presence of mind and execution of plans in the battlefield were impeccable, so much so that he continues to amaze and bewilder Muslims and non-Muslims alike to this day! He remained undefeated and has his name etched in the scrolls of history as one of the greatest warriors of all time.
Khalid RA was a skilled horseman and had mastery over weapons like spear, lance, bow and sword. He defeated armies of the Sasanian Persian Empire and Byzantine Roman Empire. Infidels feared his very name. He fought for Prophet Mohammad SAW and after his death, for the Rashidun Caliphate, helping them to expand the Muslim Empire.
His life was filled with fervour and passion for the cause of Islam. Khalid bin Waleed RA was a military strategist, a genius and an expert in political tactics, a fierce fighter and a respected commander. He was brave, daring, pure and devoted, making him one of the greatest heroes of Islam.