The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 184
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 184 up such an opportunity and disliked Ummi Maktum’s ra interruption, which in fact was against the etiquette of the gathering as well. Nonetheless, the level of the noble character of the Holy Prophet was such as when he was informed of Ummi Maktūm’s ra heartfelt sadness and a Qur’ānic revelation was also revealed in regards to it, the Holy Prophet sa greatly consoled him and spread his blessed mantle, and sat him upon it, as per the custom of the Arabs. 1 Then, among those who became Muslim in that era was Ja‘far bin Abī Ṭālib ra who was the biological brother of Ḥaḍrat ‘ Alī ra and was a close relative of the Holy Prophet sa. With regards to Ḥaḍrat Ja‘far ra , historians write that he greatly resembled the Holy Prophet sa in his physical attributes and character. Then there was ‘ Ammār bin Yāsir ra who was from the Mudhhaj tribe and lived in Makkah with his father Yāsir ra and mother Sumaiyyah ra. Then there was Ṣuhaib bin Sinān ra who was generally known as Ṣuhaib the Roman ra. However, in actuality he was not Roman, rather, when his father was sent by the Sovereignty of Iran as an employee, he was captured by the Romans and made a slave. For some time he remained among them as a slave after which he was finally purchased by ‘ Abdullāh bin Jad‘ān Quraishi, a Makkan chieftain and set free. When Ṣuhaib ra became Muslim the Holy Prophet sa said as a positive presage, “This is our first Roman fruit”. Ṣuhaib ra was such a devotee to the company of the Holy Prophet sa that after the Prophet sa had migrated to Madīnah, he set out to migrate to Madīnah. The Quraish stopped him and said, “You came into us as a poor slave, now you have become rich in our midst, thus, we shall not permit you to go. ” He responded, “Take the entirety of my wealth, but let me go. ” The Quraish permitted him to leave on this condition. When the Holy Prophet sa was informed of this, in great happiness he said, “Ṣuhaib has made a very beneficial trade indeed. ” When Ḥaḍrat ‘ Umar ra was fatally wounded during his caliphate, he appointed Ṣuhaib ra in his place (who was present at the time) as the Imāmu ṣ -Ṣalāt 2. Therefore, it was Ṣuhaib who led the funeral prayer of Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar ra. Perhaps during and around the same era, Abū Mūsā Ash‘arī ra became Muslim as well. Abū Mūsā ra lived in Yemen and was astonishingly melodious. So much so that in one instance the Holy Prophet sa said, “Abū Mūsā 1 * ‘Abasa (80:2-10) * Jāmi‘ul-Bayān ‘an Ta’wīli Āyatil-Qur’ānil-Ma‘rūf - Tafsīruṭ-Ṭabarī, By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Al-Jarīr Ṭabarī, Volume 30, pp. 64-65, Tafsīr Sūrah ‘Abasa Makkiyyah, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) * Usdul-Ghābah, Volume 3, p. 759, ‘Umar bin Qais bin Zā’idah, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut (2003) 2 Leader of Congregational Prayer (Publishers)