Followers of the Path

The path was not easy, but the first Muslim generation that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) brought up kept steadfast, and never knelt before the forces of evil.

Zaid bin Ad-Dathinah may Allah be pleased with him was taken prisoner and driven out of the sanctuary to At-Tanim to be beheaded. Some Quraish men, among them Abu Sufyan, rose before him and asked him before his beheading, “O Zaid, I ask you by Allah, do you not wish that Muhammad was now here in your place so that we might cut off his head instead, and you were with your family?”

 Zaid, “By Allah, I would not wish Muhammad to be anywhere now where even a thorn could hurt him, and that I were sitting with my family.”

Abu Sufyan, “I have not seen any people who love anyone the way the Companions of Muhammad love Muhammad.”

They, letter by letter, word by word, thought by thought, action by action, faithfully transmitted the legacy of their Prophet (pbuh), the Qur’an and Sunnah. Thus the Last Message to humanity contained the elements for its permanency until the last Day.

They (pbuh) turned the universality of this Message into reality. The Prophet (pbuh) died before Islam had crossed beyond the boundaries of the Peninsula. They knew that their Prophet (pbuh) was sent as a mercy to the whole world, and therefore spread throughout the land, as warners and bearers of goodness.

This is the second miracle of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) after the Qur’an. Living close to the noble person of this great Messenger (pbuh) – in real life or through his teachings – engraves into his followers his high manners, deep worship, sincere love for Allah, preparation for the meeting with Him, renunciation of worldly pursuits, and martyrdom for the word of Truth.1

A Companion of the Prophet (pbuh), Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh t, said, “By the One Who sent you with the truth, if you ask us to wade into this sea with you, we shall do it, and none of us shall tarry or stay behind.”2