[box_light]What: Best Generation Revived II:
5 Legendary Heroes That Shook The World
Who: Dr Daniyal Bin Zainal Abidin
Where: Biopolis Auditorium, Level 2
When: Sunday,18th November 2012
By: Muhammadiyah Association of Singapore[/box_light]

On a rainy Sunday morning, Dr Daniyal Bin Zainal Abidin gave a lecture on 5 of the many esteemed companions of our beloved Prophet, peace be upon him.

The 3-hour long event hardly felt enough as he addressed the values and achievements of the Companions and how we as youths should aspire to emulate their character and improve our relationship with the Maker.

Preamble

Before Dr Daniyal started on the 5 legendary heroes, he gave a short speech on the importance of finding authenticity in the truth we find so that the faith that was built up along the way is not ‘blind’. To find the truth, he advised, we must be guided with the Al Quran and the Sunnah. Taking up a class on a branch of ukhrawi with a proper teacher is recommended and reading up information on Islam online or watching youtube videos should only serve as an appendage.

Dr Daniyal then urged us to use the resources that we have such as our knowledge of science to understand His creation. He referenced some ayahs from the Quran such as Al Baqarah:164 and Al-Hadid:57 to make us contemplate and ponder on the meaning behind it.

Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, and the [great] ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people, and what Allah has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every [kind of] moving creature, and [His] directing of the winds and the clouds controlled between the heaven and the earth are signs for a people who use reason.
Surah Baqarah, 2:164

 

The 5 Legendary Heroes

The 5 companions whose virtues, contributions and character that were expounded upon were: Sayyidina Saad bin Abi Waqqas, Sayyidina Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah, Sayyidina Abdullah bin Abbas, Sayyidina Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl, and lastly, Sayyidatina Aisyah bint Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with them all.

The notes given in the green folder gave a thorough explanation of the companions and served as a guide during the lecture as Dr Daniyal shed light on them.

Saad bin Abi Waqqas

An uncle of the Prophet pbuh on the maternal side, Sayyidina Saad bin Abi Waqqas took the shahadah at a young age of 17. He took part in various battles with Rasulullah pbuh such as the Battle of Badr and Uhud.

Sayyidina Saad bin Abi Waqqas was a strategic commander and was chosen by Sayyidina Umar al-Khattab to lead the army in the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah in 636. This led to the Islamic Conquest of Persia after he managed to overcome the capital of Persia, Ctesiphon.

Besides that, he is a strong advocator of Islam who spearheaded a group of Muslims and spread the message to Guangzhou, China.

According to the book A Brief Study of the Introduction of Islam to China by Chen Yuen, Islam first reached China through a letter by Sayyidina Uthman bin Affan who was the present caliphate. Sayyidina Saad bin Abi Waqqas then laid the foundations for the first mosque in China, Huaisheng Mosque.

Lastly, Sayyidina Saad bin Abi Waqqas is a man who shows resoluteness in upholding the principles of Islam. When he reverted to Islam, his mother was vehemently against it and stopped consuming food and drinks thinking that he will be forced to leave the religion. Sayyidina Saad bin Abi Waqqas then said to his mother, “O my mother, by Allah, even if you had one hundred souls and they were to depart one by one, I would not give up this religion of mine for anything, so if you want to, eat, and if you want to, do not eat.”

Then Allah sent down a revelation pertaining to this from the chapter of Luqman, verse 15.

 

But if they endeavor to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them but accompany them in [this] world with appropriate kindness and follow the way of those who turn back to Me [in repentance]. Then to Me will be your return, and I will inform you about what you used to do.
Surah Luqman, 31:15

 

Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah

The companion given the honorific name of Ameenul Ummah (The Truthful) reverted to Islam with his companions Abdul Rahman bin Auf, Uthman bin Maz’un and Arqam bin Abu Al-Arqam. Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah participated in all the battles with Rasulullah pbuh.

During the Battle of Badr, Abu Ubaidah tried to avoid meeting his father at the battlefield who sided with the Quraisy. However, the meeting was inevitable and he was forced to kill his father.

Allah then revealed an ayat regarding the situation:

Abdullah bin Abbas

Sayyidina Abdullah bin Abbas is the paternal cousin of the Prophet pbuh and he was only 13 years old when the Al-Mukminin passed away. Known as al-Habr al-Bahr (the scholar and vast ocean), he has a deep understanding of the al-Quran.

Rasulullah pbuh made a dua for him:
“O Lord, make him acquire a deep understanding of the religion of Islam and instruct him in the meaning and interpretation of things.”

Sayyidina Abdullah bin Abbas has a strong will to gain ‘ilm and perform ibadah. He is well known to follow the actions of Rasulullah pbuh such as performing tahajjud and always retained what he said and commit them to memory.

Additionally, besides his deep sea of knowledge, he is always willing to fight and uphold the Deen. During the sovereignity of caliphate Sayyidina Uthman bin Affan, Sayyidina Abdullah bin Abbas was part of a battle during a da’wah mission in northern Africa. He was also involved in the battle of Jamal and Siffin with the caliphate Sayyidina Ali bin Abi Talib.

Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl

The son of Abu Jahl, a well-known Quraisy who hated the Prophet pbuh, Sayyidina Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl converted to Islam after being saved from an impending storm in the middle of the sea by the decree of Allah.

One of the most striking things about Sayyidina Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl is him bequeathing his revenge for Rasulullah pbuh and the companions for the death of his father during the Battle of Badr.

Ikrimah was also purely altruistic and willing to sacrifice himself for others. Says Sayyidina Abdullah bin Masud, one of the Prophet’s closest companions, “Sayyidina Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl, Suhail bin Amar and Haris bin Hisyam are amongst the lines during the Battle of Yarmuk. During the final moments of their deaths, there was a companion who gave them water to drink. However, they prioritise their other companions instead and offered them their drinks and this led to their deaths.”

Aisyah bint Abu Bakr

Ummul Mukminin is the daughter of Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and one of the wives of our beloved Prophet pbuh.

Sayyidatina Aisyah bint Abu Bakr married the Prophet pbuh when she was 6 years old and started living with him when she reached 9 years old. When the Prophet died, Sayyidatina Aisyah was only 18 years old.

Sayyidatina Aisyah bint Abu Bahr is an unyielding mujahidah. During the Battle of Badr, she and Ummu Sulaym carried buckets of water and quenched the thirst of the Muslims that were hurt from the battlefield. They will continue to and fro to fill up the buckets and help the wounded.

Also fondly known as Humaira (the red-cheeked) by the Prophet pbuh, Sayyidatina Aisyah possesses a plethora of knowledge ranging from faraidh, fiqh, Arabic poetry and history, and the ‘ilm of genealogy. Ata’ bin Abi Rabah was recorded in al-Bidayah wan Nihayah saying that Ummul Mukminin is someone who has a deep knowledge of fiqh, an ulama of highest knowledge and someone with the highest order of thinking.

 

These were among the many lessons to be drawn from the accounts of the companions and Dr Daniyal gave a very animated and zealous discussion on them.

Conclusion

The seminar, in my opinion, was a success on the basis that some of the attendees felt that it was beneficial and there was much to be learnt. I certainly enjoyed the lecture as Dr Daniyal was very enthusiastic in his execution of teaching us the backgrounds of these 5 legendary heroes. It was enlightening to know more about them and thinking how immensely different we are from the generation of the Prophet pbuh, the Tabi’in and Tabi’ al-Tabi’in.

“The seminar was fruitful and Dr Daniyal not only shares stories of the companions, he draws his life experiences to spice things up and make things interesting,” commented Nur Amalynna Juraimy, a youth A.L.I.VE. student from Al-Iman mosque.

However, not all of the reviews of the seminar were sanguine.

“I felt that the event was too short and even though the stories shared by Dr Daniyal were interesting, it is difficult to relate the stories to the modern context,” Nur Humairah Muhleseddin, a student of NUS Faculty of Arts and Social science, remarked.

Overall, the seminar left the impression that I have much to read up on these outstanding characters that have contributed so much to Islam. The spark to learn was lighted by Dr Daniyal but to exercise a commitment to learning about the Deen and emulating the companions is entirely up to us.

Biodata – Dr. Danial Zainal Abidin

Dr. Danial Zainal Abidin was born in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, in 1955. He holds a Medical Degree from Alexandria University, Egypt. While studying in Egypt he took the opportunity to study Arabic and Islam from scholars of Al-Azhar University.  Currently he is the Managing Director of Danial Zainal Consultancy based in Malaysia, is focused on education and Islamic research.  He is also a General Practitioner at Syifa Clinic in Pulau Pinang, together with one of his wives, Dr. Arba’ai bin Hj Mahbar.

Since 1993 he delivers religious and motivational talks through Mutiara FM Radio, through slots like Rangsang Minda (Mind Motivation),Dimensi Pakar (Specialist Dimension), and Islam Moden (Modern Islam).  In 1995 he was invited twice to TV3 to be a panel in the famous program, Cermin Diri (Self Reflection).  He is also a regular speaker at Perlis FM and Perak FM.  He is a regular columnist for scientific discussions in various magazines.  He has also written ten books among them being Konsep Perubatan Islam, Islam the Misunderstood Religion, Kit Kombat Islam, Empayar Minda Muslim, Tip-Tip Cemerlang Daripada Quran, etc. He is also regularly invited to deliver motivational talks across Malaysia.  He lives with his two wives and 8 children.

 

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Nur Hidayah Murad
Hidayah is a student of School of Film and Media Studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic undertaking a Diploma in Mass Communications.