 The mysteries of Islam fascinate us time and time again. This is no different from the life story of the Prophet. Who was Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa alihi wa sallam? An illiterate doesn't merchant who one day stumbled upon amazing Arabic rhetoric. Or was he the creation of Allah's greatest light? Sent down to earth to pull man out of ignorance and bring them to the purest of truths. I Ali Burji am on a journey to discover the real story behind the Prophet. The real story behind our religion, the roots, the beginning, the cradle of civilisation. We have discussed previously about Masjid al Quba, the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa alihi wa sallam. Waiting for Amirul-Mu'mineen alaihi sallam and the importance of him being there. And why waiting for him to enter the city. Imam Ali alaihi sallam left Mecca, Quraysh sent troops. So there were seven according to the narrations. There were seven and the eighth being the seventh. Now Amirul-Mu'mineen fought them off and continued to Medina. In the period between Amirul-Mu'mineen alaihi sallam going to Medina. The Holy Prophet waited there and I wanted to discuss one of the great companions of the Holy Prophet, Salman al Farsi. So he was introduced as he met the Holy Prophet at Masjid al Quba. If we can talk about it to get some information about Salman, who is Salman al Farsi? What's his story? I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed. May Salat and Salam be upon Muhammad and his family. May Salat and Salam be upon Muhammad and his family. Yes, as it was discussed earlier, Imam Ali alaihi sallam when he made it known that he's leaving with the Fawatim, if you like. Fatima bin Tassad, his mother. Fatima bin Rasulullah, the daughter of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa alayhi. And Fatima bin Tizubair bin Abdul-Muttalib, that is the cousin of the Prophet or his cousin. And there was Abu Waqid, who was the servant of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa alayhi. And Aiman, the son of Um Aiman, they were with him. And Quraish didn't want to be seen standing idly, doing nothing. And they decided to confront Imam Ali alaihi sallam as he was leaving. And Imam Ali alaihi sallam, they sent eight of their warriors, or rather seven. Seven of their warriors along with the servant of Abu Sufyan. So that makes them eight. And there was some fighting between Imam Ali alaihi sallam said to Abu Waqid and Aiman, the son of Um Aiman, I'll take care of the women and I'll take care of these guys. So there was fighting between the two sides, Imam Ali on one side and those eight on the other. And Imam Ali obviously defeated them and they were severely injured. And probably one of them was killed. I say probably because one of them had his, I feel like, shoulder hacked of whether he died of that injury or not, doesn't say. By the single blow from Imam Ali alaihi sallam. Imagine the power of Imam Ali alaihi sallam. And when they were repelled, they continued with the journey towards Medina. And as we mentioned earlier, the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam was waiting in the village of Quba, which is at the outskirt of Medina at that time. And there he founded Masjid al Quba. So he built, if you like, or arranged for it to be built and founded Masjid al Quba. The foundation of, we have Masjid al Quba now, which is obviously very big compared to what it used to be, but at least it wasn't that location that the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam founded Masjid al Quba. He was waiting for Imam Ali to arrive. Of course, people, the loyal Muslims from Al-Ansar, from Medina, they used to come and see the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, so that he wouldn't be, if you like, alone. Given the fact that Abu Bakr has left, they saw that he had left and he arrived in Medina alone. So one of them who used to frequently come and see the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, was Sa'ad ibn Ma'ad. And if you remember in previous episodes, Sa'ad ibn Ma'ad was one of the two people of Khazraj who came to see the Prophet and they spoke to the Prophet and became Muslims. Sa'ad became Muslim first. And then the Qwan, ibn Zarara, they were the two. So Sa'ad ibn Ma'ad was very loyal to the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, and he kept coming to see the Prophet Quba. And it is said that it was in Quba that the renowned and devout companion, would be companion of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, he came to see the Prophet there. He was very devout and very loyal to the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. He was one of the few who remained loyal to the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam after the death of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. Salman used to be a Zoroastrian, but he converted to Christianity. He was looking for, even apparently in their books, there was talk amongst their scholars, the Zoroastrian scholars, they would talk about the Prophet of the end of time, or the final Prophet if you like. So he was looking for the final Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. He came to Syria, or Egypt, North Africa, and today's Turkey, the Biden time, looking for the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. And he spent many years, he converted to Christianity, it is said, and he spent long years with one particular scholar and another, whether while he was in Turkey or in other locations, whether it's Syria or Egypt, it is said that he spent time with them and learning from them. And it is said that his last mentor, when he was about to die or near the end of his life, he said that it is time for the, he was Christian scholar and he said that it is time for the final Prophet to appear. And later on he did say to Salman that you should find the one you were looking for in Medina. So when his mentor died, he headed for Medina. It is said that while he was traveling, arriving near, if you like, the Arabia, he was taken by bandits or whatever as a slave and he was sold as a slave to a Jewish family who resided in Medina. And it is said that on one occasion while he was working as a slave for the Jewish family, they had visitors and they were talking, if you like, the visitor was talking to the master, to his master, Salman's master. And they were saying that they have a Prophet who has come from Mecca to Medina and people are very happy and so on. And he asked, where exactly in Medina? And his master said, it is none of your business, you do your job, you have nothing to do with this matter. So he kept quiet. And it is said that he left whenever he had the opportunity to go and see and ask. Of course he couldn't speak Arabic. He came across a woman, it is said that she was a Esfahani or Esfahani Iranian woman who could speak Farsi and he asked her about this new Prophet. And she said to him, apparently she had become Muslim already, that Iranian woman, Esfahani woman. And she said to him that you can find him in Quba. And he went to Quba and of course he saw the Prophet and he saw the signs. And he asked, he learned from scholars that he wouldn't take Sadaqa because Sadaqa is haram for him. But he would take a gift if you give him a gift. So he gave him a plate of dates and he said this is Sadaqa. And the Prophet took it from him and he gave it to the companions and said, those who were around him said eat. And he didn't eat any of that. And Salman said, oh this is the first sign. And the second sign sort of, he came back later and said this is again a plate full of dates. And he said, this is a gift for you. And he thanked him, he took one and of course he gave the rest. He said, oh this is the second sign. And of course the same sign was the sign at the back of his shoulder. Was it any specific, do we know? Was it something written or was it just a, what kind of a birthmark? It doesn't say. It's probably what was a mole. How could they identify this mole from a different one? I haven't come across anything which to say exactly what it was. So he identified that as well. And of course he started to talk to the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, telling him who he was and his journey. His journey and so on. And of course he had been praised. All those years of waiting and finally meeting. You know when I hear of these, the stories of the companions, I think of us in our time, in the time of Ghaybah, of Imam al-Hujj, al-Jalla, al-Faruj Al-Sharif, how we ourselves as well pray and wish we could see him with our own very eyes. You know, be part of his life and him of us. And may Allah SWT bless us too. Insha'Allah. Those who were loyal companions to the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, I mean there were a lot of so-called companions, anyone who saw the Prophet is better as companions. But there were those who were loyal to the Prophet. Devout, sincere and honest about their loyalty. And they follow the teachings of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam exactly. Nothing more, nothing less. Contrary to the behavior and conduct of many other so-called companions, if you like. The majority of the companions of the Prophet were not anywhere near as loyal as what is expected of them to be, or at least adhering to the teachings of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. But there were people like Salman. He used to be referred to as Salman al-Farisi, Salman the Persian. But the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said, referred to him as Salman al-Muhammadi, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. There was Salman al-Muhammadi, there was Abu Dhar. There was Al-Muqdad al-Kindi, there was Ammar bin Yasir. So they were really making sure that they follow the teachings of the Prophet and they are in harmony with the teachings of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. And of course that meant they are not corrupted in any way. And that meant that they had to stand up to corruption and any strain from the teachings of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. And of course they had a very firm stance against the rulers who came to rule the Muslim nation contrary to the teachings of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam after the Prophet because they usurped the Khilafah from Amir al-Mu'min from Imam Ali Alaihi Wasallam. So yes, it was a heavy duty on their shoulders in the sense that they had to make sure they stand fast by the teachings of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam and by doing so that meant they had to go against the corrupt rulers who ruled. And people like Abu Dhar, for example, he wouldn't stay quiet. He would protest against corruption, especially against Othman and to the extent that he was tortured and he was sent into exile to a number of places. He was sent to Syria into exile. He was sent to Lebanon, Jabal Amel into exile. And he faced a lot of hardship as well as all other. These companions that I mentioned, Salman, Abu Dhar, Meqdad, Hamar bin Yasir, and people like them. And finally he was sent to an area of Rabadah where he died of hunger and thirst. So being a devout companion of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is a huge responsibility. Most definitely, most definitely. So Salman, as you mentioned, would come and go. So he planned to stay in Medina and waited for the Holy Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam and he'd come and go. Do we know how long approximately the Holy Prophet waited for Amir al-Mu'mineen? It is said the least figure is 12 days and something more. He waited for between two weeks to a month. Two to three weeks, let's say. He waited for Amir al-Mu'mineen to arrive. And as you mentioned earlier, the other thing which the Prophet, if you like, unsaid, unspoken, the Prophet wanted to make sure that he arrives at the city of Medina along with Imam Alaihi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. So Amir al-Mu'mineen at some point reaches Masjid al-Qadah. The Holy Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam really unites with Fatima al-Zahra Alaihi Sallam. If you can tell us, tell me a bit about that event. Anything we can, anything we may know? I mean the important thing, yes obviously the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was concerned that they arrive safely, which of course they do. He was very happy. But about this, his daughter Fatima al-Zahra has arrived. Fatima bin Asad, the mother of Imam Alaihi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, Fatima bin Asad was the one who brought up the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. She took particular care about the Prophet ever since he was very young because she was involved with the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam from the moment he was born. And she was the one who gave the good news of the birth of the Prophet to her husband Abu Talib Alaihi Sallam. And it was at that time when he said, don't be surprised that you will give birth to his successor. And we don't know what happened with the Ta'aba. The Ta'aba. But I want to say that Fatima bin Asad, the mother of Imam Ali, showed a lot of care for the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam to the extent that he used to call her mother, as if she was my mum because she took a lot of care of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. What about after passing away of Khadija Alaihi Wasallam? Would she be a mother figure for Fatima bin Asad as well? Exactly. So they were all pretty much her family. Despite all that, they had their business to do the mission. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam wanted to go quickly to Medina to establish that city as his place, as his seat, if you like, of authority because they had given him a promise that they would support him. And he had all his mission ahead of him, or at least their main authority, which is another ten years, and he wanted to establish, if you like, the Islamic government, the government Bushirul, and show the teachings of Islam to the people. So he had a lot of things to do. They probably waited for whatever, whether it was hours, doesn't say whether they traveled on the same date, started heading for Medina or it was the next day. But obviously they went to Medina. How far away is Masjid al Quba from Medina? Probably on foot, you're talking about a few hours. A few hours on foot? Yeah, on foot, yeah, it's not that far. And so they, I'm sure they were, he was pleased to see people like his daughter Fatima al-Zahra and people like his, if you like, mom, as he used to call her, Fatima bin Asad. And of course, he was very pleased to see Imam Ali, al-Salam, safely arriving. He was very pleased about that and to say that. But the important thing, he wanted to be seen that he arrives in Medina along with Imam Ali, al-Salam. Basically, the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa alayh, threw out from the moment that the first revelation took place, he used every opportunity to show that Imam Ali is along with me. He is supporting me. And he is the one who is going to lead the ummah as my successor. He is going to lead the ummah after me. So the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa alayh, used every opportunity to show, to express this and show that message to the people, even by just arriving at the city of Medina along with Imam Ali and rather than anyone else. And of course, Alhamdulillah, this is what happened. And if you like, the next episode starts there. Insha'Allah we'll discuss Medina and what happened from there on. Insha'Allah. Insha'Allah. Throughout the stay of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa alayh, there were many debates and discussions and dialogue between individual Jewish scholars and the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa alayh and many embraced Islam during the stay of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa alayh, in Medina during the ten years. And of course that continued. Jewish scholars used to come from far afield and they say we want to speak to the Khalifa of your Prophet and they used to say, here it is, Khalifa of the Prophet, Abu Bakr and they used to ask questions and he couldn't answer. And they used to say obviously there's something wrong because we expected that the Khalifa of Muhammad would be able to answer our questions or should we not leave on someone? And people said to them, look, you need to probably try someone else and they should send them to Imam Ali, sallallahu alayhi wa alayh.