Muslims Profiles: Abu Musa Al-Ashari

He is Abdullah ibn Qays, one of the companions of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and witnessed some of the battles the Muslims waged against the athiests (Mushrikin).

When he went to Basrah as the governor, he called the inhabitants to a meeting and addressed them:

"The Amir al-Muminin, Umar, has sent me to you to teach you the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (PBUH) and to clean your streets for you."

People were mesmerized when they heard Abu Musa Al Ashari�s words. They could easily understand that one of the responsibilities of a Muslim ruler was to guide people to the right path and teach them their religion. However, that one of his duties should be to clean streets was something new and surprising to them.

His real name was Abdullah ibn Qays but he was known as Abu Musa al-Ashari. He left his country, Yemen, heading to Makkah right after he heard that a Prophet had appeared there who was a man of rare insight, who called people to the worship One God and who possesses the highest standards of morality.

At Makkah, Abu Musa remained in the company of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and learned all about Islam. He returned to his country to propagate the word of Allah and spread the message of the Prophet (PBUH).

Just after the end of the Khaybar expedition he came to the Prophet in Madinah. His arrival there coincided with that of Jaffar ibn Abi Talib and other Muslims from Abyssinia and the Prophet welcomed them all with extreme joy and happiness.

Abu Musa came with more than fifty people from Yemen all of whom had embraced Islam. Among them were his two brothers, Abu Ruhm and Abu Burdah. The Prophet (PBUH) called those who came with Abu Musa Al Ashari the "Asharis". In fact the Prophet (PBUH) sometimes referred to all Yemenis as Asharis after Abu Musa al-Ashari�s name. He used to praise them for how soft and tender their hearts were. Also he (PBUH) held them up to the rest of his companions as a live model of good behavior.

Once Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said about them:

"If the Asharis go on an expedition or if they only have a little food among them, they would gather all they have on one cloth and divide it equally among themselves. They are thus from me and I am from them."

Soon Abu Musa became a very respectable figure among the Muslim community. He had many great nad noble qualities. He was a faqih gifted with intelligence and sound judgement and was considered as one of the leading judges in the early stages of the Muslim community. People used to say:

"The judges in our Nation are four: Umar, Ali, Abu Musa and Zayd ibn Thabit."

Abu Musa had a natural, uncomplicated character. He was by nature a trustworthy person and expected people to deal with him on the basis of trust and sincerity.

In the field of jihad (fight for the sake of Islam), he was a brave warrior of extraordinary skills.

The Prophet (PBUH) once said of him: "The master of horsemen is Abu Musa."

"Abu Musa's insight and the soundness of his judgment did not allow him to be deceived by an enemy in battle. In battle conditions he saw situations with complete clarity and executed his actions with a firm resolve.

Abu Musa was in charge of the Muslim army crossing the lands of the Sasanian Empire. At Isfahan, the people came to him and asked to pay the jizyah (in return for military protection) as an attempt to avoid fighting and reach peace. However, something was behind their offer; they merely wanted an opportunity to launch a treacherous attack on the Muslims. Abu Musa however knew that there was something fishy, and so he remained on the alert. Thus when the Isfahanis launched their attack, the Muslim leader was ready for them, He engaged them in battle and before midday of the following day, he had won a decisive victory.

In facing powerful Sasanian Empire Abu Musa's role was unprecedented . In the great Battle of Tustar itself, he was indeed a distinguished military commander.

The Persian commander, Hormuzan, withdrew his troops to the strongly fortified city of Tustar. The Caliph Umar did not underestimate the strength of the enemy and he mobilized powerful and numerous force to confront Hormuzan. Among the Muslim forces were dedicated veterans like Ammar ibn Yasir, al-Baraa ibn Malik and his brother Anas, Majra'a al-Bakri and Salamah ibn Rajaa. Umar appointed Abu Musa as commander of the army.

So well fortified was Tustar that it was impossible to take it by storm. Several attempts were made to breach the walls but these proved unsuccessful. There followed a long and difficult siege which became even more testing and agonizing for the Muslims when, as we saw in the story of al-Baraa ibn Malik, the Persians began throwing down iron chains from the walls of the fortress at the ends of which were fastened red-hot iron hooks. Muslims were caught by these hooks and were pulled up either dead or in the agony of death.

Although Abu Musa was a strong and brave warrior, he used to weep after every battle, full of agony at the death of the Muslim fighters. At such times, he would read the Qur�an in a voice that profoundly stirred the people�s emotions. Regarding the way Abu Musa used to recite the Holy Qur�an, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) once said:

"Abu Musa has indeed been given one of the flutes of the people of David."

Also, Umar Ibn AL Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, often summoned Abu Musa and asked him to recite versed from the Qur�an, saying:

"Create in us a yearning for our Lord, O Abu Musa." As a mark of his dedication to the Qur�an, Abu Musa was one of the few companions who had prepared a mushaf a written collection of the revelations.

Abu Musa only participated in wars that were waged the atheists (Mushrikin), and those who tried to oppose the religion Allah and extinguish the light of faith.

Source: anwary-islam.com