![]() ![]() Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than to those who sit (at home). Abdullah ibn Umm Maktoom was standing right behind the Prophet (SAWS) and said “is there any exemption ( rukh’sa) for me? Then the words “and receive no hurt,” were revealed and added to the verse, which then read: “Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) except those who possess disabilities, and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. In the report of al-Barraa ibn Aazib, he said: once the Prophet (SAWS) asked that a shoulder blade or a writing board be brought to him, and he wrote down the verse: “Not equal are those believers who sit (at home)”. He used to say to him “do you need anything?”, and, “is there anything that you require of me?” and before the Prophet (SAWS) would leave his presence, he would ask him what can I do for you? This verse amounted to light admonishment for the Prophet (SAWS) from Allah sub’haanahu wa ta’ala, and after these verses were revealed, the Prophet (SAWS) used to honor ibn Umm Maktoom and give him the utmost respect. Nay, verily, this is but a reminder and so, whoever is willing may remember Him in the light of His revelations blest with dignity, lofty and pure, borne by the hands of messengers, noble and most virtuous. ![]() But as for him who came unto you full of eagerness and in awe of God, him did you disregard. Now as for him who believes himself to be self-sufficient, to him you gave your whole attention, although you are not accountable for his failure to attain to purity. “ He frowned and turned away when the blind man approached him ! Yet for all you knew, (O Muhammad), he might perhaps have grown in purity or have been reminded of the Truth, and helped by this reminder. After the Prophet (SAWS) finished speaking with the group of men, he headed back to be his family. The Prophet (SAWS) at the time, didn’t like the interruption, so he frowned, turned away from the man and turned his attention back to the others. In one instance the Prophet (SAWS) was trying to convince some of the high ranking members of the Quraish Abu Jahl, also known as Amr ibn Hishaam, Ut’ba ibn Rabee’ah, and his brother Shaybah, and Walid ibn al-Mugheerah, the father of Khalid ibn Walid who would later become known as the Sword of Allah, about Islam, when a blind man approached him, entered into the conversation with the group, and pleading, he said O messenger of Allah, teach me something that Allah has taught you”. Some of the scholars of tafseer say that 10 verses were revealed about him. Several verses of the Quran were revealed regarding this companion of the Prophet (SAWS). Sometimes Bilal would call the athaan and ibn Umm Maktoom would call the iqaamah and then other times it was the other way around. Ibn Umm Maktoom was one of the two principle mu’athhans (callers to prayer), of the Prophet (SAWS), the other was Bilal. In the narration of al-Barraa ibn Aazib, he said: “the first one to come to us of the Muhaajireen was Mus’ab ibn Umair and then after that it was the blind man, Ibn Umm Maktoom. Ibn Umm Maktoom was blind, but the Prophet (SAWS) trusted him as an able bodied imam of the salat and he would frequently lead the prayers in Madinah when the Prophet (SAWS) was away on an expedition, this happened several times including the time the Prophet (SAWS) left for the conquest of Mecca. He was one of the seventy something persons who accompanied the Prophet (SAWS) during the migration (hijrah) to Medina. He was the cousin of the Prophet’s first wife Khadija bin Khuwailid, and he converted to Islam early on during the Meccan period. They called her that because she gave birth to a blind child, thus his name Abdullah ibn Umm Maktoom. His mother’s name was Aatika and her surname was Umm Maktoom which means (mother of the concealed). He was also known as Amru Ibn Umm Maktoom, as well as Amru Ibn Qais. One of the things that I love about him is that he did not let his disability (blindness) prevent him from service to our faith, allegiance to our Prophet (SAWS), or from being and a true servant of Allah. What I love about him is that despite being born blind, he showed a dedication to our faith, a desire for knowledge, and love for the Prophet (SAWS) that was so profound that Allah subhaanahu wa ta’ala spoke on his personal behalf from above seven heavens in verses in the Quran. ![]() ![]() This is a short story about one of my favorite companions of the Prophet (SAWS). ![]()
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