The Illustrious Sahaabah The Illustrious Sahaabah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam)
Hazrat Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was an embodiment of compassion and love, a paragon of purity and piety and a personification of the highest levels of good character throughout his life.
Even prior to being blessed with nubuwwah, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) would engage in the remembrance of Allah Ta‘ala, and he would be concerned about the welfare of the creation. He ensured that he maintained good family-ties with all his relatives at all times, and would always extend hospitality to guests. He would provide financial support to people who were unable to support themselves. He would assist people carrying their load and alleviate the difficulty of people who were faced with difficulties. If any person was afflicted by a natural disaster, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) would hasten to offer support and assistance to him.
Despite the people of that time being idol worshippers and not worshipping Allah Ta‘ala, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) showered his compassion and kindness upon them. This was on account of his heart being a heart brimming with love and compassion for the creation, and he was prepared to sacrifice his own wealth, time and resources for the comfort of the creation. It is for this reason that Allah Ta‘ala chose him to be not only the Imaam, Rasul and Nabi of this ummah, but crowned him with the glorified position of being the Imaam of all the Ambiyaa and Rasuls that came in this world.
Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) mentioned that Allah Ta‘ala looked at the hearts of all His servants and He found the blessed heart of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) to be the best heart from the hearts of all the servants. Allah Ta‘ala then chose Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) for Himself, sent him with His Divine message (to this ummah) and endowed him with His special knowledge. (Musnad Ahmed #3600, Hilyatul Awliyaa 1/375, Musnad Abu Dawood Tayaalisi # 243)
Assisting His Uncle, Abu Taalib, During the Drought
Abu Taalib was the uncle of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), and he had raised and cared for Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) after his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, passed away.
Abu Taalib had four sons viz. Taalib, Aqeel, Ja’far and Ali. From the four sons, all embraced Islam with the exception of Taalib. (Faidh-ul-Baari 3/213)
It is mentioned that during the childhood of Hazrat Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), the people of Makkah Mukarramah were afflicted by a severe drought. At this time, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was greatly concerned about his beloved uncle, Abu Taalib, who had taken care of him in his childhood, as he was undergoing financial constraints.
Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) thus went to his uncle, Hazrat Abbaas (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), who was among the wealthy people of Makkah Mukarramah, and said to him, “O my uncle, Abbaas! Your brother, Abu Taalib, has many children, and you can see the drought and difficulty that has befallen the people. I see it difficult for him to take care of all his children. Let us go to him and offer to assist him in taking care of some of his children. I will take one of his sons into my care, and you can take another, and we will both look after them and see to their needs.”
Hazrat Abbaas (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) happily agreed, and so they proceeded to Abu Taalib and offered to look after two of his sons. Abu Taalib replied, “Leave my son, Aqeel, with me, and you may take any other son that you wish.” Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) thus took Hazrat Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) into his care, while Hazrat Abbaas (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) took Hazrat Ja’far (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) into his care.
As a result, Hazrat Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was blessed with the good fortune of being raised in the care of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) from his childhood days. After Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) received prophethood, Hazrat Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was the first child to embrace Islam at his hands. After some time, Hazrat Ja’far (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) also accepted Islam.
(Seerah Ibnu Hishaam 1/246, Mustadrak Haakim #6463 and Majma’uz Zawaa’id #13469)
