Rahmatullah Khan Shakir (1901-2000), Former Assistant Editor and Manager of Al Fazl
The Companionsra had always been very enthusiastic to promulgate the divine treasure that they themselves had obtained from the Holy Prophetsa and there were no discomforts that hindered them in this way.
Hazrat Abdullahra bin Mas‘ud’s willingness to preach to a violent audience
Hazrat Abdullahra bin Mas‘ud was young and tended goats when the Holy Prophetsa announced his prophethood.
Once the Holy Prophetsa, accompanied by Hazrat Abu Bakrra, strolled down to where the young Abdullah was grazing his goats. Hazrat Abu Bakrra asked him to give them some milk to drink if he had some. Abdullahra replied that the goats were not his and belonged to someone else, therefore he could not give them the milk.
The Holy Prophetsa asked him to bring a goat that had not yet given birth. Hazrat Abdullahra brought one. The Holy Prophetsa passed his hands on its udder and prayed, as a result of which its udder was filled with so much milk that all three of them had their fill from it. Hazrat Abdullahra was so impressed by this incident that he accepted Islam.
This was a time when the Muslims were very weak, so much so that they were not allowed to worship the One God in public.
One day, the Muslims decided to recite the Quran to the disbelievers, but it was a challenging and dangerous task to carry out. Hazrat Abdullahra bin Mas‘ud undertook to perform it. But other Companionsra objected that he was not best suited for the job. They needed someone who had a large family so that the Quraish may have some hesitation in assaulting him. But Hazrat Abdullahra insisted that he must go and said that his God was his protector.
The next day, when the Quraish were assembled together, this admirer of the Quran reached there to read it out to them. The whole group of the Quraish became enraged to see this daring behaviour of the young man and all of them set upon him. He was beaten so badly that his face became swollen, yet he did not stop reciting the Quran.
He returned to the Companionsra in very poor physical condition. Upon seeing him, they said that it was this very fear that they wanted to stop him from going there. Hazrat Abdullahra replied, “I swear in the name of God, if you allow me, I will do the same tomorrow again. The opponents of the religion of God have never looked to me so depraved before today.” (Usdul-Ghabah, Vol. 3, p. 280)
Hazrat Umm Shareek’sra preparedness to preach despite dangers
The keenness for the propagation of faith was not confined to men only; rather, Muslim women equally discharged this responsibility too with full realisation.
Hazrat Umm Shareekra was a female companion who propagated the message of Islam to the women of the Quraish in secret. This was a time when to mention even the name of Islam would not go without danger. When the Quraish learnt about such activities by her, they ousted her from Mecca. (Tabaqat Ibn Saad, Vol. 8, Zikr Ummi Sharik)
Hazrat Umm Hakimra bint Harith’s preaching to husband, Ikrimahra
After the fall of Mecca, Ikrimahra bin Abi Jahl fled to Yemen, but his wife, Hazrat Umm Hakimra bint Harith, accepted Islam. Having accepted Islam, she became so restless to bring her husband into the fold of Islam that bearing all the troubles of travel, she travelled all the way to Yemen to preach Islam to him and brought him back a convert. (Muwatta Imam Malik, Kitab al-Nikah, Bab Nikah-ul-Mushrik iza Aslamat Zaujahu)
A marriage conditional upon conversion to Islam
Before accepting Islam, Hazrat Abu Talhahra expressed his desire to marry a Muslim lady, Hazrat Umm Salimra. At his proposal to her, she replied that she could not marry him until and unless he embraced Islam. And she would be ready to marry him only after he accepted Islam and that she would not accept any dowry from him except his conversion. As a result, he accepted Islam. (Usdul-Ghabah, Vol. 6, p. 345, Zikr Umm Salim bint Malhan)
Fearlessness in preaching
Hazrat Abu Dhar Ghaffarira accepted Islam in its early days. He had no supporter or helper in the whole of Mecca. But he possessed such a passion and zeal for the propagation of Islam that irrespective of any dangers, he proceeded to the Ka‘bah and, in a loud voice, proclaimed his faith in Allah and the prophethood of the Holy Prophetsa.
At the time, the disbelievers were sitting together and having a chat there. The moment they heard his voice, all of them set upon him with whatever they could lay their hands on. As a result, he fell unconscious.
After he recovered, he found that the whole of his body was covered in blood. So he left. But the next day, he returned and started propagating the message of Islam. The disbelievers again started beating him up. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Manaqib-il-Ansar, Bab Islam Abi Zar Ghaffari)
Hazrat Abu Bakr’s influence in preaching Islam
After Hazrat Abu Bakr’sra heart was enlightened with the light of Islam, he, with zeal and fervour, desired for his close friends and relatives to benefit from this divine bounty. Despite the troubles cast in this way from the disbelievers, he continued propagating the message of Islam. As a result of his endeavours, some noble souls accepted Islam, who later shone like stars on the firmament of Islam.
Hazrat Uthmanra, Hazrat Zubairra bin Awam, Hazrat Abdur-Rahmanra bin Auf, Hazrat Saadra bin Abi Waqas, Hazrat Talhahra, Hazrat Uthmanra bin Maz‘un, Hazrat Abu Ubaidahra, Hazrat Abu Salmahra and Hazrat Khalidra bin Saeed bin Aas are only a few of those who embraced Islam through him. (Sirat Ibn Hisham, Bab Zikr man Aslama min-as-Sahabati bi-Da‘wati Abi Bakr)
Hazrat Abu Bakrra accompanied the Holy Prophetsa when he went to different clans and public gatherings to propagate the message of Islam. Since Hazrat Abu Bakrra had a wide network of acquaintances, he would introduce the Holy Prophetsa to them. (Kanzul-Ummal, Vol. 6, p. 319, Bab Fazl-is-Sadiq)
(Translated by Shahid Mahmood Ahmad, Missionary in Ghana, from the original Urdu, Muslim Nau-jawanon kay Sunehri Karnamey)