Page 16 The Islamic Bulletin Volume XXIV No. 28 er Muslims were being harassed and tortured by the idolators. For him, as for many other Muslims, life in Makkah was becoming more and more intolerable. Eventually he heard that a group of Muslims were preparing secretly to migrate to Abyssinia to seek refuge and relief. His immediate thoughts were how to escape and join them. At the first opportunity, when his mother and his warders were off-guard, he managed to slip away quietly. Then with utmost haste he joined the other refugees and before long they sailed together across the Red Sea to Africa. Although the Muslims enjoyed peace and security in the land of the Negus, they longed to be in Makkah in the company of the noble Prophet (S). When a report reached Abyssinia that the conditions of the Muslims in Makkah had improved, Mus’ab was among the first to return to Makkah. The report was in fact false and Mus’ab once again left for Abyssinia. Whether he was in Makkah or Abyssinia, Mus’ab remained strong in his new faith and his main concern was to make his life worthy of his Creator. When Mus’ab returned to Makkah again, his mother made a last attempt to gain control of him. However, when the moment came, it was sad for both mother and son. It revealed a strong persistence in kufr on the part of the mother and an even greater persistence in iman on the part of the son. As she threw him out of her house, she said: “Go to your own business. I am not prepared to be a mother to you.” Mus’ab went up close to her and said: “Mother, I advise you sincerely. I am concerned about you. Do testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.” “I swear by the shooting stars, I shall not enter your religion even if my opinion is ridiculed and my mind becomes impotent,” she insisted. Mus’ab thus left and now had more important concerns. He was determined to use his talents and energies in acquiring knowledge and in serving God and His Prophet. One day, several years later, Mus’ab came upon a gathering of Muslims sitting around the Prophet (S). They bowed their heads and lowered their gaze when they saw Mus’ab, and some were even moved to tears. This was because his clothing was old and in tatters and they were immediately taken back to the days before his acceptance of Islam when he was a model of elegance. The Prophet looked at Mus’ab, smiled gracefully and said: “I have seen this Mus’ab with his parents in Makkah. They lavished care and attention on him and gave him all comforts. There was no Quraish youth like him. Then he left all that seeking the pleasure of God and devoting himself to the service of His Prophet.” The Prophet then went on to say: “There will come a time when God will grant you victory over Persia and Byzantium. You would have one dress in the morning and another in the evening and you would eat out of one dish in the morning and another in the evening.” In other words, the Prophet prophesied that the Muslims would become rich and powerful and that they would have material goods in plenty. The companions sitting around asked the Prophet, “O Messenger of Allah, are we in a better situation in these times or would we be better off then?” He replied: “You are rather better off now than you would be then. If you knew of the world what I know you would certainly not be so much concerned with it.” On another occasion, the Prophet (S) talked in a similar vein to his companions and asked them how they would be if they could have one suit of clothes in the morning and another in the evening and even have enough material to put curtains in their houses just as the Ka’bah was fully covered. The companions replied that they would then be in a better situation because they would then have sufficient sustenance and would be free for ‘ibaadah (worship). The Prophet (S) however told them that they were indeed better off as they were. After about ten years of inviting people to Islam, most of Makkah still remained hostile. The noble Prophet (S) then went to Taa’if seeking new adherents to the faith. He was repulsed and chased out of the city. The future of Islam looked bleak. It was just after this that the Prophet chose Mus’ab to be his “ambassador” to Yathrib (Madinah) to teach a small group of believers who had come to pledge allegiance to Islam and prepare Madinah for the day of the great Hijrah. Mus’ab was chosen above companions who were older than he or were more closely related to the Prophet (S) or who appeared to possess greater prestige. No doubt Mus’ab was chosen for this task because of his noble character, his fine manners and his sharp intellect. His knowl-
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