The Islam Of Those Who Gave Theır Lıves, And Today's People Worshıpıng Theır Comfort!

The Horrific Tortures Endured by Ammar (r.a.) and His Family

The first years of Islam were a basin of blood and patience where prices too heavy for words to express were paid. At the very forefront of this basin stood Ammar bin Yasir (r.a.) and his beloved family. They were laid upon the scorching, hellish sands of Mecca and subjected to the most inhumane tortures.

Whenever the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) passed by them, he advised patience to this innocent family and gave them the glad tidings of Paradise. The torment they suffered was at an unbearable scale; yet the glad tidings of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) were like the water of life for these blessed people whose lungs burned in that blistering heat. Today's modern human—who complains at the slightest worldly inconvenience and refuses to compromise even a fraction of their comfort—must carefully examine what was endured in the past and what kind of steeling faith requires!

The First Martyrs of Islam: Yasir and Sumayyah (r.a.)

In the end, the father, Yasir (r.a.), was martyred after succumbing to these severe tortures. The oppressors had not left his elderly body in peace until he drew his last breath.

His mother, Sumayyah (r.a.), was an elderly and frail woman. Yet the faith in her heart was infinitely greater than the weakness of her body. Abu Jahl, the cursed leader of the polytheists, brutally martyred Sumayyah by thrusting his spear into her private parts in an assault on her honor and chastity. While Abu Jahl wrote his own name among the inhabitants of Hell, Sumayyah (r.a.) earned both Paradise and the supreme rank of being the "First Martyr" in Islamic history. Their bodies were pierced through, yet not a single step back was taken from the cause of Islam!

The First Sanctuary Rising from Endured Agonies

Having sacrificed his mother and father on the bloody sands of Mecca, Ammar (r.a.) did not falter either. When the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) migrated to Medina, Ammar was the first person to propose constructing a shade under which the Messenger of Allah could sit, rest during the noon heat, and perform his prayers. Carrying stones on his back, he laid the very first mortar for the Quba Mosque, the first sanctuary of Islam. This stands as the clearest proof of how immense suffering and steel-like patience were transformed into a tangible place of worship.

A Devotion on the Field at Ninety-Four Years Old

Ammar (r.a.) participated in all battles throughout his life with immense enthusiasm. Despite his advancing age, he never retreated from the field of struggle for a single moment. On one occasion, he exclaimed with great fervor:

"Now I am going to meet the beloved ones! I am going to meet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and his companions!"

On that final day when he was to be martyred, while preparing, he grew thirsty and asked those nearby for water. He was offered milk. After drinking the milk, Ammar (r.a.) recalled the miraculous words the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) had spoken to him years ago: "The last thing you will drink in this world shall be milk." Immediately following this, he reached the rank of martyrdom he had so longed for.

He was ninety-four years old when he fell as a martyr (some narrations also report his age as ninety-two or ninety-three).

Our False Trials and True Faith

Having witnessed the severe torments in his childhood and youth, and having seen his mother and father martyred before his eyes, Ammar (r.a.) was still on the field with the exact same faith and dedication despite the passage of more than 80 years and an age exceeding ninety that bent his back.

Now we must ask: In the presence of those who poured their entire lives into their cause from childhood to old age, what faith are we talking about today when we are incapable of lifting a finger? The legacy of those who were born under torture and martyred on the battlefields is more than enough to tear off the masks of those playing at cause-serving in air-conditioned rooms!