By Sadaf Azhar – Hiba Team Writer
The son of Islam’s first martyrs, Summayyah (rta) and Yasir (rta), Ammar bin Yasir (rta) was nicknamed Abu Yaqdhaan- someone who is awake, vigilant, and aware of the deceptions of the world. He quietly made Dhikr, completely focused on the Hereafter and spoke very little.
His noble parents
Summayyah (rta) was an Abyssinian slave of Abu Hudhaifah ibn Mugheera of Banu Makhdoom. Yasir (rta) was a Yemeni who had come to Makkah to search for his brother who had gone missing during a pilgrimage or trade caravan. He settled in Makkah and became an ally of Banu Makhdoom, not a slave but not a tribesman either- an awkward position. Abu Hudhaifah married Summayyah (rta) to Yasir (rta) and they had two sons Ammar (rta) and Abdullah. Abu Hudhaifah died just before or just after Prophethood, leaving the family vulnerable without his protection.
His acceptance of Islam
Ammar (rta) was almost the same age as the Prophet (sa) and his parents were very old at the time the Prophet (sa) started preaching. The message of Tawheed resonated especially with Ammar (rta) and his family since they were the marginalized of the unjust Makkah society.
Sohaib (rta) and Ammar (rta) accepted Islam together in Dar Al Arqam amongst the forerunners of Islam. Ammar (rta) introduced Islam to his parents.
Unbearable torture
When news spread, the Quraish made a display of their torture so that the Makkans would be deterred from Islam- the aim was to make them renounce their Islam publicly. They were beaten and tortured in the open heat of Makkah. Abu Bakr (rta) bought slaves like Bilal (rta) and Khabbab (rta) to save them from torture, but this family wasn’t enslaved- it simply had no status in Makkan society. The Prophet (sa) was helpless and could only exhort them to be patient and prayed to Allah (swt) for them when he saw them being tortured. He also gave them glad tidings of the promise of Jannah.
The martyrdom of his parents
Yasir (rta) was so old that even his eyebrows had fallen off and Summayyah (rta) was over 60 years old. Yet, Abu Jahl continued to torture them, expecting Yasir to die first. He even mocked them by cursing the Prophet (sa) and insinuating that Summayyah (rta) wanted to marry the Prophet (sa) herself after her husband died.
Finally, he was so infuriated that he speared her to death in front of her husband and son. Yasir (rta) died immediately after. Every time Ammar (rta) came across the verse about the martyred believer in Surah Yaseen, he was reminded of his parents.
Ammar’s (rta) forced confession
The Quraish would alight different parts of Ammar’s (rta) body and the Prophet (sa) would pray for the fire to cool for him as it did for Ibrahim (as). Then they would torture him in a way that is similar to modern day ‘waterboarding’. In the delirium of pain, he once cursed the Prophet (sa)- a forced confession.
Abu Jahl felt victorious and let him go, but Ammar (rta) wept and begged the Prophet (sa) for forgiveness because his heart never left Islam. In fact, the Prophet (sa) advised him to do it again if he was subjected to the same torture.
Emotional trauma
For six painful years, Ammar (rta) had to live in Makkah watching Abu Jahl live freely in Makkah. As a result, he lost his appetite for the Dunya. He devoted long hours of the night worshipping Allah (swt). He was the first companion to dedicate a part of his house as a ‘Musallah’ and the other companions copied him.
The migrant Companion whom Jannah longs for
To escape torture by the Quraish, he migrated to Abyssinia and then to Madinah. Hudhaifah bin Yaman (rta) and Ammar (rta) were made ‘brothers’ by the Prophet (sa)– one was the secret-keeper of the Prophet (sa) and someone who was safe from hypocrisy and the other a quiet, devoted worshipper.
Double the Reward
While Masjid Quba was being built, Ammar (rta) would carry twice the load of others- he told the Prophet (sa) he wanted double the reward. The Prophet (sa) addressed him as Ibn Summayyah (a sign of his mother’s virtue).
Jihad against men and Jinn
The Prophet (sa) allotted land for him to restart his life in Madinah. He fought alongside the Prophet (sa) in every battle and narrated: ‘I fought alongside the Prophet (sa) humans and Jinn.’ In one expedition, he went to draw water in the darkness of the night and the Prophet (sa) warned him that something would try to stop him from drawing water. At the well, Ammar (rta) encountered an ugly beast that tried to stop him, but Ammar (rta) killed it and returned and told the Prophet (sa). The Prophet (sa) told him that the ugly beast was a Shaytaan.
Personal Attributes
A courageous man, in the Battle of Yamama, Ammar (rta) stood up on a mountain, severely injured- his ear was hanging, bleeding. He called out to the Muslims: ‘Are you running away from Jannah?’ A man once referred to him as: ‘O deformed one’ referring to his cut ear and Ammar responded: ‘You cursed the better of my two ears (because it was wounded in battle).’
An esteemed Companion
Omar (rta) chose to keep Ammar and Hudhaifah bin Yaman close to himself during his Caliphate. Omar (rta) sent Ibn Masood (rta) as a teacher and Ammar (rtam) as Ameer to Iraq referring to them as ‘the two most beloved to me’. He would give Ammar twice the provisions he gave to others because of his sacrifices for Islam.
Despite being a governor, Ammar (rta) lived an ascetic life. When Omar (rta) removed him from governorship of Iraq, Ammar said he had been more disturbed when he was appointed as governor rather than being removed from the position of responsibility.
His prophesied martyrdom
He pledged his support for Ali (rta) during the Fitnah of the civil war, yet not without ensuring that Ali (rta) was fighting for the correct principles. He asked Ali (rta) what he thought about the children of those opposing him and Ali (rta) replied that there is no blame on them- this pleased Ammar (rta). He then asked if Ayesha (rta) would be among the spoils of war and Ali (rta) strongly refuted it and Ammar (rta) was satisfied.
The Prophet (sa) had said: ‘If you want to know where the Truth is, look where Ammar is killed.’ So people were reluctant to kill him. At the battle of Siffin, he was drinking from a bowl a milk when he remembered the prophesy of martyrdom, and looked forward to meeting the Prophet (sa) in Jannah. He went in complete peace to the battlefield and was martyred fighting on Ali ( rta) side at the age of 93.
A family chosen for martyrdom
Like the people of Gaza, he was humiliated, brutally tortured, deeply wounded, disfigured, emotionally traumatized, and he lost his parents to a tyrant. His son Muhammad, named after the beloved Prophet (sa), was also martyred by a man called Al Mukhtar when he refused to fabricate a Hadith. Allah (rta) had chosen the family of Yasir (rta) for martyrdom.
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