Ten Blessed Companions

Abu Ubaidah bin al Jarrah:

H. Abu Ubaidah was an early convert to Islam. He faced a lot persecutions and hence he
migrated to Abyssinia. Then later he migrated to Madinah. He fought bravely in the Battle of
Badr in which he killed his own father and got depressed. Quran revealed "People who
fought fight against you Allah are not your friends be it your brothers, fathers... “

In Battle of Uhad, he was one of the two who were defending Prophet SAW. He took the
metal scrap out from the teeth of Prophet SAW through his teeth. Prophet SAW loved him as
he was excellent in Islamic Literature.

He was sent as a judge by the Prophet SAW for a Christian delegation. Prophet SAW said "Go
with them and judge them with truth. He was also a leader of one of the four columns of
army in conquest of Makkah.

Abu Ubaidah was also a nominee for the first caliph, but he chose Abu Bakr as the caliph. He
was a great commander of Muslim force at the time of H. Umar. It is said that once H-Umar
visited him in his house. Umar found only 1 praying mat and one & bowl to perform, Wadu
in his house. This made H-Umar emotional that such a brave commander is living such a
simple life. H. Abu Ubaidah passed away in the caliphate of H-Omar.
H. Talha bin Ubaidah:

Talha bin Ubaidah, belonged to the Banu Taym tribe. He was the cousin of Abu Bakr. He was
a wealthy businessman, so he kept going on business tours. He heard about the coming of
the Last Prophet (SAW). He discussed it with H. Usman, who also heard the same thing. They
both went to H. Abu Bakr, who introduced them to Islam, and they both accepted Islam. As
he was a literate person, Prophet (SAW) asked him to memorize the Quran, and he
memorized it by heart.

When he converted to Islam, he faced a lot of persecution. He was driven out of his own
home by his mother. Nawfal bin Khuwalid, the Lion of Muttalib, tied him and Abu Bakr with
the same rope and dragged them on the streets, yet he did not give up his faith. During the
migration to Madinah, he was given the responsibility of bringing the daughters and wives of
Prophet (SAW) to Madinah. Prophet (SAW) called Talha "Talha the generous and Talha the
good." He also donated for the cause of Islam and to help fellow Muslims in Madinah.

Talha participated in all major battles except the Battle of Badr, as he was scouting for the
enemies' location. He was one of the two people who defended Prophet (SAW) in the Battle
of Uhud and deflected a sword aimed at the Prophet (SAW) with his hand and his fingers
were cut. Therefore, he was entitled 'Living Martyr.' Prophet SAW said, 'If anyone wants to
see a man who has completed his life span on earth, then let him look at Talha.'

Talha supported H. Ali to become the first caliph. In the caliphate of H. Ali, he went against
Ali and fought Battle of Camel. Unfortunately, in this battle, he was martyred by Marwan bin
Hakam.
Saad bin Abi Waqas:

Saad bin Abi Waqas accepted Islam through H. Abu Bakr, who was his good friend. He was
the maternal uncle of Prophet SAW and belongs to a wealthy family. His mother pressurized
him when he accepted Islam by leaving eating and drinking until he gave up Islam, but Saad
did not give up Islam. Quran mentions this, "Take care of your parents but if they ask you to
worship besides Me, don't obey they." Saad was persecuted a lot. He used to climb up the
mountain to pray at a peaceful place, but people came there and teased him. Saad got angry
at beat them up. He was the first person to shed blood in the cause of Islam.

Then he migrated to Madinah. He participated in all major battles. In Battle of Uhad, he

protected Prophet SAW by shooting arrows and became the first Muslim to shoot an arrow.
Prophet SAW said, "O Saad, shoot, may I sacrifice my mother and father for you." He was
also there at the time of Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and Conquest of Makkah.

In the time of caliphs, he was a commander of Muslim forces like in Hazrat Umar's caliphate.
Umar appointed Saad as the commander of Muslim forces in Battle of Qadisiya. He was also
a nominee for the third caliph.

Hazrat Ali:
Hazrat Ali was the son of Abu Talib and was the cousin of Prophet SAW. He belonged to the
tribe of Banu Hashim. Ali's father gave Ali in the custody of Prophet SAW because of lack of
financial resources, and Prophet SAW took his custody. H. Ali accepted Islam when he was 10
years old. He also organized Dawat-e-Zul Asirah in which he stood up and said that he will
support Prophet SAW when Prophet SAW asked that who will be his companion. Following
Ali, other people accepted Islam.

Ali was also given the pleasure of sleeping on Prophet SAW bed, to return the goods of
people entrusted to Prophet SAW while Prophet SAW migrated to Madinah. The Quraish
found him and took him for interrogation. H. Ali migrated to Madinah after Prophet SAW and
met Prophet SAW at Quba in Madinah.

H. Ali was paired with the Prophet SAW where the Prophet SAW said, "Ali you are my
brother in this world and the hereafter." Later on, everyone wanted the hand of H. Fatima,
but Prophet SAW proposed the name of H. Ali to H. Fatima and they both got married. H.
Fatima bore him 2 sons and 2 daughters.

In Madinah Ali participated in Battle of Badr in which he killed Walid, son of Utba. In Battle
of Uhud he killed Talha Abi Talha. In Battle of the trench, he killed Amr bin Abdud who was
considered one of the best soldiers. In the Battle of Khyber, there was a large castle, Qamus,
which was undefeated. Prophet SAW said, "Tomorrow, I will give the flag to someone who
loves Allah and His Messenger and whom Allah and His Messenger love." He gave the flag to
H. Ali. H. Ali had a problem in his eye. For this, Prophet SAW rubbed his saliva on Ali's eye,
and Ali became alright. Then, Ali went to fight; he broke the gate of that castle, fought till he
killed Marhab, and captured Qamus.

At Tabuk, Prophet SAW left Ali and went back. When people taunted Ali, he asked Prophet
SAW about it, and Prophet SAW said, "Ali, you are to me as Harun was to Musa, except for
the fact that there will be no prophet after me."

H. Ali also took part in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. He was sent by Prophet SAW to recite
verses of the Quran during Hajj. After performing Hajj, Prophet SAW held the hand of H. Ali
at Ghadir-e-Khumm and said, "Of whomsoever I am Lord, Ali is also his Lord." H. Ali also
performed the rites of the Holy Prophet SAW.

H. Zubair:
Hazrat Zubair was the nephew of Khadija. He was the son of Prophet Saw’s aunt Safiyah, so
he was the cousin of Prophet SAW. His tribe was Banu Asad. He was a friend of H. Abu Bakr,
and through Abu Bakr, he converted to Islam and was one of the first few converts.

Talha was persecuted by his uncle, Nawfal, who would wrap him on a mattress and light fire
around him, and the smoke disturbed Talha.

He was a literate person, so he became an official Hafiz. He migrated to Abyssinia and was
one of those who returned when the rumour spread that all Quraish had converted to Islam.

Talha migrated to Madinah and fought in the major battles as the commander of Muslims.
He was responsible for the collection of taxes. He was also a scribe of the Holy Prophet SAW.

Prophet SAW said, "Every Prophet has a helper, and my helper is Zubair."

In the caliphate of H. Ali, Talha went against Ali. He fought in the Battle of the Camel and was
martyred by Amr bin Jurmuz. Prophet SAW said, "Talha and Zubair are my neighbours in
paradise."

Hazrat Abu Bakr:

Hazrat Abu Bakr was from Banu Taim. He was a rich businessman. He was a close friend of
Prophet SAW. He was the member of the parliament, so he was a respected man. When
Islam came, he was the first free adult person to accept Islam. Prophet SAW said,
"Whenever I presented Islam to someone, they showed hesitation, but Abu Bakr accepted it
without any hesitation."

After accepting Islam, he faced a lot of persecution, like he was dragged on the streets of
Makkah by Nawfal, pulling his hair and beard. H. Abu Bakr also convinced others to convert
to Islam. The first person was H. Bilal, a Negro slave, whom H. Abu Bakr freed. Others
included H. Talha, H. Usma, and Abdur Rehman bin Auf, who accepted Islam through Abu
Bakr.

Abu Bakr also believed in the journey of Isra wal Miraj, hence he received the title Al-Siddiq
(the testifier of the truth). During the boycott of Banu Hashim, Abu Bakr felt upset due to
safety concerns, as he was not part of the boycott. Hence, he thought of migrating to
Abyssinia. On his way, he met a man (Ibn Al Dughna), who offered him protection. H. Abu
Bakr also joined Prophet SAW in the migration to Madinah and cleaned the cave of Saur for
Prophet SAW.

That night Prophet SAW slept on his lap. It is said that a snake bit on Abu Bakr's foot due to
which he felt a lot of pain. Prophet SAW rubbed his saliva onto him, and he got alright after
it.

In Madinah, he was a close member of the circle of Prophet SAW. He was paired with Kharija
bin Zaid as brothers. He was present in all the major battles. He was there at Treaty of
Hudaybiyyah, where he calmed down H. Umar, who was angry at the treaty.

H. Abu Bakr said, 'Holy Prophet SAW is deciding, and we should follow whatever the Prophet
says.' H. Abu Bakr was there at the battle of Tabuk where he donated his entire household.
He married his daughter Aisha to Prophet SAW. H. Abu Bakr was the Ameer-e-Hajj at the
time of the farewell pilgrimage, where he led 500 people.

Moreover, H. Abu Bakr led prayers in the last days of Prophet SAW. He cried too much when
Prophet SAW talked about his upcoming death. After the death of Prophet SAW, he gave a
speech: “Those who worship Muhammad SAW must understand that Muhammad SAW is no
more with us, and those who worship the Lord of Muhammad SAW must understand that
Allah will remain forever.'"

H. Abdur Rehman bin Awf:

Abdur Rehman bin Awf was among the first 8 companions who converted to Islam. His pre-
Islamic name was Abu Amr, and after his acceptance, he came to be known as Abdur
Rehman—Servant of Allah. H. Abdur Rehman faced a number of persecutions, so he
migrated to Abyssinia. He was a rich businessman in Makkah, but when he migrated to
Abyssinia, he had nothing with him.

Later, he migrated to Madinah and was paired with Saad bin Rabi (Ansar). Saad bin Rabi said,
"I am glad to share my property half and half with you. I have two wives; I am ready to
divorce one, and after Iddah, you may marry her." But Abdur Rehman refused and said,
"Kindly direct me to the market." Abdur Rehman sold cheese, butter, and oil and earned a lot
of wealth. He was asked about his tactics, and he said, "Never has it happened that I lifted a
stone without finding gold beneath it."

Abdur Rehman participated in the Battle of Badr. In the Battle of Uhud, he was struck in the
leg, due to which he turned lame. The Holy Prophet SAW believed him and had confidence
in him, so he was appointed the leader of Muslim forces in Dawmat-al-Jandal. In the Battle
of Tabuk, he donated generously 4000 gold coins to Muslims and equipped the poor.

He also had the achievement of leading Prophet SAW in prayers, in Tabuk.

Once, he donated his entire caravan to the people of Madinah which shows his generosity.

Furthermore, Abdur Rehman also gave a supporting shoulder to Holy Prophet SAW at the
time of his third son's death.

In the caliphate of H. Abu Bakr and H. Umar, he was appointed governor of various areas. At
the time of election of the third caliph, he became the judge and those elected the caliph.

Hazrat Usman:
Hazrat Usman was from Bann Ummayah. He was an early convert to Islam. He was a rich
cloth merchant. While he was walking at a desert, he heard someone say “Ahmed Mustafa,
the awaited Prophet has arrived! He became confused so he asked his H. Talha about it who
replied that he had also heard something similia They both went to Hazrat Abu Bakr who
told them that the mas is Holy Prophet SAW and they both - Usman and Talha - accepted
Islam.

After converting Islam Usman was tortured by his uncle who would burn fire around him. As
a result of it, smoke went to into his eyes Late and on nose which caused breathing problem.

H. Usman got married to the daughter of Prophet SAW Ruqqaya. Along with H-Ruqqaya, he
went to Abyssinia. A Hadis said, "They are the first to migrate in the cause of Allah after
Ibrahim and Lot (As)." When H. Usman migrated to Madinah, he bought a well from a Jew
Bir Rumah at a price of 20,000 Dirhams. He allowed everyone to drink water from the well.

H. Usman was extremely generous, so he came to be known as Al-Ghani. Usman did not
participate in the Battle of Badr because his wife was seriously sick. However, his wife could
not survive and passed away during the Battle. H. Usman married another of Prophet Saw’s
daughter Umm e Kulsoom and hence he got the title of Dhul Nurain (Possessor of two
Lights).

Moreover, H. Usman was the person due to which treaty of Hudaybiyyah was signed. He was
sent to Makkah. There was a delay in his return, so Prophet SAW, and other Muslims took a
pledge called Bait ul Rizwan. After some time, he returned successfully.

In the Battle of Tabuk, Usman donated 900 camels, 80 horses, 1000 gold coins and 10,000
dirhams. Furthermore, he escorted the wives of the Holy Prophet SAW towards Hajj. He was
so loved by the Prophet SAW that Prophet SAW said, 'Every Prophet of Allah has a
companion in paradise, my companion in paradise will be Usman.'"

Hazrat Umar:
Hazrat Umar was from the tribe Banu Adi. He was born in 582 and was raised as a shepherd
by his strict father. He was an excellent debater, so he was a part of the parliament. Umar
was a strict enemy of Islam. It is that the Prophet SAW used to pray “O Allah, make one of
the two convert to Islam, Abu Jahl or Umar.”

At the time of migration to Abyssinia, Hazrat Umar set out to kill the Prophet SAW. On his
way he met Nuyem bin Abdullah who told him about his sister Fatima's conversion to Islam.
Therefore, he went to his sister's house and found out that his sister and her husband were
reciting Surah Taha.

Umar tried to snatch the Quran, but he was told to perform wudu first. After performing
wudu, he recited the verse “I am Allah, there is no God but me therefore worship me.” Then
it was that he was so inspired by this that he went to Prophet SAW and accepted Islam. Due
to his conversion, Muslims were told to pray openly.

At the time of migration to Madinah, he said “Anyone who wants their wife widowed and
their children orphaned, come and stop me.” He was paired with H. Muhammad bin
Musalamah as brother in faith, Umar participated in all the major battles especially in Battle
of Uhud where he protected Prophet SAW. At Battle of Khandaq, he defended Prophet SAW.

At treaty of Hudaybiyyah he was not happy by the terms of this treaty. At Battle of Tabuk, he
donated half of his household and when he got to know that Abu Bakr donated his entire
household he said, “By God, I can never match Abu Bakr in his generosity.”

Moreover, he married his daughter H. Hafsa with Prophet SAW.

On the death of Prophet SAW he came out with his sword and said, “Anyone who says that
Muhammad SAW has passed away I will kill him.” Prophet SAW once said, “If there was to
be a prophet after me, it would have been Umar.”

Saeed bin Zaid:

Saeed bin Zaid and his father H. Zaid bin Amr bin Nufail were Hanif. Hanif is a person who
believes in one Allah. He married H. Fatima — sister of H. Umar — and it was then the
couple accepted Islam. In their house, H. Umar also converted to Islam.

At the time of the Migration to Abyssinia, Umar set out to kill the Prophet SAW. On his way,
he met Nuaym bin Abdullah who told Umar about his sister Fatima's conversion. Therefore,
he became furious and went to his sister's house and found out that Saeed bin Zaid and his
sister were reciting Surah Ta-Ha. Umar tried to snatch the Quran, but he was told to perform
Wudu first. After performing the Wudu, he recited the verse:

"I am Allah, there is no God but me — therefore worship me."

He was too inspired by this that he went to Prophet SAW and accepted Islam.

Later Saeed bin Zaid migrated to Madinah. He participated in all the major battles. In the
Battle of Badr, he was sent by Prophet SAW to scout and look for the enemy. He also
participated in the Conquest of Makkah.

In the caliphate of H. Umar, he was appointed as the governor of Damascus. He was also a
leader of Muslim forces in the time of H. Umar.