.: Mus'ab :.

no, not a cute guy i met recently...actually, he is someone young...a youth like YOU & me (i am assuming that you - whoever you are, are a youth or at least youthful)...an inspirational figure, who was a companion of the prophet s.a.w...who gave up his material comforts for the TRUE CAUSE...

Mus'ab bin Umair had been brought up by his parents with great love and affection. He was very rich and was said to be the most well-dressed youth in mecca. His parents would buy a dress worth two hundred dirhams (i am thinking hugo boss or calvin klein equivalent?) for him. He embraced Islam in its early days without the knowledge of his parents. However, when they found out, they tied him up and compelled him to stay at home. He managed to escape and emigrate to abyssinia (the first hijrah) and then, to Madinah.

Even though he was brought up in luxury, he was living a life of abstinence. Once when the Prophet was sitting down when Mus'ab walked passed him. He had only one sheet of cloth to clothe his body which also bore a number of patches including one of leather. Then Prophet with tears in his eyes, mentioned abt Musab's life of luxury before Islam.

During the battle of uhud (second battle in islamic history), mus'ab was the flag bearer and even though there was a lot of confusion (during the battle of uhud, the enemies re-attacked after the archers came down from their posts where they were supposed to guard the passageway around the hill, causing heavy losses on the muslim army) he stood at his post like a rock. The enemy came and cut his hand holding the flag. He held it with the other hand and even this hand was cut. He held the flag to his bossom with his bleeding arms. Finally, the enemy pierced his body with an arrow.

At the time of his burial, he had only one sheet to cover his body. This sheet was too short for his size and when it was drawn to cover the head, the feet would be exposed and when drawn to cover the feet, the head would be exposed. The Prophet said, " Cover his head with the sheet and his feet with the Azkhar leaves."

- adapted from the book, The Stories of the Sahabah, An English Translation of Hikayat-i-Sahabah by Maulana Muhammad Zakaria

i was thinking that this is a guy who used to don on expensive clothes, and yet upon his death, he does not have even enough cloth to cover himself up. not that he became excessively poor but i think its because the companions of the prophet s.a.w knew what was REAl which was the hereafter...

guess we could still be stuck in the "MATRIX" (to be explained at another time) at times...

disclaimer: i am not propagating suddenly throwing away all your clothes & suddenly realising that you have none left.