This document provides accounts of hardships endured by the Prophet Muhammad and early Muslims. It describes Muhammad receiving injuries during battles and companions like Abu Bakr being severely beaten for preaching Islam. It also recounts Abu Bakr meeting with ibn Ad-Dughunnah while fleeing to Abyssinia, and ibn Ad-Dughunnah convincing Abu Bakr to return to Mecca with his support, though Abu Bakr had to worship privately. The conversion of Omar to Islam is described, giving strength to the early Muslim community. The document aims to convey the courage and conviction of early Muslims in enduring difficulties to establish Islam.

1. THE COURAGE OF CONVICTION
SEEKING
THE PLEASURE OF ALLAH
Hayatus Sahabah by Muhadith Kandahlawi (Kandhelvi)
Rendered into current English
With supporting extracts from her Millennium Biography of Prophet Muhammad
by
Khadeijah Abdullah Darwish (Anne Stephens)
Free give away
Acquired from Amazon’s Kindle
Not for sale or resale by any third party
©2013 - www.Muhammad.com
THE CAVE OF MOUNT THOWR
Lady Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her, narrates that (her father) Abu Bakr said to
her, “If only you had seen the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and
myself as we climbed up to the cave (of Thowr during the migration). The feet of the
Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, were dripping with blood, whereas
mine had become (numb) like a stone.” Lady Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her,
said, “The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, never used to walk
barefooted.”
THE HARDSHIP BORNE BY THE MESSENGER OF
ALLAH DURING THE BATTLE OF UHUD
Anas narrates that during the Battle of Uhud the Messenger of Allah’s tooth was broken,
and he sustained an injury to his head. As he wiped away the blood from his face, he
said, “I wonder how people who injury the face of their Prophet, praise and peace be
upon him, break his teeth can thrive or be successful.“ It was then that the following
verse was sent down:
‘No part of the matter is yours
whether He turns towards them or punishes them.

2. They are harm-doers.’ Ch.2:128
Abu Sa’ed Khudri narrates that after the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon
him, sustained an injury to his face during the Battle of Uhud, Malik, the son of Sinan
wiped blood away from the wound and swallowed some. The Messenger of Allah, praise
and peace be upon him, said, “Whosoever wishes to see someone whose blood is
mixed with mine should look at Malik, son of Sinan.”
Lady Ayesha, wife of the Prophet, Mother of Believers, may Allah be pleased with her,
narrates that whenever Abu Bakr spoke of the Battle of Uhud, he would say, “The credit
for that day goes to Talha.” He explained, “I was the first person to return to the fight
(after the Muslims were taken by surprise) and I saw someone fiercely defending the
Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. I said (to myself I hope it is Talha)
as I myself had missed that opportunity (the reward of defending the Messenger of Allah,
praise and peace be upon him) and I wanted that man to be one of my people. There
was another person between the unbelievers and myself, but I was unable to recognize
him, he was running much faster than I could however as I got closer to the Messenger
of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, I saw that the person was Abu Ubaydah, the
son of Jarah.”
When we reached the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, we found his
tooth had been broken and his faced had been injured (by a fierce blow) and that two
links from his helmet had pierced his cheeks. The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace
be upon him, said referring to Talha, ‘Look at (see to) your companion!’ Talha had lost a
lot of blood and become very weak. However, Abu Bakr said, “ I failed to carry out the
instruction and went to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, to
remove the links from his face. Abu Ubaydah entreated me, ‘By the right I have (as your
Muslim brother) leave it to me (to remove the links)’ so I left it for him. Because of the
pain it would have caused the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, Abu
Ubaydah was reluctant to pull the links out of his cheek with his hand so he bit hard onto
a link and pulled one of them out. As Abu Ubaydah was doing this one of his front teeth
fell out. I (Abu Bakr) motioned that I would carry on what he had been doing, but once
again he entreated, ‘By the right I have, leave it for me to do.’ As he continued to extract
the links, another front tooth attached to a link fell out.- Abu Ubaydah was a very
handsome person even without his front teeth.”
“Having tended to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, we went to
Talha who had fallen into a ditch. He had suffered seventy or more spear, arrow and
sword wounds and we nursed him (to the best of our ability).
THE HARDSHIPS ENDURED BY THE COMPANIONS
AS THEY CALLED PEOPLE TO ALLAH
Abu Bakr insists on preaching and is grievously hurt after delivering a sermon:
Lady Ayesha, wife of the Prophet, Mother of Believers, may Allah be pleased with her,
narrates that there was a time when eighty-three Companions of the Messenger of Allah,
praise and peace be upon him, were together with Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr had on many
occasions asked the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, for permission
to preach Islam publicly but the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, had
said, “O Abu Bakr, we are too few.” However, Abu Bakr continued to request permission
2

3. to do so until the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, gave him
permission. (Now that permission had been granted) the Muslims dispersed to different
areas of the Sacred Mosque where their own fellow tribesmen had gathered. Abu Bakr
then stood up to deliver a sermon, as the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon
him, remained seated.
This sermon was the first public sermon that invited people to Allah, and His Messenger,
praise and peace be upon him. When the unbelievers realized what was going on they
set up and attacked Abut Bakr and the other Muslims in the Sacred Mosque. Abu Bakr
and the Muslims were severely beaten. Abu Bakr was trampled upon and beaten in a
most savage, merciless way.
The despicable Utba, son of Rabe’ah (from the tribe of Thakif, in Ta’if) started beating
Abu Bakr with his shoes that had their soles stuck to one another (thereby making them
thick and hard). He assaulted Abu Bakr continuously so much that his nose became
distorted embedded in his face, not content with that Utba then jumped on his stomach.
Abu Bakr’s tribe, the Banu Taym came running and managed to push the unbeliever
away from Abu Bakr, then they carried Abu Bakr to his home on a sheet, and thought he
would die. Thereafter, the Banu Taym returned to the Sacred Mosque and announced,
“By Allah! We will without doubt kill Utba, son of Rabe’ah if Abu Bakr dies.” Having made
the announcement they returned with Abu Bakr’s father Abu Quhafa. They spoke to Abu
Bakr, hoping to get a response from him but a day had passed and Abu Bakr had not
spoken a word then he spoke and asked, “How is the Messenger of Allah, praise and
peace be upon him?” As they stood up (to leave) they said to (his mother) Ummul Khayr
(who had as yet not accepted Islam), “Take care of him and give him something to eat or
drink.” After they had gone and he was alone with his mother, (she brought him some
food) and insisted that he should try to eat, but he kept asking, “How is the Messenger of
Allah, praise and peace be upon him?” She replied, “I swear by Allah that I have no
knowledge about your friend.” He told her, “Go and ask Ummu Jamel, daughter of
Khatab about the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him.” His mother went
to Ummu Jamel and asked her, “Abu Bakr wants to know from you how is Muhammad,
son of Abdullah.” Ummu Jamel replied, “I don’t know (anything about) Abu Bakr, nor
Muhammad, son of Abdullah. However, if you like, I will go with you to see your son.”
Abu Bakr’s mother agreed and they went to Abu Bakr who remained lying down with
extensive injuries.
When Ummu Jamel saw Abu Bakr she cried out, “By Allah, those who did this to you
must be the people of disbelief and sin. I hope that Allah takes revenge from them on
your behalf.” Abu Bakr then asked, “How is the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be
upon him?” Ummu Jamel said, “But your mother is listening.” He replied, “You have
nothing to fear from her” whereupon she replied, “The Messenger of Allah, praise and
peace upon him, is safe and well.” “Where is he” asked Abu Bakr. Ummu Jamel replied,
“He is in the house of Arqam.” Abu Bakr vowed, “I swear by Allah that I shall neither eat
nor drink until I go to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him.” The two
ladies waited for a time (late at night) when there were not many people about and the
night was still and they had gone to sleep, then, supporting Abu Bakr, they took him to
the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. (When he saw Abu Bakr) he
gently hugged and kissed him, and the other Muslims did likewise. When the Messenger
of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, saw Abu Bakr’s condition he felt pity for him.
3

4. Abu Bakr, spoke to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, saying, “O
Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, may my parents be sacrificed for
you! There is nothing wrong with me except for what that wretch did to my face. This is
my mother who has been exceptionally good to me. You are a most blessed person so
invite her to Allah and pray for her perhaps Allah will save her from the Fire of Hell.” The
Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, supplicated for her and invited her
to Islam, and she accepted.
Thirty nine Muslims stayed in Arqam’s house with the Messenger of Allah, praise and
peace be upon him, for a month. It was also on the day that Abu Bakr was so badly
beaten that Hamza accepted Islam.
THE DAY ON WHICH OMAR EMBRACED ISLAM
(The Muslims were under continual harassment by the unbelievers and so) the
Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, supplicated to Allah to guide either
Omar, son of Al Khattab or Abu Jahl, son of Hisham to Islam. Allah accepted the
supplication and Omar was the one whom He guided.
The supplication was made on a Wednesday and the following day Omar accepted
Islam. When the Muslims learned of Omar’s conversion they shouted out at the top of
their voices “Allahu Akbar.” It was so loud that it was heard in the upper parts of Mecca.
When Arqam’s blind father, who remained in disbelief, heard the exclamations he came
out of his house saying, “O Allah, forgive my child Arqam, he has rejected our religion.”
(After accepting Islam) Omar said to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon
him, “Why should we keep our Religion secret when we are on the truth whereas the
false religion of the unbelievers is made public?” The Messenger of Allah, praise and
peace be upon him, replied, “We are only a few and you have just seen the beating we
received.” Omar said, “I swear by the one who has sent you with the truth I shall make
my belief known at each of the unbeliever’s gatherings which I used to take part in.”
(Omar took permission to leave and made his way to the Sacred Mosque) then
circumambulated the Ka’bah and as he did he passed by the leaders of the Koraysh who
observed him closely. Then Abul Jahl, son of Hisham spoke saying in a questioning
manner, “Someone mentioned that you have forsaken your religion!” Omar openly
declared, “I bear witness that there is no god except One, Allah, who has no partner and
that Muhammad is the worshiper and Messenger of Allah.” Upon hearing that the
unbelievers jumped up to attack him, and Omar retaliated and attacked Utba, the son of
Rabe’ah (who had so violently attacked Abu Bakr not long before). Omar (overpowered
Utba and) squatted over him and continued to beat him and poke his fingers in his eyes
and Utba screamed. (Fearing Omar would make Utba blind, the other unbelievers back
away) and Omar stood up (and left Utba).
Omar’s strategy was the same whenever a group approached (to assault) him, he would
grab hold of their leader (and beat, and threaten to make him blind) until the others gave
up. (In the days that followed) Omar went to all the gatherings he had once frequented
(when he was an unbeliever) and proclaimed to the participants the message of belief.
After having made known his dominance over the unbelievers, Omar returned to the
Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and said, “May my parents be
sacrificed for you, by Allah you now have no need to fear. I, without fear proclaimed the
4

5. message of belief in every gathering I used to frequent as an unbeliever.” Thereafter, the
Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, went to the Sacred Mosque with
Hamza as Omar walked a little ahead of him. When they reached the Sacred Mosque
they circumambulated the Ka’bah and offered the Zuhr prayer, in fear of no one, except
Allah. Now that they had offered their prayer the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace
be upon him, and Omar returned to the house of Arqam who left by himself later on.
Shortly Omar’s departure, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, also
left.
It is the consensus of opinion that Omar accepted Islam in the 6th
year after the migration
when several families of the Companions migrated to Abyssinia.
ABU BAKR MEETS THE SON OF AD-
DUGHUNNAH AS HE LEAVES FOR ABYSSINIA
Lady Ayesha, wife of the Prophet, Mother of Believers, may Allah be pleased with her,
said, “There was never a time when my parents were adherents to any other religion
than Islam. A day would not pass when the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be
upon him, did not visit us every morning and night.”
Abu Bakr went to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, to ask his
permission to join those (Companions who had migrated earlier and who) remained
behind in Abyssinia, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, always had
the welfare and safety of his Companions at heart agreed so with a sorrowful heart Abu
Bakr set out for Abyssinia.
As he neared the Red Sea, he met an old friend by the name of ibn Ad-Dughunnah, the
chieftain of a small tribe that had settled not far from Mecca and were allied to the
Koraysh. Ibn Ad-Dughunnah hardly recognized Abu Bakr and was both shocked and
distressed to see him in such an impoverished condition and inquired what had brought
about such a dramatic change in his affairs. Abu Bakr related several of the unwarranted
hostilities he had faced in Mecca on account of his conversion then told him that now all
he wanted was to be able to worship Allah in peace and to preach during his travels.
Ibn Ad-Dughunnah reflected upon former times in wonderment of how people could turn
to be so fickle and said, "How could they have done such things? You were without
doubt the gem amongst your tribe, in times of trouble you were always there to call
upon, your deeds are good, and you always helped others in times of need! Go back, I
will support you."
Abu Bakr accepted ibn Ad-Dughannah's support and they returned together. Upon
reaching Mecca, ibn Ad-Dughunnah declared for all to hear, "People of Koraysh, the son
of Abu Kuhafah has my support -- let no one treat him badly!"
The Koraysh accepted the ultimatum, however a fellow from the tribe of Jummah -- the
tribe from whom Abu Bakr had rescued Bilal demanded, "Tell him to worship his Lord
behind closed doors, and to let his prayers and recitation be confined therein so that he
can neither be seen nor heard. We fear that if our sons or women see him they will be
seduced by his ways!" Ibn Ad-Dughunnah turned to Abu Bakr and asked him to comply,
and he agreed.
5

6. Abu Bakr neither prayed in public nor did he recite the Koran outside his house, however
one day he decided to build a small mosque in front of his house, and thereafter offered
his prayer in it and recited the Koran. The women and children of the unbelievers began
to gather around him in great numbers. They used to wonder and look at him. Abu Bakr
was a man given to much weeping when he recited the Koran, and could not restrain
himself.
The hierarchy of the unbelieving Koraysh became fearful so they sent for Ad-
Dughannah's son. When he arrived they said, "We accepted your protection of Abu Bakr
on condition that he restrict his worship of his Lord to inside his house, but he has
violated the conditions and built a mosque in front of his house where he prays, and
recites the Koran in public. We are fearful he may influence our women and children,
therefore stop him from doing this. If he wishes to confine his worship of his Lord to his
house he may do so, but if he insists on doing so openly then ask him to release you
from your obligation to protect him, because we would dislike breaking our agreement
with you, but we deny Abu Bakr the right to act openly.
Ad-Dughannah's son went to Abu Bakr and said, "You are aware of the contract I made
on your behalf, please either abide by it or release me from my obligation to protect you
because I do not want the Arabs to hear that my tribe dishonored a contract I made on
behalf of another man." Abu Bakr replied, "I release you from your agreement to protect
me and am content with the protection of Allah."
In a similar narration, the son of Is’haq relates that after one or two days since Abu Bakr
left Mecca with the intention of migrating (to Abyssina) he met Ad-Dughannah's son who
was the chief of the tribe of Ahabesh. Ad-Dughannah's son asked Abu Bakr where he
was going and he replied, “My people have caused me to leave, they harassed and
made things difficult.” Ad-Dughannah's son, asked, “Why did they do that, by Allah, you
are the most honored among your family, you assist in every good cause, you always do
good deeds and you give people when in need.” Return (to Mecca) I will give you my
protection.” Abu Bakr accepted and he returned with Ad-Dughannah's son. As they
entered Mecca, Ad-Dughannah's son stood beside Abu Bakr and announced, “O
Koraysh, I have taken the son of Abu Quhafa into my protection, therefore everyone
should treat him well.” Having heard the announcement the people stopped harassing
Abu Bakr.
The concluding part of this narration states that Ad-Dughannah's son said, “O Abu Bakr,
I did not grant you my protection so that you may annoy your people. They dislike the
place (where he prayed) you have adopted (in your courtyard) and it annoys them. Go
into your house and do as you please.” Abu Bakr said, “It is better that I absolve you of
your protection and content myself with the protection of Allah.” Ad-Dughannah's son
agreed and announced. “O assembly of Koraysh, the son of Abu Quhafa has released
me of the protection I granted him.”
In another narration of the son of Is’haq it relates that after Abu Bakr released himself
from the protection of Ad-Dughannah's son, a foolish person from the Koraysh passed
him on the way to the Ka’bah and threw some sand on his head. When either Waleed,
son of Mughiera or ‘As, son of Wa’il passed, Abu Bakr asked, “Did you see what that fool
did?” They replied, “You have brought it upon yourself!” Abu Bakr said, “O my Lord, how
tolerant You are, O my Lord, how tolerant You are, O my Lord, how tolerant You are!”
6

7. The narration of Asma, daughter of Abu Bakr has already been mentioned that states,
“The shouts reached my father, Abu Bakr, heard the people calling out, ‘Help your
friend!’ My father left us (I can recall that) his hair had four locks and he was saying:
‘Would you kill a man for saying, ‘Allah is my Lord,’ when he has brought you clear signs
from your Lord? (Ch. 40:28)’ Then the perpetrators turned on Abu Bakr. When he
returned to us (he was beaten so badly) that just by touching the locks of his hair, his
hair would fall out. Despite this he kept saying, ‘You are most Blessed, O Possessor of
Majesty and Honor.’”
May Allah be pleased with all the Companions.
7