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the Message Continues ... 10/192
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EXCEPTIONAL AND UNBELIEVABLE SELF CONTROL
What is self-control? It is the ability to sub-due our emotions and
behavior in the face of
temptations and impulses in
order to achieve longer term
goals.
What is anger? It is an emotion that involves an uncomfortable and
emotional response to a
perceived provocation, hurt or
threat.
Normally, it is difficult to control our anger and we spontaneously
respond to the situation and
react in an un thoughtful way
which results in physical or
emotional damage to the person
causing the anger.
The Quraysh had gathered more than ten thousand warriors to attack
Madinah and obliterate Islam
once and for all. One of the
companions of the Noble
Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.), Salman
Farsi (later named as
Muhammadi), advised him to
arrange to dig a trench around
the city of Madinah. The
Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.s.)
agreed and a trench was dig out
to ward off any attack from the
infidels.
The famous Egyptian writer Muhammad Husayn
Haykal described the events as
follows:
Although the campaign was organized by Abu Sufyan but the fighting man of
his army was Amr ibn Abd Wudd.
It is reported by the historians that he was more than a match for one
thousand cavaliers.
The attacking army laid a siege of Madinah and all exit routes were
closed. One day Amr and three
other infidels succeeded in
clearing the trench and entered
the premises of Madina. He
advanced into the Muslim camp
and challenged the heroes of
Islam to come out and fight with
him. There was no answer form
the Muslim camp. The idolaters
saw in him their hope of
victory, the Muslims saw in his
challenge the sentence of their
death!
Surah al-Ah'zab Ayah 10 describes their
condition as , “Behold! They
came on you from above you and
from below you, and behold, the
eyes became dim and the hearts
gaped to the throats, and you
imagined various (vain) thoughts
about Allah.”
Amr ibn Abdu Wudd expressed amazement that the Muslims were not showing
any eagerness to enter Paradise
where he was ready to send them!
It is true that most of the
Muslims were terror stricken but
there was one among them who was
not. He had, in fact ,
volunteered to accept Amr's very
first challenge but the Noble
Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) had
restrained him, hoping that
someone else might like to face
him (Amr). But he could see that
no one dared to measure swords
with him.
The Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) had no choice but to allow his cousin,
Ali, the Lion of Allah, to go
and silence the taunts of Amr
ibn Abdu Wudd. He (s.a.w.a.s.)
gave Ali his own battle dress
and Zulfiqar and prayed to Allah
as, “O
Allah! You have called to your
service Obaida bin Harris in
Badr, and Hamza bin Abdul
Muttalib in Uhad. Now Ali alone
is left with me. Be his
protector, give him victory, and
bring him back safely to me.” When
Ali was going towards his
adversary, he said, “He
(Ali) is the embodiment of all
Faith who is going to
an encounter with the embodiment
of all Unbelief.”The
Battle is not being described
here in detail but only a part
which relates to
the Most Bravest Man in human
history and his enormous,
unbelievable exhibition of his
supreme self-control! Amr
struck a mighty blow with his
ponderous sword which cut
through the shield, the helmet
and the turban of Ali, and made
a deep gash in his forehead.
Blood leap out from the wound in
a jet but Ali was not dismayed.
He rallied, and then struck a
counter-blow with the famous
Zulfiqar, and it cleft the most
formidable warrior of Arabia
into two!”
However, Charles Cameron, a former researcher at Boston University,
describes the duel with Amr ibn
Abdu Wudd as, “Amr hammered
blows on Ali's shield and
clashed with his sword . Ali
dropped his sword and shield to
the ground; he leap to grab
Amr's throat, and kicked him out
of balance. Amr crashed to the
ground, with Ali now towering
over him. Amr spat over Ali's
face, fully expecting death. Ali
rose calmly from Amr's chest and
stood a few paces away and said,
“I only kill in the way of Allah
and not for my private motive.
Since you spat on my face , my
killing you now may be from a
desire for personal vengeance.
So I spare your life. But Amr
lunged at Ali who had enough
time to prepare for a fresh
assault. Amr's devastating blow
shattered Ali's shield,
inflicting a shallow cut on
Ali's temple. As the second blow
blow rose Ali's Zulfiqar
decapitated Amr.”
Sources: Psychology today, WIKIPEDIA, Restatement of History of Islam and
Muslims by S. Ali Asghar Razvi
Fourteen Stars by Allama Sayyid Najm-ul-Hasan Kararvi |
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