ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher. © Maktaba Dar-us-Salam, 2000 King Fahd National Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data Abdul Baast Ahmad Suhaib Ar-Roomi: The Example of Sacrifice - Riyadh 48 p. ; 14x21 cm. ISBN: 9960-861-06-6 1-Suhaib Ar-Roomi 2 - Prophet’s Companions and Successors 1-Title 239.9 dc 1925/21 Legal Deposit number 1925/21 ISBN: 9960-861-06-6 First Edition: March 2001 Supervised by ABDUL MALIK MUJAHID Headquarters: U. S. A. P.O. Box: 22743, Riyadh 11416, KSA • Houston: P.O. Box: 79194 Tx 77279 Tel: 00966-1-4033962/4043432 Tel: 001-713-722 0419 Fax: 001-713-722 0431 Fax:00966-1-4021659 E-mail: Sales @ dar-us-salam.com Website: http:// www.dar-us-salam.com E-mail: [email protected] Website: http:// www.dar-us-salam.com • New York: 572 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn New York-11217 Bookshop: Tel & Fax: 00966-1-4614483 Tel: 001-718-625 5925 Branches & Agents: U.K. K.S. A. • London: Darussalam International Publications Ltd. P.O. Box: 21555, London E10 6XQ • Jeddah: Tel: 00966-2-6712299 Fax: 6173448 Tel: 07947 306 706 Fax: 0044-208 925 6996 • Al-Khobar: Tel: 00966-3-8948106 • Birmingham: Al-Hidaayah Publishing & Distribution U.A.E. 436 Coventry Road, Birmingham B10 OUG • Tel: 00971-6-5511293 Fax: 5511294 Tel: 0044-121-753 1889 Fax: 121-753 2422 PAKISTAN KUWAIT • Islam Presentation Committee • 50 Lower Mall, Lahore Enlightment Book Shop Tel: 0092-42-724 0024 Fax: 7354072 P.O. Box : 1613, Safat 13017 KUWAIT • Rahman Market, Ghazni Street Tel: 00965-242 7383 Urdu Bazar, Lahore BANGLADESH Tel: 0092-42-7120054 Fax: 7320703 • 30 Malitoia Road, Dhaka-1100 Tel: 0088-02-9557214, Fax: 0088-02-9559738 In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful “Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah [i.e., they have gone out for Jihad (holy fighting), and showed not their backs to the disbelievers]; of them some have fulfilled their obligations (i.e., have been martyred); and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed (i.e., they never proved treacherous to their covenant which they concluded with Allah) in the least.” (33:23) All praises are due to Allah, the Lord of all that exists. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon His final Prophet and Messenger, Muhammad, his family and his Companions. Darussalam is pleased to present this valuable series, ‘ The Golden Series of the Prophet s Companions ’, to the Muslim youth. The purpose of these books is to enlighten our youth about the lives of the greatest heroes of Islam, the Prophet’s Companions. Also, we wish to increase the enthusiasm of the Muslim youth for following and adhering to their religion. In this way, these books achieve two very important tasks: educating our youth and encouraging them to be good Muslims. In this book, ‘Suhaib Ar-Roomi 4k - The Example of Sacrifice ’, is the life story of one of the greatest heroes of Islam, He was enslaved while still a child, but was fortunate to be freed by his master. He became a proficient merchant and earned a good wealth. However, when he was given the option to keep his faith or his wealth, he preferred his faith to wealth. :<JL The Prophet M praised his sacrifice and said to 'Tvt him twice: “O Suhaib! It was a profitable deal.” We hope that these books are beneficial to our -Vr 'Q. Muslim youth, as they are the future of Islam. We, at Darussalam realize the importance of good \S~ vj Islamic literature for Muslim youth, especially in the West where non-Islamic influences are so strong. For this reason, we feel that the availability of this series will be a valuable aid in instilling a genuine love for Islam in our youth. We would like to thank the author, Mr. Abdul Basit Ahmad, the editors, Mr. Aqeel Walker and Mr. Muhammad Ayub Sapra for their diligent work in preparing this series. As Allah says: “Is there any reward for good other than good?” (55:60) And our final invocation is that all praises are due to Allah, the Lord of all that exists. Abdul Malik Mujahid A General Manager It is well known that hardships distinguish real men from false ones. Many people try to evade such hardships by following zigzagging ways. However, others face them and exert sincere efforts to overcome and get use of them for future experience. Many Companions of the Prophet M, who played a major role in changing the face of earth, encountered challenges that made them stronger and more steadfast. The majority of early Muslims either consisted of the poor or slaves, whom life did not show any sign of sympathy. They were also of different races and countries, but all of them were blessed with the mercy of Allah to come to Makkah or Al-Madinah to adopt their eternal faith. Our hero “Suhaib bin Sinan”, alias “Suhaib Ar-Roomi”, is one of those people who tasted ups and downs of life but relentlessly overcame all difficulties and as a reward they were blessed with full knowledge and guidance. A move to a new land unlike that one he grew up in did not drive Suhaib to despair. Rather, he honestly accepted the challenge and started a new and richer life. Anyone else without the guidance of Allah would have been lost in the crowd and remained all of his life searching for a false relief. It is always important to take advantage of the opportunity that may never come again. It seems that our hero was that type of man who never let opportunities go by unused. Even when he had been stripped of everything he owned, he did not hesitate to go forward, for he really knew what it meant to lose something unimportant for something eternal. Let us have a profound look at the life of this great man, whom Islam changed forever making him into a torch guiding others on the way to eternal freedom and happiness. Abdul Basit Ahmad The Arabs The Arabs consisted of tribes and clans. Some of them lived in towns while most of them followed their flocks everywhere in the desert in search of food and water. They had been following the religion of Ibrahim but they changed many of the principles of this religion and forgot all about this heavenly Faith. They lived in a state of gloom that loomed over the Arabian Peninsula. In addition, they were illiterate and knew nothing of the principles of other religions like Judaism and Christianity. They were also involved in endless wars against each other and against other nations like the Persians and the Romans. Many vices prevailed in the society. Human rights, for example, were not given any value. Slavery, burying girls alive and injustices were dominating the societies of the city and desert alike. Youth and old were