Zubair ibn Al-Awwam – a man of honour and dignity

​Zubair ibn Al-Awwam was amongst the prominent companion of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be him) whose way of life and noble character influenced those around at the time and even today. He was the cousin of Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Prophet testified that he will be amongst the people who were promised Jannah.
 
Zubair (may Allah have mercy be upon him) reverted to Islam at a young age and was tortured because of his beliefs. He remained consistent and even left for Abyssinia for safety. He had a thirst for knowledge and when he returned to Makkah he learnt the principles and the commands of Islam from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself. Amongst the aspects of his life that we can extract and learn from were:
 
He was a rare hero
 
He was sincere, courageous and fearless. He dedicated his life to Allah (The Most High). He fought in a number of battles including Badr, Uhud, Trench, Yarmuk, Camel and the conquest of Egypt. It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said on the day of the Battle of the Trench ‘Who will bring me news of Banu Quraydhah?’ Zubayr (may Allah have mercy upon him) replied ‘I will’. He rode his horse and brought him the good news. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the question several times and Zubair responded with the same response ‘I will’. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said ‘Each messenger has a disciple, and my disciple is Zubair’
[Muslim, 2414]
 
What an amazing profound feeling called by none other than our Beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) a disciple. Unravelling the ramifications of the phrase ‘disciple’ to deeply understand its meaning brought a cloud of inspiration. A close companion. A sincere supporter who offered support more than anyone else.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appreciated for his actions. When we perform any act or step in our journey in life, it requires sincere assistance and preparation. Sacrifice. Perseverance. Love. Intention. Faith. Dexterity. Despite all of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) followed his Sunnah, had a sublime attitude and obeyed his commands to preserve the importance and radiance of Islam. Zubair was unique and upheld these principles at a level that earned that title.
 
He was generous
 
He looked after the children of the sahabah and was the next of kin and guardian. He was a man of dignity and did not utilize the wealth of the children, rather he would spend and looked after them from his own wealth. [Al-Tareekh Al-lslami, 17/131]
 
 
He had love for his companions
 
What he wanted for his companions, he wanted for himself. Due to his outmost love and respect for them, he named his sons after them. Once Zubair (may Allah have mercy upon him) said  “Talhah named his sons after Messengers (may Allah have mercy upon them) but I will name my children after martyrs and I hope they will be martyred: Abdullah after Abdullah ibn Jahsh, Al Mundhir after Al-Mundhir ibn Amr, Urwah after Urwah ibn Masud, Hamzah after Hamzah ibn Abdil Muttalib, Jafar after Jafar ibn Abu Talib, Musaab after Musaab ibn Umayr, Ubaidah after Ubaidah ibn Al-Harith, Khalid after Khalid ibn Saeed, Amr after Amr ibn Saeed ibn Al-Aas who was killed in Yarmuk’ [Al-Tareekh Al-lslami – Aahad Al-Khulafa Al-Rashideen, p. 505]
 
He concealed his acts of good deeds
 
He did not like to reveal his acts and said ‘If anyone can conceal their righteous deeds, please do so’ [Ibn al-Mubarak: Al-Zuhud, p. 392].
 
This emphasises that when you perform a good deed, it does not need to be revealed unless necessary. However, in the case of fundraising, one would share a fundraising link to help with supporting a charitable cause or share photos to increase awareness. Thus it is not considered as revealing acts of goodness. It may be that they need assistance and support with their cause, opportunity for others to perform a good deed and join the cause and even to educate the individual (s). Thus, it all comes back to the intention of the individual.
 
Overall, we can learn so much from Zubair (may Allah have mercy upon them). Being called a ‘disciple’ emphasizes his virtue and may Allah accept our intentions and actions. Ameen