Outline
- Introduction
- What is The Shining Stars Series?
- Why The Shining Stars Series?
- For Whom is The Shining Stars Series?
- The Shining Stars Series’ Approach
- Conclusion
Introduction
Alhamdulillah… Infinite thanks and praises are due to Allah, the Creator of literal stars in the skies as well as the metaphorical stars from among humans and Angels. Complete peace and blessings are upon the teacher of the Shining Stars, Sayyiduna Muhammad, his household, his companions, and all those who follow his guided path.
In this article, I’m presenting to you a brand-new series, called The Shining Stars. This comes after the success of Ishrāqāt 1. The good news is unlike Ishrāqāt 1, which was only published on Al-Bushra by GSalam on YouTube, The Shining Stars series is meant to be published here on GSalam.Net in the form of articles and on Al-Bushra by GSalam in the form of videos. Insha Allah.
So, what’s The Shining Stars Series?
What is The Shining Stars Series?
The Shining Stars series features the shining stars of the Ummah. Those who embraced Islam when no one was interested in a true religion. Those who believed the prophethood of The Prophet Muhammad when everyone else belied him (although they knew deep down in their hearts, he was truthful about the Message).
The Shining Stars series features those who followed the Prophet when everyone else refused to listen to him. Those who sacrificed, not only their relationships, wealth and convenience of comfort and fame, but they also sacrificed their souls for Islam.
This series features those whom the Prophet identified as his companions. They had the honour to live with him and attain from the knowledge Allah has revealed to him. First-hand. They lived and felt the blessings bestowed upon him. First-hand. The ones with whom the formation of the mission of the Final message took place.
These are those, most of who have seen the descending of the revelation upon the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam. In fact, some of them have seen Jibril when he came down in human form to deliver the message of Allah to mankind via the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
Why The Shining Stars Series?
The Shining Stars Series is important as it intends to reestablish the bonding with have with the companions of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
In a ḥadīth reported by Imām Muslim from the narration of Abū Burdah on the authority of his father, that the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam once raised his head to the sky and then said:
النُّجُومُ أَمَنَةٌ لِلسَّمَاءِ، فَإِذَا ذَهَبَتِ النُّجُومُ أَتَى السَّمَاءَ مَا تُوعَدُ. وَأَنَا أَمَنَةٌ لأَصْحَابِي، فَإِذَا ذَهَبْتُ أَتَى أَصْحَابِي مَا يُوعَدُونَ. وَأَصْحَابِي أَمَنَةٌ لأُمَّتِي، فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ أَصْحَابِي أَتَى أُمَّتِي مَا يُوعَدُونَ .
“The stars are a source of security for the sky, and when the stars disappear there comes to the sky, what it has been promised (i.e., darkness). And I am a source of safety and security to my Companions, and when I am gone, there would come to my companions what they have been promised with. And my Companions are a source of security for the Umma, and when they are gone, there would fall to the lot of my Ummah what have they been promised.”
There are a lot that can trigger our curiosity, in fact our love, for The Shining Stars. Here are three virtuous awards that The Shining Stars or the companions of the Prophet have collectively achieved. These awards are the best that anyone can ever dream of. They are:
- The Best Generation Award,
- The Supreme Achievement Award, and
- The Good Conduct and Acceptance Award
Now let’s take a closer look at them.
The Best Generation Award
In a ḥadīth reported by Imām Muslim from the narration of Sayyidunā Abdullāh ibn Mas’ūd raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhu, the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam says:
خَيْرُ النَّاسِ قَرْنِي ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ… ثُمَّ يَتَخَلَّفُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ تَسْبِقُ شَهَادَةُ أَحَدِهِمْ يَمِينَهُ وَيَمِينُهُ شَهَادَتَهُ ” .
“The best among people are of my generation, then those next to them… Then there would follow after them such persons whose evidence would precede the oath, and in case of some others, the oath (would precede) the evidence. “
The Supreme Achievement Award
Allah endorsed the supreme achieved attained by The Shining Stars in Sūrah al-Tawbah, when he says:
وَٱلسَّـٰبِقُونَ ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُهَـٰجِرِينَ وَٱلْأَنصَارِ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَـٰنٍ رَّضِىَ ٱللَّـهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى تَحْتَهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ ﴿١٠٠﴾ـ
“As for those who led the way, from among the Muhajirin and the Ansār, as well as those who nobly followed them, Allah is well pleased with them, and they are well pleased with Him; He has prepared for them Gardens through which rivers flow, where they shall dwell forever. That is the supreme achievement” (Sūrah al-Tawbah, 9:100)
The Good Conduct and Acceptance Award
The companions of the Prophet were humans. They were not perfect. Some of them fell to their weakness in certain times. But they remain the purest of humans. This certificate was issued for them by the Prophet in a ḥadīth reported by Imām Muslim from the narration of Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhu:
“ لاَ تَسُبُّوا أَصْحَابِي لاَ تَسُبُّوا أَصْحَابِي فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ أَنْفَقَ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ ذَهَبًا مَا أَدْرَكَ مُدَّ أَحَدِهِمْ وَلاَ نَصِيفَهُ ” .
“Do not revile my Companions, do not revile my Companions. By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if one amongst you would have spent as much gold as Uhud it would not amount to a handful (of something given in charity) of one of them, or half of that.”
For Whom is The Shining Stars Series?
The Shining Stars Series for you if you fall under any of the following categories:
- Every Muslim. For every single companion of the Prophet is important to the heart of every Muslim. Who doesn’t love whom the Prophet has loved?
- Every Muslim who’s looking for role models, in the midsts of the confusion of the 21st century.
- Every seeker of knowledge who might come across this series and find it beneficial and useful.
- Every non-Muslim who’s looking for write-ups or videos about the companions of the Prophet.
- Every parent who might find this series useful for the spiritual and intellectual growth of his children.
The Shining Stars Series’ Approach
This series features its characters indiscriminately. In other words, the series features its Stars on first-come-first-served basis. For examples, Sayyidunā ‘Umar will be featured only after we reach the sixth year of the Islam. Whereby Abū Safyān ibn Ḥarrb will be featured after The Conquer of Makkah. Abdullah ibn ‘Umar and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, are among the great scholars of the companions. But they will come much later. Because they were born in Islam.
This series will not highlight a whole life of a featured Shining Star. But it will do its possible best to present what will truly inspire you about every single featured Shining Star. Insha Allah.
The series is not intending to feature all the companions of the Prophet. In fact, Allah has willed that not all those who have seen the Prophet and believed in his message and died as Muslim are known, talked about or written about. However, the inspirations we derive from the featured ones should suffice most possible inspirations which could be derived from the lives of those who are not featured.
Conclusion
I learn by sharing. Or I share to learn, if you may. This means, above all the above. I’ll learning about the Shining Stars of this series in a way I have never done before. Please do join me, and let’s fall in love with the people the Prophet loved in a better way.
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Until then, I leave you in Allah’s protection.
Allah knows best.
Allahu Hafiz 🙂
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