Hadrat Yasir, Father of Hadrat 'Amar, belonged to Yemen. He had many brothers. One of them was once lost and nobody ever heard of him thereafter. Yasir, along with his two brothers, went in search of him. During this search he reached Makka. The two brothers returned home from Makka but Yasir did not go back and made Makka his hometown. He developed friendly relations with Abu Hudaifa, a dignitary of Makka. He gave him in marriage one of his talented and intelligent maidservants, Samiyyah. This lady gave birth to Hadrat 'Ammar(Allah be pleased with him).
Hadrat 'Ammar was one of those fortunate and dauntless Companions of the Holy Prophet(PBUH) who preceded many others in embracing Islam Islam. Hadrat 'Ammar embraced Islam when the Holy Prophet(PBUH) had taken refuge in the house of Hadrat Arqam bin Abi Arqam along with his thirty or thirty-two followers owing to the unbearable tortures and persecution of the infidels of Makka. It was under this condition that his father Yasir, his mother Samiyyah, his brother Abdullah and the rest of his family accepted Islam.
Hadrat Ammar and his family had no family links with the people of Makka. Neither had they any wealth or high position to win for them any support from anyone in Makka. Only Abu Hudaifa patronized them but he died before the dawn of Islam.
Finding them helpless and having no voice or support in the city, the infidels of Makka subjected them to acute torture as a punishment for their embracing Islam. There were forced to lie down on the extremely hot sand right at noon. They were made to walk over burning cinders. They kept them immersed in the water for hours together but could not succeed in making any of those lovers of Islam waver from the right path.
Hadrat Samiyyah, mother of Hadrat 'Ammar, although a woman, was a staunch and enthusiastic worker of the Islamic movement. Abu Jehl could not tolerate anybody's enthusiasm for Islam. One day, in a fit of rage, he struck her below the navel with his spear with such force that the poor lady died on the spot. Hadrat 'Ammar's father, Yasir, and his brother 'Abdullah were also tortured to death by the infidels.
The holy Prophet(PBUH) often shed tears on the helplessness and the miserable condition of this family. Whenever he passed by the holding firm to their faith under severe torture and harsh treatment, he would say: "O family of 'Ammar! I congratulated you. The Eternal Gardens are waiting for you."
Once the holy Prophet(PBUH) saw that the infidels of Makka had made Hadrat 'Ammar lie down on the burning cinders and he was quite helpless. Seeing this holy Prophet(PBUH) prayed for him: "O fire! cool down for 'Ammar as thou didst for(PBUH)."
When Ammar spoke of his helplessness and misery to the holy Prophet(PBUH), he remains him to be steadfast and prayed for him: "O Allah! grant salvation to Yasir's family in the Hereafter."
They endured untold hardship for a long time. At last, Allah helped them out of their misfortune. The Muslims were ordered to migrate. Hadrat 'Ammar first went to Abyssinia and then migrated to Madina. Seeing his firm belief, faithfulness, and truthfulness, the holy Prophet(PBUH) prayed for him to be safe from the Devil and acclaimed him as a test of good and evil. Whenever he saw Amma, the prophet(PBUH) said, "Faith and conviction run as blood in the veins of Ammar." Many a time he would say, "Alas 'Ammar! you will be killed by a group of rebels."
On the basis of these sayings of the Holy Prophet(PBUH), people used to settle their mutual feuds in the light of the advice of Hadrat Ammar. During the Caliphate of Hadrat Ali(Allah be pleased with him), when Muslims began to quarrel among themselves and were divided into two groups, those who were initially neutral later followed Ammar and supported Hadrat Ali(Allah be pleased with him). In this quarrel, there were many fierce and lamentable encounters between the Muslims. In one of these, two persons killed Hadrat 'Ammar and carried his head to their officer. In order to get a reward, each of them claimed to have killed Hadrat Ammar. Hadrat Abdullah bin 'Amar bin al' As was also present there. When he saw them boasting and claiming the credit for the killing, he said, "Don't try to take the responsibility of slaying 'Ammar because I have here from the Holy Prophet(PBUH) that the rebel group will kill 'Ammar. Abdullah's father, Hadrat 'Amar Bin al' Aas was also there. He remarked, "By Allah, both of them are quarrelling to go into Hell!"
Throughout his life, Hadrat 'Ammar always sought the pleasure of Allah. He fought with great valour and courage in all the battles against the infidels. After the Holy Prophet(PBUH) he also participated in all important battles fought during the reigns of the first four Caliphs. There is a famous event of the battles of Yemama, Which apart from being interesting, carries a great lesson for the Muslims.
In the battles of Yamama, Hadrat 'Ammar was making fierce onslaughts on the enemy. All of a sudden one of his ears was chopped off and dropped on the ground but he remained busy in Jihad quite indifferent to the loss of his ear. In the meantime, he left that the Muslims were showing signs of weakness and were retreating. He climbed over a lofty rock and yelled out in a loud voice: "O Muslims! you are running away from paradise. Look at me. I am 'Ammar bin Yasir. come with me. Follow me."
On hearing this call, the morale of the Muslim army was strengthened and making a strong onslaught they won the battle. Afterwards, when he was the Governor of Kufa, during the Caliphate of Hadrat 'Umar Farooq(Allah be pleased with him), a dignitary of Kufa desired him to agree to one of his proposals, but Hadrat 'Ammar refused. The man got infuriated and talked to him in a rude manner. "O men with one ear!" Hadrat 'Ammar, though a Governor, controlled his anger and said, "Alas! you have abused my best and dearest ear."
Apart from being true and faithful to Islam, Hadrat 'Ammar was also one of the most intelligent Companions(Allah be pleased with him). He helps many important posts under the Islamic Government. When he was appointed as governor of an important place like Kufa he performed his duties with great ability. But he was not usually happy with his appointments. He liked the simplicity, showing hospitality to the guests and selflessness. Once Hadrat 'Ali(Allah be pleased with him) took him along to inspect a canal. The inspection took quite a long time. Hadrat 'Ammar was tried and began to doze. He lay down under the tree on the bare ground and fell asleep.
Hadrat 'Ammar loved to offer prayers. He said his prayers with great devotion and concentration. Often he spent the whole night in offering prayers, reciting the Holy Quran and sacred verses. Hadrat'Abdullah bin Abbas(Allah be pleased with him) recited a verse with reference to Hadrat 'Ammar: "Is not the person who stands in his prayers and kneels down on the ground through the night fearful of the hereinafter and hopeful of his Allah's kindness?"
Hadrat 'Ammar attained the age of 91 years, but he never looked old. Till the end, he tried to surpass others in the cause of Islam. He often prayed to Allah: " O Allah! if I knew I would please thee by jumping down from the mountain, burning myself in the fire or by drowning in the water, I would obtain Thy pleasure at all costs. I hope Thou wilt reward me with success!"
Allah, no doubt gave him success. He was martyred in the case of Islam and Allah was pleased with him and he who pleases Allah is successful.
Reference: from the book of Devoted companions
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