Abu Musa al-Ashari's real name was Abdullah ibn Qays but he has always been known as Abu Musa al-Ashari. He had a natural, uncomplicated disposition. He was by nature a trusting person and expected people to deal with him on the basis of trust and sincerity. He was also a great warrior.
He left Yemen, his native land, for Makkah as soon as he heard the news that a Prophet had appeared there, and that he was a man of rare insight, who called people to the worship of One God and who insisted on the highest standards of morality.
During his visit to Makkah, he stayed in the company of the Prophet and gained knowledge and guidance.
He then returned to the Yemen to spread the words of God and to propagate the mission of the noble Prophet Mohamed (PBUH).
Just after the end of the Khaybar expedition he came to Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) in Madinah along with fifty persons from the Yemen all of whom had embraced Islam.. He arrived there at the same time as Jaffar ibn Abi Talib and other Muslims from Abyssinia and the Prophet welcomed them all with joy and happiness.
Among the people who came with him were his two brothers, Abu Ruhm and Abu Burdah. Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) referred to the whole group as the "Asharis". In fact he sometimes referred to all Yemenis as Asharis after Abu Musa al-Ashari. Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) often praised the group for their soft and tenderhearted nature and held them up to the rest of his companions as a high example of good behavior. He once said of them:
"If the Asharis go on an expedition or if they only have a little food among them, they would gather all they have on one cloth and divide it equally among themselves. They are thus from me and I am from them."
Abu Musa soon became highly respected in the Muslim community. He had many great qualities. He was a faqih endowed with intelligence and sound judgment and was ranked as one of the leading judges in the early Muslim community. People used to say: "The judges in this ummah are four: Umar, Ali, Abu Musa and Zayd ibn Thabit."
In the field of jihad, he was of great courage, endurance and skill. Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) said of him: "The master of horsemen is Abu Musa."
His insight and the soundness of his judgment did not allow him to be deceived by an enemy in battle. In battle conditions he saw situations with complete clarity and executed his actions with a firm resolve.
He was the head of the Muslim army traversing the lands of the Sasanian Empire. At Isfahan, the people came to him and offered to pay the jizyah (in return for military protection) to make peace and avoid fighting. However, they were not sincere in their offer and merely wanted an opportunity to mount a treacherous attack on the Muslims. But they were not able to deceive him. Thus when the Isfahanis launched their attack, he was not caught off-guard, he engaged them in battle and before midday of the following day, he had won a decisive victory.
In the great Battle of Tustar, he distinguished himself as a military commander.
The Persian commander, Hormuzan, had withdrawn his huge forces to the strongly fortified city of Tustar. The Caliph Umar did not underestimate the strength of the enemy and he mobilized powerful and numerous force to confront Hormuzan.
Among the Muslim forces were dedicated veterans like Ammar ibn Yasir, al-Baraa ibn Malik and his brother Anas, Majra'a al-Bakri and Salamah ibn Rajaa. Umar appointed Abu Musa as commander of the army.
So well fortified was Tustar that it was impossible to take it by storm. Several attempts were made to breach the walls but failed. There followed a long and difficult siege, which became even more testing and agonizing for the Muslims when, as we saw in the story of al-Baraa ibn Malik, the Persians began throwing down iron chains from the walls of the fortress at the ends of which were fastened red-hot iron hooks. Muslims were caught by these hooks and were pulled up either dead or in the agony of death.
Abu Musa realized that a resort to stratagem could only break the increasingly unbearable impasse. Fortunately, at this time a Persian defected to the Muslim side and Abu Musa induced him to return behind the walls of the fortified city and use whatever artful means he could to open the city's gates from within. With the Persian he sent a special force of great warriors. They succeeded well in their task, opened the gates and made way for Abu Musa's army. Within hours the Persians were subdued.
When he was not in the battlefield, he would read the Quran in a voice that profoundly stirred the souls of all who listened to him.
Also, Umar, may god be pleased with him, often summoned Abu Musa and asked him to recite from the Book of God, saying: "Create in us a yearning for our Lord, O Abu Musa."
As a mark of his dedication to the Quran, Abu Musa was one of the few companions who had prepared a mushaf (a written collection of the revelations).
Abu Musa only participated in fighting against the armies of Mushrikin, armies that tried to oppose the religion of God and extinguish the light of faith.
When Imam Ali accepted the principle of arbitration, he wanted Abdullah ibn Abbas to represent him. But an influential section of his followers insisted on Abu Musa. Their reason for so doing was that Abu Musa had not taken part in the dispute from its beginning. Instead he had kept aloof from both parties when he despaired of bringing about an understanding and reconciliation and putting an end to the fighting. Therefore, they felt, he was the most suitable person to be the arbitrator.
Imam Ali had no reason to doubt the devotion of Abu Musa to Islam and his truthfulness and sincerity. But he knew the shrewdness of the other side and their likely resort to ruses and treachery. He also knew that Abu Musa in spite of his understanding and his knowledge despised deceit and conspiracies and always wanted to deal with people on the basis of trust and honesty, not through cunning. Ali therefore feared that Abu Musa would be deceived by others and that arbitration would end up with the victory of guile over honesty and that the situation would end up being more perilous than it was.
Adjudication nonetheless began with Abu Musa representing the side of Ali and Amr ibn al-Aas representing the side of Muawiyah.
The negotiations that took place showed that Abu Musa to be a man of integrity and intelligence. He showed up the weakness of Amr's claims for Muawiyah to be the Caliph of the Muslims on the grounds of honor and status and on the grounds that he was the 'heir' to Uthman.
By his suggestion that the son of Umar ibn al-Khattab be appointed as Khalifah, Abu Musa showed that he was not prepared to stick uncompromisingly to the side he represented and that he was willing to consider an appropriate companion of the Prophet as an alternative, for the good of the Muslim community.
Amr finally agreed on Abu Musa's suggestion for a shura and for letting the Muslims decide freely whom they should have as Khalifah. It did not occur to Abu Musa that Amr would not honor the agreement they had come to and that he would resort to deceit.
Even after this happened Abu Musa continued to remain neutral in the conflict, which was ended by Ali when he made a treaty with Muawiyah confirming him as the one responsible for governing Syria and Egypt.
Abu Musa himself left for Makkah and spent the rest of his life near the Sacred Mosque. During his life he had remained devoted to the noble Prophet and his righteous successors. During the life of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH), he had appointed him and Muadh ibn Jabal as governor of Kufah.
Abu Musa was particularly attached to the Quran, reading it constantly, memorizing it, understanding it and putting it into practice. His advice regarding the Quran is full of wisdom: "Follow the Quran," he said, "and do not desire that the Quran should follow you."
In ibadah, he showed a great deal of strength and endurance. On days when the heat was intense and almost unbearable, Abu Musa would be found fasting and he would say: "Perhaps the thirst of the midday heat would prove to be quenching for us on the day of Qiyamah."
As his end drew near, the words that he kept saying were words, which he repeated throughout his life as a believer:
"Allahumma anta-s Salaam Wa minka-s Salaam. "O Lord, You are the Source of Peace And from You comes Peace..."
Source: www.usc.eduHe left Yemen, his native land, for Makkah as soon as he heard the news that a Prophet had appeared there, and that he was a man of rare insight, who called people to the worship of One God and who insisted on the highest standards of morality.
During his visit to Makkah, he stayed in the company of the Prophet and gained knowledge and guidance.
He then returned to the Yemen to spread the words of God and to propagate the mission of the noble Prophet Mohamed (PBUH).
Just after the end of the Khaybar expedition he came to Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) in Madinah along with fifty persons from the Yemen all of whom had embraced Islam.. He arrived there at the same time as Jaffar ibn Abi Talib and other Muslims from Abyssinia and the Prophet welcomed them all with joy and happiness.
Among the people who came with him were his two brothers, Abu Ruhm and Abu Burdah. Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) referred to the whole group as the "Asharis". In fact he sometimes referred to all Yemenis as Asharis after Abu Musa al-Ashari. Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) often praised the group for their soft and tenderhearted nature and held them up to the rest of his companions as a high example of good behavior. He once said of them:
"If the Asharis go on an expedition or if they only have a little food among them, they would gather all they have on one cloth and divide it equally among themselves. They are thus from me and I am from them."
Abu Musa soon became highly respected in the Muslim community. He had many great qualities. He was a faqih endowed with intelligence and sound judgment and was ranked as one of the leading judges in the early Muslim community. People used to say: "The judges in this ummah are four: Umar, Ali, Abu Musa and Zayd ibn Thabit."
In the field of jihad, he was of great courage, endurance and skill. Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) said of him: "The master of horsemen is Abu Musa."
His insight and the soundness of his judgment did not allow him to be deceived by an enemy in battle. In battle conditions he saw situations with complete clarity and executed his actions with a firm resolve.
He was the head of the Muslim army traversing the lands of the Sasanian Empire. At Isfahan, the people came to him and offered to pay the jizyah (in return for military protection) to make peace and avoid fighting. However, they were not sincere in their offer and merely wanted an opportunity to mount a treacherous attack on the Muslims. But they were not able to deceive him. Thus when the Isfahanis launched their attack, he was not caught off-guard, he engaged them in battle and before midday of the following day, he had won a decisive victory.
In the great Battle of Tustar, he distinguished himself as a military commander.
The Persian commander, Hormuzan, had withdrawn his huge forces to the strongly fortified city of Tustar. The Caliph Umar did not underestimate the strength of the enemy and he mobilized powerful and numerous force to confront Hormuzan.
Among the Muslim forces were dedicated veterans like Ammar ibn Yasir, al-Baraa ibn Malik and his brother Anas, Majra'a al-Bakri and Salamah ibn Rajaa. Umar appointed Abu Musa as commander of the army.
So well fortified was Tustar that it was impossible to take it by storm. Several attempts were made to breach the walls but failed. There followed a long and difficult siege, which became even more testing and agonizing for the Muslims when, as we saw in the story of al-Baraa ibn Malik, the Persians began throwing down iron chains from the walls of the fortress at the ends of which were fastened red-hot iron hooks. Muslims were caught by these hooks and were pulled up either dead or in the agony of death.
Abu Musa realized that a resort to stratagem could only break the increasingly unbearable impasse. Fortunately, at this time a Persian defected to the Muslim side and Abu Musa induced him to return behind the walls of the fortified city and use whatever artful means he could to open the city's gates from within. With the Persian he sent a special force of great warriors. They succeeded well in their task, opened the gates and made way for Abu Musa's army. Within hours the Persians were subdued.
When he was not in the battlefield, he would read the Quran in a voice that profoundly stirred the souls of all who listened to him.
Also, Umar, may god be pleased with him, often summoned Abu Musa and asked him to recite from the Book of God, saying: "Create in us a yearning for our Lord, O Abu Musa."
As a mark of his dedication to the Quran, Abu Musa was one of the few companions who had prepared a mushaf (a written collection of the revelations).
Abu Musa only participated in fighting against the armies of Mushrikin, armies that tried to oppose the religion of God and extinguish the light of faith.
When Imam Ali accepted the principle of arbitration, he wanted Abdullah ibn Abbas to represent him. But an influential section of his followers insisted on Abu Musa. Their reason for so doing was that Abu Musa had not taken part in the dispute from its beginning. Instead he had kept aloof from both parties when he despaired of bringing about an understanding and reconciliation and putting an end to the fighting. Therefore, they felt, he was the most suitable person to be the arbitrator.
Imam Ali had no reason to doubt the devotion of Abu Musa to Islam and his truthfulness and sincerity. But he knew the shrewdness of the other side and their likely resort to ruses and treachery. He also knew that Abu Musa in spite of his understanding and his knowledge despised deceit and conspiracies and always wanted to deal with people on the basis of trust and honesty, not through cunning. Ali therefore feared that Abu Musa would be deceived by others and that arbitration would end up with the victory of guile over honesty and that the situation would end up being more perilous than it was.
Adjudication nonetheless began with Abu Musa representing the side of Ali and Amr ibn al-Aas representing the side of Muawiyah.
The negotiations that took place showed that Abu Musa to be a man of integrity and intelligence. He showed up the weakness of Amr's claims for Muawiyah to be the Caliph of the Muslims on the grounds of honor and status and on the grounds that he was the 'heir' to Uthman.
By his suggestion that the son of Umar ibn al-Khattab be appointed as Khalifah, Abu Musa showed that he was not prepared to stick uncompromisingly to the side he represented and that he was willing to consider an appropriate companion of the Prophet as an alternative, for the good of the Muslim community.
Amr finally agreed on Abu Musa's suggestion for a shura and for letting the Muslims decide freely whom they should have as Khalifah. It did not occur to Abu Musa that Amr would not honor the agreement they had come to and that he would resort to deceit.
Even after this happened Abu Musa continued to remain neutral in the conflict, which was ended by Ali when he made a treaty with Muawiyah confirming him as the one responsible for governing Syria and Egypt.
Abu Musa himself left for Makkah and spent the rest of his life near the Sacred Mosque. During his life he had remained devoted to the noble Prophet and his righteous successors. During the life of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH), he had appointed him and Muadh ibn Jabal as governor of Kufah.
Abu Musa was particularly attached to the Quran, reading it constantly, memorizing it, understanding it and putting it into practice. His advice regarding the Quran is full of wisdom: "Follow the Quran," he said, "and do not desire that the Quran should follow you."
In ibadah, he showed a great deal of strength and endurance. On days when the heat was intense and almost unbearable, Abu Musa would be found fasting and he would say: "Perhaps the thirst of the midday heat would prove to be quenching for us on the day of Qiyamah."
As his end drew near, the words that he kept saying were words, which he repeated throughout his life as a believer:
"Allahumma anta-s Salaam Wa minka-s Salaam. "O Lord, You are the Source of Peace And from You comes Peace..."
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