THE FIRSTS: The forerunners of Islam
Before I dive into this article i just want to tell you guys that listening to Sheikh Omar Suleiman’s The Firsts changed my life.
For a while i have been wanting to learn about sahabas, i had even downloaded books about them, but just could not keep up. I start reading and then stop, because i hate reading.
Fortunately, i came across a video on Yaqeen Institute’s YouTube channel which i thoroughly enjoyed. Then i found out that same content is on their podcast, so i went on to download the first five episodes. That was how i got hooked!
The Firsts is a podcast on the earliest people to accept Islam, how they embraced Islam, the challenges they faced afterwards, how their relationship with the prophet Muhammad (SAW) was, and the extraordinary ways they contributed to the propagation of Islam. It has 70 episodes, starting from Zaid ibn Amr who is regarded as a “One man Ummah”, to Mihja, Umayr and Ubayda who were referred to as “The matyrs of badr”.
I love love the thought and concept sheikh Omar Suleiman used for this podcast. It is truly a reminder and eye opener to us that feel like extremists after doing the bare minimum. These companions sacrificed all they possibly could for the sake of Islam, endured all sorts of poverty & torture, fought all battles and still maintained tawakkul.
I’m not sure i want to summarize each and everyone of them, but i assure you that you would love every bit of it. I may make little threads of each on twitter. Sometimes i wonder how Sheikh Omar got a hold of these stories, and i just imagine the scenario in my head. My Highlight of the whole podcast is how each and everyone of them has a unique relationship with the prophet, and how the prophet managed to make everyone around him feel special to him. Another thing i loved about this podcast is getting to know some companions whose names i have never heard of before, yet they were significant to the growth of Islam.
Asides the four rightly guided caliphs, Khadija, Bilal Ibn Rabah, Sumayya, Zaid Ibn Haritha & the prophet’s children, I got to know companions i have never heard of before. The likes of Zaid Ibn Amr a monotheist who had lived his life expecting the coming of a prophet but died shortly before the prophethood, to Baraka (Umm Ayman) who was a mother figure to the prophet and saw his birth and death within her lifetime, to Khabbab ibn Al Aratt who was a tortured because he publicized his islam, to Suhaib Al rumi the roman muslim leader, Al-Arqam Ibn Abi Arqam who was an orphan that offered his house for the teaching of Islam, and Sa’ad Ibn Abi waqqas whose mother went on a hunger strike to blackmail him to denounce Islam. I could go on and on..
It is truly remarkable to access these stories of sahabas. It urges you to do better, and be more faithful & patient. This podcast would change your life, perspective & thoughts, one way or the other. Now i urge you to go on podcast or youtube to search, download and listen to THE FIRSTS by yaqeen Institute.
Alhamdulillah. May Allah make us better muslims everyday of our life. Ma’assalam.
