4. Critical Thinking.

Abdurrahman was a very wealthy trader, but he did not live a life of luxury. He gave much of his wealth to help Islam and the Muslims. However, his generosity was extraordinary. An average person would not be as generous as Abdurrahman was.

1. In groups, imagine you are a 30-year-old man with a wife and two young children. You have a good job and earn about 50000 rubles a month. You already have a small house and two average-sized cars. One day, you are told that a distant relative has left you 10 millions rubles in his will. Decide what you would do with the money.

2. One member of your group will act as a secretary and write down a list of how you intend to use your money. One member from each group will report your findings to the class. Be prepared to explain your decision and question the decisions of other groups.

3. Try to arrive at an acceptable conclusion with the entire class.

UNIT 15 (Revision) AZ-ZUBAIR bin AL-AWWAN (RAA).

1. Pre-Reading Tasks.

Before reading the text, look at the title of this unit and answer the questions.

1. You will read about a man known as the “Lion of the Quraish”. What do you know about this person? What people or events do you think of when you hear this person’s name.

2. Work in groups. List your pieces of information about Az-Zubair bin Al-Awwan in order of importance.

3. Compare your list with other groups. How are they similar or different?

2. Reading.

As you read, try to find the information you listed above in the text.

Az-Zubair was one of the ten men promised Paradise by the Prophet (SAAS). He was only fifteen years old when he became a Muslim. He was among the first seven people to embrace Islam.

His father died when he was very young. He was brought up by his mother, Safiyya bint Abdulmuttalib, and his guardian, Nawfal. Nawfal was unhappy when he heard that Az-Zubair had become a Muslim. He became cruel. He sometimes hung Az-Zubair in a mat made of palm leaves and lit a fire under him. The smoke choked him. Az-Zubair used to shout, “I will never give up!”

Eventually Az-Zubair ran away. He asked the Prophet (SAAS), who was his cousin, to look after him. The Prophet (SAAS) brought him up and protected him.

Az-Zubair was very courageous. He was called the Lion of the Quraish. He was the first Muslim to draw his sword at the defence of Islam. One time he heard that the Prophet (SAAS) had been arrested and killed by the unbelievers. He immediately went to the town centre in Makkah. He pulled out his sword and shouted, “Bring me the killers of the Prophet (SAAS)”. Fortunately, the Prophet (SAAS) appeared a few minutes later, alive and in good health!

He was a soldier in all the great battles. He was wounded seriously at Badr. At the Battle of the Trench, the Prophet (SAAS) asked for volunteers to fight the Banu Quraiza. Az-Zubair immediately volunteered. Three times, the Prophet (SAAS) asked and three times Az-Zubair responded immediately. Finally, the Prophet (SAAS) said, “Every prophet has a disciple and mine is my cousin, Az-Zubair”.

At the Battle of Al-Yarmouk, he saw that the Muslim army was retreating. He shouted, “Allahu Akbar!” and charged into the massive Byzantine army alone. Swinging his sword here, there, and everywhere, he destroyed several Byzantine soldiers. When he returned unharmed, the Muslim soldiers cheered. They found new strength and charged the Byzantines once again. Eventually, they won the battle.

Az-Zubair never feared death. In fact, he wanted to be a martyr of Islam. Consequently, he received many battle wounds. One of the Prophet’s (SAAS) companions said, “Once when I was with Az-Zubair, I noticed scores of sword scars on his body. On his chest I saw deep scars caused by knife and arrow wounds. I told him I had never seen so many scars”. Az-Zubair replied, “They are all in the cause of Allah (SWT) and His Messenger”.

The caliph Umar described him as one of the pillars of Islam. The Prophet (SAAS) once said, “Talha and Az-Zubair are my neighbours in Paradise”. He was among the group of six people who selected the third caliph.