THE  FEARLESS  COMPANION


BARAH,  SON  OF  MALIK








Hadhrat Barah was the son of Malik, and brother to Anas. His mother was the courageous lady Umm Sulaim who nursed the wounded at Uhud. May Allah be please with them and give them a generous reward.





Anas, reported that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, told his companions, “There are many people wearing two old pieces of cloth, that go unnoticed but indeed Allah will fulfill their supplication if they make any amongst such people is Barah, the son of Malik.”





Our narration takes place when Haroun, better known as Musailama, chieftain of the Christian tribe of Hanifa laid claim to the prophethood. Many of his tribe had recently embraced Islam, however, it became apparent that all was not well amongst the tribe when Musailamah sent a letter to Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, that falsely proclaimed he too was a prophet.





The letter read:


From: Musailamah, the Messenger of Allah


To: Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah,


Peace be upon you. I have been given the power to share your authority. Half of the earth is ours, and half belongs to the Koraysh, even though they are sinners."





Having read the letter, the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, asked its bearers if this was also their opinion and they affirmed that it was. Then the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, spoke saying, "By Allah, if it was not forbidden for envoys be put to death, I would indeed sever your heads!"





The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, called for his scribe and dictated a letter for the envoys to deliver to Musailamah. He commenced:


 


From: Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah


To: Musailamah, the liar.


Peace be upon he who follows guidance. Indeed, the earth belongs to Allah. He causes whom He will of His worshipers to inherit it. Only those who fear their Lord will prosper.





Musailamah’s stronghold was surrounded by a wall, and on the other side there was an orchard from which their warriors launched their hostilities. The fighting was intense and the unbelievers had prepared themselves well to fight against the Muslims. 





The entrance to the orchard was well secured by a fortified gate which the Muslims were unable to penetrate. The only way to gain access to the unbelievers was to penetrate the wall, and unlock the fortified gate to let the Muslims enter. Barah, the son of Malik was for the sake of Allah, an extremely brave man, so fearing no one except Him, he told his companions to lift him up then hurl over the wall. This they did and Barah, single handedly fought the unbelievers on the other side and sustained over eighty arrow and sword wounds to his person but despite his severe injuries he managed to open the gate to let the Muslims enter. 





The unbelievers were defeated and Musailamah was killed during the fighting. Barah was carried to Khalid who nursed him until he recovered a month or so later.





Barah and the Fortress of Hareeq


A ferocious battle erupted in Iraq, in which the unbelievers used brutal weaponry against the Muslims. Isaac the son of Abdullah son of Abu Talha narrated that Barah and his brother Anas took part in that battle which took place at the fortress of Hareeq. 





The unbelievers had devised an extremely lethal weapon made from iron hooks fixed to chains that were heated to the high degree of a furnace and were red hot. These they would cast over the ramparts of their fortress to catch hold of a Muslim, which they then hoisted up to them.





As Barah was fighting the enemy, one of these hooks caught Anas, and lifted him off the ground. When Barah saw what had happened he ran and jumped up onto the rampart, and, fearing no one except Allah, seized hold of the burning chain broke the links and Anas was saved. When Barah looked at his hands all the flesh had been burned away and his bones were bare. 





Barah and the Battle of Tustar


During the battle of Tustar, the Muslims suffered heavy casualties so they asked Barah, “O Barah! Supplicate to your Lord (for victory).” Barah supplicated, “O Allah, I swear in Your Name that you give us the shoulders of the enemy in our hands, and allow me to meet with Your Prophet.” The Muslims clashed again with the unbelievers at the bridge of the town of Sus and sustained heavy casualties and once again Barah supplicated to Allah. The Muslims were given victory and Barah was martyred.





May Allah be pleased with the Companions.