An Islamic Treasury of Virtues
8. Manners In Speech
~ 175 ~
by the din of battle. He turned, therefore, to Abbas,
who had a voice of exceptional power and told him
to shout: “O companions of the Tree
1
! O
Companions of the Acacia!” to remind them of their
oath of allegiance to the Prophet to fight unto death.
Immediately the summons was answered from all
sides-”Labbayk!” (“Here at your service!”) as
Emigrants and Helpers rallied to his side. Abbas
later recalled that they ran to the Prophet as calves
run to their mothers.
(MUSLIM,
SAHIH
)
HALTING IN ONE’S STEPS ON HEARING THE
QUR’AN
Abdullah ibn Abbas tells of how Uaynah ibn Hisn
came to Madinah, where he stayed with his
nephew, Hur ibn Qays. His youth notwithstanding,
the latter numbered among those who were close to
the Caliph Umar, for he was learned in the Qur’an
and, whether young or old, those who were well-
versed in the Qur’an were given a special place in
Umar’s discussions and council meetings. Uaynah,
therefore, asked his nephew to use his good offices
with the Caliph to obtain permission for an
