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- 1 Verse. 1 Story. 1 Lesson.
1 Verse. 1 Story. 1 Lesson.
A source of goodness you overlooked
Taqwa FM
September 04, 2025
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
One Verse
“O humanity! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may know one another. Surely, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you(the one who has the most taqwā). Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” (Surah Al-Ḥujurāt, 49:13)
One Story: The Foreigner Who Saved Islam
The Prophet ﷺ had a companion named Salman al-Farisi—Salman the Persian (ra).
He was an immigrant. A foreigner in Arab lands. Poor. A slave.
If we saw someone like him today, what would we think? Perhaps: He’s an outsider. He doesn’t matter. Maybe some would even pass him by without offering salām.
The Turning Point
It was al-Ahzab—the Battle of the Confederates.
The Quraysh returned, this time with every ally they could muster. The largest army Arabia had ever seen encircled Madinah—bent on wiping out the Muslim community in one decisive strike. The city was on the brink of annihilation.
The Prophet ﷺ gathered his companions to discuss strategy.
Should they fortify themselves inside the city—laying traps, fighting street by street?
Or march out like Uhud, risking open battle while leaving their families behind?
Both choices seemed doomed.
And then—the outsider spoke.
“Ya Rasūl Allāh,” Salman (ra) said, “I have an idea.”
The Prophet ﷺ turned: “What is it, Salman?”
Salman explained:
“In Persia, when invasion threatened, we dug a trench. Madinah is perfectly positioned for this. Two lava fields guard its sides, and dense vegetation shields another. Only one front lies exposed. If we dig a trench there, the enemy’s cavalry becomes useless. The city will be protected.”
This was unheard of in Arabia. The Arabs had never seen such a tactic. The Prophet ﷺ’s face lit up with joy.
The companions saw it—and immediately began to argue. Not about the idea, but about Salman (ra) himself.
The Muhajirun cried: “Salman is one of us!”
The Ansar replied: “No—Salman is one of us!”
Each wanted to claim him. This foreigner. This outsider.
And the Prophet ﷺ silenced them with one immortal sentence:
“Salman is from my family. From the people of my household.”
Imagine that. A man once a fire-worshipper, once a slave—now honored as family by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
And the trench? It became the shield that saved Madinah. The Quraysh cavalry stopped dead. Their plans collapsed. And Allah saved the Muslims—through the wisdom of the one man most would have overlooked.
One Lesson
Allah created us all from a single pair: Adam (as) and Hawwaʾ (as). Regardless of color, language, lineage, or passport—we are children of the same parents, siblings in origin.
And yet—Allah intentionally made us different: in color, language, ethnicity, strengths, talents, and experiences.
This diversity is not random; it is Divine ḥikmah. Allah could have made us identical, but He didn’t—so that we may know one another, learn from one another, and cultivate humility by realizing we are not self-sufficient.
But who is the best among us? Allah gives the criterion: “The most honorable of you in Allah’s sight is the one with the most taqwā.”
Taqwā—God-consciousness—is invisible. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Taqwā is here” (pointing to his chest three times) [Muslim]. I cannot judge it in you, nor you in me. Only Allah knows.
Yet our nafs tempts us to dismiss people:
Maybe they don’t look like us.
Maybe they don’t speak like us.
Maybe we assume they don’t “belong.”
But in truth—Allah may have placed in them wisdom, khayr, and barakah that could save us all.
The Prophet ﷺ did not silence Salman (RA). He empowered him, included his voice, and through that inclusion—Allah saved an entire city. All because the Prophet ﷺ built a community where everyone mattered.
It’s easy to welcome the polished, the well-dressed, the familiar. But the real test is this:
Will you include the one others overlook?
Because you never know what treasure Allah has hidden in that person—for you, for your community, for the Ummah.
One Question for You
“Did I dismiss someone who might have been a Salman or a Bilāl?”
A Hadith Every Muslim Should Memorize
In his Farewell Sermon—the last sermon of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ—he said:
“O people, verily your Lord is One and your father is one. Verily there is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, nor of a non-Arab over an Arab, nor of a red man over a black man, nor of a black man over a red man—except in terms of taqwā (God-consciousness).”
Reference: Musnad Aḥmad 23489
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Until next Thursday, in sha Allah
— Aaira