3 Brothers, 3 Wishes

Once, the sons of the great companion, AlZubayr ibn al Awwam (radiyallahu anhu) sat together under the shade of the Ka'bah. These sons were; Abdullah, Mus'ab, and Urwa. They sat in the Yemeni Corner of the Ka'bah with another young man, AbdulMalik ibn Marwan, conversing as young men do.  Then one of them said, "let each one of ask of Allah to grant him what he loves most."

Abdullah went first and said, "My wish is to rule over Hijaaz (part of the Arabian Peninsula) and to take the khilaafa."

His brother Mus'ab said, "As for me, then I wish to rule over the 2 Iraaqs (Al Basra and Kufa) and for no one to differ with me over them."

AbdulMalik ibn Marwan responded, "If you two are satisfied with your wishes then I am satisfied with nothing less than to rule over the entire Earth. And to become the khalifa after Muawiyyah bin Abi Sufyan."

Urwa sat quietly listening intently to their wishes.  His companions turned to him and asked, "And what do you wish for O Urwa?"

Urwa smiled and said, "May Allah bless for you all your wishes in this world. As for me, I wish to become a scholar who practices his knowledge and who people will come to and learn the Quran and Sunnah of their prophet from and the affairs of their religion and that I may eventually succeed by attaining the pleasure of Allah and His paradise."

The days passed and it wasn't long before Abdullah ibn alZubayr was given the bay'ah (pledge) for the khilaafa thus ruling over the people of Hijaaz, Yemen, Khurasan, Iraq, and Egypt, all giving their solemn oaths to him. Soon after that, Abdullah paid the ultimate price for his position until he was killed near the Ka'bah not far from where he made his wish some years ago.

And it wasn't long before his brother Mus'ab ibn alZubayr became governor over Iraaq for Abdullah and he too ends up losing his life for his leadership.


As for Urwa, his wish also came true for he came to be one of the greatest scholars of the tabi'een and one of the seven great fuqahaa of al Madinah. For his wish and desire to come true, Urwa completely dictated his time and youth to seeking knowledge from those living from the companions of the prophet (sala allahu alayhi wa sallam). So he would go to their homes, pray behind them, follow their circles and meetings of knowledge until he ended up narrating from the likes of Ali ibn Abi Taalib, Abdurrahman ibn Awf, Zayd ibn Thaabit, Abu Ayyoob al Ansari, Usaama ibn Zayd, Sa'eed ibn Zayd, Abu Hurayra, Ibn Abbass, and AlNu'man ibn Basheer. Urwa sought knowledge mostly from his maternal and beloved aunt, Aisha bint Abi Bakr.

So the point of this story of 3 brothers and their wishes is to never give up on whatever good it is that you are doing..even if it takes you decades!  The sincere person is persistent on the good whether it is personal ibaadah, helping others, or working to become a teacher, scholar, leader, etc. It also show us that for a person to fulfill his ambitions in life, he/she needs two main things: sincerity and hardwork. Sincerity is they key to all things good and bad. But it is praiseworthy and ONLY acceptable by Allah when it is a good deed. You must have a firm intention for whatever it is you wish to embark on. No hardwork comes easy except with sincere intention(ikhlaas). Of course as a Muslim, our intention for whatever good deed we do must be done for the sake of Allah first and foremost. After that, the deed should be in accordance with the Quran and Sunnah. Secondly, no wish comes true except by working for it. They say victory is but a half hour and the prophet (sala allahu alayhi wa sallam) said in the authentic hadeeth, "Victory comes with patience."

We see the hardship and struggles all three of these brothers underwent. Abdullah sought khilaafa and he indeed worked for it until he ended up defending it and finally giving up his life in its cause. Likewise, his brother Mus'ab also fought and worked hard to attain his position and in the end he gave his life for it. Urwa who was the prime example of a scholar, also worked hard day and night seeking knowledge and learning under the companions of the Messenger of Allah until this young man ended up becoming one of the greatest scholars of this religion. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal was asked by his son, "O my father, when will the servant of Allah find rest?" Imam Ahmad replied, "With the first step he takes into Paradise." We are not here in this world to play and fool around. We are here to work and serve Allah. The prophet (sala allahu alayhi wa sallam) spends more than 2 decades in the Arabian Peninsula calling the tribes to Allah and it took him this much years for the land of Hijaaz to finally come under Islaam. 20 years. You may think thats not alot . Think of Nuh (alayhis salaam) who spends almost 1,000 years calling his people to Allah as well. Patience is the key along with sincerity. You can not persist in your work if you do not have patience.

Never give up on your dreams and always follow the truth. If you follow the truth sincerely, it will lead you to following your heart and being content with whatever Allah has written for you in this world.


-Source: Biography of Urwa ibn AlZubayr from Suwar min Hayaati- Taabi'een by Abdurrahman Pasha.