Page 149 - Self-Sacrifice in the Qur'an's Moral Teachings

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request was granted, and he was martyred there. Abu Talha fought
alongside the Prophet (saas) until the latter's death, and then alongside
Abu Bakr (ra) and Umar (ra) until they died. Despite his advanced

years, he insisted on fighting one more battle and, during the ensuing
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sea battle, was killed. We can see that these blessed people spent their
whole lives striving to win Allah's approval and, despite their age, they
were so inspired by Islam that they found enough physical strength to
fight.
In addition to the children and old men, another group of
Companions stands out because of their faithfulness, courage, and self-
sacrifice: pious women. One of them, Umm `Umara Nasiba bint Kaab
distributed water to the warriors and bandaged their wounds. Earlier,
at Aqaba, she had participated in the oath-taking ceremony that "they
would protect Allah's Prophet (saas) like they protected themselves,
their women, and their children." Seeing that the battle was going

against the Muslims and that the enemy was pressing on the Prophet
of Allah (saas), she took up a sword to defend him. Along with some

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