Story of Amr ibn Salamah

An awesome, enlightening, and cute narration by companion Amr ibn Salamah.

From here we learn that:
- most quraysh were 'bystanders', waiting on the sidelines until the Prophet was victorious, only then made the choice to follow him. Don't be a sideliner.
- when hearing good advice (i.e. Quran), listen to it & remember it, even if you don't know how to use it yet - it will come in handy later!
- the righteous companions found no issue in a six year old being their imam. today six year old's not even allowed in first saff. instead they get a special VIP grand stand marked as "saf kanak-kanak bermula di sini". So they group up behind and make noise instead of keeping quiet with the daddies and uncles. Someone lost the plot.
- the little boy was the happiest boy in the world for getting a new shirt! How thankless are we for all the abundant blessings we have Allahul musta'an

Narrated 'Amr bin Salamah (radhiAllahu 'anhu) :
We were at a place which was a thoroughfare for the people, and the caravans (of people teaching and spreading da'wah of Islam) used to pass by us; and we would ask them, "What is wrong with the people? What is wrong with the people? Who is that man?".

They would say, "That man claims that Allah has sent him (as a Messenger), that he has been divinely inspired, that Allah has revealed to him such-and-such (and they would recite Qur'an)"

I used to memorize that (Divine) Talk (i.e. portions of the Qur'an), and feel as if it was inculcated in my chest (i.e. mind)

And the 'Arabs (other than Quraish) delayed their conversion to Islam till the conquest (of Mecca). They used to say." "Leave him (i.e. Muhammad) and his people Quraish: if he overpowers them then he is a true Prophet."
So, when Mecca was conquered (in the 8th year After Hijrah), then every tribe rushed to embrace Islam, and my father hurried to embrace Islam before (the other members of) my tribe.

When my father returned (from the Prophet) to his tribe, he said, "By Allah, I have come to you from the Prophet for sure!" The Prophet afterwards said to them, 'Offer such-and-such prayer at such-and-such time, and when the time for the prayer becomes due, then one of you should pronounce the Adhan (for the prayer), and let the one amongst you who knows Qur'an most should, lead the prayer."

So they looked for such a person and found none who knew more Qur'an than I because of the Quranic material which I used to learn from the caravans.

They therefore made me their Imam ((to lead the prayer) and at that time I was a boy of six or seven years, wearing a Burda (i.e. a black square garment) proved to be very short for me (and my body became partly naked).

A lady from the tribe said, "Won't you cover the anus of your reciter for us?" So they bought (a piece of cloth) and made a shirt for me. I had never been so happy with anything before, as I was with that shirt! 

(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book #59, Hadith #595)