Jannat is the epitome of satisfaction of desires. We are all desirous of securing our admittance therein. How about an individual who Jannat desires. “Jannat desires three, ‘Ali, ‘Ammar and Salman,” said Rasulullah ﷺ. [Tirmidhi]

Ammar ibn Yasir RA accepted Islam in his early thirties and is listed among the very first to enter its fold. Allah ﷻ had selected him for an honour, the affluent of the time were deprived of, due to their arrogance and obstinacy. He accepted Islam with Suhayb ibn Sinan RA. Actually, both of them had met at the door of Dar al Arqam coincidentally and enquired from each other the reason for their visit. They both had intended to listen to Rasulullah’s ﷺ speech. Accordingly, they both entered, listened to Rasulullah’s ﷺ presentation of Islam, and embraced Islam at his hands.

Ammar ibn Yasir RA, like majority of the early Muslims, had an underprivileged background; he was the son of a slave woman. Hence, he had no status in society. But it was this very class of people whose hearts Allah ﷻ chose for Iman. When Rasulullah’s ﷺ mission began, the poor were the very first to answer his call. Being poor, or a slave, was not the criteria for admittance into Islam’s fold. Nay, rather it was the keenness of the bondsman to be connected to his Master coupled with his humbleness and sincerity.

Imam al Bukhari has recorded Hiraql’s statement in his magnum opus Sahih al Bukhari, in the very first chapter of his book. He states, “I then asked you whether the rich people followed him (Rasulullah ﷺ) or the poor. You replied that it was the poor who followed him. And in fact all the Messengers have been followed by this very class of people.”

His father, Yasir RA, was an Arab, a Qahtani and a Mudh-haji from ‘Ans, a tribe in Yemen. The son Ammar RA, however, was a freed slave of the Banu Makhzum. This is because Yasir RA married a slave girl belonging to the Banu Makhzum who bore ‘Ammar for him. His agnomen is Abu al Yaqzan. [Usd al Ghabah]

He was brown in complexion, tall, of a restive disposition, bluish-black eyed, and had broad shoulders. He would not dye his grey hairs. It is said that the front portion of his head was bald with few strands of hair. That is his physical description. What about his spiritual description? Rasulullah ﷺ described his spiritual rank as, “‘Ammar’s heart overflows with Faith.” [al Nasai & ibn Majah]

As was the norm of the time, the weak were persecuted and tortured to quit their religion. Ammar RA was among the weak, as he had no strong family support. Knowing full well that he would undergo torture, Ammar RA chose to openly proclaim his faith. The polytheists caught hold of him and began their cruelty. He would be starved and made to swelter on the burning hot sands of Makkah. Rasulullah ﷺ would advise him to persevere and would announce, “Rejoice O family of ‘Ammar and O family of Yasir, for certainly your abode is Jannat.” [Al Mujam al Awsat] His entire family were promised Jannat. A household of Islam and a household of dwellers of Jannat.

The mushrikin brutally beat him and ruthlessly tortured him. He submitted somewhat to their demands, with aversion and disgust, just to be relieved of the pain. His heart, however, was still brimming with faith. Yet, he was perturbed as to whether his action was sanctioned or not. So he resorted to the presence of Rasulullah ﷺ seeking consolation. He explained to Rasulullah ﷺ what he had done, and clarified that his heart was secure in faith. The Sublime’s words were revealed to absolve him of blame:

إِلَّا مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُطْمَئِنٌّ بِالْإِيْمَانِ

Except for one who is forced [to renounce his religion] while his heart is secure in faith. [Nahl: 106]

He had yet another amazing quality which Rasulullah ﷺ highlighted, “‘Ammar is not given a choice between two matters, except that he chooses the one with more guidance in it.” [al Tirmidhi] This is very similar to the quality Rasulullah ﷺ possessed. Never did Rasulullah ﷺ make a choice between two things but he adopted the easier one as compared to the difficult one. His choice for the easier one was only in cases where it did not involve any sin. If it involved sin he was the one who was the farthest from it amongst the people. [Bukhari]

Ammar RA then made hijrah to Madinah, and participated in all the major battles, including Badr, Uhud, Hamra’ al Asad, Khandaq, Hudaybiyyah, Khaybar, the Conquest of Makkah, and Tabuk.

You might have realised by now that this individual was blessed and is one of the renowned and distinguished Sahabah RA. There’s more. He was the first to build a Masjid in Islam. Rasulullah ﷺ stopped in Quba’, a town on the outskirts of Madinah, during his hijrah journey. It was here where Ammar RA built a Masjid for Rasulullah ﷺ, making him the first Muslim to build a Masjid. [Usd al Ghabah] He is also the first to designate a section of his house as a masjid for worship. [Al Bidayah wa al Nihayah]

After Rasulullah’s ﷺ demise, he joined the armies who fought in the wars of apostasy. He fought in the epic battle of Yamamah against the notorious, Musaylamah al Kadhab. His ear was cut off during the course of battle, but this did not dampen his spirit and he continued fighting like a lion. After climbing a rock, he shouted to the Muslims, “Are you running away from Jannat? Come to me, come to me. I am ‘Ammar ibn Yasir.” Saying this, he rushed into the thick of battle and continued fighting ferociously despite his injury. [Usd al Ghabah]

He was beloved to Allah ﷻ. Once, someone had a skirmish with Ammar RA and came complaining to Rasulullah. The person used nasty words towards Ammar RA, which made him weep. Rasulullah ﷺ cautioned the man, “Whoever is an enemy to ‘Ammar is an enemy to Allah. And whoever harbours hatred for ‘Ammar, is hated by Allah.” Thereafter, nothing was more beloved to the man than ‘Ammar’s happiness. [Musnad Ahmed]

The list of his virtues and excellences never seem to end. Rasulullah ﷺ informed us, “Act on the guidance of ‘Ammar.” [Tirmidhi] Rasulullah ﷺ labelled him as pure and purified.

Umar ibn al Khattab RA had high regard for this renowned Sahabi. After appointing him governor of Kufah, he wrote to the residents, “After praising Allah, certainly I have sent to you ‘Ammar as leader and ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud as vizier. They are from the highbred Companions of Rasulullah ﷺ, so listen to them and emulate them.” [Al Tabaqat al Kubra]

When the caliphate of Ali RA began, he supported him to the fullest and participated in the battles alongside him. He was martyred on the side of Ali RA in the Battle of Siffin at the age of 93 in the year 37 A.H. [Tahdhib al Asma]