In the initial period of Islam, a small and oppressed family of four embraced the religion. Each of them displayed an incredible degree of perseverance in facing up to the ruthless tortures of the polytheists. These four persons were Yasir, his wife Sumaiyyah and their two children A’mmar and A’bdullah.
Yasir stood steadfast in his religion, suffering the abuses of the enemies, till he eventually died. His wife Sumaiyyah, in spite of her advanced age, resolutely bore the tortures of the enemies till eventually Abu Jahl inflicted her final injury. Sumaiyyah therefore attained martyrdom as a result of a blow to her abdomen.
Abu Jahl, in addition to physically torturing Sumaiyyah, also tortured her psychologically at a time when she was old and frail. He used to taunt her saying:
“You have brought faith upon Muhammad not because of God, but because you are enamoured with Muhammad and captivated by his good looks.”
Yasir’s son, A’bdullah, was also subjected to great tortures but he too remained steadfast. The other son, A’mmar, would be taken to the scorching desert, stripped under the hot sun and have an iron coat-of-mail placed over his half-burnt body. He would then be forced to lie on the heated sand, the particles of which were like tiny smouldering pieces of iron from the blacksmith’s furnace. As a result, the chains of the coat-of-mail would penetrate into A’mmar’s body and he would be told,“Reject Muhammad (s.a.w.) and worshipLat and U’zza,”but A’mmar never succumbed to their torture.
The burning metal left such traces imprinted upon his body that when the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) saw him, A’mmar appeared to resemble someone who was afflicted with leprosy. The disease-like marks upon the face, arms and body of A’mmar gave him the appearance of a leper.
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) used to say to this family:
“O’ Family of Yasir! Be patient and remain steadfast, for undoubtedly Paradise is your abode.” ( Hikaayat-ha-e-Shanidani, vol. 5, pg. 25; Tafsir al-Manaar, vol. 2, pg. 367 )