When he went to Basra as governor of the city, he called the inhabitants to a meeting and addressed them: “The Amir al-Muminin, Umar, has sent me to you to teach you the Book of your Lord and the Sunnah of His Prophet and to clean your streets for you.”

People were taken aback when they heard these words. They could easily understand that one of the responsibilities of a Muslim ruler was to instruct people in their religion. However, that one of his duties should be to clean streets was something new and surprising to them.

Who was this governor of whom the Prophet’s grandson, al-Hasan RA said: “There was no rider who came to Basra who was better for its people than he.”

His real name was Abdullah ibn Qays but he was and continues to be known as Abu Musa al-Ashari RA. He left his native land, the Yemen, for Makkah immediately after hearing that a Prophet had appeared there who was a man of rare insight, who called people to the worship of One God and who insisted on the highest standards of morality.

At Makkah, he stayed in the company of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) and gained knowledge and guidance. He returned to his country to propagate the word of Allah and spread the mission of the noble Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam). Just after the end of the Khaibar expedition he came to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) in Madinah. His arrival there coincided with that of Jaffar ibn Abi Talib and other Muslims from Abyssinia and the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) welcomed them all with joy and happiness.

This time Abu Musa did not come alone. He came with more than fifty persons from the Yemen all of whom had accepted Islam. Among them were his two brothers, Abu Ruhm and Abu Burdah. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) often praised the group for their soft and tender-hearted nature and held them up to the rest of his companions as a high example of good behaviour.

Abu Musa soon became highly esteemed in the Muslim community. He had many great qualities. He was a Faqih endowed with intelligence and sound judgement and was ranked as one of the leading judges in the early Muslim community. People used to say: “The judges in this Ummah are four: Umar, Ali, Abu Musa and Zayd ibn Thabit.”

Abu Musa had a natural, uncomplicated disposition. He was by nature a trusting person and expected people to deal with him on the basis of trust and sincerity. In the field of jihad, he was a warrior of great courage and endurance and skill. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said of him: “The master of horsemen is Abu Musa.”

“Abu Musa’s insight and the soundness of his judgment did not allow him to be deceived by an enemy in battle. In battle conditions he saw situations with complete clarity and executed his actions with a firm resolve.

In spite of the fact that Abu Musa was a strong and powerful warrior, he often left the battlefield transformed into a penitent, weeping person. At such times, he would read the Quran in a voice that profoundly stirred the souls of all who listened to him. Concerning his moving and melodious recitation of the Quran the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), had said: “Abu Musa has indeed been given one of the flutes of the people of David.”