Suhaib ibn Sinaan (RA) and starting over

The story

Suhaib ibn Sinaan was born into comfort — his father governed a province on the Euphrates — but that comfort ended the day Roman raiders captured the region and took him, still a boy, into slavery. He was sold on to Makkah, where his new owner noticed his sharpness and sincerity and eventually freed him, letting him build a life through trade.

He found his way to the Prophet ﷺ almost by accident. Standing outside Dar al-Arqam one day, he ran into Ammar ibn Yasir, another man drawn there out of curiosity about what Muhammad ﷺ was saying. Neither had told the other why they'd come. They went in together, listened, and both embraced Islam before the day was out.

When the time came for the Prophet ﷺ to migrate to Madinah, Suhaib was meant to travel with him and Abu Bakr, but the Quraysh caught wind of it and held him back. He set out alone soon after, and when their riders caught up with him on the road, he offered them a plain choice: face him for it, or take every coin he owned and let him go in peace. They took the wealth he'd spent years rebuilding and let him ride on with nothing.

When the Prophet ﷺ saw him arrive at Quba empty-handed but unharmed, he called out warmly, "O Abu Yahya, a profitable trade!" Not long after, a verse was revealed praising those who "sell themselves, seeking the pleasure of Allah." Suhaib had already lost everything once, as a child with no say in the matter. This time, he chose it himself — and never once called it a loss.