Devoted
Companion Part-I
By Ma'il Kahairabad
CONTENTS
1.
Hadrat
Musab bin ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him)
2.
The Great Martyr
Hadrat Hamza (Allah be pleased with him)
3.
Hadrat
Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib (Allah be pleased with
him)
4.
Hadrat
Ja’afar Tayyar (Allah be pleased with him)
5.
Hadrat
‘Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah (Allah be pleased with
him)
6.
Hadrat
Saeed bin Zaid (Allah be pleased with him)
7.
Hadrat
Tufail bin ‘Amar Doosi (Allah be pleased with
him)
MUS’AB
BIN ‘UMAIR
(May Allah be pleased with
him)
Hadrat Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair (May Allah be
pleased with him) was a very handsome young man.
He was the son of ‘Umair’ a wealthy person.
He brought up his son in quite a luxurious
fashion. Mus‘ab enjoyed the best of
food, finest dresses and the best perfumes.
Whenever Mus‘ab passed through the streets,
dressed in precious clothes and profusely
perfumed, the sweet smell scented the atmosphere
all around and the people gazed at him with
amazement and appreciation. His beauty and
charm was the talk of the town. Every
person knew that Mus‘ab’s parents were
bringing up their son with great affection and
care. Whenever the Holy Prophet (peace be
upon him) talked of him, he said
“There is nobody more handsome in Mecca than
Mus‘ab. There is no person in the city
better clothed and fed than Mus‘ab.
There is no child brought up with mote affection
and love than him.”
Due to his charming personality and being a
lovely son of wealthy parents, every one- young
or old- had a great regard for him. When
he embraced Islam he was given a respectable
place in Muslim society. But it was not
due to his beauty, charm, good dress, good
manners or wealth, but due to his piety and fear
of God.
When
he embraced Islam, he was put to severe
hardships torture. The beauty and charm of
his person faded. He was also deprived of
the affection and care of his parents. But
his virtues and piety won the appreciation of
Allah and His Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
In his pursuit for winning the favour of Allah
and his His Holy Prophet (peace be upon him),
Mus‘ab cared neither for good food, nor good
dress. He was no more inclined towards costly
cosmetics and perfumes, instead he devoted
himself whole heartedly to serve the noble cause
of Islam.
Mus‘ab accepted Islam at a time when life had
been made unbearable for Muslims. He was
turned out of his home. Nobody talked to
him. He was social boycotted. He had
to suffer countless miseries. This
pampered young man embraced Islam at a time when
those who believed in Islam were refused food
and water and were thrown in dark prison cells.
Many bloodthirsty tyrants not satisfied with the
infliction of pain and injury, often murdered
their Muslim victims. There were other
hard-hearted fellows who had invented various
forms of torments, to inflict on poor Muslims.
They enjoyed the writhing and wriggling of their
Muslim prisoners. A Muslim thrown flat on the
burning Arabian sand in the mid-day sun with
very heavy stones placed his breast, or forcibly
stretched on red hot coals to the enjoyment of
the spectators, was an every day scene in Mecca.
Hadrat Mus‘ab accepted Islam during that
difficult period. One day a non believer
saw him offering prayers. He at once
informed his parents who turned hostile to their
son. All the affection of his mother
vanished. Al the love and care of his
father changed into anger and grief. They
admonished him. But, when they knew that
he was firm, they tied him with ropes and
threw him in a dark cell. He was kept in
prison for a long time, but his belief in
Islam was so deep that the torment of prison did
not change his mind. He sacrificed
everything and remained calm and quiet.
When the Muslims were ordered to migrate to
Abyssinia, this Youngman, brought up like a
Prince, also went to Abyssinia, alongwith the
other devotees of Allah. When he returned
from Abyssinia, people saw in him a different
person- all the luster and geity was gone.
He who would have scoffed at the most precious
raiment, was wearing a dress made of coarse,
worn-out blanket. The spectacle inspired
amazement, and awe among the onlookers.
His mother, too, pitied her son’s condition
and repented of the harsh treatment, she had
shown to him.
Meanwhile, Hadrat Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair
presented himself to the Holy Prophet (peace be
upon him) in such a condition that he had only a
piece of skin with patches here and there to
cover his body. When the Companions of the
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) saw this, they
hung their heads in awe. The Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) observed,
“Al-hamd-o-Lillah ! Now the condition of
the world and worldly people should change.
This is the young man who had no equal in Mecca
in the luxurious style in which he was brought
up. But the regard for virtue and love for
Allah and his Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)
have made him indifferent to all worldly
pleasures.”
During this period many people of Medina had
accepted Islam. They requested the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him) to send them a
preacher for teaching them the fundamentals of
Islam. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)
selected Hadrat Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair for this
purpose ; he gave him some instructions and sent
him to Medina. Later events showed that
mus‘ab bin ‘Umair proved himself worthy of
the confidence reposed in him.
On reaching Medina Hadrat Mus‘ab begant to
perform the duty entrusted to him with all the
sagaci6ty necessary for a preacher. He
went from door to door to convince the people
for the message of Islam. Initially he
talked to each person in terms which that person
could understand, and then presented to him the
message of Islam at the right moment. He
recited before the people selected verses of the
Holy Qur’an, which had a profound effect on
their minds. He treated his visitors very
politely. He had a natural gift for soft
speech and people who approached him instantly
became his friends. An incident is related
below, as an example:
One day Hadrat Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair was
explaining some Islamic precepts to a group of
Muslims. By chance an elite of Medina, Sa
‘ad bin ma ‘az happened to come there.
He had heard about Mus‘ab bin “Umair’s
preaching for Islam and was very angry with him.
He said to an influential person, Usaid
bin Huzair, “Turn this preacher of Islam out
of your neighbourhood. He has turned many
persons away from the path of their ancestral
faith. If I was not a relation of
SA‘ad ( with who Mus‘ab was staying), I
would not have asked you to do that, but would
have done it myself.” Usaid at once took his
spear and went to Sa ‘ad’s house. He
called both of them and said furiously,
“Who has called you here to lead the people
astray? If your lives are dear to you, go
away from this place at once.”
To this Hadrat Mus‘ab replied very gently,
“Please sit down and listen to us calmly.
If you like what we say, then you may accept it
otherwise we shall leave this place.”
Us‘ad stuck his spear in the ground and sat
down to listen to what Mus ‘ab recited
some verses of the Holy Qur‘an. He
explained to the audience the identity of Allah
as the Creator, the Master and the Merciful, in
such an impressive manner that in a short time
Usaid was filled with the light of fidelity and
he exclaimed, “What an excellent faith, How
can I embrace Islam? After that he recited
the Kalima and embraced Islam.
After some time Sa ‘ad bin Mu‘az also
arrived there mad with rage. But, he too
was softened like wax by the sublime eloquence
of Hadrath Mus‘ab, and before he left he had
already recited the Kalima about the Oneness of
Allah and become a Muslim. Soon after all
the inhabitants of Medina except a few, accepted
Islam.
It was in Medina too that Hadrat Mus‘ab bin
‘Umair did a remarkable work which shows his
intelligence and tact in propagating the call of
Islam. When the number is Muslims
increased in Medina, he organized them in a body
and requested permission of the Prophet (peace
be upon him) to lay the foundation of Friday
prayers.
When the permission of Friday prayers was
granted his first talks was to deliver a very
impressive address. Then he led the
congregational Friday prayers with great
reverence. In this way Hadrat Mus‘ab bin
‘Umair had the honour of founding the Friday
prayers. True, when Allah is please with a
person. He entrusts him with such noble
works. The successes which by the grace of
Allah Hadrat Mus‘ab achieved at Medina were
constantly reported to the Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him). When Mus‘ab’s mission had been
fully acomplished he led a group of Muslims to
Mecca to bring the Holy Prophet (peace be upon
him) to Medina. On arrival at Mecca the
first thing which Hadrat Mus‘ab did was to
approach the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) to
give him a full report of the success of his
mission. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon
him) was very pleased with Mus‘ab’a account.
A true Muslim (Momin) does not require anything
else but the pleasure of the Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him) of Allah.
Hadrat Mus‘ab’s mother learnt that her son
had returned home at last ; and that he was
staying with someone else. She felt
annoyed and sent him word : “My son! You have
returned to a town, in which I reside. But
woe to me! You have not come to see me!”
The reply which Hadrat Mus‘ab sent to his
mother shows his sincere devotion to the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him). He said,
“I will not see anybody before I have paid
homage to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon
him)".
The account of Hadrat Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair
(peace be upon him) give above presents before
‘us an exemplary proof of the great love he
had for Islam and the pains he took in
presenting Islam to the non-believers. He
sacrificed everything he possessed for the sake
of Islam-his charm and beauty, his wealth and
worldly belongings, his luxurious style of
living and shed his attachment to his parents,
his home- land, his people and his own country.
In short everything which was dear to him, was
sacrificed by him for Islam. But this
chapter of the history of Hadrat Mus‘ab bin
‘Umair (Allah be pleased with him) will remain
incomplete without an account of his death.
It may be recollected that Hadrat Mus‘ab bin
‘Umair (Allah be pleased with him) was not
only very handsome, he did not only possess the
qualities of submission and sacrifice, and he
was not only a master of high intelligence and
good eloquence, but he was also a gallant
soldier, a fearless warrior and an able
General. It was because of his gallantry
that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) had
entrusted him with the charge of the highest
banner of war, in the battle of Badr. At
the battle of Uhud also he got the rare honour
of holding the Muslim banner. The way in
which the high office of holding the war banner
was discharged in the two battles by this great
devotee of Islam may be judged from the events
of the Battle of Uhud.
In the battle of Uhud it so happened that the
battle was lost for a while by a casual mistake
of the Muslims. The non-believers of Mecca
attacked the Muslims in the rear and thus
disorganized the Muslim army. At that
critical time Hadrat Mus‘ab (Allah be pleased
with him) kept the Islamic banner flying high.
He attacked the forces of the enemy all alone.
He could not think of acting against the order
of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and
making a retreat. At that time many
non-believers attacked the Muslim warrior
simultaneously and surrounded him. There were
countless attacks on him by sword and spear.
With great valour he with stood the attack.
He bore the cuts of the enemy on his breast, but
held the Islamic banner in his hands firmly.
During this attack one of the enemies stepped
forward and cut off his right hand with one
stroke of the sword. The hand fell on the
ground. The banner was about to fall when
he transferred it to his left hand. The
enemy now took another chance and struck a
second blow of sword on his left hand. Still
Hadrat Mus‘ab did not lose courage; he did not
allow the banner to fall down; he held it by his
breast, within the circle of his arms. The
enemy was irritated to see such intrepid
devotion.
In savage fury, he threw the sword on the ground
and flung a spear at the breast of mus‘ab.
The pointed end of the blade pierced the chest,
broke and remained embedded there.
The great hero, thus fell to the ground reciting
the following Qur’anic verse :
Quranic Ayath (Aal Imran)
Wa
ma Muhammad-dun illa rasulun qad khalat min
qablehil rusul).
Meaning : “And Muhammad (peace be upon him)
is only a prophet of Allah. Many other
Prophets have passed away before him.
When the keeper of Islamic banner fell, the
banner fluttered in the air. Seing this
Abul Room bin ‘Umair (Allah be pleased with
him), brother of the martyr, moved forward and
took over the banner. He protected its honour
till the last.
When the battle came to an end the Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) stood by the dead body of
Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umair (Allah be pleased with
him) and recited the verse :
AAyath
AhZaab
(Minal
momeneena rejalun sadqu ma ‘ahadullaha ‘
alaihe) Meaning
: “There are some persone among the devoted
Muslims (momeneen) who kept ther promise made to
Allah.”
Then
the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) addressed
the dead body thus:-
“When I saw you for the first time in Mecca
there was nobody more handsome and well-dressed
than you. But, I see that today your hair
is uncombed and only a sheet of clothe covers
your body !”
the martyrs of Uhud could not get proper shrouds
because in those days Muslims were poor and
lacked money. Hadrat Mus ‘ab bin
‘Umair (Allah be pleased with him) had only a
sheet of cloth over his body; if the head was
covered, the feet were bare and when the feet
were covered the head was left bare. At
last his head was covered and the feet were
covered with grass. Such was the shroud of
Hadrat Mus ‘ab bin ‘Umair (Allah be pleased
with him)- the great martyr of the Muslim
nation.
HADRAT
HAMZA
Chief of the Martyrs
Hadrat
Hamza was related to the Holy Prophet{peace be
upon him} in several ways. He was the Holy
Prophet’s uncle on the one hand and, on the
other, he was the son of his maternal aunt.
Besides these family ties, he was also the Holy
Prophet’s foster brother.
Again
there was not much difference in their ages,
Hamza was only two years older than the Holy
Prophet {peace be upon him}. But in Islam
no person is superior to the other by virtue of
his race, family, nation or country. The
criterion of superiority, in Islam, is fear of
Allah, piety and devotion to the cause of
Islam. Allah had favoured Hazrat
Hamza{Allah be pleased with him}
With excellence in the arts of wrestling and
swordsmanship. Hadrat Hamza (Allah
be pleased with him) used his talents and
experience to its best in the cause of Islam and
earned the title of “Chief of the Martyrs”
from the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
Hadrat Hamza was very fond of wrestling and
hunting. He took great interest in
swordsmanship and archery.
The call of Tauhid {belief in the oneness
of Allah} was though given in his family first
and spread fast throughout the city and 38
persons embraced Islam but Hadrat Hamza
did not pay any attention to it in the
beginning. He was so deeply attached to
his pastimes that he hardly got any time to take
notice of the new developments in his towards
Islam in a peculiar way.
One day he was returning from a hunt. As
he entered the city he met a slave-girl.
She
said, “Had you come a bit earlier”, you
would have seen the condition of your nephew,
Muhammed (peace be upon him) . He was
preaching his religion in the Ka’aba when Abu
Jahl wildly abused and teased him. But
Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not retaliate
and went away with a broken heart.”
Hazrat Hamza (Allah be pleased with him) was
enraged. He rushed towards the Holy
Ka’ba. He was so excited that he did not even
pay heed to his friends whom he met in the
way. He went to the Ka’ba and found Abu Jahl
sitting there with his companions. He
pounced upon Abu Jahl and struck him with his
bow on the head with such force that his head
was broken. His companions ran to his rescue and
said: “Hamza! It seems you, too, have forsaken
your religion.”
Hamza said, “If truth dawns upon
me, who is there to check me! Well I declare now
and here that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a
Prophet of Allah, and whatever he says is true.
By Allah, I cannot go against Islam. If you can,
try to check me.”
When Abu Jahl saw Hamza (Allah be pleased with
him)in such a furious temper he asked his
companions to leave Hamza alone.
Those were the days when the Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him) had taken refuge in the house of
Arqam bin Abi Muslims from the torture and
torments of the non-believers in Mecca. People
could not dare to talk about Islam. But fearless
as he was, Hadrat Hamza proclaimed the truth of
Islam openly. The shows that no one among the
people of Arabia had the courage to challenge
Hamza (Allah be pleased with him). The
fact is that with the acceptance of Islam by
Hazrat Hamza
(Allah be pleased him) the whole situation
suddenly changed. Now the non- believers
had to think twice before inflicting any injury
on the Muslims . Thus Hadrat Hamza (Allah be
pleased with him) showed his courage and valour
for the first time in the cause of Allah.
The
acceptance of Islam by Hamza ( Allah be pleased
with him) did upset the enemies of Islam. They
held meeting to decide new course of action.
They considered several suggestions to suppress
Islam. In their frustration they decided to put
and end to the life of holy prophet (peace be
upon him) by any means.
They
offered a big reward for the purpose. Another
man of grate courage and spirit in Mecca rose
with a sword in his hand and marched toward the
house of Arqam bin Abi Arqam. He was
‘umar, who was later known as ‘ umar the
Great, and second caliph of islam. Many
compnions of the holy prophet (peace be upon
him) were present there. When they came to know
that ‘umar was coming they were perturbed but
Hadrat Hamza (Allah be pleased with him) said,
“we don’t care. Let him come. If he is
coming in sincerity, well and good otherwise I
shall strike off his head with his own sword.”
Such
was the courage and brevity of Hadrat Hamza and
his confidence in the strength bestowed upon him
by Allah.
The
Arabs were very proud of their superior race and
blood. This vanity proved hurdle in embracing
Islam for many a sensible person. On the
battlefield of Badr, Abul Bakhtari,
pointed towards the holy prophet (peace be upon
him) and say what do you think of him?”
Abu Jahl said, “No doubt he is a truthful
person. But, we cannot afford to sit at par with
persons like Bilal!” Bilal (Allah be pleased
with him) was a slave and had embraced Islam. In
those days the slaves were regarded so low and
mean that they could not claim any respect. The
manner in which they were treated stands no
comparison with the treatment shown to the
Indian untouchables and the African Negroes,
these day. But the teachings of Islam had
changed the devoted companions, so much so, that
they never made any discrimination between a man
and a man on the basis of race, colour, wealth
or caste. Hadrat Hamza (Allah be pleased with
him) was a very good example of it. The Holy
prophet (peace be upon him) declared his notable
slave, Zaid bin Harith (Allah be pleased with
him) as the brother in Islam of his uncle Hadrat
Hamza (Allah be pleased with him) and they
became so dear to each other that whenever one
of them went out, heap pointed other as his heir
and gave him instruction, by way of his will, in
every matter. Thus Hadrat Hamza (Allah be
pleased with him) preferred Islam on everything
else. He passed his life in total submission to
Allah only. He gave up hunting and wrestling and
devoted his whole time and energies to the cause
of Islam.
In
the thirteenth year of the prophet hood, Hadrat
Hamza (Allah be pleased with him) migrated along
with the other companions of the Holy prophet
(peace be upon him) to Medina. Here he got ample
opportunities of displaying his strength and
courage in the service of Islam. In the first
instance the Holy prophet (peace be upon him)
deputed thirty person to check the caravan of
the non-belivers of Mecca under the command of
Hadrat Hamza (Allah be pleased with him) and,
for the first time in history of Islam, Hadrat
Hamza (Allah be pleased with him) was entrusted
the banner of Islam.
As
this small detachment moved ahead it met a
caravan of Quraish under the leadership of Abu
Jahl. The caravan consisted of three hundred
horsemen. Hadrat Hamza (Allah be pleased with
him) decided to confront the three hundred
persons with his handful of companions. Finding
Hadrat Hamza (Allah be pleased with him) Majdi
bin ‘Amar, a person from Mecca intervened and
prevented an encounter. Both the parties
withdrew to their positions The Holy prophet
(peace be upon him) sent him on various military
expeditions with very few persons at his command
but he always succeeded in his assignments.
A
little later the battle of Badr was fought.
‘Utba, the most experienced and brave man of
the Meccan Quraish came forward along with his
brother and son. From the side of Muslims, some
Ansari youngmen advanced to meet them. But
‘Utba was so proud of his strength and bravery
that he took it as his insult to face person
below his standard. He cried out, “O
Muhammad we cannot fight against person below
our level. Send our equal to us.” The Holy
prophet (peace be upon him) then sent Hadrat
Hamza, Hazrat Ali and Hadrat ‘Ubaidah (May
Allah be pleased with them) to meet the
challenge. Hadrat Hamza attackad ‘Utba and
killed him with the first blow. Next came Taeema
bin Adi, another renowned warrior to take
revenge. But he too met the same fate at the
first stroke. The infidels infuriated by their
loss made a full fledged attack on the muslims.
Afierce battle took place. Hadrat Hamza wore a
turban with an ostrich plume over it and thus
looked very prominent among the Muslim warriors.
He held swords in both of his hands and killed a
number of infidels including their great
warriors. The enemy could not face the fierce
onslaught and took to his heels. The Muslims
captured a number of infidels including some
notaries of Mecca. Some of the prisoners asked,
“Who was the man with the ostrich plume?”
“Hamza
( Allah be placed with was him ) was the
answer.”
“He
inflicted great losses on us.” They said.
The infidels of Mecca suffered heavy losses of
life and property in this battle.
They
did not forget their defeat and raised a big
army next year to avenge the defeat and capture
madina . The Holy Prophet ( peace be upon him),
along with his devoted companions, checked the
enemy at Uhud. A wrester, Saba came forward and
challenged the Muslim warrior. Hadrat Hamza
accepted his challenge and said, “Do you dare
to fight against Allah and His Holy Prophet
(Peace be upon him) ?” then he struk Saba’
with a heavy blow and killed him.
Soon a fieree battele started. Hadrat Hamza (
Allah be Pleased with him) had killed many a
promint persons of the Quraish. So the Quraish
were after his blood. They made many a concerted
attack on Hadrat Hamza (Allah be pleased with
him) but every time he replled their attack and
killed about thirty infidels.
Jubair
bin Mut’im had specialy deputed a slave
named Wahshi to take revenge for his uncle
Ta’ima bin Adi. The slave was promised a
handsome reward in addition to his freedom.
Wahshi hid himself behind a rock in the
battledfield and waited for an opportunity to
attack Hadrat Hamza.Assoon as Hadrat Hamza
(Allah be pleased with him) came within range,
Wahshi threw his weapon with full force to hit
Hadrat Hamza (Allah be pleased with him) It was
such a deadly weapon that as it struck, Hadrat
Hamza (Allah be pleased with him) succumbed to
his injury.
Men
and women of the infidels rejoiced at the death
of Hadrat Hamza (Allah be pleased with him).
They sang and danced Abu Sufyan’s wife
Hinda’s father was killed in the battle of
Badr, by Harat Hamza (Allah be pleased with him)
She was so revengeful that she brought out the
liver of Harat Hamza from his dead body and
tried to munch and
Devour
it, but she could not swallow and spat it out.
Then she cut off the nose and ears of the dead
body and made a neacklace of them When the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him) Heard of it he said
:
“Did she eat any part of the body ?”
“
No was the reply.
He
(peace be upon him ) said : Allah will not let
any part of Hamza ’s body go to Hell.”
They
Holly Prophet (peace be upon him ) then came to
the dead body of his Uncle.
Hina
had multilated the corpse and made it a horrible
sight. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) saw
the body and his heart was moved . He said,
“Allah bless you, for you looked after your
relations and surpassed others in noble
deeds.But for the grief of Safia,
I
would have left you here in this condition for
animals and birds to eat. Then you could be
raised from their stomachs on the day Destiny By
Allah I shall take your revenge , I will chop
off the nose and ears of seventy infidels ’’
But
Allah forbade the Holy Prophet (peace be upon
him) to do so, and he resigned to the Will of
Allah.
Hazrat
Safia was the sister of Hadrat Hamza (Allah be
pleased with him). When she heard the news of
her brother’s martyrdom, she went to see the
face of her departed brother. But the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him) did not allow her to
go near the corpse and sent her back with
words of consolation. Before her departure,
Hadrat Safia gave two sheets of cloth to her son
Hadrat Zubair (Allah be pleased with
him)to make the shroud. By chance the dead body
of an Ansari was also lying nearby. So he gave
one sheet was, however, insufficient to “cover
the body of the Ansari martyr. A single sheet
was, however, insufficient to “cover the body
of Hadrat Hamza. If the head was covered, the
feet were left uncovered; and when the feet were
left uncovered; and when the feet were covered,
the head was left bare. The Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him) therefore advised to cover the head
and place grass and leaves over the feet.
In
such awe-inspiring circumstances the shroud of
“the chief of Masrtyrs” was prepared. The
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) himself led the
prayers. Then the coffins of all the martyr of
Uhud were placed, one by one, in a line. The
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) led the last
prayers for each martyr individually. Thus after
seventy prayers, the martyrs were laid to rest.
The
extent of love the Holy Prophet (peace be upon
him) had for Hadrat Hamza can be judged from the
following incident:
Wahshi,
the assasin of Hadrat Hamza (Allah be pleased
with him) embraced Islam after some time and
presented himself to the Holy Prophet (peace be
upon him) who said:
“Are
you Wahshi:
“Yes,
sir”, was the answer.
“Did
you kill Hamza?” said the Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him).
“Whatever
you know is correct, Sir,”
the
man said.
“Can
you hide your face from me for ever?” said the
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
Wahshi
left the place at once and did not show his face
during the life time of the Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him).
This
was the great martyr of Islam, who devoted his
Godgift qualities to the service of Islam, from
the day he embreaced it.
Hadrat
Hamza (Allah be pleased with him) married
several women from whom he has a number of
children but they all died during their
childhood. Only one, a girl named Amama
survived, who was left in Mecca at the time of
migration.
After
the conquest of Mecca, when the Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) and his companions (Allah be
pleased with them) were returning to Medina,
Amama ran after them crying: O my brother, O my
brother !” Hadrat ‘Ali (Allah be
pleased with him) took her in his arms and said,
“O Prophet of Allah, let me take this girl
under my care. She is my cousin. I will look
after her”. Hadrat Zaid bin Harisa presented
his claim over her and said, “I am Hamza’s
brother and custodian of his will. She is my
niece. I have a right over her”.
Hadrat
Ja’far Tayyar pressed his claim saying, “She
is my cousin and her maternal aunt is my
wife.”
The
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) gave his
decision in favour of Hadrat Ja’far Tayyar
(Allah be pleased with him) since a maternal
aunt is equal to the mother in relation.
When
Amama reached the age of puberty Hadrat Ali
(Allah be pleased with him) suggested to the
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) to marry her.
But the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)
refused, saying “Hamza was my foster brother
too. I cannot marry his daughter.”
The
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) had 10 or 11 l
uncles. Four of them earned a great name in
history---Abu Talib, Abu Lahab, Hadrat Hamza and
Hadrat Abbas. Abu Talib earned prominence
because he brought up his orphan nephew , Hadrat
Mohammad (peace be upon him) with great love and
care and always supported and protected him. Abu
Lahab got the evil reputation because of his
enmity with the Holy Prophet (peace be upon
him). He always tried his best to destroy Islam.
Both Hadrat Hamza and Hadrat ‘Abbas ( Allah be
pleased with them) embraced Islam and remained
firm and strong in their faith in Islam. They
could sacrifice anything and take any risk to
earn the pleasure of Allah. They proved their
loyalty to Islam by their words and deeds,
putting their resources and their life at stake
to serve the cause of Islam.
Though
Abbas (Allah be pleased with him)was an uncle of
the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), there was
not much differences in their ages. He was
nearly two and a half years older than the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him). He had a great love
for his nephew. Wherever they worked together,
Hadrat Abbas never allowed the Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) to undergo any hard work.
Once the Holy Ka’aba was under repairs,
everybody from Quraish, young or old took part
in this sacred project. The Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him) and his uncle, Hadrat Abbas were
bringing stones along with other children. While
working, the Holy Prophet’s shoulder was
bruised. His uncle Abbas (Allah be the pleased
with him) was upset and without any hesitation
he took off his own loin-cloth and put it on the
shoulders of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon
him) as a pad to protect him from bruises.
His
love for the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)
developed more and more with the age. Even
before embracing Islam he supported the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him) in every matter.
When he embraced Islam he devoted himself
whole-heartedly to the mission of the Prophet
(peace be upon him) conveyed the message of
Islam to the people in Mecca and invited them to
submit before Allah, Hadrat Abbas did not
concede apparently but he was fully aware of the
impact and implications of the message of
Islam and had all his sympathies with it . Thus,
when 70 Medinities approached the Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) in the valley of Mina,
during the Hajj session, and requested him to
migrate to Medina, Hadrat Abbas was also present
at the secret meeting. The speech which he made
on that occasion not only showed his vast
experience and sincerity of purpose, but also
revealed that he understood fully the
difficulties in the way of Islamic movement. He
said:
“You
know that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is highly
respected and revered in our family. We have
always protected him against the enemies. Now he
wants to accompany you. If you can stand by his
side till death, I do not object; otherwise you
should not take the risk.”
The
Ansars gave assurance of their sincere and
wholesale support. Hadrat Abbas was satisfied,
and the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)
migrated to Medina after a few days. Hadrat
Abbas stayed in Mecca, but his heart was
with the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). At
Medina, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)
conquered Khyber, a stronghold of the Jews.
Somebody in Mecca spread the rumour that the
Muslims have suffered a smashing defeat in
Khyber and that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon
him) has been taken prisoner and a number of his
followers have been killed.
The
Meccans were jubilant at the news, but there was
mouring and wailing at the house of Hadrat Abbas.
Hadrat Abbas could not believe it and sought
confirmation of the news from his sources. Soon
he came to know that the news was entirely false
and that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)
had gained a decisive victory over the enemies.
Then the joy of Hadrat Abbas knew no bounds. He
changed his dress took hold of his walking
stick, and arriving at Ka’aba began to make
rounds of the sacred house in a blissful mood.
People taunted him saying:
“By
Allah! Such a great calamity, and such a
show of resignation !”
Hadrat
Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) retorted,
“By the same Allah, of whom you have sworn,
what you say is quite incorrect. You must know
that Khyber has been conquered, and every inch
of its land is in the possession of the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him)and his followers.”
When
the Meccans made enquiries, they found that the
information of Hadrat Abbas was correct. They
felt small and humiliated and licked their
wounds.
Not
only did Hadrat ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with
him) share the sorrows and joys of the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him), but he coveyed
important news of Mecca to the Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) though he was still out of
the pale of Islam. He also helped the poor
Muslims who could not migrate to Medina for lack
of resources. Whenever Hadrat ‘Abbas
thought of migrating to Medina for lack of
resources. Whenever Hadrat ‘Abbas thought of
migrating to Medina, the Holy Prophet (peace be
upon him) stopped him and said: “It is better,
if you stay in Mecca. Just as I am the last of
the line of Prophets, you shall be the last
person to migrate from Mecca.”
The
Quraish of Mecca thought that ‘Abbas was
attached to Muhammad (peace be upon him) only
with the relation of blood but he did not
contribute to the faith of Islam. On this
assumption they compelled him to fight against
the Muslims in the battle of Badr. Hadrat Abbas
had to go, along with them to the battlefield.
But the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) knew
fully well the position of Hadrat Abbas (Allah
be pleased with him) and, had issued
insturctions to his companions saying:
“Do
not kill ‘Abbas, if you happen to meet him in
battle, since he has been brought into the
battlefield by force.”
In
the battle of Badar, Allah bestowed success upon
the Muslims. Hadrat ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased
with him) was taken prisoner. He was tied with
ropes so mercilessly that he groaned with pain.
Knowing him in distress, the Holy Prophet (pease
and blessing be upon him) could not sleep. As
soon as the holy companions came to know of it,
they loosened the bonds of Hadrat Abbas.
Such
was the love and affection between the Holy
Prophet (pease and blessing be upon him) and his
uncle Hadrat Abbas. But in the matter of justice
and principles no love and affection did count.
When the question of releasing the captives on
payment of ransom, arose, Hadrat Abbas was asked
to pay a heavy sum of money. In reply, Hadrat
Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) argued that he
was a Muslim by heart but could not dare to
disclose it because of the situation obtaining
in Mecca. The infidels forced him to take part
in the battle of Badar., The Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him) said: “Allah alone knows what is
there in one’s heart. If you speak the truth,
Allah will reward you. But no concession can be
given to you.”
Hadrat
Abbas said that he was a poor man. This Plea,
too, was not accepted. The Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him) said “I know you have deposited a
big amount of money with your wife,” Hadrat
Abbas was a we-stricken. He said, “By Allah,
no one else knew about that money beside myself
and my wife. No doubt you are the Prophet of
Allah”. Then he paid a large sum of money in
ransom. This brought release to him and two
other captives, his nephew Aqil and Naufal
bin Haris.
In
short Hadrat Abbas stayed in Mecca for a
considerable time without publicizing his views.
He got permission to migrate to Medina shortly
before the conquest of Mecca. So he took his
wife and children with him and reached Medina.
There he publicly proclaimed that he had
embraced Islam. This sent a wave of joy and
happiness among the Muslims and Hadrat ‘Abbas
began to support the Muslims openly.
Hadrat
‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) was very
wealthy before embracing Islam. After the death
of his father, he took charge of the management
of the Ka ‘ba and of providing the pilgrims
with water. He performed this duty very
efficiently till his migration to Medina. His
source of income was trade. He lent money on
interest. After the conquest of Mecca in 10 A.H.
the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) delivered a
farewell sermon on the occasion of his last Hajj
in which he declared that usury was prohibited (haram)
by Allah, He said:
Henceforth
the business of lending money on interest is
forbidden. And the first interest, I forego, is
that of ‘Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib.”
After
this proclamation all the income of Hadrat
‘Abbas from usury stopped. The business in
Mecca has already closed at the time of his
migration to Medina. So the Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him) helped him with the property seized
in battles and also gave him some portion of the
income from Fidak, a garden which was owned by
the Holy Prophey (peace be upon him). Hadrat
‘Abbas spent this money very generously. He
was a very effective. During the caliphate of
Hadrat ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him), once
there were no rains and the country faced a
dreadful famine. Hadrat ‘Umar (Allah be
pleased with him) requested Hadrat Abbas to pray
for Allah’s mercy. As soon as Hadrat ‘Abbas
raised his hands in prayer the clear sky was
covered with dense clouds and it rained so
heavily that there was plenty of water for a
good harvest.
The
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) had a great
regard and respect for Hadrat ‘Abbas (Allah be
pleased with him) on account of his extreme love
and effection as well as his great qualities and
character. If any one put him to grief, the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him) was displeased and
used to say; ‘Abbas is the uncle of the
Prophet of Allah and an uncle is equal in
status to the father.”
Sometimes
he (peace be upon him) would say: ‘Abbas
is the uncle of the Prophet of Allah. He is the
most generous among the Quraish and has great
regard of his relations.” Once the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him) addressed Hadrat
‘Abbas thus:
“By
Allah Who is my Creator, whosoever does not love
you for the sake of Allah and his Prophet,
will be devoid of faith. My uncle is just like
my father to me.” When the Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him) passed away, people went to Hadrat
‘Abbas to offer their condolences.
Hadrat
‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) has a
powerful voice. In the battle field when nothing
could be audibel in the noise of the clash of
weapons and the shouts of soldiers, Hadrat
‘Abbas’s voice could be easily heard. Once
he said: “In the battle of Hunain, I was
holding the reins of the horse of the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him) and was running by
its side. At the height of the battle, the enemy
made such a wild attack that the Muslims were
dispersed. The Holy Prophet cried, ‘Abbas !
call the spearmen. I had a loud voice, so I
shouted, “O you people with spears! Where are
you?” The retreating warriors heard the call
and turned towards the enemy and made them
retreat. Thus a lost battle was won.”
A
simple story is related here about Hadrat
‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) which
contains many a lessons for those who wish to
seek the pleasure of Allah. The story is like
this”
“During
the days of Hadrat ‘Umar Farooq, some people
complained that the water outlet of the roof of
Hadrat Abbas opened towards the holy mosque.
When ever it rains the water collected on his
roof falls in the courtyard of the mosque and
the people offering prayers are put to great
difficulty. The Caliph ordered the water outlet
to be closed. Hadrat ‘Abbas filed a suit
against the Caliph. In his petition he argued
that the water outlet was in the same position
even during the days of the Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him), and that it has been closed
without his permission.
The
Qadi heard the case. He called witnesses and
then gave the verdict in favour of Hadrat
‘Abbas. Hadrat ‘Abbas opened the water
outlet in the presence of Hadrat ‘Umar Farooq
(peace be upon him). When it was done, the uncle
of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“O,
leader of the faithfull. Had I forsaken my
claim, the people might have suspected that I
had done so because of your fear and to gain
your favour. Now that I have won the case, I
donate this house for the sake of Allah. Now you
may use this house as you wish.”
Thus
in the pursuit of seeking pleasure of Allah,
Hadrat ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) died
at the age of 88. Among his children Hadrat
‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with
him) was a renowned companion of the Holy
Prophet.
Hadrat
Ja ‘far Tayyar was the brother of Hadrat
‘Ali (Allah be pleased with him. His
father’s name was Abu Talib. By this relation
Hadrat Ja ‘far was a first cousin of the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him). After the death of
his parents and his grandfather, the Holy
Prophet )peace be upon him) had lived with Abu
Talib. Hence Hadrat Ali and Hadrat Ja
‘far Tayyar (Allah be pleased with them) loved
him very much. Since they had been so close,
they were well acquainted with each other. The
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) loved Hadrat Ja
‘far not because he was his first cousin, but
because of his virtues.
When
the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) preached
Islam to the members of his own family for the
first time, Hadrat ‘Ali (Allah be pleased with
him) embraced Islam at once. After a few days
when the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was
offering his prayers with Hadrat ‘Ali (Allah
be pleased with him), Abu Talib suddenly came in
with Hadrat Ja ‘far, Abu Talib saw his son and
nephew engaged in prayers with great reverence.
He was much impressed by this scene. He said to
Hadrat Ja ‘far, “My dear son, you may
also join them.” Hadrat Ja ‘far (Allah be
pleased with him) at once stood at the left side
of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). He said
the prayers. For the first time in his life he
felt such exceeding joy in offering worship to
one Allah that never again did he think of
worshipping any other god. He testified faith in
one Allah and ever remained a faithful follower
of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
In
those days it was not easy to follow Islam. The
infidels of Mecca constantly harassed and
persecuted even highly placed persons for the
“crime” of embracing Islam. When Abu Talib
was alive he restrained the infields to a great
extent with his personal influence and kind
temper. But after his death the persecution of
the infidels became unbearable. Hazrat Ja ‘far
was no exception. When the Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him) saw that the cruelties of the
Quraish had become intolerable, he ordered the
Muslims to migrate to Abyssinia. By the order of
their beloved Prophet (peace be upon him ), a
party of Muslims migrated to Abyssinia. Hadrat
Ja ‘far accompanied them.
The
immigrants had hardly reached Abyssinia when a
group of Quraish pagans arrived. Their sole
purpose was to bring back the immigrants to
Mecca, and take revenge from them. They
presented themselves in the court of the Najashi,
king of Abyssinia, and said.
“O
king, some of our misguided youth have forsaken
the religion of their ancestors and have
embraced a new faith. They have run away from
their motherland to your kingdom. We have been
sent by their elders and relations to you with
the request that they be asked to go back with
us. We hope you will kindly allow us to take
them back.”
Najashi
was a very intelligent and good-natured king. He
did not think it proper to hand over the
immigrants to them without making an enquiry. He
called the Muslims to his court and said:
“What is that religion for which you left the
religion of your ancestors ?”
The
Muslims deputed Hadrat Ja ‘far to answer
Najashi. On that occasion Hazrat Ja ‘far
delivered a remarkable speech before the
non-Muslims. His speech contained good criticism
of the existing society on the one hand, and on
the other, it was a comprehensive account of
Islam, and its values. This speech, though
short, was very eloquent. He said:
“O
king, our people were ignorant and wild. We
worshipped idols. We ate the flesh of the dead.
We committed evil. We teased our neighbours. The
strong tormented the weak. We usurped the rights
of our relations. Oppression and evil was our
daily routine of life, when Allah, with all his
kindness sent towards us a man from amongst us
as His Prophet. We knew him well and found him
most honest and trust worthy, pious and
virtuous, who commanded great respect and
confidence in Mecca. He forbade us to worship
idols and associate other deities with Allah. He
convinced us of the Oneness of Allah, and truth
and honesty. He taught us how to love the
neighbours and relations and avoid telling to
lie. He told us not to murder any one without
reason. He prohibited deception, wrangling and
evil and warned to keep our hands off the
orphan’s property. He forbade us to make false
accusation against anybody. He called the people
to abandon idolatory, believe in one God, offer
prayers, observe fasts and pay zakat. We have
full faith in him and follow the way of life
practiced by him. We abandoned idolatory and
submit to One God. We came to know of lawful and
unlawful. Consequently our own community and our
friends turned into foes because of the change
in our life and our views. They were determined
to bring us back to idolatory and other evil
practices by tormenting us and even take our
lives if necessary. When their brutalities
became unbearable we migrated to your
country under orders of our Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him).
Najashi
listened to this speech attentively and then he
said: “Recite to me some verses from the
Book revealed to your Prophet.” Hadrat Ja
‘far (Allah be pleased with him), recited some
verses from Surah Maryam. Najashi was deeply
moved. He said: “By Allah! Your Holy Book and
our Holy Book, the Old Testament, get light from
the same source.” Then he told the Meccans
very plainly, “By Allah, I will never hand
over the Muslims to you.”
Having
failed in their trick, the Quraish thought of
another plan. They again presented themselves in
Najashi’s court and said: “Sire, Do you know
what is the opinion of these Muslims about
Christ?” Najashi called the Muslims again for
a reply. The Muslims hesitated because Islam
refutes the Chiristians’ belief that Christ is
the son of God. They feared that Najashi would
get angry on hearing the truth. But Hadrat Ja
‘far (Allah be pleased with him) resolved that
he would speak the truth at all cost and that he
would present before Najashi the correct view of
Islam about Jesus Christ. He said, “We believe
in Christ as a devotee of Allah, a Prophet and
His soul,” Najashi picked up a piece of straw
from the ground and said: “By God, The
Christ, son of Mary, is nothing more than what
you said, not even to the worth of an straw.
The
Quraish returned without any success, and Hadrat
Ja ‘far stayed in Abyssinia with other
Muslims. Meanwhile the Holy Prophet (peace be
upon him) migrated to Medina from Mecca. Khyber
was conquered in 7 A.
H. Now, the Muslim immigrants in
Abyssinia also went to Medina. The love and
affection, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)
had with Hadrat Ja ‘far, may be judged from
the way they both met. The Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him) embraced his dear consin as he came
to him and kissing his forehead with affection
said, “I do not know whether the return of Ja
‘far has pleased me more, or the conquest of
Khyber.”
In
the eighth year of Hijrah three thousand Muslims
met one lakh Romans in the battle of Mauta.
Hadrat Zaid bin Haritha led the Muslim army.
Hadrat Ja ‘far also took part in this battle.
Hadrat Zaid laid down his life for the cause of
Islam.
Next
to him Hadrat Ja ‘far commanded the Muslim
army. He broke through the ranks of the enemy
with the Muslim flag in his hand, and pushed the
enemy back. But the overwhelming number of the
enemy held sway everywhere. Hadrat Ja ‘far’s
whole body had innumerable wounds upon it. He
lost both of his hands. He was so dauntless that
when one hand was cut off and it fell to the
ground, he supported the banner with his second
hand. And, when the second hand was also cut
off, the bold soldier of Islam did not allow the
banner to fall down, but pressed it to his
breast, and the Romans killed him in that
position.
‘Abdullah
bin ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) had also
joined this battle. He says, “When I searched
out the dead body of Ja ‘far (Allah be pleased
with him), I counted fifty wounds on his body at
the front; the number of all the wounds over the
whole body was more than ninety. But, by Allah,
he had no wound on his back.”
The
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) at once knew
about the couse of events in this battle through
the Holy Ghost. Tears began to flow from his
eyes. Gabriel, the Holy Ghost had also informed
the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) that Allah
had given two wings to Hazrat Ja ‘far in place
of his lost arms, with which he was flying about
in the Eternal Gardens. In the Arabic language
the flier is termed “tayyar”. So he became
known as “Ja ‘far Tayyar” (Allah be
pleased with him).
Hazrat
Ja ‘far Tayyar (Allah be pleased with him)
possessed many other qualities besides courage
and chivalry. He was associated with the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him) ever since his
childhood, and was fully acquainted with the
spirit and implications of Islam. He strictly
followed the commandments Allah and the Holy
Prophet throughout his life and acquired a very
high and respectable position among the
companions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon
him). Hadrat Abu Huraira says: “On several
occasions I tied pebbles to my stomach to lesson
the pangs of hunger. And, while in desperate
hunger, I used to ask the meaning of some
Qur’anic verses from well to do persons,
(although I knew their meaning) in the hope that
they would take me home and feed me. In
helping the poor and needy I found Ja ‘far
(Allah be pleased with him) better than others.
He would take us home and put before us anything
he had. Sometimes he served us with an empty bag
of honey or butter and tore it open, so that we
could satisfy our hunger by licking it.
This
shows that Hadrat Ja ‘far (Allah be pleased
with him) was very hospitable. The Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) used to call him ‘Abul
Masakeen’ (guardian of the needy). The Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him) once said.
“Ja
‘far! You resemble me in features as well as
in habits.”
That
was why the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)
regarded him as one of his fourteen trusted
friends. Hadrat Ja ‘far’s son ‘Abdullah
says :
“Whenever
I asked my uncle, Hadrat ‘Ali (Allah be
pleased with him) for something, he refused; but
when I demanded anything in the name of my
father, Ja ‘far, he would never refuse.
HADRAT
UBAIDA BIN AL-JARRAH
CUSTODIAN
OF THENATION (Aminul Ummah)
(Allah be pleased with him)
Hadrat
‘Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah (Allah be pleased with
him) is one of those ten holy companions who
received the tidings during lifetime that they
are destined to go to Paradise. Another
distinction of Hadrat ‘Ubaida was the title of
‘Amin-ul-Ummah’, i.e. “Custodian of the
Nation,” conferred upon him by the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him). An account of his
life would inspire us to follow the trial set by
him and serve the cause of Islam with same zeal
and fervour to earn the pleasure of Allah and an
eternal reward.
Before
embracing Islam, Hadrat Abu ‘Ubaida was one of
Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddiq’s friends. When
Siddiq-i-Akbar (Allah be pleased with him)
embraced Islam, he invited all of his friends to
Islam. None of his intelligent and sensible
friends lagged behind in acquiring the blessings
of Islam. Such famous companions as Zubair and
Talha (Allah be pleased with them) embraced
Islam on the invitation and preaching of
Siddiq-i-Akbar (Allah be pleased with him).
Also, persons of sound judgement like Abdul
Rahman bin ‘Auf, zealous warriors like Sa’d
bin Waqqas, persons of intergrity like
‘Othman bin ‘Affan and Abu ‘Ubaida (Allah
be pleased with them) embraced Islam through his
efforts.
Hadrat
‘Ubaida (Allah be pleased with him) ranks high
in the merit list of first converts to Islam who
endured the unbearable, torments of the infidels
of Mecca. He went through all their barbarities
and persecution and never did he stagger. He had
to leave his home, family, wealth and property.
Twice he migrated to Abyssinia and made his
third migration to Medina. There too the Muslims
were not allowed to live in peace. The infidels
of Mecca challenged the Muslims in the battle of
Badr. Hadrat Abu ‘Ubaida took part in the
battle with great zeal. This can be judged from
the fact that Hadrat ‘Ubaida was in the ranks
of the Muslim army, while his father opposed him
in the enemy forces. The father tried his best
to make his son, Abu ‘Ubaida, a target of his
arrows, while the son avoided confrontation with
his father. But when ‘Ubaida saw that
his father did not refrain from aiming at his
own son, the love for Allah overcame the filial
affection, and he killed him with one stroke of
his sword. This shows that, in matters of
religion, all relations such as mother, father,
sisters, brother, and ties such as race and
nation are severed, and a devotee of Allah is
cut off from every body and devotes himself to
the service of Allah only. The Holy Quran says
about such devotees of Islam:--
“You
will not find folk who believe in Allah and the
last Day loving those who oppose Allah and his
Messengers, even though they be their fathers or
their sons or their brethren or their kin. As
for such, He has written faith upon their hearts
and has strengthened them with a devotion to
Him.” 58 : 22
The
battle of Badr was followed by the battle of
Uhud. In this battle his Holy Prophet received
an injury on the face, and two pieces of iron
from the armour were plunged into the flesh of
his face, Abu ‘Ubaida (Allah be pleased with
him) pulled out the splinters with his teeth,
and in this process broke two of his teeth. But
that devotee of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon
him) did not take any notice of that until he
had extracted the iron pieces.
Besides
the battles of Badr and Uhud, Hadrat Abu
‘Ubaida (Allah be pleased with him) stood by
the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) in all the
other battles too. He always fought gallantly
against the enemy. In addition to taking part in
all these battles, Abu ‘Ubaida completed with
success every assignment given to him by the
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
The
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) once dispatched
Umar bin al’As (Allah be pleased with him)
with a body of troops on an expendition. On
reaching there Umar bin al’As (Allah be
pleased with him) asked for some reinforcements
to be sent to him. The Holy Prophet (peace be
upon him) sent two hundred warriors under the
command of Hadrat Abu ‘Ubaida (Allah be
pleased with him).
The
importance of this auxiliary force can be judged
by the fact, that among others it included men
like Abu Bakr Siddiq and ‘Umar Farooq (Allah
be pleased with them).
With
the arrival of the reinforcement a problem
cropped up. In the presence of the most eminent
companions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon
him) who should command the forces? Hadrat
‘Amar bin al’As (Allah be pleased with him)
was no match to Hadrat Siddiq Akbar, Hadrat Umar
Farooq and Hadrat Abu Ubaida. Amar bin al’As
insisted that he should continue as the
commander for strategic reasons. Abu ‘Ubaida
(Allah be pleased with him) agreed with him.
This event shows the loftiness of Abu
‘Ubaida’s character. He had gained so much
in the company of the Holy Prophet (peace be
upon him) in terms of piety, virtue and
character that after the Holy Prophet (peace be
upon him), Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddiq and Hadrat
‘Umar Farooq (Allah be pleased with them)
entrusted him with missions of great
responsibility. The invasion of Syria was an
important Issue during the period of the first
two caliphs. Serious encounters had taken place
with the Christians at Damascus, Makhal,
Ladqia,Yarmouk and several other places. Abu
‘Ubaida (Allah be pleased with him) commanded
the Muslim armies very efficiently. A few events
of the battle at Yarmouk are cited here, as
example.
Hadrat
Abu ‘Ubaida (Allah be pleased with him)
marched intoi the territory of the Roman emperor
Hercules, after defeating his armies and
conquering several forts. The Roman Emperor was
aghast, He warned all the Christian states about
the looming danger. He raised a huge army and
the Christians made a vow to drive the Muslims
out of their land. Receiving the news Hadrat Abu
‘Ubaida (Allah be pleased with him) halted at
Hamas and called a meeting of his subordinate
officers. After delivering a fervent address, he
held a council of war.
A
veteran suggested: “We should go out to meet
the enemy leaving the women folk and the
children in the city. We should write at the
same time to Hadrat Khalid bin Walid and Hadrat
‘Umar bin al’As (Allah be pleased with them)
to reach here as soon as possible from Damascus
and Palestine.” By the time the Muslim had
occupied Hamas and its Christian inhabitants had
agreed to pay Jizia (protection money) and
remain faithful to the Muslim. But the Muslims
and the Christians had no experience of one
another. So, another Muslim veteran said:
“We
should not leave our families at the mercy of
Chiristians.”
General
Abu ‘Ubaida (Allah be pleased with him)
observed
“Should
then we get the city evacuated by the Christians
as our first step..”
Sharjil
bin Hasana (Allah be pleased with him) rose and
said:
“O
our leader ! It would be breach of faith and a
violation of agreement in the eyes of Islamic
law, and you cannot do that.”
The
custodian of the Muslim nation, Abu ‘Ubaida (Ameen
ul Millat), could not imagine to go against the
principles of Islam at any cost. He conceded the
point and returned the protection money received
as Jizia to the Christians of the city with the
remarks,
“Jizia
was collected from you as a token money for your
protection. Since we are not ina position to
guarantee protection to you we have no right to
keep the money with us.”
The
Christians of Hamas had never seen such a
character and fairplay. They were moved to tears
and prayed “May Allah bring you back soon!
On
learning the evacuation of Hamas by the Muslim
occupants, Hercules as greatly encouraged. The
Romans gathered a huge force in Yarmouk to rout
the Muslims and remove the danger of Islam for
ever. But there were men among the Romans who
knew the metal of Muslims and their courage and
fearlessness. They advised their courage and
fearlessness. They advised their leadership to
avoid confrontation with the Muslim forces.
Consequently a Roman named George was sent as a
messenger to negotiate with the Muslims, he was
very much impressed with their honesty and
character. He also met Hadrat Abu ‘Ubaida
