Part 50

When the army returned to Al-Madinah after the war, some of the people of the city were not happy with their performance; tossing up earth in the air they shouted, “Look! The cowards who fled from the battlefield have come back!”

When the Prophet # saw this he said:

“Listen, these people are not cowards, neither have they run away from the battlefield. This is a military strategy - to refresh themselves and return to confront the enemy. ”

Doubtless this was a wise move by the Prophet 38.

To get a handful of companions out of the mouth of the dragon, as it were, is proof of great bravery and courage. This was the first martial exploit of Khalid bin Waleed 4 after he converted to Islam. As time passed he displayed his invaluable qualities of heroism and valour in ever greater measure.

The nightingale of the court of the Prophet %, Hassan bin Thabit &, recited extempore beautifully sad verses, which have become important classics of the elegiac genre of Arabic poetry. When he was martyred Ja’far bin Abi Talib - was about forty-one years old.

At the time of death he was reciting the verses of a war epic; the following is a rough translation -

This is great! Near now the pure Jannah and its cool waters;

For the Romans the torture of Jahannum is near.

These unbelievers, by birth are far from nobility;

It is my duty to lop off their heads as I pass them.

Emperor Najashi accepted Islam because he was moved by the invitation of Ja’far bin Abi Talib 4. ‘Najashi’ was a title common to all tulers of Ethiopia. The name of the ruler who was a contemporary of Ja’far bin Abi Talib 4 was Ashamah. It is written in the ‘Tabagat Ibn Sa‘d' that when the Prophet 3% returned to Al-Madinah after signing the Treaty of Hudaibiyah in the year 8 Hijrah, he sent ‘Amr bin Umayyah Al-Dhamri to Ethiopia to Emperor Najashi with a letter. He

received the letter and kissed it reverently, descending from his throne. Displaying respectful hospitality and humility, he sat down on the ground, and recited the oath of allegiance to Islam.

In the year 9'b Hijrah on his return from Tabook, he passed away. (To Allah we belong and to Him we return.)

In a tradition attributed to Jabir # and recorded in Sahih Al-Bukhari it is said that the Prophet # announced the passing away of Najashi to his Companions and offered his funeral prayers.

Ibn Habban has narrated on the authority of ‘Imran bin Hassain that the Prophet 3 said, “Your brother Najashi has expired, let us offer funeral prayers for him.” He moved forward and his Companions formed rows behind him. During the prayers he recited “Alla@ho Akbar’ four times. The swearing of the pledge of allegiance to Islam by Najashi in the presence of Ja’far bin Abi Talib .& is a historic incident.

The unique excellence of Ja’far bin Abi Talib & in appearance and character was indeed enviable. He cut off the legs of his horse before he was martyred and fought as if obsessed by his passion for martyrdom. This was the forerunner of great honours to be bestowed on him by Allah ¥%.

The fact that he was elevated to a lofty position in Paradise is proof and acknowledgement of the great services rendered by him to Islam. His

appointment as Commander-in-Chief in the Battle of Motah by the Prophet % is again a clear acknowledgement of his military prowess.

His intelligence and sound judgement is proved by the fact that he was one of the first to accept Islam.

He left for Paradise after gaining martyrdom having lived this earthly life for forty-one years.

“Come back to your Lord, well-pleased (yourself) and wellpleasing (unto Him)!” (89:28)

Huthaifah bin Yaman The Prophet % said:

“O Huthaifah! You have the right to call

yourself either a Mohajir or an Ansar.

Huthaifah bin Yaman 2 was of medium height and was sturdily built. He had shining white teeth that seemed to glitter at times like diamonds. His eyes were as sharp and keen as those of a hawk, and he had no problem finding the target for his arrows even in the dark. He was an experienced and valiant general who led a temperate life. He was also the confidant of the Prophet 3. He had been the big-hearted and ascetic governor of Madyan. He used to keep awake at nights, praying. He knew the Noble Qur’4n by heart; in other words he was a Hafidh of the Noble Qur’an. He was also learned in the Hadith.

He was the fortunate Companion who by his farsighted caution and vital planning in the Battle of Ahzab, won the goodwill and confidence of the Prophet 3. He was the son of Haseel bin Jabr Al ‘Absi Al-Yamani 2 who had been martyred in the Battle of Uhud. He was an ally of the Ansér, and also helped the migrants.

Haseel bin Jabr was from the tribe of ‘Abbas which was known for its courage but had a reputation for treachery, murder and plunder as well. Haseel bin jabr had killed a man ! from his own tribe, and fled in panic to Al-Madinah. There he had found refuge with a man from the Banu ‘Abd Al-Shahal tribe. He was from Yemen and since the celebrated tribes of Aus and Khazraj were originally from Yemen, he had no

} Observance of tribal loyalty was an honourable tradition among the Arab tribes. Murder and plunder were common, in fact_ men who committed such acts against other tribes or wayfarers were considered brave heroes.

difficulty in finding a safe haven there. Very soon he got married to Rubab bin Ka‘b, a young woman from the Banu ‘Abd Al-Shahal tribe. Soon a son was born to them whom they named Huthaifah.

Since Haseel bin Jabr was originally from Yemen, the people of AlMadinah named _ the boy Yamani. He came to be known by this name and soon his original name was forgotten.

When the son of Amenah, Muhammad % proclaimed himself to be the Messenger of the One True Allah, Huthaifah and his father migrated to Makkah and pledged allegiance in person to the Prophet %, and entered the fold of Islam

Thus, these fortunate father and son had the honour of being the very first people to migrate in the cause of Islam. Since they were allies of the Banu ‘Abd Al-Shahal in Al-Madinah they were blessed in that they were able to help those who migrated there from Makkah. Thus they were Ansars as well. This is why the Prophet 3 said they had the liberty to call themselves either Ansar or Mohdjir; but they preferred to be known as Ansér.

Huthaifah bin Yaman # is one of the select band of Companions who gained the distinction of performing daring exploits in the battlefield. He displayed remarkable courage in all the wars fought by the Prophet #, side by side with him. The only battle he missed was the Battle of Badr. Even here, both father and son set out to join the army, but they were encircled by the Quraish. Abu Jahl asked Yamani ,

“Who are you young man and who is this old man with you? “ The youth replied very calmly;

“Tam Huthaifah bin Yaman ‘Abasi and this is my father, Haseel bin Jabr ‘Abasi.”

Abu Jahl said, “Oso you are going to help Muhammad 3%?” He replied, “We are going to Al-Madinah.”

Abu Jahl told them that he was in charge of them and if they tried to go anywhere they would be killed. One of Abu Jahl’s warriors then

whispered to him that if they harmed these two the whole ‘Abas tribe would turn against them and it would not be in their interests to rouse the animosity of this whole tribe. On hearing this, Abu Jahl shook his head and questioned,

“So you both wish to go to Al-Madinah? We will free you on one condition; swear that you will not help Muhammad in the Battle of Badr.”

The father and son took the oath in order to save their necks as there was no other way of getting out of the stranglehold he had on them. When the finally reached Al-Madinah, they told the Prophet % what had happened. He listened to them affectionately and then displaying great nobility of character, he said:

“You both should not break your promise to these disbelievers. Allah % is our Protector and Helper.”

Thus the Prophet %, by asking his Companions to remain true to their word given to an enemy made clear a principle which was fundamental and unique in the annals of military history. Courageous and great people always keep to their word of honour. In this instance it was the first battle of Islam; besides the unarmed Mujahideen numbered only three hundred and thirteen, whereas the enemy numbered one thousand fully armed soldiers. The need of the hour was to have as many experienced men as possible. It was truly a great decision taken by the Prophet 3 - to allow two of his best and most valued men to sit out only because the enemy had perforce extracted a promise from them.

Huthaifah bin Yaman 4: and his father always regretted the fact that they had lost this opportunity to take part in one of the greatest battles of Islam.

In the Battle of Badr Allah # blessed His small band of Mujahideen with an astounding success. The generals of the disbelievers were slain. The arrogant and egotistical Abu Jahl intoxicated by his power, met the most disgraceful end possible. There was mourning in most of the houses of the enemy, who were left helpless. But they did not give up for long; the thirst for revenge reached it peak in the year 3r¢ Hijrah. They attacked Al-Madinah under the Command of Abu Sufyan - to avenge the death of their kith and kin at Badr.

The Prophet 3# came out at the head of the Muslim army to defend the city and encamped at the foot of Mount Uhud. The warriors of the two armies faced each other in the battlefield. The disbelievers could not withstand the attack of the Mujahideen. Leaving behind all their arms and equipment they fled. The Mujahideen started to gather the booty of war. The Prophet 3 had left a band of fifty men under the leadership of ‘Abdullah bin Jubair 4, on the mountain, and instructed them not to move out of the mountain pass under any circumstances. Most of them thought this order was valid only for the duration of the battle; so they also left the mountain unguarded and joined the others in collecting the booty.