Part 51

After he fulfilled his duties towards Allah, he went on seeking the bounty of Allah, expanding and promoting his successful trade and business.

Talhah was one of the wealthiest Muslims. His whole fortune was put in the service of his religion, the standard of which he carried with the Prophet (PBUH). He spent it without measure, and so Allah increased it for him without measure.

The Prophet (PBUH) called him "Talhah the Excellent", "Talhah the Splendid and "Talhah the Generous" to demonstrate his bountiful generosity.

How often did he give his whole fortune away. Then Allah the Ever-Generous returned it to him manifold! His wife Su‘adaa Bint ~Awf reported: Once I approached Talhah. I saw him worried and asked him, "What's the matter?" He said, "The money which I possess is now so abundant that it worries me and makes me feel distressed." I told him, "Never mind, I'll distribute it." He set out to call people and to divide it among them till there wasn't a single dirham left.

On another occasion, he sold his land for a very high price, and when he looked at the pile of money, his tears rolled down and he said, " A man in whose house all that money is to remain for a night and he doesn't know for sure what will happen to him is certainly deceived by Allah."

Then he called some of his companions to carry his money with them and walk through the streets of Al-Madiinah distributing it until in the last part of the night he was without a single dirham of that money.

Jaabir Ibn “Abd Allah described his wealth saying, "I never saw anybody giving out so much money without being asked as did

Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaid Allah."

He was one of the kindest toward his relatives and kin. He supported them all, though they were numerous. It was once said about him, "He never left an orphan without supporting him and his dependents. He provided for the marriage of the unmarried ones, he provided service for the disabled ones, and paid the debts of the indebted ones."

As-Saa'i'b Ibn Zaid once said, “I accompanied Talhah during travels and during times of settlement. I never saw anybody more generous in terms of money, clothes, and food than Talhah."

The well known civil strife broke out during the caliphate of ‘Uthmaan. ‘Talhah supported the argument of ~Uthmaan's

opponents, standing on their side in most of their quests to witness change and reformation.

Did he therefore, in such a position, call for “Uthmaan's murder, or even feel pleased by it? Never! If he had known that the civil strife would develop in such a way, bursting into mad spite, expressing itself in such cruel crime, the victim of which was "The Man of Two Lights" “Uthmaan (May Allah be pleased with him). . . We say, if he had known that the civil strife would in the long run lead to such an end and such a conflict, he would have resisted it, and it would have been resisted by the rest of the Companions who supported him at the beginning, recognizing it as a movement of opposition and warning, and no more.

However, Talhah's stance turned out to be his "life conflict" after the brutal way in which 'Uthmaan was surrounded and killed. Imam “Aliy had hardly accepted the oath of allegience from Talhah and Az-Zubair at Al-Madiinah, when they both asked permission to go to Makkah for ‘Umrah.

From Makkah they both turned to Al-Basrah, where a great multitude was gathering to avenge “Uthmaan’s death.

At last it was the Battle of Al-Jamal, where those calling for revenge met with the party supporting ~Aliy.

Whenever “Aliy thought about this difficult situation which Islam and Muslims were confronting in this horrible dispute, he burst into sorrowful tears and his laments grew louder and louder. He was forced into this difficult situation.

Being the Caliph of the Muslims, he could not and it was not his right to be tolerant towards any revolt against the state or any armed opposition to the established authority. To crush a rebellion of that sort, then, he had to face his brethren, his companions, friends and the followers of his Prophet and his religion, those with whom he had so often encountered and combated the polytheist armies and with whom he had so often joined under the standard of monotheism in battles that refined their Islamic behavior and melted away all weakness and disgrace, thereby turning them into brethren — and indeed brethren — supporting each other.

What a conflicting situation! What a difficult harsh test! In

order to find a way out of such a conflict and to save the blood of the Muslims, Imam “Aliy did his utmost.

Nonetheless, the factors opposing Islam — and they were many —which had met their defeat at the hands of the Muslim state in the days of its great leader ‘Umar, had kindled the civil uprising and continued to stoke it and follow its events and magnitude.

He cried a lot and wept abundantly when he saw The Mother of the Faithful ~Aa'ishah on her camel howdah at the head of the army which rose to fight him. When he saw Talhah and Az-Zubair, the disciples of the Prophet (PBUH), he called to them to come out to

meet him, so they did. They approached him till their horses touched each other. He said to Talhah, "O Talhah! Did you come with the wife of the Messenger of Allah to use her in your fight while hiding your wife at home?" Then he said to Az-Zubair, "O Zubair! I ask you by Allah. Do you remember the day when the Prophet (PBUH) passed you when we were in suchand-such a place, then he said to you, ‘O Zubair! Do you love “Aliy?' You replied, "Why shouldn't I love my nephew and cousin and the follower of my religion?’ He said to you, "O Zubair! By Allah, you will fight him, being unjust to him.'"

Az-Zubair (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "Yes, now I remember, I had forgotten that. By Allah, I won't fight you.”

Az-Zubair and Talhah abstained from taking part in this civil war. They abstained as soon as things were clarified. When they saw ~Ammaar Ibn Yaasir fighting on “Aliy's side, they remembered the Prophet's prophecy to ~Ammaar: "You will be killed by the unjust party." If “Ammaar were killed in that war in which Talhah was taking part, then Talhah was unjust.

Talhah and Az-Zubair retreated from the whole fight and had to pay for that retreat with their lives. But they met Allah pleased and delighted with what they had been endowed by Allah: insight and guidance .

As for Az-Zubair, a man named ‘Amr Ibn Jarmuuz followed him and killed him while he was praying.

As for Talhah he was pierced with a lance by Marwaan Ibn AlHakim, which killed him on the spot.

The murder of “Uthmaan represented in Talhah's conscience his “life conflict", as previously mentioned. Despite the fact that, he did not take part in the murder nor agree to it, he had just supported the opposition against him (“Aliy) at a time when it was not obvious that it would intensify and develop into a more serious conflict until it turned into a dreadful crime.

When he took his place on the day of Al-Jamal amidst the army fighting against the Ibn Abi Taalib which sought to take revenge for *Uthmaan's murder, he wished that his position would be an atonement making him feel at ease towards the pressure of his conscience: Before the start of the battle he was supplicating with a voice choked with tears saying, "O my Lord, accept me this day in favor of ~Uthmaan until You are pleased."

When they met “Aliy face to face, he and Az-Zubair both said they felt illuminated by “Aliy's words and thereby saw it to be right to leave the battlefield.

However, martyrdom had been reserved for them. Indeed, martyrdom was his fate, and he was to meet it and it was to meet him, wherever he was.

Did not the Prophet (PBUH) once say about him, "He's one of those who passed away. Whoever wants to please himself by seeing a martyr walking on the earth, go let him look at Talhah." Thereby did the martyr meet his inevitable fate, and the Battle of Al-Jamal was over. The Mother of the Believers realized that she had made a hasty decision; therefore she left Al-Basrah for the Sacred House and then Al-Madiinah, keeping aloof from the fighting and dispute. Imam ~Aliy provided her with all means of comfort and respect.

When “Aliy inspected all the martyrs of the battle, he set out to pray the funeral prayer upon them, those who fought on his side as well as those who fought against him.

When he finished burying Talhah and Az-Zubair, he stood saluting them for the last time. He finished his words saying, "I wish

to be with Talhah and Az-Zubair and ‘Uthmaan among those whom Allah described thus: <We removed from their hearts any malice

therein, as brothers they shall rest upon couches facing each other

Then he gazed at their grave with kind, gentle, pure, and sad eyes saying, "I've heard with my two ears the Prophet (PBUH) saying, ‘Talhah and Az-Zubair are my neighbors in Paradise.’ "

(28) AZ -ZUBAIR IBN AL “AWAAM The Prophet's Disciple !

It is almost impossible to mention Talhah without mentioning Az-Zubair, too, and almost impossible to mention Az-Zubair without mentioning Talhah as well.

When the Prophet (PBUH) was fraternizing with his Companions in Makkah before the Hijrah to Al-Madiinah, he fraternized with Talhah and Az-Zubair.

The Prophet (PBUH) often talked about them together, for example in his statement "Talhah and Az-Zubair are my neighbors in Paradise."

Both of them were linked to the Prophet (PBUH) through relationship and descent. As for Talhah, he is linked to the Prophet (PBUH) through Murah Ibn Ka*b. Zubair's lineage is linked to the Prophet through Qusaii Ibn Kulaab. In addition to that, his mother Safiah is the Prophet's paternal aunt.

Talhah and Az-Zubair resembled each other tremendously in their fates. The similarity between them was enormous in terms of their upbringing, their wealth, their generosity, their religious solidarity, and their magnificent bravery. Both of them were early converts to Islam. Both of them were among the ten to whom Paradise was promised by the Prophet (PBUH) and among the six whom ‘Umar entrusted with the duty of choosing the next caliph following him. Even their destiny was one of complete similarity. In fact it was one destiny.

As mentioned, Az-Zubair's embracement of Islam was an early one. Indeed, he was one of the first seven who quickened their steps towards Islam and played a role with the blessed early converts at Daar Al-Arqam. At that time he was 15 years old; that is how he was endowed with guidance, light, and all the good while still a youth.