Part 63

One day he made a speech addressing them. He said: "By Allah, I was the seventh of the first seven with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), eating nothing but leaves of trees until the corners of our mouths were sore. I was given a garment. I cut it into two halves and gave one half to Sa‘d Ibn Maalik and I wore the other half."

“Utbah used to fear the extravagance of the world, and in order to protect his religion and the Muslims, he tried to persuade them to practice asceticism and moderation. Many people tried to turn him from his way, to arouse a sense of ruling in his soul, and draw his attention to the right of ruling, especially in those countries that were never accustomed to such type of ascetic rulers and whose people used to respect high-ranking supercilious appearances. But ‘Utbah used to answer them saying: "I seek refuge in Allah from being great in your world and small in the sight of Allah." When he found people bored with his austerity he induced them to be earnest and modest saying, "Tomorrow you'll see the rulers after me."

When it was the Hajj season, he appointed one of his brothers as successor and went to make the Hajj. When he finished, he traveled to Al-Madiinah and asked the Commander of the Faithful to discharge him from the rule. But ‘Umar would not lose the reverent ascetic who fled from what the mouths of mankind watered for. He used to say to them, "You burden me with your trusts and leave me alone? No, by Allah, I'll never discharge you." And that was what he said to “Utbah Ibn Ghazwaan.

As “Utbah could do nothing but obey, he took his camel and rode it back to Al-Basrah. But before he mounted it he turned to the Qiblah and raised his imploring hands to heaven and invoked Almighty Allah not to return him to Al-Basrah or to government rule again. His invocation was answered, for while he was on his way to this rule, he died. His spirit was given up to its Creator. It was happy with what it had exerted and given, with its asceticism and

continence, with the favor that Allah had completed upon it, and with the reward that Allah had prepared for it.

(38) THAABIT IBN QAIS The Speaker for the Messenger of Allah !

While Hassaan was the peot of the Messenger of Allah and Islam, Thaabit was his speaker. The words coming from his mouth were strong, comprehensive, and perfect.

In the Year of Delegations, some men of the Tamiim tribe arrived at Al-Madiinah and said to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), “We have come to brag, so please permit our poet and speaker.” The Messenger (PBUH) smiled and told them, "I permit your speaker. Let him speak."

Their speaker, ‘Utaarid Ibn Haajib, stood and boasted of his people's glories.

After he had finished, the Prophet (PBUH) told Thaabit Ibn Qais, "Answer him." Thaabit stood up and said, "All praise to Allah Who created the heavens and earth, in which He controls everything, Whose throne extends over the heavens and the earth. And nothing is at all except out of His kindness. It is part of His omnipotence to make us models and selected His Messenger out of the best of His creation, among whom he is of the noblest descent and of the most sincere speech. He sent him down His book and made His creation in trust of him. And _ he was the best choice of Allah. Then he called on people to believe in him. The Muhaajiruun of his people and his own kinsmen believed in him. They were of the noblest descent and best deeds. Then we the Ansaar were the first to respond. We are the adherents of Allah and the ministers of His Messenger."

Thaabit witnessed the Battle of Uhud with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and the battles that followed. He was incredibly willing to sacrifice himself.

In the apostasy wars, he used to be in the vanguard, holding the Ansaar standard and striking with a sword that never retreated.

In the Battle of Al-Yamaamah, which we have already mentioned more than once, Thaabit witnessed the sudden assault that the army of Musailamah the Liar launched against the Muslims at the beginning of the battle. He shouted in his loud warning voice saying, "By Allah, we did not use to fight that way with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)!"

Then he went not far away, and returned after annointing himself and putting on his shroud. He shouted once more, "O Allah! I clear myself of what those people have done (i.e. the army of Musailamah) and I apologize to You for what they have done (i.e. the Muslims' slackness in fighting)."

Then Saalim, the servant of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) who was holding the standard of the Muhaajiruun, joined him. Both dug a deep hole for themselves and then stood in it. They piled up the sand on themselves till it covered their hips. They stood as two gigantic mountains, with the lower body of each burried in the sand and fixed in the bottom of the hole, while their upper bodies received the armies of paganism and infidelity.

They kept striking with their swords whoever came near them from Musailamah’s army until they were martyred in their place.

The sight of them (May Allah be pleased with them) was the greatest cry that contributed to bringing the Muslims back to their positions so that they could change the army of Musailamah the Liar into trodden sand.

Thaabit Ibn Qais, who excelled as a speaker and warrior, used to be self-reproaching and to humble himself to Allah. Among the Muslims, he was extremely modest and afraid of Allah.

When this noble verse was sent down < GOD does not love any proud and boastful one > (31:18), Thaabit shut his house door and kept crying. It was a long time before the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) knew about him. He sent for him and asked. Thaabit said, "O Messenger of Allah! | like beautiful clothes and footwear. I am afraid to be of the arrogant." The Prophet (PBUH) laughed with content and answered, "You are not one of them. You'll live and die with blessings and enter Paradise.”

And when the following words of Allah the Exalted were sent down < O you who believe! Do not raise your voices above the Prophet's voice, and do not speak loudly to him, as you speak to one another, lest your deeds are rendered fruitless, while you are unaware > (49 :2), Thaabit shut himself indoors and kept crying again. When the Messenger missed him, he asked about him and sent for him. When Thaabit came, the Prophet (PBUH) asked him the reason for his absence. Thaabit answered, "I have a loud voice and I used to raise my voice above your voice, Messenger of Allah (PBUH). My deeds are rendered fruitless then, and I'm of the people of the Fire." The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) answered, "You are not one of them. You'll live praiseworthily and be martyred, and Allah will let you into Paradise."

One incident is left in Thaabit's story about which those whose thoughts, feelings, and views are limited to their restricted, tangible, materialistic world would not feel comfortable. Inspite of this, the incident was real, and is quite easily explained to whoever uses sight and insight together.

After Thaabit had fallen martyr in battle, one of the Muslims

who had not known Islam until recently passed by him and saw Thaabit's precious armor on his corpse. He thought it was his right to

take it and he did.

Let the narrator of the incident narrate it himself: While one of the Muslims was asleep, Thaabit appeared to him in his dream and said to him, "I entrust you with my will, so be careful not to say it's a dream and waste it. When I fell martyr yesterday, a Muslim man passed by me and took my armor. His house is on the outskirts of the town. His horse is tall. He put his pot on the armor and above the pot put his saddle. Go to Khaalid and tell him to take it. And when you go to Al-Madiinah and meet the successor of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) Abu Bakr, tell him I owe soandso. Let him pay my loan."

When the man got up, he went to Khaalid Ibn Al-Waliid and related to him his dream. So Khaalid sent someone to bring the armor, and he found it exactly as Thaabit had described it. And when the Muslims went back to Al-Madiinah, the Muslim narrated the dream to the caliph, and he fulfilled Thaabit's will. There is not in Islam a dead man’s will that was fulfilled in that way after his death

except that of Thaabit Ibn Qais.

Truly, man is a big mystery. < Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord,

and they have provision > (3 : 169).

(39) USAID IBN HUDAIR The Hero of the Day of As-Sagqiifah

He inherited noble characteristics, handed down from father to son. His father, Hudair Al-Kataa'ib, was a leader of Al-Aws and one of the great nobles and strong fighters of the Arabs in the preIslamic era.

Usaid inherited from his father his status, courage, and hospitality. Before becoming a Muslim, he was one of Al-Madiinah's leaders, a noble of the Arabs, and one of their excellent spearmen.

When Islam attracted him and he was guided to the Way of the Almighty, Worthy of All Praise, he was best honored when he took his place as one of Allah and His Messenger's Ansaar and one of the foremost believers in the great religion of Islam.

He embraced Islam quickly, decisively, and honorably. The Messenger (PBUH) sent Mus‘ab Ibn “Umair to Al-Madiinah to teach and instruct the Muslim Angaar who had given their allegiance to the Prophet (PBUH) in the First Pledge of *Aqabah and to call others to Allah's religion.

On that day Usaid Ibn Hudair and Sa‘d Ibn Mu*aadh, who were leaders of their people, were discussing this stranger who had come from Makkah to denounce their religion and call to a new one unknown to them. Sa‘d said to Usaid, "Go directly to this man and deter him."

So Usaid carried his spear and hurried to Mus‘ab while he was a guest of As‘ad Ibn Zuraarah, one of the leaders of AlMadiinah who was among the early believers in Islam. And there, where Mus*ab and As'ad Ibn Zuraarah were sitting, Usaid saw a