Friday Sermon
20 July 2018
Men of Excellence
After reciting Tashahud, Ta‘awuz, and Surah Al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa stated:
There was a companion of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, whose name was Hazrat Khallad Bin Rafe‘ Zurqi. He was from among the Ansar [inhabitants of Medina] and those fortunate people who participated in the Battles Badr and Uhud. God Almighty granted him many children. (At-Tabaqat Al-Kubra, Vol. 3, p. 447, Khallad Bin Rafe‘, Dar Ihya At-turath Al-Arabi, 1990, Beirut)
It is mentioned in a narration that Muaz bin Rafa‘ah related from his father, “I accompanied the Holy Prophetsa, while riding on a very frail and weak camel along with my brother, as we headed towards Badr. We reached a place called Bareed, which comes after Rauhah and there our camel gave up and sat down. Upon this, I prayed, ‘O Allah! We make this vow to You that if You return us to Medina, we will sacrifice this camel.’ At the time, the Holy Prophetsa was passing by us and enquired what the matter was with both of us. We narrated the entire incident to him. The Holy Prophetsa remained with us. He performed ablution and mixed his saliva with the leftover water. Then, upon his order, we opened the camel’s mouth. He poured some of that water into the camel’s mouth and then some upon its neck, its shoulders, its hump, its back and its tail. Then the Holy Prophetsa supplicated, ‘O Allah! Make it possible for Rafe‘ and Khallad to ride on it and to reach their destination.’ The Holy Prophetsa then left and we also got up to depart. We caught up with the Holy Prophetsa at Mansaf, while our camel was at the forefront of the caravan. When the Holy Prophetsa saw us, he smiled. Due to the prayer of the Holy Prophetsa, the camel’s weakness had completely gone away. We continued travelling until we reached Badr. While returning from Badr, when we reached Musalla, the camel sat down again, upon which my brother slaughtered it and distributed its meat, which we gave out as Sadaqah [charity].” (Kitaab-ul-Maghaazi Lil Waqdi, Baab Badr Al-Qitaal, Vol. 1, p. 25, Aalim-ul-Kutub, 1984) (Usdul Ghaaba, Vol. 2, p. 181, Khallad Bin Rafe, Dar-ul-Kutub-ul-Ilmiyyah, Beirut)
They had made a vow that once they reached a certain place, they would slaughter it. Thus, they fulfilled this.
There is a mention of a companion whose name was Harithah Bin Suraqah. He passed away in 2 Hijri at the occasion of the Battle of Badr. His mother, Rubai‘ah Bint Nazr was the paternal aunt of Hazrat Anasra Bin Malik. (Al-Asaba fi Tameez Al-Sahaba, Vol. 1, p. 704, Harithah Bin Suraqah, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1995)
He accepted Islam before the migration along with his mother, while his father had already passed away. (Sirat Al-Sahaba, Vol. 3, p. 299, Dar-ul-Isha’at, Karachi, 2004)
The Holy Prophetsa formed a bond of brotherhood between him and Hazrat Saib Bin Usman Bin Maz‘oon. (At-Tabaqat Al-Kubra, Vol. 3, p. 307, Saib Bin Usman Bin Maz‘oon, Dar Ihya At-turath Al-Arabi, 1990, Beirut) A bond of brotherhood was formed between them.
Abu Na‘eem related that Hazrat Harithah Bin Suraqah used to treat his mother with great kindness, so much so that the Holy Prophetsa said that when he entered Paradise, he saw Harithah. Habban Bin Ariqah martyred him on the day of the Battle of Badr. He shot an arrow at him while he was drinking water from a pond. The arrow struck his neck as a result of which he was martyred. Hazrat Anasra related that the Holy Prophetsa was walking when an young Ansari man came before him. The Holy Prophetsa asked him, “O Harithah, in what state did you enter the morning?” He replied, “I entered the morning while having complete faith in God Almighty.” The Holy Prophetsa said, “Ponder carefully over what you say, as there is a reality to every word that is uttered”. That young man replied, “O Prophetsa of Allah! My heart has become averse from the world. I stay up the entire night and stay thirsty throughout the day, in other words, I worship and observe fasts and I can observe the throne of my Glorious and Majestic Lord with my physical eyes. I can see the inhabitants of paradise, meeting one another and I can see the inmates of hell screaming therein.” The Holy Prophetsa said, “You should remain steadfast upon this [belief]. You are a person, whose heart God Almighty has enlightened with faith.” Upon this, he said, “O Prophetsa of God! Pray for me that I embrace martyrdom.” Hence, the Holy Prophetsa prayed for him and on the day of the Battle of Badr, when the horsemen were called, he [Haritha], may Allah be pleased with him, was the first to emerge and he was also the first to be martyred. It is narrated that he was the first Ansari to be martyred in the Battle of Badr.
When Hazrat Haritha’s mother, Hazrat Rubai‘ah, received the news of his martyrdom, she went to the Holy Prophetsa and said, “You are aware of how much I loved Haritha. He used to serve me greatly. If he is among the inhabitants of paradise, I will bear this with patience. However, if this is not the case, only God knows better what will happen to me.” The Holy Prophetsa said, “O mother of Haritha! There isn’t just one paradise. Rather, there are several paradises and Haritha is in the highest paradise.” Upon this, she said, “I will most certainly be patient.” According to another narration, when the Holy Prophetsa said that Haritha is in the highest paradise, his mother returned smiling and uttering the words, “O Haritha, what a great and wonderful achievement!” (Usdul Ghaaba, Vol. 1, pp. 650-651, Hartiha bin Suraqa, Dar-ul-Kutub-ul-Ilmiyyah, Beirut)
On the occasion of the Battle of Badr, God Almighty humiliated the disbelievers by destroying their chiefs. Furthermore, He granted great honour to the Muslims, who participated in the Battle of Badr. As regards the people of Badr, God Almighty said that they may do as they please, as paradise has been made incumbent upon them. However, this did not mean that they may do whatever they please and despite committing sins, paradise would be incumbent upon them. Rather, it signified that they would no longer be able to act in a manner that was contrary to the teachings of God Almighty and that God Almighty would Himself guide them. With regard to Hazrat Haritha bin Suraqara, who was martyred on the day of the Battle of Badr, the Holy Prophetsa said that he was in the highest paradise. (Sharah Zarqani, Vol. 2, p. 257, Baab Ghazwa Badr, Al-Kubra Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1996).
Then, there is a companion by the name of Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr, who passed away during the battle of Yamama in the eleventh year after Hijra. Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr’s title was Abu Bishr and Abu Rabi. He belonged to the tribe of Banu Abd-ul-Ash‘al. He only had one daughter, who also passed away. In Medina, he accepted Islam at the hand of Hazrat Mus‘ab bin Umair, prior to Hazrat Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh and Hazrat Usaid bin Uzair. At the time of forming bonds of brotherhood in Medina, the Holy Prophetsa formed a bond of brotherhood between him and Hazrat Abu Hudhaifa bin Utba. Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr participated in the battles of Badr, Uhud, Khandaq and all other battles alongside the Holy Prophetsa. He was among those companions, who were sent by the Holy Prophetsa in order to execute Ka‘b bin Ashraf. (At-Tabaqat Al-Kubra, Vol. 3, p. 336, Abbad bin Bishr, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-ilmiyyah, 1990, Beirut)
The incident of the execution of Ka‘b bin Ashraf has been written by Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib in The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets, having taken it from various historical sources. The incident is as follows:
“The Battle of Badr had manifested the heart-felt enmity of the Jews of Medina.” (It is unfortunate that the Jews of Medina believed that the disbelievers would destroy the Muslims during the Battle of Badr. However, the battle went in the way of the Muslims and they became victorious. Due to this, the heart-felt enmity of the Jews became evident.)
Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib further writes:
“It is unfortunate that even the exile of the Banu Qainuqa was unable to sway the other Jews towards reconciliation, and they continued to grow in their mischief and disturbances. As such, the incident of the execution of Ka‘b bin Ashraf is also a link in this very chain. Although Ka‘b was a Jew by religion, he was not actually Jewish by descent; rather, he was an Arab. His father, Ashraf, was a very clever and cunning man of the Banu Nibhan tribe, who came to Medina and developed relations with the Banu Nazir and became their confederate. Ultimately, he managed to gain such power and influence that Abu Rafi bin Abil-Huqaiq, head-chief of the Banu Nazir, gave him his daughter in marriage. It was this very daughter who gave birth to Ka‘b, who grew to attain an even greater status than that of his father. This was to such an extent that ultimately he took on such a capacity that all the Jews of Arabia began to accept him as their chief. In addition to being a well-built and attractive man, Ka‘b was also an eloquent poet and a very wealthy man. Through generous spending, he would always keep the scholars and other influential personalities of his nation under his own control. However, from a moral perspective, he was a man of extremely ill morals, and was a master in the art of secret schemes and conspiracies.
When the Holy Prophetsa migrated to Medina, along with the other Jews, Ka‘b bin Ashraf also participated in the treaty which the Holy Prophetsa drafted between the Jews with regard to mutual friendship, peace and security, and collective defence. However, deep within, the fire of malice and enmity began to burn in the heart of Ka‘b and he began to oppose Islam and the Founder of Islam through secret schemes and conspiracies. As such, it is recorded that every year, Ka‘b would give a large sum of charity to Jewish scholars and religious leaders. However, after the migration of the Holy Prophetsa, when these people came to collect their yearly allowances, within the course of discussion, he began to mention the Holy Prophetsa and enquired of them as to their opinion of the Holy Prophetsa in light of religious scriptures. They responded that apparently it seemed as if he was the very same prophet who had been promised to them. Ka‘b was greatly displeased at this response and sent them away referring to them as immensely dull, and did not give them their usual charity. When the Jewish scholars lost their bread and butter, after some time, they came back to Ka‘b and said that they had misinterpreted the signs and that they had contemplated again to discover that in actuality, Muhammad was not the prophet who had been promised to them. This response served the purpose of Ka‘b, and satisfied with their answer, he reinstated their yearly stipend. In any case, this was merely religious opposition, which although was expressed in an unpleasant manner, could not at all be objectionable, (people oppose for religious reasons, however it is not a serious crime) and nor can one be brought to task merely on this account.”
This incident is regarding the execution of Ka’b, and although one can oppose due to one’s religion or faith, however mere opposition was not the reason for his execution.
“In fact, after this, the opposition of Ka‘b took on a more dangerous form, and ultimately, after the Battle of Badr, he began to employ such conduct, as was extremely mischievous and seditious, and created very dangerous circumstances for the Muslims. In actuality, prior to the Battle of Badr, Ka‘b thought that this religious zeal was a temporary one, and gradually, all of these people would disperse on their own and revert to their ancestral religion. However, on the occasion of Badr, when the Muslims were granted an extraordinary victory, and most of the chieftains of the Quraish were slain, he understood that this new religion would not die out by itself. Hence, after Badr, he resolved to exert his best efforts to abolish and utterly destroy Islam. The first expression of his heart-felt rancour and jealousy was at the occasion when news of the victory of Badr reached Medina. Upon hearing this news, at the outset, Ka‘b said that that news seemed to be false, because it was impossible for Muhammad to triumph over such a large army of the Quraish, and for such renowned chieftains of Mecca to be mixed to dust; if the news was true, then death was better than such a life. When this news had been confirmed and Ka‘b was assured that the victory at Badr had granted Islam such strength as was beyond his wildest dreams, he was overcome with anger and rage. He immediately prepared for journey and took to Mecca, and upon reaching there, by the power of his persuasive speech and poetic tongue, inflamed the fire that was kindling in the hearts of the Quraish. He created an unquenchable thirst in their hearts for Muslim blood, and filled their hearts with sentiments of revenge and enmity. Then, when their emotions had become immensely sparked as a result of his incitement, Ka‘b took them to the courtyard of the Ka‘bah, and handing them the drapes of the Ka‘bah, had them swear that they would not rest until Islam and the Founder of Islamsa had been wiped out from the face of the earth. (He took this oath from the disbelievers of Mecca.)
“After creating this fiery atmosphere in Mecca, this evil person turned to the other tribes of Arabia, and travelling tribe to tribe, he incited people against the Muslims. Then, he returned to Medina and whilst composing tashbib [evocative poetry], he alluded to the Muslim women in a very filthy and obscene manner in his provocative couplets. In doing so, he did not even spare the women from the household of the Holy Prophetsa in his amorous couplets, and had these couplets widely publicised throughout the country.
“Finally, he [Ka‘b bin Ashraf] hatched a conspiracy to assassinate the Holy Prophetsa. Under the ploy of a feast, he invited the Holy Prophetsa to his residence, and with a few Jewish young men he schemed to have the Holy Prophetsa assassinated. However, by the grace of God, information was received in advance and this plan of his was unsuccessful. In light of the treaty which had been settled between the inhabitants of Medina upon his arrival, the Holy Prophetsa was the chief executive and commander in chief of the democratic State of Medina. Thus, when the state of affairs escalated to such an extent, and charges of infraction of treaty, rebellion, inciting war, sedition, use of foul language and conspiracy to assassinate the Holy Prophetsa had been established, he issued the verdict that Ka‘b bin Ashraf was liable to be put to death due to his actions. The Holy Prophetsa, therefore, instructed some of his Companions to execute him. However, due to the sedition of Ka‘b, since the atmosphere of Medina at the time was such that if a formal announcement had been made before his execution, there was a possibility that civil war may have erupted in Medina, and there was no telling how much massacre and carnage would have ensued as a result. The Holy Prophetsa was willing to offer any possible and reasonable sacrifice in order to prevent international violence and bloodshed (he did not want to cause any war). Thus, he instructed that Ka‘b should not be executed publicly; rather, a few people should quietly find an opportunity and put an end to him. The Holy Prophetsa assigned this duty to a faithful companion named Muhammad bin Maslamahra, and emphasised that whatever strategy was devised, should be executed with the counsel of Sa‘d bin Mu‘adhra, who was the chief of the Aus tribe. Muhammad bin Maslamahra submitted, ‘O Messenger of Allah! In order to kill him silently, we shall be required to say something,’ which meant that some excuse, etc, would be required, by which Ka‘b could be lured out of his residence and executed in a secure location. Taking into account the grave consequences which could have arisen if a covert operation had been ruled out, the Holy Prophetsa thus allowed for this. As such, with the counsel of Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, Muhammad bin Maslamahra took Abu Na’ilah and two or three other Companions along and reached the residence of Ka‘b. They called Ka‘b out from his living quarters and said, ‘Our Chief (i.e., Muhammadsa) demands charity of us, while we are of straitened circumstances. Would you be so kind as to give us a loan?’ Upon hearing this, Ka‘b jumped with joy and said, ‘By God! This is nothing – the day is not far when you shall become averse to him and abandon him.’
“Muhammad bin Maslamah responded, ‘In any case, we have already accepted Muhammadsa and are now waiting to see the final outcome of this dispensation, but you tell us whether or not you will give us a loan?’ ‘Of course!’ said Ka‘b, ‘But you will be required to deposit some collateral.’ Muhammad bin Maslamah enquired, ‘What do you require?” This wretched person responded, ‘Leave your women as collateral.’ Suppressing his anger, Muhammad bin Maslamah said, ‘How is it possible for us to leave our women as collateral to a man like yourself.’ He responded, ‘Alright, then your sons shall do.’ Muhammad bin Maslamah responded, ‘This is not possible either, we cannot bear the reproach of the whole of Arabia. However, if you are generous enough, we are willing to leave our arms with you as collateral.’ Ka‘b agreed, and Muhammad bin Maslamah and his companions left with the promise to return at night. At nightfall, this party arrived at the residence of Ka‘b with their weapons, (as now they were able to openly take their arms along with them). When they had led Ka‘b out of his home, they brought him to one side during the course of discussions. After some time, while walking along some distance, these companions, who were already prepared and armed, wielded their swords at once and killed Ka‘b. Muhammad bin Maslamah and his companions departed from there and quickly presented themselves to the Holy Prophetsa, and conveyed to him the news of his execution.
When news of the execution of Ka‘b became known, a tremor rippled through the city, and the Jewish people were deeply enraged. The following day, in the morning, a delegation of the Jews presented themselves before the Holy Prophetsa and complained that their leader Ka‘b bin Ashraf had been murdered in such and such way. The Holy Prophetsa listened to their comments and said, ‘Are you also aware of the crimes which Ka‘b is guilty of?’ Then, the Holy Prophetsa briefly reminded them of all the evil schemes which Ka‘b was guilty of, i.e., infraction of treaty, inciting war, sedition, use of foul language and conspiracy of assassination, etc. Upon this, the people became fearful and did not say a word. After this, the Holy Prophetsa said, ‘At least from here onwards, you would do well to live in peace and harmony, and do not sow the seed of enmity, violence and disorder.’ As such, with the agreement of the Jews, a new treaty was drafted, and the Jews promised once again to live with the Muslims in peace and harmony, and to abstain from a course of violence and disorder.” (Seerat Khatam-un-Nabiyeen, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahibra, pp. 466-470)
Having listened to them, the Holy Prophetsa did not say that the Muslims did not execute him. Rather, he began to count his crimes and he mentioned the imminent outcome, which was that he should be executed due to those crimes. Furthermore, even the Jews had to admit that the Holy Prophetsa was in the right. This is the reason that a new treaty was made so that such incidents would not be repeated in the future and so that a peaceful environment and atmosphere would be established for the future. Also, to prevent the Jews from taking revenge and Muslims punishing them in retaliation. If the Jews had considered his execution to be wrong and that he should not have been executed in that manner, they would not have remained silent. Rather, they would have demanded the blood money. However, they did not make such demands, but remained silent. Hence, all of these aspects signify that this execution was justified according to the laws of that time. The disorder he was spreading was even severer than murder and this indeed was the punishment for such a criminal. Furthermore, as I mentioned, according to the traditions and customs of the time, it was permissible to punish him in this manner, . and moreover the conduct of the Jews themselves testifies to this, thus there is no room for any criticism. If this was not permissible, the Jews would most certainly have objected as to why a case was not filed against him and why he wasn’t punished publicly. Thus, this fact proves that his execution was absolutely justified and he was deserving of this punishment. However, it should also be made clear that nowadays, extremists and governments misinterpret such incidents and believe that it is justified to execute people in this manner. First of all, disorder is not being spread in the manner it was being done then. Those people who are executed, are not among those who spread disorder. Secondly, on that occasion, it was only the criminal who was punished, not his family or anyone else. When these people carry out executions, they kill innocent people, women and children and leaving many others handicapped and disabled. Nevertheless, according to the rules and laws of today, this is not permissible. However, this form of punishment was applicable and compulsory at that time and it was prescribed by the government.
The Holy Prophetsa sent Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr to Banu Sulaim and Muzaina in order to collect charity. Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr stayed with them for ten days. On the way back, he went to Banu Mustaliq in order to collect charity from them. He also stayed there for ten days. Following this, he returned to Medina. Similarly, it is also found in the narrations that the Holy Prophetsa appointed Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr as the collector of the spoils of the battle of Hunain. The Holy Prophetsa appointed him as the supervisor of security around the Holy Prophetsa during the battle of Tabuk. (At-Tabaqat Al-Kubra, Vol. 3, p. 336, Abbad bin Bishr, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, 1990, Beirut)
He was counted among the outstanding companions. Hazrat Aishara has narrated that there were three individuals from among the Ansar, above whom no other Ansari Companion could be given precedence. All of them belonged to the tribe of Banu Abd-ul-Ash‘al; and they are, Hazrat Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, Hazrat Usaid bin Uzair and Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr.
Hazrat Abbad Bin Bishr narrates that whilst addressing the Ansar, the Holy Prophetsa stated, “O Ansar, you are my Shiaar, (i.e. the inner garment that is in contact with the body), whilst the other people are Disaar (i.e. the garment that is draped around the outer part).” The Holy Prophetsa also stated, “I am satisfied that I will not incur any hardship from you.” Hazrat Abbad Bin Bishr was martyred during the Battle of Yamama at the age of 45.
Hazrat Aishara narrates, “The Holy Prophetsa performed the Tahajjud prayer in my house, and then he heard the voice of Abbad who was praying in the Mosque. The Holy Prophetsa asked, ‘O Aisha! Is this the voice of Abbad?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ The Holy Prophetsa said, ‘O Allah! Have mercy upon Abbad!’”
Similarly, Hazrat Anasra narrates, “Two companions of the Holy Prophetsa left the house of the Holy Prophetsa in the extreme darkness of the night. One of them was Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr whilst I believe that the other companion was Ussaid Bin Uzair. They both had something which resembled a lantern and illuminated the path before them. When they separated, each of them had one lantern with them (which was illuminating their vision in the darkness). At last they arrived to their families.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitaab-ul-Salat, Hadith no. 465), (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitaab-ul-Shahadat, Hadith no. 2655), (Usdul Ghaaba, Vol. 3, pp. 149-150, Abbad bin Bishr, Dar-ul-Kutub-ul-Ilmiyyah, Beirut).
He was also amongst the companions who travelled at the time of the Sulah [treaty of] Hudaibiya. Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib has written the details of this account.
“The Holy Prophetsa departed from Medina on a Monday morning in the beginning of Dhul Qa‘dah 6 A.H. with a group of just over 1400 companions. During this journey, Hazrat Umme Salma, the honourable wife of the Holy Prophetsa, rode alongside the Holy Prophetsa. Numailah bin Abdullah was appointed the Amir of Medina and Abdullah bin Umme Maktum who was a blind man, was appointed Imamus-Salat [to lead the congregational prayer].
“When the Holy Prophetsa reached Dhul-Halifah, which is situated approximately 6 miles from Medina en-route to Mecca, he ordered everyone to stop. After offering the Zuhr prayer, he instructed that the sacrificial camels which totalled seventy in number, be marked and that the Companions assume the special attire of the pilgrims known as Ihram. The Holy Prophetsa also assumed the Ihram himself as well. Then, in order to ensure that the Quraish were not up to mischief, the Holy Prophetsa sent ahead a messenger named Busr bin Sufyan from the Khuza‘ah tribe, who lived near Mecca and slowly proceeded towards Mecca. Moreover, as further caution the Holy Prophetsa appointed a cavalry of 20 riders under the command of Abbad bin Bishr, to travel ahead of the larger body of Muslims. After a journey of a few days, when the Holy Prophetsa neared a place called Usfan, which is situated at approximately two day’s journey on the road to Mecca, the messenger of the Holy Prophetsa informed him that that Quraish were furious and firmly determined to stop him to the extent that in the expression of their rage and barbarity, they had put on cheetah skins and were fully bent on war, in order to stop the Muslims in all instances. It was also ascertained that the Quraish had sent forth a cavalry unit of a few daring riders under the command of Khalid bin Walid who had not yet become Muslim, and that this cavalry had reached near the Muslims and that Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl was also a part of it.
“When the Holy Prophetsa heard this news, he instructed the companions to divert from the known route to Mecca and proceed from the right in order to prevent conflict. So, the Muslims began to move forward from a very difficult and burdensome route near the coast and began to move forward.” (Seerat Khatam-un-Nabiyeen, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahibra, pp. 749-750)
It was here where the incident of the Treaty of Hudaibiya took place. And so, Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr was amongst the cavalry which was sent to gather information. He was a very trustworthy and reliable companion. The Holy Prophetsa had great trust in him. He is among the companions who took part in the oath of allegiance taken at Hudaibiya which is known as Bait-e-Rizwan. There is an incident from the Battle of Zat-ur-Riqa that the Holy Prophetsa had decided to reside at a location for the night. The Holy Prophetsa was staying at a narrow valley and the winds were strong. He asked the Companions, “Who will stand guard for us tonight?” Upon hearing this, Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr and Hazrat Ammar bin Yassir stood up and stated, “We shall stand in guard for you tonight.” Both of them sat at the top-most part of the narrow valley and Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr said to Hazrat Ammar bin Yassir, “I can stand at guard for the first half of the night so you get some rest and sleep. You can take over for the second half of the night and I will then go to sleep.” Therefore, Hazrat Ammar bin Yassir went to sleep and Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr got up and began to pray.
The Holy Prophetsa had captured some women from the town called Najd, because of their injustice. A husband of one of these women was not present when they were taken. Had he been present there at the time, she would have been with him. When he returned to Najd and found out that his wife had been taken as a prisoner by Muslims, he took an oath to not rest until he harmed the Holy Prophetsa in any way possible or till he spilled the blood of his Companions. So he followed the Muslims and arrived at a location near the same valley where the Holy Prophetsa was staying. When he saw the shadow of Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr, he stated, “This man is the enemy’s guard.” He then placed an arrow in his bow and fired it which pierced into the body of Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr. Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr was engaged in prayer at the time. He took out the arrow and threw it away and continued praying. He struck Abaad with another arrow but Abbad again took it out and continued to pray. However, when he struck Abaad with an arrow for the third time, Abbad lost a lot of blood. Hazrat Abbad completed his prayers and woke up Hazrat Ammar bin Yassir. When Hazrat Ammar bin Yassir saw Hazrat Abbad’s condition, he enquired, “Why did you not wake me up before?” Hazrat Abbad responded by saying, “I was reciting Surah Al-Kahf during the prayer and I did not feel like cutting it short.” (Al-Sirat Al-Halbiya, Vol. 2, pp. 368-369, Ghazwa Zaat-e-Riqaa, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2002).
Such were the standards of worship of these people.
Hazrat Abu Sa‘eed Khudhrira narrates, “I heard Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr stating ‘O Abu Sa‘eed! I saw in a dream last night that the heavens were opened for me and were then closed shut. God willing, I will achieve martyrdom.’ I said, ‘By God! You have witnessed something really good.’” Abu Sa‘eed Khudhri further states, “At the time of the Battle of Yamama, I saw Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr calling upon the Ansar and saying, ‘Break the sheaths of your swords and separate yourself from others.’ He selected four hundred people from amongst the Ansar who did not have anyone in front of them and they were led by Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr, Hazrat Abu Dujana and Hazrat Braa bin Malik. They reached Baabul Hadiqah and fought an intense battle. Hazrat Abbad bin Bishr was martyred. I saw countless marks on his face that were inflicted by the swords and was only able to recognize him from his body.” (At-Tabaqat Al-Kubra, Vol. 3, p. 336-337, Abbad bin Bishr, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, 1990, Beirut)
There was a companion whose name was Hazrat Suwaad bin Ghazyahra who was an Ansari and was from the Banu Adi bin Najar tribe. He took part in the Battles of Badr, Uhud, Khandaq and the battles that took place afterwards. He imprisoned Khalid Bin Hisham Makhzoomi in the Battle of Badr. It is narrated that the Holy Prophetsa sent him as the collector of revenue in Khayber. He returned with excellent dates and the Holy Prophetsa purchased around 3 kilograms of the high quality dates from him in return for around 7 kilograms of normal dates. (Usdul Ghaaba, Vol. 2, p. 590, Suwaad bin Ghazyahra, Dar-ul-Kutub-ul-Ilmiyyah, Beirut).
The Holy Prophetsa liked the dates so he purchased them for its actual price by exchanging dates in return.
Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib writes in his book in relation to the Battle of Badr about Hazrat Suwaad’s blessed fortune and love for the Holy Prophetsa. He writes,
“It was Friday 17 Ramadan 2 A.H. or 14 March 623 A.D., according to the Christian calendar system. In the morning, Salat was first offered and then these worshippers of Divine Unity fell into prostration before the One God, in an open field. After this, the Holy Prophetsa delivered an address on Jihad. When light began to appear, the Holy Prophetsa began to arrange the Muslim ranks with the indication of an arrow. A Companion by the name of Sawaad was standing somewhat ahead of his row. The Holy Prophetsa used his arrow to indicate that he should move back in line. It so happened however, that the wooden part of the arrow belonging to the Holy Prophetsa touched his chest, whereupon he boldly protested, ‘O Messenger of Allah! God has sent you with the truth and justice, but you have unjustly poked me with your arrow. By God, I insist upon retribution.’ The Companions were shocked, as to what had gotten into Sawaad. However, the Holy Prophetsa stated with extreme affection, ‘Alright Sawaad, you may poke me with an arrow as well,’ and the Holy Prophetsa lifted the cloth upon his chest. In his immense love, Sawaad stepped forward and kissed the chest of the Holy Prophetsa. The Holy Prophetsa smiled and enquired, ‘Why did you devise this plan?’ He responded with a trembling voice, ‘O Messenger of Allah! The enemy is before us. There is no telling whether I shall live to return or not. It was my desire, therefore, to touch your blessed body before my martyrdom.’” (Seerat Khatam-un-Nabiyeen, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahibra, pp. 357-358), (Usdul Ghaaba, Vol. 2, p. 590, Suwaad bin Ghazyahra, Dar-ul-Kutub-ul-Ilmiyyah, Beirut).
The Holy Prophetsa then prayed for his welfare.
These Companions had wonderful ways of expressing their love and affection for the Holy Prophetsa. A similar incident of Hazrat Okashara has been related but that took place much later, in the latter part of his life, however this took place much earlier. They would constantly be trying to find an opportunity to not only express their love for the Holy Prophetsa but also ways to seek the blessings from his nearness.
May God Almighty continue to elevate the station of these shining stars and enable us to understand the true love for the Holy Prophetsa.
(Translated by The Review of Religions)
