Friday Sermon
6 May 2022
Men of Excellence: Hazrat Abu Bakrra
After reciting the tashahhud, ta‘awuz and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said:
In order to understand the difficult conditions that were faced at the time when Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqra sent various expeditions, I will mention some further details in relation to this. As it was mentioned, a total of 11 expeditions were sent by Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqra. The details of the first expedition, which was sent in order to crush the rebellious apostates and false claimants to prophethood such as Tulaiha bin Khuwailid, Malik bin Nuwairah, Sajah bint Harith and Musaylimah Kazzab, are as follows:
Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqra handed a flag to Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid and instructed him to confront Tulaiha bin Khuwailid. He instructed that thereafter, he should head towards Buta and if Malik bin Nuwairah insisted on fighting, then he should fight him. Buta is the name of a well in the area of the Banu Asad tribe and this incident took place there. (Tarikh Al-Tabari, Vol. 2, p. 257, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon, 2012; Mu‘jam-ul-Buldan, Vol. 1, p. 527)
In another narration, it is mentioned that Hazrat Abu Bakrra appointed Hazrat Thabit bin Qais as the leader of the Ansar and then placed him under the leadership of Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid. Hazrat Khalidra was instructed to confront Tulaiha and Uyainah bin Hisn, who had set up their camps at Buzakha, a well belonging to the Banu Asad. (Tarikh Al-Tabari, Vol. 2, p. 260, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon, 2012)
When Hazrat Abu Bakrra handed the flag to Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid in order to fight against the apostates, he said, “I heard the Holy Prophetsa say that ‘Khalid bin Walid is an excellent servant of Allah and he is one of our brothers. He is one of the swords of Allah, which He has drawn in order to fight against the disbelievers and hypocrites.’” (Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, Vol. 3, p. 313, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon, 2001)
Hazrat Abu Bakrra then sent Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid towards Tulaiha and Uyainah. A brief introduction of these two opponents is as follows:
Tulaiha Asadi was one of the false claimants to prophethood, who made his claim towards the end of the blessed life of the Holy Prophetsa. His name was Tulaiha bin Khuwailid bin Naufal bin Nadhla Asadi. During Aam-ul-Wufood, that is the year when the delegations came in the ninth year after Hijra, he presented himself before the Holy Prophetsa along with his tribe, Banu Asad. Once they reached Medina, they extended their greetings to the Holy Prophetsa and as if they had conferred a favour upon the Holy Prophetsa they said, “We have presented ourselves before you. We bear witness that none is worthy of worship except Allah and that you are His servant and Messenger.” Following this, he said to the Holy Prophetsa, “Although you did not send anyone towards us, we are sufficient for those who are left behind.” When they returned, Tulaiha became an apostate during the very life of the Holy Prophetsa. He made a claim to prophethood and established his military base in Samira. Samira was named after an individual from the people of Aad and it is located at a distance of a day’s journey when travelling from Medina towards Mecca. This area is surrounded by black mountains and this is the reason for this place to be named as such. Nevertheless, the general public started following him when he made this claim. One of the reasons people were led astray was that on one occasion he was on a journey with his people and they ran out of water and people became extremely thirsty. He told his people to ride his horse, I’lal, for a few miles and that they would find water there. They did as he told them to and found water. As a result of this, those dwelling in the villages fell prey to this evil plan. He must have spotted a place with some water beforehand and then cunningly sent them there. Those that were unlettered fell prey to his scheme. Nevertheless, amongst the things he had fabricated was that he removed the sujood [prostrations] from the formal prayer. In other words, there was no need to prostrate during the prayer. He claimed that he received revelation from Heaven and he used to present very rhythmical texts as his revelations. It is evident from historical references that during the era of ignorance, soothsayers used to present rhythmical texts before people in order to overawe them. Tulaiha was also a soothsayer and was deceived by his own imagination. He gained momentum and strength and when the Holy Prophetsa came to know about his situation, he sent Zirar bin Azwar Asadi in order to fight him. However, this was beyond Zirar’s power because with the passage of time, Tulaiha’s strength had increased significantly, especially after his allies, Asad and Ghatfan started believing in him. In the meanwhile, the Holy Prophetsa passed away, but Tulaiha’s matter had not yet been settled. When Hazrat Abu Bakrra was granted the station of Khilafat and prepared an army in order to destroy the rebellious apostates and appointed various leaders for this, he sent the army towards Tulaiha under the leadership of Hazrat Khalid bin Walidra. (Syedna Abu Bakrra Siddiq Shakhsiyyat Wa Kaarname, Dr Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi [translation], pp. 316-318, Maktabat-ul-Furqan, Muzaffargarh, Pakistan) (Mu‘jam-ul-Buldan, Vol. 3, p. 290) (Usdul Ghaba, Vol. 3, p. 94, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2016)
These were not merely apostates, or claimants to prophethood; rather, they waged wars against the Muslims and tried to cause them harm.
With regard to who Uyainah bin Hisn was, it is written that Uyainah was the chieftain of the Banu Fuzarah tribe during the Battle of the Confederates. During this battle, three battalions of the disbelievers joined with Banu Quraizah, with the intent of launching a mighty assault on Medina. Uyainah was the commander of one of those battalions.
Even after the defeat of the disbelievers in the Battle of the Confederates, he desired to attack Medina once more, but the Holy Prophetsa set forth from the city and prevented his attack, thus forcing him to retreat. This was known as the Expedition of Dhi Qarad. (Syedna Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqra, Muhammad Hussein Heikal [translation], p. 139, Shirkat printing Press, Lahore)
Uyainah bin Hisn accepted Islam prior to the conquest of Mecca and in fact participated in it, i.e. he was a Muslim at the time of the conquest of Mecca. He also participated in the battles of Hunain and Ta‘if.
In 9 AH, the Holy Prophetsa sent him along with 50 horsemen to fight against the Banu Tamim tribe, and there were no Ansar or Muhajirin companions in this army. The reason for this expedition was that Banu Tamim blocked the alms collector of the Holy Prophetsa from returning with the alms. Then, during the Khilafat of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqra, they fell prey to the insurgency of the rebel apostates and pledged their allegiance to Tulaihah. In any case, they later reverted to Islam. (Al-Isaba Fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Vol. 4, p. 639, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2005) (Zia-ul-Nabi, Pir Muhammad Akram Shah Al-Azhari, Vol. 4, pp. 566-567, Takhliq Markaz Printers, Lahore, 1420 AH)
These people continued to fight against Islam in the past, but after accepting Islam, they began fighting once more.
It is written that when the tribes of Abs and Zubyan and their cohorts gathered at a place called Buzakhah, Tulaihah called for Banu Jadilah and Ghauth – two branches of the Tayy tribe – telling them to come to him immediately. Some people from these tribes reached him straightaway and they urged their tribesmen to also come. Hence, those people also went to Tulaihah. Before sending Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid off from Dhul Qassah, Hazrat Abu Bakrra instructed Hazrat Adiyyra to go to his people, i.e. the Tayy tribe, lest they be destroyed in battle. Therefore, having reached his people and having stopped them at Dharwah and Gharib, Hazrat Adiyyra invited them to Islam and gave them a warning. Dharwah is the name of a place in the Ghatfan area and it is also stated that it is the name of a spring of the Banu Murrah bin Auf.
As it were, Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid set forth right after him. Hazrat Abu Bakrra ordered that he begin the missions on the outskirts of the Tayy tribe, and then head towards Buzakhah. From there he was to eventually head to Buta, and after dealing with the enemies, they were not to launch an attack anywhere else until they received further instructions. Hazrat Abu Bakrra disclosed that he desired to set forth towards Khaibar himself, and it became known amongst the people that Hazrat Abu Bakrra was going to make his way to Khaibar and from there, head towards the Salama Mountains to meet Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid.
It can be understood from another narration that Hazrat Abu Bakrra devised this plan in order to strike fear into the hearts of the enemy when the news would reach them that there was another army, even though he had already dispatched the entire army with Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid. Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid set forth, and from Buzakhah he then turned to Aja‘. Aja‘ and Salama are two mountains. Salama has been mentioned previously. These are situated to the left side of Samirah. According to one narration, Aja‘ is a mountain of Banu Tayy. In any case, Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid made it known that he would be going to Khaibar and from there come to combat the Tayy tribe. This plan caused the Tayy tribe to remain where they were and hold back from joining Tulaihah.
Hazrat Adiyyra also reached the Tayy tribe and invited them to accept Islam. At this, they said, “We will never pledge obedience to Abu al-Fasil.” They were referring to Hazrat Abu Bakrra when they said Abu al-Fasil. Fasil means the offspring of a camel or a cow which has been separated from its mother, or been weaned. Seeing as ‘Bikr’ and ‘Fasil’ are both names that mean camel offspring, hence, some people would call Hazrat Abu Bakrra “Abu al-Fasil” (i.e. Father of the Camel Calf) out of contempt and insult. Hazrat Adiyyra told them, “Such a large army is marching towards you that would show no mercy and cause such bloodshed that no one would be left safe. I have informed you, and the rest is up to you.”
According to another narration, he also said to his tribesmen, “You shall soon remember Hazrat Abu Bakrra as ‘al-Fahl al-Akbar’”. Fahl means the male of any animal. In other words, you may now mock and jeer him by calling him the young calf of a camel, but soon you shall have no choice but to call him a powerful male camel. Having heard this, the people of the Tayy tribe said, “Then meet this army and protect us from it until we are able to call back those of us who went to Buzakhah [to join Tulaihah]. For if we go against Tulaihah while they are in his hands, he will kill them or take them hostage.” It was well known in relation to him that he would never release his opponents. The people of the Tayy tribe, therefore, said that because their people were there and if they went there or he had even the slightest inkling that they had accepted Islam, he would have them killed.
Hazrat Adiyyra met Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid while he was in Sunah. Sunah is the name of a place in the surrounding areas of Medina. Hazrat Adiyyra said, “O Khalid, give me three days and five hundred soldiers shall gather with you with whom you may strike your enemy. That is better than that you should hasten them to the hellfire (i.e. the people of the Tayy tribe will join you and you can confront them together).” Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid accepted this, whereupon Hazrat Adiyyra returned to his people, but before this, they had already sent people to bring back their tribesmen who had gone to Buzakhah. These people sent word to their people within the army of Tulaihah that they should return immediately, as the Muslims had intended to attack the Banu Tayy tribe before confronting the army of Tulaihah. Therefore, they should return and prevent this attack. This was the plan that they devised. Thus, they returned to their people as reinforcements. Had this not transpired, Tulaihah and his cohorts would not have spared any of their lives.
Hazrat Adiyyra then returned to Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid and informed him of his tribe having reverted to Islam.
One author has written that it was one of the greatest achievements of Hazrat Adiyyra that he invited his people to join the Muslim army. The people of Banu Tayy joining the army of Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid was the first loss of Tulaihah, for Banu Tayy was counted as one of the strongest tribes of the Arab lands. Other tribes had regard for them and feared them for their strength and might. They had honour and authority in their area and neighbouring tribes were always keen to remain their allies. (Tarikh Al-Tabari, Vol. 2, p. 260, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon, 2012) (Abdullah bin Saba Aur Doosre Tarikhi Afsaane, Vol. 2-3, p. 92, Syed Qalbi Hussein Rizvi, 1427 AH) (Syedna Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqra, Muhammad Hussein Heikal [translation], p. 138, Shirkat printing Press, Lahore) (Syedna Abu Bakrra Siddiq Shakhsiyyat Wa Kaarname, Dr Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi [translation], p. 324, Maktabat-ul-Furqan, Muzaffargarh, Pakistan) (Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqra, Muhammad Hussein Heikal, Urdu translation by Sheikh Ahmad Pani Pati, p. 157) (Mu‘jam-ul-Buldan, Vol. 3, p. 6 & Vol. 1, p. 119) (Al-Munjid, p. 585, definition of “Fasl”, pp. 570-571) (Farhang-e-Sirat, p. 157, Zawar Academy, Karachi)
Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid set out toward Ansur, intending to confront Jadilah. Ansur is also the name of a spring of the Tayy tribe and people lived by this spring. Hazrat Adiyyra said to the people there, “The Tayy tribe is like a bird, and the Jadilah tribe is one of the wings of Tayy. So give me a few days’ time; perhaps God will guide them (i.e. they will reform themselves without the need of any war) just as God guided the Ghauth tribe out of its misguidance. (Guath was the other branch of the Tayy tribe.)”
This is exactly what Hazrat Khalidra did. Hazrat Adiyyra went to Jadila and continuously communicated with them until they pledged allegiance owing to Hazrat Adiyyra, after which Hazrat Adiyyra went to Hazrat Khalidra to convey the good news that they had accepted Islam and along with a thousand riders from that tribe they re-joined the Muslims. (Tarikh Al-Tabari, Vol. 2, p. 260, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon, 2012) (Mujam-ul-Buldan, Vol. 1, p. 314)
After the Tayy tribe accepted Islam, Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid set out towards Tulaihah Asadi. When Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid arrived close to the enemy forces, he sent Hazrat Ukashahra bin Mihsan and Hazrat Thabitra bin Akram to gather information about the enemy. As they drew closer to the enemy, Tulaihah and his brother Salama came out to inspect and see what was happening. Salama did not even give Hazrat Thabitra any respite and martyred him. When Tulaihah saw that his brother had dealt with his rival, he called to him for help in his fight against Ukashahra, saying, “Come help me, otherwise this person will devour me.” Hence, they both attacked Hazrat Ukashahra together and martyred him as well after which they returned.
In another narration, it is stated that when Hazrat Khalidra sent Hazrat Ukashahra and Hazrat Thabit Ansarira to gather information about the enemy, they came across Tulaihah’s brother Hibal and they both killed him. Allah knows best the extent to which this is true; or perhaps he was wanting to fight them which then resulted in him being killed, but that is if this narration is to be accepted as authentic, because they had only gone to gather information, not to fight. When Tulaihah came to know of this, he and his brother Salama came out; Tulaihah martyred Hazrat Ukahsahra and his brother martyred Hazrat Thabitra, and then they both returned. (Tarikh Al-Tabari, Vol. 2, pp. 261-262, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon, 2012) (Al-Kamil Fi Al-Tarikh, Vol. 2, pp. 208-209, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, 2003)
Hazrat Khalidra advanced with his army and they reached the place where Hazrat Thabitra lay martyred; however, none of the Muslims knew what had happened. Suddenly, someone’s mount stepped on him [which drew their attention], his martyrdom greatly pained the Muslims. When they looked closely, they realised that Hazrat Ukashahra bin Mihsan was also lying there martyred. This further saddened the Muslims and they said that two prominent Muslim leaders and two excellent horse riders had been martyred. Seeing these circumstances, Hazrat Khalidra organised the army in ranks for battle and returned to the Tayy tribe.
There is another narration in which Hazrat Adiyyra bin Hatim says, “I sent a message to Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid saying that he should come and stay with me for a few days. I would send men to all the tribes of Tayy and would gather a much larger army than the Muslims who were currently accompanying him at the time and then I myself would accompany him to fight against the enemy. Thus, he came to me.”
In one narration, it is stated that Hazrat Khalidra stayed at Urk in a township called Salama. However, according to other narrations, he stayed at a place called Aja‘. Here, Hazrat Khalidra prepared his army to fight against Tulaihah and both sides met at Buzakhah. When the fighting began, Uyainah, along with seven hundred people from Banu Fuzarah fought staunchly on the side of Tulaihah. Uyainah and Tulaihah joined together and fought against the Muslims. Tulaihah had laid out a sheet in the enclosure of his woollen tent and sat down upon it; since he considered himself to be a prophet, he remained seated in his tent so that he could convey news from the “unseen”. He told the people to go and fight, and that he would remain there to tell them what the outcome would be while they were engaged in fighting. When Uyainah faced difficulty in the battle and suffered great losses, he went to Tulaihah and asked, “Has Gabriel visited you yet or not? We are being defeated in battle, yet you said that you receive revelations and that Gabriel would tell you what was going to happen. Yet nothing has come of this and Gabriel has not yet come.” Tulaihah replied saying Gabriel had not come, and so Uyainah returned to the battle. Then when the intensity of the battle caused him to worry, he went back to Tulaihah, asking “May misfortune befall you, has Gabriel still not come to you?” He replied saying that by Allah, he had not. Uyainah asked, “In the name of god, when will he come? We are soon going to be ruined.” He then returned to the battle and began fighting again. Then when he suffered another setback, he returned to Tulaihah yet again and asked, “Has Gabriel still not come to you?” Tulaihah said, “Yes, he has come.” Uyainah asked, “What did Gabriel say?” Tulaihah responded, “He told me that for you there is a millstone just like there is a millstone for the Muslims. An event will transpire which you will not be able to forget.”
Uyainah said to himself that Allah knows that surely such events would transpire which he could not forget. He then went to his people and said, “O Banu Fuzarah! By God, Tulaihah is a liar. Let us retreat.” Upon this, all of the Banu Fuzarah stopped fighting, and since they suffered defeat they, therefore, fled from there. They gathered around Tulaihah and asked what he commanded them to do. Prior to all of this, Tulaihah had already prepared his horse and a mount for his wife, Nawar. He stood up and rushed to his horse and also got his wife onto her mount and fled with her. He said to his people that anyone who was able to do so should follow suit and save their families; they should flee from the battlefield. Tulaihah then set off towards Hoshiyah and eventually reached Syria. His community became dispersed and Allah caused many of them to die. According to one narration, after fleeing from the battlefield, Tulaihah went and lived with the Banu Kalb in Naqa‘ and there he accepted Islam. Naqa‘ is the name of a place in the environs of Taif near Mecca. It is also said that he lived among the Banu Kalb until the demise of Hazrat Abu Bakrra. (Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 2, pp. 261-262, 264, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon, 2012) (Mu‘jam-ul-Buldan, Vol. 5, p. 346 & Vol. 2, p. 215)
The prominent and ordinary people of Banu Aamir were sitting near him as were the Sulaim and Hawazin tribes. Then, when Allah caused the Banu Fuzarah and Tulaihah to be severely defeated, these tribes said that they would return to the same faith which they had abandoned. They entered into Islam on their own accord, saying that they believed in Allah and His Messengersa and would accept any decision made by Allah and His Messengersa with regard to their lives and their wealth. (Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 2, pp. 260-262, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon, 2012)
There is a narration recorded in Tarikh al-Tabari that after the defeat of the people of Buzakhah, the Banu Aamir came and said that they had re-entered the faith which they had left. Hazrat Khalidra only accepted their oath, i.e. from the Asad, Ghatfan and Tayy tribes – on the same condition stipulated for the people of Buzakha. Thus, they all accepted Islam on the condition of obedience. The words of this oath were, “An oath is taken from you for the sake of Allah that you will certainly believe in Allah the Almighty and His Messengersa; you will certainly establish prayer and will certainly offer Zakat, you will make the same oath on behalf of your children and wives.” To this, they all responded, “Yes”. (Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, Vol. 2, pp. 210-211, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, 2003)
Hazrat Khalidra did not accept the pledge of allegiance of anyone from Asad, Ghatfan, Hawazin, Sulaim and Tayy until they handed over all those who had turned apostate and then set fire to, mutilated or attacked Muslims. Hazrat Khalidra only accepted their pledge of allegiance once they handed over to him all those who had harmed Muslims, killed them, set fire to their home and burned them alive and then mutilated them. He said that once they had handed all such people over to him, then he would accept their pledge. [He said] all those who were guilty of perpetrating these crimes should be brought forth. Hence, these tribes presented all such people to Hazrat Khalidra after which Hazrat Khalidra accepted the pledge of allegiance from these tribes. Those who had inflicted cruelties upon Muslims had their limbs cut and they were also burned in fire. (Al-Istiqsa Li-Akhbar Duwal Al-Maghrib Al-Aqsa, Vol. 1, p. 76, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, 1997)
As I mentioned in a previous sermon, the same punishment was handed to them as they had inflicted upon Muslims.
It is recorded that Hazrat Khalidra sent a letter to Hazrat Abu Bakrra. Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid tied Qurrah bin Huwairah and some of his associates with ropes and then he sent him and the other prisoners to Hazrat Abu Bakrra. He wrote, “After turning away from Islam for some time, the Banu Aamir had entered into Islam once again. I did not accept the bai‘at from any of the tribes with whom we fought or with whom we made peace without fighting until they handed over to me all those who had inflicted various cruelties upon Muslims. I have killed such people. I am sending Qurrah and his associates to you.”
Hazrat Abu Bakrra also wrote a letter addressed to Hazrat Khalidra. It is recorded by Nafi‘ that Hazrat Abu Bakrra responded to this letter and wrote to Hazrat Khalidra, “May Allah grant you the best reward for what you did and the success you achieved. Continue fearing Allah in everything you do.
اِنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَ الَّذِيْنَ اتَّقَوْا وَّ الَّذِيْنَ هُمْ مُّحْسِنُوْنَ
“‘Verily, Allah is with those who are righteous and those who do good.’ [Ch.16: V.129]
“Strive your utmost in the works you do for Allah and do not seek for ease. If you capture anyone who has killed a Muslim then certainly you should kill them, and do so in a manner whereby others may take heed. Those who disobeyed the commandments of God and are the enemies of Islam can be killed if their death benefits Islam.” Hazrat Khalidra remained in Buzakhah for a month during which time he searched everywhere and captured such people. (Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 2, p. 265, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon, 2012)
He then handed out strict punishments to these people according to the instructions of Hazrat Abu Bakrra.
With regards to Qurrah bin Huwairah and Uyainah bin Hisan being captured and sent to Medina, it is written in Tarikh al-Tabari:
“When Hazrat Khalidra had dealt with the Banu Aamir and accepted their pledge of allegiance, he imprisoned Uyainah bin Hisan and Qurrah bin Huwairah and sent them to Hazrat Abu Bakrra. When they came before Hazrat Abu Bakrra, Qurrah said, ‘O Khalifa of the Messengersa! I am a Muslim. Hazrat Amrra bin al-Aas visited me on a journey and can testify that I have accepted Islam. I hosted him as my guest and acted kindly and respectfully towards him and ensured his safety.’ Hazrat Abu Bakrra called Hazrat Amrra bin al-Aas and asked him to verify his account. Hazrat Amrra bin al-Aas narrated the entire account and mentioned everything that Qurrah had stated. When Hazrat Amrra bin al-Aas was about to mention his comments with regard to paying the Zakat, Qurrah said, ‘Please stop, do not say anymore.’ Hazrat Amrra said, ‘May Allah have mercy. This cannot be the case; I will tell Hazrat Abu Bakrra the whole matter.’ Thus, he narrated the entire account. With regard to Zakat, Qurrah had said that if they removed the demand for Zakat, then the Arabs would listen to them, i.e. for them not to take Zakat. Upon this Hazrat Amrra replied, ‘It seems as though you have turned to disbelief already,’ to which Qurrah responded, ‘Then set a designated time for collecting the Zakat and we will confer together whether or not we wish to pay the Zakat.’ Hazrat Abu Bakrra, however, forgave him.” Despite listening to his response, Hazrat Abu Bakrra forgave him and spared his life.
Uyainah bin Hisn came to Medina whereby his hands were tied with ropes around his neck. The youths of Medina would poke him with date palm branches and say, “O enemy of Allah! Did you turn to disbelief after having believed?” To this, he replied, “By God! Until this day, I had never believed in God anyway!” Hazrat Abu Bakrra forgave him and pardoned him. (Tarikh Al-Tabari, Vol. 2, pp. 263-264, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon, 2012)
An author writes:
“Uyainah was brought before Hazrat Abu Bakrra, the Khalifa of the Messengersa of Allah. Hazrat Abu Bakrra forgave him and pardoned him in a manner whereby Uyainah did not expect it. Hazrat Abu Bakrra instructed for his hands to be untied and ordered Uyainah to repent. Uyainah announced openly that he repented sincerely, and by admitting his mistakes he apologised. He accepted Islam and remained steadfast on Islam.” (Syedna Abu Bakrra Siddiq Shakhsiyyat wa Kaarname, Dr Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi [translation], p. 326, Maktabat-ul-Furqan, Muzaffargarh, Pakistan)
The false claimant to prophethood and rebel known as Tulaihah Asadi also accepted Islam. With regard to the reasons for his acceptance of Islam, it is written that when he learnt that the tribes of Asad, Ghatfan and Banu Amir had accepted Islam, he also accepted Islam. Then during Hazrat Abu Bakr’sra Khilafat, he went to Mecca to perform Umrah. When he passed by Medina, Hazrat Abu Bakrra was told that Tulaihah was passing by. Hazrat Abu Bakrra said, “What can I do. Leave him alone, undoubtedly Allah the Almighty has guided him towards Islam.” Tulaihah went to Mecca to perform Umrah and during the caliphate of Hazrat Umarra, he pledged allegiance to Hazrat Umarra. When he came to pledge allegiance, Hazrat Umarra said to him, “You are the killer of Ukashara and Thabitra, by God I will never warm up to you.” Tulaihah responded, “O Leader of the Faithful! Why do you worry for those two individuals whom Allah the Almighty bestowed honour through my hands, (i.e. they attained martyrdom) and did not let me be disgraced by them, (i.e. he was not humiliated and killed by them in the skirmish thereby condemning him to hell) and today I am attaining the blessings of Allah owing to having accepted Islam.” Hazrat Umarra accepted his pledge of allegiance and said, “Listen here, O you deceitful one! Do you still practice soothsaying?” He replied, “I only practice some elements of it occasionally.” He then went towards the houses of his tribe and remained there. (Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 2, p. 264, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon, 2012)
During the battles in Iraq, Tulaihah achieved great feats in the battle against the Persians. After becoming a Muslim, he fought in the battles in Iraq and fought extremely well and was martyred during the Battle of Nahawand in 21 AH. (Hazrat Syeduna Abu Bakr Siddiqra, Muhammad Hussein Heikal, p. 144, Book Corner Show Room, Book Street, Jhelum, Pakistan) (Al-Isaba Fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Vol. 3, p. 441, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2005)
Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid travelled towards the area of Zaffar and contended with Umme Zimal Salama bint Umme Qirfa.
Umme Zimal’s name was Salama bint Malik bin Huzaifah and bore resemblance to her mother, Umme Qirfa bint Rabiya with regards to her honour and popularity. She also possessed the camel of Umme Qirfa. (Tarikh Al-Tabari, Vol. 2, p. 265, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon, 2012)
Umme Qirfa’s name was Fatimah bint Rabiya and she was the leader of the Banu Fuzarah. For her courage and her security arrangements, she became a proverbial expression. 50 swords would always be hanging in her home and 50 men equipped with swords would always be present. All of them were either her sons or grandsons. One of her son’s name was Qirfa and hence she was known by the title of Umme Qirfa; however, her actual name was Fatimah bint Rabiya. Her house was situated beside the valley of Qura, which was at a distance of seven nights’ travel from Medina. (Paighambar-e-Islam Aur Ghazwat Wa Sirayah, Hakim Mahmood Ahmad Zaffar, p. 447, Shafiq Press)
A military expedition was sent towards Umme Qirfa in 6 AH. One of the reasons to subdue her was because she had conspired to attack Medina and the Holy Prophetsa.
In relation to this an author has written:
“On one occasion, she prepared a contingent of 30 men, consisting of her sons and grandsons and she told them to go and attack Medina and kill the Holy Prophetsa. Hence, the Muslims sought revenge against this woman who sought to instigate evil. (Zia-ul-Nabi, Pir Muhammad Akram Shah Al-Azhari, Vol. 4, p. 121, Takhliq Markaz Printers, Lahore, 1420 AH)
Another reason for this [expedition] was that Hazrat Zaidra bin Haritha travelled towards Syria and was also taking the trade good belonging to the other companions. When he reached the valley of Qura, many men from the Banu Badr, a branch of the Banu Fuzarah, came out. They severely beat Zaidra and his companions and took away their belongings. They returned and informed the Holy Prophetsa. The Holy Prophetsa sent an army to punish the looters. (Zia-ul-Nabi, Pir Muhammad Akram Shah Al-Azhari, Vol. 4, p. 120, Zia-ul-Quran Publications, Lahore)
The incident regarding Umme Qirfa’s daughter, Umme Zimal Salama is that when some of the people from Ghatfan, Tayy, Sulaim and Hawazin, who suffered defeat at the hands of Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid in Buzakha and fled to Umme Zimal Salama bint Malik, they took an oath that they would be willing to sacrifice their lives whilst fighting against the Muslims and would not retreat. (Sirat Syedna Siddiq Akbarra, Ustad Umar Abu Al-Nasr, p. 610, Mushtaq Book Corner, Urdu Bazaar, Lahore)
Those who had suffered defeat from amongst the Ghatfan all gathered at Zaffar. Zaffar is the name of a place situated between Busra and Medina. It is nearby Hauab which is also located between Medina and Busra and it is named after a well nearby. It was at this location that Umme Zimal Salama impassioned them over their defeat and ordered them to fight. She then travelled to various tribes and instigated them to attack Hazrat Khalidra bin Walid to the extent that they all rallied around her and were ready for war. Thus, she was the one who was instigating them to fight against the Muslims and all those who had strayed from the right path gathered with her. Prior to this, in the lifetime of Umme Qirfa, Umme Zimal Salama was imprisoned and came before Hazrat Aishara and she freed her.
She stayed with her for a short period of time and then returned to her people, and became an apostate. (Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, Vol. 2, p. 211, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Illmiyah, 2003) (Mu‘jam-ul-Buldan, Vol. 4, p. 68 & Vol. 2, p. 360)
Hazrat Khalidra heard of this while he was engaged in the tasks of apprehending the criminals, arranging the distribution of Zakat, propagation of Islam and procurement of comfort for the people. He came forward to fight against Umm Zimal Salama, whose power and influence had grown considerably and this matter had escalated. Hence, Hazrat Khalidra advanced towards her and her troops and a severe battle ensued. At the time, Umm Zimal Salama was mounted on her mother’s camel with great pride – and both armies clashed in a fierce battle. While seated on her camel, Umm Zimal Salama continued to incite her army with provocative words. The apostates put up strong opposition. The camel of Umm Zimal was surrounded by one hundred camels mounted by brave warriors who were fearlessly defending Umm Zimal. The Muslim forces made every effort to reach Umm Zimal, but every time, her defenders would push them back. After having defeated all one hundred cavaliers, the Muslims were finally able to close in on the camel of Umm Zimal. As soon as they arrived, they hamstrung the camel and killed Umm Zimal. When her accomplices witnessed her camel fall and her being killed, they lost the will to fight and in a panic, began to flee from the battlefield dejected. In this way, the flames of this strife were extinguished and the upsurge of apostasy and treachery in the northwestern region of the Arabian Peninsula came to an end. (Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqra, Muhammad Hussein Heikal [Urdu translation], 156-157, Book Corner, Jhelum)
Hazrat Khalidra then sent word to Hazrat Abu Bakrra of this victory. (Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 2, p. 265, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon, 2012)
Insha-Allah, I will narrate more accounts about Hazrat Abu Bakrra in the future and conclude it here for today.
At this time, I wish to mention about two deceased members, and will lead their funeral prayers [in absentia] after the Friday prayers.
The first is of Sabirah Begum Sahiba, wife of Rafiq Ahmad Butt Sahib of Sialkot, who passed away a few days ago.
اِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَاِنَّآ اِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُوْنَ
[“Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.”]
By the grace of Allah the Almighty, she was a musiah. Her son has written about her, stating that she was regular in her prayers and in offering Tahajjud. She was devoted, hospitable, she would look after the poor and was a pious woman. She had a deep bond of love and devotion with Khilafat. She would regularly listen to the sermons with great attention. She held great regard for life-devotees of the Jamaat.
Her son, Naseem Butt Sahib, is a missionary serving in Kaduna, Nigeria. Due to being in the field of service, he was unable to attend the funeral prayers and burial of his mother, and for this reason, I am leading her funeral prayers. Her whole family, including her husband, sons and grandchildren are very active in their services to the Jamaat.
The second funeral prayer is of Suraiyyah Rasheed Sahiba. She was the wife of Rasheed Ahmad Bajwah Sahib. She passed away on 20 April in Canada.
اِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَاِنَّآ اِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُوْنَ
[“Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.”]
She was also a very pious and righteous woman; she was very devoted, she would look after the poor. She was very hospitable and very friendly. For a long period of time, she had the opportunity of serving as local Sadr Lajna. She also had the opportunity to teach many children the recitation of the Holy Quran, and for the sake of her children’s education and upbringing, she sold everything she had and built a house in Rabwah. She was a musiah. Her son, Safir Bajwa Sahib is also a missionary serving in Rabwah, who could also not attend her funeral prayer. One of her daughters is also married to a missionary. May Allah the Almighty bestow His forgiveness and mercy upon the deceased, and may He enable their future generations to keep these virtues alive.
(Official Urdu published in Al Fazl International, 24-30 May 2022 [Khilafat Day Special Edition]. Translated by The Review of Religions.)
