In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
The Mawaddah Association is pleased
to present to you
"Portraits from the Lives of the Companions"
by 'Abd al-Rahman
Ra'fat al-Basha,
may Allah have mercy on him.
Talhah ibn 'Ubayd Allah
al-Taymi,
may Allah be pleased with him.
Talhah ibn 'Ubayd Allah
al-Taymi was traveling with
a caravan of Quraysh
on a trade expedition of his to the Levant.
When the caravan reached
the city of Busra,
the senior merchants of Quraysh rushed
to its bustling market, buying
and selling.
And although Talhah was
a young man who did not possess
their level of commercial experience,
he nevertheless possessed
such sharp intelligence and penetrating insight
as enabled him to compete with them
and outstrip them in securing
the best deals.
And while Talhah was going to and fro
throughout the marketplace, which was surging
with travelers arriving from every corner,
an event befell him that was destined not only
to alter the entire course
of his own life,
but was also a herald
of a transformation in the entire course of human history.
So let us leave the floor to Talhah ibn 'Ubayd Allah
to recount to us
his fascinating story.
Talhah said: "While we were
in the marketplace of Busra,
a monk suddenly called out to the people:
'O assembly of merchants!
Ask the people of this seasonal gathering:
Is there anyone among them from the Sacred Sanctuary?'
I was close to him,
so I hurried toward him and said:
'Yes, I am from the people of the Sacred Sanctuary.'
He asked:
'Has Ahmad appeared among you?'
I asked: 'And who is Ahmad?'
He replied: 'The son of 'Abdullah,
the son of 'Abd al-Muttalib.
This is the month wherein he is destined to appear,
and he is the last
of the prophets. He will emerge from
your land, from the Sacred Sanctuary,
and he will migrate to a land of black volcanic stones,
date palms, and salty marshland
that oozes water.
So beware of letting anyone precede you to him,
young man!'
Talhah said: "His words struck
deeply into my heart,
so I hastened to my riding beasts and saddled them,
leaving the caravan behind me,
and I sped swiftly,
racing toward Mecca.
When I reached it, I said
to my family: 'Did anything new happen
in Mecca after our departure?'
They said: 'Yes. Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah has risen up,
claiming to be a prophet,
and Ibn Abi
Quhafah has followed him'—meaning
Abu Bakr. Talhah said:
'Now, I knew Abu Bakr well;
he was an easygoing,
beloved man of gentle disposition,
welcoming and approachable. He was
an upright merchant of noble character,
and we were fond of his company and loved
his gatherings because of his vast knowledge of the traditions of Quraysh
and his mastery of their genealogies.'
So I went to him
and said to him: 'Is it true
what is being said—that Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah
has declared prophethood,
and that you have followed him?'
He said: 'Yes,'
and he began recounting his story to me
and encouraging me to join him.
So I informed him of the monk's account,
and he was astonished by it, saying:
'Come along with me to Muhammad,
so that you may tell him your news,
listen to what he says,
and enter into the religion of Allah.'
Talhah said: 'So I went with him
to Muhammad,
and he presented Islam to me,
recited the Qur'an to me,
and gave me glad tidings of the good of this world and the Hereafter.
Thereupon, Allah opened my heart to Islam,
and I recounted to him the story
of the monk of Busra,
and he was delighted by it with a joy
that shone visibly upon his face.
Then I proclaimed before him the testimony
that there is no god but Allah,
and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
Thus, I was the fourth of three men
who embraced Islam at the hands of Abu Bakr."
The conversion to Islam
of this young Qurayshite struck his family and kinsfolk
like a thunderbolt.
The most distressed among them over his acceptance of Islam
was his mother,
for she had hoped that he would become the chieftain of his people
on account of his noble
characteristics and magnificent qualities.
His people rushed to him
to dissuade him from his religion,
but they found him as firm as an unshakeable
mountain.
When they despaired of persuading him
by gentle means,
they resorted to torturing and tormenting him.
Mas'ud ibn Kharash narrated,
saying:
"While I was performing sa'y between al-Safa and al-Marwah,
behold, a large crowd of people appeared,
trailing behind a young man whose hands had been tied
firmly to his neck.
They were jogging behind him,
shoving him in the back
and striking him on the head,
while an old woman followed behind him, reviling him and screaming at him.
I asked:
'What is the matter with this youth?'
They replied: 'This is Talhah
ibn 'Ubayd Allah;
he has abandoned his religion and followed the Banu Hashim.'
I asked:
'And who is this old woman behind him?'
They said:
'She is al-Sa'bah bint al-Hadrami,
the youth's mother.'
Later, Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid,
who was nicknamed the Lion of Quraysh,
went up to Talhah ibn 'Ubayd Allah
and bound him with a rope,
tying Abu Bakr
al-Siddiq alongside him.
He bound the two of them together
and handed them over to the foolish ruffians of Mecca
so that they might inflict the severest torment upon them.
For this reason, Talhah ibn 'Ubayd Allah
and Abu Bakr al-Siddiq were called
'the Two Bound Companions' (al-Qarinan).
Then days passed,
and events followed in rapid succession,
while Talhah ibn 'Ubayd Allah
grew ever more noble and steadfast with each passing day.
His valiant deeds in the cause
of Allah and His Messenger grew greater
and more magnificent,
and his devotion to Islam and the Muslims
deepened and expanded, until
the Muslims bestowed upon him the title 'the Living
Martyr,' and
the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, called him
'Talhah of Goodness,'
'Talhah of Generosity,'
and 'Talhah of Bountiful Giving.'
Behind each of these titles lies a story
no less splendid than the others.
As for the story of his being named
'the Living Martyr,'
it took place on the Day of Uhud,
when the Muslims were routed away from the Messenger of Allah,
peace be upon him,
and none remained with him except eleven
men from the Ansar
and Talhah ibn 'Ubayd Allah from the Emigrants.
The Prophet, peace be upon him,
was ascending the mountain
with those who were with him,
when a band of the idolaters caught up with him,
seeking to kill him.
Thereupon, he, peace be upon him, said:
'Who will repel these men from us,
and he shall be my companion in Paradise?'
Talhah said:
'I will, O Messenger of Allah!'
But he, peace be upon him, said:
'No, stay where you are.'
A man from the Ansar then said:
'I will, O Messenger of Allah!'
"Yes, you."
So the Ansari fought until he was killed.
Then the Messenger,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, climbed further with those who were with him,
and the polytheists caught up with him again.
He said, "Who will take on
these attackers?"
Talhah said, "I will, O Messenger of Allah!"
But he, peace be upon him, said,
"No, stay where you are."
Then a man
from the Ansar said, "I will, O Messenger of Allah."
He said, "Yes, you."
He then fought
until he was killed as well.
The Messenger continued his ascent,
and the polytheists caught up with him again.
He kept repeating the same call,
and Talhah kept saying, "I will, O
Messenger of Allah!" but the Prophet held him back,
granting permission instead to a man
from the Ansar, until they were all martyred,
every single one of them, and none remained
with him except Talhah.
The polytheists caught up with him,
so he said to Talhah, "Now,
yes." And indeed,
the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had already
had his incisor broken, his forehead gashed,
his lip split,
blood streaming down his face,
and severe exhaustion overcoming him.
Talhah began repeatedly charging at the polytheists
to drive them away from
the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Then he would return to the Prophet,
help him climb a little higher
up the mountain, support him safely
on the ground, and then charge at
the polytheists anew.
He continued doing so until he repelled
them from him.
Abu Bakr said: "Abu 'Ubaydah Ibn al-Jarrah and I
were
far away from the Messenger of Allah.
When we reached him wanting to
tend to him, he said,
'Leave me and attend to your companion!'—
meaning Talhah."
There was Talhah, bleeding profusely,
bearing over seventy
wounds from a sword-strike, a thrust
of a spear, or a shot from an arrow,
with his hand severed,
and having fallen into a pit,
completely unconscious.
The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
used to say thereafter:
"Whoever would be pleased to look upon a man
walking upon the earth who has fulfilled
his vow of martyrdom, let him look at
Talhah Ibn 'Ubaydillah."
And whenever the Battle of Uhud was mentioned, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him,
would say:
"That was an entire day
that belonged to Talhah."
This is the story of how Talhah
Ibn 'Ubaydillah was called "The Living Martyr."
As for his titles "Talhah
the Good" and "Talhah the Generous,"
there are countless stories to tell.
Among them
is that Talhah was a merchant with vast
commerce and immense wealth.
One day, wealth came to him
from Hadramawt,
amounting to seven hundred thousand dirhams.
He spent the entire night filled with dread,
anxious and deeply distressed.
His wife came in to see him—
Umm Kulthum, daughter of Abu Bakr
al-Siddiq—and asked,
"What troubles you, O Abu Muhammad?
Perhaps you have seen something amiss in us?"
He replied, "No,
and what an excellent wife to a Muslim man you are!
Rather,
I have been reflecting throughout the night, saying to myself:
'What must a man's expectation
of his Lord be if he sleeps
while having all this wealth in his house?'"
She said, "What makes you so distressed
about it? What of
the needy among your people and your
close companions? When morning comes,
distribute it among them."
He said, "May Allah have mercy on you!
Truly, you are divinely guided."
When morning broke,
he placed the wealth into pouches and bowls,
and distributed it among the poor
of the Muhajirun and the Ansar.
It is also related
that a man came to Talhah
Ibn 'Ubaydillah asking for financial aid,
mentioning a kinship that bound him
to him. Talhah said,
"This is a kinship that
no one has ever mentioned to me before.
I own a piece of land
for which 'Uthman Ibn 'Affan offered me
three hundred thousand dirhams.
If you wish, take the land;
or if you wish, I will sell it on your behalf to him
for three hundred thousand and give you
the price." The man replied,
"Rather, I will take its price."
So he gave it to him.
Blessed indeed is Talhah the Good
and Generous with this noble title
bestowed upon him by the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
May Allah be pleased with him
and illuminate his grave.
"Whoever would be pleased to look upon
a man walking upon the earth
who has fulfilled his vow of martyrdom,
let him look at Talhah
Ibn 'Ubaydillah."
Muhammad
is the Messenger of Allah.