In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Mawaddah Association is pleased
to present to you glimpses from the lives of the Companions,
by Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
may Allah have mercy upon him.
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah al-Sahmi,
may Allah be pleased with him.
The hero of our story is a man from the Companions
named Abdullah ibn Hudhafah al-Sahmi.
History could easily have
passed by this man just as it passed by millions of Arabs before him,
without taking notice of them or giving them a second thought.
But the great religion of Islam
enabled Abdullah ibn Hudhafah al-Sahmi
to meet the masters of the world in his time:
Chosroes, the King of Persia,
and Caesar, the Great Emperor of Rome,
and to have with each of them
a story that the memory of time still preserves,
and which the tongue of history continues to recount.
As for his story with Chosroes, the King of Persia,
it took place in the sixth year of the Hijrah,
when the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, resolved
to send a group of his Companions
with letters to the kings of the non-Arabs,
inviting them therein to Islam.
The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
understood the gravity of this mission.
For these envoys
were going to distant lands
with which they had no prior acquaintance,
and they were ignorant of the languages of those lands,
nor did they know anything about the temperaments of their kings.
Furthermore, they were going to call upon these kings
to abandon their religions,
and to relinquish their glory and authority,
and to enter into the religion of a people
who, until the recent past, were among some of their subjects.
It was a journey of uncertainty;
he who goes is considered lost,
and he who returns is considered reborn.
Therefore, the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, gathered
his Companions,
and stood among them to deliver a sermon.
He praised Allah, extolled Him, and bore witness to His oneness,
then he said:
"To proceed:
I wish to send some of you
to the kings of the non-Arabs,
so do not differ regarding me
as the Children of Israel differed regarding Jesus, son of Mary."
The Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"We are ready, O Messenger of Allah;
we will carry out what you desire on your behalf,
so send us wherever you wish."
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, commissioned
six of the Companions
to carry his letters to the kings of the Arabs and non-Arabs.
One of these six was
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah al-Sahmi,
for he was chosen to carry the letter of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
to Chosroes, the King of Persia.
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah prepared his mount,
bade farewell to his wife and child,
and set out toward his destination,
ascending the highlands
and descending the lowlands,
alone and solitary,
with no one accompanying him but Allah,
until he reached the lands of Persia.
He requested permission to enter upon its king,
and informed the entourage of the letter he carried for him.
Upon that,
Chosroes ordered his palace to be adorned,
and summoned the nobles of Persia to attend his court, and they attended.
Then he granted Abdullah ibn Hudhafah permission to enter.
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah entered upon the master of Persia,
wrapped in his simple cloak,
wearing his coarse garment,
possessing the simplicity of the desert,
yet he was of high stature,
with a firm posture,
the pride of Islam burning within his heart,
and the dignity of faith kindled in his soul.
As soon as Chosroes saw him approaching,
he gestured to one of his men
to take the letter from his hand.
But he said: "No,
for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, commanded me
to hand it to you directly,
and I will not disobey a command of the Messenger of Allah."
Chosroes said to his men:
"Let him approach me."
So he approached Chosroes until he handed him the letter by hand.
Then Chosroes summoned an Arab scribe from al-Hirah,
and ordered him to open the letter before him,
and to read it to him.
It read:
"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah,
to Chosroes, the Great King of Persia."
“So go ye unto him and say: Lo! we are two messengers of thy Lord. So let the children of Israel go with us, and torment them not. We bring thee a token from thy Lord. And peace will be for him who followeth right guidance.” (20:47)
As soon as Chosroes heard this much of the letter,
the fire of rage ignited in his chest,
his face reddened,
and his veins swelled.
And the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
had begun with himself [in the letter].
He snatched the letter from the hands of his scribe,
and began to tear it to pieces
without knowing what was in it,
while shouting:
"Does he write to me like this, when he is my servant?"
Then he ordered Abdullah ibn Hudhafah
to be expelled from his court,
and he was expelled.
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah left
the court of Chosroes
not knowing what Allah would decree for him,
whether he would be killed or left free to go.
But he soon said:
"By Allah, I do not care what happens to me
after I have delivered the letter of the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
He mounted his camel and departed.
When Chosroes’ anger subsided,
he ordered that Abdullah be brought back to him,
but he was not found.
They searched for him but could find no trace of him.
They pursued him on the road to the Arabian Peninsula,
but found that he had already passed.
When Abdullah arrived before the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
he informed him of what had happened with Chosroes
and his tearing of the letter.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said nothing more than:
"May Allah tear his kingdom apart."
As for Chosroes, he had written to Badhan,
his deputy in Yemen,
to send to this man who had appeared in the Hijaz
two strong men from among you,
and order them to bring him to me.
So Badhan sent two of his best men to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and entrusted them with a letter for him,
ordering him to leave with them to meet Chosroes without delay.
He also asked the two men to investigate the news of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
to examine his affair,
and to bring him whatever information they could gather.
The two men set out, traveling quickly until they reached Ta'if,
where they found merchants from Quraysh.
They asked them about Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and they said: "He is in Yathrib."
Then the merchants went to Makkah, happy and rejoicing,
and began to congratulate Quraysh, saying:
"Be comforted,
for Chosroes has confronted Muhammad and spared you his evil."
As for the two men,
they turned their faces toward Madinah,
and when they reached it, they met the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and handed him the letter of Badhan,
and said to him: "The King of Kings, Chosroes,
has written to our king, Badhan,
to send someone to bring you to him.
We have come to you so that you may depart with us to him.
If you comply,
we will speak to Chosroes in a way that will benefit you and spare you his harm.
But if you refuse,
you know his power and his brutality,
and his ability to destroy you and your people."
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, smiled
and said to them:
"Return to your lodgings today,
and come to me tomorrow."
When they came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, the next day,
he said to them:
"Have you prepared yourselves to go with us to meet Chosroes?"
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to them:
"You will not meet Chosroes after today,
for Allah has killed him,
having empowered his son, Shirawayh, against him,
on such-and-such a night of such-and-such a month."
They stared at the face of the Prophet,
and astonishment appeared on their faces,
and they said:
"Do you know what you are saying?
Shall we write this to Badhan?"
He said: "Yes,
and tell him:
'My religion will reach as far as the kingdom of Chosroes reached,
and if you embrace Islam,
I will grant you what is under your control,
and make you king over your people.'"
The two men left the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and arrived before Badhan,
and informed him of the news.
He said:
"If what he said is true,
then he is a Prophet,
and if it is not so,
then we shall see what to do about him."
It was not long before he arrived to meet Badhan.
The book of Shirawayh
And regarding this, he says
To proceed:
For he has indeed killed Kisra.
I did not kill him except to avenge our people.
For I have sought the support of their noble ones.
And the taking of their women as captives.
And the plundering of their wealth.
So when this letter of mine reaches you
So, take the pledge of allegiance for me from those who are with you.
No sooner had Badhan read the letter of Shiruyeh
Until he cast it aside.
And he announced his entry into Islam.
And those who were with him from among the Persians in the lands of Yemen embraced Islam.
This is the story of the meeting of ‘Abdullah ibn Hudhafah.
to Khosrow, the King of Persia
What, then, is the story of his meeting with Caesar, the emperor of the Romans?
His meeting with Caesar took place during the caliphate of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him.
He had an encounter with him that stands among the most remarkable of stories.
In the nineteenth year after the Hijrah.
Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, dispatched an army to fight the Byzantines.
Among them was 'Abdullah ibn Hudhafah al-Sahmi.
Caesar was the great ruler of the Romans.
News of the Muslim army had reached him.
And the sincerity of faith and the firmness of creed that they embody.
And the willingness to sacrifice one’s own soul for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him.
He then commanded his men that if they were to capture any of the Muslim prisoners, they should do such and such.
That they should remain steadfast upon it.
And that they should bring him to him alive.
And it was the will of Allah that ‘Abdullah Ibn Hudhafah al-Sahmi should fall into the hands of the enemy.
A captive in the hands of the Byzantines.
So they carried him to their king.
And they said, "This man is one of the Companions of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
Those who were the first to embrace His religion.
He had fallen captive into our hands.
So we have brought it to you.
The King of the Romans gazed at Abdullah Ibn Hudhafah for a long time.
Then he hastened to him, saying:
I am presenting a matter to you.
He asked, "And what is it?"
He then said
I propose that you convert to Christianity.
If you do that, you will have succeeded.
I have set you free and honored your final resting place.
The captive then replied with dignity and resolve.
How far removed is that from reality!
Indeed, death is a thousand times more beloved to me than what you are calling me to.
Caesar then said
I truly see you as a man of noble character.
If you respond favorably to what I am proposing to you.
I have made you a partner in my affair.
And I have shared My sovereignty with you.
The captive, bound in his shackles, smiled and said
By Allah, even if you were to give me everything you possess
And all that the Arabs possessed.
to the extent that I would not renounce the religion of Muhammad, peace be upon him, for even the blinking of an eye.
What have you done?
He said, "If I were to kill you."
He said, "You and what you desire."
Then he ordered that he be crucified.
And he spoke to his companions in the Roman tongue.
Throw it near his hands.
He was offered the chance to convert to Christianity, but he refused.
He then said
Place it near his feet.
He was presented with the choice of abandoning his religion, yet he refused.
At that point, he commanded them to refrain from him.
And he requested that they take him down from the wooden cross.
Then he called for a large cooking pot.
Then he poured the oil into it.
And it was raised over the Fire.
until it reached an exorbitant price.
Then he called for two prisoners from among the Muslim captives.
He then commanded that one of the two be cast into it.
Then it was cast.
And so, his flesh began to crumble away.
And his bones appear bare.
Then he turned his attention toward ‘Abdullah Ibn Hudhafah.
And he invited him to Christianity.
He was even more reluctant to accept it than he had been before.
When he despaired of him.
He ordered that it be cast into the same cauldron into which his two companions had been cast.
When he took him away, his eyes welled up with tears.
The men of Caesar said to their king
He had indeed wept.
He assumed that he had succumbed to impatience.
And he said, "Return it to me."
When he stood before him.
He presented Christianity to him.
He refused it.
He said, "Woe to you!"
What, then, is it that has brought you to tears?
He said, "What made me weep was that I said to myself..."
You are now receiving this in this capacity.
Then your soul will depart.
I had long desired
That I may have [a reward] equal to the number of [hairs] on my body.
Whoever feels within themselves
He received all of it within this capacity.
in the cause of Allah
Then the tyrant said
Would you allow me to kiss your head, and I will let you go?
Then ‘Abdullah said to him
And likewise, on behalf of all the Muslims.
He said
And likewise, on behalf of all the captives among the Muslims.
‘Abdullah said:
So I said to myself
An enemy from among the enemies of Allah.
I would kiss his head, and he would release me.
And concerning all the captives of the Muslims.
There is no harm in that, Ali.
Then he drew near to him and kissed his head.
The King of Rome then ordered that the Muslim captives be gathered for him.
And that they should hand them over to him.
So they handed it over to him.
‘Abd Allah Ibn Hudhafah came to ‘Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him.
And he informed him of his news.
The Faruq (Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him) interpreted it with the greatest sense of joy.
And when he looked at the captives, he said
It is incumbent upon every Muslim to kiss the head of 'Abdullah Ibn Hudhafah.
I shall begin with that.
Then he stood up and kissed his head.
It is incumbent upon every Muslim to kiss the head of ‘Abdullah ibn Hudhafah.
And I shall begin with that.
'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him.
The head of 'Abdullah ibn Hudhafah