In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most 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.
Usayd ibn al-Hudayr, may Allah be pleased with him.
The young Makkan envoy, Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr, arrived in Yathrib
on the very first missionary journey known to the history of Islam.
He stayed with As'ad ibn Zurarah,
one of the noble leaders of the Khazraj,
making his home a residence for himself
and a launching point to propagate the call to Allah
and to preach about His Prophet, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.
The people of Yathrib began flocking to the gatherings of the young caller,
Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr,
in great numbers.
They were captivated by the sweetness of his speech,
the clarity of his arguments, the gentleness of his noble character,
and the radiance of faith that shone from his remarkably handsome face.
Yet something else drew them to him even more than all of that:
it was this Qur'an,
which he would recite to them from time to time—some of its clear verses—
in his deep, resonant, and melodious voice,
with its sweet and captivating tones.
Through it, hardened hearts were softened,
and stubborn tears were made to flow,
so that not a single gathering of his would disperse
except that people had embraced Islam
and joined the ranks of faith.
One day,
As'ad ibn Zurarah went out with his guest, the caller Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr,
to meet a group from Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal
and present Islam to them.
He entered an orchard belonging to Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal
and sat by its fresh well beneath the shade of date palms.
A group who had already embraced Islam gathered around Mus'ab,
along with others who wished to listen.
He set out calling and preaching,
while the people listened attentively to him,
spellbound by the splendor of his words.
Then someone came and informed Usayd ibn al-Hudayr
and Sa'd ibn Mu'adh—
the two chieftains of the Aws—
that the Makkan missionary had settled near their dwellings,
and that the one who had emboldened him to do so
was As'ad ibn Zurarah.
Sa'd ibn Mu'adh said to Usayd ibn al-Hudayr:
"May you lose your mother, O Usayd!
Go to this Makkan youth
who has entered our quarters
to seduce our weak-minded folk
and insult our gods;
rebuke him,
and warn him never to set foot in our lands after today."
He then added:
"Were it not that he is a guest of my maternal cousin,
As'ad ibn Zurarah,
and that he moves under his protection,
I would have spared you that task."
Usayd took his short spear
and headed toward the orchard.
When As'ad ibn Zurarah saw him
approaching, he said to Mus'ab:
"Woe to you, Mus'ab!
This is the master of his people,
the most discerning in intellect among them,
and the most consummate in character:
Usayd ibn al-Hudayr.
If he embraces Islam, there will follow him into Islam
a multitude of people.
So be sincere with Allah concerning him,
and approach him with utmost tact."
Usayd ibn al-Hudayr stood before the gathering,
turned toward Mus'ab
and his companion, and said:
"What brought you two to our quarters
to seduce our vulnerable folk?
Leave this neighborhood,
if you have for your lives
any need!"
Mus'ab turned to Usayd
with his face glowing with the light of faith,
and addressed him in his tone
of captivating sincerity,
saying to him:
"O master of his people,
would you consider something better than that?"
He asked: "And what is that?"
He replied: "Sit with us;
if you are pleased with what we say,
you may accept it,
and if you dislike it,
we will depart from you and never return."
Usayd replied:
"You have spoken fairly."
He planted his spear into the ground and sat down.
Mus'ab then turned his attention to him,
explaining to him the reality of Islam,
and reciting to him
verses from the Qur'an.
Usayd's features relaxed,
his face lit up,
and he said: "How fine is this!
How excellent is what you say,
and how sublime is that which you recite!
What do you do
when you wish to enter Islam?"
Mus'ab said to him:
"You perform ritual bathing, purify
your garments, testify
that there is no god but Allah
and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,
and pray
two rak'ahs."
He stood up, went to the well, purified himself with its water,
and testified that there is no god
but Allah and that Muhammad
is His servant and His Messenger,
and then prayed two rak'ahs.
On that very day, there joined
the ranks of Islam
an eminent Arabian knight
of great distinction, and a nobleman
among the prominent chieftains of the Aws.
He was called
'al-Kamil' (the Perfect One) by his people
because of his sound judgment,
the nobility of his lineage,
and because he mastered both the sword and the pen;
for alongside
his horsemanship and marksmanship,
he was literate in a society
in which those who could read
and write were exceedingly rare.
His conversion was the catalyst for
the Islam of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh,
and the conversion of the two together
was the cause for vast multitudes
of the Aws to embrace Islam,
and for Madinah to subsequently become
the place of emigration for the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and the sanctuary and base
for the great Islamic state.
Usayd became utterly enamored of the Qur'an
from the moment he heard it from
Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr,
with the devotion of an ardent lover for his beloved;
he turned to it
like a parched man rushing to a sweet spring
on a scorching day,
and made it his singular preoccupation.
Thus he was never seen except
as a warrior striving in the cause of Allah,
or in devoted seclusion reciting
the Book of Allah.
He possessed a resonant, melodious voice,
clear in articulation,
and radiant in delivery—
sweetest and most delightful
when the night grew still,
eyes fell asleep,
and souls became serene.
The noble Companions
would eagerly await his recitations
and vie with one another
to listen to him recite.
Blessed indeed was anyone privileged
to hear the Qur'an from him fresh and tender,
just as it was revealed to Muhammad.
Indeed, the inhabitants of heaven
savored his recitation,
just as the inhabitants of earth savored it.
For in the middle of one night,
Usayd ibn al-Hudayr
was sitting in his walled enclosure,
while his son Yahya slept
beside him,
and his mare, which he had prepared for jihad
in the cause of Allah, was tethered
not far from him.
The night was peaceful and tranquil,
the canopy of the sky
pristine and clear,
and the eyes of the stars gazed down upon
the resting earth with tenderness
and affection.
Usayd longed to perfume
this fresh night air with the fragrant scents
of the Qur'an.
So he began reciting in his voice,
so melodious and tender.
Suddenly, he heard his horse
rearing and circling agitatedly,
nearly snapping its tether.
So he fell silent,
and the horse calmed down and grew still.
But when he resumed, the horse bolted again,
even more violently and intensely.
So he fell silent, and she calmed down.
This happened repeatedly:
whenever he recited,
the mare bolted and reared,
and whenever he fell silent, she calmed down
and stood still.
Fearing that she might trample his son Yahya,
he went over to wake him up.
Just then, he happened
to glance up at the sky,
and saw a cloud resembling a canopy,
more magnificent
and radiant than any eye had ever seen.
Suspended within it
were what looked like glowing lamps,
filling the horizon with brilliant light,
ascending higher and higher
until it disappeared from his sight.
When morning came,
he went to the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and recounted what he had witnessed.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him,
said to him:
"Those were the angels
listening to you, O Usayd!
Had you continued reciting,
the people would have seen them,
and they would not have been hidden from their sight."
And just as Usayd
ibn al-Hudayr was enraptured by the Book of Allah,
he was equally devoted to the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
As he himself related,
he felt at his utmost purity
and deepest state
of spiritual lucidity and faith
whenever he recited or listened to the Qur'an,
and whenever he looked upon
the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
delivering a sermon or speaking.
He frequently
longed to feel
his own body touch the body of the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and to lean over him, kissing
and embracing him.
He was granted that very wish on one occasion.
One day,
while Usayd was entertaining the people
with his humor, the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him, poked him in the ribs with his hand,
as though expressing amusement
at what he was saying.
Usayd said, "You have hurt me,
O Messenger of Allah!"
He, peace and blessings be upon him, replied,
"Take your retribution from me, O Usayd."
Usayd said,
"You are wearing a shirt,
but I was not wearing one
when you poked me."
So the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, raised
his shirt from his torso,
whereupon Usayd embraced him
and began kissing the area between
his armpit and flank, saying:
"May my father and mother be sacrificed for you,
O Messenger of Allah!
This has been a cherished wish of mine
ever since I came to know you,
and now I have fulfilled it."
And the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him, fully reciprocated
Usayd's love with love,
honoring his early precedence
in Islam and his valiant defense
of him on the day of Uhud, where
he sustained seven mortal
stab wounds.
He also recognized his high esteem
and standing among his people;
whenever Usayd interceded on behalf of any
of them, the Prophet accepted his intercession.
Usayd related:
"I came to the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and mentioned to him a household
from the Ansar who were in dire need,
most of the members of that
household being women.
He, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
'You have come to us, O Usayd,
after we have already spent all that was in our hands.
Whenever you hear of anything
arriving to us, remind us
of that household.'
Sometime later,
wealth arrived from Khaybar, and he distributed it
among the Muslims;
he gave generously to the Ansar,
and he gave exceedingly generously to that household.
So I said to him,
'May Allah reward you on their behalf, O Prophet
of Allah, with all good!'
He replied, 'And you, O people of
the Ansar, may Allah reward you
with the finest reward!
For indeed, as far as I have known you,
you are chaste and patient.
Yet you will surely face preferential treatment after me,
so be patient until you meet me,
and your appointed rendezvous is at the Basin (Hawd).'"
Usayd said:
"When the caliphate passed
to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him,
he distributed
wealth and garments among the Muslims.
He sent me a robe,
but I found it quite small.
While I was in the mosque,
a young man from Quraysh passed by me,
wearing an ample, flowing garment
from those very robes
that 'Umar had distributed,
trailing it along the ground.
So I remarked to those with me,
'True indeed was the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
"You will surely face
preferential treatment after me."'
And I repeated,
'True indeed was the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him!'
A man went off
to 'Umar
and informed him of what I had said.
'Umar rushed to me while I was praying
and said, 'Continue your prayer, O Usayd.'
When I finished
my prayer, he turned to me and asked,
'What was it that you said?'
So I told him what I had seen,
and I told him what I had said.
He replied, 'May Allah pardon you!
That was a robe
I had sent to so-and-so,
an Ansari who participated in 'Aqabah,
Badr, and Uhud.
This Qurayshi youth
then bought it from him and wore it.
Did you really think that what
the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, foretold
would come to pass during my time?'
Usayd replied,
'By Allah, O Commander of the Believers,
I certainly thought that it would not happen
in your time!'"
Usayd ibn al-Hudayr did not live
long after that;
Allah chose him to be by His side
during the caliphate of 'Umar,
may Allah be pleased with him and with 'Umar.
It was found that he had left a debt
amounting to four thousand
dirhams,
and his heirs intended to sell
a piece of his land to settle his debts.
When 'Umar learned of this,
he said, "I will not leave
the family of my brother Usayd dependent upon people."
He then spoke to
the creditors, and they agreed
to purchase the yield of the land
for four years,
at one thousand dirhams each year.
"Those were the angels
listening to you, O Usayd!"
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.