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 upon him.
Thabit ibn Qays al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him.
Thabit ibn Qays al-Ansari was a prominent leader among the Khazraj,
and one of the most distinguished figures of Yathrib.
Beyond that, he was sharp-witted and quick-thinking,
possessing a magnificent eloquence and a powerful voice.
When he spoke, he surpassed all other speakers,
and when he delivered a sermon, he captivated his listeners.
He was among the first in Yathrib to embrace Islam,
for no sooner had he heard the verses of the Wise Reminder,
recited by the young Meccan missionary Mus'ab ibn Umayr,
with his melodious voice and gentle tone,
than the Qur'an captured his hearing with the sweetness of its impact,
took hold of his heart with its marvelous eloquence,
and enchanted his soul with the guidance and legislation it contained.
Thus, Allah expanded his breast to faith,
and elevated his status and raised his renown by bringing him under the banner of the Prophet of Islam.
When the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, arrived in Medina as an emigrant,
Thabit ibn Qays welcomed him with a large group of his people's horsemen in the most honorable reception,
and greeted him and his companion, al-Siddiq, with the most beautiful welcome.
He delivered a profound sermon before him,
which he opened by praising Allah, the Almighty and Exalted,
and by invoking peace and blessings upon His Prophet.
He concluded it by saying,
"We pledge to you, O Messenger of Allah,
that we shall protect you with that which we protect ourselves, our children, and our women."
"What shall we have in return for that?"
He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, replied, "Paradise."
No sooner had the word "Paradise" touched the ears of the people
than their faces shone with joy,
and their features beamed with delight,
and they said, "We are satisfied, O Messenger of Allah."
From that day on, the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, appointed Thabit ibn Qays as his orator,
just as Hassan ibn Thabit was his poet.
So, whenever delegations of the Arabs came to him,
seeking to boast or debate using the tongues of their most eloquent orators and poets,
he would delegate Thabit ibn Qays to challenge the orators,
and Hassan ibn Thabit to compete with the poets.
Thabit ibn Qays was a believer of deep faith,
pious and truly righteous,
possessing an intense fear of his Lord,
and great caution against everything that might anger Allah, the Almighty and Exalted.
One day, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, saw him in a state of panic and distress,
his limbs trembling with fear and awe.
He asked, "What is the matter with you, O Abu Muhammad?"
He replied, "I fear that I have perished, O Messenger of Allah."
He asked, "Why?"
He said, "Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, has forbidden us
from wishing to be praised for what we have not done,
yet I find that I love praise.
And He has forbidden us from arrogance,
yet I find that I love vanity."
The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, continued to calm his fears,
until he said,
"O Thabit,
are you not pleased to live a life of praise,
to be killed as a martyr,
and to enter Paradise?"
Thabit’s face shone with this good news, and he said,
"Yes, O Messenger of Allah."
"Yes, O Messenger of Allah."
Then he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
[peace and blessings of Allah be upon him].
Despite his intense love for him and his excessive attachment to him,
he remained in his house, barely leaving except for the obligatory prayers.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, missed him,
and asked, "Who will bring me news of him?"
A man from the Ansar said,
"I will, O Messenger of Allah."
He went to him,
and found him in his house, sorrowful and with his head bowed.
He asked,
"What is the matter with you, O Abu Muhammad?"
He replied, "Evil."
He asked, "What is that?"
He said, "You know that I am a man with a loud voice,
and that my voice often rises above the voice of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Verses of the Qur'an have been revealed, as you know,
and I fear that my deeds have been rendered void,
and that I am among the people of the Fire."
The man returned to the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and informed him of what he had seen and heard.
He said,
"Go to him and tell him:
'You are not among the people of the Fire,
but rather you are among the people of Paradise.'"
This was a great piece of good news for Thabit,
the hope of which he cherished throughout his life.
Thabit ibn Qays witnessed all the battles with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
except for Badr.
He would throw himself into the thick of battle, seeking the martyrdom the Prophet had promised him,
yet it would elude him every time, even when it was within reach.
Until the Wars of Apostasy occurred between the Muslims and Musaylimah the Liar,
during the reign of al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him.
Thabit ibn Qays was at that time the commander of the Ansar forces,
and Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, was the commander of the Muhajirun forces,
while Khalid ibn al-Walid was the commander of the entire army,
including the Ansar, the Muhajirun, and the tribesmen among them.
The tide of battle in most of the engagements was turning against the Muslim armies in favor of Musaylimah and his men,
to the point that they breached the tent of Khalid ibn al-Walid,
and intended to kill his wife, Umm Tamim,
and they cut the ropes of the tent and tore it to shreds.
On that day, Thabit ibn Qays saw such weakness among the Muslims that his heart was filled with grief and anguish,
and he heard their mutual accusations, which filled his chest with sorrow and distress.
The Medinans were accusing the tribesmen of cowardice,
and the tribesmen were describing the Medinans as unskilled in combat,
and ignorant of the nature of war.
At that moment, Thabit applied his perfume and donned his shroud,
stood before the witnesses, and said,
"O assembly of Muslims,
this is not how we used to fight alongside the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
How wretched is the boldness you have accustomed your enemies to show against you,
and how wretched is the cowardice you have accustomed yourselves to show them!"
Then he raised his gaze to the sky and said,
"O Allah, I disavow before You what these people have brought of polytheism,"
meaning Musaylimah and his people,
"and I disavow before You what these people are doing,"
meaning the Muslims.
Then he charged like a fierce lion,
shoulder to shoulder with the noble, blessed ones:
al-Bara' ibn Malik al-Ansari,
Zayd ibn al-Khattab,
the brother of the Commander of the Faithful, Umar ibn al-Khattab,
Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah,
and others among the early believers.
He fought with great valor,
filling the hearts of the Muslims with zeal and determination,
and filling the hearts of the polytheists with weakness and terror.
He continued to strike in every direction,
fighting with every weapon,
until his wounds overcame him.
He fell, struck down on the battlefield,
his eyes comforted by the martyrdom Allah had decreed for him,
which his beloved, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had promised him,
his heart content with the victory Allah had achieved for the Muslims at his hands.
Thabit was wearing a precious suit of armor,
and a man from the Muslims passed by him,
stripped it from him, and took it for himself.
On the night following his martyrdom,
a man from the Muslims saw him in his dream,
and he said to the man,
"I am Thabit ibn Qays.
Do you recognize me?"
He said, "Yes."
He said,
"I have a will for you,
so do not say 'this is just a dream' and neglect it.
When I was killed yesterday,
a man from the Muslims passed by me, whose description is such and such,
and he took my armor and went with it toward his tent,
at the far end of the camp in such and such a direction,
and he placed it under a cooking pot,
and placed a saddle on top of the pot.
Go to Khalid ibn al-Walid,
and tell him to send someone to the man to take the armor from him,
for it is still in its place.
And I have another will for you,
so do not say 'this is just a dream' and neglect it.
Tell Khalid:
'When you arrive at the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in Medina,
tell him:
Thabit ibn Qays owes such and such a debt,
and such and such of my slaves are free.'
So let him pay my debt and free my slaves."
The man woke up,
went to Khalid ibn al-Walid,
and informed him of what he had heard and seen.
Khalid sent someone to retrieve the armor from the one who had taken it,
and they found it in its place,
and brought it back just as it was.
When Khalid returned to Medina,
he told Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, about the story of Thabit ibn Qays and his will.
Al-Siddiq carried out his will,
and no one before or after him had their will carried out after their death, except him.
May Allah be pleased with Thabit ibn Qays and grant him satisfaction,
and place his abode in the highest of the high.
No one's will has been carried out after their death,
except the will of Thabit ibn Qays.