WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:15.289 --> 00:00:18.289 Mawaddah Association is pleased 00:00:18.289 --> 00:00:22.289 to present to you snapshots from the lives of the Companions, 00:00:22.289 --> 00:00:25.289 by Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 00:00:25.289 --> 00:00:27.320 may Allah have mercy on him. 00:00:27.320 --> 00:00:34.179 Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, may Allah be pleased with him. 00:00:46.619 --> 00:00:49.619 "If you wish, you may be among the Emigrants (Muhajirun), 00:00:49.619 --> 00:00:51.619 and if you wish, you may be among the Ansar. 00:00:51.619 --> 00:00:54.619 So choose whichever of the two is dearer to your heart." 00:00:54.619 --> 00:00:58.619 With these words, the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, addressed him 00:00:59.619 --> 00:01:02.619 when he first met him in Mecca. 00:01:02.619 --> 00:01:05.680 And behind offering Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman the choice 00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:07.680 to belong to either of these two noblest groups, 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:10.680 which are the dearest to the Muslims, lies a story. 00:01:10.680 --> 00:01:14.939 Al-Yaman, Hudhayfah's father, was a Meccan from the Banu 'Abs tribe. 00:01:14.939 --> 00:01:17.939 However, he had shed blood among his people, 00:01:17.939 --> 00:01:20.939 which forced him to emigrate from Mecca to Yathrib. 00:01:20.939 --> 00:01:24.939 There, he allied with the Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal and married among them, 00:01:24.939 --> 00:01:26.939 and his son Hudhayfah was born to him. 00:01:27.939 --> 00:01:33.000 Later, the obstacles preventing al-Yaman from entering Mecca ceased to exist, 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:36.000 so he began traveling back and forth between it and Yathrib, 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:40.000 though his residence in Medina remained more frequent and permanent. 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:45.319 When Islam shone its radiant light upon the Arabian Peninsula, 00:01:45.319 --> 00:01:48.319 al-Yaman, Hudhayfah's father, was one of ten men from Banu 'Abs 00:01:48.319 --> 00:01:52.319 who came as a delegation to the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:01:52.319 --> 00:01:55.319 and declared their Islam before him, 00:01:55.319 --> 00:01:58.319 and that was before he emigrated to Medina. 00:01:58.319 --> 00:02:04.319 Hence, Hudhayfah was Meccan by origin, yet Medinan by upbringing. 00:02:04.319 --> 00:02:08.479 Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman was raised in a Muslim home, 00:02:08.479 --> 00:02:13.479 brought up under the care of two parents who were among the foremost to enter the religion of Allah, 00:02:13.479 --> 00:02:19.479 so he accepted Islam before his eyes ever beheld the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. 00:02:19.479 --> 00:02:24.479 Hudhayfah's longing to meet the Messenger filled his entire being; 00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:30.479 ever since he embraced Islam, he eagerly sought news of him and persistently inquired about his descriptions, 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:35.479 which only increased his deep devotion to him and yearning for him. 00:02:35.479 --> 00:02:41.479 So he traveled to Mecca to meet him, and as soon as he saw the Prophet, he asked him: 00:02:41.479 --> 00:02:45.479 "Am I an Emigrant or an Ansari, O Messenger of Allah?" 00:02:45.479 --> 00:02:50.479 He, peace and blessings be upon him, replied, "If you wish, you may be among the Emigrants, 00:02:50.479 --> 00:02:55.479 and if you wish, you may be among the Ansar; so choose for yourself whichever you prefer." 00:02:55.479 --> 00:03:00.740 He replied, "Rather, I am an Ansari, O Messenger of Allah." 00:03:00.740 --> 00:03:04.740 When the Messenger, peace be upon him, emigrated to Medina, 00:03:04.740 --> 00:03:08.740 Hudhayfah adhered to him as closely as one eye to the other, 00:03:08.740 --> 00:03:12.930 and he took part with him in all the battles except Badr. 00:03:12.930 --> 00:03:17.930 Concerning Hudhayfah's absence from Badr, there is a story he recounted himself, saying: 00:03:17.930 --> 00:03:23.990 "Nothing prevented me from participating in Badr except that my father and I were outside Medina, 00:03:23.990 --> 00:03:29.020 and the disbelievers of Quraysh captured us and said, 'Where are you heading?' 00:03:29.020 --> 00:03:34.020 We said, 'To Medina.' They said, 'You only intend to join Muhammad.' 00:03:34.020 --> 00:03:38.020 We replied, 'We intend nothing but Medina.' 00:03:38.020 --> 00:03:42.020 They refused to let us go until they took a covenant from us 00:03:42.020 --> 00:03:46.020 that we would not support Muhammad against them nor fight alongside him. 00:03:46.020 --> 00:03:48.020 Then they released us. 00:03:48.020 --> 00:03:52.020 When we came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:03:52.020 --> 00:03:56.020 we informed him of the pledge we had made to Quraysh 00:03:56.020 --> 00:03:58.020 and asked him what we should do. 00:03:58.020 --> 00:04:01.020 He, peace and blessings be upon him, said: 00:04:01.020 --> 00:04:05.020 'We shall fulfill their covenant and seek the help of Allah against them.'" 00:04:05.020 --> 00:04:07.439 When the Battle of Uhud took place, 00:04:07.439 --> 00:04:10.439 Hudhayfah fought in it alongside his father, al-Yaman. 00:04:10.439 --> 00:04:12.439 As for Hudhayfah, 00:04:12.439 --> 00:04:15.439 he fought with the utmost valor and noble distinction, 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:17.439 emerging from it unharmed. 00:04:17.439 --> 00:04:20.439 As for his father, he was martyred in it, 00:04:20.439 --> 00:04:24.439 but his martyrdom was by the swords of the Muslims, 00:04:24.439 --> 00:04:26.439 not by the swords of the polytheists. 00:04:26.439 --> 00:04:30.439 There is a story behind this that we recount as follows: 00:04:30.439 --> 00:04:32.470 On the day of Uhud, 00:04:32.470 --> 00:04:36.470 the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, placed al-Yaman 00:04:36.470 --> 00:04:38.470 and Thabit ibn Waqsh 00:04:38.470 --> 00:04:41.470 in the fortresses along with the women and children, 00:04:41.470 --> 00:04:45.470 because they were two elderly men advanced in age. 00:04:45.470 --> 00:04:48.470 When the heat of the battle intensified, 00:04:48.470 --> 00:04:50.470 al-Yaman said to his companion: 00:04:50.470 --> 00:04:53.470 "Confound you! What are we waiting for? 00:04:53.470 --> 00:04:56.470 By Allah, neither of us has any life left to live 00:04:56.470 --> 00:04:59.470 except as little as the time it takes a donkey to get thirsty! 00:04:59.470 --> 00:05:02.470 We are but dead men of today or tomorrow! 00:05:02.470 --> 00:05:04.470 Shall we not take our swords 00:05:04.470 --> 00:05:08.470 and join the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, 00:05:08.470 --> 00:05:11.470 so that Allah might grant us martyrdom alongside His Prophet?" 00:05:11.470 --> 00:05:14.600 Then they took their swords, entered among the ranks, 00:05:14.600 --> 00:05:16.600 and plunged into the battle. 00:05:16.600 --> 00:05:18.600 As for Thabit ibn Waqsh, 00:05:18.600 --> 00:05:22.600 Allah honored him with martyrdom at the hands of the polytheists. 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:25.600 But as for al-Yaman, Hudhayfah's father, 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:29.600 the swords of the Muslims struck him repeatedly while they did not recognize him. 00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:31.600 Hudhayfah began shouting: 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:33.600 "My father! My father!" 00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:35.600 Yet no one could hear him. 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:38.600 The elderly man fell slain by the swords of his companions, 00:05:38.600 --> 00:05:41.629 and Hudhayfah said no more to them than: 00:05:41.629 --> 00:05:43.629 "May Allah forgive you, 00:05:43.629 --> 00:05:46.629 and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful." 00:05:46.629 --> 00:05:49.730 Later, the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, intended 00:05:49.730 --> 00:05:51.730 to pay the son the blood money for his father, 00:05:51.730 --> 00:05:53.759 but Hudhayfah said: 00:05:53.759 --> 00:05:57.860 "He was only seeking martyrdom, and he has attained it. 00:05:57.860 --> 00:06:03.019 O Allah, bear witness that I have given his blood money as charity to the Muslims." 00:06:03.019 --> 00:06:08.019 This only elevated his status further with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. 00:06:08.019 --> 00:06:14.240 The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, probed the depths of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman's character 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:17.240 and recognized in him three distinctive traits: 00:06:17.240 --> 00:06:19.240 an extraordinary intelligence 00:06:19.240 --> 00:06:22.240 that aided him in resolving complex dilemmas, 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:24.240 a compliant, sharp wit 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:26.240 that responded whenever called upon, 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:28.240 and an ability to keep secrets 00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:31.240 such that no one could penetrate his inner knowledge. 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:35.300 It was the policy of the Messenger, peace be upon him, 00:06:35.300 --> 00:06:38.300 to discover the strengths of his Companions 00:06:38.300 --> 00:06:42.300 and harness the latent potentials within them, 00:06:42.300 --> 00:06:46.300 by placing the right man in the right position. 00:06:46.300 --> 00:06:50.430 The greatest challenge facing the Muslims in Medina 00:06:50.430 --> 00:06:54.430 was the presence of the hypocrites, the Jews, and their factions, 00:06:54.430 --> 00:06:58.430 and the plots and conspiracies they were hatching against the Prophet, peace be upon him, 00:06:58.430 --> 00:07:01.430 and his Companions. 00:07:01.430 --> 00:07:04.430 So the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, disclosed 00:07:04.430 --> 00:07:08.430 to Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman the names of the hypocrites— 00:07:08.430 --> 00:07:12.430 a secret he revealed to none other of his Companions— 00:07:12.430 --> 00:07:15.430 and entrusted him with monitoring their movements, 00:07:15.430 --> 00:07:17.430 tracking their activities, 00:07:17.430 --> 00:07:20.430 and warding off their danger from Islam and the Muslims. 00:07:20.430 --> 00:07:22.430 From that day on, 00:07:22.430 --> 00:07:28.430 Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman was called "the keeper of the secret of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him." 00:07:28.430 --> 00:07:31.560 The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, utilized 00:07:31.560 --> 00:07:36.560 Hudhayfah's talents in one of the most perilous situations, 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:41.560 one that most urgently demanded extraordinary intelligence and quick wit. 00:07:41.560 --> 00:07:44.560 That was at the peak of the Battle of the Trench (al-Khandaq), 00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:49.560 when the enemy had surrounded the Muslims from above them and from below them, 00:07:49.560 --> 00:07:52.560 the siege had grown prolonged, 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:54.560 the distress had intensified, 00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:58.560 and exhaustion and hardship had reached their absolute limits, 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:02.620 to the point that eyes grew wild and hearts reached the throats, 00:08:02.620 --> 00:08:06.620 and some Muslims began entertaining doubts about Allah. 00:08:06.620 --> 00:08:12.750 Yet Quraysh and their polytheist allies in those decisive hours 00:08:12.750 --> 00:08:15.750 were in no better condition than the Muslims; 00:08:15.750 --> 00:08:18.819 for Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, poured out upon them of His wrath 00:08:18.819 --> 00:08:22.819 that which sapped their strength and shook their resolve. 00:08:22.819 --> 00:08:24.850 He unleashed against them a howling, freezing wind 00:08:24.850 --> 00:08:28.850 that overturned their tents, overturned their cooking pots, 00:08:28.850 --> 00:08:32.850 extinguished their fires, hurled gravel in their faces, 00:08:32.850 --> 00:08:36.850 and choked their eyes and nostrils with dust. 00:08:36.850 --> 00:08:41.100 In such critical moments in the history of warfare, 00:08:41.100 --> 00:08:45.100 the losing side is the one that groans first, 00:08:45.100 --> 00:08:47.100 while the winning side 00:08:47.100 --> 00:08:51.100 is the one that maintains its composure just a blink of an eye longer than its adversary. 00:08:51.100 --> 00:08:56.330 In these moments when the fates of battles are decided, 00:08:56.330 --> 00:09:00.330 military intelligence holds the paramount role 00:09:00.330 --> 00:09:03.330 in assessing the situation and offering counsel. 00:09:03.330 --> 00:09:07.549 Hence, the Messenger, peace be upon him, needed 00:09:07.549 --> 00:09:10.549 the talents and expertise of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, 00:09:10.549 --> 00:09:15.549 and resolved to dispatch him into the heart of the enemy's army under the cover of darkness 00:09:15.549 --> 00:09:19.549 to bring him their news before deciding on a course of action. 00:09:19.549 --> 00:09:24.549 Let us leave the floor to Hudhayfah to tell us about this journey of death. 00:09:24.549 --> 00:09:29.710 Hudhayfah said: "On that night, we were sitting in ranks, 00:09:29.710 --> 00:09:34.710 while Abu Sufyan and the Meccan polytheists with him were above us, 00:09:34.710 --> 00:09:37.710 and the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayzah were below us, 00:09:37.710 --> 00:09:40.710 and we feared for our women and children from them. 00:09:40.710 --> 00:09:47.710 Never had a night passed over us darker or with stronger wind than that night; 00:09:47.710 --> 00:09:50.710 the sounds of its wind were like thunderclaps, 00:09:50.710 --> 00:09:54.710 and its intense darkness made it impossible for any of us to see his own finger. 00:09:54.710 --> 00:09:59.809 The hypocrites began asking the Messenger, peace be upon him, for permission to leave, 00:09:59.809 --> 00:10:03.809 saying, 'Our homes are exposed to the enemy,' 00:10:03.809 --> 00:10:05.809 while they were not exposed. 00:10:05.809 --> 00:10:09.809 Whenever anyone of them asked him for permission, he granted it to him, 00:10:09.809 --> 00:10:15.809 and they kept slipping away until only about three hundred of us remained. 00:10:15.809 --> 00:10:19.840 At that point, the Prophet, peace be upon him, stood up 00:10:19.840 --> 00:10:24.840 and began passing by us one by one until he came to me. 00:10:24.840 --> 00:10:27.840 I had nothing to protect me from the cold 00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:31.840 except a small woolen wrap belonging to my wife that did not reach past my knees. 00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:34.899 He approached me while I was crouching on the ground 00:10:34.899 --> 00:10:36.899 and said, 'Who is this?' 00:10:36.899 --> 00:10:38.899 I said, 'Hudhayfah.' 00:10:38.899 --> 00:10:40.899 He said, 'Hudhayfah?' 00:10:40.899 --> 00:10:45.899 So I shrank closer to the ground, reluctant to stand up due to severe hunger and cold, 00:10:45.899 --> 00:10:48.899 and said, 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah.' 00:10:48.899 --> 00:10:53.000 He said, 'Something is happening among the enemy, 00:10:53.000 --> 00:10:57.000 so infiltrate their camp and bring me their news.' 00:10:57.000 --> 00:11:02.129 I set out while being among the most terrified of people and the coldest. 00:11:02.129 --> 00:11:06.129 Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: 00:11:06.129 --> 00:11:10.129 'O Allah, protect him from in front of him and from behind him, 00:11:10.129 --> 00:11:12.129 from his right and from his left, 00:11:12.129 --> 00:11:15.289 and from above him and from beneath him.' 00:11:15.289 --> 00:11:19.289 By Allah, no sooner had the Prophet, peace be upon him, finished his supplication 00:11:19.289 --> 00:11:24.289 than Allah stripped from my heart all the fear He had placed in it, 00:11:24.289 --> 00:11:28.289 and removed from my body all the cold that had afflicted it. 00:11:28.289 --> 00:11:30.379 When I turned to go, 00:11:30.379 --> 00:11:33.379 he, peace and blessings be upon him, called out to me and said: 00:11:33.379 --> 00:11:38.379 'O Hudhayfah, do not instigate anything among the people until you return to me.' 00:11:38.379 --> 00:11:43.379 I said, 'Yes,' and proceeded to slip away under the cover of darkness 00:11:43.379 --> 00:11:49.379 until I entered among the soldiers of the polytheists and became just like one of them. 00:11:49.379 --> 00:11:51.539 It was not long 00:11:51.539 --> 00:11:55.539 before Abu Sufyan stood up among them to deliver a speech and said: 00:11:56.539 --> 00:11:58.539 'O people of Quraysh, 00:11:58.539 --> 00:12:02.539 I am about to say something to you that I fear might reach Muhammad, 00:12:02.539 --> 00:12:05.539 so let every man among you look at who is sitting beside him.' 00:12:05.539 --> 00:12:10.539 Immediately, I grabbed the hand of the man next to me 00:12:10.539 --> 00:12:12.539 and said, 'Who are you?' 00:12:12.539 --> 00:12:15.539 He said, 'So-and-so, son of so-and-so.' 00:12:15.539 --> 00:12:17.539 Thereupon, Abu Sufyan said: 00:12:17.539 --> 00:12:19.539 'O people of Quraysh, 00:12:19.539 --> 00:12:23.539 "By Allah, you are no longer in an enduring abode. 00:12:23.539 --> 00:12:25.539 Our riding beasts have perished, 00:12:25.539 --> 00:12:28.539 Banu Qurayzah have abandoned us, 00:12:28.539 --> 00:12:31.539 and we have suffered from the severity of the wind as you can see, 00:12:31.539 --> 00:12:34.539 so depart, for I am departing!" 00:12:34.539 --> 00:12:38.539 Then he went to his camel, untied its hobble, and mounted it; 00:12:38.539 --> 00:12:41.539 then he struck it, and it sprang to its feet. 00:12:41.539 --> 00:12:44.539 And had it not been that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) 00:12:44.539 --> 00:12:48.539 commanded me not to initiate anything until I returned to him, 00:12:48.539 --> 00:12:50.539 I would have killed him with an arrow. 00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:55.669 Thereupon, I returned to the Prophet (peace be upon him) 00:12:55.669 --> 00:12:59.669 and found him standing in prayer, wrapped in a woolen garment belonging to one of his wives. 00:12:59.669 --> 00:13:03.669 When he saw me, he drew me close to his feet 00:13:03.669 --> 00:13:05.669 and cast an edge of the garment over me. 00:13:05.669 --> 00:13:07.669 I then conveyed the news to him, 00:13:07.669 --> 00:13:10.669 and he rejoiced greatly over it, 00:13:10.669 --> 00:13:13.830 praising and extolling Allah. 00:13:13.830 --> 00:13:17.830 Hudhayfah Ibn al-Yaman remained the entrusted keeper of the secrets regarding the hypocrites 00:13:17.830 --> 00:13:19.830 for as long as he lived, 00:13:19.830 --> 00:13:23.830 and the Caliphs continually referred to him regarding their affairs. 00:13:23.830 --> 00:13:26.830 Indeed, 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), 00:13:26.830 --> 00:13:30.830 whenever a Muslim passed away, would ask: 00:13:30.830 --> 00:13:33.830 "Did Hudhayfah attend the funeral prayer for him?" 00:13:33.830 --> 00:13:36.830 If they said yes, he would pray over him, 00:13:36.830 --> 00:13:42.059 but if they said no, he would suspect him and withhold from praying over him. 00:13:42.059 --> 00:13:44.059 'Umar once asked him, 00:13:44.059 --> 00:13:47.059 "Is there among my governors any of the hypocrites?" 00:13:47.059 --> 00:13:49.059 Hudhayfah replied, "One." 00:13:49.059 --> 00:13:51.059 'Umar said, "Point him out to me." 00:13:51.059 --> 00:13:54.059 He replied, "I will not." 00:13:54.059 --> 00:13:55.090 Hudhayfah said, 00:13:55.090 --> 00:13:58.090 "Yet it was not long before 'Umar dismissed him, 00:13:58.090 --> 00:14:00.090 as if he had been guided right to him." 00:14:00.090 --> 00:14:04.340 Perhaps few people know that Hudhayfah Ibn al-Yaman 00:14:04.340 --> 00:14:07.340 conquered for the Muslims Nahavand, 00:14:07.340 --> 00:14:08.340 Dinawar, 00:14:08.340 --> 00:14:09.340 Hamadhan, 00:14:09.340 --> 00:14:10.340 and Rayy, 00:14:10.340 --> 00:14:14.340 and was the reason for uniting the Muslims upon a single Qur'anic codex (Mushaf) 00:14:14.340 --> 00:14:18.340 after they were on the verge of dividing over the Book of Allah. 00:14:18.340 --> 00:14:20.379 Yet despite all of that, 00:14:20.379 --> 00:14:25.440 Hudhayfah Ibn al-Yaman harbored an intense fear of Allah for his own soul, 00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:28.440 and a tremendous dread of His punishment. 00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:31.440 When his terminal illness weighed heavily upon him, 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:34.440 some of the Companions came to visit him in the dead of night. 00:14:34.440 --> 00:14:38.440 He asked, "What hour is this?" 00:14:38.440 --> 00:14:41.440 They replied, "We are close to dawn." 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:47.470 He said, "I seek refuge with Allah from a morning that leads me to the Fire." 00:14:47.470 --> 00:14:51.470 Then he asked, "Have you brought a burial shroud?" 00:14:51.470 --> 00:14:53.629 They said, "Yes." 00:14:53.629 --> 00:14:56.629 He said, "Do not be extravagant with shrouds, 00:14:56.629 --> 00:14:59.659 for if there is good in store for me with Allah, 00:14:59.659 --> 00:15:01.659 it will be replaced with something far better; 00:15:01.659 --> 00:15:04.659 and if it is the other case, it will be stripped from me." 00:15:04.659 --> 00:15:06.659 Then he began to say, 00:15:06.659 --> 00:15:11.789 "O Allah, You know that I used to prefer poverty over wealth, 00:15:11.789 --> 00:15:14.789 and humility over worldly honor, 00:15:14.789 --> 00:15:17.789 and death over life." 00:15:17.789 --> 00:15:20.789 Then, as his soul was departing, he said, 00:15:20.789 --> 00:15:23.950 "A beloved has arrived upon longing; 00:15:23.950 --> 00:15:25.950 may he who regrets never prosper!" 00:15:25.950 --> 00:15:28.950 May Allah have mercy on Hudhayfah Ibn al-Yaman, 00:15:28.950 --> 00:15:32.980 for he was truly a singular kind of man. 00:15:32.980 --> 00:15:35.980 "Whatever Hudhayfah narrates to you, believe it; 00:15:35.980 --> 00:15:43.580 and whichever way 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud recites to you, recite it." 00:15:43.580 --> 00:15:46.580 "'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud recites to you, recite it." 00:15:46.580 --> 00:15:52.200 A noble hadith.