In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The finest of generations in their stands and exemplary conduct,
Following the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke.
Mawaddah Association
Presents:
Glimpses from the Lives of the Tabi'un
By Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
May Allah have mercy on him.
Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib,
May Allah have mercy on him.
The Commander of the Faithful, Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, resolved to perform the pilgrimage to the Sacred House of Allah,
Visit the second of the two Holy Sanctuaries,
And offer greetings of peace upon the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
When the month of Dhu al-Qi'dah arrived,
The grand caravan readied its riding mounts,
And set out toward the land of the Hijaz,
Accompanied by the illustrious nobles among the Umayyad princes,
A group of senior state dignitaries, and some of his children.
The procession proceeded on its way from Damascus to Medina al-Munawwarah,
Neither lingering casually nor rushing precipitately.
Whenever they made camp at a stop, tents were pitched for them,
Carpets were laid out,
And assemblies of knowledge and remembrance were convened,
So that they might deepen their understanding of the religion,
And nurture their hearts and souls
With wisdom and beautiful admonitions.
When the Caliph reached Medina al-Munawwarah,
He repaired to its sacred sanctuary,
Had the honor of sending greetings of peace upon its dweller, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him,
The most exalted prayers and purest greetings of peace,
And enjoyed praying in the radiant, pristine Rawdah,
Tasting such soothing tranquility and inner peace
As he had never tasted before.
He resolved to extend his stay in the city of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him,
As long as he found a way to do so.
Among the things that most captured his attention in Medina
Were the circles of knowledge that filled the Prophet's Mosque,
Where the brilliant scholars among the senior Tabi'un shone,
Just as radiant stars shine in the heart of the night sky.
Here was the circle of Urwah ibn al-Zubayr,
There was the circle of Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib,
And over there was the circle of Abd Allah ibn Utbah.
One day, the Caliph awoke from his afternoon nap at an unusual hour,
So he called his doorkeeper and said,
"O Maysarah!"
He replied, "At your service, O Commander of the Faithful."
He said, "Go to the Mosque of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him,
And invite one of the scholars to come and relate hadiths to us."
Maysarah went to the Prophet's Mosque
And cast his gaze around,
But saw no circle other than a single one,
Centered around an elder slightly over sixty years of age,
Who bore the simplicity of scholars
Along with their awe-inspiring dignity and composure.
He stood not far from the circle
And gestured to the Sheikh with his finger,
But the Sheikh did not turn to him nor pay him any mind.
So he approached him and said,
"Did you not see that I was gesturing to you?"
He replied, "To me?"
He said, "Yes."
He asked, "And what is your need?"
He said, "The Commander of the Faithful has awakened and said,
'Go to the mosque and see
If you find any of my narrators, and bring him to me.'"
The Sheikh said to him,
"I am not one of his narrators."
Maysarah said to him,
"But he desires a scholar to relate hadiths to him."
The Sheikh replied,
"Indeed, he who seeks something comes to it.
There is ample room for him in the mosque's circle
If he wishes for that,
For sacred knowledge is sought and visited,
But it does not go out to others."
So the doorkeeper retraced his steps
And said to the Caliph,
"I found no one in the mosque except an old man.
I gestured to him, but he did not get up.
So I approached him and said,
'The Commander of the Faithful has awakened at this hour
And instructed me,
"See if you find any of my narrators in the mosque
And call him for me."'
But he said to me with calm resolve,
'I am not one of his narrators,
And there is ample room for him in the mosque's circle
If he desires to hear hadith.'"
Thereupon, Abd Malik ibn Marwan sighed,
Sprang to his feet,
And headed inside the residence,
Saying,
"That is Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib!
Would that you had not gone to him or spoken to him!"
When he moved away from the assembly
And reached the inner quarters,
The youngest of Abd al-Malik's sons turned
And said,
"Who is this man who refuses the Commander of the Faithful,
Arrogantly disdains appearing before him
And attending his council,
When the worldly realm has submitted to him,
And the kings of the Byzantines have bowed to his awe?"
The elder brother replied,
"That is the man from whom the Commander of the Faithful sought
His daughter's hand for your brother al-Walid,
But he refused to marry her to him."
The younger brother exclaimed,
"He refused to marry her to al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik?!
Could he have sought a more exalted husband for her
Than the heir apparent of the Commander of the Faithful
And the future Caliph of the Muslims?"
The elder brother remained silent
And gave him no answer.
The younger brother then asked,
"If he was so miserly with his daughter
Toward the heir apparent of the Commander of the Faithful,
Did he find a suitable match for her
Who was worthy of her?
Or did he prevent her from marrying altogether,
As some people do,
Leaving her a unwed spinster at home?"
His elder brother said to him,
"Truthfully, I know nothing of her story
Or his story with her."
Thereupon, one of the companions present,
Who was from the people of Medina, turned to them
And said, "If the prince permits me,
I shall relate her entire story to him.
She married a young man from our neighborhood
Named Abu Wada'ah,
Who is our immediate neighbor, door to door.
Her marriage to him has a remarkable story
Which he related to me himself."
The two brothers said to him,
"Let us hear it!"
The man said,
"Abu Wada'ah related to me,
Saying: 'As you know, I used to
Regularly attend the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
In pursuit of knowledge,
Constantly attending the circle of Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib
And jostling shoulder to shoulder with the people for it.
Then I was absent from the Sheikh's circle for several days,
So he missed me and thought I might be ill
Or that some mishap had befallen me.
He asked those around him about me,
But found no news with any of them.
When I returned to him after a few days,
He greeted me, welcomed me, and said,
"Where have you been, O Abu Wada'ah?"
I said,
"My wife passed away, so I was occupied with her affairs."
He said,
"Why did you not inform us, O Abu Wada'ah,
So we could offer you condolences,
Attend her funeral with you,
And assist you in your plight?"
I replied, "May Allah reward you with goodness."
As I made a move to get up,
He asked me to stay until everyone in the gathering had left.
Then he said to me,
"Have you not thought of taking a new wife, O Abu Wada'ah?"
I replied, "May Allah have mercy on you,
Who would marry his daughter to me
When I am a young man who grew up an orphan
And lived in poverty,
Owning no more than two or three dirhams?"
He said,
"I will marry my daughter to you."
My tongue was tied, and I exclaimed,
"You?!
You would marry your daughter to me,
After knowing what you know of my situation?"
He said, "Yes,
For if someone comes to us whose religious commitment and character we are pleased with, we marry him;
And to us, your religious commitment and character are pleasing."
Then he turned to those who were near us
And called them over.
When they approached and gathered around him,
He praised Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, extolled Him,
Sent blessings upon Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
And performed the marriage contract between me and his daughter,
Setting her dowry at just two dirhams.
I stood up, lost for words out of sheer amazement and joy.
Then I headed home—
And I was fasting that day—
But I forgot my fast and kept saying to myself,
"Woe to you, Abu Wada'ah!
What have you done to yourself?
From whom will you borrow money?
From whom will you ask for funds?"
I remained in this state until the call for the sunset prayer was announced,
So I performed the prescribed prayer
And sat down to eat my meal to break the fast,
Which consisted of bread and oil.
No sooner had I taken a bite or two
Than I heard a knock at the door.
So I asked, "Who is at the door?"
He replied, "Sa'id."
By Allah, every single person crossed my mind...
...whose name was Sa'id that I knew...
...except Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib.
That was because for forty years he had only ever been seen...
...either in his home or in the mosque.
So I opened the door...
...and there I was, standing before Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib!
I assumed that he had changed his mind...
...regarding my marriage to his daughter.
So I said to him,
"O Abu Muhammad,
why did you not send for me so that I might come to you?"
He replied,
"No, you had a greater right that I should come to you today."
I said, "Please, step inside."
He said, "No,
I have only come for a specific matter."
I asked,
"And what is that, may Allah have mercy on you?"
He replied,
"My daughter became your wife by the law of Allah yesterday morning,
and I know that you have no one with you...
...to keep you company in your solitude.
I disliked that you should spend the night in one place...
...while your wife spent it in another,
so I have brought her to you."
I exclaimed, "Woe to me!
You have brought her to me?"
He said, "Yes."
I looked, and there she was, standing tall and noble.
He turned to her and said,
"Enter the home of your husband, my daughter, in the name of Allah and with His blessing."
When she tried to step forward,
she stumbled over her cloak out of modesty,
until she nearly fell to the ground.
As for me,
I stood before her bewildered, not knowing what to say.
Then I rushed ahead of her to the bowl containing bread and oil,
and removed it from the lamp's light so she would not see it.
Then I went up to the roof and called out to the neighbors.
They came rushing to me and said,
"What is the matter with you?"
I replied,
"Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib performed the marriage contract for his daughter to me today in the mosque,
and he has brought her to me just now unannounced!
Come and keep her company while I go call my mother,
for her house is far away."
An old woman among them exclaimed,
"Woe to you! Do you know what you are saying?
Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib married his daughter to you...
...and brought her to your house himself?!
He is the one who withheld her from Al-Walid ibn 'Abd al-Malik!"
I said, "Yes,
and here she is in my house!
Come in and see her!"
The neighbors headed into the house,
hardly believing what I said.
They welcomed her and kept her company to ease her loneliness.
It was not long before my mother arrived.
When she saw her,
she turned to me and said,
"My face shall be forbidden to your face...
...if you do not leave her to me until I prepare her properly,
and then present her to you as the noble women are presented."
I said, "Do as you wish."
She kept her with her for three days,
and then presented her to me.
And lo, she was among the most stunningly beautiful women of Medina,
the most diligent of people in memorizing the Book of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,
the most knowledgeable in narrating the hadith of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and the most mindful of all people regarding the rights of a husband.
I stayed with her for several days, and neither her father nor any of her family visited me.
Then I attended the Sheikh's study circle in the mosque.
I greeted him, and he returned my greeting,
but he did not speak to me further.
When the gathering dispersed and no one remained except me, he asked,
"How is your wife, O Abu Wada'ah?"
I replied,
"She is in a state that pleases a friend and displeases a foe."
He said, "Praise be to Allah."
When I returned to my house,
I found that he had sent us a substantial sum of money...
...to help us in our life.
Ibn 'Abd al-Malik said,
"How remarkable is this man's affair!"
A man from the people of Medina said to him,
"And what is there to be astonished at regarding him, O Prince?
He is a man who made his worldly life a vessel for his Hereafter,
and bought for himself and his family that which is eternal in exchange for that which is transient.
By Allah, he did not withhold his daughter from the son of the Commander of the Faithful out of spite,
nor did he view him as unsuitable for her;
rather, he feared the trial of worldly life for her.
Indeed, some of his companions asked him, saying,
'Do you reject the marriage proposal of the Commander of the Faithful,
and marry your daughter to a man from the common Muslims?'
He replied, 'My daughter is a trust around my neck,
and I sought her best interests in what I did for her.'
It was said to him, 'And how so?'
He said, 'What do you think would happen to her if she moved to the palaces of the Umayyads,
and turned among their luxurious furnishings and fine carpets,
with servants, attendants, and maids standing before her,
on her right and on her left,
and then found herself after that as the wife of the Caliph?
Where would her religion be on that day?'"
A man from the people of the Levant said,
"It seems your companion is a unique exemplar among men."
The Medinan man replied,
"By Allah, you have not strayed from the truth at all!
He is one who fasts by day and prays by night,
having performed nearly forty pilgrimages.
He has not missed the opening takbir in the Mosque of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, for forty years,
nor was he ever known to have looked at the back of any man's neck in prayer during that entire time,
owing to his constant adherence to the first row.
He had the capacity to marry whichever woman he wished from Quraysh,
yet he preferred the daughter of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, over all other women,
due to his standing with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
his vast narration of his hadiths,
and his intense eagerness to learn from him.
He devoted himself to knowledge from his earliest youth;
he visited the wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and was deeply influenced by them.
He studied under Zayd ibn Thabit,
'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas,
and 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar,
and heard directly from 'Uthman, 'Ali, Suhayb,
and others among the Companions of the noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
He adopted their noble character and adorned himself with their characteristics (Shama'il).
He had a saying that he would constantly repeat,
until it became like a motto for him,
which was his statement:
'Servants of Allah never ennoble themselves with anything like the obedience to Allah,
nor do they debase themselves with anything like His disobedience.'
Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib used to issue legal verdicts while the Companions were still alive. Historians...
...held him as a paragon of scrupulous piety and an exemplar,
following the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke.
They were here, quenching the thirst of our lives like rain,
and how exalted is their memory among us!
They departed, leaving a question in our conscience:
Is there any star like them that rose and shone bright?
They filled life with proud deeds through their actions,
and the world of mankind flourished because of them.