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.
[Gham'iyyat Mawaddah]
Presents:
Portraits from the Lives of the Tabi'un,
By Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
May Allah have mercy on him.
Muhammad Ibn Wasi' al-Azdi, may Allah have mercy on him.
We are now in the year eighty-seven after the Hijrah.
Here is the pride of the Muslims,
The victorious commander Qutaybah Ibn Muslim al-Bahili,
Setting forth with his mighty, roaring army from the city of Merv,
Heading toward the region of Bukhara.
He had firmly resolved to conquer the remainder of Transoxiana,
Campaign against the borders of China,
And impose the jizyah upon its people.
But no sooner had Qutaybah Ibn Muslim crossed the Jaxartes River
Than the people of Bukhara detected his movements.
They rallied, beating the drums of war everywhere,
And began calling for help from the surrounding nations,
Including the Sogdians, the Turks, the Chinese, and many others.
Masses of fighters poured in upon them from every background, race,
Language, and religion,
Until they vastly outnumbered the Muslim army in both equipment and numbers.
Then, taking the initiative,
They blocked the main routes in front of the Muslims
And sealed off the outposts and mountain passes against them,
To the extent that Qutaybah Ibn Muslim
Could not dispatch even a small detachment of his troops
To scout their conditions and bring back intelligence,
Nor could any of his spies dispersed among them reach him.
Qutaybah Ibn Muslim encamped with his army near the city of Paykend,
Remaining rooted in his position, unable to advance or retreat.
The enemy began to confront him at every daybreak with one of their vanguards,
Skirmishing with his army throughout the entire day,
And when night fell, they retired to their secure and fortified strongholds.
This state of affairs continued for two consecutive months,
Leaving Qutaybah in deep perplexity,
At a loss whether to withdraw or press forward.
Before long, news of Qutaybah and his army reached the ears of Muslims everywhere,
And the people were seized with intense anxiety for this great, hitherto invincible army
And its illustrious, undefeated commander.
Directives were issued to the governors across the provinces
To offer supplications for the Muslim soldiers lying in wait in Transoxiana
After every prayer.
The mosques of the Muslims began to swell with fervent prayers for them,
Their minarets resounded with humble entreaties and supplications,
And the imams persistently performed the qunut supplication in every prayer.
Vast numbers of people rushed to the relief of the formidable army,
Led by the eminent Tabi'i Muhammad Ibn Wasi' al-Azdi.
Qutaybah Ibn Muslim al-Bahili had a non-Arab spy
Known for his experience, wisdom, and cunning,
Named Tithar.
The enemies enticed him to their side,
Lavished money upon him generously,
And requested that he employ his stratagem and intelligence to undermine the Muslims' morale
And induce them to leave the land without a fight.
Tithar entered upon Qutaybah Ibn Muslim al-Bahili,
Whose assembly was packed with senior commanders and prominent officers,
And took his seat beside him.
He then leaned toward him and whispered in his ear, saying,
"Clear your assembly, O Prince, if you wish."
Qutaybah gestured to those in the assembly,
And they all departed except for Dirar Ibn al-Husayn,
Whom Qutaybah requested to stay behind.
At that point,
Tithar turned to Qutaybah and said,
"I have news for you, O Prince."
Qutaybah asked eagerly, "Out with it!"
Tithar said,
"The Commander of the Faithful in Damascus
Has dismissed al-Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi
And relieved the commanders who follow him,
You being one of them.
He has appointed new commanders over the armies
And dispatched them to their assignments.
Your replacement will arrive to take over from you overnight.
In my opinion,
You should withdraw with your army from these lands
And return to Merv,
To consider your course of action far from the battlefields."
Hardly had Tithar finished speaking
When Qutaybah Ibn Muslim summoned his servant Sayah.
When he stood before him, Qutaybah said to him,
"Strike off the neck of this traitor, O Sayah!"
Sayah struck off his neck,
And returned whence he came.
Thereupon Qutaybah turned to Dirar Ibn al-Husayn
And said, "There is no one on this earth
Who has heard this news except you and me.
I swear by Allah, the Most High, the Supreme:
If this matter is divulged by anyone
Before this war of ours concludes,
I shall surely join you to this treacherous villain!
So if you hold your own life dear,
Guard your tongue well,
And know that the spread of this news
Will sap the morale of the army
And bring upon us a ignominious defeat."
He then granted permission for the people to enter.
When they saw Tithar slain upon the ground,
Drenched in his own blood,
They stood dumbfounded, heads bowed in shock and horror.
Qutaybah said to them,
"Why are you alarmed by the execution of a treacherous traitor?"
They replied,
"We thought he was well-wishing toward the Muslims."
He said,
"Rather, he was deceiving them,
So Allah seized him for his sin."
Then he raised his voice and said,
"And now,
Depart to fight your enemy,
And face them with hearts completely different from the hearts
With which you used to face them before!"
The soldiers obeyed the command of their leader,
Qutaybah Ibn Muslim,
And crossed the border passes to meet the enemy.
When the two armies lined up in battle formation,
The Muslims saw such vast numbers of the enemy
And such an abundance of their equipment and arms
As filled their hearts with fear
And awe of them.
Qutaybah Ibn Muslim sensed
The distress stirring in the hearts of his troops,
So he began riding among the regiments,
Inspiring resolve and strengthening their determination.
Then he turned to those around him and asked,
"Where is Muhammad Ibn Wasi' al-Azdi?"
They said,
"He is over there on the right flank, O Prince."
He asked,
"And what is he doing?"
They said,
"He is leaning on his spear,
Gazing upward,
And pointing his finger toward the sky."
"Shall we call him for you, O Prince?"
He said,
"No, leave him."
Then he added, saying,
"By Allah, that single finger
Is dearer to me than a thousand unsheathed swords
Carried by a thousand vigorous young men!
Leave him to supplicate,
For we have known him only as one whose supplications are answered."
The Muslim army and the enemy army advanced upon each other
As ferocious lions clash,
And the two hosts met
Like the crashing waves of the sea
On a stormy day.
Allah sent down tranquility upon the hearts of the Muslims
And aided them with a spirit from Him.
They continued fighting their enemy hard throughout the day,
Until, as night approached,
Allah shook the feet of the idolaters
And cast terror into their hearts.
They turned their backs in flight before the Muslims,
And the warriors pursued them, killing, capturing, and scattering them.
Thereupon, they sued Qutaybah for peace and ransom,
And he made peace with them.
Among the enemy prisoners was
A man of wicked nature,
Utterly malicious,
Who had been instrumental in inciting his people against the Muslims.
He said to Qutaybah Ibn Muslim,
"I will ransom myself, O Prince."
He was asked, "And how much will you offer?"
He replied,
"Five thousand Chinese silk garments,
Worth one million pieces of silver."
Qutaybah turned to the prominent figures among his soldiers
And asked, "What do you think?"
They said,
"We think this wealth will add to the spoils of the Muslims;
Furthermore, after achieving this victory,
We no longer fear the harm of this man or his likes."
Then Qutaybah turned to Muhammad Ibn Wasi' al-Azdi
And asked,
"And what do you say, O Abu Abd Allah?"
He replied,
"O Prince,
The Muslims did not leave their homes
To amass spoils and hoard wealth;
Rather, they set out seeking the pleasure of Allah,
To spread His religion in the earth,
And to subdue His enemies."
Qutaybah said,
"May Allah reward you with good!
By Allah, I shall not allow him to terrify a single Muslim woman after this hour,
Even if he were to offer all the wealth of the world as ransom for himself!"
He then ordered his execution.
The connection of Muhammad Ibn Wasi' al-Azdi
With the Umayyad princes was not limited
To Yazid Ibn al-Muhallab
And Qutaybah Ibn Muslim al-Bahili;
Rather, it extended to other governors and commanders as well.
Among the prominent figures with whom he had contact was the governor of Basra,
Bilal ibn Abi Burdah.
Indeed, between him and this governor,
there were well-known and widely circulated encounters,
as well as memorable, transmitted accounts.
Among them was that he once entered upon him
wearing a coarse woolen cloak.
Bilal asked him,
"What prompts you to wear this coarse garment, O Abu 'Abdillah?"
The shaykh preoccupied himself and did not answer him.
The governor looked at him and said,
"Why do you not answer me, O Abu 'Abdillah?"
He replied,
"I dislike saying it is out of asceticism,
for then I would be praising myself;
and I dislike saying it is out of poverty,
for then I would be complaining of my Lord.
And I wish to do neither."
Bilal then said to him,
"Do you have any need that we may fulfill for you, O Abu 'Abdillah?"
He said,
"As for myself,
I have no need to ask of any person.
Rather, I have come to you regarding the need of a fellow Muslim:
if Allah permits it to be fulfilled,
you will fulfill it and earn praise;
and if He does not permit it to be fulfilled,
you will not fulfill it, yet you will be excused."
Bilal replied,
"Nay, we shall fulfill it, by Allah’s leave."
Then the governor turned to him and asked,
"What do you say regarding divine decree and predestination, O Abu 'Abdillah?"
He said,
"O emir,
on the Day of Resurrection, Allah, Exalted and Glorious, will not question His servants about divine decree and predestination;
rather, He will question them about their deeds."
Ashamed, the governor fell silent.
While he was seated with him,
the time for the governor's midday meal arrived,
so he invited him to share his food,
but he declined.
The governor insisted,
yet he began to offer various excuses.
The governor grew angry and said,
"I see that you dislike partaking of any of our food, O Abu 'Abdillah!"
He replied to him,
"Do not say that, O emir!
For by Allah, the best among you, the assembly of rulers,
are dearer to us than our own children and closest kin."
Muhammad ibn Wasi' al-Azdi was summoned
to assume the office of judiciary more than once,
but he refused it most resolutely,
exposing himself, through his refusal, to harm.
Among these incidents was that Muhammad ibn al-Mundhir,
the chief of police in Basra, summoned him and said,
"The emir of Iraq has commanded me to summon you to assume the judgeship."
He said,
"Exempt me from that, and may Allah grant you well-being."
He repeated the order to him a second and a third time,
yet he remained steadfast in his refusal.
So he told him,
"By Allah, you will certainly accept the judgeship,
or else I shall flog you with three hundred lashes,
and I will punish you severely!"
He replied to him,
"If you do so, you only have worldly power,
and the tormentor of this world is far better than the torment of the Hereafter."
Overcome with shame, he dismissed him honorably.
The study circle of Muhammad ibn Wasi' in the mosque of Basra
was a sanctuary for seekers of knowledge,
and a fountainhead for those in pursuit of wisdom and exhortation.
The books of history and biography are replete
with accounts of these gatherings of his.
Among them is that a man once said to him,
"Advise me, O Abu 'Abdillah."
He said,
"I advise you to be a king in this world and the Hereafter."
Astonished, the questioner asked,
"And how can I achieve that, O Abu 'Abdillah?"
He replied,
"Renounce the fleeting goods of this world:
you will be a king here by being free of needing what is in people's hands,
and a king there by attaining the magnificent reward that is with Allah."
Another man said to him,
"Indeed, I love you for the sake of Allah, O Abu 'Abdillah."
He replied,
"May He for Whose sake you love me love you in return."
Then he turned away, saying,
"O Allah, I seek refuge in You from being loved for Your sake
while You are detesting me."
Whenever he heard people praising him
and lauding his piety and devotion,
he would say to them,
"If sins had a foul odor that diffused,
none of you would be able to come near me,
because of the offense of my stench."
Muhammad ibn Wasi'
never ceased urging his students to adhere to the Book of Allah, Exalted and Glorious,
and to live in its shade, saying,
"The Qur'an is the believer's garden:
wherever he alights within it, he rests in its lush meadow."
He would also advise them to eat sparingly, saying,
"Whoever reduces his food understands and imparts understanding,
and becomes pure and tender-hearted;
whereas eating excessively weighs a man down
from much of what he aspires to achieve."
Muhammad ibn Wasi' attained in piety and scrupulousness
an immense standing,
and many accounts have been related regarding this.
Among them is that he was seen in the marketplace
offering a donkey of his for sale.
A man asked him,
"Would you approve of it for me, O shaykh?"
He replied,
"Had I approved of it for myself, I would not have sold it."
Muhammad ibn Wasi' lived his entire life in dread of his sins
and in apprehension of standing before his Lord.
Whenever he was asked,
"How have you entered the morning, O Abu 'Abdillah?"
he would reply, saying,
"I have entered the morning with my appointed term near,
my worldly hopes distant,
and my deeds deficient."
If he noticed an expression of surprise on his questioner's face, he would say,
"What do you think of a man who traverses each day a stage toward the Hereafter?"
When Muhammad ibn Wasi' al-Azdi fell ill with his terminal sickness,
people crowded to visit him,
until his home was packed with those entering and leaving,
and those standing in his room and sitting.
He leaned to one of his close companions and said,
"Tell me, of what avail will these people be to me
when tomorrow we are seized by the forelocks and the feet?
And what will they benefit me if I am cast into the Fire?"
Then he turned to his Lord and began saying,
"O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness for every evil place where I stood,
and for every evil seat where I sat,
and for every evil entrance through which I entered,
and for every evil exit from which I departed,
and for every evil deed that I performed,
and for every evil word that I uttered.
O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness for all of that;
so forgive me, and I turn to You in repentance from it.
Accept my repentance, and I submit myself in surrender to You,
before it becomes inevitable."
Then his soul departed.
"Truly, the finger of Muhammad ibn Wasi' al-Azdi
is dearer to me than a thousand drawn swords
borne by a thousand vigorous youths."
— Qutaybah ibn Muslim.
They once were here, bestowing life like rain upon our days,
yet ever among us does their remembrance resound and rise.
They passed away, leaving in the conscience a haunting question:
Has ever a star shone and climbed so brightly to the skies?
They filled this life with glories wrought by deeds supreme,
and through them shone the world of mankind in noble gleam.