In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The finest of generations in deeds and example,
Following the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke.
Mawaddah Association
Presents
Portraits from the Lives of the Tabi'un
By Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
May Allah have mercy upon him.
Muhammad ibn Wasi' al-Azdi,
May Allah have mercy upon him.
We are now in the caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful,
Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik.
Here is Yazid ibn al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufrah,
One of the unsheathed swords of Islam
And the formidable governor of Khurasan.
He sets forth with his army of one hundred thousand fighters,
Aside from the volunteers seeking martyrdom and desiring reward.
He was resolved to conquer Jurjan and Tabaristan.
At the forefront of the volunteers alongside him was
The eminent Tabi'i, Muhammad ibn Wasi' al-Azdi al-Basri,
Nicknamed "The Adornment of the Jurists,"
Renowned as "The Worshiper of Basra,"
And a student of the noble Companion, Anas ibn Malik al-Ansari,
The servant of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Yazid ibn al-Muhallab encamped with his army at Dehestan,
Which was inhabited by a Turkic people
Of fierce might,
Great resilience,
And impregnable fortresses.
They would ride out to fight the Muslims every day;
Whenever exhaustion overcame them
Or the fighting grew too severe,
They retreated to their strongholds in the mountain passes,
Fortifying themselves behind their impregnable walls
And seeking refuge atop their lofty peaks.
Muhammad ibn Wasi' al-Azdi played
A significant role in this war,
Despite his frail build and advanced age.
The Muslim soldiers drew solace
From the light of faith that beamed from his gentle face,
Found vigor in the warmth of remembrance
Radiating from his eloquent tongue,
And gained tranquility through his answered supplications
In moments of hardship and distress.
It was his custom,
Whenever the army commander joined battle,
To cry out:
"O cavalry of Allah, mount up!"
"O cavalry of Allah, mount up!"
No sooner did the Muslim soldiers
Hear his call
Than they would rush to fight their enemy
Like startled lions,
Charging into the battlefield
As the thirsty plunge toward cool water
On a sweltering day.
On a certain day during one of those fierce,
Grinding battles,
A warrior emerged from the enemy ranks—
Eye had never beheld a man of grander stature,
Greater strength,
Daring boldness, or sharper resolve.
He began wheeling and charging between the lines
Until he pushed the Muslims back from their positions
And struck fear and awe into their hearts.
He then began calling for duels,
Defiant and arrogant,
Persisting in his challenge.
Muhammad ibn Wasi'
Stepped forward, intending to duel him himself.
At that, protective zeal surged in the hearts of the Muslim horsemen,
And one of them rushed to the elder,
Adjuring him not to do it,
Beseeching him to leave the duel to him instead.
The elder honored his oath,
Praying for his victory and divine support.
Each of the two warriors charged his opponent
Like impending doom,
Clashing like two ferocious lions.
The eyes and hearts of the troops everywhere hung upon them.
For an hour they jousted and circled each other,
Until sheer exhaustion wore them down completely.
Then they exchanged two simultaneous sword blows aimed at each other's heads.
The Turk's sword lodged in the iron helmet of the Muslim knight,
While the Muslim's sword struck the forehead of the Turkic warrior,
Cleaving his head in two
And splitting his crown into two pieces.
The victorious knight then returned to the Muslim ranks
In a sight the likes of which no eye had ever seen:
A sword in his hand dripping with blood,
And another sword stuck in his helmet, gleaming under the sun.
The Muslims greeted him with acclamations of *Tahlil*, *Takbir*, and *Tahmid*.
Yazid ibn al-Muhallab looked at the tangle of two swords, helmet, and armor upon the man,
And exclaimed, "May his father be blessed! What a knight! What a man!"
It was said to him, "He is a man blessed by the supplications of Muhammad ibn Wasi' al-Azdi."
The balance of power shifted after the slain Turkic warrior fell;
Terror and panic spread through the hearts of the polytheists like wildfire through dry grass,
While the flames of pride and honor blazed in the breasts of the Muslims.
They swept over the enemies of Allah like a torrent,
Encircling them as a collar grips the neck,
And cutting off their water and provisions.
Their king had no choice but to seek a treaty;
He sent word to Yazid offering peace,
Expressing his readiness to hand over the lands under his control,
Along with everything and everyone in them,
Provided he guarantee safety for his life, wealth, and family.
Yazid accepted the peace terms,
Stipulating that he pay seven hundred thousand dirhams in installments,
An immediate cash payment of four hundred thousand dirhams,
Four hundred beasts of burden laden with saffron,
And four hundred men,
Each holding a silver goblet in his hand,
Wearing a hood of fine silk,
Over which was a velvet mantle
And a silk sash,
To be worn by the soldiers' wives.
When the war drew to a close,
Yazid ibn al-Muhallab said to his treasurer,
"Have we tallied the spoils
So that we may give every rightful claimant his due?"
The treasurer and his assistants attempted to count them,
But proved unable to do so.
So the spoils were distributed among the soldiers with generous leniency.
Among these spoils, the Muslims found
A crown forged from pure gold,
Adorned with pearls and jewels,
And decorated with exquisite engravings.
Necks strained to catch a glimpse of it,
And eyes were transfixed by its luster.
Yazid took it in his hand
And raised it high so that even those who could not see it among the troops could behold it.
He then said,
"Do you think anyone could be indifferent to this crown?"
They replied, "May Allah rectify the commander's affairs!
Who could possibly be indifferent to it?"
He said,
"You shall see that there are still those in the Ummah of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Who are indifferent to it,
And to an earth full of its like."
Then he turned to his chamberlain and said,
"Find Muhammad ibn Wasi' al-Azdi for us."
The chamberlain went searching for him in every direction,
Finding him standing in a remote spot away from the people,
Engaged in voluntary prayer, supplicating,
Imploring Allah, and seeking His forgiveness.
He approached him and said,
"The commander summons you to meet him
And asks that you proceed to him at once."
So he went with the chamberlain,
And upon reaching the commander,
He greeted him and sat near him.
The commander returned the greeting with an even better one,
Then raised the crown in his hand and said,
"O Abu Abd Allah,
The Muslim army has gained this precious crown as booty,
And I have decided to bestow it upon you
And make it your portion."
The troops were entirely pleased with this.
He said,
"You make it my portion, O commander?"
He replied, "Yes, your portion."
He said,
"I have no need for it, O commander.
May Allah reward you and them with good on my behalf."
The commander said,
"I adjure you by Allah, you shall take it!"
Bound by the commander's oath,
Muhammad ibn Wasi' took the crown,
Asked permission to leave, and departed.
Some of those who did not know the elder remarked,
"Look at him, taking the crown for himself and walking away!"
So Yazid instructed one of his servants
To follow him secretly,
Observe what he would do with the crown,
And bring back news of him.
The servant followed him
Unbeknownst to the elder.
Muhammad ibn Wasi' continued on his way,
Holding the crown in his hand,
When an unkempt, dust-covered man
Of shabby appearance crossed his path.
The man asked him, saying,
"Give me from what belongs to Allah."
The elder looked to his right, to his left, and behind him;
Once he was certain no one was watching him,
He handed the crown to the beggar,
Then walked away joyful and relieved,
As though he had cast off a burden
That had weighed heavily upon his back.
The servant took the beggar by the hand
And brought him to the commander,
Relating to him what had transpired.
The commander took the crown from the beggar
And compensated him with ample wealth until he was well pleased.
He then turned to the soldiers and said,
"Did I not tell you that there are still those in the Ummah of Muhammad,
Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who are indifferent to this crown,
And to far greater than its like?"
Muhammad Ibn Wasi' al-Azdi continued
fighting the polytheists under the banner of Yazid Ibn al-Muhallab
until the time for the Hajj pilgrimage drew near.
When only a short time remained before him,
he entered upon Yazid
and asked his permission to depart to perform the rites.
Yazid said to him,
"Your permission is in your own hands, O Abu 'Abdillah.
Depart whenever you wish,
and we have allocated a sum of money for you
to assist you with your pilgrimage."
Muhammad said to him,
"Will you order a similar amount of money for every single soldier among your troops, O commander?"
He replied, "No."
Muhammad said, "I have no need for anything granted exclusively to me apart from the rest of the Muslim army."
Then he took his leave of him and departed.
The departure of Muhammad Ibn Wasi' al-Azdi weighed heavily on Yazid Ibn al-Muhallab,
just as it weighed heavily on the Muslim soldiers who had enjoyed his companionship.
They grieved over their victorious army being deprived of his blessings,
and they wished that he would return to them once he finished performing his rites.
And no wonder,
for the commanders of the Muslims scattered across the corners of the earth
were deeply eager to have the worshiper of Basra,
Muhammad Ibn Wasi' al-Azdi, among the ranks of their army.
They would rejoice at his presence among them, expecting much good,
and they hoped that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, would grant them decisive victory through his righteous supplications and abundant blessings.
To conclude:
how noble were these souls that were humble in their own eyes,
yet great in the sight of Allah and the people!
And how magnificent is this history that was blessed with such exceptional, remarkable men!
Until our next encounter with the worshiper of Basra, Muhammad Ibn Wasi' al-Azdi.
"Rulers have their reciters,
and the wealthy have their reciters,
but Muhammad Ibn Wasi' is indeed among the reciters of the Most Merciful." — Malik Ibn Dinar
Malik Ibn Dinar.
In stance and example,
they followed the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke.
They were here, quenching the thirst of our lives like a rain cloud,
and as long as we endure, their memory rises high.
They departed, leaving a question in our conscience:
Has any star ever risen and shone brightly like them?
They filled life with glorious deeds through their actions,
and the world of humanity beamed with pride through them.