In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
The best of generations in stances and exemplary conduct,
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 on him.
Raja' ibn Haywah,
May Allah have mercy on him.
In the generation of the Tabi'un,
There were three men whose contemporaries knew
None like them,
Nor did they see any peer to match them.
It was as though they had met by appointment,
Exhorting one another to truth and patience,
Pledging themselves to goodness and piety,
Dedicating their lives to God-consciousness and knowledge,
And devoting themselves to the service of Allah, His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
And the believers, both common and elite.
They were: Muhammad ibn Sirin in Iraq,
Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr in the Hijaz,
And Raja' ibn Haywah in the Levant.
So come, let us spend these blessed moments
In the company of the third of these righteous, noble souls:
Raja' ibn Haywah.
Raja' ibn Haywah was born in Baysan in the land of Palestine,
His birth taking place towards the end of the caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan,
Or thereabouts.
He belonged to the Arab tribe of Kindah.
Thus, Raja' was Palestinian by homeland,
Arab by lineage,
And Kindi by tribe.
The Kindi youth grew up in obedience to Allah from his early years,
So Allah loved him and made him beloved to His creation.
He turned to seeking knowledge from his tenderest youth;
Knowledge found his heart tender, fresh, and unencumbered,
So it took firm root within it and settled there.
His greatest concern became drinking deeply from the Book of Allah
And drawing provisions from the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
Thus his intellect was illuminated by the light of the Qur'an,
His insight was enlightened by the guidance of prophethood,
And his breast was filled with exhortation and wisdom;
And whoever is granted wisdom has certainly been granted much good.
He was privileged to learn from a large number of the eminent Companions,
Such as Abu Sa'id al-Khudri,
Abu al-Darda', Abu Umamah,
'Ubadah ibn al-Samit,
Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan,
Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As,
Al-Nawwas ibn Sam'an,
And others, may Allah be pleased with them all.
They were beacons of guidance and torches of understanding for him.
This fortunate youth set for himself a personal constitution,
Adhering to it and repeating it throughout his life,
As he used to say:
"How excellent is Islam when adorned with faith!
How excellent is faith when adorned with piety!
How excellent is piety when adorned with knowledge!
How excellent is knowledge when adorned with action!
And how excellent is action when adorned with gentleness!"
Raja' ibn Haywah served as minister and adviser to a succession of Umayyad caliphs,
Beginning with Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan
And ending with Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz.
However, his bond with Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik
And Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz
Surpassed his ties with the caliphs who preceded them.
What endeared him to the hearts of the Umayyad caliphs was
The soundness of his judgment,
The truthfulness of his speech,
The sincerity of his intention,
And his wisdom in managing affairs.
All of that was crowned
By his detachment from the worldly goods in their hands,
Over which competitors so fiercely competed.
His association with the Umayyad caliphs
Was among Allah's immense mercies upon them
And a tremendous blessing bestowed upon them.
For he called them to goodness,
Guided them to its paths,
Dissuaded them from evil,
Shut its doors before them,
Showed them the truth,
Made following it appealing to them,
Gave them insight into falsehood,
And made engaging in it abhorrent to them.
Thus he offered sincere counsel for Allah, His Messenger (peace be upon him),
The leaders of the Muslims, and their common folk.
An incident once occurred with Raja'
That illuminated his path in interacting with the caliphs
And clearly defined his mission with them.
He narrated it himself, saying:
"I was standing beside Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik
Amidst a crowd of people,
When I noticed a man making his way toward us through the throng.
He had a handsome countenance and a majestic presence.
He continued parting the ranks,
And I had no doubt he was heading for the Caliph,
Until he drew level with me and stood by my side.
Then he greeted me and said:
'O Raja',
You have been tested with this man'—
And he pointed to the Caliph—
'And in closeness to him lies abundant good,
Or abundant evil.
So make your closeness to him a source of good for yourself, for him, and for the people.
And know, O Raja',
That whoever holds a position of influence with a ruler
And conveys to him the need of a weak person
Who is unable to convey it himself,
Shall meet Allah, Exalted and Glorious, on the Day he meets Him
With his feet made firm for the Reckoning.
And remember, O Raja',
That whoever attends to the need of his fellow Muslim,
Allah will attend to his need.
And know, O Raja',
That among the deeds most beloved to Allah, Exalted and Glorious,
Is bringing joy to the heart of a Muslim.'
While I was pondering his words
And eagerly hoping he would say more,
The Caliph called out, saying:
'Where is Raja' ibn Haywah?'
So I turned toward him and said:
'Here I am, O Commander of the Faithful.'
He asked me about something,
And no sooner had I finished answering him
Than I turned back to my companion,
But I could not find him.
I searched the place thoroughly for him,
Yet I found no trace of him among the people."
Raja' ibn Haywah had,
With the Umayyad caliphs,
Noble and resolute stances
That history continues to preserve
In its brightest pages,
And which later generations transmit from the salaf (early generations).
Among these was that one day,
He was in the gathering of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan,
When a man was mentioned to the Caliph as harboring ill will
Toward the Umayyads,
And it was said to him:
"He supports Ibn al-Zubayr
And champions his cause."
The informant recounted deeds of his
And words that aroused the Caliph's fury,
So he said:
"By Allah, if Allah gives me power over him,
I will surely do such-and-such to him,
And I will certainly put the sword to his neck!"
Not long afterward,
Allah enabled him to capture the man,
And he was brought before him under guard.
When the Caliph's eyes fell upon him,
He nearly burst with rage
And resolved to carry out his threat against him.
Thereupon Raja' ibn Haywah stood up before him
And said:
"O Commander of the Faithful,
Indeed, Allah, Exalted and Glorious,
Has granted you what you love in the form of victory and power;
So grant Allah what He loves in the form of pardon."
The Caliph's soul was calmed,
His anger subsided,
And he pardoned the man,
Released him, and treated him generously.
In the year 91 AH,
Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik performed the Hajj pilgrimage,
Accompanied by Raja' ibn Haywah.
When he arrived in Medina,
They visited its noble Prophetic Mosque,
Accompanied by Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz.
The Caliph wished to inspect the Prophet's sanctuary
With careful observation and deliberation,
As he was determined to expand it
To two hundred cubits.
The people were therefore asked to leave the mosque
So that the Caliph could inspect it unhindered,
And no one remained inside except Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib,
As the guards dared not remove him.
So Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz—
Who was then governor of Medina—
Sent an emissary to him, saying:
"Would that you left the mosque as the other people have done."
But Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib replied:
"I will not leave the mosque
Except at the time I am accustomed to leave it every day."
It was then said to him:
"Would that you stood up and greeted the Commander of the Faithful."
He replied:
"I have only come here to stand before the Lord of all worlds."
When Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz learned of this,
And what had transpired between his messenger and Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib,
He began steering the Caliph away from the place where Sa'id was sitting,
While Raja' ibn Haywah kept him occupied with conversation,
Knowing well the Caliph's fiery temperament and pride.
But al-Walid said to them:
"Who is that elder?
Is he not Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib?"
He said,
"Indeed, O Commander of the Faithful."
And they both began to describe his religious devotion and knowledge,
along with his immense virtue and piety.
Then he said,
"Had the sheikh known of the Commander of the Faithful's presence,
he would have stood up and greeted him,
but his eyesight is weak."
Al-Walid replied,
"I know as much of his stature as you both mention,
and it is more fitting that we go to him and greet him."
He then walked through the mosque until he reached him and stood before him,
greeted him, and asked,
"How is the sheikh?"
Yet he did not rise from his place,
and said,
"By the grace of Allah,
and to Him belong all praise and favor.
And how is the Commander of the Faithful?
May Allah guide him to what He loves and is pleased with."
Al-Walid turned away, saying,
"This is the remnant of true men;
this is the remnant of the salaf (early generations) of this Ummah."
When the caliphate passed to Sulayman Ibn Abd al-Malik,
Raja' Ibn Haywah held a standing with him
that surpassed even his standing with his predecessor.
Sulayman placed immense trust in him,
relied upon him heavily,
and was eager to take his counsel in matters great and small.
Raja' Ibn Haywah's stances alongside Sulayman Ibn Abd al-Malik
were numerous and remarkable;
yet the greatest among them in significance and the most momentous for Islam and the Muslims
was his stance regarding the succession to the caliphate,
and his role in securing the pledge of allegiance for 'Umar Ibn Abd al-'Aziz.
Raja' Ibn Haywah narrated, saying:
"On the first Friday of the month of Safar,
in the year 99 AH,
we were with the Commander of the Faithful, Sulayman Ibn Abd al-Malik, at Dabiq.
He had dispatched a massive army toward Constantinople,
under the command of his brother Maslamah Ibn Abd al-Malik,
accompanied by his son Dawud
and a large group from his royal household.
He had sworn an oath never to leave the plain of Dabiq
until Allah granted him the conquest of Constantinople or he died trying.
When the time for the Friday prayer drew near,
the Caliph performed wudu meticulously,
donned a green robe,
wound a green turban around his head,
and looked in the mirror, pleased with himself and exulting in his youth—
for he was around forty years of age.
He then went out to lead the people in the Friday prayer,
but returned from the mosque stricken with a fever.
Day by day, the illness grew heavier upon him,
and he asked me to remain close by his side.
I entered his presence on one occasion
and found him writing a document.
I asked, 'What are you doing, O Commander of the Faithful?'
He replied, 'I am writing a covenant designating the succession to my son Ayyub.'
I said, 'O Commander of the Faithful,
among the things that safeguard a caliph in his grave
and discharge his duty before his Lord
is to appoint a righteous man over the people,
yet your son is a boy who has not even reached the age of puberty,
and his righteousness has not yet been distinguished from unfitness.'
He relented and said, 'It is merely a document I wrote,
and I intend to seek Allah's guidance (istikharah) regarding it,
without having made a final resolution.'
He then tore up the document.
A day or two passed after that,
then he summoned me and said,
'What do you think of my son Dawud, O Abu al-Miqdam?'
I said, 'He is away with the Muslim armies
in Constantinople,
and you do not know right now whether he is alive or dead.'
He asked, 'Whom do you suggest then, O Raja'?'
I replied, 'The decision is yours, O Commander of the Faithful.'
In truth, I wanted to see whom he would mention,
so that I might eliminate them one by one
until I brought him to 'Umar Ibn Abd al-'Aziz.
He asked, 'How do you view 'Umar Ibn Abd al-'Aziz?'
I said, 'By Allah, I have known him
only to be noble, complete in character, wise, and deeply religious.'
He said, 'You have spoken the truth; by Allah, he is indeed so.
But if I appoint him and pass over the sons of Abd al-Malik,
civil strife will surely erupt,
and they will never allow him to rule over them.'
I said, 'Then include one of them and place him next in line after him.'
He said, 'You are right,
for that will calm them and make them accept him.'
He then took the parchment and wrote in his own hand:
'In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
This is a decree from the servant of Allah, Sulayman Ibn Abd al-Malik,
Commander of the Faithful, to 'Umar Ibn Abd al-'Aziz:
I have appointed him to the caliphate after me,
and after him, it shall pass to Yazid Ibn Abd al-Malik.
Therefore, listen to him and obey,
fear Allah,
and do not fall into discord lest your enemies covet power over you.'
He then sealed the document and handed it to me.
Next, he sent for Ka'b Ibn Hamid, the chief of police,
and said to him,
'Summon the members of my household and have them assemble,
inform them that the document in the hand of Raja' Ibn Haywah is my decree,
and command them to pledge allegiance to whoever is named within it.'
Raja' said:
"When they had gathered, I said to them,
'This is the document of the Commander of the Faithful,
in which he has covenanted the caliphate to his successor,
and he has ordered me to take the pledge of allegiance from you for whomever he has appointed.'
They said,
'We hear and obey the command of the Commander of the Faithful,
and we will obey his successor after him.'
They requested permission to enter upon the Commander of the Faithful to greet him,
and I agreed.
When they entered before him,
he said to them,
'This document in the hand of Raja' Ibn Haywah is indeed my decree,
and in it is my covenant for the caliph after me.
So listen and obey whomever I have appointed,
and pledge allegiance to the one named in this document.'
Thereupon, they began pledging allegiance, man by man.
I then walked out with the sealed document,
while none of creation knew its contents except myself and the Commander of the Faithful.
When the people dispersed,
'Umar Ibn Abd al-'Aziz came to me and said,
'O Abu al-Miqdam,
the Commander of the Faithful thinks highly of me,
and he has always shown me great generosity and pure affection.
I fear that he may have entrusted something of this matter to me.
I adjure you by Allah,
and I ask you by my sanctity and our mutual affection,
to inform me if there is anything concerning me in the Commander of the Faithful's document,
so that I may ask him to excuse me before the opportunity slips away.'
I replied to him,
'No, by Allah!
I will not tell you a single word of what you ask.'
He turned away from me in anger.
Soon afterward, Hisham Ibn Abd al-Malik came to me
and said,
'O Abu al-Miqdam,
I have an enduring claim upon your respect and long-standing friendship,
and I will be immensely grateful to you.
So inform me of what is in the Commander of the Faithful's document:
if this matter belongs to me, I will remain silent;
but if it belongs to someone else, I will speak up,
for someone of my standing is not to be cast aside from this affair.
You have Allah's covenant
that I will never utter your name.'
I said to him,
'No, by Allah!
I will not disclose a single letter of what the Commander of the Faithful entrusted to me in confidence.'
He turned away, striking one hand against the other, saying,
'To whom could this matter go if I am cast aside from it?
Is the caliphate to leave the sons of Abd al-Malik?
By Allah, I am the foremost among the sons of Abd al-Malik!'
Then I entered upon Sulayman Ibn Abd al-Malik
and found him drawing his final breaths.
Whenever the agony of death overcame him,
I would turn him toward the Qiblah,
but he would gasp and say to me,
'The time has not yet come, O Raja'.'
I did this twice,
and when it happened the third time, he said,
'Now, O Raja'!
If you wish to do anything, do it now.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.'
So I turned him toward the Qiblah,
and moments later, he surrendered his soul.
At that point, I closed his eyes,
covered him with a green velvet cloth,
locked the door upon him, and went out.
His wife sent a messenger to me inquiring about him
and asking to see him.
I opened the door slightly for the messenger
and said to him, 'Look at him;
he has just fallen asleep after a long sleepless night,
so leave him be.' The messenger returned and informed her,
so she accepted it, convinced that he was sleeping.
I then locked the door securely,
stationed a guard I trusted at his door,
and instructed him not to move
from his post until I returned,
and never to permit anyone to enter upon the Caliph,
whoever they might be.
As I proceeded, the people met me
and asked, 'How is the Commander of the Faithful?'
I replied, 'Since he fell ill,
he has never been more tranquil or at peace than he is right now.'
They said, 'Praise be to Allah.'
I then sent for Ka'b Ibn Hamid,
the chief of police,
and he gathered all the members of the Commander of the Faithful's household
in the mosque of Dabiq.
I said, 'Pledge allegiance to the one named in the document
of the Commander of the Faithful.'
They said, 'We have already pledged allegiance once;
shall we pledge allegiance again?'
So I said, "This is the decree of the Commander of the Believers.
Pledge your allegiance to what he has commanded
and to whoever is named in this sealed document."
So they pledged allegiance, one by one.
Once I saw that I had secured the matter completely,
I said, "Your leader has passed away;
truly, to Allah we belong, and truly, to Him we shall return."
Then I read the document out to them.
When I reached the mention of 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz,
Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik shouted,
"We will never pledge allegiance to him!"
I replied, "Then by Allah, I will strike off your neck!
Stand up and pledge allegiance!"
So he stood up, dragging his feet.
When he reached 'Umar, he said it
“Who say, when a misfortune striketh them: Lo! we are Allah's and lo! unto Him we are returning.” (2:156)
while uttering the words of return to Allah, grieving that the caliphate had gone to 'Umar
rather than to himself or his brothers, the sons of 'Abd al-Malik.
'Umar also spoke,
“Who say, when a misfortune striketh them: Lo! we are Allah's and lo! unto Him we are returning.” (2:156)
repeatedly saying, "To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return," because the caliphate had fallen upon him against his will.
It was an allegiance through which Allah renewed the youth of Islam
and raised high the beacon of the faith.
Blessed indeed was the Caliph of the Muslims, Sulayman ibn 'Abd al-Malik,
for he absolved himself of his duty before Allah
by appointing this righteous man.
And blessed was that honest and loyal advisor, Raja' ibn Haywah,
for he acted sincerely for Allah, His Messenger, and the leaders of the Muslims.
May Allah reward righteous counselors with all good
and grant them immense reward;
for by the brilliance of their counsel, the best, most blessed, and guided rulers find the right path.
"Indeed, among Kindah there are three men
by whom Allah sends down the rain
and grants victory over enemies;
one of them is Raja' ibn Haywah."
Maslamah ibn 'Abd al-Malik said:
"They departed, leaving a lingering question in our conscience:
Did ever a star like them rise high and gleam so brightly?
They filled life with glorious deeds through what they accomplished,
and the world of mankind flourished in splendor through them."