Part of Treasures of the Prophetic Biography (series completed)
· Lesson 23 of 58
Treasures of biography | Sheikh Othman Al-Khamis | Episode (23) | He sent the return
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Treasures of the Seerah.
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The Expedition of Al-Raji'.
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In the fourth year after the Migration,
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there came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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a group of people from the tribes of 'Adal and Al-Qarah.
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They mentioned that there were Muslims among them,
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and requested that he send with them those who would teach them the religion
0:27
and recite the Qur'an to them.
0:29
So the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, sent
0:33
ten of his Companions with them,
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appointing 'Asim ibn Thabit as their leader.
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It was also said that Marthad ibn Abi Marthad was appointed commander.
0:42
When they reached a place called Al-Raji',
0:46
the tribe betrayed them and called for help from a clan of Hudhayl
0:49
known as Banu Lihyan.
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They pursued them with nearly a hundred archers
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from Banu Lihyan,
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overtook them, and surrounded them.
0:59
So the Muslims took refuge in a high position that held off the enemy.
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Their enemies then said to them:
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"You have our pledge and covenant:
1:08
if you come down to us, we will not kill a single man among you."
1:12
'Asim refused to come down,
1:14
and fought them alongside his companions.
1:16
Seven of them were killed,
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while Khubayb ibn 'Adi,
1:20
Zayd ibn Al-Dathinah,
1:22
and another man
1:24
were given a pledge and covenant,
1:27
so they came down to them,
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since the enemy numbered over a hundred,
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compared to only five of them,
1:32
and they had no weapons left.
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However, the enemy treacherously broke their word
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and bound two of them with the bowstrings of their bows.
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The third man said:
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"This is the first act of treachery!
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You made peace with us, and now you bind us?!"
1:47
He refused to surrender to them,
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and fought them until he was killed.
1:52
They then took Khubayb ibn 'Adi
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and Zayd ibn Al-Dathinah
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and sold them in Mecca.
1:58
Both had slain some of the Quraysh chieftains on the day of Badr.
2:02
As for Khubayb,
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he remained imprisoned among them.
2:06
Two remarkable incidents occurred regarding him:
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The first incident
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was that they used to find fresh food with him,
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even though no one had given him anything;
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it was simply a miraculous grace from Allah, Blessed and Exalted.
2:21
The second incident
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was that he asked for a razor
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to shave his body hair.
2:28
The woman in whose house he was held sent the razor with her young son.
2:32
When the child brought Khubayb the razor,
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the woman suddenly remembered what she had done—sending a razor with her child
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to a man condemned to death,
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who might kill her son in retaliation for his own life.
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She rushed over in panic.
2:48
When Khubayb saw the woman and her terror,
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with the boy beside him holding the razor,
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he said to her:
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"Did you fear that I would kill him?"
2:57
He then let the boy go without harming him.
2:59
Later, Khubayb, may Allah be pleased with him, was taken
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to Al-Tan'im, outside Mecca—
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that is, beyond the sacred precinct—
3:06
because they considered killing inside the Haram forbidden.
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Yet here they deemed treachery permissible!
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Thus, their prohibitions and permissions were driven purely by caprice,
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not by adherence to divine religion.
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When they assembled to crucify him,
3:20
he said:
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"Allow me to pray two rak'ahs."
3:24
They left him, and he prayed them.
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When he finished,
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he said:
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"By Allah, were it not that you might think I am delay-seeking out of cowardice,
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I would have lengthened my prayer."
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So he prayed a brief prayer
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consisting of two rak'ahs.
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Scholars of knowledge noted
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that praying two rak'ahs before being executed became a Sunnah,
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established by Khubayb, may Allah be pleased with him.
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Then Khubayb supplicated:
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"O Allah, count them in number,
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destroy them one by one,
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and spare not a single one of them!"
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Then he recited lines of poetry:
3:57
"The confederates have gathered around me and summoned
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their tribes, bringing together all their forces.
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They brought forth their children and wives,
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while I was brought close to a tall, firmly rooted trunk.
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To Allah alone I complain of my helplessness and anguish,
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and of what the confederates have prepared for my execution.
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O Lord of the Throne, grant me patience against what is intended for me;
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they have sliced my flesh, and my hopes in this world are dashed.
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They offered me disbelief, but death is far preferable;
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my eyes shed tears, yet not out of grief or fear.
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I care not, so long as I am slain as a Muslim,
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upon which side I fall for the sake of Allah.
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That is all for the Cause of God; if He wills,
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He will shower blessings upon the severed limbs of my torn body."
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Abu Sufyan turned to him and said:
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"O Khubayb,
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would it please you if Muhammad were here in your place to be beheaded,
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while you were safe among your family?"
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What was the response of the devoted believer
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toward the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him?
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He replied: "No, by Allah!
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It would not please me to be safe among my family
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while Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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wherever he may be right now,
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were to be pricked by a single thorn to hurt him!"
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Then they crucified him, may Allah be pleased with him,
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and assigned guards to watch over his body.
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However, 'Amr ibn Umayyah Al-Damri came,
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carried his body away secretly by night
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without anyone seeing him,
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and went and buried him.
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It is said that the one who personally executed Khubayb ibn 'Adi
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was 'Uqbah ibn Al-Harith.
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Mu'awiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
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"I was among those present at the execution of Khubayb.
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I saw Abu Sufyan
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throw me to the ground out of dread of Khubayb's supplication."
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They used to say
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that if a person against whom a supplication was made lay down on his side,
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the curse would pass over him.
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For they believed that he was wronged
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and that his supplication was answered—
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as indeed it was.
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Among those present at the execution of Khubayb ibn 'Adi
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was Sa'id ibn 'Amir,
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who had a notable story concerning this.
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During his caliphate, 'Umar
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appointed him governor over Al-Sham.
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'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, asked the people of Al-Sham:
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"How is your governor?"
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They replied: "We have no complaint against him
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except for three things."
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'Umar asked: "And what are they?"
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They said: "One day a week,
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he does not come out to us;
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second, he does not come out to us at night;
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and third, occasionally while sitting with us,
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a fainting fit overcomes him, and he collapses."
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'Umar summoned him and said:
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"O Sa'id, what is this that the people are saying?"
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He asked: "And what is that, O Commander of the Faithful?"
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He replied: "They say that one day a week you do not go out to them."
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He said: "O Commander of the Faithful,
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on that day I wash my garment,
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and I have no other garment besides it.
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Should I go out to them without clothes?
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So I remain inside until the garment dries,
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and then I go out to them."
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'Umar said: "They also say that you do not come out to them at night."
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He replied: "O Commander of the Faithful,
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the day is for them, and the night is for my Lord."
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'Umar asked: "And what is this fainting fit that comes over you?"
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Sa'id wept and said:
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"O Commander of the Faithful,
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I witnessed the execution of Khubayb ibn 'Adi,
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and whenever I remember his supplication and his murder,
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I faint out of awe and fear of Allah, Blessed and Exalted."
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Such was the story of Khubayb.
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As for 'Asim ibn Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him,
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he refused to surrender to them
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and never submitted,
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fighting them until he was killed.
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But the hatred and malice in the hearts of the idolaters were immense;
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Quraysh sent men to retrieve 'Asim's body
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so they could confirm that 'Asim was dead
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and soothe the rancor in their hearts.
8:28
But Allah, Blessed and Exalted, sent a cloud-like swarm of wasps to protect him,
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so they were unable to reach his body.
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'Asim had pledged to Allah, Blessed and Exalted,
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that he would never touch a polytheist,
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nor would a polytheist ever touch him,
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out of his intense abhorrence of polytheism.
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So Allah, Blessed and Exalted, fulfilled his pledge even after his death.
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Hence, when this was mentioned to 'Umar,
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he remarked:
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"Allah protects the believing servant after his death
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just as He protects him during his life."
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Abu Al-Bara' 'Amir ibn Malik,
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known as the Player with the Spears,
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came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in Medina.
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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, invited him to Islam.
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He showed a favorable inclination toward the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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yet he did not embrace Islam himself.
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Instead, he said to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
9:41
"O Messenger of Allah,
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if you were to send your Companions to the people of Najd to invite them to your religion,
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I would hope that they would respond to them."
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The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
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"I fear the people of Najd may harm them."
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Abu Bara' replied:
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"I take them under my protection."
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So the Prophet (peace be upon him) dispatched seventy men with him,
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appointing al-Mundhir ibn 'Amr as their commander,
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one of Banu Sa'idah.
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These seventy were among the very best of the Muslims,
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setting out to spread the religion of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, among the people of Najd.
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They journeyed, studying the Qur'an together and praying through the night,
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until they reached a place called Bi'r Ma'unah.
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Then they sent Haram ibn Milhan—
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as Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) related—
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with the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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to the enemy of Allah, 'Amir ibn al-Tufayl.
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Haram said to him:
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"This is the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)."
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But he cast the letter aside before even reading it,
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and then ordered a man,
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who stabbed Haram ibn Milhan (may Allah be pleased with him) from behind.
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When the spear pierced through his back, he exclaimed:
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"Allah is the Greatest! I have won, by the Lord of the Ka'bah!"
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Thus did they regard this as victory and triumph,
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because he had attained martyrdom in the cause of Allah.
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Then 'Amir ibn al-Tufayl arose
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and rallied the people, crying:
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"To arms! To arms!"
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Yet many of the people held back from him
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out of respect for the protection granted by Abu Bara', the 'Player of the Spears,'
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because he had declared:
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"They are under my protection."
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However, this wicked man,
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'Amir ibn al-Tufayl,
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rejected the protection of Ibn Bara'
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and continued urging the people on, saying:
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"Rise up, let us kill them!
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An easy opportunity and an effortless prize!"
11:42
So men from the tribes of 'Usayyah, Ri'l, and Dhakwan rose up with him—
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which are Arab tribes—
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and they came and surrounded the Companions of the Messenger of Allah
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(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
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The Companions fought bravely until the very last of them was killed;
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none of them survived except three:
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Ka'b ibn Zayd,
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who fell among the slain but did not die,
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life still remaining within him;
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they left him and moved on, presuming he was dead,
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and he later escaped (may Allah be pleased with him);
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and 'Amr ibn Umayyah al-Damri
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and al-Mundhir ibn 'Uqbah.
12:18
These two were away from the battlefield,
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for they were grazing the Muslims' mounts;
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thus they were not present alongside them.
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However, they saw birds circling in the distance,
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and when they drew near,
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they found that the polytheists had massacred their companions.
12:35
Al-Mundhir arose
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and fought against the polytheists
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until they killed him (may Allah be pleased with him).
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As for 'Amr ibn Umayyah, he was captured,
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but 'Amir ibn al-Tufayl subsequently released him
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because his mother owed an oath to free a slave,
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so he freed him to fulfill her vow.
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'Amr then returned to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
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to inform him of this catastrophe
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and the slaughter of these seventy Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
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Treasures of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah):
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The Necessity of Verification.
13:15
On the way back,
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an incident befell 'Amr ibn Umayyah (may Allah be pleased with him).
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He had rested under the shade of a tree,
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when two men from Banu Kilab arrived
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and rested beside him.
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When the two fell asleep,
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he drew his sword and killed them,
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suspecting they had taken part in the slaughter of his companions (may Allah be pleased with them).
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Yet after killing them,
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he found on them a document containing a treaty of protection from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
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So he came before the Prophet (peace be upon him) and confessed what he had done.
13:53
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
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"You have killed two men;
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I must surely pay their blood money."
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And he (peace be upon him) set about gathering their blood money.
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He collected contributions from his Companions,
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and also sought a share from Banu al-Nadir,
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because it was explicitly stipulated in the core treaty between them and the Prophet (peace be upon him)
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that they must share in contributing to blood money payments.
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This ultimately became the catalyst for the expedition against Banu al-Nadir.
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There is no doubt that the Prophet (peace be upon him)
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was profoundly grieved by this tragedy,
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as well as by the tragedy of al-Raji' that preceded it.
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He began supplicating against those tribes in prayer for an entire month,
14:37
reciting the Qunut and invoking curses upon them:
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"O Allah, deal with Ri'l, Dhakwan, and 'Usayyah,
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for they have disobeyed their Lord."
14:46
And he (peace be upon him) continued cursing them in his prayer,
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until Allah, Blessed and Exalted, revealed:
14:54
“It is no concern at all of thee (Muhammad) whether He relent toward them or punish them; for they are evil-doers.” (3:128)
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whereupon the Prophet (peace be upon him) ceased making the Qunut against them.
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It was related concerning the martyrs that they said:
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"Inform our people that we have met our Lord,
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and He is pleased with us, and we are pleased with Him."
15:18
And he stopped supplicating against the polytheists.
15:21
Treasures of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah):
15:23
The Expedition of Banu al-Nadir.
15:30
Although the Jews had between them and the Prophet (peace be upon him)
15:37
a peace pact and formal treaties,
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they were, as is well known, a treacherous people.
15:43
Just as we discussed the treachery of Banu Qaynuqa',
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we now recount the treachery of Banu al-Nadir,
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and after them we will recount the treachery of Banu Qurayzah,
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so that it becomes clear that treachery was their habitual way.
15:55
The Prophet (peace be upon him) went out
15:58
with a group of his Companions to the Jews,
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asking them to assist him with the blood money for the two men of Banu Kilab
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whom 'Amr ibn Umayyah had slain.
16:08
They said, "We will do so, O Abu al-Qasim;
16:11
sit here until we attend to your request."
16:15
So he (peace be upon him) sat down
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beside the wall of one of their houses,
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waiting for them to fulfill their word, accompanied by some of his Companions,
16:24
among them Abu Bakr and 'Umar.
16:27
Then the Jews conferred and said:
16:30
"Kill him! This is your chance!"
16:33
They conspired among themselves that one of them should climb
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to the roof of the house near the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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and drop a boulder upon him to kill him.
16:43
A man named 'Amr ibn Jihash stepped forward
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and said, "I will do it."
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But Sallam ibn Mishkam said:
16:52
"By Allah, he will surely be informed of what you intend,
16:55
and it will be a breach of the covenant between us and him!"
16:58
Yet they retorted, "Leave us be!"
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Then Gabriel descended from the Lord of the Worlds
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upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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to inform him of what they were plotting.
17:11
So he (peace be upon him) arose
17:14
swiftly from his place
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and returned to Medina.
17:20
His Companions followed him
17:23
and said to him, "O Messenger of Allah,
17:26
you got up and left without telling us the reason."
17:29
He informed them that the Jews had resolved
17:32
to assassinate him (peace be upon him).
17:35
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent word to them:
17:38
"Depart from Medina,
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and do not live alongside me in it!
17:44
I grant you a respite of ten,"
17:47
meaning ten days:
17:50
"whomever I find here after that, I shall strike his neck."
17:53
The Jews saw no alternative but to leave,
17:56
and they spent several days preparing to depart.
17:59
But 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul
18:02
sent word to them, saying:
18:05
"Hold firm and defend yourselves;
18:08
do not leave your homes!
18:11
For I have two thousand men who will enter your fortress with you
18:14
and die defending you;
18:17
Qurayzah will support you,
18:20
and your allies from Ghatafan will aid you.
18:23
Why, then, do you fear Muhammad?
18:26
Stand firm!"
18:29
Thus he restored their confidence in themselves,
18:32
and they replied, "We will not leave, so do whatever you will!"
18:35
When the reply of their chieftain, Huyayy ibn Akhtab,
18:38
reached the Prophet (peace be upon him),
18:41
he (peace be upon him) proclaimed the takbir,
18:44
and his Companions magnified Allah as well.
18:47
Then he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) set forth
18:50
to confront the people.
18:53
He appointed 'Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum over Medina,
18:56
entrusted the banner to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib,
19:00
and subsequently ordered that their palm trees be cut down.
19:03
The Jews cried out, "Muhammad is spreading corruption in the land!"
19:06
So Allah, Blessed and Exalted, revealed:
19:09
“Whatsoever palm-trees ye cut down or left standing on their roots, it was by Allah's leave, in order that He might confound the evil-livers.” (59:5)
19:12
“Whatsoever palm-trees ye cut down or left standing on their roots, it was by Allah's leave, in order that He might confound the evil-livers.” (59:5)
19:15
"...it was by Allah's permission,"
19:18
And when they witnessed the siege laid by the Prophet (peace be upon him),
19:21
Qurayzah abandoned them,
19:24
declaring, "We have no part in this";
19:28
'Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul abandoned them as well,
19:31
and Ghatafan betrayed them,
19:34
leaving them entirely alone.
19:37
Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said:
19:57
"Allah came upon them from where they did not anticipate,
20:00
and cast terror into their hearts,
20:03
so that they destroyed their homes
20:06
with their own hands and the hands of the believers..."
20:09
“He it is Who hath caused those of the People of the Scripture who disbelieved to go forth from their homes unto the first exile. Ye deemed not that they would go forth, while they deemed that their strongholds would protect them from Allah. But Allah reached them from a place whereof they recked not, and cast terror in their hearts so that they ruined their houses with their own hands and the hands of the believers. So learn a lesson, O ye who have eyes!” (59:2)
20:12
“And if Allah had not decreed migration for them, He verily would have punished them in the world, and theirs in the Hereafter is the punishment of the Fire.” (59:3)
20:15
"...exile upon them, He would have punished them
20:18
in this world; and in
20:21
the Hereafter they will have the punishment of the Fire.
20:24
That is because they opposed
20:27
Allah and His Messenger;
20:30
and whoever opposes
20:33
Allah—surely Allah
20:36
is severe in penalty."
20:39
“Whatsoever palm-trees ye cut down or left standing on their roots, it was by Allah's leave, in order that He might confound the evil-livers.” (59:5)
20:42
"...or left standing on their roots..."
20:45
“Whatsoever palm-trees ye cut down or left standing on their roots, it was by Allah's leave, in order that He might confound the evil-livers.” (59:5)
20:48
"...and that He might disgrace the defiantly disobedient."
20:52
'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas said
20:55
that Surat al-Hashr was revealed concerning them,
20:58
Included in this is the story of ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul.
21:01
“Hast thou not observed those who are hypocrites, (how) they tell their brethren who disbelieve among the People of the Scripture: If ye are driven out, we surely will go out with you, and we will never obey anyone against you, and if ye are attacked we verily will help you. And Allah beareth witness that they verily are liars.” (59:11)
21:04
They say to their brethren,
21:07
those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture,
21:10
"If you are expelled,
21:13
we will surely leave with you,
21:16
“Hast thou not observed those who are hypocrites, (how) they tell their brethren who disbelieve among the People of the Scripture: If ye are driven out, we surely will go out with you, and we will never obey anyone against you, and if ye are attacked we verily will help you. And Allah beareth witness that they verily are liars.” (59:11)
21:19
and if you are fought, we will surely aid you."
21:22
But Allah bears witness
21:25
that they are indeed liars.
21:28
If they are expelled, they will not leave
21:31
with them, and if they are fought,
21:34
they will not aid them.
21:37
And even if they were to aid them,
21:40
they would surely turn their backs in flight,
21:43
and then they would not be helped.
21:46
Thus, they refrained from aiding them,
21:49
and they abandoned them, just as the tribe of Ghatafan abandoned them.
21:52
Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said,
21:56
"Like the example of Satan when he says to man, 'Disbelieve.'"
21:59
But when he disbelieves, he says,
22:02
"Indeed, I am disassociated from you.
22:05
Indeed, I am disassociated from you;
22:08
indeed, I fear Allah,
22:12
the Lord of the worlds."
22:15
The siege did not last long,
22:18
merely six nights, though it is said it was longer than that.
22:21
Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, cast
22:24
terror into their hearts.
22:26
So they said, "O Muhammad,
22:28
we will depart from Medina
22:30
on the condition that we take with us
22:32
our children and whatever
22:34
our camels can carry of weapons."
22:36
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, replied,
22:38
"No,
22:40
not the weapons.
22:42
You may have what the camels can carry,
22:44
but not the weapons."
22:46
So they submitted to the decision of the Prophet,
22:48
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
22:50
They began to dismantle their own houses
22:52
so that the Muslims would not inhabit them.
22:54
Some of them even took
22:56
the window frames and the pegs
22:58
and other such things with them.
23:00
They loaded their women and children
23:02
onto six hundred camels.
23:04
Most of them departed,
23:06
such as Huyayy and Sallam ibn Abi al-Huqayq,
23:08
to Khaybar.
23:10
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, seized
23:12
their weapons
23:14
and took possession of their land.
23:16
He found among the weapons
23:18
fifty coats of mail
23:20
and forty swords.
23:22
Treasures of the Prophetic biography.