Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 35 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (50) - Al-Rabi’ bin Ziyad Al-Harithi, may God be pleased with him
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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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The Mawaddah Association is pleased
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to present to you "Glimpses from the Lives of the Companions"
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by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
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may Allah have mercy upon him.
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Al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad al-Harithi, may Allah be pleased with him.
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This was the City of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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still wiping away its tears of grief over the loss of al-Siddiq,
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as delegations from the regional provinces arrived daily in Yathrib,
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pledging allegiance to his successor, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, to hear and obey in times of ease and hardship.
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One morning, the delegation from Bahrain arrived before the Commander of the Faithful,
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along with a number of other delegations.
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Al-Faruq, may Allah be pleased with him, was ever eager to hear the words of those who came to him,
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hoping to find in what they said a profound admonition,
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a beneficial idea, or sincere counsel for the sake of Allah, His Book, and the Muslim community at large.
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He called upon several of those present to speak, but they offered nothing of consequence.
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Then he turned to a man in whom he perceived goodness, gestured toward him, and said, "Speak what you have to say."
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The man praised Allah, extolled Him, and then said:
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"O Commander of the Faithful, you have not been granted authority over this Ummah
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except as a trial with which Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, is testing you.
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So fear Allah regarding that which you have been entrusted with,
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and know that if a single lost ewe should wander stray along the bank of the Euphrates,
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you will be questioned about it on the Day of Resurrection."
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Thereupon 'Umar burst into tears and said,
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"No one has spoken to me with such candid truth since I assumed the Caliphate as you have just done.
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Who are you?"
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He replied,
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"Al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad al-Harithi."
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'Umar asked,
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"The brother of al-Muhajir ibn Ziyad?"
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"Yes," he replied.
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When the gathering dispersed, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab summoned Abu Musa al-Ash'ari
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and said,
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"Look into the matter of al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad;
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for if he is truthful, there is immense good in him
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and a great support for us in handling this governance.
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Appoint him to a post and write to me of his conduct."
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Only a short time passed after that day
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before Abu Musa al-Ash'ari mobilized an army
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to conquer Manadhir in the land of al-Ahwaz,
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in compliance with the Caliph's command.
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In this army, he placed al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad
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and his brother al-Muhajir.
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Abu Musa al-Ash'ari besieged Manadhir
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and fought fierce, grinding battles against its people,
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the likes of which warfare had rarely witnessed.
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The polytheists displayed such fierce valor
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and resolute determination
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as had never been imagined.
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Casualties among the Muslims mounted so heavily
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as to exceed all expectation.
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The Muslims were, during those days,
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fighting while observing the fast of Ramadan.
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When al-Muhajir, the brother of al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad, saw
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how heavily casualties were multiplying among the Muslim ranks,
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he resolved to sell his soul
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seeking the pleasure of Allah.
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He embalmed himself, donned his shroud, and gave his final counsel to his brother.
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So al-Rabi' went to Abu Musa and said,
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"Al-Muhajir has determined to lay down his life,
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yet he is fasting.
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The Muslims have been overcome
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by the brunt of war combined with the severity of fasting,
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which has weakened their resolve,
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yet they refuse to break their fast.
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Do, therefore, whatever you deem best."
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Abu Musa al-Ash'ari stood up
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and called out to the army,
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"O assembly of Muslims!
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I urge every fasting soldier
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to break his fast or cease fighting!"
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He then drank from a jug he had with him,
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so that the men would follow his lead and drink.
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When al-Muhajir heard his commander's proclamation,
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he swallowed a single gulp of water and said,
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"By Allah, I did not drink it out of thirst,
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but rather to honor the binding order of my commander."
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Then he unsheathed his sword,
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plunged forward, cleaving through the enemy lines,
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and cutting down their fighters without fear or hesitation.
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As he drove deep into the ranks of the enemy,
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they closed in on him from every side,
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striking him with their swords in turn from before him and behind him,
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until he fell slain.
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They then severed his head
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and mounted it upon a balcony overlooking the battlefield.
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Al-Rabi' looked up at him and said,
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"Glad tidings be yours, and a blessed return!
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By Allah, I shall avenge you,
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and avenge the slain of the Muslims, if Allah wills."
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When Abu Musa saw
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the profound sorrow that had gripped al-Rabi' over his brother,
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and realized the fiery indignation raging in his breast against the enemies of Allah,
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he yielded the command of the army to him
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and proceeded to Susa to conquer it.
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Al-Rabi' and his troops swept upon the polytheists like a whirlwind,
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hurtling down upon their fortresses like boulders dislodged by a torrential flood,
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shattering their lines and crushing their might.
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Thus Allah granted al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad the conquest of Manadhir by force;
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he slew their combatants, took their dependents captive,
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and took as spoils of war whatever Allah willed.
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The star of al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad shone brightly after the battle of Manadhir,
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his renown spread far and wide,
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and he became one of the eminent commanders relied upon for momentous undertakings.
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When the Muslims resolved to conquer Sijistan,
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they entrusted him with the leadership of the army,
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hoping for victory at his hands.
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Al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad marched with his army, campaigning in the cause of Allah toward Sijistan,
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across a desolate wasteland seventy-five farsakhs wide,
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which even the fiercest desert beasts would weary of crossing.
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The first territory he encountered was the district of Zaliq on the borders of Sijistan,
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a fertile district teeming with magnificent palaces,
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ringed by towering fortresses,
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and rich in bounty and abundant fruit.
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The shrewd commander dispatched his scouts through the district of Zaliq before reaching it,
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and learned that its people were soon to celebrate one of their festivals.
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He lay in wait for them until he took them completely by surprise on the night of the festival,
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putting them to the sword and taking the settlement by force.
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He took twenty thousand captives from them,
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and their dehqan fell into his hands as a prisoner.
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Among the captives was a slave belonging to the dehqan,
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whom they found to have amassed three hundred thousand coins to carry to his master.
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Al-Rabi' asked him, "Where did this wealth come from?"
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He replied, "From one of my master's villages."
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He asked him, "Does a single village yield him such wealth every year?"
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"Yes," he answered. Al-Rabi' asked, "And how so?"
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He replied, "Through our mattocks, our scythes, and our sweat."
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When the battle came to an end,
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the dehqan approached al-Rabi', offering to ransom himself and his family.
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Al-Rabi' told him, "I will ransom you only if you offer a lavish ransom to the Muslims."
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He asked, "And how much do you demand?"
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He said, "I shall plant this spear into the ground,
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and you must pour gold and silver over it until it is completely submerged."
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The dehqan replied, "I agree."
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He brought forth all the gold and silver stored in his treasuries
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and kept pouring them over the spear until it was fully buried beneath them.
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Al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad pushed deeper with his victorious army into the lands of Sijistan,
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and fortresses began falling before the hooves of his cavalry
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just as leaves fall before the gusts of autumn winds.
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The inhabitants of towns and villages hastened out to meet him, seeking security and submitting peacefully,
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before he ever needed to draw a sword against them,
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until he reached the city of Zaranj, the capital of Sijistan.
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There, he found that the enemy had prepared extensively for war,
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marshaled battalions to meet him,
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summoned reinforcements to confront him,
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and firmly resolved to defend the great metropolis,
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intent on halting his advance through Sijistan whatever the cost might be.
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A grinding, ferocious battle then raged between al-Rabi' and his foes,
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in which neither side spared any sacrifice demanded of it.
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As the first signs of victory began to tip toward the Muslims,
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the local marzban, known as Parviz,
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saw fit to seek a truce with al-Rabi'
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while he still retained some measure of strength,
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hoping to secure better terms for himself and his people.
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He sent an emissary from his side to al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad,
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requesting an appointment to meet him and negotiate a peace settlement.
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Al-Rabi' granted his request.
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Al-Rabi' commanded his men to prepare the place to receive Parviz,
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instructing them to pile up heaps of slain Persian corpses around the council pavilion,
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and to cast along both sides of the path Parviz would traverse
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other corpses strewn in disarray.
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Al-Rabi' was a man of tall stature, commanding presence,
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deep brown complexion, and massive build,
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striking awe into the heart of whoever beheld him.
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When Parviz entered his presence,
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his limbs trembled in terror before him,
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and his heart was gripped with dread at the sight of the slain.
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He dared not draw near him,
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and was too frightened to step forward and shake his hand,
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addressing him instead with a faltering, stammering tongue.
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He concluded a peace treaty agreeing to deliver to him one thousand young servants,
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with each servant bearing upon his head a chalice of gold—
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that is, a goblet made of pure gold.
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Al-Rabi' accepted and concluded the peace with Parviz upon these terms.
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On the following day,
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al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad entered the city,
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flanked by this procession of servant-bearers,
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amidst the Muslims' acclamations of tahlil and takbir.
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It was indeed a momentous day among the glorious days of Allah.
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Al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad remained an unsheathed sword in the hand of the Muslims,
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with which they struck at the enemies of Allah,
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conquering cities for them and governing provinces,
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until rule passed to the Umayyads.
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Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan then appointed him governor over Khurasan,
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yet his heart was never truly at ease with this governorship.
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His aversion and distaste toward it only deepened
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when Ziyad ibn Abihi,
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one of the foremost governors of the Umayyads,
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sent him a letter stating:
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"The Commander of the Faithful, Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan,
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commands you to reserve all the gold and silver
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from the spoils of war for the public treasury of the Muslims,
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and to distribute whatever remains among the warriors."
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Thereupon al-Rabi' wrote back to him, saying:
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"Verily, I have found that the Book of Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He,
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decrees otherwise than what you have commanded me
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on behalf of the Commander of the Faithful."
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He then called out among the people:
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"Go forth to your spoils of war and take them."
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Then he sent the one-fifth share (Khums) to the seat of the Caliphate in Damascus.
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And when Friday came, following the arrival of this letter,
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Al-Rabi' Ibn Ziyad went out to prayer dressed in white garments.
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He delivered the Friday sermon to the people, and then said:
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"O people!
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I have grown weary of this worldly life,
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and I am about to make a supplication, so say 'amin' to it."
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He then said:
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"O Allah, if You intend good for me,
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take my soul to You swiftly, without delay."
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So the people said "amin" to his supplication.
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And the sun of that very day had not set
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before Al-Rabi' Ibn Ziyad passed into the presence of his Lord.
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"No one has been as sincere and truthful with me since I assumed the caliphate
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as was Al-Rabi' Ibn Ziyad."
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— 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab.
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O poetry, assist me and pour forth,
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in their praise, or can I ever add more?