Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 75 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (90) - Taliha bin Khuwaylid Al-Asadi, 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 "Portraits 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 on him.
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Tulayhah ibn Khuwaylid al-Asadi,
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may Allah be pleased with him.
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In the ninth year of the Hijrah,
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a delegation from the Banu Asad arrived in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah,
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headed by Tulayhah ibn Khuwaylid al-Asadi.
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When they reached the Prophet’s Mosque,
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they stood before the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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Then their spokesman stood up and said:
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"O Messenger of Allah,
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we bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner,
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and we bear witness that you are His servant and His messenger,
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and that He sent you with the religion of guidance and truth.
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We have come to you of our own accord,
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though you did not send anyone to summon us,
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so accept our Islam, O Messenger of Allah."
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The Prophet, peace be upon him, welcomed them most generously
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and accommodated them in the finest manner.
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Yet, before long, Tulayhah ibn Khuwaylid's
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heart turned against the greatest Messenger, peace be upon him,
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and envy crept into his breast.
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He began pondering the Prophet's affair
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and how it had started small,
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only to grow and expand day after day,
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until the entire Arabian Peninsula, from end to end, submitted to him in loyalty and obedience.
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Then Tulayhah's devil began enticing him and filling him with false hopes,
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whispering to him:
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"O Tulayhah, how can Muhammad compare to you?
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He is not more eloquent in speech than you,
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for you are a man of letters, discerning, and a poet.
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Nor is he braver of heart than you,
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for you are the most courageous of the Arabs,
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and the fiercest in might,
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to the point that people count you equal to a thousand horsemen when battle rages!
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Furthermore, he does not possess a nobler clan than yours,
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for you belong to the Banu Asad,
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and the Banu Asad are kindlers of war,
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renowned for their memorable days on the battlefield
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and their celebrated feats."
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When the delegation returned to their homelands,
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Tulayhah stood up among the Banu Asad,
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claiming to them that he was a prophet sent by Allah.
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They all followed him,
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either out of belief in him
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or out of tribal solidarity.
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The Messenger, peace be upon him, dispatched an army
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under the command of Dirar ibn al-Azwar
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to fight Tulayhah and his people.
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The believing army fought valiantly against the Banu Asad
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and their allies, dealing them a severe blow,
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and Tulayhah's cause was on the verge of collapse
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had not Dirar met him face to face
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and struck him with his sword.
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But Allah willed that the sword glance off him
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without leaving a mark.
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Tulayhah seized upon that moment
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and began spreading among his people that Allah was protecting and defending him,
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and that sharp swords could not pierce his body.
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Thus, those who had dispersed from him rallied around him once again,
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and a great multitude followed him.
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His power was further reinforced
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by the passing of the Messenger, peace be upon him,
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the apostasy of many Arabs from the religion of Allah,
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and their departure from Islam in droves,
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just as they had entered it in droves.
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No sooner had Al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, assumed leadership of the Muslims
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than he tied eleven banners for eleven commanders,
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directing them all to fight the apostates.
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Tulayhah ibn Khuwaylid and his people, the Banu Asad,
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fell to the share of Khalid ibn al-Walid.
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The Sword of Allah set out toward the homelands of the Banu Asad in Najd,
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sending ahead of his army two intrepid Muslim scouts:
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Ukkashah ibn Mihsan and Thabit ibn Aqram,
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to scout the land
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and gather intelligence for the Muslims.
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But Tulayhah caught them and killed them both in a brutal manner.
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When the Muslims learned of their demise,
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they grieved for them with the deepest and most bitter sorrow,
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and swore to avenge them
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no matter how high the cost.
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The two hosts met at the well of Buzakhah in the land of Najd,
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clashing in a fierce and ruthless battle.
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In the beginning, the two sides were evenly matched.
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The chieftain of the Banu Fazārah,
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Uyayanah ibn Hisn,
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had rushed with his people to Tulayhah's aid
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to repel the Muslim army from him.
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As the tide of battle began to turn in favor of the Muslims against the polytheists,
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Uyayanah looked over at Tulayhah
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and found that he had retreated into his tent,
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wrapped himself in his cloak,
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and claimed to his followers that divine revelation was about to descend upon him
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and that Allah would reinforce him with angels.
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As the fighting grew fiercer
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and the pressure of the Muslims intensified against Tulayhah’s followers,
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the chieftain of the Banu Fazārah approached him and asked:
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"Has the angel come to you, O Tulayhah?"
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He replied, "No, O Uyayanah."
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So he returned and fought
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until the pressure grew even heavier upon him and his men.
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He rushed back to Tulayhah and demanded:
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"Woe to you! Has Jibril come to you?"
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He answered, "No."
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Uyayanah said, "Until when?
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By Allah, we are utterly exhausted!"
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Then he returned and fought fiercely,
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before rushing back once more to Tulayhah,
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asking, "Has Jibril come to you?"
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He said, "Yes."
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He asked, "And what did he reveal to you?"
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He said, "He said to me:
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'You have a day that you shall meet;
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you shall not have its beginning,
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but you shall have its end;
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and thereafter you shall have a matter you will never forget.'"
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Uyayanah said to him:
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"May you perish!
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By Allah, I see that you indeed shall have a matter you will never forget!"
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Then he turned to his people and shouted:
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"O Banu Fazārah!
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This man is a wicked liar!"
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Then he withdrew along with all those under his command.
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The Muslims triumphed over the Banu Asad,
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and Tulayhah fled in defeat,
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seeking refuge among the Ghassanids in the Levant.
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Tulayhah had spent only a short time
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among the Ghassanids
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when he came to his senses.
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He began biting his fingers in remorse
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over his past transgressions, saying:
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"May your mother be bereaved of you, O Tulayhah!
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How dreadful it would have been
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if the sword of Dirar ibn al-Azwar
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had severed your head!
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You would have died an apostate from your faith,
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associating partners with your Lord,
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and your ultimate abode would have been the Hellfire!
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May your mother be bereaved of you, O Tulayhah,
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if you do not proceed this very hour
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to the successor of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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in full submission as a Muslim,
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letting him do with you whatever he wills!
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For that is far easier for you than a single moment of torment
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suffered in Hellfire on the Day of Resurrection.
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Make a pledge to Allah, O Tulayhah,
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that if He keeps you safe until you reach Al-Madinah,
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you will place your neck, which escaped the sword of Dirar ibn al-Azwar,
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as a ransom for the religion of Allah
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and a shield for the Muslims!"
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Then he went down to a well,
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washed himself with its water,
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and testified that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner,
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and that Muhammad is His servant, His messenger, His chosen one, and His close friend.
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Tulayhah ibn Khuwaylid al-Asadi reached
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Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah
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and entered upon the Commander of the Faithful, Umar ibn al-Khattab,
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declaring his Islam.
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Al-Faruq said to him:
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"Woe to you!
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Are you not the one who killed the two righteous men,
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Ukkashah and Thabit?"
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Then he added:
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"By Allah, my heart will never feel at ease with you!"
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Tulayhah replied:
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"O Commander of the Faithful,
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why grieve over two men
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whom Allah honored with martyrdom at my hands,
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while I was the wretched one through them?
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Indeed, I ask forgiveness of Allah the Almighty and repent to Him."
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So Umar relented
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and accepted his Islam.
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Tulayhah ibn Khuwaylid repented from his grave mistake
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with a sincere and heartfelt repentance,
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pledging to Allah to strive in His cause
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as long as a vein pulsed within him.
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He resolved to plunge himself into perilous battles,
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hoping to die as a martyr in the cause of Allah.
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And Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, so willed.
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Once, the Muslims set sail by sea
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to campaign against the Byzantines,
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and among them was Tulayhah ibn Khuwaylid.
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While they were cleaving through the waves,
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a massive enemy warship loomed before them,
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carrying troops far outnumbering them in equipment and numbers,
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and it began pursuing them on the open sea.
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Tulayhah said to his companions:
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"Bring us closer to it!"
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They said to him:
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"We are no match for it, O Tulayhah!"
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He said to them:
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"By Allah, either you bring our ship close to theirs,
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or I will strike your necks with this sword!"
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Finding no choice but to comply with him,
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when the two ships drew alongside each other,
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Tulayhah said to those with him,
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"Lift me up on your arms
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and hurl me onto the Byzantine ship,
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and, if Allah wills, I will show you what delights your eyes."
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So they did as he commanded them,
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and in mere moments,
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Tulayhah leaped onto the enemy ship
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and swooped down upon those aboard like a thunderbolt,
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swinging his sword at their necks right and left.
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They were utterly stunned,
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and began falling in disarray beneath his blows.
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It was not long
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before some of them were killed,
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others drowned,
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and the rest surrendered.
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On the night of al-Qadisiyyah,
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Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas dispatched
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Tulayhah Ibn Khuwaylid al-Asadi
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with five of his men,
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and he dispatched 'Amr Ibn Ma'di Karib
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with five others,
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ordering them to infiltrate under the cover of darkness
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into the Persian encampments
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to bring back intelligence about them.
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But no sooner had the two detachments entered the camp
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than the hearts of their men were struck with dread,
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overwhelmed by the vast numbers and equipment they saw,
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and the vigilance and readiness they encountered.
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So 'Amr Ibn Ma'di Karib and his companions turned back,
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and Tulayhah's five men joined them.
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As for Tulayhah himself,
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he pressed on toward his objective, fearless and undaunted,
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spending his night moving throughout the camp.
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When the night began to wane,
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he did not wish to return empty-handed,
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merely carrying the secrets he had discovered,
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but instead made his way to the greatest tent in the encampment.
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In front of it stood a steed the likes of which he had never seen,
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so he drew his sword, cut the horse's tether,
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mounted it, and dashed off galloping between the tents.
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A Persian horseman gave chase,
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and when he caught up with him, he leveled his spear to strike him,
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but Tulayhah wheeled around against him
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and struck him with a thrust that felled him dead.
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Another horseman rushed at him,
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and Tulayhah did to him just as he had done to his companion.
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Then a third horseman rode out against him,
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and Tulayhah charged at him;
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when the horseman realized he would inevitably be killed,
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he surrendered to him.
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Tulayhah ordered him to run ahead of him,
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and they continued together until they reached the Muslim camp.
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When the Muslims saw them,
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they began proclaiming the oneness and greatness of Allah.
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Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas called for an interpreter
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and questioned the captive about his people and their army.
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The captive said,
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"I wish to tell you about this companion of yours first,
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and then you may ask me whatever you wish."
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They said, "Say what you have to say."
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He said,
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"I have fought in wars and witnessed them,
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and I have seen champions and faced them since I was a boy
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until I reached the age you see now.
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Yet I have never heard of a man who entered an encampment containing
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seventy thousand warriors—
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with each warrior served by five men or more—
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and refused to leave the camp
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until he had raided the commander's pavilion,
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severed the ropes of his tent,
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and seized his horse!
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Then a horseman worth a thousand warriors pursued him,
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but he killed him.
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Another, no less brave, caught up with him,
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and he dispatched him as well.
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Then I caught up with him—
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and I do not think I left behind anyone who equals me—
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intending to avenge them both,
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for they were my cousins;
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but when I saw death before my very eyes,
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I surrendered to him."
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These were not all the heroic deeds of Tulayhah Ibn Khuwaylid al-Asadi,
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nor was this the entirety of his striving in the cause of Allah.
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He continued to fight beneath the banners of the Qur'an
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until he fell as a martyr in the Battle of Nahawand.
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Tulayhah Ibn Khuwaylid al-Asadi
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was counted by historians as equal to a thousand horsemen.