Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 40 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (55) - Thabit bin Qais Al-Ansari, 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 upon him.
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Thabit ibn Qays al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him.
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Thabit ibn Qays al-Ansari was a prominent leader among the Khazraj,
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and one of the most distinguished figures of Yathrib.
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Beyond that, he was sharp-witted and quick-thinking,
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possessing a magnificent eloquence and a powerful voice.
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When he spoke, he surpassed all other speakers,
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and when he delivered a sermon, he captivated his listeners.
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He was among the first in Yathrib to embrace Islam,
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for no sooner had he heard the verses of the Wise Reminder,
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recited by the young Meccan missionary Mus'ab ibn Umayr,
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with his melodious voice and gentle tone,
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than the Qur'an captured his hearing with the sweetness of its impact,
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took hold of his heart with its marvelous eloquence,
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and enchanted his soul with the guidance and legislation it contained.
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Thus, Allah expanded his breast to faith,
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and elevated his status and raised his renown by bringing him under the banner of the Prophet of Islam.
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When the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, arrived in Medina as an emigrant,
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Thabit ibn Qays welcomed him with a large group of his people's horsemen in the most honorable reception,
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and greeted him and his companion, al-Siddiq, with the most beautiful welcome.
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He delivered a profound sermon before him,
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which he opened by praising Allah, the Almighty and Exalted,
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and by invoking peace and blessings upon His Prophet.
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He concluded it by saying,
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"We pledge to you, O Messenger of Allah,
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that we shall protect you with that which we protect ourselves, our children, and our women."
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"What shall we have in return for that?"
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He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, replied, "Paradise."
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No sooner had the word "Paradise" touched the ears of the people
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than their faces shone with joy,
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and their features beamed with delight,
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and they said, "We are satisfied, O Messenger of Allah."
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From that day on, the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, appointed Thabit ibn Qays as his orator,
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just as Hassan ibn Thabit was his poet.
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So, whenever delegations of the Arabs came to him,
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seeking to boast or debate using the tongues of their most eloquent orators and poets,
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he would delegate Thabit ibn Qays to challenge the orators,
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and Hassan ibn Thabit to compete with the poets.
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Thabit ibn Qays was a believer of deep faith,
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pious and truly righteous,
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possessing an intense fear of his Lord,
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and great caution against everything that might anger Allah, the Almighty and Exalted.
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One day, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, saw him in a state of panic and distress,
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his limbs trembling with fear and awe.
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He asked, "What is the matter with you, O Abu Muhammad?"
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He replied, "I fear that I have perished, O Messenger of Allah."
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He asked, "Why?"
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He said, "Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, has forbidden us
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from wishing to be praised for what we have not done,
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yet I find that I love praise.
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And He has forbidden us from arrogance,
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yet I find that I love vanity."
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The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, continued to calm his fears,
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until he said,
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"O Thabit,
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are you not pleased to live a life of praise,
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to be killed as a martyr,
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and to enter Paradise?"
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Thabit’s face shone with this good news, and he said,
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"Yes, O Messenger of Allah."
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"Yes, O Messenger of Allah."
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Then he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
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[peace and blessings of Allah be upon him].
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Despite his intense love for him and his excessive attachment to him,
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he remained in his house, barely leaving except for the obligatory prayers.
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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, missed him,
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and asked, "Who will bring me news of him?"
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A man from the Ansar said,
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"I will, O Messenger of Allah."
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He went to him,
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and found him in his house, sorrowful and with his head bowed.
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He asked,
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"What is the matter with you, O Abu Muhammad?"
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He replied, "Evil."
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He asked, "What is that?"
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He said, "You know that I am a man with a loud voice,
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and that my voice often rises above the voice of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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Verses of the Qur'an have been revealed, as you know,
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and I fear that my deeds have been rendered void,
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and that I am among the people of the Fire."
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The man returned to the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and informed him of what he had seen and heard.
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He said,
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"Go to him and tell him:
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'You are not among the people of the Fire,
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but rather you are among the people of Paradise.'"
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This was a great piece of good news for Thabit,
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the hope of which he cherished throughout his life.
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Thabit ibn Qays witnessed all the battles with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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except for Badr.
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He would throw himself into the thick of battle, seeking the martyrdom the Prophet had promised him,
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yet it would elude him every time, even when it was within reach.
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Until the Wars of Apostasy occurred between the Muslims and Musaylimah the Liar,
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during the reign of al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him.
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Thabit ibn Qays was at that time the commander of the Ansar forces,
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and Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, was the commander of the Muhajirun forces,
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while Khalid ibn al-Walid was the commander of the entire army,
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including the Ansar, the Muhajirun, and the tribesmen among them.
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The tide of battle in most of the engagements was turning against the Muslim armies in favor of Musaylimah and his men,
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to the point that they breached the tent of Khalid ibn al-Walid,
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and intended to kill his wife, Umm Tamim,
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and they cut the ropes of the tent and tore it to shreds.
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On that day, Thabit ibn Qays saw such weakness among the Muslims that his heart was filled with grief and anguish,
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and he heard their mutual accusations, which filled his chest with sorrow and distress.
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The Medinans were accusing the tribesmen of cowardice,
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and the tribesmen were describing the Medinans as unskilled in combat,
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and ignorant of the nature of war.
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At that moment, Thabit applied his perfume and donned his shroud,
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stood before the witnesses, and said,
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"O assembly of Muslims,
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this is not how we used to fight alongside the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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How wretched is the boldness you have accustomed your enemies to show against you,
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and how wretched is the cowardice you have accustomed yourselves to show them!"
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Then he raised his gaze to the sky and said,
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"O Allah, I disavow before You what these people have brought of polytheism,"
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meaning Musaylimah and his people,
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"and I disavow before You what these people are doing,"
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meaning the Muslims.
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Then he charged like a fierce lion,
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shoulder to shoulder with the noble, blessed ones:
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al-Bara' ibn Malik al-Ansari,
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Zayd ibn al-Khattab,
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the brother of the Commander of the Faithful, Umar ibn al-Khattab,
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Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah,
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and others among the early believers.
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He fought with great valor,
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filling the hearts of the Muslims with zeal and determination,
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and filling the hearts of the polytheists with weakness and terror.
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He continued to strike in every direction,
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fighting with every weapon,
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until his wounds overcame him.
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He fell, struck down on the battlefield,
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his eyes comforted by the martyrdom Allah had decreed for him,
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which his beloved, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had promised him,
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his heart content with the victory Allah had achieved for the Muslims at his hands.
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Thabit was wearing a precious suit of armor,
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and a man from the Muslims passed by him,
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stripped it from him, and took it for himself.
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On the night following his martyrdom,
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a man from the Muslims saw him in his dream,
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and he said to the man,
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"I am Thabit ibn Qays.
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Do you recognize me?"
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He said, "Yes."
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He said,
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"I have a will for you,
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so do not say 'this is just a dream' and neglect it.
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When I was killed yesterday,
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a man from the Muslims passed by me, whose description is such and such,
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and he took my armor and went with it toward his tent,
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at the far end of the camp in such and such a direction,
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and he placed it under a cooking pot,
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and placed a saddle on top of the pot.
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Go to Khalid ibn al-Walid,
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and tell him to send someone to the man to take the armor from him,
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for it is still in its place.
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And I have another will for you,
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so do not say 'this is just a dream' and neglect it.
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Tell Khalid:
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'When you arrive at the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in Medina,
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tell him:
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Thabit ibn Qays owes such and such a debt,
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and such and such of my slaves are free.'
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So let him pay my debt and free my slaves."
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The man woke up,
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went to Khalid ibn al-Walid,
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and informed him of what he had heard and seen.
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Khalid sent someone to retrieve the armor from the one who had taken it,
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and they found it in its place,
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and brought it back just as it was.
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When Khalid returned to Medina,
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he told Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, about the story of Thabit ibn Qays and his will.
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Al-Siddiq carried out his will,
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and no one before or after him had their will carried out after their death, except him.
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May Allah be pleased with Thabit ibn Qays and grant him satisfaction,
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and place his abode in the highest of the high.
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No one's will has been carried out after their death,
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except the will of Thabit ibn Qays.