Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (7) - Thumama bin Uthal, may God be pleased with him

0:00 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

0:15 The Mawaddah Association is pleased

0:18 to present to you portraits from the lives of the Companions,

0:22 by Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,

0:25 may Allah have mercy upon him.

0:27 Thumamah ibn Uthal,

0:30 may Allah be pleased with him.

0:44 In the sixth year of the Hijrah,

0:47 the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

0:51 resolved to expand the scope of his call to Allah.

0:54 He wrote eight letters to the kings of the Arabs and non-Arabs,

0:58 and sent them to them, inviting them to Islam.

1:01 Among those to whom he wrote

1:04 was Thumamah ibn Uthal al-Hanafi.

1:07 This is no surprise,

1:09 for Thumamah was one of the chieftains of the Arabs during the Jahiliyyah,

1:13 a prominent leader among the Banu Hanifah,

1:16 and a king of the Yamamah whose commands were never disobeyed.

1:21 Thumamah received the letter of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

1:25 with disdain and aversion.

1:27 His pride drove him to sin,

1:29 and he deafened his ears to the call of truth and goodness.

1:33 Then, his devil spurred him on,

1:36 inciting him to kill the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

1:40 and to bury his message along with him.

1:42 He began seeking opportunities to eliminate the Prophet,

1:46 until he found a moment of vulnerability.

1:48 The heinous crime was nearly committed,

1:52 had one of Thumamah’s uncles not dissuaded him at the last moment.

1:57 Thus, Allah saved His Prophet from his evil.

2:00 However, even if Thumamah had refrained from harming the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

2:06 he did not refrain from harming his Companions.

2:09 He began to lie in wait for them,

2:11 until he captured a number of them

2:13 and killed them in the most brutal manner.

2:16 Consequently, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, declared his blood forfeit,

2:19 and announced this to his Companions.

2:21 Not much time passed after that

2:24 before Thumamah ibn Uthal resolved to perform Umrah.

2:28 He set out from the land of Yamamah, turning his face toward Makkah,

2:32 hoping to circumambulate the Ka'bah

2:36 and sacrifice to its idols.

2:38 While Thumamah was on his way, near Madinah,

2:43 a calamity befell him that he had not anticipated.

2:47 A detachment of the Messenger of Allah’s, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, scouts

2:53 was patrolling the area,

2:55 fearing that someone might approach Madinah,

2:58 or that an aggressor might intend it harm.

3:01 The detachment captured Thumamah,

3:03 not knowing who he was,

3:05 and brought him to Madinah.

3:07 They tied him to one of the pillars of the Mosque,

3:10 waiting for the noble Prophet himself to oversee the prisoner’s affair

3:15 and issue his command regarding him.

3:17 When the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, came out to the Mosque,

3:21 and was about to enter it,

3:23 he saw Thumamah tied to the pillar.

3:26 He said to his Companions,

3:28 "Do you know whom you have captured?"

3:30 They replied, "No, O Messenger of Allah."

3:33 He said, "This is Thumamah ibn Uthal al-Hanafi.

3:38 Treat him well in his captivity."

3:40 Then, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, returned to his family

3:43 and said,

3:45 "Gather whatever food you have,"

3:48 and they sent it to Thumamah ibn Uthal.

3:51 He then ordered that his she-camel be milked for him morning and evening,

3:55 and that her milk be brought to him.

3:58 All of this was done before the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, met him

4:04 or spoke to him.

4:06 Then, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, approached Thumamah,

4:10 wishing to draw him toward Islam,

4:13 and said, "What do you have, O Thumamah?"

4:16 He replied,

4:18 "I have good, O Muhammad.

4:20 If you kill me, you kill one who has blood to be avenged.

4:22 If you show favor, you show favor to one who is grateful.

4:25 And if you desire wealth,

4:27 ask, and you shall be given whatever you wish."

4:30 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, left him for two days in that state,

4:35 with food and drink brought to him,

4:38 and the she-camel’s milk delivered to him.

4:41 Then he came to him and said,

4:43 "What do you have, O Thumamah?"

4:45 He said,

4:46 "I have nothing but what I told you before:

4:49 If you show favor, you show favor to one who is grateful.

4:52 If you kill me, you kill one who has blood to be avenged.

4:55 And if you desire wealth,

4:57 ask, and you shall be given whatever you wish."

4:59 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, left him,

5:03 and when the next day came,

5:06 he came to him and said,

5:08 "What do you have, O Thumamah?"

5:10 He said,

5:11 "I have what I told you:

5:13 If you show favor, you show favor to one who is grateful.

5:16 If you kill me, you kill one who has blood to be avenged.

5:19 And if you desire wealth,

5:21 I will give you whatever you wish."

5:24 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, turned

5:27 to his Companions and said,

5:29 "Release Thumamah."

5:31 They untied his bonds and released him.

5:35 Thumamah left the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

5:39 and went on his way,

5:41 until he reached a palm grove on the outskirts of Madinah,

5:44 near al-Baqi', where there was water.

5:47 He made his mount kneel there,

5:49 and performed a thorough ritual purification.

5:52 Then he retraced his steps to the Mosque.

5:55 As soon as he reached it, he stood before a gathering of Muslims

6:00 and said,

6:01 "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,

6:04 and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger."

6:08 Then he turned to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

6:12 and said,

6:13 "O Muhammad,

6:14 by Allah, there was no face on the face of the earth more hateful to me than yours,

6:19 but now your face has become the most beloved of all faces to me.

6:24 By Allah, there was no religion more hateful to me than yours,

6:28 but now your religion has become the most beloved of all religions to me.

6:32 By Allah, there was no land more hateful to me than yours,

6:36 but now your land has become the most beloved of all lands to me."

6:40 Then he added,

6:42 "I had shed the blood of some of your Companions;

6:45 what is the judgment upon me for that?"

6:48 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,

6:50 "There is no blame upon you, O Thumamah,

6:53 for Islam wipes away what came before it."

6:56 He gave him glad tidings of the good that Allah had written for him through his Islam.

7:01 Thumamah’s face beamed with joy, and he said,

7:04 "By Allah, I will kill as many of the polytheists as I have killed of your Companions,

7:10 and I will dedicate myself, my sword, and those with me to your support and the support of your religion."

7:15 Then he said,

7:17 "O Messenger of Allah,

7:19 your cavalry captured me while I was intending to perform Umrah;

7:22 what do you think I should do?"

7:24 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,

7:27 "Go and perform your Umrah,

7:29 but according to the law of Allah and His Messenger."

7:32 He taught him the rites he was to perform.

7:35 Thumamah proceeded to his destination,

7:38 and when he reached the heart of Makkah,

7:41 he stood and proclaimed in a loud voice,

7:44 "Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk,

7:47 Labbayk, la sharika laka Labbayk,

7:50 Inna al-hamda wa al-ni'mata laka wa al-mulk,

7:53 La sharika lak."

7:55 Thus, he was the first Muslim on the face of the earth

7:59 to enter Makkah reciting the Talbiyah.

8:02 The Quraysh heard the sound of the Talbiyah,

8:04 and they rose up, angry and alarmed.

8:07 They drew their swords from their sheaths

8:09 and headed toward the sound,

8:11 intending to strike down the one who had invaded their sanctuary.

8:15 When the people approached Thumamah,

8:18 he raised his voice with the Talbiyah,

8:20 looking at them with pride.

8:23 Some of the young men of Quraysh intended

8:25 to shoot him with an arrow,

8:27 but they restrained them, saying,

8:29 "Woe to you! Do you know who this is?

8:32 It is Thumamah ibn Uthal,

8:34 the king of Yamamah!

8:36 By Allah, if you harm him,

8:38 his people will cut off our grain supplies,

8:40 and we will die of hunger."

8:42 Then the people approached Thumamah,

8:45 after returning their swords to their sheaths,

8:48 and said, "What is the matter with you, O Thumamah?

8:50 Have you apostatized and abandoned your religion and the religion of your forefathers?"

8:54 He replied,

8:56 "I have not apostatized,

8:58 but I have followed the best religion;

9:00 I have followed the religion of Muhammad."

9:02 Then he added,

9:04 "I swear by the Lord of this House,

9:06 that after I return to Yamamah,

9:10 not a single grain of wheat

9:12 or any of its produce shall reach you,

9:14 until you all follow Muhammad."

9:18 Thumamah ibn Uthal performed his Umrah

9:20 in the sight of the Quraysh,

9:22 just as the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had commanded him

9:26 to perform it,

9:27 and he sacrificed to draw closer to Allah,

9:29 not to idols or statues.

9:32 He returned to his land,

9:34 and ordered his people to withhold grain from the Quraysh.

9:38 They obeyed his command and responded to him,

9:41 and they withheld their produce from the people of Makkah.

9:44 The blockade that Thumamah imposed on the Quraysh

9:47 began to tighten little by little.

9:49 Prices rose,

9:51 hunger spread among the people,

9:54 and their distress intensified,

9:56 until they feared for themselves and their children

9:59 lest they perish from hunger.

10:01 At that point,

10:03 they wrote to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

10:06 saying:

10:07 "We have always known you

10:09 to uphold ties of kinship,

10:11 and to encourage others to do the same.

10:13 Yet here you are, having severed our ties,

10:16 killing our fathers with the sword,

10:18 and starving our children.

10:21 Thumamah Ibn Uthal

10:23 has cut off our supplies,

10:25 and has harmed us.

10:27 If you see fit to write to him

10:29 to send us

10:31 what we need,

10:32 then please do so."

10:33 So he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, wrote

10:35 to Thumamah,

10:37 instructing him to release their supplies to them,

10:39 and he did so.

10:41 Thumamah Ibn Uthal remained,

10:43 for as long as he lived,

10:45 loyal to his religion,

10:47 and faithful to the covenant of his Prophet.

10:49 When the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, joined

10:52 the Highest Companion,

10:54 and the Arabs began to depart

10:56 from the religion of Allah in throngs and groups,

10:59 and Musaylimah the Liar arose

11:01 among the Banu Hanifah,

11:03 calling them to believe in him,

11:05 Thumamah stood against him

11:07 and said to his people:

11:09 "O Banu Hanifah,

11:11 beware of this dark affair,

11:13 which contains no light.

11:15 By Allah, it is a misery

11:17 that Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, has decreed

11:19 for those among you who adopt it,

11:21 and a trial for those who do not."

11:23 Then he said:

11:25 "O Banu Hanifah,

11:27 two prophets cannot coexist

11:29 at the same time,

11:31 and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,

11:33 with no prophet after him,

11:35 nor any prophet to share his mission."

11:37 Then he recited to them:

11:39 "Ha-Mim.

11:41 The revelation of the Book

11:45 “The revelation of the Scripture is from Allah, the Mighty, the Knower,” (40:2)

11:52 the Forgiver of sin,

11:54 the Acceptor of repentance,

11:56 the Severe in punishment,

11:58 the Possessor of bounty. There is no

12:00 deity except Him;

12:02 to Him is the final destination."

12:04 Then he said:

12:07 "How does this Word of Allah compare

12:09 to the words of Musaylimah:

12:11 'O frog, croak as you will,

12:13 you do not prevent the drink,

12:15 nor do you muddy the water'?"

12:17 Then he withdrew

12:19 with those of his people who remained upon Islam,

12:21 and set out to fight

12:23 the apostates, striving

12:25 in the way of Allah,

12:27 and to exalt His word upon the earth.

12:29 May Allah reward Thumamah

12:31 Ibn Uthal on behalf of Islam

12:33 and the Muslims with goodness,

12:35 and honor him with the Paradise that

12:37 has been promised to the righteous.

12:39 Thumamah Ibn Uthal

12:41 imposes an economic blockade

12:43 upon Quraysh.

Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (7) - Thumama bin Uthal, may God be pleased with him

Transcript