Part of Glimpses from the Lives of the Tabi‘un (the Successors) (series completed)
· Lesson 12 of 37
Pictures from the lives of the followers | D. Abdul Rahman Raafat Al-Basha | Episode (12) | Raja bin Haywa, may God have mercy on him
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
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The best of generations in stances and exemplary conduct,
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Following the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke.
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Mawaddah Association
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Presents:
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Portraits from the Lives of the Tabi'un,
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By Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
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May Allah have mercy on him.
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Raja' ibn Haywah,
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May Allah have mercy on him.
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In the generation of the Tabi'un,
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There were three men whose contemporaries knew
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None like them,
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Nor did they see any peer to match them.
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It was as though they had met by appointment,
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Exhorting one another to truth and patience,
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Pledging themselves to goodness and piety,
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Dedicating their lives to God-consciousness and knowledge,
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And devoting themselves to the service of Allah, His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
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And the believers, both common and elite.
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They were: Muhammad ibn Sirin in Iraq,
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Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr in the Hijaz,
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And Raja' ibn Haywah in the Levant.
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So come, let us spend these blessed moments
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In the company of the third of these righteous, noble souls:
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Raja' ibn Haywah.
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Raja' ibn Haywah was born in Baysan in the land of Palestine,
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His birth taking place towards the end of the caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan,
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Or thereabouts.
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He belonged to the Arab tribe of Kindah.
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Thus, Raja' was Palestinian by homeland,
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Arab by lineage,
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And Kindi by tribe.
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The Kindi youth grew up in obedience to Allah from his early years,
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So Allah loved him and made him beloved to His creation.
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He turned to seeking knowledge from his tenderest youth;
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Knowledge found his heart tender, fresh, and unencumbered,
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So it took firm root within it and settled there.
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His greatest concern became drinking deeply from the Book of Allah
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And drawing provisions from the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
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Thus his intellect was illuminated by the light of the Qur'an,
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His insight was enlightened by the guidance of prophethood,
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And his breast was filled with exhortation and wisdom;
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And whoever is granted wisdom has certainly been granted much good.
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He was privileged to learn from a large number of the eminent Companions,
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Such as Abu Sa'id al-Khudri,
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Abu al-Darda', Abu Umamah,
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'Ubadah ibn al-Samit,
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Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan,
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Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As,
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Al-Nawwas ibn Sam'an,
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And others, may Allah be pleased with them all.
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They were beacons of guidance and torches of understanding for him.
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This fortunate youth set for himself a personal constitution,
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Adhering to it and repeating it throughout his life,
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As he used to say:
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"How excellent is Islam when adorned with faith!
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How excellent is faith when adorned with piety!
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How excellent is piety when adorned with knowledge!
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How excellent is knowledge when adorned with action!
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And how excellent is action when adorned with gentleness!"
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Raja' ibn Haywah served as minister and adviser to a succession of Umayyad caliphs,
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Beginning with Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan
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And ending with Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz.
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However, his bond with Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik
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And Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz
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Surpassed his ties with the caliphs who preceded them.
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What endeared him to the hearts of the Umayyad caliphs was
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The soundness of his judgment,
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The truthfulness of his speech,
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The sincerity of his intention,
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And his wisdom in managing affairs.
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All of that was crowned
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By his detachment from the worldly goods in their hands,
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Over which competitors so fiercely competed.
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His association with the Umayyad caliphs
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Was among Allah's immense mercies upon them
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And a tremendous blessing bestowed upon them.
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For he called them to goodness,
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Guided them to its paths,
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Dissuaded them from evil,
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Shut its doors before them,
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Showed them the truth,
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Made following it appealing to them,
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Gave them insight into falsehood,
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And made engaging in it abhorrent to them.
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Thus he offered sincere counsel for Allah, His Messenger (peace be upon him),
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The leaders of the Muslims, and their common folk.
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An incident once occurred with Raja'
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That illuminated his path in interacting with the caliphs
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And clearly defined his mission with them.
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He narrated it himself, saying:
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"I was standing beside Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik
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Amidst a crowd of people,
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When I noticed a man making his way toward us through the throng.
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He had a handsome countenance and a majestic presence.
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He continued parting the ranks,
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And I had no doubt he was heading for the Caliph,
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Until he drew level with me and stood by my side.
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Then he greeted me and said:
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'O Raja',
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You have been tested with this man'—
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And he pointed to the Caliph—
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'And in closeness to him lies abundant good,
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Or abundant evil.
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So make your closeness to him a source of good for yourself, for him, and for the people.
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And know, O Raja',
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That whoever holds a position of influence with a ruler
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And conveys to him the need of a weak person
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Who is unable to convey it himself,
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Shall meet Allah, Exalted and Glorious, on the Day he meets Him
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With his feet made firm for the Reckoning.
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And remember, O Raja',
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That whoever attends to the need of his fellow Muslim,
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Allah will attend to his need.
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And know, O Raja',
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That among the deeds most beloved to Allah, Exalted and Glorious,
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Is bringing joy to the heart of a Muslim.'
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While I was pondering his words
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And eagerly hoping he would say more,
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The Caliph called out, saying:
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'Where is Raja' ibn Haywah?'
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So I turned toward him and said:
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'Here I am, O Commander of the Faithful.'
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He asked me about something,
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And no sooner had I finished answering him
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Than I turned back to my companion,
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But I could not find him.
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I searched the place thoroughly for him,
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Yet I found no trace of him among the people."
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Raja' ibn Haywah had,
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With the Umayyad caliphs,
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Noble and resolute stances
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That history continues to preserve
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In its brightest pages,
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And which later generations transmit from the salaf (early generations).
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Among these was that one day,
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He was in the gathering of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan,
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When a man was mentioned to the Caliph as harboring ill will
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Toward the Umayyads,
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And it was said to him:
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"He supports Ibn al-Zubayr
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And champions his cause."
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The informant recounted deeds of his
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And words that aroused the Caliph's fury,
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So he said:
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"By Allah, if Allah gives me power over him,
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I will surely do such-and-such to him,
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And I will certainly put the sword to his neck!"
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Not long afterward,
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Allah enabled him to capture the man,
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And he was brought before him under guard.
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When the Caliph's eyes fell upon him,
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He nearly burst with rage
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And resolved to carry out his threat against him.
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Thereupon Raja' ibn Haywah stood up before him
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And said:
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"O Commander of the Faithful,
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Indeed, Allah, Exalted and Glorious,
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Has granted you what you love in the form of victory and power;
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So grant Allah what He loves in the form of pardon."
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The Caliph's soul was calmed,
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His anger subsided,
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And he pardoned the man,
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Released him, and treated him generously.
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In the year 91 AH,
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Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik performed the Hajj pilgrimage,
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Accompanied by Raja' ibn Haywah.
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When he arrived in Medina,
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They visited its noble Prophetic Mosque,
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Accompanied by Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz.
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The Caliph wished to inspect the Prophet's sanctuary
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With careful observation and deliberation,
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As he was determined to expand it
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To two hundred cubits.
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The people were therefore asked to leave the mosque
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So that the Caliph could inspect it unhindered,
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And no one remained inside except Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib,
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As the guards dared not remove him.
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So Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz—
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Who was then governor of Medina—
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Sent an emissary to him, saying:
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"Would that you left the mosque as the other people have done."
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But Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib replied:
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"I will not leave the mosque
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Except at the time I am accustomed to leave it every day."
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It was then said to him:
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"Would that you stood up and greeted the Commander of the Faithful."
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He replied:
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"I have only come here to stand before the Lord of all worlds."
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When Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz learned of this,
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And what had transpired between his messenger and Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib,
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He began steering the Caliph away from the place where Sa'id was sitting,
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While Raja' ibn Haywah kept him occupied with conversation,
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Knowing well the Caliph's fiery temperament and pride.
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But al-Walid said to them:
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"Who is that elder?
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Is he not Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib?"
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He said,
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"Indeed, O Commander of the Faithful."
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And they both began to describe his religious devotion and knowledge,
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along with his immense virtue and piety.
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Then he said,
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"Had the sheikh known of the Commander of the Faithful's presence,
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he would have stood up and greeted him,
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but his eyesight is weak."
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Al-Walid replied,
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"I know as much of his stature as you both mention,
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and it is more fitting that we go to him and greet him."
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He then walked through the mosque until he reached him and stood before him,
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greeted him, and asked,
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"How is the sheikh?"
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Yet he did not rise from his place,
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and said,
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"By the grace of Allah,
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and to Him belong all praise and favor.
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And how is the Commander of the Faithful?
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May Allah guide him to what He loves and is pleased with."
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Al-Walid turned away, saying,
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"This is the remnant of true men;
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this is the remnant of the salaf (early generations) of this Ummah."
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When the caliphate passed to Sulayman Ibn Abd al-Malik,
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Raja' Ibn Haywah held a standing with him
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that surpassed even his standing with his predecessor.
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Sulayman placed immense trust in him,
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relied upon him heavily,
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and was eager to take his counsel in matters great and small.
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Raja' Ibn Haywah's stances alongside Sulayman Ibn Abd al-Malik
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were numerous and remarkable;
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yet the greatest among them in significance and the most momentous for Islam and the Muslims
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was his stance regarding the succession to the caliphate,
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and his role in securing the pledge of allegiance for 'Umar Ibn Abd al-'Aziz.
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Raja' Ibn Haywah narrated, saying:
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"On the first Friday of the month of Safar,
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in the year 99 AH,
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we were with the Commander of the Faithful, Sulayman Ibn Abd al-Malik, at Dabiq.
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He had dispatched a massive army toward Constantinople,
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under the command of his brother Maslamah Ibn Abd al-Malik,
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accompanied by his son Dawud
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and a large group from his royal household.
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He had sworn an oath never to leave the plain of Dabiq
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until Allah granted him the conquest of Constantinople or he died trying.
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When the time for the Friday prayer drew near,
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the Caliph performed wudu meticulously,
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donned a green robe,
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wound a green turban around his head,
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and looked in the mirror, pleased with himself and exulting in his youth—
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for he was around forty years of age.
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He then went out to lead the people in the Friday prayer,
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but returned from the mosque stricken with a fever.
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Day by day, the illness grew heavier upon him,
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and he asked me to remain close by his side.
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I entered his presence on one occasion
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and found him writing a document.
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I asked, 'What are you doing, O Commander of the Faithful?'
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He replied, 'I am writing a covenant designating the succession to my son Ayyub.'
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I said, 'O Commander of the Faithful,
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among the things that safeguard a caliph in his grave
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and discharge his duty before his Lord
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is to appoint a righteous man over the people,
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yet your son is a boy who has not even reached the age of puberty,
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and his righteousness has not yet been distinguished from unfitness.'
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He relented and said, 'It is merely a document I wrote,
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and I intend to seek Allah's guidance (istikharah) regarding it,
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without having made a final resolution.'
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He then tore up the document.
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A day or two passed after that,
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then he summoned me and said,
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'What do you think of my son Dawud, O Abu al-Miqdam?'
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I said, 'He is away with the Muslim armies
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in Constantinople,
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and you do not know right now whether he is alive or dead.'
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He asked, 'Whom do you suggest then, O Raja'?'
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I replied, 'The decision is yours, O Commander of the Faithful.'
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In truth, I wanted to see whom he would mention,
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so that I might eliminate them one by one
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until I brought him to 'Umar Ibn Abd al-'Aziz.
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He asked, 'How do you view 'Umar Ibn Abd al-'Aziz?'
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I said, 'By Allah, I have known him
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only to be noble, complete in character, wise, and deeply religious.'
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He said, 'You have spoken the truth; by Allah, he is indeed so.
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But if I appoint him and pass over the sons of Abd al-Malik,
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civil strife will surely erupt,
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and they will never allow him to rule over them.'
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I said, 'Then include one of them and place him next in line after him.'
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He said, 'You are right,
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for that will calm them and make them accept him.'
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He then took the parchment and wrote in his own hand:
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'In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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This is a decree from the servant of Allah, Sulayman Ibn Abd al-Malik,
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Commander of the Faithful, to 'Umar Ibn Abd al-'Aziz:
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I have appointed him to the caliphate after me,
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and after him, it shall pass to Yazid Ibn Abd al-Malik.
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Therefore, listen to him and obey,
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fear Allah,
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and do not fall into discord lest your enemies covet power over you.'
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He then sealed the document and handed it to me.
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Next, he sent for Ka'b Ibn Hamid, the chief of police,
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and said to him,
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'Summon the members of my household and have them assemble,
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inform them that the document in the hand of Raja' Ibn Haywah is my decree,
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and command them to pledge allegiance to whoever is named within it.'
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Raja' said:
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"When they had gathered, I said to them,
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'This is the document of the Commander of the Faithful,
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in which he has covenanted the caliphate to his successor,
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and he has ordered me to take the pledge of allegiance from you for whomever he has appointed.'
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They said,
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'We hear and obey the command of the Commander of the Faithful,
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and we will obey his successor after him.'
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They requested permission to enter upon the Commander of the Faithful to greet him,
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and I agreed.
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When they entered before him,
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he said to them,
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'This document in the hand of Raja' Ibn Haywah is indeed my decree,
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and in it is my covenant for the caliph after me.
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So listen and obey whomever I have appointed,
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and pledge allegiance to the one named in this document.'
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Thereupon, they began pledging allegiance, man by man.
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I then walked out with the sealed document,
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while none of creation knew its contents except myself and the Commander of the Faithful.
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When the people dispersed,
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'Umar Ibn Abd al-'Aziz came to me and said,
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'O Abu al-Miqdam,
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the Commander of the Faithful thinks highly of me,
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and he has always shown me great generosity and pure affection.
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I fear that he may have entrusted something of this matter to me.
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I adjure you by Allah,
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and I ask you by my sanctity and our mutual affection,
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to inform me if there is anything concerning me in the Commander of the Faithful's document,
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so that I may ask him to excuse me before the opportunity slips away.'
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I replied to him,
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'No, by Allah!
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I will not tell you a single word of what you ask.'
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He turned away from me in anger.
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Soon afterward, Hisham Ibn Abd al-Malik came to me
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and said,
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'O Abu al-Miqdam,
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I have an enduring claim upon your respect and long-standing friendship,
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and I will be immensely grateful to you.
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So inform me of what is in the Commander of the Faithful's document:
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if this matter belongs to me, I will remain silent;
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but if it belongs to someone else, I will speak up,
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for someone of my standing is not to be cast aside from this affair.
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You have Allah's covenant
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that I will never utter your name.'
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I said to him,
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'No, by Allah!
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I will not disclose a single letter of what the Commander of the Faithful entrusted to me in confidence.'
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He turned away, striking one hand against the other, saying,
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'To whom could this matter go if I am cast aside from it?
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Is the caliphate to leave the sons of Abd al-Malik?
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By Allah, I am the foremost among the sons of Abd al-Malik!'
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Then I entered upon Sulayman Ibn Abd al-Malik
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and found him drawing his final breaths.
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Whenever the agony of death overcame him,
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I would turn him toward the Qiblah,
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but he would gasp and say to me,
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'The time has not yet come, O Raja'.'
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I did this twice,
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and when it happened the third time, he said,
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'Now, O Raja'!
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If you wish to do anything, do it now.
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I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
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and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.'
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So I turned him toward the Qiblah,
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and moments later, he surrendered his soul.
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At that point, I closed his eyes,
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covered him with a green velvet cloth,
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locked the door upon him, and went out.
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His wife sent a messenger to me inquiring about him
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and asking to see him.
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I opened the door slightly for the messenger
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and said to him, 'Look at him;
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he has just fallen asleep after a long sleepless night,
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so leave him be.' The messenger returned and informed her,
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so she accepted it, convinced that he was sleeping.
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I then locked the door securely,
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stationed a guard I trusted at his door,
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and instructed him not to move
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from his post until I returned,
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and never to permit anyone to enter upon the Caliph,
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whoever they might be.
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As I proceeded, the people met me
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and asked, 'How is the Commander of the Faithful?'
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I replied, 'Since he fell ill,
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he has never been more tranquil or at peace than he is right now.'
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They said, 'Praise be to Allah.'
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I then sent for Ka'b Ibn Hamid,
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the chief of police,
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and he gathered all the members of the Commander of the Faithful's household
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in the mosque of Dabiq.
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I said, 'Pledge allegiance to the one named in the document
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of the Commander of the Faithful.'
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They said, 'We have already pledged allegiance once;
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shall we pledge allegiance again?'
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So I said, "This is the decree of the Commander of the Believers.
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Pledge your allegiance to what he has commanded
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and to whoever is named in this sealed document."
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So they pledged allegiance, one by one.
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Once I saw that I had secured the matter completely,
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I said, "Your leader has passed away;
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truly, to Allah we belong, and truly, to Him we shall return."
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Then I read the document out to them.
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When I reached the mention of 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz,
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Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik shouted,
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"We will never pledge allegiance to him!"
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I replied, "Then by Allah, I will strike off your neck!
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Stand up and pledge allegiance!"
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So he stood up, dragging his feet.
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When he reached 'Umar, he said it
21:16
“Who say, when a misfortune striketh them: Lo! we are Allah's and lo! unto Him we are returning.” (2:156)
21:20
while uttering the words of return to Allah, grieving that the caliphate had gone to 'Umar
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rather than to himself or his brothers, the sons of 'Abd al-Malik.
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'Umar also spoke,
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“Who say, when a misfortune striketh them: Lo! we are Allah's and lo! unto Him we are returning.” (2:156)
21:32
repeatedly saying, "To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return," because the caliphate had fallen upon him against his will.
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It was an allegiance through which Allah renewed the youth of Islam
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and raised high the beacon of the faith.
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Blessed indeed was the Caliph of the Muslims, Sulayman ibn 'Abd al-Malik,
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for he absolved himself of his duty before Allah
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by appointing this righteous man.
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And blessed was that honest and loyal advisor, Raja' ibn Haywah,
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for he acted sincerely for Allah, His Messenger, and the leaders of the Muslims.
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May Allah reward righteous counselors with all good
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and grant them immense reward;
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for by the brilliance of their counsel, the best, most blessed, and guided rulers find the right path.
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"Indeed, among Kindah there are three men
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by whom Allah sends down the rain
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and grants victory over enemies;
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one of them is Raja' ibn Haywah."
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Maslamah ibn 'Abd al-Malik said:
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"They departed, leaving a lingering question in our conscience:
22:53
Did ever a star like them rise high and gleam so brightly?
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They filled life with glorious deeds through what they accomplished,
23:03
and the world of mankind flourished in splendor through them."