Khabbab
RA is also one of those blessed persons who offered themselves for
sacrifice and suffering for the cause of Allah SWT. He was the sixth
or seventh person to embrace Islam, and therefore, he suffered long.
He was made to put on steel armor and lie in the sun to sweat and
swelter. Very often he was made to lie flat on burning sand, which
caused the flesh on his back to waste away. He was the slave of a
woman. When she came to know that he was visiting Nabi SAW, she used
to brand his head with a hot iron rod. Saidina Umar RA, during his
caliphate, once inquired from Khabbab RA about the details of his
sufferings after embracing Islam. He showed him his back, on seeing
which, Saidina 'Umar RA remarked, "I have never seen such a back
before." He said, "My body was dragged over heaps of
burning charcoal, and the blood and fat coming out of my back put out
the fire."
It is
said that, when Islam spread and the Muslims conquered all the
surrounding territory, he used to weep and say: "Allah seems to
be compensating us in this world for all our sufferings and perhaps
nothing would be left for us as reward in the Hereafter."
Khabbab
RA narrates: "Nabi SAW once performed an unusually long rakaat
while leading Salah. When the Sahabah mentioned it to him, he said, '
This was a Salah of yearning and humility. I asked of three favours
from Allah SWT ;
I begged
of Him: O Allah! Let not my Ummat perish by famine; let not my Ummat
be annihilated by an enemy gaining an upper hand on them; and let not
my Ummat fight among themselves.' Allah SWT granted the first two
prayers, but not the third one."Khabbab RA died in 37 A.H. He
was the first of the Sahabah
to be buried at Kufah. Saidina Ali RA once passing his grave said:
"May Allah SWT
bless and show mercy on Saidina Khabbab RA . He embraced Islam
willingly. He emigrated with great pleasure in Allah's path, and
spent his whole life in striving and suffering for Islam. Blessed is
the person who is mindful of the Day of Qiyamah, prepares for his
reckoning, remains
contented with very
little of this world and is able to please his Lord."
To be
able to please Allah SWT , was really the Sahabah's greatest
achievement, for this was the sole purpose of their life. Allahu
akbar!!!
How about the 80,000 Dirham? please read further about the early life of Khabab Ibn Aratt RA.
A
woman named Umm Anmaar who belonged to the Khuza-a tribe in Makkah
went to the slave market in the city. She wanted to buy herself a
youth for her domestic chores and to exploit his labor for economic
gains. As she scrutinized the faces of those who were displayed for
sale, her eyes fell ON a boy who was obviously not yet in his teens.
She saw that he was strong and healthy and that there were clear
signs of intelligence on his face. She needed no further incentive to
purchase him. She paid and walked away with her new acquisition.
On
the way home, Umm Anmaar turned to the boy and said:
“What’s
your name, boy?”
“Khabbah.”
“And
what’s your father’s name’?”
“Al-Aratt.
“
“Where
do you come from?”
“From
Najd.”
“Then
you are an Arab!”
“Yes,
from the Banu Tamim.”
“How
then did you come into the hands of the slave dealers in Makkah?”
“One
of the Arab tribes raided our territory. They took our cattle and
captured women and children. I was among the youths captured. I
passed from one hand to another until I ended up in Makkah . . .”
Umm
Anmaar placed the youth as an apprentice to one of the blacksmiths in
Makkah to learn the art of making swords. The youth learn quickly and
was soon an expert at the profession. When he was strong enough, Umm
Anmaar set up a workshop for him with all the necessary tools and
equipment from making swords. Before long he was quite famous in
Makkah for his excellent craftsmanship. People also liked dealing
with him because of his honesty and integrity. Umm Anmaar gained much
profit through him and exploited his talents to the full.
In
spite of his youthfulness, Khabbab displayed unique intelligence and
wisdom. Often, when he had finished work and was left to himself, he
would reflect deeply on the state of Arabian society which was so
steeped in corruption. He was appalled at the aimless wandering, the
ignorance and the tyranny which he saw. He was one of the victims of
this tyranny and he would say to himself:
“After
this night of darkness, there must be a dawn.” And he hoped that he
would live long enough to see the darkness dissipate with the steady
glow and brightness of new light.
Khabbab
did not have to wait long. He was privileged to be in Makkah when the
first rays of the light of Islam penetrated the city. It emanated
from the lips of Muhammad ibn Abdullah -Rasulullah SAW as he
announced that none deserves to be worshiped or adored except the
Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He called for an end to
injustice and oppression and sharply criticized the practices of the
rich in accumulating wealth at the expense of the poor and the
outcast. He denounced aristocratic privileges and attitudes and
called for a new order based on respect for human dignity and
compassion for the underprivileged including orphans, wayfarers and
the needy.
To
Khabbab, the teachings of Muhammad were like a powerful light
dispelling the darkness of ignorance. He went and listened to these
teachings directly from him. Without any hesitation he stretched out
his hand to the Prophet in allegiance and testified that “There is
no god but Allah and Muhammad is His servant and His messenger.” He
was among the first ten persons to accept Islam .
Khabbab
RA did not hide his acceptance of Islam from anyone. When the news of
his becoming a Muslim reached Umm Anmaar, she became incensed with
anger. She went to her brother Sibaa ibn Abd al-Uzza who gathered a
gang of youths from the Khuzaa tribe and together they made their way
to Khabbab RA. They found him completely engrossed in his work. Sibaa
went up to him and said:
“We
have heard some news from you which we don’t believe.”
“What
is it?” asked Khabbab RA.
“We
have been told that you have given up your religion and that you now
follow that man from the Banu Hashim .”
“I
have not given up my religion” replied Khabbab RA calmly. “I only
believe in One God Who has no partner. I reject your idols and I
believe that Muhammad is the servant of God and His messenger.”
 |
No
sooner had Khabbab RA spoken these words than Sibaa and his gang set
upon him. They beat him with their fists and with iron bars and they
kicked him until he fell unconscious to the ground, with blood
streaming from the wounds he received.The news of what happened
between Khabbab RA and his slave mistress spread throughout Makkah
like wild-fire. People were astonished at frankness of Khabbab’s .
They had not yet heard of anyone who followed Muhammad SAW and who
had the audacity to announce the fact with such frankness and deviant
confidence.
The
Khabbab RA affair shook the leaders of the Quraysh. They did not
expect that a blacksmith, such as belonged to Umm Anmaar and who had
no clan in Makkah to protect him and no asabiyyah to prevent him from
injury, would be bold enough to go outside her authority, denounce
her gods and reject the religion of her forefathers. They realized
that this was only the beginning . .
.
The
Quraysh were not wrong in their expectations. Khabbab’s RA courage
impressed many of his friends and encouraged them to announce their
acceptance of Islam. One after another, they began to proclaim
publicly the message of truth. In the precincts of the Haram, near
the Kabah, the Quraysh leaders gathered to discuss the problem of
Muhammad SAW. Among them were Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, al Walid ibn
al-Mughira and Abu Jahl ibn Hisham. They noted that Muhammad was
getting stronger and that his following was increasing day by day,
indeed hour by hour. To them this was like a terrible disease and
they made up their minds to stop it before it got out of control.
They decided that each tribe should get hold of any follower of
Rasulullah SAW among them and punish him until he either recants his
faith or dies.
On
Sibaa ibn Abd al-Uzza and his people fell the task of punishing
Khabbab RA even further. Regularly they began taking him to all open
area in the city when the sun was at its zenith and the ground was
scorching hot. They would take off his clothes and dress him in iron
armor and lay him on the ground. In the intense heat his skin would
be seared and hit body would become inert. When it appeared that all
strength had let him, they would come up and challenge him:
“What
do you say about Muhammad’?”
“He
is the servant of God and His messenger. He has come with the
religion of guidance and truth, to lead us from darkness into light.”
They
would become more furious and intensify their beating. They would ask
about al-Laat and al-Uzza and he would reply firmly:
“Two
idols, deaf and dumb, that cannot cause harm or bring any benefit…”
This
enraged them even more and they would take a big hot stone and place
it on his back. Khabbab’s RA pain and anguish would be excruciating
but he did not recant. The inhumanity of Umm Anmaar towards Khabbab
was not less than that of her brother. Once she saw the Prophet SAW
speaking to Khabbab RA at his workshop and she flew into a blind
rage. Every day after that, for several days, she went to Khabbab’s
RA workshop and punished him by placing a red hot iron from the
furnace on his head. The agony was unbearable and he often fainted.
Khabbab
RA suffered long and his only recourse was to prayer. He prayed for
the punishment of Umm Anmaar and her brother. His release from pain
and suffering only came when the Prophet SAW, peace be upon him, gave
permission to his companions to emigrate to Madinah. Umm Anmaar by
then could not prevent him from going. She herself became afflicted
with a terrible illness which no one had heard of before. She behaved
as if she had suffered a rabid attack. The headaches she had were
especially nerve-racking. Her children sought everywhere for medical
help until finally they were told that the only cure was to cauterize
her head. This was done. The treatment, with a ret hot iron, was more
terrible than all the headaches she suffered.
At
Madinah, among the generous and hospitable Ansar, Khabbab RA
experienced a state of ease and restfulness which he had not known
for a long time. He was delighted to be near the Prophet SAW, with no
one to molest him or disturb his happiness. He fought alongside the
noble Prophet at the battle of Badr. He participated in the battle of
Uhud where he had the satisfaction of seeing Sibaa ibn Abd al-Uzza
meet his end at the hands of Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib RA, the uncle
of the Prophet SAW.
Khabbab
RA lived long enough to witness the great expansion of Islam under
the four Khulafaa arRashidun–Saidina Abu Bakr RA, Saidina Umar RA,
Saidina Uthman RA and Saidina Ali RA. He once visited Umar RA during
his caliphate. Umar RA stood up–he was in a meeting–and greeted
Khabbab RA with the words:
“No
one is more deserving than you to be in this assembly other than
Bilal RA.” He asked Khabbab RA about the torture and the
persecution he had received at the hands of the mushrikin. Khabbab RA
described this in some detail since it was still very vivid in his
mind. He then exposed his back and even Umar was aghast at what he
saw.
In
the last phase of his life, Khabbab RA was blessed with wealth such
as he had never before dreamed of. He was, however, well-known for
his generosity. It is even said that he placed his dirhams and his
diners in a part of his house that was known to the poor and the
needy. He did not secure this money in any way and those in need
would come and take what they needed without seeking any permission
or asking any questions.
In
spite of this, he was always afraid of his accountability to Allah
SWT for the way he disposed of this wealth. A group of companions
related that they visited Khabbab RA when he was sick and he said:
“In
this place there are eighty thousand dirhams. By Allah, I have never
secured it any way and I have not barred anyone in need from it.”
He
wept and they asked why he was weeping.
“I
weep,” he said, “because my companions have passed away and they
did not obtain any such reward in this world. I have lived on and
have acquired this wealth and I fear that this will be the only
reward for my deeds.”
Soon
after he passed away. The Khalifah Ali ibn Abu Talib RA, may Allah SWT be
pleased with him, stood at his grave and said:
“May
God have mercy on Khabbab RA. He accepted Islam wholeheartedly. He
performed hijrah willingly. He lived as a mujahid and Allah SWT shall not
withhold the reward of one who has done good.”
