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Like the other Sahibah,
he did business and carried on with his family and his daily life,
but when the time came to fight, there he was, dressed for war and
standing beside his Prophet SAW. On the day of Badr, 'Abd-ar Rahman
ibn 'Auf RA fought bravely for the sake of Allah SWT ~ and killed
Allah's enemy, 'Umair ibn 'Uthman ibn Ka'b Al-Tayyimi.
In those days, soldiers
would take anything they could get from the enemy soldiers or the
enemy camp.
Badr was no exception to
this; after the battle, the Muslims combed the battlefield for
weapons, armor,
tools, anything the enemy
left behind. They also took prisoners, as prisoners would bring money
when their families ransomed them. The Muhdjiriin had left their
belongings behind, and the Ansar had shared half of what they had
with the newcomers.
'Abd-ar-Rahrnan RA had
gotten two nice suits of armor and was carrying them across the
battlefield when Abd ar-Rahman RA 'takes prisoners like the other
Sahabah, he did business and carried on with his family and his daily
life, but when the time came to fight, there he was, dressed for war
and standing beside his Prophet SAW. On the day of Badr, 'Abd-ar
Rahman ibn 'Auf RA fought bravely for the sake of Allah SWT and
killed Allah's enemy, 'Umair ibn 'Uthman ibn Ka'b Al-Tayyimi.
In those days, soldiers
would take anything they could get from the enemy soldiers or the
enemy camp.
Badr was no exception to
this; after the battle, the Muslims combed the battlefield for
weapons, armor,
tools, anything the enemy
left behind. They also took prisoners, as prisoners would bring money
when their families ransomed them. The Muhdjiriin had left their
belongings behind, and the Ansar had shared half of what they had
with the newcomers. 'Abd-ar-Rahman bin Auf RA had gotten two nice
suits of armor and was carrying them across the battlefield when
somebody, Umayyah, called out to him. (Umayyah used to be a friend of
his in the days before Islam, but he had become one of the great
haters of the Muslims.
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| The Honest Merchant |
He had been the owner of
Bilal RA, torturing him so severely in the blazing sun that he nearly
died. Umayyah was too fat to escape and had lost his camel. He cried,
"0 'Abd -ar-Rahman, I cannot escape, take me captive and you
will get my ransom along with my son here." Hearing this,
'Abd-ar-Rahman bin Auf RA ~ put down his valuable suits of armor,
captured him and his son, and was walking with them back across the
battlefield, when Bilal RA himself spotted Umayyah.
"Look! The Shai~tan
Umayyah! By He Who owns my soul, that man cannot leave here alive!"
shouted
Bilal RA ~ in the big
voice that he used to call the prayer. 'Abd-ar-Rahman RA tried to
protect his prisoners, but Bilal's shout had alerted the army, and
soon, the little group was surrounded with furious Muslims who knew
the extent of Umayyah's tortures and cruelties. 'Abd-ar-Rahman bin
Auf RA saw what was coming, dropped the hands of his prisoners, and
told them to fend for themselves. So, on that day he lost both his
two suits of armor and his prisoners. (And he never let Bilal RA~
forget it, even when he became rich beyond his wildest dreams.)
The Jihad of Abd-ar
Rahman bin Auf RA.
'Abd-ar-Rahmarr's RA
conduct in battle was exemplary. On the day of the battle of Uhud (3
A.H.), he remained loyal and steadfast, while many people fled. He
came out of the battle with over twenty wounds, some so deep that no
one thought he would survive. At the time of the Treaty of Hudaibiyah
(7 A.H.), 'Abd-ar-Rahman ibn 'Auf RA was present to take the Oath of
Ridwan with Ra sulullah SAW~ under the tree. He was also asked by
Rasulullah SAW to sign the treaty itself that they made with the
Makkans. He was also one of the few who could make a fatwah
(religious ruling) in Madinah during the life of Rasulullah SAW. This
is an indication of his wisdom and understanding.
Yet, 'Abd-ar-Rahman's RA
true jihad was within his soul. His jihad in battle fades in
comparison to his jihad with his money. Throughout his life, he
continued to give his money away. The more he gave, the more he got.
On the inside, he had to fight pride, greed, and selfishness, all of
which he fought and apparently conquered, with the help of Allah and
His Prophet SAW.
Once, Rasulullah SAW
wanted to mobilize a troop for war. He stood among his sahabah and
said, "Pay
sadaqah, because I want
to send an army." 'Abd-ar Rahman RA hurried home and came
rushing back and said, "0 Rasulullah, I have four thousand
dinars. I'll lend two to my Lord and keep two for my children."
So Rasulullah SAW said, "May Allah grant you blessing (barakah)
in what you gave ... and may He grant you blessing in what you kept!"
When Rasulullah ~ decided to go for the last battle of his life, the
battle of Tabuk-a-the city at the frontier between as-Sham and the
Arabian peninsula, at that time under Roman rule, now part of Saudi
Arabia-he needed money as well as men. That year in Madinah was one
of scarcity; the trip was very long, the weather was very hot, and it
was time to work on the harvest.
Not only that, but the
available provisions were mediocre and the camels scarce. Some people
came to Rasulullah SAW ~ begging him to take them with him, but he
had to tum them down for want of a horse or camel to carry them. The
army Rasulullah SAW ", finally established was called "the
army of constraint," because the circumstances surrounding its
assembly were tight and difficult. At that point, Rasulullah SAW
ordered his sahabah to spend money for Allah and to seek Allah. Many
Muslims jumped to answer the call of Rasulullah SAW, and one of the
first to give Sadaqah was 'Abd-ar-Rahman ibn 'Auf RA.
He gave two hundred
ounces of gold. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab RA said to Rasulullah ""
"This is not good; he has left nothing for his family!
" "Have you
left something for your family, 'Abdar-Rahman?" asked Rasulullah
SAW.
"Yes," he said,
"I have left for them more than what I spent and better."
"How much?"
asked Rasulullah SAW.
"The support, the
good, and the payment in return Allah SWT promised," replied'
Abd-ar-Rahman RA happily.
