An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA (Arabic: النُعيمان بن عمرو) was a companion of Rasulullah ﷺ.
No recorded date of birth is known
yet but this prominent and lovable companion of Rasulullah ﷺ died in 652 CE
In spite of the fact that he fought
in the battles of Badr, Uhud, Khandaq and other major encounters, An-Nuayman
ibn Amr RA remained a light-hearted person who was quick at repartee and who
loved to play practical jokes on others.
An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA belonged to
the Banu an-Najjar of Madinah and he was among the early Muslims of the city. An-Nuayman
ibn Amr RA was one of those who pledged
allegiance to Rasulullah ﷺ at the Second Pledge of
Aqabah. He established links with the Quraysh when he married the sister of
Abdur Rahman ibn Auf RA and later Umm Kulthum the daughter of Uqbah ibn Mu'ayt.
She had obtained a divorce from her husband Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam on account
of his harshness and severity.
On top of being known for his pranks, an-Nuayman too was known to have issues with alcohol. Despite knowing the ruling of Islam towards the intoxicating drink, An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA struggled with breaking his addiction and was flogged twice for drinking.
Upon the second flogging, Saiyidna Umar
Ibn Al Khattab RA who was angered by An-Nuayman's behavior quipped, “La ‘nat
Allah alayhi – may God’s curse be on him”.
Rasulullah ﷺ heard Saiyidna Umar Ibn Al Khattab RA’s imprecation and
said: "No, no, don't do (such a thing). Indeed he loves Allah and His
Rasul. The major sin (as this) does not put one outside the community and the
mercy of Allah Rabbul Jalil is close to the believers."
While being firm, Rasulullah ﷺ still held out hope for an-Nuayman's reform especially on
account of his past sacrifices as a veteran of Badr. Because he was not someone
who went out of his way to conceal his actions, it was easier for him to
acknowledge his crimes and repent and seek forgiveness from Allah Rabbul Jalil.
This he did and he won the favor of Rasulullah ﷺ and his
companions who enjoyed his pleasantries and his infectious laughter.
Once An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA went to the Suq and saw some food being sold which appeared to be tasty and delightful. An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA ordered some and sent it to Rasulullah ﷺ as if it were a gift from him. Rasulullah ﷺ was delighted with the food and he and his family ate of it. The vendor of the food then came to An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA to collect the price of it and An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA said to him: "Go to the Messenger of God it was for him. Rasulullah ﷺ and his family ate it."
The vendor went to Rasulullah ﷺ who in turn asked an-Nuayman: "Didn't you give it to me?" "Yes," said an-Nuayman. "I thought you would like it and I wanted you to eat some of it so I had it presented to you. But I don't have any dirhams to pay the vendor for it. So, pay, O Messenger of God!"
Rasulullah ﷺ had a good laugh and so did his companions. The laugh was at
his expense, literally, for he had to pay the price of the unsolicited gift. An-Nuayman
ibn Amr RA felt that two benefits came out of the incident: Rasulullah ﷺ and his family ate food that they enjoyed and the Muslims
had a good laugh.
Once Saiyidina Abu Bakr As Sidique
RA and some companions went on a trading expedition to Basra. Various people on
the trip were given fixed duties. Suwaybit ibn Harmalah RA was made responsible
for food and provisions. An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA was one of the groups and on the
way he became hungry and asked Suwaybit ibn Harmalah RA for some food. Suwaybit
ibn Harmalah RA refused and an-Nuayman said to him:
"Do you know what I would yet do with you?" and went on to warn and threaten him but still Suwaybit ibn Harmalah RA refused. An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA then went to a group of Arabs in the Suq and said to them: "Would you like to have a strong and sturdy slave whom I can sell to you." They said yes and An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA went on: "He has got a ready tongue and is very articulate. He would resist you and say: 'I am free.' But don't listen to him"
The men paid the price of the slave
- ten qala'is (pieces of gold) and an- An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA accepted it
and appeared to complete the transaction with business-like efficiency. The
buyers accompanied him to fetch theft purchase. Pointing to Suwaybit ibn
Harmalah RA he said: "This is the slave whom I sold to you."
The men took hold of Suwaybit ibn
Harmalah RA and he shouted for dear life and freedom. "I am free. I am
Suwaybit ibn Harmalah..."
But they paid no attention to him
and dragged him off by the neck as they would have done with any slave.
All the while, An-Nuayman ibn Amr
RA did not laugh or batter an eyelid. An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA remained completely
calm and serious while Suwaybit ibn Harmalah RA continued to protest bitterly. Suwaybit
ibn Harmalah RA 's fellow travelers, realizing what was happening, rushed to
fetch Saiyidina Abu Bakr As Siddique RA , the leader of the caravan, who came
running as fast as he could. Saiyidina Abu Bakr As Siddique RA explained to the
purchasers what had happened and so they released Suwaybit ibn Harmalah RA and
had their money returned. Saiyidina Abu Bakr As Siddique RA then laughed
heartily and so did Suwaybit ibn Harmalah RA and An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA. Back in
Madinah, when the episode was recounted to Rasulullah ﷺ and his companions, they all laughed even more.
A man once came to Rasulullah ﷺ on a delegation and tethered his camel at the door of the
Masjid. The Sahabah noticed that the camel had a large fat hump and their
appetite for succulent tasty meat was stimulated. They turned to An-Nuayman ibn
Amr RA and asked: "Would you deal with this camel?"
An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA understood
what they meant. An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA got up and slaughtered the camel. The
nomad Arab came out and realized what had happened when he saw people grilling,
sharing out and eating meat. He shouted in distress: "Waa 'aqraah! Waa
Naqataah! (O my camel!)"
Rasulullah ﷺ heard the commotion and came out. Rasulullah ﷺ learnt from the Sahabah what had happened and began
searching for An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA but did not find him. Afraid of being
blamed and punished, An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA had fled. Rasulullah ﷺ then followed his footprints. These led to a garden belonging
to Danbaah the daughter of Az-Zubayr, a cousin of Rasulullah ﷺ. Rasulullah ﷺ asked the companions where An-Nuayman
ibn Amr RA was. Pointing to a nearby ditch, they said loudly so as not to alert
An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA: "We haven't found him, O Messenger of God." An-Nuayman
ibn Amr RA was found in the ditch covered with palm branches and leaves and
emerged with dirt on his head, beard and face. An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA stood in
the presence of Rasulullah ﷺ who took him by the head
and dusted the dirt from his face while he chuckled with laughter. The
companions joined in the mirth. Rasulullah ﷺ paid the
price of the camel to its owner and they all joined in the feast.
Rasulullah ﷺ obviously regarded An-Nuayman's pranks for what they were
light-hearted sallies that were meant to create some relief and laughter. The
religion of Islam does not require people to disdain seemly laughter and levity
and remain perpetually gloomy. An appropriate sense of humor is often a saving
grace.
An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA lived on
after Rasulullah ﷺ and continued to enjoy the
affection of Muslims. But did he put an end to his laughter? During the
caliphate of Uthman, groups of Sahabah were sitting in the Masjid. They saw
Makhramah ibn Nawfal RA, an old man who was about one hundred and fifteen years
old and obviously rather senile. He was related to the sister of Abdur-Rahman
ibn Awf, who was a wife of An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA.
Makhramah ibn Nawfal RA was blind.
He was so weak that he could hardly move from his place in the Masjid. He got
up to urinate and might have done so in the Masjid. But the companions shouted
at him to prevent him from doing so.. An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA got up and went to
take him to another place, as he was instructed. What is this other place that An-Nuayman
ibn Amr RA took him to? In fact, he took him only a short distance away from
where he was sitting at first and sat him down.
The place was still in the Masjid!
People shouted at Makhramah ibn
Nawfal RA and made him get up again all in frenzy. The poor old man was
distressed and said: "Who has done this?" "An-Nuayman ibn
Amr," he was told.
The old man swore and announced that he would bash An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA on the head with his stick if he should meet him.
An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA left and
returned. An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA was up to some prank of his again. An-Nuayman
ibn Amr RA saw Saiyidina Uthman ibn Affan RA, the Amir al-Muminim, performing Solat
in the Masjid. Saiyidina Uthman ibn Affan RA was never distracted when he stood
for Prayer. An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA also saw Makhramah ibn Nawfal RA. An-Nuayman
ibn Amr RA went up to him and in a changed voice said: "Do you want to get
at an-Nuayman?"
The old man remembered what An-Nuayman
ibn Amr RA had done. He remembered his vow and shouted: "Yes, where is
he?" Makhramah ibn Nawfal RA took him by the hand and led him to the place
where the Khalifah Saiyidina Uthman ibn Affan RA stood and said to him:
"Here he is!"
The old man raised his staff and
bashed the head of Khalifah Saiyidina Uthman ibn Affan RA. Blood flowed and the
people shouted: "It's the Amir al-Muminin!"
The dragged Makhramah ibn Nawfal RA
away and some people set out to get An-Nuayman ibn Amr RA but Khalifah Saiyidina
Uthman ibn Affan RA restrained them and asked them to leave him alone. In spite
of the blows he had suffered, he was still able to laugh at the deeds of An-Nuayman
ibn Amr RA.
