In the early years of Islam, Rasulullahﷺ sent
a missionary to the tribe of Banu Tamim.
The tribe members informed the missionary that no decisions could be made until
they knew Al-Ahnaf's opinion. Ahnaf bin Qais listened and questioned the missionary
until he and his entire tribe accepted Islam. Al-Ahnaf never met Muhammad
because he remained with his people during Muhammad's lifetime. After
Muhammad's death in 632, many tribes reneged and rebelled but al-Ahnaf and his
people remained Muslims. When he heard about Musaylimah's
claim of prophecy, Al-Ahnaf ibn Qays went with his uncle to meet
him. After listening to Musaylimah, he returned to his people and discouraged
them from hearing his falsehood.
During the Caliphate of Umar.
When Saiyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab became caliph in 634,
the Muslim conquests outside the Arabian Peninsula increased, and Al-Ahnaf
ibn Qays encouraged his people to participate. When the Persians surrounded
a Muslim division led by Al-'Alaa ibn al-Hadrami, in Iraq, Umar
ordered Utbah ibn Ghazwan to go to their rescue.
Utbah sent a force of 12,000, most of them from the Banu Tamim,
and among them was al-Ahnaf who played a major role in breaking the siege.
In 639 Al-Ahnaf ibn Qays came back to Madinah bringing
news of the conquest of Tustar, and informing Saiyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab RA of affairs
in Persia.
After listening to him, Saiyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab RA said;
Maybe the Persians breach the treaties so often because the
Muslims mistreat them?
Ahnaf bin Qais RA replied:
You have forbidden us to pursue any further conquest, and the
Persian emperor is now in safety among his people. They will continue to be at
war with us as long as he is commanding them to do so… unless you allow us to
pursue further into the conquest.
Saiyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab RA gave him permission to pursue Yazdgerd
III, and put Ahnaf bin Qais RA at the head of an army to complete the conquest
of Khurasan in the last stages of its
annexation.
Ahnaf bin Qais RA followed the Persian leader Yazdgerd
III until he barricaded himself in the town of Marwari-Rawdh. Yazdgerd
III wrote to the Turkic and Chinese rulers
seeking help. Ahnaf bin Qais sent for reinforcement from Kufa and finally
captured Marwir-Rawdah, completing the conquest of Khurasan.
Towns beyond Khurasan signed peace agreements with Ahnaf bin Qais. Ahnaf bin Qais RA then sent a letter to Saiyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab RA informing Saiyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab RA him of the conquest but added that Yazdgerd III had escaped and fled to Balkh. Saiyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab RA forbade him to continue deeper into Persia but ordered him to consolidate Islam in the conquered lands. Ahnaf bin Qais obeyed the orders but kept an eye on Yazdgerd III‘s moves. When he later learned that the Turks joined the Persians and were both approaching, Ahnaf bin Qais rallied his army and camped outside the town. With an army that was only a fraction of the enemy's, Ahnaf bin Qais managed to defeat the Persians in the Battle of Oxus River, killing their leader, while the Turks retreated to their land. Yazdgerd III then fled eastward from one district to another, until at last he was killed by a local miller for his purse at Merv, Turkmenistan in 651.
During and After the Fitna
Ahnaf bin Qais returned to Basra after the
campaigns in Persia and remained serving Islam, until the time of the
caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib (died 660) when the
Muslims were split into two warring parties. Ahnaf bin Qais isolated himself from
this trial and sent a message to Ali saying: "I will restrain ten thousand
swords from fighting you."
When Muawiyah became caliph in 661, Ahnaf bin Qais visited him and
warned him strongly against fighting the Muslims or engaging in any Fitna (trial).
When he left, the caliph's sister said angrily: "Who was that man who
warned and threatened you?" He replied:
He is the one, who if he gets angry, a hundred thousand men
from Banu
Tamim get angry for him without knowing the reason behind his
anger.
During the Second
Fitna, Ahnaf bin Qais participated in the Battles of Madhar and Harura leading
the Tamim tribes.
Ahnaf bin Qais spent the rest of his life in Kufa where he
died at the age of seventy.
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At that time, the city of Damascus was smiling sweetly welcoming the arrival of spring. Proud of the fertility of the land and its beautifully radiant gardens.
That day Amirul Mu'minin Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan ra was preparing to receive the envoys at the palace. When the first opportunity was opened, Ummul Hakam bint Abi Sufyan immediately took her seat behind the veil. From there he could listen to the conversations in his brother's assembly about the traditions of Rasulullahﷺ. He filled himself with everything he heard from court advisers, reports on various things, strange news, beautiful poems, or noble lessons.
This noble daughter is very intelligent, eager to reach the heights of dignity. Meanwhile, her brother accepts those who appear based on their position. The companions of Rasulullahﷺ always took precedence over others, only then followed the tabi'in figures, scholars, and nobles.
Uncharacteristically, Ummul Hakam found that her sister's first guest brought a somewhat tense and thrilling atmosphere. He heard his brother say, "By Allah, O Ahnaf, every time I remember the battle of Shiffin and how you sided with Ali bin Abi Talib and then left us, the anger in my heart cannot be cured."
His interlocutor was no less decisive in answering. "By Allah, O Mua'awiyah, hatred is still in our hearts and the swords we used against you are still in hand. If you take a step forward we will take ten steps, if you take a step forward we will go forward by running. By Allah, we are not here to beg from you or because of your blasphemy. We have come here to strengthen the broken relations between us, unite opinions and unite the Muslims.” After that the guest excused himself.
Curiosity arose in Ummul Hakam's mind. The veil was removed to see who was being rude to the caliph. It turned out that he was a small man, his head was bald, his chin was tilted, his eyes were sunken and his legs were bent inward. There is no shortage of bodies owned by humans except that he gets his share.
Ummul Hakam turned to his brother and said, "O Amir Al-Mu'minin, who is that person? How dare you threaten the caliph in his house." Mu'awiyah took a deep breath and then said, "That's it if he is angry, surely a hundred thousand people of Bani Tamim will be angry without knowing why. He is Ahnaf bin Qais RA, the leader of the Bani Tamim and the hero of the Arabs.'
The third year before the Hijri, Qais bin Muawiyah as-Saadi received the gift of a baby boy. He was given the name Adh-Dhahhak, but people called him Ahnaf because of his crooked legs (like the letter X), a nickname that was more appropriate than his own name. So that the nickname seems to have become his name.
Ahnaf bin Qais father named Qais was not a leader of his people, nor was he from the lower classes. Their position is middle. Ahnaf bin Qais was born in the West of Yamamah, precisely in the district of Najd. Little Ahnaf bin Qais grew up as an orphan because his father was killed when he was very young. The light of Islam shone in the boy's heart since he had not yet grown his mustache.
Rasulullahﷺ once sent some companions to the people of Ahnaf bin Qais a few years before his death to call them to Islam. They met the leaders of the tribe while giving encouragement of faith and offering Islam
The people were silent for a moment at the invitation of the friends. They looked at each other when suddenly the young Ahnaf bin Qais who was also present raised a voice: “O my brothers, why must you doubt? By Allah, the messenger who came to you is the best messenger. They invite to noble morals and forbid the reprehensible. By Allah, we see nothing from them other than good, so accept this call for guidance, surely you will be happy in this world and the hereafter.
Eventually, the people embraced Islam simultaneously with Ahnaf bin Qais. Then they sent a messenger to Rasulullahﷺ, but Ahnaf bin Qais was not included because he was too young. Until he did not earn the honor of being one of the companions. Nevertheless, he was not prevented from seeking the pleasure of the Rasulullahﷺ and his prayers to him.
Ahnaf bin Qais narrated, "Once during the reign of Saiyidina Umar bin Khattab RA, I was doing tawaf in Baitul Atiq (Kaaba) and met someone I already knew. He held my hand and said, "Shall I give you good news?" I said, "Yes, of course." He said, “Do you remember when I was sent by Rasulullahﷺ to call your people to Islam? I persuaded them and offered Islam, then you said something to them? ” I replied, "Yes, I remember." He continued, "When I came to Rasulullahﷺ and told him about what you said, he prayed," O Allah, grant your forgiveness to Ahnaf. "
So Ahnaf bin Qais said, "None of my deeds that I hope can be more useful on the Day of Judgment except the prayer of Rasulullahﷺ."
After the demised of Rasulullahﷺ, a false prophet appeared, Musailamah al-Kadzab, who misled others with his wickedness. So many people apostatized because of it. Together with his uncle Mutasyamas, Ahnaf bin Qais came to seek clarity on the matter. At that time, Ahnaf bin Qais was in his teens.
On the way home the uncle asked Ahnaf, "What do you think about that person?" Ahnaf said, "I see he is a great liar to Allah and man." His uncle said jokingly, "Aren't you afraid if I report to him?"
Ahnaf bin Qais said, "Then I will swear to my uncle in front of him, then do you dare to swear that you do not deny him as I do?" They both laughed and remained in their Islam.
Perhaps you are surprised and amazed at Ahnaf's determination in dealing with big things, even though he is still young.
However, you may be surprised that his hard character will fade when you know that this young man from Bani Tamim is a man of sharp analysis, intelligent brain, accurate vision, and pure soul.
That is because since childhood he used to sit together with the leaders of his people, participate in their councils, attend meetings and diligently study the scholars and their figures.
Ahnaf bin Qais told his story: "We often come to the council of Qais bin Asim al-Minqari to learn about the virtues of life as well as to the scholars to gain religious knowledge."
When he asked, "What do you get from Qais about wisdom?"
Ahnaf bin Qais replied, “One time I found him sitting side by side in the front room of his house, he was talking to some of his people. Soon there was a noise outside. Next, some people came in carrying two young men, one in a state of bondage and the other lifeless. Someone reported: "Your nephew has killed your son the so -and -so."
By Allah, at that time Qais bin Asim did not move from his seat or stop talking. Then he turned to his nephew and said, “O my nephew, you killed your uncle’s son. That means you have broken your own family ties with your hands, you have thrown yourself with your arrows. ”
He said to his other children, “Stand up and lose the bonds of your uncle's son. After that, bury your brother and send a hundred camels to the mother of this child as diyat because she is from another family. " Then he said to his nephew: "Come and bury his body!"
Ahnaf bin Qais also got a golden opportunity to study to the companions, especially to Saiyidina Umar bin Khattab RA. He attended Umar's councils, listened to his advice, and studied various laws and crimes. He was one of Umar's successful disciples and was greatly colored by the character of his teacher. He was once asked where he gained his authority and wisdom. He replied, "From the words, I heard from the Commander of the Faithful Umar bin Khaththab who said,
Anyone who jokes a lot will lose his authority
Whoever exaggerates in a matter, he will be known for his habits.
Whoever talks a lot, also makes many mistakes.
Whoever does a lot of wrongs, has less shame
Whoever has less sense of shame also has less color nature
And whoever has little in color, then his heart will die.
Ahnaf bin Qais has an honorable position in the eyes of his people. Although he did not have a high position, nor was his mother's father who was celebrated by his people. Many times people asked him about his secret, among them asked, "How do your people consider you as a leader, O Abu Bahr?" Ahnaf bin Qais replied, "Whoever has four things, then he will be able to lead his people and will not be prevented from obtaining that position." The man asked, "What are the four things?"
Ahnaf bin Qais replied, "Religion as its shield, the glory that guards it, the intellect that guides it, and shame that controls it."Ahnaf bin Qais is one of the most open-minded figures in Arabia, so his patient nature is used as an example. Once Amru bin Ahtam used to use someone to insult Ahnaf bin Qais with hurtful words, but the one who was insulted just kept quiet and bowed his head. Seeing that the scolded did not bother him, the man bit his finger and muttered, “Woe to me! For God's sake, he doesn't want to care because he looks down on me! ”
When he was about to reach the territory of his people, he turned to the man and said, "O my nephew, if in your heart there are still stumbling blocks against me, do not throw them all here, because if any of my people hear your insults, they will surely beat you. ”
Ahnaf bin Qais also includes people who are diligent in worship, fasting, and asceticism with anything that belongs to others. When the glorious night was dark, he lit a lantern and placed it by his side. After that, he began to pray in his mihrab, standing trembling like a sick person while crying for fear of the punishment and wrath of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala.
Whenever Ahnaf bin Qais remembered his sins or defects and blemishes, he put his finger on the fire and said, “O Ahnaf, feel this, What made you do such a thing on that day and that moment! Woe to you, Ahnaf! If you can't stand the heat of this lantern fire and can't stand it, how can you stand the heat of hell's fire and be patient with the pain ?! O Allah, if You give maghfirah, indeed You are entitled to it, if You punish me, it is indeed worthy of me and You are the one who has the power over it. "
May Allah be pleased with Ahnaf, because he is an exemplary figure in every age and a special example for mankind.
credit:
Mereka adalah Para Tabi’in, Dr. Abdurrahman Ra’at Basya, At-Tibyan, Cetakan VIII, 2009
