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| Illustration Only: Companion Of Rasulullah popular known as "Aduwwul-Awthan" -The Enemy of Idols. |
Abu Aqil Ansari aka Abu Aqeel bin Abdillah ( رضي الله عنه )
Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه was an Ansari. His father’s name was Abdullah bin Tha‘libah. Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه passed away in 12 AH, during the battle of Yamamah. His name was Abdur Rahman bin Irashi bin Abdillah. His original name was Abdul Uzza.
After accepting Islam, Rasulullahﷺ named him Abdul Rahman. He was from Banu Unaib, a branch of the Baliyy tribe and he was an ally of Banu Jahjaba bin Kulfah, a family from the Ansar. His filial appellation was Abu Aqeel and was commonly known for this. He fought alongside Rasulullahﷺ in the battle of Badr, Uhud, and Khandaq. He was martyred during the caliphate of Saiyidina Abu Bakr Siddiq رضي الله عنه during the battle of Yamamah which occurred in 12 AH.
(Al-Tabkaat-ul-Qubra Li-ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 3, pp. 248-249, Dar-e-Ihyaa, Al-Turath Al-Arabi, Beirut, 1996)
Acceptance of Islam
The incident of his acceptance of Islam is narrated in the following manner:
“Allahﷻ migrated from Makkah to Madinah and one day a young man visited him. He accepted Islam and had the honor of taking the oath of allegiance. Afterward, he expressed immense dislike towards the idols. Rasulullahﷺ enquired: ‘What is your name?’ He responded, ‘Abdul Uzza’. Rasulullahﷺ said, ‘No! From today your name is Abdur Rahman.’ So he accepted this instruction of Rasulullahﷺ and informed everyone that ‘I am no longer Abdul Uzza rather, I am Abdur Rahman.’”
Efforts to give charity and revelation of a verse of the Quran
One of his forefathers was Irasha bin Amir, and so, he was known as Irashi in that regard (Asman Hidaayat ke sattar sitare az Talib Hashmi, pp. 491-492, Al-Badr Publications Urdu Bazar, Lahore). He was one of the companions who would work all night when Rasulullahﷺ would instruct [everyone] to offer sadaqah [charity] and he would offer whatever he could collect. Hence, it is mentioned in Bukhari:
“Abu Masud رضي الله عنه narrates that we were instructed to offer sadaqah [charity] at a time when we were doing laborious work. Abu Aqil رضي الله عنه brought forth 1.5 kg to 1.75 kg of dates purchased from the earnings of his labor work. When another person brought more than him, the hypocrites said: ‘God Almighty does not need charity from this person and the other one who offered charity was for mere show.’ Hence, the following verse of the Holy Quran was revealed at that moment:
اَلَّذِیْنَ یَلْمِزُوْنَ الْمُطَّوِّعِیْنَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ فِیْ الصَّدَقٰتِ وَالَّذِیْنَ لَا یَجِدُوْنَ اِلَّا جُھْدَھُمْ فَیَسْخَرُوْنَ مِنْھُمْ۔ سَخِرَ اللہُ مِنْھُمْ وَلَھُمْ عَذَابٌ اَلِیْمٌ ۔
‘Those who find fault with such of the believers as give alms of their own free will and with such as find nothing to give save the earnings of their toil. They thus deride them. Allah shall requite them for their derision, and for them is a grievous punishment.’”
(Surah al-Taubah: V.79) (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab Al-Tafsir, Bab Alladhina Yalmizunal Muttawwi’in…, Vol. 10, p. 371, Hadith 4668, Published in Nizarat Isha’at, Rabwah)
Abu Aqil رضي الله عنه had astonishing ways of attaining the pleasure of Allahﷻ and the manner in which they made such endeavors to achieve this. Accepting their endeavors, Allahﷻ has instructed those who came after them to follow their example.
Narrating this incident in detail, Allama Ibn Hajr Asqalani رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ states:
“He was known as Sahib-us-Saa‘ [The one of Saa‘ – Saa‘ is a unit of measurement equivalent to 3-3.5 kg].
Abu Aqil Ansari (رضي الله عنه – may Allah be pleased with him) was one of those companions of Rasulullahﷺ who had the smallest of pockets but the biggest of hearts. When Rasulullahﷺ asked Muslims to bring forth their sadaqah (charity) for the expedition of Tabuk, he had nothing to give. So he went looking for الله عنهor work and found a job with a Jew who needed some water hauling. Abu Aqil was hence among the last to come forth with charity – a Sa` of dates (few dates). He said: `O Rasulullahﷺ! This is a Sa` of dates.
I spent the night bringing water and earned two Sa` of dates for my work. I kept one Sa` (for my family) and brought you the other Sa`. Rasulullahﷺ ordered him to spread it over all the charity (that others brought). His sadaqah was little but carried the weight of Uhud mountain. Some men mocked Abu Aqil رضي الله عنه , saying, ` Allahﷻ and Rasulullahﷺ are not in need of this charity. What benefit would this Sa` of yours bring’. They laughed at him, saying,` Allahﷻ does not need the Sa` of Abu `Aqil رضي الله عنه.” – Upon which Allah revealed the verses of the Quran [9:79]
(Quran [9:79])
"Those who slander such of the believers as give themselves freely to (deeds of) charity, as well as such as can find nothing to give except the fruits of their labor,- and throw ridicule on them,- Allah will throw back their ridicule on them: and they shall have a grievous penalty."
Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه – may Allah be pleased with him) was one of those companions of the Prophet ﷺ who had the smallest of pockets but the biggest of hearts.
The previous name of Abu Aqil رضي الله عنه was “Abduluzza”, which meant the slave of the famous idol called “Uzza”. Rasulullahﷺ changed it to “Abdurrahman” and gave him the nickname “Aduwwul-Awthan”, which meant “the enemy of the idols”.
When Rasulullahﷺ asked the Muslims to bring forth their
sadaqah (charity) for the expedition of Tabuk, he had nothing to give. So, Abu Aqil رضي الله عنه went looking for work and found a job with a Jew who needed some water hauling. Abu Aqil رضي الله عنه was hence among the last to come forth with charity – a Sa` of dates
(few dates).
He said: `O Rasulullahﷺ! This is a Sa` of dates. I
spent the night bringing water and earned two Sa` of dates for my work. I kept
one Sa` (for my family) and brought you the other Sa`.
Rasulullah ﷺ ordered him to spread it over all
the charity (that others brought). His sadaqah was little but carried the
weight of Uhud mountain.
Some men mocked Abu Aqil رضي الله عنه, saying, `Allahﷻ and Rasulullahﷺ are not in need of this charity. What benefit would this Sa` of yours bring’. They laughed at him, saying,`Allah does not need the Sa` of Abu Aqil رضي الله عنه.” –
Upon
which Allahﷻ revealed the verses of the Quran [9:79]
Surah At-Taubah, Verse 79:
"They who taunt those of the faithful who give their alms
freely, and those who give to the extent of their earnings and scoff at them;
Allah will pay them back their scoffing, and they shall have a painful
chastisement."
Surah At-Taubah, Verse 79:
Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه was an individual who embraced the Messenger of Allah and sacrificed his life, property, and wealth for his sake, who was eager to benefit from his blessed talk, and who was praised by the Quran. Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه was a member of Ansar. Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه was one of the lucky people who accepted the invitation of Rasulullahﷺ without hesitation and became a Muslim.
When Rasulullahﷺ educated these people who served Islam as individuals who devoted themselves to the true religion, he also cleaned and enlightened their minds and hearts with the clear water of Islam, eliminating the traces of heresy and superstitions of Jahiliyya. Since Arabs were generally a nation that worshipped idols, they gave their children the names of their idols, names with the meaning of "the slave of this or that idol".
Rasulullahﷺ aimed to remove any traces of unbelief in man by changing names, which can directly affect the personality of a person. This was the wisdom behind the changing of the names of many male and female Companions after becoming Muslims. The previous name of Abu Aqil was "Abduluzza", which meant the slave of the famous idol called "Uzza". The light of belief shone so brightly in Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه , he became so hostile to the idols, he was so adherent as to sacrifice himself for their sake and the things that were regarded as gods other than Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه that Rasulullahﷺ understood his feelings and changed his name from “Abduluzza” to “Abdurrahman” and gave him the nickname "Aduwwul-Awthan", which meant “the enemy of the idols”. [1]
Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه, who represented his new name and nickname fully, joined all the battles against the polytheists with Rasulullahﷺ. Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه was an indomitable mujahid against the group of idolaters in the Battle of Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, and in all of the other battles.
Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه was a self-sacrificing and bold person. He was honorable, abstemious, and contented. He worked with his body and soul as well as with his wealth to spread and elevate Islam and convey it to the people who needed it. Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه was poor but he had such an intention that he could have spent all his money if he had. He received the reward of this intention from time to time.
Rasulullahﷺ encouraged his Companions to give sadaqah for the sake of Allahﷻ in one of his talks. When such an invitation was made, the Companions knew that an important and great service for Islam would be done. After this talk, all of the Companions, primarily Abdurrahman bin Awf رضي الله عنه, who was one of the wealthiest Companions, started to bring some of their wealth one by one.
Abdurrahman bin Awf رضي الله عنه divided his wealth, which was 8000 dirhams into two; he left 4,000 dirhams of it in his house and brought 4,000 dirhams of it to Rasulullahﷺ. Rasulullahﷺ t prayed for him as follows:
"May Allah make what you gave as sadaqah and what you left at home blessed for you."
With the blessing of this prayer, the wealth of Abdurrahman bin Awf رضي الله عنه increased so much that when he died, one-eighth of his heritage that remained to one of his wives was 160 thousand dirhams.
After him, Asim bin Adiyy رضي الله brought 100 wasaqs (about 20 tons) of dates and handed them to Rasulullahﷺ. Rasulullahﷺ prayed for him too. The hypocrites were astonished by such a big amount of sadaqah; they found something to criticize and said, "What they do is nothing but show off."
Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه was there too. He went home and returned with a few dates. He said, "O Messenger of Allah! I watered a palm orchard yesterday evening and I earned two sa’s (about six kilos) of dates. I left one sa’ to my family and brought one sa’ to you to spend in the way of Allah." He offered it to Rasulullahﷺ. Rasulullahﷺ told him to pour it on the heap.
Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه gave half of what he earned and what he had. That was all he could afford. By doing so, he gave the greatest sadaqah in terms of his wealth. Therefore, he was at ease. If he had a lot of dates, he was ready to give half of them. The hypocrites, who watched this humble act of Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه started to laugh at him. They spoke sarcastically: "Abu Aqil brought a sa’ of dates to be mentioned together with the rich. Is Allah in need of the dates Abu Aqil brought? "
Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه was saddened by these words of the hypocrites but he could not answer. While he was sad like that, Jibril as revealed the following verse:
"Those who slander such of the Believers as give themselves freely to (deeds of) charity as well as such as can find nothing to give except the fruits of their labor and throw ridicule on them,― Allah will throw back their ridicule on them: and they shall have a grievous penalty."
Thus, Allahﷻ defended Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه and the other Companions while embarrassing and disgracing the hypocrites.
Mussaillmah was the most prominent fake prophet that emerged after the demised of Rasulullahﷺ. Caliph Saiyidina Abu Bakar رضي الله عنه wanted to punish these impertinent reckless people without spending any time. Caliph Saiyidina Abu Bakar رضي الله عنه sent a great force against Mussaillamah, who lived in Yamamah, located in the eastern part of Arabia. There were many companions who participated in the Battle of Yamamah. Abu Aqil was also in this army of mujahids.
Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه was impatient to punish those raving people who were the enemies of Allah. Having a very agile and brave personality, Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه was unfortunately the first mujahid who was wounded during the offensive. An enemy arrow hit him between his shoulders. The arrow did not touch his internal organs; so it did not cause him to die. Only his left side was paralyzed. Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه friends removed the arrow and placed him in a tent. It was before noon.
"Fear Allah, Fear Allah! Do not leave your trenches. Return and attack the enemy!"
Ma'n bin Adiyy رضي الله عنه rushed to attack the enemy again by shouting, "Come here, come this way!" Finally, Ansar arrived one by one and came together.
When Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه heard Ma'n's voice, he wanted to get up in order to join them. However, it was quite clear that he could not stand up.
"O Abu Aqil! What are you doing? You cannot fight! "
Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه said, "Do not you see that they are calling me?" They said, “He is calling Ansar, not wounded people.” Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه said, "I am a member of Ansar. I will go even if by crawling." Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه pulled himself together, tied his belt around his waist, and stood up. Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه took his sword by his right hand and joined his friends. Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه felt well. Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه forgot about his wound. Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه could not imagine that the Islamic army would be defeated. Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه encouraged his friends as follows:
"O Ansar! Return and do not give any chance to the enemy just like you did on the day of Hunayn and became victorious."
Thereupon, all of the members of Ansar gathered in front of the Islamic army. They attacked the enemy bravely; they drove the enemy to the wall of their own gardens and squeezed them. The two armies clashed there; only the swords moved up and down.
Abdullah bin Umar رضي الله عنه narrates the situation of Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه after that as follows:
"At some point, I saw Abu Aqil. His wounded arm had been separated from his shoulder and fell down. Furthermore, he received 14 more lethal wounds. Finally, Mussaillamah, the enemy of Allah, was also killed."
After the war, I went to Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه; he was breathing his last. I said, 'O Abu Aqil!' Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه answered lispingly, 'Yes!' He immediately asked who won the battle.
'I said,' Good news!' I said loudly, 'The enemy of Allah was killed! '
"He raised his finger upon this good news. He said 'Alhamdulillah!' and Then he pointed to the sky with his finger while praising Allahﷻ and passed away. May Allahﷻ blesses him."
"I told my father about what happened when we returned to Madinah. My father said, 'May Allahﷻ rest his soul! Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه always wanted martyrdom. Since I knew him, he had been one of the most distinguished people of the Companions of Rasulullahﷺ; and he was one of the first Muslims."
May Allah be pleased with them
May God Almighty continue to exalt the status of the Companions.
Lessons learned from his story:
1) I learned that a growth mindset is a gift. He didn’t limit himself to what he didn’t have. He didn’t let a fixed mindset take hold of him. He went out looking for work so he could contribute something, even if it was little. I also learned that nothing is too small in front of Allah as long as our hearts are big and our intentions are pure. May Allah accept our sadaqah – little and big – and turn them into valuable treasures with Him too. What did you learn from this short story?
2) Sometimes, we get carried away with a good we have done, a feat we have achieved, a da’wah work we have done, and think of others’ contributions as being meaningless. Unfortunately, Allahﷻ might consider their actions as the reason for our success, unity, and strength while we are unaware.
3) Have been the dream of the companion who always wanted martyrdom being one of the most distinguished people of the Companions of Rasulullahﷺ, and he was one of the first Muslims
(Al-Tabkaat-ul-Qubra Li-ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 3, pp. 249, Dar-e-Ihyaa, Al-Turath Al-Arabi, Beirut, 1996) (Hayat Al-Sahaba az Yusuf Kandhalwi, Vol. 1, pp. 801-803, Maktabatul ‘Ilm, Lahore).
(Al-Tabkaat-ul-Qubra Li-ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 3, pp. 248-249, Dar-e-Ihyaa, Al-Turath Al-Arabi, Beirut, 1996)
Hadith Narrated: Abu Aqil Ansari رضي الله عنه From Sahih Bukhari
Narrated/Authority of Abu Aqil (Uqail)
Listed in: Jihaad (Fighting for the cause of Allah)
[1]Tabaqat, 3: 473-4.
[2]Usdul-Ghaba, 5: 257; Sirah, 4: 196; Ibn Kathir, 2: 375
[3]at-Tawba, 79.
[4]Tabaqat, 3: 474-475.
