Shaddad bin Aus (رضي الله عنه)

Alhamdulillah, all praise be to  Allahﷻ, blessings, and salutations to Muhammad Rasulullahﷺ his wife and family members, his companions, and those who follow in his footsteps until the Day of Judgment.

مُّحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّهِ ۚ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ ۖ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا ۖ سِيمَاهُمْ فِي وُجُوهِهِم مِّنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ ۚ وَمَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْإِنجِيلِ كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَىٰ عَلَىٰ سُوقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ ۗ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنْهُم مَّغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا

"Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. Thou (O Muhammad) seest them bowing and falling prostrate (in worship), seeking bounty from Allah and (His) acceptance. The mark of them is on their foreheads from the traces of prostration. Such is their likeness in the Torah and their likeness in the Gospel - like as sown corn that sendeth forth its shoot and strengtheneth it and riseth firm upon its stalk, delighting the sowers - that He may enrage the disbelievers with (the sight of) them. Allah hath promised, unto such of them as believe and do good works, forgiveness and immense reward."

— M. Pickthall."

(Surah al-Fath: 29)

Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه) bin Thabit al-Khazraji, Chewed with Abu Yala Stau Abu Abdul Rahman. His mother's name is Sarimah or Sarmah from Bani Adi bin Najjar. His father participated in the Battle of Badr with Rasulullahﷺ and was martyred in the battle of Uhud.

Ubadah bin al-Somit said: "Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه) is among the people who are gifted with knowledge and gentle nature while many people are gifted with one of the two".

For that reason, Said bin Abdul Aziz said, the advantage of Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه) is two things: full of knowledge and high patience when angry.

Khalid bin Ma'dan said: "There is no one in the land of Sham who is more trusted, more jurist, and more pleased than Ubadah bin al-Samit and Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)". 

(See Tahzib Tarikh Ibn 'Asakir, 6/291)

Al-Mufaddhal al-Ghalabi menyatakan: “Orang yang zuhud dari- pada kalangan Ansar hanya 3 orang, iaitu Abu al-Darda’, Umair bin Sa’d, dan Syaddad bin Aus.” (Lihat Siyar A’lam al-Nubala’, 2/465)

Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه), has narrated 50 hadiths from Rasulullahﷺ. 

One time Rasulullahﷺ asked Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه), and he replied: "The world is too narrow for me". Then Rasulullahﷺ said: "Not for you, indeed the City of Sham will be opened, you and your descendants will be leaders there, God willing."

Imam al-Baihaqi said: "He settled in the city of Hims. Ibn Sa'd said: He died in the year 58 Hijrah when he was 75 years old. Known as a person who worships strongly and works diligently. Abu Nu'aim said: He died in Palestine during the reign of Muawiyah. Ibn Hibban said: Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه) was buried in the City of Baitul Maqdis."

Among the hadith narrated by him are as follows:

From Abi Ya'la- Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه) from Rasulullahﷺ said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَإِذَا قَتَلْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الْقِتْلَةَ وَإِذَا ذَبَحْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الذَّبْحَ وَلْيُحِدَّ أَحَدُكُمْ شَفْرَتَهُ فَلْيُرِحْ ذَبِيحَتَهُ

It means: "Indeed, Allah requires kindness towards everything. If you kill, do it in a good way, and when you slaughter, slaughter in a good way and let one of you sharpen his knife and let him hasten the slaughter.”

Riwayat Muslim (1955)

When Madinah became “the city of the Prophet”, it began to be called “Madinah al-Munawwarah” (the Illuminated City). For, Allah’s mercy fell upon it like rain. There were almost no families that lived in the city of Madinah and did not embrace Islam. One of the happy families that embraced Islam was the family of HzShaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه). Rasulullahﷺ established a brotherhood between Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه) and Saiyidina Uthman ibn Affan after the Migration. Besides, Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه) was the brother of Hassan Ibn Tsabit, the poet of Rasulullahﷺ. When Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه) and his family became Muslims, his young son, Shaddad, was brought up in an Islamic environment. Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه) did not take part in any battles with Rasulullahﷺ since he was very young. Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه) was about 15-16 years old during the Battle of Badr. However, he took lessons of knowledge and wisdom from Rasulullahﷺ.

Once, Rasulullahﷺ saw that Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  was distressed. Rasulullahﷺ asked, “O Shaddad! What is the matter?” 

Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  said,

“O Messenger of Allah! The world seems to be gloomy to me.”

Thereupon, Rasulullahﷺ consoled him by giving him the following glad tiding:

“Do not feel distressed! Damascus will be conquered; Jerusalem will be conquered. You and a group of your descendants will be there.”

The best moments of Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه) , who was known as “Abu Ya’la”, were when he was with Rasulullahﷺ. Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه) listened to Rasulullahﷺ’s talks whenever he had the opportunity. Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  learned and memorized Rasulullahﷺ’s hadiths. He tried to practice each hadith he learned.     

Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه) describes one of the talks of Rasulullahﷺ as follows:

“Once, we were in the presence of Rasulullahﷺ. 

Rasulullahﷺlooked at us and asked, ‘Is there a stranger (i.e., People of the Book) among you?’ We said, ‘no.’ So, he told us to close the door and said, ‘Raise your hands and say La ilaha illallallah’. We raised our hands and said La ilaha illallallah like that for an hour. Then, he lowered his hands and said, ‘O Allah! Praise be to You! You have sent me with this word and ordered me with it and promised me Paradise with it. You do not break your promise.’ Then, Rasulullahﷺ said: ‘I give you glad tidings that God Almighty has forgiven all of you.’”

With this, Rasulullahﷺ gave the believers who kept uttering kalima at-tawhid, believed in Allahﷻ truly, and practiced their religion the glad tiding that Allahﷻ will show mercy to them and forgive them.

Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  lived in Jerusalem, Damascus, and Homs after the demised of Rasulullahﷺ. Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  educated many students in hadith and fiqh. Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  guided Muslims.  Abu’d-Darda (r.a.) states the following for him: “Every ummah has a fiqh expert; the fiqh expert of this ummah is Shaddad bin Aws.”

Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  had a good command of hadith. Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  had superior ability to understand hadiths. There are about 50 hadiths narrated by Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  in hadith books.

Along with his knowledge, Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  was also known for his lenience and good manners. Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  spoke softly, clearly and wisely. Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  did not get angry with anyone.  Abu Hurayra (r.a.) stated the following while mentioning his character: “Shaddad spoke clearly; when he encountered something that would infuriate him, he would control himself at once.”

Those who know Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  never heard any bad and unpleasant words from him. However, once, they heard an unexpected word from him. When the people who were around him said they never expected such a thing from him, Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه) said,

“I always spoke very carefully after I became a Muslim. However, it escaped from my lips. Please forget it and memorize the following words that I heard from the Messenger of Allah:

Once, Rasulullahﷺ said to me; 

‘O Shaddad! If you see people amassing gold and silver, say these statements a lot: O Allah. Verily I ask of You for strength perseverance and patience in my affairs and thanking You for the boons You give me and for worshipping You truly. And I ask of You for a heart which is purified in belief and a truthful tongue.’”

An important aspect of Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  that is appreciated is the fact that he was superior in asceticism and piety and that he feared Allahﷻ very much. According to what Asad bin Wada narrates, when Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  entered the bed to sleep, he would be like a grain on the frying pan. Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  never kept his legs straight. Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  would meditate for a long time; then, he would wake up by saying, “O Allah! Hellfire stood between me and my sleep.” After that, Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  would start worshipping and usually perform prayers until the morning.

Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  would read the following hadith by despising the ugly face of the world and its aspects addressing man’s desires:

“A clever person is the one who regards his soul as mean, questions it, and does good deeds for the life after death. A weak person is the one who obeys his soul and fulfills its bad desires and then asks forgiveness from Allahﷻ.”

Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  who spent his life in the service of Islam, died in Homs in the 58th year of the Migration, when he was 75 years old.  

This is the tomb of Shaddad bin Aus (رضي الله عنه) and is situated in the Muslim graveyard close to the Lions Gate. He narrated several ahadith directly from the Rasulullahﷺ.

He was also well known as Abu Abdur Rahman. Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه)  was known to be an extremely tolerant person and would speak very little. Once he complained to Rasulullahﷺabout his straitened condition. Rasulullahﷺ made dua for him and said, “Poverty will never become your lot. Shaam will be conquered and you will acquire booty in abundance. Your children will become the Imams of Baitul Muqaddas.”

At the conquest of Shaam, the booty was collected and an army of 500 men were delegated to transfer the goods to Madinah so that Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) could see it with his own eyes. Shaddaad bin Aus (رضي الله عنه)  was appointed the leader of this group. He says, “As I reached Madinah Munawarrah with the spoils of war, the people saw us from a distance and noticed the large caravan of people coming in. Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) enquired what the fuss was all about and he was informed that the Muslims were victorious and that Shaddad had arrived with the booty.” 

Shaddad ibn Aus (رضي الله عنه) first entered the masjid and performed two rakaats salah and thereafter made his way to the Rawdah Mubarak of Rasulullahﷺ to offer salam. Perhaps at that particular time, he thought of how he had once complained to Rasulullahﷺ regarding his poverty, and that day the prophecy of Rasulullahﷺ had indeed materialized before his eyes.

After the passing away of Rasulullahﷺ, he moved to Palestine. He passed away in Palestine in the year 58 AH at the age of 55. Abu Darda (رضي الله عنه) used to say that many people attain knowledge but do not have tolerance, Abu Ya’la i.e. Shaddaad bin Aus (رضي الله عنه) possessed both ilm (knowledge) and hilm (tolerance).

Tomb of Shaddad bin Aus (رضي الله عنه)