6 7

365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH

Day 4The Title of al-Siddiq

T he Quraysh were clearly not happy with what the Prophet Muhammad ∂ was preaching and tried their best to stop him from doing this. They tried

to harm him on many occasions. But the Prophet continued and bore the brunt of the Quraysh’s wrath silently and patiently. Meanwhile, the Prophet’s uncle, Abu Talib, who had supported him all along and his wife, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, died, which left the Prophet alone.

Soon after, one night in 620 C.E. the Prophet was taken to the Heavens (al-Mi‘raj). People ridiculed him when they heard that he had gone to al-Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem and from there to the Heavens. A number of people, some of them Muslims, came to Abu Bakr and expressed doubts about the possibility of this journey. Abu Bakr silenced them with his eloquent reasoning and told them that he would believe anything the Prophet said. He said: “I have never heard Muhammad tell a lie. I believe in everything he says.” Thus, Abu Bakr earned the title of ‘al-Siddiq’, which means a very strong and honest friend.

Day 5Abu Bakr’s Love for the Prophet

O ne day, Abu Bakr publicly made a call to the people gathered to Kabah to accept Islam. The people, however, did not like this and beat Abu Bakr

mercilessly. Utbah bin Rabiah took the lead and wounded Abu Bakr’s face very badly. The Prophet was also present there and the people assaulted him too. Abu Bakr’s tribe, the Banu Taim, came and took Abu Bakr home, vowing that if Abu Bakr died, they would kill Utbah bin Rabiah. However, by the evening, Abu Bakr regained consciousness. Abu Bakr wanted to see the Prophet and asked his men surrounding him about going to the Prophet. The men got angry at this and went away. Abu Bakr then requested his mother to take him to the Prophet. When it was night, his mother, along with Umm Jamil, a woman who had accepted Islam, took him to the Prophet. On seeing him in such condition, the Prophet was distressed, and, out of pity for him, kissed Abu Bakr’s forehead. Noticing the Prophet’s distress, Abu Bakr tried to make light of his injuries and requested the Prophet to invite his mother to accept Islam and to pray for her acceptance of Islam. The Prophet invited Abu Bakr’s mother to accept Islam and she accepted it there and then.

365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH

8 9

365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH

searching for them along the direct route to Madinah. They stayed in the Cave of Thawr, which was five miles south of Makkah. They stayed there for three days and three nights. During the day, Abdullah ibn Abu Bakr, the son of Abu Bakr, would listen to the plans and talks of the Quraysh, and at night, he would carry the news to them in the cave. Abu Bakr’s daughter, Asma, brought them meals every day. Amir ibn Fuhaira, a servant of Abu Bakr, would bring a flock of goats to the mouth of the cave every night where they were milked so that the Prophet and Abu Bakr could have milk to drink.

Day 8“The Second of the Two”

W hen the Quraysh came to know of the Prophet’s departure, they sent many search parties in all directions to capture the Prophet and Abu Bakr. One

search party followed close on the heels of the Prophet, but when they reached the mountain, they lost trace of him. They then climbed the mountain, and passed by the cave in which the Prophet Muhammad ∂ and Abu Bakr were

Day 6Respect and Success in this World

A man came up and insulted Abu Bakr one day when he was sitting with the Prophet. Abu Bakr listened but remained silent. The man insulted him

again. But Abu Bakr continued to hold his peace. When the man kept on with his verbal attack, Abu Bakr could no longer control himself, and answered back. On hearing this, the Prophet immediately got up to leave.

‘Why have you got up to go, Prophet of God?’ Abu Bakr asked.

‘As long as you remained silent, Abu Bakr,’ the Prophet replied, ‘God’s angel was answering for you. But as soon as you burst out, the angel left, and I am leaving too.’

Then the Prophet said, “O Abu Bakr, three things are true; firstly, when a man is being wronged and he bears it for Allah, he is rewarded with respect and

success in this world. Secondly, one who maintains good relations with his relatives and shows generosity

will prosper in life. Thirdly, one who begs from others to gain more will be made to suffer hardship by Allah.”

Day 7The Travelling Companion

W hen the persecution in Makkah became intolerable, the Muslims started migrating, first to Abyssinia and later on to Madinah. When Abu Bakr asked

the Prophet to let him go to Madinah as well, the Prophet replied, “Wait, Allah might give you a travelling companion.”

Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ∂ that the Quraysh were plotting to kill him. The Prophet decided to migrate and so, one night, he asked his young cousin, Ali ibn Talib, to lie down on his bed and wrap himself up in the cloak the Prophet usually wore. Meanwhile, under the cover of darkness, the Prophet quietly came out of his house and went to the house of Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr was very happy to be migrating to Madinah with the Prophet.

The Prophet Muhammad ∂ and Abu Bakr left Makkah and took an indirect and longer route to go to Madinah, because they knew the Makkans would be

365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH

26 27

the Muslims did not intend to fight anybody. The Quraysh advanced to prevent the Muslims from entering Makkah. The two parties met at Hudaybiyyah, some eleven kilometres from Makkah. Anxious to avoid fighting, the Prophet set up camp there and sent a message to the Quraysh, suggesting a peace treaty between the two sides. Many of the clauses were more than the Companions could bear. The Muslims felt badly about the treaty. But this truce, the terms of which appeared so against the Muslims, later brought them huge benefits.

While the Hudaybiyyah treaty was being compiled, the Prophet dictated to Ali: “This is a peace treaty, which Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, has agreed upon with Suhail ibn Amr.” Suhail objected saying, “Had we considered you the Messenger of Allah, we would not have turned you away from the House of Allah, nor fought with you. You should write ‘Muhammad ibn Abdullah.’” The Prophet promptly asked Ali to score out what he had written. “By Allah, I cannot do it,” replied Ali. The Prophet erased the words himself and dictated, ‘Muhammad, the son of Abdullah.’

Day 36Profound Knowledge of Islam

A li had learnt reading and writing from his very childhood. One of Ali’s important tasks

became to write letters to people on behalf of the Prophet. Ali later on resolved matters connected with religion and gave judgment on legal issues. He was well known among the Companions for his deep knowledge and understanding of the Shariah. It was Ali who instructed Abul Aswad Duwali to frame the rules of Arabic grammar.

When Abu Bakr became caliph, he consulted Ali in important matters. Whenever he was faced with difficult problems, he called upon Ali and said: “O Abul Hasan, show us a way out of this.”

After Abu Bakr, Umar became the second caliph. Ali provided the greatest support to him and helped him as a trusted advisor. Ali was one of the electoral council, which was appointed by Umar to choose the third caliph. Finally, Uthman was selected as the caliph. After Uthman’s death, all the people pledged themselves to Ali ibn Abi Talib, and he therefore, became the Fourth Caliph of Islam.

Day 34The First Child to Enter Islam

O ne day Ali saw the Prophet and Khadijah praying and asked them what they were doing. The Prophet told him that they were praying and that they

followed Islam, the religion of Allah. The Prophet explained Islam and told him, “Believe in the One Allah. He has no partner. Worship Him alone. Forsake the idols Lat and Uzza.”

The following day Ali went to the Prophet early in the morning and became a Muslim. Ali kept his acceptance of Islam a secret; he did not tell anyone about it. Ali was then the first youth to enter Islam. When Abi Talib saw the Prophet and Ali praying in a new fashion, he asked what religion they were following. The Prophet replied that it was the religion of their great grandfather, the religion of the Prophet Ibrahim. Later on, Allah asked the Prophet to invite all his family members to accept Islam. Ali organised a banquet for them at which the Prophet invited them to accept Islam and asked them who would be his support in his mission. A silence fell on all the guests and no one said a single word. At this, Ali rose and said, “Prophet, I will be your support.” The Prophet repeated his question three times and each time only Ali rose to proclaim his support.

Day 35‘By Allah I can’t do it’

T he Prophet, in obedience to Allah’s will, set out for Makkah in the year 6 A.H. along with 1,400 Companions to perform Umrah. He made it clear that

365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH 365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH

46 47

asked: “Messenger of Allah… Have I been mentioned to you by name?” “Yes,” replied the Prophet, “By your own name and by your family history.”Any Muslim whose name had been conveyed to the heart of the Prophet in

this manner must certainly have been a man of great ability and of very great virtue. Later on, Umar too, often told the Muslims: “Whoever wants to ask anything about the Quran, let him go to Ubayy ibn Ka‘b.”

Day 65The Verse of the Throne

I t is narrated that one day the Messenger of Allah asked Ubayy ibn Ka‘b : “Which verse of the Book of Allah is

the greatest?”“Allah and His Messenger know best,” came the

reply.The Prophet repeated his question and Ubayy ibn

Ka‘b answered in these words:“Allah: there is no Allah but Him, the Living, the

Eternal One. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. His is what the heavens and the earth contain…” (Al-Baqarah, 2:255) and he went on to complete the Verse of the Throne, or Ayat al-Kursi. Hearing his reply, the Prophet was greatly pleased.

All his life Ubayy remained close to the Prophet and followed his commands like a true Muslim. After the Prophet passed away, he always reminded people of the pledge they had sworn to the Prophet. He warned people against going astray and deviating from the commands of the Prophet. He was himself always fearful of Allah and led an ascetic life. Ubayy feared no one but Allah and desired nothing in life. When Islam gained more lands and influence and he saw that Muslims were flattering their chiefs, he warned them against doing this and said that this would ruin them.

Day 66Surah Fatihah

U bayy related that the Prophet once asked him: “Shall I teach you a surah the like of which has not been revealed in the Torah nor in the Injil or Zabur?”

“Certainly,” replied Ubayy.

Day 63Ubayy ibn Ka‘b

U bayy ibn Ka‘b was an Ansar of the Khazraj tribe. He was one of the first inhabitants of Madinah to have accepted Islam, as he had pledged his

allegiance to the Prophet at Aqabah. This took place in the 10th year of the Prophet’s mission and three years before the Hijrah. He took part in the battle of Badr and many other engagements fought by the Muslims. For many years, acting as a scribe to the Prophet, he used to write down the letters dictated by him.

Ubayy ibn Ka‘b was one of the few people who had written down the Quranic revelations and had a scroll, or mushaf of his own. At the time of the Prophet’s death, he was one of the twenty-five or so people who had learnt the complete Quran by heart. His recitation was so beautiful and his understanding of the sacred text was so deep that the Prophet encouraged his Companions to learn the Quran from him.

Day 64A Special Honour

U bayy enjoyed special honour among the Muslims with regard to the Quran. One day, the Prophet told him: “Ubayy ibn Ka‘b! I have been commanded to

lay open the Quran to you.”Ubayy was overjoyed. He knew, of course, that the Prophet received his

commands from the Lord. Unable to control his excitement, he hesitatingly

365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH 365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH

56 57

When the news reached Umar ibn al-Khattab he sent for Mu‘adh and asked, “Did I send an inspector with you?” Mu‘adh replied, “I had no other excuse but this to give to my wife.” The Caliph Umar laughed and gave Mu‘adh some gifts and said, “Give this to your wife to make her happy.” Ibn Jareer says that Mu‘adh was referring to Allah when he mentioned the inspector.

Day 78Abdullah ibn Hudhafa

A bdullah ibn Hudhafa was a companion of the Prophet. He was chosen to take the Prophet’s letter to Khusro Parvez, the king of Persia. Abdullah ibn

Hudhafa got his camel ready and bade farewell to his wife and son. Then he set out, alone, on a long journey to an unknown land. Travelling for weeks on end through the desert, then strange, green mountains and valleys, he reached the land of Persia. Having arrived at his destination, Abdullah told the guards at the royal castle about the letter he was carrying and sought permission to meet the king. Khusro Parvez agreed to meet him and ordered his servants to make ready the audience hall. Meanwhile he summoned his prominent aides.

Day 79A Sahabi in the Court of Persia

W hen the royal advisers had assembled, the king called to Abdullah to enter. He went in and saw the king of the Persians dressed in resplendent robes.

In addition, there was a gorgeous, beautifully arranged turban on his head.

Abdullah ibn Hudhafa, on the other hand, was dressed in the plain coarse clothes of a Bedouin, a nomad of Arabia. But the honour of Islam and the flame of faith in his heart helped him to hold his head high and keep his feet steady.

The king scrutinized Abdullah and then signalled to one of his men to take the letter from him. But Abdullah ibn Hudhafa refused, saying:

“No, the Prophet commanded me to hand the letter directly to you and I will not go against a command of the Messenger of Allah.”

“Let him approach me,” said Khusro to his guards. Abdullah walked up to the king and gave him the letter.

92 93

365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH 365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH

Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud remained closely attached to the Prophet. He would attend to his needs both inside and outside the house. He would accompany him on journeys and expeditions. He would wake him when he slept. He would shield him when he washed. He would carry his staff and his siwak (toothbrush) and attend to his other personal needs.

Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud remained under the guidance of the Prophet. He adopted his manner and followed his action until it was said of him, “He was the closest to the Prophet in mannerism.”

Hudhayf said, “I have never seen anyone more like the Prophet in his way of life and characteristics than Ibn Mas‘ud.”

Day 134He Read the Quran Aloud at the Kabah

D uring the early days of Islam, the Companions of the Prophet of Allah decided to read the Quran aloud at the Kabah. But this was a challenging

task. Anyone who did this would earn the wrath of the whole Quraysh tribe. But, Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud came forward and said, “I will do this.”

But the Companions were afraid that the Makkans might seriously harm Abdullah, because he did not belong to a family whose name and reputation

At the battle of Badr, when the Quraysh came to fight the Muslims, Hamzah fought like a brave Muslim. At the battle of Uhud, however, he was treacherously killed by Wahshiy, a slave of a Makkan and who was promised, freedom and other rewards for killing Hamzah by Hind bint Utbah, the wife of Abu Sufyan. Wahshiy hid behind a tree and struck Hamzah with his spear. The great martyr of Islam died fighting like a lion, defending Islam until his last breath.

Day 132Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud

A bdullah ibn Mas‘ud was a great companion of the Prophet Muhammad ∂. At the time he accepted Islam, Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud was a shepherd,

employed by a Makkan called Uqbah ibn Abu Mu‘it. Once he was grazing his sheep when the Prophet Muhammad ∂ came along

with Abu Bakr and said, “O boy, do you have milk for us to drink?” However, Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud said, “I can’t let you drink someone else’s milk.” The Prophet was impressed by his honesty and then asked him, “Do you have

a virgin sheep that has never mated with a male?” Abdullah had several such sheep and brought one to the Prophet. The Prophet of Allah stroked its udder and prayed to Allah and the udder was filled with

milk. Abu Bakr brought a concave rock into which the Prophet milked the sheep. Abu Bakr drank the milk, and then the Prophet said to the

udder, “Shrink,” and it shrank back. Allah bestows power on His Messengers to perform miracles. If

you remember, the Prophet Isa # healed the lepers and gave sight to the blind. The Prophet Isa also brought to life the dead. Many

other Prophets had miraculous power given by Allah like the Prophet Musa #, the Prophet Yusuf #, and the Prophet Dawud #, etc.

Day 133Closest to the Prophet in Mannerism

A bdullah ibn Mas‘ud was amazed to see this miracle, and later went the Prophet and asked him, “Teach me.” The Prophet replied, “You are already

a learned boy.” Abdullah accepted Islam right there and then. He was the sixth one to embrace Islam and follow the Prophet Muhammad ∂. Thus, he was one of the earliest Muslims.

132 133

365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH

task. Muhammad ibn Muslimah investigated whatever complaints Umar would receive from time to time and then base his decisions on this investigation.

One day the Caliph was walking in the market when somebody called out him: “O Umar! Will some terms and conditions save you from Allah? Your Chief of Egypt, Ayaz ibn Ghanam, wears thin clothes and has put a gatekeeper at his gate”.

Umar immediately sent Muhammad ibn Muslimah to Egypt. When he reached there, he found a gatekeeper at the gate, and when he went inside he saw Ayaz wearing a thin robe. Muhammad ibn Muslimah brought him to Madinah in the same state, without giving him time to put on a robe. The caliph then asked him to take off his robe and made him wear a robe made of hairs and sent him to herd livestock.

Similarly, when the Caliph received information about the amassing of a large amount of money by Amr ibn ‘As, he sent Muhammad ibn Muslimah with a note that the entire wealth should be placed before Muslimah and that he would take from it whatever amount he felt was desirable. Muslimah went to Amr ibn ‘As and asked him to do as he had been instructed by the Caliph. After some initial disagreement, Amr put his entire money before Ibn Muslimah, who took a certain amount from it and then came back to Madinah.

At Madinah, in the generous and hospitable climate, Khabbab experienced a state of ease and restfulness that he had not known for a long time. Later on, he fought alongside the noble Prophet at the battle of Badr. He participated in the battle of Uhud where he had the satisfaction of seeing Sibaa ibn Abd al-Uzza meet his end at the hands of Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib, the Prophet’s uncle.

Khabbab lived long enough to witness the great expansion of Islam under Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali. He once visited Umar in an assembly. Umar stood up and greeted Khabbab with the words: “No one other than you and Bilal deserves more to be in this assembly.”

Day 191Muhammad ibn Muslimah

M uhammad ibn Muslimah was one of the earliest Companions of the Prophet Muhammad ∂. He belonged to the Aws tribe of

Madinah. He accepted Islam beofre Sa‘d ibn Mu‘adh. His name was Muhammad and his nickname was Abdur Rahman.

Abu Ubaidah ibn Jarrah was paired with him after the migration of the Muhajirs.

Muhammad ibn Muslimah was the one who came forward to deal with the Jew Ka‘b ibn Ashraf who used to recite poems insulting to the

Prophet and who used to incite the Quraysh against the Muslims. Muhammad ibn Muslimah with the help of two other Companions killed that Jew.

When the Prophet had gone on the expedition of Tabuk, he had handed over the command of Madinah to Muhammad ibn Muslimah.

He spent many years in the company of the Prophet and had heard many sayings of the Prophet. There are 6 hadiths reported by him that appear in the book of ahadith.

Of all his characteristics, the most prominent was his love for the Prophet. He also kept himself away from any fitnah, or trial.

Day 192Surveillance of the Governors

T he Caliph Umar established a system of surveillance of the governors and the chiefs. Once he appointed Muhammad ibn Muslimah to carry out this

365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH 365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH

176 177

Day 259Surah al-Fatiha

A bu Sa‘id al-Khudri and some other Companions of the Prophet were going somewhere when they stopped at a place to rest. Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri was

Amir of this small group. He sent a companion to the village nearby to tell the villagers to make them their guests. But the villagers refused.

Suddenly, the head of the village was bitten by a scorpion and nobody in the village was able to treat him. Finally, somebody told the villagers to go to the Companions of the Prophet saying perhaps they might have a cure of this. The villagers came to the Companions and asked them to treat their chief for scorpion bite.

Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri told them that he would cure their chief on a payment of 30 goats. They agreed and Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, reciting the surah al-Fatiha, rubbed the place where the scorpion had bitten him.

The chief was completely cured and the Companions took the goats from them. One of the Companions objected to such payment, and when they reached Madinah, they put this matter before the Prophet.

The Prophet smiled after hearing the complete story and said, “How did you come to know that surah al-Fatiha was used for this purpose? You people have done well. Share out what you received among youselves and include me also among you.”

Day 260The Greatest Faqeeh of his time

A bu Sa‘id, the greatest faqeeh of his time, learnt ahadith and fiqh from the Prophet and his Companions. He remembered many sayings of the Prophet,

and is one of the narrators of hadith most frequently quoted. By one count, he did 1170 narrations, making him the seventh most prolific Companion in the transmission of the hadith.

His circle, where he taught people ahadith and jurisprudence, always had at least ten people in it. He used to teach people at other times also if somebody came to ask him something.

became an orphan and soon started facing poverty and hunger. His mother asked him to go to the Prophet and ask for help. He went to meet the Prophet.

When he reached there, the Prophet was giving a sermon and saying, “Allah will enrich one who shows patience at difficult times.”

At this Abu Sa‘id thought, “I have got a camel, then why do I need to ask for anything?”

He came back home without asking or telling the Prophet anything. Later on, he became one of the richest persons among the Ansars.