THE CONVERSION OF HUWAYTIB, SON OF ABDIL UZZA HARITH, SON OF HISHAM NUDHAYR, SON OF HARITH URWA, SON OF MASOOD MARTYRDOM: URWA, SON OF MASOOD THE DELEGATION FROM THE THAKIF Hayatus Sahabah by Muhadith Kandahlawi (Kandhelvi) Rendered into current English Khadeijah Abdullah Darwish (Anne Stephens) Free give away Acquired from Amazon’s Kindle Not for sale or resale by any third party ©2013 - www.Muhammad.com THE CONVERSION OF HUWAYTIB, SON OF ABDIL UZZA Mundhir, son of Jahm narrates from Huwaytib, son of Adil Uzza that he was terrified when the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, entered Mecca on the day it was opened. He said that he left his house and dispersed his family in different locations as he feared for their safety. Thereafter he hid himself in an orchard belonging to the tribe of Auf. Huwaytib narrates, “One day, Abu Dharr arrived unexpectedly. We had been good friends before and friendship always bears fruit. However, as soon I saw him, I started to run away. Abu Dharr called out after me, ‘O Abu Muhammad!” and asked what was the matter. I replied “I am afraid”. Abu Dharr assured me saying, “Don’t be afraid, you have amnesty in the protection of Allah.” Upon hearing this I returned and greeted him. Abu Dharr said, “You may return home.” I replied, “How can I go home? I cannot see myself returning to my home alive. I will be met on the street and killed, or be killed by someone breaking into my home also I have dispersed my family in different places.” Abu Dharr replied, “Go and get your all your family in one place and I will escort you all home.” Abu Dharr announced, ‘Huwaytib has been granted amnesty and may not be harmed.” Abu Dharr went to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, who confirmed that we were included in the amnesty saying, “Other than those whose execution I ordered, hasn’t everyone been granted amnesty!” When I heard that statement my heart was set at ease and I took my family home. Abu Dharr visited Huwaytib again and said, “O Abu Muhammad, and said, “You have participated in all the battles (against the Muslims) but although you have lost a tremendous amount of good, there is much good still left for you. Go to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and accept Islam. You will then be able to live in peace. The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, is the most righteous of people, one who best maintains family ties and is the most tolerant of all people. His honor is yours and his dignity is yours.” I replied, “I am prepared to accompany you to Bat’ha (where the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him was) and found Abu Bakr and Omar with him. I asked Abu Dhar what I should say when I greeted the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, Abu Dharr replied, “May the peace and mercy of Allah and His blessings be showered upon you, O Prophet of Allah.”: When I met the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, I greet him with these words and he replied, “Peace be upon you to, O Huwaytib.” It was then that told him: I bear witness that there is no god except Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah.” The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said, ”All praise belongs to Allah who has guided you.” The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, was happy that I had accepted Islam. The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, asked me to loan him forty thousand dirhams which he used to fund the battles of Hunain and Ta’if and after the battle of Hunain he gave me a hundred camels from the spoils of war. In the narration reported by Ja’ar, son of Mahmood son of Muhammad, son of Salma it is mentioned that Huqytib said, “Amongst the elders of the Koraysh who remained in their religion up to the Opening of Mecca there was no one who disliked the opening more than I. However, whatever is predestined must come into being. I was present with the unbelievers at the Battle of Badr and witnessed many revealing lessons. I saw the angels descending from the heavens to the earth, killing and shackling the unbelievers, and I said to myself that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, is a protected person, but I did not mention this to anyone. We were defeated and returned to Mecca where people gradually started to accept Islam. I was also present when the Treaty of Hudaybiyah was signed and it served only to promote Islam still further because Allah does what He wills. Being the last witness when the treaty was signed, I said (to myself) ‘Although the Koraysh are pleased to have forced the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, to leave, they will see only an affair that will cause them displeasure.’ When the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, arrived (in Mecca) to fulfill the postponed Lesser Pilgrimage, the Koraysh left Mecca. Suhayl, son of Amr and myself were amongst those who remained behind to expel the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, after the elapse of three days. At the end of the third day, Suhayl and I approached the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and said, ‘Your term has expired, so leave our town!” The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, called to Bilal saying, “O Bilal, no Muslim who has come with us should remain in Mecca after the sun has set.” THE CONVERSION OF HARITH, SON OF HISHAM Abdullah, son of Ikrima narrates that upon the Opening of Mecca, Harith, son of Hisham and Abdullah, son of Rabee’ah went to Umm Hani, the daughter of Abu Talib and sought her protection which she granted them. When Ali (her younger brother) arrived and saw them there, he drew his sword whereupon Ummu Hani came between them and grabbed Ali around the neck as she said, “Of all people, would you do this to me? You will have to kill me before you get to them!” Ali said, “You gave protection to unbelievers!” then left. Ummu Hani herself narrates that after that she went to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and said, “O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, I granted amnesty to two of my unbelieving brothers-in-law yet Ali tried to attack and kill them.” The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, replied,” He should not have done that, we will protect whosoever you protect and we grant amnesty to whosoever you grant amnesty. Ummu Hani returned and informed the two about this and they returned to their homes. When the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, was informed that Harith, son of Hisham and Abdullah, son of Rabe’ah were wearing saffron colored clothing and sitting without fear, he said, “You cannot harm them because we have already granted them amnesty.” Harith, son of Hisham says he started to feel embarrassed when the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, saw him because the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, had seen him fighting against the Muslims. Thereafter, he recalled the kind and merciful nature of the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and met him in the Mosque. Harith tells that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, met him with a smile and waited for him, so he went to him, greeted him and accepted Islam. The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said, “All praise is for Allah, who has guided you. It was impossible that a person such as yourself could ever remain in the dark about Islam.” THE CONVERSION OF NUDHAYR, SON OF HARITH Muhammad, son of Shurahbel Abdari narrates that Nudhayr, son of Harith was amongst the most learned of people and used to say, “All praise belongs to Allah who has honored us with Islam, and blessed us with Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, and saved us from dying as our (unbelieving) forefathers died. I used to associate myself with the Koraysh in every effort (against the Muslims) until the year when the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, opened Mecca, and thereafter went to Hunain. (When it came time to leave) we left with him (to Hunain) with the intention that should Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, be defeated, we would assist (his enemies) against him. However, we never had the opportunity. By Allah, I remained as I was (plotting against the Muslims) when the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, left for Ji’iramah when he met me with a smile asking, “Is it Nudhayr?” I replied that it was. He said, “This opportunity is better than the one (which you lost) during the Battle of Hunain” I jumped up and drew closer to him, and he said, “The time has come for you to think about your religion.” When I told him that I had been thinking about it he supplicated saying, “O Allah, increase his steadfastness.” By the One who sent the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, with the truth (on account of his supplication) my heart became a rock of steadfastness in Relgion. I had just returned to my tent when a man from the tribe of Banu Duwal came to me and said, “O Abu Harith, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, has ordered that a hundred camels be given to you, would you give me some because I have debts. I decided not to take the camels thinking to myself that it was being given to me to win me over and I would not want to be bribed to accept Islam. However, I then though to myself that I had not wanted them nor asked for them. So I accepted the camels and gave ten to the man from the tribe of Banu Duwal. The son of Is’aaq narrates that when the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him left for the tribe of Thakif, Urwa, son of Masood (who was from the same tribe) followed and caught up with him just before he reached Medina, and accepted Islam. Urwa entreated the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, to give him permission to return to the Thakif and invite them to Islam but the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, told him, “They will kill you.” (The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this because) he knew from his experience with them that they were extremely proud and obstinate. However, Urwa said to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, “I am more beloved to them than their virgins.” The fact was he was greatly loved and obeyed by the Thakif. THE MARTYRDOM OF URWA , SON OF MASOOD Urwa, son of Masood left Medina to invite his tribesmen to Islam. He had high hopes that they would not oppose him as he had always been held in high esteem among them. When he reached his home he went out and stood on the balcony of his house and told his fellow tribesmen about Islam. The tribesmen rejected him and Islam and fired bevies of arrows at him that struck him and as he lay dying his family asked, “What have you to say about your blood?” To this he replied, “Allah has blessed me with great honor and brought to me to the rank of martyrdom, I have reached the rank of those martyrs who were killed while fighting with the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, before leaving this world – bury me with them.” Urwa was buried with the other Companions who had been martyred in an earlier confrontation with Thakif. The Companions were of the opinion that it was concerning Urwa that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said, “His example amongst his people is like that of the man mentioned in the chapter Ya Seen.” THE TRIBE OF THAKIF SENDS A DELEGATION TO THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH, praise and peace be upon him. A few months after the martyrdom of Urwa, son of Masood, the tribe of Thakif they met together to consult with one another about the current situation. They were well aware that they had neither the manpower nor the strength to fight against their neighboring Arab tribes that had pledged their allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. With this in mind they decided to send Abd Yalel, son of Amr together two people from their allies and a third person from the tribe of Malik to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. As they neared Medina they decided to camp not far from a spring and it is there that they met Mughira, son of Shu’ba whose turn it was to take the Companion’s riding animals to graze. As soon as Mughira saw them (he spoke with them and then) made haste to return to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, to give him the news of their imminent arrival. Upon Mughira’s arrival in Medina he met Abu Bakr and told him about the riders from the Thakif saying that they were prepared to pledge allegiance and accept Islam, if the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, accepted several conditions they wanted to make, and that accordingly a letter from the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, would be written to the tribesmen of Thakif (to confirm). Abu Bakr said to Mughira, “I ask you on oath not to go to the Messenger of Allah, before me, so that I may tell him.” Mughira was agreeable and returned to the delegation. When the delegation arrived they started their negotiations with the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. Mughira had taught the tribesmen the way in which they should greet the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, however, when they met him, they greeted him in the customary way of the Time of Ignorance. The delegation was offered food, but none would eat from it until Khalid, son of Sa’ed, son of Al ‘As had first eaten and it was also he who had been delegated to write the letter to his people. Khalid laid out their conditions to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, which were that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, leave their idol (al Lat) alone for three years. The Messenger of Allah, refused to accept that condition, but they persisted and reduced the number of years until they reached one month from the day of their arrival in Medina. Their ploy was that their request was to allow the foolish people among them to time. The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, refused and after the proposals were concluded sent Mughira, son of Shu’ba and Abu Sufyan, son of Harb to the Thakif and destroy their idol. Next, the delegation proposed that they were not required to offer the obligatory prayer or destroy their idols with their own hands. The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, told them, “As for the breaking of your idols with your own hands, we shall overlook this (in other words the Companions would do it for them).” Then the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, addressed their condition to neglect the obligatory prayer saying, “As for (neglecting) the prayer, there is no good in religion without the prayer.” The delegation conceded and said in their arrogance, “We shall grant you this even though it is humiliating.” Othman, son of Abil ‘As narrates that when the delegation from the Thakif came to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, he met them in the Mosque so that it would soften their hearts. Amongst their conditions the Thakif told the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, that they required to be exempt from Jihad; that the zakat on their crops would not be taken from them; that they were not required to pray the obligatory prayers and that a person who was not from their tribe be appointed as their leader. With the exception of the condition not to pray, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, agreed, and told them, “There is no good in a religion without bowing (without prayer, therefore this condition is not acceptable.” Othman, son of Abil ‘As said, “O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, teach me the Koran and appoint me as the imam of my people.” Wahab narrates that he asked Jabir about the (delegation from the)Thakiif when the pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. He replied that they made conditions amongst which were that they should not be required to pay the obligatory charity, or to take part in Jihad. (The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, accepted their conditions) and Jabir said that later he heard the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, say, “Soon they will accept Islam, pay the obligatory charity and take part in Jihad (of their own accord).” Aws, son of Hudhayfa narrates, “We came to meet the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, with the delegation from the Thakif. While the allies of the Thakif stayed with Mughira, son of Shu’ba, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, accommodated the delegates of the tribe of Banu Malik in one of his tents. He met us each day after the Isha prayer and stood as he spoke to us. He stood for so long that he had to lean on each foot. He spoke to us about the treatment he had received from his tribe, the Koraysh and would say, “I have no anguish about it. In Mecca we were regarded as the weak ones and looked down upon. When we reached Medina, victory in are battles alternated between us and them.” One night the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, arrived later than usual we asked, “What detained you tonight?” He replied, “There was a section of the Koran that I recite each day, and I had not completed it’s recitation and I disliked coming to you before I had completed it.” May Allah be pleased with all the Companions.