Rasulullahﷺ- used to send teachers to neighboring tribes for the purpose of communicating and teaching Islam. Some of these teachers, however, became subjected to callous plots of betrayal. One of the most tragic of these is known as the Raji Incident.
The nearby Adal and Qara tribes had asked Rasulullahﷺ for some knowledgeable Companions to teach them, Islam. As a result, Rasulullahﷺ -upon his blessings and peace- sent a delegate of ten Companions led by Asim ibn Thabit -رضي الله عنه
The envoy reached the place called Hudat, between Usfan and Makkah, and took a break by the Raji Well, which was at the time within the dominion of the Huzayl Tribe. Meanwhile, having been informed that the Muslim envoy had reached the area, the Lihyan Clan of the Huzayl Tribe, mobilized nearly a hundred archers and went in pursuit of the Companions. Realizing they were being pursued, Asim رضي الله عنه and the Companions رضي الله عنه took refuge in a relatively high spot nearby, where they were subsequently surrounded.
“Come down from there. Drop your weapons and surrender. We assure you that none of you will be hurt!” they shouted from below:
“I will not come down relying on the word of an infidel!” said Asim رضي الله عنه, afterward praying, “O my Lord! Inform of our plight to the Messenger of Allah!”
The archers then showered Asim رضي الله عنه and the six Companions رضي الله عنه who remained with him, in arrows, martyring them all. Fatally wounded, Asim -رضي الله عنه with him- prayed:
“Allah…Protect my corpse at sundown, just as I protected Your religion at sunup!”
After being informed of the martyring of Asim رضي الله عنه, some notables of Quraish sent a few men to sever and return with a certain part of him that would assure them of his identity, in vengeance for a certain idolater Asim رضي الله عنه had killed on the field of Badr. But Allah, glory unto Him, sent a mass of bees to protect Asim’s corpse, and the idolaters could not even get within an arm's length of his body, frustrated by a cloud of bees relentlessly hovering over it. (1)
Waiting nonetheless until sundown for the bees to disperse, the idolaters were met with something they had least expected: a downpour of rain. The subsequent flood that swept across the valley took Asim’s corpse with it, out of sight. The idolaters thus could not even find a moment’s opportunity to obtain a piece of Asim’s corpse. Asim -رضي الله عنه,- was thereafter referred to as ‘the Martyr Protected by Bees.’ (2)
The three Companions, who removed the strings of their bows and came down from the hill to surrender, soon realized that their foes had no intention of keeping their words when they made a move to tie them down by force. One of the three Companions then attempted to put up a fight, exclaiming, “Never have we been betrayed in such manner…By Allah, I will never surrender. The martyrs lying over there are a perfect example for me!” Though the enemy nevertheless wanted to drag him behind them, he violently resisted and was consequently martyred. Rasulullahﷺ
Of the ten Companions only Kubayb and Zayd -رضي الله عنه,- now remained. The Lihyan Clan took the two to Makkah and sold them to Quraysh. Kubayb -رضي الله عنه,- was purchased by the sons of Harith ibn Amir, whom he had put to the sword at Badr. Until the day they eventually decided to execute him, Kubayb -رضي الله عنه,- remained a prisoner in their hands.
A woman from the household of the sons of Amir later testified to “…never before seeing a captive with greater virtue than Kubayb. I swear, I saw him eat fresh grapes, despite the fact that his hands were tied, and moreover on a day when nobody could find any fruits in Makkah. In hindsight, I now realize they were the blessings of Allah. Kubayb would recite the Quran and wake up for the tahajjud salat in the dark of night. Those who would hear him recite the Quran would soon begin to cry from bursting emotion. I once asked him whether he needed anything. ‘Nothing’, he said, ‘except for you to offer me fresh water, to withhold from me the meat of stock you slaughter in the name of your idols and to inform me of the time they will have me executed.’
After the Months of Truce came to an end, I went to Kubayb to inform him that they had decided to execute him. But, I swear, I did not see a trace of fear or anxiety. When Harith’s sons took him up to the spot outside of the vicinity of the Haram to execute him, Kubayb asked them to allow him two rakaahs of salat. They agreed. After offering the salat, Kubayb -رضي الله عنه turned around and said, ‘By Allah, had I known that you would not be led into thinking I feared death, I would have surely performed this salat more lengthily!’ Kubayb -رضي الله عنه,- thus became the first to initiate two rakaahs of salat for Muslims awaiting execution.
Kubayb -رضي الله عنه then prayed, ‘Allah…Destroy all of them! Take each of their lives one by one…do not let a single one of them survive!’ Kubayb -رضي الله عنه then recited the following piece of poetry:
‘So long as I die a Muslim, how I died, I could never care! This is all in the way of Allah, of that I am aware; for Whom is easy to grant me His Forgiveness, despite my body, scattered and bare!’
Kubayb -رضي الله عنه then added one final prayer, pleading, ‘O my Lord! The only faces I can see here are those of the enemy! There is nobody around whom I can send to Rasulullahﷺ, either. You deliver my greetings of peace to Him!’
Sitting with his Companions in Madinah at the time, the Blessed Rasulullahﷺ said, in an audible tone meaning, ‘Peace be upon him, too’.
‘To whom did you just return the greetings, Rasulullahﷺ?’ the astonished Companions wondered.
‘To your brother Kubayb’, answered Rasulullahﷺ-. ‘There…Jibril has delivered his greetings of peace!’, Rasulullahﷺr -upon him blessings and peace- thereby informed his Companions, on the spot, of the martyring of Kubayb - Kubayb -رضي الله عنه.
Minutes before his execution, Kubayb was asked, “Would you have liked the Prophet to be in your place in return for your life?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Kubayb, with a voice echoing colossal courage and dignity, declared:
“Never…! I could not even bare the thought of him being spiked by a thorn in his foot in Madinah, let alone hoping he to be in my place right now!”
Stunned by the response, Abu Sufyan could not help but confess, “I swear, I have never seen another person who is loved by his friends more than Muhammad!” (7)
When they were about to hang him, they turned his face towards Madinah. Kubayb رضي الله عنه - then prayed,
“O, my Lord! If what I am going through is something of worth in Your Sight, then turn my face towards your qibla!” Allah, glory unto Him, accepted his prayer and turned his face towards his desired direction. No matter how much the idolaters tried in turning him back toward Madinah, they were unsuccessful. The below ayah of the Quran was revealed in reference to this illustrious Companion:
"To the righteous soul will be said:) "O (thou) soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction!, "Come back thou to thy Lord,- well pleased (thyself), and well-pleasing unto Him!, "Enter thou, then, among My devotees!," Yea, enter thou My Heaven!" (8)
Martyred following Kubayb -رضي الله عنه, Zayd -Allah رضي الله عنه - was also in the same state of fortitude granted him by iman. During his days of captivity, he would make sure to wake up for the tahajjud salat and spend his days fasting. He would not touch the food offered him with meat, for being of stock slaughtered in the name of the idols. He preferred milk instead. On milk, he would fast, and with milk, he would break it. Rasulullahﷺ
He saw Kubayb on the way to Tanim, the place he was to be martyred, where the two Companions advised each other with patience. Zayd Ibn al-Dathinah, رضي الله عنه . too, offered two rakahs of salat before being hanged. Like Khubayb Ibn Adi,رضي الله عنه, he too was met with the question of whether he would have wanted Rasulullahﷺ- to be in his place instead, to which he responded in a similar manner as Kubayb رضي الله عنه (5)
“Dying as a Muslim is preferable to living a thousand lives as an idolater”, were the final words he posed to the idolaters who promised him freedom on the condition that he would recant his faith. And in a dignity worthy of a Believer, he sipped from the goblet of martyrdom with pleasure. (3)
As Khubayb Ibn Adi,رضي الله عنه prayed, fear took hold of everyone present. To protect themselves from the effect of the prayer, they began running to and fro in search of somewhere to hide, thinking they would not survive the blight of the prayer. Even for over a month following the execution, Khubayb Ibn Adi,رضي الله عنه prayer remained the major talking point among Quraysh. Said ibn Amir, reportedly, began to pass out, from time to time, whenever reminded of the prayer.
During his days in the Caliphate, Saiyidina Omar رضي الله عنه - heard about Said’s condition and asked him whether he was suffering from any illness. “From no illness do I suffer”, said Said; “except I was present during Kubayb’s execution and happened to hear his prayer. And by Allah, whenever I hark back on it, I suddenly begin to lose all consciousness!” (6)
The Expedition Of Al-Raji from various Views of Scholars
Some men from the clans of Adal and Qarah came to Rasulullahﷺ in Madinah, requesting Rasulullahﷺ to send some of his men to their tribes, to learn more about Islam. When the Muslims were on their way, near a place called al-Raji they got betrayed and got ambushed by the Banu Lihyan tribe. All the Muslims were killed.
Historical reports
Kitab Al-Tabaqat Al-Kabir – Ibn Sa’d:
“SARRIYAH OF MARTHAD IBN ABI MARTHAD رضي الله عنه
Then (occurred) the sariyyah of Marthad Ibn Abi Marthad al-Ghanawi
رضي الله عنه towards al-Raji in Safar after the commencement of the thirty-sixth month from the hijrah of the Apostle of Allah.
A group of the Adal and al-Qarah, who were connected with al-Hun Ibn Khuzaymah, came to Rasulullahﷺ, and said: O Apostle of Allah! There is Islam in us (i.e. has been introduced among us) so send some of your Companions to teach us al-Qur’an and make us understand it and instruct us in the laws of Islam. The Apostle of Allah sent a party of ten persons
(1) Asim Ibn Thabit Ibn al-Aqlah رضي الله عنه
(2) Marthad Ibn Abi Marthad,رضي الله عنه
(3) Abd Allah Ibn Tariq, رضي الله عنه
(4) Khubayb Ibn Adi,رضي الله عنه
(5) Zayd Ibn al-Dathinah, رضي الله عنه
(6) Khalid Ibn Abi al-Bukayr, رضي الله عنه
(7) Mu’attib Ibn Ibayd, uterine brother of Abd Allah Ibn Tariq, رضي الله عنه both (the brothers) belonged to the Balli tribe and were allies of Banu Zafar.
Rasulullahﷺ appointed Asim Ibn Thabitرضي الله عنه as their leader, and another narrator said: (He appointed) Marthad Ibn Abi Marthad.رضي الله عنه
They set out and reached al-Raji which is a spring of Hudhayl on the way to al-Hadah. Al-Hadah is seven miles from it (al-Raji) and seven miles from Usfan. They (Adal and al-Qarah) behaved treacherously to them and sought the help of Hudhayl against them (Muslims). Banu Lihyan marched against them…” [1]
Ibn Ishaq:
“THE DAY OF AL-RAJI, A.H. 3
… They said that some of them had already accepted Islam and they asked him to send some of his companions to instruct them in religion and teach them to read the Quran and to teach them the laws of Islam. Rasulullahﷺ sent the following 9 of his companions:
- Marthad b. Abu Marthad al-Ghanawi, رضي الله عنه ally of Hamza;
- Khalid b. al-Bukayr al-Laythi, رضي الله عنه
- Adiy b. Ka’b;
- Asim b. Thabit b. Abu-Aqlah, رضي الله عنه
- Amr b. Auf b. Malik b. al-Aus; رضي الله عنه
- Khubayb bin. Adiy, رضي الله عنه
- Jahjaba Kulfa b. Amr b. Zurayq b. Abdu Haritha b. Malik b. Ghadb b. Jusham b. al-Kazraj; رضي الله عنه
- Abdullah b. Tariq, رضي الله عنه
- Zafar b. al-Khazraj b. Amr b. Malik b. al-Aus. رضي الله عنه
Rasulullahﷺ put Marthad in command of them and the band got as far as al-Raji, a watering place of Hudhayl in a district of the Hijaz at the upper part of al-Had’a. There they betrayed them and summoned Hudhayl against them.
While they were off their guard sitting with their baggage suddenly they were set upon by men with swords in their hands, so they took their swords to fight them, but the men said that it was not their intention to kill them; they wanted to get something for them from the people of Makkah. They swore by God that they would not kill them.” [2]
Al-Tabari:
“For the story of how a group of men from the clans of Adal and al-Qarah came to Rasulullahﷺ in Madinah. in A. H. 4 and asked for me to instruct them in Islam and how, after Rasulullahﷺ had sent 9 men back with them (including Khubayb b. Adi), they betrayed the six to the pro-Makkan Lihyan sub-tribe of Hudhayl (which had a vendetta against the Muslims) at the watering place of al-Raji…” [3]
Scholars
Shaykh Allamah Shibli Nomani:
“SIRYA RAJI
At about the same time some men belonging to the tribe of Adul and the Qara approached Rasulullahﷺ with a request to send men to instruct their tribesmen in the Islamic ways as they had come under Islam. Rasulullahﷺ sent out nine persons whose leader was Asim Ibn Thabit.
When they reached Raji, place midway between Usfan and Makkah, these treacherous fellows betrayed the Muslims and prompted the Banu Lahyan to kill them all. The Banu Lahyan pursued them with two hundred tribesmen, half of whom were bowmen. The foe had nearly overtaken the Muslims, when they tried to escape by ascending on to a mound.
The bowmen asked them to come down and promised protection. ‘I do not want to protection of an infidel’, replied Asim. Then addressing God he prayed to Him to let His Prophet know of all that. In short Asim, with seven others, put up a good fight till all of them were killed. (The Quraish sent a party of men to fetch them a piece of flesh from Asim’s body so that he might be identified. But God would not allow such a disgraceful desecration of a Muslim martyr.
Bees swarmed over the dead body, and the men sent by the Quraish had to return unsuccessful. Three of the Muslims, two of whom were Khubaib and Zaid, did not distrust the words of the infidels, and came down from the mound. The infidels played false and had them bound. They were later on sold as slaves in Makkah. In the battle of Uhud, Khubaib had killed Harith Ibn Amir; so the sons of Harith purchased him with a view to killing him in revenge. For a few days he stayed at their house. One day he happened to be playing with the granddaughter of Harith, while he had a knife in his hand. Accidently the mother of the child came up. The sight of a naked knife in the hand of Khubaib sent through her body a shudder of fear. ‘Did you think’, said Khubaib, ‘I would slaughter your child with this knife. No that is not our way.’
The members of Harith’s family took him outside the precincts of Harm and wanted to slay him.
He asked for permission to offer rak’at of prayer. The murderers allowed him this much respite. He offered two rak’at and then said, ‘I had a mind to continue my prayers much longer, but you might perhaps think I was afraid of death.’
Then he recited the following couplet:
‘When I am to be slain for embracing Islam, I care not in what manner I shall be slain. All this is for the sake of Allahﷻ and if He wills He will shower His blessings on the severed pieces of my body.’
(It has since then been customary that whosoever is condemned to death is allowed to offer two rak’at of prayer before being executed and it is considered commendable .
The second man was Zaid, whom Safwan Ibn Mu’awiya had purchased with the intention of killing him. All the dignitaries of the Quraish assembled to witness his slaughter; and Abu Sufyan was one of them. When the executioner eased his sword, Abu Sufyan said,
‘Tell us the truth, if Muhammad were slain in your place, would you not think it lucky for yourself.’ ‘By God’, retorted Zaid, ‘I would sooner give up this life than see a single thorn prick the foot of the Messenger of Allah.’
This said, Nistas, the slave of Safwan struck his head off.” [4]
Hajjah Amina Adil:
“THE DAY OF RAJI"
The same year some men from the lesser tribes of Adal and al-Qara came to saying, We have accepted Islam and are therefore in need of some instruction. Please send us some people who can teach us what we need to know of Islam.’ Rasulullahﷺ sent Asim b. Thabit b. Abu-Aqlah, رضي الله عنه of Aws back with them, together with fourteen companions.
When they had reached a watering-place called Raji between Asfan and Makkah, the hypocrites of the tribe of Hudhail made plain the treacherous villainy within their hearts, and betrayed them by summoning the other branches of Hudhail for support against them. When the Bani Lihyana of Hudhail received this call, they sent one-hundred archers and two-hundred warriors to lie in wait for the Muslims.
The Muslims realized the situation and immediately sought refuge behind a mountain. The unbelievers surrounded the mountain and called out,
‘If you give yourselves up, you may get away with your lives, otherwise we shall kill you.’ The Muslims answered,
‘We are Muslims and we are disciples of Muhammad, Rasulullahﷺ . We will never accept quarter from an unbeliever.’
Asim b. Thabit b. Abu-Aqlah, رضي الله عنه raised his hands and prayed to the Lord, his heart burning within him, ‘Oh Allah, I have only one request, and that is that You should make known to your beloved Rasulullahﷺ, the plight of this handful of believers, that is all I would pray for at this moment.’ For these great Sahabah (companions) it was of the utmost importance that the Beloved of Allah, Rasulullahﷺ be satisfied and pleased with them, more so even than attaining the everlasting peace and bliss of Paradise.
The station of these Sahabah (companions)was that of soldiers of Love, and Love means giving pleasure to the beloved; the Lover desiring the pleasure of his Beloved strives neither glory nor for abasement. Therefore, Asim b. Thabit b. Abu-Aqlah, رضي الله عنه prayed to Allahﷻ to make known to Rasulullahﷺ that they went gladly to receive martyrdom for the cause of Islam.
‘Through the means of Your Power make it known to him,’ he prayed, and his prayer was accepted. As he was dying a martyr, Allahﷻ showed to His Holy Rasulullahﷺ through spiritual communication that he had gone to the Presence of Allahﷻ along with his Companions. Also, he learned that two of the Muslims had been captured, Khubayb of Aws and Zayd of Khazraj. Rasulullahﷺ informed his Companions of this without having left Madinah.
The unbelievers sent out some men to bring a part of Asim b. Thabit b. Abu-Aqlah, رضي الله عنه dead body, (his skull, as at Uhud he had killed two of the standard-bearers of Quraysh whereupon their mother had sworn she would drink wine from his skull), but as he was dying, Asim b. Thabit b. Abu-Aqlah, رضي الله عنه had made yet another supplication to Allahﷻ:
"O Allahﷻ, do not let the enemy touch my dead body.’ The word of this great Lover of the Divine caused a great swarm of bees to appear on the material plane and set about his body so that the men sent by the idolaters could not approach from the density of that insect and had to turn back".
As for the two captives, they were bound and brought back to Mecca and sold there. Khubayb bin Adiy رضي الله عنه was bought by the sons of Harith bin Amr whom he had killed in the Battle of Uhud, who sought to avenge their father’s death. At one point during his imprisonment Khubayb bin Adiy رضي الله عنه called for a razor with which to clean himself before he was to die. The wife of Harith bin Amr saw him. Then she noticed that the three-year old grandson of Harith bin Amir was playing close by. The woman began to scream with fright, saying, ‘Now he will kill that child, he knows you intend to kill him, he will avenge himself on that child.’
"But Khubayb bin Adiy رضي الله عنه answered her, ‘Don’t worry, have no fear, for we are of those who have sat with Muhammad and taken our lessons from the Holy Qur’an. We are believers of him who is a mercy for the worlds. Feelings of revenge, have no place with us, nor are we of those who act on the impulse of their egotistic drives, we will raise the word against a man only in the name of Allah".’” [5]
Bashīr Aḥmad M.A.:
“Treachery of the Disbelievers and the Incident of Rajī‘ – Ṣafar 4 A.H
These were days of grave danger for the Muslims and Rasulullahﷺ was receiving horrific news from all four ends. However, the greatest danger posed to Rasulullahﷺ was from the Quraish of Makkah, who had grown very bold and daring due to the battle of Uḥud. Perceiving this threat, in the month of Ṣafar 4 A.H., Rasulullahﷺ assembled a party of ten Companions, appointed ‘Asim b. Thabit b. Abu-Aqlah, رضي الله عنه as their Amir and ordered them to secretly go towards Makkah and obtain intelligence with regards to the Quraish, and then inform him about their plans and motives
However, this party had not yet departed, when a few people from the tribes of ‘Aḍal and Qārah presented themselves before Rasulullahﷺ, and said that many people from among their tribes were inclined towards Islam and that Rasulullahﷺ should send a few men with them, who could convert them to Islam and educate them. Rasulullahﷺ was happy to hear their request and the same party which had been assembled for the reconnaissance mission was sent off with them instead.
However, in actuality, as was later discovered, these people were liars and had come to Madinah upon the incitement of the Bana Laḥyan, who sought revenge for the execution of their chief, Sufyan bin Khalid, and had thus contrived the plan that when the Muslims come out of Madinah on this pretense, they would attack them. In lieu of this service, the Banū Laḥyān promised the people of ‘Aḍal and Qarah a hefty reward of many camels.
When the treacherous people of ‘Adal and Qarah reached between ‘Asfan and Makkah, they secretly sent word to the Banu Laḥyan that the Muslims were accompanying them and that they should come as well. Upon this, 200 young men from the Banu Laḥyan, 100 of whom were archers, set forth in pursuit of the Muslims, and subdued them at a place known as Raji‘. But how could 10 men compete against 200 warriors?
The Muslims, however, had not been taught to throw in their arms. The Companions immediately ascended to a nearby hillock and prepared for battle. The disbelievers, who did not consider deception as being reprehensible, called out to them and said, “Come down from the mountain, we give you a firm promise that we shall not kill you.” ‘Asim b. Thabit b. Abu-Aqlah, رضي الله عنه responded, “We have no confidence whatsoever in your treaties and agreements. We cannot descend on your guarantee.” Then, he raised his head towards the heaven and said,
“O God! You are witnessing our state. Do convey knowledge of our condition to Your Messenger.”
Hence, ‘Asim b. Thabit b. Abu-Aqlah, رضي الله عنه and his Companions stood and fought and were finally martyred in battle. When seven Companions had been put to death, and only Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله عنه, Zaid bin Dathinah رضي الله عنه, and one other Companion were left, the disbelievers whose actual desire was to capture these people alive, called out again and said, “There is still time. Come down and we promise not to cause you any harm.” This time, these innocent Muslims fell into their trap and descended.
However, as soon as they stepped down, the disbelievers tied them with the strings of their arrow bows. Upon this, the Companion of Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله and Zaid bin Dathinah رضي الله عنه, , whose name has been recorded in history as being ‘Abdullah bin Ṭariq"رضي الله عنه, could not restrain himself and called out, “This is your first breach of agreement and who knows what you shall do hereafter,” and ‘Abdullah bin Ṭariq" refused to continue along with them. For some distance, the disbelievers dragged ‘‘Abdullah bin Ṭariq"رضي الله along, beating and assaulting him, and then killed him and left him for dead. Moreover, now that there revenge had been sought, in order to please the Quraish, and also in the greed of money, they took Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله and Zaid bin Dathinah رضي الله عنه and made way to Makkah; upon reaching there, they sold both of them to the Quraish.
As such, Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله was purchased by the sons of Ḥarith bin ‘Amir bin Naufal, because Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله had slain Ḥarith in the battle of Badr and Zaid bin Dathinah رضي الله عنه was purchased by Ṣafwan bin Umayyah. These two Companions were still in a state of captivity when one day Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله عنه asked the daughter of Ḥarith if he could be given a razor for his own personal use, and she gave him one.
When Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله عنه was holding this razor, a small child of the daughter of Ḥarith happened to come over to Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله عنه playing here and there; and he placed him on his thigh. When the mother saw that Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله عنه was holding a razor in his hand and her child was sitting on his thigh, she began to tremble and her face turned pale in fear. When Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله عنه saw her, he understood that she was fearful and said;
“Do you think that I will kill this child? Do not think this. God-Willing, I shall never commit such an act.”
Upon hearing these words, the faded countenance of the mother lit up. This lady was so deeply influenced by the high moral character of Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله عنه ه that afterwards, she would always say;
“I have never seen a prisoner as good as Khubaib.” She would also say, “On one occasion, I saw a bunch of grapes in the hand of Khubaib and he was picking grapes one by one and eating them, although there was no sign of grapes in Makkah during those days and Khubaib was shackled in strong iron chains.”
She says,
“I believe that these were heavenly provisions which would come to Khubaib.”
However, before the heartfelt enmity of the Quraish, emotions of mercy and justice were out of the question. As such, it had not been many days when the people of the Banū Al-Ḥārith and other chieftains of the Quraish took Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله عنه to an open field in order to execute him and celebrate his death. When Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله عنه perceived the fragrance of martyrdom, he implored the Quraish to allow him an opportunity to offer two Rak‘at of Ṣalat before his death. The Quraish, who perhaps desired to make the Islamic worship a part of this spectacle, granted him permission.
Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله عنه offered two Rakat of Ṣalat with great attention and concentration. After completing his Ṣalat, he said to the Quraish,
“I desired to prolong my Ṣalat even more, but then I thought that you may assume that I am prolonging my Ṣalat with the intention of deferring death.”
Then, reciting the following couplets, Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله عنه leaned forward:
“When I am being martyred in the cause of Islam as a Muslim, I care not as to which flank I fall upon after being martyred, all of this is for the sake of Allahﷻ;And if my Allahﷻ so wills, He shall bless my every severed limb.”
The last words of these couplets were perhaps still echoing from the tongue of Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله عنه when ‘Uqbah bin Ḥarith stepped forward and this lover of Rasulullahﷺ was mixed to dust.
In another narration it is related that the Quraish hung Khubayb bin ‘Adiyy رضي الله عنه to the branch of a tree and then murdered him by repeatedly piercing him with lances. An individual by the name of Sa‘id bin ‘Amir was also among the crowd. Afterwards, he become Muslim and even until the reign of the Khilafat of Saiyidina Umar Ibn al Khattab رضي الله عنه , whenever he would remember the incident of Khubayb, he would be overtaken by a state of swoon. To the other side, Ṣafwan bin Umayyah took his prisoner Zaid bin Dathinah رضي الله عنه outside the Ḥaram.
A crowd consisting of the chieftains of Makkah accompanied him. Upon reaching outside the Ḥaram, Ṣafwan ordered his slave Nasṭas to execute Zaid bin Dathinah رضي الله عنه . Nasṭas stepped forward and raised his sword. At this instance, Abu Sufyān bin Ḥarb, the chieftain of Makkah who was also among the spectators stepped forward and addressed Zaid bin Dathinah رضي الله عنه saying, “Tell the truth, does your heart not desire that on this instance, in your stead Muḥammad was in our hands, and we would execute him while you would be spared to spend days of joy with your family?”
The eyes of Zaid bin Dathinah رضي الله عنه began to gorge with blood in rage and he furiously retorted;
“Abu Sufyan! What nonsense do you utter? By God! I would not even prefer that in lieu of me being spared a thorn were to prick the foot of the Messenger of Allah!”
Abu Sufyan uncontrollably proclaimed, “By God, I have never seen any individual love another person as much as the Companions of Muḥammad love Muḥammad .” After this, Nasṭas martyred Zaid bin Dathinah رضي الله عنه . In the context of this very incident of Raji‘, a narration has been related that when the Quraish received news that ‘Aṣim bin Thabit رضي الله عنه was also among those who had been martyred at Raji‘ at the hands of the Banu Laḥyan, since ‘Aṣim bin Thabit رضي الله عنه had slain a principal chieftain of the Quraish, they especially sent some men towards Raji‘, and emphatically instructed them to return with the head of ‘Aṣim bin Thabit رضي الله عنه or another part of his body, so that they could be put to rest and their thirst for revenge could be quenched. It is related in another narration that the mother of the person whom ‘Aṣim bin Thabit رضي الله عنه had slain had vowed that she would drink alcohol in the skull of her son’s killer.
However, the power of Allahﷻ was such that when these people arrived there, lo and behold, they found swarms of hornets and male honey bees resting upon the body of Aṣim bin Thabit رضي الله عنه and they just would not budge. These people tried their level best to send off these hornets and bees, but no attempt proved successful. Finally, with no other choice, they returned frustrated and unsuccessful.
Soon after, a storm of rain came and took the body of ‘Aṣim elsewhere. It is written that upon accepting Islam, ‘Aṣim bin Thabit رضي الله عنه vowed that he would completely abstain from anything that was polytheistic, to the extent that he would not even touch an idolator.
When Saiyidina Umar Ibn al Khattab رضي الله عنه was informed of his martyrdom and of this occurrence in particular, he said;
“Look how beautifully Allahﷻ guards the emotions of his beloved servants. Allahﷻ fulfilled the vowed of Aṣim bin Thabit رضي الله عنه even after his demise and safeguarded him from the touch of idolators.”
The grief which Rasulullahﷺ and his Companions would have felt as a result of the incident of Raji‘ is obvious. However, before this tragic news could reach Madinah, another incident took place. Hence, before we comment on the incident of Raji‘, it is necessary to mention this incident, because both these occurrences were similar in nature, and Rasulullahﷺ received news of them at the same time as well.” [6]
References:
[1] Kitab Al-Tabaqat Al-Kabir by Ibn Sa’d, page 66 – 68
[2] Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah – The Life of Muhammad Translated by A. Guillaume, page 426
[3] The History of al-Tabari – The Victory of Islam: Muhammad at Medina [Michael Fishbein – Translator], volume 8, page 16, footnote 84
[4] Sirat -un- Nabi [Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam] By Shaykh Allamah Shibli Nomani (r.a) – Volume 2, page 79 – 81
[5] Muhammad, the Messenger of Islam: His Life & Prophecy By Hajjah Amina Adil, page 358 – 359
[6] The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyiin) By Mirza Bashir Aḥmad M.A., volume 2, pages 362 – 365
(1) (Bukhari, Jihad, 170; Maghazi, 10, 28; Waqidi, I, 354-363)
(2)(Ibn Hisham, III, 16)
(3) Source: Osman Nuri Topbaş, The Prophet Muhammed Mustafa the Elect II,
(4)(Bukhari, Jihad, 170; Maghazi, 10, 28; Waqidi, I, 354-363)
(5) (Waqidi, I, 361-362)
(6)(Waqidi, I, 359-360)
(7)(Waqidi, I, 360; Ibn Sad, II, 56)
(8)(al-Fajr, 27-30) (Qurtubi, XX, 58; Alusi, XXX, 133)
Rasulullahﷺ
رضي الله عنه
سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى
رضياللهعنه
Allahﷻ
Rasulullahﷺ
Rasulullahﷺ
Allahﷻ
Rasulullahﷺ
Rasulullahﷺ
رضي الله عنهRasulullahﷺ
