60. MENTION OF SOMETHING OF THE STORY OF UMAYYAH IBN ABIS-SALT ATH-THAQAFI
Mention of Something of the Story of Umayyah Ibn Abis-Salt Ath-Thaqafi, Who Was One of the Poets of the Jahiliyyah and Who Lived During the Era of Islam
Al-Hafiz ibn ‘Asakir said, “He was Umayyah Ibn Abis-Salt ‘Abdullah Ibn Abi Rabee‘ah ibn ‘Awf Ibn ‘Uqdah Ibn ‘Ghiyarah Ibn ‘Awf Ibn Thaqeef Ibn Munabbih Ibn Bakr Ibn Hawazin Abu ‘Uthman.” It was said that he was a righteous man and that at first, he had faith, but later, he deviated from it and that it was he who was referred to in the Words of Allah, Most High: {And recite (O, Muhammad) to them the story of him to whom We gave Our Ayat, but he threw them away, so Shaitan (Satan) followed him up, and he became of those who went astray} (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:175)
And ‘Abdur-Razzaq said that Ath-Thawri said, “Habeeb Ibn Abi Thabit informed me that ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr said regarding the Words of Allah, Most High: {And recite (O, Muhammad) to them the story of him to whom We gave Our Ayat, but he threw them away, so Shaitan followed him up, and he became of those who went astray} (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:175), “He was Umayyah Ibn Abu As-Salt. on the authority of Nafi‘ Ibn ‘Asim Ibn Mas‘ood that he said, “I was in a gathering which included ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr and a man from among the people recited the verse which is in Soorah Al-A‘raf: {And recite (O, Muhammad) to them the story of him to whom We gave Our Ayat, but he threw them away} (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:175) and he said, “Do you know who he is?” One of them said, “He is Saifi Ibn Ar-Rahib.” Another said, “Nay, he is Bal‘am, a man from Banu Isra’eel.” He said, No.” They asked, “Then who?” He replied, “Umayyah Ibn Abis-Salt.” This was also said by Abu Salih and Al-Kalbi and Qatadah transmitted it from some of them.
And Al-Hafiz Ibn ‘Asakir narrated on the authority of Az-Zuhri that he said, “Umayyah ibn Abis-Salt said:
Will not a Messenger come to us from among us, informing us,About what is after our destination, and (who is) from our tribe.”
He said, “Then Umayyah Ibn Abis-Salt set out for Bahrain and the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) announced his Prophethood, and Umayyah Ibn Abis-Salt remained in Bahrain for eight years. After that, he traveled to At-Ta’if and he said to them, what does Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdullah say?” They said, “He said, “He claims that he is a Prophet and that he is the one you were hoping for.” So he set out for Makkah and met with him and he said to him, “O, son of ‘Abdul-Muttalib! What is it that you are saying?” He said, “I say that I am the Messenger of Allah and that none has the right to be worshipped but He.” He said, “I wish to speak to you, so meet me tomorrow.” The Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Your appointment is on the morrow.” Umayyah said, “Do you desire that I come to you alone, or with a group of my Companions? Or will you come to me alone, or with a group of your companions?” The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) replied, “Whatever you wish.” He said, “Then I will come to you in a group.” Ibn ‘Asakir said, “So the next morning, Umayyah came with a group from Quraish and a number of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) also came to him and they sat in the shade of the Ka‘bah. Umayyah began to speak and then he began to compose some poetry and to recite it aloud. After he finished reciting it, he said, “Answer me, O, son of ‘Abdul-Muttalib!” The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) recited: “ {In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful, Ya Seen. (These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’an, and none but Allah [Alone] knows their meanings). By the Qur’an, full of wisdom (i.e. full of laws, evidences, and proofs)} (Soorah Ya Seen 36:1,2) – until the end of the Soorah. Then Umayyah leapt up and Quraish followed him, saying, “What do you say, O, Umayyah?” He said, “I bear witness that he is following the truth.” They asked, “Will you follow him?” He said, “Until I have considered his case.” Ibn ‘Asakir said, “Umayyah departed for Ash-Sham and the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) went to Al-Madinah. When the participants in the Battle of Badr were killed, Umayyah came from Ash-Sham and camped at Badr. Then he set out in search of the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and someone asked him, “What do you want, O, Abus-Salt?” He said, “I want Muhammad.” The questioner asked him, “And what will you do?” He said, “I will declare my belief in him and place my fate in his hands.” The questioner asked him, “Do you know who is in the well?” Umayyah said, “No.” He said, “In it are ‘Utbah Ibn Rabee‘ah and Shaibah Ibn Rabee‘ah, who are your maternal uncle’s sons and his (your uncle’s) mother is Rabee‘ah Bint ‘Abd Shams.” On hearing this, he cut off the ears and tail of his she-camel, then he stood beside the well and recited a long poem, lamenting the loss of life:
What was in Badr? It was as a valley full of people,
Who are ready and willing to rush to one’s aid,
Badr was a battle where swords were flashing,
As the warriors moved across the sands,
The warriors were of all ages and sizes and very strong,
Can you not see what I see? The battle was very clear,
Can you not see that Makkah has become strong and ferocious?
Warriors were like friends who loved one another,
They were like kings during the battle,
They were tall, muscular and very strong,
And they did whatever they wanted during the battle,
Everything they said and did was good,
They were generous and used to feed people,
From the best food available to them,
There were giant pans full of food,
And they had food for whoever wanted it,
Their homes were always open and welcoming to guests,
They gave them anything that they needed,
And they gave them camels from the valley of Baladih,
Their generosity is more than any in the world,
They gave to people without counting the cost,
They are betrayed by people and they are the defenders,
When they fight with their swords,
They compete to be first on the battlefield,
I was sad when I heard them screaming on the battlefield,
May Allah bless the married and the single ones among them,
When they approached, the enemy would retreat in fear,
They advanced on their horses and ate up the distance,
And galloped for a long time, their heads held High,
These horses are like lions, strong and aggressive,
When the armies met with each other face to face,
They were as close as people shaking hands,
They were magnificent, thousand upon thousand,
Including those wearing armor and those bearing spears.
Then he returned to Makkah and At-Ta’if and abandoned Islam.
Some said that he used to study the languages of animals and that while on a journey, he passed by a bird and he said to his companions, “This bird says such-and-such.” And they said, “We do not know the truth of what he is saying,” until they passed by a flock of sheep and they saw that an ewe and its lamb had become detached from the rest of the flock. He looked toward it and it bleated, as if it was prompting it to hasten and he said, “Do you know what it is saying to its lamb?” They said, “No.” He said, “It is saying, “Let us hasten, so that the wolf does not come and eat you, just as it ate your brother last year.” So they hurried on until they met the shepherd and they asked him if a wolf had eaten one of his sheep last year in that place, and he said, “Yes.” It was also said that one day he passed by a camel being ridden by a woman and it was raising its head toward her and foaming at the mouth. He said, “It is saying to her, “You are riding me and under the saddle there is a needle.” So they made the woman dismount and they removed the saddle and found underneath it a needle, as he had said.
And it has been confirmed in an authentic hadeeth on the authority of Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that he said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “The truest word spoken by a poet was the saying of Labeed:
Verily, everything except Allah is perishable.
– and Umayyah Ibn Abis-Salt almost embraced Islam.”
And Imam Ahmad narrated on the authority of Ash-Shareed (May Allah be pleased with him) that he said, “I was riding mounted behind the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and he said to me, “Do you know any of Umayyah Ibn Abis-Salt’s poetry?” I replied, “Yes.” He said, “Then recite it to me.” So I recited a verse to him and after each verse I recited to him, he would say, “Yes,” until I had recited a hundred verses to him. Then the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) remained silent, so I became silent.”
It was also narrated thus by Imam Muslim, and in some narrations, it was stated, “Then the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, Be it that he almost embraced Islam.”
And it was narrated on the authority of Al-Asma‘i that he used to recite from the poetry of Umayyah:
Praise Allah, for He is Worthy of praise,
Our Lord is in the highest place,
(He is praised) highly in the evening,
In the highest edifice, which preceded,
The creation of mankind and He fashioned,
Above the heaven a Throne which is carried,
No eye has seen it, even the angels who bear it,
Avert their gaze from it.
Also from the admirable poetry of Umayyah is:
They do not violate the earth when they ask,
As if they are searching for excuses with sticks,
Rather, their faces shine and you see them,
When they ask, in the best color,
And when the poor man rises in the midst of their steeds,
They refer him to the Lord of the horses and the slaves,
And if you called them to every misfortune,
They would block the rays of the sun with their horses.
This is the end of the biography of Umayyah Ibn Abis-Salt. Mention of Quss Ibn Sa‘idah Al-Iyadi.
It is reported on the authority of ‘Ubadah Ibn As-Samit that he said, “A delegation visted the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) from Iyad and he said to them, “O, members of the delegation of Iyad! What has happened to Quss Ibn Sa‘idah Al-Iyadi?” They replied, “He has died, O, Messenger of Allah.” He said, “I witnessed him one day on the market of ‘Ukaz, on a red camel, speaking admirable and elegant words, which I find myself unable to remember.” Then a Bedouin from among the most remote people stood up and said, “I remember them, O, Messenger of Allah!” On hearing this, the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) looked pleased. The Bedouin said, “He was in the market of ‘Ukaz, on a red camel and he said:
O, assembly of people! Gather round,
for all those who pass away have gone, And everything that is to come will come,
A dark night, a starry evening and a roaring sea,
Stars that shine, firmly fixed mountains and flowing rivers,
Verily, in the heaven there is a message,
And in the earth there is a warning,
Why do I see the people going and not returning?
Are they happy to stand in prayer and so they pray?
Or do they abandon it and sleep?
Quss swears an oath to Allah,
Of which there is no doubt,
Verily, Allah’s Religion is more pleasing,
Than this religion if yours.
Then he recited these verses:
In those of the earlier generations who have gone,
There are insights for us,
When I saw the destinations of the dead,
Without origins,
And I saw my people like them,
The great and small depart,
None of those who have departed come to you,
And none of those who remain have departed,
I am certain that it is inevitable,
That I shall go where they have gone.
Its isnad is ghareeb from this source.
Al-Jarood Ibn Al-Mu‘alla Ibn Hanash Ibn Mu‘alla Al-‘Abdi was a Christian who was renowned for his explanation and exegesis of the Scriptures and he was knowledgeable regarding the history and parables of Persia. He was also a learned philosopher and physician, shrewd, well mannered and handsome in appearance. He possessed great wealth and property and he was one of a delegation from ‘Abdul-Qais, all of whom were intelligent and eloquent men, who visited the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and when he met the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), he stood in front of him and began to declaim:
O, Prophet of guidance! Men have come to you,
Having crossed vast tracts of desert,
And traversed barren lands to reach you,
And they did not consider tiredness,
In their eagerness to see you,
All of Bahma’ avert their eyes from them,
As they spurred on their steeds,
They raced to traverse it,
In armor, like twinkling stars,
Seeking to avert the harm of a great Day,
Terrible, paining the hearts and frightening,
When all of creation will be gathered,
Estranged and separated,
For those who persisted in error,
They rode toward Light from the Deity,
And in order to find proof and piety,
Allah has chosen you, o, son of Aminah,
For goodness, since clouds filled with rain have come,
So let great good come from you, o, Proof of Allah,
For there is no good for one who stays behind.
After he finished, the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) approached him and sat close to him, then he said to him, “O, Jarood! The promise for you and your people has been delayed.” Al-Jarood replied, “May my father and mother be ransomed for you! Has not whoever delayed in coming to you lost his opportunity? And that would be the greatest sin and the worst punishment. I am not among those who have seen you or heard of you and then opposed you and followed someone other than you. I am presently a follower of the faith that you know (i.e. Christianity). I have come to you and here and now, I abandon it in favor of your Religion. Does that purify the sins, misdeeds and offenses that I have committed, and does such an action from the slave please the Lord?” The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said to him, “I guarantee that for you; now devote yourself to belief in Allah’s Oneness and leave behind you the religion of Christianity.” Al-Jarood replied, “May my father and mother be ransomed for you! Extend your hand, for I bear witness that none is worthy of worship except Allah, Alone, without partners and I bear witness that you, Muhammad, are His slave and His Messenger.” So he embraced Islam and those with him from his people also embraced Islam. The Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was happy with their Islam and showed them such hospitality as pleased them and delighted them. Then the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) came to them and said, “Is there anyone among you who is acquainted with Quss Ibn Sa‘idah Al-Iyadi?” Al-Jarood replied, “May my father and mother be ransomed for you! All of us know him and I am the best acquainted of all of them with him and his circumstances. Quss, O, Messenger of Allah, was one of the sons of the Arabs; he lived for six hundred years, of which five were spent in the deserts and wastelands, raising his voice in glorification (of Allah), in imitation of the Messiah, during which time he remained unsettled, had no home to shelter him and heard not the sound of any neighbor. He used to wear hair shirts and travel alone for the purpose of worship and he never tired of his monasticism. He used to drink from ostrich eggs and keep the company of reptiles and vermin. He enjoyed the darkness. He would look and reflect and he would think and seek information. As a result of all this, his name became a byword for wisdom and terrors were removed through him. He was a contemporary of the head of the Disciples, Sam‘an (Simon) and he was the first person from among the Arabs to believe in Allah’s Oneness and devote himself to His service and to declare his certain belief in the Resurrection and the Reckoning. He warned the people against an evil return (i.e. the Hellfire) and he ordered them to do good deeds before it was too late and warned them against death. He submitted to Allah’s Divine Decree – whether in times of ease or in times of hardship – and he composed laments in poetic verse and he used to visit graves. He reminded them of the Resurrection and contemplated Allah’s Divine Ordainments. He demonstrated his knowledge and wisdom in numerous ways, pointing out to the people the many proofs of Allah’s existence in creation: in the heavens and the Earth, in the rotation of night and day, in the sun and the moon, in the wind and the rain, the land and the seas, in the existence of male and female throughout nature and many more signs too numerous to mention. He declared that Allah is One God, that He was not born and that He has no father, that He gives life and causes death. He called upon them to dwell on the fate of ‘Ad and Thamood and the fate of their fathers and their forefathers. He told them that all of them would have their just deserts in the Hereafter, good for good and evil for evil.” And it is he who said:
Remembrance of Allah fills the heart with love,
As night is followed by day,
And dark clouds filled with rain,
Pour down water, and inside them is fire,
Its light blinds the eyes and,
Violent thunder causes hearts to flutter,
And lofty palaces are filled with goodness,
While others are empty and devoid of it,
And high mountains are firmly anchored,
And seas whose waters are abundant,
And stars that shine in the darkness of night,
We see them every day revolving,
Then a sun that is urged on by the evening moon,
And each follows the other in succession,
And young, grey-haired and old,
All of them will be equal on a Day that is coming,
And their minds will be unable to imagine,
And all of these things that I have mentioned,
Show the hearts the way to Allah,
Those that are rightly-guided and reflect.
The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “No matter what I forget, I will never forget him in the market of ‘Ukaz, sitting on his red camel and addressing the people thus: “Gather and listen, and if you hear, remember it and if you remember it, then benefit from it. And speak, and if you speak, speak the truth.
Whoever lives will die and whoever dies will pass away. And everything that comes comes, rain and plants and the living and the dead.”
By Ibn Katheer
Comments
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.