THOSE WHO SERVED HIM FROM THE COMPANIONS OTHER THAN HIS MAWALI (FREED SLAVES)
From them is Anas Ibn Malik Ibn An-Nadr Ibn Damdam Ibn Zaid Ibn Haram Ibn Jundub Ibn Asim Ibn Ghanm Ibn ‘Adiyy Ibn An-Najjar Al-Ansari Al-Najjari Abu Hamzah Al-Madani, inhabitant of Basrah. He served the Messenger of Allah for the period of his stay in Madinah for 10 years. The Prophet didn’t even once scorn him for something he did, nor did he say about anything whatever he did. And his mother was Umm Sulaim Bint Milhan Ibn Khalid Ibn Zaid Ibn Haram. She is the one who gave him to the Messenger of Allah and he accepted him, and asked him to pray for him. He said: “O Allah increase his wealth, his children, lengthen his life and admit him into Paradise.” Anas said: I saw two (matters) and I am waiting for the third. By Allah, I have a lot of wealth, and my children and grandchildren exceed 100.
And in a narration, “And my vineyard harvests twice a year. And my children from my backbone are 106.” There is a difference of opinion over his participation in Badr. Al-Ansari narrated from his father, from Thumamah that he said, “It was said to Anas: Did you participate in Badr? He replied, “And where can I be absent from Badr? You have no mother (a type of taunt in Arabic).” That which is well-known is that he didn’t participate in Badr due to his young age, and he didn’t participate in Uhud also for that reason. And he participated in Hudaibiyah, Khaibar, Umratul-Qada’, the Conquest (of Makkah), Hunain, Ta’if and that which followed.
Abu Hurairah said, “I have not seen anyone more similar in prayer to the Messenger of Allah than Ibn Umm Sulaim – i.e. Anas Ibn Malik.”
Ibn Seereen said, “He was the best of the people in prayer, on his journey and while stationary.” He died in Basrah and he is the last of those who remained there from the Companions according to what ‘Ali Ibn Al-Madeeni mentioned and that is in Year 90 A.H. and it has also been said 91 A.H. It has also been said 92 A.H. and it has been said 93 A.H., which is the most well-known and what the majority (of the scholars) were upon. As for his age the day he died, Imam Ahmad narrated in his Musnad from Humaid that Anas lived for 99 years. The least of what has been mentioned is 96 years and the most that has been mentioned is 107 years and it has also been said variously 106 and 103 years. And Allah (SWT) knows best.
And from them: Al-Asla‘ Ibn Shareek Ibn ‘Awf Al-A‘raji. Muhammad Ibn Sa‘d said: His name was Maimoon Ibn Sinbadh.
And from them: Asma’ Ibn Harithah Ibn Sa‘eed Ibn Abdullah Ibn Ghiyath Ibn Sa‘d Ibn ‘Amr Ibn ‘Amir Ibn Tha‘labah Ibn Malik Ibn Afsa Al-Aslami and he was from the People of Suffah (as) Muhammad Ibn Sa‘d has mentioned. And he is the brother of Hind Ibn Harithah from the servants of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, apart from his Mawali, and they would serve the Prophet.
Muhammad Ibn Sa‘d said: Asma’ Ibn Harithah died in the Year 66 A.H. in Basrah at 80 years of age.
And from them: Bilal Ibn Rabah Al-Habashi. He was born in Makkah, and he was a freed slave of Umayyah bin Khalaf. Abu Bakr bought him for a big amount of money because Umayyah would give him a severe punishment in refusing to apostate from the religion of Islam and he refused to accept any other religion except Islam – may Allah be pleased with him. Abu Bakr bought him and then freed. Thereafter, he migrated with other people and participated in the battles of Badr and Uhud and the battles after them, may Allah be pleased with him.
He was also known as Bilal Ibn Hamamah whereas Hamamah was his mother. He was from the most eloquent of people, contrary to what people believe that his (pronunciation of the Arabic letter) Seen was Sheen, to the extent that some people narrate a Hadith that has no basis from the Messenger of Allah that he indeed said, “Verily, the Seen of Bilal is a Sheen.”
He was one of the four Mu’adhdhins account of which is going to come. He was the first to pronounce the Adhan as we mentioned and he was in charge of spending on children and he had a sum of money that was with him (all the time). When the Messenger of Allah passed away he was from those who went to Ash-Sham for battle. And it has been mentioned He established the Adhan for Abu Bakr during the days of his Caliphate and the first is more authentic and renowned.
Al-Waqidi said: He died in Damascus in the Year 20 A.H. and he was over 60 years old. Al-Fallas said: In Ash-Sham, his grave is in Darayya. And it is also said that he died in Halab. The truth is that the one who died in Halab was his brother Khalid. Makhool said: Someone who saw Bilal informed me that he was very tanned, thin, little flesh on his cheeks, he had lots of hair and he wouldn’t dye his white hair.
And from them: Bukair bin ash-Shaddakh al-Laithi. Ibn Mandah mentioned it.
And from them: Habbah and Sawa’, the two sons of Khalid.
And from them: Dhu Mikhmar and he has also been called Dhu Mikhbar. He was the son of the brother of Abyssinian King Najashi. He is also known as the son of his sister. However, the first is correct. He sent him to serve the Messenger of Allah as a substitute for himself.
And from them: Rabee‘ah bin Ka‘b al-Aslami, Abu Firas.
And from them: Sa‘d Mawla Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (May Allah be pleased with him) He is also known as the Mawla of the Prophet.
And from them: Abdullah bin Rawahah; he entered Makkah on the day of Umratul-Qada’ while leading the she-camel of the Messenger of Allah and he was saying:
“Eradicate the sons of the disbelievers from his path,
Today we will hit you upon its (Qur’an’s) interpretation
Just as we struck you upon its revelation a blow
That will remove the head of the arrow shaft
And will occupy the close friend from his close friend.”
And Abdullah bin Rawahah was killed months after this on the day of (battle) Mu’tah as was mentioned previously.
And from them: Abdullah bin Mas‘ood – the servant of the Prophet, peace be upon him – bin Ghafil bin Habeeb bin Shamkh Abu Abdur- Rahman al-Hudhali, one of the Imams of the Companions: He made two Hijrahs and participated in the Battle of Badr and that which followed it. He would carry the sandals of the Prophet, assist him in his ablution and prepare his riding animal if he wished to ride. He had the longest hand in explaining (Tafseer) of the words of Allah and he had immense knowledge, grace and tolerance.
In a Hadith the Messenger of Allah said to his Companions when they were astonished by the thinness of his shins: “By the One in Whose Hands is my soul, they are heavier than Mount Uhud on the scales (that weighs good deeds and bad deeds).” And Umar ‘bin Khattab said concerning Ibn Mas‘ood: He is a vessel filled with knowledge. And it is said that he was of a thin stature and had good manners.
And it is said: He would cause the seated to have good conduct when he walked, and he was similar to the Prophet in his guidance, mannerisms and conduct, i.e., he would be similar to the Prophet in his actions, stillness and speech. He would emulate and copy his worship according to his ability. He died in the days of ‘Uthman in the Year 32 A.H. or 33 A.H. in Madinah at 63 years of age, and it has also been said that he died in Kufah, and the first (opinion) is more correct.
And from them: Uqbah bin Amir al-Juhani.
And from them: Qais bin Sa‘d bin Ubadah al-Ansari al-Khazraji.
And from them: Al-Mugheerah bin Shu‘bah ath-Thaqafi. He was like a bodyguard in the presence of the Messenger of Allah as he stood at the head of the Prophet raising a sword in his hand in the tent on the Day of Al-Hudaibiyah. Everytime his paternal uncle Urwah bin Mas‘ood ath-Thaqafi would come close to the beard of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him – according to the tradition of the Arabs in their speech – he would hit his hand with the edge of the sword and say: Move your hand from the beard of the Messenger of Allah before it (your hand) doesn’t return to you.
Muhammad bin Sa‘d and others said: He participated in all the battles with the Messenger of Allah and he made him in charge along with Abu Sufyan when they went and destroyed the idol of the people of Ta’if called “Rabbah” or al-Lat. He was considered clever from amongst the cleverest Arabs. Ash-Sha‘bi said I heard him say: Nobody [has] ever defeated me. And ash-Sha‘bi said: I heard Qabeesah bin Jabir say: I accompanied al-Mugheerah bin Shu‘bah and if there was a city with eight gates that nobody could leave except by extensive planning, he would have left from its gates. Ash-Sha‘bi also said: The judges are four: Abu Bakr, Umar, Ibn Mas‘ood, and Abu Moosa. And the intelligent men were four: Mu‘awiyah, Amr bin al-As, al-Mugheerah and Ziyad. Az-Zuhri said: The intelligent men were five: Mu‘awiyah, ‘Amr, al-Mugheerah and two with Ali and they were; Qais bin Sa‘d bin Ubadah and Abdullah bin Budail bin Warqa’.
Imam Malik said: Al-Mugheerah bin Shu‘bah was a man who would often marry women and he would say: The one who has one (wife) if she menstruates then he also menstruates with her and if she is ill then he becomes ill with her. And the one who has two is between two burning fires. He said: So he would marry four and divorce them together. And others said: He married 80 women and it is also said 300 women. And it has also been mentioned that he married 1,000 women. The date of his death has been differed over with many varying opinions, the most renowned and correct of them was the one al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi mentioned a consensus upon that he died in the Year 50 A.H.
And from them: al- Miqdad bin al-Aswad Abu Ma‘bad al-Kindi [tribe] ally of the tribe Zuhrah.
And from them: Muhajir Mawla Umm Salamah.
And from them: Abus-Samh.
And from them was the best of the Companions in totality, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq. He served him out of his own accord in the journey of the Hijrah, especially in the cave and after they left it, until they reached Madinah as has been extensively mentioned previously and for Allah is all praise and grace.
By Ibn Katheer
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