Alḥamudulillāh… Infinite thanks and praises are due the Almighty Allah. I send peace and blessings upon Ḥabībī Muḥammad, his household, his companions and all those who follow his guided path, till the Day of Judgement.
The Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam, has said in a ḥadīth reported by Imām Muslim from Sayyidina ʿAli, raḍiya Allahu ʿanhu:
لَعَلَّ اللَّهَ اطَّلَعَ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَدْرٍ فَقَالَ: اِعْمَلُوا مَا شِئْتُمْ فَقَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَكُمْ
It means, “It seems Allāh has looked upon the hearts of those who witnessed [the battle of] Badr and said: Do as you wish, for I’ve forgiven you.”
In Sūrah al-Fatḥ, 48:18-19, Allah declares His Pleasure with the Believers who swore commitment to the Prophet Muḥammad, ṣallā Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam, under the tree, during the treaty of Ḥudaibiyah. It reads:
لَّقَدْ رَضِيَ اللَّـهُ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَنزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَثَابَهُمْ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا ﴿١٨﴾ وَمَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً يَأْخُذُونَهَا، وَكَانَ اللَّـهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا
“Allāh was pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to you [Prophet] under the tree: He knew what was in their hearts and so He sent tranquillity down to them and rewarded them with a victory near at hand and with many future gains. And ever is Allāh Exalted in Might and Wise.”
In the last part of his life, the Prophet Muḥammad, ṣallā Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam, and his companions underwent one of the most challenging journey for a battle, and that was the battle of Tabūk. This battle took place in the end of summer towards spring season in the 9th year after Hijrah. It was therefore dry period when food and water were scarce. It required only genuine sincerity in one’s ʾĪmān (faith) to be able to decide to go. It was, indeed a difficult and challenging trip, as described by the Qurʾān. As a reward for that sacrifice, a verse in Sūrah al-Tawbah, 9:117, declares Allāh’s forgiveness upon the Messenger, the Muhājirīn and the Anṣār, for following the Prophet in the hour of difficulty. The verse reads:
لَّقَد تَّابَ اللَّـهُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ فِي سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَةِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِيقٍ مِّنْهُمْ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ، إِنَّهُ بِهِمْ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ
“Allāh has already forgiven the Prophet, the Muhajireen and the Ansār who followed him in the hour of difficulty after the hearts of a party of them had almost inclined [to doubt], and then He forgave them. Indeed, He was to them Kind and Merciful.”
The three incidents above serve as examples of what the Ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb (whom you’ve possibly never heard of…) experienced in the company of the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam.
You probably thought of Sayyidina ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, when you first saw the title and you read along. Your thoughts are right, for Sayyidunā ʿUmar also attained the honour of all those experiences. But he’s not the Ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb of this article. The Ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb, whom you’ve possibly never heard of, is called Zaid ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb.
Sayyidunā Zaid ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb, raḍiya Allāhuʿanhu, was an elder brother to Sayyidinā ʿUmar ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb. They were, however from different mothers. The links are getting connected to you now, and have started making sense. Right?
Zaid ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb, raḍiya Allāhuʿanhu, embraced Islam with the early adopters of Islam. He also migrated to Abyssinia with the batch that migrated, to escape the brutality of Quraish, especially from Abū Lahab and Abū Jahl. This means, he accepted Islam ahead of Sayyiduna ʿUmar.
Before embracing Islam, Sayyidunā ʿUmar (the younger brother of Zaid) was, expectedly, unkind to Muḥammad and his followers. His presence was so significant that the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ʾalaihi wa sallam, prayed to Allāh to strengthen and support Islam with (the conversion of) one of the two ʾUmars; ʾUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and ʾAmr ibn Hishām. And ʾUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb happened to be the lucky guy.
However, he couldn’t have the courage to harm Zaid. You know why? Sayyiduna Zaid was very special to Sayyiduna ʿUmar. He loved him dearly. So much so that, when Zaid with his fellow Muslims were packing to go to Abyssinia, Sayyidunā ʿUmar happened to find out. He came and bid them a farewell. He also prayed for their safety. It was on that very day that Allāh opened ʿUmar’s heart to accept Islam. The elder ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb only found out his younger brother was truly his full brother (in blood and faith), after he reached Abyssinia. You can imagine his excitement and gratefulness to Allāh for that.
It’s believed that Sayyiduna Zaid and his brother, Sayyiduna ʿUmar, raḍiya Allāhuʿanhuma, migrated together to Yathrib, which later became Madinah. Since he embraced Islam, Zaid ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb accompanied the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam, in all his battles and major events. Therefore, he attended Badr, Hudaibiyah, al-Khandaq, ʾUḥud and Tabūk, to mention a few.
During the battle of ʾUḥud, Zaid’s armour fell off him. ʿUmar offered him his. Zaid rejected the offer and said to his younger brother: I’m looking forward to martyrdom as you do. Please keep your armour.
Musailamah ibn Habīb, widely known as Musailamah Al-Kadhdhāb, went to the Prophet, among others who went from Yamāmah to accept Islam. However, upon reaching Madīnsh, he refused to accept Islam. Instead, he asked the Prophet to include him in the prophecy, just like Hārūn ʿalaihi al-salām was included in the prophecy with Mūsā, ʿalaihi al-salām. The Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam’s, response to him was that Allāh gives prophecy to whom He wills.
Understandably, Musailamah was an ambitious person with high self-esteem. Perhaps, he took the offence in the Prophet’s response to him. Thus, upon returning to Yamāmah, he claimed that Muḥammad had included him in the prophecy, and thus, he is a partner with Muhammad in the mission. He gradually started getting followers. This is not surprising because even if the Devil himself is to appear physically today, he’ll still get followers.
A man from Yamāmah, called Al-Rajjāl ibn ʿUnfuwah, who was then a Muslim, requested from the Prophet to send him to Yamāmah to spread Islam against the claims of Musailamah. This request was granted. Upon reaching Yamāmah, he was stunned by the number of followers of Musailamah. He then thought of playing a political game for personal gains. He imagined he could be someone (of high post) if Musailamah's camp conquers Islam. He immediately denounced his Islam and followed Musailamah, and then became more dangerous on Islam than Musailamah himself.
Musailamah’s claim of prophecy was further strengthened when Al-Rajjāl ibn ʿUnfuwah, bore a false witness that, The Prophet Muḥammad had included Musailamah in his Prophecy. How could people doubt the man, when Muḥammad himself sent him? Musailamah’s followers increased, as result to this progress.
Tactically, Musailamah appointed him as his right hand man. He then started attacking Islam aggressively. Upon hearing this, Zaid (the ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb you’ve possibly never heard of) pledged to Allāh that he will be the one who kills Al-Rajjāl, if the Prophet allows him to.
The Prophet was preparing a troop to face Musailamah. But death hastened to him. After his departure, his successor, Sayyidunā Abu Bakr, raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, decided to fulfil what the Prophet had planned; to stop the fitnah of Musailamah.
After the death of the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallamm, Musailamah declared himself a Messenger of Allāh, since “his partner (in the prophecy, Muḥammad)” was dead. You can guess how his followers had grown by now.
Khālid ibn Al-Walīd, raḍiya Allāhuʿanhu, was appointed the commander of a second troop to combat Musailamah Al-Kadhdhāb. Musailamah’s forces defeated the first troop, led by ʿIkrimah ibn Abū Jahl.
The companions of the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam, were put to their toughest challenge of battling, since his departure. They were almost defeated by Musailamah’s troops. Amidst all that, Zaid ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb, who was carrying the flag of Islam, had two missions (1) to behead Al-Rajjāl (2) to revive the spirit of Muslims in the battlefield. He managed to first attend to Al-Rajjāj, and finished him. The killing off Al-Rajjāl was a key factor that demotivated Musailamah’s camp.
At this moment, many Muslims fell as martyrs, and that created feeling of horror in the hearts of the remaining. It’s worth noting that, some Muslims, who were originally from Yamāmah, denounced their Islam and followed Musailamah to fight the Muslims. Why? Tribalism (racism) remains a disease, which can threaten your faith at any time. Thus, they preferred their tribes to Islam.
Zaid ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb climbed a hill and cried out to the forces: “O people! Gravel your teeth, fight your enemy and go straight. By Allāh, I'll never speak till Allāh beats them or I meet Him and then I give my evidence.”
He then charged against the enemy and continued fighting until he was martyred.
مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ، فَمِنْهُم مَّن قَضَىٰ نَحْبَهُ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَنتَظِرُ، وَمَا بَدَّلُوا تَبْدِيلاً
“Among the believers are men who are true to that which they promised Allah. Some of them have paid their oath by death, and some of them still are waiting; and they have not altered in the least” [Sūrah Fāṭir, 33:23].
The battle continued, and Musailamah met his fate in the hands of Waḥshī ibn Jaḥsh, the slave man, who killed Sayyidinā Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbdul Muṭṭalib in the battle of ʾUḥud. 14,000 fighters were killed among the followers of Musailamah Al-Kadhdhāb, and the 1,200 Muslims were martyred.
Upon hearing of his death, Umar Ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb grieved and said, “My brother beat me to two good things. He beat me to accepting Islam and he beat me to martyrdom,”
There are unnumbered companions of the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam, who embraced Islam from the early days in Makkah, migrated with him to Madinah and even lived a few more years after his departure. Yet, we have never heard of them. Despite his involvement and the silent roles he played, I’m sure some readers (of this piece) are hearing his name for the first time. What about those (and they are the majority) who didn’t play noticeable role in any ever, although they participated? This tells us that there are thousands among the companions of the Prophet, whom we’ve never heard of, and may probably never hear of. Likewise, some of us, despite the new media, will live and go, without being noticed.
Zaid ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb was a reserved person, who kept a low profile. But that didn’t prevent him from being a Muslim who lived with an objective; living for Allāh, and dying for Allāh righteously.
The life story of Zaid ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb tells us that many of us are meant to live such a life. It also tells us that your rewards for your struggles are not determined by how many knows you. They are rather determined by how much Allāh is pleased with you. Many people in your institution or organization may or may not be in the frontline. Either way, Allāh determines whom to give fame. Whether popular or unpopular, let it be for the righteous reason.
What are the lessons you’ve reflected upon from the humble story of Zaid ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb? I would like to hear from you. Please leave your comment below.
If you are reading the story of Zaid ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb for the first or second time, then the chances are the person next to you is yet to know this name. Please consider sharing it with him.
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Allah knows best.
Allāhu Hāfiz 🙂
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