Men of Excellence
After reciting the Tashahhud, Ta’awwuz, and Surah Al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) stated:
Today, I will resume the series of the accounts of the lives of the Badri companions of the Holy Prophet (sa) from the last sermon on 20th September. In that sermon I mentioned the incidence of the martyrdom of Hazrat Khubaib (ra) bin Adi. At the time of his martyrdom, he requested Allah the Almighty to convey his salaam [his greetings of peace] to the Holy Prophet (sa) as there was no one else to do so, and Allah the Almighty did indeed convey his salaam to the Holy Prophet (sa). At the time, the Holy Prophet (sa) was sitting with his Companions (ra), he replied with wa ‘alaikum as-salaam and informed the Companions (ra) about his martyrdom.
The Holy Prophet (sa) sentenced the perpetrator of this heinous act, Abu Sufyan, who was responsible for this killing, to death. Hazrat Amr Bin Umayyah and Hazrat Jabbar (ra) bin Sakhr Ansari were sent on this mission. They went to Makkah, did circuits of Ka’aba and set out in search of Abu Sufyan. There, they were recognised by a Makkan, so they had to kill him in self-defence. Later, at night, they set off back to Medina, on the way they passed by a party, which was guarding the body of Hazrat Khubaib (ra) bin Adi. When Hazrat Jabbar (ra) reached the plank of wood on which Hazrat Khubaib (ra) was hung, he quickly picked it up and ran away. Hazrat Jabbar (ra) threw that wood in a stream nearby. The current of the water washed away the body and the Makkans were unable to get their hands on the body to disrespect his body after his martyrdom. Thus God protected his blessed body.
During the captivity before his martyrdom, Hazrat Khubaib (ra) was a model Muslim. This account is narrated by Ma’wiyah, who was the freed female slave of Hujair bin Abu Ayhab, in Mecca, and Khubaib (ra) was imprisoned at her house so that he may be killed as soon as the sacred months have passed. Ma’wiyah narrates that she has not seen anyone better than Hazrat Khubaib (ra). She saw him eat a large bunch of grapes, when there were no grapes available in Makkah. Hazrat Khubaib (ra) requested Ma’wiyah not to give him any meat slaughtered in the name of idols. Ma’wiyah narrates that once a timing of his execution was set after the sacred months, Hazrat Khubaib (ra) did not care the least about being killed. Once she found him with a sharp razor in his hand and her young son close by, she was worried that Hazrat Khubaib (ra) may kill her son in revenge. At this, Hazrat Khubaib (ra) replied, ‘I am not like this and would not kill him. We do not consider betrayal lawful in our religion.”
Later, Hazrat Khubaib (ra) was shackled in chains and taken to Tanim three miles from Mecca towards Medina. Children, women, slaves and many people from Mecca had gathered to see Khubaib (ra)’s murder. Some people were there to seek vengeance for their elders who were killed in the battle. Others present were enemies of Islam and wished to watch his execution and take joy from it. The idolaters brought Khubaib (ra) near a piece of wood dug in the ground to tie him to this before killing him. Hazrat Khubaib (ra) asked permission to offer two units [raka’at] of prayer. Then he was martyred. At the time of his martyrdom, his last words were: “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 God…” Such were his standards of love and devotion. Before he was martyred, his only desire which he expressed was to offer Nafal prayers before His Lord. He also desired that his greetings of peace [Salaam] be conveyed to the Holy Prophet (sa) and God Almighty fulfilled that desire as well.
The next companion to be mentioned is Hazrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salool (ra). Hazrat Abdullah (ra) was from Banu ‘Auf, a branch of the Khazraj tribe of the Ansar. He was the son of the Chief of the Hypocrites, Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salool. He was a very sincere, loyal, and devoted companion of the Holy Prophet (sa). He fought alongside the Holy Prophet (sa) at the time of Badr, Uhud and all other battles. He was able to read and write and had the honour of being one of the scribes of the Holy Qur’an.
Abu Sufiyaan had challenged the Muslims during the Battle of Uhud that the following year they will face each other once again at the location of Badr and the Holy Prophet (sa) announced his acceptance of this challenge. Hence, the next year, in 4 A.H. at the end of the month of Shawwal, the Holy Prophet (sa) set out from Madinah with a force of 1,500 Companions and appointed ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abdullah bin Ubayy as the Amir in his absence. Abu Sufyan set out from Makkah with his 2,000 warriors. However, the power of God was such that the Muslims reached Badr according to their promise, but the army of the Quraish came out to some distance and then retreated to Makkah. The Muslim army stayed at Badr for eight days, and generated profits by engaging in trade in a nearby carnival. When the carnival came to an end, and the army of the Quraish did not arrive, the Holy Prophet (sa) departed from Badr and returned to Madinah. The Quraish returned to Makkah and began to prepare for an attack upon Madinah. This Ghazwah is known as the Ghazwah of Badrul-Mau‘id. Hazrat ‘Abdullah (ra) was martyred in 12 AH in the Battle of Yamamah, during the era of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra).
Hazrat Abdullah (ra)’s father, Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salool was the head hypocrite. He was hoping to be appointed as a leader of Medina, but after he migrated to Medina, the Holy Prophet (sa) was appointed as the leader. This upset Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salool. He resented the prophet of God, but when God Almighty granted the Holy Prophet (sa) victory at Badr, Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salool became a Muslim. However, his acceptance of Islam was only owing to fear because they realised that Muslims had won the Battle of Badr. His hypocrisy became clear during the battle of Uhud. When the Muslim army of 1000 men and youth set out to face a much larger Makkan army, halfway through, Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salool, turned back with his 300 allies, saying this is not a war, this is a journey to death! This left only 700 Muslims to face the 3,000 warriors of the Quraish. I shall relate more in the next sermon, InshAllah.
I will now mention some details regarding a deceased member, respected Khwaja Rashid-ul-din Qamar Sahib, son of Maulana Qamar-ul-Din Sahib, and I will also be leading his funeral prayer in absentia. Khwaja Rashid-ul-din Qamar Sahib passed away at the age of 86 on 10th October after suffering from an illness – Innna lillahi wa inna ilahi rajioon – Surely to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return. He was a pious and kind individual with many high attributes and had an extraordinary loyal relationship with Khilafat. During the final days of his illness, he also came to visit me a few days before this tour. He was diagnosed with cancer and endured gruelling treatment with great patience and steadfastness. May Allah the Almighty grant him His forgiveness and mercy and grant him the company of his loved ones and also enable his children and future progeny to continue his good deeds.