The Book of the Merits of the Companions
كتاب فضائل الصحابة رضى الله تعالى عنهم
Chapter 34: The Virtues Of Hassan Bin Thabit (RA)
This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Hishim with the same chain of transmitters.
I visited 'A'isha when Hassin was sitting there and reciting verses from his compilation: She is chaste and prudent. There is no calumny against her and she rises up early in the morning without eating the meat of the un- mindful. 'A'isha said: But you are not so. Masruq said: I said to her: Why do you permit him to visit you, whereas Allah has said:" And as for him among them who took upon himself the main part thereof, he shall have a grievous punishment" (XXIV. ll)? Thereupon she said: What tornient can be more severe than this that he has become blind? He used to write satire as a rebuttal on behalf of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ).
This hadith has been reported on the authority of Shu'ba with the same chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of wording.
Allah's Messenger, permit me to write satire against Abu Sufyan, whereupon he said: How can it be because I am also related to him? Thereupon he (Hassan) said: By Him Who has honoured you. I shall draw you out from them (their family) just as hair is drawn out from the fermented (flour). Thereupon Hassan said: The dignity and greatness belongs to the tribe of Bint Makhzum from amongst the tribe of Hisham, whereas your father was a slave.
'Urwa reported on the same chain of transmitters that Hassan b. Thabit sought permission from Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) to satirise against the polytheists, but he did not mention Abu Sufyan. And instead of the word al- Khamir, the word al-'Ajin was used.
Now you have called for this lion who strikes (the enemies) with his tail. He then brought out his tongue and began to move it and said: By Him Who has sent you with Truth, I shall tear them with my tongue as the leather is torn. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Don't be hasty; (let) Abu Bakr who has the best know- ledge of the lineage of the Quraish draw a distinction for you in regard to my lineage, as my lineage is thesame as theirs. Hassan then came to him (Abu Bakr) and after making inquiry (in regard to the lineage of the Holy Prophet) came back to him (the holy Prophet) and said: Allah's Messenger, he (Abu Bakr) has drawn a distinction in vour lineage (and that of the Quraish) By Him Who has sent you with Truth, I shall draw out from them (your name) as hair is drawn out from the flour. 'A'isha said: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying to Hassin: Verily Ruh-ul- Qudus would continue to help you so long as you put up a defence on behalf of Allah and His Messenger. And she said: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying: Hassan satirised against them and gave satisfaction to the (Muslims) and disquieted (the non-Muslims). You satirised Muhammad, but I replied on his behalf, And there is reward with Allah for this. You satirised Muhammad. virtuous, righteous, The Apostle of Allah, whose nature is truthfulness. So verily my father and his father and my honour Are a protection to the honour of Muhammad; May I lose my dear daughter, if you don't see her, Wiping away the dust from the two sides of Kada', They pull at the rein, going upward; On their shoulders are spears thirsting (for the blood of the enemy) ; our steeds are sweating-our women wipe them with their mantles. If you had not interfered with us, we would have performed the 'Umra, And (then) there was the Victory, and the darkness cleared away. Otherwise wait for the fighting on the day in which Allah will honour whom He pleases. And Allah said: I have sent a servant who says the Truth in which there is no ambiguity; And Allah said: I have prepared an army-they are the Ansar whose object is fighting (the enemy), There reaches every day from Ma'add abuse, or fighting or satire; Whoever satirises the Apostle from amongst you, or praises him and helps it is all the same, And Gabriel, the Messenger of Allah is among us, and the Holy Spirit who has no match.
Chapter 35: The Virtues Of Abu Hurairah [Ad-Dawsi] (RA)
I invited my mother, who was a polytlieist, to Islam. I invited her one day and she said to me something about Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) which I hated. I came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) weeping and said: Allah's Messenger, I invited my mother to Islam but she did not accept (my invitation). I invited her today but she said to me something which I did not like. (Kindly) supplicate Allah that He may set the mother of Abu Huraira right. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: O Allah, set the mother of Abu Huraira on the right path. I came out quite pleased with the supplication of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) and when I came near the door it was closed from within. My mother heard the noise of my footsteps and she said: Abu Huraira, just wait. And I heard the noise of falling of water. She took a bath and put on the shirt and quickly covered her head with a headdress and opened the door and then said: Abu Huraira, I bear witness to the fact that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His bondsman and His Messenger. He (Abu Huraira) said: I went back to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and (this time) I was shedding the tears of joy. I said: Allah's Messenger, be happy, for Allah has responded to your supplication and He has set on the right path the mother of Abu Huraira. He (the Holy Prophet) praised Allah, and extolled Him and uttered good words. I said: Allah's Messenger, supplicate to Allah so that He may instill love of mine and that of my mother too in the believing servants and let our hearts be filled with their love, whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: O Allah, let there be love of these servants of yours, i.e. Abu Huraira and his mother, in the hearts of the believing servants and let their hearts be filled with the love of the believing servants. (Abu Huraira said: This prayer) was so well granted by Allah that no believer was ever born who heard of me and who saw me but did not love me.
You are under the impression that Abu Huraira transmits so many ahadith from Allah's Messenger (may peace up upon him) ; (bear in mind) Allah is the great Reckoner. I was a poor man and I served Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) being satisfied with bare subsistence, whereas the immigrants remained busy with transactions in the bazar; while the Ansar had been engaged in looking after their properties. (He further reported) that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: He who spreads the cloth would not forget anything that he would hear from me. I spread my cloth until he narrated something. I then pressed it against my (chest), so I never forgot anything that I heard from him.
" who spreads his cloth," to the end.
Don't you feel surprised at Abu Huraira? He came (one day) and sat beside the nook of my apartment and began to narrate (the hadith of Allah's Apostle). I was hearing while I was engaged in extolling Allah (reciting Subhan Allah) constantly. He stood up before I finished my repetition of Subhan Allah. if I were to meet him I would have warned him in stern words that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did not speak so quickly as you talk.
People say that Abu Huraira transmits so many ahadith, whereas Allah is the Reckoner, and they say: How is it with Muhajirs and the Ansar that they do not narrate ahadith like him (like Abu Huraira)? Abu Huraira said: I tell you that my brothers from Ansar remained busy with their lands and my brothers Muhajirs were busy in transactions in the bazars, but I always kept myself attached to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) with bare subsistence. I remained present (in the company of the Holy Prophet), whereas they had been absent. I retained in my mind (what the Prophet said), whereas they forgot it. One day Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: He who amongst you spreads the cloth and listens to my talk and would then press it against his chest would never forget anything heard from me. So I spread my mantle and when he had concluded his talk I then pressed it against my chest and so I never forgot after that day anything that he (the Holy Prophet) said. And if these two verses would not have been revealed in the Book I would have never transmitted anything (to anybody):" Those who conceal the clear evidence and the guidance that We revealed" (ii. 159) tip to the last verse.
You say that Abu Huraira narrates so many ahadith from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ; the rest of the hadith is the same.
Chapter 36: The Virtues Of Habib Bin Abi Balta'ah And The People Of Badr (RA)
I heard 'Ali (Allah be pleased with him) as saying: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sent me and Zubair and Miqdad saying: Go to the garden of, Khakh [it is a place between Medina and Mecca at a distance of twelve miles from Medina] and there you will find a woman riding a camel. She would be in possession of a letter, which you must get from her. So we rushed on horses and when we met that woman, we asked her to deliver that letter to us. She said: There is no letter with me. We said: Either bring out that letter or we would take off your clothes. She brought out that letter from (the plaited hair of) her head. We delivered that letter to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in which Hatib b. Abu Balta'a had informed some people amongst the polytheists of Mecca about the affairs of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Hatib, what is this? He said: Allah's messenger, do not be hasty in judging my intention. I was a person attached to the Quraish. Sufyan said: He was their ally but had no relationship with them. (Hatib further said): Those who are with you amongst the emigrants have blood-relationship with them (the Quraish) and thus they would protect their families. I wished that when I had no blood-relationship with them I should find some supporters from (amongst them) who would help my family. I have not done this because of any unbelief or apostasy and I have no liking for the unbelief after I have (accepted) Islam. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: You have told the truth. 'Umar said: Allah's Messenger, permit me to strike the neck of this hypocrite. But he (the Holy Prophet) said: He was a participant in Badr and you little know that Allah revealed about the people of Badr: Do what you like for there is forgiveness for you. And Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said:" O you who believe, do not take My enemy and your enemy for friends" (lx. 1). And there is no mention of this verse in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Abu Bakr and Zubair and Ishaq has in his narration made a mention of the recitation of this verse by Sufyan.
Ride on until you reach the garden of Khakh for there is a woman amongst the polytheists and there is a letter with her sent by Hatib to the polytheists; the rest of the hadith is the same.
Hatib will definitely go to Hell. (But) Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: You tell a lie; he would not get into that for he had taken part in Badr and in (the expedition of) Hudaibiya.
Chapter 37: The Virtues Of The Companions Of The Tree, Those Who Gave Their Oath Of Allegiance Bay'at Ar-Ridwan (RA)
God willing, the people of the Tree would never enter the fire of Hell one amongst those who owed allegiance under that. She said: Allah's Messenger, why not? He scolded her. Hafsa said: And there is none amongst you but shall have to pass over that (narrow Bridge). Thereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has said: We would rescue those persons who are God-conscious and we would leave the tyrants to their fate there (xix. 72).
Chapter 38: The Virtues Of The Two Ash'aris; Abu Musa And Abu 'Amir (RA)
I was in the company of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as he had been sitting in Ji'rana (a place) between Mecca and Medina and Bilal was also there, that there came to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) a desert Arab, and he said: Muhammad, fulfill your promise that you made with me. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to him: Accept glad tidings. Thereupon the desert Arab said: You shower glad tidings upon me very much; then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) turned towards Abu Musa and Bilal seemingly in a state of annoyance and said: Verily he has rejected glad tidings but you two should accept them. We said: Allah's Messenger, we have readily accepted them. Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) called for a cup of water and washed his hands in that and face too and put the saliva in it and then said: Drink out of it and pour it over your faces and over your chest and gladden yourselves. They took hold of the cup and did as Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had commanded them to do. Thereupon Umm Salama called from behind the veil: Spare some water in your vessel for your mother also, and they also gave some water which had been spared for her.
He (the Holy Prophet) sent me along with Abu 'Amir and Abu 'Amir received a wound in his knee from the arrow, (shot by) a person of Bani Jusham. It stuck in his knee. I went to him and said: Uncle, who shot an arrow upon you? Abu 'Amir pointed out to Abu Musa and said: Verily that one who shot an arrow upon me in fact killed me. Abu Musa said: I followed him with the determination to kill him and overtook him and when he saw me he turned upon his heels. I followed him and I said to him: Don't you feel ashamed (that you run), aren't you an Arab? Why don't you stop? He stopped and I had an encounter with him and we exchanged the strokes of (swords). I struck him with the sword and killed him. Then I came back to Abu Amir and said: Verily Allah has killed the one who killed you. And he said: Now draw out this arrow. I drew out the arrow and there came out from that (wound) water. Abu 'Amir said: My nephew, go to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and convey my greetings to him and tell him that Abu Amir begs you to ask forgiveness for him. And Abu Amir appointed me as the chief of the people and he died after a short time. When I came to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) I visited him and he had been lying on the cot woven by strings and there was (no) bed over it and so there had been marks of the strings on the back of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and on his sides. I narrated to him what had happened to us and narrated to him about Abu Amir and said to him that he had made a request to the effect that forgiveness should be sought for him (from Allah). Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be. upon him) called for water and performed ablution with it. He then lifted his hands and said. O Allah, grant pardon to Thy servant Abu Amir. (The Prophet had raised his hands so high for supplication) that I saw the whiteness of his armpits. He again said: O Allah, grant him distinction amongst the majority of Thine created beings or from amongst the people. I said: Allah's Messenger, ask forgiveness for me too. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: Allah, forgive the sins of Abdullah b. Qais (Abu Musa Ash'ari) and admit him to an elevated place on the Day of Resurrection. Abu Burda said: One prayer is for abu 'Amir and the other is tor Abu Musa.
Chapter 39: The Virtues Of The Ash'aris (RA)
I recognise the voice of the Ash'arites while they recite the Qur'an as they arrive during the night and I also recognise their station from the recital of the Qur'an during the night time, although I have not seen their encampments as they encamp during the day time. And there is a person amongst them, Hakim; when he encounters the horsemen or the enemies he says to them: My friends command you to wait for them.
When the Ash'arites run short of provisions in the campaigns or run short of food for their children in Medina they collect whatever is with them in the cloth and then partake equally from one vessel. They are from me and I am from them.