The Book of the Merits of the Companions

كتاب فضائل الصحابة رضى الله تعالى عنهم

Chapter 55: The Virtues Of Uwais Al-Qarani (RA)

'Umar b. Khattab reported

I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Worthy amongst the successors would be a person who would be called Uwais. He would have his mother (living with him) and he would have (a small) sign of leprosy. Ask him to beg pardon for you (from Allah).

Usair b. Jabir reported that when people from Yemen came to help (the Muslim army at the time of jihad) he asked them

Is there amongst you Uwais b. 'Amir? (He continued finding him out) until he met Uwais. He said: Are you Uwais b., Amir? He said: Yes. He said: Are you from the tribe of Qaran? He said: Yes. He (Hadrat) 'Umar (again) said: Did you suffer from leprosy and then you were cured from it but for the space of a dirham? He said: Yes. He ('Umar) said: Is your mother (living)? He said: Yes. He ('Umar) said: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) say: There would come to you Uwais b. Amir with the reinforcement from the people of Yemen. (He would be) from Qaran, (the branch) of Murid. He had been suffering from leprosy from which he was cured but for a spot of a dirham. His treatment with his mother would have been excellent. If he were to take an oath in the name of Allah, He would honour that. And if it is possible for you, then do ask him to beg forgiveness for you (from your Lord). So he (Uwais) begged forgiveness for him. Umar said: Where do you intend to go? He said: To Kufa. He ('Umar) said: Let me write a letter for you to its governor, whereupon he (Uwais) said: I love to live amongst the poor people. When it was the next year, a person from among the elite (of Kufa) performed Hajj and he met Umar. He asked him about Uwais. He said: I left him in a state with meagre means of sustenance. (Thereupon) Umar said: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: There would come to you Uwais b. 'Amir, of Qaran, a branch (of the tribe) of Murid, along with the reinforcement of the people of Yemen. He had been suffering from leprosy which would have been cured but for the space of a dirham. His treatment with his mother would have been very kind. If he would take an oath in the name of Allah (for something) He would honour it. Ask him to beg forgiveness for you (from Allah) in case it is possible for you. So he came to Uwais and said.: Beg forgiveness (from Allah) for me. He (Uwais) said: You have just come from a sacred journey (Hajj) ; you, therefore, ask forgiveness for me. He (the person who had performed Hajj) said: Ask forgiveness for me (from Allah). He (Uwais again) said: You have just come from the sacred journey, so you ask forgiveness for me. (Uwais further) said: Did you meet Umar? He said: Yes. He (Uwais) then begged forgiveness for him (from Allah). So the people came to know about (the status of religious piety) of Uwais. He went away (from that place). Usair said: His clothing consisted of a mantle, and whosoever saw him said: From where did Uwais get this mantle?

Chapter 56: The Advice Of The Prophet (SAW) Concerning The People Of Egypt

Abu Dharr reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

You would soon conquer a land where people are in the habit of using foul language. They have a right of kinship upon you. And when you see two persons fighting for the space of a brick, then get out of that. He (Abu Dharr) then happened to pass by Rabila and 'Abd al-Rahman, the two sons of Shurahbil b. Hasana, and they had been disputing for the space of a brick. So he left the land.

Abu Dharr reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

You would soon conquer Egypt and that is a land which is known (as the land of al-qirat). So when you conquer it, treat its inhabitants well. For there lies upon you the responsibility because of blood-tie or relationship of marriage (with them). And when you see two persons falling into dispute amongst themselves for the space of a brick, than get out of that. He (Abu Dharr) said: I saw Abd al-Rahman b. Shurahbil b. Hasana and his brother Rabi'a disputing with one another for the space of a brick. So I left that (land).

Chapter 57: The Virtues Of The People Of Oman

Abu Barza reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sent a person to a tribe amongst the tribes of Arabia. They reviled him and beat him. He came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and narrated to him (the story of atrocities perpetrated upon him by the people of the tribe). Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said

If you were to come to the people of 'Uman, they would have neither reviled you nor beaten you.

Chapter 58: The Liar And Great Slaughterer Of Thaqif

Abu Naufal reported

I saw (the dead body) of Abdullah b. Zubair hanging on the road of Medina (leading to Mecca). The Quraish passed by it and other people too, that Abdullah b. Umar happened to pass by it. He stood up there and said: May there be peace upon you, Abu Khubaib (the Kunya of Hadrat 'Abdullah b. Zubair), may there be peace upon you Abu Khubaib, may there be peace upon you, Abu Khubaib! By Allah, I used to forbid you from this; by Allah, I used to forbid you from this, by Allah I used to forbid you from this. By Allah, so far as I know, you had been very much devoted to fasting and prayer and you had been paying very much care to cementing the ties of blood. By Allah, the group to which you belong (are labelled) as (a) wicked (person) is indeed a fine group. Then 'Abdullah b. 'Umar went away. The stand 'Abdullah (b. 'Umar) took in regard to the inhuman treatment (meted out to 'Abdullah b. Zubair) and his words (in that connection) were conveyed to Hajjaj (b. Yusuf) and (as a consequence of that) he (the body of Abdullah b. Zubair) was brought down from the stump (the scaffold) by which it was hanging and thrown into the graves of the Jews. He (Hajjaj) sent (his messenger) to Asma' (bint Abu Bakr, 'Abdullah's mother). But she refused to come. He again sent the messenger to her with the message that she must come, otherwise he would bring her forcibly catching hold of her hair. But she again refused and said: By Allah, I will not come to you until you send one to me who would drag me by pulling my hair. Thereupon he said: Bring me my shoes. He put on his shoes and walked on quickly swollen with vanity and pride until he came to her and said: How do you find what I have done with the enemy of Allah? She said: I find that you wronged him in this world, whereas he has spoiled your next life. It has been conveyed to me that you used to call him ('Abdullah b. Zubair) as the son of one having two belts. By Allah, I am indeed (a woman) of two belts. One is that with the help of which I used to suspend high the food of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and that of Abu Bakr (making it out of the reach) of animals and, so far as the second belt is concerned, that is the belt which no woman can dispense with. Verily Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) told us that in Thaqif, there would be born a great liar and great murderer. The liar we have seen, and as far as the murderer is concerned, I do not find anyone else besides you. 'Thereupon he (Hajjaj) stood up and did not give any reply to her.

Chapter 59: The Virtues Of The Persians

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

If the din were at the Pleiades, even then a person from Persia would have taken hold of it, or one amongst the Persian descent would have surely found it.

Abu Huraira reported

We were sitting in the company of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) that Sura al-Jumu'a was revealed to him and when he recited (these words):" Others from amongst them who have not yet joined them," a person amongst them (those who were sitting there) said: Allah's Messenger! But Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) made no reply, until he questioned him once, twice or thrice. And there was amongst us Salman the Persian. The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) placed his hand on Salman and then said: Even if faith were near the Pleiades, a man from amongst these would surely find it.

Chapter 60: The Words Of The Prophet (SAW): "People Are Like A Hundred Camels Among Whom You Cannot Find One That Is Fit For Riding"

Ibn 'Umar reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

You would find people like one hundred camels and you would not find even one (camel) fit for riding.