considerable influence inYathrib. He was known for the sharpness of
his mind and the power of his oratory. It was because of this that he
became the khatib or the spokesman and orator of the Prophet and
Islam.
He became a Muslim at the hands of Musab ibn Umayr whose cool and
persuasive logic and the sweetness and beauty of his Quran recital
proved irresistible.
When the Prophet arrived in Madinah after the historic Hijrah,Thabit
and a great gathering of horsemen gave him a warm and enthusiastic
welcome. Thabit acted as their spokesman and delivered a speech in the
presence of the Prophet and his companion, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq. He
began by giving praise to GodAlmighty and invoking peace and blessings
on His Prophet and ended up by saying:
"We give our pledge to you, O Messenger of God, that we would protect
you from all that we protect ourselves, our children and our wives.
What would then be our reward for this?"
The speech was reminiscent of words spoken at the second Pledge of
Aqabah and the Prophet's reply as then was the same: "Al-Jannah -
Paradise!"
When the Yathribites heard the word "al-Jannah" their faces beamed
with happiness and excitement and their response was: "We are pleased,
O Messenger of God! We are pleased, O Messenger of God ."
From that day on the Prophet, peace be on him, made Thabit ibn Qays
his Khatib, just as Hassan ibn Thabit was his poet. When delegations
of Arabs cameto him to show off their brilliance in verse and the
strength of their oratory skills which the Arabs took great pride in,
the Prophet would call upon Thabit ibn Qays to challenge their orators
and Hassan ibn Thabit to vaunt his verses before their poets.
In the Year of the Delegations, the ninth after the Hijrah, tribes
from all over the Arabian peninsula came to Madinah to pay homage to
the Prophet, either to announce their acceptance of Islam or to pay
jizyah in return for the protection of the Muslim state. One of these
was a delegation from the tribe of Tamim who said to the Prophet:
"We have come to show our prowess to you. Do give
permission to our Shaif and our Khatib to speak." The Prophet, peace
be on him, smiled and said: "I permit your Khatib. Let him speak."
Their orator, Utarid ibn Hajib, got up and held forth on the greatness
and achievements of their tribe and when he was finished the Prophet
summoned Thabit ibn Qays and said: "Stand and reply to him." Thabit
arose and said:
"Praise be to God Whose creation is the entire heavens and the earth
wherein His will has been made manifest. His Throne is the extent of
His knowledge and there is nothing which does not exist through His
grace.
"Through His power He has made us leaders and from the best of His
creation He has chosen a Messenger who is the most honorable of men in
lineage, the most reliable and true in speech and the most excellent
in deeds. He has revealed to him a book and chosen him as a leader of
His creation. Among all creation, he is a blessing of God.
"He summoned people to have faith in Him. The Emigrants fromamong his
people and his relations who are the most honorable people in esteem
and the best in deeds believed in him. Then, we the Ansar (Helpers)
were the first people to respond (to his call for support). So we are
the Helpers of God and the ministers of His Messenger."
Thabit was a believer with a profound faith in God. His consciousness
and fear of God was true and strong. He was especially sensitive and
cautious of saying or doing anything that would incur the wrath of God
Almighty. One day the Prophet saw him looking not just sad but
dejected and afraid. His shoulders were haunched and he was actually
cringing from fear.
"What's wrong with you, O Abu Muhammad?" asked the Prophet. "I fear
that I might be destroyed, O Messenger of God," he said. "And why?"
asked the Prophet. "God Almighty," he said, "has prohibited us from
desiring to be praised for what we did not do but I find myself liking
praise. He has prohibited us from being proud and I find myself
tending towards vanity." This was the time when the verse of the Quran
was revealed:"Indeed, God does not love any arrogant boaster."
The Prophet, peace be on him, then tried to calm his anxieties and
allay his fears and eventuallysaid to him: "O Thabit, aren't
youpleased to live as someone who is praised, and to die as a
martyrand to enter Paradise?"
Thabit's face beamed with happiness and joy as he said:"Certainly, O
Messenger of God.""Indeed, that shall be yours," replied the noble
Prophet.
There was another occasion when Thabit became sad and crest-fallen,
when the words of the Quran were revealed:
"O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the
Prophet and neither speak loudly to him as you would speak loudly to
one another, lestall your deeds come to naught without your perceiving
it."
On hearing these words, Qays kept away from the meetings and
gatherings of the Prophet inspite of his great love for him and his
hitherto constant presence in his company. He stayed in his house
a/most without ever leaving it except for the performance of the
obligatory Salat. The Prophet missed his presence and evidently asked
for information about him. A man from the Ansar volunteered and went
to Thabit's house. He found Thabit sitting in his house, sad and
dejected, with his head bowed low.
"What's the matter with you?" asked the man. "It's bad," replied
Thabit. "You know that I am a man with a loud voice and that my voice
is far louder than that of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and
grant him peace. And you know what has been revealed in the Quran. The
only result for me is that mydeeds will come to naught and I will be
among the people who go to the fire of hell."
The man returned to the Prophet and told him what he had seen and
heard and the Prophet instructed him to returnto Thabit and say: "You
are not among the people who will go to the fire of hell but you will
be among the people of Paradise."
Such was the tremendously good news with which Thabit ibn Qays was
blessed. The incidents showed how alive and sensitive he was to the
Prophet and the commands of Islam and his readiness to observe the
letter and the spirit of its laws. He subjected himself to the most
stringent self-criticism. His was a God-fearing and penitent heart
which trembled and shookthrough the fear of God.
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And Allah Knows the Best!
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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA
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