Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman - Biographies of the Companions (Sahabah)

"If you wish you may consider yourself among the Muhajirin or,if you
wish, you may consider yourself one of the Ansar. Choose whichever is
dearer to you."
With these words, the Prophet, peace be upon him, addressed Hudhayfah
ibn al-Yaman when he met him for the first time in Makkah. How did
Hudhayfah come to have this choice'?
His father, al-Yaman was a Makkan from the tribe of Abs. Hehad killed
someone and had been forced to leave Makkah. He had settled down in
Yathrib, becoming an ally (halif) of the Banu al-Ash-hal and marrying
into the tribe. A son named Hudhayfah was born to him. Therestrictions
on his returning to Makkah were eventually lifted and he divided his
time betweenMakkah and Yathrib but stayed more in Yathrib and was more
attached to it.
This was how Hudhayfah had a Makkan origin but a Yathribite
upbringing. When the rays of Islam began to radiate over the Arabian
peninsula, a delegation from the Abs tribe, which included al-Yaman,
went to the Prophet and announced their acceptance of Islam. That was
before the Prophet migrated to Yathrib.
Hudhayfah grew up in a Muslim household and was taught by both his
mother and father who were among the first persons from Yathrib to
enter the religion of God. He therefore became a Muslim before meeting
the Prophet, peace be upon him.
Hudhayfah longed to meet the Prophet. From an early age, he was keen
on following whatevernews there was about him. The more he heard, the
more his affection for the Prophet grew and the more he longed to
meethim.
He eventually journeyed to Makkah, met the Prophet and put the
question to him, "Am I amuhajir or am I an Ansari, O Rasulullah?"
"If you wish you may consider yourself among the muhajirin, or if you
wish you may consider yourself one of the Ansar. Choose whichever is
dearer to you," replied the Prophet. "Well, I am an Ansari. O
Rasulullah," decided Hudhayfah.
At Madinah, after the Hijrah, Hudhayfah became closely attached to the
Prophet. He participated in all the military engagements except Badr.
Explaining why he missed the Battle of Badr, he said: "I would not
have missed Badr if my father and I had not been outside Madinah. The
disbelieving Quraysh met us and asked where we were going. Wetold them
we were going to Madinah and they asked whether we intended to meet
Muhammad. We insisted that weonly wanted to go to Madinah. They
allowed us to go only after they extracted from us an undertaking not
to help Muhammad against them and not to fight along with them.
"When we came to the Prophet we told him about our undertaking to the
Quraysh and asked him what should we do. He said that we should ignore
the undertaking and seek God's help against them."
Hudhayfah participated in the Battle of Uhud with his father. The
pressure on Hudhayfah during the battle was great but he acquitted
himself well and emerged safe and sound. A rather different fate,
however, awaited his father.
Before the battle, the Prophet, peace be on him, left alYaman,
Hudhayfah's father, and Thabit ibn Waqsh with the other non-combatants
including women and children. This was because they were both quite
old. As the fighting grew fiercer, al-Yaman said to his friend:
"Youhave no father (meaning you have no cares). What are we waiting
for? We both have only ashort time to live. Why don't we take our
swords and join the Messenger of God, peace be on him? Maybe, God will
bless us with martyrdom beside His Prophet."
They quickly prepared for battle and were soon in the thick of the
fighting. Thabit ibn Waqsh was blessed with shahdah at thehands of the
mushrikin. The father of Hudhayfah, however was set upon by some
Muslims who did not recognize who he was. As they flayed him,
Hudhayfah cried out: "My father! My father! It's my father!"
No one heard him. The old man fell, killed in error by the swords of
his own brothers in faith. They were filled with pain and remorse.
Grieved as he was, Hudhayfah said to them: "May God forgive you for He
is the most Merciful of those who show mercy."
The Prophet, peace be on him, wanted diyah (compensation) tobe paid to
Hudhayfah for the death of his father but Hudhayfah said: "He was
simply seeking shahadah and he attained it. O Lord, bear witness that
I donate the compensation for him to the Muslims."
Because of this attitude, Hudhayfah's stature grew in the eyes of the
Prophet, peace be onhim. Hudhayfah had three qualities which
particularly impressed the Prophet: his unique intelligence which he
employed in dealing with difficult situations; his quick wittedness
and spontaneous response to the call of action, and his ability to
keep a secret even under persistent questioning.
A noticeable policy of the Prophet was to bring out and use the
special qualities and strengths of each individual companion of his.
In deploying his companions, he was careful to choose the right man
for the right task. This he did to excellent advantage in the case of
Hudhayfah.
One of the gravest problems the Muslims of Madinah had to face was the
existence in their midst of hypocrites (munafiqun) particularly from
among the Jews and their allies. Although many of them had declared
theiracceptance of Islam, the change was only superficial and they
continued to plot and intrigue against the Prophet and the Muslims.
Because of Hudhayfah's ability tokeep a secret, the Prophet, peace be
on him, confided in him the names of the munafiqin.It was a weighty
secret which the Prophet did not disclose to any other off his
companions. Hegave Hudhayfah the task of watching the movements of the
munafiqin, following their activities, and shielding the Muslims from
the sinister danger they represented. It was a tremendous
responsibility. Themunafiqin, because they acted insecrecy and because
they knew all the developments and plans of the Muslims from within
presented a greater threat to the community than the outright
hostility of the kuffar.
From this time onwards. Hudhayfah was called "The Keeper of the Secret
of the Messenger of Allah". Throughouthis life he remained faithful to
his pledge not to disclose the names of the hypocrites. After the
death of the Prophet, the Khalifah often came-to him to seek his
advice concerning their movements and activities but heremained
tight-lipped and cautious.
Umar was only able to find out indirectly who the hypocrites were. If
anyone among the Muslims died, Umar would ask:
"Has Hudhayfah attended his funeral prayer?"
If the reply was 'yes', he would perform the prayer. If the reply was
'no', he became doubtful about the person and refrained from
performing the funeral prayer for him.
Once Umar asked Hudhayfah: "Is any of my governors a munafiq?" "One,"
replied Hudhayfah. "Point him out to me," ordered Umar. "That I shall
not do," insisted Hudhayfah wholater said that shortly after their
conversation Umar dismissed the person just as if he had beenguided to
him.
Hudhayfah's special qualities were made use of by the Prophet, peace
be on him, at various times. One of the most testing of such
occasions, which required the use of Hudhayfah's intelligence and his
presence of mind, was during the Battle of the Ditch. The Muslims on
that occasion were surrounded by enemies. The seige they had been
placed under had dragged on. The Muslims were undergoing severe
hardship and difficulties. They had expended practically all their
effort and were utterly exhausted. So intense was the strain that some
even began to despair.
The Quraysh and their allies, meanwhile, were not much better off.
Their strength and determination had been sapped.A violent wind
overturned their tents, extinguished their fires and pelted their
faces and eyes with gusts of sand and dust.
In such decisive moments in the history of warfare, the side that
loses is the one that despairs first and the one that wins is theone
that holds out longer. The role of army intelligence in such
situations often proves to be a crucial factor in determining the
outcome of the battle.
At this stage of the confrontation the Prophet, peace be on him, felt
he could use the special talents and experience of Hudhayfah ibn
al-Yaman. He decided to send Hudhayfah into the midst of the enemy's
positions under cover of darkness to bring him the latest information
on their situation and morale before he decided on his next move.
Let us now leave Hudhayfah to relate what happened on this mission
fraught with danger and even death.
"That night, we were all seated in rows. Abu Sufyan and his men- the
mushrikun of Makkah - were in front of us. The Jewish tribe of Banu
Qurayzah were at our rear and we were afraid of them because of our
wives and children. The night was stygian dark. Never before was there
a darker night nor a wind so strong. So dark was the night that no one
could see his fingersand the blast of the wind was like the peel of
thunder.
"The hypocrites began to ask theProphet for permission to leave,
saying, 'Our houses are exposed to the enemy.' Anyone who asked the
Prophet's permission to leave was allowed to go. Many thus sneaked
away until we were left with about three hundred men.
"The Prophet then began a round of inspection passing us one by one
until he reached me. I had nothing to protect me from the cold except
a blanket belonging to my wife which scarcely reached my knees. He
came nearer to
me as I lay crouching on the ground and asked: 'Who is
this?''Hudhayfah,' replied. 'Hudhayfah?' he queried as I huddled
myself closer to the ground too afraid to stand up because of the
intense hunger and cold. 'Yes, O Messenger of God,' I replied.
'Something is happening among the people (meaning the forces of Abu
Sufyan). Infiltrate their encampment and bring me news of what's
happening,' instructed the Prophet.
"I set out. At that moment I wasthe most terrified person of all and
felt terribly cold. The Prophet, peace be on him, prayed: 'O Lord,
protect him from in front and from behind, from his right and from his
left, from above and from below.'
"By God, no sooner had the Prophet, peace be on him, completed his
supplication than God removed from my stomach all traces of fear and
from my body all the punishing cold. As I turned to go, the Prophet
called me back to him and said: 'Hudhayfah, on no account do anything
among the people (of the opposing forces) until you come back to me.'
'Yes,' I replied.
"I went on, inching my way under cover of darkness until I penetrated
deep into the mushrikin camp and became just like one of them. Shortly
afterwards, Abu Sufyan got up and began to address his men:
'O people of the Quraysh, I am about to make a statement to you which
I fear would reach Muhammad. Therefore, let every man among you look
and make sure who is sitting next to him...'
"On hearing this, I immediately grasped the hand of the man next to me
and asked, 'Who are you?' (thus putting him on the defensive and
clearing myself)."Abu Sufyan went on:
'O people of the Quraysh, by God,you are not in a safe and secure
place. Our horses and camels have perished. The Banu Qurayzah have
deserted us and we have had unpleasant news about them. We are
buffered by this bitterly cold wind. Our fires do not light and our
uprooted tents offer no protection. So get moving. For myself, I am
leaving.'
"He went to his camel, untethered and mounted it. He struck it and it
stood upright. If the Messenger of God, peace be on him, had not
instructed me to do nothing until I returned tohim, I would have
killed Abu Sufyan then and there with an arrow.
"I returned to the Prophet and found him standing on a
blanketperforming Salat. When he recognized me, he drew me close to
his legs and threw one end of the blanket over me. I informed him of
what had happened. He was extremely happy and joyful and gave thanks
and praise to
Hudhayfah lived in constant dread of evil and corrupting influences.
He felt that goodnessand the sources of good in this life were easy to
recognize for those who desired good. But it was evil that was
deceptive and often difficult to perceive and combat.
He became something of a greatmoral philosopher. He always warned
people to struggle against evil with all their faculties, with their
heart, handsand tongue. Those who stood against evil only with their
hearts and tongues, and not with their hands, he considered as having
abandoned a part of truth. Those who hated evil only in their hearts
but did not combat it with their tongues and hands forsook two parts
of truth and those who neither detested nor confronted evil with their
hearts, tongues or hands he considered as physically alive but morally
dead.
Speaking about 'hearts' and their relationship to guidance and error,
he once said: "There are four kinds of hearts. The heart that is
encased or atrophied. That is the heart of the kafir or ungrateful
disbeliever. The heart that is shaped into thin layers. That is the
heart of the munafiq or hypocrite. The heart that is openand bare and
on which shines a radiant light. That is the heart ofthe mumin or the
believer.
Finally there is the heart in which there is both hypocrisy and faith.
Faith is like a tree which thrives with good water and hypocrisy is
like an abscess which thrives on pus and blood. Whichever flourishes
more, be it the tree of faith or the abscess of hypocrisy, wins
control of the heart."
Hudhayfah's experience with hypocrisy and his efforts to combat it
gave a touch of sharpness and severity to his tongue. He himself
realized this and admitted it with a noble courage: "I went to the
Prophet,peace be on him and said: 'O Messenger of God, I have a tongue
which is sharp and cutting against my family and I fear that this
would lead me to hell-fire.' And the Prophet, peacebe upon him, said
to me: 'Wheredo you stand with regard to istighfar - asking
forgiveness from Allah? I ask Allah for forgiveness a hundred times
during the day. "
A pensive man like Hudhayfah, one devoted to thought, knowledge and
reflection may not have been expected to perform feats of heroism in
battlefields. Yet Hudhayfah was to prove himself one of the foremost
Muslim military commanders in the expansion ofIslam into Iraq. He
distinguishedhimself at Hamadan, ar-Rayy, ad-Daynawar, and at the
famousBattle of Nihawand.
For the encounter at Nihawand against the Persian forces, Hudhayfah
was placed second in command by Umar over the entire Muslim forces
which numbered some thirty thousand. The Persian forces outnumbered
them by five to one being some one hundred and fifty thousand strong.
The first commander of the Muslim army, an-Numan ibn Maqran, fellearly
in the battle. The second incommand, Hudhayfah, immediately took
charge of the situation, giving instructions that the death of the
commander should not be broadcast. Under Hudhayfah's daring and
inspiring leadership, the Muslims won a decisive victory despite
tremendous odds.
Hudhayfah was made governor of important places like Kufa and
Ctesiphon (al-Madain). Whenthe news of his appointment as governor of
Ctesiphon reached its inhabitants, crowds went outto meet and greet
this famous companion of the Prophet of whose piety and righteousness
they had heard so much. His great role in the conquests of Persia was
already a legend.
As the welcoming party waited, a lean, somewhat scrawny man with
dangling feet astride a donkey approached. In his hand he held a loaf
of bread and somesalt and he ate as he went along. When the rider was
already in their midst they realized that he was Hudhayfah, the
governor for whom they were waiting. They could not contain their
surprise. What manner of man was this! They could however be excused
for not recognizing him for they were used to the style, the pomp and
the grandeur of Persian rulers.
Hudhayfah carried on and peoplecrowded around him. He saw they were
expecting him to speak and he cast a searching look at their faces.
Eventually, hesaid: "Beware of places of fitnah and intrigue." "And
what," they asked, "are places of intrigue?" He replied: "The doors of
rulers where some people go and try to make the ruler or governor
believe lies and praise him for (qualities) he does not possess."
With these words, the people were prepared for what to expect from
their new governor.They knew at once that there was nothing in the
world that he despised more than hypocrisy.

--

- - - - -

And Allah Knows the Best!

- - - - -

Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

the evil eye - Refuting the myth aboutundoing witchcraft

In a chat room about shar'i ruqyah I asked about a man whom we regard
as a seeker of knowledge about witchcraft, and he told us that it is
permissible to use an old pickaxe, byheating it and urinating on it!
They told me that one of the scholars of the earlier generation said
that that was permissible. What is youropinion on that? May Allaah
reward you with good for your service to Islam and the Muslims.
Praise be to Allaah.
With regard to what youhave mentioned about urinating on an old
pickaxe that has been heated with fire in orderto undo witchcraft,
this is a myth which it is not befitting for a monotheist to believe.
We have looked at the site which you referred to, and we saw the one
who told you that this action is permissible, buthe did not attribute
it to any scholar among the early generation, rather he attributed it
to Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him). We looked for a place
in which Ibn al-Qayyim stated that it was permissible, and we could
not find it. We do not think that it can be proven to be from him or
from any other early scholar; rather it is more likely to be an action
of the charlatans.
And Allaah knows best.

the evil eye - Is there any report which says that the jinn have angels watching over them to record their deeds?

Do the jinn have angels who record their deeds as humans have?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The jinn are accountablejust as humans are; those of them who obey
Allah will enter Paradise,and those who disobey Him will enter Hell.
The words of the Qur'aan areaddressed to them too and they will be
broughtto account on the Day of Resurrection for their deeds, as Allah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And they have inventeda kinship between Him and the jinn, but the
jinnknow well that they have indeed to appear (before Him) (i.e. they
will be called to account)"
[al-Saaffaat 37:158].
Mujaahid said: They will be brought to account, as it says in
Jaami'al-Bayaan by al-Tabari (21/122). Imam al-Bukhaari (may Allah
have mercy on him) included a chapter in hisSaheeh entitled "Mention
of the jinn andtheir reward and punishment", in which he quoted some
verses, including this verse, and he quoted the tafseer of Mujaahid
(may Allah have mercy on him).
Al-'Allaamah al-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
i.e., these mushrikeen claimed there was a relationship between Allah
and the jinn, as theclaim that the angels were the daughters of Allah
and that their mothers were the daughters of the mastersamong the
jinn. But in fact, the jinn know that they will be brought to account
before Allah, to be rewarded or punished, and if there were any
relationship between them and Him, that would not be the case. End
quote.
Tafseer al-Kareem al-Rahmaan, p. 708
The evidence for this hasbeen discussed in detail in the answer to
question number 2340 and 13378 .
Secondly:
As for how the deeds of the jinn are recorded and whether their
situation in this regard islike that of humans, for each of whom Allah
has appointed two angels torecord his deeds and watch over his
actions, that is a matter of the unseen which Allah has not told us
about. The verses and hadeeths thatspeak of that have to do with
humans, not jinn, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O man! What has made you careless about your Lord, the Most Generous?
7. Who created you, fashioned you perfectly, and gave you due proportion.
8. In whatever form He willed, He put you together.
9. Nay! But you deny Ad-Deen (i.e. the Day of Recompense).
10. But verily, over you (are appointed angels incharge of mankind) to
watch you,
11. Kiraaman (Honourable) Kaatibeen --writing down (your deeds),
12. They know all that you do"
[al-Infitaar 82:6-12].
And He says:
"And indeed We have created man, and We know what his ownself whispers
to him. And Weare nearer to him than his jugular vein (by Our
Knowledge).
17. (Remember) that the two receivers (recordingangels) receive (each
human being), one sitting on the right and one on the left (to note
his or her actions).
18. Not a word does he (or she) utter but there is a watcher by him
ready (to record it)"
[Qaaf 50:16-18].
So knowledge of the jinn remains with the Creator alone, in addition
to the fact that there is little benefit in pursuing knowledge of such
matters that have nothing to do with belief and on which no actions
are based.
And Allah knows best.

the evil eye - Innovated way of finding out whether a person is afflicted with the evil eye and treating it

I have a question about the evil eye. In my culture (I am originally
from Morocco), the women treat the evil eyeby this ceremony:
The sick person sits down (on a chair e.g.) while an other person
holds a glass of water above his head.
An other person (this canbe the same one as the one holding the
glass), lights a match and goes around the face of the sick person
with it, meanwhile reciting soerat al Faatihah. Note that the match
doesnt touch the face of the sickperson. After a few seconds, the
match is thrown in the glass of water above the head ofthe sick person
and a second match gets lighten.
This is done seven times.
When done, the person who is doing this, takes the glass of water and
touches all the matches in the glass. When the matches go to the
bottom of the glass, it means that the sick person is afflicted by
theevil eye. They usually count the matches on the bottom to estimate
how sick the person is. The more matches on the bottom, the sicker
heis.
After this ceremony, people assume that the sick person is cured. I
think this is very untrustworthy, because Inever read something about
a glass and matches to treat the evil eye. Can you please tell me
whether this has a basic in islam or not?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The method mentioned of finding out whether aperson has been afflicted
with the evil eye and treating it is an innovated method (bid'ah) and
a reprehensible practice; itis not permissible to do it and it should
be forbidden and warned against. It is more like witchcraft and
devilish tricks than ruqyah as prescribed in Islam or regular medical
treatment.
Islam, praise be to Allah, did not omit anything that concerns people
butit has discussed it and explained it clearly. But the Shaytaan
still manages to mislead some people because of their ignorance of
Islam and the ways of bid'ah (innovation) that they are following.
Ruqya may be done by reciting al-Faatihah, and reciting al-Faatihah as
a remedy for sickness is something that has beenprescribed in
sharee'ah, but not in this innovatedfashion.
See the answer to question no. 21581 and 132386
Believing that something is a means when Allah has not made it a means
– eitheraccording to Islam or thelaws of nature that He has decreed –
is a kind of shirk. An example of that is regarding something as a
sign of healing or sickness, or ofsuccess or failure, when there is no
shar'i or physical connection between the two.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
So long as there is no proof that a thing is a means (to an end) –
either according to Islamor natural, physical laws – then it is a kind
of minor shirk. That includes, for example, charms and amulets that
are said to ward off the evil eye, and the like, because this is
deciding that something is a means to an end when Allah has not
created it to be such. Thus he is deciding about something being a
means to an end, which is something that is only for Allah to decide.
Hence this is like an act of shirk.
End quote from Majmoo'Fataawa Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 10/787
To sum up:
The method mentioned is an innovative and reprehensible method that is
more akin to the tricks of the practitioners of witchcraft and
charlatans.

--

- - - - -

And Allah Knows the Best!

- - - - -

Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤