When Mua'ab Ibn "Umair went to Al-Madiinah,
appointed by the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)
to teach the Ansaar � who had given
their oath of allegiance to the
Messenger in Islam � and to lead them
in prayer, 'Abbaad Ibn Bishr was one of
the devoted whose hearts Allah opened to
good. So Mus"ab approached the
assembly, and "Abbaad listened to
him and stretched out his right hand to
give his oath of allegiance to Islam.
From that day on, he took his place
among the Ansaar with whom Allah is
pleased and they with Him.
The
Prophet (PBUH) emigrated to Al-Madiinah
after the believers of Makkah had
preceded him there. Then began the
military campaigns in which the forces
of good and light clashed with the
forces of darkness and evil. In each of
these battles, 'Abbaad Ibn Bishr was
in the front ranks fighting heroically
in the cause of Allah, completely
consumedand dedicated with heart and
soul in a dazzling, overwhelming way.
Perhaps the event which we now narrate
will disclose something of the heroism
of this great believer.
After
the Messenger of Allah and the believers
had finished the military campaign of
Dhaat-Ar-Riqaa', they stopped over at a
place to spend the night and the
Messenger chose guards from the
Companions to take turns. Among them
were 'Ammaar Ibn Yaasir and ^Abbaad Ibn
Bishr on one watch.
^Abbaad
saw that his companion 'Ammaar was
exhausted, so he demanded that he sleep
the first part of the night and he would
stand guard so his companion could take
some rest. He could resume guard after
he awoke.
'Abbaad
saw that the place around him was safe,
so he thought, why not fill up his time
with prayer, so that he would be
rewarded both for praying and standing
guard. So he stood praying.
While
he was standing reciting a surah from
the Qur'aan after Al-Faatihah, an arrow
passed through his shoulder, so he
pulled it out and continued his prayer.
Then the attacker shot a second arrow in
the darkness of the night, so he pulled
it out, also, and completed his
recitation. Then he bowed and
prostrated. Weakness and pain had
dissipated his strength, so he extended
his right hand, while prostrating, to
his companion sleeping near him and
continued to shake him until he woke up.
Then he sat up from his prostration and
recited the Tashahhud (i.e. the last
part of his prayer) and completed his
prayer.
'Ammaar
awoke at the weary, trembling voice of
his words, "Stand guard in my
place. I am wounded!" "Ammaar
jumped up yelling noisily and quickly
frightened away the attackers, so they
ran away. Then he turned to 'Abbaad
and said to him, "Glory be to
Allah! Why didn't you awaken me when you
were first hit?"
'Abbaad
replied, "In my prayer I was
reciting verses from the Qur'aan that
filled my soul with such awe that I
didn't want to interrupt it nor cut it
short. By Allah, I swear, because I did
not want to lose a single word which the
Messenger of Allah ordered me to
preserve, I would have preferred death
more than interrupting those verses
which I was reciting."
'Abbaad
was extremely devoted and strong in his
love of Allah, His Messenger, and His
religion, and this devotion lasted
throughout his life.
Since
he heard the Prophet (PBUH) saying to
the Anaaar, "You are my people. You
are the people who protect. There is no
nation which has come like you
before.".. . We say, since 'Abbaad
heard these words from his Prophet (PBUH),
teacher, and guide to Allah, he spent
generously of his wealth and gave his
spirit and life in the way of Allah and
His Messenger. In the areas of sacrifice
and even death, he constantly put them
first, and even in a seizure of booty
and spoils of war. In places of hardship
and struggle, his companions searched
for him until they found him.
He was
always a worshiper � worship
completely absorbed him; brave �
bravery and heroism engrossed him;
generous � generosity engaged him.
He was
a strong believer. He pledged his life
to the cause of faith. All of this was
known of him by the Companions of the
Messenger. The Mother of the Faithful
"Aa'ishah (May Allah be pleased
with her) said: "There are three
from among the Ansaar who are not
surpassed in virtue by anyone: S'ad Ibn
Mu'aadh, Usaid Ibn Hudair and'Abbaad Ibn
Bishr."
The
first Muslims knew 'Abbaad as a man in
whom was light from Allah. His radiant,
clear vision guided to areas of goodness
and certainty without searching or
difficulty.
His
brothers believed in his light to the
extent that they attributed to him the
picture of perception and discipline.
They agreed that once 'Abbaad was
walking in the darkness and there
emanated from him a light that lit the
way for him.
In the
apostasy wars after the death of the
Messenger (PBUH), "Abbaad carried
his responsibility with incomparable
death-defying courage.
On the
battlefield of Al-Yamaamah, where the
Muslims faced the most cruel and
skillful army under the leadership of
Musailamah, the Liar, 'Abbaad
perceived a danger threatening to Islam.
His willingness to sacrifice and his
vigor constituted sufficient importance,
such that it gave him his faith and
raised him to the level of his
aspiration and ability to perceive
danger, making him one willing to
sacrifice and give up everything for his
faith, not desiring anything other than
death and martyrdom.
A day before the beginning of the Battle
of Al-Yamaamah he saw in his sleep a
vision that did not remain long enough
to be clear: above the land of the great
destructive battle which the Muslims
went through...
So let
an honorable companion, Abu Sa'iid Al-Khudriy,
tell us the story of the vision which 'Abbaad
saw, his explanation of it, and his
amazing attitude in fighting which ended
in martyrdom.
Abu
Sa'iid reported: "Abbaad Ibn Bishr
said to me, "O Abu Sa'iid, I saw
last night as if the sky had opened up
for me. Then it closed and covered over
me. Indeed, I see it, if Allah wills, to
mean martyrdom." I said to him,
Good. I swear by Allah, you did indeed
see it." On the Day of Al-Yamaamah,
I looked at him and indeed saw him
shouting to the Ansaar, "Use your
swords forcefully and be distinguished
among the people!" So 400 men came
quickly to him, all of them from among
the Ansaar people, until they stopped at
the gate of the garden. They fought
violently, and 'Abbaad Ibn Bishr was
martyred. I saw on his face much beating
and I did not know him except by a mark
that was on his body.
Thus
was "Abbaad raised to the level of
his duties as a believer from among the
Ansaar. He gave the oath of allegiance
to his Messenger, dedicating his life to
Allah and death in His cause.
When
he saw the destructive battle turning in
favor of the enemy, he remembered the
words of the Messenger to his people,
the Ansaar: "You are my people. I
can not be defeated through you. There
has not come and people like you
before." This sound filled his
heart and soul and penetrated his
consciousness, until it was as if the
Messenger of Allah was now standing
before him repeating these words of his.
'Abbaad felt that the whole
responsibility of the battle was placed
completely on the shoulders of the
Ansaar, on the shoulders of those about
whom the Messenger of Allah had said,
"There has not come any people like
you before." And on the shoulders
of no one else besides them.
Then
and there, 'Abaad went up on a hill and
shouted, "O people of the Ansaar!
Carry your sword in a valiant way, and
be honored and distinguished among the
people!"
When
400 of them answered his call, he led
them and Abu Dajaanah and Al-Baraa' Ibn
Maalik to the garden of death, where the
army of Musailamah had fortified itself
for protection. The hero fought a worthy
fight as a man, as a believer, and as an
Ansaar.
On
that glorious day, "Abbaad attained
martyrdom. The vision which he saw in
his dream the day before came true. Did
he not see the sky open until, when he
entered it from that opening, it
returned and folded on him and closed?
He
interpreted it as meaning that his
spirit would ascend in the coming battle
to its Creator. The vision was true and
the interpretation of it was true. And
the doors of heaven were opened to
welcome to happiness the spirit of 'Abbaad
Ibn Bishr, the man who had with him a
light from Allah.
Sheikh Abdulfattah Abu-Abdullah Adelabu (Ph. D. Damas),
a West African Islamic Academic founded AWQAF Africa, of
which he's the first al Amir (i.e. President).
Sheikh Dr. Adelabu was studying Postgraduate Degrees in
Damascus early 1990's during when Syria reviewed its
national security after an �Oslo Accord'...
Syria like many other countries around the world
witnessed, during this period, the flood of refugees
from war troubled nations like Somalia, arrival of
people from Algeria during the brutal struggling between
the Mujahidun and the government, resettlement of the
Palestinians fleeing from sophisticated guns of the
Israelis as well as adventure of African migrants for
reasons uncountable�
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