(Friday Sermon - August 30, 2019 )

Background

The title of Hazrat Utbah bin Mas‘ud Huzalli^(ra) was Abu Abdullah. He belonged to the tribe of Banu Huzail. (Usdul Ghaba Fi Ma’rifat as-Sahaba, Vol. 3, p. 563, Utbah(ra) bin Mas‘ud, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2008)

Hazrat Utbah bin Mas‘ud^(ra) was a confederate of the tribe of Banu Zuhrah. His father was Mas‘ud bin Ghafil and his mother’s name was Ummi Abd bint Abdi Wudd. He was the brother of Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas‘ud^(ra), who was also among the first converts to Islam in Mecca. He was also among those who participated in the second migration to Abyssinia. (al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sad, Vol. 4, p. 381, Utbah bin Mas‘ud^(ra), Wa min Hulafaa Bani Zahra bin Kilab, Dar Ihyaa al-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut, 1996)

Hazrat Utbah bin Mas‘ud^(ra) was among the Ashab as-Suffah. (al-Mustadrak Ala al-Sahihain, Vol. 5, p. 1615, Kitab al-Hijra, Hadith 4294, Maktabah Nizar Mustafa al-Baaz, Makkah Mukarramah, al-Riyad, 2000)

The Ashab as-Suffah

With reference to various historical sources, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib^(ra) has written the following details with regard to the people of as-Suffah. He writes:

“To one corner of the mosque, a veranda was built, which was referred to as-Suffah. This was for those destitute Muhajirin who did not own any home of their own. These people would stay here and were known as the Ashab as-Suffah. As such, they would remain in the company of the Holy Prophet^(sa) day and night, perform worship, and recite the Holy Quran. These people possessed no means of permanent subsistence. The Holy Prophet^(sa) would take care of them personally and whenever the Holy Prophet^(sa) would receive a gift etc., or there was something available at home, he would especially separate their share. As a matter of fact, at times, the Holy Prophet^(sa) would himself starve and send whatever was in his home to the Ashab as-Suffah. The Ansar would also remain engaged in their hospitality as much as possible, and would often attach clusters of dates within the mosque. However, despite all this, they lived in a state of adversity, and would often reach a state of starvation. This state continued for many years until some found work, due to the expansion of Medina, and others began receiving support from the National Baitul-Mal.” (Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad^(ra), p. 270)

Moreover, we find the following details about these people in another source:

These people would remain present at the house of the Holy Prophet^(sa) during the day, listening to the Ahadith and they would spend the night at the veranda [of the Prophet’s mosque]. A veranda is called suffah in the Arabic language. Hence, these saintly men were referred to as Ashab as-Suffah. None of them ever possessed two pieces of clothes at one time; so that one could cover the upper body and the other to cover the lower body. They would tie a piece of garment to their necks in a way that it would hang down to their thighs. They did not possess enough clothes [to cover the entire body].

Hazrat Abu Hurairah^(ra) was one of those saintly men. He narrates:

“I saw 70 men from among the Ashab as-Suffah, whose clothes would not even reach their thighs. When they used to cover themselves, the cloth would hardly reach down to the knees.”  Initially, their source of income was that a group of them would go to the forest during the day, collect some firewood, sell it and thus acquire some food for their brothers. Most of them would break the branches of palm trees and hang them onto the roof of the mosque. Whenever people used to come from outside and see them, they used to think that these people were mad and foolish for they were sitting there without any reason. Or perhaps they would think that these people are so engrossed in the love of the Holy Prophet^(sa) that they do not wish to leave his threshold.

Nevertheless, if the Holy Prophet^(sa) received some Sadaqah [charity] from anywhere, he would send it to them and if he received any food, he would invite them, and would sit down with them and eat together. It often happened that in the evenings, the Holy Prophet^(sa) would assign the Muhajirin and the Ansar to take one or two individuals from among the Ahl-e-Suffah and feed them according to their own capacity. Thus, at times, such occasions arose that some of them were sent with the Muhajirin, and others were sent with the Ansar so that they may provide them with an evening meal.

Hazrat Sa‘d bin Ubadah^(ra) was a very generous and wealthy companion and at times, he would take 80 guests with him. He was so wealthy that he would take up to 80 guests with him at night and feed them. According to various narrations, the number of the Ahl-e-Suffah varied at different times. There were at least twelve, and it is also reported that at one point there were 300 individuals who stayed at Suffah. In fact, in one narration, their total number has been mentioned to be 600 companions.

The Holy Prophet^(sa) had great love for them. He used to sit with them in the mosque, eat with them and would encourage others to honour and respect them. Thus, he did not allow anyone to disrespect or dishonour them simply because they would not do anything else besides sitting there the whole time, rather, the Holy Prophet^(sa) used to say that these people sat there simply to listen to his words. Therefore, everyone should honour and respect them.

Once, during a sitting of a congregation of the Ahl-e-Suffah in the presence of the Holy Prophet^(sa), a complaint was made that the dates had adversely affected their stomachs, that is, they only received dates to eat and did not get anything else. The Holy Prophet^(sa) heard their complaint and in order to console them, he delivered a speech saying:

“What is it that I am hearing that the dates have had an adverse effect on your stomachs? Are you not unaware of the fact that dates are the very nourishment of the people of Medina, and people support us through these [by donating them as charity] and it is through these that we also support you?”

Following this, the Holy Prophet^(sa) said, “By God! For almost two months now, smoke has not risen in the house of the Prophet^(sa) of God.” That is, that the Holy Prophet^(sa) and also his family have only lived on water and dates. In any case, these Ahl-e-Suffah were astonishingly devoted people. Even though they mentioned and complained about eating dates and that it had adversely affected their stomachs, despite this, they did not leave. They continued to remain seated there with complete devotion and would either remain hungry, or suffice by eating dates or whatever they were given.

It is further written that at night, these noble individuals would usually be occupied in worship and reciting the Holy Quran. A muallim [religious teacher] had been appointed for them. They would go to him at night and recite [the Holy Quran]. Those who could not read or were unable to recite the Holy Quran correctly, or those who wished to memorise it would be taught at night by the muallim. Owing to this, most of them were called qaris [people who recite the Quran] and if people were to be sent anywhere for the propagation of Islam, these very individuals would be sent.

Once they had been well-versed, they were called qaris and were also sent to teach others. Later on, many of these companions were appointed to different important offices. In other words, the Ashab as-Suffah did not merely sit there, in fact, they were appointed to important offices. Hence, Hazrat Abu Hurairah^(ra) served as the governor of Bahrain during the Khilafat of Hazrat Umar^(ra) and during the rule of Hazrat Muawiyyah^(ra), he served as the governor of Medina.

Hazrat Sa‘d^(ra) bin Abi Waqas served as the governor of Basra and he established the city of Kufa. Hazrat Salman Farsi^(ra) served as the governor of Madain. Hazrat Ammar^(ra) bin Yasir also served as the governor of Kufa.

All these companions were among the Ashab-e-Suffah. Hazrat Ubaidah^(ra) bin Jarrah served as the governor of Palestine. Hazrat Anas^(ra) bin Malik served as the governor of Medina during the rule of Hazrat Umar bin Abd-il-Aziz. There was also a commander among these very individuals, who played a significant role in the Islamic conquests. Hazrat Zaid^(ra) bin Thabit was not only a great commander, but was also appointed the supreme judge during the Khilafat of Hazrat Umar^(ra). (Siyar as-Sahaba, Vol. 5, pp. 548-550, Darul Ishaat, Karachi, 2004) (Justaju-e-Madinah az Abdul Hameed Qadir, pp. 672-681)

Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri^(ra) narrates:

“I sat down in the congregation of the poor Muhajreen.” Meaning he went and sat among the congregation of the Ashab as-Suffah, who were concealing their private parts from each other [due to lack of clothing] – almost half of their body was not covered with any clothes. He continues, “A qari [reciter of the Holy Quran] amongst us was reciting the Holy Quran, and the Messenger (sa) of Allah arrived. The qari stopped the recitation as the Holy Prophet^(sa) stood by. Then the Holy Prophet^(sa) said Salam (greetings of peace) and enquired, ‘What are you all doing?’ We replied, ‘This qari is reciting the Holy Quran for us and we are listening to the Book of Allah’. Then the Holy Prophet^(sa) stated, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, Who has granted me such people in my Ummah and that He has instructed me to remain patient with them.’” Meaning that the Holy Prophet^(sa) was commanded to remain patient just like they were demonstrating patience.

The narrator further states:

“The Holy Prophet^(sa) sat down among us and in order to show that his blessed person was a part of us, he signalled his blessed hand in a circle” meaning that he was also from amongst them and he sat down with them, and they created a circle around him and turned their attention towards him.

The narrator states:

“In my opinion, the Holy Prophet^(sa) did not recognise anyone other than me.” That is, the narrator says that he was the only one that the Holy Prophet^(sa) recognised since there was a large number of people in the gathering. The Holy Prophet^(sa) stated, ‘There are glad tidings for this group of poor Muhajirin! For on the Day of Judgment, you shall enter paradise with a perfect spiritual light half a day before the wealthy people and this half of a day is equivalent to 500 years.’” (Sunan Abi Daud, Kitab al-Ilm, Bab Fi al-Qisas, Hadith 3666) The Promised Messiah^(as) also received a revelation in Arabic which has the mention of theAshab as-Suffah. The revelation is as follows:

اَصْحَابُ الصُّفَّةِ وَمَا اَدْرَاکَ مَا اَصْحَابُ الصُّفَّةِ تَرٰي اَعْيُنَھُمْ تَفِيْضُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ۔ يُصَلُّوْنَ عَلَيْکَ۔ رَبَّنَا اِنَّنَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيًا يُّنَادِيْ لِلْاِيْمَانِ وَ دَاعِيًا اِلَي اللّٰہِ وَسِرَاجًا مُنِيْرًا

“Do you know who the Ashab as-Suffah are? You will see their eyes shedding tears; they will call down blessings upon you. They will send blessing upon you and supplicate: ‘Our Lord we have heard the voice of a caller, calling people to the faith and a Summoner to Allah and a refulgent lamp.” (Haqiqatul Wahi, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 22, p. 78)

This revelation of the Promised Messiah^(as) was regarding some of his companions in that he would also be granted companions with similar qualities. The Promised Messiah^(as) states:

“The people of Suffah in the time of the Holy Prophet^(sa) were extremely honorable and firm in their faith. Their example of sincerity and devotion is a model [for everyone to follow]. Allah the Almighty has also revealed to me that He shall also grant me individuals like them.”

Participation in Battles

According to Sahih Bukhari, Hazrat Utbah^(ra) bin Mas‘ud is counted among the companions who took part in the Battle of Badr, whereas according to other books about the lives of the companions, such as Usdul Ghaba Fi Ma‘rifat Al Sahabah, al-Isaba Fi Tamyeez al-Sahabah, al-Isti‘ab Fi Ma‘rifat Al Ashab, al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra, etc. it is reported that he participated in the Battle of Uhud and the subsequent battles and not in the Battle of Badr. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitabul Maghazi, Bab tasmiyatu man Summiya min Ahli Badr) (Usdul Ghaba, Vol. 3, p. 563, Utbah bin Mas‘ud, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2008) (al-Isaba Fi Tamyeez al-Sahaba, Vol. 4, p. 366, Utbah bin Mas‘ud, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1995) (al-Isti‘ab, Vol. 3, p. 1030, Utbah bin Mas‘ud al-Hazli, Dar-ul-Jeel, Beirut) (al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 4, p. 381, Wa min Hulafaa Bani Zahra bin Kilab, Utbah bin Mas‘ud, Dar Ihyaa al-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut, 1996)

Nonetheless, in Bukhari it is recorded that Hazrat Utbah^(ra) bin Mas‘ud was a Badri Companion.

Demise

Hazrat Utbah^(ra) bin Mas‘ud passed away in 23 AH during the Khilafat of Hazrat Umar^(ra) bin Khattab and Hazrat Umar^(ra) led his funeral prayer. Qasim bin Abdur Rahman narrates that Hazrat Umar^(ra) bin Khattab waited for Hazrat Utbah’s^(ra) mother, Hazrat Ummi Abd^(ra), in order for her to attend the funeral. (al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 4, p. 238, Utbah bin Mas‘ud, Wa min Hulafaa Bani Zahra bin Kilab, Dar Ihyaa al-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut, 1996) (al-Bidayatu Wa al-Nihayatu Li ibn Kathir, Vol. 4, Ch. 7, p. 138, thumma dakhalat Sunnati Thalathi wa Ishreen, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2001)

Imam Zuhri narrates that with respect to the migration and spending time in the company of the Holy Prophet^(sa), Hazrat Abdullah^(ra) bin Mas‘ud was not far behind his brother, Hazrat Utbah^(ra). In other words, Hazrat Utbah^(ra) accepted Islam before his brother, Hazrat Abdullah^(ra) bin Mas‘ud. Abdullah bin Utbah narrated that Hazrat Abdullah^(ra) bin Mas‘ud became emotional at the time of his brother, Hazrat Utbah(ra) bin Mas‘ud’s demise. Some people asked him why he was crying, to which he replied, “He was my brother, but also my brother in faith. After Hazrat Umar^(ra) bin Khattab, he was the dearest to me among the people.” (Usdul Ghaba, Vol. 3, p. 563, Utbah bin Mas‘ud, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2008)

In a different narration, it is stated that when Hazrat Abdullah^(ra) bin Mas‘ud learnt about the demise of his brother, Hazrat Utbah^(ra) bin Ma’sud, tears began to flow from his eyes and he said:

إِنَّ هٰذِهِ رَحْمَةٌ جَعَلَهَا اللّٰهُ لَا يَمْلِكُهَا ابْنُ اٰدَمَ

“Verily this Mercy is bestowed to us from God Almighty, but it is something that man is unable to overcome.” (al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 4, p. 238, Utbah bin Mas‘ud, Wa min Hulafaa Bani Zahra bin Kilab, Dar Ihyaa al-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut, 1996)

Meaning, everyone is destined to pass away, but for virtuous individuals it becomes a mercy from God Almighty. According to another narration, Hazrat Umar^(ra) bin Khattab would appoint Hazrat Utbah^(ra) bin Mas‘ud as the local Amir [in his absence]. (al-Isaba Fi Tamyeez al-Sahaba, Vol. 4, p. 366, Utbah bin Mas‘ud al-Hazli, Dar-ul-Fikr, Beirut, 2001)