(Friday Sermon - March 1, 2019 )

Background

Hazrat Khallad^(ra) bin Suwaid Ansari belonged to the Banu Harith branch of the Khazraj tribe. His mother’s name was Amrah bint Sa‘d. One of his sons – Hazrat Sa‘ib^(ra) – was blessed with the companionship of the Holy Prophet^(sa) and Hazrat Umar^(ra) later even appointed him as the governor of Yemen. His second son’s name was Hakam bin Khallad and Laila bint Ubadah was the mother of both sons.

Participation in Battles and Martyrdom

Hazrat Khallad^(ra) took part in the Bai‘at-e-Aqabah. He also took part in the Battle of Badr, Uhud and the Ditch. In the Battle of Banu Quraizah, a Jewish lady named Bunanah dropped a heavy rock on him inflicting a fatal injury on his head which resulted in his martyrdom. Upon this, the Holy Prophet^(sa) stated, “For Khallad is a reward equal to two martyrs”. Later, as per the law of equal retribution, the Holy Prophet^(sa) had the woman responsible for the murder executed. (Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra, Vol. 3, pp. 401-402, Khallad^(ra) bin Suwaid, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1990)

In Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin [The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets] this incident has been mentioned in the following manner:

“A few Muslims took a seat up against a wall of the fortress and a Jewish lady by the name of Bunanah threw a stone from above. A man named Khallad^(ra) was martyred, but the others escaped.” (Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad^(ra), p. 598)

It is narrated that when the mother of Hazrat Khallad^(ra) was informed of his martyrdom, she came wearing her head-covering i.e. she was wearing her niqab. She was told that “Khallad^(ra) has been martyred, and you have come wearing the niqab.” Thereupon she said, “Khallad^(ra) has been taken from me, but I shall never give up my modesty” i.e. she said she would not lament or wail as was the custom, and the head-covering was modesty which she would uphold.

Further details of the account of Hazrat Khallad’s^(ra) martyrdom have been mentioned. It is said that upon his martyrdom, the Holy Prophet^(sa) stated, “He shall have the reward of two martyrs” as has been mentioned before. However, further a detail mentioned here is that when it was enquired of the Holy Prophet^(sa) as to why he shall have the reward of two martyrs, he stated, “He was killed by the Ahl-e-Kitab [the People of the Book].” (Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra, Vol. 3, p. 402, Khallad^(ra) bin Suweid, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1990)