(Friday Sermon - September 20, 2019 )

Background

Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) bin Adiyy Ansari belonged to the Banu Jahjabah of the Aus tribe from among the Ansar. (Usdul Ghaba, Vol. 1, p. 681, Khubaib(ra) bin Adiyy, Dar-ul-Fikr, 2003)

When Hazrat Umair^(ra) bin Abu Waqas migrated from Mecca to Medina, the Holy Prophet^(sa) established a bond of brotherhood between him and Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) bin Adiyy. (Ayoon Al-Asar, Vol. 1, p. 232, Zikr-ul-Mawakhaat, Dar-ul-Qalam, Beirut, 1993)

Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) bin Adiyy took part in the Battle of Badr and killed Harith bin Aamir during the battle. During the Battle of Badr, Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) bin Adiyy was appointed to supervise over the army’s possessions. (Sair Al-Sahaba, Vol. 3, pt. 4, p. 309, Iadaara Islamiyaat, Lahore)

Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) bin Adiyy was among the delegation involved in the incident of Raji in 4 AH. Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) bin Adiyy and Hazrat Zaid^(ra) bin Dasna were captured by the idolaters, who took them along with them to Mecca and upon reaching, sold both of the companions. Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) bin Adiyy was bought by the sons of Harith bin Aamir, so that they could avenge their father’s death who was killed by Khubaib^(ra) on the day of Badr.

According to Ibn Ishaaq, Hujair bin Abu Ihaab Tameemi, who was a confederate of the children of Harith, bought Hazrat Khubaib^(ra). Uqbah, the son of Harith, bought him from Abu Ihaab, so that he could avenge his father’s death. It is also reported that Uqbah bin Harith bought Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) from the Banu Najjar. According to yet another source Abu Ihaab, Ikramah bin Abu Jahl, Akhnath bin Shuraiq, Ubaidah bin Hakeem, the sons of Umayyah bin Abu Utbah Hazarmi and Safwan bin Umayyah all bought Hazrat Khubaib^(ra). These are all the individuals whose fathers were killed during the Battle of Badr. They all bought Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) and gave him to Uqbah bin Harith, who then imprisoned him in his home. (Al-Isti‘ab fi Marifat Al-Sahaba, Vol. 2, pp. 23-25, Khubaib^(ra) bin Adiyy, Dar-ul-Kutb Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2002) (Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad^(ra), p. 513)

The Incident of Raji

The following details have been mentioned in Bukhari regarding the incident of Raji:

Hazrat Abu Hurairah^(ra) relates that the Holy Prophet^(sa) sent a delegation comprising of ten companions to gather some intelligence and appointed Asim^(ra) bin Thabit Ansari, who was the maternal grandfather of Asim bin Umar bin Khattab, as the Amir of the delegation. The delegation set off and when they reached Hada‘ah, which is situated between Usfaan and Mecca, someone informed the Banu Lahyan about them, who were part of the Huzail tribe. Upon learning of this news, around two hundred men, who were all archers, set off and began to follow their trail. They pursued them until they reached the place where the delegation had eaten some dates. The delegation of ten people stopped at a location and ate some dates which they brought with them as provisions for the journey from Medina. They ate the dates and threw away the date seeds. The army pursuing them recognised that these dates were from Yathrib, i.e. Medina, and thereafter began to follow their trail.

When Asim^(ra) and his companions saw them coming after them, they ascended a hillock for protection. The pursuing army surrounded them and asked them to come down, assuring them that if they surrendered themselves over to them, they would not kill any of them. Asim^(ra) bin Thabit, who was the leader of this delegation, said that if he came down from the mountain then that would mean he came under the protection of a disbeliever and he was not willing to do that. Thereafter, he prayed, “O Allah! Inform Your Prophet^(sa) of this incident.” The enemy then began to launch arrows and martyred Asim^(ra) bin Thabit, along with seven others of his companions.

Upon witnessing this, the other three, placing their trust in them, came down. Among these three was Khubaib^(ra) Ansari, Ibn Dasna^(ra) and one other person. When they came down, the disbelievers captured them and tied them with the strings of their bows. The third individual among them said that this was their first act of deception and said, “By God, I will not go with you. I find comfort and assurance in the example of those who were martyred before us. I will remain here and so martyr me if you so wish.” They tried to drag him along but he resisted and eventually they martyred him. They then grabbed hold of Khubaib^(ra) and ibn Dasna^(ra) and took them away to Mecca where they then sold them. This incident took place after the Battle of Badr. Khubaib was bought by Banu Harith bin Aamir bin Naufal bin Abd Manaf. Khubaib^(ra) was the one who killed Harith bin Aamir during the Battle of Badr. Khubaib remained as a prisoner with him.

Ibn-e-Shihaab writes, “Ubaidullah bin Ayyadh said to me that the daughter of Harith informed him that once the captors, who had bought Khubaib^(ra), decided that they would kill him (i.e. he would be martyred), during that time Khubaib^(ra) asked for a razor for his personal use.” This is a very famous incident and is often quoted. The daughter of Harith further states:

“During a moment of inattentiveness, one of my children went to Khubaib^(ra) and he sat the child on his lap. Seeing my child sitting on Khubaib’s lap and the razor in his hand, I became petrified to such an extent that Khubaib^(ra) realised my fear from my facial expression and said, ‘Do you think that I will kill this child? Do not think this. God-Willing, I shall never commit such an act.’”

The daughter of Harith would often say, “I have never seen a prisoner as good as Khubaib^(ra).” She would also say, “By God, on one occasion, I saw a bunch of grapes in the hand of Khubaib^(ra) and he was picking grapes one by one and eating them, although there was no sign of grapes in Mecca during those days and Khubaib^(ra) was shackled in strong iron chains.” She says, “I believe that these were heavenly provisions which were granted to Khubaib^(ra).”

Martyrdom

When the captors took Khubaib^(ra) to a place outside of the Haram [vicinity of the Ka‘bah] in order to kill him, Khubaib^(ra) sought permission from them to offer two rak‘ats [unit of prayer] of Salat, to which they agreed. When he had offered his two rak‘ats of prayer, he said: “I desired to prolong my Salat even more, but then I thought that you may assume that I am prolonging my Salat with the intention of deferring death.” Then he prayed to God Almighty saying: “O Allah! Destroy each and every one of them.” Just before they were about to martyr him, he prayed saying: “O Allah! Destroy each and every one of them.” Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) then recited the following couplet:

وَلَسْتُ اُبَالِیْ حِیْنَ اُقْتَلُ مُسْلِمًا

عَلٰی اَیِّ شِقٍّ کَانَ لِلّٰہِ مَصْرَعِیْ

وَذَالِکَ فِیْ ذَاتِ الْاِلٰہِ وَاِنْ یَّشَأْ

یُبَارِکْ عَلٰی اَوْصَالِ شِلْوٍ مُمَزَّعِ

“When I am being martyred in the cause of Islam as a Muslim, I care not as to which flank I fall upon after being martyred; all of this is for the sake of God; and if my God so wills, He shall bless my every severed limb.”

Allama Hajar Asqalani, who has written a commentary of Sahih Bukhari, writes the following commentary under a Hadith regarding Ghazwah Raji:

“At the time of his martyrdom, Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) prayed the following:

اَللّٰهُمَّ أَحْصِهِمْ عَدَدًا

‘O Allah! Take note of each one of these enemies of mine, so that You may deal with them.’” In another narration it is recorded that he also said:

وَاقْتُلْهُمْ بَدَدًا وَلَا تُبْقِ مِنْھُمْ اَحَدًا

“Kill every single one of them and do not spare anyone from among them.” (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Maghazi, Hadith no. 3045) (Fath-ul-Bari, Sahrah Sahih Bukhari Li Imam ibn Hajjar Asqalani, Vol. 7, p. 488, Qadeemi Kutub Khana Maqabil Araam Baagh, Karachi)

Nonetheless, after Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) had finished offering his prayers, Uqbah, the son of Harith, killed Khubaib^(ra) and thus he became a martyr. In another narration of Bukhari it is written that Abu Sarawa‘ah killed Hazrat Khubaib^(ra). Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) was the one who established the tradition of offering two rak‘ats of prayer for every Muslim who is killed in captivity.

God Almighty accepted the prayer of Asim^(ra) bin Thabit which he supplicated on the day he was martyred and subsequently the Holy Prophet^(sa) then informed his companions about it. As it has already been mentioned, Asim^(ra) bin Thabit, who was the leader of the party, among whom Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) was also a part, prayed to God Almighty to inform the Holy Prophet(sa) about their situation. The Holy Prophet^(sa) informed his companions about the entire incident and the difficulties they had to endure. When the Quraish were informed that Asim^(ra) had been killed, they sent a group of men to the place where Asim^(ra) was killed in order to bring back a part of his body whereby he could be recognised. Asim^(ra) had slain a principal chieftain of the Quraish during the Battle of Badr. However, God Almighty made such provisions that a swarm of hornets acted as a shield over his body and the disbelievers were unable to harm him. God Almighty saved him and they were unable to take back any part of his body. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Maghazi, Hadith 4086-4087)

When Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) was about to be martyred, it is stated that he prayed, “O Allah, I have no means by which to convey my greetings to the Holy Prophet^(sa). You alone can convey my greetings to him.” When Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) stood on the plank he prayed to God Almighty. It is said that when an idolater heard the following prayer of Hazrat Khubaib^(ra):

اَللّٰهُمَّ أَحْصِهِمْ عَدَدًا وَاقْتُلْهُمْ بَدَدًا

“O Allah! Take note of every single one of them and then kill each and every one of them”, he jumped to the floor out of fear. It is written that within one year, aside from the person who laid down out of fear, every single one of those who were involved in the killing of Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) were dead and none of them survived.

Hazrat Muawiyyah^(ra) bin Abi Sufyan stated, “I was present with my father at that time. When my father heard the prayer of Hazrat Khubaib^(ra), he immediately pushed me to the ground.” Urwah has stated this and there are also similar narrations. Another narration of his is that the idolaters that were present at that time included: Abu Ihaab, Akhnath bin Shuraiq, Ubaidah bin Hakeem and Umayyah bin Utbah. He further narrates that Angel Gabriel came to the Holy Prophet^(sa) and informed him about the entire incident, and the Holy Prophet^(sa) in turn informed the companions^(ra). The companions^(ra) said that on that day, the Holy Prophet^(sa) was seated in a gathering when he said:

وَعَلَیْکَ السَّلَامُ یَا خُبَیْبُ

“O Khubaib^(ra)! May the peace and blessings of God be upon you.”

He also informed the companions that the Quraish had killed Khubaib^(ra). (Fath-ul-Bari, Sahrah Sahih Bukhari Li Imam ibn Hajjar Asqalani, Vol. 7, p. 488, Qadeemi Kutub Khana Maqabil Araam Baagh, Karachi. Hadith no. 4086)

Thus, God Almighty ensured that Khubaib’s greetings of peace were conveyed to the Holy Prophet^(sa). This is all mentioned in the commentary of Sahih Bukhari.

When the idolaters martyred Hazrat Khubaib^(ra), they turned his face away from the direction of the Qibla [towards the Ka‘bah in Mecca]. However, a short while later, the idolaters saw that his face had turned towards the Qibla again. They would constantly try to turn his face away from the Qibla but they did not succeed and eventually left him the way he was. (Al-Isaba Fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Vol. 2, p. 277, Khubaib^(ra) bin Adiyy, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2005)

In another narration it is related that the Quraish hung Khubaib^(ra) to the branch of a tree and then killed him by repeatedly piercing him with lances. An individual by the name of Saeed bin Aamir was also among the crowd. Afterwards, he became a Muslim and even until the era of Khilafat of Hazrat Umar^(ra), whenever he would remember the incident of Khubaib^(ra), (he was among the perpetrators, but later accepted Islam) he would be overtaken by a state of swoon. (Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad^(ra), pp. 515-516)

(Friday Sermon - October 18, 2019 )

Martyrdom Cont’d

At the time of his martyrdom, he requested Allah the Almighty to convey his Salam [greetings of peace] to the Holy Prophet^(sa). Thus, we find that these people were of a very lofty status and had attained the nearness of Allah the Almighty. From this incident, we also learn about how Allah the Almighty bestowed His favours upon them. When Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) bin Adiyy requested Allah the Almighty to convey his Salam to the Holy Prophet^(sa) as there was no one else to do so, subsequently Allah the Almighty conveyed his Salam to the Holy Prophet(sa). The Holy Prophet^(sa), while he was sitting with his companions(ra), replied with “Wa alaikumusssalam” and informed the companions^(ra) about his martyrdom. (Fath-ul-Bari Sharh Imam al-Bukhari ibn Hajr Asqalani, Vol. 7, p. 488, Kitab-ul-Maghazi, Hadith 4086, Qadimi Kutub Khana, Karachi)

After the martyrdom of Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) bin Adiyy and his companions, the Holy Prophet^(sa) commanded Hazrat Amr^(ra) bin Umayyah to go to Mecca and to kill Abu Sufyan, the chief instigator of this cruel act as he was now deserving of this punishment. The Holy Prophet^(sa) also sent Hazrat Jabbar^(ra) bin Sakhr Ansari with him. Both of them tied their camels in a pass in the Valley of Yajaj, which is situated eight miles from Mecca and entered the city during the night. Hazrat Jabbar^(ra) expressed his desire to Hazrat Amr^(ra) if they could have the opportunity to perform tawaf [circuits] of the Ka‘bah and offer two rak‘at of nawafil. Hazrat Amr^(ra) replied that it was a custom of the people of Quraish that after finishing their evening meal, they would sit in their courtyards at night. Therefore, he feared lest they were caught. Hazrat Jabbar^(ra) replied that Insha-Allah [God willing], that would not happen. Hazrat Amr^(ra) states, “We then performed tawaf and offered two rak‘at of prayer. Then we went forth in search of Abu Sufyan. By Allah, we were walking when a Meccan saw me and recognised me and said, ‘This is Amr bin Umayyah! Surely he must have come with some evil intent.’ Upon this, I told my  companion to take caution and that we should leave from here! Then, we quickly came out of there and climbed a mountain. Some of the people began to pursue us. However, when we reached the peak of that mountain, they gave up and returned. Then, we came down and entered a cave in the mountain. We gathered some stones and stacked them up and we spent the night there. The next morning, one of the Quraish approached as he was walking his horse on that route. We hid back in the cave. I thought to myself that if he had seen us then he would create an uproar. It would be best to capture him and kill him.” Hazrat Amr^(ra) further narrates, “I had a dagger, which I had prepared for Abu Sufyan. I struck that person’s chest with the dagger upon which he yelled such a loud cry that the Meccans also heard his voice. I once again returned to my spot and hid myself. The people quickly rushed to him while he was taking his last breaths. They asked him who attacked him? He replied that it was Amr bin Umayyah. Following this, he breathed his last and died on that very spot and was unable to inform them of where we were.”

In those days, this was the custom that if the enemies would become aware of [someone’s presence] then they would be killed due to the severe enmity between one another. Therefore, since they suspected that he had seen them, and so he may inform them about them, as a result of which the disbelievers would come after them and kill them. Hence, before such a thing like this could happen, he took this pre-emptive action in self-defence. Nevertheless, he further narrates, “He was unable to inform them of where we were and so they picked him up and took him away. At night, I said to my companion that we are safe now. Hence, we set off during the night to go from Mecca to Medina and passed by a party, which was guarding the body of Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) bin Adiyy. One of them saw Hazrat Amr^(ra) and said that ‘By God! I have never seen anyone walk so similar to that of Amr bin Umayyah’s style of walking. If he wasn’t in Medina, I would say that this is surely Amr bin Umayyah.’” Even here, Allah the Almighty cast a veil over their eyes. He further narrates, “When Hazrat Jabbar^(ra) reached the plank of wood on which Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) was hung, he quickly picked it up and ran away. The members of this party started to chase after him.”

In another narration, it is mentioned that the party standing on guard were intoxicated with alcohol. Some were drunk, some were awake, whilst some were asleep and others were in a drowsy state. Nevertheless, they did not realise and so these companions quickly took the body and ran away. When they became aware of this, they chased them until Hazrat Jabbar^(ra) reached a fast-flowing stream near the mount Yajaj and he threw this plank of wood into the stream. This group of men pursuing them also arrived there, however, Allah the Almighty had caused this plank of wood to remain hidden from the sight of the disbelievers and they were unable to find it. Hazrat Amr^(ra) narrates, “I said to my companion, Hazrat Jabbar^(ra), that he should leave this place and ride away on his camel. I would prevent these people from coming after him.” Hazrat Amr^(ra) further states, “I then started walking until I reached mount Dajnan, which is situated at a distance of 25 miles from Mecca. I took shelter in a cave and I left the cave until I reached the area of Arj, which is at a distance of 78 miles from Medina.” He further relates, “I then continued to walk until I reached the area of Naqi‘, which is at a distance of approximately sixty miles from Medina. There, I saw two men from among the idolaters of Quraish, who were sent to Medina as spies by the Quraish. I said to them that they should lay down their arms as it had now become evident that they had come to spy. However, they did not agree. Subsequently, a fight broke out.” He says, “I struck one with an arrow and killed him and imprisoned the other one, shackled him and brought him back with me to Medina.” (Al-Sirat al-Nabawiyyah li Ibn Hisham, pp. 885-886, Ba‘th Amr bin Umayyah al-Damri li Qital Abi Sufyan, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2001) (Al-Isaba Fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Vol. 2, p. 226, Khubaib bin Adiyy, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1995) (Lughaat-ul-Hadith, Vol. 4, p. 603, Kitab ‘yaa’, Vol. 3, p. 46, Kitab ‘faa’) (Mu‘jamul Buldan, Vol. 3, p. 225, 309, Vol. 4, p. 400)

According to another narration, Hazrat Amr^(ra) bin Umayyah Zamri relates that the Holy Prophet^(sa) sent him alone as an emissary in order to take Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) down from the plank of wood. He says, “At night, I approached that place and climbed the plank of wood, which Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) [was hanging from] and I was scared that someone might see me. When I released the plank of wood, it fell to the ground. Following this, the plank of wood vanished as if the ground had swallowed it. From that time until today, there is no mention of the bones of Khubaib^(ra).” (Usdul Ghaba, Vol. 1, p. 648, Khubaib bin Adiyy, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2003)

According to yet another narration, Hazrat Amr^(ra) bin Umayyah Zamri relates, “When I released Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) from the ropes and laid him down, I heard a noise behind me. When I turned around again, I was unable to see anything and the body of Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) had disappeared from my sight.” (Al-Isti‘ab, Vol. 2, p. 25, Khubaib bin Adiyy, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2002)

Hence, the first narration seems more authentic that when they chased them, he threw it into the river and that the river washed it away, or that the stream or the flow of water took it away. Hence, there are various narrations. Nevertheless, he became known by a title which meant one whose body disappeared in the earth. (Al-Isaba Fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Vol. 2, p. 226, Khubaib bin Adiyy, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1995)

The disbelievers, who wanted to mutilate his body, were unable to do so and Allah the Almighty protected it.

One narration in relation to the incident of the imprisonment of Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) is as follows. Khubaib^(ra) was imprisoned in Mecca, in the house of Muawiyyah, who was the freed female slave of Hujair bin Abu Ayhab, so that he may be killed as soon as the sacred months have passed. Muawiyyah accepted Islam later and proved to be a pious Muslim. Muawiyyah used to relate, “By God! I have not seen anyone better than Hazrat Khubaib^(ra). I used to observe him from the door and he was shackled in chains. According to my knowledge, there wasn’t even a seed of a grape to eat on the face of the earth, (i.e. there were no grapes in that area), yet, Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) used to have a bunch of grapes in his hand that was the size of a person’s head, (i.e. it was a large bunch of grapes) which he would eat from. This was nothing but the provisions granted to him by Allah. Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) would recite the Holy Quran during the Tahajjud prayer [predawn voluntary prayer] and women would cry after hearing it and feel sympathetic towards Hazrat Khubaib^(ra).” She says, “Once, I asked Hazrat Khubaib^(ra), ‘O Khubaib^(ra)! Do you have any need? Upon this, he replied, ‘I do not. Indeed, there is one thing. Please give me cold water to drink and do not give me any meat that has been slaughtered in the name of idols. Thirdly, inform me when they decide when it is that they will kill me.’” She then states, “Following this, once the sacred months had passed and once people had agreed on the killing of Hazrat Khubaib^(ra), I went to him and informed him of this. By God! He did not care the least about being killed. He said to me to send a razor for him so that he could make himself presentable.” She says, “I sent this razor in the hands of my son, Abu Hussain.” This was not her biological son, rather she had only brought him up. This is what has been recorded. She further says, “When my son left, the thought suddenly came to me that by God, Khubaib^(ra) had found his opportunity to exact revenge. My son was now with him, the razor was in his hands and he would take his revenge. What have I done by sending the razor with him? Khubaib^(ra) would kill this child with the razor and suggest the taking of a life in exchange for another life.”

The more common narration states that the child was playing and found his way to him and that Khubaib^(ra) had a razor in his hand. However, in this narration it states that the child was mature enough that it was possible to have something sent through him and hence she did so. She further states, “[I thought that] he would go to Khubaib^(ra) and he would say that since they were going to kill him, then he would kill the child as well. Following this, when my son went to him with the razor, he took it and in a light-hearted manner said to the child that he was very courageous and said, ‘Is your mother not worried about my betrayal that she sent you to me with the razor, even though you people have decided to kill me?’” Hazrat Muawiyyah says, “I was listening to these words of Khubaib(ra). I said, ‘O Khubaib^(ra)! I remained fearless from you due to the protection of Allah and I sent this child to you with the razor whilst placing my trust in the Being that you worship. I did not send it so that you may kill my son with it.’ Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) replied, ‘I am not like this and would not kill him. We do not consider betrayal lawful in our religion.’” She says, “Following this, I informed Khubaib(ra) that he would be taken away the following morning and be killed. The following day, people shackled him in chains and took him to Taneem, which is a place located at a distance of three miles from Mecca towards Medina. Children, women, slaves and many people from Mecca had gathered to see the ordeal of Khubaib’s^(ra) killing.” No one remained in Mecca according to this narration.

She further states, “Some people were there to seek vengeance for their elders who were killed in the battle. Others were present there not to seek revenge; instead, they were enemies of Islam and wished to watch his execution and take joy from it. When they took Khubaib^(ra) along with Zaid bin Dasnah to Taneem, the idolaters instructed that a long piece of wood should be dug into the ground. When they brought Khubaib^(ra) near this piece of wood, he asked permission to offer two rak‘at of prayer. They allowed him to do so. Khubaib^(ra) offered two rak‘at of voluntary prayer and kept them brief and did not prolong them at all.” All of the aforementioned details have been mentioned in this narration by Muawiyyah. (Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 8, p. 399, Ma’wiyatul Mawlaat Hujair, Dar Ihyaa al-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut, 1996) (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitabul Jihad, Bab Hal Yasir al-Rajul, Hadith 3045) (Usdul Ghaba, Vol. 1, p. 683, Hashiyah, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2003)

According to the narration that has just been presented with reference to Ibn-e-Sa‘d, Muawiyyah was a freed slave of Hujair bin Ayhab in whose house Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) was held captive. According to Alama Ibn Abdul Bar, Khubaib^(ra) was imprisoned in the house of Uqbah. Uqbah’s wife was providing food for him during this time, and she would open Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) from his shackles when it was time to eat. (Al-Isti‘ab, Vol. 2, p. 25, Khubaib bin Adiyy, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2002)

Alama ibn Aseer Jazwi writes, “Hazrat Khubaib^(ra) was the first among the Companions who was crucified for the sake of Allah Almighty.” (Usdul Ghaba, Vol. 1, p. 683, Khubaib bin Adiyy, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2003)

That is, he was tied to a piece of wood that was dug into the ground and was subsequently martyred.

Hazrat Musleh Maud^(ra) has written about the incident of Hazrat Khubaib’s^(ra) martyrdom. He states:

“Among the spectators was Abu Sufyan, chief of Mecca. Abu Sufyan turned to Zaid and asked, ‘Would you not rather have Muhammad^(sa) in your place? Would you not prefer to be safe at home while Muhammad^(sa) was in our hands?’ Zaid replied furiously, ‘What, Abu Sufyan? What do you say? By God, I would rather die, than that the Prophet^(sa) should tread on a thorn in a street in Medina.’ Abu Sufyan could not help being impressed by such devotion. He looked at Zaid in amazement and declared unhesitatingly, but in measured tones, ‘God is my witness, I have not known any one love another as much as the companions of Muhammad^(sa) love Muhammad^(sa).’” (Dibacha Tafsir-ul-Quran, Anwarul Ulum, Vol. 20, pp. 262-263)

This was the standard of love and devotion of the companions^(ra) towards the Holy Prophet^(sa). They were willing to sacrifice their lives for him. Similarly, Allah the Almighty’s treatment with them is also evident. At the time of his martyrdom, his lasts words were:

“When I am being martyred in the cause of Islam as a Muslim, I care not as to which flank I fall upon after being martyred, all of this is for the sake of God…” (Usdul Ghaba, Vol. 1, p. 683, Khubaib bin Adiyy, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2003)

Such were his standards of love and devotion. Before he was martyred, his only desire which he expressed was to offer nawafil prayers before his Lord. He also desired that his greetings of peace [Salam] be conveyed to the Holy Prophet^(sa) and God Almighty fulfilled that desire as well. The companions^(ra) loved the Holy Prophet^(sa) so much that it was unbearable for them even to imagine that their life was spared in return for a thorn pricking the feet of the Holy Prophet^(sa). They cared immensely for the slightest affliction upon the Holy Prophet^(sa) and were never concerned about their own life. For this reason, they were able to attain the pleasure and acceptance of Allah the Almighty.