(Friday Sermon - September 28, 2018 )
Background
Hazrat Ummarah(ra) is one of the seventy Companions, who participated in the Second Pledge at al-Aqabah. Both of his brothers, Hazrat Amr bin Hazm and Hazrat Muamar bin Hazm, were also Companions. He joined the Holy Prophet(sa) in all the battles, including Badr and Uhud. He was holding the flag of the tribe of Malik bin Najjar in his hands at the occasion of the Victory of Mecca. After the migration, the Holy Prophet(sa) established a bond of brotherhood between Ummarah and Hazrat Muhriz bin Nazlah. Upon the demise of the Holy Prophet(sa), when a fitna [disorder] arose from among the apostates and they initiated a war against Muslims, he joined Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed(ra) in the battle [against them]. He attained martyrdom during the Battle of Yamamah. (Ashaab-e-Badr, Qazi Muhammad Sulaiman, p. 182, Maktabatul Islamiyyah, Lahore, 2015)
His mother’s name was Khalidah bint Anas. Abu Bakr bin Muhammad narrates, “When a snake bit Hazrat Abdullah bin Sahl, the Holy Prophet(sa) instructed that he be taken to Hazrat Ummarah bin Hazm, so that he may perform dam [special prayer for health and protection] for him. He replied, ‘O Messenger(sa) of Allah! He is about to die!’ The Holy Prophet(sa) said, ‘Take him to Ummarah! When he will perform dam, God Almighty will cure him.’” (Subul-ul-Huda Wa al-Rishaad, Vol. 10, p. 771, Cairo, 1995)
Certainly, the Holy Prophet(sa) must have taught him that dam and that prayer. This does not mean that, God forbid, the Holy Prophet(sa) was in need of the dam prayer by Hazrat Ummarah or that he was unable to do it himself. Certain people are especially appointed for certain roles, however the actual source of the impact of the prayer was owing to the holy power and the blessings of the Holy Prophet(sa).
Removing mischief from the mosque
It is stated in Sirat ibn Hisham that the hypocrites used to come to the mosque of the Holy Prophet(sa) and after listening to the conversation of the Muslims and departing from them, they used to mock them. They used to ridicule their faith. Sometimes, they would even do so in front of them. Once, when some of the hypocrites gathered at the Mosque of the Prophet, the Holy Prophet(sa) saw them conversing among themselves secretly. The Holy Prophet(sa) instructed that they be evicted from the mosque. Thus, they were removed from the mosque. Hazrat Abu Ayyub advanced towards Umar bin Qais, who belonged to the clan of Ghanam bin Malik bin Najjar and who used to take care of their idols during the period of ignorance. He grabbed him by his leg and dragged him out of the mosque. He kept saying, “O Abu Ayyub! Are you going to expel me from the company of Banu Tha‘labah?” Then [Hazrat Abu Ayyub] turned to Rafi bin Badi‘ah, who also hailed from the clan of Najjar. He wrapped him in his sheet of cloth, pulled him firmly, and hit him and removed him from the mosque. Abu Ayyub then said to him, “You wicked hypocrite! May you be cursed. Get away from the Mosque of the Prophet!” Hazrat Ummarah bin Hazm went to Zaid bin Amr and dragged him out of the mosque while grabbing him by his beard. Then Hazrat Ummarah struck both of his hands on his chest with such force that he fell down. He said, “O Ummarah! You have injured me!” Upon this, Hazrat Ummarah replied, “O hypocrite! May God destroy you! The punishment that God Almighty has prepared for you is more severe than that. Thus, never come close to the Mosque of the Prophet ever again!” (Sirat ibn Hisham, p. 246, Dar-e-ibn-e-Hazm, 2009)
A lost camel
On the occasion of the battle of Tabuk, when the Holy Prophet(sa) was on route to Tabuk, the camel of the Holy Prophet(sa), Qaswa, disappeared from sight. The Companions of the Holy Prophet(sa) set out in order to search for it. Hazrat Ummarah bin Hazm was also with the Holy Prophet(sa). He had taken part in the pledge of initiation at al-Aqabah, he was a Companion who participated in the battle of Badr, as has already been mentioned, and he was the brother of Hazrat Amr bin Hazm. The person narrating this account states that Hazrat Zaid bin Salat was in the carriage of Hazrat Ummarah. In other words, he was given the responsibility of taking care of the rides and carriages and he was the person to place the carriages on the camels. Some people were assigned to place a form of carriage or saddle on the camel. He belonged to the tribe of Qaynuqa and was a Jew, and although he became a Muslim, he showed some hypocrisy. Zaid, i.e. the person who became a Muslim but had a sense of hypocrisy within him, asked in a very pretentiously innocent manner, “Does Muhammad(sa) not claim that he is a prophet and that he informs you of heavenly matters? Yet, he is unaware of where his camel went!” Hazrat Ummarah was near the Holy Prophet(sa) and somehow this comment reached the Holy Prophet(sa), or God Almighty must have informed him about it. The Holy Prophet(sa) then said, “A person had commented that Muhammad tells you people that he is a prophet and that he informs you of heavenly matters, whereas, he is unaware of where his camel is.” After this, the Holy Prophet(sa) said, “By God! I do not know of anything, but what God Almighty has informed me of. I do not know the unseen. However, I speak as God Almighty informs me.” Following this, in order to silence this hypocrite, the Holy Prophet(sa) stated that God Almighty informed him [of the camel]. The Holy Prophet(sa) further said, “Indeed, God Almighty has informed me in relation to my camel that it is in such and such valley”. The Holy Prophet(sa) then pointed into the direction of the valley and said, “Its rein got caught in a tree. Go and bring it to me.” Hence, the companions went and brought it back. In order to silence the hypocrite, God Almighty then showed the Holy Prophet(sa) the exact location of the camel.
Al-Bayhaqi and Abu Na‘eem state that Hazrat Ummarah went to his carriage and said, “By God! A strange thing occurred today. Moments ago, the Holy Prophet(sa) mentioned to us the comments of a certain individual, which God Almighty had informed him of.” Thus, it has become clear that God Almighty had informed the Holy Prophet(sa) of the comments of this hypocrite, Zaid bin Salat. A person in the carriage of Hazrat Ummarah then said, “By God! Before you came, Zaid had uttered this exact comment you have just mentioned to us.” Upon this, Hazrat Ummarah grabbed Zaid by the neck and said to his comrades, “O servants of Allah! There was a snake in my carriage and I was unaware of removing it.” He then turned to Zaid and said that he would cut off all his ties with him. According to some people, Zaid repented later, while according to others, he remained engaged in such mischiefs until he died. (Tarikh-ul-Khamis, Vol. 3, p. 18, Ghazwa Tabuk, Dar-ul-Kutb Al-Ilmiyyah, 2009, Beirut)
Four principles to be a Muslim
Hazrat Ziyad bin Nuaim narrates from Hazrat Ummarah bin Hazm that the Holy Prophet(sa) said that there are four important principles. If a person acts in accordance with these, he becomes a Muslim. However, if he leaves out even one, the other three will be of no avail to him. Hazrat Ziyad says that he asked Hazrat Ummarah about these four principles and he said that these are, prayers, Zakat [almsgiving], fasting and Hajj [Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca]. (Usdul Ghaba, Vol. 4, p. 129, Dar-ul-Kutub Al-ilmiyyah, Beirut)
It is necessary to believe in and act in accordance with these four principles. Prayers are obligatory. Zakat [almsgiving] is obligatory upon all those who are eligible. It is obligatory to fast if one has good health. It is also obligatory to perform the Hajj for those who have the means to do it. Nevertheless, it is necessary to believe and adhere to these four principles. These principles have been written in [the book] Usdul Ghaba. These are the very books in which Muslims themselves have outlined the definition of a Muslim. However, now there are some scholars who issue edicts of disbelief and have now formed a new definition of being a Muslim.