HAZRAT KHABAB IBN AL ARATT R.A.

 

A woman named Umm Anmaar who belonged to the Khuza'a
tribe in Makkah went to the slave market in the city.
She wanted to buy herself a youth for her domestic
chores and to exploit his labour for economic gains.
As she scrutinized the faces of those who were
displayed for sale, her eyes fell on a boy who was
obviously not yet in his teens. She saw that he was
strong and healthy and that there were clear signs of
intelligence on his face. She needed no further
incentive to purchase him. She paid and walked away
with her new acquisition.

On the way home, Umm Anmaar turned to the boy and
said:

"What's your name, boy?"
"Khabbab."
"And what's your father's name?"
"Al-Aratt."
"Where do you come from?"
"From Najd."
"Then you are an Arab!"
"Yes, from the Banu Tamim."
"How then did you come into the hands of the slave
dealers in Makkah?"

"One of the Arab tribes raided our territory. They
took our cattle and captured women and children. I was
among the youths captured. I passed from one hand to
another until I ended up in Makkah . . ."

Umm Anmaar placed the youth as an apprentice to one of
the blacksmiths in Makkah to learn the art of making
swords. The youth learnt quickly and was soon an
expert at the profession. When he was strong enough,
Umm Anmaar set up a workshop for him with all the
necessary tools and equipment for making swords.
Before long he was quite famous in Makkah for his
excellent craftsmanship. People also liked dealing
with him because of his honesty and integrity. Umm
Anmaar gained much profit through him and exploited
his talents to the full.

In spite of his youthfulness, Khabbab displayed unique
intelligence and wisdom. Often, when he had finished
work and was left to himself, he would reflect deeply
on the state of Arabian society which was so steeped
in corruption. He was appalled at the aimless
wandering, the ignorance and the tyranny which he saw.
He was one of the victims of this tyranny and he would
say to himself:

"After this night of darkness, there must be a dawn."
And he hoped that he would live long enough to see the
darkness dissipate with the steady glow and brightness
of new light.

Khabbab did not have to wait long. He was privileged
to be in Makkah when the first rays of the light of
Islam penetrated the city. It emanated from the lips
of Muhammad ibn Abdullah as he announced that none
deserves to be worshipped or adored except the Creator
and Sustainer of the universe. He called for an end to
injustice and oppression and sharply criticised the
practices of the rich in accumulating wealth at the
expense of the poor and the outcast. He denounced
aristocratic privileges and attitudes and called for a
new order based on respect for human dignity and
compassion for the underprivileged including orphans,
wayfarers and the needy.

To Khabbab, the teachings of Muhammad were like a
powerful light dispelling the darkness of ignorance.
He went and listened to these teachings directly from
him. Without any hesitation he stretched out his hand
to the Prophet in allegiance and testified that "There
is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His servant and
His messenger." He was among the first ten persons to
accept Islam.

Khabbab did not hide his acceptance of Islam from
anyone. When the news of his becoming a Muslim reached
Umm Anmaar, she became incensed with anger. She went
to her brother Siba'a ibn Abd al-Uzza who gathered a
gang of youths from the Khuza'a tribe and together
they made their way to Khabbab. They found him
completely engrossed in his work. Siba'a went up to
him and said:

"We have heard some news from you which we don't
believe."

"What is it?" asked Khabbab.

"We have been told that you have given up your
religion and that you now follow that man from the
Banu Hashim ."

"I have not given up my religion," replied Khabbab
calmly. "I only believe in One God Who has no partner.
I reject your idols and I believe that Muhammad is the
servant of God and His messenger."

No sooner had Khabbab spoken these words than Siba'a
and his gang set upon him. They beat him with their
fists and with iron bars and they kicked him until he
fell unconscious to the ground, with blood streaming
from the wounds he received.

The news of what happened between Khabbab and his
slave mistress spread throughout Makkah like
wild-fire. People were astonished at Khabbab's daring.
They had not yet heard of anyone who followed Muhammad
and who had had the audacity to announce the fact with
such frankness and defiant confidence.

The Khabbab affair shook the leaders of the Quraysh.
They did not expect that a blacksmith, such as
belonged to Umm Anmaar and who had no clan in Makkah
to protect him and no asabEyyah to prevent him from
injury, would be bold enough to go outside her
authority, denounce her gods and reject the religion
of her forefathers. They realized that this was only
the beginning . . .

The Quraysh were not wrong in their expectations.
Khabbab's courage impressed many of his friends and
encouraged them to announce their acceptance of Islam.
One after another, they began to proclaim publicly the
message of truth.

In the precincts of the Haram, near the Ka'bah, the
Quraysh leaders gathered to discuss the problem of
Muhammad. Among them were Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, al-
Walid ibn al-Mughira and Abu Jahl ibn Hisham. They
noted that Muhammad was getting stronger and that hi
sfollowing was increasing day by day, indeed hour by
hour. To them this was like a terrible disease and
they made up their minds to stop it before it got out
of control. They decided that each tribe should get
hold of any follower of Muhammad among them and punish
him until he either recants his faith or dies.

On Siba'a ibn Abd al-Uzza and his people fell the task
of punishing Khabbab even further. Regularly they
began taking him to an open area in the city when the
sun was at its zenith and the ground was scorching
hot. They would take off his clothes and dress him in
iron armour and lay him on the ground. In the intense
heat his skin would be seared and his body would
become inert. When it appeared that all strength had
left him, they would come up and challenge him:

"What do you say about Muhammad?"

"He is the servant of God and His messenger. He has
come with the religion of guidance and truth, to lead
us from darkness into light."

They would become more furious and intensify their
beating. They would ask about al-Laat and al-Uzza and
he would reply firmly:

"Two idols, deaf and dumb, that cannot cause harm or
bring any benefit..."

This enraged them even more and they would take a big
hot stone and place it on his back. Khabbab's pain and
anguish would be excruciating but he did not recant.

The inhumanity of Umm Anmaar towards Khabbab was not
less than that of her brother. Once she saw the
Prophet speaking to Khabbab at his workshop and she
flew into a blind rage. Every day after that, for
several days, she went to Khabbab's workshop and
punished him by placing a red hot iron from the
furnace on his head. The agony was unbearable and he
often fainted.

Khabbab suffered long and his only recourse was to
prayer. He prayed for the punishment of Umm Anmaar and
her brother. His release from pain and suffering only
came when the Prophet, peace be upon him, gave
permission to his companions to emigrate to Madinah.
Umm Anmaar by then could not prevent him from going.
She herself became afflicted with a tertible illness
which no one had heard of before. She behaved as if
she had suffered a rabid attack. The headaches she had
were especially nerve-racking. Her children sought
everywhere for medical help until finally they were
told that the only cure was to cauterize her head.
This was done. The treatment, with a ret hot iron, was
more terrible than all the headaches she suffered.

At Madinah, among the generous and hospitable Ansar,
Khabbab experienced a state of ease and restfulness
which he had not known for a long time. He was
delighted to be near the Prophet, peace be upon him,
with no one to molest him or disturb his happiness.

He fought alongside the noble Prophet at the battle of
Badr. He participated in the battle of Uhud where he
had the satisfaction of seeing Siba'a ibn Abd al-Uzza
meet his end at the hands of Hamza ibn Abd
al-Muttalib, the uncle of the Prophet.

Khabbab lived long enough to witness the great
expansiOn of Islam under the four Khulafaa ar-
RashidunÑAbu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali. He once
visited Umar during his caliphate. Umar stood upÑhe
was in a meetingÑand greeted Khabbab with the words:

"No one is more deserving than you to be in this
assembly other than Bilal."

He asked Khabbab about the torture and the persecution
he had received at the hands of the mushrikeen.
Khabbab described this in some detail since it was
still very vivid in his mind. He then exposed his back
and even Umar was aghast at what he saw.

In the last phase of his life, Khabbab was blessed
with wealth such as he had never before dreamed of. He
was, however, well-known for his generosity. It is
even said that he placed his dirhams and his dinars in
a part of his house that was known to the poor and the
needy. He did not secure this money in any way and
those in need would come and take what they needed
without seeking any permission or asking any
questions.

In spite of this, he was always afraid of his
accountability to God for the way he disposed of this
wealth. A group of companions related that they
visited Khabbab when he was sick and he said:

"In this place there are eighty thousand dirhams. By
God, I have never secured it any way and I have not
barred anyone in need from it."

He wept and they asked why he was weeping.

"I weep," he said, "because my companions have passed
away and they did not obtain any such reward in this
world. I have lived on and have acquired this wealth
and I fear that this will be the only reward for my
deeds."

Soon after he passed away. The Khalifah Ali ibn abi
Talib, may God be pleased with him, stood at his grave
and said:

"May God have mercy on Khabbab. He accepted Islam
wholeheartedly. He performed hijrah willingly. He
lived as a mujahid and God shall not withhold the
reward of one who has done good."