Men Around The Prophet

"Of the believers are men who have been true to their pledge to GOD, from them some have fulfilled their pledges, and some are still in hope of doing so, and they never change at heart" (33 : 23).

The Prophet (PBUH) recited this glorious verse and then turned to his Companions, pointed to Talhah and said, "Anyone who wants to please himself by looking at a man walking on the earth who has fulfilled his pledge of martyrdom Should look at Talhah."

The Prophet's Companions never wished nor did their hearts ever aspireand long for a better announcement than the one the Prophet (PBUH) directedto Talhah Ibn `Ubaid Allah. By such words he could feel Secure towards hisdestiny and fate. He was going to live and die as One of those who have beentrue to their pledge so that neither civil strife could affect him lassitudeinfluence him, nor any kind of The Prophet (PBUH) announced Paradise to him.How then was the life of Such a one who deserved this fine announcement?

He was trading in the land of Basraa, when he met One of the most virtuous monks there. He told him that a Prophet who was going to appear in the Sacred Land and whose appearance was prophesied by all virtuous prophets had risen and his era had already begun. Talhah was very much afraid to miss the procession of guidance, mercy, and Salvation.

When Talhah returned to his homeland Makkah after having spent months in Basraa and traveling around, he found a lot of talk taking place here and there. Whenever he met someone or a group of Makkah inhabitants they would talk to him about Muhammad the Trustworthy, about the angel sent down to him,about the mission he was carrying to the Arabs in particular and all peoplein general.

The first thing he asked about was Abu Bakr. He learned that Abu Bakr had returned with a caravan and trade not long ago and that he was standing at the side of Muhammad, believing in and defending him.

Talhah said to himself, "Muhammad and Abu Bakr? By Allah, both of them wouldnever join each other and agree upon falsehood. 1 Muhammad has already reachedthe age of 40. In all these years we've never heard him speak one singlelie. Is it possible that he would now lie about Allah and say, `He sentme as a prophet and He sent me an angel'? It's something hard to believe."

He quickened his steps, directing them towards Abu Bakr's house. They did not talk for long because his long aspiration to meet the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and to swear to him the oath of allegiance was much faster than his heartbeats.

Abu Bakr accompanied him to the Prophet (PBUH) and he soon embraced Islam, joining there and then the blessed ranks!

That is how Talhah became one of the very early converts.

Despite his honorable rank among his clan, his vast wealth, and his successful trade, be had to taste his own portion of the Quraish's persecution. The taskof torturing him and Abu Bakr was given to Nawfal Ibn Khuwailid, who wascalled The Lion of the Quraish. However, their persecution did not last long,as the Quraish soon felt ashamed and began to think about the consequences of their deeds.

Talhah emigrated to Al-Madiinah when the Prophet (PBUH) ordered the Muslims to emigrate. After that he experienced all the battles together with the Prophet(PBUH) except the Battle of Badr because the Prophet (PBUH) had sent himand Sa`iid Ibn Zaid on an assignment outside Al-Madiinah.

When they had fulfilled their task and were on their way back to Al Madiinah, the Prophet (PBUH) and his Companions were returning home after the battle. Talhah and his companion felt so sad and tormented for having missed the rewardof joining the Prophet (PBUH) in his first jihaad battle.

However, the Prophet (PBUH) accorded them peace of mind when he informed them that their reward was exactly like the warrior's reward; moreover,he gave them a share of the booty exactly like the share he gave to eachone who had fought the battle.

Then came the Battle of Uhud, when the Quraish, with all their might and tyranny, came to take blood revenge for the Day of Badr and to restore their dignity by defeating the Muslims once and for all, a defeat which was thought by the Quraish to be a simple matter and a predetermined fate. The fierce battle took place, and soon the battlefield was filled with its awful harvest: calamity overtook the polytheists.

Then when the Muslims saw them retreating, they laid down their weaponsand the archers descended from their posts and began to collect their shareof booty. Immediately and suddenly the Quraish army turned back to hold thefield and tip the balance of the battle in their favor.

The fighting's ferocity, cruelty, and crushing resumed. The surprise attack had the effect of scattering the army.

Talhah saw that the side of the battlefield where the Prophet (PBUH) was standing had become the target of the polytheists' concentration. He immediately hurried towards the Prophet (PBUH).

He (May Allah be pleased with him) traversed a path, a long one, although it was in fact a short distance.

It was a path in which a single inch could not be traversed except by confronting tens of ferocious swords and tens of mad lances.

He could see from a far distance how the Prophet's (PBUH) cheek was bleeding and how he was silently suffering. It was then that Talhah got mad, leaped once or twice over the path of horror to reach the Prophet (PBUH), in front of whom he had to experience what he was afraid of: the swords of the polytheists drawn towards the Prophet (PBUH), surrounding him, wanting to get at him.

Talhah stood there like a raging army, striking with his sword to the left and right. He could see the Prophet (PBUH) bleeding and his pains becoming more and more unbearable. He helped him and carried him away from the hole where his foot had gotten stuck.

He supported the Prophet (PBUH) with his left hand and chest, backing up to a safe, secure place, while his right hand (May Allah bless his righthand) fought the swords of the polytheists who surrounded the Prophet andwho swarmed the battlefield like locusts.

Let Abu Bakr As-siddiiq describe for us the whole scene of battle. `Aa'ishah once said: Whenever Abu Bakr recalled the Day of Uhud he used to say, Itwas the Tallaah's day. I was the first who approached the Prophet (PBUH).He said to me and to Abu Ubaidah lbn Al-Jarraah, "Watch out, for your brother." We looked at him, and we could see more than 70 stabs. His finger was cut off. We tried to remedy his condition.

In all the different events and battles, Talhah was always to be foundin the forefront fighting in the cause of Allah, redeeming the Prophet'sstandard.

Talhah lived among the Muslim community, worshipping Allah with the worshipers, fighting in the cause of Allah with those who fought for truth, following the basic principles of the new religion which was revealed in order to bring people all people out of darkness into light.

After he fulfilled his duties towards Allah, he went on seeking the bounty of Allah, expanding and promoting his successful trade and business.

Talhah was one of the wealthiest Muslims. His whole fortune was put inthe service of his religion, the standard of which he carried with the Prophet (PBUH). He spent it without measure, and so Allah increased it for him without measure.

The Prophet (PBUH) called him "Talhah the Excellent", " Talhah the Splendid and "Talhah the Generous" to demonstrate his bountiful generosity.

How often did he give his whole fortune away. Then Allah the Ever-Generous returned it to him manifold! His wife Su'adaa Bint `Awf reported: Once Iapproached Talhah. I saw him worried and asked him, "What's the matter?"He said, "The money which I possess is now so abundant that it worries meand makes me feel distressed." I told him, "Never mind, I'll distribute it."He set out to call people and to divide it among them till there wasn't asingle dirham left.

On another occasion, he sold his land for a very high price, and when he looked at the pile of money, his tears rolled down and he said, " A man in whose house all that money is to remain for a night and he doesn't know for sure what will happen to him is certainly deceived by Allah."

Then he called some of his companions to carry his money with them andwalk through the streets of Al-Madiinah distributing it until in the lastpart of the night he was without a single dirham of that money.

Jaabir Ibn Abd Allah described his wealth saying, "I never saw anybodygiving out so much money without being asked as did Talhah lbn Ubaid Allah."

He was one of the kindest toward his relatives and kin. He supported them all, though they were numerous. It was once said about him, "He never left an orphan without supporting him and his dependents. He provided for the marriageof the unmarried ones, he provided service for the disabled ones, and paidthe debts of the indebted ones.

As-Saa'i'b Ibn Zaid once said, " I accompanied Talhah during travels and during times of settlement.
I never saw anybody more generous in terms of money, clothes, and foodthan Talhah."

The well known civil strife broke out during the caliphate of `Uthmaan.Talhah supported the argument of `Uthmaan's opponents, standing on theirside in most of their quests to witness change and reformation.

Did he therefore, in such a position, call for `Uthmaan's murder, or even feel pleased by it? Never!
If he had known that the civil strife would develop in such a way, bursting into mad spite, expressing itself in such cruel crime, the victim of which was "The Man of Two Lights" Uthmaan (May Allah be pleased with him)... We say, if he had known that the civil strife would in the long run lead tosuch an end and such a conflict, he would have resisted it, and it wouldhave been resisted by the rest of the Companions who supported him at thebeginning, recognizing it as a movement of opposition and warning, and nomore.

However, Talhah's stance turned out to be his "life conflict" after the brutal way in which `Uthmaan was surrounded and killed. Imam `Aliy had hardly accepted the oath of allegiance from Talhah and Az- Zubair at Al-Madiinah, when they both asked permission to go to Makkah for `Umrah.

From Makkah they both turned to Al-Basrah, where a great multitude wasgathering to avenge `Uthmaan's death.

At last it was the Battle of Al-Jamal, where those calling for revengemet with the party supporting `Aliy.

Whenever `Aliy thought about this difficult situation which Islam and Muslims were confronting in this horrible dispute, he burst into sorrowful tears andhis laments grew louder and louder. He was forced into this difficult situation.

Being the Caliph of the Muslims, he could not and it was not his rightto be tolerant towards any revolt against the state or any armed oppositionto the established authority. To crush a rebellion of that sort, then, hehad to face his brethren, his companions, friends and the followers of hisProphet and his religion, those with whom he had so often encountered andcombated the polytheist armies and with whom he had so often joined underthe standard of monotheism in battles that refined their Islamic behaviorand melted away all weakness and disgrace, thereby turning them into brethren- and indeed brethren - supporting each other.

What a conflicting situation! What a difficult harsh test! In order tofind a way out of such a conflict and to save the blood of the Muslims, Imam`Aliy did his utmost.

Nonetheless, the factors opposing Islam - and they were many -which had met their defeat at the hands of the Muslim state in the days of its great leader `Umar, had kindled the civil uprising and continued to stoke it and follow its events and magnitude.

He cried a lot and wept abundantly when he saw The Mother of the Faithful `Aa'ishah on her camel howdah at the head of the army which rose to fight him. When he saw Talhah and Az-Zubair, the disciples of the Prophet (PBUH), he called to them to come out to meet him, so they did. They approachedhim till their horses touched each other. He said to Talhah, "O Talhah!Did you come with the wife of the Messenger of Allah to use her in yourfight while hiding your wife at home?" Then he said to Az-Zubair, "O Zubair!I ask you by Allah. Do you remember the day when the Prophet (PBUH) passedyou when we were in such- and-such a place, then he said to you, `O Zubair!Do you love `Aliy?' You replied, `Why shouldn't I love my nephew and cousinand the follower of my religion? He said to you, "O Zubair! By Allah, youwill fight him, being unjust to him. Az-Zubair (May Allah be pleased withhim) said, "Yes, now I remember, I had forgotten that. By Allah, I won'tfight you. Az-Zubair and Talhah abstained from taking part in this civilwar. They abstained as soon as things were clarified.

When they saw `Ammaar lbn Yaasir fighting on `Aliy's side, they remembered the Prophet's prophecy to `Ammaar: "You will be killed by the unjust party." If `Ammaar were killed in that war in which Talhah was taking part, thenTalhah was unjust.

Talhah and Az-Zubair retreated from the whole fight and had to pay forthat retreat with their lives. But they met Allah pleased and delighted withwhat they had been endowed by Allah: insight and guidance.
As for Az-Zubair, a man named Amr lbn Jarmuuz followed him and killed himwhile he was praying.
As for Talhah he was pierced with a lance by Marwaan Ibn Al-Hakim , which killed him on the spot.

The murder of `Uthmaan represented in Talhah's conscience his "life conflict", as previously mentioned. Despite the fact that, he did not take part in the murder nor agree to it, he had just supported the opposition against him (Aliy)at a time when it was not obvious that it would intensify and develop intoa more serious conflict until it turned into a dreadful crime.

When he took his place on the day of Al-Jamal amidst the army fightingagainst the Ibn Abi Taalib which sought to take revenge for `Uthmaan's murder,he wished that his position would be an atonement making him feel at easetowards the pressure of his conscience. Before the start of the battle hewas supplicating with a voice choked with tears saying, "O my Lord, acceptme this day in favor of `Uthmaan until You are pleased."

When they met `Aliy face to face, he and Az-Zubair both said they feltilluminated by `Aliy's words and thereby saw it to be right to leave thebattlefield.

However, martyrdom had been reserved for them. Indeed, martyrdom was his fate, and he was to meet it and it was to meet him, wherever he was.

Did not the Prophet (PBUH) once say about him, "He's one of those who passed away. Whoever wants to please himself by seeing a martyr walking on the earth, go let him look at Talhah." Thereby did the martyr meet his inevitable fate, and the Battle of Al-Jamal was over. The Mother of the Believers realized that she had made a hasty decision; therefore she left Al-Basrah for theSacred House and then Al-Madiinah, keeping aloof from the fighting and dispute.Imam `Aliy provided her with all means of comfort and respect.

When `Aliy inspected all the martyrs of the battle, he set out to praythe funeral prayer upon them, those who fought on his side as well as thosewho fought against him.

When he finished burying Talhah and Az-Zubair, he stood saluting them for the last time. He finished his words saying, "I wish to be with Talhah and Az-Zubair and `Uthmaan among those whom Allah described thus: "We removed from their hearts any malice therein, as brothers they shall rest upon couches facing each other " (15: 47).

Then he gazed at their grave with kind, gentle, pure, and sad eyes saying, "I've heard with my two ears the Prophet (PBUH) saying, "Talhah and Az-Zubair are my neighbors in Paradise".