In this part of the article titled “Slaves in the history of Islam”, we shall look briefly at the biography of Zayd ibn Harith and Ammar ibn Yasir.
2. Zayd ibn Harithah
Zayd ibn Harithah ibn Sharahil al-Kalbi, an Arab boy, was abducted in his childhood and sold as a slave. This happened before Islam.
Hakim bin Hizam bin Khuwaylid purchased him in the market of ‘Ukaz, and presented him to his aunt, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, who gave him to the Holy Prophet. (1)
Zayd’s father was searching for him. After a long time, he came to know that Zayd was in Mecca. He came to Mecca and offered to pay the ransom so that Zayd might be set free. The Prophet said that if Zayd wanted to be united with his family, then there was no need for any ransom. He was free to go.
But Zayd declined to go with his father and preferred to remain with Muhammad. Harithah, Zayd’s father, was extremely grieved and said: “O son, do you prefer to remain a slave rather than a free man? And do you prefer to leave your own father and mother for Muhammad?”
Zayd said, “What I have seen of the life of Muhammad is compelling me that I should not leave him for any person”.
Such was the loving attitude of the Holy Prophet that it had captured the hearts of all those who came to know him. And it was this unique characteristic of his generosity which made almost the whole of Arabia accept Islam within a short period of twenty-three years.
Anyhow, Harithah was shocked and announced in Ka’bah that from then on neither he was the father of Zayd nor Zayd was his son.
It was then that Prophet Muhammad announced in the Hijr Isma’il (besides the Ka’bah) that “I declare that from now on Zayd is my son.”
Harithah, hearing this, returned to his home, but in a less gloomy mood. (2) Zayd bin Harithah was now called Zayd bin Muhammad. This continued till 5 AH when the following verse was revealed:
God had not made for any man two hearts in his (one) body; nor has He made your wives whom you divorce by zihar your mothers; nor has He made your adopted sons your sons. Such is (only) your (manner of) speech by your mouths. But God tells you the truth, and He shows the (right) way. Call them by (the names of) their fathers, that is better in the sight of God. (3)
Then Zayd was again called Zayd bin Harithah. (4) The Prophet had married Zayd to his cousin Zaynab bin Jahash, who was the daughter of his aunt, Umaymah. (5)
When the couple started quarrelling and Zayd divorced Zaynab, the Prophet, on the command of Allah, married Zaynab himself. (She at that time was more than fifty years old. This fact alone is enough to clear away the thick cobweb of the malicious stories which the Prophet’s enemies have woven around this holy marriage.)
Allah says in the Quran:
Then, when Zayd had dissolved (his marriage), He joined her in marriage to you in order that there may be no difficulty for the believers in the matter of marriage with the wives of their adopted sons when the latter had dissolved (their marriage) with the necessary (formality) with them, and God’s command must be fulfilled. (7)
By these two marriages of Zaynab bin Jahsh, two pagan taboos were abolished:
1. By the first marriage to Zayd, the idea of racial supremacy or the belief that being a slave or freed slave was a stigma on the dignity of the person was destroyed (8). When a cousin of the Prophet could be married to a freed slave, then who could frown in future on the marriage of slaves with free women? (9)
2. By the second marriage to the Prophet, the belief that an adopted son was a real son was destroyed. When the Prophet himself did marry the divorced wife of his adopted son, then how could it be claimed that an adopted son was a real son?
Thus, the custom of Arabia which recognized an adopted son as a real son was most effectively abolished. (10)
Zayd is the only person among the Companions of the Prophet to be mentioned by name in the Quran. He was the third person to accept Islam after Khadijah bint Khuwaylid and ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Zayd was the commander of the Muslim army sent to fight against the Christian forces at Muta. After the martyrdom of Zayd, Ja’far, the cousin of the Prophet, took over the command and he also was martyred. The Prophet was much grieved by these two deaths. (11)
Zayd had a son, Usamah, from his first wife, Umm Ayman. Usamah was 19 years old when he was appointed the commander of the army which consisted of all the well-known companions of the Prophet, including Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman.
When some of the companions frowned upon this appointment, the Prophet delivered a lecture in which he said:
“Zayd was better than you, and his son Usamah also is better than you all.” Usamah was ordered by the Prophet to go with the army to avenge the death of his father at Muta. (12)
3. Ammar ibn Yasir
‘Ammar ibn Yasir was one of the most respected companions of the Prophet and the faithful follower of Imam ‘Ali. He was from those who were brutally tortured in the cause of Islam. He did two hijrahs – to Ethiopia (13) and Medina; he prayed towards two qiblahs – Baytul Maqdis and Ka’bah.
He participated in all the battles of Islam right from the beginning, (14) and was martyred in the battle of Siffin on 9th Safar, 37 AH.
‘Ammar and his parents were amongst the first converts to Islam. His father Yasir was from the tribe of Qahtan in Yemen. He, together with his two brothers, came to Mecca in search of a lost brother.
His brothers returned to their homeland; but Yasir stayed in Mecca where he entered into a covenant with Abu Hudhayfah (from the tribe of Bani Makhzum), and married his slave-girl, Sumayyah bint Khayyat.
Yasir and Sumayyah begot two sons, ‘Abdullah and ‘Ammar, who according to the custom of Arabia, were considered the slaves of Abu Hudhayfah (15). After their conversion to Islam, Abu Jahl, with the help of other pagans, started torturing the whole family mercilessly.
Iron nails were put upon their naked bodies and they were made to lie down on the burning sand of the desert. The heat of the sun and the desert sand made the iron mails hot like fire; their skins got burned.
This torture used to continue till they became unconscious. Then the iron mails were removed and water was poured on them. (16)
The Prophet felt very sorry for the suffering family but was unable to protect them. Still, he used to go near them and give them the courage to forbear the tyrannies of their tormentors. He gave them good tidings of Heaven and said:
“Be patient, O family of Yasir, because your promised place is Heaven”.(17)
Yasir and Sumayyah were brutally murdered by the pagans of the Quraysh, under the leadership of Abu Jahl. It is a great distinction of this distinguished family that all of them were martyred in the cause of Islam.
Sumayyah was a very pious and God-fearing lady, and she was the first woman martyr of Islam.
When his parents were killed, ‘Ammar pretended to denounce Islam, and thus saved his life. Then he came to the Prophet bitterly weeping that he had to utter the words of kufr so that he could slip away from the hands of the infidels.
The Prophet told him not to worry, as he had not uttered those words with his heart. In this connection, the following verse was revealed:-
He who disbelieves in God after his belief in Him – except he who is compelled (to do so] while his heart remains steadfast with the faith – and he who opened (his) heart for disbelief on them shall be the wrath of Allah and they, shall have a grievous chastisement (18) (19)
When ‘Ammar described the atrocities meted out to the blessed Sumayyah, the Prophet said:
“Patience, O Abu Yaqzan; O Allah, do not punish anyone from the family of Yasir with hellfire.”
When the Prophet came to Medina, and the mosque of the Prophet was being built, ‘Ammar enthusiastically carried a double load of the stones. At that time, he started reciting some lines of poetry, which reached the ears of ‘Uthman (who later became the third caliph), who thought that ‘Ammar was taunting him.
Overcome by this misunderstanding, ‘Uthman hit ‘Ammar on the forehead; blood came gushing out and covered his face. He complained to the Prophet, who himself cleansed and dressed the wound and said:
“’Ammar is the skin between my eyes and nose.” Then he said, “Well, O ‘Ammar, you will be killed by a rebellious group; you will be calling them to Heaven, and they will be calling you to Hell. (20)
‘Ammar’s importance and honour can also be understood from the following sayings of the Prophet:
“’Ammar is with the truth, and the truth is with ‘Ammar wherever he may be. ‘Ammar is the skin between my eyes and nose, and he will be killed by a rebellious group. (21)
The Prophet also said, “Ammar is filled with faith (iman) from head to feet”. (22)
There are numerous other traditions of the Prophet and the Imams concerning ‘Ammar. ‘Ammar was one of those faithful companions who always followed Imam ‘Ali.
In 35th AH when ‘Ammar along with many others protested against ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan’s (the third caliph) policy on the distribution of the public treasury, the latter got him beaten so mercilessly that the lining of his abdomen was burst and he got a hernia. (23)
As his father, Yasir had been an ally of Banu Makhzum, so they took ‘Ammar (still unconscious) to their home and said that if ‘Ammar died they would avenge him with ‘Uthman.
As mentioned above, the Prophet had said that he would be killed by a rebellious group; and so it happened. ‘Ammar was killed in the 37th year AH by the army of Mu’awiyah bin Abi Sufyan. He was then 90 or 91 years old.
On the day when he was martyred, he was fighting valiantly against the army of Mu’awiyah, when one Syrian, Abul Ghadiyah al-Muzani, fatally wounded him in the waist; his companions carried him to safety.
He asked for water; someone gave him a cup of milk. He said, “True was the saying of the Prophet”. People asked him to explain. He replied: “The Prophet had informed me that my last sustenance from this world would be milk.”
Then he drank some milk and after that, he died. (24) Amirul mu’minin ‘Ali was informed of this tragedy. He came immediately and put ‘Ammar’s head on his lap and recited the following elegy for his faithful companion:
O death, which is to come to me anyhow, Better give me rest at once; Because thou host finished off all my friends, I see that thou doth recognise all my beloved ones, as though someone is guiding thee to them specially.
Then reciting “verily we are of God and to God will we return,” he said:
“Anybody who is not extremely grieved on the death of ‘Ammar has no share in Islam. May Allah have mercy on ‘Ammar.” Amirul mu’minin himself said a prayer on him and buried him with his own hands. (25)
‘Ammar’s martyrdom created a problem for Mu’awiyah because many people in his army did remember the aforesaid saying of the Prophet, and they realised that ‘Ammar, by his death, had shown that Mu’awiyah and his army were rebellious and not on the right path.
To pacify the army, Mu’awiyah said that it was ‘Ali who had caused the death of ‘Ammar by bringing him to the battlefield.
When Amirul mu’minin ‘Ali was informed of this ruse of Mu’awiyah, he said, “Then it was the Prophet himself who killed Hamzah by bringing him to the battlefield of Uhud!” (26)
To be continued!
NOTES:
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1. Ibn Hajar, op. cit., vol. 2, p. 45.
2. al-Majlisi, op. cit., vol. 22, pp. 314, 318; Ibn Sa’d, op. cit., vol.III:1, p. 28; Ibn Hajar, op. cit., vol. 2, pp. 45-6.
3. (The Quran 33:4-5)
4. al-Majlisi, op. cit.; Ibn Sa’d, op. cit., vol. III, p. 29; Ibn Hajar, op. cit., vol. 7, p. 600.
5. Ibn Sa’d, op. cit., vol. 8, p. 31; Ibn Hajar, op. cit., vol. 2, p. 46, vol. 7, p. 600.
6. al-Tabataba’i, al-Mizan, 3rd ed., vol. 4 (Beirut: 1974), p. 195.
7. (The Quran 33:37)
8. al-‘Amili, op. cit., vol. 14, p. 43; Ibn Sa’d, op. cit., vol. VIII:1, p. 71.
9. (The Qur’an 2:221)
10. al-Majlisi, op. cit., vol. 22, p. 187; Ibn Hajar, op. cit., vol. 7, p. 600.
11. Ibn Sa’d, op. cit., vol. III: 1, p. 32; Ibn Hajar, op. cit., vol. 2, p. 47.
12. Ibn Sa’d, op. cit., vol. II:2, pp. 41-2; vol. IV:1, pp.46-7.
13. Ibn Sa’d, op. cit., vol. III:1, p. 179; Ibn Athir, Usdu ‘1-Ghabah fi Ma’rifati’s-Sahabah, vol. 4 (Egypt, n.d.), p. 461; Ibn Kathir, al-Tar’ikh, vol. 7 (Egypt, n.d.), p. 311.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid, vol, III:1, p. 176.
16. Ibid, vol. III:1, p. 177; Abu Na’im, op. cit., vol. 1, p. 140.
17. Ibn Sa’d, op. cit., vol. III:1, p. 178; Abu Na’im, op. cit., vol.1, p. 140; Ibn Hajar, op. cit., vol.3, p. 1219.
18. (The Qur’an 16:10)
19. Ibn Sa’d, op. cit., vol. III:1, p. 178; Ibn Hajar, op. cit., vol. 3, p. 1220.
20. Ibn Sa’d, op. cit., vol. III:1, pp. 177, 180; Ibn Hajar, op. cit., vol. 3, p. 1220; al-Bukhari, al-Sahih, vol. 8 (Egypt ed.) pp. 185-186; al-Tirmidhi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih, vol. 5 (Egypt ed.) p. 669; Ahmad bin Hanbal, al-Musnad, vol. 2 (Egypt ed.) pp. 161, 164, 206, vol. 3, pp. 5, 22, 28, 91, vol. 4, pp. 197, 199, vol. 5, pp. 215, 306, 307, vol. 6, pp. 289, 300, 311, 315; Ibn ‘Abdi ‘1-Barr, al-Isti’ab fi Ma’rifat’l-Ashab, vol. 3, p. 1140.
21. Ibn Sa’d, op. cit., vol. III:1, p. 187; Hakim, al-Mustadrak ‘ala ‘s-Sahihayn, vol. 3 (Hyderabad ed.) p. 392; Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah, vol.2 (Egypt ed., n.d.) p. 143; Ibn Kathir, al-Ta’rikh, vol. 7, pp. 268, 270.
22. Abu Na’im, op. cit., vol. 1, p. 139; Ibn Hajar, op. cit., vol. 3, p. 1219; Ibn Majah, al-Sunan, vol. 1 (Egypt ed. n.d.) p. 65; al-Haythami, Majma’ al-Zawa’id, vol. 9 (Egypt ed. n.d.) p. 295; Ibn ‘Abdu’1-Barr, op. cit., vol. 3, p. 1137.
23. al-Baladhuri, Ansabu’l Ashraf, vol. 5, pp. 48, 54, 88; Ibn Abi ‘1-Hadid, Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, vol. 3, p. 47; Ibn Qutaybah, al-Imamah wa ‘s-Siyasah, vol. 1, pp. 35-6; Ibn ‘Abd Rabbih, al-‘Iqdu ‘l-Farid, vol. 4 (Egypt ed.) p. 307; Ibn Sa’d, op. cit., vol. III:1, p. 185; al-Diyarbakri; Tarikhu’l-Khamis, vol. 2, p. 271.
24. Ibn Sa’d, op. cit., vol. III:1, pp. 184-5; Abu Na’im, op. cit., vol.1, p.141.
25. Qummi, ‘Abbas, Muntaha’l-Amal, vol. 1 (Tehran: 1381 AH) p. 92.
26. al-Tabari, al-Ta’rikh, vol. 1, pp. 3316-3322; vol. 3, pp. 2314-2319; Ibn Athir, al-Kamil, vol. 3, pp. 308-312; Ibn Kathir, al-Ta’rikh, vol. 7, pp. 267-272.
