Prophet's (Pbuh) Companions

Abbad Ibn Bishr (RA) was always trustworthy in his dealings with the wealth of Muslims.


Abbad ibn Bishr (RA) was a brave man of Madinah. He lived, fought and died for the cause of Islam. Among the companions of the Prophet (Pbuh) he was known as the “friend of the Qur’an” as the divine book had found a special place in his heart and day and night he would be heard repeating the glorious words of God.


Once the Prophet (Pbuh) stood up to perform the Tahajjud prayer in Aisha’s (RA) house which adjoined the mosque. He heard a voice reciting the holy Quran, pure and sweet and as fresh as when the angel Jibril revealed the words to him. He asked: “Aisha, is that the voice of Abbad ibn Bishr?” “Yes, O, Messenger of God,” replied Aisha. “O, Lord, forgive him,” prayed the Prophet (Pbuh) out of love for him.


Abbad’s devotion to the Quran was a sign of his intense devotion and love for God, His Prophet (Pbuh) and His religion. The qualities he was known for were his constant immersion in prayer, his heroic courage and his generosity in the path of God. At times of sacrifice, he would always be in the front line. When it was time for receiving his share of rewards, he would only be found after much effort and difficulty. He was always trustworthy in his dealings with the wealth of Muslims. Aisha, wife of the Prophet (Pbuh), once said: “There are three persons among the Ansar whom no one could excel in virtue: Sad ibn Muadh, Usayd ibn Khudayr and Abbad ibn Bishr.”


It was the fourth year after the Hijrah. Madinah was still under threat from within and outside. From within, the influential Jewish tribe, the Banu An-Nadir, broke their agreement with Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) and made plans to kill him. For this, they were banished from the city. This was in the month of Safar. Two months of uneasy quiet passed. Then the Prophet (Pbuh) received news that tribes from distant Najd were planning an attack. To pre-empt them, the Prophet (Pbuh) gathered a force of over 400 men, and leaving Uthman ibn Affan in charge of the city, set out eastwards. Among this force was the young Abbad ibn Bishr.


Arriving at Najd, the Prophet (Pbuh) found the habitations of the hostile tribes strangely deserted of men. Only women were seen. The men had taken to the hills. Some of them re-grouped and prepared to fight. The Prophet (Pbuh) pitched camp in a valley for a night and asked his people: “Who will be our guard tonight?” “We, O Messenger of God,” said Abbad Ibn Bishr and Ammar ibn Yasir, both of whom had been paired off as ‘brothers’ by the Prophet (Pbuh) when he arrived in Madinah after the Hijrah.


Abbad and Ammar left for the mouth of the valley to take up duty. Abbad saw that his “brother” was tired and asked him: “What part of the night do you wish to sleep, the first or the second?” “I shall sleep during the first part,” said Ammar who was soon fast asleep quite close to Abbad.


The night was clear, calm and peaceful. There was no movement, no threatening sign. Abbad decided to spend the time in worship and stood up to pray. Finishing the compulsory opening chapter of the Quran, he began reciting Surah Al-Kahf which is a long Surah. While he was praying, a stranger stalked the outskirts of the valley in search of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) and his followers. From a distance, he saw the figure of Abbad silhouetted at the mouth of the valley. Silently he drew his bow and let fly an arrow. Unerringly it embedded itself in Abbad’s flesh.


Calmly, Abbad pulled out the arrow from his body and went on with his recitation, still absorbed in his prayer. The attacker shot a second and a third arrow both of which also found their mark. Abbad pulled out one and then the other. He finished his recitation, made ruku and then sujud. Weak and in pain, he stretched out his right hand while still in prostration and shook his sleeping companion. Ammar awoke. Silently, Abbad continued the Salat to its end and then said: “Get up and stand guard in my place. I have been wounded.” Ammar jumped up and began to yell. Seeing them, the attacker fled into the darkness. Ammar turned to Abbad as he lay on the ground, blood flowing from his wounds. “Ya Subhanallah (Glory be to God)! Why didn’t you wake me when you were hit by the first arrow?” “I was in the midst of reciting verses of the Quran which filled my soul with awe and I did not want to cut short the recitation. The Prophet (Pbuh) had commanded me to commit this surah to memory. Death would have been dearer to me than that the recitation of this surah should be interrupted.”


Abbad died the death of a martyr at the battle of Yamamah. Just before the battle he had a strong pre-sentiment of death and martyrdom. He noticed that there was a lack of mutual confidence among the Muhajirin and Ansar. He was grieved and upset. He realised that there would be no success for the Muslims in these terrible battles unless the Muhajirin and Ansar were grouped in separate regiments so that it could be clearly seen who really bore their responsibility and who were truly steadfast in combat.


At the break of the day when the battle commenced, Abbad ibn Bishr stood on a mound and shouted: “O, Ansar, distinguish yourselves among men. Destroy your scabbards. And do not forsake Islam.”


Abbad harangued the Ansar until about 400 men gathered around him at the head of whom were Thabit ibn Qays, Al-Baraa ibn Malik and Abu Dujanah, the keeper of the Prophet’s (Pbuh) sword. With this force, Abbad unleashed an offensive into the enemy’s ranks which blunted their thrust and drove them back to the “garden of death”.


At the walls of this garden, Abbad ibn Bishr (RA) fell. So numerous were his wounds, he was hardly recognizable.