A monk foretelling the appearance of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)

It is narrated from Ibrahim bin Muhammad bin Talhah that Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him) related: I was present at the market of Busra when a monk in his hermitage was calling out: "Ask the people of this fair whether there is anyone among them from the people of the Haram (Makkah)." I said: "Yes, I am." He asked: "Has Ahmad appeared yet?" I said: "Who is Ahmad?" He said: "The son of Abdullah bin Abd al-Muttalib. This is the month of his appearance. He is the last of the prophets; he will come forth from the Haram and will emigrate to a land of date palms, rocky ground and saline soil. So be among the first to reach him, and let no one get ahead of you." Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: His words settled in my heart. I set out quickly until I reached Makkah and asked: "Has anything new happened here?" The people said: "Yes, Muhammad bin Abdullah al-Amin has claimed prophethood, and Ibn Abi Quhafah (Sayyiduna Abu Bakr) has become his follower." I left and went to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked: "Have you followed this man?" He said: "Yes. You too should go to him, present yourself before him and follow him, for he calls to the truth." Then Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) told him what the monk had said. So Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) took him along and presented himself before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) accepted Islam. He told the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) what the monk had said, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was very pleased by it. When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Talhah (may Allah be pleased with them both) accepted Islam, Nawfal bin Khuwaylid bin al-Adawiyyah seized them and bound them together in a single rope, and the tribe of Banu Taym did not protect them (from this oppression). Nawfal bin Khuwaylid used to be called "the Lion of Quraysh", and for this reason Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Talhah (may Allah be pleased with them both) are called "al-Qarinayn" (the two bound together). Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him) could not take part in the Battle of Badr. The reason was that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had sent him and Sayyiduna Sa'id bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) to gather news of the caravan (of Quraysh). The two of them returned when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had already finished fighting the polytheists. Then they met the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on his way back from Badr at a place called "Turban", between Malal and Sayalah. But he took part in the Battle of Uhud and in all the other battles alongside the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He was among those devoted ones who stood firm with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the day of Uhud when the people scattered, and he pledged allegiance to him (peace and blessings be upon him) unto death. On that day Malik bin Zuhayr shot (an arrow) at the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) shielded the face of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) with his hand. The arrow struck his little finger and it became paralysed. When the arrow struck him, these words came from his tongue: 'Hass, hass' (a cry of pain). It is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Had he said 'Bismillah' (In the name of Allah) (at the moment of pain), he would have entered Paradise (in that very state) while the people were watching him." On that day Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) received two blows on his head; a polytheist struck him twice: once when he was facing him and once when he was turning away. And Dirar bin al-Khattab al-Fihri used to say: "By Allah! It was I who struck him that day."

Ibn Umar related that the kunyah of Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) was Abu Muhammad, and his mother was al-Sa'bah bint Abdullah al-Hadrami. He was martyred on the day of the Battle of the Camel by Marwan bin al-Hakam. He had a son, Muhammad, who was known by the title "al-Sajjad" (the one devoted to prostration and worship), and Sayyiduna Talhah's kunyah was after him. He too was martyred alongside his father in the Battle of the Camel. Sayyiduna Talhah was among the Companions who accepted Islam early.

Ibn Umar narrated with his chain from Su'da bint Awf al-Murriyyah, the wife of Sayyiduna Talhah, that when Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred, his treasurer held one million two hundred thousand dirhams in cash, while his property and lands were valued at thirty million dirhams. He was extremely generous with wealth, clothing and food, and at the time of his martyrdom he was sixty-two years old.

Asad bin Ibrahim narrated from Muhammad bin Zayd bin al-Muhajir that at the time of his martyrdom Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) was sixty-four years old.

Musa bin Talhah relates that the complexion of Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him) was white tinged with red. He was of medium height, inclining slightly towards shortness. He had a broad chest and wide shoulders. When he turned towards someone, he turned with his whole body. His feet were large and his face was handsome, and the bridge of his nose was thin. He walked with quick steps, and he did not change the whiteness of his hair (with dye and the like).

It is narrated from Ikrash that we were fighting against Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) alongside Sayyiduna Talhah, and Marwan was with us. When we were defeated, Marwan said: "After this day I will not get another chance to take my revenge on Talhah." So he shot an arrow at him, from which he was martyred.

It is narrated from Nafi' that Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him) was killed by Marwan bin al-Hakam.