Bayhaqi 18432 — The prayer of a captive brought forward to be killed

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent out a party of ten men and appointed Asim bin Thabit bin Abi al-Aqlah (may Allah be pleased with him) as their leader; he was the maternal grandfather of Asim bin Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). They set out until, when they reached an elevated place between Usfan and Makkah, they were mentioned to a branch of the tribe of Hudhayl called Banu Lihyan. About a hundred of their archers pursued them and found them eating dates; they said: "These are the dates of Yathrib." When Asim (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions sensed that these people had surrounded them, (the pursuers) said: "Come down; you have a covenant and pledge that we will not kill any of you." Asim (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I will not come down on the covenant and pledge of a disbeliever. O Allah, convey our greetings of peace to Your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)." So they fought them, and seven of the Companions were martyred. Three men accepted their covenant and pledge. When the disbelievers had overpowered them, they took off the strings of their bows and tied their arms behind them. When one of the three saw this, he said: "This is the first treachery." So they martyred him on the spot. Then they brought Khubayb bin Adi and Zayd bin al-Dathinah (may Allah be pleased with them both) to Makkah and sold them; this was after the Battle of Badr. Banu al-Harith bin Amir bin Nawfal bought Khubayb (may Allah be pleased with him), because it was Khubayb (may Allah be pleased with him) who had killed al-Harith on the day of Badr. The daughter of al-Harith says: Khubayb (may Allah be pleased with him) was a captive with us. By Allah, I never saw a captive better than Khubayb (may Allah be pleased with him). By Allah, I saw him eating a bunch of grapes while he was bound in irons, and at that time no fruit was available in Makkah; it was provision that Allah, the Lord of Might, had granted Khubayb (may Allah be pleased with him). She says: Khubayb (may Allah be pleased with him) asked me for a razor so that he could shave his pubic hair in preparation for being killed, and I gave it to him. Then, through my inattention, my little son crawled to him. When I looked, he was sitting on his thigh with the razor in his hand. I was terribly alarmed at this, which Khubayb (may Allah be pleased with him) recognised, and he said: "Do you think that I will kill him? If Allah wills, I am not one to do that." She says: When all the people gathered to kill him, he said: "Let me pray two rak'ahs." So Khubayb (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed two rak'ahs and said: "Had you not thought that I was afraid, I would have prayed more." The narrator says: Khubayb (may Allah be pleased with him) was the first person to establish the sunnah of praying for a Muslim who is bound and killed. Then he made this supplication against them: "O Allah, count them, kill them one by one, and do not spare any one of them." And he was reciting these verses:
"I do not care, when I am killed as a Muslim, on which side I am struck down for the sake of Allah."
"And all this is for the pleasure of Allah; if He wills, He will bless the joints of severed limbs." The narrator says: Quraysh sent some people to bring a piece of the body of Asim bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) so that he could be identified, because he had killed one of their great chiefs on the day of Badr. So Allah, the Lord of Might, sent a swarm of hornets like a canopy, which protected him from their messengers, and they could not take away any part of his body.