❖ Authored by: Dr. Rida ʿAbdullāh Pāshā ḥafiẓahullāh
❖ Question:
Who is the person whom Allah protected from Shayṭān?
❖ Answer:
That person is ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir (RA).
Imām Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī (RA) narrated:
ʿAlqamah (RA) once traveled to Shām. Upon entering the mosque, he made a duʿā’: "O Allah, grant me the companionship of the righteous." He then sat with Abū al-Dardāʾ (RA).
Abū al-Dardāʾ (RA) asked:
"Which people are you from?"
ʿAlqamah replied: "From the people of Kūfah."
Abū al-Dardāʾ (RA) then asked:
➤ "Do you have among you the one to whom a certain secret was entrusted, which no one else knows?"
(He was referring to Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamān (RA).)
ʿAlqamah replied:
"Yes, he is among us."
Then Abū al-Dardāʾ asked:
➤ "Do you also have the one whom Allah protected from Shayṭān through the words of His Prophet ﷺ?"
(He meant ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir (RA).)
ʿAlqamah responded:
"Yes, he is also among us."
Then Abū al-Dardāʾ asked:
➤ "Do you have the one who used to arrange the siwāk (tooth-stick), pillow, and bedding for the Noble Prophet ﷺ?"
ʿAlqamah said:
"Yes, we have him as well."
Finally, Abū al-Dardāʾ asked:
➤ "How does ʿAbdullāh (i.e., Ibn Masʿūd RA) recite the verse:
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰ ﴿١﴾ وَٱلنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّىٰ ﴿٢﴾?"
ʿAlqamah replied:
"He recites it as: وَٱلذَّكَرِ وَٱلْأُنثَىٰ."
Abū al-Dardāʾ responded:
"These people (i.e., the scholars of Kūfah) keep me so engaged in discussion that they may cause me to abandon that which I myself heard directly from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ."
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ḥadīth No. 62, Book: Virtues of the Companions, Chapter: Merits of ʿAmmār and Ḥudhayfah, Ḥadīth No. 20)
❖ Conclusion
This narration highlights the immense virtue of ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir (RA), who was explicitly mentioned by the Prophet ﷺ as being protected from Shayṭān. It also reflects the high status of the companions of Kūfah, including Ḥudhayfah (RA), the keeper of secrets, and ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (RA), the trusted companion and reciter of the Qur’an.
