We present before our readers the complete incident from the illustrious aspect of Abdul Rahman Raafat Al-Basha’s renowned book “Hayat-e-Tabi’in.” He has written it in the form of a story, writing:
When Faroukh arrived in Medina, he was a rising, handsome, and brave young man. He had just stepped into the thirtieth spring of his life. He intended to acquire a house for residence and a wife for companionship. First, he bought a middle-class house in Medina Munawwarah, and then he chose a wise, well-mannered, and many other virtues-endowed wife who was his contemporary.
Faroukh was very pleased to see the house he had obtained by the grace and mercy of Allah Almighty. In the company of his wife, he experienced the pleasure of life, the fragrance of good social conduct, and the freshness of borrowed life beyond imagination. The walls of the house seemed to sing songs of happiness.
But the beloved wife, whom Allah Almighty had blessed with excellent qualities and charming habits, could not overcome her passion for the enthusiastic participation in the battles of a brave believer and warrior, nor could she overcome her love for hearing the clashing of swords and the passionate love for jihad in the way of Allah.
Whenever the joyful news of the Islamic armies’ victories circulated in Medina Munawwarah, their spirit of jihad reached its peak, and the desire for martyrdom increased immensely.
The brave and fearless Faroukh heard the preacher of the Prophet’s Mosque (peace be upon him) delivering a sermon on the virtues of jihad. He was giving the audience the good news of the Islamic army’s successes in the battlefields and warming hearts to inspire the desire for martyrdom. The sermon was a collection of magical words, a patchwork of touching sentences, and a blend of captivating thoughts and ideas. The listeners were tearful. Every individual appeared filled with the spirit of jihad. After Friday prayer, he went straight home, resolved to join the Islamic army and head to the battlefield of jihad. He informed his beloved wife of his intention. She said:
“O crown of my head! To whom are you entrusting me and the trust growing in my womb? You are a stranger in Medina, and you have no relatives here.” He replied: “I am entrusting you to Allah. Keep these thirty thousand dinars with you. This wealth came to me as spoils of war; keep it safe or invest it in trade, spend it yourself, and also spend on our future child in a well-known manner until I return safely from the battlefield of jihad or Allah grants me martyrdom, which is my heartfelt desire.” Then he bid farewell and set off for his destination.
This honorable, well-mannered, loyal, and prudent woman gave birth to a handsome, cheerful, and attractive child a few months after her husband’s departure. She was very happy to see him and thought that perhaps this child would alleviate the sorrow of his father’s absence and that he would be a sign and trust, the delight of her heart and the coolness of her eyes. The child’s name was given as Rabia, so that his presence would always create a spring-like atmosphere in the courtyard of the house.
From the beginning, the symbol of nobility and refinement was evident on the bright face of this little child. From childhood, intelligence dripped from his words and actions. His mother entrusted his education and training to expert teachers and urged them to teach him well and requested those who trained him to teach him good manners properly. Soon, he became proficient in reading and writing. He memorized the Holy Quran and began to recite it with such melody, tajweed, and pleasantness as it was revealed on the blessed heart of the Noble Messenger (peace be upon him). As much as possible, he also memorized the Hadiths of the Prophet (peace be upon him) orally and thus memorized a significant portion of Arabic speech. Additionally, he acquired knowledge of religious rulings.
Rabia’s mother began to lavish wealth on his teachers for his sake and rewarded them. Whenever she saw that her son had advanced a few steps in the field of knowledge and literature, she increased the rewards and honors accordingly. She awaited the return of her expatriate husband and was striving that her son would grow up to attain such a position that he would become a guide for the common people. When her husband returned from the journey, she would be overjoyed to see her polite, cultured, and educated son. But her husband’s absence prolonged. The desires of her heart flowed into tears, and various speculations arose. Some said he might have been captured by the enemy. Some said no, he was free and engaged in jihad. Those returning from the battlefield said he must have attained martyrdom as per his heartfelt desire. Umm Rabia preferred the third opinion because no news had come for a long time. This separation had saddened her heart, but she took patience and gratitude with the intention of reward from Allah Almighty.
When Rabia reached youth, well-wishers advised his mother that Rabia had learned to read and write sufficiently as needed, even far ahead of his peers, and he was also a memorizer of the Quran and Hadith. If she chose a profession for him, he would quickly master it and then be able to spend on you and himself from the profits. Upon hearing this suggestion, the mother said: “I will pray to Allah Almighty to guide him to such work that is better for his world and hereafter.” Then Rabia chose knowledge for himself and resolved to remain a student or teacher throughout his life.
Rabia proceeded on his chosen path without any negligence or laxity and approached those scholarly circles bustling in the Prophet’s Mosque as a thirsty person rushes to a sweet water spring. He held the hem of those Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) who were still alive, foremost among them being the servant of the Messenger (peace be upon him), Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him). He also acquired knowledge from the first generation of Tabi’in, including Sayyiduna Saeed bin Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him), Makhool Al-Shami, and Salmah bin Dinar (may Allah have mercy on him).
Continuous day and night efforts in the field of knowledge had physically weakened him greatly. A companion said to him: “Dear friend! Have some mercy on yourself.” He replied:
“We have heard our teachers say that knowledge will not entrust even a small part of itself to you until you completely surrender yourself to it.”
After a short time, his name rose high, the star of destiny shone, and the number of his admirers increased. Students became fascinated with him, and the nation made him their leader.
He spent part of the day at home and the rest in the scholarly circles of the Prophet’s Mosque. His days passed in this manner until an incident occurred that he had no inkling of.
It was a moonlit summer night. A warrior, armed and mounted on his horse, arrived in Medina Munawwarah in the last days of the sixth Hijri year. He was searching for his house in the streets of Medina. He did not even know whether his house still existed or had fallen victim to the vicissitudes of time because about thirty years had passed since he left it. His heart was filled with thoughts about what his young wife must have endured during this period, what difficulties she faced, and what became of the child who was growing in her womb when he departed.
God knows whether it was a boy or a girl?
Is he alive or deceased?
If alive, in what condition would he be?
And what became of the large sum of money he had entrusted to his wife, which he had obtained as spoils of war and left with her when he set out with the Islamic army to conquer Samarkand and Bukhara?
The streets of Medina were bustling. People had just finished the Isha prayer, but none of the passersby recognized him or gave him any importance. No one looked closely at his dusty horse or glanced at the sword hanging on his shoulder because the inhabitants of Islamic cities had become accustomed to these Mujahideen who came and went morning and evening for jihad in the way of Allah.
But seeing the indifference of Medina’s residents increased the warrior’s grief and stirred more doubts in his mind. Lost in thought, he wandered through the streets of Medina until he finally reached his house. The door was open. In his eagerness, without seeking permission from the family, he entered the courtyard. When the house owner heard footsteps at the door, he looked down from the upper floor and saw, in the moonlight, a man standing in the courtyard with a sword hanging and a spear in hand, and his young wife standing somewhat away from the gaze of this stranger. The young man shouted angrily and quickly came down barefoot, saying:
“O enemy of Allah! You have entered my house at night hiding yourself; it seems your intentions are wrong.” He pounced on him like a hungry, ferocious lion on its prey and did not give the stranger a chance to speak. They grappled with each other. Hearing the commotion, neighbors gathered around their house from all sides. They surrounded the stranger as tightly as a bracelet encircles a wrist, thus helping their neighbor. The young master of the house had a firm grip on the traveler’s neck and angrily said, “O enemy of Allah! By Allah, I will not let you go just like that; I will take you to the ruler.”
The man said: “I am not an enemy of Allah, nor have I committed any sin. This is my house; I am its owner. I found the door open, so I entered. Is coming to one’s own house a crime?” Then addressing the audience, he said:
“O people! Listen to me! This house is mine. I bought it myself. My name is Faroukh. Is there no one among you who knows this Faroukh who left thirty years ago for jihad?” The young master’s mother, who was asleep, woke up due to the noise. Looking down from the upper room’s window, she saw her husband, whose absence had left her exhausted. Suddenly, terror gripped her; she bit her finger and stared fixedly. Then she said loudly:
“People! Leave him. Rabia, my son! You also leave him. This is your father, people! Go back to your homes. May Allah bless you.” Then addressing her husband, she said: “O Abu Abdul Rahman! This is your son! Your beloved, your light of the eyes.” Hearing this, Faroukh jumped with joy, embraced his son, and the talented son lovingly kissed his father’s hands, neck, and head. People were amazed to see this scene and smiled as they returned to their homes. Umm Rabia came down from the upper room, greeted her husband, whom she thought she would never meet again on earth because thirty years had passed in separation, and no news had come during this long absence.
Faroukh sat beside his wife and began to listen to the customary tales of the past days and explained the real reasons for not sending news about himself and the house. But his wife listened to all this carelessly because the joy of meeting him and seeing her son with her own eyes was mixed with the fear that they might ask her about the large sum of money entrusted to her when he left. She was thinking in her heart: If they ask about the money I was entrusted with and told to spend properly, and if I tell them that nothing remains of it, what will be their reaction? If I tell them that I spent all the money on our son’s education and upbringing, will they be pleased or surprised? Will this answer be sufficient for them? Will they get angry? Will they leave me alone again to endure the pain of separation and set off on a journey? Will they accept that their beloved son is more generous than a cloud? There is nothing left of the dirhams and dinars in my hands. Every child in Medina knows that he spent lavishly on new converts to Islam. Umm Rabia was engrossed in these thoughts.
Her husband looked at her and said: “Umm Rabia, what are you thinking? What worries you? Look, I have brought four thousand dirhams. Bring the dirhams you were entrusted with when I left so that we can combine the money and buy a garden and land and live comfortably on its income for life.” She remained silent and gave no reply. Faroukh said again to his wife: “Bring the money so that I can combine it all.” The wife said: “I have kept it where it was appropriate. God willing, after a few days, you will see its fruits.” Then the morning call to prayer interrupted their conversation. Faroukh got up to perform ablution and quickly went to the door. He called out, “Rabia, where are you?” He was told that he had gone to the mosque at the time of Tahajjud prayer. The family said: “We think you will not find the congregation now.”
Faroukh reached the mosque and saw that the Imam had just finished the prayer a little while ago. He performed the obligatory prayer, then went to the Prophet’s tomb, sent salutations, and then turned towards Riyadh al-Jannah. He was eager to pray there. In its fragrant and radiant environment, he prayed voluntary prayers with devotion and earnestly supplicated. When he intended to leave the mosque, he saw that an excellent scholarly gathering was assembled there, of an exemplary nature, unlike any assembly he had seen before. People sat in a circle around the Sheikh of the gathering. The crowd was so dense that there was no space to move. He glanced at the attendees and saw elderly men wearing turbans sitting respectfully, some of whom appeared very honorable. Many handsome young men were sitting on their knees, holding pens, recording every word of the Sheikh as if precious pearls were being set on a crown. They were preserving the Sheikh’s instructions in their notebooks as if safeguarding valuable things. Everyone was looking intently at the Sheikh, listening silently, respectfully, and attentively as if birds were perched on their heads. To convey the speech to the distant audience, a loudspeaker repeated every sentence aloud so that no one in the gathering missed any word. Faroukh felt a desire to see the Sheikh but could not clearly see his face due to the distance. The Sheikh’s eloquence, scholarly eminence, astonishing memory, and people’s immense love had cast a spell of humility and modesty on his heart.
After a while, the Sheikh ended the gathering and stood up. The attendees rushed madly towards him, and a large crowd gathered around him. He embraced them affectionately and accompanied them outside the Prophet’s Mosque to bid farewell. At this moment, Faroukh asked a man sitting beside him: “Please tell me, who is this eminent person?”
The man said in surprise: “Do you not live in Medina Munawwarah?” Faroukh replied: “Why not, I am a resident of Medina.” The man said: “Who in Medina does not know this Sheikh?”
Faroukh said: “If I do not know him, please excuse me because I left Medina thirty years ago for jihad and just returned yesterday.”
The man said: “Never mind. Come, sit with me; I will tell you about this Sheikh whose speech you heard in the gathering. He is the leader of the Tabi’in and a great scholar of the Muslim Ummah. Despite his youth, he is a hadith scholar, jurist, and Imam of Medina.” Hearing this, Faroukh said: “Masha Allah! May the evil eye be kept away.” The man continued: “His gathering reminds one of the greats like Malik bin Anas, Imam Abu Hanifa, Yahya bin Saeed Ansari, Sufyan Thawri, Abdul Rahman bin Amr Awza’i, and Laith bin Saad (may Allah have mercy on them).”
Faroukh was about to speak, but the man did not allow him and continued: “Besides these qualities, he is good-natured, angelic in character, humble, and generous. The people of Medina have never seen anyone more generous or more pious and God-fearing than him.” Faroukh said: “You are praising him, but you have not told me his name yet.” The man said: “His name is Rabia Al-Rai.”
Faroukh asked in surprise: “Rabia Al-Rai!”
He said: “Yes, his name is Rabia, but the scholars and teachers of Medina call him Rabia Al-Rai. His scholarly status and grandeur are beyond words! When the scholars of Medina face a problem for which there is no explicit text in the Quran and Sunnah, they refer to him, and he presents a solution through his ijtihad that satisfies the scholars.” Faroukh asked: “Whose son is he?” He said: “He is the son of the Mujahid named Faroukh. He was born a few months after his father left for jihad.”
His mother devoted full attention to his education and upbringing. I heard from some people before the Fajr prayer that his father returned to Medina last night after thirty years. Hearing this, two tears fell from Faroukh’s eyes, but the man did not know the reason for these tears. Then Faroukh quickly reached his home. His wife saw his eyes were moist and asked: “Abu Rabia! May Allah bless you. What happened? Why are your eyes wet with tears? Is there any calamity?” He said: “Do not worry; all is well.”
“Today, I saw the unique status of my son Rabia. Seeing this scene, tears of immense happiness fell from my eyes. Today, his scholarly position, eloquence, and people’s immense love for him have deeply moved me. How fortunate I am to have a son of such high status.”
Umm Rabia took this opportunity and said:
“O crown of my head! Which of these two things do you love and desire more, the thirty thousand dinars or your son’s high status in knowledge and virtue?”
He said: “By Allah! I find this status of my beloved son more precious and beloved than all the wealth in the world.” The wife said: “The wealth you entrusted to me as a trust, I spent it on his education and upbringing. Are you pleased with this?” He said: “Yes, why not? I am very pleased. May Allah reward you on behalf of me, my son, and all Muslims.”
Research on Hadith:
إسناده ضعيف جدا۔
Its chain of narration is very weak.
Imam Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned it in Siyar A’lam al-Nubala and Tarikh al-Islam Hawadith
and stated that this story is false.
Its chain is weak due to the unknown status of the sheikhs of Ahl Madinah. Also, it includes a narrator Ahmad ibn Marwan who is very weak and accused of lying.
