Hayatus Sahabah - The Lives of the Sahabah - Part 1 of 3

THE LIVES OF THE SAHABAH '@,g!&&>(Vol-I L 130
towards something excellent. You are instructing us with a good thing and
Rasulullaah @$% is certainly calling towards something of great merit.' When
Rasulullaah @?@ heard about this, he said, '0 Allaah! Forgive Ahnaf."' It was on
account of this that Hadhrat Ahnaf @-would always say, "I have more hope
in this (du'aa of Rasulullaah w) than any good act that I have carried out."(')
Imaam Ahmad and Tabraani $ave reported this Hadith thus: "Rasulullaah &$?@
sent me to covney the message of Islaam to your tribe the Banu Sa'd. It was you
who said, "Rasulullaah k%@ speaks only good" or (you said) "What I am hearing
is only good". When I returned and informed Rasulullaah @%% about what you
said, he prayed thus, '0 Allaah! Forgive Ahnaf." It was on account of this that
Hadhrat Ahnaf B,G&G would always say, "I have more hope in this (du'aa of
Rasulullaah w) than any good act that I have carried out."
Rasulullaah @g sends a Person to a Man who was
Influential during the Period of Ignorance
Hadhrat Anas %%iW narrates that Rasulullaah @$% once sent one of the
Sahabah W,- to give Da'wah to a person who was influential during the
Period of Ignorance. The person asked, "What is your Rabb towards whom you
call made of? Is he made of iron? Is he made of copper? Is he made of silver? Is
he made of gold?" when the Sahabi %lGWj reported back to Rasulullaah @I!%
Rasulullaah sent him back (to repeat the invitation). However, the person
repeated his remark. When the Sahabi reported back to Rasulullaah 6%
the second time, Rasulullaah sent him back for the third time. However, the
person repeated his remark yet again. When the Sahabi %lSPiW5 again reported to
Rasulullaah @%%, Rasulullaah @%% said, "Allaah has struck your friend with a
bolt of lightning that incinerated him." It was then that the following verse was
revealed:
Allaah sends the bolts of lightning to strike whoever He wills while they
are disputing about Allaah. Allaah is fiercely Powerful. {Surah Ra'd, verse
13)(3)
A report of Bazzaar states that the person was one of the tyrannical Arab leaders
and that the Sahabi @,Bw said, "0 Rasulullaah @?@! He is more tyrannical than
Fir'oun. This version of the report states that the Sahabi ?Z4w was still busy
inviting the person to Islaam for the third time when Allaah sent a cloud above
him that started to rumble with thunder. A bolt of lightning then emerged from
the cloud and decapitated the man. (4)
(1) Ibn Abi Aasim and Haakim (Vo1.3 Pg.614).
(2) Haythami (Vol.10 Pg.2) has commented on the Hadith.
(3) Abu Ya'la. Haythami (Vo1.7 Pg.42) has mentioned that Abu Ya'la and Bazzaar have both quoted this
narration.
(4) Tabraani has also reported a similar narration in his Awsat.