Abbad Bin Bishr

 

It was the fourth year after the Hijrat.  The Jewish Nadir

Tribe broke their agreement with the Prophet.  They made plans to kill him.  The Prophet banished them from Medina.

Two months later, the Prophet received news that tribes from far away Najd were planning to attack.  The Prophet gathered together a force of about four hundred men.  He left Osman in Medina.  Abbad was among the Prophet’s forces.  He was a young man at the time.

The Prophet’s forces arrived at Najd.  Only women were left in the city.  The men were in the hills.  Some of them prepared to fight.  The time of salat al-asr, the afternoon prayer, came. The Prophet feared that the enemy would attack them during prayer.  He arranged the Muslims in ranks and divided them into two groups.

The Prophet performed one rakah with one group while the other group stood guard.  The groups changed places for the second rakah.  Each group completed its prayer with one rakah after the Prophet finished.  This was called the Prayer of Fear.

The Prophet and his men won this battle.  Then they turned back toward Medina.  On the way they camped in a valley.  The Muslims began to settle in for the night.  The Prophet asked, Who will be our guard tonight?

Abbad and Ammar bin Yasir said, We will, Rasulullah.

The two young men went to the entrance of the valley to stand watch.  Abbad saw that Ammar was tired.  He asked, Do you want to sleep now or later?

Ammar replied, I’ll sleep now and keep watch later.  Then Ammar lay down and fell asleep.

The night was clear and calm.  The stars, the trees and the rocks all seemed to be praising their Lord in silence.  Abbad wanted to worship God, too.

In the still of the night Abbad stood and faced the Qibla. He raised his hands and began to pray.  After finishing one chapter of the Qur’an, Abbad began to recite the Kahf Sura in a sweet and clear voice.

At that time a stranger arrived at the entrance of the valley.  He was looking for the Prophet and his followers.  One of the Muslims had taken his wife as hostage during the battle.  So he wanted to kill as many Muslims as possible.

Silently he drew his bow and shot an arrow.  It hit Abbad.  Calmly Abbad pulled the arrow from his body and continued his worship.

The man shot a second and third arrow.  Both of them hit their mark.  Abbad pulled one out and then the other.  He finished reciting the Qur’an and then completed his salat with difficulty.  Abbad woke Ammar from his sleep.  Can you take the guard?  My wounds are making me weak, said Abbad.

Ammar jumped up.  The man saw the two of them and ran away.  Abbad lay down on the ground.  Blood flowed from his wounds.

Subhanallah!  Why didn’t you wake me when the first arrow hit you? asked Ammar.

I didn’t want to stop reciting before the end of the sura.  If I weren’t on duty as a guard, I would have continued.  I would rather cut my life than the Qur’an, replied Abbad.

Abbad had first heard the Qur’an from Musab bin Umayr.  Musab’s voice was sweet and captivating.  Abbad was about fifteen years old then.  The Qur’an had a special place in Abbad’s heart.  He recited the glorious words of God day and night.  Among the Prophet’s companions he was called the friend of the Qur’an.

One night the Prophet was in Aisha’s house next to the masjid.  He stood up to perform the late night tahajjud prayer.  He heard a pure sweet voice reciting the Qur’an. The Prophet asked. Aisha, is that Abbad bin Bishr’s voice?

Yes, Rasulullah, answered the Prophet’s wife.

May God bless him, prayed Muhammad (pbuh).

Abbad was always a trustworthy person.  In times of sacrifice he was in the front line.  But when the time came for reward, it was difficult to find him.

Aisha once said, There are three people of the whose virtue cannot be excelled.  They are Sa’d ibn Muaz, Usayd bin Huzayr and Abbad bin Bishr.

Abbad died as a martyr at the Battle of Yamamah.  He realized that the Muhajir  and Ansar men needed to be separated.  So he took four hundred Ansar men and attacked the enemy.  They drove Musaylamah and his men to the ‘Garden of Death’.

Abbad fell as a martyr at the garden walls.  He received many sword, spear and arrow wounds.

Abbad lived, fought and died as a believer.