Outline
- Introduction
- The Beginning
- Who is Al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām?
- Sayyidunā al-Zubayr Embraces Islam
- Sayyidunā al-Zubayr Migrates to Allah
- Sayyidunā al-Zubayr’s Contributions to Islam
- Virtues of Al-Zubayr’s
- Sayyidunā Al-Zubayr’s Family
- Sayyidunā al-Zubayr’s Narration of Hadīth
- Sayyidunā al-Zubayr’s Passing
- 10 Facts About Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām
- The Takeaway…
Introduction
Have you ever discovered at a last-minute that you were wrong in your opinion in a crucial matter or discussion? You’ll be surprised to know what our Shining Star did is a similar situation.
At a young age of 19, he embraced a new religion called Islam. His father was late, so his uncle would wrap him in a mat made of palm tree leaves, and he would tunnel smoke into him so he would be suffocated and be forced to leave the new religion. But our Shining Star stood to his grounds and refused to leave Islam.
The Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam would usually say to his companions, “Bi Abī anta…” or “Fiḍāka Abī”. Which means, “my father would be sacrificed for you.” But for this Shining Star, the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam combined for him both his father and mother.
His mother was a cousin to the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam. And his father was a brother to Sayyidah Khadījah raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhā. He was the one and only whom the Prophet appointed as his disciple.
Yes, he was Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām. Al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām is our Shining Star of this episode of The Shining Stars Series, brought to you by GSalam.Net and Al-Bushra by GSalam.
The Beginning
After Sayyidunā Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq accepted Islam, he succeeded in making wise use of his network to spread Islam. He approached the ones he trusted, not only for their friendship but for their preference of faithfulness, sincerity, and willingness to accept the truth, regardless.
One of those he succeeded in inviting to Islam was Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām. Thus, Sayyidunā al-Zubayr was among the first batch of people to embrace Islam. This also means that his Islam came after Sayyidunā ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affān’s Islam, raḍiya Allahu ‘anhumā.
In the Shining Stars series, we count him as number seven. Thus, he comes after
- Sayyidatunā Khadījah
- Sayyidunā Zayd ibn Ḥārithah
- Sayyidatunā Barakah Ummu Ayman
- Sayyidunā Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq
- Sayyidunā ‘Ali ibn Abī Ṭālib and
- Sayyidunā ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān
Now, who is Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām?
Who is Al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām?
Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām’s father was al-‘Awwām ibn Khuwaylid ibn Asad ibn ‘Abd al-‘Uzzā ibn Quṣay ibn Kilāb. This means his father was a brother to Sayyidatunā Khadījah bint Khuwaylid raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhā. Thus he was a nephew to her.
His father, Al-‘Awwām died in the childhood of his son. Thus, his mother brought him up singlehandedly.
His mother was a Ṣafiyyah bint ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib, she was an aunty to the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
He was named after one of his maternal uncles, al-Zubayr ibn ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib. His mother had high hopes and ambitions in her son. Therefore she applied a firm and strict parenting style in bringing him up. This made him a courageous and fierce warrior. But at the same time, he developed aggressiveness, which reflected in his marital life later on.
Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām inherited trade and business from his late father. Even though he had an aggressive personality, he was truly a generous person.
Sayyidunā al-Zubayr Embraces Islam
Some reports indicate that he embraced Islam, at the teenage age of 15 or 16. Some others bring that down to 8 or 12 years old. But they almost all agree that he died at the age of 67. So, if we calculate the age in which he was said to have died in, which 67 and the year in which he died, which is 35 after hijrah, we get that he embraced Islam at the age of 19.
This sounds more accurate because had he embraced Islam at age of 8 or 12, 15 or 16, he would have been counted by scholars and historians among the children who embraced Islam.
Sayyidunā al-Zubayr Migrates to Allah
Likewise all those who accepted Islam in Makkah in the early days of the new religion, Al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām was not spared from the hostility of the people of Makkah, more so from his uncle. So he joined the companions who migrated to Abyssinia. He was also among the first batch of Muslims who migrated to Madīnah later on.
In Abyssinia, the King of Abyssinia gifted the young man, Al-Zubayr a staff, which he brought back with him when he returned to Makkah. Later on, he gifted that staff to the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam.. This is the staff the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam used to hold in his sermons and preaches.
After the passing of the Prophet, he gifted the staff to Abū Bakr, and later on to ‘Umar, ‘Uthmān and Ali. After the passing Sayyidunā ‘Ali, ‘Abdullāh ibn al-Zubayr raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhumā collected the staff from Sayyidunā ‘Ali’s family. Because their father died before Sayyidunā ‘Ali.
Sayyidunā al-Zubayr’s Contributions to Islam
Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām was well recognized during the time of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam. And so was he, during the caliphates of Sayyidunā Abū Bakr, Sayyidunā ‘Umar and Sayyidunā ‘Uthmān raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhum.
During hijrah, when the Prophet was entering Madinah from Qubā’, he wore all-white outfit. It’s reported that, that white outfit was gifted to him by Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām, which he bought in one of his trips to Syria for trading.
It’s common for the companions to pledge devotion for the Prophet by expressing readiness to sacrifice their mothers and fathers for him… For instance, a companion would say, “Bi Abī anta wa Ummī yā Rasūlallāh…” or “Fidāka Abī wa Ummī.”
In return, the Prophet also used to say the same to his companions. But usually uses his father. And never did he combine both his father and mother for anyone other than al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām. He said that to him twice; one on the day of the Battle of Uḥud, and on the day of the Battle of Banī Qurayẓah (al-Khandaq).
Besides, being among the firsts to embrace Islam and participating in the two hijrahs, he was a great warrior. He participated in the Battle of Badr, Uḥud, and in all the battles of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām was one of the 6-member committee that was tasked to elect a successor for Sayyidunā ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, the second caliph is Islam. This committee consisted of:
- ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān
- ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf
- ‘Ali ibn Abī Tālib
- Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwām
- Sa’d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ
- Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Ubayd Allāh.
The six-member committee eventually elected Sayyidunā ‘Uthmān to be the third caliph of Islam after Sayyidunā ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb.
Virtues of Sayyidunā Al-Zubayr’s
The honour to be among the firsts in Islam suffices as a virtue for any Muslim. What more when you add on to that, the honour of participating in the two hijrahs? Let alone fighting alongside with the Prophet, and having him to vow to sacrifice both his parents for you. Nevertheless, here are two virtues of Sayyiduna Al-Zubayr’s.
He Was the Disciple of the Prophet Muhammad
In addition to all the above, Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām was the disciple of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam. The one and only. Imam Aḥmad reports that the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam says:
إِنَّ لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ حَوَارِيًّا، وَحَوَارِيِّي الزُّبَيْرُ.ـ
“Every Messenger has a disciple. And my disciple is al-Zubayr. “
He Was One of 10 Given Glad News of Paradise in One Ḥadīth
Imām al-Tirmidhī reports from the narration of Sayyidunā ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf, that the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam once said:
أَبُو بَكْرٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَعُمَرُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَعُثْمَانُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَعَلِيٌّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَطَلْحَةُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَالزُّبَيْرُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَعَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَوْفٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَسَعْدٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَسَعِيدٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَأَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ.ـ
“Abu Bakr is in Paradise, ‘Umar is in Paradise, ‘Uthmān is in Paradise, ‘Ali is in Paradise, Ṭalḥah is in Paradise, Al-Zubayr is in Paradise, ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf is in Paradise, Sa’d bin Abī Waqqāṣ is in Paradise, Sa’īd is in Paradise, and Abu ‘Ubaydah bin Al-Jarrah is in Paradise.”
Sayyidunā Al-Zubayr’s Family
Sayyidunā Al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām experienced seven marriages. The seven marriages fruited for him 20 children.
His first wife was Asmā’ bint Abī Bakr. With her had eight children:
- ‘Abdullāh ibn Al-Zubayr
- ‘Urwah ibn Al-Zubayr
- Al-Mundhir ibn Al-Zubayr
- ‘Āṣim ibn Al-Zubayr
- Al-Muḥājir ibn Al-Zubayr
- Khadījah bint Al-Zubayr
- Umm Al-Ḥasan bint Al-Zubayr; and
- ‘Āishah bint Al-Zubayr
His second wife was Zaynab mint Marthad. With her he was blessed with three children:
- Ja’far ibn Al-Zubayr
- ‘Ubaydah ibn Al-Zubayr and
- Ḥafṣah bint Al-Zubayr
His third wife was Amah bint Khālid ibn Sa’īd. With her, they had five children:
- ‘Amr ibn Al-Zubayr
- Khālid ibn Al-Zubayr
- Ḥabībah bint Al-Zubayr
- Sawdah bint Al-Zubayr and
- Hind bint Al-Zubayr
His fourth wife was Al-Rabāb bint Unayf. And with her, they had three children:
- Muṣ’ab ibn Al-Zubayr
- Ḥamzah ibn Al-Zubayr and
- Ramlah bint Al-Zubayr
His fifth wife was Umm Kulthūm bint ‘Uqbah. They were blessed with one child:
- Zaynab bint Al-Zubayr
His other two wives were:
- ‘Ātikah bint Zayd and
- Tamāḍur bint al-Aṣba’
It may interest you to know, that he named all his sons after the martyred ones among the companions of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
Sayyidunā al-Zubayr’s Narration of Hadīth
Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwam was close to the Prophet, but he hardly narrated aḥādīth, because he was afraid to mistakenly attribute something to the Prophet, when he did not say it.
However, here are three aḥādīth from his narrations:
Ḥadīth #1:
Imām Aḥmad reports from the narration of ‘Abdullāh bin al-Zubayr from the narration of his father:
لَـمَّا نزَلَتْ هَذِهِ السُّورَةُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِِ صَلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم {إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَيِّتُونَ ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ عِنْدَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ} قال الزُّبَيرُ: أيْ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، أيُكَرَّرُ عَلَيْنَا مَا كَانَ بَيْنَنَا في الدُّنْيَا مَعَ خَوَاصِّ الذُّنُوبِ؟ قال: نَعَمْ لَيُكَرَّرَنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ حَتَّى يُؤَدَّى إِلَى كُلِّ ذِي حَقٍّ حَقُّهُ. فَقَالَ الزُّبَيرُ: وَاللهِ إِنَّ الأَمْرَ لَشَدِيدٌ.ـ
“When the verse which says to the Prophet “Verily, you are to die and they are to die. After that, on the Day of Resurrection, you will surely place your disputes before your Lord” (Sūrah al-Zumar, 39:30-31). Al-Zubayr said to the Prophet, O Messenger of Allah, will we be told about what happened among us in this world regarding private sins? The Prophet said, “Yes, you will be told, so that everyone will be given his right.” Then al-Zubayr said: “By Allah, the matter is serious indeed.”
Ḥadīth #2:
Imām Ahmad and al-Tirmidhī report from ‘Abdullāh ibn al-Zubayr who narrates from his father:
لَـمَّا نَزَلَتْ: (ثُمَّ لَتُسْئَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعِيمِ.) قالَ الزُّبَيْرُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، وَأَيُّ النَّعِيمِ نُسْأَلُ عَنْهُ، وَإِنَّمَا هُمَا الأَسْوَدَانِ التَّمْرُ وَالـمَاءُ؟ قَالَ: أَمَا إِنَّهُ سَيَكُونُ.ـ
“When Allah descended in Sūrah al-Takāthur, “And you shall be questioned on that Day about all pleasures (you enjoyed in the world,” Al-Zubayr said, “O Messenger of Allah, which pleasure will we be asked about, when all we have is dates and water?” The Prophet said: “Yes, that’s the pleasure you’ll be asked about.”
Ḥadīth #3:
Imām al-Bukhārī reports from the narration of al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām that the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
لِأَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ حَبْلَهُ، فَيَأْتِي بِحُزْمَةِ اَلْحَطَبِ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ، فَيَبِيعَهَا، فَيَكُفَّ اَللَّهُ بِهَا وَجْهَهُ، خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ اَلنَّاسَ؛ أَعْطَوهُ أَوْ مَنَعُوهُ.ـ
“It is better for any of you to take a rope and cut some wood (from the forest) and carry it over his back and sell it, to preserve his dignity, rather than ask people for help, whether they give him or not.”
Sayyidunā al-Zubayr’s Passing
In the second part of Sayyidunā ‘Uthmān, we highlighted the fact that a fitnah was cooked that led to the killing of Sayyidunā ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān raḍiya Allahu ‘anhu. The killing of Sayyidunā ‘Uthmān was just the beginning of a prolonged fitnah the Ummah was afflicted with. This fitnah continues to this very moment.
With the killing of the Sayyidunā ‘Uthman, division was created among the companions. To the extent of internal fighting in the Ummah. Of course, the fuelers were also unknown. Perhaps, they’re forever unknown.
So, while Sayyidunā ‘Ali was the caliph, he was required to find the killers of Sayyidunā ‘Uthmān. In the process, he was opposed by Sayyidah ‘Ā’ishah with the support of Sayyidunā Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh and al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhum.
Mind you, Sayyidunā ‘Ali was on one side, and on the other side were Sayyidunā Ṭalḥah and Sayyidunā al-Zubayr, and all the three were giving glad tidings of paradise in one ḥadīth!
As the two parties were about to fight, Sayyidunā ‘Ali reminded al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām of an incident when the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam mentioned a fitnah that would happen to ‘Ali and that al-Zubayr would wrongly be in opposing party of ‘Ali. It was there and then that al-Zubayr remembered and decided to withdraw from fighting ‘Ali, and from involving in the fight altogether. Sayyidunā Ṭalḥah also withdrew with al-Zubayr.
Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām went far away to a place called Wādī al-Sibā’, near Basra in Iraq. Not knowing that a man, from among the fuelers of the fitnah was following him. Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām reached to a tree, and decided to rest under the tree. He hanged his sword on a branch of the tree, and went to sleep.
The man who was following him, who was by the name ‘Amr ibn Jurmūz took his sword (that was hung to the tree) and killed him.
Ibn Jurmūz didn’t stop there. Thinking he was going to please ‘Ali with the killing of Al-Zubayr, he separated Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām’s head from his body and carried it to Sayyidunā ‘Ali. But Sayyidunā ‘Ali refused to meet him.
Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām was among the millionaires of the companions. As much as he left behind a fortune, he also he left a heavy debt behind. On the day of his killing, as he was preparing to go for a fight (before he withdrew), he insisted on his son, ‘Abdullāh ibn al-Zubayr, that in distributing his inheritance, if he faces any obstacles, he should seek help from his Patron. ‘Abdullāh didn’t know whom he meant with his Patron. So he asked him, and he said, that’s Allah subḥānahū wa ta’ālā.
True enough, ‘Abdullāh affirms, that anytime he faced any problem regarding the inheritance of his father, he sought help from the Patron of al-Zubayr, and he would find a solution for that problem.
This happened in 35 after Hijrah. Sayyidunā Al-Zubayr raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhu was 67 years young.
10 Facts About Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām
Here are 10 facts you may want to remember about Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhu.
- Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām was one of the earliest to Islam.
- Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām embraced Islam at the spring age of 19.
- Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām participated in both Hijrah.
- Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām participated in Hudaybiyah.
- Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām was the Ḥawārī of the Prophet.
- Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām is one of the 10 giving glad tidings of Paradise.
- Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām named his children after the martyred ones.
- Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām participated in Badr.
- Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām had a True and Strong Tawakkul in Allah.
- Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām was quick to follow the truth when he realized the mistake in his thought.
The Takeaway…
At the spring age of 19, a teenager today will be engrossed in the latest trends, gadgets, fashion, recipes and you name them; all of which will hardly be related to faith and spirituality. Here we have al-Zubayr, at his spring age of 19, he left all the temptations around him, despite the fortune he had inherited from his father, he chose to embrace Islam and go against trends.
One of the most difficult things a man will encounter is to admit to his mistake, especially at a very last minute, where life and death may be involved. With a strong belief in the Hereafter, and with stable mindset, you’ll be able to follow in the footsteps of Sayyidunā al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhu.
The Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam gave al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām the glad tidings of Paradise, but al-Zubayr didn’t take that for granted and go astray. Likewise any other companions who were giving glad tidings of Paradise, he continued to persevere in facing the challenges of this life. And this alone is enough to make him a Shining Star for you and me to look up to him.
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Until we meet in our episode to take another glimpse of another shining star, I leave you in Allah’s protection.
Allah knows best.
Allahu Hafiz 🙂
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