The Shining Stars: 13 – Sayyidunā Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah

Outline

• Introduction
• The Beginning
• Who is Sayyidunā Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah
• Talhah Embraces Islam
• Talhah Migrates to Madinah
• Talhatul-Khayr – Talhah the Generous
• Talhah in the Caliphate of Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and Uthman
• Talhah in the Fitnah after the Murder of ‘Uthman
• The Virtues of Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah
• The Family of Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah
• Sayyidunā Talhah's Narration of Hadith
• 7 Facts About Sayyidunā Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah
• The Takeaway…

Bismillah… in the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficent

Introduction

All the companions of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam were forever ready to sacrifice their lives to protect him ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam. In so doing, they were defending Islam and striving for the cause of Allah. While some successfully attained the opportune and sacrificed their lives, others didn’t get the chance to do that, but remained hopeful for that moment. Between these and those were some who lost some of their limbs while protecting the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam.

An example of this, is this Shining Star who lost his arm in defending the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam. In addition to that, he was among the first 10 to embrace Islam, the prophet was pleased with him at the point of his passing, and he was also given the glad tiding of paradise while he was still alive.  This beautiful journey of his started when he was just 18.

Can you guess who was he?…. Good job… yes, he was Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah. Sayyidunā Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Ubaydillah is our Shining Star of this episode of the Shining Stars Series, brought to you by GSalam.Net and Al-Bushra by GSalam.

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The Beginning

In the episode of Sayyidunā Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhu we learnt that after he accepted Islam, he made wise use of his networking to invite some influential and respected personalities to Islam. The first six he succeeded in inviting, later became heavyweight, each, in the cause of propagating Islam. And this includes

• Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwām
• ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān
• Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah
• Sa’d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ
• Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ, and
• ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf.

With that Sayyidunā Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu became among the first 10 to accept Islam. And he comes at number 10 in the Shining Stars Series. He comes after:

1. Sayyidatunā Khadījah
2. Sayyidunā Zayd ibn Ḥārithah
3. Sayyidatunā Barakah Ummu Ayman
4. Sayyidunā Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq
5. Sayyidunā ‘Ali ibn Abī Ṭālib
6. Sayyidunā ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān
7. Sayyidunā Al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām
8. Sayyidunā ‘Abdul-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf, and
9. Sa’d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ

Now, let’s take a look at whom Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh was.

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Who is Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh

Sayyidunā Talha ibn ‘Ubaydillāh’s known as Ṭalḥatul-Khayr or Ṭalḥatul-Jūd. More on that later. But his long name was:

طَلْحَة بن عُبَيْد اللّه بن عُثْمان بن عَمْرو بن كَعْب بن سَعْد بن تَيْم بن مُرَّة بن كَعْب بن لُؤَيِّ بن غَالب بن فِهْر بن مالك بن النَّضْر

Talhah bin ‘Ubaydillāh ibn ‘Uthmān bin ‘Amr ibn Ka’b ibn Sa’d ibn Taym ibn Murrah ibn Ka’b ibn Lu’ay ibn Ghālib ibn Fihr, ibn Mālik ibn al-Naḍr…

His mother was Al-Ṣa’bah bint ‘Abdillāh  ibn ‘Imād ibn Mālik ibn Rabī’ah…

Sayyidunā Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah is said to have died during the fitnah or after the killing of Sayyidunā ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān, specifically during the Battle of the Camel, at the age of 64. On that basis, his estimated year of birth is 18 years before Islam. Obviously, this means he embraced Islam at the age of 18, and he was a year older than Sayyidunā Sa’d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu.

That also means, that at the point of his Islam, he was 22 years younger than the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu’ alayhi wa sallam, 19 years younger than Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, 15 years younger than Zayd ibn Ḥārithah, 12 years younger than Abdul-Rahman ibn ‘Awf,  and 8 years older than ‘Ali ibn Abī Tālib. raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhum ajam’īn.

Despite his young age, before Islam and after embracing Islam, Sayyidunā Talhah was a trader. He’s reported to have traded between Makkah and Syria.

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Talhah Embraces Islam

One of Sayyidunā Talhah grandchildren, Ibrahīm ibn Muhammad ibn Talhah, relates, that his grandfather said:

“I was in the market of Buṣrā where there was  a monk, in a corner of worshipping saying: “Is there anyone in this season from the holy land (referring to Makkah)? Ṭalḥah said, Me. The monk asked him, “has Ahmad appeared yet?” Talhah said, “I asked him, “who is Ahmad?” The monk said, the son of Abdul-Muṭṭalib. This is the month he is expected to appear in, and he is the final messenger. He will appear in Ḥaram (Makkah), and he will migrate to a place of dates, hot land… so make sure no one reaches him before you.

Talhah said, “that stuck in my mind.” So I quickened back to Makkah. The first thing I did was to ask if there were any happening, and I was told, that Muhammad was claiming prophethood. And that Abu Bakr has followed him.

He said, “I went to Abu Bakr and asked him, “have you followed that man?” He said, “yes, and you should follow him too.” So they went to the Prophet and Talhah announced his Islam.

From this moment on, Sayyidunā Talha had to face the same challenges everyone who dared to go against the strong wave of polytheism in favour of monotheism and for that matter followed the Prophet Muḥammad ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam.

It’s said, that while in Makkah, before hijrah he was partnered with al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwam, until the permission came for Muslims to migrate to Madīnah.

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Talhah Migrates to Madinah

At the time of the Prophet’s migration to Madīnah, Talhah was said to be away in his trade to Syria. On his way back, he met with the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam and Abū Bakr raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu who were on their way to Madīnah, the then Yathrib. So Sayyidunā Talhah raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu gave the Prophet and Abu Bakr some clothes from Syria. He then went back to Makkah, and prepared for his Hijrah, and then took the family of Sayyidunā Abū Bakr’s along with him.

After migrating to Madīnah, Sayyidunā Ṭalḥah lodged with Sayyidunā As’ad ibn Zurārah, and was later on partnered with Sayyidunā Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī.

Sayyidunā Ṭalḥah also participated in all battles with the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam, except the Battle of Badr. He missed it because he was away as he was dispatched by the Prophet for a mission in Syria. However, he was given a share from the spoil or booty of the Battle of Badr.

As he participated in the Battle of Uḥud, he was among the few who stood behind to protect the Prophet when the rest had to run for their lives. He protected the Prophet until his right hand was paralyzed. In addition to Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah, some of those who stood with the Prophet at that critical moments include, Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, Sa’d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ, and ‘Abdul-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf.

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Ṭalḥatul-Khayr

Sayyidunā Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah was known as one of the most generous among the companies. Obviously, he was also among the rich of the companions, raḍiya Allāhu ’anhum.

Imām al-Tirmidhī reports that, Talhah once received money in the sum of 700,000 dirhams from Hadramout. That night, his wife, Ummu Kulthūm bint Abī Bakr al-Siddiq noticed that he couldn’t sleep. When she asked if he was ok, he responded, “how can one sleep with this amount of money in his house?” She suggested to him distribute it the next morning.

True enough, the next morning, Sayyidunā Talhah distributed the money among the Muhājirīn and Anṣār, and left only one pouch, the contained 1000 dirhams for himself and his family.

In another narration, it’s said that a man came to Talhah and asked him with the honour of the kinship between them. Ṭalḥah said to him, “none before you ever used kinship to ask me.” And he gave him a piece of land of his, that was set for sale at 300,000 dirhams.

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Ṭalḥah in the Caliphate of Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and Uthman

Sayyidunā Ṭalḥah was quick to give his allegiance to Sayyidunā Abā Bakr raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu after he was formally declared the successor of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam. However, he expressed his concern when Sayyidunā Abu Bakr nominated ‘Umar, the only one to succeed him. To him, Sayyidunā ‘Umar was too fierce and can be aggressive that people are scared of him. But Sayyidunā Abū Bakr ensured him,  that he had enough confidence that ‘Umar would do a good job.

This open stance of Ṭalḥah towards the appointment of ‘Umar as the only successor of Abū Bakr didn’t stop Sayyidunā ‘Umar from including him among the six-member team and tasked them to select his successor from among them. Perhaps, this action of Sayyidunā ‘Umar proves right the position of Sayyidunā Abū Bakr, that ‘Umar would do a good job, as a Caliph.

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Ṭalḥah in the Fitnah after the Murder of ‘Uthman

Sayyidunā Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Ubaydillah played a key role in the events that followed the killing of Sayyidunā ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu.

After giving his pledge (bay’ah) to Sayyidunā ‘Ali, he and Al-Zubayr demanded for the killers of ‘Uthman to be brought to justice immediately. But Sayyidunā ‘Ali was of the opinion that it was too early to do that, as they needed to calm the situation down, investigate and then identify the real killers of ‘Uthman. Especially that the rebels were in a position of strength as they had weapons in their possessions and had great influence in the masses.

Four months after the killing of ‘Uthmān, and the killers were yet to be brought to justice. So, Sayyidunā Ṭalḥah and al-Zubayr raḍiya Allāhu ’anhumā couldn’t wait any longer. So they joined forces with Sayyidah ‘Ā’ishah raḍiya Allāhu ’anhā (who was at the time in Makkah for ḥajj) and decided to go to Baṣrah to find the killers of ‘Uthmān. It’s said that the main culprits in the killing of ‘Uthman were in or from Baṣrah (Iraq). This trio had enough men to form an army and moved from Makkah towards Baṣrah.

At this point of time, Sayyidunā Mu’āwiyah raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu who was the ruler of Damascus and the entire people of Shām (the area that covers Syria, Jordan and Palestine) had refused to give pledge to ‘Ali before the killers of ‘Uthman were found and brought to justice. This is the reverse of the position of Ṭalḥah and al-Zubayr, right?

Sayyidunā ‘Ali considered this response of Mu’āwiyah as rebellion. Thus, he must be disciplined.  So he moved with an army towards Damascus to face Mu’āwiyah and get him to give pledge or get him disciplined.  It was on the way that he learnt about the move of Sayyidah ‘Ā’ishah, Ṭalḥah and al-Zubayr. So, instead of going to Damascus, he changed his direction to Baṣrah, not so to fight them, but rather to stop them, talk to them and bring them back to Madinah.

Sayyidah ‘Ā’ishah raḍiya Allāhu ’anhā was travelling in a Hodge that was carried by a camel.

When ‘Ali reached them, some companions took the initiative to mediate between the two parties and reached a common ground. With that, Sayyidah ‘Ā’ishah would return to Madinah the next morning.

Unfortunately, the rebels (those behind the killing of ‘Uthmān) were unhappy with this agreement; simply because they wanted nothing but a continuous clash and killings among Muslims. So they created a commotion in the dawn before the next morning, that signaled to both camps of ‘Ali and ‘Ā’ishah that the other camp had betrayed them.

Thus, the two parties clashed. During the clash, the Camel of Sayyidah ‘Ā’ishah was surrounded by her fighters protecting her, while the rest were fighting Ali’s camp. In an attempt to stop the clash, Sayyidunā Ali raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu instructed for the camel to be killed. That was the only way to put the fighting under control. When that happened, they managed to stop the fighting. This is why this clash is called the Incident of the Camel.

During the clash, an arrow was thrown at Sayyidunā Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh and it penetrated his knee, and he died from the woods and bleeding caused by the arrow.

To know more about the Fitnah, keep an eye on GSalam.Net for a series of articles dedicated to shedding light on the Fitnah that hit the Ummah hardly 14 centuries, and continues to have its effects on it all this while.

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The Virtues of Sayyidunā Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh

Here are three virtues of Sayyidunā Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh…

He Sacrificed His Right Arm to Protect the Prophet

We mentioned in the previous episodes, that all the companions were ready to sacrifice all they possess in order to protect the Prophet. In fact, with their souls. Ṭalḥah is one of those, who in addition to their readiness, they actually sacrificed limbs of their limbs.

Sayyidunā Ṭalḥah defended the Prophet and protected him in the Battle of Uḥud until his right arm was paralyzed.

He was a Walking Martyr

Imām al-Tirmidhī reports from Sayyidunā Jābir ibn ‘Abdillāh raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu, that the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam said:

مَنْ سَرَّهُ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَى شَهِيدٍ يَمْشِي عَلَى وَجْهِ الأَرْضِ فَلْيَنْظُرْ إِلَى طَلْحَةَ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ

“Whoever would be pleased to look at a martyr walking upon the face of the earth, then let him look at Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Ubaydillah.”

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, 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.

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.”

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The Family of Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh

Sayyidunā Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh has experienced nine marriages, and had 14 children from that. Following is a list of his wives and his children with them:

1. Ḥamnah bint Jaḥsh (sister of Zaynab bint Jaḥsh)

1. -Muḥammad al-Sajjād
2. -‘Imrān

2. Khawlah bint al-Qa’qā’

1. Mūsā

3. Umm Kulthūm bint Abi Bakr (sister of ‘Aishah bint Abi Bakr)

1. Zakariyyā
2. Yūsuf
3. ‘Ā’ishah

4. Umm Abān bint ‘Utbah ibn Rabī’ah

1. Isḥāq
2. Ya’qūb
3. Ismā’īl

5. Su’dā bin ‘Awf

1. Yaḥyā
2. ‘Īsā

6. Umm al-Ḥārith bint Qasāmah

1. Umm Isḥāq

7. Al-Far’ah bint ‘Aliyy

1. Ṣāliḥ

8. Qarībah bint Umayyah (sister Umm Salamah)

1. Maryam

9. Arwā bint Rabī’ah ibn al-Ḥārith

There was no record of child between him and this wife of his.

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Sayyidunā Talhah Narration of Hadith

Imām al-Bukhārī and Muslim have agreed upon two ḥadīth from the narration of Sayyidunā Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah. Al-Bukhārī has two solely reported in his Ṣaḥīḥ, and Muslim three in his Ṣaḥīḥ.

Following are three hadith from the narration of Sayyidunā Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah.

Ḥadīth #1:

Ibn Mājah reports from the narration of  Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah, that he heard the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying:

الْحَجُّ جِهَادٌ وَالْعُمْرَةُ تَطَوُّعٌ

“Hajj is Jihad and ‘Umrah is voluntary.”

Ḥadīth #2:

Imām al-Tirmidhī reports from the narration of Sayyidunā Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh that the Prophet used to say whenever he saw the crescent:

اللَّهُمَّ أَهْلِلْهُ عَلَيْنَا بِالْيُمْنِ وَالإِيمَانِ وَالسَّلاَمَةِ وَالإِسْلاَمِ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكَ اللَّهُ

“O Allah, bring it over us with blessing and faith, and security and Islam. My Lord and your Lord is Allah.”

Ḥadīth #3:

Imām Abū Dāwūd reports from the narration of Sayyidunā Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh that the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam says:

‏ إِذَا جَعَلْتَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ مِثْلَ مُؤَخَّرَةِ الرَّحْلِ فَلاَ يَضُرُّكَ مَنْ مَرَّ بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ

“When you place in front of you something such as the back of a saddle, then there is no harm if someone passes in front of you (i.e. the other side of it).”

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7 Facts About Sayyidunā Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah

Here are seven facts about Sayyidunā Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah that you may want to remember.

• Sayyidunā Talhah embraced Islam at the age of 18
• He was among the first 10 to embrace Islam
• He was one of those whom Sayyidunā Abū Bakr succeeded in inviting to Islam
• Sayyidunā Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh’s right arm got paralyzed when he was protecting the Prophet in Uḥud.
• He was given the glad tiding of Paradise while he was still alive.
• Sayyidunā Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh was among those the Prophet was pleased with at the time of passing.
• He named most of his children after the chosen Prophets and Messengers of Allah.

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The Takeaway…

Although the Prophet was sent to a society that came 14 centuries before us, that society and ours are similar. In other words, had the Prophet been sent today, and you and I could see, meet and deal with him, he would deal with truly committed people like the companions did. He would also encounter people like ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Ubay ibn Salūl. He would also encounter people like Abū Jahl and Abū Lahab. And he would encounter people of all sorts.

The point is, if the Prophet was to be sent today, he would have Talhah, and just one Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah… Could you be that Ṭalḥah or his like?

Talhah could have joined forces with Abū Lahab and Abū Jahl or even ‘Abdullāh ibn Ubay ibn Salūl. But he chose the truth and was ever ready to sacrifice everything for the truth.  As we read or watch about him, let’s seek inspirations from his strength and determination. And teach it to our children. For the examples of the companions of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam are the ones who can inspire our children to be righteous and shining stars of their times.

That was Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh, our Shining Star for this episode. We will in the next to seek inspirations from another Shining Star. Until then, I leave you in Allah’s Protection.

Wassalamu ‘alaykum warahmatullah.

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