Usayrim Bani ‘Abdul Ash-hal radiya Llahu ‘anhu

Usayrim Bani ‘Abdul Ash-hal

He is Sayyidina ‘Amr ibn Thabit ibn Wuqaish (and it is said: Uqaish) ibn Zughbah ibn Za’uwara’ ibn ‘Abdul Ash-hal al Ansari radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

He is attributed to his grandfather at times and called ‘Amr ibn Uqaish. His mother is the sister of Sayyidina Hudhayfah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. He was given the title Usayrim and was martyred at Uhud.

He delayed embracing Islam until the fateful Day of Uhud. On that very day did he embrace the faith and meet martyrdom. He never performed a single salah for Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala, yet Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam announced that he is from the inhabitants of Jannat.

The narration of Sahih al Bukhari:

عن البراء رضي الله عنه قال أتى النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم رجل مقنع بالحديد فقال يا رسول الله أقاتل أو أسلم قال أسلم ثم قاتل فأسلم ثم قاتل فقتل فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم عمل قليلا و أجر كثيرا

Bara’ radiya Llahu ‘anhu reports:

A man masked in steel approached the Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and submitted, “O Messenger of Allah, should I fight or accept Islam?”

Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Accept Islam then fight.”

Accordingly, he embraced Islam and fought until he was killed. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam commented, “He did little but was rewarded abundantly.”[1]

The wording of Sahih Muslim:

جاء رجل من بني النبيت قبيل من الأنصار فقال أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله و أنك عبده و رسوله ثم تقدم فقاتل حتى قتل فذكره

A man from the Banu al Nabit―a tribe of the Ansar―came and declared, “I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah and that verily you are His servant and Messenger.”

He then went forward and fought until he was martyred.

The rest of the narration is the same.[2]

The wording of al Nasa’i:

يا رسول الله أرأيت لو أني حملت على القوم فقاتلت حتى أقتل أكان خيرا لي و لم أصل صلاة قال نعم

“O Messenger of Allah, tell me if I attack the enemy and fight until I am killed; will it be best for me whereas I have not performed a single salah?”

Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam replied in the affirmative.[3][4]

Glad tidings of his entry into Jannat is established in one hadith:

فعن أبي سفيان مولى أبي أحمد عن أبي هريرة قال كان يقول حدثوني عن رجل دخل الجنة لم يصل قط فإذا لم يعرفه الناس سألوه من هو فيقول أصيرم بني عبد الأشهل عمرو بن ثابت بن وقش قال الحصين فقلت لمحمود بن لبيد كيف كان شأن الأصيرم قال كان يأبى الإسلام على قومه فلما كان يوم أحد خرج رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم إلى أحد بدا له الإسلام فأسلم فأخذ سيفه فغدا حتى أتى القوم فدخل في عرض الناس فقاتل حتى أثبتته الجراحة قال فبينما رجال بني عبد الأشهل يلتمسون قتلاهم في المعركة إذا هم به فقالوا والله إن هذا للأصيرم و ما جاء لقد تركناه و إنه لمنكر هذا الحديث فسألوه ما جاء به قالوا ما جاء بك يا عمرو أحدبا على قومك أو رغبة في الإسلام قال بل رغبة في الإسلام آمنت بالله و رسوله و أسلمت ثم أخذت سيفي فغدوت مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فقاتلت حتى أصابني ما أصابني قال ثم لم يلبث أن مات في أيديهم فذكروه لرسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فقال إنه لمن أهل الجنة

Abu Sufyan the freed slave of Abu Ahmed reports that Abu Hurairah would ask, “Tell me about a man who entered Jannat without ever performing salah.”

When people could not recognise him, they would ask him who he was to which he would reply, “Usayrim Bani ‘Abdul Ash-hal ‘Amr ibn Thabit ibn Wuqaish.”

Hussain says that he asked Mahmud ibn Labid, “What was al Usayrim’s story?”

Mahmud said: He refused to accept Islam from his tribe. When the Day of Uhud came and Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam went out to Uhud, Islam became manifest to him so he embraced Islam, grabbed his sword, and left until he reached the people. He jumped into the midst of people and fought until the wounds began proving fatal. While the men of Banu ‘Abdul Ash-hal were searching for their dead on the battlefield, they came upon him and remarked, “By Allah, this is definitely al Usayrim. Why has he come? We left him in a state that he rejected this speech (i.e. the Qur’an).”

So they enquired from him the reason he came asking, “What has brought you, O ‘Amr? Was it care for your people or a yearning for Islam?”

He said, “Rather, a yearning for Islam. I believed in Allah and His Messenger and embraced Islam. I then grabbed my sword and went out with Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and fought until I was afflicted with these wounds.”

It was not long before he breathed his last while lying in their hands. They spoke about him to Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam who proclaimed, “Indeed, he is from the inhabitants of Jannat.”[5]

The reason for his dispute with Islam comes from another chain from Sayyidina Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

فروى أبو داود من وجه آخر و الحاكم و غيرهما من طريق حماد بن سلمة عن محمد بن عمرو عن أبي سلمة عن أبي هريرة أن عمرو بن أقيش كان له ربا في الجاهلية فكره أن يسلم حتى يأخذه فجاء في يوم أحد فقال أين بنو عمي قالوا بأحد قال بأحد فلبس لامته و ركب فرسه ثم توجه قبلهم فلما رآه المسلمون قالوا إليك عنا يا عمرو قال إني قد آمنت فقاتل قتالا حتى جرح فحمل إلى أهله جريحا فجاءه سعد بن معاذ فقال لأخيه سلمة حمية لقومه أو غضب لله و لرسوله صلى الله عليه و سلم فقال بل غضب لله و لرسوله فمات فدخل الجنة و ما صلى لله صلاة هذا إسناد حسن

Accordingly, Abu Dawood narrates from another string, and al Hakim and others from the chain of Hammad ibn Salamah from―Muhammad ibn ‘Amr from―Abu Salamah from―Abu Hurairah:

‘Amr ibn Uqaish had some outstanding usury in jahiliyyah[6] so he disliked accepting Islam until he took possession of it. He came on the Day of Uhud and asked, “Where are my paternal cousins?”

They replied, “At Uhud.”

“At Uhud,” he remarked. Subsequently, he donned his armour, mounted his horse, and set off in their direction. When the Muslims saw him they said, “Go away from us, O ‘Amr.”

He submitted, “Certainly, I have accepted iman.”

He then fought heroically until he was severely wounded. He was taken to his family suffering from injuries. Sa’d ibn Muaz came to him and asked his brother Salamah, “Out of fanaticism for his tribe or anger for Allah and His Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?”

Salamah replied, “Instead, out of anger for Allah and His Messenger.”

He thus passed away and entered Jannat whereas he never performed a single salah for Allah.

This is a hassan isnad.[7]

NEXT⇒ Bilal ibn Rabah radiya Llahu ‘anhu

[1] Sahih al Bukhari, Hadith: 2808.

[2] Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 1900.

[3] Al Sunan al Kubra, Hadith: 8652.

[4] Usd al Ghabah, vol. 1 pg. 147; al Isabah, vol. 2 pg. 282.

[5] Ibn Ishaq reported it as appears in Sirat Ibn Hisham saying, “Hussain ibn ‘Abdul Rahman narrated to me from ― Abu Sufyan the freed slave of Abu Ahmed…” Ahmed narrated it saying, “Ya’qub ibn Ibrahim ibn Sa’d narrated to us.” Abu Nuaim narrated it in Ma’rifat al Sahabah from the chain of Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn Ayub, both of them from Ibrahim ibn Sa’d. Abu Nuaim also narrated it from the chain of Abu Jafar al Nufayli from―Muhammad ibn Salamah; both of them from Ibn Ishaq. Al Haythami says in al Majma’, “Ahmed narrated it and his narrators are reliable.” Ibn Hajar states in al Isabah, “This is a hassan isnad. A group have narrated it from Ibn Ishaq.”

[6] The period of ignorance prior to the advent of Islam.

[7] Sunan Abi Dawood, Hadith: 2539; al Mustadrak, Hadith: 2533.

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