Story of the Martyrdom of Khubayb, Zayd and Asim in Ghazwa e Uhud
As Asim (radiyallahu anhu) had come to know about Sulafah’s vow to drink wine in his skull, he also made dua, “O Allah! I have laid down my life in Thy cause; O Allah, do save my head from the hands of these non-believers.”
This dus was also granted. After his death, a swarm of bees (or wasps according to another report) settled upon his body, and foiled all attempts of the enemy to cut off his head. They left the body alone, intending to do their dirty job during the night, when the bees would have gone. But during the night, there was a cloudburst, which washed the body away. To return to the fight, when seven out of the ten Sahabah (radiyallahu anhum) had attained martyrdom and the remaining three, Khubayb, Zayd ibn Wathnah and Abdullah ibn Tariq (radiyallahu anhum) were still sticking to their position on the hill-top, the enemy again called out to them: “You three should come down the hill; of course we would do not harm to you.”
The three trusted them and came down the hill, but the enemy immediately pounced upon them, and tied them with the gutstrings of their bows. Upon this, Abdullah ibn Tariq (radiyallahu anhu) protested: “So this is the very first breach of your solemn promise. I would rather join my martyred brothers than go alive with you.”
He then refused to follow them in captivity. They tried their best to make him walk, but could not, and ultimately perceiving that he would on no account move an inch from the spot, killed him there and then.
The two remaining captives were taken by them to Makkah and sold to the Quraysh. Safwan ibn Umayyah paid fifty camels for Zayd ibn Wathnah in order to kill him in revenge for the death of his father Umayyah in the battle of Uhud, and Hujayr ibn abi Ihab bought Khubayb for one hundred camels to avenge the fall of his father in the same battle.
Safwan gave Zayd (radiyallahu anhu) to his slave to be killed outside the limits of the masjid of the Kabah, A crowd followed them to watch Zayd (radiyallahu anhu) meet his end, and Abu Sufyan not then a Muslim, also happened to be one of the spectators. When Zayd (radiyallahu anhu) stood prepared to meet his doom, Abu Sufyan asked him: “Don’t you wish Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) to be in your place today, and you be let off to enjoy life with your family?”
Zayd’s reply amazed them all: “By Allah!” he said, “the very thought of enjoying life with my family is unbearable to me, if Rasulullah were even to suffer a thorn-prick in his foot for that.”
The Quraysh simply could not understand this reply, and Abu Sufyan remarked: “There is absolutely no parallel anywhere in the world, to the love that the Sahabah of Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) bear him.” Zayd (radiyallahu anhu) was then martyred.
Khubayb (radiyallahu anhu) remained in the captivity of Hujayr fr a long time. A woman slave of Hujayr (who later embraced Islam) says: “When Khubayb (radiyallahu anhu) was in captivity with us, I saw one day that he was eating grapes from a bunch as big as a human head, though it was not the season of grapes in Makkah at that time. When the day for his execution drew near, he asked for a razor, which was handed over to him. Meanwhile a child of the house, in his play, went close to Khubayb. All the inmates of the house got alarmed at the sight. Khubayb having been marked for death, they thought there was nothing to prevent him from killing the child with the razor. But to remove their fears on observing their alarm, Khubayb said: ‘Do you think that I would stop so low as to kill an innocent child? This terrible crime is simply not possible for me.”
When he was brought to the gallows, and asked to make his last wish, if any. He requested: “Allow me to say two rakaat of salah, fro it is time for me to leave the world and meet my Allah.” They let him say his salah. On finishing the two rakkat most calmly, he said: “But for your thinking that I was afraid of death, I would have said another two rakkat.”
He was then tied to the gallows. At that time he said: “O Allah! There is nobody to cnvey my last salam to Thy Rasul (sallallahu alaihi wasallam).”And Allah Ta’ala sent his salam to Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) through an angel. Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) answered: “Wa alaykumus salam! O Khubayb,” and confirmed to the sahabah. “Khubayb has been martyred by the Quraysh.”
At the gallows, forty of the Quraysh speared him simultaneously. One of them teased him: “Say by Allah, if you now wish Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) to be in your place and you to be let off.” He replied: “By Allah Ta’ala, I will not tolerate a thorn pricking Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) in ransom for my life.”
Every word of this story is a lesson for us all. The devotion and love of the Sahabah seen in this story is really something to respect and learn from. They would lay down their very lives, but they would not tolerate even a thorn pricking Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). Again, look at Khubayb’s last wish. He neither remembers his family members nor wishes to see any f them; what he wishes is to send his last salam to Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) and to say two last rakaat of salah.