Khubayb ibn Adi [radiyallahu anh]

Khubayb ibn Adi (radiyallahu anh) hailed from the Banu Amir branch of the Aws tribe in Medina. This tribe was among the early Ansar who constructed the Quba Mosque and were the first to welcome the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) at the onset of the Hijra.

Khubayb participated in the battles of Badr and Uhud, fighting alongside the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) at Uhud.

He was ambushed by a nomadic tribe outside of Medina and martyred at the age of 28 by the polytheists of Makkah.

Scholars have said of him, "Among the companions, he is the one whose karamahs^[1] are most known to us." May Allah be pleased with him. 

Here, we present some glimpses from his life…

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The Raji’ Incident

After the Battle of Uhud, two tribes from outside Medina sent representatives to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) stating that Islam had begun to spread among them and they were in need of someone to teach them the Qur’an. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) sent a delegation of seven (or ten) individuals, including Khubayb ibn Adi (radiyallahu anh).

Around a hundred archer Bedouins from Banu Lihyan ambushed this delegation at the Well of Raji. The Bedouins had encircled the noble Sahabah. When they realized the trap, Abdullah ibn Tariq (radiyallahu anh) exclaimed, "This is the first betrayal!" He freed himself from the man holding him, took his sword, and began to fight, but was martyred there. Other than Khubayb ibn Adi and Zayd ibn Dathina (radiyallahu anhuma), the other members of the delegation were martyred there. These two were then taken captive.

Both Sahaba had fought heroically at Badr and inflicted losses on the polytheist army. Khubayb had killed Harith ibn Amr, one of the leaders of Makkah. Zayd ibn Dathina had played a role in the killing of the son of another Makkan leader, Safwan ibn Umayyah. Hence, the Makkan polytheists sent word to the nomadic tribes, putting a bounty on their heads. The Bedouins sold Zayd ibn Dathina (radiyallahu anh) to Safwan ibn Umayyah, who executed him a few months later.

The relatives of Harith ibn Amr purchased Khubayb (radiyallahu anh). Since it was against Arab beliefs to spill blood during the sacred months, they held him captive throughout the month of Muharram. During his captivity, Harith ibn Amr's daughter, Zaynab bint Harith, who later embraced Islam, brought him his meals. Zaynab witnessed many of Khubayb's (radiyallahu anh) karamahs while bringing him his meals and shared these after becoming Muslim.

Halal Sustenance Even in Captivity

One day, after attending to Khubayb (radiyallahu anh) Zaynab asked if he needed anything. Khubayb (radiyallahu anh) requested, "Do not feed me meat slaughtered in the name of Lat and Uzza (idols worshipped by the Arab polytheists)." Henceforth, Zaynab (radiyallahu anha) began bringing him meals without meat. Zaynab narrates what followed:

"When I looked into the room where we had tied him, sometimes I saw bunches of grapes in his hand. By Allah, at times, some grapes were as large as a human head. It was impossible to find grapes in Makkah during that season. I could not understand where he got them from. No one else entered his room but me. One day, I asked him where he got these grapes. He looked at me and said:

– My Lord provides for me.”

His Final Prayer

With the end of the sacred months, Khubayb (radiyallahu anh) was taken to the Tan'im area of Makkah to be executed. This area, situated outside the sacred region known as the Haram, was the closest region to Makkah, where polytheists customarily took individuals for execution. (Today, it is the location where people intending to renew their Umrah enter into Ihram, at the Mosque of Aisha.)

The polytheists erected a post and bound Khubayb to it. The crowd gathered around, eager to witness what would be done to him. When the leading polytheist asked him, "What is your final wish?" Khubayb responded:

– Allow me to perform two units of prayer.

They unbound Khubayb to let him pray. He quickly performed two units of prayer. When asked why he prayed so swiftly, he replied:

– By Allah, had I not feared that you would think I prolonged my prayer out of fear of death, I would have prayed longer.

"Such Love, I Have Never Seen"

After completing his prayer, Khubayb was re-tied to the post. Present were Abu Sufyan and Uqba, the son of Harith ibn Amr, whom Khubayb had killed at Badr. They began to cut pieces from him, torturing him, while the Makkans watched in amusement. Before killing him, the murderers wanted to insult the Prophet in the eyes of the Makkan tribes by having Khubayb denounce him. Covered in blood and on the verge of death, Khubayb was told:

– Wouldn't you prefer Muhammad to be in your place here and for you to be sitting comfortably at home?

He responded:

– I would not wish for Muhammad to be so much as pricked by a thorn in exchange for my being killed.

Upon this, Abu Sufyan said to Uqba bin Harith:

– By Allah, I have never seen such love among companions as I see among Muhammad's!

The torturers intensified their cruelty. Before his martyrdom, Khubayb's final words were:

“O Allah! Convey my state to Your Messenger. Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah!”

Our Brother Khubayb

The Angel Jibril (alayhi salam) conveyed Khubayb's greetings to the Prophet, informing him of Khubayb's martyrdom. Tears welled up in the eyes of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) as he replied, "As-Salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh - Peace be upon you too, and the mercy and blessings of Allah."

The Companions asked:

– Whose greeting did you respond to, O Messenger of Allah?

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

– We responded to the greeting of our brother Khubayb. They have martyred him.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was deeply saddened by the death of Khubayb. For an entire month during the morning prayers, he cursed by name the tribes who had set the trap and martyred him.