The Respected Abdullah b. Huzâfe es-Sehmî
Abdullah b. Huzâfe is known for the incident when, during the time the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was addressing the people from the pulpit and invited anyone with questions to ask, he asked, “Who is my father?” He is also known by the kunya (nickname) Abu Huzâfe. He was a resident of Medina, and in some sources, he is referred to as Abu Huzeyfe es-Sehmî or Abu Huzâfe es-Sehmî. His full name is Abdullah b. Huzâfe b. Qays b. Adiyy b. Sa’d b. Sehm al-Qurashi es-Sehmî.
Abdullah b. Huzâfe was also known for his humorous nature. On one occasion, he loosened the saddle on the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) camel just as a prank, which nearly caused the Prophet to fall off when he mounted. Due to such pranks, Abdullah b. Huzâfe was once reported to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet responded, “Do not bother him, for he loves God and His Messenger.”
His mother, Temîma bint Hursân, was one of the first women to embrace Islam, and she was from the family of Hârith b. Abdimenât. It is also mentioned that his stepmother was Dabîa bint Huzaym es-Sehmiyya, but she was not his biological mother.
Abdullah b. Huzâfe’s brother terms of the same father, Hunays b. Huzâfe, was the first husband of Hafsa, the daughter of Umar ibn al-Khattab, before she married the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). After Hunays passed away, Hafsa married the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is reported that initially, the Prophet was not very pleased with this marriage, which led to the revelation of the verse: “O Prophet, why do you prohibit yourself from what God has made lawful for you?” (Surah At-Talaq, 66:1). Hunays b. Huzâfe participated in the Battle of Badr and later in the Battle of Uhud, where he was wounded and passed away in Medina.
Another brother of Abdullah b. Huzâfe was Qays b. Huzâfe, who was an early convert to Islam and participated in the second migration to Abyssinia (Ethiopia).
Hârice b. Huzâfe was also his brother in terms of having the same father, and he is known for narrating the following hadith: “One day, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) came to us and said: ‘God has blessed you with something better than herds of camels—the Witr prayer. God has placed the Witr prayer between the ‘Isha and Fajr prayers.'” Hârice was part of the conquest of Egypt alongside Amr ibn al-As, and he even served as a judge in Egypt. He was eventually killed in a conspiracy orchestrated by the Kharijites.
Abdullah b. Huzâfe’s uncle, Hajjâj b. Qays b. Adiyy es-Sehmî, was also one of the early emigrants to Abyssinia with Abdullah and his brother Qays b. Huzâfe. There are no known narrations from him.
Hajjâj b. Hâris was Abdullah b. Huzâfe’s cousin, who also migrated to Abyssinia and returned to Medina after the Battle of Uhud. He was killed in the Battle of Yarmouk (known as Ecnâdeyn in Arabic), and his lineage did not continue after him.
Abdullah b. Huzâfe es-Sehmî is noted to have been among the second group of Muslims who migrated to Abyssinia. He participated in the Battle of Badr, and it is mentioned that he was sent by the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as an envoy to Kisrâ, the Persian king. However, some sources note that he did not participate in Badr.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) entrusted Abdullah b. Huzâfe with a letter of invitation to Islam, instructing him to deliver it to the governor of Bahrayn, who would then pass it on to Kisrâ. The letter contained the following message: “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad to Kisrâ, the king of Persia. Peace be upon those who follow the guidance, who believe in God and His Messenger, who worship none but God, and who bear witness that I am the Messenger of God sent to warn all of mankind. Embrace Islam, and you will be in peace. If you refuse, then the burden of the Magians will be upon you.”
When the letter reached Kisrâ, he immediately tore it up. Upon hearing this, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, “May God tear apart his kingdom as he tore my letter!” Later, in the 7th year of Hijrah, Allah brought about the fall of Kisrâ’s kingdom when his own son, Shîreveyh, killed him.
One of the significant events involving Abdullah b. Huzâfe occurred during a military campaign under the leadership of Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab. Abdullah was appointed to command the right wing of the army in Sham (Syria), which was under Roman control at the time. While the Muslims were generally victorious, Abdullah b. Huzâfe and around eighty other Muslim soldiers were captured by the Romans after a fierce battle in the 19th year of Hijrah. They were brought before the Roman Emperor Heraclius.
When Heraclius was informed that Abdullah was one of Muhammad’s (peace and blessings be upon him) close companions, he offered Abdullah a reward if he converted to Christianity. He promised to grant Abdullah a high position, marry him to his daughter, and even give him half of his kingdom.
However, Abdullah rejected the offer, saying, “Even if you give me all your kingdom and more, I will never abandon my faith.” To try to force him to convert, the Romans placed him in a room filled with forbidden food and drink, such as wine and pork. When Abdullah did not partake, Heraclius ordered him to be crucified. He was nailed to the cross, and Heraclius then commanded that arrows be shot at him, aiming at his hands and feet to intimidate him. Despite these harsh measures, Abdullah remained silent. The emperor then ordered that a pot of boiling oil (or water, according to some narrations) be brought. An innocent prisoner was thrown into the pot, and his body was separated from its bones. Heraclius threatened to do the same to Abdullah unless he converted to Christianity. As Abdullah was being dragged towards the boiling pot, he began to cry. Upon seeing this, Heraclius asked him why he was crying, and Abdullah replied, “At that moment, I wished I had a hundred souls to sacrifice for God’s sake. This is why I am crying.” Pleased by his words, Heraclius offered Abdullah his freedom in exchange for a kiss on his head. Abdullah responded, “Will you free all the other prisoners as well?” Heraclius agreed, and Abdullah kissed his head. Abdullah and the eighty prisoners were then released. When Abdullah b. Huzâfe returned to Medina, Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab kissed his head, saying, “Every Muslim should kiss his head.” His companions, who had heard about his encounter with the tyrant emperor, teased him, saying, “You kissed the head of that tyrant.” Abdullah replied, “Yes, but with that single kiss, I freed eighty people.”
According to some sources, it is reported that Caliph Umar sent a message demanding the release of the prisoners and threatened to declare war on the Romans if they were not freed. Following this, Abdullah b. Huzâfe and his companions were released.
Another narration regarding Abdullah b. Huzâfe is as follows: “When Abdullah b. Huzâfe was appointed by the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as the commander of a military expedition, he instructed his men to light a fire and jump into it. At first, they intended to follow his command. In fact, an elderly man approached the fire and was partially burned, but he quickly recovered and stepped back. Abdullah b. Huzâfe then said, ‘Didn’t the Prophet tell you to obey me? Didn’t he say, ‘Whoever obeys my commander, obeys me?’” The men replied, “Yes, you are right, but we believed in God and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to avoid the fire.” When they returned, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) praised their decision and said, “Obedience is only in matters that are in accordance with what is right and reasonable. When it comes to disobeying the Creator, disobedience to the created beings is justified. Also, God says, ‘Do not kill yourselves’ (Nisa, 4:29).”
In a narration from Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, it is reported: “The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed Alqama b. Mujazzir as the leader of an expedition, and I was part of that group. When we reached the entrance of Urana or somewhere along the way, a group from the unit requested permission to rest. Permission was granted, and Abdullah b. Huzâfe was appointed as their commander. I was with him at that time. When we reached a certain point, the group lit a fire to warm themselves or cook. With his humorous nature, Abdullah b. Huzâfe said, ‘Do I not have the right for you to listen to me and obey my orders?’ They replied, ‘Yes, you do.’ Then he said, ‘I now order you to jump into the fire.’ Upon hearing this, they hesitated, and some of them even considered jumping into the fire. When Abdullah saw this, he said, ‘Wait, I was only joking and wanted to make you laugh.’ When they later returned to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), he said, ‘If the one in charge of you commands you to sin, do not obey him. If you had jumped into the fire and died, you would have remained in the fire forever, unable to escape.’ He affirmed that disobeying the commander in this case was the right decision.” Considering Abdullah b. Huzâfe’s playful nature, this narration seem more plausible. It would be unthinkable for a companion whom the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) valued and trusted in diplomatic matters to seriously command people to jump into a fire.
Another noteworthy event concerns the question that Abdullah b. Huzâfe asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding his father. One day, when the time for Dhuhr prayer came, the Prophet led the prayer. After the prayer, he ascended the pulpit and spoke about the Day of Judgment and the great events that would unfold before it. Most of the people, upon hearing these words, were overwhelmed with fear and began to weep. Then, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever wants to ask anything, let them ask, as long as I am here, I will answer whatever you ask.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) repeatedly said, “Ask me, ask me.”
At this point, one man asked, “Where will I go, O Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him)?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) responded, “Your place will be the Hellfire.” Then, Abdullah b. Huzâfe stood up and asked, “Who is my father?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, “Your father is Abu Huzâfe, and Umm Huzâfe is your mother. A child belongs to the bed of his parents.” Upon hearing this, Abdullah’s mother said, “O my son, how can you think that I did such an ugly thing, like the actions of ignorant women? You have shamed me in front of the people. How disobedient you are! If we had heard otherwise, what would have been our fate?” Abdullah b. Huzâfe responded, “I wanted to reveal what was in my heart and relieve myself.” In another narration, Abdullah b. Huzâfe said, “By God, if the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) had said that my father was a black slave, I would have followed him.” Some sources suggest that there were rumors regarding the identity of his father, and Abdullah asked the Prophet to clarify by asking, “Who is my father?” in order to put an end to the gossip.
So many questions were asked of the Prophet that day that Caliph Umar rose to his knees and said, “We are pleased with God as our Lord, Islam as our religion, and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as our Prophet,” signaling the end of the questioning. When Umar spoke these words, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent, and then said, “By the One in whose hand is my soul, while I was leading the prayer, I was shown Paradise and Hell through this garden. I have never seen good and evil as clearly as I did today.”
During the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajj), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed Abdullah b. Huzâfe to call out to the people of Mina on the days of Tashriq: “O people, these are the days of eating, drinking, and remembering God. No one should fast except for those observing the fast of expiation.” From this, it can be inferred that Abdullah b. Huzâfe had a loud voice.
On one occasion, Abdullah b. Huzâfe led the prayer and recited loudly enough for others to hear. After the prayer, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told him, “Do not do this, O Abu Huzâfe. When you recite, converse with your Lord, pour your heart out to Him, and do not make it known to me, but to your Lord.”
During the Caliphate of Abu Bakr, Abdullah b. Huzâfe delivered a letter to the Muslims in Makkah, in which Abu Bakr announced a military campaign towards Sham and requested their military support. Abdullah b. Huzâfe played a role in the conquest of Egypt alongside Amr b. As, and it is reported that he later passed away in Egypt during the Caliphate of Uthman and was buried in an Egyptian cemetery.
