Abbad ibn Bishr (RA)
The Threats from Madinah:
In the fourth year after the Hijrah, the Jewish tribe of Banu an-Nadir broke their peace treaty with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in Madinah and made plans to kill him.
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ heard about this, the tribe of Banu an-Nadir were expelled from the Madinah.
Two months later, the Prophet received news that tribes from Najd were planning an attack. To prevent them from doing this, he gathered an army of over four hundred men and left Uthman ibn Affan in charge of the Madinah.
One of the companions that was part of this army was Abbad ibn Bishr.
The Prayer of Fear (Salat al-Khawf):
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ arrived at Najd, he found that the area was full of women.
The men had retreated to the hills, but some of them re-grouped and prepared to fight.
When the time for the Asr prayer came, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ feared his enemies would attack them during prayer.
Because of this, Prophet organised the Muslims in ranks and divided them into two groups and performed the prayer of Salat al-Khawf (the Prayer of Fear).
The Night Guard Duty:
On the way back, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the Muslims camped in a valley at night and the Prophet asked: Who will be our guard tonight?
Abbad ibn Bishr and Ammar ibn Yasir both volunteered and said: We, O Messenger of Allah.
Background of Abbad ibn Bishr and Ammar ibn Yasir:
Abbad and Ammar had been selected as ‘brothers’ by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ when he arrived in Madinah after the Hijrah.
This was part of the ‘brotherhood’ that the Prophet implemented between the Ansar and the Muhajirin.
Abbad ibn Bishr’s Attachment to the Quran:
Abbad and Ammar left for the valley to take up duty.
Abbad knew that Ammar was tired and asked him: What part of the night do you wish to sleep, the first or the second? Ammar replied: I shall sleep during the first part.
In the first part of the night, Abbad decided to use this time in Ibadah (worship) and spent it reciting the Quran.
Abbad ibn Bishr was fascinated by the Quran ever since he first heard it being recited by Mus’ab ibn Umayr.
The Night Attack:
In the night, at the valley in Najd, Abbad ibn Bishr stood up and started praying. After finishing Surah Fatihah, he began reciting Surah al-Kahf.
While he was praying, a man from the enemy army followed Abbad ibn Bishr in order to search for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the Muslim army.
From a distance, this man saw Abbad ibn Bishr at the valley and knew that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his followers must have been inside this valley. He got out his bow and shot an arrow at Abbad.
Abbad ibn Bishr pulled out the arrow from his body calmly and continued on with his recitation, still concentrating in his prayer. The attacker was shocked when he witnessed this and he shot a second and a third arrow and both arrows went through Abbad’s body.
Abbad ibn Bishr pulled out both arrows one at a time and continued to finish his recitation and then made ruku and sujood.
While he was struggling in pain in sujood, he stretched out his right hand and shook Ammar ibn Yasir.
Reaction of Ammar ibn Yasir:
Ammar woke up and Abbad continued with his prayer.
When Abbad finished his prayer, he said to Ammar: Get up and stand guard in my place. I have been wounded.
Ammar jumped up and began to shout and when the attacker saw this, he ran away.
Ammar ibn Yasir turned to Abbad ibn Bishr as he lay on the ground with blood flowing from his wounds.
Ammar asked: Ya Subhanallah (Glory be to Allah)! Why didn’t you wake me when you were hit by the first arrow?
Abbad replied: I was in the midst of reciting verses of the Quran which filled my soul with awe and I did not want to cut short the recitation. The Prophet had commanded me to commit this Surah to memory. Death would have been dearer to me than that the recitation of this Surah should be interrupted.
Abbad ibn Bishr – ‘The Friend of the Quran’:
After this, during both the days and nights, Abbad ibn Bishr would be heard reciting verses from the Quran. Because of this, he was well-renowned among the companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as the ‘Friend of the Quran’.
The Prophet’s Dua for Abbad ibn Bishr During Tahajjud:
On one occasion, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ once stood up to perform the Tahajjud Prayer. He heard a voice reciting the Quran, which sounded just like when the Angel Jibril revealed the words to him.
The Prophet asked: Aisha, is that the voice of Abbad ibn Bishr? Aisha replied: Yes, O Messenger of Allah.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then prayed to Allah: O Lord, forgive him.
His Character and Virtues:
Deep Devotion to Worship:
Abbad’s attachment to the Quran was a sign of his devotion and love for Allah SWT, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the religion of Islam.
His Character and Virtues:
Abbad ibn Bishr was well-renowned for his concentration in worship, his courage and his generosity for the sake of Allah SWT
Trustworthiness in Handling Wealth:
Abbad ibn Bishr was always trustworthy in his dealings with the wealth of Muslims.
Aisha bint Abi Bakr said: There are three people among the Ansar who no one could excel in virtue: Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, Usayd ibn Hudayr and Abbad ibn Bishr.
Martyred at the Battle of Yamamah:
Abbad ibn Bishr passed away as a martyr at the battle of Yamamah.
Intuition:
Just before the battle, Abbad ibn Bishr had a feeling that he would die as a martyr.
Leadership in Battle:
When the battle of Yamamah started, Abbad ibn Bishr stood on a mountain and shouted: O Ansar, distinguish yourselves among men. Destroy your scabbards (sheaths) and do not forsake Islam.
Abbad ibn Bishr preached to the Ansar and around four hundred men gathered around him. With this army, he unleashed an attack into the enemy army which forced them back to the ‘Garden of Death.’
At the walls of the ‘Garden of Death’, Abbad ibn Bishr continued to fight valiantly until he was killed.
Martyrdom of Abbad ibn Bishr:
Abbad ibn Bishr had so many wounds that he was hardly recognisable when he was martyred.
Hadith on Abbad ibn Bishr:
Anas ibn Malik narrated that two companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ left his home in a very dark night with something like lights in front of them. When they separated, each of them had one light in front of him till they arrived home.
Narrations in Sahih Bukhari have stated that these two companions Usayd bin Hudayr and Abbad ibn Bishr.