Thabit ibn Qays (RA)
Leadership and Influence:
Thabit ibn Qays was a leader of the tribe of Khazraj and a man of influence in Yathrib (Madinah). He was known for his intelligence and having a powerful impact with his words.
Because of this, he became the Khatib (the spokesman) of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Islam.
Thabit ibn Qays accepted Islam from the dawah attempts of Musab ibn Umayr.
Welcoming the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ arrived in Madinah after the Hijrah, Thabit welcomed him and delivered a speech in front of the Prophet and his companion Abu Bakr.
The Speech of Thabit ibn Qays:
Thabit ibn Qays then said: We give our pledge to you, O Messenger of Allah, that we would protect you from all that we protect ourselves, our children and our wives. What would then be our reward for this?
This speech was similar to the words spoken at the Pledge of Aqabah.
The Prophet’s Reply:
Just like at Aqabah, the Prophet’s reply was: Al-Jannah.
When the residents of Madinah heard the word: ‘Al-Jannah’, they were very happy and they all replied: We are pleased, O Messenger of Allah! We are pleased, O Messenger of Allah
Thabit ibn Qays – The Prophet’s Khatib (Orator)
From that day on, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ made Thabit ibn Qays his spokesperson.
In the ninth year after Hijrah, tribes from all over the Arabian Peninsula came to Madinah, either to announce their acceptance of Islam or to pay Jizyah in return for Muslim protection.
A group from the tribe of Tamim came to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and said: We have come to show our prowess to you, do give permission to our Khatib (spokesperson) to speak.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ smiled and said: I permit your Khatib, let him speak.
Their speaker, Utarid ibn Hajib, got up and spoke about the greatness and achievements of their tribe.
Thabit ibn Qays’ Reply:
When he finished speaking, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ summoned Thabit ibn Qays and said: Stand up and reply to him.
Thabit ibn Qays then stood up and said: Praise be to Allah Whose creation is the entire heavens and the earth wherein His will has been made manifest. His Throne is the extent of His knowledge and there is nothing which does not exist through His grace. Through His power He has made us leaders and from the best of His creation He has chosen a Messenger who is the most honourable of men in lineage, the most reliable and true in speech and the most excellent in deeds. He has revealed to him a book and chosen him as a leader of His creation. Among all creation, he is a blessing of Allah. He summoned people to have faith in Him. The Emigrants from among his people and his relations who are the most honourable people in esteem and the best in deeds believed in him. Then, the Ansar were the first people to respond (to his call for support). So we are the Helpers of Allah and the ministers of His Messenger.
Piety and Consciousness:
Thabit was a man who had a great amount faith in Allah SWT and he was known for being sensitive and cautious of saying or doing anything that would lead to angering Allah.
Incident with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:
One day, the Prophet Muhammad saw him looking scared and asked: What’s wrong with you, O Abu Muhammad?
Thabit ibn Qays replied: I fear that I might be destroyed, O Messenger of Allah. The Prophet asked: Why?
Thabit replied: Allah Almighty has prohibited us from desiring to be praised for what we did not do but I find myself liking praise. He has prohibited us from being proud and I find myself tending towards vanity.
This was the time when the verse of the Quran was revealed: ‘Indeed, Allah does not love any arrogant boaster.’ (Quran, 31:18)
Promise of Jannah :
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ tried to calm him and eventually said to him: O Thabit, aren’t you pleased to live as someone who is praised, and to die as a martyr and to enter Paradise?
When Thabit heard this, he was very happy and he said: Certainly, O Messenger of Allah.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then replied: Indeed, that shall be yours!
Thabit’s Humility and Obedience:
There was another occasion when Thabit became sad when the words of the Quran were revealed: ‘O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet and neither speak loudly to him as you would speak loudly to one another, lest all your deeds come to naught without your perceiving it.’ (Quran, 49:2)
When hearing these words, Thabit ibn Qats kept away from the gatherings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ because of his love for him. He stayed in his house without leaving except when it was time to perform the prayer.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ missed his presence and asked about him. A man from Ansar went to Thabit’s house and found him sitting in his house in a state of sadness.
The Ansari man asked: What’s the matter with you?
Thabit replied: It’s bad, you know that I am a man with a loud voice and that my voice is far louder than that of the Messenger of Allah, and you know what has been revealed in the Quran. The only result for me is that my deeds will come to naught and I will be among the people who go to the fire of hell.
The Ansari man returned to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and told him what he had seen and heard.
The Prophet Reassures Thabit ibn Qays:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ instructed the Ansari man to return to Thabit and say: You are not among the people who will go to the fire of Hell but you will be among the people of Paradise. (Bukhari).