Hazrat Suhayb Ar-Rumi (RA)
Early
life
About twenty years before
the start of the Prophet's (SAW) mission, an Arab named Sinan ibn Malik governed the city of
al-Uballah on behalf of the Persian emperor. This city, which is now part of
Basrah, lay on the bank of the Euphrates River. Sinan lived in a luxurious
palace on the bank of the river. He had several children and was particularly
fond of one of them who was then barely five years old. His name was Suhayb. He
was blond and fair-complexioned. He was active and alert and gave much pleasure
to his father.
One day Suhayb's mother
took him and some members of her household to a village called ath-Thani for a
picnic. What was to be a relaxing and enjoyable day turned out to be a
terrifying experience that was to change the course of young Suhayb's life
forever. That day, the village of ath-Thani was attacked by a raiding party of
Byzantine soldiers. The guards accompanying the picnic party were overwhelmed
and killed. All possessions were seized and a large number of persons were
taken prisoner. Among these was Suhayb ibn Sinan. Suhayb was taken to one of
the slave markets of the Byzantine Empire, the capital of which was
Constantinople, there to be sold. Thereafter he passed from the hands of one
slave master to another. His fate was no different from thousands of other slaves
who filled the houses, the palaces and castles of Byzantine rulers and
aristocrats.
Hazrat Suhayb (RA) spent
his boyhood and his youth as a slave. For about twenty years he stayed in
Byzantine lands. This gave him the opportunity to get a rare knowledge and
understanding of Byzantine society. In the palaces of the nobility, he saw with
his own eyes the injustices and the corruption of Byzantine life. He hated that
society and later would say to himself: "A society like this can only be
purified by a flood." Hazrat Suhayb (RA) of course grew up speaking Greek,
the language of the Byzantine Empire. He practically forgot Arabic. But he
never forgot that he was a son of the desert. He longed for the day when he
would be free again to join his people's folk. At the first opportunity Hazrat Suhayb
(RA) escaped from slavery and headed straight for Makkah which was a place of
refuge or asylum. There people called him Suhayb "ar-Rumi" or
"the Byzantine" because of his abnormally heavy speech and his blond
hair. He became the halif of one of the aristocrats of Makkah, Abdullah ibn
Judan. He engaged in trade and prospered. In fact, he became quite rich.
Acceptance of Islam
One day Suhayb returned
to Makkah from one of his trading journeys. He was told that Muhammad (SAW) the
son of Hazrat Abdullah had begun calling people to believe in God alone,
commanding them to be just and to do good works and prohibiting them from
shameful and wrong deeds. He immediately enquired who Muhammad (SAW) was and
where he stayed. He was told. "(He stays) in the house or' al-Arqam ibn
Abi al-Arqam. Be careful however that no Quraysh sees you. If they see you they
would do (the most terrible things to you). You are a stranger here and there
is no bond of asabiyyahi to protect you, neither have you any clan to help
you." Suhayb went cautiously to the house of al-Arqam. At the door he
found Ammar ibn Yasir the young son of a Yemeni father who was known to him. He
hesitated for a moment then went up to Ammar and said: "What do you want
(here), Ammar?" "Rather, what do you want here'?" countered
Ammar. "I want to go to this man and hear directly from him what he is
saying."
"I also want to do
that." "Then let us enter together, with the blessings of God."
Suhayb and Ammar entered and listened to what Muhammad (SAW) was saying. They
were both readily convinced of the truth of his message. The light of faith
entered their hearts. At this meeting, they pledged fealty to the Prophet (SAW)
declaring that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger of
Allah. They spent the entire day in the company of the noble Prophet (SAW). At
night, under cover of darkness, they left the house of al-Arqam, their hearts
aglow with the light of faith and their faces beaming with happiness. Then the
familiar pattern of events followed. The idolatrous Quraysh learnt about
Suhayb's acceptance of Islam and began harassing and persecuting him. Suhayb
bore his share of the persecution in the same way as Bilal, Ammar and his
mother Sumayyah, Khabbab and many others who professed Islam. The punishment
was inhuman and severe but Suhayb bore it all with a patient and courageous
heart because he knew that the path to Jannah is paved with thorns and
difficulties. The teachings of the noble Prophet had instilled in him and other
companions a rare strength and courage.
Migration to Madinah
When the Prophet (SAW)
gave permission for his followers to migrate to Madinah, Suhayb resolved to go
in the company of the Prophet (SAW) and Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA). The Quraysh
however found out about his intentions and foiled his plans. They placed guards
over him to prevent him from leaving and taking with him the wealth, the gold
and the silver, which he had acquired through trade. After the departure of the
Prophet (SAW) and Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA), Suhayb continued to bide his time,
waiting for an opportunity to join them. He remained unsuccessful. The eyes of
his guards were ever alert and watchful. The only way out was to resort to a
stratagem. One cold night, Hazrat Suhayb (RA) pretended he had some stomach
problems and went out repeatedly as if responding to calls of nature. His hostage
taker said one to another: "Don't worry. Al-Laat and al-Uzza are keeping
him busy with his stomach."
They became relaxed and
sleep got the better of them. Hazrat Suhayb (RA) quietly slipped out as if he
was going to the toilet. He armed himself, got ready a mount and headed in the
direction of Madinah. When his captors awoke, they realized with a start that
Suhayb was gone. They got horses ready and set out in hot pursuit and
eventually caught up with him. Seeing them approach, Hazrat Suhayb clambered up
a hill, Holding his bow and arrow at the ready, he shouted: "Men of
Quraysh! You know, by God, that I am one of the best archers and my aim is
unerring. By God, if you come near me, with each arrow I have, I shall kill one
of you. Then I shall strike with my sword." A Quraysh spokesman responded:
By God, we shall not let you escape from us with your life and money. You came
to Makkah weak and poor and you have acquired what you have acquired."
"What would you say
if I leave you my wealth?" interrupted Suhayb. "Would you get out of
my way?" "Yes," they agreed. Suhayb described the place in his
house in Makkah where he had left the money, and they allowed him to go. He set
off as quickly as he could for Madinah cherishing the prospect of being with
the Prophet (SAW) and of having the freedom to worship God in peace. On his way
to Madinah, whenever he felt tired, the thought of meeting the Prophet (SAW)
sustained him and he proceeded with increased determination. When Suhayb
reached Quba, just outside Madinah where the Prophet (SAW) himself alighted
after his Hijrah, the Prophet (SAW) saw him approaching. He was over-joyed and
greeted Hazrat Suhayb with beaming smiles.
"Your transaction
has been fruitful, O Abu Yahya. Your transaction has been fruitful." He
repeated this three times. Suhayb's face beamed with happiness as he said:
"By God, no one has come before me to you, Messenger of God, and only
JibriI could have told you about this." Yes indeed! Suhayb's transaction
was fruitful. Revelation from on high affirmed the truth of this: "And there is a type of man who gives
his life to earn the pleasure of God. And God is full of kindness to His
servants." (The Quran, Surah al-Baqarah, 2:2O7).
Had a good sense of wit
The Prophet loved Suhayb
a great deal. He was commended by the Prophet (SAW) and described as preceding
the Byzantines to Islam. In addition to his piety and sobriety, Suhayb was also
light-hearted at times and had a good sense of wit. One day the Prophet (SAW)
saw him eating dates. He noticed that Hazrat Suhayb (RA) had an infection in
one eye. The Prophet (SAW) said to him laughingly: "Do you eat ripe dates
while you have an infection in one eye?" "What's wrong?" replied
Suhayb, "I am eating it with the other eye."
Known for his generosity
Hazrat Suhayb (RA) was
also known for his generosity. He used to give all his stipend from the public
treasury fisabilillah, to help the poor and those in distress. He was a good
example of the Quranic verse: "He gives food for the love of God to the
needy, the orphan and the captive." So generous was he that Hazrat Umar
(RA) once remarked: "I have seen you giving out so much food that you
appear to be too extravagant." Suhayb replied: "I have heard the
Messenger of God say: 'The best of you is the one who gives out food.'"
Appointed by Hazrat Umar (RA) to lead the people in Prayer
Hazrat Suhayb's piety and
his standing among Muslims were so high that he was selected by Umar ibn
al-Khattab to lead the Muslims in the period between his death and the choosing
of his successor. As he lay dying after he was stabbed by a Magian, Abu Lulu,
while leading the Fajr Salat, Hazrat Umar summoned six of the companions: Hazrat
Uthman, Hazrat Ali, Hazrat Talhah, Hazrat Zubayr, Hazrat Abdur Rahman ibn Awl,
and Hazrat Sad ibn Abi Waqqas. He did not appoint anyone of them as his
successor, because if he had done so according to one report "there would
have been for a short time two Khalifahs looking at each other". He
instructed the six to consult among themselves and with the Muslims for three
days and choose a successor, and then he said:
"Wa-l yusalli bi-n
nas Suhayb - Let Suhayb lead the people in Salat." In the period when
there was no Khalifah, Suhayb was given the responsibility and the honor of
leading the Salat and of being, in other words, the head of the Muslim
community. Hazrat Suhayb's appointment by Hazrat Umar showed how well people
from a wide variety of backgrounds were integrated and honoured in the
community of Islam. Once during the time of the Prophet, a hypocrite named Qays
ibn Mutatiyah tried to pour scorn and disgrace on sections of the community.
Qays had come upon a study circle (halqah) in which were Hazrat Salman al-Farsi
(RA), Hazrat Suhayb ar-Rumi (RA) and Hazrat Bilal al-Habashi, (RA), and remarked:
"The Aws and the
Khazraj have stood up in defense of this man Muhammad (SAW). And what are these
people doing with him'?" Muadh was furious and informed the Prophet of
what Qays had said. The Prophet was very angry. He entered the mosque and the
Call to Prayer was given, for this was the method of summoning the Muslims for
an important announcement. Then he stood up, praised and glorified God and
said: "Your Lord is One. Your ancestor is one. Your religion is one. Take
heed. Arabism is not conferred on you through your mother or father. It is
through the tongue i.e. the language of Arabic, so whoever speaks Arabic, he is
an Arab."
May God bless His soul!