‘Abd Al-Rahman Ibn ‘Auf (2/3)

'Abd-ar-Rahman's conduct in battle was exemplary. On the day of the battle of Uhud (3 A.H.), he remained loyal and steadfast, while many people fled. He came out of the battle with over twenty wounds, some so deep that no one thought he would survive. At the time of the Treaty of Hudaibiyah (7 A.H.), 'Abd-ar-Rahman ibn 'Awf was present to take the Oath of Ridwan with Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) under the tree. He was also asked by Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) to sign the treaty itself that they made with the Makkans. He was also one of the few who could make a fatwah (religious ruling) in Madinah during the life of Rasulullah (Peace be upon him). This is an indication of his wisdom and understanding.

Yet, 'Abd-ar-Rahman's true jihad was within his soul. His jihad in battle fades in comparison to his jihad with his money. Throughout his life, he continued to give his money away. The more he gave, the more he got. On the inside, he had to fight pride, greed, and selfishness, all of which he fought and apparently conquered, with the help of Allah and His Prophet (Peace be upon him).

Once, Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) wanted to mobilize a troop for war. He stood among his sahabah and said, "Pay sadaqah, because I want to send an army." 'Abd-ar­Rahman (may Allah be pleased with him) hurried home and came rushing back and said, "O Rasulullah, I have four thousand dinars. I'll lend two to my Lord and keep two for my children." So Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) said, "May Allah grant you blessing (barakah) in what you gave ... and may He grant you blessing in what you kept!"

When Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) decided to go for the last battle of his life, the battle of Tabuk - the city at the frontier between as-Sham and the Arabian peninsula, at that time under Roman rule, now part of Saudi Arabia-he needed money as well as men. That year in Madinah was one of scarcity; the trip was very long, the weather was very hot, and it was time to work on the harvest. Not only that, but the available provisions were mediocre and the camels scarce. Some people came to Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) begging him to take them with him, but he had to turn them down for want of a horse or camel to carry them.

The army Rasulullah (Peace be upon him), finally established was called "the army of constraint," because the circumstances surrounding its assembly were tight and difficult. At that point, Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) ordered his sahabah to spend money for Allah and to seek Allah. Many Muslims jumped to answer the call of Rasulullah (Peace be upon him), and one of the first to give Sadaqah was 'Abd-ar-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him). He gave two hundred ounces of gold.

'Umar ibn al-Khattab said to Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) "This is not good; he has left nothing for his family!"

"Have you left something for your family, 'Abd­ar-Rahrnan?" asked Rasulullah (Peace be upon him).

"Yes," he said, "I have left for them more than what I spent and better."

"How much?" asked Rasulullah (Peace be upon him).

"The support, the good, and the payment in return Allah promised," replied 'Abd-ar-Rahman happily.

‘Abd ar-Rahmen's Special honor

The army soon headed for Tabuk. There, 'Abd-ar­Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) was honored by Allah; as no other Muslim had been before. It was the time for Salat al-Fajr, and everyone was waiting for Rasulullah (Peace be upon him). They waited for a long time and still Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) did not appear; the Muslims soon feared they would miss the time for prayer. So 'Abd-ar-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) led the prayer. The first Rak'ah was just finished when Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) joined the people praying. 'Abd ar­Rahman (may Allah be pleased with him stepped back, but Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) motioned for him to continue. 'Abd-ar-Rahman (may Allah be pleased with him) had the most unique experience of being the imam in front of the Imam of the Prophets, Muhammad ibn'Abdullah (Peace be upon him).

When the soldiers announced the greeting of peace to end the prayer, Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) arose and completed the rak'ah he had missed. When he finished, he said, "You have done well, for indeed a Prophet doesn't die until he has been led in prayer by a pious man of his people."

The Great Trust

When Makkah was finally reopened to the Muslims, a disagreement arose between Khalid ibn Walid (may Allah be pleased with him) and 'Abd-ar-Rahrnan (may Allah be pleased with him). Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him)  spoke angrily to 'Abd­ar-Rahman (may Allah be pleased with him), and Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) said, "Gently, Khalid, let my sahabah be, for if you had Mount Uhud all in gold and spent it in the way of Allah, you would not attain the merit of any man of my sahabah."

At the time of the Farewell Pilgrimage, Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) further demonstrated his trust in 'Abd-ar­Rahman (may Allah be pleased with him). He appointed him and 'Uthman, his son-in­law, guardians of all his wives, who accompanied him. Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) himself was in charge of a pilgrimage of 30,000 people. It was the first pilgrimage in hundreds of years dedicated solely to Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He), with no idolaters or idolatrous practices, and it was a renewal of the rite established by Ibrahim and Ismail (Peace be upon them).

'Abd-ar-Rahman (may Allah be pleased with him) and all the others who were able to share it experienced great joy with their beloved Rasul (Peace be upon him). However, as they stood at 'Arafat listening to Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) speak of the duties from Allah that he had discharged, the people became aware that he was saying goodbye. This was confirmed by the Revelation that descended at that time: "This day, I have perfected your religion for you, and I have completed My blessing upon you" (Surah al-Ma'idah, 5:3).

Not long after that, the Prophet of Allah (Peace be upon him) died. All of his sahabah had to go on living without him, doing the best they could. 'Abd-ar-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) continued to take care of Rasulullah's (Peace be upon him) wives, the Mothers of the Believers ('Ummahat al-Mu'minin’). He used to escort them when they went out, and he made the Hajj with them when they made the Hajj. He put special green covers on their howdahs (small rooms made to fit on a camel in which a woman could sit in privacy) and rested in the places they chose. This was a merit of 'Abd-ar-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him), that the wives of Rasulullah (Peace be upon him), who were not to be seen by any men except their close relatives and were never to marry again, should have such trust and confidence in him and his honor.

Because of 'Abd-ar-Rahman ibn 'Awf's dedication to the Muslims and the 'Ummahat al-Mu'minin, he sold a piece of land he owned at the price of forty thousand dinars. He distributed all of this money to the Banu Zuhrah (the people of Aminah bint Wahb, Rasulullah’s (Peace be upon him) mother), the poor Muslims, the Muhajirun and Rasulullah’s (Peace be upon him) wives. When he sent her share to 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) she asked, "Who sent that money?"

'' 'Abd-ar-Rahman ibn 'Awf," she was told.

Upon hearing this, she quoted Rasulullah’s (Peace be upon him) words, "Only the patient people (as-Sabirin) will be compassionate to you after me."

(Continued)