Khuzayma b. Thabit: Difference between revisions

  | Teknonym = Abu 'Umara

==Name, Lineage, and Teknonym ==

His mother, Kabsha, the daughter of Aws, was from [[Banu Sa'ida]].<ref>Ibn Kalbī, ''Jumhurat al-nasab'', p. 642-643; Ibn al-Athīr, ''Usd al-ghāba'', vol. 2, p. 133; Nawawī, ''Tahdhīb al-ʾasmāʾ'', vol. 1, p. 175.</ref> His teknonym was Abu 'Umara.<ref>Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, ''al-Istīʿāb'', vol. 2, p. 448; Ibn al-Athīr, ''Usd al-ghāba'', vol. 2, p. 133; Ibn Ḥajar, ''al-Iṣāba'', vol. 2, p. 278.</ref> There is no report about his life before becoming Muslim.

There are disagreement about the time that he became Muslim. Some believe he became Muslim before the [[Battle of Badr]] ([[2 AH]]/623)<ref>Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, ''al-Istīʿāb'', vol. 2, p. 448; Ibn Ḥajar, ''al-Iṣāba'', vol. 1, p. 193; Mizzī, ''Tahdhīb al-kamāl'', vol. 8, p. 243.</ref> and others say he became Muslim between the battles of Badr (2 AH/623) and [[Battle of Uhud|Uhud]] ([[3 AH]]/624).<ref>Ṣafdī, ''al-Wāfī bi l-Wafīyāt'', vol. 4, p. 362.</ref> After converting to Islam, by cooperating 'Umayr b. 'Uday b. Kharsha, he became agent to break the idols of his tribe.<ref>Ibn Saʿd, ''al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā'', vol. 4, p. 279.</ref> Save for the Battle of Badr, he participated in all [[ghazwas]] (battles) and also the [[Battle of Muta]].

Khuzayma b. Thabit is known as Dhu al-Shahadatayn;<ref>Ibn Kalbī, ''Jumhurat al-nasab'', p. 643.</ref> because once he testified due to a request for verification of a dealing and the [[Prophet (s)]] regarded it as the testimonies of two just witnesses which it apparently was due to Khuzayma's strong faith in the Prophet (s) and Islam. It brought him a great honor and the people of [[Medina]], from both tribes of [[Aws and Khazraj]], felt proud of him. The people of Ows said, "The one whose testimony was regarded as two testimonies by the Prophet (s) is one of us"<ref>Dhahabi, vol. 2, p. 478.</ref>. His testimony was about the horse of the Prophet (s) called Murtajiz.<ref>Ibn Qutayba, ''al-Maʿārif'', p. 149; Ibn al-Athīr, ''al-Kāmil fī l-tārīkh'', vol. 2, p. 314.</ref> The Prophet (s) had bought it from an Arab, but he denied the dealing. Khuzayma testified for the Prophet (s). The Prophet (s) asked him, "How do you testify while you were not with us?" Khuzayma answered, "I am sure that you tell nothing but the truth. How can we affirm you regarding bringing a new religion, while we do not affirm your claim about buying a horse?" Then, the Prophet (s) said, "Khuzayma's testimony for or against a person is a proof"<ref>Ibn Saʿd, ''al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā'', vol. 4, p. 378-9; Kulaynī,  ''al-Kāfī'', vol. 7, p. 401; Muqaddisī, ''al-Bidaʾ wa tārīkh'', vol. 5, p. 24-25; Ibn al-Athīr, ''Usd al-ghāba'', vol. 2, p. 133.</ref>.

Khuzayma b. Thabit fought in the [[Battle of Uhud]] and the battles after it.<ref>Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, ''al-Istīʿāb'', vol. 2, p. 448; Ibn al-Athīr, ''Usd al-ghāba'', vol. 2, p. 133.</ref> However, the authors of [[maghazi]] [accounts of the Prophet's raids during his lifetime] have not mentioned his name in the list of the Prophet's (s) companion who fought in the Battle of Uhud, and it is said that he fought in the battles after the Battle of Uhud.<ref>Ibn al-Athīr, ''Usd al-ghāba'', vol. 2, p. 133; Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, ''Tahdhīb al-tahdhīb'', vol. 2, p. 557.</ref>13 At the time of the Muslim [[conquest of Mecca]], Khuzayma b. Thabit carried the flag of Banu Khatma.<ref>Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, ''al-Istīʿāb'', vol. 2, p. 448.</ref>

He took part in the [[Battle of Muta]] ([[8 AH]]/629).<ref>Ibn ʿAsākir, ''Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq'', vol. 16, p. 359; Dhahabī, ''Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ'', vol. 2, p. 485.</ref> He killed a Roman soldier in this battle and took a piece of jewel as trophy. Later he sold that jewel and bought a grove of date palm instead.<ref>Dhahabī, ''Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ'', vol. 2, p. 485; Wāqidī, ''al-Maghāzī'', vol. 2, p. 769.</ref>

Some sources have reported about the presence of Khuzayma in [[Saqifa Bani Sa'ida]]. According to them he was the first lecturer in that association and said some virtues of [[Helpers]], then asked others to pay allegiance with some one as caliph from whom [[Quraysh]] have obedience and he do not harm Helpers.<ref>Ibn Aʿtham al-Kūfī, ''Kitāb al-Futūḥ'', vol. 1, p. 70.</ref> Similar to some other companions of the [[Prophet (s)]], Khuzayma b. Thabit together with the majority of [[Banu Hashim]], acknowledged caliphate of [['Ali (a)]] after the Prophet (s), and refused to accept caliphate of [[Abu Bakr]]. He debated with Abu Bakr in this regard and testified that the Prophet (s) on [[Event of Ghadir|Ghadir Khum]] had said, "Whoever I am his master and authority, this 'Ali (a) will be his master and authority"<ref>{{iarabic|مَن کُنتُ مولاه فهذا عليٌ مولاه}}</ref> and testified that 'Ali (a) was the Prophet's (s) brother and successor.<ref>Yaʿqūbī, ''Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī'', vol. 2, p. 179; Ṭūsī, ''al-Rijāl'', p. 38, 45.</ref>

"O Abu Bakr! Do you know that the Prophet (s) accepted my testimony as two testimonies?" Abu Bakr answered, "Yes" Khuzayma said, "So, I swear by God that I heard the Prophet (s) saying, 'My [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]] make the distinction between the truth and the falsehood; and they are the leaders to be followed'."<ref>Ṣadūq, ''al-Khiṣāl'', vol. 2, p. 461-464.</ref>

On the other hand, there are some records about his cooperation with Abu Bakr in the process of collecting [[Qur'an]].<ref>Ibn ʿAsākir, ''Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq'', vol. 15, p. 390.</ref>

regarding the process of paying allegiance with [['Ali (a)]], he introduced [['Ali (a)]] as the most appropriate one for [[caliphate]], the most faithful man, the best knowing God, the closest one towards the [[Prophet (s)]].<ref>Yaʿqūbī, ''Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī'', vol. 1, p. 178; Ibn Saʿd, ''al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā'', vol. 3, p. 31.</ref> He also composed some poetry in this regard.<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 32, p. 34.</ref>

Khuzayma did an important role in the [[Battle of Jamal]]. Wearing yellow turban and white clothes, held the flag of the army, he led one thousand troopers.<ref>Masʿūdī, ''Murūj al-dhahab'', vol. 2, p. 359.</ref> when [[Imam 'Ali (a)]] was blaming the heads of sedition ([[Zubayr b. Awwam|Zubayr]], [[Talha b. 'Ubayd Allah|Talha]], [[Aisha]], Ya'la b. Umayya), Khuzayma arose and called them as guilty of perjury, perfidious and lower than 'Ali (a), then he composed a poetry in this regard.<ref>Ibn Aʿtham al-Kūfī, ''Kitāb al-Futūḥ'', vol. 2, p. 263-264.</ref> Reciting paean verses, he also showed gallantry when he fought against the the enemy.<ref>Ibn Aʿtham al-Kūfī, ''Kitāb al-Futūḥ'', vol. 2, p. 481.</ref>

In the [[Battle of Siffin]], Khuzayma was one of the commanders of [[Imam 'ALi (a)|Imam]]'s army. Although at that time he was an old man, with a firm belief in Imam Ali's (a) truthfulness, he fiercely fought against [[Mu'awiya]]'s army and Mu'awiya's deception did not weaken him.<ref>Dhahabī, ''Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ'', vol. 2, p. 485; Amīn, ''Aʿyān al-Shīʿa'', vol. 6, p. 319.</ref> In the Battle of Siffin, when [['Ammar b. Yasir]] was martyred, Khuzayma b. Thabit went into his tent, performed his [[Ghusl Shahada|ritual bath for martyrdom]]. Then, he went to the battlefield and fought until he was martyred.<ref>Ibn Saʿd, ''al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā'', vol. 3, p. 32, 263; Ibn ʿAsākir, ''Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq'', vol. 16, p. 370.</ref>

Khuzayma b. Thabit has quoted from the [[Prophet (s)]] that [['Ammar b. Yasir]] would be killed by a group of oppressors.<ref>Ibn Saʿd, ''al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā'', vol. 3, p. 259; Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, ''al-Istīʿāb'', vol. 2, p. 448; Ibn Ḥajar, ''Tahdhīb al-tahdhīb'', p. 279.</ref> Khuzayma was martyred in [[37 AH]]/657<ref>Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, ''al-Istīʿāb'', vol. 2, p. 448.</ref> in a stage of [[Battle of Siffin]] when the fight became very fierce and has become known as [[Yawm Waq'a al-Khamis]].<ref>Minqarī, ''Waqʿat Ṣiffīn'', p. 362-363.</ref> [[Imam 'Ali (a)]] has mentioned Khuzayma b. Thabit as one of the martyrs of Siffin and one of his brothers who remained steadfast in the right way.<ref>''Nahj al-balāgha'', khutba 182.</ref> Therefore, according to previously mentioned traditions, this matter that Khuzayma b. Thabit did not fight in the battles of [[Battle of Jamal|Jamal]] and [[Battle of Siffin|Siffin]] until 'Ammar was martyred,<ref>Ibn Saʿd, ''al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā'', vol. 3, p. 259; Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, ''al-Istīʿāb'', vol. 2, p. 448; Ibn Ḥajar, ''Tahdhīb al-tahdhīb'', vol. 3, p. 325.</ref> cannot be true.<ref>Tustarī, ''Qāmūs al-rijāl'', vol. 4, p. 173.</ref>

Some historical narrators believe that Khuzayma b. Thabit passed away at the time of [['Uthman]] and the one who attended the Battle of Siffin was a person with the same name.<ref>Ṭabarī, ''Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī'', vol. 4, p. 447; Ibn ʿAsākir, ''Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq'', vol. 16, p. 371-372.</ref> However, according to general and specific traditions, [[martyrdom]] of Khuzayma b. Thabit in Siffin has been related by successive transmitters and denial of Khuzayma's martyrdom in Siffin is actually an attempt by the enemies to claim that those who struggled in the [[Battle of Badr]] did not side with 'Ali (a) in Siffin.<ref>Tustarī, ''Qāmūs al-rijāl'', vol. 4, p. 172.</ref> Moreover, most of the historians such as [[Khatib Baghdadi]] and [[Ibn Abi al-Hadid]] have said that Dhu al-Shahadatayn was Khuzayma b. Thabit, and according to genealogical references, there was no other one called Khuzayma b. Thabit among [[Ansar]]. The belief that Khuzayma is someone other than Dhu al-Shahadatayn is actually originated from the bias propagated by [[Umayyads]].<ref>Ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd, ''Sharḥ Nahj al-balagha'', vol. 10, p. 109; Ibn Ḥajar, ''al-Iṣāba'', vol. 2, p. 280; Amīn, ''Aʿyān al-Shīʿa'', vol. 6, p. 317-318.</ref>

Khuzayma b. Thabit is among reliable transmitters of hadiths who has directly quoted hadiths from the [[Prophet (s)]].<ref>Ibn ʿAsākir, ''Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq'', vol. 16, p. 358, 366; Ibn al-Athīr, ''Usd al-ghāba'', vol. 2, p. 133.</ref> Also some people have quoted from Khuzayma b. Thabit, some of whom are:

# [['Ata' b. Yasar]]<ref>Ibn Ḥajar, ''Tahdhīb al-tahdhīb'', vol. 2, p. 556.</ref>

In the collections of hadiths, 38 hadiths from the Prophet (s) have been quoted by Khuzayma b. Thabit.<ref>Nawawī, ''Tahdhīb al-ʾasmāʾ'', vol. 1, p. 176.</ref>

Khuzamah b. Thabit had a talent for composing poems and a large number of poems have been attributed to him. Some have counted him among Shi'a poets. Khuzayma, who was present in the events such as [[Saqifa Bani Sa'ida]], [[Battle of Jamal|Jamal]], and [[Battle of Siffin|Siffin]], has composed many poems about [[Imam 'Ali (a)]] in which he has praised and supported him.<ref>Naṣr b. Muzāhim, ''Waqʿat Ṣiffīn'', p. 398; Ibn Shahrāshūb, ''Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib'', vol. 2, p. 211, 320, 345, 362, 375, 376; Ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd, ''Sharḥ Nahj al-balagha'', vol. 1, p. 145, 146; vol. 13, p. 231.</ref>

It is mentioned that his daughter, Dubay'a or Na'ima, composed an elegy about his father after he martyred.<ref>Naṣr b. Muzāhim, ''Waqʿat Ṣiffīn'', p. 365-366.</ref> In his life story, such a daughter was not be mentioned, but 'Umara's daughter was called Na'ima.

The famous historians of 6th/12th century (499-565/1105-1169), Ibn Funduq Ya'la b. Zayd al-Tabari, was of descendant of Khuzayma.<ref>Muṣṭafā b. Qaḥṭān al-Ḥabīb, p. 90.</ref>

The grave of Khuzayma is not known in Siffin.<ref>Hirawī, ''al-Ishārāt ilā maʿrifat al-ziyārāt'', p. 62.</ref>