Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah

(Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allâh [i.e. they have gone out for Jihâd (holy fighting), and showed not their backs to the disbelievers]; of them some have fulfilled their obligations (i.e. have been martyred); and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed [i.e. they never proved treacherous to their covenant which they concluded with Allâh] in the least). (Al-Ahzâb “The Confederates”,23).

An Arabian went to Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, and asked him: Who is that who has fulfilled his obligations?!… The Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, refrained… The man asked him again, Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, refrained again… He repeated the question for the third time, but still, Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, refrained… It was then that Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah entered the mosque, wearing green clothes… When Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, saw him, he said: “Where is the man who asked about the one who has fulfilled his obligations”… The Arabian man said: It is I, O Prophet of Allah… The Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said: “That is the man who has fulfilled his obligations”[1]…

Jâber Ibn ‘Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said: “Whoever would like to see a martyr walking on his feet (Meaning alive), let him look at Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah”[2]…

Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah Al Qurashî was from Taym tribe… It is ’Abû Bakr As-Siddîq’s, may Allah be pleased with him, tribe… ’Abû Bakr As-Siddîq had taken him, when he was only twenty one years old by his hand to meet Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, and he became a Muslim… He was one of the early Muslims, and one of the ten men promised to go to Paradise… He was also one of the six men of As-Shûrah (consultation) that ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb, may Allah be pleased with him, said about them: Before the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, died, he was pleased with thim…

Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, established the bond of brotherhood between him and Az-Zubair Ibn Al ‘Awâm in Makkah before Hijrah… He, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, then established the bond of brotherhood between him and ’Abû ’Aiyûb Al ’Ansârî in Al-Madînah after Hijrah… When it was time for the battle of Badr, Talhah and Sa‘îd Ibn Zaid were in a squadron near Shâ’m, trying to find out news about the caravan of Quraish, so they did not attend the battle… When Talhah returned, Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, told him: “You shall take your share of the booty”… Talhah said: And my reward in the hereafter too, O Prophet of Allah?!… The Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said: “And that reward also”[3]…

During the battle of ’Uhud, Talha’s main concern was to protect Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, by his own body… He used to take in the hits of the arrows in his own hands to prevent them from reaching Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, until his finger was paralysed… When Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, fell in a ditch, and was hurt, Talhah carried him, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, on his back, until he climbed over a rock, and kept protecting him, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, and taking in the blows instead of him until he fainted… His body had over seventy wounds caused by stabbing, striking or shooting with arrows… When ’Abû Bakr and ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh rushed to Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, they found Talhah in his arms… The Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, told them: “Take care of your brother, Talhah’s condition obliges you to do that”[4]… They took care of him, and carried him to Al-Madînah …

Talhah witnessed all the conquests with Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him,… He witnessed Bai‘at-ul-Ridwân (treaty)… On the day of ’Uhud, Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, called him Talhah Al Khair (Meaning Talhah the one who brings good)… On Al ‘Usrah day, He Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, called him: “Talhah Al Fayyâd” (Meaning the abundant)… On Hunain day, he, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, called him: “Talhah Al Jûd”[5] (Meaning the generous)…

When ‘Uthmân Ibn ‘Affân, may Allah be pleased with him, became Khalifah (Caliph), the people complained a lot about their rulers… Talhah was one of the people who objected to how ‘Uthmân was acting… When ‘Uthmân was murdered, Talhah regretted objecting him… He had not imagined that the opposition to ‘Uthmân would lead to bloodshed… He went out with Az-Zubair Ibn Al ‘Awâm and ‘Âishah, may Allah be pleased with her, seeking revenge for ‘Uthmân…

Then it was the battle of Al Jamal… ‘Alî Ibn ’Abî Tâlib sends for Az-Zubair and Talhah to speak to them… ‘Alî reminded them of certain matters, and blamed them, so they decided to go back to Al-Madînah and refrain from fighting… But some of the people who wanted the chaos to stay on, were not happy about that… So, Ibn Jarmûz killed Az-Zubair while he was praying in one of the roads… Another man threw Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah by an arrow in his knee, until it severely bled… Whenever people tried to hold the wound, his leg would become swollen… And if they removed their hands from the wound, the bleeding would start again … So Talhah said: Leave it, for that is an arrow that Allah has sent… O Allah, take to ‘Uthmân from me until You please… He bled to death… When he died, he was sixty years old and some…

When ‘Alî Ibn ’Abî Tâlib was informed about his death, he stood by him weeping, and saying: It is so hard for me, O Muhammad’s father, to see you murdered, and lying here under the stars of the sky… Then he said: It is to Allah that I confess how sad and distressed I am… I wish I would have died twenty years before witnessing that day… For I have heard Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, by my own ears saying: “Talhah and Az-Zubair are my neighbours in Paradise”[6]… By Allah, I do hope that I, Talhah, ‘Uthmân and Az-Zubair, shall be from the ones that Allah said about them: (And We shall remove from their breasts any deep feeling of bitterness (that they may have). (So they will be like) brothers facing each other on thrones). (Al-Hijr “The Rocky Tract”,47).

By that, we notice how they all regretted their disputes, which was misused by the people who encouraged chaos… Those people who survive only amongst hatred and evil… That is the only way we can explain what happened amongst these men… These special men who were all promised to go to Paradise: ‘Alî, ‘Uthmân, Talhah and Az-Zubair, may Allah be pleased with them,… What came between them, was that their differences were exposed to the public; the public being men who cannot conceive the chaos that could result of such differences… And also probably, amongst these men, were men who were against Islam; all these factors led to all the fighting and all the killing that took place in the Islamic nation which was unnecessary… It could have been all resolved, had these special men involved, discussed matters privately, and solved all their differences quietly…

Sa‘d Ibn ’Abî Waqqâs heard a man insulting ‘Alî, Talhah, and Az-Zubair, so he told him: Do not insult my brothers… But the man did not stop… Sa‘d prayed two Rak‘ahs, and said: O Allah… If he displeases you by what he says… then let me see him suffer from a disease (or a punishment), and let him be a lesson for the people to learn from… As soon as that man went out, a camel with a long neck was pushing its way amongst the crowds, as if looking for something in particular; it came towards that man, attacked him, stepped on him, and squeezed him, until the man died… All the people around him were looking in amazement… They followed Sa‘d Ibn ’Abî Waqqâs telling him: Rejoice ’Abâ ’Ishak, your prayer has been accepted…

As time passes, a man sees Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah in his sleep telling him: Move me from my grave, I have been harmed by water… The man sees the same vision three times… He goes to Ibn ‘Abbâs relating to him what he saw… They all go to the grave, to find that the water had penetrated the grave, so they moved Talhah from that grave to a new one… The narrator says: It was as if I could still see the Kâfûr (Camphor) in his eyes… It seemed that nothing had happened to his body, except that his braid had been slightly moved…

His pure body is placed in the new grave as if he is just sleeping for a while, without being affected by the dust of the ground… For he did not perish, and shall not perish till the Judgment Day… For Allah’s Prophet’s, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, words are the truth when he, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said: “Whoever would like to see a martyr, walking on his feet, let him look at Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah”…

[1] Narrated by At Tirmidhi.

[2] Narrated by At Tirmidhi.

[3] Narrated by Ibn Hager Al-Asqalani.

[4] As At Tirmidhi narrated that Az-Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) said.

[5] Narrated Gamî’ Al Fawaid.

[6] Narrated by At Tirmidhi.

The Living Martyr

May Allah be pleased with him

	The Living Martyr Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah May Allah be pleased with him
	Back To Main Page Back To Amongst The Prophet’s Companions
	When Allah’s, Praise and Glory be to Him, words were sent: (Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allâh [i.e. they have gone out for Jihâd (holy fighting), and showed not their backs to the disbelievers]; of them some have fulfilled their obligations (i.e. have been martyred); and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed [i.e. they never proved treacherous to their covenant which they concluded with Allâh] in the least). (Al-Ahzâb “The Confederates”,23). An Arabian went to Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, and asked him: Who is that who has fulfilled his obligations?!… The Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, refrained… The man asked him again, Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, refrained again… He repeated the question for the third time, but still, Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, refrained… It was then that Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah entered the mosque, wearing green clothes… When Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, saw him, he said: “Where is the man who asked about the one who has fulfilled his obligations”… The Arabian man said: It is I, O Prophet of Allah… The Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said: “That is the man who has fulfilled his obligations”[1]… Jâber Ibn ‘Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said: “Whoever would like to see a martyr walking on his feet (Meaning alive), let him look at Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah”[2]… Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah Al Qurashî was from Taym tribe… It is ’Abû Bakr As-Siddîq’s, may Allah be pleased with him, tribe… ’Abû Bakr As-Siddîq had taken him, when he was only twenty one years old by his hand to meet Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, and he became a Muslim… He was one of the early Muslims, and one of the ten men promised to go to Paradise… He was also one of the six men of As-Shûrah (consultation) that ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb, may Allah be pleased with him, said about them: Before the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, died, he was pleased with thim… Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, established the bond of brotherhood between him and Az-Zubair Ibn Al ‘Awâm in Makkah before Hijrah… He, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, then established the bond of brotherhood between him and ’Abû ’Aiyûb Al ’Ansârî in Al-Madînah after Hijrah… When it was time for the battle of Badr, Talhah and Sa‘îd Ibn Zaid were in a squadron near Shâ’m, trying to find out news about the caravan of Quraish, so they did not attend the battle… When Talhah returned, Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, told him: “You shall take your share of the booty”… Talhah said: And my reward in the hereafter too, O Prophet of Allah?!… The Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said: “And that reward also”[3]… During the battle of ’Uhud, Talha’s main concern was to protect Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, by his own body… He used to take in the hits of the arrows in his own hands to prevent them from reaching Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, until his finger was paralysed… When Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, fell in a ditch, and was hurt, Talhah carried him, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, on his back, until he climbed over a rock, and kept protecting him, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, and taking in the blows instead of him until he fainted… His body had over seventy wounds caused by stabbing, striking or shooting with arrows… When ’Abû Bakr and ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh rushed to Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, they found Talhah in his arms… The Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, told them: “Take care of your brother, Talhah’s condition obliges you to do that”[4]… They took care of him, and carried him to Al-Madînah … Talhah witnessed all the conquests with Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him,… He witnessed Bai‘at-ul-Ridwân (treaty)… On the day of ’Uhud, Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, called him Talhah Al Khair (Meaning Talhah the one who brings good)… On Al ‘Usrah day, He Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, called him: “Talhah Al Fayyâd” (Meaning the abundant)… On Hunain day, he, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, called him: “Talhah Al Jûd”[5] (Meaning the generous)… When ‘Uthmân Ibn ‘Affân, may Allah be pleased with him, became Khalifah (Caliph), the people complained a lot about their rulers… Talhah was one of the people who objected to how ‘Uthmân was acting… When ‘Uthmân was murdered, Talhah regretted objecting him… He had not imagined that the opposition to ‘Uthmân would lead to bloodshed… He went out with Az-Zubair Ibn Al ‘Awâm and ‘Âishah, may Allah be pleased with her, seeking revenge for ‘Uthmân… Then it was the battle of Al Jamal… ‘Alî Ibn ’Abî Tâlib sends for Az-Zubair and Talhah to speak to them… ‘Alî reminded them of certain matters, and blamed them, so they decided to go back to Al-Madînah and refrain from fighting… But some of the people who wanted the chaos to stay on, were not happy about that… So, Ibn Jarmûz killed Az-Zubair while he was praying in one of the roads… Another man threw Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah by an arrow in his knee, until it severely bled… Whenever people tried to hold the wound, his leg would become swollen… And if they removed their hands from the wound, the bleeding would start again … So Talhah said: Leave it, for that is an arrow that Allah has sent… O Allah, take to ‘Uthmân from me until You please… He bled to death… When he died, he was sixty years old and some… When ‘Alî Ibn ’Abî Tâlib was informed about his death, he stood by him weeping, and saying: It is so hard for me, O Muhammad’s father, to see you murdered, and lying here under the stars of the sky… Then he said: It is to Allah that I confess how sad and distressed I am… I wish I would have died twenty years before witnessing that day… For I have heard Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, by my own ears saying: “Talhah and Az-Zubair are my neighbours in Paradise”[6]… By Allah, I do hope that I, Talhah, ‘Uthmân and Az-Zubair, shall be from the ones that Allah said about them: *(And We shall remove from their breasts any deep feeling of bitterness (that they may have). (So they will be like) brothers facing each other on thrones). (Al-Hijr* “The Rocky Tract”,47). By that, we notice how they all regretted their disputes, which was misused by the people who encouraged chaos… Those people who survive only amongst hatred and evil… That is the only way we can explain what happened amongst these men… These special men who were all promised to go to Paradise: ‘Alî, ‘Uthmân, Talhah and Az-Zubair, may Allah be pleased with them,… What came between them, was that their differences were exposed to the public; the public being men who cannot conceive the chaos that could result of such differences… And also probably, amongst these men, were men who were against Islam; all these factors led to all the fighting and all the killing that took place in the Islamic nation which was unnecessary… It could have been all resolved, had these special men involved, discussed matters privately, and solved all their differences quietly… Sa‘d Ibn ’Abî Waqqâs heard a man insulting ‘Alî, Talhah, and Az-Zubair, so he told him: Do not insult my brothers… But the man did not stop… Sa‘d prayed two Rak‘ahs, and said: O Allah… If he displeases you by what he says… then let me see him suffer from a disease (or a punishment), and let him be a lesson for the people to learn from… As soon as that man went out, a camel with a long neck was pushing its way amongst the crowds, as if looking for something in particular; it came towards that man, attacked him, stepped on him, and squeezed him, until the man died… All the people around him were looking in amazement… They followed Sa‘d Ibn ’Abî Waqqâs telling him: Rejoice ’Abâ ’Ishak, your prayer has been accepted… As time passes, a man sees Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah in his sleep telling him: Move me from my grave, I have been harmed by water… The man sees the same vision three times… He goes to Ibn ‘Abbâs relating to him what he saw… They all go to the grave, to find that the water had penetrated the grave, so they moved Talhah from that grave to a new one… The narrator says: It was as if I could still see the Kâfûr (Camphor) in his eyes… It seemed that nothing had happened to his body, except that his braid had been slightly moved… His pure body is placed in the new grave as if he is just sleeping for a while, without being affected by the dust of the ground… For he did not perish, and shall not perish till the Judgment Day… For Allah’s Prophet’s, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, words are the truth when he, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said: “Whoever would like to see a martyr, walking on his feet, let him look at Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah”… Back To Main Page Back To Amongst The Prophet’s Companions [1] Narrated by At Tirmidhi. [2] Narrated by At Tirmidhi. [3] Narrated by Ibn Hager Al-Asqalani. [4] As At Tirmidhi narrated that Az-Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) said. [5] Narrated Gamî’ Al Fawaid. [6] Narrated by At Tirmidhi.