Abdullah bin Hudhafa (r.a.)

There are sometimes such important moments in the lives of the people who represent a cause that a minor negligence by them can cause the destruction of many people and their self-sacrifice can be a means of happiness and salvation for many people.

The Companions, who are the starry figures of humanity, were always a guide to happiness. They endured various agonies and suffering, but they brought about happiness of the world and the hereafter for many people.

Abdullah bin Hudhafa, who was one of the first Muslims, was such a lucky person. In a battle against Byzantines during the caliphate of Hz. Umar, he was enslaved together with many Muslims. The Byzantines generally asked the slaves to be Christians first; if they accepted, they would free them; otherwise, they would kill them through various kinds of torture.

Learning that Abdullah bin Hudhafa was one of the notables of the Companions, the king placed a different importance on him; he constantly offered him to accept Christianity. However, Abdullah bin Hudhafa did not heed any of these proposals; he continued uttering kalima ash-shahada. The king did not give up his hope. If one of the close friends of the Prophet accepted Christianity, it would cause a panic among the Muslims, who spread their religion day by day and threatened Byzantium; it would be a great achievement for Christianity. Therefore, the king constantly increased the worldly goods he offered to Abdullah if he became a Christian; and he made new offers every day.

Finally, he made the following proposal:

“If you agree to be a Christian, I will give you my daughter, and I will share my sultanate with you.”

Hz. Abdullah, who had a very firm belief, shouted as follows:

“I will not return from my religion for a moment even if you give the whole world, let alone the Byzantine land.” The King said,

“Then you will be killed!” Hz. Abdullah said:

“You can do it but you cannot take my belief out of my heart!”

Then Hz. Abdullah was put on a cross and the archers constantly shot arrows close to his hands and feet. In the meantime, suggestions for Christianity continued. At the same time, a big cauldron was brought and water was boiled in it. A Muslim who had refused to be a Christian was brought and kept there to be thrown into boiling water.  Then, he was thrown into the boiling water. The people around and Hz. Abdullah heard the sound of burning bones. Then, Hz. Abdullah was brought next to the cauldron.

Meanwhile, Hz. Abdullah began to cry. The King thought Hz. Abdullah was crying out of fear and offered him to be a Christian again. Hz. Abdullah rejected his offer again. The King said,

“Why are you crying then?” Hz. Abdullah gave the following answer:

“I am not crying out of fear. We, Muslims, we are not afraid dying in the way of Allah. The reason why I cry is this: I thought, ‘I wish I had as many lives as my hair on my head and each one died in the way of Allah.’ This thought caused me to cry. ”

The king made a new offer when he heard Abdullah’s words, which represented the majesty of Islam concretely: found a new proposal:

“I will release you if you kiss my head.”

How could Abdullah, who did not make any concessions from his belief even in the face of the offer of being a partner in the sultanate of the Byzantine reign, kiss the head of a Christian? He made an offer in return for the offer of the king:

“If you release all the Muslim prisoners here, I will do it.”

Before Hz. Abdullah kissed the king’s head, he thought:

“I believe that this man is one of the enemies of Allah. I am going to kiss his head so that he will release my Muslim brothers. ”

Hz. Abdullah kissed the king’s head, and the king kept his promise; he released 80 Muslim prisoners.

The majesty and self-sacrifice of Abdullah bin Hudhafa originating from his belief became a means of rescuing 80 Muslims and the beliefs of many others.

Hz. Abdullah returned to Madinah with the prisoners and was met by Hz. Umar.  Hz. Umar congratulated Abdullah and addressed the Muslims there as follows:

“Abdullah became a means of rescuing 80 Muslims by kissing the head of the king. Therefore, it is a duty for every Muslim to kiss Abdullah’s head. I will kiss his head first.” Then, he kissed Abdullah’s head.

After becoming a Muslim, Abdullah bin Hudhafa participated in all wars with the Messenger of Allah. Once, the Prophet appointed him as the head of a military unit consisting of 50 soldiers by the Prophet.

He took the Prophet’s letter to. “Perviz”, the Chosroes of Iran, who tore the letter of the Prophet into pieces. When the Messenger of Allah was informed about it, he prayed as follows:

“O Lord! Break him and his sultanate into pieces as he tore my letter into pieces.” Then, he said,“ No Chosroes will come after him. ”

After a while, Shirviye, Perviz’s son, stabbed his father with a dagger, and Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas destroyed his sultanate.

Hz. Abdullah bin Hudhafa saw that what the Prophet said about the Chosroes came true when he was alive. He died in Egypt during the caliphate of Hz. Uthman.

May Allah be pleased with him!