Heroic Stands by Shiekh Abu Nizhar Ash Shaami: Abdullah Bin Unays (ra) – One Man Army

Our lives are a collection of stands taken. These stands are what will decide our status and value before Allah (swt) on the Day of Judgement. Heroic stands, which changed the course of history, produced events, and greatly influenced all who witnessed them or heard of them. Heroic stands, which we mention while living at a time when most stands we see are those of humiliation and shame. Heroic stands, we mention them whose heroes are mentioned in the Quran, and the pages of the Seerah and our Ummah's past and recent history are overflowing with them. Heroic stands, which we mention in order to take lessons from. We mention them in order to receive flames of glory, optimism, and expecting good from Allah (swt), and to prove that our Ummah, by the permission of Allah (swt), is capable of bringing back the dignified stands which will fill the world with justice and light after it was filled with injustice and tyranny.

Some stands have martyrdom as their most prominent feature. Stands which prioritize the interests of the Dawah and Deen over those of the self and desires, and pay more attention to warding off dangers from Islam than from their own selves.

After Uhud, my brothers, and specifically on the 4th year after Hijra, bad news was reaching the Messenger of Allah (saw). "O Messenger of Allah, Banu Asad are gathering to fight you", "Such-and-such tribe are preparing for an attack" etc. All Jahili tribes now wished to mobilize in order to attack Madinah and eradicate Islam from within it. Of the most dangerous news to reach was that of Hudhayl. Hudhayl, my brothers, are clans whose fighters are counted in the hundreds. "O Messenger of Allah, Hudahyl is mobilizing to march on you". The Prophet (saw), my brothers, looked intently across the faces of the Sahabah. What should he do? He can't just send armies and scatter his troops everywhere. So he chose a hero - one man to do what armies do.

He (saw) told Abdullah bin Unays (ra): Hudhayl are gathering to fight us. I want you to go to them, meet their commander in chief, Khalid bin Sufyan Al-Hudhali, kill him and return to me. Abdullah bin Unays (ra), my brothers did not ask the Prophet (saw): "Who are you sending with me?" "How am I supposed to be alone?" He didn't think about his safety at all. He only asked for one thing: "O Messenger of Allah, describe him to me." That was it. He (saw) said: "When you see him, he will remind you of Shaytan. And one sign between you and me is that you will feel goosebumps." He said: "I don't get scared O Messenger of Allah if you send me." He (saw) said: "It is but a sign between you and me". This was enough for Abdullah bin Unays and he accepted a mission behind enemy lines where the chance of survival is almost 0%. Abdullah bin Unays (ra) departed and arrived at Hudhayl. He surveyed the scene and saw armies, battalions, divisions, weapons and training, until his eyes met with Khalid Al-Hudhali. He said: "It was as if he was making the Earth crack"; surrounded by officers and banners from all directions. He said: "Then I felt the goosebumps which the Messenger of Allah (saw) mentioned to me". So he advanced towards him but realised that the time of Dhuhr Salat was almost over. He said: "I feared that if I delayed (praying) and fought him (i.e. Khalid), that I would miss the Salat." So, he prayed while on his horse using sign.

This Ijtihad that he did later became a legislated Sunnah known as the Salat al-Talib wal- atloob (The Prayer of the chaser and chased) Look at the honour given to this hero! Moving on, Abdullah and Khalid Al-Hudhali (ra) met. Khalid said to him: "Who are you?" He said: "An Arab man who heard of your mobilization against Muhammad, so I came to join you." Then he played along with, distracting him, until they were in a hidden area and they became secluded then he killed him. He said to him: "Take this from the strike of a noble monotheist upon the Deen of the Prophet Muhammad (saw). And if the Prophet (saw) had set his eyes on a Kafir, I would be first to him by speech and action". Then he (ra) left the secluded area quietly with no one noticing him, then flew to the Messenger of Allah (saw) to give him the good news. Before he said anything, our Messenger (saw) saw him and said: "A successful face, O Abdullah". Then, He (saw) gave him his staff and said: "This is a sign between me and you on the Day of Judgement."

My brothers, our Messenger (saw) is not with us today. However, the greatness of the Messenger (saw) is in His message and Shariah. And today, armies are mobilized to attack the Shariah of Islam, and media organizations are set up to misrepresent and distort it and to turn Muslims away from implementing it. So who will be like Abdullah bin Unays? Will you be like this hero who goes up against all of these mobilizations, without fearing anything nor does he simply coexist with the danger or negotiates with it?

My dear brothers, your response to the misconceptions surrounding the Shariah today and your killing of every idea that distorts our Deen could make our Messenger (saw) on the Day of Judgement say when he sees you: "a successful face". So, do you want to be like Abdullah bin Unays (ra)? Be first to the enemies in thought, speech and action just like this hero was.

And let me ask you the more important question: If you were with the Prophet (saw), would he (saw) have chosen you for that mission? The field is open, my brothers, and the enemies of Islam are many. So, be like Abdullah bin Unays (ra) and learn how to support Islam and shield it from dangers just as this hero did.

Ummah Voice Podcast