“Count the years when I set out on a long absence, (1)
… and leave the months aside, for they are but short.”
He was a lavish eulogist and cutting satirist whose poetry was of fine quality. Among his verses is what he recited in the presence of the Commander of the Believers ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, who especially admired the following line (2) [in the Basīṭ metre]:
“Whoever does good will never be denied its rewards, (3)
… for kindness never disappears between God and people.”
Khubaib ibn Yasaf (4) ibn ʿUtbah al-Anṣārī was one of those who fought at Badr.
Salmān ibn Rabīʿah al-Bāhilī (5), who is counted among the Companions, was a famed hero and accomplished horseman. ʿUmar placed him in charge of the open lands of Kūfah, and in the time of ʿUthmān he was appointed commander of the fight against the Turks. He was killed at Balanjar (6), and his grave there remains in a coffin from which the Turks seek rain whenever drought afflicts them.
ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ḥudhāfah ibn Qays al-Qurashī al-Sahmī (7) emigrated with his brother Qays to Abyssinia and was one of the eminent Companions. He is the man who said, “Messenger of Allah, who is my father?” (8)—for in disputes men would sometimes attribute him to someone other than his father. The Prophet replied, “Your father is Ḥudhāfah.” (9)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had earlier sent him to Kisrā; he delivered the letter to the governor of Buṣrā, who provided an escort to take him to Heraclius (10), as mentioned above. Later, during the caliphate of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him), the Byzantines captured him along with eighty Muslims. They tried to force him to abandon his faith, but he refused. Their king said to him, “Kiss my head and I will release you and the Muslims with you.” So he kissed the king’s head, and the king set them all free. When he returned to ʿUmar, the caliph said, “It is the duty of every Muslim to kiss your head,” and he himself rose and kissed it in front of the people (may Allah be pleased with them all).
ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sarāqah (11) ibn al-Muʿtamir al-ʿAdawī was a Companion who fought at Uḥud. Al-Zuhrī claimed that he also fought at Badr; Allah knows best.