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Fayruz
ad-Daylami
When the Prophet, peace be on him,
returned to Madinah from the Farewell Pilgrimage in the
tenth year after the Hijrah, he fell ill, News of his
illness spread rapidly throughout the Arabian peninsula.
Sincere Muslims everywhere were greatly saddened by the
news but for others it was a time to disclose hidden hopes
and ambitions and reveal their real attitudes to Islam and
the noble Prophet.
In al-Yamamah, Musaylamah the Imposter
renounced Islam. So too did Tulayhah al-Asadi in the land
of the Asad. And in the Yemen, al-Aswad al-Ansi also
became an apostate. More than that, these three imposters
claimed that they were prophets sent to their respective
peoples just as Muhammad the son of Abdullah was sent to
the Quraysh.
Al-Aswad al-Ansi was a soothsayer who
practised magic arts. But he was no minor magician or
fortuneteller who dabbled in his evil arts in obscurity.
He was powerful and influential and possessed a strange
power of speech that mesmerized the hearts of his
listeners and captivated the minds of the masses with his
false claims. With his wealth and power he managed to
attract not just the masses but people of status as well.
When he appeared before people he normally wore a mask in
order to surround himself with an air of mystery, awe and
reverence.
In the Yemen at that time, a section of
the people who had much prestige and influence were the
"Abna". They were the scions of Persian fathers
who ruled Yemen as part of the Sasanian Empire. Their
mothers were local Arabs. Fayruz al-Daylami was one of
these Yemeni Abna.
At the time of the appearance of Islam,
the most powerful of the Abna was Badhan who ruled Yemen
on behalf of the Chosroes of Persia. When Badban became
convinced of the truth of the Prophet Muhammad and the
Divine nature of his mission he renounced his allegiance
to the Chosroes and accepted Islam. His people followed
him in tiffs. The Prophet confirmed him in his dominion
and he ruled the Yemen until his death shortly before the
appearance of al-Aswad al-Ansi.
Al-Aswad's tribe, the Banu Mudh-hij,
were the first to respond positively to his claims to
prophethood. With this tribal force he mounted a raid on
San'a. He killed the governor, Shahr the son of Badhan and
took his wife to himself. From San'a he raided other
regions. Through his swift and startling strikes, a vast
region from Hadramawt to at-Taif and from al-Ahsa to Aden
came under his influence.
What helped al-Aswad in deceiving the
people and drawing them to him was his guile and cunning
which knew no bounds. To his followers he alleged that an
angel visited him, disclosed revelations to him and gave
him intelligence of people and their affairs. What allowed
him to appear to bear out these claims were the spies he
employed and despatched everywhere, to bring him news of
people and their circumstances, their secrets and their
problems, their hopes and their fears.
Reports were brought back in secrecy to
him and when he met anyone, especially those in need, he
could give the impression that he had prior knowledge of
their needs and problems. In this way he astonished people
and confounded their thoughts. He acquired a large
following and his mission spread like wildfire.
When news of al-Aswad's apostasy and his
activities throughout the Yemen reached the Prophet, peace
be on him, he despatched about ten of Iris companions with
letters to those of his companions in the Yemen whom he
felt he could trust. He urged them to confront the blind
fitnah with faith and resolve, and he ordered them to get
rid of al-Aswad by any means possible.
All who received the Prophet's missives
set about to carry out his orders implicitly. In the
forefront of these was Fayruz ad-Daylami and those of the
Abna who were with him. Let us leave Fayruz to relate his
extraordinary story:
"I and those of the Abna who were
with me never for one moment had any doubt about the
religion of God. No belief in the enemy of God entered the
heart of any one of us. (In fact) we waited for
opportunities to get hold of al-Aswad and eliminate him by
any means.
When we received the letters of the
Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace,
we felt strengthened in our mutual resolve and each one
determined to do what he could
Because of his considerable success,
pride and vanity took hold of al-Aswad al-Ansi. He bragged
to the commander of his army, Qays ibn Abd Yaghuth, saying
how powerful he was. His attitude and relationship towards
his commander changed so much so that Qays felt that he
was not safe from Iris violence and oppression.
My cousin, Dadhawayh, and I went to Qays
and informed him of what the Prophet, peace and blessings
be on him, had told us and we invited him to "make
lunch" out of the man (al-Aswad) before he could
"make supper" out of him. He was receptive to
our proposal and regarded us as a Godsend. He disclosed to
us some of the secrets of al-Aswad.
The three of us vowed to confront the
apostate from within (his castle) while our other brothers
would confront him from without. We were all of the view
that our cousin Dadha, whom al-Aswad had taken to himself
after the killing of her husband, should join us. We went
to al-Aswad's castle and met her. I said to her:
'O cousin, you know what harm and evil
this man has visited upon you and us. He has killed your
husband and dishonored the women of your people. He has
massacred their husbands and wrested political authority
from their hands.
'This is a letter from the Messenger of
God, may God bless him and grant him peace, to us in
particular and to the people of Yemen in general in which
he asks us to put an end to this fitnah. Would you help us
in this matter?' 'On what can I help you? she asked. 'On
his expulsion...' I said. 'Rather on his assassination,'
she suggested. 'By God, I had nothing else in mind,' I
said, 'but I was afraid to suggest this to you.' 'By Him
Who has sent Muhammad with the Truth as a bringer or' good
tidings and as a warner, I have not doubted in my religion
for a moment. God has not created a man more detestable to
me than the devil (al-Aswad). By God, from the time I saw
him, I have only known him to be a corrupt and sinful
person who does not promote any truth and does not stop
from committing any abominable deed.' "How can we go
about eliminating him?' I asked.
'He is well-guarded and protected. There
is not a place in his castle which is not surrounded by
guards. There is one broken down and abandoned room though
which opens out into open land. In the evening during the
first third of the night, go there. You will find inside
weapons and a light. You will find me waiting for you...'
she said.
'But getting through to a room in a
castle such as this is no easy task. Someone might pass
and alert the guards and that will be the end of us' I
said. 'You are not far from the truth. But I have a
suggestion.' 'What is it?' I asked.
'Send a man tomorrow whom you trust as
one of the workers. I shall tell him to make an opening in
the room from the inside so that it should be easy to
enter.' 'That's a brilliant suggestion you have,' I said.
I then left her and told the two others
what we had decided and they gave their blessings to the
plan. We left straightaway to get ourselves prepared. We
informed a select group of believers who were assisting us
to prepare themselves and gave them the password (to
signal the time they could storm the castle). The time was
to be dawn of the following day.
When night fell and the appointed time
came, I went with my two companions to the opening in the
room and uncovered it. We entered the room and put on the
lamp. We found the weapons and proceeded to the apartment
of God's enemy. There was our cousin standing at his door.
She pointed out where he was and we entered. He was asleep
and snoring. I plunged the blade in his neck and he
bellowed like a bull being slaughtered. When the guards
heard this, they ran quickly to his apartment and asked:
'What is this?'
'Don't worry. You can go. The prophet of
God is receiving revelation,' she said, and they left. We
stayed in the castle until the break of dawn. Then I stood
on a wall of the castle and shouted:
'Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!' and went
on with the adhan until I reached': 'Ashhadu anna
Muhammadur Rasulullah ! (Then I added) 'Wa ashhadu anna al
Aswad al-Ansi kadh-dhab ! I testify that al-Aswad is an
imposter.'
That was the password, Muslims then
converged on
the castle from every direction. The
guards took fright
when they heard the adhan and were
confronted by the
Muslims shouting Allahu Akbar.
By sunrise, the mission was
accomplished. When it was full light, we sent a letter to
the Messenger of God giving him the good news of the death
of God's enemy.
When the messengers reached Madinah they
found that the Prophet, may the blessings of God be on
him, had passed away that very night. They learned however
that Revelation had been communicated to the Prophet
informing him of the death of al-Aswad al-Ansi the night
it took place."
Years later, the Khalifah Umar ibn
al-Khattab wrote to Fayruz ad-Daylami, may God be pleased
with them both, saying:
"I have heard that you are busy
eating white bread and honey (meaning no doubt that he was
leading an easy life). When this my letter reaches you,
come to me with the blessings of God so that you may
campaign in the path of God."
Fayruz did as he was commanded. He went
to Madinah and sought an audience with Umar. Umar granted
him permission. Evidently there was a crowd waiting to see
Umar and a Quraysh youth pushed Fayruz. Fayruz raised his
hand and hit the Quraysh youth on the nose.
The youth went to Umar who asked:
"Who did that to you?"
"Fayruz. He is at the door,"
said the youth. Fayruz entered and Umar asked: "What
is this, O Fayruz?"
"O Amir al-Muminin," said
Fayruz. "You wrote to me. You didn't write to him.
You gave me permission to enter and you didn't give him
permission. He wanted to enter in my turn before me. Then
I did what you have been told."
"Al-Qisas," pronounced Umar in
judgment, meaning that Fayruz had to receive the same blow
from the youth in retaliation. "Must it be so?"
asked Fayruz. "It must be so," insisted Umar.
Fayruz then got down on his knees and
the youth stood up to exact his retaliation. Umar said to
him then: "Wait a moment, young man, so that I can
tell you something which I heard from the Messenger of
God, may God bless him and grant him peace. I heard the
Messenger of God say one evening: 'This night, al-Aswad
al-Ansi the Imposter has been killed. The righteous
servant Fayruz ad-Daylami has killed him' Umar then asked
the youth:
"Do you see yourself taking
retribution on him after you have heard this from the
Messenger of God?" "I forgive him," said
the youth, "after you have told me this from the
Prophet." "Do you think," said Fayruz to
Umar, "that my escape from what I have done is a
confession to him and that his forgiveness is not given
under duress?" "Yes," replied Umar and
Fayruz then declared: "I testily to you that my
sword, my horse and thirty thousand of my money is a gift
to him."
"Your forgiveness has paid off, O
brother Quraysh and you have become rich," said Umar
no doubt impressed by the sense of remorse and the
spontaneous generosity of Fayruz, the righteous.
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