Receiving the title ‘Special Helper’ of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)

On the occasion of the Battle of Ahzaab, also known as the Battle of Khandaq (the Battle of the Trench), the Muslims received the information that the Banu Quraizah had broken their pledge of allegiance to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and had joined the enemy. In order to verify the information, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) asked the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum), “Who will bring me information of these people (the Banu Quraizah)?” Hazrat Zubair (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) instantly responded by volunteering to go as a spy and bring information of the Banu Quraizah to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).

When the Arabs heard of the church that Abrahah erected, a member of the Kinaanah tribe defaced the building by passing stool within its precincts and thereafter fleeing. Some are of the opinion that a few Arab youngsters lit a fire in the vicinity of the church. A gust of wind carried an ember onto the church, setting it ablaze and reducing it to ashes. This infuriated Abrahah and he vowed that he would not rest until he had reduced the Ka‘bah to ruins. With this evil intention, he set out to attack Makkah Mukarramah. En route to Makkah Mukarramah, the tribes who put up resistance were subdued with the might of the sword. Together with his army of men, he was also accompanied by a herd of elephants.

Fifty or fifty five days before the birth of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), the incident of the people of the elephants occurred, which is well known and recorded in the kitaabs of history and Seerat. The Holy Qur’aan also devotes a specific Surah to this particular incident. A comprehensive account of this incident is recorded in the kitaabs of Tafseer. Below follows a summary of this incident:

Abrahah was the governor of Yemen, appointed by Najaashi (Negus), the emperor of Abyssinia. When he noticed all the Arabs travelling to Makkah Mukarramah to perform Tawaaf of the Baitullah, he decided to erect a magnificent, highly decorated structure in the name of Christianity so that the Arabs would abandon the simple Ka‘bah and make Tawaaf of his fake Ka‘bah. He therefore erected a beautiful church in the capital city of San‘aa.

(Extracted from Seeratul Mustafa 1/46)

The Khalifah, Mutawakkil, succeeded the Khalifah, Waathiq, in 232 A.H. He held Imaam Ahmed in high esteem, but Imaam Ahmed remained cautious since he regarded the favors of the king as a temptation towards evil. Once, Mutawakkil sent him a bag of ten thousand dirhams and about two hundred dinaars. It was emphasized that he should accept it, lest the king be offended if the gift was refused. Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) did not even look at it. At the time of Maghrib, he called his son, Saalih, and said, “Keep this by you.”

Before dawn the next morning, Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) called for his son who immediately came. He said to him, “I have not slept last night”, and began to weep. He continued, “All my life, I remained safe from the rulers and kings. Now, in old age, I am being tested with them. I have decided to distribute this wealth in the morning.” That morning, he continued distributing the money to the various factions of the poor and needy until the entire amount was spent. He thereafter even gave the bag away to a destitute person. His son says, “We were experiencing such poverty (at the time) which only Allah Ta‘ala knew.”

(Sifatus Safwah 486/1)