The Prayers and Blessings Story of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for Abdurrahman Ibn-i Avf
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) made a special supplication for Abdurrahman ibn Avf (d. 32/652), one of the Sahabah (companions) who was given glad tidings of Paradise, to bless his provision. Abdurrahman Ibn-i Avf, narrating that this prayer was accepted, described this blessing with an interesting anecdote:
Abdurrahman Ibn-i Avf’s Anecdote
“For example, if I exerted myself to lift a stone, by Allah’s grace, I would hope that gold would come out from it.” Filled with this belief, when Abdurrahman ibn Avf passed away, the large amount of gold ingots he left behind were unearthed during his burial and distributed fairly among his heirs. Even the shovels’ hands swelling and blistering demonstrated the greatness of this blessing.
Abdurrahman Ibn-i Avf’s Inheritance
While dividing his inheritance, each of his four wives received a share between 80,000 and 100,000 dirhams/dinars. Even Abdurrahman ibn Avf divorced one of his wives during his illness and agreed on an amount exceeding 80,000 dirhams/dinars as compensation for this separation. Considering the help and gifts he made during his lifetime, it was also expected that he would distribute fifty thousand gold pieces through a will.
Abdurrahman Ibn-i Avf’s Acts of Charity
- He freed 50 slaves in a single day.
- On another day, he donated an entire trading caravan with 700 camels carrying various foodstuffs and clothing for the sake of Allah. All were gifted without touching the goods on the camels’ backs.
The Governance Prayer of Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) made a supplication for Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan to govern cities, and with the acceptance of this prayer, he became an important administrator.
The Prayer of Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqas
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated to Allah Almighty for the acceptance of Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas’s (d. 55/675) prayer. Sa’d’s prayers were always accepted.
Hz. Umar’s Strengthening with Islam
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) prayed that Allah strengthen Islam with either Abu Jahal or Umar ibn al-Khattāb, but the prayer concerning Umar was accepted:
“O Allah! Strengthen Islam with whomsoever You like of these two: Abu Jahal or Umar ibn al-Khattab.” Then he said: “Allah preferred Umar among them.”
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) confirmed this situation by saying, “We gained strength and power from the day Umar embraced Islam.”
Notes
- The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said about Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan: “Teach him writing, accounts, and give him the ability to govern cities.” (Tabarani, al-Mu‘jamu’l-kabir [Salafi], XIX, 439, nr. 1066; Haysemi, Majma‘u’z-zawaid, IX, 356-357).
- Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan embraced Islam along with his father, Abu Sufyan, during the Conquest of Mecca. He served as a scribe for the Prophet (PBUH). During the reign of Umar, he was the governor of Jordan and Damascus, and during the reign of Uthman, he was the general governor of Syria. After the martyrdom of Uthman, he became caliph, and did not pledge allegiance to Ali, on the pretext of being a relative of Uthman, requesting that his killers be found and punished. The disagreement between them led to the Battle of Siffin. After the martyrdom of Ali, he was not considered a caliph but an emir, as his son Hz. Hasan relinquished the caliphate through an agreement. During his reign, in 49 (662) Constantinople was besieged by land and sea. Various places such as Bukhara and Samarkand were conquered in the East. Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan narrated 163 hadith from the Prophet (PBUH).
- The Prophet’s mother, Hz. Amina, used to show affection to Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, who was from the Banu Zuhra tribe, as Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was also from that tribe, saying, “Who has a cousin like this?” Once she said for him: “O Allah! When Sa’d makes supplication to You, accept it.” (Tirmizi, Menakib 26, nr. 3751, 3752).
- Tirmizi, Menakib 18, nr. 3681; Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Musnad, II, 95.
- Bukhari, Fazailu ashabil-nabi 6, nr. 3684; Manakibu’l-ensar 35, nr. 3863.