Standard of Faith & Martyrdom
Abu Na‘eem related that Hazrat Harithah Bin Suraqah used to treat his mother with great kindness, so much so that the Holy Prophet (sa) said that when he entered Paradise, he saw Harithah.
Habban Bin Ariqah martyred him on the day of the Battle of Badr. He shot an arrow at him while he was drinking water from a pond. The arrow struck his neck as a result of which he was martyred.
Hazrat Anas (ra) related that the Holy Prophet (sa) was walking when a young Ansari man came before him. The Holy Prophet (sa) asked him, “O Harithah, in what state did you enter the morning?” He replied, “I entered the morning while having complete faith in God Almighty.” The Holy Prophet (sa) said, “Ponder carefully over what you say, as there is a reality to every word that is uttered”. That young man replied, “O Prophet (sa) of Allah! My heart has become averse from the world. I stay up the entire night and stay thirsty throughout the day, in other words, I worship and observe fasts and I can observe the throne of my Glorious and Majestic Lord with my physical eyes. I can see the inhabitants of paradise, meeting one another and I can see the inmates of hell screaming therein.” The Holy Prophet (sa) said, “You should remain steadfast upon this [belief]. You are a person, whose heart God Almighty has enlightened with faith.” Upon this, he said, “O Prophet (sa) of God! Pray for me that I embrace martyrdom.” Hence, the Holy Prophet (sa) prayed for him and on the day of the Battle of Badr, when the horsemen were called, he [Haritha], may Allah be pleased with him, was the first to emerge and he was also the first to be martyred.
It is narrated that he was the first Ansari to be martyred in the Battle of Badr.