Martyrdom [Hazrat Musleh Mau'ds (ra) Narration]
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) has written about the incident of Hazrat Khubaib’s (ra) martyrdom. He states:
“Among the spectators was Abu Sufyan, chief of Mecca. Abu Sufyan turned to Zaid and asked, ‘Would you not rather have Muhammad (sa) in your place? Would you not prefer to be safe at home while Muhammad (sa) was in our hands?’ Zaid replied furiously, ‘What, Abu Sufyan? What do you say? By God, I would rather die, than that the Prophet (sa) should tread on a thorn in a street in Medina.’ Abu Sufyan could not help being impressed by such devotion. He looked at Zaid in amazement and declared unhesitatingly, but in measured tones, ‘God is my witness, I have not known any one love another as much as the companions of Muhammad (sa) love Muhammad (sa).’”
(Dibacha Tafsir-ul-Quran, Anwarul Ulum, Vol. 20, pp. 262-263)
This was the standard of love and devotion of the companions (ra) towards the Holy Prophet (sa). They were willing to sacrifice their lives for him. Similarly, Allah the Almighty’s treatment with them is also evident. At the time of his martyrdom, his lasts words were:
“When I am being martyred in the cause of Islam as a Muslim, I care not as to which flank I fall upon after being martyred, all of this is for the sake of God…”
(Usdul Ghaba, Vol. 1, p. 683, Khubaib bin Adiyy, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2003)
Such were his standards of love and devotion. Before he was martyred, his only desire which he expressed was to offer nawafil prayers before his Lord. He also desired that his greetings of peace [Salam] be conveyed to the Holy Prophet (sa) and God Almighty fulfilled that desire as well. The companions (ra) loved the Holy Prophet (sa) so much that it was unbearable for them even to imagine that their life was spared in return for a thorn pricking the feet of the Holy Prophet (sa). They cared immensely for the slightest affliction upon the Holy Prophet (sa) and were never concerned about their own life. For this reason, they were able to attain the pleasure and acceptance of Allah the Almighty.