The Commentary of Al-Qasidah — Page 64
64 The commentary of al-Qa si dah unless he walks over our dead bodies. O Prophet of All a h, if you order us to run our horses into the ocean, we will take our horses and run into the ocean without delay. ’ ( As-S i ratun-Nabawiyyah, Ibni Hish a m, Dhikru Ru’y a ‘ A tikata binti ‘Abdil-Mu tt alib…, p. 420–421, D a rul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2001) The companions of the Holy Prophet sa followed him as their beloved, and they considered it a blessing for themselves in this world as well as the next, to fulfil his commands. Once the Holy Prophet sa was delivering a sermon at Masjid-e-Nabaw i [i. e. the Prophet’s Mosque]. Hadrat ‘Abdull a h bin Raw ah ah ra of the Khazraj tribe, was a notable poet and was respected as a very devout Muslim. He was passing by on a nearby street when he heard the voice of the Holy Prophet sa , “Sit down. ” He immediately sat down and remained sitting until the completion of the sermon. ( Kanzul- ‘Umm a l F i Sunanil-Aqw a li Wal-Af‘ a l, Kit a bul-Fa da ’ili, Fa da ’ili s- S a ha bah, vol. 13, p. 194, H arfil-‘Ain, Dhikru ‘Abdill a h bin Raw ah ah, H ad i th no. 37, 167, D a rul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2001) It is likely that a worldly person who has forsaken God would object to this kind of reaction. It is hard to understand the magnitude of faith and devotion that burned within the hearts of the companions of the Holy Prophet sa. The sentiment behind the action of ‘Abdull a h bin Raw ah ah ra was that it was his duty to immediately act upon any command from the Holy Prophet sa which reached his ears. He feared that if he did not obey the command, he might be counted amongst those who rejected the command of the Prophet. In essence, the companions of the Holy Prophet sa followed him with the utmost sincerity, determination, love and devotion. They