The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 362
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 362 upon finding an opportunity, execute Sufyān bin Khālid, the mastermind and root of this mischief. Hence, the Holy Prophet sa dispatched ‘Abdullāh bin Anīs Anṣārī ra and since ‘Abdullāh had never seen Sufyān before, the Holy Prophet sa personally described the figure of Sufyān, etc. to ‘Abdullāh ra. In the end, the Holy Prophet sa said, “Remain alert! Sufyān is an embodiment of Satan. ” As such, ‘Abdullāh bin Anīs ra very skillfully reached the encampment of the Banū Laḥyān (who were in fact diligently engaged in preparations to strike Madīnah); and found an opportunity at night and put an end to Sufyān. When the Banū Laḥyān found out about this, they pursued ‘Abdullāh ra , but he managed to vanish undetected. When ‘Abdullāh bin Anīs ra came before the Holy Prophet sa , the Holy Prophet sa immediately understood from the sight of his face that he had returned successfully. Hence, as soon as the Holy Prophet sa saw him, he said, ُ اَفْلَح َ الْوَجْه , i. e. , “This countenance appears to be one of success. ” ‘Abdullāh responded, and how beautifully indeed, ِ اَفْلَح َ وَجْھُك َ یَا رَسُوْل َ اللّٰه , i. e. , “O Messenger of Allāh! All success belongs to You. ” At the time, the Holy Prophet sa endowed his staff to ‘Abdullāh ra as a reward and said, “This staff shall give you support in paradise. ” ‘Abdullāh ra safeguarded this blessed staff with immense love and sincerity, and upon his demise asked for it to be buried with him. Thus, his wish was complied with accordingly. 1 The joy which was expressed by the Holy Prophet sa upon the successful return of ‘Abdullāh ra and the special reward which was granted to him demonstrates that the Holy Prophet sa considered the sedition of Sufyān bin Khālid to be extremely dangerous and considered his execution to be a source of mercy for the public peace. 2 Treachery of the Disbelievers and the Incident of Rajī‘ - Ṣafar 4 A. H. These were days of grave danger for the Muslims and the Holy 1 * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 275, Sariyyah ‘Abdillāh bin Unais, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 2, pp. 473-474, Sariyyah ‘Abdillāh bin Unais, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 2 The account of the execution of Sufyān bin Khālid is recorded in Ibni Hishām as well, but Ibni Hishām has mentioned it at the end of his work without specifying a date. Moreover, the name of the person who was executed has been recorded as Khālid bin Sufyān, instead of Sufyān bin Khālid. The rest of the details are practically the same. Please refer to: As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, p. 877, Ghazwatu ‘Abdillāh bin Unais Li-Qatli Khālid bin Sufyān. . . . . , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)