![Al Bara ibn Malik mosque, Benghazi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Al_Bara_ibn_Malik_mosque%2C_Benghazi.JPG)
Al-Barāʾ ibn Mālik al-Anṣārī ( ar, البراء بن مالك الأنصاري; died )
was one of the
Sahaba
The Companions of the Prophet ( ar, اَلصَّحَابَةُ; ''aṣ-ṣaḥāba'' meaning "the companions", from the verb meaning "accompany", "keep company with", "associate with") were the disciples and followers of Muhammad who saw or m ...
, an
Ansar belonging to the Banū al-Najjār branch of the
Banu Khazraj
The Banu Khazraj ( ar, بنو خزرج) is a large Arab tribe based in Medina. They were also in Medina during Muhammad's era.
The Banu Khazraj are a South Arabian tribe that were pressured out of South Arabia in the Karib'il Watar 7th century ...
.
al-Baraa' is the brother of
Anas ibn Malik.
A courageous warrior with exceptional combat skill, al-Baraa was a Muslim hero during
Early Muslim conquests
The early Muslim conquests or early Islamic conquests ( ar, الْفُتُوحَاتُ الإسْلَامِيَّة, ), also referred to as the Arab conquests, were initiated in the 7th century by Muhammad, the main Islamic prophet. He estab ...
who killed a hundred enemies in combat and personally breached the enemy fortress gates in the
Battle of Yamama
The Battle of Yamama was fought in December 632 as part of the Ridda Wars against a rebellion within the Rashidun Caliphate in the region of al-Yamama (in present-day Saudi Arabia) between the forces of Abu Bakr and Musaylima, a self-procla ...
and the
Siege of Shushtar
The siege of Shushtar was fought from 641 to 642 between the Sasanian Empire and the Muslim conquest of Persia, invading Arab Muslims of the Rashidun Caliphate. Shushtar was an ancient strong stronghold in Khuzestan, and was attacked by the Arabs u ...
.
al-Baraa' died around 641-642 as he succumbed to his wounds during his last siege in
Shushtar
Shushtar ( fa, شوشتر; also Romanized as Shūshtar and Shūstar and Shooshtar) is a city and capital of Shushtar County, Khuzestan Province, Iran.
Shushtar is an ancient fortress city, approximately from Ahvaz, the centre of the province ...
against
Sasanian Empire
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
Biography
Al-Bara' Hailed from Banu Ghanm clan,
sub branch of Banū al-Najjār branch belonged to the of the
Banu Khazraj
The Banu Khazraj ( ar, بنو خزرج) is a large Arab tribe based in Medina. They were also in Medina during Muhammad's era.
The Banu Khazraj are a South Arabian tribe that were pressured out of South Arabia in the Karib'il Watar 7th century ...
tribe.
During the time of the Prophet, al-Baraa' were working as camel
chanter.
During the
battle of Hunayn
:''This is a sub-article to Muhammad after the conquest of Mecca.''
The Battle of Hunayn ( ar, غَزْوَة حُنَيْن, Ghazwat Hunayn) was between the Muslims of Muhammad and the Bedouins of the Qays, including its clans of Hawazi ...
, al-Bara' has been rewarded
Khums
In Islam, khums ( ar, خُمْس , literally 'one fifth') refers to the required religious obligation of any Muslims to pay 20% of their acquired wealth from certain sources toward specified causes. It is treated differently in Shia and Su ...
or fifth portion of spoils of war which he got from enemies he slay personally.
Al-Bara' was said to participate in all
campaigns under Muhammad, except the
battle of Badr
The Battle of Badr ( ar, غَزْوَةُ بَدِرْ ), also referred to as The Day of the Criterion (, ) in the Quran, Qur'an and by Muslims, was fought on 13 March 624 CE (17 Ramadan (calendar month), Ramadan, 2 Anno Hegirae, AH), near the ...
.
Al-Bara' also recorded to participate in the
pledge of the Tree
The Pledge of the Tree ( ar, بيعة الشجرة '' bayʻat ash-shajarah'') or Pledge of Satisfaction (Arabic: ''bayʻat ar-riḍwān'') or Pledge of Ridwan was a pledge that was sworn to the Islamic prophet Muhammad by his ''Sahaba'' (compan ...
during
the first pilgrimage.
al-Bara' also recorded having participate in the
Battle of Hunayn
:''This is a sub-article to Muhammad after the conquest of Mecca.''
The Battle of Hunayn ( ar, غَزْوَة حُنَيْن, Ghazwat Hunayn) was between the Muslims of Muhammad and the Bedouins of the Qays, including its clans of Hawazi ...
, where he received a fifth spoils of war for every person he killed during the battle.
Ridda wars
Following the death of the Prophet, the Muslims began to leave Islam in groups just as they had entered it. Caliph Abu Bakr dispatched eleven armies to fight the leaders of the rebellion in what became known as the
Ridda wars
The Ridda Wars ( ar, حُرُوْبُ الرِّدَّةِ, lit=Apostasy Wars) were a series of military campaigns launched by the first caliph Abu Bakr against rebellious Arabian tribes. They began shortly after the death of the Islamic proph ...
.
During the
Battle of Yamama
The Battle of Yamama was fought in December 632 as part of the Ridda Wars against a rebellion within the Rashidun Caliphate in the region of al-Yamama (in present-day Saudi Arabia) between the forces of Abu Bakr and Musaylima, a self-procla ...
, al-Baraa' played distinguished role as when the rebels army under
Musailamah Al Kadhab and his 40,000 soldiers from
Banu Hanifa fortified themselves into the fortress which named ''Garden of Death'',
Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl
( ar, عكرمة بن أبي جهل عمرو بن هشام; born: 598 CE) was a leading opponent-turned companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a Muslim commander in the Ridda wars and the conquest of Syria. In the latter campaign, he w ...
and
Khalid ibn al-Walid struggled to break through the high walls of the garden until al-Baraa' suggested they place him on a shield and using spears and catapults al-Baraa' into the fortress wall. The Muslims agreed with al-Baraa' plan and al-Baraa' immediately fell into the fortress as intended, killing many town guards on the wall and fortress gate inside singlehandedly and rushed towards the gate and open it alone from inside, allowing Muslim forces under Khalid ibn al Walid to swarm inside and killed 20,000 of the apostates, including their leader Musailama, killed by
Wahshi and
Abu Dujana al Ansari.
During this battle, Ibn Hajar also noted a testimony of al-Bara' himself that he engaged in a duel against a huge Musaylamah warrior nicknamed ''Himar al Yamama'' (donkey of Yamama).
Al-Bara managed to cut one of his foot with his sword, and caused him dropped to the ground, Then al-Bara grab the man's sword and finishing him by using his own sword.
Despite suffered grave injuries which numbered over 80 wounds, al-Baraa' managed to survive on the aftermath of the Yamama battle. After the battle, Khalid ibn al Walid was said to personally visit his tents where he still treating his wound and rest.
Conquest of Persia
![IslamicConquestsIroon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/IslamicConquestsIroon.png)
On the onset of
early naval incursion against Persia which started from
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
, al-Baraa' participated the naval expedition embarked from
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
led by
Al-Ala al-Hadhrami Al-Ala al-Hadrami ( ar, العلاء الحضرمي, al-ʿAlāʾ al-Haḍramī; died 635–636 or 641–642) was an early Muslim commander and the tax collector of Bahrayn (eastern Arabia) under the Islamic prophet Muhammad in and Bahrayn's govern ...
and
Arfaja al-Bariqi to expel
Sasanian Empire
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
forces in the Island of .
In the final battle of this island in the fortress of Zarah, al-Baraa' killed the
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
Marzban
Marzbān, or Marzpān (Middle Persian transliteration: mrzwpn, derived from ''marz'' "border, boundary" and the suffix ''-pān'' "guardian"; Modern Persian: ''Marzbān'') were a class of margraves, warden of the marches, and by extension milita ...
commander of the area in duel, and managed to seize the wealth of the said commander of 30,000 coins after the battle.
However, caliph '
Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...
saw that it was too much for single person to acquire spoils of war that huge, so the Caliph decided that al-Bara' should be given a four portions after it being divided into five, while one portion are sent for the caliphate treasury.
Later, during the
Muslim conquest of Persia
The Muslim conquest of Persia, also known as the Arab conquest of Iran, was carried out by the Rashidun Caliphate from 633 to 654 AD and led to the fall of the Sasanian Empire as well as the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion.
Th ...
, al-Bara' participated in the
battle of al-Qadisiyyah
The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah ( ar, مَعْرَكَة ٱلْقَادِسِيَّة, Maʿrakah al-Qādisīyah; fa, نبرد قادسیه, Nabard-e Qâdisiyeh) was an armed conflict which took place in 636 CE between the Rashidun Caliphate and the ...
, where he was urged by other soldiers to pray for victory on this difficult battle, since the Muslim soldiers in that battle believed if al-Baraa' prayed, his wishes will always be granted by
Allah
Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...
.
During
Muslim conquest of Khuzestan
The Muslim conquest of Khuzestan took place from 637/8 to 642, and ended with the acquisition of the rich Khuzistan (Sasanian province), Khuzestan Province by the Rashidun Caliphate.
History Early Muslim incursions and the fall of Hormizd-Ard ...
, The highest commander of Muslim army,
Abu Musa al-Ash'ari
Abu Musa Abd Allah ibn Qays al-Ash'ari ( ar, أبو موسى عبد الله بن قيس الأشعري, Abū Mūsā ʿAbd Allāh ibn Qays al-Ashʿarī), better known as Abu Musa al-Ash'ari ( ar, أبو موسى الأشعري, Abū Mūsā al-Ash ...
requested to the caliph to provide him with elite guards from
Ansar (military) The Ansar were a group of people consisting of three or four tribes, living in Madinah, who gave aid and protection to prophet Mohammed and his followers. This help came about after they suffered years of hardships and torture at the hands of the lo ...
component, which replied by Umar to sent a group of Ansaris including al-Bara' ibn Malik along with his brother, Anas.
In the campaign on Khuzestan, the Muslims faced a particularly difficult battle on the bridge of
Susa
Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo-Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...
, eastern of
Tigris
The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...
river, as the enemy gained upper hand at the first of the battle.
Thus the Muslims soldiers once again came to al-Bara' asking for prayer, and after al-Bara' finished his prayer, the Muslims fight again until the managed to gained upper hand and seized victory.
Later, during the
Siege of Shushtar
The siege of Shushtar was fought from 641 to 642 between the Sasanian Empire and the Muslim conquest of Persia, invading Arab Muslims of the Rashidun Caliphate. Shushtar was an ancient strong stronghold in Khuzestan, and was attacked by the Arabs u ...
, al-Baraa' once again gave important contribution as he and
Mujaz'ah ibn Thawr as-Sadusi
Mujazʾah ibn Thawr al-Sadūsī ( ar, مجزأة بن ثور السدوسي), was a Muslim army commander and a companion of the Prophet who hailed from the clan of Sadus, a branch of the Banu Shayban tribe. Mujaz'ah was said have attended 80 ...
lead a small team of 35 soldiers to sneak from the waterway under the impenetrable fortress wall that has been besieged for almost one year,
and killing many guards on the city gate before opened the gate and allowed the Muslims army under
Abu Musa al-Ash'ari
Abu Musa Abd Allah ibn Qays al-Ash'ari ( ar, أبو موسى عبد الله بن قيس الأشعري, Abū Mūsā ʿAbd Allāh ibn Qays al-Ashʿarī), better known as Abu Musa al-Ash'ari ( ar, أبو موسى الأشعري, Abū Mūsā al-Ash ...
storm the city and subdue the town.
According to his own word that has been recorded in ''
Siyar A'lam Nubala'' chronicle written by
Al-Dhahabi
Shams ad-Dīn adh-Dhahabī (), also known as Shams ad-Dīn Abū ʿAbdillāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿUthmān ibn Qāymāẓ ibn ʿAbdillāh at-Turkumānī al-Fāriqī ad-Dimashqī (5 October 1274 – 3 February 1348) was an Islamic historia ...
and in ''
Usd al-ghabah fi marifat al-Saḥabah
''Usd al-ghabah fi marifat al-Saḥabah'' ( ar, أسد الغابة في معرفة الصحابة, lit= The Lions of the Forest and the knowledge about the Companions), commonly known as ''Usa al-Gabah'', is a book by scholar Ali ibn al-Athir. W ...
'' chronicle which written by
Ibn al-Athir
Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ash-Shaybānī, better known as ʿAlī ʿIzz ad-Dīn Ibn al-Athīr al-Jazarī ( ar, علي عز الدین بن الاثیر الجزري) lived 1160–1233) was an Arab or Kurdish historian a ...
, al-Bara' ibn Malik singlehandedly slayed at least 100
Sassanid soldiers during this battle alone.
Death
Muslim chroniclers recorded two versions regarding when al-Bara' fallen on the battle:
* According to
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani
Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī or ''Ibn Ḥajar'' ( ar, ابن حجر العسقلاني, full name: ''Shihābud-Dīn Abul-Faḍl Aḥmad ibn Nūrud-Dīn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī al-Kināni'') (18 February 1372 – 2 Febru ...
version The martyrdom al-Bara' was seeking was gained in the Siege of Shushtar in Persia, but only after he rescued his brother Anas from the molten hooks, which caused he suffered grief injury to the point that his own palms melted and showing the bones in his effort to break the chain from Anas, al-Baraa' succumbed to the wound shortly after Anas were rescued.
* Meanwhile,
Malik ibn Anas
Malik ibn Anas ( ar, مَالِك بن أَنَس, 711–795 CE / 93–179 AH), whose full name is Mālik bin Anas bin Mālik bin Abī ʿĀmir bin ʿAmr bin Al-Ḥārith bin Ghaymān bin Khuthayn bin ʿAmr bin Al-Ḥārith al-Aṣbaḥī ...
,
Tabari,
Bukhari Bukhari or Bokhari () means "from Bukhara (Uzbekistan)" in Persian, Arabic, Urdu and Hebrew, and may refer to:
People
* al-Bukhari (810–870), Islamic hadith scholar and author of the
* Bukhari Daud (1959–2021), Indonesian academician and re ...
,
Ibn Hibban
Muḥammad ibn Hibbān al-Bustī () (c. 270–354/884–965) was a Muslim Arab scholar, Muhaddith, historian and author of well-known works, “Sheikh of Khorasan”.
Biography
Ibn Hibban was born in 270 AH (884 CE) in Bust or Bost in present-da ...
, and
Ibn Manda
Abū ʿAbdullāh Muḥammad bin Isḥāq Ibn Manda (d. 395/1004–5) was an eminent Isfahani Sunni Hadith scholar of Persian origin.
Overview of the Ibn Manda Family
In classical ''hadīth'' literature, the name "Ibn Manda" may refer to vari ...
reported the second version that al-Baraa' was fallen indeed in siege of Shushtar, but not by the molten steel hook of Sassanid army, instead he died at the hand of
Hormuzan
Hormuzan (Middle Persian: ''Hormazdān'', New Persian: ) was a Persian aristocrat who served as the governor of Khuzestan, and was one of the Sasanian military officers at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah. He was later taken prisoner by the Muslims a ...
in this battle.
al-Dhahabi
Shams ad-Dīn adh-Dhahabī (), also known as Shams ad-Dīn Abū ʿAbdillāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿUthmān ibn Qāymāẓ ibn ʿAbdillāh at-Turkumānī al-Fāriqī ad-Dimashqī (5 October 1274 – 3 February 1348) was an Islamic historia ...
favored this version as he deemed this authentic,
which also narrated by
al-Bayhaqi.
Al-Dhahabi also add note that al-Bara' was twenty years old during his death.
Character assessment
Chroniclers describe that al-Baraa' was skinny and thin in appearance but extremely brave on the battlefield.
However, this attribute were viewed as downside by
Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...
ibn al Khattab, as the caliph once gave message to his generals to never assign al-Baraa' to hold any command position, since Umar saw al-Baraa' reckless bravery will expose his own soldiers to dangers.
Nevertheless, despite his doubt on al-Bara' leadership, caliph Umar still valued al-Bara' martial prowess, as remarked by modern writer Khalid Muhammad Khalid in his book, ''Rijala Hawla Rasulullah Shalallahu 'Alaihi Wassalam'', that during
Muslim conquest of Khuzestan
The Muslim conquest of Khuzestan took place from 637/8 to 642, and ended with the acquisition of the rich Khuzistan (Sasanian province), Khuzestan Province by the Rashidun Caliphate.
History Early Muslim incursions and the fall of Hormizd-Ard ...
, when Suhayl ibn Adiyy were sent by
Abu Musa al-Ash'ari
Abu Musa Abd Allah ibn Qays al-Ash'ari ( ar, أبو موسى عبد الله بن قيس الأشعري, Abū Mūsā ʿAbd Allāh ibn Qays al-Ashʿarī), better known as Abu Musa al-Ash'ari ( ar, أبو موسى الأشعري, Abū Mūsā al-Ash ...
to invade
Ahwaz
Ahvaz ( fa, اهواز, Ahvâz ) is a city in the southwest of Iran and the capital of Khuzestan province. Ahvaz's population is about 1,300,000 and its built-up area with the nearby town of Sheybani is home to 1,136,989 inhabitants. It is hom ...
, caliph Umar specifically instructed Abu Musa to include al-Bara' within Suhayl invading force.
Anas ibn Malik were recorded to say that al-Bara' had beautiful voice and loved reciting poems frequently, until Anas persuade his brother to recite
Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...
instead of poetries.
Prayer
Chroniclers narrated that prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
once praised al-Baraa' as a pious figure whose prayer will be always responded by
Allah
Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...
, despite his poor and underestimated social status.
Caliphate soldiers during battle of Qadisiyyah believed the miraculous prayer of al-Bara' urged al-Bara' to use his prayer to win the battle,
as they though the battle of Qadisiyyah, were difficult to won.
While another record during the battle of the bridge of Susa in Iran, the Muslim soldiers once again came to al-Bara' to seek for his prayer to win the battle.
Meanwhile, during the siege of Shushtar, Muslim historians also though that it is due to al-Baraa' prayer that the fortress of
Shushtar
Shushtar ( fa, شوشتر; also Romanized as Shūshtar and Shūstar and Shooshtar) is a city and capital of Shushtar County, Khuzestan Province, Iran.
Shushtar is an ancient fortress city, approximately from Ahvaz, the centre of the province ...
can be subdued by Muslim forces, despite the city was very hard to subdue and believed to be almost impossible to breach by any military mean.
various narration further adds that al-Barra' also included his victorious prayer that he also wished to get killed by enemy in the battle of Susa bridge, so he can achieve
martyrdom
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
.
Legacy
Scholar analysis
al-Bara' is viewed highly in the Islamic scholarly community in general,
as Companions of the Prophet, collectively named ''
al-salaf al-ṣāliḥ'' (pious ancestors), they are regarded as their as daily religious role model.
This view was outlined by
Ibn Taymiyyah, both in their figure as a guideline and in practicing Islamic religious observances.
Ibn Taymiyyah further observes the special rank within the Companions from the Ansar, which are according to him, vital for the faith, as he quoted the hadith, "love for the Ansar is a sign of
Iman, while hatred against them is a sign of
hypocrisy".
Spoils of war
Scholars of Islamic
Fiqh
''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh.
The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...
jurisprudence have taken notes regarding al-Bara' case when his managed to seize massive amount of a spoils of war during the battle in Darin island, after he managed to subdue Sassanid fortress and killing the commander, which immediately ruled by Umar the spoils from the enemy seized by al-Bara' should be divided by five, whereas four portions be given to al-Bara, while one portion are separated to be combined to the total amount spoils of the battle.
incident has discussed about the rulings in
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
jurisprudence on the later era about how every single soldier has a right for a
Khums
In Islam, khums ( ar, خُمْس , literally 'one fifth') refers to the required religious obligation of any Muslims to pay 20% of their acquired wealth from certain sources toward specified causes. It is treated differently in Shia and Su ...
, or four of a fifth portion of
spoils of war, according to his performance deeds in the battlefield.
Averroes
Ibn Rushd ( ar, ; full name in ; 14 April 112611 December 1198), often Latinized as Averroes ( ), was an
Andalusian polymath and jurist who wrote about many subjects, including philosophy, theology, medicine, astronomy, physics, psy ...
from
Maliki
The ( ar, مَالِكِي) school is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. It was founded by Malik ibn Anas in the 8th century. The Maliki school of jurisprudence relies on the Quran and hadiths as primary ...
school remarked this record in his book ''Bidayat al Mujtahid Wa Nihayat al Muqtashid'' which he got from the tradition of
Ibn Abi Shaybah
Ibn Abī Shaybah or Imām Abū Bakr Ibn Abī Shaybah or Abū Bakr ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad Ibn Abī Shaybah Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUthmān al-ʿAbasī al-Kūfī (Arabic: امام أبو بكر عبد الله بن محمد بن أبي شيبة إب ...
and
Ibn Sirin
Muhammad Ibn Sirin ( ar, محمد بن سيرين) (born in Basra) was a Muslim tabi' who lived in the 8th century CE. He was a contemporary of Anas ibn Malik. He is claimed by some to have been an interpreter of dreams, though others regard t ...
, that the case of al-Bara' divided share were the first case in Islam history, and has become guidelines by later jurists to measure the rights of soldiers regarding spoils of war.
While Ibn Mawaz, another Maliki scholar, has denied this al-Bara' tradition regarding spoils of war, as he though he never know such Hadith existed.
However,
Izz al-Din ibn 'Abd al-Salam
Abū Muḥammad ʿIzz al-Dīn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz bin ʿAbd al-Salām bin Abī al-Qāsim bin Ḥasan al-Sulamī al-Shāfiʿī ( ar, أبو محمد عز الدين عبد العزيز بن عبد السلام بن أبي القاسم بن حسن ا ...
, a
Shafiite scholar and Mamluk general in 12th AD century who led
Baibars
Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari ( ar, الملك الظاهر ركن الدين بيبرس البندقداري, ''al-Malik al-Ẓāhir Rukn al-Dīn Baybars al-Bunduqdārī'') (1223/1228 – 1 July 1277), of Turkic Kipchak ...
army against
Louis IX of France
Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the ...
crusaders
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...
and
Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate ( fa, ایل خانان, ''Ilxānān''), known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (, ''Qulug-un Ulus''), was a khanate established from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. The Ilkhanid realm, ...
Mongol, dismissing Ibn Mawaz claim and has arguing with another tradition that this practice has been done before as Muhammad during the
battle of Hunayn
:''This is a sub-article to Muhammad after the conquest of Mecca.''
The Battle of Hunayn ( ar, غَزْوَة حُنَيْن, Ghazwat Hunayn) was between the Muslims of Muhammad and the Bedouins of the Qays, including its clans of Hawazi ...
, and Muhammad even gave the fifth spoils to al-Bara',
the very same person who were given the fifth by Umar in Darin island battle.
Martyrdom
since ''Madhhab Sahabi''(
opinion
An opinion is a judgment, viewpoint, or statement that is not conclusive, rather than facts, which are true statements.
Definition
A given opinion may deal with subjective matters in which there is no conclusive finding, or it may deal with f ...
of the
Companions of the Prophet
The Companions of the Prophet ( ar, اَلصَّحَابَةُ; ''aṣ-ṣaḥāba'' meaning "the companions", from the verb meaning "accompany", "keep company with", "associate with") were the disciples and followers of Muhammad who saw or m ...
) were accepted as one of the
jurisprudence
Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...
source in Islam,
The historical act of al-Bara' to seek martyrdom in Jihad by plunging himself inside enemy castle in the Battle of Yamamah, where the enemy barricaded themselves, are translated by Islamist factions with
Extremism
Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered (by the speaker or by some implied shar ...
view that the
Terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
act using
Suicide attack
A suicide attack is any violent Strike (attack), attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has suicide, accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have oc ...
with
IED were allowed in modern analogy (
Qiyas).
Thus, leading some extremist movements such as
Free Syrian Army,
ISIS
Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...
Kurdistan
Ansar as Sunna Group,
and
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
in various regions to form a suicide squad which they named, in curiously similar theme, as "''al-Bara Ibn Malik Martyrs' Brigade''" in accordance to their apparent attempt to associate their acts with al Bara' in Yamama.
However, this view were rejected by contemporary Islamic scholars,
particularly those in line with the view of
Abdullah Ibn Jibreen,
Abd al-Aziz Bin Baz and
Muhammad ibn al-Uthaymeen
Muhammad bin Salih al-Uthaymeen (March 9, 1929 – January 10, 2001; Arabic: محمد بن صالح العثيمين), also known as Muhammad ibn al-Uthaymeen, was a prominent Islamic scholar from Saudi Arabia.
Biography
Uthaymeen was born on ...
,
three of prominent
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
Mufti
A Mufti (; ar, مفتي) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatwas'' played an important rol ...
s and clerics, opined that the act of al-Baraa' cannot be analogized as an act suicide bombings particularly for three different reasons:
# Method which done by al-Bara' were not determinantly suicide in nature, despite the high chance of fatality for such act.
# The act of al-Baraa' were authorized by legal government which had de facto and de jure authority. in this case are the
Rashidun Caliphate
The Rashidun Caliphate ( ar, اَلْخِلَافَةُ ٱلرَّاشِدَةُ, al-Khilāfah ar-Rāšidah) was the first caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was ruled by the first four successive caliphs of Muhammad after his ...
, which al-Baraa' owed his allegiance.
While modern day terrorist organizations were non-state actors, which cannot burdened and binded with treaty, pact or responsibility.
# The targets of modern-day terrorists are not in line with al-Bara aggression in Yamama, since al-Bara' were targeting legitimate hostile combatants on the battlefield, while non-state terrorists also targeting illegitimate subjects recklessly, such as fellow Muslim civilians and
Dhimmi
' ( ar, ذمي ', , collectively ''/'' "the people of the covenant") or () is a historical term for non-Muslims living in an Islamic state with legal protection. The word literally means "protected person", referring to the state's obligatio ...
non-Muslims who are forbidden to be harassed in Islamic beliefs.
Furthermore, the act of suicide bombing terrorism during modern day in Palestine were deemed by Ibn Uthaymeen not beneficial to Islam and it will only do harm to the Muslim communities in Palestine, and to the perpetrator of the act as the bombers were threaten with hellfire in the afterlife.
The Fatwa by Abdu al-Aziz ibn Baz were particularly aimed to deny the ruling from
Yusuf al-Qaradawi
Yusuf al-Qaradawi ( ar, يوسف القرضاوي, translit=Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwī; or ''Yusuf al-Qardawi''; 9 September 1926 – 26 September 2022) was an Egyptian Islamic scholar based in Doha, Qatar, and chairman of the International Union of ...
who viewed that the
Martyrdom
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
act of al-Bara' in battle and
Ashabul Ukhdud in Yemen were viewed the same as suicide bombers in modern time.
Modern day
grand Mufti
The Grand Mufti (also called Chief Mufti, State Mufti and Supreme Mufti) is the head of regional muftis, Islamic jurisconsults, of a state. The office originated in the early modern era in the Ottoman empire and has been later adopted in a num ...
of Saudi
Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, further strengthened his predecessors view by issuing
Fatwa particularly disallow terroristm act of suicide bombing.
Like the Salafi scholars before him, Abdulaziz al-Sheikh similarly saying suicide bombers does not represent the jurisprudential analogy with al-Bara' martyrdom, thus dismissing claim from proponents of modern-day practice of terrorism using suicide bombing as Jihad.
Institutions & landmarks
In 20th AD modern era, there are several places and institutes which named over al-Bara ibn Malik, such as Al Bara' Bin Malik Mixed Elementary School in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
.
While in
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
, al-Bara' ibn Malik were also used as street name.
See also
*
Sunni view of the Sahaba
*
List of Sahabah
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
Ridda wars
The Ridda Wars ( ar, حُرُوْبُ الرِّدَّةِ, lit=Apostasy Wars) were a series of military campaigns launched by the first caliph Abu Bakr against rebellious Arabian tribes. They began shortly after the death of the Islamic proph ...
*
Early Caliphate navy
The Arab Empire maintained and expanded a wide trade network across parts of Asia, Africa and Europe. This helped establish the Arab Empire (including the Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid caliphates) as the world's leading extensive econo ...
References
Footnotes
Secondary sources
Online biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bara Ibn Malik
640 deaths
Sahabah hadith narrators
Year of birth unknown
Sahabah martyrs
Khazrajite people
People of the Muslim conquest of Persia
Ansar (Islam)
Ridda Wars
Articles containing Arabic-language text