Abu Mihjan Al-Thaqafy
The scholars of Islamic history have said, "The lives of the companions are enough of a proof of the prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ". Meaning if you study the impact and influence the Prophet ﷺ had on the companions, you will find enough proof that he is a true prophet.
﴿لَقَدْ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ لَفِى ضَلَـٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ﴾
"Certainly did Allāh confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book [i.e., the Qur’ān] and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error."
- Quran 3:164, Ali 'Imran
The life of a lesser well known companion: Abu Mihjan Al-Thaqafy, may Allah be pleased with him.
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His conversion to Islam came late possibly in the 9th year of Ramadan in the Prophet's lifetime
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making him a Companion, though we have no direct interactions with the Prophet ﷺ
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A Man of Great Strengths and One Glaring Weakness (alcoholic)
Abu Mihjan was a man of
- immense strength and character
- known for his courage, horsemanship, and eloquence as a poet.
- was also financially of means and was very generous
- hailed from the powerful tribe of Banu Thaqif.
He ticked many boxes of admirable qualities. However, he struggled with one significant weakness: alcohol. As Ibn Abd al-Barr and Ibn al-Athir narrate, he could not seem to abandon it, despite punishments and admonishments. Overall strong, but he couldn’t give up his alcohol.
The scholars emphasize he had many strengths but 1 glaring weakness.
Many of the scholars talk about this, how can someone be so strong in battle but fall in this regard. How can someone be so strong in external battles, willing to die for Allah, yet struggle with personal weaknesses?
This highlights the concept of jihad al-nafs (struggle against the self) as the ultimate battlefield, the mujahadah of the self. This internal struggle is often the most challenging. If you're able to overcome yourself, you'll be able to overcome anyone else. It’s why the Prophet ﷺ famously said after returning from battle we are returning from the lesser jihad to the greater jihad. رجعنا من الجهاد الأصغر إلى الجهاد الأكبر، قالوا: وما الجهاد الأكبر؟ قال: جهاد القلب “ We have come back from the lesser jihad to the greater jihaad.”They said, what is the greater jihaad? The Prophet ﷺ said: “the jihaad of the heart”. (Bayhaqi)
Despite his substance addiction, a major sin mind you, Abu Bakr still used him during his khilafah. Which teaches us that there is still benefit in people even when they are struggling with major sins. Abu Bakr sees benefit in him. He's an asset to the Ummah overall, despite struggling with a major sin. The way of the companions who received their training from the Prophet(sas) is to always see the good in people and use their skills and talents for the Ummah.
Exile and the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah
During the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra)
- Abu Mihjan was repeatedly punished for drinking, receiving floggings seven or some reports eight times. So he was clearly struggling with substance abuse with repeated relapses.
- Eventually, Umar exiled him to an island. But he sent a man to be with him
- However, Abu Mihjan managed to escape from exile and made his way to Persia, where Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) was preparing for the legendary Battle of al-Qadisiyyah. The decisive victory which ended the Persian Empire.
- Abu Mihjan was known for his heroic capacity in the battlefield, he lives for moments like this, his highly skilled on the battlefield. So he begs Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqas to let him participate.
At the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah
Sa'd, following orders from Umar(ra), had him chained. The leader of the believers are clear instructions for Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqas. Sa’d chains him and says I’ll deal with you later.
Umar’s other letters to Sa’d include:
I command you and those with you to be more on guard against sins than against your enemy… The Muslims are only given victory because their enemy disobeys Allah... so if we become equal in disobedience, they will have superiority over us in strength… Ask Allah for help against your own selves just as you ask Him for victory over your enemy.
Abu Mihjan, seeing the preparations for battle, was overcome with grief.
He recited poetry lamenting his fate: "What sorrow is it that the horses are driven by their spears, while I am here in this pathetic state, bound in my chains?"
And he cried and cried realizing his sin was keeping him from a deep moment with the companions. And perhaps it dawned upon him that my wasting away personally is hurting my community. They need me and my skills right now, they could benefit from me, but bc I keep relapsing to alcohol I’m prevented from this historic moment.
He pleads with Sa'd's wife to release him so he could participate in the campaign:
- if I die, you'll be rid of me and you wouldn't face trouble with Sa'd
- if I survive, I promise to return and chain myself back as Sa'd left me
She believed in his sincerity and released him. He’s not trying to escape responsibility for his sins, he’s wanting to participate to support the Muslims and he has something to offer.
Abu Mihjan, wraps his face to conceal his identity, mounts one of Sa'd's Ibn Abi Waqas horse, Al-Balqa, and he shows up right as the main battle of Qadissiya is taking place. He fought with such ferocity and bravery, cutting through the enemy lines, that the Muslim soldiers were astonished. So after the battle they look for the masked man who came and fought so bravely, the masked man who was on al-Balqa. But he disappeared.
Some companions said it must be an angel. This man appears out of nowhere and we have witnessed this in the Battle of Badr. And he does what he does and he suddenly disappears
Sa’d on the other hand recognizes 1. his horse, and 2. his fighting style, but he’s also not sure bc her remembers leaving him chained
After the battle, he returned to his chains, as promised.
When Sa'd returned, his wife recounted the events. Sa'd was deeply moved. He approached Abu Mihjan and declared, "By Allah, after today, I will never strike a man again through whom Allah granted the Muslims what He granted them on his hands." Abu Mihjan, in turn, swore "By Allah, this time, I will never drink again in my life…” in one of the narrations he says “I used to drink it believing that the punishment will purify me” “I only used to continue to drink it bc I was too proud the people will say Abu Mihjan stopped bc someone hit him.” And the scholars say this is one of the tricks of shaytan. “I’m not going to start doing what Allah commanded me to do bc other people told me, I’m going to do it when I want to do it.”
He never returned to alcohol and later died as a martyr in one of the subsequent conquests.
So many profound individual, communal, and Ummatic lessons from this story which we’ll cover in 2nd Khutbah.
الخطبة الثانية · Second Khutbah
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلَـٰۤىِٕكَتَهُۥ یُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِیِّۚ یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ صَلُّوا۟ عَلَیۡهِ وَسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسۡلِیمًا﴿ ٥٦ ﴾
Al-Aḥzāb, Ayah 56
• Sahih International: Indeed, Allah sends blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to send] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace.
Al-Aḥzāb, Ayah 56
The story of Abu Mihjan offers some profound lessons:
Don't despair in the mercy of Allah
﴿۞ قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ﴾
“Tell them, (O Prophet): “My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of Allah's Mercy. Surely Allah forgives all sins. He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
— Quran 39:53
" قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ إِنَّكَ مَا دَعَوْتَنِي وَرَجَوْتَنِي غَفَرْتُ لَكَ عَلَى مَا كَانَ فِيكَ وَلاَ أُبَالِي يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ لَوْ بَلَغَتْ ذُنُوبُكَ عَنَانَ السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ اسْتَغْفَرْتَنِي غَفَرْتُ لَكَ وَلاَ أُبَالِي يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ إِنَّكَ لَوْ أَتَيْتَنِي بِقُرَابِ الأَرْضِ خَطَايَا ثُمَّ لَقِيتَنِي لاَ تُشْرِكُ بِي شَيْئًا لأَتَيْتُكَ بِقُرَابِهَا مَغْفِرَةً "
Anas bin Malik narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "“Allah, Blessed is He and Most High, said: ‘O son of Adam! Verily as long as you called upon Me and hoped in Me, I forgave you, despite whatever may have occurred from you, and I did not mind. O son of Adam! Were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky, then you sought forgiveness from Me, I would forgive you, and I would not mind. So son of Adam! If you came to me with sins nearly as great as the earth, and then you met Me not associating anything with Me, I would come to you with forgiveness nearly as great as it.’”"
2. Look at how the companions supported each other
Despite his repeated relapses, the companions didn’t give up hope in his correction.
3. Look at how Abu Mihjan didn’t lose hope in himself.
Abu Mihjan didn't allow his sin to waste his potential. He believed his purpose was bigger than his sin. Abu Mihjan didn't run away while in exile.
One of the tricks of shaytaan is to convince you "who are you to enjoin the good and forbid the evil" while you're in a sinful state.
Ibn Rajab says:
If only someone free of faults could admonish, then no one after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would admonish, because no one after him is infallible."
Each of us are Shepherds
al-Hasan al-Basri in this regard says:
And which of us does everything he says Shaytan would love to gain this from you: that no one would enjoin good and no one would forbid evil."
Abu Mihjan's realization while in chains was not just about Allah's forgiveness but also about his purpose. He recognized that his personal indulgence was preventing him from fulfilling his calling and contributing to the Ummah.
Be a person of ambition
Abu Mihjan utilized the grandeur of his ambition to pull him out of the depths of sin, rather than allowing despair from the depths of his to drown him.
Cherishing hidden actions
A sign of a sincere Muslim is that they cherish hidden actions. Abu Mihjan didn’t make his participation in the campaign about himself but rather about supporting his community in their time of need. He came back to serve his punishment.
Never think I’m only 1 person, what can I do?
Realize that Allah has placed you on this earth for a purpose beyond mere self-gratification. There is greatness within you to unlock, and your personal struggles should not hinder you from serving your community and humanity.
High agency as someone who believes they can influence outcomes and then actually acts like it. They don’t just react to the world; they engage, shape, and push back on it. A high-agency person treats the world like something they can shape, not just endure.
Sh. Muhammad Ghazali (Azhari scholar, d. 1996) sometimes used dark humour to draw attention to the predicament of the Muslims and the crisis in their thinking. Someone asked him: "Shaykh, do people have free will or are they compelled by fate?" الإنسان مسيّر أم مخيّر؟
Sh. Ghazali replied (as he recounts in his book "Aqidat al-Muslim” on the topic of Qadr): "The Westerner is free, while the Easterner is compelled!"
The man was like 🤯 so he explained (paraphrased):
"Westerners felt that they can build their own fates, so they set about using their brains and abilities until they took control of the fates of others. Then there's people like you who hang around to ask the scholars whether they have free will or not!"
Action Points:
- Seek specific means: If you are struggling with an addiction or recurring sin, actively seek out the practical, specific means (therapy, counseling, support groups) to overcome it, alongside your repentance to Allah.
- Connect to your purpose: Reflect on what truly matters. What impact do you want to have? How can you serve Allah and His creation? Let this grander vision motivate you to break free from self-destructive habits.
- Never despair: Always remember that Allah's mercy and love are boundless. He can forgive any sin and help you achieve your potential, no matter how many times you stumble, as long as you keep turning back to Him.
May Allah ﷻ protect us from our shortcomings and grant us strength in our internal and external battles.
O Turner of hearts, keep our hearts steadfast upon Your religion. O Controller of hearts, direct our hearts toward obedience to You.
May Allah ﷻ join us with the Messenger ﷺ, his beloved family, and his noble companions.