How the Companions Coped With Stress
Listed below are a compilation of ahadith found in the collections of hadith related to stressful events in the lives of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Click on the link to see a specific hadith.
The Story of Kab bin Malik's Repentance
Mental Illness Taken Into Account
Expecting Decrepitude Which Weakens Mind
Protection
Against Evil Thoughts
Companions
Experience Doubts
Woman With Partial Derangement
State of Mind of the Adulterer Taken Into Account
Narrated Abdullah bin Kab bin Malik Who, from among Kab's sons, was the
guide of Kab when he became blind: I heard Kab bin Malik narrating the story
of (the Ghazwa of) Tabuk in which he failed to take part. Kab said, "I
did not remain behind Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) in any Ghazwa that he fought except
the Ghazwa of Tabuk, and I failed to take part in the Ghazwa of Badr, but
Allah did not admonish anyone who had not participated in it, for in fact,
Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) had gone out in search of the caravan of Quraish till
Allah made them (i.e. the Muslims) and their enemy meet without any
appointment. I witnessed the night of Al-'Aqaba (pledge) with Allah's
Apostle (peace be upon him) when we pledged for Islam, and I would not exchange it for the Badr
battle although the Badr battle is more popular amongst the people than
it (i.e. Al-'Aqaba pledge). As for my news (in this battle of Tabuk), I
had never been stronger or wealthier than I was when I remained behind the
Prophet in that Ghazwa.
By Allah, never had I two she-camels before, but I had then at the time of this Ghazwa. Whenever Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) wanted to make a
Ghazwa, he used to hide his intention by apparently referring to different
Ghazwa till it was the time of that Ghazwa (of Tabuk) which Allah's Apostle
(peace be upon him) fought in severe heat, facing a long journey, desert, and the great number
of enemy. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) announced to the Muslims clearly (their
destination) so that they might get prepared for their Ghazwa. So he
informed them clearly of the destination he was going to. Allah's Apostle
(peace be upon him) was accompanied by a large number of Muslims who could not be listed in
a book namely, a register." Ka'b added, "Any man who intended to
be absent would think that the matter would remain hidden unless Allah
revealed it through Divine Revelation. So Allah's Apostle (peace be upon
him) fought that Ghazwa
at the time when the fruits had ripened and the shade looked pleasant.
Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) and his companions prepared for the battle and I started to
go out in order to get myself ready along with them, but I returned without
doing anything. I would say to myself, 'I can do that.' So I kept on
delaying it every now and then till the people got ready and Allah's Apostle
(peace be upon him) and the Muslims along with him departed, and I had not prepared anything for
my departure, and I said, I will prepare myself (for departure) one or two
days after him, and then join them.' In the morning following their
departure, I went out to get myself ready but returned having done
nothing. Then again in the next morning, I went out to get ready but
returned without doing anything.
Such was the case with me till they hurried away and the battle was missed
(by me). Even then I intended to depart to take them over. I wish I had
done so! But it was not in my luck. So, after the departure of Allah's
Apostle(peace be upon him), whenever I went out and walked amongst the people (i.e, the
remaining persons), it grieved me that I could see none around me, but
one accused of hypocrisy or one of those weak men whom Allah had excused.
Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) did not remember me till he reached Tabuk. So while he was
sitting amongst the people in Tabuk, he said, 'What did Ka'b do?' A man from
Banu Salama said, 'O Allah's Apostle! (peace be upon him) He has been stopped by his two Burdas
(i.e. garments) and his looking at his own flanks with pride.' Then Mu'adh
bin Jabal said, 'What a bad thing you have said! By Allah! O Allah's Apostle
(peace be upon him)! We know nothing about him but good.' Allah's Apostle
(peace be upon him) kept
silent." Ka'b bin Malik added, "When I heard that he (i.e. the
Prophet) was on his way back to Medina, I got dipped in my concern, and
began to think of false excuses, saying to myself, 'How can I avoid his
anger tomorrow?' And I took the advice of wise member of my family in
this matter. Then it was said that Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him), had come near all the
evil false excuses abandoned from my mind and I knew well that I could never
come out of this problem by forging a false Statement. Then I decided firmly
to speak the truth. So Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) arrived in the morning, and whenever
he returned from a journey., he used to visit the mosque first of all and
offer a two-Rak'at prayer therein and then sit for the people. So when he
had done all that (this time), those who had failed to join the battle (of
Tabuk) came and started offering (false) excuses and taking oaths before
him. They were something over eighty men; Allah's Apostle (peace be
upon him) accepted the
excuses they had expressed, took their pledge of allegiance, asked for
Allah's Forgiveness for them, and left the secrets of their hearts for
Allah to judge. Then I came to him, and when I greeted him, he smiled a
smile of an angry person and then said, 'Come on.' So I came walking till I
sat before him. He said to me, 'What stopped you from joining us. Had you
not purchased an animal For carrying you?' I answered, "Yes, O Allah's
Apostle (peace be upon him)! But by Allah, if I were sitting before any person from among
the people of the world other than you, I would have avoided his anger with
an excuse.
By Allah, I have been bestowed with the power of speaking fluently and
eloquently, but by Allah, I knew well that if today I tell you a lie to seek
your favor, Allah would surely make you angry with me in the near future,
but if I tell you the truth, though you will get angry because of it, I hope
for Allah's Forgiveness. Really, by Allah, there was no excuse for me. By
Allah, I had never been stronger or wealthier than I was when I remained
behind you.' Then Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said, 'As regards this man, he has
surely told the truth. So get up till Allah decides your case.' I got up,
and many men of Banu Salama followed me and said to me. 'By Allah, we never
witnessed you doing any sin before this. Surely, you failed to offer excuse
to Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) as the others who did not join him, have offered.
The prayer of Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) to Allah to forgive you would have been
sufficient for you.' By Allah, they continued blaming me so much that I
intended to return (to the Prophet) and accuse myself of having told a lie,
but I said to them, 'Is there anybody else who has met the same fate as I
have?' They replied, 'Yes, there are two men who have said the same thing as
you have, and to both of them was given the same order as given to you.' I
said, 'Who are they?' They replied, Murara bin Ar-Rabi Al-Amri and Hilal bin
Umaiya Al-Waqifi.' By that they mentioned to me two pious men who had
attended the Ghazwa (Battle) of Badr, and in whom there was an example for
me. So I did not change my mind when they mentioned them to me.
Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) forbade all the Muslims to talk to us, the three aforesaid persons out of all those who had remained behind in that Ghazwa. So we kept away from the people and they changed their attitude towards us till the very land (where I lived) appeared strange to me as if I did not know it. We remained in that condition for fifty nights. As regards my two fellows, they remained in their houses and kept on weeping, but I was the youngest of them and the firmest of them, so I used to go out and witness the prayers along with the Muslims and roam about in the markets, but none would talk to me, and I would come to Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) and greet him while he was sitting in his gathering after the prayer, and I would wonder whether the Prophet (peace be upon him) did move his lips in return to my greetings or not. Then I would offer my prayer near to him and look at him stealthily. When I was busy with my prayer, he would turn his face towards me, but when I turned my face to him, he would turn his face away from me. When this harsh attitude of the people lasted long, I walked till I scaled the wall of the garden of Abu Qatada who was my cousin and dearest person to me, and I offered my greetings to him. By Allah, he did not return my greetings. I said, 'O Abu Qatada! I beseech you by Allah! Do you know that I love Allah and His Apostle?' He kept quiet. I asked him again, beseeching him by Allah, but he remained silent. Then I asked him again in the Name of Allah. He said, "Allah and His Apostle know it better.'
Thereupon my eyes flowed with tears and I returned and jumped over the wall." Ka'b added, "While I was walking in the market of Medina, suddenly I saw a Nabati (i.e. a Christian farmer) from the Nabatis of Sham who came to sell his grains in Medina, saying, 'Who will lead me to Kab bin Malik?' The people began to point (me) out for him till he came to me and handed me a letter from the king of Ghassan in which the following was written: "To proceed, I have been informed that your friend (i.e. the Prophet ) has treated you harshly. Anyhow, Allah does not let you live at a place where you feel inferior and your right is lost. So join us, and we will console you."
When I read it, I said to myself, 'This is also a sort of a test.' Then I
took the letter to the oven and made a fire therein by burning it. When
forty out of the fifty nights elapsed, behold! There came to me the
messenger of Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him)and said, 'Allah's Apostle
(peace be upon him) orders you to keep
away from your wife,' I said, 'Should I divorce her; or else! what
should I do?' He said, 'No, only keep aloof from her and do not cohabit
her.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) sent the same message to my two fellows. Then I said to my
wife. 'Go to your parents and remain with them till Allah gives His Verdict
in this matter." Kab added, "The wife of Hilal bin Umaiya came to
the Apostle (peace be upon him) and said, 'O Allah's Apostle(peace be upon
him)! Hilal bin Umaiya is a helpless
old man who has no servant to attend on him. Do you dislike that I should
serve him? ' He said, 'No (you can serve him) but he should not come near
you.' She said, 'By Allah, he has no desire for anything. By, Allah, he has
never ceased weeping till his case began till this day of his.'
On that, some of my family members said to me, 'Will you also ask
Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) to permit your wife (to serve you) as he has permitted
the wife of Hilal bin Umaiya to serve him?' I said, 'By Allah, I will
not ask the permission of Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) regarding her, for I do not know
What Allah's Apostle would say if I asked him to permit her (to serve me)
while I am a young man.' Then I remained in that state for ten more nights
after that till the period of fifty nights was completed starting from the
time when Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) prohibited the people from talking to us.
When I had offered the Fajr prayer on the 50th morning on the roof of one of our houses and while I was sitting in the condition which Allah described (in the Qur'an) i.e. my very soul seemed straitened to me and even the earth seemed narrow to me for all its spaciousness, there I heard the voice of one who had ascended the mountain of Sala' calling with his loudest voice, 'O Kab bin Malik! Be happy (by receiving good tidings).' I fell down in prostration before Allah, realizing that relief has come. Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) had announced the acceptance of our repentance by Allah when he had offered the Fajr prayer. The people then went out to congratulate us. Some bringers of good tidings went out to my two fellows, and a horseman came to me in haste, and a man of Banu Aslam came running and ascended the mountain and his voice was swifter than the horse. When he (i.e. the man) whose voice I had heard, came to me conveying the good tidings, I took off my garments and dressed him with them; and by Allah, I owned no other garments than them on that day. Then I borrowed two garments and wore them and went to Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him).
The people started receiving me in batches, congratulating me on Allah's Acceptance of my repentance, saying, 'We congratulate you on Allah's Acceptance of your repentance.'
Kab further said, "When I entered the mosque. I saw Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) sitting with the people around him. Talha bin Ubaidullah swiftly came to me, shook hands with me and congratulated me. By Allah, none of the Muhajirin (i.e. emigrants) got up for me except him (i.e. Talha), and I will never forget this for Talha."
Kab added, "When I greeted Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) he, his face being bright with joy, said 'Be happy with the best day that you have got ever since your mother delivered you.' " Kab added, "I said to the Prophet (peace be upon him) 'Is this forgiveness from you or from Allah?' He said, 'No, it is from Allah.' Whenever Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) became happy, his face would shine as if it were a piece of moon, and we all knew that characteristic of him. When I sat before him, I said, 'O Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him)! Because of the acceptance of my repentance I will give up all my wealth as alms for the Sake of Allah and His Apostle. Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said, 'Keep some of your wealth, as it will be better for you.' I said, 'So I will keep my sharerom Khaibar with me,' and added, 'O Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him)! Allah has saved me for telling the truth; so it is a part of my repentance not to tell but the truth as long as I am alive.
By Allah, I do not know anyone of the Muslims whom Allah has helped for telling the truth more than me. Since I have mentioned that truth to Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) till today, I have never intended to tell a lie. I hope that Allah will also save me (from telling lies) the rest of my life. So Allah revealed to His Apostle the Verse: 'Verily, Allah has forgiven the Prophet, the Muhajirin (i.e. emigrants (up to His Saying) And be with those who are true (in word and deed).' (9.117-119) By Allah, Allah has never bestowed upon me, apart from His guiding me to Islam, a Greater Blessing than the fact that I did not tell a lie to Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) which would have caused me to perish as those who have told a lie perished, for Allah described those who told lies with the worst description He ever attributed to anybody else. Allah said: 'They (i.e. the hypocrites) will swear by Allah to you when you return to them (up to His Saying) Certainly Allah is not pleased with the rebellious people--' " (9.95-96)
Kab added, "We, the three persons, differed altogether from those
whose excuses Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) accepted when they swore to him. He took their
pledge of allegiance and asked Allah to forgive them, but Allah's Apostle
left our case pending till Allah gave His Judgment about it. As for that
Allah said):-- 'And to the three (He did forgive also) who remained behind.'
(9.118)
What Allah said (in this Verse) does not indicate our failure to take part
in the Ghazwa, but it refers to the deferment of making a decision by the
Prophet about our case in contrast to the case of those who had taken an
oath before him and he excused them by accepting their excuses."
(Bukhari 5.702)
Narrated Abu Huraira, The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Allah has forgiven my
followers the evil thoughts that occur to their minds, as long as such
thoughts are not put into action or uttered." And Qatada said, "If
someone divorces his wife just in his mind, such an unuttered divorce has no
effect. (Bukhari 7.194)
Narrated Abu As Sawar Al Adawi 'Imran bin Husain said, "The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Haya' does not bring anything except good.' " Thereupon Bashir bin Ka'b said, "It is written in the wisdom paper: Haya leads to solemnity; Haya leads to tranquility (peace of mind)." 'Imran said to him, "I am narrating to you the saying of Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) and you are speaking about your paper (wisdom book)?" (Bukhari 8.138)
Malik related to me from Yahya ibn Said from Said ibn al-Musayyab that a man from the Aslam tribe came to Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and said to him, "I have committed adultery." Abu Bakr said to him, "Have you mentioned this to anyone else?" He said, "No." Abu Bakr said to him, "Then cover it up with the veil of Allah. Allah accepts tawba from his slaves." His self was still unsettled, so he went to Umar ibn al-Khattab. He told him the same as he had said to Abu Bakr, and Umar told him the same as Abu Bakr had said to him. His self was still not settled so he went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and said to him, "I have committed adultery," insistently. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), turned away from him three times. Each time the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, turned away from him until it became too much. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, questioned his family, "Does he have an illness which affects his mind, or is he mad?" They said, "Messenger of Allah, by Allah, he is well." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Unmarried or married?" They said, "Married, Messenger of Allah." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave the order and he was stoned. (Al Muwatta vol. 41 no.2)
O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive
you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your
sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of
Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins
nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no
partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great at
it. (Hadith Qudsi 34)
Narrated Abu Hurayrah, The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "None
of you is expecting anything but wealth which produces injustice, or poverty
which makes one forgetful, for an illness which causes deterioration, or
decrepitude which weakens the mind, or death which suddenly gives the last
stroke, or the Dajjal who is the worst of what is expected but has not yet
come, or the last hour which is most calamitous and most
bitter." (Transmitted by Tirmidhi 1338 and Nasa'i.)
Narrated Ubaydullah ibn Mihsan Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him)
said, "If anyone among you is secure in mind in the morning, healthy in
body, possessed of food for the day, it is as though the whole world has
been brought into his possession." (Tirmidhi 1354 transmitted it,
saying this is a gharib tradition.)
Narrated one of the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) When we were sitting together, Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) appeared with a trace of water on his head, and when we told him that he appeared to us to be in a happy frame of mind, he agreed. The people then began to discuss wealth and Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "There is no harm in wealth for him who fears Allah, Who is Great and Glorious, but for him who fears Allah health is better than wealth, and a happy frame of mind is one of Allah's favours." (Ahmad transmitted it. Tirmidhee number 1400.)
Narrated Hasan ibn Ali, I have learnt from the Prophet (peace be upon
him) and preserved this (in my memory): Leave those things which create
doubts in your mind and adopt that which does not create any doubt in your
mind. (Transmitted by Tirmidhi number 206.)
Narrated Imran ibn Husayn, the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught his
father, Husayn, two phrases of supplication: Allah, reveal to me my
guidance, and protect me against the evil of my mind. (Transmitted by
Tirmidhi number 452.)
Narrated Uthman ibn Affan, when the Prophet (peace be upon him be
upon him) died, some of his companions were so much aggrieved (at his
death) that they were disposed to doubts. Uthman said: I was one of them.
While I was sitting there happened to pass by me Umar and he offered me
salutation which I did not notice. Umar made a complaint of that to Abu
Bakr. Then both of them came and offered me salutation and Abu Bakr
said: What prompted you to ignore the salutation of your brother, Umar. I
said: I never did that. Umar said: By Allah, of course you did that. I said:
By Allah I did not perceive that you passed by me and paid salutation. Abu
Bakr said: Uthman is speaking the truth and something must have absorbed
your mind (that you did not take notice of this matter). I said: Yes it is
so. He said: What is that? I said: Allah has taken away His
Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) before we asked
him how we could free ourselves from the snares of the world and the
devil. Abu Bakr said: I did ask about that. So I got near to him and said to
him: May my father and mother be taken as ransom for you and you were the
worthiest to ask. Thereupon Abu Bakr said: I said to Allah's Messenger
(peace be upon him), how one could free oneself from the snares of the world
and devil. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: He
who accepted from me the word that I presented to my uncle which he
rejected is the freedom (from them) (Affirmation of the oneness of Allah and
the Apostlehood of Muhammad). (Transmitted by Ahmad. Tirmidhee number 6.)
Narrated Anas ibn Malik, a woman had a partial derangement in her mind, so
she said: Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), I want something from you. He said: Mother of
so and so, see on which side of the road you would like (to stand and talk)
so that I may do the needful for you. He stood aside with her on the
roadside until she got what she needed. (Muslim 1081)
Narrated Aisha, Aisha said: One day Allah's Apostle (peace be upon
him) went out of her (Aisha's apartment) during the night and she felt
jealous. Then he came and he saw me (in what agitated state of mind) I
was. He said: Aisha, what has happened to you? Do you feel jealous?
Thereupon she said: How can it be (that a woman like me) should not feel
jealous in regard to a husband like you? Thereupon Allah's Apostle (peace be
upon him) said: It was your devil who had come to you, and she said: Allah's
Apostle (peace be upon him) is there along with me a devil? He said:
Yes. I said: Is devil attached to everyone? He said: Yes. I (Aisha) again
said: Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) is it with you also? He said: Yes,
but my Lord has helped me against him as such I am absolutely safe
from his mischief. (Muslim 1309)
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, We were along with Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) that we happened to pass by children amongst whom there was Ibn Sayyad. The children made their way but Ibn Sayyad kept sitting there (and it seemed) as if Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) did not like it (his sitting with the children) and said to him: May your nose be besmeared with dust, don't you bear testimony to the fact that I am the Messenger of Allah? Thereupon he said: No, but you should bear testimony that I am the messenger of Allah. Thereupon Umar ibn al-Khattab said: Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) permit me that I should kill him. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said: If he is that person who is in your mind (Dajjal), you will not be able to kill him. (Muslim 1366)
Narrated Abu Sa'id, A person belonging to the clan of Aslam, who was called Ma'iz ibn Malik, came to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) and said: I have committed an immoral crime (adultery), so inflict punishment upon me. Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) turned him away again and again. He then asked his people (about the state of his mind). They said: We do not know of any ailment of his except that he has committed some crime and he thinks that he will not be able to relieve himself of its burden unless the Hadd is imposed upon him. He (Ma'iz) came back to Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) who commanded us to stone him. We took him to the Baqi' al-Gharqad (the graveyard of Medina). We neither tied him nor dug any ditch for him. We attacked him with bones, clods and pebbles. He ran away and we ran after him until he reached the stony ground (al-Harrah) and stopped there and we stoned him with the heavy stones of the Harrah until he became motionless (he died). He (the Holy Prophet) then addressed (us) in the evening saying: Whenever we set forth on an expedition in the cause of Allah, some of those connected with us shrieked (under the pressure of sexual lust) like the bleating of a billy-goat. It is essential that if a person having committed such a deed is brought to me, I should punish him. He neither begged forgiveness for him nor cursed him. (Muslim 790)