Malik bin Al-Harith bin Al-Nukha
Al-Mad-haji (May Allah be pleased with him) was born in Yemen but
historians differed from one another in his birth date – among
them some who said that he was born before the Honorable
Prophetic Migration by approximately 23 years while others said
that he was born at a period between (25-30) before Hijra (the
Prophetic Migration.).
He became a Muslim between the
hands of Allah's Messenger (P.B. U.H.) After his affiliation to
Islam, he proved to be an ideal Muslim with a high level of faith
in it. Then, he migrated with those who migrated of his tribe
(Bani Al-Nukha') to Al-Kufa after the expansion of Islam and kept
on accompanying Imam Ali after the death of Allah's Messenger
(P.B.U.H.) and paid him a true pledge of allegiance and he was
also among his sincerest of companions or rather nearest and the
dearest one.
He had a share in the burial
ceremony of the most wronged character of Islam and the awesome
companion Abu Dhar Al-Ghifari in Al-Rabadha and won the honor of
the Prophet's convention (P.B.U.H.) who crowned him with the
title of the "faithful" who, on his behalf and in his own words,
said: "Verily, if any of you would die in a desert would be
witnessed a band of the faithful
believers."
Distinguished Features of his Character
Malik was of tall stature,
good-looking, courageous, mighty, vigorous and stern, reputed as
poet, knowledgeable, highly awesome and elderly among his
community, with deep faith in Islam, well-mannered, endowed with
chastity and frugality, renowned for piety, nobility, ever robust
and stalwart with his foot deep-rooted on the path of truth, with
no spirit of showing courtesy to anyone on his behalf at all and
keeping nonchalant if being reproached in Allah's sight by an
intruder.
His Bravery
Malik Al-Ashtar has been a highly
qualified leader, a fierce fighter and a courageous hero,
renowned. He took part in so many battles of Muslims against the
unbelievers among those battles is the battle of Yarmouk with
army of the Romans at which his lower eyelid was cut into two
parts and for this reason he was nick-named among the people as
Al-Ashtar.
He also took part in the Battle of
Camel with Ali bin Abi Talib (P.B.U.H.) as well as in the Battle
of Siffin in which he showed a matchless bravery where he was
before that a great leader of the Islamic armies.
One of the several situations in
which he was engaged was that he once was ordered to undertake
the task of opening a very fortified castle which belonged to one
of the cities of Al-Sham (now Syria). When he had a look at the
castle he found tightly besieged and had not the least experience
of opening such a castle while they had at their disposal a
thousand of fighters. So he ordered them to shout loudly and with
one unified voice: "Allah is the Greatest".
On hearing that, those inside the
castle estimated the number of the fighters outside of the castle
as being tenfold (10000) greater than they really were. At this
point, they sent to Malik asking them for reconciliation, and
thus, he reconciled them and entered the castle and wandered
about its paths and lanes, then he ordered his army to get out of
the castle after having them entered into his
obedience.
Being Exposed to Repeated Exiles
Malik's supportive situations to
Ali bin Abi Talib (P.B.U.H.) gand his absolute allegiance to him
have caused him so many harms and troubles to him for he was sent
with his group such as:
Kumail bin Ziyad, Sa'sa'a bin
Suhan, Uthman bin Affan, the third political caliph from Kufa to
Al-Sham; then Saeed bin Al- Ass, his guardian to Kufa had
detected them and sent their names in a report to the Caliph,
then, too Muawiya, guardian of Uthman to Al-Sham but Uthman had
them returned to Al-Kufa.
Later on and once again, Saeed bin
Al-Ass had written to Uthman and this time he had them exiled to
Hims until the people of Kufa themselves had decided to send
Saeed bin Al- Ass from Kufa city and the people of Kufa
themselves have written to them and all came back from exile to
Al-Kufa and contributed to the dismissal of Saeed bin from the
city of Al-Kufa.
Both Wars of Al-Jamal and Siffin:
When Imam Ali (P.B.U.H.) took
office after the killing of Uthman, Malik bin Al-Ashtar had the
full share of Ali's companionship and support for he took part in
the two fiercest wars against the unbelievers verbally: The war
of Al-Jamal where he was appointed to guard the right wing
(recto) of the Islamic army and the War of Siffin in which the
army of Imam Ali (P.B.U.H.) was about to win victory but for the
deceptive means of raising the Scriptures over the heads by the
proposal of Muawiya's army.
In both wars, Malik proved to be a
wise leader and a stern defender of the program of right and
truth which is well represented in character of Imam Ali bin Abi
Talib. (P.B.U.H.)
His Rule Over Egypt
Ali bin Abi Talib (P.B.U.H.) has
appointed Malik Al-Ashtar as Guardian to Nasibin but the
disturbing conditions in Egypt has made Ali (P.B.U.H.) exclude
him from ruling Nasibin and appointed him a ruler over Egypt to
quieten the conditions there, bearing to them the book that Ali
(P.B.U.H.) has handed it over to him in whose introduction came
the following items:
"And after all, I have sent to you
a slave of Allah's slaves who never sleeps on the days of fear
nor upsets his people in hours of horror against the enemy, more
vigorous against the debauchers than a burning fire," and he is
Malik bin Al-Harith, the brother of Madhaj.,"
"So, give him an attentive ear and
obey his orders and he is a sharp sword of Allah's swords. If he
orders you to launch an offensive, do launch and if he orders you
to stay where you are, obey his order, for he doesn't go forward,
nor backward, nor retreats, nor slackens, nor delays or becomes
hasty without having his orders from me."
"I have favored him over myself
for he is a good counselor to you in time of hardship and a
fierce and strong-willed defender of you against your
enemy."
His Martyrdom
When Imam Ali bin Abi Talib
(P.B.U.H.) has appointed Malik as a ruler to Egypt and kept his
well - known promise to him, Ali stayed in wait for receiving
what Malik would tell him in his message to him of news about
what is going on of events to the people there but the messenger
of death was faster than the receipt of Malik's message to him
for Muawiya has put poison in a liquid on his way to Egypt by one
of his assistants in a poisoned glass of honey at which Malik has
lost his life and that was in 38 H. Muawiya got pleased at the
news of Mlik's killing and he said his reputed saying: "Verily,
Allah has got soldiers of honey."
What People said about
Malik:
When the sorrowful news of Malik's
martyrdom came within reach of the Imam (P.B.U.H.) got displeased
at his sudden and unexpected event and stood up giving a speech
to a gathering of people there and amongst what he said was the
following:
"Malik! What kind of man Malik had
been! If only he were a mountain, it would have been higher than
all and if he were a stone, he would have been more solid the
most solid one and if he were a stalwart, he would have been the
fastest. "
Then he said: "We belong to Allah
and to Him shall we return. "And praise be to Allah, the Lord of
all the worlds. O Allah I reckon his judgment to You, My Lord!
For his death is but a great misfortune. May Allah show His Mercy
to Malik for he was to me as I was to Allah's
Messenger."
But as for Muawiya, he rose to his
feet after the death of Malik and delivered a speech addressing a
gathering around him saying: " Ali has got two right hands: one
was cut off in Siffin-meaning Ammar bin Yasir and the other one
today."
Sat -
18 Rajab 1446H -
