Rabi'a ibn Ka'b al-Aslami

Rabi'a ibn Ka'b al-Aslami was a Companion of Banu Aslam whose story Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha tells in his own voice in Suwar min Hayat al-Sahaba: he became Muslim as a young man, loved the Prophet at first sight with a love that possessed him, and offered himself as his servant, which the Prophet accepted. ¹

He stayed with the Prophet "closer than his shadow", going wherever he went and seeing to his needs by day; when the Prophet had prayed the night prayer and gone home, Rabi'a sat at his door in case he needed something in the night. He would hear him repeat al-Fatiha for part of the night, and repeat "God hears whoever praises Him" for longer still. ^{1 2} He was poor, without family or property, and lived in the Suffa of the mosque with the poor Muslims called "the guests of Islam", to whom the Prophet sent all the alms he received and shared his gifts. ³

One day the Prophet said, "Ask me something and I will give it to you." Rabi'a asked for time, then, preferring the lasting to the passing, asked him to pray that God make him his companion in Paradise. "Who advised you to ask this?" — "No one." The Prophet was silent a long time, then said, "Or anything else?" — "No." — "Then help me against yourself by much prostration." ^{3 4}

The Prophet asked him several times, "Will you not marry?" He excused himself by his poverty and by not wanting anything to distract him from service, then regretted it and agreed; the Prophet sent him to an Ansari family to ask for their daughter, and they married her to him in welcome to "the Messenger's messenger". The Prophet had Burayda ibn al-Husayb, chief of Banu Aslam, collect a date-stone's weight of gold for the dowry, then the price of a ram for the feast, and sent him to A'isha, who gave him a basket of seven sa' of barley, saying they had no other food; he gave the feast and invited the Prophet, who came. ^{4 5 6 7}

The Prophet later granted him land next to Abu Bakr's; they disputed over a palm tree, and Abu Bakr said a word to him that he then regretted, asking Rabi'a to say the same back in retaliation; Rabi'a refused, and Abu Bakr went to complain to the Prophet of his refusal, while Rabi'a sent back his Aslami kinsmen who wanted to take his side. The Prophet told him: "Do not say to him what he said to you, but say: May God forgive Abu Bakr." He said it, and Abu Bakr went away in tears, saying, "May God reward you well on my behalf, Rabi'a ibn Ka'b." ^{7 8}

• At the end of the portrait al-Basha refers to Usd al-Ghaba, al-Isaba, al-Isti'ab, al-Bidaya wa-al-Nihaya, Kanz al-Ummal, Ibn Sa'd's Tabaqat, the Musnad of Abu Dawud and Majma' al-Zawa'id. ⁸