Talha Ibn Ubaydillah

Facts
• He was the fourth person to accept Islam.
• He witnessed all the battles with the Prophet and passed all the tests with success to the point that the Prophet (SAW) nick named him Talhah the generous, the open-handed, and the living martyr. Each of these attributes was earned by Talhah following events where he alone stood up when others fell.
• Talha ibn Ubayd-Allah (d.656) was a companion of Muhammad (SAW) best known for his role in the Battle of Uhud and the Battle of the Camel.
• Was 18 when he converted
• He was killed at the Battle of the Camel by Marwan ibn Hakam. It is estimated that he was between 60-64 years of age at the time of his death.

Family
• His wife was Um Kulthoom, the daughter of Abu Bakr
• Talha was the Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) brother-in-law. Four of his wives were the sisters of the Prophet's wives.

Virtues
• When Ali heard of his death, he cried and said, "I heard with my own ears the Messenger of Allah say, 'Talhah and az-Zubair are my neighbors in Paradise."
• Jabir ibn Abdullah said, "I never saw a man who gave more abundantly without being asked than Talhah ibn Ubaydillah". Another said, "I have accompanied Talhah in his travels and I was with him in town, and I have never seen a man more generous in giving money, food and clothing than Talhah."
• One day, Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid, nick named "Quraysh's lion", took hold of him and tied him up. Then he tied Abu Bakr up and bounded them together, and delivered them to the mob of the tribe to be tortured without mercy. For this incident, Talhah and Abu Bakr were nicknamed the Qareenayn (The two linked together).

 

Talhah left Makkah in one of Quraysh's trade caravans between Makkah and ash-Sham. Although he was younger than the other merchants and lacked their experience, his wit and cleverness permitted him to surpass any of them and succeed in acquiring more transactions.
When the caravan reached Busrah, a town in Syria, the ciders among the merchants rushed towards its busy market buying and selling. Talhah was coming and going in the marketplace which was crowded with people coming from all places, when he heard a man calling, "O merchants is there any one of you coming from Makkah?" Talhah turned around and saw a monk. Being the one closest to him he answered him. The monk asked, "Has Ahmad appeared among you?" "Who is Ahmad?" asked Talhah. "He is the son of Abdullah," replied the monk, "and this is the month he is due to come forward. He is the last of the prophets, and he will appear from your land, the land of the sacred House. He will emigrate to a land of black rocks, that has date palm groves, its salty soil oozes water. Do hasten to believe in him young man." This conversation with the monk was to change the life of Talhah.
Talhah prepared his mount, rounded up his camels, gathered his goods, and hurried back towards Makkah, leaving the rest of the caravan behind him. There, he asked his wife, "Anything new had happened while I was away?" "Yes," she said, "Muhammad ibn Abdullah has come forth, pretending he was a prophet, and Abu Bakr has followed him." Talhah knew Abu Bakr well. Abu Bakr was a merchant of easy going nature, much beloved by people, and of the most praised manners. He went to him inquiring about the matter. Not only did Abu Bakr confirm the news but he also called Talhah to Islam and suggested that he meets Muhammad (SAW). It did not take long for Talhah to realize that indeed Muhammad was the foretold prophet and that his name and description matched the one given by the monk. The Prophet (SAW) explained Islam to him and recited some of the Qur'an to him. Talhah narrated to the Prophet (SAW) what he has heard from the monk, then he pronounced the shahadah and joined the small group of Muslims. He was the fourth person to accept Islam.
The news of Talhah's acceptance of Islam hit his parents like a thunderbolt. His mother was especially afflicted for she had hope that he would one day be a leader of his tribe, given his fine character, and wealth. In vain did his people try to convince him to abandon his dee'n. When they gave all hope they resorted to harass him and torture him. One of the Prophet's companions narrated, "I was one day walking between as Safa and al-Marwa when I saw a large crowd following a young man, his hands tied to his neck, pushing him in the back and hitting him on the head. Behind him was an old woman who was cursing him and yelling at him. I asked what the matter with the man was and I was told that he was Talhah ibn Ubaydillah who forsake the religion of his forefathers for a new one. Then I asked who the old woman behind him was? I was told that she was his mother." Things got worse for Talhah as time went by. One day, Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid, nick named "Quraysh's lion", took hold of him and tied him up. Then he tied Abu Bakr up and bounded them together, and delivered them to the mob of the tribe to be tortured without mercy. For this incident, Talhah and Abu Bakr were nicknamed the Qareenayn (The two linked together).
Talhah migrated to Madinah with the Prophet (SAW) when the order came to migrate having no doubt in his heart that this was the fulfillment of what the monk in ash-Sham informed him. He witnessed all the battles with the Prophet and passed all the tests with success to the point that the Prophet (SAW) nick named him Talhah the generous, the open-handed, and the living martyr. Each of these attributes was earned by Talhah following events where he alone stood up when others fell.
Talhah was no less known for his generosity, spending his wealth in the sake of Allah. He was a wealthy and successful trader, his caravans traveled north to ash-Sham and south to Yemen. One day he had received the revenue of his trade from Yemen, which totaled seven hundred thousand Dirham. He spent the night worrying, looking at the large sum of money sitting in his house. His wife Um Kulthoom the daughter of Abu Bakr came to him asking, "What is the matter, Abu Muhammad? Is there anything I have done that displeased you?" "O no," he replied, "But I was wondering about this money and said to myself, a man who can sleep with all this money in his house, while he does not know if he will be alive the next day, is really arrogant towards his Lord!" "Do not worry," she said, "Tomorrow, look for the needy among your people and friends, and divide it among them." "May Allah have mercy on you," he said, "you are a wise woman, daughter of a wise man." The next day, he divided the money into bundles and distributed it to the poor until not a Dirham was left.
This was not the only time when Talhah gave all his money for the sake of Allah. It was said that he did not leave a single poor person from among his tribe but he provided for him. Jabir ibn Abdullah said, "I never saw a man who gave more abundantly without being asked than Talhah ibn Ubaydillah". Another said, "I have accompanied Talhah in his travels and I was with him in town, and I have never seen a man more generous in giving money, food and clothing than Talhah."
Talhah lived a long life until he witnessed the great trials of the Muslim Ummah when the Khalifah Uthman was slain, and he was among those who asked for his killers to be executed. Talhah was about to participate in the battle of al-Jamal against the Khalifah Ali, but he turned away after he realized that it was a fitnah (trial), and that Muslims should not fight against each other. This did not deter one of the opposing parties to hit him with an arrow that left him dead. When Ali heard of his death, he cried and said, "I heard with my own ears the Messenger of Allah say, 'Talhah and az-Zubair are my neighbors in Paradise."

Alia Amer

Source: http://174.121.36.250/~alinaam/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=166:talha&catid=40:history-and-biography&Itemid=193

 

Our hero was one of the first men that Allah swt guided into the fold of Islam. The story of how he accepted Islam closely resembles that of Abu Bakr's. Talha was on a business trip to Syria when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) declared Islam openly to the people of the Quraish atop the hill. At the time it didn't seem like an important event to Talha, so he continued on his business trip later returned to Mecca. While on his trip he could not help but think about this man named Muhammad and the claim that he made. Upon his return, he discussed this event with a man he trusted and respected: Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr had already accepted Islam, and explained what it was to him, what it stood for, and took him to see the Prophet. In that meeting, Talha became convinced that Muhammad (pbuh) was indeed divinely inspired, and that the message he was conveying (the Qura'an) was indeed from the Lord of the worlds. Talha accepted Islam and declared it openly, thus putting himself in danger from the wrath of his people. When they could not talk him out of his new- found conviction, they resorted to brutality, and yet Talha held firm.
Talha missed the battle of Badr, since he had been sent, along with Said ibn Zayd, on a mission by the Prophet outside of Medina. When he returned, the Sahaba were already on their way back from Badr. This made Talha extremely sad, as he had missed an important event like the battle of Badr. He was consoled though when the Prophet assured him that his reward would be equal to those who actually fought.
Talha's role in the battle of Uhud cannot be understated. When the Muslims were encircled, and confusion broke out, the Prophet was exposed to the enemy, who rushed upon him. His guard was 12 men, 11 of which were from the Ansaar and Talha from the Muhajiroon.
When the Prophet started climbing up the mount of Uhud, being hastily pursued by the enemy, he cried out: "The one who repulses these people from us will be my companion in Paradise". "I, O Messenger of God," shouted Talha. "No, stick to your position," replied the Prophet. A man from the Ansar volunteered and the Prophet agreed. He fought until he was killed. The Prophet went further up the mountain with the enemy still in close pursuit. "Isn't there someone to combat them?" Talha again volunteered but the Prophet ordered him to maintain his position. Another person immediately came forward, fought and was killed. This happened until all who stood by the Prophet were martyred except Talha. "Now, yes," signaled the Prophet and Talha went into battle.
Single-handedly, Talha rushed into the ranks of the Quraish, and repulsed them from the Messenger. He would return to the Messenger to help him climb up the mountain, and then turn back to face the enemy and force them back. He successfully kept doing this despite multiple injuries to himself until reinforcements in the form of Abu Bakr and Abu Ubayd ibn al-Jarrah arrived. The Prophet (pbuh) thereafter said: "Whoever is pleased to see a man still walking on earth who had completed his span (of life), let him look at Talhah ibn Ubaydullah." This earned him the title of 'the living martyr'. Thereafter, whenever Uhud was mentioned, Abu Bakr would say: "That day, that entire day, belonged to Talhaa."
Talha was also renowned for his generosity and good deeds. One of his friends, as-Saib ibn Zayd, said of him: "I accompanied Talha ibn Ubaydallah on journeys and I stayed with him at home and I have not found anyone who was more generous with money, with clothes and with food than Talha." His life was full of examples where he would freely give of his wealth to those in need, and in fact he was known as Talha the Good, and Talha the Generous.
Talha's death was in conjunction with the events surrounding the battle of the Camel. This battle was precipitated when a party of the Muslims refused to give allegiance to Ali (ra) after the assassination of Uthman (ra). They wanted his assassins brought to justice first, while Ali intended to address the issue after establishing his authority especially since a large number of people were involved in the crime. The two sides met as opposing armies, and Talha was in the camp against Ali. But Ali managed to speak to him and az-Zubair, and reminded them of their bonds of brotherhood and faith, and caused them to re- examine their positions. They both then decided to withdraw from the battle, and both of them became martyrs as a result since they were assassinated in cold blood for their decision to stay away from this conflict, this first civil war amongst the Muslims.

Researched by: Bilal Ayub