Hazrat Khabab Bin Al-Aratt (R.A)

Hazrat Khabab Bin Al-Aratt (R.A) was from the Banu Tamim clan in Najd. He was a free man of free parents (not a slave). In the days of ignorance, one of the Arab tribes raided their territory and took their cattle, capturing women and children. Hazrat Khabab (R.A) was among the youths captured. He was passed from one hand to another until he ended up in Makkah, in the slave market of that city and bought by a woman from the Quraish Tribe.

Hazrat Khabab (R.A) grew up to become a blacksmith by profession. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) loved him and used to visit him. Under His (S.A.W) influence, He (R.A) embraced Islam. He (R.A) was one of those fortunate Sahabah Iqraam who accepted Islam in it’s early stages.

When Hazrat Khabab (R.A)’s lord lady was informed about his conversion she became furious. This adamant lady used to warm a piece of iron red hot, catching it with forceps and putting it on Hazrat Khabab (R.A)’s head as a form of punishment for his conversion.

One day he (R.A) complained regarding this torture to the Holy Prophet (S.A.W). Rasoolullah (S.A.W) prayed for him; “O Allah! Help him in such fatal crisis”. As the lips of Holy Prophet (S.A.W) moved, that cruel lady felt headache. By the intensity of this headache, she began to haul like dogs. The only way she would feel at ease would be to have warm piece of iron placed on her head, so Hazrat Khabab (R.A) used to warm a piece of iron and put it on her head to cure her headache.

Hazrat Khabab (R.A) narrates, his own painful story, “One day I saw that the pagans kindled the fire for me. They laid me and put the burning coals on my back. Due to its enormous heat, fats of my back melted away and thus the burning coals were blown out”. (Al-Syrat-ul-Halbiah, Vol. 1, P386)

Once Hazrat Khabab (R.A) came to Hazrat Umar (R.A), he made him sit near him and said, only one person deserves more than you to sit down here. I asked, “O Amirul Mumineen! Who is that”? He said, “Bilal”.

I said, “Bilal does not deserve more than me because there were people who used to stop the pagans tormenting him, but none for me. I remember, one day they lit fire for me and they dragged me into it. Then a pagan put his foot on my chest”. Then Hazrat Khabab (R.A) rolled his shirt up from his back and there were leprosy like spots on it. (Sabal-ul-Huda Walrrashad. Vol 2, P479)

Hazrat Khabab (R.A) was one of those oppressed believers who had no hope of protection or safety except for his (R.A) strong belief in Allah (S.W.T)’s Salvation. He (R.A) arose from the life of slavery to become a teacher of the Holy Quran and a great warrior fighting in the cause of Islam.