MUSJIDUL HAQ

Download PDF: [S] Who was Hadrat Alqamah

Hadrat Sayyiduna Alqamah’s – may Allah be pleased with him – title was “Abu Shabeel” and his full name is Alqamah bin Qais bin Abdullah bin Alqamah Nakh’i. His family was from Kufah. He was considered as one of the most eminent Taaba’een of his era.

In the field of Hadith, he also had the distinction of being as student of the four rightly-guided Khulafah and also of Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Ma’sud and many other eminent Ashaab – may Allah be pleased with them. Among the blessed scholars that studied under him and became giants themselves were such Saints and scholars as Hadrat Sayyiduna Mohammed bin Sereen, Hadrat Sayyiduna Ebrahim Nakh’i and Imam Abu Waa’il – may Allah be pleased with them.

Imam Ebrahim Nakh’i – may Allah be pleased with him – admits that in stature and personality, Hadrat Sayyiduna Alqamah – may Allah be pleased with him – greatly resembled Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud – may Allah be pleased with him.

Imam Abu Ishaq – may Allah be pleased with him – admits that indeed he was among the people of Karamah and among the ‘Ulama Rabaaniyeen. His piety and Zuhd was well known and in matters of Ibadah he was considered unmatched in his time.

He had a most beautiful voice and Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud – may Allah be pleased with him – used to always ask him to recite the Holy Qur’an. The eminent companion used to also say to him, “O Alqamah! May my parents be sacrificed for you, I have heard Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – declare that a beautiful voice is indeed part of the beauty of the Qur’an.”

Hadrat Sayyiduna Alqamah – may Allah be pleased with him – had immense humility and modesty and used to run away from being famous. One day, someone asked him why he did not start his own classes and he replied that he did not want people to point at him and say, “this is Alqamah”.

The people in government authority displayed immense respect and awe for him and people used to thirst to see him. One day someone asked why Hadrat Sayyiduna Alqamah – may Allah be pleased with him – does not approach the people in power and seek intercession for the people. He replied, “As I attain much of the world by this from the people in government, in like manner, the same amount of my religion will also be destroyed.”

He also had the habit of marrying females from the poorest of the poor but none of these females gave birth to any children. In fact, this is one of the signs of him being an Abdaal because the Abdaal do not have children.

When he passed away the people saw what he had left behind. It was a single shawl, one piece of lungi or a cloth which covers the lower part of the body, a copy of the Holy Qur’an and nothing else. He passed away in 62 or 74 A.H. (Aini, Tabqaat Imam She’rani, Tahzeeb)

Imam Nawawi – may Allah be pleased with him – mentions that this Saint was indeed part of the Ulama Rabbaniyeen. There is also ‘Ijma among the historians about his immense greatness, his high stature and his amazing knowledge and acumen. (Tahzeeb)

Such was Hadrat Sayyiduna Alqamah’s – may Allah be pleased with him – greatness that his two nephews, Imam Abdur Rahman and Imam Aswad – may Allah be pleased with them – were themselves eminent Imams of their era and respected Muhaditheen of their time. The same was for one of his grandchildren, Imam Ebrahim Nakh’i – may Allah be pleased with him – was also an eminent scholar. In other words, in one house there were four Taaba’een.