I am not content to be pricked by a thorn

From Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent ten men on a reconnaissance mission, appointing Asim ibn Thabit al-Ansari, the grandfather of Asim ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab, as their commander. They proceeded until they reached Hudaybah, which is between Asfan and Mecca. There, they were reported to a tribe of Hudhayl called Banu Luhayan, who mobilized nearly two hundred men, all skilled archers. They tracked the Muslims’ footprints until they found their food supply, which was dates they had taken from Medina. The pursuers said, ‘These are dates from Yathrib.’ They continued tracking them until Asim and his companions saw them and took refuge in a place called Fudafud. The enemy surrounded them and said, ‘Surrender and give us your hands, and you will have our guarantee and covenant that we will not kill any of you.’ Asim ibn Thabit, the commander of the mission, said, ‘By Allah, I will not surrender today into the protection of a disbeliever. O Allah, inform Your Prophet about us.’ They shot arrows at them, and Asim was killed along with six others. Three men from the group surrendered under the guarantee and covenant: Khubayb al-Ansari, Ibn Dadanah, and another man. When the enemy gained control over them, they loosened the strings of their bows and bound the captives. The third man said, ‘This is the first act of treachery. By Allah, I will not accompany you. There is a lesson in these martyrs.’ They dragged him and tried to force him to go with them, but he refused, so they killed him. They took Khubayb and Ibn Dadanah to Mecca and sold them after the Battle of Badr. Khubayb was bought by the Banu al-Harith ibn Amir ibn Nawfal ibn Abd Manaf, because Khubayb had killed al-Harith ibn Amir on the day of Badr. Khubayb remained a prisoner with them. Ubaydullah ibn Uyaynah informed me that the daughter of al-Harith told him that when they gathered, they borrowed a razor from her. She lent it to them, and while she was distracted, he took her son. When she returned, she found him sitting with the razor in his hand on his thigh. She was terrified, and Khubayb recognized her fear in her face. He said, ‘Are you afraid that I will kill him? By Allah, I would never do that.’ He added, ‘By Allah, I have never seen a captive better than Khubayb. I once saw him eating a cluster of grapes in his hand, even though he was bound in chains, and there was no fruit in Mecca at that time.’ She said, ‘We considered it a provision from Allah granted to Khubayb.’ When they took him out of the sacred precincts of Mecca to execute him in the open, Khubayb asked them, ‘Let me pray two rak’ahs.’ They allowed him, so he prayed two rak’ahs and then said, ‘If it were not for the fear that you would think I am doing this out of dread, I would lengthen my prayer. O Allah, count them and do not spare them. I do not care by which side of Allah’s cause I am killed, as long as it is in the cause of Allah, and if He wills, He may bless my torn and scattered limbs.’ Al-Harith’s son killed him. Thus, Khubayb established the practice of praying two rak’ahs for every Muslim who is killed steadfastly. Allah answered Asim ibn Thabit’s prayer when he was martyred. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed his companions of their fate and what had befallen them. Some disbelievers from Quraysh went to Asim’s body after they were told he had been killed, hoping to take some part of him as proof, since Asim had killed one of their prominent leaders on the day of Badr. They brought a large amount of dung to cover his body, which protected him from their emissaries, so they could not cut any flesh from him.’ This hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari, al-Nasa’i, and Abu Dawud. In some versions, it is reported that Abu Sufyan said to him, ‘Would it not please you if Muhammad were with us, so that we could strike off his head, while you are safe among your family?’ He replied, ‘By Allah, it would not please me that I should be safe in my home while Muhammad is in the position He is in, suffering a thorn that hurts Him.’”