Abbad ibn Bishr {Allah be pleased with him}

It was the fourth year after the Hijrah. The city of the prophet was still under threat frim within and without . From within, the influential Jewish tribe, the Banu anNadir, broke their agreement  with the Prophet Sallal lahu alaihi wasallam and made plans to kill him. For this, they were banished from the city. This was in the month of safar.
Two months of uneasy  quiet passed. Then the Prophet Sallal lahu alaihi wasallam received news that tribes from Najd were planning an attack. To pre-empt them,  Prophet Sallal lahu alaihi wasallam gathered a force of over 400 men and leaving one of his companions Uthman ibn Affan in charge of he city, set out eastwards. Among this force was the young Madian, Abbad ibn Bishr.

Arriving at Najd, the Prophet Sallal lahu alaihi wasallam found the habitations of the hostile tribes strangely deserted of men. Only women were about. The men had taken to the hills. Some of them were regrouped and prepared to fight. The time of salat al-Asr came. The Prophet Sallal lahu alaihi wasallam feared that the hostile tribesmen would attack them during the prayer. He arranged the muslims in ranks and divided them into two groups and performed the prayer as the salat al-khawf {the prayer of fear}. With one group he performed one rakah while the other group stood on guard. For the second rakah the groups changed places. Each group completed its prayer with one rakah after the Prophet Sallal lahu alaihi wasallam  had finished - - - - -.

On beholding the disciplined ranks of the muslims the hostile tribesmen became uneasy and afraid. The Prophet Sallal lahu alaihi wasallam had made his presence felt and something of his mussion was now known at first hand in the central highlands of Arabia whence he departed peacefully.

On the way back, the Prophet Sallal lahu alaihi wasallam pitched camp in the valley for a night. As soon as the Muslims had settled their camel mounts,  Prophet Sallal lahu alaihi wasallam asked "Who will be our guard tonight?
"We, O Messenger of God" said Abbad ibn Bishr and Ammar ibn Nasir. Both of them had been paired off as "brothers" by the Prophet Sallal lahu alaihi wasallam when he arrived in Madinah after Hijrah.

Abbad and Ammar left for the mouth of the valley to take up the duty. Abbad saw that his "brother" was   tired and asked him "What part of the night do you wish o sleep, the first or the second?"
"I shall sleep during the first part", said Ammar  who was soon fast asleep quite close to Abbad.

The night was clear calm and peaceful. The stars, the trees and the rocks all appeared to celebrate in silence the praises of their Lords. Abbad felt serene. There was no movement, no threatening sign. Why not spend time in ibadah {worship} and reciting Qur'an? How delightful it would be to combine the performance of salat with the measured recitation of the Qur'an which he enjoyed so much.

Infact Abbad was enthralled by the Quran from he moment he first heard it being recited by  the mellow and beautiful voice of Musab ibn Umayr. That was before the Hijrah when Abbad was just about 15 years old. The Qur'an had found special place in his heart and day and night thereafter he would be heard repeating the glorious words of God so  much that he became known among the Prophet's  Sallal lahu alaihi wasallam companions  as the "friend of Qur'an".

Late at night the Prophet Sallal lahu alaihi wasallam, once stood up to perform tahajjud prayer in Aishah's house which adjoined  the masjid. He heard a voice reciting the Quran, pure and sweet and as fresh as when angel Jibril revealed the words to him. He asked : "Aishah, is that the voice of Abbad ibn Bashr?" 
"Yes, O messenger of God," replied Aishah {RA}
The Prophet Sallal lahu alaihi wasallam out of love for him prayed "O Lord, forgive him"

And so in the stillness of the night at the mouth of the valley in Najd. Abbad stood up and faced the Qiblah. Raising his hands in surrender to God, he finishing the first compulsory opening chapter of the Qur'an began reciting Surah - Al-Kahf in  his sweet , captivating voice. Surah- AL-Kahf is a long surah of 110 verses which deals in part with virtues of faith, truth and patience and with the relativity of time.

While  he was thus absorbed in reciting and reflecting upon the divine words, eternal words of illumination and wisdom , a stranger stalked the outskirts of the valley in search of Muhammad sallal lahu alaihi wasallam and his followers. He was one of those who had planned to attack the prophet sallal lahi alai hi wasallam, but who had fled into the mountains on the approach of the muslims. His wife whom he had left in the village had been taken as a hostage by one of the muslims. When he eventually found that his wife was gone, he swore  by al-Lat  and al-Uzzah  that he would pursue  Muhammad sallal lahu alaihi wasallam and his followers and that he would not return unless he had drawn blood.

From a distance, the man saw the figure of Abbad silhouetted at  the mouth of the valley and he knew that the Muhammad sallal lahu alaihi wasallam and his followers must be inside the valley. Silently he drew his bow and let fly an arrow. Unerringly it embedded itself in Abbad's flesh.

Calmly,Abbad pulled out the arrow from his body and went on with his recitation, still absorbed in salat. The attacker shot a  second  and a third arrow both of which  also found their mark. Abbad pulled one and then the other. He finished his recitation made ruku and then sujud, Weak  and in pain , he streched out his right hand while still in prostration and shook his sleeping companion. Ammar awoke silently. Abbad continued the Salat to its end and then said : "Get   up and stand guard in  my place. I have been wounded."

Ammar jumped up and began to yell. Seeing them both the attacker fled into the darkness. Ammar turned to Abbad as he lay  on the ground , blood flowing from his wounds.
"Ya-Subhanallah {Glory be to God} Why did n't you wake me when you were hit by the first arrow?"

"I was in the midst of reciting verses of Qur'an  which filled my soul with awe and i did not want to cut short the recitation. The Prophet sallal lahu alaihi wasallam had commanded me to commit this surah to memory. Death would have been dearer to me than that the recitation of this surah shud be interurupted"

Abbad's devotion to the Qur'an was a sign  of his intense devotion to and love for God. His Prophet and His religion.  The qualities he was known for were his constant immersion in ibadah, his heroic courage and his generosty in the path of God. At times of sacrifice and death, he would always be in the front line. When it was the time for receiving his share of rewards , he would only be found after much effort and difficulty. He was always trustworthy in his dealings with the wealth. Aishah {RA} once said ,"There are three persons among the Ansar  whom no one could excel in virtue. Sad ibn Muadh, Usayd ibn  Khudayr and Abbad ibn Bishr"

Abbad died the death of a shahid {martyr} at the battle of Yamamah. Just before the battle he had a strong presentiment of death and martyrdom. He noticed that there was a lack of mutual confidence among the Muhajirin and Ansar. He noticed that there was a lack of mutual confidence among the muhajirin and Ansar. He was grieved and upset. He realized that there would be no success for the muslims in these terrible battles unless the Muhajirin and Ansar were grouped in separate regiments so that it could be clearly be seen who really bore their responsiblity and who were truly steadfast in combat.

At the break of day when the battle commenced , Abbad ibn Bishr stood on a mount and shouted ," O Ansar, distinguish yourselves among men. Destroy your scabbards. And do not forsake islam"

Abbad harangued the Ansar until about 400 men gathered   around him at the head of  whom were Thabit ibn Qays, al-Baraa ibn Malik and Abu Dujanah, the keeper of the Prophet sallal lahu alaihi wasallam's sword. With his force, Abbad   unleashed an offensive into the enemy's ranks which blunted their thrust and drove them back to the "garden of death"

At the walls of this garden , Abbad ibn Bishr fell. So numerous  were his wounds, he was hardly  recognizable. He had lived, fought and died as a believer"..
May Allah subhanahu wata'ala grant us such spirit". Ameen.