[15] Some Extraordinary Personalities of The First Three Generations

In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Tawus Ibn Kaysan, may Allah have mercy upon him

Ibn Kaysan, the Faqee, a role model, the (leading) scholar of Yemen—Abu Abdir Raḥman al-Faarisee, then Al-Yamaanee, Al-Jundee, the Hafidh.

He was among the sons of the Persians whom Kisraa (the Sasanian king) equipped to seize Yemen for him. It was said: He was the Mawla of Basheer Ibn Raysan al-Ḥimyaree; and it was also said: Rather, his allegiance was to Hamdan. I think he was born during the Khilafah of Uthman—may Allah be pleased with him, or prior to that.

He heard (ḥadith) from Zaid ibn Thabit, Aa’isha, Abu Hurayra, Zayd ibn Arqam, and Ibn Abbas. He remained in the company of Ibn Abbas for a period and was regarded among his senior companions. He also narrated from Jabir, Suraqah ibn Malik, Ṣafwa ibn Umayya, Ibn Umar, Abdullah ibn Amr, Ziyad al-A’jam, Ḥijr al-Madri, and a group (of others). He narrated from Muʿadh in mursal form.

Those Who Narrated From Him:

Aṭaa, Mujahid, a number of his peers, his son ʿAbdullah, al-Ḥasan ibn Muslim, Ibn Shihab, Ibrahim ibn Maysara, Abu Az-Zubayr al-Makki, Sulayma at-Taymi, Sulayman ibn Musa Ad-Dimashqi, Qays ibn Saʿd al-Makki, Ikrima ibn Ammar, Usama ibn Zayd al-Laythi, Abdul Malik ibn Maysara, Amr ibn Dinar, Abdullah ibn Abee Najeeh, Ḥanẓalah ibn Abee Sufyan, and many others besides them. His ḥadith appear in the major collections of (Islamic) texts, and it is agreed upon that he is an authority.

Aṭaa ibn Abee Rabah narrated from Ibn Abbas who said: “I think that Ṭawus is among the people of Paradise (InShaAllah)”. Qays Ibn Sa’d said: “He (Tawus) among us is like Ibn Seereen among the people of Basra”.

Sufyan ibn Uyaynah reported from Ibn Abee Najeeh, who said: “Mujahid said to Tawus, ‘O Abu Abdir Rahman! I saw you (in a dream) praying inside the Kaʿbah, and the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was at its door saying to you: ‘Uncover your face and make your recitation clear’. Tawus said to (Mujahid): ‘Be quiet, and let no one hear this from you’. He (Ibn Abee Najeeh) said: ‘Then it seemed to me that he (Tawus) was happy about the dream'”.

Abdur Razzaq narrated from Dawud Ibn Ibrahim that a lion blocked the people one night on the pilgrimage route, thus, the pilgrims became crowding one another. When it was close to Fajr, the lion departed, so they dismounted and slept, but Tawus stood up and started praying. A man said to him: ‘Will you not sleep?’ He said, ‘Does one sleep during the time before dawn?'”

Abd Ar-Razzaq said: “I heard An-Numan ibn Az-Zubayr As-Ṣan’ani reporting that Muḥammad ibn Yusuf, or Ayyub ibn Yaḥya, sent seven or five hundred Dinars to Tawus. The messenger was told: ‘If the Shaikh accepts it from you, the governor will treat you kindly and clothe you’. So, the man arrived with the money to Ṭawus al-Jundee and wanted him to take it, but he refused. Then Ṭawus became distracted, thus, the man threw the money pouch into a window-opening of the house and told them: ‘He has taken it.’ Then they something about Tawus that displeased them, so they said: ‘Go to him and tell him to give us back our money’. The messenger came to him and said: ‘The money the governor sent to you’. He said: ‘I did not take anything from it’. The messenger returned and they knew he was truthful. So they sent the first man to him. He said: ‘The money I brought you, O Abu Abdir Rahman’. He said, ‘Did I ever take anything from you?’ He said, ‘No.’ Then he looked to where it had been placed, reached out his hand, and found the money pouch with a spider’s web over it. He then took it and returned it to them.

Sufyan said: Ibrahim Ibn Maysarah swore to us while facing the Kabah, saying: “By the Lord of this Sacred Structure! I have never seen anyone — noble or one with low status – in the presence of whom all people were equal, except Tawus”.

Ibn Uyaynah reported from Ibn Abee Najeeh, from his father who said that Tawus said to him, “O Abu Najeeh! The one who speaks while fearing Allah is better than the one who keeps quiet while fearing Allah”.

Ibn Shihab said: “If you had seen Ṭawus, you would know that he would not lie.” Al-A’mash narrated from Abdul-Malik ibn Maysarah, from Tawus who said: “I met fifty of the companions of Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him”.

And Ḥabeeb Ibn Abee Thabit said: “Five men gathered with me, and no one else could gather such a group: Aṭaa, Ṭawus, Mujahid, Sa’eed ibn Jubayr, and Ikrimah”.

Anbasah ibn Abdul Waḥid narrated from Ḥanẓalah ibn Abee Sufyan who said: “I never saw a scholar says ‘I don’t know’ more than Tawus.

Abdur Razzaq narrated from his father who said: “Ṭawus died in Makkah and they did not perform the funeral prayer over him until Hisham ibn Abdil Malik sent the guards. I saw Abdullah ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥasan carrying the bier on his shoulder. His cap fell off, and his cloak tore from behind, yet he did not leave the bier until it was placed in the grave”.

He (Tawus) died either in Muzdalifah or Mina. He died in the year 106 AH. It is said that his death occurred on the Day of Tarwiyah (8 Dhul-Ḥijjah). The caliph Hisham ibn Abdil Malik performed the funeral prayer over him.

An Excerpt from Siyar A’lam An-Nubulaa 5/39