Talha ibn ‘Ubaidullah Al-Taymi

Talha ibn ‘Ubaidullah Al-Taymi (طلحہ بن عبیدالله التیمی) was one of the prominent companions of

Muhammad who accepted during the early period of the Holy Prophet’s mission in Makkah. ¹ Talha is well known for being among the ten blessed companions to whom Paradise was promised (Al-‘Asharah Al-Mubashirah, (العشرۃ المبشرۃ) by Prophet Muhammad . ² He is well remembered for his contributions in the Battle of Badar, when he protected the Holy Prophet by shielding him from the arrows with his hands. ³ He remained an important member of Mujlis-e-Shura (Consultative Council) during the reign of the Rightly Guided Caliphs ⁴ and was martyred in the Battle of the Camel. ⁵

Lineage

His name was Talha ibn ‘Ubaidullah ibn Uthman ibn ‘Amr ibn Ka’ab ibn Saad ibn Taym ibn Murrah ibn Ka’ab ibn Luayy ibn Ghalib ibn Fahr ibn Malik ibn Nadhr ibn Kinanah. His mother was Su’ba bint Abdullah ibn Malik Al-Hadramiyah. ⁶ She lived in

Muhammad's era, and according to some relatives of Talha , she accepted and died as a Muslim. ⁷ Su’ba bint Abdullah was initially married to Abu Sufiyan, but he divorced her, then she was married to ‘Ubaidullah, the father of Talha . ⁸

Acceptance of Islam

Talha was one of the early converts.  He visited

Muhammad with his relative Abu Bakr and became a Muslim. ⁹ There is a famous story about his acceptance of , which states that as a wealthy businessman, he used to travel to different places for trade and commerce. It was during one of his trips to Syria that he met a Christian monk who informed him about the arrival of the last prophet, who according to the scriptures, would appear in the land of Arabia. This was something intriguing for Talha so soon after his return to Makkah, he started to investigate the matter. He learned that Muhammad from Banu Hashim had declared Prophethood and Abu Bakr was by his side. He was extremely sure about the character and righteousness of Prophet Muhammad and Abu Bakr , and he knew that Prophet Muhammad and Abu Bakr could never be partners in anything wrong or false. He instantly approached Abu Bakr and enquired about the accuracy of the claim made by Prophet Muhammad . Abu Bakr took him to the Prophet Muhammad , where, after being satisfied, he declared his faith and became a Muslim. ¹⁰

Another account is narrated regarding Talha's acceptance of

. During the early days of the Holy mission, the people of Quraysh decided to use the relatives or guardians of Prophet Muhammad’s companions to force Prophet Muhammad to abandon his preaching and turn back to the old religion. Talha ibn ‘Ubaidullah was given the responsibility to force Abu Bakr to renounce Islam. Talha approached Abu Bakr while he was among his people and invited him towards polytheism. In response, Abu Bakr asked some questions from him, to which he had no reply. As soon as Talha realized the reality of paganism and the false gods, he accepted Islam. ¹¹

Persecutions

After becoming a Muslim, Talha was brutally persecuted by his family. Once, during these persecutions, Nawfal ibn Khuwaylad tied Talha to Abu Bakr and left them roped together. Nobody from the Taym clan came to help.  Thereafter, they were known as ‘Qurnain (قرنین); the Two Tied Together’. ¹² Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid was called the ‘Lion of Quraysh’ and he was killed by Ali in the Battle of Badr. ¹³ Other acccounts state they were tied together by Uthman ibn ‘Ubaidullah, Talha’s brother who prevented them from offering prayer and tried to force them to turn back to

, ¹⁴ but that account is weak.

Emigration to Yathrib

When the Holy

was migrating from Makkah to Yathrib (Madinah), Talha was bringing a caravan home from Syria. He did not migrate with the Holy Prophet but returned to Makkah to put his affairs in order. Soon afterwards, he escorted Abu Bakr's family to Madinah, and settled down there. ¹⁵

After migrating to Madinah, initially, he stayed with Khubaib ibn Isaf or according to another narration, As’ad ibn Zurara, ¹⁶ but later on,

Muhammad awarded him a plot of land, on which Talha was able to build his own house. ¹⁷ Talha and Saeed missed fighting at the Battle of Badr, because ten days before the battle, they were sent by Muhammad as scouts to locate Abu Sufyan’s caravan. ¹⁸ It is reported that they reached Madinah on the day when the of Allah met the party of Quraysh at Badr. They left Madinah to meet the of Allah and met him at Turban, between Malal and As-Sayala, when Prophet Muhammad was returning from Badr. Though Talha and Saeed did not attend the battle, the of Allah awarded them a share from the war booty collected at Badr. ¹⁹

Talha remained steadfast with the

of Allah at the battle of Uhud, when many people started to retreat in confusion. The attacked the of Allah with great intensity in order to kill him. At this critical moment, Talha was one of those who became a shield and protected Muhammad from the attacks. ²⁰ Talha vowed that he would die but would never leave the of Allah . ²¹

During this battle, Talha protected Prophet Muhammad’s face from an arrow by taking the shot in his own hand, as a result of which two of his fingers were semi-paralyzed. ²² Whenever one of the

approached Prophet Muhammad , Talha fought him off and safely took Prophet Muhammad to the gorge. Talha was severely injured in this battle and fainted due to blood loss. ²³

Another great service of Talha during the battle of Uhud was that when

Muhammad approached a huge boulder on the mountain and tried to climb it, he was unable to do so. Thus, Talha bin ‘Ubaidullah lifted him up on his back until he settled comfortably upon the rock. Zubair said that on the day of Uhud, he heard Prophet Muhammad say that Talha had earned paradise when he for the of Allah during the battle of Uhud. ²⁴

It is narrated that after the battle of Uhud,

Muhammad said that if anyone wanted to look at a martyr walking on the face of the earth, he should look at Talha ibn ‘Ubaidullah . ²⁵ Recalling the battle of Uhud, Talha narrated an incident that always made him very happy. Talha states that when the of Allah returned from the Battle of Uhud, he ascended the pulpit, praised and recited the following verse of the :

  مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَضَى نَحْبَهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَنْتَظِرُ وَمَا بَدَّلُوا تَبْدِيلًا 23 ²⁶

  Amongst the believers (a great number of) men proved true what covenant they made with Allah. Of them is someone who has fulfilled his vow (by attaining to martyrdom), and of them is someone who is waiting (for his turn). But they have not changed (their covenant) in the least.

A man stood up and asked the

of Allah about the people referred in the verse as ‘true to their Covenant with ’. Muhammad did not reply him. Meanwhile, Talha entered the mosque wearing a green garment. When the of Allah saw him, he pointed towards Talha and said, ‘He is one of them’. ²⁷

Talha was also present at the treaty of Hudabiyah and all other important battles and military expeditions led by

Muhammad . ²⁸ Talha was also appointed as the commander of a Sarya (military expedition launched on the order of Prophet Muhammad ) before the Battle of Tabuk, in order to disband the hypocrites (munafiqs) who had gathered in the house of a Jew named Suwaylim.

Wives and Children

The children and wives, and the concubines of Talha are recorded in the historical accounts. Following are their names:

  • Talha married Hamna bint Jahsh of Asad tribe. She bore him two sons, Muhammad ibn Talha and Imran ibn Talha.

  • Khawla bint Al-Q’qa’a ibn Ma’bad ibn Zurara ibn Adas ibn Zayd of the Tamim tribe. From her, he had a son named Musa ibn Talha.

  • Umm Kulthum bint Abi Bakr. She bore him Zakariya ibn Talha, Ismail ibn Talha, Yaqoob ibn Talha (who died in childhood) and a daughter Aisha bint Talha.

  • Suda bint Aqf of the Murra clan. He had Isa ibn Talha and Yahya ibn Talha from her.

  • Ummul Harith bint Qasama of the Tayy tribe. She bore him a daughter Umme Ishaq bint Talha ibn ‘Ubaidullah, who was initially married to Hasan ibn Ali and after his death, was married to his brother Husain ibn Ali .

  • Umm Aban bint Utbah ibn Rabi'ah. She bore him Ishaq ibn Talha.

Talha ibn ‘Ubaidullah also had a son from a concubine Faraa bint Ali of Taghlib tribe, and two daughters Al-Saba and Maryam from two other concubines. ²⁹ It is also established that he never married and kept more than 4 women at a time.

Talha , The Generous

Talha was a merchant by profession and mainly dealt in clothes. It was due to the endless generosity of Talha that Prophet Muhammad gave him the title of “Talha Al-Khair” (Talha, of goodness and bounty) and “Talha Al-Fayyadh (Talha the Generous)”. It is said that on the day of Uhud he was given the title of Talha Al-Khair (Talha the good), Talha Al-Fayyadh (Talha the Generous) on the Battle of ‘Usrah and Talhatul Juwd (Talha the Generous) on the day of the battle of Hunain. ³⁰

He gave most of his wealth in the way of Islam. On one occasion, he bought a water-well and donated it for the Muslim soldiers and the general public. Then, he slaughtered camels and fed the people. On this occasion, Prophet Muhammad again called him as ‘Talha the Generous’. ³¹

Once, a delegation from Yemen visited the

of Allah . Talha served them with great hospitality and generosity. He also presented them with gifts of fine clothes and cash. Muhammad became extremely pleased and said the following to him: You are Fayyadh i.e., the Generous. Then, people started to call him Talha Al-Fayyadh. ³¹

His wife noticed that he appeared deeply troubled and distressed one day. When she inquired about his discomfort, he revealed that his wealth was the source of his anxiety. He expressed that it was difficult to think of his Lord and Sustainer while his wealth remained in his home. Following his wife’s advice to give away his wealth to the needy and destitute, he distributed everything he had by midnight. With a relieved heart, he went to sleep, having given away four hundred thousand dirhams in charity that day. On another occasion when he sold some of his lands to Uthman , he gave away the whole amount, which was seven hundred thousand dirhams, in charity just in a single night. That is why the companions used to say that they did not see anyone who gave away abundant wealth without being asked, except for Talha ibn ‘Ubaidullah . ³²

Role during the Rightly Guided Caliphate (خلافتِ راشدہ)

During the caliphate of Abu Bakr , he played an important part in the Ridda wars against the self proclaimed false prophet known as Tulayha. ³³ During the caliphate of Ali he broke his oath of allegiance and went to Makkah. There, he joined Zubair ibn Awan and The Mother of the Faithful, Aishah and decided to take revenge of Uthman from the conspirators, as in their opinion, Ali was unable to punish the perpetrators. ³⁴

Death

In the Battle of the Camel, Marwan ibn Al-Hakam shot Talha with an arrow. The wound from this arrow turned out to be fatal and in month of Jamad Al-Akhira, 36 A.H., Talha ibn 'Ubaidullah embraced martyrdom at the age of 60. ³⁵

Re-Burial

It is reported that he was buried at a place called Shatt Al- Kalla’ which was near a water source. One of his family member saw him in a dream. Talha asked that individual to relieve him of the water which had entered his grave. After seeing the same dream thrice, that family member informed other people and they decided to open his grave. When they opened the grave, they found out that the floor was layered with lush green grass. Then, they brought him out and decided to shift his grave. For this purpose, they bought one of the houses of Abu Bakr and buried him in it. ³⁶

Another account is narrated by Al-Baladhuri which states that Talha was buried near Qarra Bridge in Basra. After thirty years of his death Aisha bint Talha saw the above-mentioned dream. Then, Abd Al-Rahman ibn Salamah Al-Tamemi opened his grave and moved his body, which was still in pristine condition, to Hajrain where it remains to be well-known. ³⁷

 

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• ¹ Abul Faraj Abdul Rehman ibn Ali Al-Jawzi (2009), Sifat Al-Safwa, Dar Al-Hadith, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 1, Pg. 125.
• ² Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 10, Pg. 116.
• ³ Ibid, Pg. 120.
• ⁴ Yusuf ibn Abd Allah ibn Abd Al-Barr Al-Qurtabi (1992), Al-Isti’aab fi M’arifat Al-Ashab, Dar Al-Jeel, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 766.
• ⁵ Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 224.
• ⁶ Izz Al-Din Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Shaibani ibn Athir (2003), Usud Al-Ghaba fi Ma’rifat Al-Sahaba, Maktaba Al-Tawfiqiya, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 3, Pg. 76.
• ⁷ Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 10, Pg. 129.
• ⁸ Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Ahmed Al-Halabi (1427 A.H.), Al-Seerah Al-Halabiyah, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 218.
• ⁹ Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar Al-Madani (1978), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Ishaq, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 140.
• ¹⁰ Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 214.
• ¹¹ Al-Mutahir ibn Tahir Al-Maqdisi (N.D.), Al-Bada wal Tareekh, Maktaba Al-Thaqafah Al-Diniyah, Port Said, Egypt, Vol. 5, Pg. 82.
• ¹² Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 215.
• ¹³ Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 10, Pg. 116.
• ¹⁴ Izz Al-Din Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Shaibani ibn Athir (2003), Usud Al-Ghaba fi Ma’rifat Al-Sahaba, Maktabah Al-Tawfiqiyah, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 3, Pg. 76.
• ¹⁵ Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 215.
• ¹⁶ Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’ Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 1, Pg. 477.
• ¹⁷ Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 216.
• ¹⁸ Abu Hatim Muhammad ibn Habban Al-Tamimi Al-Darmi (1417 A.H.), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah wa Akhbar Al-Khulafah, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Thaqafiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 158.
• ¹⁹ Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 217.
• ²⁰ Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Umar Al-Waqidi (1409 A.H.), Al-Maghazi, Dar Al-A’alami, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 254.
• ²¹ Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 10, Pg. 120.
• ²² Ibid.
• ²³ Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 218.
• ²⁴ Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar Al-Madani (1978), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Ishaq, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 332.
• ²⁵ Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’ Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 2, Pg. 80.
• ²⁶ Holy Quran, Al-Ahzab (The Confederates) 33: 23.
• ²⁷ Abul Faraj Abdul Rehman ibn Ali Al-Jawzi (2009), Sifat Al-Safwa, Dar Al-Hadith, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 1, Pg. 127.
• ²⁸ Izz Al-Din Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Shaibani ibn Athir (2003), Usud Al-Ghaba fi Ma’rifat Al-Sahaba, Maktabah Al-Tawfiqiyah, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 3, Pg. 77.
• ²⁹ Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 10, Pg. 130.
• ³⁰ Izz Al-Din Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Shaibani ibn Athir (2003), Usud Al-Ghaba fi Ma’rifat Al-Sahaba, Maktabah Al-Tawfiqiyah, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 3, Pg. 77.
• ³¹ Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 10, Pg. 118-119.
• ³¹ Ibid, Pg. 116.
• ³² Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 220-221.
• ³³ Al-Mutahir ibn Tahir Al-Maqdisi (N.D.), Al-Bada wal Tareekh, Maktaba Al-Thaqafah Al-Diniyah, Port Said, Egypt, Vol. 5, Pg. 156-157.
• ³⁴ Izz Al-Din Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Shaibani ibn Athir (2003), Usud Al-Ghaba fi Ma’rifat Al-Sahaba, Maktaba Al-Tawfiqiya, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 3, Pg. 78.
• ³⁵ Abu Al-Fadl Ahmed ibn Ali ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani (1415 A.H.), Al-Isaba fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 432.
• ³⁶ Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 223-224.
• ³⁷ Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 10, Pg. 128.