Salmah Bin Akwah: A Brave Child

[Last Island]

Ghabah was a small village, four or five miles from Madina. The Prophet's (Sallallahu alaihe wasallam) camels were sent for grazing. Abdur Rahman Fazari with the help of a few disbelieves killed the person looking after the camels and took them away. The bandits were riding their horses, and all of them were armed. Salmah bin Akwah (Radiallahu anhu) was going on foot with his bow and arrow when he happened to see the bandits. He was only a boy but he ran very fast. Itis said that he could beat the fastest horse in a race. He was also a very good archer.

No sooner did he see the bandits he climbed up a hill and shouted towards Madina to raise an alarm. He than chased the bandits and on approaching them started sending arrows one after the other. this he did so swiftly and incessantly that the bandits thought that they were being chased by a large number of people. If any of the bandits happened to turn his horse towards him he got behind a tree and inflicted wounds on their animal with his arrows. The bandits retreated at full speed. Salmah (Radiallahu anhu) says: "I kept on chasing the bandits till all the camels taken away by them were behind me. Besides, in their flight they left 30 spears and 30 sheets of cloth of their own.

Meanwhile, Ainiah bin his (another bandit) and his party arrived on the scene to reinforce the bandits. They had also come to know I was all alone. They now chased me in large concentration. I was compelled to climb up a hill. As they were about to approach me I shouted, ‘Stop!'. First listen to me. Do you know who I am? I am Ibnul-Akwah.By him who has given glory to Mohammed (Sallallhu alaihe wasallam), if anyone of you chases me, he cannot catch me. On the other hand if I run after any one of you he can't escape from me. I kept on talking to them in the strain to beguile them till, I thought, help would reach me from Madina. I looked anxiously through the trees, as I talked them when at last, I noticed a group of riders headed by Akhram Aasdi(R.A) coming towards me. As Akhram approached the bandits he attacked Abdur Rahman and cut one leg of his horse. Abdur Rahman, as he fell down from his horse, attacked Akhram and killed him. Abu Qatadah(R.A) had meanwhile arrived in the combat that ensued Abdur Rahman lost his life and Abu Qatadah his horse.

It is written in some books of history that when Akhram was going to attack Abdur Rahman, Salmah advised him to wait until the rest of the people joined him. But he did not wait, saying: "I wish to die as a martyr in the path of Allah."

He was the only person to be killed from among the Muslims. The bandits lost a good number of their men. Eventually, more reinforcments reached the Muslim and the bandits took to their heels. Salmah sought the Prophet's(sallallahu alaihe wasallam) permission to pursue them saying: "O, Prophet of Allah! Let me have one hundred men, I shall teach them a lesson". But the Prophet said: "No. they would have by now reached their bases."

Most of the historians say that Salmah (Radiallahu anhu) was hardly 12 or 13 at that time. How a boy of that age was able to chase so many bandits single-handed. He recovered all the plunder and besides took a considerable booty from them.

This was the outcome of Iman and Ikhlas with which Allah had imbued the hearts of these blessed people.