English translation
3989. Narrated Abū Hurairah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: Allāh's Messenger ﷺ sent out ten spies under the command of 'Āṣim bin Thābit Al-Anṣārī, the grandfather of 'Āṣim bin 'Umar Al- Khattāb. When they reached (a place called) Al-Hadah between Usfān and Makkah, their presence was made known to a subtribe of Hudhail called Banū Lihyān. So, they sent about one hundred archers after them. The archers traced the footsteps (of the Muslims) till they found the traces of dates which they had eaten at one of their camping places. The archers said, "These dates are of Yathrib (i.e., Al-Madīna)," and went on tracing the Muslims' footsteps. When ʿAšim and his companions became aware of them, they took refuge in a (high) place. But the enemy encircled them and said, "Come down and surrender. We give you a solemn promise and covenant that we will not kill anyone of you." ʿAšim bin Thābit said, "O people! As for myself, I will never get down to be under the protection of an infidel. O Allāh! Inform Your Prophet ﷺ about us." So the archers threw their arrows at them and martyred ʿAšim. Three of them came down and surrendered to them, accepting their promise and covenant and they were Khubaib, Zaid bin Ad-Dathīna and another man. When the archers got hold of them, they untied the strings of the arrow bows and tied their captives with them. The third man said, "This is the first proof of treachery! By Allāh, I will not go with you for I follow the example of these." He meant the martyred companions. The archers dragged him and struggled with him (till they martyred him). Then Khubaib and Zaid bin Ad-Dathīna were taken away by them and later on they sold them as slaves in Makkah after the event of the (battle of) Badr. The sons of Al-Hārīth bin ʿAmr bin Naufal bought Khubaib for he was a person who had killed (their father) Al-Hārīth bin ʿAmr on the day (of the battle) of Badr. Khubaib remained imprisoned by them till they decided unanimously to kill him. One day, Khubaib borrowed from a daughter of Al-Hārith, a razor for shaving his pubic hair, and she lent it to him. By chance, while she was inattentive, a little son of hers went to him (Khubaib) and she saw that Khubaib had seated him on his thigh while the razor was in his hand. She was so much terrified that Khubaib noticed her fear and said, "Are you afraid that I will kill him? Never would I do such a thing." Later on (while narrating the story) she said, "By Allāh, I had never seen a better captive than Khubaib. By Allāh, one day I saw him eating from a bunch of grapes in his hand while he was fettered with iron chains and (at that time) there was no fruit in Makkah." She used to say, "It was food Allāh had provided Khubaib with." When they took him to Al-Hill out of Makkah sanctuary to martyr him, Khubaib requested them, "Allow me to offer a two Rak'a prayer." They allowed him and he offered two Rak'a prayer and then said, "By Allāh! Had I not been afraid that you would think I was worried, I would have offered more." Then he (invoked evil upon them) saying, "O Allāh count them and kill them one by one, and do not leave anyone of them." Then he recited: "As I am martyred as a Muslim, I do not care in what way I receive my death for Allāh's sake, for this is for the Cause of Allāh. If He wishes, He will bless the cut limbs of my body." Then Abū Sarwa'a, ʿUbqa bin Al-Hārith went up to him and killed him. It was Khubaib who set the tradition of offering Ṣalāt (prayer) for any Muslim to be martyred in captivity (before he is executed). The Prophet ﷺ told his Companions of what had happened (to those ten spies) on the same day they were martyred. Some Quraish people, being informed of ʿAṣim bin Thābit's death, sent some messengers to bring a part of his body so that his death might be known for certain, for he had previously killed one of their leaders (in the battle of Badr). But Allāh sent a swarm of wasps to protect the dead body of 'Āšim, and they shielded him from the messengers who could not cut anything from his body.