Abū Khaythamah
أَبُو خَيْثَمَة الْأَنْصَارِيّAbū Khaythamah al-Anṣārī
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A Companion of the Anṣār who, having no wealth for the expedition, gave the little he had. When the Prophet ﷺ called for donations he brought only a handful of dates, and ʿAbdullāh ibn Ubayy and the hypocrites mocked the gift, "what will these dates do for an army?", over which Allāh revealed the condemnation of those who deride the believers' charity (9:79). Having at first stayed behind, he later got hold of a mount and rode out alone across the desert to join the army; as a lone rider broke the mirage in the distance, the Prophet ﷺ said, "Let it be Abū Khaythamah", and so it was.
Significance
His solitary thousand-mile ride to Tabūk, and the Prophet's ﷺ wish that the distant rider be him, are among the tender images of the expedition; his mocked date-charity is the occasion of Qurʾān 9:79.
Stories
At Tabūk: Muʿādh Defends Kaʿb, and Abū Khaythamah Rides Alone
historicalShaykh Yasir Qadhi explains: The Prophet ﷺ did not miss Kaʿb until the army had reached Tabūk, where he camped for some time (reports say ten to nine…
Read the full story →The Lone Riders: Abū Khaythamah and Abū Dharr Catch Up
historicalShaykh Yasir Qadhi explains: Two Companions nearly fell into Kaʿb's fate, delaying, then caught the army alone, and the Prophet ﷺ named each as he ap…
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