Abul-Haytham ibn at-Tayhan
أَبُو الْهَيْثَم بْن التَّيِّهَانAbū al-Haytham ibn al-Tayyihān
Biography
An Anṣārī leader from the Aws tribe renowned for his intelligence, wisdom, and generosity. At the Second Pledge of Aqabah, after al-Barāʾ ibn Maʿrūr's eager response, Abul-Haytham stood and asked a more measured question: "Yā Rasūlallāh, we have political treaties with the Jews of Yathrib. By accepting you, those treaties will be broken. Once Allāh gives you victory over the Quraysh, will you then leave us and return to your people?"
His question reveals extraordinary faith: he already envisioned the day they would conquer the Quraysh while speaking as a member of a community of roughly 300 against a city of thousands. His worry was not whether they would win, he knew they would, but whether the Prophet ﷺ would stay with them afterward.
The Prophet ﷺ smiled and replied: "Lā, bal al-dam al-dam wal-hadm al-hadm, No. My blood is your blood. My destruction is your destruction." Once I leave Makkah, I am yours permanently.
He is also known for the incident in which he passed by the Prophet ﷺ, Abū Bakr, and ʿUmar near his home in Madinah, each with a stone tied to his stomach from hunger. He went home, slaughtered his last old goat, and cooked a feast for them.
Significance
Asked the Prophet ﷺ at the Second Pledge whether he would abandon the Ansar after victory; his question shows he already foresaw the conquest of Quraysh with unwavering certainty