‘The Tallest Companion’
Translated by Abbas Abu Yahya
The Prophet -SallAllaahu alayhi wa Sallam- said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى صُوَرِكُمْ وَأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَإِنَّمَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَأَعْمَالِكُمْ
‘Indeed, Allaah does not look at your forms [bodies], nor your wealth, but rather he looks at your hearts and your actions.’ [Muslim]
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The Tallest Companion
Translated by Abbas Abu Yahya
*Allaah looks at Hearts
From Abu Hurairah -RadhiAllaahu anhu- from the Prophet -SallAllaahu alayhi wa Sallam- who said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى صُوَرِكُمْ وَأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَإِنَّمَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَأَعْمَالِكُمْ
‘Indeed, Allaah does not look at your forms [bodies], nor your wealth, but rather he looks at your hearts and your actions.’ [Muslim]
*The Tallest Companion
al-Hafidh ad-Dhahabi (d.748) -Rahimullaah- said:
‘A Companion of the Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam and the son of a Companion.
Qays bin Sa’ad bin Ubadah al-Khazraji al-Ansaari as-Sa’aadi RadhiAllaahu anhu.
He narrated a number of Hadeeth.
Ahmad Bin al-Barqi said: ‘He was the flag carrier of the Prophet in some of the battles of the Prophet. He was appointed the governor over the land of Misr for Ali.’
Amr bin Dinaar said: ‘Qays bin Sa’ad was an extremely large man, bulky. He had a small head and his beard did not grow.
When he would sit upon a donkey his feet would trail along the ground.
Qays bin Sa’ad said: I accompanied the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam ten years.
From Anas who said: ‘The example of Qays bin Sa’ad to the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam was like a policeman to that of a leader.’
Aasim Bin Umar mentioned that the Prophet appointed Qays bin Sa’ad over the charity.
It is said that an old woman went to Qays and said: ‘I complain to you of the few amount of large rats.’
Qays replied: ‘What an excellent similitude! Fill her home with bread, meat, butter and dates.’
From Yahya bin Sa’eed who said: Qays would feed the people whilst on his journeys with the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam and if he ran out of provisions he would take a loan and would announce every day come and eat meat and broth.’
Ibn Sireen said: Sa’ad used to announce to come and eat his food; ‘Whoever loves meat and fat then come! ‘
Then we found that his son was like him.
Qays’ generosity is used for parables and likewise is his smartness and shrewdness.
Qays said: ‘If it were not for Islaam, I would have plotted shrewdly so much which the Arabs would not be able to handle.’
[Summarised from ‘Seera Alaam Nubala’ 3 / 102-112]
Imam Ibn Katheer Rahimahullaah said:
‘Cesar the ruler of Rome sent the tallest man they had to Muwaweeyyah RadhiAllaahu anhu and challenged that there is no one as tall as him amongst the Muslims.
So Muwaweeyyah sent a message to Qays bin Ubadah RadhiAllaahu anhumma
[He was regarded as from the smartest of the Arabs. If he rode on a horse his legs would trail the ground because of him being so tall.]
Muwaweeyyah said to him stand next to this Roman.
Qays said: ‘No, I swear by Allaah I will not give him that honour. However, here are my Sirwaal (trousers) measure him against it.
So when they measured him the sirwaal reached the nose of the man from Rome. The Companions and the people laughed.’
Some people said to Qays: ‘Why did you remove your sirwaal behind a curtain and not bring one from your house?’
So Qays said in the form of a proverb:
‘I intended by this so that the people know that this is Qays’ sirwaal in front of a number of witnesses.
So the people will not say that Qays disappeared and returned with a sirwaal or he brought remnants from the people of Thamud.
Indeed I am a leader in a Yemeni area and the people are either leaders or followers.
So test them with me, indeed the likes of me cannot be matched
and I have been created the tallest amongst men.
[Bidayya wa nihayya 5/337 & 8/101-102]