Constantinople or Rome

`Abdullah bin `Amr bin al-`Aas, may Allah be pleased with him and with his father, was dedicated to writing the Prophetic hadeeth and scribing the pure Sunnah during the time of Allah’s Messenger r.  He was proficient at this task, being one of the forerunners in recording the inheritance, meaning knowledge, of the Last of the Prophets r.

1. He used to write all what he heard from the Prophet r:

`Abdullah bin `Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I used to write everything I heard from Allah’s Messenger r seeking to preserve it, until Quraish (the Prophet’s tribe) discouraged me, saying, ‘Why do you write all what you hear from Allah’s Messenger r? He is a human; he speaks in anger and in pleasure?’ I mentioned this to Allah’s Messenger r, and he raised his finger to his mouth and said, ‘Rather, write! For by He Who owns my soul, only the truth comes out of it.’” (Collected by Abu Dawud, 3646, Ahmad, 6510, and ad-Darimi, 1/125, using an authentic chain of narration)

2. He was among the strongest of the Sahabah in memory and understanding of the Prophetic hadeeth:

Abu Hurairah (t) said, “There was none more knowledgeable in the hadeeth of Allah’s Messenger r than I was, except `Abdullah bin `Amr. He used to write [the Prophet’s hadeeth] with his hand, and understand with his heart. I used to only understand with my heart, but did not write with my hand. He had asked Allah’s Messenger r to write what he (the Prophet) says, and he r granted him permission.” (Collected by al-Bukhari, 113, and Muslim, 3004)

3. He used to keep whatever he wrote from the Prophet’s hadeeth in a box with a lock:

Abu Qubail said, “We were with `Abdullah bin `Amr bin al-`Aas when he was asked, ‘Which of the two cities will be conquered first, Constantinople  (Today Istanbul, Turkey ) or Rome?’ He then asked for a box to be brought, and it had a lock on it. He took a book out and said [while reading from it], ‘We were sitting with Allah’s Messenger r writing, when he was asked, ‘Which of the two cities will be conquered first, Constantinople or Rome?’ The Messenger of Allah r replied, ‘The city of Heraclius will be conquered first.’ He meant Constantinople.’” (Collected by Ahmad, 2/176, ad-Darimi, 1/126, al-Hakim, 4/422, 508, and 55, with a sahih (authentic) chain of narration)

This book of `Abdullah bin `Amr became known as, “The Truthful Tablet (as-Sahifah as-Sadiqah),” just as he wished to name it.  He had scribed it directly from the mouth of Allah’s Messenger r, which makes it among the most truthful of all narrations reported from Allah’s Messenger r.

When Mujahid bin Jabr once saw this tablet and wanted to take it in his hand, `Abdullah bin `Amr told him, “Mah (cease), O boy of Bani Makhzum!”  Mujahid said, “You never stopped me from getting anything before.”  `Abdullah replied, “This is the Truthful [Tablet]. In it is what I heard from Allah’s Messenger r; there were no narrators between me and him.” (Refer to, Taqyeed al-`Ilm, pg. 84, and, At-Tabaqat al-Kubra, of Ibn Sa`d, 2/373)

“The Truthful Tablet” was beloved to `Abdullah bin `Amr and dear to his heart.  It was one of the most priceless possessions in this Dunya (life) to him, so much so, that he said, “Only two things make me wish to live more, as-Sadiqah and al-Wahtah. As for as-Sadiqah, it is a tablet where I recorded some statements from the Messenger of Allah r. As for al-Wahtah, it is land that `Amr bin al-`Aas (Abdullah’s father) gave away in charity, but used to manage it afterwards.” (Collected by ad-Darimi, 1/105)

“But honor, power and glory belong to Allah, His Messenger(Muhammad r), and to the believers, but the hypocrites know not” (63:8)

“It is He Who has sent His Messenger(Muhammad r)with guidance and the religion of truth(Islam), to make it superior over all religions even though the Mushrikoon(polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah)hate(it).” [9:33]

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