Abu Lubaba ibn Abd al-Mundhir

A Trusted Ansari

Abu Lubaba was an Ansari of the Aws, trusted enough that the Prophet ﷺ left him in charge of Madinah during the Badr expedition.

The Pillar of Repentance

When the Prophet ﷺ besieged Banu Qurayza — Abu Lubaba’s old allies — they asked him whether they should submit to the Prophet’s ﷺ judgment; he said “yes,” but pointed to his throat, signalling that it meant slaughter. At once he was struck with remorse at having betrayed Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. He went to the mosque and bound himself to a pillar, vowing not to be freed until Allah accepted his repentance; the Prophet ﷺ said that had Abu Lubaba come to him he would have sought forgiveness for him, but since he had tied himself, he would not loose him until Allah decided. After days bound there, the acceptance of his repentance was revealed, and the Prophet ﷺ untied him with his own hands. 1 Hayatus Sahaba · Vol 2 · pp. 383–384 — Kandhlawi — Abu Lubaba's signal to Banu Qurayza, his remorse, and his binding himself to the pillar until Allah accepted his repentance. 2 Seerat-e-Mustafa · Vol 1 · pp. 377 — Idris Kandhlawi — Abu Lubaba ties himself to a pillar of the mosque in repentance.