Sayyidina Sawad ibn ‘Amr al-Qari al-Answari’s (r.a.) Wish

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Imam Abu ‘Umar Yusuf ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (r.a.) related, in his Isti’ab fi Ma’rifat asw-Swahabah, that the Prophet (s.a.w.), after forbidding two or three times the use of khaluq, a kind of perfume mixed with saffron, and finding that Sayyidina Sawad ibn ‘Amr al-Qari al-Answari (r.a.) was wearing it, nudged him in the mid-section with a jaridah, palm-tree stalk, and scratched him.  The latter asked for reparation; when the Prophet (s.a.w.) bared his own belly to him, he jumped and kissed the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) belly.  

Shaykh Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ishaq’s (r.a.) version in the Sirah mentions that Sayyidina Sawad (r.a.) was standing in the ranks of the Companions of Badr (r.a.) at the time of this incident.  The Prophet (s.a.w.) was arranging the ranks with his miqra’ah, switch, with the words, “Align yourself with the others,” and he nudged Sayyidina Sawad’s (r.a.) belly with it, scratching him inadvertently. 

Sayyidina Sawad (r.a.) said, “Ya Rasulullah, you have hurt me, so give me reparation.” 

The Prophet (s.a.w.) handed him the switch and said, “Take your reparation.”  Sayyidina Sawad (r.a.) approached him and kissed his belly.  The Prophet (s.a.w.) asked, “What made you do that, O Sawad?” 

He replied, “Ya Rasulullah, the time has come for what you see, and I loved that my last action in this dunya be to touch you.”  And he got what he sought.