The twelve chiefs

God’s Prophet (MGB) chose twelve leaders or chiefs from amongst his nation just as many as the Chiefs of Moses (MGB) due to an order delivered by Gabriel. Nine of them were from the Khazraj clan and three of them were from the O’as clan. The ones from the Khazraj clan were as follows: As’ad ibn Zurarah; Al-Bara’ ibn Ma’rur; Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Haraml - the father of Jabir ibn Abdullah; Rafe’a ibn Malik; Sa’ed ibn Ebadat; Al-Monzar ibn Amr; Abdullah ibn Ravaheh; Sa’ed ibn al-Rabi’a; Ibn al-Qavafil Ebadat al-Samit - and what is meant by Ibn al-Qavafil is those noble men of Khazraj in Medina that no one dared bother anyone who lived under their protection. And the men from the Oa’s tribe were as follows: Abul Haysam ibn al-Teyhan; Aseed ibn Hazir; and Sa’ed ibn Khaysama.” I have recorded the detailed account in my book Kitab Al-Nabuwat. The compiler of the book - may God be pleased with him - said, “The word Naqib translated here as leader or chief refers to the heads or chiefs of the tribes. It has also been said that it refers to trustworthy and honest ones who act as a witness for their tribe. The origin of the word Naqib is the word Naqb which refers to an opening, a tunnel or a ditch in the ground or the hills. One is said to be the leader of his tribe or the chief of his tribe, since he constantly questions about the conditions of the people in the tribe. He is the chief like one who questions about hidden secrets. And the meaning of the following words of the Honorable the Exalted God, ‘…Allah did aforetime take a covenant from the Children of Israel, and we appointed twelve leaders among them’ is that God has chosen one chief from each tribe and has made a covenant with them regarding their religion. Some have said that these chiefs were dispatched to the oppressors to find about their conditions and bring back their news to Moses (MGB). They returned and prevented their tribes from fighting with the oppressors, since they had become frightened of their armaments and physical strength. This is a well-known account. However, we have only meant to describe the meaning of the word Naqib here. May God grant success to good works.”