’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh

‘Âmir Ibn Al Jarrâh, known as ’Abû ‘Ubaidah, became a Muslim when he was seventeen years old. He immigrated twice to Ethiopia, then he emigrated to Al-Madînah. The Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, established the bond of brotherhood between him and ’Abû Talha Al ’Ansârî. He witnessed the battles of Badr and ’Uhud and all the conquests with the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him,. He sent him as a strong help to ‘Amr Ibn Al-‘Âs in the battle of Dhât-as-Salâsil with ’Abû Bakr As-Siddîq and ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb.. as their leader.

When they reached the place where he was, ‘Amr told them: I am your ruler.. So ’Abû Bakr and ‘Umar said: Our leader is ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh, and you are to rule who is with you.. ’Abû ‘Ubaidah said: O ‘Amr, I have come as a help to you, and the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, has asked me that we both be obedient to one another, for if you disobey me, I will obey you. And with this honorable companion’s wisdom, matters were settled.

He was one of the ten men who had been promised to go to Paradise, and he was one of the most well known leaders in Islam, who by them and their courage, many regions were opened to Islam. That was a time when Islam flourished due to these men’s efforts.

One of his conquests was Al Khabt which was in the direction of the seacoast… Three hundred men were with him…They had no food except some dates. Every day, he distributed some until they became very few. So, he had to give each soldier one date daily. The soldier would suck it thoroughly. After it was all gone, they would hit the trees (a thorny desert tree) by their sticks, in order to make the leaves fall, so they would take the leaves, grind them, then swallow them well by using water, then drink water after them. That’s the reason why the battle was called Al Khabt.. They were then rewarded from Allah by a huge whale that was thrown to the coast by the sea-water. They fed on it for fourteen days and had enough of its meat to keep for their trip back.

When some men representing Najrân came to the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, asking for a preacher and a judge. He told them: “Tomorrow, I will send an honest man who is really trustworthy”.

Every one of the companions of the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, was looking forward (to be that person).. Even ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb says: I never wished a ruling post as much as I wished it that time.. They all spent the night hoping for this position. In the morning, the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said: “Where is ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh?”

’Abû ‘Ubaidah replied: Here I am, O Prophet of Allah.. He, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said: “O ’Abû ‘Ubaidah, go with them and rule amongst them… Every nation has an Amîn (i.e the most honest man),… and the Amîn of this nation is ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh”[1].

’Abû Bakr As-Siddîq relates an incident concerning ’Abû ‘Ubaidah, he says: When Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, was hurt in the battle of ’Uhud, we ran towards him. I saw a man coming from the east, almost flying quickly.. I looked at him and said: May Allah let him be for a good cause.. We met near the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him,, and he reached him first. He was ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh trying to redeem the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, by himself, protect him by sheltering his body by his own. The Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, started bleeding, blood covered his face and ’Abû ‘Ubaidah said: How can a nation who injured their Prophet’s, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, face be successful?, While he is inviting them to believe in Allah,.. But then two metal rings of the Prophet’s, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, war head-cover pierced his cheek from a hard blow and broke his lower (fourth) tooth, ’Abû ‘Ubaidah told me: I pray you ’Abû Bakr by Allah, let me remove the metal rings from the Prophet’s cheek. I let him do it. He held the first metal ring by his teeth and removed it. This caused him to lose his power and fall on the ground, his front tooth also fell due to that. He then held the second metal ring, pulled it out, and with it he lost his other front tooth… He became toothless (of his two front teeth), and I realized I had never seen a man becoming more beautiful by losing his teeth as that man.

’Abû Bakr almost offered him to become khalîfah (caliph) after the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him,. When Ansâr (supporters) were assembled in Saqîfah (shed) of Banî Sâ‘idah and after the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, died, they told ’Abû Bakr and ‘Umar: There must be a ruler from us and a ruler from you.. ‘Umar said: Two swords in one sheath would not do.. So ’Abû Bakr said: O Ansâr (supporters), you should elect either ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb, or ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh as your ruler.. So ‘Umar took ’Abû Bakr’s hand and gave the pledge of allegiance and the people too gave the pledge of allegiance to ’Abû Bakr.. They were already convinced by ‘Umar’s words when he said: The Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, has consented to ’Abû Bakr to lead us in our religion when he ordered him as Imâm (leader in prayer), so wouldn’t we take him also as our leader in our earthly matters?!.

’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh served during the reign of Al-khalîfah (caliph) ’Abû Bakr just as he did at the time of the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, a soldier to Islam, fighting for the cause of truth, spreading Islam all over the land, still indifferent to the worldly pleasures, a good worshiper, humble, pious, acting with dignity, honest, and if you saw him amongst his soldiers, you would see him only as one of them.

‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb’s ruling time follows, and he sends the army to surround Damascus led by Khâlid Ibn Al Walîd to teach Ar-Rûm (Romans) a lesson, and to spread the power and pride of Islam and the Muslim. He noticed that the people were becoming too fond of Khâlid Ibn Al Walîd because of his vast victories, so he sents a letter to ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh who was then a leader in Khâlid’s army asking him to become a leader to all the armies, and choosing him as a ruler of all the other rulers, so that the people would realize that victory is only from Allah.. ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh keeps that news only to himself, and still fights under the leadership of Khâlid Ibn Al Walîd until the battle, and the surrounding of the country end in victory. Then he goes humbly and politely and presents the letter of the leader of the believers to Khâlid who reads the letter concerning deposing him from his post, and that ’Abû ‘Ubaidah taking it over. He tells him: May Allah mercy you… What has prevented you from telling me about this letter once you received it?!. He said: O Khâlid, I heard the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, saying: “Khâlid is a sword amongst the Swords of Allah”, and I did not wish to interrupt your fighting (war), for we do not seek the power of this life, nor do we work for the reward of this life… We are all brothers in the kingdom of Allah.

He -the honest of the nation- becomes the leader of the armies in Shâ’m, and during his reign, and with Allah’s help, many countries were conquered by Muslims. He becomes famous for that, and is spoken of everywhere as a legend. He becomes very disturbed of that. He calls among the people and speaks: People… I am but a Muslim man from Quraish, and if there be any one of you, red or black in color, more devoted to Allah than me, I would rather be a small hair in his skin (meaning I would rather be a follower to him)..

When ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb went to Shâ’m inspecting his armies and his ruler’s conditions, all the rulers met with him, he said: Where is my brother?.. They said: Who is your brother?.. He said: ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh.

So, they sent to fetch him and he came. ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb hugged him and told the people who came to meet him: Leave us alone, and he stayed alone with him.

He preferred to stay in his house. When he entered ’Abû ‘Ubaidah’s house, he looked around, but he could not see anything except the sword, the armor, the saddle of the horse, and the covering of the camel on which he used to sleep.. He told him: ’Abû ‘Ubaidah, haven’t you kept anything for yourself the way people do?.. ’Abû ‘Ubaidah answered: O leader of the believers, this will do for the purpose which is going through this life, and departing at any unknown moment.

A plague known as ‘Amwâs had spread in Shâ’m, but ’Abû ‘Ubaidah and his family had not taken the plague, so he said: O Allah… I accept mine and my family’s share of it… His small finger got the infection of the plague, but when he was told that it was nothing, he looked and gazed at it and said: I hope that Allah blesses it, for if he blesses anything, it increases in number.

Allah accepted his wish, and so he caught the plague. It is granted to him and it makes him a martyr as the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said: “(Death from) plague is martyrdom for every Muslim”[2]. He asked that Mu‘âdh Ibn Jabal to lead his funeral’s prayer, and takes over ruling the people until the ruler of the believers gave his orders.

When ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb is on his death bed, he remembers him and says -when the people ask him to nominate a new khalîfah (caliph): If ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh was alive, I would have nominated him, and if my Lord will then ask me who I nominated, I would say I nominated Allah’s and the Prophet’s honest man.

May Allah be pleased with you, honest of the nation, and ruler of the rulers, and May Allah grant you credit on behalf of all the Muslims.

[1] As Al-Bukhâri narrated that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said.

[2] Narrated by Al-Bukhâri and Muslim.

	The Honest Of The Nation ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh May Allah be pleased with him
	Back To Main Page Back To Amongst The Prophet’s Companions
	‘Âmir Ibn Al Jarrâh, known as ’Abû ‘Ubaidah, became a Muslim when he was seventeen years old. He immigrated twice to Ethiopia, then he emigrated to Al-Madînah. The Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, established the bond of brotherhood between him and ’Abû Talha Al ’Ansârî. He witnessed the battles of Badr and ’Uhud and all the conquests with the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him,. He sent him as a strong help to ‘Amr Ibn Al-‘Âs in the battle of Dhât-as-Salâsil with ’Abû Bakr As-Siddîq and ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb.. as their leader. When they reached the place where he was, ‘Amr told them: I am your ruler.. So ’Abû Bakr and ‘Umar said: Our leader is ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh, and you are to rule who is with you.. ’Abû ‘Ubaidah said: O ‘Amr, I have come as a help to you, and the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, has asked me that we both be obedient to one another, for if you disobey me, I will obey you. And with this honorable companion’s wisdom, matters were settled. He was one of the ten men who had been promised to go to Paradise, and he was one of the most well known leaders in Islam, who by them and their courage, many regions were opened to Islam. That was a time when Islam flourished due to these men’s efforts. One of his conquests was Al Khabt which was in the direction of the seacoast… Three hundred men were with him…They had no food except some dates. Every day, he distributed some until they became very few. So, he had to give each soldier one date daily. The soldier would suck it thoroughly. After it was all gone, they would hit the trees (a thorny desert tree) by their sticks, in order to make the leaves fall, so they would take the leaves, grind them, then swallow them well by using water, then drink water after them. That’s the reason why the battle was called Al Khabt.. They were then rewarded from Allah by a huge whale that was thrown to the coast by the sea-water. They fed on it for fourteen days and had enough of its meat to keep for their trip back. When some men representing Najrân came to the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, asking for a preacher and a judge. He told them: “Tomorrow, I will send an honest man who is really trustworthy”. Every one of the companions of the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, was looking forward (to be that person).. Even ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb says: I never wished a ruling post as much as I wished it that time.. They all spent the night hoping for this position. In the morning, the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said: “Where is ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh?” ’Abû ‘Ubaidah replied: Here I am, O Prophet of Allah.. He, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said: “O ’Abû ‘Ubaidah, go with them and rule amongst them… Every nation has an Amîn (i.e the most honest man),… and the Amîn of this nation is ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh”[1]. ’Abû Bakr As-Siddîq relates an incident concerning ’Abû ‘Ubaidah, he says: When Allah’s Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, was hurt in the battle of ’Uhud, we ran towards him. I saw a man coming from the east, almost flying quickly.. I looked at him and said: May Allah let him be for a good cause.. We met near the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him,, and he reached him first. He was ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh trying to redeem the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, by himself, protect him by sheltering his body by his own. The Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, started bleeding, blood covered his face and ’Abû ‘Ubaidah said: How can a nation who injured their Prophet’s, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, face be successful?, While he is inviting them to believe in Allah,.. But then two metal rings of the Prophet’s, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, war head-cover pierced his cheek from a hard blow and broke his lower (fourth) tooth, ’Abû ‘Ubaidah told me: I pray you ’Abû Bakr by Allah, let me remove the metal rings from the Prophet’s cheek. I let him do it. He held the first metal ring by his teeth and removed it. This caused him to lose his power and fall on the ground, his front tooth also fell due to that. He then held the second metal ring, pulled it out, and with it he lost his other front tooth… He became toothless (of his two front teeth), and I realized I had never seen a man becoming more beautiful by losing his teeth as that man. ’Abû Bakr almost offered him to become khalîfah (caliph) after the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him,. When Ansâr (supporters) were assembled in Saqîfah (shed) of Banî Sâ‘idah and after the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, died, they told ’Abû Bakr and ‘Umar: There must be a ruler from us and a ruler from you.. ‘Umar said: Two swords in one sheath would not do.. So ’Abû Bakr said: O Ansâr (supporters), you should elect either ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb, or ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh as your ruler.. So ‘Umar took ’Abû Bakr’s hand and gave the pledge of allegiance and the people too gave the pledge of allegiance to ’Abû Bakr.. They were already convinced by ‘Umar’s words when he said: The Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, has consented to ’Abû Bakr to lead us in our religion when he ordered him as Imâm (leader in prayer), so wouldn’t we take him also as our leader in our earthly matters?!. ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh served during the reign of Al-khalîfah (caliph) ’Abû Bakr just as he did at the time of the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, a soldier to Islam, fighting for the cause of truth, spreading Islam all over the land, still indifferent to the worldly pleasures, a good worshiper, humble, pious, acting with dignity, honest, and if you saw him amongst his soldiers, you would see him only as one of them. ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb’s ruling time follows, and he sends the army to surround Damascus led by Khâlid Ibn Al Walîd to teach Ar-Rûm (Romans) a lesson, and to spread the power and pride of Islam and the Muslim. He noticed that the people were becoming too fond of Khâlid Ibn Al Walîd because of his vast victories, so he sents a letter to ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh who was then a leader in Khâlid’s army asking him to become a leader to all the armies, and choosing him as a ruler of all the other rulers, so that the people would realize that victory is only from Allah.. ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh keeps that news only to himself, and still fights under the leadership of Khâlid Ibn Al Walîd until the battle, and the surrounding of the country end in victory. Then he goes humbly and politely and presents the letter of the leader of the believers to Khâlid who reads the letter concerning deposing him from his post, and that ’Abû ‘Ubaidah taking it over. He tells him: May Allah mercy you… What has prevented you from telling me about this letter once you received it?!. He said: O Khâlid, I heard the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, saying: “Khâlid is a sword amongst the Swords of Allah”, and I did not wish to interrupt your fighting (war), for we do not seek the power of this life, nor do we work for the reward of this life… We are all brothers in the kingdom of Allah. He -the honest of the nation- becomes the leader of the armies in Shâ’m, and during his reign, and with Allah’s help, many countries were conquered by Muslims. He becomes famous for that, and is spoken of everywhere as a legend. He becomes very disturbed of that. He calls among the people and speaks: People… I am but a Muslim man from Quraish, and if there be any one of you, red or black in color, more devoted to Allah than me, I would rather be a small hair in his skin (meaning I would rather be a follower to him).. When ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb went to Shâ’m inspecting his armies and his ruler’s conditions, all the rulers met with him, he said: Where is my brother?.. They said: Who is your brother?.. He said: ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh. So, they sent to fetch him and he came. ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb hugged him and told the people who came to meet him: Leave us alone, and he stayed alone with him. He preferred to stay in his house. When he entered ’Abû ‘Ubaidah’s house, he looked around, but he could not see anything except the sword, the armor, the saddle of the horse, and the covering of the camel on which he used to sleep.. He told him: ’Abû ‘Ubaidah, haven’t you kept anything for yourself the way people do?.. ’Abû ‘Ubaidah answered: O leader of the believers, this will do for the purpose which is going through this life, and departing at any unknown moment. So ‘Umar said: This life has changed us all except you ’Abû ‘Ubaidah. A plague known as ‘Amwâs had spread in Shâ’m, but ’Abû ‘Ubaidah and his family had not taken the plague, so he said: O Allah… I accept mine and my family’s share of it… His small finger got the infection of the plague, but when he was told that it was nothing, he looked and gazed at it and said: I hope that Allah blesses it, for if he blesses anything, it increases in number. Allah accepted his wish, and so he caught the plague. It is granted to him and it makes him a martyr as the Prophet, Allah’s Prayers and Peace be upon him, said: “(Death from) plague is martyrdom for every Muslim”[2]. He asked that Mu‘âdh Ibn Jabal to lead his funeral’s prayer, and takes over ruling the people until the ruler of the believers gave his orders. When ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattâb is on his death bed, he remembers him and says -when the people ask him to nominate a new khalîfah (caliph): If ’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh was alive, I would have nominated him, and if my Lord will then ask me who I nominated, I would say I nominated Allah’s and the Prophet’s honest man. May Allah be pleased with you, honest of the nation, and ruler of the rulers, and May Allah grant you credit on behalf of all the Muslims. Back To Main Page Back To Amongst The Prophet’s Companions [1] As Al-Bukhâri narrated that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said. [2] Narrated by Al-Bukhâri and Muslim.

’Abû ‘Ubaidah Ibn Al Jarrâh

May Allah be pleased with him