Outline
- Introduction
- The Beginning
- Who Was Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah
- Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah Embraces Islam
- Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah’s Migrations
- Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah After Hijrah to Madīnah
- Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah and His Father in the Battle of Badr
- Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah After the Prophet’s Passing
- Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah During the Caliphate of Abu Bakr
- Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah During the Caliphate of ‘Umar
- The Virtues of Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah
- Sayyidunā Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah’s Family
- Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah’s Passing
- 7 Facts About Sayyidinā Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah
- The Takeaway
Introduction
He was among the very first batch of people who embraced Islam. He was one of the most beloved companions of the Prophet to the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam. He was among the 10 who were given the glad tiding of Paradise in one hadith. Sayyidunā ‘Umar would have appointed him to succeed him if he lived longer than ‘Umar himself. Above all that, when the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam was asked to pick a trustworthy one, he picked this Shining Star.
Yes… He was Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah. Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah is our Shining Star of this episode of The Shining Stars Series, brought to you by GSalam.Net and Al-Bushra by GSalam.
The Beginning
In the episode of Sayyidunā Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhu we learnt that after he accepted Islam, he made wise use of his networking to invite some influential and respected personalities to Islam. The first six he succeeded in inviting, later became heavy weight, each, in the cause of propagating Islam. And this includes
- Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwām
- ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān
- Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Ubaydillah
- Sa’d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ
- Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ, and
- ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf.
With that Sayyidunā Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu became among the first batch of the people to accept Islam. In the Shining Stars Series, he comes at number 11. He comes after:
- Sayyidatunā Khadījah
- Sayyidunā Zayd ibn Ḥārithah
- Sayyidatunā Barakah Ummu Ayman
- Sayyidunā Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq
- Sayyidunā ‘Ali ibn Abī Ṭālib
- Sayyidunā ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān
- Sayyidunā Al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām
- Sayyidunā ‘Abdul-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf
- Sayyidunā Sa’d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ
- Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh
Now, let’s take a look at whom Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah was.
Who Was Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah
Famously known by his nickname and his third name, he real name was ‘Āmir and his father’s name was ‘Abdullāh. With that, his full name goes as:
عامر بن عبد الله بن الجراح بن هلال بن أُهَيْب بن ضبَّة بن الحارث بن فهر بن مالك بن النضر
‘Āmir ibn ‘Abdillāh ibn al-Jarrāḥ ibn Hilāl ibn Uhayb ibn Ḍabbah ibn al-Ḥārith ibn Fihr ibn Mālik ibn al-Naḍr
His mother was
أُميمة بنت غَنْم بن جابر
Umaymah bint Ghanm ibn Jābir
He was born 40 years before hijrah… That was 27 years before Islam.
That also means, that at the point of his Islam, he was 13 years younger than the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu’ alayhi wa sallam, 10 years younger than Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, 6 years younger than Zayd ibn Ḥārithah, 3 year younger than Abdul-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, and 17 years older than ‘Ali ibn Abī Tālib. raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhum ajam’īn.
Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah Embraces Islam
I’m sure, that you remember that Sayyidunā Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ was among those whom Sayyidunā Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq succeeded in inviting to Islam. This means, the likelihood of he Islam was a day after Sayyidunā Abū Bakr’s Islam. Raḍiya Allāhu ’anhumā. With that he was among the first batch of the companions who embraced Islam. In the first year since revelation was descended to the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam.
Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah’s Migrations
Sayyidunā Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāh had the honour to experience the two major migrations in Islam. He joined the group of Muslims who migrated to Abyssinia. Obviously, he also migrated to Madinah.
It’s reported, that in Madīnah, he first lodged in with Kulthūm ibn al-Hadm al-Awsī raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu. He was later partnered in the brotherhood exercise with Abū Ṭalḥah Zayd ibn Sahl ibn al-Aswad raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu.
Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah After Hijrah to Madīnah
After migrating to Madīnah, Sayyidunā Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu participated in the Battle of Bar which took place in the second year of hijrah. He then participated in all the battles the Prophet participated in.
Sayyidunā Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ also participated in the battle of Uḥud which occurred in the following year after the Battle of Badr. During Uḥud, Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah was among the 18 companions, who persevered when the rest had to run for their lives after the battle turned against the Muslim’s camp. Among those who also preserved were Sayyidunā Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, ‘Abdul-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf, and Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Ubaydillāh, whose right was paralyzed in the process of defending the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam.
Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah and His Father in the Battle of Badr
In the Battle of Badr, al-Jarrah (or ‘Abdullāh), Abū ‘Ubaydah’s father was fighting in the camp of Quraysh against the Muslims. This means he wasn’t a Muslim. In the clash between the two camps, the father persisted in targeting the son, with the determination to kill. While he was doing that, the son continued to avoid him. But when the father persisted, the child was left with no choice but face the father. In the end, the father went down.
If you remember, in the story of Sayyidunā Sa’d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ, despite him being the most beloved among his siblings to his mum, and despite the extreme extent of kindness he showed to his mother and despite the greater love he had for her, he had to make a choice. That was to choose between the mother’s desire; which was that he leaves Islam. Or choose Allah. And he chose Allah…
That’s exactly what happened to Sayyidunā Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāh. In the situation of Sa’d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ a verse was descended to support his decision, give him emotional support and serve as guidance for Muslims. A similar thing happened in the situation of Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ. Allah descended a verse to support his action, give him emotional support and to serve as guide for all of us. The verse seals Sūrah al-Mujādilah, and it reads:
لَّا تَجِدُ قَوْمًا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّـهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ يُوَآدُّونَ مَنْ حَآدَّ ٱللَّـهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ وَلَوْ كَانُوٓا۟ ءَابَآءَهُمْ أَوْ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ أَوْ إِخْوَٰنَهُمْ أَوْ عَشِيرَتَهُمْ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ كَتَبَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمُ ٱلْإِيمَـٰنَ وَأَيَّدَهُم بِرُوحٍ مِّنْهُ ۖ وَيُدْخِلُهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ رَضِىَ ٱللَّـهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ حِزْبُ ٱللَّـهِ ۚ أَلَآ إِنَّ حِزْبَ ٱللَّـهِ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٢٢﴾ـ
“You will find no believers in Allah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers, their sons, their brothers or their close relatives. He has engraved faith on their hearts and has strengthened them with a spirit of His own. He will admit them to Gardens beneath which rivers flow where they shall dwell forever. Allah is well-pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him. They are unquestionably the party of Allah. The party of Allah are the Successful.” (Sūrah al-Mujādilah, 58:22).
Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah After the Prophet’s Passing
After the passing of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam, when the companions were brainstorming about whom to be selected as the caliph of the Prophet, Sayyidunā Abū Bakr nominated two. And these two were ‘Sayyidunā ‘Umar and Sayyidunā Abu ’Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ. While Sayyidunā ‘Umar nominated Abū Bakr, the latter nominated Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah. And when he was approached, Abu ‘Ubaydah responded with, “I’m not in the position to precede the one whom the Prophet instructed to lead us in prayers.”
The point is, Sayyidunā Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ was a person with the charisma and the calibre to be a caliph. Even though he was not from the privileged families of Quraysh.
Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah During the Caliphate of Abu Bakr
When Sayyidunā Abū Bakr took over as the first Caliph in Islam, among the first decisions he made was to send out troops to various locations, especially, to Shām or Levant (Syria, Jordan, and Palestine) for the mission of spreading Islam and expanding the territories of the Islamic State. Sayyidunā Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah was among the four commanders he chose assigned for the mission. The four commanders were to head four different dispatches. But when they came together, they were all to submit to the commands of Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah.
Since Abu ‘Ubaydah left Madinah for that mission, he spent the rest of his life in spreading the message of Islam and expanding the territory of the Islamic Caliphate. This also means that he continued in his post as an army commander even when Sayyidunā ‘Umar became the Caliph.
Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah During the Caliphate of ‘Umar
Sayyidunā Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah continued to play active roles in the leadership positions in during the Caliphate of Sayyidunā ‘Umar. He was on top of the Muslim armies who participated in the fiercest clash between the Muslims and the Romans at that time. He was also in-Charge during the opening of the Bayt al-Maqdis.
Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah was among the most trustworthy. If the Prophet had testified that for him, who is that who will say otherwise?
To the extent that, Sayyidunā ‘Umar would say, “I would not change a matter that Abū ‘Ubaydah had decided about.”
We are about to find out that Abu ‘Ubaydah passed on during the caliphate of Sayyidunā ‘Umar. That’s the reason why, if you’re aware about those Sayyidunā ‘Umar nominated to succeed him, Abu ‘Ubaydah was not among them. Despite that, Sayyidunā ‘Umar said,
لو كان أبو عبيدة بن الجراح حياً لاستخلفته، فإن سألني ربي عنه قلت: استخلفت أمين الله وأمين رسوله
“If Abū ‘Ubaydah was alive, I would have appointed him to succeed me. And if my Lord asks me, I would say, “I appointed the trustworthy of Allah and His Messenger.”
The Virtues of Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah
Abu ‘Ubaydah raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu was a virtues person among the companions of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam. Following are four virtues of his, raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu.
The Trustworthy of the Ummah
Imām al-Bukhārī reports from the narration of Sayyidinā Anas ibn Mālik raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu, that the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam says:
إِنَّ لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ أَمِينًا، وَإِنَّ أَمِينَنَا أَيَّتُهَا الأُمَّةُ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ ”.
“Every nation has an extremely trustworthy man, and the trustworthy man of this (i.e. Muslim) nation is Abu ‘Ubaydah bin Al-Jarrah.”
A Person of Good Qualities
Imām al-Tirmidhī reports from the narration of Abū Hurayrah raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu, that the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam said:
نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ عُمَرُ نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ أُسَيْدُ بْنُ حُضَيْرٍ نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ ثَابِتُ بْنُ قَيْسِ بْنِ شَمَّاسٍ نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ مُعَاذُ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْجَمُوحِ
“What an excellent man is Abu Bakr, what an excellent man is ‘Umar, what an excellent man is Abu ‘Ubaydah bin Al-Jarrah, what an excellent man is Usayd bin Ḥuḍayrr, what an excellent man is Thabit bin Qays bin Shammas, what an excellent man is Mu’ādh bin Jabal, and what an excellent man is Mu’ādh bin ‘Amr bin Al-Jamūḥ.”
He Was One of 10 Given Glad News of Paradise in One Ḥadīth
Imām al-Tirmidhī reports from the narration of Sayyidunā ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf, the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam once said:
أَبُو بَكْرٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَعُمَرُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَعُثْمَانُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَعَلِيٌّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَطَلْحَةُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَالزُّبَيْرُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَعَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَوْفٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَسَعْدٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَسَعِيدٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَأَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ.
Abu Bakr is in Paradise, ‘Umar is in Paradise, ‘Uthmān is in Paradise, ‘Ali is in Paradise, Ṭalḥah is in Paradise, Al-Zubayr is in Paradise, ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf is in Paradise, Sa’d bin Abī Waqqāṣ is in Paradise, Sa’īd is in Paradise, and Abu ‘Ubaydah bin Al-Jarrah is in Paradise.”
He Was Among the Beloved Ones to the Prophet
Imām al-Tirmidhī reports from the narration of ‘Abdullāh ibn Shaqīq, who says:
قُلْتُ لِعَائِشَةَ أَىُّ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ أَحَبَّ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ قَالَتْ أَبُو بَكْرٍ . قُلْتُ ثُمَّ مَنْ قَالَتْ عُمَرُ . قُلْتُ ثُمَّ مَنْ قَالَتْ ثُمَّ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ . قُلْتُ ثُمَّ مَنْ قَالَ فَسَكَتَتْ .
“I said to ‘Aishah: ‘Which of the Companions of the Prophet was the most beloved to the Messenger of Allah?’ She said: ‘Abu Bakr.’ I said: ‘Then who?’ She said: ‘Umar.’ I said: ‘Then who?’ She said: she said: ‘Abu ‘Ubaydah bin Al-Jarrah.’ He said: “I said: ‘Then who?’ He said: “Then she was silent.”
Sayyidunā Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah’s Family
There’s not much mentioning of Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah’s family.
So far, he’s the only one in The Shining Stars Series who was reported with only one wife. His wife was Hind bint Jābir ibn Wahb. With her, he was blessed with two children:
- Yazīd, and
- ‘Umayr
Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah’s Passing
In the 18th year of Hijrah, during the caliphate of Sayyidunā ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, a plague outbreak hit Palestine very hard. It started in a village called Amwās and rapidly spread throughout Palestine. Thus, the name the Plague of ‘Amwās. It’s reported that the death toll of the Plague of Amwās ranged between 25000 and 30000 in a very short span.
A big number of the companions of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam died to the plague. And Sayyidunā Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah was among those who succumbed to the plague.
He was 58 years young, at the point of his passing.
7 Facts About Sayyidinā Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah
Here are seven facts you may want to remember about Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah
- He was among the first batch of people to embrace Islam
- He was given glad tiding of paradise in his life
- He participated in Badr and Uhud
- A verse descended to support a decision he had to made in a crucial time.
- He is the trustworthy one of this Ummah.
- He was among the most beloved of the companions of the Prophet to the Prophet
- He was a man of actions who seems to have spoken less.
The Takeaway…
Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah was a hands-on person, who spoke less. This explains why you are likely to read and hear about his actions more than you will read and hear about his words. As a matter of fact, he has a very few narrations of the ḥadīth of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam.
It’s also observed that he developed less attachment with the material world.
One can observe the scarcity or the absence of arguments and misunderstandings recorded between Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah and his fellow companions of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam.
Sayyidunā Abu ‘Ubaydah and his likes have taught us, that it takes greater courage to distance from the things our hearts may desire, and sometimes, the people we love dearly. But when that is done to attain Allah’s pleasure, in the way he approves, then the reward is eternally satisfying.
It took someone like Abu ‘Ubaydah for us to be certain, that when Allah is pleased with you, you’re inspired to be pleased with Him. And then you automatically become in the party of Allah. And those are the successful ones.
That was Abu ‘Ubaydah, ‘Āmir ibn ‘Abdillāh ibn al-Jarrah. He was our Shining Star in this episode. You can read the article of this episode in the link provided below.
Until we meet in the next episode to seek inspirations from another Shining Star. I leave you in Allah’s Protection.
Wassalamu ‘alaykum warahmatullah.
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