Abdullah ibn Jahsh (RA)
Early Life and Family Ties:
Abdullah ibn Jahsh was a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his sister, Zaynab bint Jahsh, was a wife of the Prophet.
He was the first man to lead a group of Muslims on an expedition and because of this, he was the first to be called ‘Amir al-Muminin’ (Commander of the Believers)
Abdullah ibn Jahsh was also one of the early believers in Islam.
Migration to Madinah:
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gave permission for his companions to migrate to Madinah, Abdullah ibn Jahsh was the second to leave, behind Abu Salamah.
When Abdullah ibn Jahsh left, the Quraysh leaders were made aware of this and went around Makkah to find out which Muslims had left and who had remained. Some of these leaders were Abu Jahal and Utbah ibn Rabi’ah.
Utbah ibn Rabi’ah looked at the houses of the Banu Jahsh and he banged on the doors and shouted: The houses of Banu Jahsh have become empty and are weeping for its occupants.
Abdullah ibn Jahsh’ Sacrifice:
Abu Jahal then claimed the house of Abdullah ibn Jahsh, which was one of the most expensive houses in Makkah.
He started removing of all of the belongings from his house and when Abdullah ibn Jahsh heard what Abu Jahal had done to his house, he mentioned it to the Prophet.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then said: Aren’t you satisfied, O Abdullah, with what Allah has given you instead, a house in Paradise? Abdullah ibn Jahsh replied: Yes, O Messenger of Allah.
The First Muslim Commander:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ sent out eight of his companions to carry out the first military assignment in Islam. Among them were Abdullah ibn Jahsh and Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas.
The Prophet told Abdullah ibn Jahsh: I appoint you as your commander, the one who can best bear hunger and thirst.
He gave the flag of the Muslims to Abdullah ibn Jahsh and as mentioned above, he was the first to be made an ‘Amir’ (leader) over a group of believers.
Letter from the Prophet:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gave him strict instructions on the route he should take on the expedition and gave Abdullah a letter but told him to only read the letter after travelling for two days.
After the two days passed, Abdullah ibn Jahsh looked at the letter and it stated: When you have read this letter, press on until you come to a place called Nakhlah (between Ta’if and Makkah). From there, observe the Quraysh and gather whatever information you can on them for us.
The Expedition to Nakhlah:
After Abdullah ibn Jahsh completed reading the letter, he said: At your command, O Prophet of Allah.
Abdullah ibn Jahsh then told his group: The Prophet has commanded me to proceed to Nakhlah to observe the Quraysh and gather information on them for him. He has also commanded me not to go further with any of you who are against the purpose of this expedition. So whoever desires martyrdom and is in total agreement with this expedition can accompany me. Whoever is not in agreement, may turn back without blame.
The whole group responded: At your command, O Messenger of Allah. We shall go with you, Abdullah, wherever the Prophet of Allah has commanded.
The group continued until they reached Nakhlah and they began to move looking for information regarding the whereabouts of the Quraysh.
Eventually, they saw in the distance a Quraysh caravan which was carrying merchandise and there were four men in the caravan: Amr ibn al-Hadrami, Hukm ibn Kaysan, Uthman ibn Abdullah and his brother Mughirah.
The companions discussed what to do as it was the last day of the sacred months and fighting was prohibited in these months.
They said to themselves: If we were to kill them, we would have killed them in the sacred months. To do so would be to violate the sacredness of this month and expose ourselves to the wrath of all Arabs. If we leave them alone for a day so that the month will be completed, they would have entered the inviolable precincts of Makkah and be safe from us.
Abdullah ibn Jahsh’ Group Decide to Attack The Caravan of the Quraysh:
The companions finally agreed to attack the caravan and take whatever merchandise they could as spoils of war.
The Muslims eventually captured two of the members of the Quraysh from the caravan and one was killed. The last remaining member from the caravan escaped.
Abdullah ibn Jahsh and his men took the two prisoners and the caravan to Madinah.
Reaction of the Prophet:
They went to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and informed him about what they had done.
The Prophet was upset by this because they did not follow his instructions. He said: By Allah, I did not command you to fight. I only commanded you to gather information on the Quraysh and observe their movements.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ freed the two prisoners from the Quraysh and left the caravan without taking anything from it.
Abdullah ibn Jahsh was upset by this because he disobeyed the command of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
After this incident, the other companions of the Prophet would walk past Abdullah ibn Jahsh and his army without even acknowledging them.
Whenever they passed one another, they would say: These are the men who went against the command of the Prophet.
Revelation from Allah SWT:
The Quraysh had used this incident as a way to discredit the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
The Quraysh would say: Muhammad has defiled the sacred month, he has shed blood in it, plundered wealth and captured men.
Abdullah ibn Jahsh and his army were upset after this incident until the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ received revelation, where Allah SWT said He was pleased with what they had done.
The companions now came and embraced this group, congratulating them and reciting to them what had been revealed in the Quran about their actions.
Allah SWT revealed: ‘They ask you about fighting in the sacred month. Say: Fighting therein is an enormity as well as preventing (people) from the path of Allah and disbelief in Him. Expelling people from the Masjid al Haram is a greater sin in the eyes of Allah. Moreover, persecution is greater than killing’. (Quran, 2:212)
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was very happy with the actions of Abdullah ibn Jahsh and his army.
Turning Point in the History of Islam:
This expedition was a major event and turning point in the early life of the Muslim community.
Battle of Badr:
At the Battle of Badr, Abdullah ibn Jahsh fought bravely along with the rest of the Muslim army.
Battle of Uhud:
At the Battle of Uhud, his friend Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas said: During the battle, Abdullah came to me and said: Aren’t you making a Dua to Allah? Sa’d replied: Yes.
Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas narrated: we moved aside and I prayed: O Allah, when I meet the enemy, let me meet a man of enormous strength and fury. Then, grant me victory over him that I might kill him and acquire spoils from him.
To this prayer, Abdullah ibn Jahsh replied: Ameen.
Abdullah ibn Jahsh’ Prayer at the Battle of Uhud:
Abdullah ibn Jahsh then added: Let me meet a man of great standing and enormous fury. I shall fight him for Your sake, O Lord, and he shall fight me. He shall take me and cut off my nose and ears and when I meet You in the morrow (tomorrow) You will say: For what were your nose and ear cut off? And I would reply: For Your sake and for the sake of Your Prophet. And then you would say: You have spoken the truth.
Martyrdom of Abdullah ibn Jahsh:
Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas continued: The prayer of Abdullah ibn Jahsh was better than mine. I saw him at the end of the day, and he was killed and mutilated and in fact, his nose and his ear were hung on a tree with a thread.
Allah SWT answered the prayer of Abdullah ibn Jahsh and blessed him with martyrdom.
Hadith on Abdullah ibn Jahsh:
After Abdullah ibn Jahsh was martyred in the Battle of Uhud, his sister Zaynab bint Jahsh came to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to mourn his death.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: O Zaynab, do not weep, for Abdullah is alive with his Lord, receiving sustenance.
This is also referred to in the Quran, where Allah SWT says: ‘Never think of those martyred in the cause of Allah as dead. In fact, they are alive with their Lord, well provided for’. (Quran, 3:169)