Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah (RA)
Custodian of the Prophet:
Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah was described as the Amin (Custodian) of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ’s community.
His full name was Aamir ibn Abdullah ibn al-Jarrah, but he was commonly known as Abu Ubaydah.
Abdullah ibn Umar’s Testimony:
Abdullah ibn Umar, one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: Three persons in the tribe of Quraysh were most prominent, had the best character and were the most modest. If they spoke to you, they would not deceive you and if you spoke to them, they would not accuse you of lying.
They are: Abu Bakr as-Siddique, Uthman ibn Affan and Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah.
Acceptance of Islam:
Abu Ubaydah was one of the first people to accept Islam and he became a Muslim one day after Abu Bakr.
It was through the dawah of Abu Bakr that he became a Muslim.
Abu Bakr took him, Abdur Rahman ibn Awf, Uthman ibn Maz’un and al-Arqam ibn Abu al Arqam to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and together they all accepted Islam.
Trials in Makkah:
Abu Ubaydah lived through the difficult experiences that the Muslims went through in Makkah.
Along with the rest of the early Muslims, Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah suffered from the persecution of the Quraysh.
Despite this, throughout every trial, he remained firm in his belief in Allah SWT and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Battle of Badr:
At the Battle of Badr, Abu Ubaydah was fighting in the frontline of the Muslim army.
A Test of Faith:
During the battle of Badr, one man in particular kept trying to attack Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah. However, Abu Ubaydah tried his best to keep out of his way and avoid any encounter with him.
Eventually, Abu Ubaydah was face to face with this man and he could no longer avoid him. He struck a blow to the man’s head and he was killed immediately.
This man was Abdullah ibn al-Jarrah, the father of Abu Ubaydah.
From this incident, Allah revealed the following Ayah in the Quran: ‘You will not find a people believing in Allah and the Last Day making friends with those who oppose Allah and His messenger even if these were their fathers, their sons, their brothers or their clan. Allah has placed faith in their hearts and strengthened them with a spirit from Him. He will cause them to enter gardens beneath which streams flow that they may dwell therein. Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him. They are the party of Allah . Is not the party of Allah the successful ones?’ (Quran, 58:22)
Leadership in Expeditions:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ sent an army consisting of three hundred men to the Red Sea coast to intercept a Quraysh caravan and he appointed Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah as the commander of the army.
Provisions During The Expedition:
During this expedition, the provisions had nearly been used up and Abu Ubaydah ordered that all the food should be collected by the Muslim troops.
There were only dates that Abu Ubaydah distributed and eventually, because of the lack of dates, he only allowed one date each day.
The Muslims asked Abu Ubaydah: what is the use of one date? Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah replied: We will certainly feel its loss even when this is finished.
When they reached the shores of the Red Sea, according to Jabir ibn Abdullah, they stayed there for two weeks.
The hunger got to such an extent that the Muslims would eat thorny leaves. Eventually, the sea cast a massive fish/whale and it was described that the size of this fish/whale was like a ‘small mountain’.
Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah then made sure that the food was distributed accordingly.
Battle of Uhud:
On the day of Uhud when the Muslims were ambushed, one of the Quraysh started to shout: Show me Muhammad, show me Muhammad!
Abu Ubaydah was one of ten Muslims who had gathered around the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to protect him from the attack of the Quraysh.
After the battle was completed, it was found that one of the Prophet’s molar teeth was broken, his forehead was bashed in and two discs from his shield had penetrated into his cheeks.
Abu Ubaydah Treats the Prophet:
Abu Bakr then decided to extract these discs from the Prophet’s cheeks but Abu Ubaydah said: Please leave that to me.
Abu Ubaydah was scared that he would cause the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ pain if he took out the discs with his hand.
He decided to bite hard into one of the discs and it came out, but one of his incisor teeth fell to the ground. With his other incisor tooth, he extracted the other disc.
In the process of extracting the discs from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ’s cheek, Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah lost two teeth.
Abu Bakr then stated: Abu Ubaydah is the best of men at breaking incisor teeth!
After the Prophet’s Passing:
After the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ passed away, the companions gathered to choose a successor at a building in Madinah called Saqifah .
On this day, Umar said to Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah: Stretch forth your hand and I will swear allegiance to you for I heard the Prophet say: Every Ummah has an Amin (custodian) and you are the Amir of this Ummah.
Abu Ubaydah said: I would not put myself forward in the presence of a man whom the Prophet, upon whom commanded to lead us in Prayer and who led us right until the Prophet’s death.
Abu Ubaydah in Abu Bakr’s Caliphate:
Abu Ubaydah then gave his oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr and continued to be a close adviser to him throughout his caliph.
Abu Ubaydah in Umar ibn al-Khattab’s Caliphate:
Abu Ubaydah also pledged allegiance to Umar ibn al-Khattab.
During Umar’s caliph, Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah was in Syria leading the Muslim forces from one victory to another until the whole of Syria was under Muslim control.
Plague of Amwas:
While Abu Ubaydah was in Syria, a plague struck the region which greatly impacted the residents.
Umar ibn al-Khattab sent a messenger to Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah with a letter saying: I am in urgent need of you. If my letter reaches you at night I strongly urge you to leave before dawn. If this letter reaches you during the day, I strongly urge you to leave before evening and hasten to me.
Abu Ubaydah’s Response to Umar’s Letter:
When Abu Ubaydah received Umar’s letter, he said: I know why Amir al-Mu’minin needs me. He wants to secure the survival of someone who is not eternal. (referring to himself)
Abu Ubaydah wrote to Umar: I know that you need me. But I am in an army of Muslims and I have no desire to save myself from what is afflicting them. I do not want to separate from them until Allah wills. So, when this letter reaches you, release me from your command and permit me to stay on.
Umar ibn al-Khattab’s Reaction:
When Umar ibn al-Khattab read this letter, he began to cry.
The companions who were with him asked: Has Abu Ubaydah died, O Amir al-Muminin? Umar replied: No, but death is near to him.
Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah’s Final Advice:
Eventually, Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah suffered from the plague of Amwas.
As his death was approaching, he spoke to his army and said: Let me give you some advice which will cause you to always be on the path of goodness. Establish Prayer. Fast the month of Ramadan. Give Sadaqah. Perform the Hajj and Umrah. Remain united and support one another. Be sincere to your commanders and do not conceal anything from them. Don’t let the world destroy you for even if man were to live a thousand years he would still end up with this state that you see me in.
Abu Ubaydah then turned to Mu’adh ibn Jabal and said: O Mu’adh, perform the prayer with the people (be their leader).
Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah’s Death:
Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah then passed away from the plague of Amwas at the age of fifty six.
Muadh ibn Jabal said after his death: O people, you are stricken by the death of a man. By Allah, I don’t know whether I have seen a man who had a more righteous heart, who was further from all evil and who was more sincere to people than he. Ask Allah to shower His mercy on him and Allah will be merciful to you.
Hadiths On Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah:
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: What an excellent man is Abu Bakr, what an excellent man is Umar, what an excellent man is Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah… (Tirmidhi)
Anas ibn Malik narrated that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: Every nation has an Amin (the most honest man) and the Amin of this nation is Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah. (Bukhari)