Amr ibn al-Jamuh (RA)
Background and Status:
Amr ibn al-Jamuh was one of the most powerful men in Yathrib (Madinah) in the days of Jahiliyyah. He was the leader of the tribe of Banu Salamah and was well-known to be one of the most generous people in the city.
At this time, the leaders of Yathrib would have idols in their houses as they believed that this idol would bless them and the idol worshippers would offer sacrifices to the idols on special occasions and ask for its help when required.
The idol of Amr ibn al-Jamuh was called Manat.
Introduction of Islam to Yathrib (Madinah):
Amr ibn al-Jamuh was almost sixty years old when Islam came to Yathrib.
The religion of Truth was being introduced to the residents of Yathrib by Mus’ab ibn Umayr, who was the first person to be sent to spread dawah by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Acceptance of Islam from Amr ibn al-Jamuh’s Family:
From Mus’ab ibn Umayr, Amr’s three sons, Muawwadh, Muadh and Khallad became Muslims.
Amr’s wife, Hind bint Amr ibn Haram, also accepted Islam with her three sons but her husband had no knowledge about this.
Amr ibn al-Jamuh’s Fear for His Family:
During this time, Amr ibn al-Jamuh was afraid that his sons would give up the religion of their forefathers and follow the teaching of Mus’ab ibn Umayr.
Amr ibn al-Jamuh told his wife Hind: Be careful that your children do not come into contact with this man (referring to Mus’ab ibn Umayr).
Hind replied: To hear is to obey, but would you like to hear from your son Muadh what he relates to this man? Amr said: Woe to you! Has Muadh turned away from his religion without my knowing?
Hind replied: Not at all, but he has attended some of the meetings of this missionary and memorised some of the things he teaches. Amr ibn al-Jamuh then said: Tell him to come here!
When Muadh came to his father, Amr ordered: Let me hear an example of what this man preaches.
First Exposure to Islam:
Muadh recited Surah Fatihah, the opening chapter of the Quran and when his father, Amr ibn al-Jamuh heard this, he said: How perfect these words are, and how beautiful! Is everything he says like this?
Muadh replied: Yes indeed, father. Do you wish to swear allegiance to him? All your people have already done so.
Amr ibn al-Jamuh remained silent and said: I shall not do so until I consult Manat and see what he says.
Muadh then said: What indeed would Manat say, father? It is only a piece of wood. It can neither think nor speak.
Amr ibn al-Jamuh angrily replied: I told you, I shall not do anything without him.
Amr ibn al-Jamuh Addresses Manat:
That same day, Amr ibn al-Jamuh went to his idol Manat and in their beliefs, the idolaters would place an old woman behind the idol when they wanted to speak to it.
The old woman would reply on behalf of the idol, articulating (what they thought) the idol had told her to say.
Amr ibn al-Jamuh went to the idol and said: O Manat no doubt you know that this propagandist who was delegated to come to us from Makkah does not wish evil on anyone but you. He has come only to stop us worshipping you. I do not want to swear allegiance to him in spite of the beautiful words I have heard from him. I have come to get your advice. So please advise me.
After Amr ibn al-Jamuh said this, there was no reply from the idol.
Amr then said: Perhaps you are angry, but up till now, I have done nothing to harm you. Never mind, I shall leave you for a few days to let your anger go away.
The Plan of Amr ibn al-Jamuh’s Sons:
Amr ibn al-Jamuh’s sons knew that their father was dependent on Manat.
Because of this, on one night, Amr’s sons, along with Mu’adh ibn Jabal went to Manat where they took the idol and threw it in a cess-pit belonging to the tribe of Banu Salamah.
When Amr ibn Al-Jamuh woke up the following morning, he went to his idol but could not find it.
Amr ibn al-Jamuh then said: Woe to you all who have attacked our god last night!
He began to search for the idol and eventually, he found it turned upside down on its head in the pit.
Amr ibn al-Jamuh washed and perfumed it and returned it to its original place. He said to Manat: If I find out who did this to you, I will humiliate him.
The following night, Amr ibn al-Jamuh’s sons did the same again to the idol, but he recovered it, washed and perfumed it as he had done before and returned it to its place.
Realisation of Idol’s Powerlessness:
This happened many times until one night Amr ibn al-Jamuh placed a sword around the idol’s neck and said to the idol: O Manat, I don’t know who is doing this to you. If you have any power of good in you, defend yourself against this evil. Here is a sword for you.
Amr ibn al-Jamuh’s sons waited for their father to fall asleep and they took the sword from the idol’s neck and threw it into the pit.
Amr ibn al-Jamuh found the idol lying face down in the pit with the sword nowhere in sight.
After looking at Manat in this state, Amr ibn al-Jamuh was finally convinced that the idol had no power at all and did not deserve to be worshipped.
Amr ibn al-Jamuh’s Acceptance of Islam:
After witnessing this, Amr ibn al-Jamuh became a Muslim. However, after accepting Islam, he would still feel guilty at the thought of every moment he had spent in disbelief.
Willingness to Participate in Jihad:
Amr ibn al-Jamuh saw his three sons preparing for the battle and decided to go with them to fight under the command of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Despite this, the sons of Amr did not want their father to participate in the battle because he was very old. The sons said: Father, surely Allah has excused you, so why do you take this burden on yourself?
Amr ibn al-Jamuh then went to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and said: O Rasulullah! My sons here want to keep me away from this source of goodness arguing that I am old. By Allah, I long to attain Paradise this way even though I am old.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then told Amr’s sons: let him, Perhaps Allah will grant him martyrdom.
Amr ibn al-Jamuh at Uhud;
When it was time for the battle to start, Amr turned towards the direction of the Qiblah and prayed: O Lord, grant me martyrdom and don’t send me back to my family with my hopes dashed.
As the battle began, Amr ibn al-Jamuh could be seen moving towards the front of the army, jumping on his one leg (his other leg was disabled), and shouting: I desire Paradise, I desire Paradise.
Amr’s son Khallad stayed behind him and they both fought courageously to protect the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Martyrdom of Amr ibn al-Jamuh:
Amr ibn al-Jamuh and his son, Khallad fell on the battlefield and died within moments of each other.
Allah SWT accepted his Dua and granted him martyrdom.