Episode 38: Life of Umar ibn al-Khattab
Outbreak of the Plague of Amwas:
After the Muslims had taken control of Sham, a very deadly epidemic broke out and spread throughout parts of Palestine and Sham. This was known as ‘The plague of Amwas.’
When this plague broke out, Umar ibn al-Khattab was on his way from Madinah to Sham to take care of the army’s matters and provide support for them.
Umar’s Consultation and Decision:
When Umar ibn al-Khattab received news about this plague, he decided to consult with some of his companions regarding whether to continue on his journey or head back to Madinah. However, they didn’t come to an agreement.
Umar ibn al-Khattab then decided to consult with some of the senior companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. and they all had the same opinion and informed Umar: We should head back to Madinah and not put ourselves in the path of this plague.
This is what Umar ibn al-Khattab decided to do.
Abdur-Rahman Narrates a Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:
Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf said to Umar: I actually have heard a Hadith of the Prophet regarding what to do in this type of a situation.
Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf said: I heard the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ say: If you hear that a plague has broken out in an area, then do not go to that area. And if a plague occurs in a city or a place that you are in already, do not leave that place trying to escape it.
Umar ibn al-Khattab decided to go back and they headed to Madinah.
Umar’s Concern for Abu Ubaydah:
Umar ibn al-Khattab was very worried about the situation at Sham and he wanted to bring Abu Ubaydah back to Madinah.
Umar’s Letter to Abu Ubaydah:
Umar wrote a letter to Abu Ubaydah in Sham and said: Peace be upon you O Abu Ubaydah. I have a situation that I need to discuss with you. I want to talk to you about this face to face. I am telling you that when you read this letter, come to me immediately.
Abu Ubaydah understood what Umar ibn al-Khattab was trying to do here, he knew that he wanted to take him from Sham and bring him back to Madinah.
When Abu Ubaydah read the letter, he said: May Allah forgive Amir al-Mu’minin!
Abu Ubaydah’s Response:
Abu Ubaydah wrote a letter back to Umar which said: O Amir al-Mu’minin, I know what you are trying to do here. But, I am amongst the Muslim soldiers here in Sham and I do not want to leave them. I want to wait for the decree of Allah. Whatever Allah decides for me and my army, I am satisfied and pleased with that. Please excuse me from this request of yours and leave me with my army.
Umar ibn Al-Khattab’s Reaction to This Letter:
When Umar ibn al-Khattab received this letter, he cried as he knew it was possible that he would never see Abu Ubaydah again.
Umar ibn al-Khattab sent another letter to Abu Ubaydah, where he said: You are in an area that has low elevation. At least take your army and move to an area of higher elevation. Perhaps that will be better for you in this type of situation.
Abu Ubaydah followed this command from Umar ibn al-Khattab and headed towards Al-Jabiyah, an area known for higher elevation.
Death of Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah:
While he was on his way to Al-Jabiyah, Abu Ubaydah caught the plague.
When his sickness became severe, he addressed his soldiers and said: O People, this disease is actually a mercy from your Lord. Because the person who dies of a plague is considered a martyr. And many of the righteous people of the past died with this disease.
Abu Ubaydah asked Allah SWT to allow him die as a martyr.
Allah SWT granted this Dua and Abu Ubaydah passed away as a martyr because of this plague.
Leadership of Mu’adh ibn Jabal:
After Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah passed away, Mu’adh ibn Jabal became the commander of the Muslim army.
After some time, he also became ill with the plague and he made Dua to Allah SWT to allow him to gain martyrdom from this.
Death of Mu’adh ibn Jabal
Eventually, Mu’adh ibn Jabal passed away because of the illness and just like with Abu Ubaydah, Allah SWT answered Mu’adh’s Dua and he passed away as a martyr.
Leadership of Amr ibn al-A’as:
After Mu’adh ibn Jabal passed away, Amr ibn al-A’as became the leader of the Muslim army.
When Amr ibn al-A’as became the commander, he analysed the situation of the plague and came to the conclusion that the way the plague was spreading was similar to how a fire spreads. He knew that if someone was affected by this plague, and if another person was close to him, it would spread to them as well.
Amr ibn al-A’as Addresses the Muslims:
Amr ibn al-A’as addressed the Muslims and said: O People, this disease when it affects someone, it spreads like a fire spreads. So in order to prevent the spread, go into the mountains and distance yourselves from each other and In sha Allah it will die down.
Abu Wathila’s Anger:
Some people disagreed with this advice and when Amr ibn al-A’as gave this command, one of the companions was angered by this and said: You are lying, this advice you are giving is wrong. I was a companion of the Prophet while you were still more astray than this donkey of mine.
Amr ibn al-A’as replied: Wallahi, I am not going to respond to what you’re saying, but we are not going to stay here. We are going to go into the mountains and this is my command.
End of the Plague:
The Muslims went into the mountains and distanced themselves from each other.
Eventually, the plague ended and when Umar ibn al-Khattab received news of Amr ibn al-A’as’ solution, he was very pleased.
Devastating Losses:
After the plague was over, more than 20,000 Muslims died in Sham from this illness.
To put this into perspective, this was more than the amount of soldiers that died in all of the battles put together in Sham.