Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal (RA)
Early Life and Hostility to Islam:
Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal was very well respected by the Quraysh because of his wealth and noble lineage.
Admiration of Abu Jahal:
Because of his hatred towards the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his persecution of Muslims, Ikrimah was greatly admired by his father, Abu Jahal, who was one of the biggest enemies of Islam.
Battles Against the Muslims:
Battle of Badr:
Ikrimah witnessed the death of his father in the Battle of Badr. From that day, the hatred of Islam increased even more in his heart.
Battle of Uhud:
At Uhud, Ikrimah was accompanied by his wife Umm Hakim. Leading the right flank of the Quraysh was Khalid ibn al-Walid and on the left flank was Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal.
The Quraysh inflicted heavy losses on the Muslims and felt as if they had got revenge for the defeat they suffered at Badr.
Battle of Khandaq:
At the Battle of Khandaq, the Quraysh besieged Madinah, where there was a long siege but the patience of the disbelievers was quickly running out.
Ikrimah managed to cross the trench and a small group of the Quraysh followed him. However, one member of the Quraysh was immediately killed by the Muslim army and Ikrimah managed to save himself by running away.
Conquest of Makkah:
Nine years after the Hijrah, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ returned with thousands of his companions to Makkah.
The Quraysh saw them approaching and decided to let the Muslims enter into Makkah. Despite this, Ikrimah and some other members of the Quraysh decided to block the Muslims from entering the city.
Khalid ibn al-Walid, who was now a Muslim, defeated them and some of Ikrimah’s men were killed and others fled.
Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal was one of those who ran away.
The Prophet’s Order to Kill Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then entered Makkah and gave a promise of safety to the members of the Quraysh who entered the sacred mosque, those who stayed in Abu Sufyan’s house, or their own houses. However, he refused to grant safety to a few individuals who he specifically named.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ ordered for them to be killed even if they were found under the covering of the Kabah.
At the top of this list was Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal.
Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal’s Escape:
When Ikrimah learnt about this, he escaped Makkah and headed to Yemen.
Intervention of Umm Hakim:
Ikrimah’s wife Umm Hakim then approached the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Umm Hakim accepted Islam and she said: O Messenger of Allah, Ikrimah has fled from you to Yemen out of fear that you would kill him. Grant him security.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ agreed to Umm Hakim’s request and promised Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal security.
Umm Hakim Informs Ikrimah About The Promise of Safety:
Umm Hakim then immediately went looking for Ikrimah and she found him on the coast of the Red Sea in the region of Tihamah, where he was negotiating with a Muslim sea man.
The Muslim sea men asked him to testify that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah in order to transport him, but Ikrimah replied: I have fled from this very thing.
Umm Hakim went to Ikrimah and said: I have come to you from the most generous of men, the most righteous of men, the best of men from Muhammad ibn Abdullah. I have asked him for an amnesty for you, and he has granted this so do not destroy yourself!
Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal replied: Have you spoken to him?
Umm Hakim’s Return to Makkah:
Umm Hakim assured Ikrimah and he returned with his wife. At one of the resting places on their journey back, Ikrimah wanted to sleep with his wife but Umm Hakim refused saying: I am a Muslim and you are a Mushrik (associate partners with Allah).
The Prophet’s Instructions to his Companions:
As Ikrimah approached Makkah, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ told his companions: Ikrimah shall come to you as a believer. Do not insult his father, insulting the dead causes grief to the living and does not reach the dead.
Ikrimah Meets the Prophet:
Ikrimah and his wife then met the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Ikrimah said: Muhammad! Umm Hakim has told me that you have granted me an amnesty. The Prophet ﷺ replied: That’s right, you are safe.
Ikrimah then asked: To what do you invite? The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ responded: I want you to testify that there is no God but Allah and that I am the Servant of Allah and His Messenger to establish prayer and pay the Zakat and carry out all other obligations of Islam.
Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal Accepts Islam:
Ikrimah responded: By Allah, you have only called me to what is true and you have only commanded that which is good. You lived among us before the start of your mission and then you were the most trustworthy of us in speech and the most righteous of us. I testify that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad ﷺ is His Servant and His Messenger.
Ikrimah Asks For Forgiveness:
Ikrimah then asked the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: I ask you to ask Allah for forgiveness for me and for all the hostility I directed against you and for whatever insults I expressed in your presence or absence.
The Prophet’s Dua for Ikrimah:
The Prophet ﷺ replied: O Allah, forgive him for all the hostility he directed against me from all the expeditions he mounted wishing to put out Your light. Forgive him for whatever he has said or done in my presence or absence to dishonour me.
Ikrimah’s Response to the Prophet:
Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal was very happy with this and said: By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I promise that whatever I have spent obstructing the way of Allah, I shall spend twice as much in His path and whatever battles I have fought against Allah’s way, I shall fight twice as much in His way.
Service to Islam:
Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal was committed to the Islam as a brave horseman in the battles and would spend a lot of time in mosques reciting the Quran.
Participation in Battles:
Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal remained true to his promise to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and he participated in all of the battles.
At the Battle of Yarmuk, he bravely plunged into the enemy army.
Ikrimah in the Battle of Yarmuk:
In one encounter, Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal penetrated into the ranks of the Byzantine forces.
Khalid ibn al-Walid told him: Don’t Ikrimah, your death will be a severe blow to the Muslims.
Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal replied: Let us carry on Khalid, you had the privilege of being with the Prophet before this. As for myself and my father, we were among his bitterest enemies. Leave me now to atone for what I have done in the past. I fought the Prophet on many occasions. Shall I now flee from the Byzantines? This shall never be.
Martyrdom of Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal:
Ikrimah then called out to the Muslims and said: Who shall pledge to fight until death?
Four hundred Muslims including his uncle Al-Harith ibn Hisham and Ayyash ibn Abi Rabi’ah responded to his call and they fought heroically without the leadership of Khalid ibn al-Walid.
Their brave attack paved the way for the Muslims to be victorious.
When the battle was over, the bodies of three wounded soldiers lay on the battle ground. These soldiers were: Al-Harith ibn Hisham, Ayyash ibn Ani Rabi’ah and Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal and they all passed away as martyrs.
Hadith Narrated by Ikrimah bin Abi Jahal:
It was narrated that on the day of the Conquest of Makkah, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ pardoned the Quraysh, except for four men and two women. He said: Kill them, even if you find them clinging to the covers of the Kabah.
Ikrimah was travelling by sea at this point and he was caught in a storm, where the crew members of the ship then said: Turn to Allah, your false gods cannot help you at all in this situation.
Ikrimah then said: By Allah, if nothing came to me at sea except the sincerity of Allah then nothing else will save me on land. O Allah, I promise You that if You save me from this predicament, I will go to Muhammad and put my hand in his, and I am sure that I will find him generous and forgiving. (An-Nasa’i)