Ja’far ibn Abi Talib (RA)
Early Life and Support from the Prophet:
Abu Talib, the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, was quite poor as he had a large family but did not have the ability to support them financially.
A drought then affected the Arabian Peninsula, which impacted Abu Talib and his household.
Because of this, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said to his uncle, Abbas: Your brother, Abu Talib, has a large family. People as you see have been afflicted by this severe drought and are facing starvation. Let us go to Abu Talib and take over responsibility for some of his family. It will take one of his sons and you can take another and we will look after them.
Abbas Ibn Abdul-Muttalib agreed and together they went to Abu Talib and said: We want to ease some of the burden of your family until such time as this distressing period has gone.
Abu Talib agreed to this but he said: Allow me to keep Aqil, (one of his sons), then you may do whatever you like.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ took Ali ibn Abi Talib into his house and Abbas took Ja’far ibn Abi Talib.
Acceptance of Islam:
Ja’far ibn Abi Talib stayed in the house of Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib as a child. When he got older, he married Asma bint Umais.
After his marriage, Ja’far and his wife were among the first persons to accept Islam, and he was one of the early believers who accepted Islam from the dawah of Abu Bakr.
Hijrah to Madinah:
Ja’far ibn Abi Talib and his wife Asma experienced the persecution of the Quraysh and because of this, he asked permission for himself and a small group of the companions to make Hijrah to Abyssinia.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ granted them this permission.
Leader of the Muslims at Abyssinia:
Ja’far ibn ibn Abi Talib led a group of Muhajirin that left from Makkah to Abyssinia.
Life in Abyssinia:
They settled down in this new land under protection of the Negus, who was the fair and righteous ruler of Abyssinia.
For the first time since they accepted Islam, they had freedom from the persecution of the Quraysh and could finally enjoy their worship without being disturbed.
The Quraysh’ Request to the Negus:
When the Quraysh learnt of the departure of the small group of Muslims, they made plans to bring them back to Makkah.
They sent two representatives, Amr ibn al-A’as and Abdullah ibn Abi Rab’iah to carry out this task and gave them valuable presents for the Negus and his bishops.
Eventually, Amr ibn al-A’as and Abdullah ibn Abi Rabiah told the Negus: O King, there is a group of evil people from among our youth who have escaped to your kingdom. They practice a religion which neither we nor you know. They have forsaken our religion and have not entered into your religion. The respected leaders of their people – from among their own parents and uncles. and from their own clans – have sent us to you to request you to return them. They know best what trouble they have caused.
The Negus looked towards his bishops who said: They speak the truth, O king. Their own people know them better and are better acquainted with what they have done, send them back so that they themselves might judge them.
Response of the Negus:
The Negus was angry with this suggestion and said: No. By Allah, I won’t surrender them to anyone until I myself call them and question them about what they have been accused of. If what these two men have said is true, then I will hand them over to you. If however it is not so, then I shall protect them so long as they desire to remain under my protection.
Ja’far ibn Abi Talib’s Speech to the Negus:
The Negus then called for the Muslims based in Abyssinia and they agreed to choose Ja’far ibn Abi Talib as their spokesperson.
The Negus asked the Muslims: What is this religion which you have introduced for yourself and which has served to cut you off from the religion of your people? You also did not enter my religion nor the religion of any other community.
Ja’far ibn Abi Talib replied: O king, we were a people in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols and eating the flesh of dead animals, committing all sorts of abominations and shameful deeds. breaking the ties of kinship, treating guests badly and the strong among us exploited the weak. We remained in this state until Allah sent us a Prophet, one of our own people whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness and integrity were well-known to us. He called us to worship Allah alone and to renounce the stones and the idols which we and our ancestors used to worship besides Allah.
Ja’far continued: He commanded us to speak the truth, to honour our promises, to be kind to our relations, to be helpful to our neighbours, to cease all forbidden acts, to abstain from bloodshed. To avoid obscenities and false witness, not to appropriate an orphan’s property nor slander chaste women. He ordered us to worship Allah alone and not to associate anything with him, to uphold Salat, to give Zakat and fast in the month of Ramadan. We believed in him and what he brought to us from Allah and we follow him in what he has asked us to do and we keep away from what he forbade us from doing. Thereupon, O King, our people attacked us, visited the severest punishment on us to make us renounce our religion and take us back to the old immorality and the worship of idols. They oppressed us, made life intolerable for us and obstructed us from observing our religion. So we left for your country, choosing you before anyone else, desiring your protection and hoping to live in Justice and in peace in your midst.
Ja’far Recites Surah Maryam:
The Negus was impressed by what Ja’far ibn Abi Talib had to say and he asked him: Do you have with you something of what your Prophet brought concerning Allah?
Ja’far replied: Yes. The Negus then said: Read it to me.
Ja’far ibn Abi Talib then recited to the Negus the first part of Surah Maryam, which mentions the story of Prophet Isa (AS) and his mother Maryam.
The Negus’ Decision:
After hearing Ja’far’s recitation of Surah Maryam, the Negus started to cry and he told the Muslims: The message of your Prophet and that of Isa came from the same source.
The Negus then informed the two Quraysh representatives: Go, for by Allah, I will never surrender them to you.
The Quraysh’ Second Attempt:
The next day, Amr ibn al-A’as went to the Negus and said: O king, these people to whom you have given refuge and whom you protect, say something terrible about Isa the son of Maryam (that he is a slave). Send for them and ask them what they say about him.
The Negus called the Muslims once more and Ja’far once again was selected as their spokesman.
The Negus asked: What do you say about Isa, the son of Maryam?
Ja’far ibn Abi Talib said: Regarding him, we only say what has been revealed to our Prophet. The Negus asked: And what is that?
Ja’far said: our Prophet says that Isa is the servant of Allah and His Prophet. His spirit and His word which He cast into Maryam the Virgin.
Response of the Negus:
The Negus was very happy by this and said: By Allah, Isa the son of Maryam was exactly as your Prophet has described him.
The Negus told the Muslims: Go for you are safe and secure. Whoever obstructs you will pay for it and whoever opposes you will be punished. For, by Allah, I would rather not have a mountain of gold than that any one of you should come to any harm.
The Negus then said: Return their gifts to these two men (the Quraysh representatives), I have no need for them.
Ja’far ibn Abi Talib in Abyssinia:
Ja’far and his wife Asma bint Umais spent around ten years in Abyssinia, where Asma gave birth to three children who they named Abdullah, Muhammad and Awn.
Return to Madinah:
In the seventh year of the Hijrah, Ja’far ibn Abi Talib and his family left Abyssinia and headed for Madinah. When they arrived, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was returning from the successful conquest of Khaybar.
The Prophet was very happy to see Ja’far that he said: I do not know what fills me with more happiness, the conquest of Khaybar or the coming of Ja’far.
‘Father of the Poor’:
Ja’far ibn Abi Talib became recognised for his compassion towards the poor and because of this, he was nicknamed the ‘Father of the Poor.’
Abu Hurayrah’s Testimony on Ja’far ibn Abi Talib:
Abu Hurayrah said about Ja’far: The best of men towards us poor folk was Jafar ibn Abi Talib. He would pass by us on his way home and give us whatever food he had. Even if his own food had run out, he would send us a pot in which he had placed some butterfat and nothing more. We would open it and lick it clean.
Military Leadership in the Battle of Mu’tah:
At the beginning of the eighth year of the Hijrah, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ organised an army to confront the Byzantine forces in Syria.
The Prophet appointed Zayd ibn Harithah as commander of the army and gave the following instructions: If Zayd is wounded or killed, Ja’far ibn Abi Talib would take over the command. If Ja’far is killed or wounded, then your commander would be Abdullah ibn Rawahah. If Abdullah ibn Rawahah is killed, then let the Muslims choose for themselves a commander.
When the Muslim army reached Mu’tah, the Muslim forces engaged in battle against the Byzantines.
Martyrdom at the Battle of Mu’tah:
Zayd ibn al-Harithah was among the first to be martyred at Mu’tah.
Ja’far ibn Abi Talib then took the flag and fought valiantly but eventually, one of the disbelievers cut off his right hand.
Ja’far then transferred the flag to his left hand and the disbelievers then cut off his left hand. Despite this, he continued to hold on to the flag of the Muslim army with his limbs.
Eventually, Ja’far ibn Abi Talib was martyred in the battle of Mu’tah.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said about this incident: Allah replaced his hands with two wings that are made of rubies, and he can fly in Jannah with those wings whenever he wants. This is why Ja’far is known as: Ja’far, the one who flies.
The Prophet’s Grief at Ja’far ibn Abi Talib’s Martyrdom:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was very upset after Ja’far ibn Abi Talib was martyred and went to Ja’far’s house, where he met his wife Asma.
Asma bint Umais said: When the Messenger of Allah approached us, I saw a veil of sadness shrouding his noble face and I became very apprehensive but I did not dare ask him about Ja’far for fear that I would hear some unpleasant news. He greeted and asked: Where are Ja’far’s children? I called them for him and they came and crowded around him happily, each one wanting to claim him for himself. He leaned over and hugged them while tears flowed from his eyes.
Asma asked: Why do you cry O Messenger of Allah? Have you heard anything about Ja’far and his two companions?
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ replied: Yes, they have attained martyrdom.
The Prophet’s Dua for Ja’far’s Family:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then prayed to Allah SWT to protect the family of Ja’far and assured them that he had attained Paradise.
Hadith Regarding Ja’far ibn Abi Talib:
It has been narrated that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said to Ja’far: your appearance is similar to my appearance and your character is similar to my character, for you are of me and my (family) tree.
Abdullah ibn Ja’far reported that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said to him: Congratulations O Abdullah, your father is flying with the angels in the sky.
This was because of the way his father, Ja’far, passed away in the battle of Mu’tah.