Julaybib (RA)
Identity and Background:
Meaning Of His Name:
Julaybib means ‘small grown’.
Physical Appearance:
The name shows that Julaybib was small and short, even of dwarf-like stature.
Julaybib is described as being ‘damim’ which means: ugly and deformed.
Lineage:
Julaybib’s lineage was not known and there is no record of who his mother or his father was or what tribe he belonged to.
Julaybib did not have any protection in the early days of Islam, where the early Muslims would escape torture if they had family or tribal connections.
Status:
All that was known of Julaybib was that he was an Arab and that he was one of the Ansar.
Social Challenges:
Abu Barzah, who was from the Aslam tribe, refused to let Julaybib enter his home and he once told his wife: Do not let Julaybib enter among you. If he does, I shall certainly do something terrible to him.
Refuge:
Because he was mocked and laughed at by men, Julaybib used to spend a large amount of his time in the company of women.
Marriage Arranged By The Prophet:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, thinking of Julaybib, went to one of the Ansar and said: I want to have your daughter married.
The Ansari man replied: How wonderful and blessed, O Messenger of Allah and what a delight to the eye (this would be).
The Prophet replied: I do not want her for myself. The man asked: Then for whom, O Messenger of Allah?
This man was upset because he thought that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ wanted to marry his daughter.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then informed him: For Julaybib.
The Ansari man was shocked when he heard this and he said: I will consult with her mother.
He went to his wife and said: The Messenger of Allah wants to have your daughter married.
His wife was very happy at first, saying: What a wonderful idea and what a delight this would be!
The Ansari man replied: He doesn’t want to marry her himself but he wants to marry her to Julaybib.
His wife responded: To Julaybib! no, never to Julaybib! no, by the living Allah, we shall not marry (her) to him.
As the man was about to return to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to inform him of what his wife had said, the daughter, hearing this conversation asked: Who has asked you to marry me?
Her mother told her of the Prophet’s request for her hand in marriage to Julaybib.
When the daughter heard that the request had come from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and that her mother was against the idea, she said: Do you refuse the request of the Messenger of Allah? Send me to him for he shall certainly not bring ruin to me.
The Daughter Citing An Ayat From The Quran:
This woman had heard the verse of the Quran: ‘now whenever Allah and His Apostle have decided a matter, it is not for a believing man or believing woman to claim freedom of choice in so far as they themselves are concerned. And he who disobeys Allah and His Prophet has already, most obviously, gone astray’. (Quran, 33:36)
This verse was revealed in regards to the marriage of Zaynab bint Jahsh and Zayd ibn al-Harithah which was arranged by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
It is reported that the daughter read the verse to her parents and said: I am satisfied and submit myself to whatever the Messenger of Allah deems good for me.
Blessing from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ heard this, he was very happy and prayed for her saying: O Lord, bestow good on her in abundance and make not her life one of toil and trouble.
Marriage Outcome:
The daughter was married by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to Julaybib and they lived together until he was killed.
Martrydom in Battle:
Julaybib then went on an expedition with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the Muslims fought in a battle against the disbelievers.
When the battle was over, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ asked his companions: Have you lost anyone?
They replied by giving the names of their relatives or close friends who were killed.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: But I have lost Julaybib, search for him on the battlefield.
The companions looked for Julaybib and eventually found him next to seven disbelievers, who he killed before his death.
The Prophet’s Reaction To Seeing Julaybib:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ stood up and went to the spot where Julaybib was martyred. He stood over him and said: He killed seven and then was killed? This (man) is of me and I am of him. He repeated this two or three times.
Burial:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then took him in his arms and dug a grave and placed Julaybib in it.
Emotional Response:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ cried and then he turned away and smiled.
When the companions saw this, they asked the Prophet: O Rasoolullah, why were you crying and then you smiled and looked away?
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ replied: I was crying at the loss of my fellow family member, Julaybib. no one cared about him but me and Allah showed me his place in Jannah. I saw his soul in Jannah and I saw one of wives running towards him. So I smiled that he had got the wife that he wanted in Jannah. As she was running, the heel of her leg showed and I turned away, as I have no right to look at the wife of Julaybib.
Hadith on Julaybib:
When the Prophet saw Julaybib’s dead body, he stood over his body and said: He killed seven and then was killed? This (man) is of me and I am of him. (Muslim)