Mu’adh ibn Jabal (RA)
Early Life:
Mu’adh ibn Jabal was a young man in Yathrib (Madinah) when the religion of Islam starting to grow around the Arabian Peninsula. He was well-known for his intelligence and stood out from the rest of the youngsters in the city.
Acceptance of Islam:
Mu’adh became a Muslim as a result of the dawah of Mus’ab ibn Umayr, who the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had sent to Yathrib to spread the religion of Islam.
Mu’adh was among the seventy two people from Yathrib who travelled to Makkah, one year before the Hijrah, and was part of the group that pledged allegiance to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ at Aqabah.
Removal of Idols:
As soon as Mu’adh returned to Madinah, he decided to organise a group, with the intention to destroy all of the idols that were placed in houses of the disbelievers.
Companionship and Knowledge:
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ reached Madinah, Mu’adh ibn Jabal spent a lot of time in his company, where he studied the Quran and the religion of Islam and by doing this, he became one of the most knowledgeable companions.
Wherever Mu’adh went, people would go to him for legal judgments on matters over which they argued over. This was because, he was very knowledgeable on the subject of Islamic rulings and laws.
Mu’adh ibn Jabal was one of a group of six people who collected the Quran during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Incident of the Prophet Rebuking Mu’adh ibn Jabal for Long Prayers:
Once Mu’adh ibn Jabal led the Isha prayer and it is said that he recited the whole of Surah Al-Baqarah in this one prayer.
One man, who was reading behind Mu’adh, left the prayer and read it seperately. When Mu’adh heard about him, he said: He is a hypocrite!
When this man heard what Mu’adh had said about him, he went to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and said: O Messenger of Allah, we are people who work with our hands and irrigate with our camels. Last night Mu’adh led us in prayer while reciting Surah Al-Baqarah for such a long time that I offered my prayer separately, so for that he accused me of hypocrisy.
The Prophet called Mu’adh and he said three times: O Mu’adh! Are you putting people to trial?
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then ordered Mu’adh to read two shorter Surahs towards the end of the Quran.
This was narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah and is collected in Sahih Bukhari.
Teacher and Leader in Makkah:
After the conquest of Makkah, a large number of the Quraysh became Muslims and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ knew that the new believers needed knowledgeable men to teach them the foundations of Islam.
Mu’adh ibn Jabal was chosen by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and he would teach the Quran to the new Muslims.
Mission in Yemen:
After the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had returned to Madinah, messengers from Yemen came to him announcing that the residents of Yemen had all accepted Islam.
They requested that teachers should be sent to them to teach Islam to the people. For this task, the Prophet organised a group from his trusted companions and made Mu’adh ibn Jabal their Amir (leader).
The Prophet Questions Mu’adh:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ asked Mu’adh: According to what will you judge? Mu’adh replied: According to the Book of Allah.
The Prophet then asked: And if you find nothing therein? Mu’adh replied: According to the Sunnah of the Prophet of Allah.
The Prophet asked: And if you find nothing therein? Mu’adh ibn Jabal replied: Then I will exert myself (exercise ijtihad) to form my own judgement.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was happy with this reply and said: Praise be to Allah, Who has guided the messenger of the Prophet to that which pleases the Prophet.
The Prophet’s Farewell:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ walked alongside Mu’adh as he left for Yemen.
The Prophet then said to Mu’adh: O Mu’adh, perhaps you shall not meet me again after this year. Perhaps when you return you shall see only my mosque and my grave. (Ibn Hibban)
Mu’adh started to cry, and this impacted him greatly.
The Prophet’s statement was true as Mu’adh never saw the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ again as he passed away before he returned from Yemen.
Service Under the Caliphs:
During the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab, Mu’adh was sent to the tribe of Banu Kilab to sort out payments and distribute the sadaqah among the tribes.
Teaching in Syria:
Also in Umar’s caliphate, the governor of Syria, Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan sent a message to Umar saying: O Amir al-Muminin! The people of Syria are many, they fill the towns and they need people to teach them the Quran and instruct them in the religion.
Umar ibn al-Khattab called for five people who had collected the Quran for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
They were Mu’adh ibn Jabal, Ubadah ibn as-Samit, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, Ubayy ibn Ka’b and Abu-d Darda.
Instructions from Umar ibn al-Khattab:
Umar ibn al-Khattab instructed them: Your brothers in Syria have asked me to help them by sending those who can teach them the Quran and instruct them in the religion. Please appoint three among you for this task and may Allah bless you. I can select three of you myself if you do not want to put the matter to the vote.
The group replied: Why should we vote? Abu Ayyub is quite old and Ubayy ibn Ka’b is a sick man. That leaves three of us.
Umar then commanded: All three of you go to Hims first. If you are satisfied with the condition of the people there, one of you should stay there, another should go to Damascus and the other to Palestine.
Mu’adh ibn Jabal in Palestine:
Ubadah ibn as-Samit was left at Hims, Abu ad-Darda went to Damascus and Mu’adh ibn Jabal went to Palestine.
In Palestine, Muadh became very ill from the ‘Plague of ‘Amwas’.
Death of Mu’adh ibn Jabal:
As he approached his final few days in this world, Mu’adh turned in the direction of the Kabah and repeated this statement: Welcome Death, Welcome. A visitor has come after a long absence.
Mu’adh would look up to heavens and said: O Lord, You know that I did not desire the world and to prolong my stay in it. O Lord, accept my soul with goodness as you would accept a believing soul.
Mu’adh ibn Jabal then passed away at the age of thirty four in north Shuna (Jordan).
Hadith on Mu’adh ibn Jabal:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: The most knowledgeable of what is lawful and unlawful from my Ummah is Mu’adh ibn Jabal. (Ibn Majah)
Mu’adh reported that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ held his hand said: O Mu’adh, by Allah, I love you and advise you not to miss supplicating after every Salah saying: Allahumma a’inni ‘ala dhikrika wa shukrika, was husni ibadatika. (O Allah, help me remember You, expressing gratitude to You and worship You in the best manner). (Abu Dawud, An-Nasa’i)
Mu’adh ibn Jabal said: The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: Fasting is a shield. (An-Nasa’i)
Jabir ibn Abdullah said: Mu’adh once stood up and prayed Isha, and he made it lengthy. The Prophet ﷺ then said (twice): Do you want to cause hardship to the people, O M’uadh! (An-Nasa’i)