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ABDULLAH
IBN JAHSH Radhia
Allahu Anaha
Abdullah
ibn Jahsh was a cousin of the Prophet and his sister,
Zaynab bint Jahsh, was a wife of the Prophet. He was the
first to head a group of Muslims on an expedition and so
was the first to be called "Amir al-Mu'mineen"Ñ
Commander of the Believers.
Abdullah
ibn Jahsh became a Muslim before the Prophet entered the
House of al-Arqam which became a meeting place, a school
and a place of refuge for the early Muslims. He was thus
one of the first to accept Islam.
When
the Prophet gave permission for his Companions to emigrate
to Madinah to avoid further persecution from the Quraysh,
Abdullah ibn Jahsh was the second to leave, preceded only
by Abu Salamah. Emigrating was not a new experience for
Abdullah. He and some members of his immediate family had
migrated before to Abyssinia. This time, however, his
migration was on a far bigger scale. His family and
relativesÑmen, women and children, migrated with
him. In fact, his whole clan had become Muslims and
accompanied him.
There
was an air of desolation as they left Makkah. Their homes
appeared sad and depressed as if no one had lived there
before. No sound of conversation emanated from behind
those silent walls.
Abdullah's
clan were not long gone when.the alerted Quraysh leaders
came out and made the rounds of the districts in Makkah to
find out which Muslims had left and who had remained.
Among these leaders were Abu Jahl and Utbah ibn Rabi'ah.
Utbah looked at the houses of the Banu Jahsh through which
the dusty winds were blowing. He banged on the doors and
shouted:
"The
houses of the Banu Jahsh have become empty and are weeping
for its occupants."
'Who
were these people anyway," said Abu Jahl derisively,
"that houses should weep for them." He then laid
claim to the house of Abdullah ibn Jahsh. It was the most
beautiful and expensive of the houses. He began to dispose
freely of its contents as a king would share out his
possessions .
Later,
when Abdullah ibn Jahsh heard what Abu Jahl had done to
his house, he mentioned it to the Prophet, peace be upon
him, who said:
"Aren't
you satisfied, O Abdullah, with what God has given you
insteadÑa house in Paradise?"
"Yes,
messenger of God," he replied, and became at peace
with himself and completely satisfied.
Abdullah
ibn Jahsh had scarcely settled down in Madinah when he had
to undergo one of the most testing experiences. He had
just begun to taste something of the good and restful life
under the sponsorship of the AnsarÑ after going
through persecution at the hands of the QurayshÑwhen
he had to be exposed to the severest test he had ever
known in his life and carry out the most difficult
assignment since he became a Muslim.
The
Prophet, peace and blessings of God be on him,
commissioned eight of his Companions to carry out the
first military assignment in Islam. Among them were
Abdullah ibn Jahsh and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas.
"I
appoint as your Commander the one who can best bear hunger
and thirst," said the Prophet and gave the standard
to Abdullah ibn Jahsh. He was thus the first to be made
amir over a contingent of believers.
The
Prophet gave him precise instructions on the route he
should take on the expedition and gave him a letter. He
commanded Abdullah to read the letter only after two days'
travel.
After
the expedition had been on its way for two days, Abdullah
looked at the contents of the letter. It said, "When
you have read this letter, press on until you come to a
place called Nakhlah between Ta'if and Makkah. From there
observe the Quraysh and gather whatever information you
can on them for us."
"At
your command, O Prophet of God," exclaimed Abdullah
as he finished reading the letter. Then he spoke to his
colleagues:
"The
Prophet has commanded me to proceed to Nakhlah to observe
the Quraysh and gather information on them for him. He has
also commanded me not to go further with anyone of you who
is against the purpose of this expedition. So whoever
desires martyrdom and is in total agreement with this
expedition can accompany me. Whoever is not in agreement,
may turn back without blame."
"At
your command, O messenger of Allah," they all
responded. "We shall go with you, Abdullah, wherever
the Prophet of God has commanded."
The
group continued until they reached Nakhlah and began to
move along the mountain passes seeking information on
Quraysh movements. While they were thus engaged, they saw
in the distance a Quraysh caravan. There were four men in
the caravanÑAmr ibn alHadrami, Hukm ibn Kaysan,
Uthman ibn Abdullah and his brother Mughirah. They were
carrying merchandise for the QurayshÑskins, raisins
and other usual Quraysh stock in trade.
The
Sahabah conferred together. It was the last day of the
sacred months. "If we were to kill them," they
agreed, "we would have killed them in the inviolable
months. To do so would be to violate the sacredness of
this month and expose ourselves to the wrath of all Arabs.
If we leave them alone for a day so that the month will be
completed, they would have entered the inviolable
precincts of Makkah and thus be secure from us."
They
continued consulting until finally they agreed to pounce
on the caravan and take whatever merchandise they could as
booty. Before long, two of the men were captured and one
was killed; the fourth escaped.
Abdullah
ibn Jahsh and his men took the two prisoners and the
caravan on to Madinah. They went to the Prophet, peace be
upon him, and informed him about what they had done. The
Prophet was greatly upset and strongly condemned their
action.
"By
God, I did not command you to fight. I only commanded you
to gather information on the Quraysh and observe their
movements." He granted a reprieve to the two
prisoners and he left the caravan and did not take a
single item from it.
Abdullah
ibn Jahsh and his men then knew that they had fallen into
disgrace and felt certain that they were ruined because of
their disobeying the command of the Prophet. They began to
feel the pressure as their Muslim brothers censured them
and avoided them whenever they passed one another. And
they would say, "These went against the command of
the Prophet."
Their
discomfiture grew when they learnt that the Quraysh had
taken the incident as a means to discredit the Prophet and
denounce him among the tribes. The Quraysh were saying:
"Muhammad
has defiled the sacred month. He has shed blood in it,
plundered wealth and captured men."
Imagine
the extent of the sadness felt by Abdullah ibn Jahsh and
his men at what had happened, moreso because of the acute
embarrassment they had caused the Prophet.
They
were sorely tormented and the agony weighed heavily on
them. Then came the good news that AllahÑ Glorified
be HeÑwas pleased with what they had done and had
sent down revelation to His Prophet about this matter.
Imagine their happiness! People came and embraced them,
congratulating them on the good news and reciting to them
what had been revealed in the glorious Qur'an about their
action.
"They
ask you about fighting in the sacred month. Say: Fighting
therein is an enormity as well as preventing (people) from
the path of God and disbelief in Him. Expelling people
from the Masjid al Haram is a greater sin in the eyes of
God. Moreover, persecution is greater than killing."
(Surah al-Baqarah 2: 212).
When
these blessed verses were revealed, the Prophet's mind was
eased. He took the caravan and ransomed the prisoners. He
became pleased with Abdullah ibn Jahsh and his men. Their
expedition was certainly a major event in the early life
of the Muslim community . . .
The
Battle of Badr followed. Abdullah ibn Jahsh fought in it
and was put to a great test, but a test to which his faith
was equal.
Then
came the Battle of Uhud. There is an unforgettable story
involving Abdullah ibn Jahsh and his friend Sa'd ibn Abi
Waqqas concerning an incident that took place during the
Battle of Uhud. Let us leave Sa'd to tell the story:
During
the battle, Abdullah came to me and said, "Aren't you
making a duia to God?"
"Yes,"
said I. So we moved aside and I prayed, "O Lord, when
I meet the enemy, let me meet a man of enormous strength
and fury. Then grant me victory over him that I might kill
him and acquire spoils from him." To this my prayer,
Abdullah said Ameen and then he prayed:
"Let
me meet a man of great standing and enormous fury. I shall
fight him for Your sake, O Lord, and he shall fight me. He
shall take me and cut off my nose and ears and when I meet
You on the morrow You will say, "For what were your
nose and ear cut off?" And I would reply, "For
Your sake and for the sake of Your Prophet." And then
You would say, "You have spoken the truth . . ."
Sa'd continues the story:
The
prayer of Abdullah ibn Jahsh was better than mine. I saw
him at the end of the day. He was killed and mutilated and
in fact his nose and his ear were hung on a tree with a
thread .
God
responded to the prayer of Abdullah ibn Jahsh and blessed
him with martyrdom as He blessed his uncle, the Leader of
Martyrs, Hamzah ibn Abdulmuttalib. The noble Prophet
buried them together in a single grave. His pure tears
watered the earthÑearth annointed with the
fragrance of martyrdom.
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