Abdullah ibn Jahsh

ProfileAbdullah ibn Jahsh

Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) was the son of Jahsh ibn Ri'ab of Asad, who was an ally of the clan of Abd Shams, and of Umaymah bint Abd al-Muttalib, an aunt of the Prophet ﷺ. All of her children became Muslims, though most of the biographers say that she died before it happened. His brothers and sisters were Hamnah bint Jahsh, Zaynab bint Jahsh, who became the Prophet's ﷺ wife, Abu Ahmad, and Ubaydullah, who sought the religion of Ibrahim before the message, accepted Islam, and married Umm Habibah. According to the early biographies, Abdullah accepted Islam very early, at the hands of Abu Bakr, and joined the believers in the house of al-Arqam. According to the early biographies, he went to Abyssinia in the second migration, and then to Madinah, and is counted among the people of the two migrations.

Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas told that the Prophet ﷺ said he would send a man over them who was the most patient of them with hunger and thirst, and he sent Abdullah ibn Jahsh, who was therefore the first amir in Islam. According to the early biographies, this was in Rajab of 2 AH. He gave Abdullah a sealed letter, to be opened only after two days of travel. It told him to go to Nakhlah, between Makkah and Ta'if, and to watch Quraysh and bring back news. They met a small caravan of Quraysh, and, on their own judgement, attacked it, in a month in which fighting was forbidden. One man of Quraysh was killed and two were taken captive, and they brought back the goods. According to the early biographies, the Prophet ﷺ said that he had not ordered them to fight in the sacred month, and Abdullah and his companions were distressed. Quraysh said that Muhammad had made lawful the sacred month. Then the Quran answered them: it said that fighting in the sacred month is a great sin, but that turning people from the way of Allah, disbelieving in Him, barring the Sacred Mosque and driving its people out of it are greater in His sight, and that persecution is worse than killing (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:217). According to the early biographies, the Prophet ﷺ then accepted the caravan and the captives.

According to the early biographies, he fought at Badr and was one of the veterans of Badr. Sa'd told of the day of Uhud, before the battle: Abdullah said to him, "Will you not pray to Allah?" and they both raised their hands. Sa'd prayed that Allah would send him a strong enemy to fight, and would grant him martyrdom. Abdullah said "Amin," and then prayed that he would meet an enemy, and that he would be killed, and his body cut up in such a way that when he met Allah on the next day He would ask, "Who was it that did this to you?" and he would say, "It was for You and for Your Messenger," and Allah would say, "You have spoken the truth." Sa'd said that Abdullah's prayer was better than his.

According to the early biographies, he fought bravely at Uhud until he was killed by a man of Quraysh, al-Akhnas ibn Shariq according to some reports, and his body was mutilated, as Hamzah's was, his nose and ears cut off. The Prophet ﷺ was deeply moved when he saw him. Jabir told that the Prophet ﷺ buried two of the martyrs of Uhud together in one grave (Sahih al-Bukhari). According to the early biographies, he was buried with Hamzah, his mother's brother, who was also his uncle, in one grave, and so those who visit the martyrs of Uhud stop there for both. Some early accounts say that his widow was Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, who later married the Prophet ﷺ, though the sources differ on who her earlier husband was.

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