Umayr ibn Wahb al-Jumahi

ProfileUmayr ibn Wahb al-Jumahi

Umayr (may Allah be pleased with him) was the son of Wahb, of the Banu Jumah of Quraysh, a wealthy clan of Makkah. According to the early biographies, his cousin was Safwan ibn Umayyah, whose father Umayyah ibn Khalaf was the brother of Umayr's father. According to the early biographies, Umayr was an enemy of the Prophet ﷺ and had harmed the Muslims in Makkah.

According to the early biographies, before Badr Quraysh sent him to scout the Muslims on horseback. He came back and said that they were about three hundred men, more or less. He told Quraysh that he had a bad feeling, since he saw men with nothing to protect them but their swords, who would not die until they had killed as many of theirs, and advised them to turn back. According to the early biographies, they did not listen. At Badr his son Wahb was taken prisoner by the Muslims.

According to the early biographies, some days after Badr, Umayr sat with Safwan ibn Umayyah in the Hijr by the Ka'bah and they spoke of the dead of Quraysh and said that life was no good after them. Umayr said that, were it not for a debt that he could not pay and a family he would leave behind, he would ride to Madinah and kill Muhammad ﷺ, and that he had an excuse, for his son was a prisoner there. Safwan said that he would pay his debts and take care of his family as his own, and they agreed to keep it to themselves. According to the early biographies, Umayr had his sword sharpened and dipped in poison, and went to Madinah.

According to the early biographies, Umar was sitting with some Muslims, speaking of Badr, when he saw Umayr kneel his camel at the door of the mosque with his sword on his shoulder. He said that this was the enemy of Allah and that he had come for no good, and told some of the Ansar to go in with the Prophet ﷺ and watch him, and Umar took him by the strap of his sword and brought him in. When the Prophet ﷺ saw them, he told Umar to let him go, and told Umayr to come close. Umayr greeted him with the old greeting of the days before Islam, and the Prophet ﷺ told him that Allah had given them a better greeting, that of the people of Paradise. He asked what had brought him, and Umayr said that he had come about the prisoner and asked for kindness to him. The Prophet ﷺ asked what the sword was for, and Umayr said that swords had done no good for them at Badr. The Prophet ﷺ said that the truth was that he and Safwan had sat in the Hijr, and that he had said that, but for his debt and his family, he would go and kill Muhammad ﷺ, and that Safwan had taken his debt and his family on himself, but Allah would stand between him and it. Umayr said that he bore witness that he was the Messenger of Allah, that they had been the only two there, that no one could have told him but Allah, and that he thanked Allah who had guided him. According to the early biographies, the Prophet ﷺ told his Companions to teach their brother his religion and teach him the Qur'an, and to free his prisoner. According to the early biographies, Umar said that a pig was dearer to him than Umayr when he came in, and that now he was dearer to him than some of his own sons.

According to the early biographies, Umayr then asked leave to go back to Makkah and call his people to Islam, and said that if they did not accept it, he would harm them as he had harmed the Muslims. According to the early biographies, Safwan was telling people in Makkah to expect good news that would make them forget Badr, and was asking each traveller from Madinah for it, until someone told him that Umayr had become a Muslim. He swore that he would never speak to him again and never do anything for him. According to the early biographies, Umayr called many in Makkah to Islam in secret, and later came back to Madinah with a group of Muslims. His son Wahb also became a Muslim.

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