The best Ummah among the Ummah of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) is the Companions of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). They sacrificed their lives for the sake of pleasing Allah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) gave the good news to many of his Companions that they would be in Paradise. One of them is Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah (R). He was the trustworthy man of the Muslim nation and a close person to the Messenger of Allah. He was one of the first accepts to Islam.
So I will present some necessary information from his biography and mention some of his dignity and qualities. So let’s know his identity first.
Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah (R) and his brief identity
His name is Amer bin Abdullah bin Al-Jarrah bin Hilal bin Uhayb, and his mother is Umayma bint Ghanb bin Zabir. His nickname was Abu Ubaidah, and he was more famous with his nickname than his name, and people used to call him Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah aiming at his grandfather’s name, not at his father’s name. He was born in Mecca before the Hijrah. He was a child of the Quraish dynasty. And he was known during the pre-Islamic era for wisdom, discernment, sound opinion, and intelligence.
Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah (R) and his acceptation Islam
Abu Ubaidah (R) was one of the first accepts to Islam. He accepted Islam on the day following the acceptation the Islam of Abu Bakr (R); he accepted Islam by Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (R) himself. Then Abu Bakr (R) took him, Abdur Rahman Bin Auf, Uthman Bin Mazoon, and Al-Arqam Bin Abi Al-Arqam to the Prophet (peace be upon him). Then they announced before him the word of truth, and they were the first foundations upon which the great edifice of Islam was built. [Al-Esabah, volume 2, page 243]
His qualities and character
He was averse about the world, also lived a very simple life. And he had no interest in wealth and money. Once Umar (R) sent him four thousand dirhams and four hundred dinars. Abu Ubaidah (R) did not keep a dirham and a dinar for himself. He distributed among the poor all dinars and dirhams. Abu Ubaidah (R) was a man of tender heart and good character. The fear of Allah was always with him.
After his death, Mu’adh (R) noticed him and described some of his qualities. He said, O Abu Ubaidah! I will certainly praise you, and I will not lie. By Allah! Those who remember Allah more and more, those who walk in the land humbly, those who spend, do not waste and do not be stingy, but take the middle way, surely you were one of them. By Allah! You must have been one of those who were loyal, humble, kind to the orphans and the poor, who disliked the arrogant and the treacherous. [Al-Mustadrak, volume 3, page 295]
His married life
Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah (R) had only two children. Their names are Yazid and Umayr. And their mother’s name was Hind bint Jaber bin Wahb. Abu Ubaidah’s children died, and he had no heirs. [Al-Esabah, volume 3, page 409]
Abu Ubaidah (R) participated in many battles with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). He was the army chief in various wars. He had several riches.
Number of narrated Hadith
Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah (R) also narrated fewer hadiths from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). The number of hadiths narrated in his source is 15. There are one hadith in Sahih Muslim and one hadith in Sunan Tirmidhi. Musnad Ahmad contains 12 hadiths in his source. [Siyar A’lam An-Nubala, page no.1432]
His some dignity
He got the good news of Paradise from Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). He did Hijrah twice. Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah (R) participated in many battles with the Messenger of Allah. He lifted the metal ring of armour from the face of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) with his teeth. Even his teeth were broken. He was with Allah’s Apostle (peace be upon him) in the battle of Uhud when the people left him. [Al-Mustadrak, volume 3, page 266]
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “What an excellent man is Abu Bakr, what an excellent man is ‘Umar, what an excellent man is Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah, what an excellent man is Usaid bin Hudair, what an excellent man is Thabit bin Qais bin Shammas, what an excellent man is Mua’dh bin Jabal, and what an excellent man is Mu’adh bin ‘Amr bin Al-Jamuh.” [Jami’ At-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 3795]
Narrated ‘Abdullah bin Shaqiq: I said to ‘Aishah (R): ‘Which of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were the most beloved to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)?’ She said: ‘Abu Bakr (R).’ I said: ‘Then who?’ She said: ‘Umar (R). So I said: ‘Then who?’ She said: ‘Then Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah (R).’ And (Al Zurairy said:) I said (to Abdullah bin Shaqiq): ‘Then who?’ He said: “Then she was silent.” [Jami’ At-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 3657]
And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) also said:
“The most merciful of my nation to my nation is Abu Bakr, and the most severe of them concerning the order of Allah is ‘Umar, and the most truly shy of them is ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan. The most knowledgeable of them concerning the lawful and unlawful is Mu’adh Bin Jabal, the most knowledgeable of them concerning (the laws of) inheritance is Zaid bin Thabit, the best reciter (of the Qur’an) among them is Ubayy bin Ka’b. Every nation has a trustworthy one, and the trustworthy one of this nation is Abu ‘Ubaidah Bin Al-Jarrah.” [Jami’ At-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 3790]
His death
When the plague reached the Levant (Region in Asia), Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah (R) was there. During that plague, Umar (R) wrote a letter to Abu Ubaidah saying that ‘a need comes to me. And in this, I am not free from you. So come to me quickly.’ Then, when he read Umar’s letter, he realized his purpose. Then he wrote to Umar (R), saying, “Surely I understand your need.” So you release me from your determination, for I am staying among the Muslim soldiers. I’m not more interested in myself than they are. Umar (R) cried when he read his letter. So he was asked, is Abu Ubaidah (R) dead? Umar (R) said, “No.” It looks like he will die. Then Abu Ubaidah (R) died in that plague. And then the plague went. [Siyar A’lam An-Nubala, page no.1445]
Scholars have agreed that Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah (R) died in the plague of Ama’was in the Levant (Shaam) in the 18 AH during the reign of Umar (R). He was 58 years old at the time of his death. [Al-Esabah, volume 3, page 414]
Originally Abu Ubaidah died as a martyr. He was considered a martyr in two situations. Namely: 1. He died in the way of Allah, 2. He died in the plague.
In this regard,
Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said to his companions (R): “Whom do you consider to be a martyr among you?” They (the Companions) said: O Messenger of Allah, one who is slain in the way of Allah is a martyr. He said: “Then (if this is the definition of a martyr), the martyrs of my Umma will be small in number.” They asked: O Messenger of Allah, who are they (i.e., martyrs)? He said: “One who is slain in the way of Allah is a martyr; one who dies in the way of Allah is a martyr, and one who dies of plague is a martyr; one who dies of cholera is a martyr.” Ibn Miqsam said: I testify the truth of your father’s statement (about this tradition) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “One who is drowned is a martyr.” [Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 4706]
May Allah grant us all the grace to prioritize the needs of others over our own needs, and may He grant us death in the state of martyrdom. Ameen.
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