Part 66

In the Battle of Badr, he went out fighting like a hero. At Uhud he dreamed: of his death before the Muslims went out to battle. He was overwhelmed by a true sense that he was not coming back, and his heart was full of joy. He called to him his son Jaabir Ibn “Abd Allah, the noble Companion, and said, "I see myself killed in this battle. Maybe I'll be the first martyr among the Muslims. By Allah, I'll leave no one that I like more than you after the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). I am in debt, so pay my debts and make your brothers your own concern."

The next morning the Muslims went out to encounter the Quraish that had come in an uproarious army to invade their peaceful city. A dreadful battle raged, at the beginning of which the Muslims achieved rapid victory. It could have been a decisive victory but for the archers, whom the Messenger (PBUH) had ordered to stay at their positions and never to leave them, who were tempted by this quick victory over the Quraish. They left their positions on the

mountain and were pre-occupied with gathering the booty of the defeated army. The Quraish quickly gathered its scattered remnants when it found the Muslims' back completely exposed. They surprised them by a quick attack from behind, changing the Muslim victory into defeat.

During this bitter fight, “Abd Allah Ibn ‘Amr died as a martyr. When the Muslims went to find their martyrs after the fighting had ended, Jaabir Ibn “Abd Allah went to search for his father. He found him among the martyrs, whom the polytheists had made a dreadful display of along with other heroes. Jaabir and some of his family were crying over the martyr of Islam *Abd Allah Ibn ‘Amr Ibn Hiraam when the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) passed by. He said, "Cry over him or not, the angels are here to shade him with their wings!"

Abu Jaabir's belief was strong. His love, or even eagerness, to die in the cause of Allah was his greatest ambition. Afterward, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) announced the great news that depicted his great fondness of martyrdom. One day he (PBUH) said to “Abd Allah's son Jaabir, "O Jaabir, Allah has never spoken to anyone but from behind a veil, but He has spoken to me face to face. He said, 'O slave, ask Me to give you.’ He said, 'O Allah, I ask You to return me to earth, to be killed again in Your cause.' Allah answered him, "I said before: They will not return to them.’ He said, 'O Allah, then inform those after me of the blessings you have bestowed on us.’ So exalted Allah sent down: <Think not of those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision. They rejoice in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His Bounty, rejoicing for the sake of those who have not joined them, but are left behind (not yet marytred) that on them no fear shall come, nor shall they grieve>" (3 : 169-170).

When the Muslims were identifying their pious martyrs after the Battle of Uhud and the family of “Abd Allah Ibn “Amr had identified his corpse, his wife carried him, together with her brother who was martyred also, on her camel. She began taking them back to al-Madiinah to bury them there. Likewise did some other Muslims for their martyrs. But the crier of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) caught up with them and announced the Messenger's order: Bury the martyrs on their battle-ground. So they all returned with their martyrs.

The Noble Prophet (PBUH) was supervising the burial of his martyred Companions who had fulfilled their promise to Allah and sacrificed their precious souls as humble offerings to Allah and His Messenger. When it was *Abd Allah Ibn Hiraam's turn to be buried, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) called, "Bury “Abd Allah Ibn “Amr and ‘Amr [bn Al-Jamuuh in one grave; they were loving and sincere to each other in this world."

Now, during the moments of preparing the happy grave to receive the two noble martyrs, let us have a loving look at the second martyr, “Amr Ibn Al-Jamuub.

(42) “AMR IBN AIl-JAMUUH IWant to Walk Proudly with My Lameness in Paradise !

He was related to ‘Abd Allah Ibn ‘Amr Ibn Hiraam by marriage, being the husband of his sister Hind bint “Amr. ‘Amr Ibn AlJamuuh was one of the leaders of Al-Madiinah and one of the chiefs of the Salamah tribe. His son Mu‘aadh Ibn “Amr, who was one of the seventy Ansaar of the pledge of 'Aqabah preceded him in Islam.

Mu‘aadh Ibn “Amr and his friend Mu‘aadh Ibn Jabal * were calling the people of Al-Madiinah to Islam with the enthusiasm of bold and believing youth.

It was a custom that the nobles kept symbolic idols in their houses other than the big idols set up in places of public gathering. As a nobleman and chief, “Amr Ibn Al-Jamuuh made an idol to install in his house and called it Manaaf. His son Mu‘aadh Ibn “Amr agreed with his comrade Mu‘aadh Ibn Jabal to make ‘Amr Ibn Al-Jamuuh's idol an object of ridicule. They used to enter his house at night, take the idol and throw it into a cess pit. And when ‘Amr would wake up he would not find Manaaf in its place, and would keep looking for it till he found it thrown into that pit. He used to rage and say, "Woe unto you, who transgressed our gods this night!"" Then he would wash and perfume it. When night came again, the two Mu‘aadh, would do to the idol as they had done the previous night.

When “Amr got weary he took his sword and put it on Manaaf's neck and said to it, "If you are a beneficial god defend yourself." When he woke up he did not find it in its place, but rather found it discarded in the same cess pit. But this time, it was not in the pit alone but was tied to a dead dog by a strong rope.

* His biography has already been written

While he was angry, sorry, and surprised, some of the nobles of Al-Madiinah who had preceded him in Islam approached him. They pointed at the idol tied to the dead dog and addresed “Amr Ibn AlJamuuh's mind, heart and good sense, talking to him about the Most True and Most High Allah Whom there is nothing like. They talked to him about the trustworthy, faithful Muhammad who came to give, not to take, to guide, not to misguide. They talked to him about Islam that came to liberate mankind from all the shackles, revive the spirit of Allah in them, and spread His light in their hearts.

In a few moments, *Amr discovered himself and his destiny. He purified and perfumed his clothes and body, then went, bearing his head high, to acknowledge the Seal of the Prophets (PBUH) and to take his place among the believers.

One may wonder how those nobles and leaders of their people, like ‘Amr Ibn Al-Jamuuh, could believe in helpless idols to that extent. How did their reason not restrain them? How do we render them today among the great men after their embracing Islam and sacrificing? It is easy to raise these questions nowadays, as no child would accept to set up a piece of wood in his house and worship it. But in olden days, people's hearts used to embrace such doings. Their intelligence and genius could do nothing against tradition.

For example, Athens, in the days of Pericles, Pythagoras, and Socrates, attained a dazzling intellectual progress. However, all its people, including philosophers and judges, used to believe in sculptured idols in a ridiculous way. The reason is that religious sense in those remote ages was not as developed as the intellectual

‘Amr Ibn Al-Jamuuh dedicated his heart and life to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Although he was generous by nature, Islam

made him more generous so that he put all his money in the service of his religion and his brethren.

The Messenger (PBUH) asked a group of the Bani Salamah tribe, the tribe of ‘Amr Ibn Al-Jamuuh, "Who is your chief, O Bani Salamah ?" They answered, " Al-Jad Ibn Qais, inspite of his being a miser." He (PBUH) said, "No, your chief is the white curly haired ‘Amr Ibn Al-Jamuuh." This testimony from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) wasa great honor to Ibn Al-Jamuuh.

When the Battle of Uhud came, “Amr went to the Prophet (PBUH), imploring him to permit him. He said, "O Messenger of Allah, my sons want to prevent me from going out with you to fight. By Allah, I want to walk proudly with my lameness in Paradise.” As he strongly insisted, the Prophet (PBUH) permitted him to go out. So, he took his weapon and set out to walk happily, invoking Allah in a submissive voice, "O Allah, bestow martyrdom upon me and don't return me to my family."

When the two rival forces met on the Day of Uhud, ‘Amr Ibn AlJamuuh and his four sons set out striking the polytheists with their swords. “Amr was walking proudly in the middle of the fierce battle.

With each step his sword cut off the head of a polytheist. He struck with his right hand, then looked around at the highest part of the horizon, as if hastening the arrival of the angel who would make him die and accompany him to Paradise.

Yes, he asked his Lord for martyrdom, being sure that Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He above all, would respond to him. He was very much eager to walk proudly with his lame leg in Paradise so that its people would know that Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), knew how to select his Companions and how to develop men.