In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Mawaddah Association presents: The Ten Promised Paradise.
Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him).
Love for the Companions and the Prophet's kin is a Sunnah.
By which I shall meet my Lord when He gives us life.
Love for the Companions.
Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) sat one day among his companions,
Exchanging delightful conversation.
While they were engaged in this,
Umar drifted briefly into thought, away from them.
They asked him, "What is the matter, O Commander of the Faithful?"
He said to them, "Make a wish!"
One of them said, "I wish this house were filled with dirhams
So I could spend them in the cause of Allah!"
Umar said again, "Make a wish!"
Another said, "I wish this house were filled with gold
So I could spend it in the cause of Allah!"
Umar then said:
"As for me, I wish this house were filled with men
Like Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah,
So I could employ them in obedience to Allah."
Such was Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him):
A man for arduous missions
And monumental occasions,
Whom every leader would wish to have among the ranks of his army
And at the head of his expeditions.
Indeed, what an exemplary man he was!
He never missed a battle fought by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
Hastening to every expedition to which the Prophet dispatched him,
Or which the two Shaykhs [Abu Bakr and Umar] sent him on after his passing.
In these events, he had lofty stands
That bore witness to his courage and self-sacrifice.
Among these was what Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated regarding the Battle of Uhud.
As-Siddiq said:
"On the day of Uhud,
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was struck in the face,
To the extent that two links of his helmet pierced his cheek.
I rushed toward the Messenger of Allah,
While a man was approaching from the east, flying like a bird,
Until we reached the Messenger of Allah together.
Behold, it was Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah!
He beat me to him and said,
'I adjure you by Allah, O Abu Bakr,
Let me pull out these two links from the cheek of the Messenger of Allah!'
So I yielded to him.
Abu Ubaydah gripped one of the helmet's links with his incisor tooth
And pulled it out so forcefully that he fell on his back,
And his front tooth fell out.
Then he gripped the other link with his other incisor tooth,
And it fell out as well.
Thus, Abu Ubaydah became *ahtam* among the people—
That is, lacking his two front incisors.
He suffered pain for the sake of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
Yet his smile was only beautified by their loss,
To the point that it was said:
'Never was a toothless mouth seen more handsome than that of Abu Ubaydah.'
In the eighth year after the Hijrah,
The Prophet (peace be upon him) dispatched a military detachment toward the coast,
Comprising approximately three hundred men,
And appointed Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah over them.
When they were partway along the journey, their provisions almost ran out.
So how did the trustworthy commander deal with this difficult situation?
Let us listen to Jabir ibn Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with both of them),
Who was with them in that detachment,
As he describes this extraordinary event to us.
Jabir said: 'Abu Ubaydah ordered that all the army's provisions be brought,
And he collected them.
He used to ration our food to us every day, little by little,
Until he was giving us only a single date per day.'
The one listening to Jabir asked:
'And what good did a single date do you?'
Jabir replied:
'We would suck on it just as an infant sucks at the breast,
Then drink water after it,
And it would suffice us for the day until nightfall.
We continued like that until the dates ran out.
Severe hunger struck us, so much so that we ate *khabat*—
Which is the leaves that fall from trees.
Thus, that army came to be called the Army of the Leaves (*Jaysh al-Khabat*).
Then we reached the sea,
And there was a sea creature like a small mountain!
We ate from it for half a month
And anointed ourselves with its blubber
Until our bodies recovered their strength.
Abu Ubaydah took thirteen men
And had them sit in its eye socket
To demonstrate the vast size of this whale.
Then he took one of its ribs and set it upright,
Saddled the largest camel we had,
And it passed right underneath it!
We made dried meat from its flesh
And carried it back with us.
When we arrived in Medina,
We came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
And mentioned that to him.
He said, "It is provision that Allah brought forth for you.
Do you have any of its meat with you to feed us?"
So we sent some to the Messenger of Allah,
And he took from it and ate it.'
During the blessed Caliphate of As-Siddiq,
Abu Ubaydah fought alongside the armies of the Muslims
In the east and west of the Arabian Peninsula,
Until they brought its inhabitants back into the fold of Islam.
Then As-Siddiq resolved to fight the Romans
And conquer the Levant (Ash-Sham).
He sent for four heroes among the Muslim commanders:
Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah,
Mu'adh ibn Jabal,
Shurahbil ibn Hasanah,
And Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan.
They came to him,
And he said to them:
'I am sending you toward this front—
Meaning the Levant—
And appointing you commanders over these troops.
I shall dispatch with each one of you as many men as I am able.
When you reach the land, meet the enemy troops,
And unite to fight them,
Your supreme commander shall be Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah.'
As-Siddiq then bade farewell to Abu Ubaydah
And advised him, saying:
'Listen as one who wishes to comprehend what is said to him
And then act upon what he has been commanded.
You are setting out with the nobles of the people, the prominent Arab houses,
The righteous among the Muslims, and the knights of the pre-Islamic era.
They used to fight back then out of tribal zeal,
But today they fight seeking reward from Allah and with pure intention.
Be a good companion to those who accompany you,
Let all people be equal before you in matters of truth and justice,
And seek help from Allah,
For Allah is sufficient as a Helper.'
The four armies marched toward the Levant,
Each army taking a route distinct from the other,
Passing by no village without conquering it or making a peace treaty with its people,
Until they met in the land of the Levant.
Heraclius, King of the Romans, fled to Antioch
In the farthest reaches of the Levant
And made it his headquarters.
He sent word to the Romans demanding their reinforcements,
And vast numbers came to him from across the empire,
Whereupon they began preparing to fight the Muslims.
The Caliph Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) decided
To merge the army of Khalid ibn al-Walid in Iraq with the armies in the Levant.
So he wrote to him:
'When this letter of mine reaches you,
Leave Iraq
And proceed lightly with the strong among your companions until you reach the Levant,
Where you shall join Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah and the Muslims with him.'
Thereupon, Khalid wrote to the Muslims in the Levant:
'The letter of the successor of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
Has reached me, ordering me to march toward you.
I have prepared and made haste,
And it is as if my cavalry has already appeared before you with its men.
Rejoice in the fulfillment of Allah's promise and His grand reward.'
He wrote another letter to Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
In which he said:
'The letter of the successor of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has reached me,
Ordering me to march to the Levant,
To take charge of its army, and to assume command of its affairs.
By Allah, I never sought this, nor desired it, nor wrote to him concerning it.
As for you—may Allah have mercy on you—you remain in your exalted stature;
Your command shall not be disobeyed, your opinion shall not be opposed,
And no matter shall be decided without you.
For you are a leader among the leaders of the Muslims;
Your merit cannot be denied, nor can your counsel be dispensed with.'
Upon the arrival of Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him) in the Levant,
He assumed command of the army,
Yet he never ceased consulting Abu Ubaydah in every matter.
Thus, Allah granted them victory, opening the city of Bosra and the rest of the Levant at their hands.
While they were conquering town after town,
News arrived that a Roman army was marching toward the city of Bosra
To reclaim it from the hands of the Muslims
And to sever the army of Abu Ubaydah and Khalid from the remaining forces.
Then another piece of news reached them, stating
That another massive Roman army
Had encamped at Ajnadayn in southern Palestine.
So Abu Ubaydah and Khalid met
And consulted one another on the matter.
The consensus was reached to head toward Ajnadayn—
To the larger Roman army—
And to write to the other armies
To gather at that location.
This was agreed upon.
A battle ensued between the Roman army,
Which numbered approximately one hundred thousand,
And the Muslim army, which numbered around thirty thousand.
The Muslims were victorious,
And the Romans suffered a crushing defeat.
As a result of that victory,
All of Palestine lay open before the Muslims.
However, Heraclius had not yet surrendered;
He still believed he was capable of defeating the Muslims.
So he assembled an innumerable host
And directed them toward the south of the Levant once again.
The commanders of the Islamic armies gathered
And consulted one another,
Agreeing to assemble at Al-Jabiyah,
From where they would march to the Yarmouk River.
Meanwhile,
a letter arrived from Medina, the capital of the Islamic Caliphate,
carrying the news of the passing of the Caliph of the Muslims, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him),
and the appointment of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) as the new Caliph of the Muslims.
It contained another piece of news that was bound to shake the army:
the dismissal of Khalid ibn al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him) from the command of the Levant army,
and the appointment of Abu 'Ubaydah over the army and the entire Levant region.
When the news reached Khalid ibn al-Walid,
he addressed the people, saying:
"The trustworthy man of this Ummah has been appointed over you.
I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:
'The trustworthy man of this Ummah is Abu 'Ubaydah
ibn al-Jarrah.'"
Whereupon Abu 'Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
"I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:
'Khalid is one of the swords of Allah, and a fine leader of his kinsfolk.'"
Thus, the army united behind Abu 'Ubaydah.
When the Muslims reached al-Jabiyah
and realized the strength of the Byzantine army,
as well as the vast numbers and equipment prepared against them,
opinions differed among them.
Some advocated retreating to the borders of 'Aqabah,
while others insisted on standing firm in their position.
Khalid ibn al-Walid said:
"I believe that if we were fighting with superior numbers and strength,
they would indeed outnumber us and be stronger than us,
and we would stand no chance against them.
But if we are fighting them by Allah and for Allah,
then I do not believe that their gathering—even if it comprised all the people of the earth—could avail them anything."
He then turned to Abu 'Ubaydah and said:
"Entrust me with the front line and leave the enemy to me,
for I hope that Allah will grant me victory over them."
Abu 'Ubaydah replied, "I have done so."
So Abu 'Ubaydah relinquished his position of supreme command back to Khalid
over the Muslim armies in the Levant.
Khalid then wrought wonders against them,
and the battle ended in a crushing defeat for the Byzantines
and a glorious victory for the Muslims.
It was the greatest disaster ever to befall the Byzantine Empire,
and Heraclius departed Antioch, saying:
"Farewell, O Syria—a farewell from one who shall never return to you!"
Jerusalem remained one of the last strongholds behind whose walls the Byzantines fortified themselves.
When Abu 'Ubaydah finished the conquest of northern Levant,
he returned to Palestine,
where 'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with him) was besieging Jerusalem.
When Abu 'Ubaydah arrived,
the people of Jerusalem requested a peace treaty on the same terms as the rest of the Levant,
provided that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab himself sign the treaty.
Abu 'Ubaydah wrote to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab informing him of the desire of the people of Jerusalem.
'Umar responded, traveled to the Levant,
and the conquest of Jerusalem was concluded.
And so, after a long journey of jihad and steadfastness, Abu 'Ubaydah
met his predestined fate—
for every soul shall taste death, whatever the cause may be.
A plague struck the Levant, known as the Plague of 'Amwas,
and countless people perished from it.
When news of this reached 'Umar ibn al-Khattab,
he sent a letter to Abu 'Ubaydah trying to rescue him from the epidemic,
writing: "Peace be upon you.
To proceed:
I have an urgent matter for which I require your presence in person.
I adjure you, upon reading this letter of mine,
not to put it down from your hand until you set out toward me."
Abu 'Ubaydah understood 'Umar's intention,
realizing that he only wished to extract him from the plague.
He said, "May Allah forgive the Commander of the Faithful,"
then wrote back to him:
"O Commander of the Faithful,
I have understood your need for me,
but I am amidst an army of the Muslims,
and I have no desire to prefer my safety over theirs.
I do not wish to leave them until Allah decrees His command and judgment concerning me and them.
So relieve me of your directive, O Commander of the Faithful,
and leave me with my army."
When 'Umar read the letter, he wept.
The people asked:
"O Commander of the Faithful, has Abu 'Ubaydah died?"
He replied, "No,
but he is not far from death."
When the sickness—that is, the plague—spread further,
Abu 'Ubaydah stood to address the people, saying:
"O people,
this pain is a mercy for you,
the prayer of your Prophet,
and the manner of death of the righteous before you.
And Abu 'Ubaydah asks Allah to grant him his share of it."
It was not long before he was afflicted with the disease.
He said to Mu'adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him):
"Lead the people in prayer."
So Mu'adh led them in prayer
until Abu 'Ubaydah passed away
at the age of fifty-eight.
Mu'adh stood up
and delivered a sermon comforting the people, saying:
"O people,
you have been bereaved of a man
the likes of whom I have never seen among the servants of Allah—
free of rancor, purest of heart,
furthest from harm, most modest,
and most sincere toward the general public.
That man was Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah,
so pray for Allah's mercy upon him (may Allah be pleased with him)."
The people gathered,
and Abu 'Ubaydah's body was brought out to the open ground.
Mu'adh ibn Jabal stepped forward
and led the funeral prayer over him.
Then he entered his grave alongside 'Amr ibn al-'As
and al-Dahhak ibn Qays (may Allah be pleased with them).
Once they placed him in his niche and stepped out,
they poured earth over him.
Mu'adh ibn Jabal then said:
"O Abu 'Ubaydah!
I shall not praise you falsely nor utter falsehood,
for I fear incurring hatred from Allah.
By Allah, you were among those who remember Allah much,
and among those who walk upon the earth in humility,
“The (faithful) slaves of the Beneficent are they who walk upon the earth modestly, and when the foolish ones address them answer: Peace;” (25:63)
“And those who, when they spend, are neither prodigal nor grudging; and there is ever a firm station between the two;” (25:67)
“And those who, when they spend, are neither prodigal nor grudging; and there is ever a firm station between the two;” (25:67)
and by Allah, you were among the humble and modest ones,
who show mercy to the orphan and the needy,
and despise the treacherous and the arrogant."
For the Chosen One, they are the finest companions; it is stated that they have died,
in the eternal Paradise; it is stated that their honor has increased.
They are Talhah, Ibn 'Awf, al-Zubayr, alongside
Abu 'Ubaydah, the two Sa'ds, and the Caliphs.