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 as long as I live.
"Every nation has a trustworthy custodian,
and the trustworthy custodian of this Ummah is
Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah."
With these magnificent words,
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) adorned
the noble head of Abu Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him),
robing him in garments of honor and distinction.
Who, then, is this Abu Ubaydah?
Let us live through his biography
and drink deeply from his traditions.
He is the revered Companion,
'Amir ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Jarrah,
of the Quraysh tribe, from the clan of Banu Fihr—
known as Abu Ubaydah.
He embraced Islam early, at the very inception of the Prophetic call,
and endured his share of the harm his companions suffered in the cause of Allah.
He possessed vast knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah,
was a dignified master held in high esteem among his people,
and was an expert in combat, intimately seasoned in war—
which made him a seasoned commander,
placed at the forefront of military expeditions and raids.
May Allah be pleased with him, he was
a slender man,
lean-faced,
sparse-bearded,
tall, and missing his two front central teeth,
who dyed his hair with henna and *katam*.
He had two braids—
that is, two plaits of hair—
which he wrapped and tucked behind his ears.
Abu Ubaydah
loved the Prophet (peace be upon him)
with a love that penetrated to the very depths of his heart.
This was manifest in his constant companionship with him (peace be upon him)
in every battle,
and his defending him with all devotion and strength.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) reciprocated
his love with love, and his closeness with closeness.
'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked,
"Which of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
was most beloved to him?"
She replied, "Abu Bakr."
It was asked, "Then who?"
She replied, "Then 'Umar."
It was asked, "Then who?"
She replied, "Then Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah."
It was asked, "Then who?"
And she remained silent.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"What an excellent man is Abu Bakr,
what an excellent man is 'Umar,
and what an excellent man is Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah."
Among the evidence showing his status with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
was his selecting him to accompany the people of Yemen
when they came to him and said,
"Send with us a trustworthy man
to teach us the Sunnah and Islam."
So the Prophet (peace be upon him) took
Abu Ubaydah by the hand
and said, "This is the trustworthy custodian of this Ummah."
What an excellent man Abu Ubaydah was—
a devout worshipper and an ascetic!
The worldly life sought him, but he did not seek it;
it presented itself to him, yet he turned away from it,
offering whatever he possessed as provision to meet in the Hereafter.
'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him)
used to observe this in him
and admire it.
When 'Umar assumed the Caliphate,
he once sent him four hundred dinars,
instructing the messenger,
"See what he does with it."
Abu Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) distributed it all,
leaving nothing of it for himself or his family.
When the messenger informed 'Umar,
he said,
"Praise be to Allah, Who has placed in Islam those who do such deeds."
On another occasion overflowing with awe and grandeur,
demonstrating absolute detachment from worldly adornments and splendors,
the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), arrived in the Levant,
where the commanders and notables met him.
'Umar asked,
"Where is my brother?"
They asked, "Who?"
He replied,
"Abu Ubaydah."
They said,
"He is coming to you now."
Abu Ubaydah arrived riding a camel reined with a plain rope.
He greeted 'Umar with peace,
so 'Umar dismounted and embraced him,
then said to the people,
"Leave us."
He walked with Abu Ubaydah until they reached his dwelling, where 'Umar stayed with him as a guest.
'Umar saw nothing in his house except his sword, shield, and saddle-bag.
'Umar said to him,
"You are the commander of the Levant!
Where are your worldly belongings?"
Abu Ubaydah replied,
"O Commander of the Faithful,
these are enough to reach the resting place."
He then went to a vessel,
brought out a few dry crusts of bread,
and presented them to the Commander of the Faithful.
The eyes of the ascetic Caliph welled with tears, and he said,
"The worldly life has changed us all,
except you, O Abu Ubaydah!"
Abu Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) was not content with personal asceticism alone;
he would actively urge others to be ascetic in this world and be content with little.
He used to walk among the people saying:
"Lo! Many a person who whitens his garments soil his religion!
Lo! Many a person who honors himself is actually humiliating it!
Repel old sins with fresh good deeds,
for if one of you were to commit sins filling the space between him and the sky,
and then perform a good deed, it would rise above his sins until it overcomes them."
When the people were stricken by the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
and gathered at the Portico of Banu Sa'idah to choose a leader for themselves,
Abu Ubaydah took a commendable stance for which he is praised and remembered,
and which the people of virtue will never forget.
The Caliphate was presented to him, yet he refused it and returned it to those worthy of it.
For when the Ansar and the Emigrants disagreed over who should succeed the Prophet (peace be upon him),
the Ansar said to the Emigrants,
"There shall be a leader from us, and a leader from you."
The trustworthy custodian, Abu Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him), stood up and said to them,
"O assembly of the Ansar!
You were the first to support and assist,
so do not be the first to alter and change!"
Thereupon, the people fell silent.
Then Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and spoke,
delivering an excellent speech that satisfied the people.
Then Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said,
"I am pleased for you to choose either of these two men"—
meaning 'Umar and Abu Ubaydah.
He then said to Abu Ubaydah,
"Extend your hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you,
for I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:
'Every nation has a trustworthy custodian,
and you are the trustworthy custodian of this Ummah.'"
Abu Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) replied,
"I would never step ahead of a man whom the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered to lead us in prayer!"
So 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) stepped forward
and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr for the Caliphate,
and Abu Ubaydah did the same.
Then the people followed in succession, pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).
And when 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was stabbed,
he said as he was drawing his final breaths,
"If Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah were alive, I would have appointed him as my successor.
If my Lord were to ask me about him, I would say:
'I appointed as my successor the trustworthy custodian of Allah and the trustworthy custodian of His Messenger.'"
In the eighth year after the Hijrah,
the Prophet (peace be upon him) dispatched 'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with him)
at the head of a military detachment to the lands of Bali and 'Udhrah,
during the Expedition of Dhat al-Salasil.
'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with him) found that his enemy's force was vast,
so he sent word to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) requesting reinforcements.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) reinforced him
with two hundred of the noble leaders among the Emigrants and the Ansar,
among whom were Abu Bakr and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both).
He placed Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) in command over them
and instructed him to join 'Amr ibn al-'As,
telling them to unite and not to differ.
Abu Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) and those with him joined 'Amr.
When the time for prayer arrived,
Abu Ubaydah stepped forward to lead the people in prayer.
'Amr said to him,
"You have only come to me as reinforcements, while I am the overall commander."
Those in the reinforcement force said, "Our commander is Abu Ubaydah,
while you are the commander of your own companions."
However, Abu Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) took a different stance,
for he carried within his chest the counsel of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
who had said to him, "Obey each other and do not differ."
Thus, he yielded the command to 'Amr,
and 'Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) led the people in prayer.
Such was his biography (may Allah be pleased with him):
disinclined toward leadership despite being fully qualified for it,
preferring obedience to Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) over his own ego,
and seeking to preserve the unity of the Muslims—
thus truly becoming the trustworthy custodian of this Ummah in every sense.
Among his most prominent words rousing the passion of his troops for battle
and inciting them to strive in the cause of Allah
is his immortal saying:
"O servants of Allah!
Support Allah, and He will support you and plant your feet firmly.
O servants of Allah!
Endure with patience,
for patience is a salvation from disbelief,
a source of the Lord's pleasure,
and a refutation of shame.
Do not leave your battle ranks,
do not take a step toward them,
do not initiate combat against them,
level your spears,
Protect yourselves behind your leather shields,
meaning your armor,
and remain silent, except for remembering Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, within yourselves,
until your matter is fulfilled, Allah willing.
Abu 'Ubaydah is an exemplar of humility.
Among the manifestations of his humility—may Allah be pleased with him—
is that he said to the people of the Levant while serving as their commander:
"O people!
I am simply a Muslim man from Quraysh.
There is no one among you, whether fair or dark-skinned, who surpasses me in righteousness
but that I wish I were in his skin"—
meaning in his very hide.
He teaches us a lesson in asceticism and the fear of Allah, the Glorious—
a lesson that shall never be forgotten,
no matter how much time passes.
For he is one glad-tidings of Paradise,
a conqueror of lands,
a commander over the armies of Islam,
yet ascetic regarding this fleeting world,
taking absolutely nothing from it.
Nevertheless, he spoke with the tongue of one who fears Allah
and humbly supplicates before Him, saying:
"I wish I were a ram,
so that my family would slaughter me,
eat my meat, and sip my broth."
For the Chosen One,
the finest Companions were preserved by Him;
in the Eternal Garden, they are preserved.
He increased them in honor:
they are Talhah,
Ibn 'Awf,
al-Zubayr, along with
Abu 'Ubaydah,
the two Sa'ds,
and the two Caliphs.