A Glimpse From The Life Of Abu ‛Ubaidah ‛Aamir ibn Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him)

An eminent Companion and one of the 'Ten Promised Paradise', his name was ’Aamir ibn ’Abdullah ibn Jarrah ibn Bilal Qurashi Fihri (may Allah be pleased with him). He took part in all the battles including Badr and Uhud along with the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He was among the second wave of migrants to Abyssinia (modern Ethiopia). The Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) praised him and said, "Every Ummah has a trustee and the trustee of this Ummah is Abu ‛Ubaidah ibn Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him)." When ‛Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭaab (may Allah be pleased with him) visited him in Syria while he was the governor there, he was in a poor state. ‛Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) remarked, Abu ‛Ubaidah (may Allah be pleased with him), the world has changed all our lifestyles save yours.' He died of the plague in Amwas in 18 After the Hijrah. The funeral prayer was led by Mu‛aadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him).


When ‛Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭaab (may Allah be pleased with him), the Commander of the Faithful, set out on his historic journey to receive the keys of Jerusalem, people rushed out from their houses to get a glimpse of him. The Muslim army had marched to a place called Jabiya under the command of Abu ‛Ubaidah (may Allah be pleased with him), to receive the Commander of the Faithful. When ‛Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), arrived in Jerusalem, he said,

"There is no deity worthy of being worshipped but Allah. We were a lowly people. Allah gave us honour and prestige through Islam. Whatever means we use other than Islam to acquire honour and prestige, Allah will make us lowly."

The Commander of the Faithful then told the soldiers to disperse and he walked on alone with utmost humility. As the chieftains came close to him, he said, "Keep away from me. Where's my brother, Abu ‛Ubaidah ‛Aamir ibn Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him)?"

Abu ‛Ubaidah (may Allah be pleased with him) stepped forward. He hugged him and wept with joy. ‛Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked, "Abu ‛Ubaidah (may Allah be pleased with him), what answer will we have on the Day of Resurrection when Allah asks us how we fared after His Messenger (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had left?" Abu ‛Ubaidah (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, "Come, let's get away, out of the sight of the people, and weep in seclusion." As both of them walked away from the crowd, all eyes followed them including those of the soldiers, noblemen, Christians and their monks and priests. Finally, the two went behind a tree and stood there crying for a long time.