His name was unusual and
incomplete. Julaybib means "small
grown" being the diminutive form of
the word "Jalbab ". The name
is an indication that Julaybib was small
and short, even of dwarf-like stature.
More than that, he is described as being
"damim" which means ugly,
deformed, or of repulsive appearance.
Even more disturbing,
for the society in which he lived,
Julaybib's lineage was not known. There
is no record of who his mother or his
father was or to what tribe he belonged.
This was a grave disability in the
society in which he lived. Julaybib
could not expect any compassion or help,
any protection or support from a society
that placed a great deal of importance
on family and tribal connections. In
this regard, all that was known of him
was that he was an Arab and that, as far
as the new community of Islam was
concerned, he was one of the Ansar.
Perhaps he belonged to one of the
outlying tribes beyond Madinah and had
drifted into the city or he could even
have been from among the Ansar of the
city itself.
The disabilities under
which Julaybib lived would have been
enough to have him ridiculed and shunned
in any society and in fact he was
prohibited by one person, a certain Abu
Barzah of the Aslam tribe, from entering
his home. He once told his wife:
"Do not let
Julaybib enter among you. If he does, I
shall certainly do (something terrible
to him)." Probably because he was
teased and scoffed at in the company of
men, Julaybib used to take refuge in the
company of women.
Was there any hope of
Julaybib being treated with respect and
consideration? Was there any hope of his
finding emotional satisfaction as an
individual and as a man? Was there any
hope of his enjoying the relationships
which others take for granted? And in
the new society emerging under the
guidance of the Prophet, was he so
insignificant as to be overlooked in the
preoccupation with the great affairs of
state and in the supreme issues of life
and survival which constantly engaged
the attention of the Prophet?
Just as he was aware
of the great issues of life and destiny,
the Prophet of Mercy was also aware of
the needs and sensibilities of his most
humble companions. With Julaybib in
mind, the Prophet went to one of the
Ansar and said: "I want to have
your daughter married." "How
wonderful and blessed, O Messenger of
God and what a delight to the eye (this
would be)," replied the Ansari man
with obvious joy and happiness. "I
do not want her for myself," added
the Prophet. "Then for whom, O
Messenger of God?" asked the man,
obviously somewhat let down. "For
Julaybib," said the Prophet.
The Ansari must have
been too shocked to give his own
reaction and he merely said: "I
will consult with her mother." And
off he went to his wife. "The
Messenger of God, may God bless him and
grant him peace, wants to have your
daughter married," he said to her.
She too was thrilled. "What a
wonderful idea and what a delight to the
eye (this would be)." she said.
"He doesn't want to marry her
himself but he wants to marry her to
Julaybib," he added. She was
flabbergasted.
"To Julaybib! No,
never to Julaybib! No, by the living
God, we shall not marry (her) to
him." she protested.
As the Ansari was
about to return to the Prophet to inform
him of what his wife had said, the
daughter who had heard her mother's
protestations, asked: "Who has
asked you to marry me?"
Her mother told her of
the Prophet's request for her hand in
marriage to Julaybib. When she heard
that the request had come from the
Prophet and that her mother was
absolutely opposed to the idea, she was
greatly perturbed and said:
"Do you refuse
the request of the Messenger of God?
Send me to him for he shall certainly
not bring ruin to me." This was the
reply of a truly great person who had a
clear understanding of what was required
of her as a Muslim. What greater
satisfaction and fulfillment can a
Muslim find than in responding willingly
to the requests and commands of the
Messenger of God! No doubt, this
companion of the Prophet, whose name we
do not even know had heard the verse of
the Quran: "Now whenever God and
His Apostle have decided a matter, it is
not for a believing man or believing
woman to claim freedom of choice in so
far as they themselves are concerned.
And he who disobeys God and His Prophet
has already, most obviously, gone
astray." (The Quran, Surah al-Ahzab,
33:36).
This verse was
revealed in connection with the marriage
of Zaynab bint Jahsh and Zayd ibn al-Harithah
which was arranged by the Prophet to
show the egalitarian spirit of Islam.
Zaynab at first was highly offended at
the thought of marrying Zayd a former
slave and refused to do so. The Prophet
prevailed upon them both and they were
married. The marriage however ended in
divorce and Zaynab was eventually
married to the Prophet himself. It is
said that the Ansari girl read the verse
to her parents and said:
"I am satisfied
and submit myself to whatever the
Messenger of God deems good for
me." The Prophet heard of her
reaction and prayed for her: "O
Lord, bestow good on her in abundance
and make not her life one of toil and
trouble."
Among the Ansar, it is
said there was not a more eligible bride
than she. She was married by the Prophet
to Julaybib and they lived together
until he was killed.
And how was Julaybib
killed? He went on an expedition with
the Prophet, peace be on him, and an
encounter with some mushrikin ensued.
When the battle was over, the Prophet
asked his companions: "Have you
lost anyone?" They replied giving
the names of their relatives of close
friends who were killed. He put the same
questions to other companions and they
also named the ones they had lost in the
battle. Another group answered that they
had lost no close relative whereupon the
Prophet said:
"But I have lost
Julaybib. Search for him in the
battlefield." They searched and
found him beside seven mushrikin whom he
had struck before meeting his end. The
Prophet stood up and went to the spot
where Julaybib, his short and deformed
companion, lay. He stood over him and
said: "He killed seven and then was
killed? This (man) is of me and I am of
him."
He repeated this two
or three times. The Prophet then took
him in his arms and it is said that he
had no better bed besides the forearms
of the messenger of God. The Prophet
then dug for him a grave and himself
placed him in it. He did not wash him
for martyrs are not washed before
burial.
Julaybib and his wife
are not usually among the companions of
the Prophet whose deeds are sung and
whose exploits are recounted with
reverence and admiration as they should
be. But in the meagre facts that are
known about them and which have here
been recounted we see how humble human
beings were given hope and dignity by
the Prophet where once there was only
despair and self-debasement.
The attitude of the
unknown and unnamed Ansari girl who
readily agreed to be the wife of a
physically unattractive man was an
attitude which reflected a profound
understanding of Islam. It reflected on
her part the effacement of personal
desires and preferences even when she
could have counted on the support of her
parents. It reflected on her part a
total disregard for social pressures. It
reflected above all a ready and implicit
confidence in the wisdom and authority
of the Prophet in submitting herself to
whatever he deemed good. This is the
attitude of the true believer.
In Julaybib, there is
the example of a person who was almost
regarded as a social outcast because of
his appearance. Given help, confidence
and encouragement by the noble Prophet,
he was able to perform acts of courage
and make the supreme sacrifice and
deserve the commendation of the Prophet:
"He is of me and I am of him."
Sheikh Abdulfattah Abu-Abdullah Adelabu (Ph. D. Damas),
a West African Islamic Academic founded AWQAF Africa, of
which he's the first al Amir (i.e. President).
Sheikh Dr. Adelabu was studying Postgraduate Degrees in
Damascus early 1990's during when Syria reviewed its
national security after an �Oslo Accord'...
Syria like many other countries around the world
witnessed, during this period, the flood of refugees
from war troubled nations like Somalia, arrival of
people from Algeria during the brutal struggling between
the Mujahidun and the government, resettlement of the
Palestinians fleeing from sophisticated guns of the
Israelis as well as adventure of African migrants for
reasons uncountable�
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