Among the seventy-man delegation of the
Anaaar who took the oath of allegiance
to the Prophet in the Second Allegiance
of 'Aqabah sat a young man with a bright
face, graceful eyes, and a radiant
smile. When he was silent, he attracted
attention with his profound peacefulness
and devoutness. On the other hand, when
he talked, he held his people
spell-bound. This young man was Mu'aadh
Ibn Jabal (May Allah be pleased with
him). He belonged to the Ansaar, and he
was among the foremost believers who
gave the second oath of allegiance to
the Prophet. Naturally, a man of such
precedence, faith, and certainty would
not miss for the world a battle or an
expedition. His uppermost quality was
his knowledge of fiqh (jurisprudence)-
the practical aspect of Muhammad's
message. He reached the apex in
knowledge and fiqh, to the extent that
made the Prophet (PBUH) say, "The
most learned man of my nation in halaal
and haraam is Mu'aadh Ibn Jabal."
He resembled 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab in
his enlightenment, courage, and
intelligence. When the Prophet sent him
to Yemen, he asked him, "How will
you give a judgement or settle a
dispute?" Mu'aadh answered; "I
will refer to the Qur'aan." The
Prophet then asked, "What will you
do if you do not find the decree you are
looking for in the Qur'aan ?"
Mu'aadh answered, "I will refer to
the Prophet's Sunnah." The Prophet
asked, "But what will you do if you
do not find a decree even in the Sunnah?"
Mu'aadh readily answered, "I will
be judge between mankind by resorting to
juristic reasoning (ijtihaad) to the
best of my power." Now, Mu'aadh's
staunch commitment to Allah's Book and
the Prophet's Sunnah does not mean that
he closed his mind to the countless and
endless hidden or equivocal facts that
await someone to unravel and adjudicate.
Perhaps both Mu'aadh's ability in
juristic reasoning and the courageous
usage of his intelligence enabled him to
master the fiqh, excelling all other
scholars. The Prophet justifiably
described Mu'aadh as "the most
learned man of my nation in halaal and
haraam."
History portrays him as a man of
remarkably enlightened, resolute, and
decisive mind. For instance, 'Aaez Allah
Ibn 'Abd Allah narrated that one day he
entered the mosque with the Companions
of the Prophet (PBUH) at the dawn of 'Umar's
caliphate. Then he sat among more than
thirty men. Let us hear him narrate the
story: "I sat with a group of more
than thirty men. They were recalling a
hadith of the Prophet (PBUH). In this
ring sat a dark, swarthy young man who
had a sweet voice and a radiant face.
Whenever they disputed about a hidden or
ambiguous meaning in the hadith, they at
once sought his legal instruction or
judgment. He seldom, if ever, spoke
unless he was asked. When their meeting
was over, I approached him and asked
him, "Who are you, 0 Allah's
Slave?" He answered, "I am
Mu'aadh Ibn Jabal." So I instantly
felt close to him.
Also, Shahr Ibn Hawshab said,
"Whenever Mu'aadh Ibn Jabal was
present when the Companions of the
Prophet (PBUH) were holding a meeting,
they looked at him with reverence."
'Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab, the Commander of
the Faithful, often consulted him. It
seemed that Mu'adh had a highly
disciplined mind and a captivating and
convincing logic that moved peacefully
and knowledgeably. When we look at his
historical background, we will always
see him at the center of attention. He
always sat there surrounded by people.
He always maintained a discrete silence
that was only broken whenever people
were anxious to hear his judgement and
whenever they were in dispute. When he
spoke he looked, as one of his
contemporaries described, "as if
light and pearls were emanating from his
mouth rather than speech." He
reached his high rank in knowledge and
reverence when the Prophet (PBUH) was
alive and maintained it after his death,
notwithstanding his youth, for Mu'aadh
died during 'Umar's caliphate at the age
of thirty-three years.
Mu'aadh was generous, magnanimous,
well-mannered, and good-natured. If
anyone asked him for money, he would
readily and gladly give it to him. His
generosity made him spend all his money
on charity and aid. When the Prophet (PBUH)
died, Mu'aadh was still in Yemen, where
the Prophet (PBUH) had sent him with the
task of teaching Muslims their religion
and fiqh.
When Mu'aadh returned from Yemen during
Abu Bakr's caliphate, Umar Ibn Al
Khattaab was informed that Mu'aadh
become wealthy, and he suggested to Abu
Bakr that the community should have half
of Mu'aadh's wealth. "Umar did not
waste much time as he rushed to
Mu'aadh's house and told him about what
he and Abu Bakr had agreed on. Mu'aadh
was an honest and trustworthy man. The
fact that he had made a fortune did not
make him vulnerable to suspicion or sin;
therefore, he turned down "Umar's
suggestion and refuted his viewpoint.
Finally, 'Umar left him. The next day,
Mu'aadh hurried towards 'Umar's house
and no sooner had he laid his eyes on
him than he hugged him. His tears flowed
as he said, " Last night, I saw in
my dream that I was crossing deep water.
I nearly drowned were it not for your
help, 'Umar." Afterwards, they both
went to Abu Bakr's presence where
Mu'aadh asked him to take half his
money, but Abu Bakr said," No, I
will take nothing from you." "Umar
glanced at Mu'aadh and said, "Now
it is halaal and blessed."
First, the pious Abu Bakr would not take
from Mu'aadh one penny unless he was
absolutely positive that he had earned
it in a lawful halaal way. Second, Umar
was not trying to accuse or cast
suspicion on Mu'aadh. In the final
analysis, this epitomizes the era of
ideals which was filled with people who
were in perpetual competition to climb
their way up to the apex of perfection
allowed to human beings. Thus some of
them soared up to the sky with their
good deeds. Some were foremost and the
rest followed a middle course. Yet, all
of them were travelers on a caravan of
goodness.
After a while, Mu'aadh emigrated to
Syria, where he lived among its people
and the expatriates as a teacher and a
scholar of fiqh. When Abu "Ubaidah,
the governor of Syria and a close friend
of Mu'aadh, died, the Commander of the
Faithful 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab assigned
Mu'aadh to take his place as a ruler.
Only a few months had elapsed after his
taking over when he died, humble and
repentant to Allah. 'Umar (May Allah be
pleased with him) used to say, "If
I were to grant Mu'adh Ibn Jabal
succession and Allah asked me, 'Why did
you make him your successor?' I would
readily answer, 'I heard Your Prophet
(PBUH) say that when those who have
knowledge stand before Almighty Allah,
Mu'aadh will be among them.'"
The succession that 'Umar meant here was
not merely over a country or a
governorship but over all the Muslim
lands. When 'Umar was asked before his
death, "If you choose your
successor now, we will give him our
allegiance," he answered, "If
Mu'aadh Ibn Jabal were alive and I made
him my successor to the caliphate, then
I died and met Allah Who asked me, 'Whom
did you assign to rule Muhammad's
nation?' I would answer, 'I assigned
Mu'aadh Ibn Jabal to rule it after I
heard the Prophet (PBUH) say Mu'aadh Ibn
Jabal is the Imam of those who have
knowledge of Judgement Day.'"
The Prophet (PBUH) said one day, "O
Mu'aadh, by Allah I love you dearly, so
do not forget to recite after every
prayer, 'Allah help me in remembering
You, in offering thanks to You, and in
worshiping You properly.'"
Indeed, the Prophet (PBUH) supplicated
Allah to help him to remember Him. The
Prophet (PBUH) persevered in stressing
this great fact that tells people that
authority belongs to Allah, He has the
power over all, and there is no power or
any might except with His permission,
for He is Most High and Most Great.
Definitely, Mu'aadh had learned and
fully grasped this fact. He did his
utmost to cherish and apply this
fundamental basis in his life from that
moment onwards.
One day, the Prophet (PBUH) ran into him
so he asked him, "How are you this
morning Mu'aadh?" He answered,
"This morning I woke up as a true
believer." The Prophet (PBUH) said,
"Every truth has its
manifestations, so what are the
manifestations of your true
belief?" Mu'aadh readily answered,
"I have never woken up without
believing that I might die before
nightfall. I have never slept without
believing that I might die before the
morning and have never taken a step
without believing that I might die
before taking the next. It always seems
to me that I can see each nation humbled
to its knees and each nation called to
its record of deeds. It always seems to
me that I can see the dwellers of
Paradise, wherein are delights
everlasting, and the dwellers of Hell,
wherein they are in disgracing
torment." The Prophet (PBUH )
commented, "Now you know, so stick
to the truth as long as you live."
Indeed Mu'aadh had submitted himself and
his destiny to Allah, for Allah was all
that mattered to him. It was just that
Ibn Mas'uud described him as "an
Ummah, a leader having all the good and
righteous qualities, obedient to Allah
and hanifan, who worshipped none but
Allah. We used to liken him to Ibraahim
(Abraham) (PBUH)."
Mu'aadh advocated knowledge and the
remembrance of Allah. Moreover, he
invited mankind to seek the useful and
true knowledge saying, "I warn you
against the deviation of wise men. You
will know the truth when you see it, for
it has a distinctive light!" He
believed that worship was an end and a
means to reach justice. One day a Muslim
asked him, "Teach me." Mu'aadh
asked him, "Will you obey me if I
teach you?" The man answered,
"I will not disobey you in
anything." He said then,
"Fast, then break your fast. Pray
during the night but you must get some
sleep. Earn what is halaal and what is
rightfully yours and do not earn sin .
Die as a true Muslim. Finally, I warn
you against the supplication of those
who have been wronged or
oppressed." He believed that
education meant knowledge and practice;
therefore, he said, "Learn whatever
you like to learn, yet Allah will not
make your learning worthwhile unless you
practice what you have learned." He
believed that belief and remembrance of
Allah meant the perpetual calling to
mind of His greatness and the perpetual
calling of oneself to account for deeds
before Allah does so.
Al-Aswad Ibn Hilaal reported. As we were
walking with Mu'aadh one day, he said,
"Let us sit down for a while to
meditate on Allah."
Perhaps the reason behind his discrete
silence was his unremitting meditation
and contemplation.
Likewise, his once telling the Prophet
(PBUH) that he never took a step without
believing that he might die before
taking the next was due to his
engrossment in the remembrance of Allah
and in calling himself to account for
his deeds.
At the end, death summoned Mu'aadh. It
was time to meet Allah. When the stupor
of death creeps upon someone, his
subconscious takes the reins and spurs
the tongue - if it is able to - to
disclose the reality of all mankind in
concise words that summarize his life
story. In those blessed moments, Mu'aadh
faintly uttered great words that
revealed a great believer, for he gazed
up into the sky and humbly supplicated
Allah, the Most Merciful, saying,
"Allah I used to fear You but now I
implore You. Allah, You know that I did
not devote my life to travel in the
lands or to earn money or property but
rather consecrated it to knowledge,
faith and obedience, notwithstanding
intense heat or hardships."
He stretched his hand as if he were
shaking death and went into a coma. His
last words were, "O Death, welcome!
You are a long-awaited beloved."
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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