The Companions of the Holy Prophet (sa)

Friday Sermon Summary 30th October 2020: ‘Men of Excellence – Hazrat Mu’adh bin Jabal (ra) & Hazrat Abdullah bin Amr (ra)’

After reciting Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba) said he would continue highlighting incidents from the life of the companions Hazrat Mu‘adh bin Jabal (ra).

His Holiness (aba) - Hazrat Mu’adh bin Jabal

Generosity of Hazrat Mu‘adh bin Jabal (ra)

His Holiness (aba) said that due to being very generous with his wealth, over time, Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) had incurred a great amount of debt. Those whom he owed went and informed the Holy Prophet (sa). The Holy Prophet (sa) sent for Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) and learned that the debt he had incurred exceeded the amount which he had. Thus, the Holy Prophet (sa) said that whoever forgave the debt of Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) would be shown mercy by Allah. Thus some people forgave the debt of Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra). However there were some who still demanded that the debt be paid. Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) paid them whatever he was able to from the properties he owned, but even after giving all he had, it still did not amount to what he owed. When the full amount was demanded, the Holy Prophet (sa) told them to grant Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) some respite as he had nothing left.

Trust of the Holy Prophet (sa) in Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra)

Later, the Holy Prophet (sa) sent Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) to Yemen as an Amir and he was one of five companions entrusted with overseeing the affairs of Yemen. Before his departure, the Holy Prophet (sa) told him that since he still owed an amount in debt, if anyone offered him a gift he should accept it. With this permission, Hazrat Mu‘adh would eventually be able to repay his debt in full.

His Holiness (aba) presented another narration from Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) who said that as he was leaving for Yemen, the Holy Prophet (sa) was walking alongside him as said to him that when he returned from Yemen, it may be that they will not be able to meet and Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) will pass by his grave. Upon hearing this, Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) began crying. 

His Holiness (aba) said that later on, during the era of Hazrat Abu Bakr’s (ra) Caliphate, Hazrat Umar (ra) suggested that since Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) had repaid his debts and had the necessities of life owing to the wealth he obtained as gifts , he should not have any excess wealth and thus the wealth should be taken back. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) said that since permission to use this wealth had been granted by the Holy Prophet (sa) himself, he would not take anything back from him, unless he offered to return the wealth himself. Hazrat Umar (ra) relayed this to Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra), who eventually decided that he would return any excess wealth he had. When he went to Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), and said he would return the wealth he had. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) said that he would not accept this wealth, rather he could keep it as a gift from him. Upon hearing this, and seeing that Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) had given this to him as a gift, Hazrat Umar (ra) was also completely content with the decision.

Advice of the Holy Prophet (sa) to Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra)

His Holiness (aba) presented a narration from Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) who said that upon leaving for Yemen, the Holy Prophet (sa) advised him of ten things, one of which was to abstain from a life of extravagance. He also advised him to deal with the people of Yemen whilst displaying high moral character.

His Holiness (aba) commented that Muslims are taught by the Holy Prophet (sa) to display high moral character, but do we see them acting upon this teaching today? And yet Muslims around the world commemorate Eid Miladun Nabi to celebrate the birth of the Holy Prophet (sa). 

Selflessness of Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra)

His Holiness (aba) said that once, Hazrat Umar (ra) sent someone to Hazrat Abu Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah (ra) with 400 dinars and told him to give this money to him and see how he would spend it. When he gave the money to Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra), he called one of his workers and instructed her to distribute the wealth to various households who needed the money. Then Hazrat Umar (ra) sent the same amount of money to Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) and again instructed that the person delivering it should remain there to see how he spent it. When Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) received the money, he too instructed that the money should be distributed to various households who were in need. At this time, Hazrat Muadh (ra) wife said that they too were very poor and in need of money as they had close to nothing. By then, Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) had already distributed the money and only had two dinars left, which he gave to his wife. Upon hearing that this was the manner in which he spent the money, Hazrat Umar (ra) was very pleased. 

His Holiness (aba) commented that this incident, specifically the comments made by Hazrat Mu‘adh’s (ra) wife regarding the simplicity with which they were living shows that Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) did not use the money he received to live a luxurious and extravagant life.

Demise of Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra)

His Holiness (aba) presented narrations regarding the moments leading up to the demise of Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra). Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) was on his deathbed when he finally related the statement which the Holy Prophet (sa) had said to him, which was that whoever accepted that there is One God and Muhammad (sa) was His messenger would enter into heaven. He said that he had not related this before for fear that people would simply rely on this and abandon doing good deeds. According to another narration, Hazrat Mu‘adh (ra) began crying in his final moments. He said that he was not crying for fear of death, but was crying because there were two groups, those going to heaven and those going to hell, and he did not know which he would be a part of. He said he was only crying out his fear of Allah.

Mubarak Mosque Front -  Hazrat Abdullah bin Amr (ra)

Hazrat Abdullah bin ‘Amr (ra)

His Holiness (aba) said that the second companion whose life he would highlight is Hazrat Abdullah bin ‘Amr (ra).

Hazrat Abdullah bin ‘Amr (ra) was from the Banu Salamah branch of the Khazraj tribe. His father was ‘Amr bin Haram and his mother Rubab bint Qais. He was the father of Hazrat Jabir bin Abdillah (ra) and thus was also known as Abu Jabir. He accepted Islam on the occassion of the Second Pledge at Aqabah. He took part in the Battle of Badr and was martyred during the Battle of Uhud.

The Second Pledge at Aqaba

His Holiness (aba) presented narrations regarding the Second Pledge at Aqabah and also presented details from the Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa). After the pledge, the Holy Prophet (sa) said that he would appoint 12 representatives who would act as guardians, just as Moses (as) had done. He said that these 12 representatives would be like the 12 disciples were to Jesus (as). It is recorded that Hazrat Abdullah bin ‘Amr (ra) was one of the 12 representatives.

Devotion to the Holy Prophet (sa)

His Holiness (aba) presented a narration regarding the sister of Hazrat of Abdullah bin ‘Amr, whose father, brother, husband and son were all martyred in the Battle of Uhud. When she heard of their martyrdoms, she was more concerned about the wellbeing of the Holy Prophet (sa). Upon learning that the Holy Prophet (sa) was safe, she went to him and said that she did not care for the martyrdom of anyone else, so long as the Holy Prophet (sa) was safe. 

His Holiness (aba) presented a narration from Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah (ra) who, before departing for the Battle of Uhud, advised his son to repay his debts and take good care of his sisters. The next morning, Hazrat Abdullah bin ‘Amr (ra) was the first to be martyred by the enemy. His funeral was led by the Holy Prophet (sa). 

His Holiness (aba) said that he would continue highlighting incidents from the life of Hazrat Abdullah bin ‘Amr (ra) in the future.

Summary prepared by The Review of Religions.