Muadh ibn Jabal
He is Muadh ibn Jabal ibn Amr ibn Aws al-Ansarī, the noble Imam, al-Khazrajī al-Madani, nicknamed Abu Abd al-Rahmān. His mother was Hind bint Sahal from Banu Rafaʿah. Muadh was a tall young man with a fair complexion and radiant face, handsome hair, kohl-lined eyes, and well-groomed eyebrows, beautiful and generous among the best of the youth of his people. It is said that he was one of the most handsome men. He had a son named Abd al-Rahmān, Umm Abd Allāh, and another son whose name is not mentioned. One of the Tābiʿīn said about him: “I entered the mosque of Homs and found a young man surrounded by people, his hair curly, and when he spoke, it was as if light and pearls were emanating from him. I asked, ‘Who is this?’ They said, ‘Muadh ibn Jabal.’” Al-Khūlānī, may Allah have mercy on him, said about him: “I came to the mosque of Damascus and found a circle of elderly companions of Muḥammad. If there was a young man among them with bright, shining, kohl-lined eyes, they referred to the young man whenever they disagreed on something. Someone of the sitting companions asked about him and was told, ‘He is Muadh ibn Jabal; may Allah be pleased with him.’”
Muadh ibn Jabal embraced Islam at eighteen and was among the seventy men who witnessed the second pledge of ʿAqaba with the Ansar. He accompanied the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in the battles of Badr and Uhud and all other campaigns. The Messenger of Allah sent him to Yemen to teach the people the Holy Qurʾān and matters of their religion and to collect their ṣadaqāt (charitable contributions).
Muadh ibn Jabal's Status with the Prophet
Despite the youth of Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him), he held a high position with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). His sound religiousness and accurate recitation of the Qurʾān qualified him, so the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said about him: “Take the Qurʾān from four people: Abd Allāh ibn Masʿūd, who began it; Sālim, the freedman of Abū Ḥudhayfah; Muadh ibn Jabal; and Ubayy ibn Kaʿb”. Therefore, Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of the four whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) entrusted with the responsibility of preserving the Qurʾān, due to his knowledge of Qurʾānic rulings, its recitation, and its directives. As part of this, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent him to Yemen to teach its people the Qurʾān and the faith after the people of Yemen requested someone knowledgeable in religion and its rulings. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) honored Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) more than once, including saying about him: “What an excellent man Muadh ibn Jabal,” and also: “Muadh ibn Jabal is the most knowledgeable among them in ḥalāl (permissible) and ḥarām (forbidden)”. Thus, Ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) was the most knowledgeable among the people regarding what is permissible and forbidden, as attested by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
Additionally, the Prophet's love for Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) was evident when he instructed and taught him some supplications to repeat. He took his hand and began directing him, saying: “O Muadh, by Allah, I love you”. Muadh replied, “By my father and mother, by Allah, I love you”. The Prophet then said: “O Muadh, I advise you not to say after every prayer: ‘O Allah, help me to remember You, to thank You, and to worship You in a good manner.’”
Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) was aware of the Prophet's love for him and understood its significance for himself. Therefore, he fulfilled his duties and rights through obedience to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and by carrying out his commands, seeking from him what would benefit him in matters of his religion and worldly affairs. It is narrated that Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) had a long conversation in which he asked the Prophet about actions that would enter him into Paradise and save him from the Hellfire: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, inform me of a deed that will enter me into Paradise and keep me away from the Hellfire.’” All of this was out of his desire to be worthy of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) trust and his love for him.
Muadh ibn Jabal's Traits and Morals
In the biography of Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him), some instances indicate his good morals and noble characteristics, including:
- Asceticism of Muadh
One day, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb gave a boy a pouch containing four hundred dirhams and told him to deliver it to Muadh ibn Jabal, saying, “Tell him to use this money to fulfill his needs and then see what he does with it”. The boy handed the money to Muadh (may Allah be pleased with him), who immediately began distributing the money to the needy among his neighbors. His wife watched him and said, “By Allah, we are in need; leave us something”. Muadh did not leave anything for himself except two dirhams, which he gave to her. The boy then returned and informed ʿUmar of what he had seen, and ʿUmar was pleased by that.
- Piety of Muadh
Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) had two wives. If one of them did not drink a cup of water in favor of the other, he would do so to maintain fairness between them. Both of his wives died during the plague, and he went back and forth, deciding which one to bury first, as part of his striving for what is lawful and his piety in avoiding what is forbidden.
- Worship of Muadh ibn Jabal
When Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed at night, he would say: “O Allah, my quest for Paradise is slow, and my escape from the Hellfire is weak. O Allah, grant me guidance with You that I will return to You on the Day of Resurrection, for You do not break Your promise”.
- Generosity of Muadh
Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) would not refuse to give anything he was asked for. Even when he lent money, he would fully secure his wealth in the loan, demonstrating his generosity.
The Death of Muadh ibn Jabal
Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) returned to Medina after completing the mission assigned by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in Yemen. Upon his return, he found that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had passed away. At that time, Ibn Jabal could not remain in Medina, so he sought permission from Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to join the Levant (Shām) and join the Muslim armies there, hoping to attain martyrdom along with them.
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) granted permission, and Muadh set out to the Levant. He stayed under the command of Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ (may Allah be pleased with him) for some time, but Abu Ubaydah died due to the plague that afflicted the people of the Levant. Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) had assumed the caliphate and Muadh ibn Jabal took over the command of the Levant's army. However, his army leadership did not last long before he was struck by the plague and died. This occurred in the year eighteen after Hijra when he was thirty-three, though, in another narration, he was thirty-eight.
