Story of Abu Jahl: His Harm to the Prophet and His End
Who was Abu Jahl?
Abu Jahl was Abu al-Hakam Amr ibn Hisham ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi, from the Quraysh tribe, though he was not from the family of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He was predominantly known by the nickname Abu Jahl (Father of Ignorance), which was given to him by the Prophet ﷺ. Abu Jahl had multiple wives, and he took over the leadership of Banu Makhzum after the death of al-Walid ibn al-Mughira. His great influence was due to his commercial and financial status.
He and Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt managed to prevent Abu Lahab from protecting the Prophet ﷺ after the death of Abu Talib. It is worth noting that in the second year after Hijrah, he set out with a thousand men to rescue Abu Sufyan’s caravan returning from Syria, fearing that it might fall into the hands of the Muslims. Even after knowing the caravan was safe, he insisted on going to war.
Abu Jahl’s Position Regarding the Prophet’s Call
Harming the Messenger of Allah and His Companions
Abu Jahl was one of the fiercest enemies of Islam. One incident that illustrates this was when a camel had been slaughtered, and its intestines were thrown aside. Abu Jahl asked his people who among them would take it and throw it on the back of the Prophet ﷺ while he was in prostration. The most wicked of them did so, and the group laughed and mocked the Prophet.
Despite this humiliation, the Prophet ﷺ remained in prostration until his daughter Fatimah (RA) came and removed the filth from his back, scolding them for their actions. Abu Jahl was also the one who stabbed Sumayyah, the mother of Ammar ibn Yasir (RA), killing her because of what she had said that angered him.
Attempting to Assassinate the Prophet
Abu Jahl made several attempts to assassinate the Prophet ﷺ. He was the one who suggested to the Quraysh that each tribe should send one young man to participate in the killing of the Prophet so that his blood would be divided among the tribes, making revenge difficult.
He even attempted to assassinate the Prophet himself. He announced to the Quraysh that he would wait for the Prophet at the Kaaba, and when the Prophet went to prostrate in prayer, Abu Jahl would strike his head with a stone.
He went ahead with his plan and approached the Prophet ﷺ with a stone in hand. But as he got closer, he could not proceed. He turned back, pale and terrified. When the men of Quraysh asked him what had happened, he told them that he had seen a massive camel-like creature that he had never seen before, which he feared would devour him.
The Death of Abu Jahl
Abu Jahl was killed in the Battle of Badr in the second year after Hijrah. He was killed by two young men from the Ansar, the sons of Afra’, who had asked Abdur Rahman ibn Awf (RA) to point out Abu Jahl so they could kill him, as he had insulted the Prophet ﷺ.
Abdur Rahman said:
“Soon I saw Abu Jahl walking among the people. I told them, ‘That’s the man you asked me about.’ They both rushed toward him and struck him with their swords until they killed him”.
After the battle, the Prophet ﷺ asked his companions to search for Abu Jahl, since he was not found among the dead or the prisoners. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (RA) went searching and found him wounded. Without hesitation, he struck his neck and killed him.
