Hazrat Uqbah Ibn Aamir (RA)
After a
long and strenuous journey, the Prophet (SAW) is at last on the suburbs of
Yathrib. The people of the Holy city go out to see His one glimpse. Many thronged
in the narrow streets, Some stand on roof-tops chanting Allahu Akbar in sheer
joy at meeting the Prophet (SAW) and his loyal companion, Hazrat Abu Bakr as-Siddique
(RA). The small girls of the city came out merrily beating their daffs and
singing the words of welcome: Tala 'a-l badru alaynaa
"The full moon has come upon us. From beyond
the hills of Thaniyaati-l Wadaa Grateful we must be. For what to God he calls?
O you who has been sent among us? You came with a mission to be obeyed. You
came, you honoured the city; Welcome, O best of those who call (to God). As the
procession of the blessed Prophet wended its way, all around there were joyful
hearts, tears of ecstasy, smiles of sheer happiness.
Far
away from these scenes of joyousness and delight was a young man named Hazrat Uqbah
ibn Aamir al-Juhani. He had gone out to the open spans of desert, to graze his
flocks of sheep and goats. He had wandered far in search of feedstuff for his
hungry flock. It was difficult to find suitable grazing grounds and he was
constantly afraid that his flock would die. They were all he possessed and he did
not want to lose them. The happiness which engulfed Yathrib, in future to be
known as the radiant city of the Prophet (SAW), soon spread to the near and
distant bawadi and reached every nook and corner of the land.
The
good news of the Prophet's arrival finally reached Hazrat Uqbah (RA) as he
ended his flocks far away in the uncongenial desert. His response to the news
was immediate as he himself relates: "The Prophet (SAW) came to Madinah
while I was tending my sheep. When I heard the news of His coming, I set out to
meet him without delay. When I met him I asked: 'Will you accept my pledge of
allegiance, O Messenger of God?' 'And who are you?' asked the Prophet (SAW).
'Uqbah ibn Aamir al-Juhani,' I replied. 'Which do you prefer,' he asked, 'the
pledge of a nomad or the pledge of someone who has migrated?' 'The pledge of
someone who has migrated,' I said. So the Messenger of God took the same pledge
from me as he did from the Muhajirin. I spent the night with him and then went
back to my flock.
We were
twelve in number who had accepted Islam. we lived far from the city tending our
sheep and goats in the open country. We came to the conclusion that it would be
good for us if we went to the Prophet (SAW) daily, and learn our religion and
revelation. I told the others: 'Take turns to go to the Messenger of God (SAW).
Anyone going may leave his sheep with me because I am too worried and concerned
about my own flocks to leave them in the care of someone else.' Each day, one
after another of my friends went to the Prophet, leaving his sheep for me to
look after. When each returned, I learnt from him what he had heard and
benefitted from what he had understood. Before long, however, I returned to my
senses and said to myself: 'Woe to you! Is it because of a flock of sheep that
you remain thin and wretched and lose the opportunity to be in the company of
the Prophet (SAW) and to speak directly to him without an intermediary':' With
this, I left my flock, went to Madinah and stayed in the masjid close to the
Messenger of God (SAW)." Hazrat Uqbah (RA) had no reason to regret having
taken this auspicious decision. Within a decade, he had become one of the
outstanding scholars among the companions of the Prophet, a competent and
beautiful reciter of the Quran, a military commander and later on one of the prominent
Muslim governors as Islam spread east and west with astonishing rapidity. He
could never have imagined as he left his flock to follow the teachings of the
noble Prophet, that he would have been among the vanguard of the Muslim forces
that liberated fertile Damascus - then known as the "mother of the
universe" and that he would have a house for himself among its verdant
gardens. He could never have imagined that he would be one of the commanders
who liberated Egypt, then known as the "emerald of the world", and
that he would be one of its governors.
The vital
decision however was taken. Alone, without possessions or relatives, Hazrat
Uqbah (RA) came to Madinah from the bawadi. He stayed with others like him on
the Suffah or elevated part of the Prophet's mosque, near his house. The Suffah
was like a reception point where people like Uqbah would go because they wanted
to be close to the Prophet. They were known as the "Ashab as-Suffah"
and the Prophet once described them as the "guests of Islam". Because
they had no income, the Prophet always shared his food with them and encouraged
others to be generous to these "guests". They spent much of their
time studying the Quran and learning about Islam. What a marvelous opportunity
they had! They were in close and regular contact with the Prophet (SAW). He had
a special love and concern for them and took care to educate them and look
after them in all respects. Hazrat Uqbah gave an example of how the Prophet
trained and taught them. He said: "One day, the Prophet, (SAW) came out to
us while we were on the Suffah and asked: 'Which of you would like to go out to
the open country or a valley every day and fetch for himself two beautiful,
black camels?' (Such camels were considered prize possessions.)
'Every
one of us would like that, O Messenger of God,' we all replied. 'Now,' he said,
'each one of you should go to the mosque and learn two verses of the Book of
God. This is better for him than two camels; three verses are better than three
camels; four verses are better than four camels and so on." In this way,
the Prophet (SAW) tried to bring about a change in attitudes among those who
had accepted Islam, a change from obsession with acquiring worldly possessions
to an attitude of devotion to knowledge. His simple example provided them with
motivation and a powerful incentive to acquire knowledge. On other occasions,
the Ashab as-Suffah would ask questions from the Prophet in order to understand
their religion better. Once, Uqbah said, he asked the Prophet, "What is
salvation?" and he replied: "Control your tongue, make your house
spacious for guests and despise your mistakes."
Even
outside the mosque, Hazrat Uqbah (RA) tried to stay close to the Prophet. On
journeys, he often took the reins of the Prophet's mule and went wherever the
Prophet (SAW) desired. Sometimes he followed directly behind the Prophet, (SAW),
and so came to be called the redif of the Prophet. On some occasions, the
Prophet would descend from his mount and allow Hazrat Uqbah to ride while he
himself walked. Hazrat Uqbah described one such occasion: "I took hold of
the reins of the Prophet's mule while passing through some palm groves of
Madinah. 'Uqbah ,' the Prophet said to me, 'don't you want to ride.'?' I
thought of saying 'no' but I felt there might be an element of disobedience to
the Prophet in such a reply so I said: 'Yes, O Prophet of God.'
The
Prophet then got down from his mule and I mounted in obedience to his command.
He began to walk. Shortly afterwards I dismounted. The Prophet (SAW) mounted
again and said to me: 'Uqbah, shall I not teach you two surahs the like of
which has not been heard before.'?' 'Certainly, O Messenger of God,' I replied,
and so he recited to me "Qul a'udhu bi rabbi-l Falaq" and "Qul
a'udhu bi rabbi-n nas" (the last two surahs of the Quran). I then said the
Iqamah for Salat. The Prophet led the Salat and recited these two surahs.
(Afterwards), he said: 'Read both these surahs when you go to sleep and
whenever you wake up.'" The above instances show "continuous
education" at its best, at home, in the mosque, riding, walking in the
open school of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
Two
objectives occupied Hazrat Uqbah's attention throughout his life; the search
for knowledge and jihad in the path of God. He applied his energies totally to
these objectives. In the field of learning, he drank deeply from the fountain
of knowledge that was the Messenger of God, peace be on him. Hazrat Uqbah
became a distinguished reciter of the Quran, a muhaddith (recorder and narrator
of the sayings of the Prophet); a jurist; an expert on the Islamic laws of
inheritance; an adib (literateur); an orator and a poet. In reciting the Quran,
he had a most pleasant and beautiful voice. In the stillness of the night, when
the entire universe seems peaceful and tranquil, he would turn to the Book of
God, and recite its overpowering verses. The hearts of the noble companion s
would be drawn to his recitation. Their whole being would be shaken and they
would be moved to tears from the fear of God which his recitation induced.
One day
Hazrat Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) invited him and said: "Recite for me
something from the Book of God, O Uqbah." "At your command, O Amir
al-Momineen," said Hazrat Uqbah and began reciting. Hazrat Umar wept till
his beard was wet. Hazrat Uqbah left a copy of the Quran written in his own
hand. It is said that this copy of the Quran existed until quite recently in
Egypt in the well-known mosque named after Hazrat Uqbah ibn Aamir himself. At
the end of this text was written: "Uqbah ibn Aamir al-Juhani wrote
it." This Mushaf of Uqbah was one
of the earliest copies of the Quran in existence but it was lost in its
entirety with other priceless documents due to the carelessness of Muslims. In
the field of Jihad, it is sufficient to know that Uqbah fought beside the
Prophet, peace be on him, at the Battle of Uhud and in all the military engagements
thereafter. He was also one of the valiant and daring groups of shock troopers
who were tested to their maximum during the battle for Damascus. In recognition
for his outstanding services, the commander of the Muslim forces then, Hazrat Abu
Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah (RA), dispatched Hazrat Uqbah to Madinah to convey the
good news of the liberation of Damascus to Hazrat Umar ibn al-Khattab. Hazrat
Uqbah spent eight days and seven nights, from Friday to Friday, in a continuous
forced march to bring the news to Hazrat Umar.
Hazrat Uqbah
(RA) was one of the commanders of the Muslim forces that liberated Egypt. For
three years he was the Muslim governor of Egypt after which he received orders
from the Caliph Muawiyah to mount a naval expedition to the island of Rhodes in
the Mediterranean Sea. An indication of Uqbah's enthusiasm for jihad is the
fact that he committed to memory the sayings of the Prophet on this subject and
became a specialist in narrating them to the Muslims. One of his favorite
pastimes was to practice the skill of spear throwing. Hazrat Uqbah was in Egypt
when he became fatally ill. He gathered his children together and gave them his
final advice. He said: "My children, guard against three things: Don't
accept; my saying attributed to the Prophet, (SAW) except from a reliable
authority. Do not incur debts or take up a loan even if you are in the position
of an imam. Don't compose poetry for your hearts might be distracted thereby
from the Quran."
Hazrat Uqbah
ibn Aamir al-Juhani (RA), the qari, the scholar, the ghazi, died in Cairo and
was buried at the foot of the Muqattam hills.
May God bless His soul!
