Jabir ibn Abd Allah
| Jabir ibn Abdullah Arabic: جابر بن عبدالله | |
|---|---|
| Title: al-Ansari Arabic: الأنصاري | |
| Birthplace | Medina, Hejaz |
| Ethnicity | Arab people |
| Known For | Being a loyal companion of Prophet Muhammad, Imam Ali, and the Ahl al-Bayt |
| Influences | Allah, Prophet Muhammad, Imam Ali, and the Ahl al-Bayt |
| Died | 78 AH (697) |
| Burial Place | Mada'in, Iraq |
| Parents |
Father: Abdullah ibn Amr Mother: Nasiba bint Uqba |
| Religion | Islam |
| Political Party | |
Jabir ibn 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn Haram al-Ansari (Arabic: جابر بن عبدالله بن عمرو بن حرام الأنصاري, died 697 CE/78 AH) was a prominent companion of Muhammad.
Life
Early life
Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari was born in Yathrib (now known as Medina) 15 years before the Hijra. He belonged to a poor family of Yathrib. He was from the tribe of Khazraj. His mother was Nasiba bint Uqba ibn Uddi. His father was married to his paternal cousin.
Muhammad's era
Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari is said to have accepted Islam when he was about 7.
His participation in the Battle of Badr is questioned by some historians; he is known to have fought in 19 battles (including Badr) under command of Muhammad, and was a trusted Sahaba. He was present during the conquest of Mecca.
Battle of Uhud
In the Battle of Uhud, Jabir ibn Abdullah was not allowed by his father Abdullah to take part in Jihad. Jabir had seven sisters (some historians say nine) and Abdullah wanted him to take care of his family. So instead of fighting, Jabir served the thirsty soldiers. Jabir's father, Abdullah bin Amru bin Haram al-Ansari was killed in the Battle of Uhud [1] along with his brother-in-law, Amro bin Jamooh, both having reached nearly 100 years of age.
Ali ibn Abu Talib era
He fought in all the three major civil wars under Imam Ali: Battle of Jamal, Battle of Sifeen and Battle of Nahrawan.
Ali ibn Husayn's (ibn Ali) era (Shia doctrine)
Jabir had a long life and became blind in his old age. According to the Shias, he devoutly waited for the time when he would meet the fifth Imam. Each morning he would come out from his house, sit by the roadside and wait for the sound of the footsteps to recognize the fifth Imam. One such day while he was waiting in the street of Medina, he heard someone walking towards him, the sound of footsteps reminded him of the way Muhammad used to walk. Jabir stood up, stopped the man and asked his name. He replied, “Muhammad”, Jabir asked, “whose son”? He replied “Ali ibn Hussain”. Jabir immediately recognized the man he was talking to was the 5th Imam. He kissed his hands and conveyed the message of Muhammad.
Abd al-Malik's era and Jabir’s death
It was during this era that he retold the Hadith of Umar's speech of forbidding Mut'ah. Jabir had a very long life. He was poisoned by Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf in the age of 94 years because of his loyalty to Ahl al-Bayt and was buried in Madain near Baghdad at the bank of river Tigris. He died in 78 AH (697).he was initially buried near river Tigris along with Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman another companion of prophet Muhammad. In 1932, the graves of Jabir and Hudhayfah were exhumed and their bodies reburied in Madyan beside the grave of Salman al-Farsi, another companion of Prophet Muhammad. The cause of exhumation was the water logging of graves. After 1300 years or so later their bodies were still in the same condition as they were buried.
Legacy
He narrated about 1,547 Hadiths (some historians say). After the death of Muhammad he used to deliver lectures in Masjid Nabwi, Medina, Egypt, and Damascus. Such leading Tabi'en scholars as Amr ibn Dinar, Mujahid, and Ata' ibn Abi Rabah attended his lectures. People gathered around him in Damascus and Egypt to learn about Muhammad and his Hadiths.
List of narrated hadith
- Hadith of Jesus Praying Behind Mahdi
- Hadiths related to Mut'ah and An-Nisa, 24.
- A narration regarding Contraception