Article Summary

Mu'adh lbn Jabal RA belonged to the Ansar and was one of the foremost believers who gave the second
oath of allegiance to the Prophet SAW. His uppermost quality was his knowledge of fiqh (jurisprudence)
the practical aspect of Muhammad's message.
He resembled Umar Ibn Al-Khattab RA in his enlightenment, courage and intelligence. Mu'adh readily
answered, 'I will be judge between mankind by resorting to juristic reasoning (ijtihaad) to the best of my
power'
The Prophet SAW justifiably described him as 'the most learned man of my nation in halal and haram'.

Mu'adh Ibn Jabal was one of the Companions of the Prophet SAW. History portrays him as a man of
remarkably enlightened, resolute, and decisive mind. Let us hear him narrate the story of how he came
to know Muhammad bin Al-Hussein.
He reached his high rank in knowledge and reverence when the Prophet SAW was alive and maintained
it after his death. Mu'adh died during Umar's caliphate at the age of thirty-three years.
Mu'adh was sent to Yemen by the Prophet SAW to teach Muslims their religion and fiqh and spent all his
money on charity and aid. If anyone asked him for money, he would readily and gladly give it to him.
Mu'adh died while still in Yemen, where he was given the task of teaching Muslims about Islam.

When Mu'adh returned from Yemen during Abu Bakr's caliphate, Umar lbn Al-Khattab suggested to Abu
Bakr that the community should have half of his wealth. Abu Bakr refuted Umar's viewpoint and said
'No, I will take nothing from you'.
Mu'adh Ibn Jabal was appointed by the Commander of the Faithful Umar Ibn Al Khattab to take over
from Abu Ubaidah. After a while, Mu'adh emigrated to Syria, where he lived among its people and
expatriates as a teacher and scholar.
When Umar was asked before his death, 'If you choose your successor now, we will give him our
allegiance,' he answered: 'If Mu'adh lbn Jabal were alive and I made him my successor to the caliphate,
then I died'. The succession that Umar meant here was not merely over a country or a governorship.
The Prophet SAW persevered in stressing the fact that authority belongs to Allah, and there is no power
or any might except with His permission, for He is Most High and Most Great. Mu'adh did his utmost to
cherish and apply this fundamental basis in his life from that moment onwards.
Ibn Mas'ud describes Mu'adh as 'an ummah, a leader having all the good and righteous qualities,
obedient to Allah and Hanifan, who worshipped none but Allah'. The Prophet SAW commented, 'Now
you know, so stick to the truth as long as you live'.
Mu'adh said, 'I warn you against the deviation of wise men. You will know the truth when you see it, for
it has a distinctive light!'. Mu'adh believed that worship was an end and a means to reach justice. He
believed that education meant knowledge and practice.
Al-Aswad lbn Hilal reported: As we were walking with Mu’adh one day, he said, ‘Let us sit down for a
while to meditate on Allah.’

Perhaps the reason behind his discrete silence was his unremitting meditation and contemplation.
Mu'adh's telling the Prophet SAW that he never took a step without believing that he might die before
taking the next was due to his engrossment in the remembrance of Allah. Mu'adh gazed up into the sky
and humbly supplicated to Allah, the Most Merciful, saying, 'Allah I used to fear You but now I implore
You'.

He stretched his hand as if he were shaking death and went into a coma. His last words were, ‘O
Death, welcome! You are a long-awaited beloved.’

At last Mu’adh ascended to Allah’s Paradise