Ubayd-Allah ibn Jahsh

Ubayd-Allah ibn Jahsh (Arabic: عبيد الله بن جحش‎‎) (c.588-627) was one of the four monotheistic hanifs mentioned by Ibn Ishaq, the others being Waraqah ibn Nawfal, Uthman ibn Huwarith and Zayd ibn Amr.[1]

Biography

He was the son of Jahsh ibn Riyab[2] and Umama bint Abdulmuttalib,[3] hence a brother of Abd-Allah ibn Jahsh, Zaynab bint Jahsh, Abu Ahmad ibn Jahsh, Habiba bint Jahsh and Hammanah bint Jahsh, a first cousin of Islamic prophet Muhammad and Ali, and a nephew of Hamza ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib. He married Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan (who was also known as Umm Habiba), and they had one daughter, Habibah bint Ubayd-Allah.[4]

He and his wife became Muslims and, in order to escape from the Meccan persecution, they emigrated to Abyssinia.[5] At Axum, part of the Aksumite Empire the Christian king, Aṣḥama ibn Abjar, gave sanctuary to the Muslims. There Ubayd-Allah eventually converted to Christianity and testified his new faith to the other Muslim refugees. Ibn Ishaq relates:

“ 'Ubaydullah went on searching until Islam came; then he migrated with the Muslims to Abyssinia taking with him his wife who was a Muslim, Umm Habiba bint Abu Sufyan. When he arrived there he adopted Christianity, parted from Islam, and died a Christian in Abyssinia. Muhammad bin Jafar al-Zubayr told me that when he had become a Christian 'Ubaydullah as he passed the prophet's companions who were there used to say: 'We see clearly, but your eyes are only half open', i.e. 'We see, but you are only trying to see and cannot see yet.' ”

Due to his conversion, he separated from his wife. He eventually died in Abyssinia in 627.[6]

Later on Muhammad married his widow, Ramlah. Muhammad also married Ubayd-Allah's sister Zaynab.

References

  1. ↑ Muhammad ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah. Translated by Guillaume, A. (1955). The Life of Muhammad, pp. 98-99. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  2. ↑ Guillaume/Ishaq pp. 99, 146.
  3. ↑ Muhammad ibn Saad, Tabaqat vol. 8. Translated by Bewley, A. (1995). The Women of Madina, p. 33. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.
  4. ↑ Bewley/Saad p. 68.
  5. ↑ Guillaume/Ishaq, p. 146.
  6. ↑ Bewley/Saad, p. 68. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.

See also

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