طاعون عمواس – The Plague of Emmaus
Those that were more righteous then you have suffered more before you. For verily they were afflicted with more then what you are afflicted with….
Auf bin Malik narrates; I went to the Prophet ﷺ during the Ghazwa of Tabuk while he was sitting in a leather tent. He said, Count six signs that indicate the approach of the Hour: my death, the conquest of Jerusalem, a plague that will afflict you (and kill you in great numbers) as the plague that afflicts sheep, the increase of wealth to such an extent that even if one is given one hundred Dinars, he will not be satisfied; then an affliction which no Arab house will escape, and then a truce between you and Bani Al-Asfar (i.e. the Byzantines) who will betray you and attack you under eighty flags. Under each flag will be twelve thousand soldiers.
‘Ibn Hajr said: ‘This sign was manifested in the Plague of Amwas during ‘Umar’s caliphate, and this occurred after the conquest of Jerusalem.’5 This plague struck in 18H and claimed the lives of 25,000 people; including that of the famous Companion, Abu ‘Ubaydah b. al-Jarrah.
The events of the Hadith;
- My death: 633 CE / 10 AH
- Conquest of Jerusalem: 637 CE / 14AH
- The plague: 639 CE / 16AH
The village of Amwas located ~25 miles from Jerusalem)
5. Huge increase in wealth
6. A fitnah that no Arab house hold will escap
7. A truce between the Byzantines , they will gather against you under 80 flags
Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallahu ‘anhuma) narrates that ‘Umar ibn Khattab set out for Syria. When he got as far as ‘Sargh’, the commanders of the army, Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn Jarrah and his companions met ‘Umar and told him that a plague had broken out in Syria.
Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas said, ‘Umar said to me, ‘Call the early Muhajirun for me,’ I called them, sought their consultation and informed them that a plague had broken out in Syria.
They disagreed. Some of them said, ‘You have set out on a matter and we do not think that you should retreat from it.’ Others said, ‘You have the rest of the people as well as the Companions of RasoolAllahﷺ and we do not think that you should expose them to this plague.’
‘Umar then said, ‘Go away.’
Then he said, ‘Call the Ansar for me,’ and I called them and he consulted them. They behaved as the Muhajirun had done and disagreed as they had disagreed.
He said, ‘Go away.’
Then he said, ‘Call those who are here of the elders of Quraysh who emigrated the year of the Conquest of Makkah.’ So I called them, and none among them disagreed about it. They said, ‘We think that you should return with the people and not expose them to this plague.’
So ‘Umar made an announcement among the people: ‘I am returning in the morning, so return as well.’
Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn Jarrah said, ‘Are you fleeing from the decree of Allah?’ ‘Umar said, ‘If only someone other than you had said that, Abu ‘Ubaydah!’
Yes, ‘we are fleeing from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah‘.
Do you think that if you had camels and they went down into a valley which had two sides, one of which was fertile and the other barren. Is it not that if you grazed them on the fertile side, then that grazing would be by the decree of Allah, and if you grazed them on the barren side, then that grazing would also be by the decree of Allah?’
‘Abdur Rahman ibn ‘Awf -who had been absent on some errand- then came and said, ‘I have some knowledge regarding this issue. I heard RasoolAllah ﷺ say;
“When you hear that [a plague] is in a land, do not go to it and if it occurs in a land that you are already in, then do not leave it, fleeing from it.’”
‘Umar praised Allah [due to him making the correct decision] and then left.”
Explanation of ‘we are fleeing from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah’
Hafiz ibn Hajar (rahimahullah) makes mention of another version of this narration which has the following words. This version clarifies the meaning as well.
“If we proceed, it will only be through the decree of Allah, and if we return, this will also be through the decree of Allah”
Allah Ta’ala has commanded us to be cautious and to abstain from things that will lead to our destruction. Since we are prohibited from putting ourselves in danger, we are fulfilling the decree of Allah by not proceeding. This was already predestined for us.
General Benefits;
In order the combat the plague Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn Jarrah, told Abu Musa Al Ashari to separate the sick from the healthy, when Abu Musa Al Ashari proceeded to do this and he arrived him, he observed that his wife was infected and she died and he became occupied with her death for a period.
Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn Jarrah started to look himself for a place where they could quarantine the people and as he was doing so he was afflicted with the illness of the plague hit him at that point and he fell ill and was about to die
His dying words to his army;
Allah has written death upon all the children and the smartest of the children of Adam are the ones who have done the most to please their lord
Let me give you some advice; which will cause you to be on the path of goodness always establish Prayer. Fast the month of Ramadan. Give Sadaqah. Perform the Hajj and Umrah. Remain united and support one another. Be sincere to your commanders and do not conceal anything from them. Don’t let the world destroy you for even if man were to live a thousand years he would still end up with this state that you see me in. Peace be upon you and the mercy of God.
He then appointed Muadh ibn Jabal as his successor and ordered him to lead people in prayers; after the prayers Muadh went to him and, at that moment, his soul departed.
Muadh got up and said to the people:
O people, you are stricken by the death of a man. By Allah, I don’t know whether I have seen a man who had a more righteous heart, who was further from all evil and who was more sincere to people than he. Ask God to shower His mercy on him and God will be merciful to you.
He died at the age of 58 in 639 C.E. and was buried at Jabiya. It has been narrated that his janaza was led by Muadh bin Jabal.
When Umar ibn Khattab heard of Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn Jarrah’s passing, he wept , and said if Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn Jarrah was alive I would have put him as my successor and met Allah and peace , for I heard Allah’s messenger ﷺ say , every ummah has a truth worthy one and he was the one of my ummah.
Mu’adh was also noted as saying; this is a mercy from your lord , and a prophecy of your Prophetﷺ and that which has taken the righteous before you, O Allah let the family of Mu’adh get the biggest share of this mercy.
Muadh ibn Jabal lost two daughters died, two sons and his wife as a result of the plague
One of Mu’adh’s wassiyyah to his son Abdurahman, was, “My son! Pray the prayer of he who is just about to leave and imagine that you might not be able to pray ever again. Know that the believer dies between two good deeds; one that he performed and one that he intended to perform later on.”
And because of this statement we hear many imams recite the following before they commence the prayer;
صلوا صلاة مودع
Pray as though it was your last prayer”
And when Abdurrahman was extremely ill, he asked his son “how are you ?” His son responded with:
ٱلۡحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡمُمۡتَرِينَ
…Verily, the truth has come to you from your Lord. So be not of those who doubt (it).
10:94
So Mu’adh responded back with
ۖ سَتَجِدُنِيٓ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ
…. Do that which you are commanded, Insha’ Allah (if Allah will), you shall find me of As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.).”
37:102
And that was their last conversation
Amr ibn A’as then took over and he was an excellent military strategist and his strategy to combat the plague was for the people to seek high ground away from the affected areas and every group of people stay in their own respective tents and not to mix or attend any public gatherings. Sometime then passed, the plague subsided and and no one else died.
Upon hearing this news, Umar ibn Khattab, then came to distribute the inheritance himself.
Amr ibn A’as then suggest to Umar ibn Khattab to take the army and march towards Egypt. And consequently the Sahabah conquered Egypt.
Brief Biographies of prominent sahabah who passed away in the Plague of Amwas
Abu Ubaidah Amir ibn Jarah – أبو عبيدة ابن جرَّح
– RasoolAllah ﷺ makes him the trust worthy of this ummah (Al Ameen), and the name al Sadiq Al Ameen was the name of RasoolAllah ﷺ before prophethood
– he was one of the 10 promised Jannah
– he was quraishi
– he was one of the first batch to accept the dawah of RasoolAllah ﷺ
– he pulled the metal out of the cheek of RasoolAllah ﷺ with his mouth after He
sustained injured after the battle of Uhud
– he was appointed as an arbitrator by RasoolAllah ﷺ upon the request of the Christians of Najraan
– he was requested by Abu Bakr to accompany him to the Saqifah of Banu Sa’dah at the point of the death of RasoolAllah ﷺ , Abu Bakr raised his and Umar’s hands and said to the ansar “you are the wuzarah but we are the umurah, so elect one of these two as your khalifah “
– he was elected by Abu Bakr to lead the battles in بلاد الشام against the Byzantines
Muadh Ibn Jabal – معاذ ابن جبل
– RasoolAllah ﷺ said Muadh will be ahead of every scholar on the day of judgement.
– one of the 4 Qura’a of the Quran who RasoolAllah ﷺ recommended to take the Quran from.
– RasoolAllah ﷺ said the one who knows the most about halal and haram in my ummah is Muadh
– Muadh used to give rulings at the time RasoolAllah was still alive
– RasoolAllah ﷺ specifically selected him to go to Yemen to teach the people Islam and to make the Islamic rulings.
His Death
When Abu Ubaidah, the governor of Syria and a close friend of Muadh’s, died, Umar ibn al-Khattab assigned Muadh to take his place as governor. Within a few months of his appointment, Muadh fell ill. It is said that when he understood that he was dying, he turned to face Mecca and said, “Welcome death, you are long-awaited and beloved.”
Other notable deaths amongst the Sahabah
Yazid ibn Abu Sufyaan يزيد بن أبي سفيان,
– He was one of the commanders at the famous battle of Yarmouk
Fadl ibn Abass عَبَّاس فدل ابن
– Cousin of RasoolAllah, elder brother of Abdullah Ibn Abbas.
– He famously narrated the entire Hajj of RasoolAllah ﷺ as he rode with him
Suhail ibn Amr سهيل بن عمرو
– Famously negotiated on behalf of the Quraish, against RasoolAllah during the treaty of Hudaybiyah
– He also fought in the battle of Yarmouk
Abu Malik Al Ashari أبو مالك الأشعري
– Narrated many narrations from RasoolAllah ﷺ
Bibliography
Sahih Al-Bukhari, No. 3176.
Sahih Bukhari, No. 5729
Sahih Muslim, No. 2219
Fath Al Bari, – Ibn Hajr Al Asqalani
Al Minhaj – Imam Nawawi, Hadith: 5745
Al-Isabah fi tamyiz-is-sahabah – Ibn Hajr Asqalani
Al Mustadrak – Al Hakim
Al-Tārīkh al-Kabīr – Bukhari
Siffatu Safwah – Ibn Al Jawzi
Pearls of knowledge 