Final Illness & Demise
When Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) passed away due to the Plague of Amwas, Hazrat Umar (ra) appointed Hazrat Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal as the governor of Syria (Amwas was the name of a settlement situated 7 miles from Ramla in the direction of Jerusalem). Hazrat Mu‘az (ra) also passed away due to the Plague of Amwas in the same year.
(Ibn Abd al-Barr, al-Isti‘ab fi Ma‘rifat al-Ashab, Vol. 3, Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Jil, 1992], 1405) (Yaqut Ibn Abd Allah al-Hamawi, Mu‘jam al-Buldan, Vol. 4 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi], 177-178)
Kathir bin Murrah relates that during the period of his illness, Hazrat Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal told them, “I have heard the Holy Prophet (sa) say something which till now I have kept hidden from you. I heard the Holy Prophet (sa) say that entrance into Paradise will become incumbent for one who states, ‘There is none worthy of worship except Allah.’”
(Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal, Vol. 7, p. 355, Hadith 22383, Alam al-Kutub, Beirut, 1998)
In another narration it states that Hazrat Mu‘az (ra) stated, “The only reason why I did not inform you of this Hadith was lest you solely relied on this and abandoned all other good deeds.”
(Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal, Vol. 7, p. 361, Hadith 22410, Alam al-Kutub, Beirut, 1998)
When the plague spread in Syria, Hazrat Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal also became ill due to the plague and owing to his illness was overcome with a state of unconsciousness. When he regained consciousness, he stated, “O Allah, cause this affliction [i.e. the plague] to take over me. I swear by Your honour that indeed You are aware that I love You.” Hazrat Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal again fell unconscious and when he regained consciousness, he again offered the same prayer.
Nearer to the time of his demise, Hazrat Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal asked if it was morning and was informed that the daybreak had not occurred yet. When dawn broke, Hazrat Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal was subsequently informed and he said, “I seek refuge in Allah from the night whose morning takes one to the hell-fire. I welcome death and to meet my beloved who comes after a long time. O Allah, You indeed know that I fear You, but today I am in hope. I do not love the world and seek a long life so that I can dig streams and plant trees, rather so that I may endure the intense thirst of midday and the difficulties of my circumstances and sit in the company of those scholars who remain occupied in Your remembrance.”
In another narration it is mentioned that when Hazrat Mu‘az (ra) was close to his demise, he began to cry. Some people asked him why he was crying as he was a companion of the Holy Prophet (sa). He replied, “I am not crying because I fear death, nor am I crying because I am departing this world. The reason why I am crying is that there are only two groups of people: those who are heaven-bound and those who are hell-bound, and I do not know from which of these two groups I will be raised up again after death. I only fear Allah the Almighty and that is why I am crying.”
(Ali Ibn al-Athir, Usd al-Ghabah fi Ma‘rifat al-Sahabah, Vol. 5, Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2003], 189)
In Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal there is a narration of Hazrat Mu‘az (ra) in which he states, “I heard the Holy Prophet (sa) say, ‘Very soon you will migrate to Syria and it will be conquered at your hands. But then you will suffer from an outbreak of a disease which will consist of boils and blisters or cause a sharp pain. It will appear below the navel region and Allah will grant martyrdom to some people through this and will purify their deeds.’ O Allah! If it is true that indeed Mu‘az bin Jabal heard these words from the Holy Prophet (sa), then grant me and my family a large share from it [i.e. from the prophecy about the plague].” Thus, they all [i.e. Hazrat Mu‘az (ra) and his household] suffered from this plague and not a single one of them survived.
When the boil of the plague became visible on Hazrat Mu‘az’s (ra) index finger, he would say that this pleased him greatly and that even if he were given red camels, it would not please him more.
(Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal, Vol. 7, p. 371, Hadith 22439, Alam al-Kutub, Beirut, 1998)
In Tabari it is stated that a boil developed in the palm of his hand. He would look at his boil and kiss the back of the same hand, saying, “There is nothing in this world that I would exchange for this.”
(Muhammad Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 4, Khuruj Umar bin al-Khattab ila al-Sham [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Fikr, 1987], 238)
Hazrat Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal passed away in 18 AH. There are varying opinions with regards to his age at the time of his demise. His age has been recorded as 33, 34 or 38 years old.
(Ali Ibn al-Athir, Usd al-Ghabah fi Ma‘rifat al-Sahabah, Vol. 5, Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2003], 190)
There are a total of 157 narrations related by Hazrat Mu‘az (ra). Two of these Hadith are such that are found in both Bukhari and Muslim.
(Sheikh Shah Moinuddin Ahmad Nadvi, Siyar al-Sahabah, Vol. 3, Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal [Lahore, Pakistan: Idarah Islamiyyah], 156)