The Killing of Abu Jahl
Although the details of Abu Jahl’s death have already been presented in a sermon last year, they will be presented again due to their importance in relation to the account of Hazrat Mu‘az (ra).
Salih bin Ibrahim narrates from his grandfather Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Auf (ra) who stated:
“While I was standing in the row for the Battle of Badr, I looked to my right and left and found two youths from the Ansar. At the time I wished that I was standing among people who were older and stronger. During this very instance, one of them tapped me and asked, ‘Uncle, do you recognise Abu Jahl?’ I said to him, ‘Yes, my nephew, what do you want with him?’ He replied, ‘I learnt that he would hurl abuse at the Holy Prophet (sa). I swear by Him in Whose Hands is my life, if I were to see him, my eyes would not move from him, until one of us – whose end has been decreed – dies.’”
Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin ‘Auf (ra) states:
“These words left me astonished. Then the other one who was standing on the other side tapped me and asked me the same question. After a short while, I saw Abu Jahl circling among the ranks. I said to them, ‘There is that individual about whom you asked.’ As soon as they heard this, they rushed towards him with their swords drawn. They continued their onslaught until he died.
Following this, they returned to the Holy Prophet (sa) to inform him. The Holy Prophet (sa) enquired, ‘Which one of you killed him?’ Both of them replied that they had killed him. The Holy Prophet(sa) then asked, ‘Have you wiped your swords clean?’ They replied that they had not yet done so. The Holy Prophet (sa) examined their swords and said, ‘Both of you have killed him.’ Following this, he said, ‘His wealth will be given to Mu‘az bin Amr bin Jamooh.’”
Both of them were named Mu‘az, i.e one was called Mu‘az bin Afraa and the other was Mu‘az bin Amr bin Jamooh.
This is a narration of Sahih Bukhari.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab Fard al-Khumus, Bab Man Lam Yukhammis al-Aslab, Hadith 3141)
Hazrat Anas (ra) narrates, “On the day of the Battle of Badr, the Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘Who will go to see what became of Abu Jahl?’ Hazrat Ibn Mas‘ud (ra) went and saw that both sons of Afraa, Hazrat Mu‘az (ra) and Hazrat Mu‘awwiz (ra) had struck him with their swords to such an extent that he was on the brink of death. Hazrat Ibn Mas‘ud (ra) went to him and asked if he was Abu Jahl? Hazrat Ibn Mas‘ud narrates, ‘I grabbed Abu Jahl by the beard. Abu Jahl said, “Have you killed a greater man than this”, or he said, “Had his nation killed a greater man than him?”’”
Ahmad bin Yunus has mentioned this in his narration in the following manner, that Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas‘ud stated, “You must be Abu Jahl?” This is also a narration of Bukhari.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitabul Maghazi, Bab Qatl Abi Jahl, Hadith 3962)
In relation to this narration found in Bukhari, Hazrat Sayyid Zain-ul-Abideen Waliullah Shah Sahib (ra) states in his commentary:
“In some narrations, it is mentioned that the two sons of Afraa, Mu‘az (ra) and Mu‘awwiz (ra), attacked Abu Jahl to the extent that he was on the brink of death, and that Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas‘ud (ra) severed his head later on. This is mentioned in Bukhari, in the Book of Maghazi [military expeditions]. Allama Ibn Hajar Asqalani has expressed the possibility of Mu‘awwiz bin Afraa (ra) having also attacked him [i.e. Abu Jahl] after Mu‘az bin Amr (ra) and Mu‘az bin Afraa (ra) had already done so.”
(Sahih Bukhari, Kitab Fard al-Khumus, Vol. 5, p. 491, Footnote, Urdu translation Nizarat Ishaat, Rabwah)
With regard to who took part in the killing of Abu Jahl during the Battle of Badr, in one place, we find the details regarding this in the following manner:
Ibn Hisham narrated from Allama Ibn Ishaq, “Mu‘az bin Amr bin Jamooh (ra) wounded the leg of Abu Jahl, as a result of which he fell down. Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl struck Hazrat Mu‘az’s (ra) hand with his sword, which was severed as a result of the blow. Either his hand or his arm was cut off. Following this, Mu‘awwiz bin Afraa (ra) attacked Abu Jahl, as a result of which Abu Jahl fell to the ground but was still alive. Subsequently, Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas‘ud (ra) severed his head from his body.”
When Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas‘ud (ra) was sent by the Holy Prophet (sa) to find Abu Jahl among those who had been killed, it was then that Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas‘ud (ra) severed his head from his body.
According to a tradition of Sahih Muslim, the two sons of Afraa attacked Abu Jahl so ferociously that he died as a result. Similarly, in Bukhari, under the heading of the killing of Abu Jahl, it has been recorded in a similar manner. Imam Qurtabi expresses doubt that the two sons of Afraa killed Abu Jahl. He says that some narrators confused Mu‘az bin Amr bin Jamooh (ra). That is, instead of Mu‘az bin Afraa (ra), it was in fact Mu‘az bin Amr bin Jamooh (ra) [who killed Abu Jahl], whom people considered to be Mu‘az bin Afraa (ra). He says that people have confused Mu‘az bin Amr bin Jamooh (ra) with Mu‘az bin Afraa (ra).
Allama Ibn al-Jawzi says that Mu‘az bin Jamooh (ra) was not from among the progeny of Afraa and that Mu‘az bin Afraa(ra) was among those individuals, who killed Abu Jahl. Perhaps a brother or paternal uncle of Mu‘az bin Afraa (ra) was present at that time, or only one of the sons of Afraa were mentioned, but the narrator may have mistakenly mentioned both sons.
Abu Umar states that the more reliable narration is that of Hazrat Anas bin Malik (ra), in which it is stated that Ibn Afraa killed Abu Jahl, i.e., one of the sons of Afraa. Ibn Theen relates that there is a possibility that both Mu‘az’s – i.e., Mu‘az bin Amr bin Jamooh (ra) and Mu‘az bin Afraa (ra) were brothers from the same mother, or that they were foster-brothers [who were weaned by the same wet-nurse]. Allamah Daudi has taken the two sons of Afraa to actually mean Sahl and Suhail and it is said that they were both Mu‘awwiz (ra) and Mu‘az (ra).
(Umdatul Qari, Vol. 15, pp. 100-101, Darul Fikr, Beirut)
In any case, these are the various accounts in which it is either mentioned that three individuals killed [Abu Jahl] or two individuals and among them there is mention of Hazrat Mu’az bin Harith (ra).