The Plague of Amwas

With regard to the plague of Amwas and how concerned Hazrat Umar (ra) was to protect the lives of others, it is mentioned that there is a valley called Amwas which is situated at a distance of six miles from Ramla towards the direction of Baitul Maqdas.

According to the books of history, it was named the Plague of Amwas because the outbreak of the plague started from here and spread throughout Syria. Countless deaths occurred in Syria as a result of this plague; according to some, there were around 25,000 deaths.

On 17 AH, Hazrat Umar (ra) departed from Medina for Syria and reached Sargh where he met the commander of the armies. Sargh is the name of a village near the valley of Tabuk, which is situated near the borders of Syria and Hijaz. Here, Hazrat Umar (ra) was informed that there was an outbreak of the plague in Amwas and upon seeking consultation, Hazrat Umar (ra) returned. The details of this incident have been recorded in Bukhari as follows:

(With reference to another account, this incident has been mentioned previously as well.)

Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas (ra) relates that when Hazrat Umar (ra) reached Sargh, he met the commander of the armies, Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) and his fellow companions. They informed Hazrat Umar (ra) that there was an outbreak of a plague in Syria. In order to seek counsel on the matter, Hazrat Umar (ra) first and foremost invited the Muhajirin to present their suggestions. However, there was a difference of opinion amongst the Muhajirin. Some of them were of the opinion that they should continue on with their journey and not turn back, whilst the others suggested that the noble Companions of the Holy Prophet (sa) were present in the army and therefore it was not appropriate for them to be taken into an area where there was a plague and it was better to return. Hazrat Umar (ra) then told the Muhajirin to leave and invited the Ansar to present their suggestions. Just like the Muhajirin, the Ansar also had a difference of opinion. Hazrat Umar (ra) then invited the elders of the Quraish, who had accepted Islam at the occasion of the conquest of Mecca and then came and settled in Medina. All of them unanimously expressed their opinion of taking everyone back and that there was no need to enter an area where there was an outbreak of the plague. Accepting their suggestion, Hazrat Umar (ra) announced to return.

Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) then asked whether it was possible for one to escape from what Allah had decreed. Replying to Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra), Hazrat Umar (ra) stated, “O Abu Ubaidah (ra)! I wish it was someone else who had uttered what you have just said. Indeed, we are moving away from one decree of God to another decree. If you had some camels and you reached a valley which had two sides – one was a lush green area, while the other was a dry and barren land – would it not be in accordance with the decree of God if you were to take your camels to graze in the area with lots of vegetation and on the other hand, would it not also be according to the decree of God if you decided to take them to the dry and barren land?”

The narrator of the tradition states that in the meanwhile, Hazrat Abdur Rahman (ra) bin Auf came, who was not present earlier owing to some other work he was engaged in. Hazrat Abdur Rahman (ra) bin Auf submitted, “I have the answer to this issue. I once heard the Holy Prophet (sa) say that if one learns about the outbreak of a disease in a certain area, they should not travel there. And if the disease has emerged in an area which one resides in, then they should not leave the area in order to escape from it.”

Upon hearing this, Hazrat Umar (ra) expressed his gratitude to Allah the Almighty and returned from there.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Tibb, Bab ma Yudhkaru fi al-Ta‘un, Hadith 5729) (Ibn Saad, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1990], pp. 213-215) (Yaqut Ibn Abd Allah al-Hamawi, Mu‘jam al-Buldan, Vol. 3 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah], p. 239)

Hazrat Umar (ra) had arrived there from Medina and had not yet entered the land where there was an outbreak of the plague. Hence, he returned along with his companions. However, since Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) was the commander of the Muslim army and was already in the land where the outbreak of the plague had taken place, therefore he and the rest of the Muslim army remained in the area where there was an outbreak of the plague.